XML 19 R43.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v2.4.0.6
Label Element Value
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName LOOMIS SAYLES FUNDS I
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Feb. 01, 2013
Loomis Sayles Small Cap Value Fund
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading loomis sayles small cap value fund
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund's investment objective is long-term capital growth from investments in common stocks or other equity securities.

Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading FUND FEES & EXPENSES
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

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

The Fund does not impose a sales charge, a redemption fee or an exchange fee.
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination January 31, 2014
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes for you if your 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 its most recently ended fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 19% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 19.00%
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. The example for the Institutional Class shares and Class N shares is based on Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses for all periods. The example for Retail Class shares and Admin Class shares is based on the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement for the first year and on the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses for the remaining years. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading INVESTMENTS, RISKS AND PERFORMANCE

Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Fund normally will invest at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings made for investment purposes) in the equity securities of "small-cap companies," including preferred stocks, warrants, securities convertible into common or preferred stocks and other equity-like interests in an entity. Currently, the Fund defines a small-cap company to be one whose market capitalization either falls within the capitalization range of the Russell 2000 Index, an index that tracks stocks of 2,000 of the smallest U.S. companies, or is $3 billion or less at the time of investment. The Fund may invest the rest of its assets in companies of any size, including large-capitalization companies.

In deciding which securities to buy and sell, Loomis Sayles seeks to identify securities of smaller companies that it believes are undervalued by the market. Loomis Sayles will consider, among other things, price-to-earnings, price-to-book and price-to-cash flow ratios. The Fund's investments may include companies that have suffered significant business problems but are believed by Loomis Sayles to have favorable prospects for recovery and companies that are not yet well-known to the investment community but are considered to have favorable fundamental prospects and attractive valuation. The portfolio managers analyze fundamental trends across the various industries in the sectors and use this information along with security valuation procedures to determine which stocks they believe are best positioned to outperform the industry or sector. In addition to considering the research analysts' sector-specific recommendations and other factors, the portfolio managers also employ quantitative analysis to evaluate the analysts' recommendations and construct the Fund's investment portfolio. Sell decisions are made when there is a deterioration in fundamentals, a stock reaches a target price or a more attractive opportunity is found.

The Fund may invest up to 20% of its assets in securities of foreign issuers, including emerging markets securities. The Fund may also invest in real estate investment trusts ("REITs"), securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933 ("Rule 144A securities"). and, to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act of 1940, and the rules thereunder (the "1940 Act"), investment companies. The Fund may engage, for hedging and investment purposes, in foreign currency transactions, options and futures transactions.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. The Fund does not represent a complete investment program. You may lose money by investing in the Fund.

Credit Risk is the risk that the issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security in which the Fund invests, or the counterparty to a derivatives or other transaction will fail financially or otherwise be unwilling or unable to meet their obligations to the Fund.

Currency Risk is the risk that the value of the Fund's investments will fall as a result of changes in exchange rates. Loomis Sayles may elect not to hedge currency risk or may hedge imperfectly, which may cause the Fund to incur losses that would not have been incurred had the risk been hedged.

Derivatives Risk is the risk that the value of the Fund's derivative investments such as forward currency contracts, options and futures transactions will fall, for example, because of changes in the value of the underlying reference instruments, pricing difficulties or lack of correlation with the underlying investments. The use of derivatives for other than hedging purposes may be considered a speculative activity, and involves greater risks than are involved in hedging. There is also the risk that the Fund may be unable to terminate or sell a derivatives position at an advantageous time or price. Moreover, a number of broker-dealers and other financial institutions have recently experienced extreme financial difficulty, sometimes resulting in bankruptcy of the institution. There can be no assurance that the Fund's derivative counterparties will not experience similar financial difficulties, possibly resulting in losses to the Fund. This risk is greater for forward currency contracts and other over-the-counter traded derivatives. Investing in derivatives gives rise to other risks, such as leverage risk, liquidity risk, credit risk, counterparty risk, interest rate risk and market risk. The use of derivatives may cause the Fund to incur losses greater than those which would have occurred had derivatives not been used.

Emerging Markets Risk is the risk that the Fund's investments may face greater foreign securities risk. Investing in companies traded in emerging securities markets, which may be smaller and have shorter operating histories than companies in developed markets, involves risks in addition to, and greater than, those generally associated with investing in developed foreign markets. The extent of economic development, political stability, market depth, infrastructure, capitalization and regulatory oversight in emerging market economies is generally less than in more developed markets.

Equity Securities Risk is the risk that the value of a stock may decline for a number of reasons that relate directly to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods and services, or the equity markets generally. Value stocks can perform differently from the market as a whole and from other types of stocks. Value stocks present the risk that their lower valuations fairly reflect their business prospects or that other investors will not agree that the stocks represent favorable investment opportunities, and they may fall out of favor with investors and underperform growth stocks during any given period. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims by owners of the issuer's bonds generally take precedence over the claims of those who own preferred stock or common stock.

Foreign Securities Risk is the risk that the value of the Fund's foreign investments will fall as a result of foreign political, social, economic, environmental, credit, informational or currency changes or other issues relating to foreign investing generally. Foreign securities may be subject to higher volatility than U.S. securities, varying degrees of regulation and limited liquidity. The Fund's investments in foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes, which would decrease the yield on those securities.

Investments in Other Investment Companies Risk is the risk that the Fund will indirectly bear the management service and other fees of the other investment company in addition to its own expenses.

Issuer Risk is the risk that the value of securities may decline due to a number of reasons relating to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods and services.

Leverage Risk is the risk associated with securities or practices (e.g., borrowing and the use of certain derivatives) and investment in certain types of derivatives that multiply small index, market or asset price movements into larger changes in value. Use of derivative instruments may involve leverage. When a derivative is used as a hedge against an offsetting position that the Fund also holds, any loss generated by the derivative should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged instrument, and vice versa. To the extent that the Fund uses a derivative for purposes other than as a hedge, or if the Fund hedges imperfectly, the Fund is directly exposed to the risks of that derivative and any loss generated by the derivative will not be offset by a gain. Futures and forward currency contracts are derivatives and may be subject to this type of risk.

Liquidity Risk is the risk that the Fund may be unable to find a buyer for its investments when it seeks to sell them or to receive the price it expects. Securities acquired in a private placement, such as Rule 144A securities, generally are subject to strict restrictions on resale and there may be no liquid secondary market or ready purchaser for such securities. Therefore, the Fund may be unable to dispose of such securities when it desires to do so, or at the most advantageous time or price. Liquidity issues may also make it difficult to value the Fund's investments.

Management Risk is the risk that Loomis Sayles' investment techniques will be unsuccessful and cause the Fund to incur losses.

Market Risk is the risk that the market value of a security will move up and down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, based upon a change in an issuer's financial condition, as well as overall market and economic conditions.

REITs Risk is the risk that the value of the Fund's investments in REITs will fall as a result of changes in underlying real estate values, rising interest rates, limited diversification of holdings, higher costs and prepayment risk associated with related mortgages, as well as other risks particular to investments in real estate. Many REITs are highly leveraged, increasing their risk. The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of expenses, including management fees, paid by each REIT in which it invests in addition to the expenses of the Fund.

Small-Capitalization Companies Risk is the risk that the Fund's investments may be subject to more abrupt price movements, limited markets, increased volatility and less liquidity than investments in larger, more established companies, which could adversely affect the value of the portfolio.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney You may lose money by investing in the Fund.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Risk/Return Bar Chart and Table
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and table give an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for the one-year, five-year, ten-year and life-of-fund periods compare to those of two broad measures of market performance. The Russell 2000 Value Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of those Russell 2000 companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. The Russell 2000 Index is an unmanaged index that consists of the 2,000 smallest companies in the Russell 3000 Index. This index shows how the Fund's returns compare to a commonly-used broad based index focused on small-cap securities. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available online at www.loomissayles.com and/or by calling the Fund toll-free at 800-633-3330.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The following bar chart and table give an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns for the one-year, five-year, ten-year and life-of-fund periods compare to those of two broad measures of market performance.
Performance Availability Phone [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone 800-633-3330
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.loomissayles.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading

Total Returns for Institutional Class Shares
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

The Fund's best quarter was 19.42%, (third quarter of 2009), and the Fund's worst quarter was -23.69%, (fourth quarter of 2008).
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Average Annual Total Returns for the periods ended December 31, 2012
Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text] rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes Index performance reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes.
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans, qualified plans, education savings accounts, such as 529 plans, or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown The after-tax returns are shown for the Institutional Class of the Fund. After-tax returns for other classes of the Fund will vary.
Performance Table Narrative rr_PerformanceTableNarrativeTextBlock

Total returns shown for the Fund reflect the results of the Loomis Sayles Small Cap Value Fund, a series of Loomis Sayles Funds II (the "Predecessor Fund") whose assets and liabilities were reorganized into the Fund, a series of Loomis Sayles Funds I, on September 12, 2003. For periods before the inception of Retail Class shares (December 31, 1996) and Admin Class shares (January 2, 1998) of the Predecessor Fund, the performance shown for those Classes is based on the returns of the Predecessor Fund's Institutional Class shares, adjusted to reflect the net expenses paid by Retail Class and Admin Class shares of the Predecessor Fund. Because the Fund did not have Class N shares outstanding during the periods shown, performance is that of the Institutional Class shares of the Fund. Class N shares would have had substantially similar returns because they would have been invested in the same portfolio of securities as Institutional Class shares and would only differ to the extent the classes did not have the same expenses. The Class N returns may be higher than the returns of Institutional Class shares because Institutional Class shares are subject to higher expenses.

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans, qualified plans, education savings accounts, such as 529 plans, or individual retirement accounts. The after-tax returns are shown for the Institutional Class of the Fund. After-tax returns for other classes of the Fund will vary. Index performance reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes.
Loomis Sayles Small Cap Value Fund | Institutional Class
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.75%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Fee/expense recovery rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets none [1]
Remainder of other expenses rr_Component2OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.15%
Total other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.15%
Acquired fund fees and expenses rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.08%
Total annual fund operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.98%
Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets none [1]
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.98%
1 year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 100
3 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 312
5 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 542
10 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,201
2003 rr_AnnualReturn2003 34.55%
2004 rr_AnnualReturn2004 21.83%
2005 rr_AnnualReturn2005 6.24%
2006 rr_AnnualReturn2006 18.31%
2007 rr_AnnualReturn2007 3.44%
2008 rr_AnnualReturn2008 (31.81%)
2009 rr_AnnualReturn2009 28.84%
2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 25.07%
2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 (1.57%)
2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 16.34%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel best quarter
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Sep. 30, 2009
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 19.42%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel worst quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2008
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (23.69%)
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 16.34%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.70%
Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 10.37%
Life-of-Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 12.11%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 13, 1991
Loomis Sayles Small Cap Value Fund | Retail Class
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.75%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Fee/expense recovery rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets none [1]
Remainder of other expenses rr_Component2OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.22%
Total other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.22%
Acquired fund fees and expenses rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.08%
Total annual fund operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.30%
Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.07% [1]
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.23%
1 year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 125
3 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 405
5 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 706
10 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,562
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 16.06%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.43%
Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 10.09%
Life-of-Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 11.90%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 13, 1991
Loomis Sayles Small Cap Value Fund | Admin Class
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.75%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Fee/expense recovery rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets none [1]
Remainder of other expenses rr_Component2OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.52% [2]
Total other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.52%
Acquired fund fees and expenses rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.08%
Total annual fund operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.60%
Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.12% [1]
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.48%
1 year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 151
3 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 493
5 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 860
10 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,890
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 15.75%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.17%
Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 9.81%
Life-of-Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 11.57%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 13, 1991
Loomis Sayles Small Cap Value Fund | Class N
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Management fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.75%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Fee/expense recovery rr_Component1OtherExpensesOverAssets none [1]
Remainder of other expenses rr_Component2OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.08% [3]
Total other expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.08%
Acquired fund fees and expenses rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.08%
Total annual fund operating expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.91%
Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets none [1]
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.91%
1 year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 93
3 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 290
5 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 504
10 years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,120
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 16.34%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.70%
Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 10.37%
Life-of-Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 12.11%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 13, 1991
Loomis Sayles Small Cap Value Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions | Institutional Class
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 16.15%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.61%
Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 9.43%
Life-of-Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 10.16%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 13, 1991
Loomis Sayles Small Cap Value Fund | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Institutional Class
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 10.87%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.03%
Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 8.89%
Life-of-Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 9.82%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate May 13, 1991
Loomis Sayles Small Cap Value Fund | Russell 2000 Value Index
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 18.05%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 3.55%
Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 9.50%
Life-of-Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 11.12%
Loomis Sayles Small Cap Value Fund | Russell 2000 Index
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 16.35%
Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 3.56%
Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 9.72%
Life-of-Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 9.10%
[1] Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. ("Loomis Sayles" or the "Adviser") has given a binding contractual undertaking to the Fund to limit the amount of the Fund's total annual fund operating expenses to 0.90%, 1.15%, 1.40% and 0.85% of the Fund's average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares, Retail Class shares, Admin Class shares and Class N shares, respectively, exclusive of brokerage expenses, interest expense, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, organizational and extraordinary expenses, such as litigation and indemnification expenses. This undertaking is in effect through January 31, 2014 and may be terminated before then only with the consent of the Fund's Board of Trustees. The Adviser will be permitted to recover, on a class by class basis, management fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed to the extent that expenses in later periods fall below 0.90%, 1.15%,1.40% and 0.85% of the Fund's average daily net assets for Institutional Class shares, Retail Class shares, Admin Class shares and Class N shares, respectively. The Fund will not be obligated to repay any such waived/reimbursed fees and expenses more than one year after the end of the fiscal year in which the fees or expenses were waived/reimbursed.
[2] Other expenses include an administrative services fee of 0.25% for Admin Class shares.
[3] Other expenses for Class N shares are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.