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Multi-class Prospectus | First Eagle Gold Fund
First Eagle Gold Fund
Investment Objective

First Eagle Gold Fund (“Gold Fund”) seeks to provide investors the opportunity to participate in the investment characteristics of gold (and to a limited extent other precious metals) for a portion of their overall investment portfolio.

Fees and Expenses of the Gold Fund

The following information describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Gold Fund.


You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you, together with certain related accounts, invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in the Gold Fund. Information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the How to Purchase Shares and Public Offering Price of Class A Shares sections on pages 75 and 81, respectively, and in the appendix to this Prospectus titled Intermediary-Specific Front-End Sales Load and Waiver Terms.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees - Multi-class Prospectus - First Eagle Gold Fund
Class A
Class C
Class I
Class R3
Class R4
Class R5
Class R6
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) on Purchases (as a percentage of public offering price) 5.00% none none none none none none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of your purchase or redemption price) 1.00% [1] 1.00% none none none none none
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of the amount redeemed within 60 days of purchase) 2.00% 2.00% 2.00% 2.00% 2.00% 2.00% 2.00%
[1] A contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% may apply on certain redemptions of Class A shares made within 18 months following a purchase of $1,000,000 or more without an initial sales charge.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses - Multi-class Prospectus - First Eagle Gold Fund
Class A
Class C
Class I
Class R3
Class R4
Class R5
Class R6
Management Fees 0.75% 0.75% 0.75% 0.75% 0.75% 0.75% 0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 1.00% none 0.35% 0.10% none none
Other Expenses [1] 0.26% 0.29% 0.24% 0.25% 0.25% 0.25% 0.15%
Total Annual Operating Expenses (%) 1.26% 2.04% 0.99% 1.35% 1.10% 1.00% 0.90%
[1] "Other Expenses" shown generally reflect actual expenses for the Fund for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2017 and estimated expenses in the case of newly organized share classes.
Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Gold Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. This hypothetical example assumes you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem or do not redeem all shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes the average annual return is 5% and operating expenses remain the same. Please keep in mind your actual costs may be higher or lower.

Sold
Expense Example - Multi-class Prospectus - First Eagle Gold Fund - USD ($)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class A 622 880 1,157 1,946
Class C 307 640 1,098 2,369
Class I 101 315 547 1,213
Class R3 137 428 739 1,624
Class R4 112 350 606 1,340
Class R5 102 318 552 1,225
Class R6 92 287 498 1,108
Held
Expense Example No Redemption - Multi-class Prospectus - First Eagle Gold Fund - USD ($)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class A 622 880 1,157 1,946
Class C 207 640 1,098 2,369
Class I 101 315 547 1,213
Class R3 137 428 739 1,624
Class R4 112 350 606 1,340
Class R5 102 318 552 1,225
Class R6 92 287 498 1,108
Portfolio Turnover Rate

The Gold Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 7.90% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

To achieve its objective of providing investors the opportunity to participate in the investment characteristics of gold, the Gold Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in gold and/or securities (which may include both equity and, to a limited extent, debt instruments) directly related to gold or issuers principally engaged in the gold industry, including securities of gold mining finance companies as well as operating companies with long-, medium- or short-life mines. Up to 20% of the Fund’s assets may be invested in equity and, to a limited extent, debt instruments unrelated to gold or the gold industry. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in debt securities. Investment decisions for the Fund are made without regard to the capitalization (size) of the companies in which it invests. The Fund may invest in any size company, including large, medium and smaller companies. The Fund may also invest in fixed-income instruments (without regard to credit rating or time to maturity), short-term debt instruments, other precious metals, and futures contracts related to precious metals. The Fund “counts” relevant derivative positions towards its “80% of assets” allocation, and in doing so, values each position at the price at which it is held on the Fund’s books (generally market price).


An investment in the Gold Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program. However, many investors believe that, historically, a limited exposure to investments in gold or gold-related instruments may provide some offset against the market impact of political and economic disruptions, as well as relieve inflationary or deflationary pressures.


The Fund makes some investments through a special purpose trading subsidiary (the “Subsidiary”) and may invest up to 25% of its total assets in the Subsidiary. The Subsidiary is a wholly-owned and controlled subsidiary of the Fund, organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company. Generally, the Subsidiary will invest in commodities and related instruments (primarily gold bullion and other precious metals and related contracts). The Fund will invest in the Subsidiary in order to gain exposure to the commodities markets within the limitations of the federal tax laws, rules and regulations that apply to regulated investment companies. Unlike the Fund, the Subsidiary may invest without limitation in commodities and related instruments, however, the Subsidiary will comply with the same 1940 Act asset coverage requirements with respect to any investments in commodity-linked derivatives that are applicable to the Fund’s transactions in derivatives. In addition, to the extent applicable to the investment activities of the Subsidiary, the Subsidiary will be subject to the same fundamental investment restrictions and will follow the same compliance policies and procedures as the Fund. Compliance with the Fund’s investment restrictions generally will be measured on an aggregate basis in respect of the Fund’s and the Subsidiary’s portfolios. The Subsidiary will comply with the 1940 Act provisions governing affiliate transactions and custody of assets. The Fund is the sole shareholder of the Subsidiary and does not expect shares of the Subsidiary to be offered or sold to other investors.

Principal Investment Risks

As with any mutual fund investment, you may lose money by investing in the Gold Fund. The likelihood of loss may be greater if you invest for a shorter period of time. An investment in the Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program.


Principal risks of investing in the Gold Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value and total return, are:


 

 

Market Risk — The value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings may fluctuate in response to events specific to the companies or markets in which the Fund invests, as well as economic, political, or social events in the United States or abroad.

 

 

Gold Risk — The Fund may invest in both physical gold and the securities of companies in the gold mining sector. Prices of gold-related issues are susceptible to changes in U.S. and foreign regulatory policies, taxes, currencies, mining laws, inflation, and various other market conditions.

 

 

Derivatives Risk — Futures contracts or other “derivatives,” including hedging strategies, present risks related to their significant price volatility and risk of default by the counterparty to the contract. To date, derivatives have been used mainly under a hedging program intended to reduce the impact of foreign exchange rate changes on the Fund’s value.

 

 

Foreign Investment Risk — The Fund may invest in foreign investments. Foreign investments are susceptible to less politically, economically and socially stable environments, foreign currency and exchange rate changes, and adverse changes to government regulations. These risks may be more pronounced with respect to investments in emerging markets. Because of the Gold Fund’s policy of investing primarily in gold, securities directly related to gold and/or of companies engaged in the gold industry, a substantial part of the Gold Fund’s assets will generally be invested in securities of companies domiciled or operating in one or more foreign countries, including emerging markets.

 

 

Diversification Risk — The Fund is a non-diversified mutual fund, and as a result, an investment in the Fund may expose your money to greater risks than if you invest in a diversified fund. The Fund may invest in a limited number of companies and industries, therefore gains or losses in a particular security may have a greater impact on their share price.

 

 

Small and Medium-Size Company Risk — The Fund may invest in small and medium-size companies, the securities of which can be more volatile in price than those of larger companies. Positions in smaller companies, especially when the Fund is a large holder of a small company’s securities, also may be more difficult or expensive to trade.

 

 

Credit and Interest Rate Risk — The value of the Fund’s portfolio may fluctuate in response to the risk that the issuer of a bond or other instrument will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. The Fund may invest in debt instruments that are below investment grade, e.g., junk bonds, which are considered speculative, and carry a higher risk of default. In addition, fluctuations in interest rates can affect the value of debt instruments held by the Fund. An increase in interest rates tends to reduce the market value of debt instruments, while a decline in interest rates tends to increase their values. Longer-duration instruments tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than those with shorter durations.

 

 

Currency Risk — Currency risk is the risk that foreign currencies will decline in value relative to that of the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund’s non-U.S. currencies or securities that trade in and receive revenue in non-U.S. currencies.

 

 

Subsidiary Risk — 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 is not subject to all of the investor protections of the 1940 Act. 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 expected and could adversely affect the Fund.


An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency.


For more information on the risks of investing in the Gold Fund, please see the More Information about the Funds’ Investments section.

Investment Results

The following information provides an indication of the risks of investing in the Gold Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year, and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for 1, 5 and 10 years compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. As with all mutual funds, past performance is not an indication of future performance (before or after taxes).


After-tax returns are calculated using the highest individual federal income tax rate for each year, and do not reflect the effect of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your individual tax situation. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors in tax-deferred accounts, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.


Updated performance information is available at www.feim.com/individual-investors/fund/gold-fund or by calling 800.334.2143.


The following bar chart assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions and does not reflect any sales charges. If sales charges were included, the returns would be lower.

Calendar Year Total Returns—Class A
Bar Chart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Quarter*

 

 

 

Worst Quarter*

First Quarter 2016

 

32.55%

 

 

 

Second Quarter 2013

 

-32.24%

 

 

 

 

 


 

*

 

For the period presented in the bar chart above.

Average Annual Total Returns as of December 31, 2017

The following table discloses after-tax returns only for Class A shares.


After-tax returns for Class C, Class I, Class R3, Class R4, Class R5 and Class R6 shares will vary. While no or only partial year information is shown for Class R3, Class R4, Class R5 and Class R6 shares (because they have no or less than a full year’s performance as of December 31, 2017), annual returns for Class R3, Class R4, Class R5 and Class R6 shares would have been substantially similar to those shown here. Class R3, Class R4, Class R5 and Class R6 shares are invested in the same portfolio of securities and the annual returns differ only to the extent that Class R3, Class R4, Class R5 and Class R6 shares do not have the same expenses as the classes for which performance is shown. Comparative expense information is in the Fees and Expenses table.

Average Annual Returns - Multi-class Prospectus - First Eagle Gold Fund
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Since Inception
Inception Date
Class A 2.73% (10.10%) (2.26%)    
Class C 6.37% (9.88%) (2.51%)    
Class I 8.44% (8.92%) (1.51%)    
Class R6       (1.36%) Mar. 01, 2017
After Taxes on Distributions | Class A 2.73% (10.10%) (2.58%)    
After Taxes on Distributions and Sales of Fund Shares | Class A 1.55% (7.27%) (1.47%)    
MSCI World Index 22.40% 11.64% 5.03% 15.17% Mar. 01, 2017
FTSE Gold Mines Index 9.11% (11.48%) (6.36%) (0.17%) Mar. 01, 2017