rate risk or reward for the fixed-income instrument prices. For example, the price of a bond with an average duration of 5 years would be expected to fall approximately 5% if market interest rates rose by 1%. Conversely, the price of a bond with an average duration of 5 years would be expected to rise approximately 5% if market interest rates dropped by 1%.
The average duration of the Portfolio is actively managed relative to the benchmark's average duration. In rising interest rate environments, the average duration will tend to be equal to or less than the benchmark and in falling interest rate environments, the average duration will tend to be greater than the benchmark;
Yield Curve Analysis. The yield curve shape is assessed to identify the risk/reward trade-off of maturity decisions and market expectations of future interest rates;
Sector Selection. Sectors are overweighted or underweighted relative to the benchmark based on sector analysis and market opportunities. Sectors are broadly defined to include U.S. Treasury securities, U.S. government agency securities, corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities, and money market securities. The Sub-Adviser may further evaluate groupings within sectors such as various industry groups within the corporate securities sector (e.g., finance, industrials, utilities, etc.); and
Security Selection. The Sub-Adviser emphasizes individual securities with positive credit fundamentals, liquidity, and relative value within their respective sectors.
The Sub-Adviser may sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into opportunities believed to be more promising.
The Portfolio may lend portfolio securities on a short-term or long-term basis, up to 33 1∕3% of its total assets.
Principal Risks
You could lose money on an investment in the Portfolio. Any of the following risks, among others, could affect Portfolio performance or cause the Portfolio to lose money or to underperform market averages of other funds. The principal risks are presented in alphabetical order to facilitate readability, and their order does not imply that the realization of one risk is more likely to occur or have a greater adverse impact than another risk.
Bank Instruments:Bank instruments include certificates of deposit, fixed time deposits, bankers' acceptances, and other debt and deposit-type obligations issued by banks. Changes in economic, regulatory, or political conditions, or other events that affect the banking industry may have an adverse effect on bank instruments or banking institutions that serve as counterparties in transactions with the Portfolio. In the event of a bank insolvency or failure, the Portfolio may be considered a general creditor of the bank, and it might lose some or all of the funds deposited with the bank. Even where it is recognized that a bank might be in danger of insolvency or failure, the Portfolio might not be able to withdraw or transfer its money from the bank in time to avoid any adverse effects of the insolvency or failure.
Borrowing:Borrowing creates leverage, which may increase expenses and increase the impact of the Portfolio's other risks. Borrowing may exaggerate any increase or decrease in the Portfolio's net asset value causing the Portfolio to be more volatile than a fund that does not borrow. Borrowing for investment purposes is considered to be speculative and may result in losses to the Portfolio.
Company:The price of a company's stock could decline or underperform for many reasons, including, among others, poor management, financial problems, reduced demand for the company's goods or services, regulatory fines and judgments, or business challenges. If a company is unable to meet its financial obligations, declares bankruptcy, or becomes insolvent, its stock could become worthless.
Credit:The Portfolio could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a debt instrument in which the Portfolio invests, or the counterparty to a derivative contract the Portfolio entered into, is unable or unwilling, or is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services, or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to meet its financial obligations. Asset-backed (including mortgage-backed) securities that are not issued by U.S. government agencies may have a greater risk of default because they are not guaranteed by either the U.S. government or an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. government. The credit quality of typical asset-backed securities depends primarily on the credit quality of the underlying assets and the structural support (if any) provided to the securities.
Credit Default Swaps:The Portfolio may enter into credit default swaps, either as a buyer or a seller of the swap. A buyer of a credit default swap is generally obligated to pay the 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