securities of issuers that may be involved in bankruptcy proceedings, reorganizations or financial restructurings or securities of issuers operating in troubled industries. The Fund may invest in securities that are issued by companies that are highly leveraged, less creditworthy or financially distressed. All securities will be U.S. dollar-denominated although they may be issued by a foreign corporation, government or its agencies and instrumentalities.
In addition to direct investments in securities, derivatives, which are instruments that have a value based on another instrument, exchange rate or index, may be used as substitutes for securities in which the Fund can invest. The Fund may use futures contracts, options and swaps to hedge various investments, for risk management and/or to increase income or gain to the Fund. In particular, the Fund may invest in swaps structured as credit default swaps to gain exposure to other securities in order to mitigate risk exposure or to manage cash flow needs.
Although the Fund predominantly invests in debt securities and income producing securities, it may also invest in common stock from time to time. In addition, the Fund may acquire and hold such securities (or rights to acquire such securities) in connection with an amendment, waiver, conversion or exchange of fixed income securities, in connection with the bankruptcy or workout of distressed fixed income securities, or upon the exercise of a right or warrant obtained on account of a fixed income security. In connection with a company's reorganization, the Fund, either alone or in conjunction with other creditors, may provide financing to a debtor-in-possession by investing in notes or other securities issued by a company. The Fund may also hold commitments to purchase bonds, convertible securities and preferred or common stock (Unfunded Commitments) as a principal investment strategy.
The adviser seeks to achieve its investment objective by focusing on value in buying and selling securities for the Fund by looking at individual securities against the context of broader market factors. For each issuer, the adviser performs an in-depth analysis of the issuer, including business prospects, management, capital requirements, capital structure, enterprise value and security structure and covenants. In addition, the adviser monitors investments on an ongoing basis by staying abreast of positive and negative credit developments expediting the review of the Fund's investments that are considered to be the most risky. Generally, the adviser will sell a security when, based on fundamental credit analysis and the considerations described above, the adviser believes the issuer's credit quality will deteriorate materially or when the adviser believes that there is better relative value available in the market in securities of comparable quality. Based on this investment process, the adviser overweights and underweights its sector and security investments relative to the benchmark. As part of its investment process, the adviser seeks to assess the impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors on certain issuers in the universe in which the Fund may invest. The adviser's assessment is based on an analysis of key opportunities and risks across industries to seek to identify financially material issues with respect to the Fund's investments in securities and ascertain key issues that merit engagement with issuers. These assessments may not be conclusive, and securities of issuers that may be negatively impacted by such factors may be purchased and retained by the Fund, while the Fund may divest or not invest in securities of issuers that may be positively impacted by such factors.
The Fund's Main Investment Risks
The Fund is subject to management risk and may not achieve its objective if the adviser's expectations regarding particular instruments or markets are not met.
An investment in this Fund or any other fund may not provide a complete investment program. The suitability of an investment in the Fund should be considered based on the investment objective, strategies and risks described in this prospectus, considered in light of all of the other investments in your portfolio, as well as your risk tolerance, financial goals and time horizons. You may want to consult with a financial advisor to determine if this Fund is suitable for you.
The Fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value (NAV), market price, performance and ability to meet its investment objective.
General Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes due to a number of factors, including inflation (or expectations for inflation), deflation (or expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs, sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund's investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics.
High Yield Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in securities that are issued by companies that are highly leveraged, less creditworthy or financially distressed. These investments (also known as junk bonds) are considered to be speculative and are subject to greater risk of loss, greater sensitivity to economic changes, valuation difficulties and potential illiquidity.
In recent years, there has been a broad trend of weaker or less restrictive covenant protections in the high yield market. Among other things, under such weaker or less restrictive covenants, borrowers might be able to exercise more flexibility with respect to certain activities than borrowers who are subject to stronger or more protective covenants. For example, borrowers might be able to incur more debt, including secured debt, return more capital to shareholders, remove or reduce assets that are designated as collateral securing high yield securities, increase the claims against assets that are permitted against collateral securing high yield securities or otherwise manage their business in ways that could impact creditors negatively. In addition, certain privately held borrowers might be permitted to file less frequent, less detailed or less timely financial reporting or other information, which could negatively impact the value of the high yield securities issued by such borrowers. Each of these factors might negatively impact the high yield instruments held by the Fund.