09/06/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/06/2024 08:50
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS March 1, 2024 revised to September 6, 2024 |
|||
T. ROWE PRICE |
|||
Africa & Middle East Fund |
|||
TRAMX PRAMX TRZMX |
Investor Class I Class Z Class |
||
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. Before you invest, you may want to review the fund's prospectus, which contains more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the fund's prospectus, shareholder reports, and other information about the fund online at troweprice.com/prospectus. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-800-638-5660, by sending an e-mail request to [email protected], or by contacting your financial intermediary. This Summary Prospectus incorporates by reference the fund's prospectus, dated March 1, 2024 revised to September 6, 2024, as amended or supplemented, and Statement of Additional Information, dated September 6, 2024, as amended or supplemented. |
|||
SUMMARY |
1 |
Investment Objective(s)
The fund seeks long-term growth of capital by investing primarily in the common stocks of companies located (or with primary operations) in Africa and the Middle East.
Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the fund. You may also incur brokerage commissions and other charges when buying or selling shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the table or example below.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund |
|||||||
Investor |
I |
Z |
|||||
Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment) |
|||||||
Maximum account fee |
$20 |
a |
- |
- |
|||
Annual fund operating expenses |
|||||||
Management fees |
1.04 |
% |
1.04 |
% |
1.04 |
% |
|
Other expenses |
0.70 |
0.35 |
b |
0.33 |
|||
Total annual fund operating expenses |
1.74 |
1.39 |
1.37 |
||||
Fee waiver/expense reimbursement |
(0.44 |
)c |
(0.30 |
)b |
(1.37 |
)d |
|
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver/expense reimbursement |
1.30 |
c |
1.09 |
b |
0.00 |
d |
|
a |
Subject to certain exceptions and account minimums, accounts are charged an annual $20 fee. |
||||||
b |
T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., has contractually agreed (through February 28, 2026) to pay the operating expenses of the fund's I Class excluding management fees; interest; expenses related to borrowings, taxes, and brokerage; nonrecurring, extraordinary expenses; and acquired fund fees and expenses (I Class Operating Expenses), to the extent the I Class Operating Expenses exceed 0.05% of the class' average daily net assets. The agreement may only be terminated at any time after February 28, 2026, with approval by the fund's Board of Directors. Any expenses paid under this agreement (and any applicable prior limitations) are subject to reimbursement to T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., by the class whenever the I Class Operating Expenses are below 0.05%. However, the class will not reimburse T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., more than three years from the date such amounts were initially waived or paid. The class may only reimburse T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., if the reimbursement does not cause the I Class Operating Expenses (after the reimbursement is taken into account) to exceed the current expense limitation on I Class Operating Expenses (or the expense limitation in place at the time the amounts were waived or paid). |
||||||
c |
T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., has contractually agreed (through February 28, 2026) to waive its fees and/or bear any expenses (excluding interest; expenses related to borrowings, taxes, and brokerage; nonrecurring, extraordinary expenses; and acquired fund fees and expenses) that would cause the class' ratio of expenses to average daily net assets to exceed 1.30%. The agreement may only be terminated at any time after February 28, 2026, with approval by the fund's Board of Directors. Fees waived and expenses paid under this agreement (and any applicable prior limitations) are subject to reimbursement to T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., by the class whenever the class' expense ratio is below 1.30%. However, the class will not reimburse T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., more than three years from the date such amounts were initially waived or paid. The class may only reimburse T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., if the reimbursement does not cause the class' expense ratio (after the reimbursement is taken into account) to exceed the class' current expense limitation (or the expense limitation in place at the time the amounts were waived or paid). |
||||||
d |
T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., has contractually agreed to waive and/or bear all the Z Class' expenses (excluding interest; expenses related to borrowings, taxes, and brokerage; nonrecurring, extraordinary expenses; and acquired fund fees and expenses) in their entirety. T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., expects this fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement arrangement to remain in place indefinitely, and the agreement may only be amended or terminated with approval by the fund's Board of Directors. |
T. ROWE PRICE |
2 |
Example This 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, that your investment has a 5% return each year, and that the fund's operating expenses remain the same. The example also assumes that any current expense limitation arrangement remains in place for the period noted in the previous table; therefore, the figures have been adjusted to reflect fee waivers or expense reimbursements only in the periods for which the expense limitation arrangement is expected to continue. 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 |
||||||
Investor Class |
$ |
132 |
$ |
460 |
$ |
859 |
$ |
1,976 |
|
I Class |
111 |
379 |
702 |
1,615 |
|||||
Z Class |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|||||
Portfolio TurnoverThe 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 the fund's 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 53.1% of the average value of its portfolio.
Investments, Risks, and Performance
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets (including any borrowings for investment purposes) in African and Middle Eastern companies. For purposes of determining whether the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in African and Middle Eastern companies, the fund relies on the country assigned to a security by MSCI Inc., a third-party provider of benchmark indexes and data services, or another unaffiliated data provider.
The fund expects to primarily invest in common stocks of companies located (or with primary operations) in Africa and the Middle East. The countries in which the fund normally invests include, but are not limited to, the following:
·Primary Emphasis: Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and United Arab Emirates.
·Others: Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger Republic, Rwanda, Senegal, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The fund may make substantial investments in banks and financial services companies in various African and Middle Eastern countries.
While the adviser invests with an awareness of the adviser's outlook for certain industries, sectors, and individual countries within the region, the adviser's decision-making process focuses
SUMMARY |
3 |
on bottom-up stock selection. Country allocation is driven largely by stock selection, though the adviser may limit investments in markets or industries that appear to have poor overall prospects.
Security selection reflects a growth style. The adviser relies on a global team of investment analysts dedicated to in-depth fundamental research in an effort to identify companies capable of achieving and sustaining above-average, long-term earnings growth. The adviser seeks to purchase stocks of companies at reasonable prices in relation to present or anticipated earnings, cash flow, or book value. The fund's successful implementation of a growth-oriented strategy may lead to long-term growth of capital over time.
In selecting investments, the adviser generally favors companies with one or more of the following characteristics:
·leading or improving market position;
·attractive business niche;
·attractive or improving franchise or industry position;
·seasoned management;
·stable or improving earnings and/or cash flow; and
·sound or improving balance sheet.
Principal Risks
As with any fund, there is no guarantee that the fund will achieve its objective(s). The fund's share price fluctuates, which means you could lose money by investing in the fund. The principal risks of investing in this fund, which may be even greater in bad or uncertain market conditions, are summarized as follows:
Investing in Africa and the Middle East:Many African and Middle Eastern countries have histories of dictatorships, political and military unrest, social instability, and financial troubles, and their markets should be considered extremely volatile even when compared with those of other emerging market countries. Many of these countries tend to be highly reliant on exporting oil and other commodities so their economies can be significantly impacted by fluctuations in commodity prices and the global demand for certain commodities.
Geographic concentration: Because the fund focuses its investments on a particular geographic area, the fund's performance is closely tied to the social, political, and economic conditions of that area. Political developments and changes in regulatory, tax, or economic policy could significantly affect the markets in which the fund invests. As a result, the fund is likely to be more volatile than more geographically diverse international funds.
Currency exposure: Because the fund is normally heavily exposed to foreign currencies, the fund is subject to the significant risk that it could experience losses based solely on the weakness of foreign currencies versus the U.S. dollar and changes in the exchange rates between such currencies and the U.S. dollar.
Sector exposure: Issuers in the same economic sector may be similarly affected by economic or market events, making the fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that economic sector than funds that invest more broadly.
T. ROWE PRICE |
4 |
Banks and financial services companies: Because the fund may invest significantly in banks and other financial services companies, the fund is more susceptible to adverse developments affecting such companies and may perform poorly during a downturn that impacts the financial sector. Banks and other financial services companies can be adversely affected by, among other things, regulatory changes, interest rate movements, the availability of capital and cost to borrow, and the rate of debt defaults.
Investing in Saudi Arabia: Investments in securities of Saudi Arabian issuers involve risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in more developed countries, which may negatively affect the value of the fund's investments. Such heightened risks may include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, restrictions on and government intervention in international trade, and confiscatory taxation. Because the ability of foreign investors (such as the fund) to invest in Saudi Arabian issuers is still relatively new, such ability could be restricted or revoked by the Saudi Arabian government at any time, and unforeseen risks could materialize due to foreign ownership in such securities. The economy of Saudi Arabia is dominated by petroleum exports. As a result, a sustained decrease in petroleum prices would have a negative impact on all aspects of the Saudi Arabian economy. Political instability in Saudi Arabia, or even the broader Middle East region, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision making, armed conflict, and crime, and instability as a result of religious, ethnic, and/or socioeconomic unrest could adversely impact the economy of Saudi Arabia.
Investing in South Africa: Investing in securities of South African issuers involves significant risks, including legal, regulatory, currency, political, and economic risks specific to South Africa. South Africa has a history of social unrest and governmental interference, which could lead to increased volatility. In addition, South Africa's economy is heavily dependent on agriculture and mining and is therefore more susceptible to market events and regulatory developments impacting the commodity markets.
Emerging markets: Investments in emerging market countries are subject to greater risk and overall volatility than investments in the U.S. and other developed markets. Emerging market countries tend to have economic structures that are less diverse and mature, less developed legal and regulatory regimes, and political systems that are less stable, than those of developed countries. In addition to the risks associated with investing outside the U.S., emerging markets are more susceptible to governmental interference, political and economic uncertainty, local taxes and restrictions on the fund's investments, less efficient trading markets with lower overall liquidity, and more volatile currency exchange rates.
Frontier markets: Frontier markets generally have smaller economies and less mature capital markets than emerging markets. As a result, the risks associated with investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries. Frontier markets are more susceptible to abrupt changes in currency values, have less mature markets and settlement practices, and can have lower trading volumes that could lead to greater price volatility and illiquidity. Investor protections in frontier market countries may be limited and settlement procedures and custody services may prove inadequate in certain markets.
SUMMARY |
5 |
International investing: Non-U.S. securities tend to be more volatile and have lower overall liquidity than investments in U.S. securities and may lose value because of adverse local, political, social, or economic developments overseas, or due to changes in the exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. In addition, investments outside the U.S. are subject to settlement practices and regulatory and financial reporting standards that differ from those of the U.S. The risks of investing outside the U.S. are heightened for any investments in emerging markets, which are susceptible to greater volatility than investments in developed markets.
Stock investing: Stocks generally fluctuate in value more than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. The value of stocks held by the fund may decline due to general weakness or volatility in the stock markets in which the fund invests or because of factors that affect a particular company or industry.
Market conditions: The value of the fund's investments may decrease, sometimes rapidly or unexpectedly, due to factors affecting an issuer held by the fund, particular industries, or the overall securities markets. A variety of factors can increase the volatility of the fund's holdings and markets generally, including economic, political, or regulatory developments, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate changes, war, military conflict, acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and outbreaks of infectious illnesses or other widespread public health issues (such as the coronavirus pandemic) and related governmental and public responses (including sanctions). Certain events may cause instability across global markets, including reduced liquidity and disruptions in trading markets, while some events may affect certain geographic regions, countries, sectors, and industries more significantly than others. Government intervention in markets may impact interest rates, market volatility, and security pricing. These adverse developments may cause broad declines in market value due to short-term market movements or for significantly longer periods during more prolonged market downturns.
Liquidity: A particular investment or an entire market segment may become less liquid or even illiquid, sometimes abruptly, which could limit the fund's ability to purchase or sell holdings in a timely manner at a desired price. An inability to sell a portfolio holding can adversely affect the fund's overall value or prevent the fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities. Liquidity risk may be magnified during periods of substantial market volatility and unexpected episodes of illiquidity may limit the fund's ability to pay redemption proceeds without selling holdings at an unfavorable time or at a suitable price. Large redemptions may also have a negative impact on the fund's overall liquidity.
Growth investing: The fund's growth approach to investing could cause it to underperform other stock funds that employ a different investment style. Growth stocks tend to be more volatile than certain other types of stocks and their prices may fluctuate more dramatically than the overall stock market. A stock with growth characteristics can have sharp price declines due to decreases in current or expected earnings and may lack dividends that can help cushion its share price in a declining market.
T. ROWE PRICE |
6 |
Active management: The fund's overall investment program and holdings selected by the fund's investment adviser may underperform the broad markets, relevant indices, or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.
Cybersecurity breaches: The fund could be harmed by intentional cyberattacks and other cybersecurity breaches, including unauthorized access to the fund's assets, confidential information, or other proprietary information. In addition, a cybersecurity breach could cause one of the fund's service providers or financial intermediaries to suffer unauthorized data access, data corruption, or loss of operational functionality.
Performance
The following performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The fund's performance information represents only past performance (before and after taxes) and is not necessarily an indication of future results.
The following bar chart illustrates how much returns can differ from year to year by showing calendar year returns and the best and worst calendar quarter returns during those years for the fund's Investor Class. Returns for other share classes vary since they have different expenses.
AFRICA & MIDDLE EAST FUND |
Calendar Year Returns
Quarter Ended |
Total Return |
Quarter Ended |
Total Return |
|||||
Best Quarter |
12/31/20 |
15.98% |
Worst Quarter |
3/31/20 |
-30.78% |
The following table shows the average annual total returns for each class of the fund that has been in operation for at least one full calendar year, and also compares the returns with the returns of a relevant broad-based market index, as well as with the returns of one or more comparative indexes that have investment characteristics similar to those of the fund, if applicable.
In addition, the table shows hypothetical after-tax returns to demonstrate how taxes paid by a shareholder may influence returns. 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.
SUMMARY |
7 |
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 fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as a 401(k) account or an IRA. After-tax returns are shown only for the Investor Class and will differ for other share classes.
Average Annual Total Returns |
||||||||||||||||
Periods ended |
||||||||||||||||
December 31, 2023 |
||||||||||||||||
Since |
Inception |
|||||||||||||||
1 Year |
5 Years |
10 Years |
inception |
date |
||||||||||||
Investor Class |
09/04/2007 |
|||||||||||||||
Returns before taxes |
11.76 |
% |
7.21 |
% |
4.08 |
% |
- |
% |
||||||||
Returns after taxes on distributions |
10.95 |
6.35 |
3.42 |
- |
||||||||||||
Returns after taxes on distributions and sale |
||||||||||||||||
of fund shares |
7.24 |
5.38 |
3.03 |
- |
||||||||||||
I Class |
03/06/2017 |
|||||||||||||||
Returns before taxes |
12.04 |
7.48 |
- |
6.77 |
||||||||||||
Z Class |
02/22/2021 |
|||||||||||||||
Returns before taxes |
13.20 |
- |
- |
10.22 |
||||||||||||
MSCI Arabian Markets & Africa 10/40 Investable Market Index Net (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) |
||||||||||||||||
5.19 |
b |
|||||||||||||||
6.51 |
6.38 |
3.03 |
6.04 |
c |
||||||||||||
Combined Index Portfolio Net (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses)a |
||||||||||||||||
5.39 |
b |
|||||||||||||||
6.51 |
6.38 |
3.13 |
6.04 |
c |
||||||||||||
Lipper Emerging Markets Funds Average |
||||||||||||||||
3.95 |
d |
|||||||||||||||
11.76 |
4.43 |
2.50 |
-6.66 |
e |
||||||||||||
aCombined Index Portfolio Net is an unmanaged linked performance portfolio composed of: 100% S&P IFCG Africa & Middle East Index Net (excluding Saudi Arabia and Israel) through 6/30/09 (prior to 9/1/08, the index excluded Kuwait); 100% MSCI Arabian Markets & Africa Index Net from 7/1/09 through 9/29/10; 100% S&P Emerging/Frontier ME & Africa BMI ex IL Net from 9/30/10 through 12/31/17; and 100% MSCI Arabian Markets & Africa 10/40 Investable Market Index Net from 1/1/18 forward.
bReturn since 3/6/17.
cReturn since 2/22/21.
dReturn since 2/28/17.
eReturn since 2/28/21.
Updated performance information is available through troweprice.com.
Management
Investment Adviser T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (T. Rowe Price or Price Associates)
Investment Subadviser T. Rowe Price International Ltd (Price International)
T. ROWE PRICE |
8 |
Portfolio Manager |
Title |
Managed |
Joined |
Oluwaseun Oyegunle |
Chair of Investment Advisory Committee |
2020 |
2013 |
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Investor Class generally requires a $2,500 minimum initial investment ($1,000 minimum initial investment if opening an IRA, a custodial account for a minor, or a small business retirement plan account). Additional purchases generally require a $100 minimum. These investment minimums generally are waived for financial intermediaries and certain employer-sponsored retirement plans submitting orders on behalf of their customers.
The I Class requires a $500,000 minimum initial investment per fund per account registration, although the initial investment minimum generally is waived or reduced for financial intermediaries, eligible retirement plans, certain client accounts for which T. Rowe Price or its affiliates have discretionary investment authority, qualifying directly held accounts, and certain other types of accounts.
The Z Class is only available to funds managed by T. Rowe Price and other advisory clients of T. Rowe Price or its affiliates that are subject to a contractual fee for investment management services. There is no minimum initial investment and no minimum for additional purchases.
For investors holding shares of the fund directly with T. Rowe Price, you may purchase, redeem, or exchange fund shares by mail; by telephone (1-800-225-5132 for IRAs and nonretirement accounts; 1-800-492-7670 for small business retirement plans; and 1-800-638-8790 for institutional investors and financial intermediaries); or, for certain other accounts, by accessing your account online through troweprice.com.
If you hold shares through a financial intermediary or retirement plan, you must purchase, redeem, and exchange shares of the fund through your intermediary or retirement plan. You should check with your intermediary or retirement plan to determine the investment minimums that apply to your account.
Tax Information
Any dividends or capital gains are declared and paid annually, usually in December. Redemptions or exchanges of fund shares and distributions by the fund, whether or not you reinvest these amounts in additional fund shares, generally may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains unless you invest through a tax-deferred account (in which case you will be taxed upon withdrawal from such account).
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
This page intentionally left blank.
This page intentionally left blank.
T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. |
F168-045 9/6/24 |