STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Morgan Stanley

Convertible

Securities Trust

January 30, 2009
as supplemented on February 6, 2009

This Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") is not a prospectus. The Prospectus (dated January 30, 2009) for Morgan Stanley Convertible Securities Trust (the "Fund") may be obtained without charge from the Fund at its address or telephone number listed below or from Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated at any of its branch offices.

The Fund's audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, including notes thereto, and the report of Deloitte & Touche LLP, are herein incorporated by reference from the Fund's annual report. A copy of the Fund's Annual Report to Shareholders must accompany the delivery of this SAI.

Morgan Stanley
Convertible Securities Trust
522 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10036
(800) 869-NEWS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I.	Fund History	4
II.	Description of the Fund and Its Investments and Risks	4
	A. Classification	4
	B. Investment Strategies and Risks	4
	C. Fund Policies/Investment Restrictions	15
	D. Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings	17
III.	Management of the Fund	20
	A. Board of Trustees	20
	B. Management Information	21
	C. Compensation	29
IV.	Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities	30
V.	Investment Advisory and Other Services	30
	A. Investment Adviser and Administrator	30
	B. Principal Underwriter	31
	C. Services Provided by the Investment Adviser and Administrator	31
	D. Dealer Reallowances	32
	E. Rule 12b-1 Plan	32
	F. Other Service Providers	35
	G. Fund Management	36
	H. Codes of Ethics	37
	I. Proxy Voting Policy and Proxy Voting Record	37
	J. Revenue Sharing	37
VI.	Brokerage Allocation and Other Practices	39
	A. Brokerage Transactions	39
	B. Commissions	39
	C. Brokerage Selection	40
	D. Directed Brokerage	40
	E. Regular Broker-Dealers	41
VII.	Capital Stock and Other Securities	41
VIII.	Purchase, Redemption and Pricing of Shares	41
	A. Purchase/Redemption of Shares	41
	B. Offering Price	42
IX.	Taxation of the Fund and Shareholders	43
X.	Underwriters	46
XI.	Performance Data	46
XII.	Financial Statements	46
XIII.	Fund Counsel	47
Appendix A.	Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures	A-1

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Glossary of Selected Defined Terms

The terms defined in this glossary are frequently used in this SAI (other terms used occasionally are defined in the text of the document).

"Administrator" or "Morgan Stanley Services" — Morgan Stanley Services Company Inc., a wholly-owned fund services subsidiary of the Investment Adviser.

"Custodian" — State Street Bank and Trust Company.

"Distributor" — Morgan Stanley Distributors Inc., a wholly-owned broker-dealer subsidiary of Morgan Stanley.

"Financial Advisors" — Morgan Stanley authorized financial services representatives.

"Fund" — Morgan Stanley Convertible Securities Trust, a registered open-end investment company.

"Independent Trustees" — Trustees who are not "interested persons" (as defined by the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended ("Investment Company Act")) of the Fund.

"Investment Adviser" — Morgan Stanley Investment Advisors Inc., a wholly-owned investment adviser subsidiary of Morgan Stanley.

"Morgan Stanley & Co." — Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, a wholly-owned broker-dealer subsidiary of Morgan Stanley.

"Morgan Stanley Funds" — Registered investment companies for which the Investment Adviser serves as the investment adviser and that hold themselves out to investors as related companies for investment and investor services.

"Transfer Agent" — Morgan Stanley Trust, a wholly-owned transfer agent subsidiary of Morgan Stanley.

"Trustees" — The Board of Trustees of the Fund.

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I. FUND HISTORY

The Fund was organized as a Massachusetts business trust, under a Declaration of Trust, on May 21, 1985, with the name Dean Witter Convertible Securities Trust. Effective June 22, 1998, the Fund's name was changed to Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Convertible Securities Trust. Effective June 18, 2001, the Fund's name was changed to Morgan Stanley Convertible Securities Trust.

II. DESCRIPTION OF THE FUND AND ITS INVESTMENTS AND RISKS

A. Classification

The Fund is an open-end, diversified management investment company whose investment objective is to seek a high level of total return on its assets through a combination of current income and capital appreciation.

B. Investment Strategies and Risks

The following discussion of the Fund's investment strategies and risks should be read with the sections of the Fund's Prospectus titled "Principal Investment Strategies," "Principal Risks," "Additional Investment Strategy Information" and "Additional Risk Information."

Convertible Securities. The Fund may invest in securities which are convertible into common stock or other securities of the same or a different issuer or into cash within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. Convertible securities are generally fixed-income securities (but may include preferred stock) and generally rank senior to common stocks in a corporation's capital structure and, therefore, entail less risk than the corporation's common stock. The value of a convertible security is a function of its "investment value" (its value as if it did not have a conversion privilege), and its "conversion value" (the security's worth if it were to be exchanged for the underlying security, at market value, pursuant to its conversion privilege).

To the extent that a convertible security's investment value is greater than its conversion value, its price will be primarily a reflection of such investment value and its price will be likely to increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise, as with a fixed-income security (the credit standing of the issuer and other factors may also have an effect on the convertible security's value). If the conversion value exceeds the investment value, the price of the convertible security will rise above its investment value and, in addition, will sell at some premium over its conversion value. (This premium represents the price investors are willing to pay for the privilege of purchasing a fixed-income security with a possibility of capital appreciation due to the conversion privilege.) At such times the price of the convertible security will tend to fluctuate directly with the price of the underlying equity security. Convertible securities may be purchased by the Fund at varying price levels above their investment values and/or their conversion values in keeping with the Fund's objective.

The Fund may invest in convertible securities that are below investment grade. Debt securities rated below investment grade are commonly known as "junk bonds." Although the Fund selects these securities primarily on the basis of their equity characteristics, investors should be aware that convertible securities rated in these categories are considered high risk securities; the rating agencies consider them speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make timely payments of interest and principal. Thus, to the extent that such convertible securities are acquired by the Fund, there is a greater risk as to the timely repayment of the principal of, and timely payment of interest or dividends on, such securities than in the case of higher-rated convertible securities.

Options and Futures Transactions. The Fund may engage in transactions in listed options. Listed options are issued or guaranteed by the exchange on which they are traded or by a clearing corporation such as the Options Clearing Corporation ("OCC"). Ownership of a listed call option gives the Fund the right to buy from the OCC (in the United States) or other clearing corporation or exchange, the underlying security covered by the option at the stated exercise price (the price per unit of the underlying security) by filing an exercise notice prior to the expiration date of the option. The writer (seller) of the option would then have the obligation to sell to the OCC (in the United States) or other clearing corporation or exchange,

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the underlying security at that exercise price prior to the expiration date of the option, regardless of its then current market price. Ownership of a listed put option would give the Fund the right to sell the underlying security to the OCC (in the United States) or other clearing corporation or exchange, at the stated exercise price. Upon notice of exercise of the put option, the writer of the put would have the obligation to purchase the underlying security or currency from the OCC (in the United States) or other clearing corporation or exchange, at the exercise price.

Covered Call Writing. The Fund is permitted to write covered call options on portfolio securities in an amount not exceeding 20% of its total assets. The Fund will receive from the purchaser, in return for a call it has written, a "premium" (i.e., the price of the option). Receipt of these premiums may better enable the Fund to earn a higher level of current income than it would earn from holding the underlying securities alone. Moreover, the premium received will offset a portion of the potential loss incurred by the Fund if the securities underlying the option decline in value.

The Fund may be required, at any time during the option period, to deliver the underlying security against payment of the exercise price on any calls it has written. This obligation is terminated upon the expiration of the option period or at such earlier time as the writer effects a closing purchase transaction. A closing purchase transaction is accomplished by purchasing an option of the same series as the option previously written. However, once the Fund has been assigned an exercise notice, the Fund will be unable to effect a closing purchase transaction.

A call option is "covered" if the Fund owns the underlying security subject to the option or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that security without additional cash consideration (or for additional consideration (in cash, Treasury bills or other liquid portfolio securities) held in a segregated account on the Fund's books) upon conversion or exchange of other securities held in its portfolio. A call option is also covered if the Fund holds a call on the same security as the call written where the exercise price of the call held is (i) equal to or less than the exercise price of the call written or (ii) greater than the exercise price of the call written if the difference is maintained by the Fund in cash, Treasury bills or other liquid portfolio securities in a segregated account on the Fund's books.

Options written by the Fund normally have expiration dates of up to 18 months from the date written. The exercise price of a call option may be below, equal to or above the current market value of the underlying security at the time the option is written.

Covered Put Writing. A writer of a covered put option incurs an obligation to buy the security underlying the option from the purchaser of the put, at the option's exercise price at any time during the option period, at the purchaser's election. Through the writing of a put option, the Fund would receive income from the premium paid by purchasers. The potential gain on a covered put option is limited to the premium received on the option (less the commissions paid on the transaction). During the option period, the Fund may be required, at any time, to make payment of the exercise price against delivery of the underlying security. A put option is "covered" if the Fund maintains cash, Treasury bills or other liquid portfolio securities with a value equal to the exercise price in a segregated account on the Fund's books, or holds a put on the same security as the put written where the exercise price of the put held is equal to or greater than the exercise price of the put written. The operation of and limitations on covered put options in other respects are substantially identical to those of call options.

Purchasing Call and Put Options. The Fund may purchase listed and over-the-counter ("OTC") call and put options in amounts equaling up to 10% of its total assets. The purchase of a call option would enable the Fund, in return for the premium paid, to lock in a purchase price for a security or currency during the term of the option. The purchase of a put option would enable the Fund, in return for a premium paid, to lock in a price at which it may sell a security or currency during the term of the option.

OTC Options. OTC options are purchased from or sold (written) to dealers or financial institutions which have entered into direct agreements with the Fund. With OTC options, such variables as expiration date, exercise price and premium will be agreed upon between the Fund and the transacting dealer, without the intermediation of a third party such as the OCC. The Fund will engage in OTC option transactions only with member banks of the Federal Reserve Bank System or primary dealers in U.S. Government securities or with affiliates of such banks or dealers.

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Risks of Options Transactions. The successful use of options depends on the ability of the Investment Adviser to forecast correctly interest rates and/or market movements. If the market value of the portfolio securities upon which call options have been written increases, the Fund may receive a lower total return from the portion of its portfolio upon which calls have been written than it would have had such calls not been written. During the option period, the covered call writer has, in return for the premium on the option, given up the opportunity for capital appreciation above the exercise price should the market price of the underlying security increase, but has retained the risk of loss should the price of the underlying security decline. The covered put writer also retains the risk of loss should the market value of the underlying security decline below the exercise price of the option less the premium received on the sale of the option. In both cases, the writer has no control over the time when it may be required to fulfill its obligation as a writer of the option. Prior to exercise or expiration, an option position can only be terminated by entering into a closing purchase or sale transaction. Once an option writer has received an exercise notice, it cannot effect a closing purchase transaction in order to terminate its obligation under the option and must deliver or receive the underlying securities at the exercise price.

The Fund's ability to close out its position as a writer of an option is dependent upon the existence of a liquid secondary market on option exchanges. There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for a particular option at any specific time, particularly in the case of OTC options.

In the event of the bankruptcy of a broker through which the Fund engages in transactions in options, the Fund could experience delays and/or losses in liquidating open positions purchased or sold through the broker and/or incur a loss of all or part of its margin deposits with the broker. In the case of OTC options, if the transacting dealer fails to make or take delivery of the securities underlying an option it has written, in accordance with the terms of that option, due to insolvency or otherwise, the Fund would lose the premium paid for the option as well as any anticipated benefit of the transaction.

Each of the exchanges has established limitations governing the maximum number of call or put options on the same underlying security which may be written by a single investor, whether acting alone or in concert with others (regardless of whether such options are written on the same or different exchanges or are held or written on one or more accounts or through one or more brokers). An exchange may order the liquidation of positions found to be in violation of these limits and it may impose other sanctions or restrictions. These position limits may restrict the number of listed options which the Fund may write.

The hours of trading for options may not conform to the hours during which the underlying securities are traded. To the extent that the option markets close before the markets for the underlying securities, significant price and rate movements can take place in the underlying markets that cannot be reflected in the option markets.

Futures Contracts. The Fund may purchase and sell interest rate and index futures contracts that are traded on U.S. commodity exchanges on such underlying securities as U.S. Treasury bonds, notes, and bills.

A futures contract purchaser incurs an obligation to take delivery of a specified amount of the obligation underlying the contract at a specified time in the future for a specified price. A seller of a futures contract incurs an obligation to deliver the specified amount of the underlying obligation at a specified time in return for an agreed upon price. The purchase of a futures contract enables the Fund, during the term of the contract, to lock in a price at which it may purchase a security and protect against a rise in prices pending purchase of portfolio securities. The sale of a futures contract enables the Fund to lock in a price at which it may sell a security and protect against declines in the value of portfolio securities.

Although most futures contracts call for actual delivery or acceptance of securities, the contracts usually are closed out before the settlement date without the making or taking of delivery. Index futures contracts provide for the delivery of an amount of cash equal to a specified dollar amount times the difference between the index value at the open or close of the last trading day of the contract and the futures contract price. A futures contract sale is closed out by effecting a futures contract purchase for the same aggregate amount of the specific type of security and the same delivery date. If the sale price exceeds the offsetting purchase price, the seller would be paid the difference and would realize a gain. If the offsetting purchase price exceeds the sale price, the seller would pay the difference and would realize a

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loss. Similarly, a futures contract purchase is closed out by effecting a futures contract sale for the same aggregate amount of the specific type of security and the same delivery date. If the offsetting sale price exceeds the purchase price, the purchaser would realize a gain, whereas if the purchase price exceeds the offsetting sale price, the purchaser would realize a loss. There is no assurance that the Fund will be able to enter into a closing transaction.

Margin. If the Fund enters into a futures contract, it is initially required to deposit an "initial margin" of cash, U.S. government securities or other liquid portfolio securities ranging from approximately 3% to 10% of the contract amount. Initial margin requirements are established by the exchanges on which futures contracts trade and may, from time to time, change. In addition, brokers may establish margin deposit requirements in excess of those required by the exchanges.

Initial margin in futures transactions is different from margin in securities transactions in that initial margin does not involve the borrowing of funds by a broker's client but is, rather, a good faith deposit on the futures contract, which will be returned to the Fund upon the proper termination of the futures contract. The margin deposits made are marked-to-market daily and the Fund may be required to make subsequent deposits of cash, U.S. government securities or other liquid portfolio securities, called "variation margin," which are reflective of price fluctuations in the futures contract.

Options on Futures Contracts.  The Fund may purchase and write call and put options on futures contracts and enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate an existing position. An option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right (in return for the premium paid), and the writer the obligation, to assume a position in a futures contract (a long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a put) at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option is accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance in the writer's futures margin account, which represents the amount by which the market price of the futures contract at the time of exercise exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option on the futures contract.

The writer of an option on a futures contract is required to deposit initial and variation margin pursuant to requirements similar to those applicable to futures contracts. Premiums received from the writing of an option on a futures contract are included in initial margin deposits.

Limitations on Futures Contracts and Options on Futures. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission eliminated limitations on futures trading by certain regulated entities, including registered investment companies, and consequently registered investment companies may engage in unlimited futures transactions and options thereon provided that the investment adviser to the company claims an exclusion from regulation as a commodity pool operator. In connection with its management of the Fund, the Investment Adviser has claimed such an exclusion from registration as a commodity pool operator under the Commodity Exchange Act ("CEA"). Therefore, it is not subject to the registration and regulatory requirements of the CEA. Therefore, there are no limitations on the extent to which the Fund may engage in non-hedging transactions involving futures and options thereon except as set forth in the Fund's Prospectus or SAI. There is no overall limitation on the percentage of the Fund's net assets which may be subject to a hedge position.

Risks of Transactions in Futures Contracts and Related Options. The prices of securities and indexes subject to futures contracts (and thereby the futures contract prices) may correlate imperfectly with the behavior of the cash prices of the Fund's portfolio securities. Also, prices of futures contracts may not move in tandem with the changes in prevailing interest rates and market movements against which the Fund seeks a hedge. A correlation may also be distorted (a) temporarily, by short-term traders seeking to profit from the difference between a contract or security price objective and their cost of borrowed funds; (b) by investors in futures contracts electing to close out their contracts through offsetting transactions rather than meet margin deposit requirements; (c) by investors in futures contracts opting to make or take delivery of underlying securities rather than engage in closing transactions, thereby reducing liquidity of the futures market; and (d) temporarily, by speculators who view the deposit requirements in the futures markets as less onerous than margin requirements in the cash market. Due to the possibility of price distortion in the futures market and because of the possible imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of securities and movements in the prices of futures contracts, a correct forecast of interest rate,

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currency exchange rate and/or market movement trends by the Investment Adviser may still not result in a successful hedging transaction.

There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for futures contracts and related options in which the Fund may invest. In the event a liquid market does not exist, it may not be possible to close out a futures position and, in the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin. The absence of a liquid market in futures contracts might cause the Fund to make or take delivery of the underlying securities at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.

Exchanges also limit the amount by which the price of a futures contract may move on any day. If the price moves equal to the daily limit on successive days, then it may prove impossible to liquidate a futures position until the daily limit moves have ceased. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin on open futures positions. In these situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily variation margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. In addition, the Fund may be required to take or make delivery of the instruments underlying interest rate futures contracts it holds at a time when it is disadvantageous to do so. The inability to close out options and futures positions could also have an adverse impact on the Fund's ability to effectively hedge its portfolio.

Futures contracts and options thereon which are purchased or sold on foreign commodities exchanges may have greater price volatility than their U.S. counterparts. Furthermore, foreign commodities exchanges may be less regulated and under less governmental scrutiny than U.S. exchanges. Brokerage commissions, clearing costs and other transaction costs may be higher on foreign exchanges. Greater margin requirements may limit the Fund's ability to enter into certain commodity transactions on foreign exchanges. Moreover, differences in clearance and delivery requirements on foreign exchanges may occasion delays in the settlement of the Fund's transactions effected on foreign exchanges.

In the event of the bankruptcy of a broker through which the Fund engages in transactions in futures or options thereon, the Fund could experience delays and/or losses in liquidating open positions purchased or sold through the broker and/or incur a loss of all or part of its margin deposits with the broker.

If the Fund maintains a short position in a futures contract or has sold a call option on a futures contract, it will cover this position by holding, in a segregated account maintained on the books of the Fund, cash, U.S. government securities or other liquid portfolio securities equal in value (when added to any initial or variation margin on deposit) to the market value of the securities underlying the futures contract or the exercise price of the option. Such a position may also be covered by owning the securities underlying the futures contract (in the case of a stock index futures contract a portfolio of securities substantially replicating the relevant index), or by holding a call option permitting the Fund to purchase the same contract at a price no higher than the price at which the short position was established.

In addition, if the Fund holds a long position in a futures contract or has sold a put option on a futures contract, it will hold cash, U.S. government securities or other liquid portfolio securities equal to the purchase price of the contract or the exercise price of the put option (less the amount of initial or variation margin on deposit) in a segregated account maintained on the books of the Fund. Alternatively, the Fund could cover its long position by purchasing a put option on the same futures contract with an exercise price as high or higher than the price of the contract held by the Fund.

Money Market Securities. In addition to the short-term fixed-income securities in which the Fund may otherwise invest, the Fund may invest in various money market securities which among others may include commercial paper, bankers' acceptances, bank obligations, corporate debt securities, certificates of deposit, U.S. government securities, obligations of savings institutions and repurchase agreements. Such securities are limited to:

U.S. Government Securities. Obligations issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the United States or its agencies (such as the Export-Import Bank of the United States, Federal Housing Administration and Government National Mortgage Association) or its instrumentalities (such as the Federal Home Loan Bank), including Treasury bills, notes and bonds;

Bank Obligations. Obligations (including certificates of deposit, time deposits and bankers' acceptances) of banks subject to regulation by the U.S. Government and having total assets of $1 billion or more,

8

and instruments secured by such obligations, not including obligations of foreign branches of domestic banks except to the extent below;

Eurodollar Certificates of Deposit. Eurodollar certificates of deposit issued by foreign branches of domestic banks having total assets of $1 billion or more;

Obligations of Savings Institutions. Certificates of deposit of savings banks and savings and loan associations, having total assets of $1 billion or more;

Fully Insured Certificates of Deposit. Certificates of deposit of banks and savings institutions, having total assets of less than $1 billion, if the principal amount of the obligation is federally insured by the Bank Insurance Fund or the Savings Association Insurance Fund (each of which is administered by the FDIC), limited to $250,000 principal amount per certificate (a temporary increase from $100,000, which is due to expire on December 31, 2009) and to 10% or less of the Fund's total assets in all such obligations and in all illiquid assets, in the aggregate;

Commercial Paper. Commercial paper rated within the two highest grades by Standard & Poor's Rating Group, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. ("S&P"), or by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or, if not rated, issued by a company having an outstanding debt issue rated at least AA by S&P or Aa by Moody's; and

Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may invest in repurchase agreements. When cash may be available for only a few days, it may be invested by the Fund in repurchase agreements until such time as it may otherwise be invested or used for payments of obligations of the Fund. These agreements, which may be viewed as a type of secured lending by the Fund, typically involve the acquisition by the Fund of debt securities from a selling financial institution such as a bank, savings and loan association or broker-dealer. The agreement provides that the Fund will sell back to the institution, and that the institution will repurchase, the underlying security serving as collateral at a specified price and at a fixed time in the future, usually not more than seven days from the date of purchase. The collateral will be marked-to-market daily to determine that the value of the collateral, as specified in the agreement, does not decrease below the purchase price plus accrued interest. If such decrease occurs, additional collateral will be requested and, when received, added to the account to maintain full collateralization. The Fund will accrue interest from the institution until the time when the repurchase is to occur. Although this date is deemed by the Fund to be the maturity date of a repurchase agreement, the maturities of securities subject to repurchase agreements are not subject to any limits.

While repurchase agreements involve certain risks not associated with direct investments in debt securities, the Fund follows procedures approved by the Trustees that are designed to minimize such risks. These procedures include effecting repurchase transactions only with large, well-capitalized and well-established financial institutions whose financial condition will be continually monitored by the Investment Adviser. In addition, as described above, the value of the collateral underlying the repurchase agreement will be at least equal to the repurchase price, including any accrued interest earned on the repurchase agreement. In the event of a default or bankruptcy by a selling financial institution, the Fund will seek to liquidate such collateral. However, the exercising of the Fund's right to liquidate such collateral could involve certain costs or delays and, to the extent that proceeds from any sale upon a default of the obligation to repurchase were less than the repurchase price, the Fund could suffer a loss.

Zero Coupon Securities. A portion of the securities purchased by the Fund may be "zero coupon" securities. Such securities are purchased at a discount from their face amount, giving the purchaser the right to receive their full value at maturity. The interest earned on such securities is, implicitly, automatically compounded and paid out at maturity. While such compounding at a constant rate eliminates the risk of receiving lower yields upon reinvestment of interest if prevailing interest rates decline, the owner of a zero coupon security will be unable to participate in higher yields upon reinvestment of interest received on interest-paying securities if prevailing interest rates rise.

A zero coupon security pays no interest to its holder during its life. Therefore, to the extent the Fund invests in zero coupon securities, it will not receive current cash available for distribution to shareholders. For this reason, zero coupon securities are subject to substantially greater market price fluctuations during periods of changing prevailing interest rates than are comparable debt securities which make current distributions of interest. Current federal tax law requires that a holder (such as the Fund) of a

9

zero coupon security accrue a portion of the discount at which the security was purchased as income each year even though the Fund receives no interest payments in cash on the security during the year.

Loans of Portfolio Securities. The Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, banks and other institutional investors. By lending its portfolio securities, the Fund attempts to increase its net investment income through the receipt of interest on the cash collateral with respect to the loan or fees received from the borrower in connection with the loan. Any gain or loss in the market price of the securities loaned that might occur during the term of the loan would be for the account of the Fund. The Fund employs an agent to implement the securities lending program and the agent receives a fee from the Fund for its services. The Fund will not lend more than 33¹/₃% of the value of its total assets.

The Fund may lend its portfolio securities so long as the terms, structure and the aggregate amount of such loans are not inconsistent with the Investment Company Act or the rules and regulations or interpretations of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") thereunder, which currently require that (i) the borrower pledge and maintain with the Fund collateral consisting of liquid, unencumbered assets having a value at all times not less than 100% of the value of the securities loaned; (ii) the borrower add to such collateral whenever the price of the securities loaned rises (i.e., the borrower "marks to market" on a daily basis); (iii) the loan be made subject to termination by the Fund at any time; and (iv) the Fund receives a reasonable return on the loan (which may include the Fund investing any cash collateral in interest bearing short-term investments), any distributions on the loaned securities and any increase in their market value. In addition, voting rights may pass with the loaned securities, but the Fund will retain the right to call any security in anticipation of a vote that the Investment Adviser deems material to the security on loan.

There may be risks of delay and costs involved in recovery of securities or even loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially. These delays and costs could be greater for foreign securities. However, loans will be made only to borrowers deemed by the Investment Adviser to be creditworthy and when, in the judgment of the Investment Adviser, the income which can be earned from such securities loans justifies the attendant risk. All relevant facts and circumstances, including the creditworthiness of the broker, dealer, bank or institution, will be considered in making decisions with respect to the lending of securities, subject to review by the Fund's Board of Trustees. The Fund also bears the risk that the reinvestment of collateral will result in a principal loss. Finally, there is the risk that the price of the securities will increase while they are on loan and the collateral will not be adequate to cover their value.

Borrowing. The Fund has an operating policy, which may be changed by the Fund's Board of Trustees, not to borrow except from a bank for temporary or emergency purposes in amounts not exceeding 5% (taken at the lower of cost or current value) of its total assets (not including the amount borrowed). Should the Board of Trustees remove this operating policy, the Fund would be permitted to borrow money from banks in accordance with the Investment Company Act or the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC thereunder. Currently, the Investment Company Act permits a fund to borrow money from banks in an amount up to 33¹/₃% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) less its liabilities (not including any borrowings but including the fair market value at the time of computation of any other senior securities then outstanding). The Fund may also borrow an additional 5% of its total assets without regard to the foregoing limitation for temporary purposes such as clearance of portfolio transactions. The Fund will only borrow when the Investment Adviser believes that such borrowings will benefit the Fund after taking into account considerations such as interest income and possible gains or losses upon liquidation. The Fund will maintain asset coverage in accordance with the Investment Company Act.

Borrowing by the Fund creates an opportunity for increased net income but, at the same time, creates special risks. For example, leveraging may exaggerate changes in and increase the volatility of the net asset value of Fund shares. This is because leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund's portfolio securities. The use of leverage also may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations or to maintain asset coverage.

In general, the Fund may not issue any class of senior security, except that the Fund may (i) borrow from banks, provided that immediately following any such borrowing there is an asset coverage of at least 300% for all Fund borrowings and in the event such asset coverage falls below 300% the Fund will within three days or such longer period as the SEC may prescribe by rules and regulations, reduce the amount of its borrowings to an extent that the asset coverage of such borrowings shall be at least 300%, and (ii) engage in trading practices which could be deemed to involve the issuance of a senior security, including but not limited to

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options, futures, forward contracts and reverse repurchase agreements, provided that the Fund earmarks or segregates liquid assets in accordance with applicable SEC regulations and interpretations.

When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities and Forward Commitments. From time to time, the Fund may purchase securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis or may purchase or sell securities on a forward commitment basis. When these transactions are negotiated, the price is fixed at the time of the commitment, but delivery and payment can take place a month or more after the date of commitment. The Fund may sell the securities before the settlement date, if it is deemed advisable. The securities so purchased or sold are subject to market fluctuation and no interest or dividends accrue to the purchaser prior to the settlement date.

At the time the Fund makes the commitment to purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis, it will record the transaction and thereafter reflect the value, each day, of such security purchased, or if a sale, the proceeds to be received, in determining its net asset value. At the time of delivery of the securities, their value may be more or less than the purchase or sale price. An increase in the percentage of the Fund's assets committed to the purchase of securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis may increase the volatility of its net asset value. The Fund will also establish a segregated account on the Fund's books in which it will continually maintain cash or cash equivalents or other liquid portfolio securities equal in value to commitments to purchase securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis.

When, As and If Issued Securities. The Fund may purchase securities on a "when, as and if issued" basis, under which the issuance of the security depends upon the occurrence of a subsequent event, such as approval of a merger, corporate reorganization or debt restructuring. The commitment for the purchase of any such security will not be recognized in the portfolio of the Fund until the Investment Adviser determines that issuance of the security is probable. At that time, the Fund will record the transaction and, in determining its net asset value, will reflect the value of the security daily. At that time, the Fund will also establish a segregated account on the Fund's books in which it will maintain cash, cash equivalents or other liquid portfolio securities equal in value to recognized commitments for such securities.

An increase in the percentage of the Fund's assets committed to the purchase of securities on a "when, as and if issued" basis may increase the volatility of its net asset value. The Fund may also sell securities on a "when, as and if issued" basis provided that the issuance of the security will result automatically from the exchange or conversion of a security owned by the Fund at the time of sale.

Private Placements and Restricted Securities. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in securities which are subject to restrictions on resale because they have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or which are otherwise not readily marketable. (Securities eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act, and determined to be liquid pursuant to the procedures discussed in the following paragraph, are not subject to the foregoing restriction.) These securities are generally referred to as private placements or restricted securities. Limitations on the resale of these securities may have an adverse effect on their marketability, and may prevent the Fund from disposing of them promptly at reasonable prices. The Fund may have to bear the expense of registering the securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration.

Rule 144A permits the Fund to sell restricted securities to qualified institutional buyers without limitation. The Investment Adviser, pursuant to procedures adopted by the Trustees, will make a determination as to the liquidity of each restricted security purchased by the Fund. If a restricted security is determined to be "liquid," the security will not be included within the category "illiquid securities," which may not exceed 15% of the Fund's net assets. However, investing in Rule 144A securities could have the effect of increasing the level of Fund illiquidity to the extent the Fund, at a particular point in time, may be unable to find qualified institutional buyers interested in purchasing such securities.

Private Investments in Public Equity. The Fund may purchase equity securities in a private placement that are issued by issuers who have outstanding, publicly-traded equity securities of the same class ("private investments in public equity" or "PIPES"). Shares in PIPES generally are not registered with the SEC until after a certain time period from the date the private sale is completed. This restricted period can last many months. Until the public registration process is completed, PIPES are restricted as to resale and the Fund cannot freely trade the securities. Generally, such restrictions cause the PIPES to be illiquid during this time. PIPES may contain provisions that the issuer will pay specified financial penalties to the holder if the issuer does not publicly register the restricted equity securities within a specified

11

period of time, but there is no assurance that the restricted equity securities will be publicly registered, or that the registration will remain in effect.

Limited Partnerships. A limited partnership interest entitles the Fund to participate in the investment return of the partnership's assets as defined by the agreement among the partners. As a limited partner, the Fund generally is not permitted to participate in the management of the partnership. However, unlike a general partner whose liability is not limited, a limited partner's liability generally is limited to the amount of its commitment to the partnership.

Warrants. The Fund may invest up to 5% of its net assets in warrants, but not more than 2% of such assets in warrants not listed on either the New York or American Stock Exchange. However, the acquisition of warrants attached to other securities is not subject to this limitation. A warrant is, in effect, an option to purchase equity securities at a specific price, generally valid for a specific period of time, and has no voting rights, pays no dividends and has no rights with respect to the corporation issuing it. Warrants attached to portfolio securities are not subject to the foregoing limitations.

Real Estate Investment Trusts ("REITs").  REITs pool investors' funds for investment primarily in real estate properties or real estate-related loans. REITs generally derive their income from rents on the underlying properties or interest on the underlying loans, and their value is impacted by changes in the value of the underlying property or changes in interest rates affecting the underlying loans owned by the REITs. REITs are more susceptible to risks associated with the ownership of real estate and the real estate industry in general. These risks can include fluctuations in the value of underlying properties; defaults by borrowers or tenants; market saturation; changes in general and local economic conditions; decreases in market rates for rents; increases in competition, property taxes, capital expenditures or operating expenses; and other economic, political or regulatory occurrences affecting the real estate industry. In addition, REITs depend upon specialized management skills, may not be diversified (which may increase the volatility of a REIT's value), may have less trading volume and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than the overall securities market. Furthermore, investments in REITs may involve duplication of management fees and certain other expenses, as the Fund indirectly bears its proportionate share of any expenses paid by REITs in which it invests. U.S. REITs are not taxed on income distributed to shareholders provided they comply with several requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). U.S. REITs are subject to the risk of failing to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Code.

Foreign Investment. Investing in foreign securities involves certain special considerations which are not typically associated with investments in the securities of U.S. issuers. Foreign issuers are not generally subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and may have policies that are not comparable to those of domestic issuers. As a result, there may be less information available about foreign issuers than about domestic issuers. Securities of some foreign issuers may be less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable domestic issuers. There is generally less government supervision and regulation of stock exchanges, brokers and listed issuers than in the United States. In addition, with respect to certain foreign countries, there is a possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, political and social instability, or diplomatic development which could affect U.S. investments in those countries. The costs of investing in foreign countries frequently are higher than the costs of investing in the United States. Although the Investment Adviser endeavors to achieve the most favorable execution costs in portfolio transactions, fixed commissions on many foreign stock exchanges are generally higher than negotiated commissions on U.S. exchanges.

Investments in securities of foreign issuers may be denominated in foreign currencies. Accordingly, the value of the Fund's assets, as measured in U.S. dollars, may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency exchange rates and in exchange control regulations. The Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between various currencies.

Certain foreign governments levy withholding or other taxes on dividend and interest income. Although in some countries a portion of these taxes are recoverable, the non-recovered portion of foreign withholding taxes will reduce the income received from investments in such countries.

The Investment Adviser may consider an issuer to be from a particular country (including the United States) or geographic region if (i) its principal securities trading market is in that country or geographic region; (ii) alone or on a consolidated basis it derives 50% or more of its annual revenue from goods produced, sales made or services performed in that country or geographic region; or (iii) it is organized under the laws of, or has a principal office in, that country or geographic region. By applying these tests, it is possible that a particular issuer could be deemed to be from more than one country or geographic region.

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Emerging Market Securities. An emerging market security is one issued by a foreign government or private issuer that has one or more of the following characteristics: (i) its principal securities trading market is in an emerging market or developing country, (ii) alone or on a consolidated basis it derives 50% or more of its annual revenue from goods produced, sales made or services performed in emerging markets or (iii) it is organized under the laws of, or has a principal office in, an emerging market or developing country. Based on these criteria it is possible for a security to be considered issued by an issuer in more than one country. Therefore, it is possible for the securities of any issuer that has one or more of these characteristics in connection with any emerging market or developing country not to be considered an emerging market security if it has one or more of these characteristics in connection with a developed country.

Emerging market describes any country which is generally considered to be an emerging or developing country by major organizations in the international financial community, such as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (more commonly known as the World Bank) and the International Finance Corporation. Emerging markets can include every nation in the world except the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most nations located in Western Europe.

The economies of individual emerging market or developing countries may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, currency depreciation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. Further, the economies of developing countries generally are heavily dependent upon international trade and, accordingly, have been, and may continue to be, adversely affected by trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures. These economies also have been, and may continue to be, adversely effected by economic conditions in the countries with which they trade.

Prior governmental approval for foreign investments may be required under certain circumstances in some emerging market or developing countries, and the extent of foreign investment in certain fixed income securities and domestic companies may be subject to limitation in other emerging market or developing countries. Foreign ownership limitations also may be imposed by the charters of individual companies in emerging market or developing countries to prevent, among other concerns, violation of foreign investment limitations. Repatriation of investment income, capital and the proceeds of sales by foreign investors may require governmental registration and/or approval in some emerging countries. The Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental registration or approval for such repatriation. Any investment subject to such repatriation controls will be considered illiquid if it appears reasonably likely that this process will take more than seven days.

Investment in emerging market or developing countries may entail purchasing securities issued by or on behalf of entities that are insolvent, bankrupt, in default or otherwise engaged in an attempt to reorganize or reschedule their obligations and in entities that have little or no proven credit rating or credit history. In any such case, the issuer's poor or deteriorating financial condition may increase the likelihood that the Fund will experience losses or diminution in available gains due to bankruptcy, insolvency or fraud. Emerging market or developing countries also pose the risk of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, political changes, government regulation, social instability or diplomatic development (including war) that could affect adversely the economies of such countries or the value of a fund's investments in those countries. In addition, it may be difficult to obtain and enforce a judgment in a court outside the United States.

Investments in emerging markets may also be exposed to an extra degree of custodial and/or market risk, especially where the securities purchased are not traded on an official exchange or where ownership records regarding the securities are maintained by an unregulated entity (or even the issuer itself).

Depositary Receipts.  Depositary Receipts represent an ownership interest in securities of foreign companies (an "underlying issuer") that are deposited with a depositary. Depositary Receipts are not necessarily denominated in the same currency as the underlying securities. Depositary Receipts include American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") and other types of Depositary Receipts (which, together with ADRs and GDRs, are hereinafter collectively referred to as "Depositary Receipts"). ADRs are dollar-denominated Depositary Receipts typically issued by a U.S. financial institution which evidence an ownership interest in a security or pool of securities issued by a foreign issuer. ADRs are listed and traded in the United States. GDRs and other types of Depositary Receipts are typically issued by foreign banks or trust companies, although they also may be issued by U.S. financial institutions, and evidence ownership interests in a security or pool of securities issued by either a foreign or a U.S. corporation.

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Generally, Depositary Receipts in registered form are designed for use in the U.S. securities market and Depositary Receipts in bearer form are designed for use in securities markets outside the United States.

Depositary Receipts may be "sponsored" or "unsponsored." Sponsored Depositary Receipts are established jointly by a depositary and the underlying issuer, whereas unsponsored Depositary Receipts may be established by a depositary without participation by the underlying issuer. Holders of unsponsored Depositary Receipts generally bear all the costs associated with establishing unsponsored Depositary Receipts. In addition, the issuers of the securities underlying unsponsored Depositary Receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States and, therefore, there may be less information available regarding such issuers and there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the Depositary Receipts. For purposes of the Fund's investment policies, the Fund's investments in Depositary Receipts will be deemed to be an investment in the underlying securities, except that ADRs may be deemed to be issued by a U.S. issuer.

Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts.  The Fund may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts ("forward contracts") as a hedge against fluctuations in future foreign exchange rates. A forward contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. The Fund may conduct its foreign currency exchange transactions either on a spot (i.e., cash) basis through currency forward contracts or through non-deliverable currency forward transactions. A currency spot transaction is a cash-settled contract to buy or sell a specified quantity of currency for physical settlement at the spot rate prevailing in the foreign currency exchange market. A currency forward transaction is a contract to buy or sell a specified quantity of currency at a specified date in the future at a specified price which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. Currency forward contracts may be used to increase or reduce exposure to currency price movements. A non-deliverable currency forward transaction is a synthetic short-term forward contract on a thinly traded or non-convertible foreign currency where the gain or loss is the difference between a specified exchange rate and the spot rate at the time of settlement. Non-deliverable currency forward contracts allow investors to hedge or gain exposure to local currency movements of certain markets without actually dealing in the underlying markets. The demand for non-deliverable forward currency contracts arises principally out of regulatory and liquidity issues in the underlying currency. Non-deliverable forward currency contracts are used to gain exposure to foreign currencies which are not internationally traded and do not have a forward market for foreign investors. Non-deliverable forward currency contracts are cash settled transactions and in certain less developed countries, such contracts may be relatively illiquid. Forward contracts are traded in the interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large, commercial and investment banks) and their customers. Forward contracts only will be entered into with U.S. banks and their foreign branches, insurance companies and other dealers or foreign banks whose assets total $1 billion or more. A forward contract generally has no deposit requirement, and no commissions are charged at any stage for trades.

The Fund may enter into forward contracts under various circumstances. The typical use of a forward contract is to "lock in" the price of a security in U.S. dollars or some other foreign currency, which the Fund is holding in its portfolio. By entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of dollars or other currency, of the amount of foreign currency involved in the underlying security transactions, the Fund may be able to protect itself against a possible loss resulting from an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar or other currency which is being used for the security purchase and the foreign currency in which the security is denominated during the period between the date on which the security is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received.

The Investment Adviser also may from time to time utilize forward contracts for other purposes. For example, they may be used to hedge a foreign security held in the portfolio or a security which pays out principal tied to an exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and a foreign currency, against a decline in value of the applicable foreign currency. They also may be used to lock in the current exchange rate of the currency in which those securities anticipated to be purchased are denominated. At times, the Fund may enter into "cross-currency" hedging transactions involving currencies other than those in which securities are held or proposed to be purchased are denominated.

The Fund will not enter into forward contracts or maintain a net exposure to these contracts where the consummation of the contracts would obligate the Fund to deliver an amount of foreign currency in excess of the value of the Fund's portfolio securities.

When required by law, the Fund will cause its custodian bank to earmark cash, U.S. government securities or other appropriate liquid portfolio securities in an amount equal to the value of the Fund's total

14

assets committed to the consummation of forward contracts entered into under the circumstances set forth above. If the value of the securities so earmarked declines, additional cash or securities will be earmarked on a daily basis so that the value of such securities will equal the amount of the Fund's commitments with respect to such contracts.

Although the Fund values its assets daily in terms of U.S. dollars, it does not intend to convert its holdings of foreign currencies into U.S. dollars on a daily basis. It will, however, do so from time to time, and investors should be aware of the costs of currency conversion. Although foreign exchange dealers do not charge a fee for conversion, they do realize a profit based on the spread between the prices at which they are buying and selling various currencies. Thus, a dealer may offer to sell a foreign currency to the Fund at one rate, while offering a lesser rate of exchange should the Fund desire to resell that currency to the dealer.

The Fund may be limited in its ability to enter into hedging transactions involving forward contracts by the Code requirements relating to qualification as a regulated investment company.

Forward contracts may limit gains on portfolio securities that could otherwise be realized had they not been utilized and could result in losses. The contracts also may increase the Fund's volatility and may involve a significant amount of risk relative to the investment of cash.

Investment Company Securities.  Investment company securities are securities of other open-end, closed-end and unregistered investment companies, including foreign investment companies and exchange-traded funds ("ETFs"). The Fund may invest in investment company securities as may be permitted by (i) the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time; (ii) the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC under the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time; or (iii) an exemption or other relief applicable to the Fund from provisions of the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time. The Investment Company Act generally prohibits an investment company from acquiring more than 3% of the outstanding voting shares of an investment company and limits such investments to no more than 5% of a portfolio's total assets in any one investment company, and no more than 10% in any combination of investment companies. The Fund may invest in investment company securities of investment companies managed by the Investment Adviser or its affiliates to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act or as otherwise authorized by the SEC. To the extent the Fund invests a portion of its assets in investment company securities, those assets will be subject to the risks of the purchased investment company's portfolio securities, and a shareholder in the Fund will bear not only his proportionate share of the expenses of the Fund, but also, indirectly the expenses of the purchased investment company.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Fund may invest all or some of its short term cash investments in any money market fund advised or managed by the Investment Adviser or its affiliates. In connection with any such investments, the Fund, to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act, will pay its share of all expenses (other than advisory and administrative fees) of a money market fund in which it invests which may result in the Fund bearing some additional expenses.

Exchange-Traded Funds ("ETFs"). The Fund may invest in shares of various ETFs, including exchange-traded index and bond funds. Exchange-traded index funds seek to track the performance of various securities indices. Shares of ETFs have many of the same risks as direct investments in common stocks or bonds. In addition, their market value is expected to rise and fall as the value of the underlying index or bond rises and falls. The market value of their shares may differ from the net asset value of the particular fund. As a shareholder in an ETF (as with other investment companies), the Fund would bear its ratable share of that entity's expenses. At the same time, the Fund would continue to pay its own investment management fees and other expenses. As a result, the Fund and its shareholders, in effect, will be absorbing duplicate levels of fees with respect to investments in ETFs.

C. Fund Policies/Investment Restrictions

The investment objective, policies and restrictions listed below have been adopted by the Fund as fundamental policies. Under the Investment Company Act, a fundamental policy may not be changed without the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. The Investment Company Act defines a majority as the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the shares present at a meeting of shareholders, if the holders of 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present or represented by proxy; or (b) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. For purposes of the following restrictions: (i) all percentage limitations apply immediately after a purchase or initial investment, and (ii) any subsequent change in any applicable percentage resulting from market fluctuations or other changes in total or net assets does not require elimination of any security from the portfolio, except in the case of borrowing and investments in illiquid securities.

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The Fund will:

1. Seek a high level of total return on its assets through a combination of current income and capital appreciation.

The Fund will not:

1. Invest in a manner inconsistent with its classification as a "diversified company" as provided by (i) the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time, (ii) the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC under the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time, or (iii) an exemption or other relief applicable to the Fund from the provisions of the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time.

2. Invest more than 25% of the value of its total assets in securities of issuers in any one industry. This restriction does not apply to obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities.

3. Borrow money, except the Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted by (i) the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time, (ii) the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC under the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time, or (iii) an exemption or other relief applicable to the Fund from the provisions of the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time.

4. Purchase or sell real estate or interests therein, although the Fund may purchase securities of issuers which engage in real estate operations and securities secured by real estate or interests therein.

5. Purchase or sell physical commodities unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other instruments; provided that this restriction shall not prohibit the Fund from purchasing or selling options, futures contracts and related options thereon, forward contracts, swaps, caps, floors, collars and any other financial instruments or from investing in securities or other instruments backed by physical commodities or as otherwise permitted by (i) the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time, (ii) the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC under the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time, or (iii) an exemption or other relief applicable to the Fund from the provisions of the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time.

6. Issue senior securities, except the Fund may issue senior securities to the extent permitted by (i) the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time, (ii) the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC under the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time, or (iii) an exemption or other relief applicable to the Fund from the provisions of the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time.

7. Make loans of money or property to any person, except (a) to the extent that securities or interests in which the Fund may invest are considered to be loans, (b) through the loan of portfolio securities, (c) by engaging in repurchase agreements or (d) as may otherwise be permitted by (i) the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time, (ii) the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC under the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time, or (iii) an exemption or other relief applicable to the Fund from the provisions of the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time.

8. Engage in the underwriting of securities, except insofar as the Fund may be deemed an underwriter under the Securities Act in disposing of a portfolio security.

In addition, as non-fundamental policies, which can be changed with Board approval and without shareholder vote, the Fund will not:

1. Invest in other investment companies in reliance on Sections 12(d)(1)(F), 12(d)(1)(G) or 12(d)(1)(J) of the Investment Company Act.

2. Make short sales of securities, except short sales against the box.

3. Invest its assets in the securities of any investment company except as may be permitted by (i) the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time; (ii) the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC under the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time; or (iii) an exemption or other relief applicable to the Fund from the provisions of the Investment Company Act, as amended from time to time.

The Fund has an operating policy, which may be changed by the Fund's Board of Trustees, not to borrow except from a bank for temporary or emergency purposes in amounts not exceeding 5% (taken at the lower of cost or current value) of its total assets (not including the amount borrowed).

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D. Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

The Fund's Board of Trustees and the Investment Adviser have adopted policies and procedures regarding disclosure of portfolio holdings (the "Policy"). Pursuant to the Policy, the Investment Adviser may disclose information concerning Fund portfolio holdings only if such disclosure is consistent with the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws and the Fund's and the Investment Adviser's fiduciary duties to Fund shareholders. The Investment Adviser may not receive compensation or any other consideration in connection with the disclosure of information about the portfolio securities of the Fund. Consideration includes any agreement to maintain assets in the Fund or in other investment companies or accounts managed by the Investment Adviser or by any affiliated person of the Investment Adviser. Non-public information concerning portfolio holdings may be divulged to third parties only when the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for doing so and the recipients of the information are subject to a duty of confidentiality. Under no circumstances shall current or prospective Fund shareholders receive non-public portfolio holdings information, except as described below.

The Fund makes available on its public website the following portfolio holdings information:

•  complete portfolio holdings information quarterly, at least 30 calendar days after the end of each calendar quarter; and

•  top 10 (or top 15) holdings monthly, at least 15 business days after the end of each month.

The Fund provides a complete schedule of portfolio holdings for the second and fourth fiscal quarters in its semiannual and annual reports, and for the first and third fiscal quarters in its filings with the SEC on Form N-Q.

All other portfolio holdings information that has not been disseminated in a manner making it available to investors generally as described above is non-public information for purposes of the Policy.

The Fund may make selective disclosure of non-public portfolio holdings. Third parties eligible to receive such disclosures currently include fund rating agencies, information exchange subscribers, consultants and analysts, portfolio analytics providers and service providers, provided that the third party expressly agrees to maintain the disclosed information in confidence and not to trade portfolio securities based on the non-public information. Non-public portfolio holdings information may not be disclosed to a third party unless and until the arrangement has been reviewed and approved pursuant to the requirements set forth in the Policy. Subject to the terms and conditions of any agreement between the Investment Adviser or the Fund and the third party recipient, if these conditions for disclosure are satisfied, there shall be no restriction on the frequency with which Fund non-public portfolio holdings information is released, and no lag period shall apply (unless otherwise indicated below).

The Investment Adviser may provide interest lists to broker-dealers who execute securities transactions for the Fund without entering into a non-disclosure agreement with the broker-dealers, provided that the interest list satisfies all of the following criteria: (1) the interest list must contain only the CUSIP numbers and/or ticker symbols of securities held in all registered management investment companies advised by the Investment Adviser or any affiliate of the Investment Adviser (the "MSIM Funds") on an aggregate, rather than a fund-by-fund basis; (2) the interest list must not contain information about the number or value of shares owned by a specified MSIM Fund; (3) the interest list may identify the investment strategy, but not the particular MSIM Funds, to which the list relates; and (4) the interest list may not identify the portfolio manager or team members responsible for managing the MSIM Funds.

Fund shareholders may elect in some circumstances to redeem their shares of the Fund in exchange for their pro rata share of the securities held by the Fund. Under such circumstances, Fund shareholders may receive a complete listing of the holdings of the Fund up to seven calendar days prior to making the redemption request provided that they represent orally or in writing that they agree not to disclose or trade on the basis of the portfolio holdings information.

The Fund may discuss or otherwise disclose performance attribution analyses (i.e., mention the effects of having a particular security in the portfolio(s)) where such discussion is not contemporaneously made public, provided that the particular holding has been disclosed publicly. Additionally, any discussion of the analyses may not be more current than the date the holding was disclosed publicly.

The Fund may disclose portfolio holdings to transition managers, provided that the Fund has entered into a non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement with the party requesting that the information be

17

provided to the transition manager and the party to the non-disclosure agreement has, in turn, entered into a non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement with the transition manager.

The Investment Adviser and/or the Fund have entered into ongoing arrangements to make available public and/or non-public information about the Fund's portfolio securities. Provided that the recipient of the information falls into one or more of the categories listed below, and the recipient has entered into a non-disclosure agreement with the Fund, or owes a duty of trust or confidence to the Investment Adviser or the Fund, the recipient may receive portfolio holdings information pursuant to such agreement without obtaining pre-approval from either the Portfolio Holdings Review Committee ("PHRC") or the Fund's Board of Trustees. In all such instances, however, the PHRC will be responsible for reporting to the Fund's Board of Trustees, or designated committee thereof, material information concerning the ongoing arrangements at each Board's next regularly scheduled Board meeting. Categories of parties eligible to receive information pursuant to such ongoing arrangements include fund rating agencies, information exchange subscribers, consultants and analysts, portfolio analytics providers and service providers.

The Investment Adviser and/or the Fund currently have entered into ongoing arrangements with the following parties:

Name	Information Disclosed	Frequency(1)	Lag Time
Service Providers
RiskMetrics Group (proxy voting agent)(*)	Complete portfolio holdings	Daily basis	(2)
FT Interactive Data Pricing Service Provider(*)	Complete portfolio holdings	As needed	(2)
Morgan Stanley Trust(*)	Complete portfolio holdings	As needed	(2)
State Street Bank and Trust Company(*)	Complete portfolio holdings	As needed	(2)
Fund Rating Agencies
Lipper(*)	Top ten and complete portfolio holdings	Quarterly basis	Approximately 15 days after quarter end and approximately 30 days after quarter end
Morningstar(**)	Top ten and complete portfolio holdings	Quarterly basis	Approximately 15 days after quarter end and approximately 30 days after quarter end
Standard & Poor's(*)	Complete portfolio holdings	Quarterly basis	Approximately 15 day lag
Investment Company Institute(**)	Top ten portfolio holdings	Quarterly basis	Approximately 15 days after quarter end
Consultants and Analysts
Americh Massena & Associates, Inc.(*)	Top ten and complete portfolio holdings	Quarterly basis(5)	Approximately 10-12 days after quarter end
Bloomberg(**)	Complete portfolio holdings	Quarterly basis	Approximately 30 days after quarter end
Callan Associates(*)	Top ten and complete portfolio holdings	Monthly and quarterly basis, respectively(5)	Approximately 10-12 days after month/quarter end
Cambridge Associates(*)	Top ten and complete portfolio holdings	Quarterly basis(5)	Approximately 10-12 days after quarter end
Citigroup(*)	Complete portfolio holdings	Quarterly basis(5)	At least one day after quarter end
Credit Suisse First Boston(*)	Top ten and complete portfolio holdings	Monthly and quarterly basis, respectively	Approximately 10-12 days after month/quarter end
CTC Consulting, Incorporated(**)	Top ten and complete portfolio holdings	Quarterly basis	Approximately 15 days after quarter end and approximately 30 days after quarter end, respectively

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Name	Information Disclosed	Frequency(1)	Lag Time
Evaluation Associates (*)	Top ten and complete portfolio holdings	Monthly and quarterly basis, respectively(5)	Approximately 10-12 days after month/quarter end
Fund Evaluation Group(**)	Top ten portfolio holdings(3)	Quarterly basis	At least 15 days after quarter end
Jeffrey Slocum & Associates(*)	Complete portfolio holdings(4)	Quarterly basis(5)	Approximately 10-12 days after quarter end
Hammond Associates(**)	Complete portfolio holdings(4)	Quarterly basis	At least 30 days after quarter end
Hartland & Co.(**)	Complete portfolio holdings(4)	Quarterly basis	At least 30 days after quarter end
Hewitt Associates(*)	Top ten and complete portfolio holdings	Monthly and quarterly basis, respectively(5)	Approximately 10-12 days after month/quarter end
Merrill Lynch(*)	Top ten and complete portfolio holdings	Monthly and quarterly basis, respectively(5)	Approximately 10-12 days after month/quarter end
Mobius(**)	Top ten portfolio holdings(3)	Monthly basis	At least 15 days after month end
Nelsons(**)	Top ten portfolio holdings(3)	Quarterly basis	At least 15 days after quarter end
Prime, Buchholz & Associates, Inc.(**)	Complete portfolio holdings(4)	Quarterly basis	At least 30 days after quarter end
PSN(**)	Top ten portfolio holdings(3)	Quarterly basis	At least 15 days after quarter end
PFM Asset Management LLC(*)	Top ten and complete portfolio holdings	Quarterly basis(5)	Approximately 10-12 days after quarter end
Russell Investment Group/Russell/ Mellon Analytical Services, Inc.(**)	Top ten and complete portfolio holdings	Monthly and quarterly basis	At least 15 days after month end and at least 30 days after quarter end, respectively
Stratford Advisory Group, Inc.(*)	Top ten portfolio holdings(6)	Quarterly basis(5)	Approximately 10-12 days after quarter end
Thompson Financial(**)	Complete portfolio holdings(4)	Quarterly basis	At least 30 days after quarter end
Watershed Investment Consultants, Inc.(*)	Top ten and complete portfolio holdings	Quarterly basis(5)	Approximately 10-12 days after quarter end
Yanni Partners(**)	Top ten portfolio holdings(3)	Quarterly basis	At least 15 days after quarter end
Portfolio Analytics Providers
FactSet Research Systems, Inc.(*)	Complete portfolio holdings	Daily basis	One day

^(*)  This entity has agreed to maintain Fund non-public portfolio holdings information in confidence and not to trade portfolio securities based on the non-public portfolio holdings information.

^(**)  The Fund does not currently have a non-disclosure agreement in place with this entity and therefore the entity can only receive publicly available information.

⁽¹⁾  Dissemination of portfolio holdings information to entities listed above may occur less frequently than indicated (or not at all).

⁽²⁾  Information will typically be provided on a real time basis or as soon thereafter as possible.

⁽³⁾  Complete portfolio holdings will also be provided upon request from time to time on a quarterly basis, with at least a 30 day lag.

⁽⁴⁾  Top ten portfolio holdings will also be provided upon request from time to time, with at least a 15 day lag.

⁽⁵⁾  This information will also be provided upon request from time to time.

⁽⁶⁾  Complete portfolio holdings will also be provided upon request from time to time.

In addition, persons who owe a duty of trust or confidence to the Investment Adviser or the Fund may receive non-public portfolio holdings information without entering into a non-disclosure agreement. Currently, these persons include (i) the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm (as of the Fund's fiscal year end and on an as needed basis), (ii) counsel to the Fund (on an as needed basis), (iii) counsel to the Independent Trustees (on an as needed basis) and (iv) members of the Board of Trustees (on an as needed basis).

All selective disclosures of non-public portfolio holdings information made to third parties pursuant to the exemptions set forth in the Policy must be pre-approved by both the PHRC and the Fund's Board

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of Trustees (or designated committee thereof), except for (i) disclosures made to third parties pursuant to ongoing arrangements (discussed above); (ii) disclosures made to third parties pursuant to Special Meetings of the PHRC; (iii) broker-dealer interest lists; (iv) shareholder in-kind distributions; (v) attribution analyses; or (vi) in connection with transition managers. The Investment Adviser shall report quarterly to the Board of Trustees (or a designated committee thereof) information concerning all parties receiving non-public portfolio holdings information pursuant to an exemption. Procedures to monitor the use of such non-public portfolio holdings information may include requiring annual certifications that the recipients have utilized such information only pursuant to the terms of the agreement between the recipient and the Investment Adviser and, for those recipients receiving information electronically, acceptance of the information will constitute reaffirmation that the third party expressly agrees to maintain the disclosed information in confidence and not to trade portfolio securities based on the non-public information.

In no instance may the Investment Adviser or the Fund receive any compensation or consideration in exchange for the portfolio holdings information.

The PHRC is responsible for creating and implementing the Policy and, in this regard, has expressly adopted it. The following are some of the functions and responsibilities of the PHRC:

(a) The PHRC, which will consist of executive officers of the Fund and the Investment Adviser or their designees, is responsible for establishing portfolio holdings disclosure policies and guidelines and determining how portfolio holdings information will be disclosed on an ongoing basis.

(b) The PHRC will periodically review and have the authority to amend as necessary the Fund's portfolio holdings disclosure policies and guidelines (as expressed by the Policy).

(c) The PHRC will meet at least quarterly to (among other matters): (1) address any outstanding issues relating to the Policy, including matters relating to (i) disclosures made to third parties pursuant to ongoing arrangements (described above); (ii) broker-dealer interest lists; (iii) shareholder in-kind distributions; (iv) attribution analyses; or (v) in connection with transition managers; (2) review non-disclosure agreements that have been executed with third parties and determine whether the third parties will receive portfolio holdings information; and (3) generally review the procedures that the Investment Adviser employs to ensure that disclosure of information about portfolio securities is in the best interests of Fund shareholders, including procedures to address conflicts between the interests of Fund shareholders, on the one hand, and those of the Investment Adviser, the Distributor or any affiliated person of the Fund, the Investment Adviser or the Distributor, on the other.

(d) Any member of the PHRC may call a Special Meeting of the PHRC to consider whether a third party that is not listed in (c) above may receive non-public portfolio holdings information pursuant to a validly executed non-disclosure agreement. At least three members of the PHRC, or their designees, and one member of the Fund's Audit Committee, or his or her designee, shall be present at the Special Meeting in order to constitute a quorum. At any Special Meeting at which a quorum is present, the decision of a majority of the PHRC members present and voting shall be determinative as to any matter submitted to a vote; provided, however, that the Audit Committee member, or his or her designee, must concur in the determination in order for it to become effective.

(e) The PHRC, or its designee(s), will document in writing all of their decisions and actions, which documentation will be maintained by the PHRC, or its designee(s) for a period of at least six years. The PHRC, or its designee(s), will report their decisions to the Board of Trustees at each Board's next regularly scheduled Board meeting. The report will contain information concerning decisions made by the PHRC during the most recently ended calendar quarter immediately preceding the Board meeting.

III. MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

A. Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees of the Fund oversees the management of the Fund, but does not itself manage the Fund. The Trustees review various services provided by or under the direction of the Investment Adviser to ensure that the Fund's general investment policies and programs are properly carried out. The Trustees also conduct their review to ensure that administrative services are provided to the Fund in a satisfactory manner.

Under state law, the duties of the Trustees are generally characterized as a duty of loyalty and a duty of care. The duty of loyalty requires a Trustee to exercise his or her powers in the interest of the Fund and not the Trustee's own interest or the interest of another person or organization. A Trustee satisfies his or

20

her duty of care by acting in good faith with the care of an ordinarily prudent person and in a manner the Trustee reasonably believes to be in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders.

B. Management Information

Trustees and Officers. The Board of the Fund consists of 10 Trustees. These same individuals also serve as directors or trustees for certain of the funds advised by the Investment Adviser (the "Retail Funds") and certain of the funds advised by Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc. and Morgan Stanley AIP GPLP (the "Institutional Funds"). Nine Trustees have no affiliation or business connection with the Investment Adviser or any of its affiliated persons and do not own any stock or other securities issued by the Investment Adviser's parent company, Morgan Stanley. These are the "non-interested" or "Independent" Trustees. The other Trustee (the "Interested Trustee") is affiliated with the Investment Adviser.

Independent Trustees.  The Independent Trustees of the Fund, their age, address, term of office and length of time served, their principal business occupations during the past five years, the number of portfolios in the Fund Complex (defined below) overseen by each Independent Trustee (as of December 31, 2008) and other directorships, if any, held by the Trustees, are shown below. The Fund Complex includes all open-end and closed-end funds (including all of their portfolios) advised by the Investment Adviser and any funds that have an investment adviser that is an affiliated person of the Investment Adviser (including, but not limited to, Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc.).

Independent Trustees:

Name, Age and Address of Independent Trustee	Position(s) Held with Registrant	Length of Time Served*	Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years	Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Independent Trustee		Other Directorships Held by Independent Trustee
Frank L. Bowman (64) c/o Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP Counsel to the Independent Trustees 1177 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036	Trustee	Since August 2006	Director or Trustee of various Retail Funds and Institutional Funds (since August 2006); Chairperson of the Insurance Sub-Committee of the Insurance, Valuation and Compliance Committee (since February 2007); served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Nuclear Energy Institute (policy organization) through November 2008; retired as Admiral, U.S. Navy in January 2005 after serving over 8 years as Director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program and Deputy Administrator — Naval Reactors in the National Nuclear Security Administration at the U.S. Department of Energy (1996- 2004), Knighted as Honorary Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire; Awarded the Officer de l'Orde National du Mérite by the French Government.		161	Director of the Armed Services YMCA of the USA; member, BP America External Advisory Council (energy).

*  This is the earliest date the Trustee began serving the Retail Funds or Institutional Funds. Each Trustee serves an indefinite term, until his or her successor is elected.

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Name, Age and Address of Independent Trustee	Position(s) Held with Registrant	Length of Time Served*	Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years	Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Independent Trustee		Other Directorships Held by Independent Trustee
Michael Bozic (68) c/o Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP Counsel to the Independent Trustees 1177 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036	Trustee	Since April 1994	Private investor; Chairperson of the Insurance, Valuation and Compliance Committee (since October 2006); Director or Trustee of the Retail Funds (since April 1994) and Institutional Funds (since July 2003); formerly, Chairperson of the Insurance Committee (July 2006-September 2006), Vice Chairman of Kmart Corporation (December 1998-October 2000), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Levitz Furniture Corporation (November 1995-November 1998) and President and Chief Executive Officer of Hills Department Stores (May 1991-July 1995); variously Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, President and Chief Operating Officer (1987-1991) of the Sears Merchandise Group of Sears, Roebuck & Co.		163	Director of various business organizations.
Kathleen A. Dennis (55) c/o Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP Counsel to the Independent Trustees 1177 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036	Trustee	Since August 2006	President, Cedarwood Associates (mutual fund and investment management) (since July 2006); Chairperson of the Money Market and Alternatives Sub-Committee of the Investment Committee (since October 2006) and Director or Trustee of various Retail Funds and Institutional Funds (since August 2006); formerly, Senior Managing Director of Victory Capital Management (1993-2006).		161	Director of various non-profit organizations.
Dr. Manuel H. Johnson (59) c/o Johnson Smick Group, Inc. 888 16th Street, N.W. Suite 740 Washington, D.C. 20006	Trustee	Since July 1991	Senior Partner, Johnson Smick International, Inc. (consulting firm); Chairperson of the Investment Committee (since October 2006) and Director or Trustee of the Retail Funds (since July 1991) and Institutional Funds (since July 2003); Co-Chairman and a founder of the Group of Seven Council (G7C) (international economic commission); formerly, Chairperson of the Audit Committee (July 1991-September 2006), Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury.		163	Director of NVR, Inc. (home construction); Director of Evergreen Energy.

*  This is the earliest date the Trustee began serving the Retail Funds or Institutional Funds. Each Trustee serves an indefinite term, until his or her successor is elected.

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Name, Age and Address of Independent Trustee	Position(s) Held with Registrant	Length of Time Served*	Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years	Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Independent Trustee		Other Directorships Held by Independent Trustee
Joseph J. Kearns (66) c/o Kearns & Associates LLC PMB754 23852 Pacific Coast Highway Malibu, CA 90265	Trustee	Since August 1994	President, Kearns & Associates LLC (investment consulting); Chairperson of the Audit Committee (since October 2006) and Director or Trustee of the Retail Funds (since July 2003) and Institutional Funds (since August 1994); formerly, Deputy Chairperson of the Audit Committee (July 2003-September 2006) and Chairperson of the Audit Committee of the Institutional Funds (October 2001-July 2003); CFO of the J. Paul Getty Trust.		164	Director of Electro Rent Corporation (equipment leasing) and The Ford Family Foundation.
Michael F. Klein (50) c/o Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP Counsel to the Independent Trustees 1177 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036	Trustee	Since August 2006	Managing Director, Aetos Capital, LLC (since March 2000) and Co-President, Aetos Alternatives Management, LLC (since January 2004); Chairperson of the Fixed Income Sub-Committee of the Investment Committee (since October 2006) and Director or Trustee of various Retail Funds and Institutional Funds (since August 2006); formerly, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley & Co. Inc. and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Investment Management, President, Morgan Stanley Institutional Funds (June 1998-March 2000) and Principal, Morgan Stanley & Co. Inc. and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter Investment Management (August 1997-December 1999).		161	Director of certain investment funds managed or sponsored by Aetos Capital, LLC. Director of Sanitized AG and Sanitized Marketing AG (specialty chemicals).
Michael E. Nugent (72) c/o Triumph Capital, L.P. 445 Park Avenue New York, NY 10022	Chair-person of the Board and Trustee	Chair-person of the Boards since July 2006 and Trustee since July 1991	General Partner, Triumph Capital, L.P. (private investment partnership); Chairperson of the Boards of the Retail Funds and Institutional Funds (since July 2006); Director or Trustee of the Retail Funds (since July 1991) and Institutional Funds (since July 2001); formerly, Chairperson of the Insurance Committee (until July 2006).		163	None.
W. Allen Reed (61) c/o Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP Counsel to the Independent Trustees 1177 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036	Trustee	Since August 2006	Chairperson of the Equity Sub-Committee of the Investment Committee (since October 2006) and Director or Trustee of various Retail Funds and Institutional Funds (since August 2006); formerly, President and CEO of General Motors Asset Management; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the GM Trust Bank and Corporate Vice President of General Motors Corporation (August 1994-December 2005).		161	Director of Temple-Inland Industries (packaging and forest products); Director of Legg Mason, Inc. and Director of the Auburn University Foundation.

*  This is the earliest date the Trustee began serving the Retail Funds or Institutional Funds. Each Trustee serves an indefinite term, until his or her successor is elected.

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Name, Age and Address of Independent Trustee	Position(s) Held with Registrant	Length of Time Served*	Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years	Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Independent Trustee		Other Directorships Held by Independent Trustee
Fergus Reid (76) c/o Lumelite Plastics Corporation 85 Charles Colman Blvd. Pawling, NY 12564	Trustee	Since June 1992	Chairman of Lumelite Plastics Corporation; Chairperson of the Governance Committee and Director or Trustee of the Retail Funds (since July 2003) and Institutional Funds (since June 1992).		164	Trustee and Director of certain investment companies in the JPMorgan Funds complex managed by JP Morgan Investment Management Inc.

*  This is the earliest date the Trustee began serving the Retail Funds or Institutional Funds. Each Trustee serves an indefinite term, until his or her successor is elected.

The Trustee who is affiliated with the Investment Adviser or affiliates of the Investment Adviser (as set forth below) and executive officers of the Fund, their age, address, term of office and length of time served, their principal business occupations during the past five years, the number of portfolios in the Fund Complex overseen by the Interested Trustee (as of December 31, 2008) and the other directorships, if any, held by the Interested Trustee, are shown below.

Interested Trustee:

Name, Age and Address of Interested Trustee	Position(s) Held with Registrant	Length of Time Served*	Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years	Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Interested Trustee		Other Directorships Held by Interested Trustee
James F. Higgins (60) c/o Morgan Stanley Trust Harborside Financial Center Plaza Two Jersey City, NJ 07311	Trustee	Since June 2000	Director or Trustee of the Retail Funds (since June 2000) and Institutional Funds (since July 2003); Senior Advisor of Morgan Stanley (since August 2000).		162	Director of AXA Financial, Inc. and The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States (financial services).

*  This is the earliest date the Trustee began serving the Retail Funds or Institutional Funds. Each Trustee serves an indefinite term, until his or her successor is elected.

Executive Officers:

Name, Age and Address of Executive Officer	Position(s) Held with Registrant	Length of Time Served*	Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years
Randy Takian (34) 522 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10036	President and Principal Executive Officer	President and Principal Executive Officer (since September 2008)	President and Principal Executive Officer (since September 2008) of funds in the Fund Complex; President and Chief Executive Officer of Morgan Stanley Services Company Inc. (since September 2008). President of the Investment Adviser (since July 2008). Head of the Retail and Intermediary business within Morgan Stanley Investment Management (since July 2008). Head of Liquidity and Bank Trust business (since July 2008) and the Latin American franchise (since July 2008) at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. Managing Director, Director and/or Officer of the Investment Adviser and various entities affiliated with the Investment Adviser. Formerly Head of Strategy and Product Development for the Alternatives Group and Senior Loan Investment Management. Formerly with Bank of America (July 1996-March 2006), most recently as Head of the Strategy, Mergers and Acquisitions team for Global Wealth and Investment Management.

  *  This is the earliest date the Officer began serving the Retail Funds or Institutional Funds. Each Officer serves an indefinite term, until his or her successor is elected.

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Name, Age and Address of Executive Officer	Position(s) Held with Registrant	Length of Time Served*	Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years
Kevin Klingert (46) 522 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10036	Vice President	Since June 2008	Global Head, Chief Operating Officer and acting Chief Investment Officer of the Global Fixed Income Group of Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc. and the Investment Adviser (since April 2008). Head of Global Liquidity Portfolio Management and co-Head of Liquidity Credit Research of Morgan Stanley Investment Management (since December 2007). Managing Director of Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc. and the Investment Adviser (since December 2007). Previously, Managing Director on the Management Committee and head of Municipal Portfolio Management and Liquidity at BlackRock (October 1991 to January 2007).
Amy R. Doberman (46) 522 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10036	Vice President	Since July 2004	Managing Director of Morgan Stanley Investment Management (since July 2004); Vice President of the Retail Funds and Institutional Funds (since July 2004); Vice President of the Van Kampen Funds (since August 2004); Secretary (since February 2006) and Managing Director (since July 2004) of the Investment Adviser and various entities affiliated with the Investment Adviser. Formerly, Managing Director and General Counsel — Americas, UBS Global Asset Management (July 2000 to July 2004).
Carsten Otto (45) 522 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10036	Chief Compliance Officer	Since October 2004	Managing Director and Global Head of Compliance for Morgan Stanley Investment Management (since April 2007) and Chief Compliance Officer of the Retail Funds and Institutional Funds (since October 2004). Formerly, U.S. Director of Compliance (October 2004-April 2007) and Assistant Secretary and Assistant General Counsel of the Retail Funds.
Stefanie V. Chang Yu (42) 522 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10036	Vice President	Since December 1997	Managing Director of the Investment Adviser and various entities affiliated with the Investment Adviser; Vice President of the Retail Funds (since July 2002) and Institutional Funds (since December 1997). Formerly, Secretary of various entities affiliated with the Investment Adviser.
Francis J. Smith (43) c/o Morgan Stanley Trust Harborside Financial Center Plaza Two Jersey City, NJ 07311	Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer	Treasurer since July 2003 and Chief Financial Officer since September 2002	Executive Director of the Investment Adviser and various entities affiliated with the Investment Adviser; Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of the Retail Funds (since July 2003).
Mary E. Mullin (41) 522 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10036	Secretary	Since June 1999	Executive Director of the Investment Adviser and various entities affiliated with the Investment Adviser; Secretary of the Retail Funds (since July 2003) and Institutional Funds (since June 1999).

  *  This is the earliest date the Officer began serving the Retail Funds or Institutional Funds. Each Officer serves an indefinite term, until his or her successor is elected.

In addition, the following individuals who are officers of the Investment Adviser or its affiliates serve as assistant secretaries of the Fund: Joanne Antico, Joseph C. Benedetti, Daniel E. Burton, Tara A. Farrelly, Eric C. Griffith, Lou Anne D. McInnis, Edward J. Meehan, Elisa Mitchell, Elizabeth Nelson, Debra Rubano, Sheri L. Schreck and Julien H. Yoo.

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For each Trustee, the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by the Trustee in the Fund and in the Family of Investment Companies (Family of Investment Companies includes all of the registered investment companies advised by the Investment Adviser, Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc. and Morgan Stanley AIP GP LP) for the calendar year ended December 31, 2008 is set forth in the table below.

Name of Trustee	Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund (As of December 31, 2008)	Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Trustee in Family of Investment Companies (As of December 31, 2008)
Independent:
Frank L. Bowman(1)	None	over $100,000
Michael Bozic	None	over $100,000
Kathleen A. Dennis	None	over $100,000
Manuel H. Johnson	None	over $100,000
Joseph J. Kearns(1)	None	over $100,000
Michael F. Klein	None	over $100,000
Michael E. Nugent	None	over $100,000
W. Allen Reed(1)	None	over $100,000
Fergus Reid(1)	None	over $100,000
Interested:
James F. Higgins	None	over $100,000

(1)  Includes the total amount of compensation deferred by the Trustee at his election pursuant to a deferred compensation plan. Such deferred compensation is placed in a deferral account and deemed to be invested in one or more of the Retail Funds or Institutional Funds (or portfolio thereof) that are offered as investment options under the plan.

As to each Independent Trustee and his immediate family members, no person owned beneficially or of record securities in an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund, or a person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or under common control with an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund.

Independent Trustees and the Committees. Law and regulation establish both general guidelines and specific duties for the Independent Trustees. The Retail Funds seek as Independent Trustees individuals of distinction and experience in business and finance, government service or academia; these are people whose advice and counsel are in demand by others and for whom there is often competition. To accept a position on the Retail Funds' Boards, such individuals may reject other attractive assignments because the Retail Funds make substantial demands on their time. The Board has four committees: (1) Audit Committee, (2) Governance Committee, (3) Insurance, Valuation and Compliance Committee and (4) Investment Committee. Three of the Independent Trustees serve as members of the Audit Committee, three Independent Trustees serve as members of the Governance Committee, four Trustees, including three Independent Trustees, serve as members of the Insurance, Valuation and Compliance Committee and all of the Trustees serve as members of the Investment Committee.

The Independent Trustees are charged with recommending to the full Board approval of management, advisory and administration contracts, Rule 12b-1 plans and distribution and underwriting agreements; continually reviewing fund performance; checking on the pricing of portfolio securities, brokerage commissions, transfer agent costs and performance and trading among funds in the same complex; and approving fidelity bond and related insurance coverage and allocations, as well as other matters that arise from time to time. The Independent Trustees are required to select and nominate individuals to fill any Independent Trustee vacancy on the board of any fund that has a Rule 12b-1 plan of distribution. Most of the Retail Funds have a Rule 12b-1 plan.

The Board of Trustees has a separately-designated standing Audit Committee established in accordance with Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Audit Committee is charged with recommending to the full Board the engagement or discharge of the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm; directing investigations into matters within the scope of the independent registered public accounting firm's duties, including the power to retain outside specialists; reviewing with the independent registered public accounting firm the audit plan and results of the auditing engagement; approving professional services provided by the independent registered public accounting firm and other accounting firms prior to the performance of the services; reviewing the independence of the independent

26

registered public accounting firm; considering the range of audit and non-audit fees; reviewing the adequacy of the Fund's system of internal controls; and preparing and submitting committee meeting minutes to the full Board. The Fund has adopted a formal, written Audit Committee Charter.

The members of the Audit Committee of the Fund are Joseph J. Kearns, Michael E. Nugent and W. Allen Reed. None of the members of the Fund's Audit Committee is an "interested person," as defined under the Investment Company Act, of the Fund (with such disinterested Trustees being "Independent Trustees" or individually, "Independent Trustee"). Each Independent Trustee is also "independent" from the Fund under the listing standards of the New York Stock Exchange, Inc. ("NYSE"). The Chairperson of the Audit Committee of the Fund is Joseph J. Kearns.

The Board of Trustees of the Fund also has a Governance Committee. The Governance Committee identifies individuals qualified to serve as Independent Trustees on the Fund's Board and on committees of such Board and recommends such qualified individuals for nomination by the Fund's Independent Trustees as candidates for election as Independent Trustees, advises the Fund's Board with respect to Board composition, procedures and committees, develops and recommends to the Fund's Board a set of corporate governance principles applicable to the Fund, monitors and makes recommendations on corporate governance matters and policies and procedures of the Fund's Board of Trustees and any Board committees and oversees periodic evaluations of the Fund's Board and its committees. The members of the Governance Committee of the Fund are Kathleen A. Dennis, Michael F. Klein and Fergus Reid, each of whom is an Independent Trustee. The Chairperson of the Governance Committee is Fergus Reid.

The Fund does not have a separate nominating committee. While the Fund's Governance Committee recommends qualified candidates for nominations as Independent Trustees, the Board of Trustees of the Fund believes that the task of nominating prospective Independent Trustees is important enough to require the participation of all current Independent Trustees, rather than a separate committee consisting of only certain Independent Trustees. Accordingly, each Independent Trustee (Frank L. Bowman, Michael Bozic, Kathleen A. Dennis, Manuel H. Johnson, Joseph J. Kearns, Michael F. Klein, Michael E. Nugent, W. Allen Reed and Fergus Reid) participates in the election and nomination of candidates for election as Independent Trustees for the Fund. Persons recommended by the Fund's Governance Committee as candidates for nomination as Independent Trustees shall possess such knowledge, experience, skills, expertise and diversity so as to enhance the Board's ability to manage and direct the affairs and business of the Fund, including, when applicable, to enhance the ability of committees of the Board to fulfill their duties and/or to satisfy any independence requirements imposed by law, regulation or any listing requirements of the NYSE. While the Independent Trustees of the Fund expect to be able to continue to identify from their own resources an ample number of qualified candidates for the Fund's Board as they deem appropriate, they will consider nominations from shareholders to the Board. Nominations from shareholders should be in writing and sent to the Independent Trustees as described below under the caption "Shareholder Communications."

The Board formed an Insurance, Valuation and Compliance Committee to review the valuation process, address insurance coverage and oversee the compliance function for the Fund and the Board. The Insurance, Valuation and Compliance Committee consists of Frank L. Bowman, Michael Bozic, James F. Higgins and Manuel H. Johnson. Frank L. Bowman, Michael Bozic and Manuel H. Johnson are Independent Trustees. The Chairperson of the Insurance, Valuation and Compliance Committee is Michael Bozic. The Insurance, Valuation and Compliance Committee has an Insurance Sub-Committee to review and monitor the insurance coverage maintained by the Fund. The Chairperson of the Insurance Sub-Committee is Frank L. Bowman.

The Investment Committee oversees the portfolio investment process for and reviews the performance of the Fund. The Investment Committee also recommends to the Board to approve or renew the Fund's Investment Advisory and Administration Agreements. The members of the Investment Committee are Frank L. Bowman, Michael Bozic, Kathleen A. Dennis, James F. Higgins, Manuel H. Johnson, Joseph J. Kearns, Michael F. Klein, Michael E. Nugent, W. Allen Reed and Fergus Reid. The Chairperson of the Investment Committee is Manuel H. Johnson.

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The Investment Committee has three Sub-Committees, each with its own Chairperson. Each Sub-Committee focuses on the funds' primary areas of investment, namely equities, fixed income and alternatives. The Sub-Committees and their members are as follows:

(1)  Equity — W. Allen Reed (Chairperson), Frank L. Bowman and Michael E. Nugent.

(2) Fixed Income — Michael F. Klein (Chairperson), Michael Bozic and Fergus Reid.

(3)  Money Market and Alternatives — Kathleen A. Dennis (Chairperson), James F. Higgins and Joseph J. Kearns.

During the Fund's fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, the Board of Trustees held the following meetings:

Board of Trustee	9
Committee/Sub-Committee:	Number of Meetings:
Audit Committee	4
Governance Committee	4
Insurance, Valuation and Compliance Committee	6
Insurance Sub-Committee	2
Investment Committee	5
Equity Sub-Committee	6
Fixed Income Sub-Committee	6
Money Market and Alternatives Sub-Committee	6

Advantages of Having Same Individuals as Trustees for the Retail Funds and Institutional Funds. The Independent Trustees and the Fund's management believe that having the same Independent Trustees for each of the Retail Funds and Institutional Funds avoids the duplication of effort that would arise from having different groups of individuals serving as Independent Trustees for each of the funds or even of sub-groups of funds. They believe that having the same individuals serve as Independent Trustees of all the Retail Funds and Institutional Funds tends to increase their knowledge and expertise regarding matters which affect the Fund Complex generally and enhances their ability to negotiate on behalf of each fund with the fund's service providers. This arrangement also precludes the possibility of separate groups of Independent Trustees arriving at conflicting decisions regarding operations and management of the funds and avoids the cost and confusion that would likely ensue. Finally, having the same Independent Trustees serve on all fund boards enhances the ability of each fund to obtain, at modest cost to each separate fund, the services of Independent Trustees of the caliber, experience and business acumen of the individuals who serve as Independent Trustees of the Retail Funds and Institutional Funds.

Trustee and Officer Indemnification. The Fund's Declaration of Trust provides that no Trustee, Officer, employee or agent of the Fund is liable to the Fund or to a shareholder, nor is any Trustee, Officer, employee or agent liable to any third persons in connection with the affairs of the Fund, except as such liability may arise from his/her or its own bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard of his/her or its duties. It also provides that all third persons shall look solely to Fund property for satisfaction of claims arising in connection with the affairs of the Fund. With the exceptions stated, the Declaration of Trust provides that a Trustee, Officer, employee or agent is entitled to be indemnified against all liability in connection with the affairs of the Fund.

Shareholder Communications.  Shareholders may send communications to the Fund's Board of Trustees. Shareholders should send communications intended for the Fund's Board by addressing the communications directly to the Board (or individual Board members) and/or otherwise clearly indicating in the salutation that the communication is for the Board (or individual Board members) and by sending the communication to either the Fund's office or directly to such Board member(s) at the address specified for each Trustee previously noted. Other shareholder communications received by the Fund not directly addressed and sent to the Board will be reviewed and generally responded to by management, and will be forwarded to the Board only at management's discretion based on the matters contained therein.

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C. Compensation

Each Trustee (except for the Chairperson of the Boards) receives an annual retainer fee of $200,000 for serving the Retail Funds and the Institutional Funds. The Chairperson of the Audit Committee receives an additional annual retainer fee of $75,000 and the Investment Committee Chairperson receives an additional annual retainer fee of $60,000. Other Committee Chairpersons receive an additional annual retainer fee of $30,000 and the Sub-Committee Chairpersons receive an additional annual retainer fee of $15,000. The aggregate compensation paid to each Trustee is paid by the Retail Funds and the Institutional Funds, and is allocated on a pro rata basis among each of the operational funds/portfolios of the Retail Funds and the Institutional Funds based on the relative net assets of each of the funds/portfolios. Michael E. Nugent receives a total annual retainer fee of $400,000 for his services as Chairperson of the Boards of the Retail Funds and the Institutional Funds and for administrative services provided to each Board.

The Fund also reimburses such Trustees for travel and other out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with attending such meetings. Trustees of the Fund who are employed by the Investment Adviser receive no compensation or expense reimbursement from the Fund for their services as Trustee.

Effective April 1, 2004, the Fund began a Deferred Compensation Plan (the "DC Plan"), which allows each Trustee to defer payment of all, or a portion, of the fees he or she receives for serving on the Board of Trustees throughout the year. Each eligible Trustee generally may elect to have the deferred amounts credited with a return equal to the total return on one or more of the Retail Funds or Institutional Funds (or portfolios thereof) that are offered as investment options under the DC Plan. At the Trustee's election, distributions are either in one lump sum payment, or in the form of equal annual installments over a period of five years. The rights of an eligible Trustee and the beneficiaries to the amounts held under the DC Plan are unsecured and such amounts are subject to the claims of the creditors of the Fund.

Prior to April 1, 2004, the Institutional Funds maintained a similar Deferred Compensation Plan (the "Prior DC Plan"), which also allowed each Independent Trustee to defer payment of all, or a portion, of the fees he or she received for serving on the Board of Trustees throughout the year. The DC Plan amends and supersedes the Prior DC Plan and all amounts payable under the Prior DC Plan are now subject to the terms of the DC Plan (except for amounts paid during the calendar year 2004, which remain subject to the terms of the Prior DC Plan).

The following table shows aggregate compensation payable to each of the Fund's Trustees from the Fund for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008 and the aggregate compensation payable to each of the funds' Trustees by the Fund Complex (which includes all of the Retail Funds and Institutional Funds) for the calendar year ended December 31, 2008.

Compensation⁽¹⁾

Name of Independent Trustee:	Aggregate Compensation From the Fund(2)		Total Compensation From Fund and Fund Complex Paid to Trustee(3)
Frank L. Bowman(2)	$	179	$	215,000
Michael Bozic		189		230,000
Kathleen A. Dennis		179		215,000
Manuel H. Johnson		213		260,000
Joseph J. Kearns(2)		225		286,250
Michael F. Klein		179		215,000
Michael E. Nugent		337		400,000
W. Allen Reed(2)		179		215,000
Fergus Reid		189		241,250
Name of Interested Trustee:
James F. Higgins		164		200,000

(1)  Includes all amounts paid for serving as director/trustee of the funds, as well as serving as Chairperson of the Boards or a Chairperson of a Committee or Sub-Committee.

(2)  The amounts shown in this column represent the aggregate compensation before deferral with respect to the Fund's fiscal year. The following Trustees deferred compensation from the Fund during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008: Mr. Bowman, $179; Mr. Kearns, $113; Mr. Reed, $179.

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(3)  The amounts shown in this column represent the aggregate compensation paid by all of the funds in the Fund Complex as of December 31, 2008 before deferral by the Trustees under the DC Plan. As of December 31, 2008, the value (including interest) of the deferral accounts across the Fund Complex for Messrs. Bowman, Kearns, Reed and Reid pursuant to the deferred compensation plan was $397,110, $761,543, $332,876 and $474,242, respectively. Because the funds in the Fund Complex have different fiscal year ends, the amounts shown in this column are presented on a calendar year basis.

Prior to December 31, 2003, 49 of the Retail Funds (the "Adopting Funds"), including the Fund, had adopted a retirement program under which an Independent Trustee who retired after serving for at least five years as an Independent Trustee of any such fund (an "Eligible Trustee") would have been entitled to retirement payments, based on factors such as length of service, upon reaching the eligible retirement age. On December 31, 2003, the amount of accrued retirement benefits for each Eligible Trustee was frozen, and will be payable, together with a return of 8% per annum, at or following each such Eligible Trustee's retirement as shown in the table below.

The following table illustrates the retirement benefits accrued to the Fund's Independent Trustees by the Fund for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008 and by the Adopting Funds for the calendar year ended December 31, 2008, and the estimated retirement benefits for the Independent Trustees, from the Fund as of the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008 and from the Adopting Funds for each calendar year following retirement. Only the Trustees listed below participated in the retirement program.

	Retirement benefits accrued as fund expenses				Estimated annual benefits upon retirement(1)
Name of Independent Trustee:	By the Fund		By All Adopting Funds		From the Fund		From All Adopting Funds
Michael Bozic	$	398	$	17,198	$	967	$	45,874
Manuel H. Johnson		396		18,179		1,420		67,179
Michael E. Nugent		238		3,512		1,269		60,077

(1)  Total compensation accrued under the retirement plan, together with a return of 8% per annum, will be paid annually commencing upon retirement and continuing for the remainder of the Trustee's life.

IV. CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES

The following owned beneficially or of record 5% or more of the outstanding Class A shares of the Fund as of January 2, 2009: Morgan Stanley & Co., Harborside Financial Center, Plaza Two, 3rd Floor, Jersey City, NJ 07311 — 75.57%. The following owned beneficially or of record 5% or more of the outstanding Class B shares of the Fund as of January 2, 2009: Morgan Stanley & Co., Harborside Financial Center, Plaza Two, 3rd Floor, Jersey City, NJ 07311 — 76.67%. The following owned beneficially or of record 5% or more of the outstanding Class C shares of the Fund as of January 2, 2009: Morgan Stanley & Co., Harborside Financial Center, Plaza Two, 3rd Floor, Jersey City, NJ 07311 — 93.57%. The following owned beneficially or of record 5% or more of the outstanding Class I shares of the Fund as of January 2, 2009: Morgan Stanley & Co., Harborside Financial Center, Plaza Two, 3rd Floor, Jersey City, NJ 07311 — 94.62%. The percentage ownership of shares of the Fund changes from time to time depending on purchases and redemptions by shareholders and the total number of shares outstanding.

As of the date of this SAI, the aggregate number of shares of beneficial interest of the Fund owned by the Fund's officers and Trustees as a group was less than 1% of the Fund's shares of beneficial interest outstanding.

V. INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND OTHER SERVICES

A. Investment Adviser and Administrator

The Investment Adviser to the Fund is Morgan Stanley Investment Advisors Inc., a Delaware corporation, whose address is 522 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10036. The Investment Adviser is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Morgan Stanley, a Delaware corporation. Morgan Stanley is a preeminent global financial services firm engaged in securities trading and brokerage activities, as well as providing investment banking, research and analysis, financing and financial advisory services.

Pursuant to an Amended and Restated Investment Advisory Agreement (the "Investment Advisory Agreement") with the Investment Adviser, the Fund has retained the Investment Adviser to manage the

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investment of the Fund's assets, including the placing of orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities. The Fund pays the Investment Adviser monthly compensation calculated daily by applying the following annual rates to the average daily net assets of the Fund determined as of the close of each business day: 0.52% of the portion of daily net assets of the Fund not exceeding $750 million; 0.47% of the portion of daily net assets exceeding $750 million but not exceeding $1 billion; 0.42% of the portion of daily net assets exceeding $1 billion but not exceeding $1.5 billion; 0.395% of the portion of daily net assets exceeding $1.5 billion but not exceeding $2 billion; 0.37% of the portion of daily net assets exceeding $2 billion but not exceeding $3 billion; and 0.345% of the portion of daily net assets exceeding $3 billion. The investment advisory fee is allocated among the Classes pro rata based on the net assets of the Fund attributable to each Class.

Administration services are provided to the Fund by Morgan Stanley Services Company Inc. ("Administrator"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Investment Adviser, pursuant to a separate administration agreement ("Administration Agreement") entered into by the Fund with the Administrator. The Fund pays the Administrator monthly compensation of 0.08% of daily net assets.

For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2006, 2007 and 2008, the Fund accrued compensation under the Investment Advisory Agreement in the amounts of $981,813, $880,454 and $728,993, respectively. For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2006, 2007 and 2008, advisory fees paid were reduced by $0, $1,679 and $10,675, respectively, relating to the Fund's short-term cash investments in Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Funds — Money Market Portfolio — Institutional Class.

For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2006, 2007 and 2008, the Fund accrued compensation under the Administration Agreement in the amounts of $151,048, $135,013 and $112,153, respectively.

B. Principal Underwriter

The Fund's principal underwriter is the Distributor (which has the same address as the Investment Adviser). In this capacity, the Fund's shares are distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor has entered into a selected dealer agreement with Morgan Stanley & Co., which through its own sales organization sells shares of the Fund. In addition, the Distributor may enter into similar agreements with other selected broker-dealers. The Distributor, a Delaware corporation, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Morgan Stanley.

The Distributor bears all expenses it may incur in providing services under the Distribution Agreement. These expenses include the payment of commissions for sales of the Fund's shares and incentive compensation to Financial Advisors, the cost of educational and/or business-related trips, and educational and/or promotional and business-related expenses. The Distributor also pays certain expenses in connection with the distribution of the Fund's shares, including the costs of preparing, printing and distributing advertising or promotional materials, and the costs of printing and distributing prospectuses and supplements thereto used in connection with the offering and sale of the Fund's shares. The Fund bears the costs of initial typesetting, printing and distribution of prospectuses and supplements thereto to shareholders. The Fund also bears the costs of registering the Fund and its shares under federal and state securities laws and pays filing fees in accordance with state securities laws.

The Fund and the Distributor have agreed to indemnify each other against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Under the Distribution Agreement, the Distributor uses its best efforts in rendering services to the Fund, but in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations, the Distributor is not liable to the Fund or any of its shareholders for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any act or omission or for any losses sustained by the Fund or its shareholders.

C. Services Provided by the Investment Adviser and Administrator

The Investment Adviser manages the investment of the Fund's assets, including the placing of orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities. The Investment Adviser obtains and evaluates the information and advice relating to the economy, securities markets and specific securities as it considers necessary or useful to continuously manage the assets of the Fund in a manner consistent with its investment objective.

Under the terms of the Administration Agreement, the Administrator maintains certain of the Fund's books and records and furnishes, at its own expense, the office space, facilities, equipment, clerical help and bookkeeping as the Fund may reasonably require in the conduct of its business. The Administrator also assists in the preparation of prospectuses, proxy statements and reports required to be filed with federal and state securities commissions (except insofar as the participation or assistance of the

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independent registered public accounting firm and attorneys is, in the opinion of the Administrator, necessary or desirable). The Administrator also bears the cost of telephone service, heat, light, power and other utilities provided to the Fund.

Expenses not expressly assumed by the Investment Adviser under the Investment Advisory Agreement or by the Administrator under the Administration Agreement or by the Distributor, will be paid by the Fund. These expenses will be allocated among the four Classes of shares pro rata based on the net assets of the Fund attributable to each Class, except as described below. Such expenses include, but are not limited to: expenses of the Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1; charges and expenses of any registrar, custodian, stock transfer and dividend disbursing agent; brokerage commissions; taxes; engraving and printing share certificates; registration costs of the Fund and its shares under federal and state securities laws; the cost and expense of printing, including typesetting, and distributing prospectuses of the Fund and supplements thereto to the Fund's shareholders; all expenses of shareholders' and Trustees' meetings and of preparing, printing and mailing of proxy statements and reports to shareholders; fees and travel expenses of Trustees or members of any advisory board or committee who are not employees of the Investment Adviser or any corporate affiliate of the Investment Adviser; all expenses incident to any dividend, withdrawal or redemption options; charges and expenses of any outside service used for pricing of the Fund's shares; fees and expenses of legal counsel, including counsel to the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Fund or of the Investment Adviser (not including compensation or expenses of attorneys who are employees of the Investment Adviser); fees and expenses of the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm; membership dues of industry associations; interest on Fund borrowings; postage; insurance premiums on property or personnel (including officers and Trustees) of the Fund which inure to its benefit; extraordinary expenses (including, but not limited to, legal claims and liabilities and litigation costs and any indemnification relating thereto); and all other costs of the Fund's operation. The 12b-1 fees relating to a particular Class will be allocated directly to that Class. In addition, other expenses associated with a particular Class (except advisory or custodial fees) may be allocated directly to that Class, provided that such expenses are reasonably identified as specifically attributable to that Class and the direct allocation to that Class is approved by the Trustees.

The Investment Advisory Agreement provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations thereunder, the Investment Adviser is not liable to the Fund or any of its investors for any act or omission by the Investment Adviser or for any losses sustained by the Fund or its investors.

The Investment Advisory Agreement will remain in effect from year to year, provided continuance of the Investment Advisory Agreement is approved at least annually by the vote of the holders of a majority, as defined in the Investment Company Act, of the outstanding shares of the Fund, or by the Trustees; provided that in either event such continuance is approved annually by the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees.

The Administration Agreement provides that in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its obligations thereunder, the Administrator is not liable to the Fund or any of its investors for any act or omission by the Administrator or for any losses sustained by the Fund or its investors. The Administration Agreement will continue unless terminated by either party by written notice delivered to the other party within 30 days.

D. Dealer Reallowances

Upon notice to selected broker-dealers, the Distributor may reallow up to the full applicable front-end sales charge during periods specified in such notice. During periods when 90% or more of the sales charge is reallowed, such selected broker-dealers may be deemed to be underwriters as that term is defined in the Securities Act.

E. Rule 12b-1 Plan

The Fund has adopted a Plan of Distribution pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act (the "Plan") pursuant to which each Class, other than Class I (formerly Class D shares), pays the Distributor compensation accrued daily and payable monthly at the following maximum annual rates: 0.25%, 1.00% and 1.00% of the average daily net assets of Class A, Class B and Class C shares, respectively.

The Distributor also receives the proceeds of front-end sales charges ("FSCs") and of contingent deferred sales charges ("CDSCs") imposed on certain redemptions of shares, which are separate and apart from payments made pursuant to the Plan. The Distributor has informed the Fund that it and/or

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Morgan Stanley & Co. received the proceeds of CDSCs and FSCs, for the last three fiscal years ended September 30, in approximate amounts as provided in the table below.

	2008			2007			2006
Class A	FSCs:(1)	$	12,940	FSCs:(1)	$	15,271	FSCs:(1)	$	11,183
	CDSCs:	$	179	CDSCs:	$	109	CDSCs:	$	0
Class B	CDSCs:	$	63,386	CDSCs:	$	109,866	CDSCs:	$	202,923
Class C	CDSCs:	$	1,906	CDSCs:	$	484	CDSCs:	$	942

(1)  FSCs apply to Class A only.

The entire fee payable by Class A and a portion of the fees payable by each of Class B and Class C each year pursuant to the Plan equal to 0.25% of such Class' average daily net assets are currently each characterized as a "service fee" under the Rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority ("FINRA") (of which the Distributor is a member). The "service fee" is a payment made for personal service and/or the maintenance of shareholder accounts. The remaining portion of the Plan fees payable by a Class, if any, is characterized as an "asset-based sales charge" as such is defined by the Rules of FINRA.

Under the Plan and as required by Rule 12b-1, the Trustees receive and review promptly after the end of each calendar quarter a written report provided by the Distributor of the amounts expended under the Plan and the purpose for which such expenditures were made. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, Class A, Class B and Class C shares of the Fund accrued payments under the Plan amounting to $239,726, $339,618 and $76,770, respectively, which amounts are equal to 0.24%, 1.00% and 1.00% of the average daily net assets of Class A, Class B and Class C, respectively, for the fiscal year.

The Plan was adopted in order to permit the implementation of the Fund's method of distribution. Under this distribution method the Fund offers four Classes, each with a different distribution arrangement.

With respect to Class A shares, the Distributor generally compensates authorized dealers, from proceeds of the FSC, commissions for the sale of Class A shares, currently a gross sales credit of up to 5.00% of the amount sold and an annual residual commission, currently a residual of up to 0.25% of the current value of the respective accounts for which they are dealers of record in all cases.

With respect to sales of Class B and Class C shares of the Fund, a commission or transaction fee generally will be compensated by the Distributor at the time of purchase directly out of the Distributor's assets (and not out of the Fund's assets) to authorized dealers who initiate and are responsible for such purchases computed based on a percentage of the dollar value of such shares sold of up to 4.00% on Class B shares and up to 1.00% on Class C shares.

Proceeds from any CDSC and any distribution fees on Class B and Class C shares of the Fund are paid to the Distributor and are used by the Distributor to defray its distribution related expenses in connection with the sale of the Fund's shares, such as the payment to authorized dealers for selling such shares. With respect to Class C shares, the authorized dealers generally receive from the Distributor ongoing distribution fees of up to 1.00% of the average daily net assets of the Fund's Class C shares annually commencing in the second year after purchase.

The distribution fee that the Distributor receives from the Fund under the Plan, in effect, offsets distribution expenses incurred under the Plan on behalf of the Fund and, in the case of Class B shares, opportunity costs, such as the gross sales credit and an assumed interest charge thereon ("carrying charge"). These expenses may include the cost of Fund-related educational and/or business-related trips or payment of Fund-related educational and/or promotional expenses of Financial Advisors. In the Distributor's reporting of the distribution expenses to the Fund, in the case of Class B shares, such assumed interest (computed at the " broker's call rate") has been calculated on the gross credit as it is reduced by amounts received by the Distributor under the Plan and any CDSCs received by the Distributor upon redemption of shares of the Fund. No other interest charge is included as a distribution expense in the Distributor's calculation of its distribution costs for this purpose. The broker's call rate is the interest rate charged to securities brokers on loans secured by exchange-listed securities.

The Fund may reimburse expenses incurred or to be incurred in promoting the distribution of the Fund's Class A, Class B and Class C shares and in servicing shareholder accounts. Reimbursement will be made through payments at the end of each month. The amount of each monthly payment may in no

33

event exceed an amount equal to a payment at the annual rate of 0.25% in the case of Class A, 1.00% in the case of Class B and 1.00% in the case of Class C, of the average net assets of the respective Class during the month. No interest or other financing charges, if any, incurred on any distribution expenses on behalf of Class A and Class C will be reimbursable under the Plan.

Each Class paid 100% of the amounts accrued under the Plan with respect to that Class for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008 to the Distributor. It is estimated that the Distributor spent this amount in approximately the following ways: (i) 0% ($0) — advertising and promotional expenses; (ii) 0% ($0) — printing and mailing of prospectuses for distribution to other than current shareholders; and (iii) 100% ($4,989,865) — other expenses, including the gross sales credit and the carrying charge, of which 98.21% ($4,900,487) represents carrying charges, 0.74% ($37,003) represents commission credits to Morgan Stanley & Co. branch offices and other selected broker-dealers for payments of commissions to Financial Advisors and other authorized financial representatives, and 1.05% ($52,375) represents overhead and other branch office distribution-related expenses. The amounts accrued by Class A and a portion of the amounts accrued by Class C under the Plan during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008 were service fees. The remainder of the amounts accrued by Class C were for expenses, which relate to compensation of sales personnel and associated overhead expenses.

In the case of Class B shares, at any given time, the expenses of distributing shares of the Fund may be more or less than the total of (i) the payments made by the Fund pursuant to the Plan; and (ii) the proceeds of CDSCs paid by investors upon redemption of shares. For example, if $1 million in expenses in distributing Class B shares of the Fund had been incurred and $750,000 had been received as described in (i) and (ii) above, the excess expense would amount to $250,000. The Distributor has advised the Fund that in the case of Class B shares the excess distribution expenses, including the carrying charge designed to approximate the opportunity costs incurred by Morgan Stanley & Co. which arise from it having advanced monies without having received the amount of any sales charges imposed at the time of sale of the Fund's Class B shares, totaled $112,322,660 as of September 30, 2008 (the end of the Fund's fiscal year), which was equal to approximately 474.12% of the net assets of Class B on such date. Because there is no requirement under the Plan that the Distributor be reimbursed for all distribution expenses with respect to Class B shares or any requirement that the Plan be continued from year to year, this excess amount does not constitute a liability of the Fund. Although there is no legal obligation for the Fund to pay expenses incurred in excess of payments made to the Distributor under the Plan and the proceeds of CDSCs paid by investors upon redemption of shares, if for any reason the Plan is terminated, the Trustees will consider at that time the manner in which to treat such expenses. Any cumulative expenses incurred, but not yet recovered through distribution fees or CDSCs, may or may not be recovered through future distribution fees or CDSCs.

In the case of Class A and Class C shares, expenses incurred pursuant to the Plan in any calendar year in excess of 0.25% or 1.00% of the average daily net assets of Class A or Class C shares, respectively, will not be reimbursed by the Fund through payments in any subsequent year, except that expenses representing a gross sales commission credited to Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and other authorized financial representatives at the time of sale may be reimbursed in the subsequent calendar year. The Distributor has advised the Fund that unreimbursed expenses representing a gross sales commission credited to Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and other authorized financial representatives at the time of sale totaled $7,245 in the case of Class A at December 31, 2008 (the end of the calendar year) which amount was equal to approximately 0.0112% of the net assets of Class A on such date, and that unreimbursed expenses representing a gross sales commission credited to Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors and other authorized financial representatives at the time of sale totaled $36 in the case of Class C at December 31, 2008 (the end of the calendar year) which amount was equal to approximately 0.0008% of the net assets of Class C on such date. No interest or other financing charges will be incurred on any Class A or Class C distribution expenses incurred by the Distributor under the Plan or on any unreimbursed expenses due to the Distributor pursuant to the Plan.

No interested person of the Fund nor any Independent Trustee has any direct financial interest in the operation of the Plan except to the extent that the Distributor, the Investment Adviser, Morgan Stanley & Co., Morgan Stanley Services or certain of their employees may be deemed to have such an interest as a result of benefits derived from the successful operation of the Plan or as a result of receiving a portion of the amounts expended thereunder by the Fund.

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On an annual basis, the Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, consider whether the Plan should be continued. Prior to approving the last continuation of the Plan, the Trustees requested and received from the Distributor and reviewed all the information which they deemed necessary to arrive at an informed determination. In making their determination to continue the Plan, the Trustees considered: (1) the Fund's experience under the Plan and whether such experience indicates that the Plan is operating as anticipated; (2) the benefits the Fund had obtained, was obtaining and would be likely to obtain under the Plan, including that: (a) the Plan is essential in order to give Fund investors a choice of alternatives for payment of distribution and service charges and to enable the Fund to continue to grow and avoid a pattern of net redemptions which, in turn, are essential for effective investment management; and (b) without the compensation to individual brokers and the reimbursement of distribution and account maintenance expenses of Morgan Stanley & Co. branch offices made possible by the 12b-1 fees, Morgan Stanley & Co. could not establish and maintain an effective system for distribution, servicing of Fund shareholders and maintenance of shareholder accounts; and (3) what services had been provided and were continuing to be provided under the Plan to the Fund and its shareholders. Based upon their review, the Trustees, including each of the Independent Trustees, determined that continuation of the Plan would be in the best interest of the Fund and would have a reasonable likelihood of continuing to benefit the Fund and its shareholders.

The Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount to be spent for the services described therein without approval by the shareholders of the affected Class or Classes of the Fund, and all material amendments to the Plan must also be approved by the Trustees. The Plan may be terminated at any time, without payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as defined in the Investment Company Act) on not more than 30 days' written notice to any other party to the Plan. So long as the Plan is in effect, the election and nomination of Independent Trustees shall be committed to the discretion of the Independent Trustees.

F. Other Service Providers

(1) Transfer Agent/Dividend Disbursing Agent

Morgan Stanley Trust is the Transfer Agent for the Fund's shares and the Dividend Disbursing Agent for payment of dividends and distributions on Fund shares and Agent for shareholders under various investment plans. The principal business address of the Transfer Agent is Harborside Financial Center, Plaza Two, 2nd Floor, Jersey City, NJ 07311.

(2) Custodian and Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

State Street Bank and Trust Company, One Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111, is the Custodian of the Fund's assets. Any of the Fund's cash balances with the Custodian in excess of $250,000 (a temporary increase from $100,000, which is due to expire on December 31, 2009) are unprotected by federal deposit insurance. These balances may, at times, be substantial.

Deloitte & Touche LLP, Two World Financial Center, New York, NY 10281, is the independent registered public accounting firm of the Fund. The Fund's independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements.

(3) Affiliated Persons

The Transfer Agent is an affiliate of the Investment Adviser and the Distributor. As Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent, the Transfer Agent's responsibilities include maintaining shareholder accounts, disbursing cash dividends and reinvesting dividends, processing account registration changes, handling purchase and redemption transactions, mailing prospectuses and reports, mailing and tabulating proxies, processing share certificate transactions and maintaining shareholder records and lists. Pursuant to a Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, as consideration for the services it provides, the Transfer Agent receives certain fees from the Fund, which are approved by the Trustees, generally based on the number of shareholder accounts and is reimbursed for its out-of-pocket expenses in connection with such services. The Fund and the Transfer Agent may enter into agreements with unaffiliated third party intermediaries, pursuant to which such intermediaries agree to provide recordkeeping and other administrative services for their clients who invest in the Fund. In such instances, the Fund will pay certain fees to the intermediaries for the services they provide that otherwise would have been performed by the Transfer Agent.

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G. Fund Management

Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers

As of September 30, 2008:

Ellen Gold managed three registered investment companies with a total of approximately $388.2 million in assets; no pooled investment vehicles other than registered investment companies; and no other accounts.

Ramez Nashed managed two registered investment companies with a total of approximately $347.7 million in assets; no pooled investment vehicles other than registered investment companies; and no other accounts.

Because the portfolio managers may manage assets for other investment companies, pooled investment vehicles, and/or other accounts (including institutional clients, pension plans and certain high net worth individuals), there may be an incentive to favor one client over another resulting in conflicts of interest. For instance, the Investment Adviser may receive fees from certain accounts that are higher than the fee it receives from the Fund, or it may receive a performance-based fee on certain accounts. In those instances, the portfolio managers may have an incentive to favor the higher and/or performance-based fee accounts over the Fund. In addition, a conflict of interest could exist to the extent the Investment Adviser has proprietary investments in certain accounts, where portfolio managers have personal investments in certain accounts or when certain accounts are investment options in the Investment Adviser's employee benefits and/or deferred compensation plans. The portfolio managers may have an incentive to favor these accounts over others. If the Investment Adviser manages accounts that engage in short sales of securities of the type in which the Fund invests, the Investment Adviser could be seen as harming the performance of the Fund for the benefit of the accounts engaging in short sales if the short sales cause the market value of the securities to fall. The Investment Adviser has adopted trade allocation and other policies and procedures that it believes are reasonably designed to address these and other conflicts of interest.

Portfolio Manager Compensation Structure

Portfolio managers receive a combination of base compensation and discretionary compensation, comprising a cash bonus and several deferred compensation programs described below. The methodology used to determine portfolio manager compensation is applied across all funds/accounts managed by the portfolio managers.

Base salary compensation. Generally, portfolio managers receive base salary compensation based on the level of their position with the Investment Adviser.

Discretionary compensation. In addition to base compensation, portfolio managers may receive discretionary compensation.

Discretionary compensation can include:

•  Cash Bonus.

•  Morgan Stanley's Long Term Incentive Compensation awards — a mandatory program that defers a portion of discretionary year-end compensation into restricted stock units or other awards based on Morgan Stanley common stock or other investments that are subject to vesting and other conditions.

•  Investment Management Alignment Plan (IMAP) awards — a mandatory program that defers a portion of discretionary year-end compensation and notionally invests it in designated funds advised by the Investment Adviser or its affiliates. The award is subject to vesting and other conditions. Portfolio managers must notionally invest a minimum of 25% to a maximum of 100% of their IMAP deferral account into a combination of the designated funds they manage that are included in the IMAP fund menu, which may or may not include the Fund.

•  Voluntary Deferred Compensation Plans — voluntary programs that permit certain employees to elect to defer a portion of their discretionary year-end compensation and directly or notionally invest the deferred amount across a range of designated investment funds, including funds advised by the Investment Adviser or its affiliates.

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Several factors determine discretionary compensation, which can vary by portfolio management team and circumstances. In order of relative importance, these factors include:

•  Investment performance. A portfolio manager's compensation is linked to the pre-tax investment performance of the funds/accounts managed by the portfolio manager. Investment performance is calculated for one-, three- and five-year periods measured against a fund's/account's primary benchmark (as set forth in the fund's prospectus), indices and/or peer groups where applicable. Generally, the greatest weight is placed on the three- and five-year periods.

•  Revenues generated by the investment companies, pooled investment vehicles and other accounts managed by the portfolio manager.

•  Contribution to the business objectives of the Investment Adviser.

•  The dollar amount of assets managed by the portfolio manager.

•  Market compensation survey research by independent third parties.

•  Other qualitative factors, such as contributions to client objectives.

•  Performance of Morgan Stanley and Morgan Stanley Investment Management, and the overall performance of the investment team(s) of which the portfolio manager is a member.

Securities Ownership of Portfolio Managers

As of September 30, 2008, the dollar range of securities beneficially owned by each portfolio manager in the Fund is shown below:

Ellen Gold:	$1 - $10,000
Ramez Nashed:	None

H. Codes of Ethics

The Fund, the Investment Adviser and the Distributor have each adopted a Code of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the Investment Company Act. The Codes of Ethics are designed to detect and prevent improper personal trading. The Codes of Ethics permit personnel subject to the Codes to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased, sold or held by the Fund, subject to a number of restrictions and controls, including prohibitions against purchases of securities in an initial public offering and a preclearance requirement with respect to personal securities transactions.

I. Proxy Voting Policy and Proxy Voting Record

The Board of Trustees believes that the voting of proxies on securities held by the Fund is an important element of the overall investment process. As such, the Trustees have delegated the responsibility to vote such proxies to Morgan Stanley Investment Management and its advisory affiliates ("MSIM").

A copy of MSIM's Proxy Voting Policy ("Proxy Policy") is attached hereto as Appendix A. In addition, a copy of the Proxy Policy, as well as the Fund's most recent proxy voting record for the 12-month period ended June 30, filed with the SEC, are available without charge on our web site at www.morganstanley.com/msim. The Fund's proxy voting record is also available without charge on the SEC's web site at www.sec.gov.

J. Revenue Sharing

The Investment Adviser and/or Distributor may pay compensation, out of their own funds and not as an expense of the Fund, to Morgan Stanley & Co. and certain unaffiliated brokers, dealers or other financial intermediaries, including recordkeepers and administrators of various deferred compensation plans ("Intermediaries") in connection with the sale, distribution, marketing and retention of Fund shares and/or shareholder servicing. For example, the Investment Adviser or the Distributor may pay additional compensation to Morgan Stanley & Co. and other Intermediaries for, among other things, promoting the sale and distribution of Fund shares, providing access to various programs, mutual fund platforms or preferred or recommended mutual fund lists offered by the Intermediary, granting the Distributor access to the Intermediary's financial advisors and consultants, providing assistance in the ongoing education and training of the Intermediary's financial personnel, furnishing marketing support, maintaining share balances and/or for sub-accounting, recordkeeping, administrative, shareholder or transaction processing services. Such payments are in addition to any distribution fees, shareholder service fees and/or transfer agency fees that

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may be payable by the Fund. The additional payments may be based on various factors, including level of sales (based on gross or net sales or some specified minimum sales or some other similar criteria related to sales of the Fund and/or some or all other Morgan Stanley Funds), amount of assets invested by the Intermediary's customers (which could include current or aged assets of the Fund and/or some or all other Morgan Stanley Funds), a Fund's advisory fees, some other agreed upon amount, or other measures as determined from time to time by the Investment Adviser and/or Distributor. The amount of these payments may be different for different Intermediaries.

With respect to Morgan Stanley & Co., these payments currently include the following amounts, which are paid in accordance with the applicable compensation structure:

(1)  On $1 million or more of Class A shares (for which no sales charge was paid) or net asset value purchases by certain employee benefit plans, Morgan Stanley & Co. receives a gross sales credit of up to 1.00% of the amount sold.*

(2)  On Class A, B and C shares held directly in Morgan Stanley & Co.'s traditional brokerage accounts or held in non-Morgan Stanley & Co. accounts where Morgan Stanley & Co. is designated by purchasers as broker-dealer of record:

  •  an amount up to 0.11% of the value (at the time of sale) of gross sales of such shares; and

  •  an ongoing annual fee in an amount up to 0.03% of the total average monthly net asset value of such shares, which is paid only to the extent assets held in certain Morgan Stanley Funds exceed $9 billion.

(3)  On Class I shares held directly in Morgan Stanley & Co.'s traditional brokerage accounts or held in non-Morgan Stanley & Co. accounts where Morgan Stanley & Co. is designated by purchasers as broker-dealer of record:

  •  a gross sales credit of 0.25% of the amount sold and up to 15% of the total average monthly net asset value of such shares; or

  •  an ongoing annual fee in an amount up to 35% of the management fee the Investment Adviser receives based on the average daily net assets of such shares.

  There is a chargeback of 100% of the gross sales credit amount paid if the Class I shares are redeemed in the first year and a chargeback of 50% of the gross sales credit amount paid if the shares are redeemed in the second year.

(4)  On Class A, B, C and I shares held in taxable accounts through any fee-based advisory program offered by Morgan Stanley & Co., an ongoing annual fee in an amount up to 0.03% of the total average monthly net asset value of such shares.

(5)  On any shares held in an account through certain 401(k) platforms in Morgan Stanley Corporate Retirement Solutions, an ongoing annual fee in an amount up to 0.20% of the total average monthly net asset value of such shares.

With respect to other Intermediaries, these payments currently include the following amounts, which are paid in accordance with the applicable compensation structure for each Intermediary:

(1)  On $1 million or more of Class A shares (for which no sales charge was paid) or net asset value purchases by certain employee benefit plans, Intermediaries receive a gross sales credit of up to 1.00% of the amount sold.*

(2)  On Class A, B and C shares held in Intermediary accounts other than those held through Intermediary 401(k) platforms, an ongoing annual fee in an amount up to 0.15% of the total average monthly net asset value of such shares.

(3)  On Class I shares held in Intermediary accounts other than those held through Intermediary 401(k) platforms:

  •  a gross sales credit of 0.25% of the amount sold; and

* Commissions or transaction fees paid when Morgan Stanley & Co. or other Intermediaries initiate and are responsible for purchases of $1 million or more are computed on a percentage of the dollar value of such shares sold as follows: 1.00% on sales of $1 million to $2 million, plus 0.75% on the next $1 million, plus 0.50% on the next $2 million, plus 0.25% on the excess over $5 million.

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  •  an ongoing annual fee in an amount up to 0.15% of the total average monthly net asset value of such shares.

  There is a chargeback of 100% of the gross sales credit amount paid if the Class I shares are redeemed in the first year and a chargeback of 50% of the gross sales credit amount paid if the shares are redeemed in the second year.

The prospect of receiving, or the receipt of, additional compensation, as described above, by Morgan Stanley & Co. or other Intermediaries may provide Morgan Stanley & Co. and such other Intermediaries, and/or their financial advisors or other salespersons, with an incentive to favor sales of shares of the Fund over other investment options with respect to which Morgan Stanley & Co. or an Intermediary does not receive additional compensation (or receives lower levels of additional compensation). These payment arrangements, however, will not change the price that an investor pays for shares of the Fund or the amount that the Fund receives to invest on behalf of an investor. Investors may wish to take such payment arrangements into account when considering and evaluating any recommendations relating to Fund shares and should review carefully any disclosure provided by Morgan Stanley & Co. or another Intermediary as to its compensation.

VI. BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES

A. Brokerage Transactions

Subject to the general supervision of the Trustees, the Investment Adviser is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities for the Fund, the selection of brokers and dealers to effect the transactions, and the negotiation of brokerage commissions, if any. Purchases and sales of securities on a stock exchange are effected through brokers who charge a commission for their services. In the OTC market, securities are generally traded on a "net" basis with dealers acting as principal for their own accounts without a stated commission, although the price of the security usually includes a profit to the dealer. The Fund also expects that securities will be purchased at times in underwritten offerings where the price includes a fixed amount of compensation, generally referred to as the underwriter's concession or discount. Options and futures transactions will usually be effected through a broker and a commission will be charged. On occasion, the Fund may also purchase certain money market instruments directly from an issuer, in which case no commissions or discounts are paid.

For the fiscal years ended September 30, 2006, 2007 and 2008, the Fund paid a total of $33,568, $37,169 and $30,940, respectively, in brokerage commissions.

B. Commissions

Pursuant to an order issued by the SEC, the Fund is permitted to engage in principal transactions involving money market instruments, subject to certain conditions, with Morgan Stanley & Co., a broker-dealer affiliated with the Fund's Investment Adviser.

During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, the Fund did not effect any principal transactions with Morgan Stanley & Co.

Brokerage transactions in securities listed on exchanges or admitted to unlisted trading privileges may be effected through Morgan Stanley & Co. and other affiliated brokers and dealers. In order for an affiliated broker or dealer to effect any portfolio transactions on an exchange for the Fund, the commissions, fees or other remuneration received by the affiliated broker or dealer must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions, fees or other remuneration paid to other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on an exchange during a comparable period of time. This standard would allow the affiliated broker or dealer to receive no more than the remuneration which would be expected to be received by an unaffiliated broker in a commensurate arm's-length transaction. Furthermore, the Trustees, including the Independent Trustees, have adopted procedures which are reasonably designed to provide that any commissions, fees or other remuneration paid to an affiliated broker or dealer are consistent with the foregoing standard. The Fund does not reduce the management fee it pays to the Investment Adviser by any amount of the brokerage commissions it may pay to an affiliated broker or dealer.

During the fiscal years ended September 30, 2006, 2007 and 2008, the Fund paid a total of $2,606, $495 and $802, respectively, in brokerage commissions to Morgan Stanley & Co. During the fiscal year ended, September 30, 2008, the brokerage commissions paid to Morgan Stanley & Co. represented

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approximately 2.59% of the total brokerage commissions paid by the Fund during the year and were paid on account of transactions having an aggregate dollar value equal to approximately 2.81% of the aggregate dollar value of all portfolio transactions of the Fund during the year for which commissions were paid.

C. Brokerage Selection

The policy of the Fund regarding purchases and sales of securities for its portfolio is that primary consideration will be given to obtaining the most favorable prices and efficient executions of transactions. The Investment Adviser is prohibited from directing brokerage transactions on the basis of the referral of clients or the sale of shares of investment companies for which it acts as investment adviser. Consistent with this policy, when securities transactions are effected on a stock exchange, the Fund's policy is to pay commissions which are considered fair and reasonable without necessarily determining that the lowest possible commissions are paid in all circumstances. The Fund believes that a requirement always to seek the lowest possible commission cost could impede effective portfolio management and preclude the Fund and the Investment Adviser from obtaining a high quality of brokerage and research services. In seeking to determine the reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid in any transaction, the Investment Adviser relies upon its experience and knowledge regarding commissions generally charged by various brokers and on its judgment in evaluating the brokerage and research services received from the broker effecting the transaction. These determinations are necessarily subjective and imprecise, as in most cases an exact dollar value for those services is not ascertainable.The Fund anticipates that certain of its transactions involving foreign securities will be effected on foreign securities exchanges. Fixed commissions on such transactions are generally higher than negotiated commissions on domestic transactions. There is also generally less government supervision and regulation of foreign securities exchanges and brokers than in the United States.

In seeking to implement the Fund's policies, the Investment Adviser effects transactions with those broker-dealers that the Investment Adviser believes provide the most favorable prices and are capable of providing efficient executions. The Investment Adviser may place portfolio transactions with those broker-dealers that also furnish research and other services to the Fund or the Investment Adviser. The services may include, but are not limited to, any one or more of the following: information as to the availability of securities for purchase or sale; statistical or factual information or opinions pertaining to investment; wire services; and appraisals or evaluations of portfolio securities. Where a particular item (such as proxy services) has both research and non-research related uses, the Investment Adviser will make a reasonable allocation of the cost of the item between research and non-research uses and may pay for the portion of the cost allocated to research uses with commissions. In certain instances, the Investment Adviser may instruct certain brokers to pay for research provided by executing brokers or third-party research providers, which are selected independently by the Investment Adviser. The information and services received by the Investment Adviser from broker-dealers may be utilized by the Investment Adviser and any of its asset management affiliates in the management of accounts of some of their other clients and may not in all cases benefit the Fund directly or at all. To the extent that the Investment Adviser receives these services from broker-dealers, it will not have to pay for these services itself.

The Investment Adviser and certain of its affiliates currently serve as an investment adviser to a number of clients, including other investment companies, and may in the future act as investment adviser to others. It is the practice of the Investment Adviser and its affiliates to cause purchase and sale transactions (including transactions in certain initial and secondary public offerings) to be allocated among clients whose assets they manage (including the Fund) in such manner they deem equitable. In making such allocations among the Fund and other client accounts, various factors may be considered, including the respective investment objectives, the relative size of portfolio holdings of the same or comparable securities, the availability of cash for investment, the size of investment commitments generally held and the opinions of the persons responsible for managing the portfolios of the Fund and other client accounts. The Investment Adviser and its affiliates may operate one or more order placement facilities and each facility will implement order allocation in accordance with the procedures described above. From time to time, each facility may transact in a security at the same time as other facilities are trading in that security.

D. Directed Brokerage

During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, the Fund did not pay any brokerage commissions in connection with transactions with brokers because of research services provided.

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E. Regular Broker-Dealers

During the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, the Fund purchased securities issued by Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Lehman Brothers, Inc., which issuers were among the ten brokers or ten dealers which executed transactions for or with the Fund in the largest dollar amounts during the year. As of September 30, 2008, the Fund held securities issued by Merrill Lynch & Co. Inc. and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. with market values of $1,330,000 and $1,601,050, respectively.

VII. CAPITAL STOCK AND OTHER SECURITIES

The shareholders of the Fund are entitled to a full vote for each full share of beneficial interest held. The Fund is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest. All shares of beneficial interest of the Fund are of $0.01 par value and are equal as to earnings, assets and voting privileges except that each Class will have exclusive voting privileges with respect to matters relating to distribution expenses borne solely by such Class or any other matter in which the interests of one Class differ from the interests of any other Class. In addition, Class B shareholders will have the right to vote on any proposed material increase in Class A's expenses, if such proposal is submitted separately to Class A shareholders. Also, Class A, Class B and Class C bear expenses related to the distribution of their respective shares.

The Fund's Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to authorize the creation of additional series of shares (the proceeds of which would be invested in separate, independently managed portfolios) and additional Classes of shares within any series. The Trustees have not presently authorized any such additional series or Classes of shares other than as set forth in the Prospectus.

The Fund is not required to hold annual meetings of shareholders and in ordinary circumstances the Fund does not intend to hold such meetings. The Trustees may call special meetings of shareholders for action by shareholder vote as may be required by the Investment Company Act or the Declaration of Trust. Under certain circumstances, the Trustees may be removed by the actions of the Trustees. In addition, under certain circumstances, the shareholders may call a meeting to remove the Trustees and the Fund is required to provide assistance in communicating with shareholders about such a meeting. The voting rights of shareholders are not cumulative, so that holders of more than 50% of the shares voting can, if they choose, elect all Trustees being selected, while the holders of the remaining shares would be unable to elect any Trustees.

Under Massachusetts law, shareholders of a business trust may, under certain limited circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for the obligations of the Fund. However, the Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Fund, requires that notice of such Fund obligations include such disclaimer, and provides for indemnification out of the Fund's property for any shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Fund. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is limited to circumstances in which the Fund itself would be unable to meet its obligations. Given the above limitations on shareholder personal liability, and the nature of the Fund's assets and operations, the possibility of the Fund being unable to meet its obligations is remote and thus, in the opinion of Massachusetts counsel to the Fund, the risk to Fund shareholders of personal liability is remote.

The Trustees themselves have the power to alter the number and the terms of office of the Trustees (as provided for in the Declaration of Trust), and they may at any time lengthen or shorten their own terms or make their terms of unlimited duration and appoint their own successors, provided that always at least a majority of the Trustees has been elected by the shareholders of the Fund.

VIII. PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF SHARES

A. Purchase/Redemption of Shares

Information concerning how Fund shares are offered to the public (and how they are redeemed and exchanged) is provided in the Fund's Prospectus.

Suspension of Redemptions. Redemptions are not made on days during which the NYSE is closed. The right of redemption may be suspended and the payment therefore may be postponed for more than seven days during any period when (a) the NYSE is closed for other than customary weekends or

41

holidays; (b) the SEC determines trading on the NYSE is restricted; (c) the SEC determines an emergency exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of securities owned by it is not reasonably practicable or it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to fairly determine the value of its net assets; or (d) the SEC, by order, so permits.

Transfer Agent as Agent.  With respect to the redemption or repurchase of Fund shares, the application of proceeds to the purchase of new shares in the Fund or any other Morgan Stanley Funds and the general administration of the exchange privilege, the Transfer Agent acts as agent for the Distributor and for the shareholder's authorized broker-dealer, if any, in the performance of such functions. With respect to exchanges, redemptions or repurchases, the Transfer Agent is liable for its own negligence and not for the default or negligence of its correspondents or for losses in transit. The Fund is not liable for any default or negligence of the Transfer Agent, the Distributor or any authorized broker-dealer.

The Distributor and any authorized broker-dealer have appointed the Transfer Agent to act as their agent in connection with the application of proceeds of any redemption of Fund shares to the purchase of shares of any other Morgan Stanley Fund and the general administration of the exchange privilege. No commission or discounts will be paid to the Distributor or any authorized broker-dealer for any transaction pursuant to the exchange privilege.

Transfers of Shares.  In the event a shareholder requests a transfer of Fund shares to a new registration, the shares will be transferred without sales charge at the time of transfer. With regard to the status of shares which are either subject to the CDSC or free of such charge (and with regard to the length of time shares subject to the charge have been held), any transfer involving less than all of the shares in an account will be made on a pro rata basis (that is, by transferring shares in the same proportion that the transferred shares bear to the total shares in the account immediately prior to the transfer). The transferred shares will continue to be subject to any applicable CDSC as if they had not been so transferred.

Outside Brokerage Accounts/Limited Portability. Most Fund shareholders hold their shares with Morgan Stanley & Co. Please note that your ability to transfer your Fund shares to a brokerage account at another securities dealer may be limited. Fund shares may only be transferred to accounts held at securities dealers or financial intermediaries that have entered into agreements with the Distributor. After a transfer, you may purchase additional shares of the Morgan Stanley Fund(s) you owned before the transfer and, in most instances, you will also be able to purchase shares of most other Morgan Stanley Funds. If you transfer shares of a fund that is not a Multi-Class Fund (for example, a Money Market Fund) you will not be able to exchange shares of that fund for any other Morgan Stanley Fund after the transfer.

If you wish to transfer Fund shares to a securities dealer or other financial intermediary that has not entered into an agreement with the Distributor, you may request that the securities dealer or financial intermediary maintain the shares in an account at the Transfer Agent registered in the name of such securities dealer or financial intermediary for your benefit. You may also hold your Fund shares in your own name directly with the Transfer Agent. In either case, you will continue to have the ability to purchase additional Morgan Stanley Funds and will have full exchange privileges. Other options may also be available; please check with the respective securities dealer or financial intermediary. If you choose not to hold your shares with the Transfer Agent, either directly or through a securities dealer or other financial intermediary, you must redeem your shares and pay any applicable CDSC.

B. Offering Price

The Fund's Class B, Class C and Class I shares are offered at net asset value per share and the Class A shares are offered at net asset value per share plus any applicable FSC which is distributed among the Fund's Distributor, Morgan Stanley & Co. and other authorized dealers as described in Section "V. Investment Advisory and Other Services — E. Rule 12b-1 Plan." The price of Fund shares, called "net asset value," is based on the value of the Fund's portfolio securities. Net asset value per share of each Class is calculated by dividing the value of the portion of the Fund's securities and other assets attributable to that Class, less the liabilities attributable to that Class, by the number of shares of that Class outstanding. The assets of each Class of shares are invested in a single portfolio. The net asset value of each Class, however, will differ because the Classes have different ongoing fees.

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In the calculation of the Fund's net asset value: (1) an equity portfolio security listed or traded on the NYSE or other exchange is valued at its latest sale price, prior to the time when assets are valued; if there were no sales that day, the security is valued at the mean between the last reported bid and asked price; (2) an equity portfolio security listed or traded on the Nasdaq is valued at the Nasdaq Official Closing Price; if there were no sales that day, the security is valued at the mean between the last reported bid and asked price; and (3) all other portfolio securities for which over-the-counter market quotations are readily available are valued at the mean between the last reported bid and asked price. In cases where a security is traded on more than one exchange, the security is valued on the exchange designated as the primary market. For equity securities traded on foreign exchanges, the closing price or the latest bid price may be used if there were no sales on a particular day. When market quotations are not readily available, including circumstances under which it is determined by the Investment Adviser that the sale price, the bid price or the mean between the last reported bid and asked price are not reflective of a security's market value, portfolio securities are valued at their fair value as determined in good faith under procedures established by and under the general supervision of the Fund's Trustees. For valuation purposes, quotations of foreign portfolio securities, other assets and liabilities and forward contracts stated in foreign currency are translated into U.S. dollar equivalents at the prevailing market rates prior to the close of the NYSE.

Short-term debt securities with remaining maturities of 60 days or less at the time of purchase are valued at amortized cost, unless the Trustees determine such price does not reflect the securities' market value, in which case these securities will be valued at their fair value as determined by the Trustees.

Certain of the Fund's portfolio securities may be valued by an outside pricing service approved by the Fund's Trustees. The pricing service may utilize a matrix system incorporating security quality, maturity and coupon as the evaluation model parameters, and/or research evaluations by its staff, including review of broker-dealer market price quotations in determining what it believes is the fair valuation of the portfolio securities valued by such pricing service.

Listed options on debt securities are valued at the latest sale price on the exchange on which they are listed unless no sales of such options have taken place that day, in which case they will be valued at the mean between their latest bid and asked prices. Unlisted options on debt securities and all options on equity securities are valued at the mean between their latest bid and asked prices. Futures are valued at the latest price published by the commodities exchange on which they trade unless it is determined that such price does not reflect their market value, in which case they will be valued at their fair value as determined in good faith under procedures established by and under the supervision of the Trustees.

Generally, trading in foreign securities, as well as corporate bonds, U.S. government securities and money market instruments, is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the net asset value of the Fund's shares are determined as of such times. Foreign currency exchange rates are also generally determined prior to the close of the NYSE. Occasionally, events which may affect the values of such securities and such exchange rates may occur between the times at which they are determined and the close of the NYSE and will therefore not be reflected in the computation of the Fund's net asset value. If events that may affect the value of such securities occur during such period, then these securities may be valued at their fair value as determined in good faith under procedures established by and under the supervision of the Trustees.

IX. TAXATION OF THE FUND AND SHAREHOLDERS

The Fund generally will make two basic types of distributions: ordinary dividends and long-term capital gain distributions. These two types of distributions are reported differently on a shareholder's income tax return. The tax treatment of the investment activities of the Fund will affect the amount, timing and character of the distributions made by the Fund. The following discussion is only a summary of certain tax considerations generally affecting the Fund and shareholders of the Fund and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Tax issues relating to the Fund are not generally a consideration for shareholders such as tax-exempt entities and tax-advantaged retirement vehicles such as an IRA or 401(k) plan. Shareholders are urged to consult their own tax professionals regarding specific questions as to federal, state or local taxes.

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Investment Company Taxation. The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code. As such, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on its net investment income and capital gains, if any, to the extent that it timely distributes such income and capital gains to its shareholders. If the Fund fails to qualify for any taxable year as a regulated investment company, all of its taxable income will be subject to tax at regular corporate income tax rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and such distributions generally will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits.

The Fund generally intends to distribute sufficient income and gains so that the Fund will not pay corporate income tax on its earnings. The Fund also generally intends to distribute to its shareholders in each calendar year a sufficient amount of ordinary income and capital gains to avoid the imposition of a 4% excise tax. However, the Fund may instead determine to retain all or part of any income or net long-term capital gains in any year for reinvestment. In such event, the Fund will pay federal income tax (and possibly excise tax) on such retained income or gains.

Gains or losses on sales of securities by the Fund will generally be long-term capital gains or losses if the securities have a tax holding period of more than one year at the time of such sale. Gains or losses on the sale of securities with a tax holding period of one year or less will be short-term capital gains or losses. Special tax rules may change the normal treatment of gains and losses recognized by the Fund when the Fund invests in forward foreign currency exchange contracts, options and futures transactions and non-U.S. corporations classified as "passive foreign investment companies." Those special tax rules can, among other things, affect the treatment of capital gain or loss as long-term or short-term and may result in ordinary income or loss rather than capital gain or loss. The application of these special rules would therefore also affect the character of distributions made by the Fund.

The Fund may make investments in which it recognizes income or gain prior to receiving cash with respect to such investment. For example, under certain tax rules, the Fund may be required to accrue a portion of any discount at which certain securities are purchased as income each year even though the Fund receives no payments in cash on the security during the year. To the extent that the Fund makes such investments, it generally would be required to pay out such income or gain as a distribution in each year to avoid taxation at the Fund level. Such distributions will be made from the available cash of the Fund or by liquidation of portfolio securities if necessary. If a distribution of cash necessitates the liquidation of portfolio securities, the Investment Adviser will select which securities to sell. The Fund may realize a gain or loss from such sales. In the event the Fund realizes net capital gains from such transactions, its shareholders may receive a larger capital gain distribution, if any, than they would in the absence of such transactions.

Taxation of Dividends and Distributions. Shareholders normally will be subject to federal income taxes, and any state and/or local income taxes, on the dividends and other distributions they receive from the Fund. Such dividends and distributions, to the extent that they are derived from net investment income or short-term capital gains, are generally taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income regardless of whether the shareholder receives such payments in additional shares or in cash. Under current law, a portion of the income dividends received by a shareholder may be taxed at the same rate as long-term capital gains. However, even if income received in the form of income dividends is taxed at the same rates as long-term capital gains, such income will not be considered long-term capital gains for other federal income tax purposes. For example, you generally will not be permitted to offset income dividends with capital losses. Short-term capital gain distributions will continue to be taxed at ordinary income rates.

Distributions of net long-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains regardless of how long a shareholder has held the Fund's shares and regardless of whether the distribution is received in additional shares or in cash. Under current law, the maximum tax rate on long-term capital gains available to non-corporate shareholders generally is 15%. Without future congressional action, the maximum tax rate on long-term capital gains will return to 20% in 2011, and all dividends will be taxed at ordinary income rates.

Shareholders are generally taxed on any income dividend or capital gain distributions from the Fund in the year they are actually distributed. However, if any such dividends or distributions are declared in October, November or December and paid to shareholders of record of such month in January then such amounts will be treated for tax purposes as received by the shareholders on December 31.

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Subject to certain exceptions, a corporate shareholder may be eligible for a 70% dividends received deduction to the extent that the Fund earns and distributes qualifying dividends from its investments. Distributions of net capital gains by the Fund will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction.

Shareholders who are not citizens or residents of the United States and certain foreign entities may be subject to withholding of U.S. tax on distributions made by the Fund of investment income and short-term capital gains. For distributions with respect to taxable years of regulated investment companies beginning before January 1, 2010, the Fund is not required to withhold any amounts with respect to distributions to foreign shareholders that are properly designated by the Fund as "interest-related dividends" or "short-term capital gain dividends," provided that the income would not be subject to federal income tax if earned directly by the foreign shareholder. However, the Fund may withhold on some of these amounts regardless of the fact that it is not required to do so. Any amounts withheld from payments made to a shareholder may be refunded or credited against the shareholder's U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided that the required information is furnished to the IRS. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the specific tax consequences discussed above.

After the end of each calendar year, shareholders will be sent information on their dividends and capital gain distributions for tax purposes, including the portion taxable as ordinary income, the portion taxable as long-term capital gains, and the amount of any dividends eligible for the federal dividends received deduction for corporations.

Purchases and Redemptions and Exchanges of Fund Shares. Any dividend or capital gains distribution received by a shareholder from any investment company will have the effect of reducing the net asset value of the shareholder's stock in that company by the exact amount of the dividend or capital gains distribution. Furthermore, such dividends and capital gains distributions are subject to federal income taxes. If the net asset value of the shares should be reduced below a shareholder's cost as a result of the payment of dividends or the distribution of realized long-term capital gains, such payment or distribution would be in part a return of the shareholder's investment but nonetheless would be taxable to the shareholder. Therefore, an investor should consider the tax implications of purchasing Fund shares immediately prior to a distribution record date.

Shareholders normally will be subject to federal income taxes, and state and/or local income taxes, on the sale or disposition of Fund shares. In general, a sale of shares results in capital gain or loss, and for individual shareholders, is taxable at a federal rate dependent upon the length of time the shares were held. A redemption of a shareholder's Fund shares is normally treated as a sale for tax purposes. Fund shares held for a period of one year or less at the time of such sale or redemption will, for tax purposes, generally result in short-term capital gains or losses and those held for more than one year will generally result in long-term capital gains or losses. Under current law, the maximum tax rate on long-term capital gains available to non-corporate shareholders generally is 15%. Without future congressional action, the maximum tax rate on long-term capital gains will return to 20% in 2011. Any loss realized by shareholders upon a sale or redemption of shares within six months of the date of their purchase will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions of net long-term capital gains with respect to such shares during the six-month period.

Gain or loss on the sale or redemption of shares in the Fund is measured by the difference between the amount of cash received (or the fair market value of any property received) and the adjusted tax basis of the shares. Shareholders should keep records of investments made (including shares acquired through reinvestment of dividends and distributions) so they can compute the tax basis of their shares. Under certain circumstances, a shareholder may compute and use an average cost basis in determining the gain or loss on the sale or redemption of shares.

Exchanges of Fund shares for shares of another fund, including shares of other Morgan Stanley Funds, are also subject to similar tax treatment. Such an exchange is treated for tax purposes as a sale of the original shares in the Fund, followed by the purchase of shares in the other fund.

The ability to deduct capital losses may be limited. In addition, if a shareholder realizes a loss on the redemption or exchange of a fund's shares and receives securities that are considered substantially identical

45

to that fund's shares or reinvests in that fund's shares or substantially identical shares within 30 days before or after the redemption or exchange, the transactions may be subject to the "wash sale" rules, resulting in a postponement of the recognition of such loss for tax purposes.

X. UNDERWRITERS

The Fund's shares are offered to the public on a continuous basis. The Distributor, as the principal underwriter of the shares, has certain obligations under the Distribution Agreement concerning the distribution of the shares. These obligations and the compensation the Distributor receives are described above in the sections titled "Principal Underwriter" and "Rule 12b-1 Plan."

XI. PERFORMANCE DATA

Average Annual Returns Assuming Deduction of Maximum Sales Charge
Period Ended September 30, 2008

Class	Inception Date:	1 Year			5 Years			10 Years			Life of Fund
Class A	07/28/97		–21.40	%		2.58	%		5.45	%		4.10	%
Class B	10/31/85		–21.68	%		2.54	%		5.36	%**		6.67	%**
Class C	07/28/97		–18.49	%		2.93	%		5.24	%		3.83	%
Class I*	07/28/97		–16.82	%		3.96	%		6.28	%		4.86	%

Average Annual Returns Assuming NO Deduction of Sales Charge
Period Ended September 30, 2008

Class	Inception Date:	1 Year			5 Years			10 Years			Life of Fund
Class A	07/28/97		–17.05	%		3.69	%		6.02	%		4.60	%
Class B	10/31/85		–17.64	%		2.90	%		5.36	%**		6.67	%**
Class C	07/28/97		–17.68	%		2.93	%		5.24	%		3.83	%
Class I*	07/28/97		–16.82	%		3.96	%		6.28	%		4.86	%

Aggregate Total Returns Assuming NO Deduction of Sales Charge
Period Ended September 30, 2008

Class	Inception Date:	1 Year			5 Years			10 Years			Life of Fund
Class A	07/28/97		–17.05	%		19.85	%		79.42	%		65.35	%
Class B	10/31/85		–17.64	%		15.39	%		68.59	%**		338.89	%**
Class C	07/28/97		–17.68	%		15.52	%		66.65	%		52.18	%
Class I*	07/28/97		–16.82	%		21.44	%		83.94	%		69.93	%

Average Annual After-Tax Returns Assuming Deduction of Maximum Sales Charge
Class B
Period Ended September 30, 2008

Calculation Methodology

Inception Date:

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Life of Fund

After taxes on distributions

10/31/85

–22.12

%

1.95

%

4.24

%**

4.95

%**

After taxes on distributions and redemptions

10/31/85

–13.96

%

1.91

%

4.00

%**

4.76

%**

*  Effective March 31, 2008, Class D shares were renamed Class I shares.

**  Effective April 2005, Class B shares will generally convert to Class A shares approximately eight years after the end of the calendar month in which the shares were purchased. All returns for periods greater than eight years reflect this conversion (beginning April 2005).

XII. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The Fund's audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, including notes thereto, and the report of Deloitte & Touche LLP, are herein incorporated by reference from the

46

Fund's annual report. A copy of the Fund's Annual Report to Shareholders must accompany the delivery of this SAI.

XIII. FUND COUNSEL

Clifford Chance US LLP, located at 31 West 52nd Street, New York, NY 10019, acts as the Fund's
legal counsel.

*****

This SAI and the Prospectus do not contain all of the information set forth in the Registration Statement the Fund has filed with the SEC. The complete Registration Statement may be obtained from the SEC.

47

Appendix A

MORGAN STANLEY INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

I. POLICY STATEMENT

Introduction — Morgan Stanley Investment Management's ("MSIM") policy and procedures for voting proxies ("Policy") with respect to securities held in the accounts of clients applies to those MSIM entities that provide discretionary investment management services and for which a MSIM entity has authority to vote proxies. This Policy is reviewed and updated as necessary to address new and evolving proxy voting issues and standards.

The MSIM entities covered by this Policy currently include the following: Morgan Stanley Investment Advisors Inc., Morgan Stanley AIP GP LP, Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., Morgan Stanley Investment Management Limited, Morgan Stanley Investment Management Company, Morgan Stanley Asset & Investment Trust Management Co., Limited, Morgan Stanley Investment Management Private Limited, Van Kampen Asset Management, and Van Kampen Advisors Inc. (each an "MSIM Affiliate" and collectively referred to as the "MSIM Affiliates" or as "we" below).

Each MSIM Affiliate will use its best efforts to vote proxies as part of its authority to manage, acquire and dispose of account assets. With respect to the MSIM registered management investment companies (Van Kampen, Institutional and Advisor Funds—collectively referred to herein as the "MSIM Funds"), each MSIM Affiliate will vote proxies under this Policy pursuant to authority granted under its applicable investment advisory agreement or, in the absence of such authority, as authorized by the Board of Directors/Trustees of the MSIM Funds. An MSIM Affiliate will not vote proxies if the "named fiduciary" for an ERISA account has reserved the authority for itself, or in the case of an account not governed by ERISA, the investment management or investment advisory agreement does not authorize the MSIM Affiliate to vote proxies. MSIM Affiliates will vote proxies in a prudent and diligent manner and in the best interests of clients, including beneficiaries of and participants in a client's benefit plan(s) for which the MSIM Affiliates manage assets, consistent with the objective of maximizing long-term investment returns ("Client Proxy Standard"). In certain situations, a client or its fiduciary may provide an MSIM Affiliate with a proxy voting policy. In these situations, the MSIM Affiliate will comply with the client's policy.

Proxy Research Services — RiskMetrics Group ISS Governance Services ("ISS") and Glass Lewis (together with other proxy research providers as we may retain from time to time, the "Research Providers") are independent advisers that specialize in providing a variety of fiduciary-level proxy-related services to institutional investment managers, plan sponsors, custodians, consultants, and other institutional investors. The services provided include in-depth research, global issuer analysis, and voting recommendations. While we may review and utilize the recommendations of the Research Providers in making proxy voting decisions, we are in no way obligated to follow such recommendations. In addition to research, ISS provides vote execution, reporting, and recordkeeping.

Voting Proxies for Certain Non-U.S. Companies — Voting proxies of companies located in some jurisdictions, particularly emerging markets, may involve several problems that can restrict or prevent the ability to vote such proxies or entail significant costs. These problems include, but are not limited to: (i) proxy statements and ballots being written in a language other than English; (ii) untimely and/or inadequate notice of shareholder meetings; (iii) restrictions on the ability of holders outside the issuer's jurisdiction of organization to exercise votes; (iv) requirements to vote proxies in person; (v) the imposition of restrictions on the sale of the securities for a period of time in proximity to the shareholder meeting; and (vi) requirements to provide local agents with power of attorney to facilitate our voting instructions. As a result, we vote clients' non-U.S. proxies on a best efforts basis only, after weighing the costs and benefits of voting such proxies, consistent with the Client Proxy Standard. ISS has been retained to provide assistance in connection with voting non-U.S. proxies.

II. GENERAL PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES

To promote consistency in voting proxies on behalf of its clients, we follow this Policy (subject to any exception set forth herein), including the guidelines set forth below. These guidelines address a broad

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range of issues, and provide general voting parameters on proposals that arise most frequently. However, details of specific proposals vary, and those details affect particular voting decisions, as do factors specific to a given company. Pursuant to the procedures set forth herein, we may vote in a manner that is not in accordance with the following general guidelines, provided the vote is approved by the Proxy Review Committee (see Section III for description) and is consistent with the Client Proxy Standard. Morgan Stanley AIP GP LP will follow the procedures as described in Appendix A.

We endeavor to integrate governance and proxy voting policy with investment goals and to follow the Client Proxy Standard for each client. At times, this may result in split votes, for example when different clients have varying economic interests in the outcome of a particular voting matter (such as a case in which varied ownership interests in two companies involved in a merger result in different stakes in the outcome). We also may split votes at times based on differing views of portfolio managers, but such a split vote must be approved by the Proxy Review Committee.

We may abstain on matters for which disclosure is inadequate.

A. Routine Matters

We generally support routine management proposals. The following are examples of routine management proposals:

•  Approval of financial statements and auditor reports.

•  General updating/corrective amendments to the charter, articles of association or bylaws.

•  Most proposals related to the conduct of the annual meeting, with the following exceptions. We generally oppose proposals that relate to "the transaction of such other business which may come before the meeting," and open-ended requests for adjournment. However, where management specifically states the reason for requesting an adjournment and the requested adjournment would facilitate passage of a proposal that would otherwise be supported under this Policy (i.e. an uncontested corporate transaction), the adjournment request will be supported.

We generally support shareholder proposals advocating confidential voting procedures and independent tabulation of voting results.

B. Board of Directors

1.  Election of directors: In the absence of a proxy contest, we generally support the board's nominees for director except as follows:

a.  We consider withholding support from or voting against interested directors if the company's board does not meet market standards for director independence, or if otherwise we believe board independence is insufficient. We refer to prevalent market standards as promulgated by a stock exchange or other authority within a given market (e.g., New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq rules for most U.S. companies, and The Combined Code on Corporate Governance in the United Kingdom). Thus, for a NYSE company with no controlling shareholder, we would expect that at a minimum a majority of directors should be independent as defined by NYSE. Where we view market standards as inadequate, we may withhold votes based on stronger independence standards. Market standards notwithstanding, we generally do not view long board tenure alone as a basis to classify a director as non-independent, although lack of board turnover and fresh perspective can be a negative factor in voting on directors.

  i.  At a company with a shareholder or group that controls the company by virtue of a majority economic interest in the company, we have a reduced expectation for board independence, although we believe the presence of independent directors can be helpful, particularly in staffing the audit committee, and at times we may withhold support from or vote against a nominee on the view the board or its committees are not sufficiently independent.

  ii.  We consider withholding support from or voting against a nominee if he or she is affiliated with a major shareholder that has representation on a board disproportionate to its economic interest.

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b.  Depending on market standards, we consider withholding support from or voting against a nominee who is interested and who is standing for election as a member of the company's compensation, nominating or audit committee.

c.  We consider withholding support from or voting against a nominee if we believe a direct conflict exists between the interests of the nominee and the public shareholders, including failure to meet fiduciary standards of care and loyalty. We may oppose directors where we conclude that actions of directors are unlawful, unethical or negligent. We consider opposing individual board members or an entire slate if we believe the board is entrenched and/or dealing inadequately with performance problems, and/or acting with insufficient independence between the board and management.

d.  We consider withholding support from or voting against a nominee standing for election if the board has not taken action to implement generally accepted governance practices for which there is a "bright line" test. For example, in the context of the U.S. market, failure to eliminate a dead hand or slow hand poison pills would be seen as a basis for opposing one or more incumbent nominees.

e.  In markets that encourage designated audit committee financial experts, we consider voting against members of an audit committee if no members are designated as such.

f.  We consider withholding support from or voting against a nominee who has failed to attend at least 75% of board meetings within a given year without a reasonable excuse.

g.  We consider withholding support from or voting against a nominee who serves on the board of directors of more than six companies (excluding investment companies). We also consider voting against a director who otherwise appears to have too many commitments to serve adequately on the board of the company.

2.  Board independence: We generally support U.S. shareholder proposals requiring that a certain percentage (up to 66 2/3%) of the company's board members be independent directors, and promoting all-independent audit, compensation and nominating/governance committees.

3.  Board diversity: We consider on a case-by-case basis shareholder proposals urging diversity of board membership with respect to social, religious or ethnic group.

4.  Majority voting: We generally support proposals requesting or requiring majority voting policies in election of directors, so long as there is a carve-out for plurality voting in the case of contested elections.

5.  Proxy access: We consider on a case-by-case basis shareholder proposals to provide procedures for inclusion of shareholder nominees in company proxy statements.

6.  Proposals to elect all directors annually: We generally support proposals to elect all directors annually at public companies (to "declassify" the Board of Directors) where such action is supported by the board, and otherwise consider the issue on a case-by-case basis based in part on overall takeover defenses at a company.

7.  Cumulative voting: We generally support proposals to eliminate cumulative voting in the U.S. market context. (Cumulative voting provides that shareholders may concentrate their votes for one or a handful of candidates, a system that can enable a minority bloc to place representation on a board). U.S. proposals to establish cumulative voting in the election of directors generally will not be supported.

8.  Separation of Chairman and CEO positions: We vote on shareholder proposals to separate the Chairman and CEO positions and/or to appoint a non-executive Chairman based in part on prevailing practice in particular markets, since the context for such a practice varies. In many non-U.S. markets, we view separation of the roles as a market standard practice, and support division of the roles in that context.

9.  Director retirement age and term limits: Proposals recommending set director retirement ages or director term limits are voted on a case-by-case basis.

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10.  Proposals to limit directors' liability and/or broaden indemnification of directors: Generally, we will support such proposals provided that the officers and directors are eligible for indemnification and liability protection if they have acted in good faith on company business and were found innocent of any civil or criminal charges for duties performed on behalf of the company.

C. Corporate Transactions and Proxy Fights

We examine proposals relating to mergers, acquisitions and other special corporate transactions (i.e., takeovers, spin-offs, sales of assets, reorganizations, restructurings and recapitalizations) on a case-by-case basis. However, proposals for mergers or other significant transactions that are friendly and approved by the Research Providers generally will be supported and in those instances will not need to be reviewed by the Proxy Review Committee, where there is no portfolio manager objection and where there is no material conflict of interest. We also analyze proxy contests on a case-by-case basis.

D. Changes in Capital Structure

1.  We generally support the following:

•  Management and shareholder proposals aimed at eliminating unequal voting rights, assuming fair economic treatment of classes of shares we hold.

•  Management proposals to increase the authorization of existing classes of common stock (or securities convertible into common stock) if: (i) a clear business purpose is stated that we can support and the number of shares requested is reasonable in relation to the purpose for which authorization is requested; and/or (ii) the authorization does not exceed 100% of shares currently authorized and at least 30% of the total new authorization will be outstanding.

•  Management proposals to create a new class of preferred stock or for issuances of preferred stock up to 50% of issued capital, unless we have concerns about use of the authority for anti-takeover purposes.

•  Management proposals to authorize share repurchase plans, except in some cases in which we believe there are insufficient protections against use of an authorization for anti-takeover purposes.

•  Management proposals to reduce the number of authorized shares of common or preferred stock, or to eliminate classes of preferred stock.

•  Management proposals to effect stock splits.

•  Management proposals to effect reverse stock splits if management proportionately reduces the authorized share amount set forth in the corporate charter. Reverse stock splits that do not adjust proportionately to the authorized share amount generally will be approved if the resulting increase in authorized shares coincides with the proxy guidelines set forth above for common stock increases.

•  Management proposals for higher dividend payouts.

2.  We generally oppose the following (notwithstanding management support):

•  Proposals to add classes of stock that would substantially dilute the voting interests of existing shareholders.

•  Proposals to increase the authorized or issued number of shares of existing classes of stock that are unreasonably dilutive, particularly if there are no preemptive rights for existing shareholders.

•  Proposals that authorize share issuance at a discount to market rates, except where authority for such issuance is de minimis, or if there is a special situation that we believe justifies such authorization (as may be the case, for example, at a company under severe stress and risk of bankruptcy).

•  Proposals relating to changes in capitalization by 100% or more.

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We consider on a case-by-case basis shareholder proposals to increase dividend payout ratios, in light of market practice and perceived market weaknesses, as well as individual company payout history and current circumstances. For example, currently we perceive low payouts to shareholders as a concern at some Japanese companies, but may deem a low payout ratio as appropriate for a growth company making good use of its cash, notwithstanding the broader market concern.

E. Takeover Defenses and Shareholder Rights

1.  Shareholder rights plans: We generally support proposals to require shareholder approval or ratification of shareholder rights plans (poison pills). In voting on rights plans or similar takeover defenses, we consider on a case-by-case basis whether the company has demonstrated a need for the defense in the context of promoting long-term share value; whether provisions of the defense are in line with generally accepted governance principles; and the specific context if the proposal is made in the midst of a takeover bid or contest for control.

2.  Supermajority voting requirements: We generally oppose requirements for supermajority votes to amend the charter or bylaws, unless the provisions protect minority shareholders where there is a large shareholder. In line with this view, in the absence of a large shareholder we support reasonable shareholder proposals to limit such supermajority voting requirements.

3.  Shareholder rights to call meetings: We consider proposals to enhance shareholder rights to call meetings on a case-by-case basis.

4.  Reincorporation: We consider management and shareholder proposals to reincorporate to a different jurisdiction on a case-by-case basis. We oppose such proposals if we believe the main purpose is to take advantage of laws or judicial precedents that reduce shareholder rights.

5.  Anti-greenmail provisions: Proposals relating to the adoption of anti-greenmail provisions will be supported, provided that the proposal: (i) defines greenmail; (ii) prohibits buyback offers to large block holders (holders of at least 1% of the outstanding shares and in certain cases, a greater amount, as determined by the Proxy Review Committee) not made to all shareholders or not approved by disinterested shareholders; and (iii) contains no anti-takeover measures or other provisions restricting the rights of shareholders.

6.  Bundled proposals: We may consider opposing or abstaining on proposals if disparate issues are "bundled" and presented for a single vote.

F. Auditors

We generally support management proposals for selection or ratification of independent auditors. However, we may consider opposing such proposals with reference to incumbent audit firms if the company has suffered from serious accounting irregularities and we believe rotation of the audit firm is appropriate, or if fees paid to the auditor for non-audit-related services are excessive. Generally, to determine if non-audit fees are excessive, a 50% test will be applied (i.e., non-audit-related fees should be less than 50% of the total fees paid to the auditor). We generally vote against proposals to indemnify auditors.

G. Executive and Director Remuneration

1.  We generally support the following proposals:

•  Proposals for employee equity compensation plans and other employee ownership plans, provided that our research does not indicate that approval of the plan would be against shareholder interest. Such approval may be against shareholder interest if it authorizes excessive dilution and shareholder cost, particularly in the context of high usage ("run rate") of equity compensation in the recent past; or if there are objectionable plan design and provisions.

•  Proposals relating to fees to outside directors, provided the amounts are not excessive relative to other companies in the country or industry, and provided that the structure is appropriate within the market context. While stock-based compensation to outside directors is positive if moderate and appropriately structured, we are wary of significant stock option awards or other performance-based awards for outside directors, as well as provisions that could result in significant

A-5

forfeiture of value on a director's decision to resign from a board (such forfeiture can undercut director independence).

•  Proposals for employee stock purchase plans that permit discounts up to 15%, but only for grants that are part of a broad-based employee plan, including all non-executive employees.

•  Proposals for the establishment of employee retirement and severance plans, provided that our research does not indicate that approval of the plan would be against shareholder interest.

2.  Shareholder proposals requiring shareholder approval of all severance agreements will not be supported, but proposals that require shareholder approval for agreements in excess of three times the annual compensation (salary and bonus) generally will be supported. We generally oppose shareholder proposals that would establish arbitrary caps on pay. We consider on a case-by-case basis shareholder proposals that seek to limit Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans (SERPs), but support such proposals where we consider SERPs to be excessive.

3.  Shareholder proposals advocating stronger and/or particular pay-for-performance models will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, with consideration of the merits of the individual proposal within the context of the particular company and its labor markets, and the company's current and past practices. While we generally support emphasis on long-term components of senior executive pay and strong linkage of pay to performance, we consider whether a proposal may be overly prescriptive, and the impact of the proposal, if implemented as written, on recruitment and retention.

4.  We consider shareholder proposals for U.K.-style advisory votes on pay on a case-by-case basis.

5.  We generally support proposals advocating reasonable senior executive and director stock ownership guidelines and holding requirements for shares gained in option exercises.

6.  Management proposals effectively to re-price stock options are considered on a case-by-case basis. Considerations include the company's reasons and justifications for a re-pricing, the company's competitive position, whether senior executives and outside directors are excluded, potential cost to shareholders, whether the re-pricing or share exchange is on a value-for-value basis, and whether vesting requirements are extended.

H. Social, Political and Environmental Issues

We consider proposals relating to social, political and environmental issues on a case-by-case basis to determine whether they will have a financial impact on shareholder value. However, we generally vote against proposals requesting reports that are duplicative, related to matters not material to the business, or that would impose unnecessary or excessive costs. We may abstain from voting on proposals that do not have a readily determinable financial impact on shareholder value. We generally oppose proposals requiring adherence to workplace standards that are not required or customary in market(s) to which the proposals relate.

I. Fund of Funds

Certain Funds advised by an MSIM Affiliate invest only in other MSIM Funds. If an underlying fund has a shareholder meeting, in order to avoid any potential conflict of interest, such proposals will be voted in the same proportion as the votes of the other shareholders of the underlying fund, unless otherwise determined by the Proxy Review Committee.

III. ADMINISTRATION OF POLICY

The MSIM Proxy Review Committee (the "Committee") has overall responsibility for creating and implementing the Policy, working with an MSIM staff group (the "Corporate Governance Team"). The Committee, which is appointed by MSIM's Chief Investment Officer of Global Equities ("CIO"), consists of senior investment professionals who represent the different investment disciplines and geographic locations of the firm. Because proxy voting is an investment responsibility and impacts shareholder value, and because of their knowledge of companies and markets, portfolio managers and other members of investment staff play a key role in proxy voting, although the Committee has final authority over proxy votes.

A-6

The Committee Chairperson is the head of the Corporate Governance Team, and is responsible for identifying issues that require Committee deliberation or ratification. The Corporate Governance Team, working with advice of investment teams and the Committee, is responsible for voting on routine items and on matters that can be addressed in line with these Policy guidelines. The Corporate Governance Team has responsibility for voting case-by-case where guidelines and precedent provide adequate guidance, and to refer other case-by-case decisions to the Proxy Review Committee.

The Committee will periodically review and have the authority to amend, as necessary, the Policy and establish and direct voting positions consistent with the Client Proxy Standard.

A. Committee Procedures

The Committee will meet at least monthly to (among other matters) address any outstanding issues relating to the Policy or its implementation. The Corporate Governance Team will timely communicate to ISS MSIM's Policy (and any amendments and/or any additional guidelines or procedures the Committee may adopt).

The Committee will meet on an ad hoc basis to (among other matters): (1) authorize "split voting" (i.e., allowing certain shares of the same issuer that are the subject of the same proxy solicitation and held by one or more MSIM portfolios to be voted differently than other shares) and/or "override voting" (i.e., voting all MSIM portfolio shares in a manner contrary to the Policy); (2) review and approve upcoming votes, as appropriate, for matters for which specific direction has been provided in this Policy; and (3) determine how to vote matters for which specific direction has not been provided in this Policy.

Members of the Committee may take into account Research Providers' recommendations and research as well as any other relevant information they may request or receive, including portfolio manager and/or analyst research, as applicable. Generally, proxies related to securities held in accounts that are managed pursuant to quantitative, index or index-like strategies ("Index Strategies") will be voted in the same manner as those held in actively managed accounts, unless economic interests of the accounts differ. Because accounts managed using Index Strategies are passively managed accounts, research from portfolio managers and/or analysts related to securities held in these accounts may not be available. If the affected securities are held only in accounts that are managed pursuant to Index Strategies, and the proxy relates to a matter that is not described in this Policy, the Committee will consider all available information from the Research Providers, and to the extent that the holdings are significant, from the portfolio managers and/or analysts.

B. Material Conflicts of Interest

In addition to the procedures discussed above, if the Committee determines that an issue raises a material conflict of interest, the Committee will request a special committee to review, and recommend a course of action with respect to, the conflict(s) in question ("Special Committee").

The Special Committee shall be comprised of the Chairperson of the Proxy Review Committee, the Chief Compliance Officer or his/her designee, a senior portfolio manager (if practicable, one who is a member of the Proxy Review Committee) designated by the Proxy Review Committee, and MSIM's relevant Chief Investment Officer or his/her designee, and any other persons deemed necessary by the Chairperson. The Special Committee may request the assistance of MSIM's General Counsel or his/her designee who will have sole discretion to cast a vote. In addition to the research provided by Research Providers, the Special Committee may request analysis from MSIM Affiliate investment professionals and outside sources to the extent it deems appropriate.

C. Identification of Material Conflicts of Interest

A potential material conflict of interest could exist in the following situations, among others:

1.  The issuer soliciting the vote is a client of MSIM or an affiliate of MSIM and the vote is on a material matter affecting the issuer.

2.  The proxy relates to Morgan Stanley common stock or any other security issued by Morgan Stanley or its affiliates except if echo voting is used, as with MSIM Funds, as described herein.

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3.  Morgan Stanley has a material pecuniary interest in the matter submitted for a vote (e.g., acting as a financial advisor to a party to a merger or acquisition for which Morgan Stanley will be paid a success fee if completed).

If the Chairperson of the Committee determines that an issue raises a potential material conflict of interest, depending on the facts and circumstances, the Chairperson will address the issue as follows:

1.  If the matter relates to a topic that is discussed in this Policy, the proposal will be voted as per the Policy.

2.  If the matter is not discussed in this Policy or the Policy indicates that the issue is to be decided case-by-case, the proposal will be voted in a manner consistent with the Research Providers, provided that all the Research Providers have the same recommendation, no portfolio manager objects to that vote, and the vote is consistent with MSIM's Client Proxy Standard.

3.  If the Research Providers' recommendations differ, the Chairperson will refer the matter to the Committee to vote on the proposal. If the Committee determines that an issue raises a material conflict of interest, the Committee will request a Special Committee to review and recommend a course of action, as described above. Notwithstanding the above, the Chairperson of the Committee may request a Special Committee to review a matter at any time as he/she deems necessary to resolve a conflict.

D. Proxy Voting Reporting

The Committee and the Special Committee, or their designee(s), will document in writing all of their decisions and actions, which documentation will be maintained by the Committee and the Special Committee, or their designee(s), for a period of at least 6 years. To the extent these decisions relate to a security held by a MSIM Fund, the Committee and Special Committee, or their designee(s), will report their decisions to each applicable Board of Trustees/Directors of those Funds at each Board's next regularly scheduled Board meeting. The report will contain information concerning decisions made by the Committee and Special Committee during the most recently ended calendar quarter immediately preceding the Board meeting.

The Corporate Governance Team will timely communicate to applicable portfolio managers and to ISS, decisions of the Committee and Special Committee so that, among other things, ISS will vote proxies consistent with their decisions.

MSIM will promptly provide a copy of this Policy to any client requesting it. MSIM will also, upon client request, promptly provide a report indicating how each proxy was voted with respect to securities held in that client's account.

MSIM's Legal Department is responsible for filing an annual Form N-PX on behalf of each MSIM Fund for which such filing is required, indicating how all proxies were voted with respect to such Fund's holdings.

[APPENDIX A and APPENDIX B of the Proxy Voting Policy intentionally omitted]

Revised February 27, 2008

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