N-1A 1 dn1a.htm FORM N-1A FOR PIMCO FUNDS EQUITY TRUST Form N-1A for PIMCO Funds Equity Trust
Table of Contents

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 30, 2009

File Nos. 033-[     ]

811-22375

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

Form N-1A

 

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

   x
Pre-Effective Amendment No.        

Post-Effective Amendment No.     

and

  

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940

   x  

 

 

PIMCO Funds Equity Trust

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

840 Newport Center Drive

Newport Beach, California 92660

(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including area code:

(866) 746-2606

 

 

 

Robert W. Helm, Esq.    Brent R. Harris
Dechert LLP    Pacific Investment Management Company LLC
1775 I Street, N.W.    840 Newport Center Drive
Washington, D.C. 20006    Newport Beach, California 92660
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

 

 

Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

 

 

 


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PIMCO Global Opportunities Fund

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The Fund seeks capital appreciation.

 

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND

 

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This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold Institutional Class, Class P, Administrative Class or Class D shares of the Fund:

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

     Institutional
Class
    Class P     Administrative
Class
    Class D  
Management Fees   [     ]%    [     ]%    [     ]%    [     ]% 
Distribution and/or
Service (12b-1)
Fees
  [       [       [     ]%    [     ]% 
Other Expenses        

Organizational Expenses

  [     ]%    [     ]%    [     ]%    [     ]% 
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses   [     ]%    [     ]%    [     ]%    [     ]% 
Expense
Reimbursement
(1)
  [       [       [       [    
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement   [       [       [       [    

 

(1) PIMCO has contractually agreed, through [    ], to waive its supervisory and administrative fee, or reimburse the Fund, to the extent that organizational expenses and pro rata Trustees’ fees exceed 0.0049% of the Fund’s average net assets attributable to Institutional Class, Class P, Administrative Class and Class D shares, respectively (the “Expense Limit”). Under the Expense Limitation Agreement, which renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days’ notice prior to the end of the contract term, PIMCO may recoup these waivers and reimbursements in future periods, not exceeding three years, provided organizational expenses and pro rata Trustees’ fees plus such recoupment, do not exceed the Expense Limit.

 

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class, Class P, Administrative Class or Class D shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, the Example shows what your costs would be based on these assumptions.

 

     1 Year     3 Years  
Institutional Class   $ [    ]    $ [    ] 
Class P   $ [    ]    $ [    ] 
Administrative Class   $ [    ]    $ [    ] 
Class D   $ [    ]    $ [    ] 

 

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund pays transaction costs when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund’s performance. The Fund has not yet commenced operations. Thus, no portfolio turnover rate is provided for the Fund.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

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The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in equity securities, including common and preferred stock (and securities convertible into, or that PIMCO expects to be exchanged for, common or preferred stock), of issuers that PIMCO believes are undervalued.The Fund will invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to at least three countries (one of which may be the United States). The Fund’s bottom-up value investment style attempts to identify securities that are undervalued by the market in comparison to PIMCO’s own determination of the company’s value, taking into account criteria such as asset value, book value and cash flow and earnings estimates.

 

When making investments, PIMCO evaluates the merits of each investment separately and there are no specific limitations on the value, asset size, earnings or industry classification of the Fund’s investments. The Fund may invest in securities issued by large-capitalization, mid-capitalization and small-capitalization companies. The Fund generally considers large- and mid-cap companies to be those with market capitalizations greater than $1.5 billion. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities and instruments that are economically tied to foreign (non-U.S.) countries. The Fund may also invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries.

 

The Fund may also invest in U.S. and non-U.S. sovereign government debt and other debt securities, including bank loans, that PIMCO selects on the basis of its determination of the security’s value and not necessarily based on the coupon rate or credit rating of the security. The debt investments of the Fund may include high yield securities (“junk bonds”) of any rating. The Fund may invest in the securities of distressed companies including defaulted securities, which typically involve investments in lower-rated debt securities and loans but may also include equity securities of distressed companies.


 

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PIMCO Global Opportunities Fund

 

The Fund may engage in a risk arbitrage strategy to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two securities. Under an arbitrage strategy, the Fund may purchase one security while selling short another security. The security purchased is generally considered by PIMCO to be undervalued relative to the price of the security sold short, or the security sold short is generally considered to be overvalued relative to the price of the security purchased. Issuers of securities acquired pursuant to an arbitrage strategy may be engaged in certain types of corporate events, such as restructurings, acquisitions, mergers, takeovers, tender or exchange offers or liquidations. The Fund may attempt to hedge foreign currency exposure using foreign currency exchange contracts and other investments and may utilize derivative instruments to hedge against other market risks. The Fund may also invest in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements consistent with its investment objective. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales.

 

The Fund may purchase securities to seek to influence or control management of an issuer, or may invest in other companies that do so, when the portfolio managers believe such actions would benefit the Fund.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS

 

LOGO

The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are:

 

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred stocks, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

 

Value Investing Risk: A value stock may decrease in price or may not increase in price as anticipated by PIMCO if it continues to be undervalued by the market or the factors that PIMCO believes will cause the stock price to increase do not occur

 

Foreign (non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

 

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

 

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

 

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for reasons directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or service

 

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

 

High Yield and Distressed Company Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as “junk bonds”) and securities of distressed companies may be subject to greater levels of credit, issuer and liquidity risks. Securities of distressed companies include both debt and equity securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to make principal and interest payments. Distressed companies may be engaged in restructurings or bankruptcy proceedings

 

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund’s investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

 

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector

 

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged

 

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

 

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, due to narrow markets and limited managerial and financial resources

 

Arbitrage Risk: the risk that securities purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy intended to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two securities may not perform as expected

 

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments, including liquidity, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or improper valuation. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested

 

Short Sale Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms, causing a loss to the Fund

 

Please see “Summary of Principal Risks” in the Fund’s prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.


 

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PIMCO Global Opportunities Fund

 

 

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

 

LOGO

The Fund does not have a full calendar year of performance. Thus, no bar chart or Average Annual Total Returns table is included for the Fund.

 

INVESTMENT ADVISER/PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

 

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund’s portfolio is jointly managed by [                    ]

 

PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES

 

LOGO

Institutional Class, Class P or Administrative Class shares: The minimum initial investment for Institutional Class, Class P or Administrative Class shares of the Fund is $5 million, except that the minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial intermediaries that submit trades on behalf of underlying investors.

 

Class D shares: The minimum initial investment for Class D shares of the Fund is $1,000, except that the minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial intermediaries that submit trades on behalf of underlying investors. The minimum subsequent investment for Class D shares is $50.

 

You may sell (redeem) all or part of your Fund shares on any business day. Depending on the elections made on the Client Registration Application, you may sell by:

  n  

Sending a written request by mail to: PIMCO Funds at PIMCO Funds c/o [                    ] [                    ]

  n  

Calling us at [            ] and a Shareholder Services associate will assist you

  n  

Sending a fax to our Shareholder Services department at [            ]

  n  

Sending an email to [            ]

 

TAX INFORMATION

 


LOGO

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account.

 

PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER  FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

 

LOGO

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its related companies (including PIMCO) may pay the intermediary for the sale of those shares of the Fund and/or other services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s Web site for more information.


 

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Summary of Principal Risks

 

The value of your investment in the Fund changes with the values of the Fund’s investments. Many factors can affect those values. The factors that are most likely to have a material effect on the Fund’s portfolio as a whole are called “principal risks.” The principal risks of the Fund are identified in the Fund Summary and are described in this section. The Fund may be subject to additional risks other than those described below because the types of investments made by the Fund can change over time. Securities and investment techniques mentioned in this summary that appear in bold type are described in greater detail under “Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques.” That section and “Investment Objectives and Policies” in the Statement of Additional Information also include more information about the Fund, its investments and the related risks. Please see “Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings” in the Statement of Additional Information for information about the availability of the complete schedule of the Fund’s holdings. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to achieve its investment objective. It is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund.

 

Equity Risk

The values of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred stocks, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. These risks are generally magnified in the case of equity investments in distressed companies.

 

Value Investing Risk

Value investing attempts to identify companies that the portfolio managers believe to be undervalued. Value stocks typically have prices that are low relative to factors such as the company’s earnings, cash flow or dividends. A value stock may decrease in price or may not increase in price as anticipated by PIMCO if it continues to be undervalued by the market or the factors that the portfolio managers believe will cause the stock price to increase do not occur. A value investing style may perform better or worse than equity funds that focus on growth stocks or that have a broader investment style.

 

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk

When the Fund invests in foreign (non-U.S.) securities, it may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies. The securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. Additionally, issuers of foreign securities are usually not subject to the same degree of regulation as U.S. issuers. Reporting, accounting and auditing standards of foreign countries differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards. Also, nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments could adversely affect the Fund’s investments in a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, the Fund could lose its entire investment in foreign securities. Adverse conditions in a certain region can adversely affect securities of other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated. To the extent that the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region, the Fund will generally have more exposure to regional economic risks associated with foreign investments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers.

 

Emerging Markets Risk

Foreign investment risk may be particularly high to the extent that the Fund invests in emerging market securities that are economically tied to countries with developing economies. These securities may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed foreign countries. Those securities may also be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers.

 

Market Risk

The market price of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

 

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represented in the securities markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. The value may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities.

 

Issuer Risk

The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services.

 

Credit Risk

The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or a loan of portfolio securities, is unable or unwilling to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. Securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which are often reflected in credit ratings.

 

High Yield and Distressed Company Risk

The Fund’s investments in high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as “junk bonds”) and securities of distressed companies may be subject to greater levels of credit, issuer and liquidity risk than a fund that does not invest in such securities. Securities of distressed companies include both debt and equity securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies are considered predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to make principal and interest payments. Issuers of high yield and distressed company securities may also be involved in restructurings or bankruptcy proceedings that may not be successful. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for these securities and reduce the Fund’s ability to sell these securities (liquidity risk). If the issuer of a debt security is in default with respect to interest or principal payments, the Fund may lose its entire investment.

 

Currency Risk

If the Fund invests directly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, or in derivatives that provide exposure to foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, it will be subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments, central banks or supranational entities such as the International Monetary Fund, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the United States or abroad. As a result, the Fund’s investments in foreign currency-denominated securities may reduce the returns of the Fund.

 

Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. The Fund’s investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. Additionally, the market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. In such cases, the Fund, due to limitations on investments in illiquid securities and the difficulty in purchasing and selling such securities or instruments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. To the extent that the Fund’s principal investment strategies involve foreign (non-U.S.) securities, derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have greater exposure to liquidity risk.

 

Leveraging Risk

Certain transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Such transactions may include, among others, reverse repurchase agreements , loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions. The use of derivatives may also create leveraging risk. To mitigate leveraging risk, PIMCO will segregate or “earmark” liquid assets or otherwise cover transactions that may give rise to such risk. The Fund also may be exposed to leveraging risk by borrowing money for investment purposes. Leveraging may

 

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cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. Leveraging, including borrowing, may cause the Fund to be more volatile than if the Fund had not been leveraged. This is because leveraging tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities.

 

Management Risk

The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment portfolio. PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the portfolio managers in connection with managing the Fund and may also adversely affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objectives.

 

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Company Risk

Investments in securities issued by small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies involve greater risk than investments in large-capitalization companies. The value of securities issued by small- and mid-cap companies may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, due to narrower markets and more limited managerial and financial resources than large-cap companies. The Fund’s investments in small- and mid-cap companies may increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

Arbitrage Risk

The Fund’s investments in securities purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy in order to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two securities present certain risks. Securities purchased or sold short pursuant to an arbitrage strategy may not perform as intended, which may result in a loss to the Fund. Additionally, issuers of a security purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy are often engaged in significant corporate events, such as restructurings, acquisitions, mergers, takeovers, tender offers or exchanges, or liquidations. Such corporate events may not be completed as initially planned or may fail.

 

Derivatives Risk

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. The various derivative instruments that the Fund may use are referenced under “Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Derivatives” in this prospectus and described in more detail under “Investment Objectives and Policies” in the Statement of Additional Information. The Fund typically uses derivatives as a substitute for taking a position in the underlying asset and/or as part of a strategy designed to reduce exposure to other risks, such as interest rate or currency risk. The Fund may also use derivatives for leverage, in which case their use would involve leveraging risk. The Fund’s use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this section, such as liquidity risk, market risk, credit risk and management risk. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. If the Fund invests in a derivative instrument, it could lose more than the principal amount invested. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial.

 

Short Sale Risk

Short sales are subject to special risks. A short sale involves the sale by the Fund of a security that it does not own with the hope of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. The Fund may also enter into a short position through a forward commitment or a short derivative position through a futures contract or swap agreement. If the price of the security or derivative has increased during this time, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered into plus any premiums and interest paid to the third party. Therefore, short sales involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment. Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms, causing a loss to the Fund.

 

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Management of the Fund

 

Investment Adviser and Administrator

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser and the administrator (serving in its capacity as administrator, the “Administrator”) for the Fund. Subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees of PIMCO Funds Equity Trust (the “Trust”) PIMCO is responsible for managing the investment activities of the Fund and the Fund’s business affairs and other administrative matters.

 

PIMCO is located at 840 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Organized in 1971, PIMCO provides investment management and advisory services to private accounts of institutional and individual clients and to mutual funds. As of [                    ], PIMCO had approximately $[    ] in assets under management.

 

Management Fees

The Fund pays for the advisory and supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. The Management Fees shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses table reflect both an advisory fee and a supervisory and administrative fee.

 

•    Advisory Fee.  The Fund pays PIMCO fees in return for providing investment advisory services. The Fund will pay monthly advisory fees to PIMCO at the annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of the Fund) of [    ]%.

 

A discussion of the basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Fund’s investment advisory contract will be available in the Fund’s first annual or semi-annual report to shareholders. As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund has not commenced operations.

 

•    Supervisory and Administrative Fee.  The Fund pays for the supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. Shareholders of the Fund pay a supervisory and administrative fee to PIMCO, computed as a percentage of the Fund’s assets attributable in the aggregate to that class of shares. PIMCO, in turn, provides or procures supervisory and administrative services for shareholders and also bears the costs of various third-party services required by the Fund, including audit, custodial, portfolio accounting, legal, transfer agency and printing costs. The Fund does bear other expenses which are not covered under the supervisory and administrative fee which may vary and affect the total level of expenses paid by the shareholders, such as taxes and governmental fees, brokerage fees, commissions and other transaction expenses, costs of borrowing money, including interest expenses, extraordinary expenses (such as litigation and indemnification expenses) and fees and expenses of the Trust’s Independent Trustees and their counsel. PIMCO generally earns a profit on the supervisory and administrative fee paid by the Fund. Also, under the terms of the supervision and administration agreement, PIMCO, and not Fund shareholders, would benefit from any price decreases in third-party services, including decreases resulting from an increase in net assets.

 

The Fund will pay PIMCO monthly supervisory and administrative fees for the Institutional Class, Class P, Administrative Class and Class D shares at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable in the aggregate to each class of shares taken separately): [    ]%, [    ]%, [    ]%, and [    ]%, respectively. PIMCO has contractually agreed, through [            ], to reduce total annual fund operating expenses for each of the Fund’s separate classes of shares, by waiving a portion of the Fund’s supervisory and administrative fee or reimbursing the Fund, to the extent that organizational expenses and pro rata Trustees’ fees exceed 0.0049% of the Fund’s average net assets attributable to a separate class of shares, respectively. Under the Expense Limitation Agreement, which renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days notice prior to the end of the contract term, PIMCO may recoup these waivers and reimbursements in future periods not exceeding three years, provided that organizational expenses and pro rata Trustees’ fees, plus recoupment, do not exceed the Expense Limit.

 

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12b-1 Plan for
Class D Shares

The Fund’s supervision and administration agreement includes a plan for Class D shares that has been adopted in conformity with the requirements set forth in Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. The plan provides that up to 0.25% per annum of the Class D supervisory and administrative fees paid under the supervision and administration agreement may represent reimbursement for expenses in respect of activities that may be deemed to be primarily intended to result in the sale of Class D shares. The principal types of activities for which such payments may be made are services in connection with the distribution of Class D shares and/or the provision of shareholder services. Although the Fund intends to treat any fees paid under the plan as “service fees” for purposes of applicable rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”), to the extent that such fees are deemed not to be “service fees,” Class D shareholders may, depending on the length of time the shares are held, pay more than the economic equivalent of the maximum front-end sales charges permitted by the relevant rules of the FINRA. Because 12b-1 fees would be paid out of the Fund’s Class D share assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees would increase the cost of a shareholder’s investment in Class D shares and may cost more than other types of sales charges.

 

Individual
Portfolio
Managers

The following individuals have primary responsibility for managing the Fund.

 

Portfolio Manager  

Since

   Recent Professional Experience

[                         ]

  [            ]    [                                                                                    ]

 

Please see the Statement of Additional Information for additional information about other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, the portfolio managers’ compensation and the portfolio managers’ ownership of shares of the Fund.

 

Distributor

The Trust’s Distributor is Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC (“AGID” or “Distributor”), an indirect subsidiary of Allianz Global Investors of America L.P. (“AGI”), PIMCO’s parent company. The Distributor, located at 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10105, is a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

 

Regulatory and
Litigation Matters

PIMCO and PIMCO Funds, another series of funds managed by PIMCO, are the subject of a lawsuit in the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division in which the complaint alleges that plaintiffs each purchased and sold a 10-year Treasury note futures contract and suffered damages from an alleged shortage when PIMCO held both physical and futures positions in 10-year Treasury notes for its client accounts. In July 2007, the court granted class certification of a class consisting of those persons who purchased futures contracts to offset short positions between May 9, 2005 and June 30, 2005. PIMCO currently believes that the complaint is without merit and PIMCO and PIMCO Funds intend to vigorously defend against this action.

 

In April 2006, certain registered investment companies and other funds managed by PIMCO were served in an adversary proceeding brought by the Official Committee of Asbestos Claimants of G-I Holdings, Inc. in G-I Holdings, Inc.’s bankruptcy in the District of New Jersey. In July 2004, PIMCO was named in this lawsuit and remains a defendant. The plaintiff seeks to recover for the bankruptcy estate assets that were transferred by the predecessor entity of G-I Holdings, Inc. to a wholly-owned subsidiary in 1994. The subsidiary has since issued notes, of which certain registered investment companies and other funds managed by PIMCO are alleged to be holders. The complaint alleges that in 2000, more than two hundred noteholders—including certain registered investment companies and other funds managed by PIMCO—were granted a second priority lien on the assets of the subsidiary in exchange for their consent to a refinancing transaction and the granting of a first priority lien to the lending banks. The plaintiff is seeking invalidation of the lien in favor of the noteholders and/or the value of the lien. A Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”) is currently under consideration by the Court in the

 

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underlying bankruptcy case. If the Plan is approved, it is expected that the adversary proceeding to which PIMCO and other funds managed by PIMCO (“PIMCO Entities”) are parties will be dismissed. It is not known at this time when the Plan may be approved, if at all. In the meantime, the adversary proceeding is stayed. This matter is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the relevant PIMCO Entities.

 

It is possible that these matters and/or other developments resulting from these matters could result in increased fund redemptions or other adverse consequences to the Fund. However, PIMCO and AGID believe that these matters are not likely to have a material adverse effect on the Fund or on PIMCO’s or AGID’s ability to perform their respective investment advisory or distribution services relating to the Fund.

 

The foregoing speaks only as of the date of this prospectus. While there may be additional litigation or regulatory developments in connection with the matters discussed above, the foregoing disclosure of litigation and regulatory matters will be updated only if those developments are material.

 

Classes of Shares—

Institutional Class, Class P, Administrative Class and Class D Shares

 

The Trust offers investors Institutional Class, Class P, Administrative Class and Class D shares of the Fund in this prospectus.

 

The Fund does not charge any sales charges (loads) or other fees in connection with purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Institutional Class, Class P, Administrative Class or Class D shares of the Fund.

 

•    Service and Distribution (12b-1) Fees—Administrative Class Shares.  The Trust has adopted both an Administrative Services Plan and a Distribution Plan for the Administrative Class shares of the Fund. The Distribution Plan has been adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

 

Each Plan allows the Fund to use its Administrative Class assets to reimburse financial intermediaries that provide services relating to Administrative Class shares. The Distribution Plan permits reimbursement for costs and expenses incurred in connection with the distribution and marketing of Administrative Class shares and/or the provision of certain shareholder services to Administrative Class shareholders. The Administrative Services Plan permits reimbursement for costs and expenses incurred in connection with providing certain administrative services to Administrative Class shareholders.

 

In combination, the Plans permit the Fund to make total reimbursements at an annual rate of up to 0.25% of the Fund’s average daily net assets attributable to its Administrative Class shares. The same entity may not receive both distribution and administrative services fees with respect to the same Administrative Class assets, but may receive fees under each Plan with respect to separate assets. Because these fees are paid out of the Fund’s Administrative Class assets on an ongoing basis, over time they will increase the cost of an investment in Administrative Class shares, and Distribution Plan fees may cost an investor more than other types of sales charges.

 

•    Arrangements with Service Agents—Institutional Class, Class P and Administrative Class Shares.  Institutional Class, Class P and Administrative Class shares of the Fund may be offered through certain brokers and financial intermediaries (“service agents”) that have established a shareholder servicing relationship with the Trust on behalf of its customers. The Trust pays no compensation to such entities other than service

 

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and/or distribution fees paid with respect to Administrative Class shares. Service agents may impose additional or different conditions than the Trust on purchases, redemptions or exchanges of Fund shares by their customers. Service agents may also independently establish and charge their customers transaction fees, account fees and other amounts in connection with purchases, sales and redemptions of Fund shares in addition to any fees charged by the Trust. These additional fees may vary over time and would increase the cost of the customer’s investment and lower investment returns. Each service agent is responsible for transmitting to its customers a schedule of any such fees and information regarding any additional or different conditions regarding purchases, redemptions and exchanges. Shareholders who are customers of service agents should consult their service agents for information regarding these fees and conditions. Among the service agents with whom the Trust may enter into a shareholder servicing relationship are firms whose business involves or includes investment consulting, or whose parent or affiliated companies are in the investment consulting business, that may recommend that their clients utilize PIMCO’s investment advisory services or invest in the Fund or in other products sponsored by PIMCO and its affiliates.

 

In addition, PIMCO and/or its affiliates makes payments to selected brokers and other financial intermediaries (“service agents”) for providing administrative, sub-transfer agency, sub-accounting and other shareholder services to shareholders holding Class P shares in nominee or street name, including, without limitation, the following services: receiving, aggregating and processing purchase, redemption and exchange orders at the service agent level; providing and maintaining elective services with respect to Class P shares such as check writing and wire transfer services; providing and maintaining pre-authorized investment plans; communicating periodically with shareholders; acting as the sole shareholder of record and nominee for holders of Class P shares; maintaining account records for shareholders; answering questions and handling correspondence from shareholders about their accounts; issuing confirmations for transactions by shareholders; collecting and posting distributions to shareholder accounts; capturing and processing tax data; processing and mailing trade confirmations, monthly statements, prospectuses, shareholder reports and other SEC-required communications; and performing similar account administrative services. The actual services provided, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm. PIMCO currently estimates that it and/or its affiliates will pay up to 0.10% per annum of the value of assets in the relevant accounts for providing the services described above. Payments described above may be material to service agents relative to other compensation paid by the Fund and/or PIMCO and/or its affiliates and may be in addition to other fees, such as the revenue sharing or “shelf space” fees paid to such service agents. The payments described above may differ depending on the fund and may vary from amounts paid to the Trust’s transfer agent for providing similar services to other accounts. PIMCO and/or its affiliates do not audit the service agents to determine whether such agents are providing the services for which they are receiving such payments.

 

•    Financial Service Firms—Class D Shares.  Broker-dealers, registered investment advisers and other financial service firms provide varying investment products, programs or accounts, pursuant to arrangements with the Distributor, through which their clients may purchase and redeem Class D shares of the Fund. Firms will generally provide or arrange for the provision of some or all of the shareholder servicing and account maintenance services required by a shareholder’s account, including, without limitation, transfers of registration and dividend payee changes. Firms may also perform other functions, including generating confirmation statements and disbursing cash dividends, and may arrange with their clients for other investment or administrative services. A firm may independently establish and charge transaction fees and/or other additional amounts for such services, which may change over time. These fees and additional amounts could reduce a shareholder’s investment returns on Class D shares of the Fund.

 

A financial service firm may have omnibus accounts and similar arrangements with the Trust and may be paid for providing sub-transfer agency and other services. A firm may be paid for its services directly or indirectly by

 

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the Fund, the Administrator or another affiliate of the Fund (at an annual rate generally not to exceed 0.35% (up to 0.25% may be paid by the Fund) of the Fund’s average daily net assets attributable to its Class D shares purchased through such firm for its clients, although payments with respect to shares in retirement plans are often higher). A firm may establish various minimum investment requirements for Class D shares of the Fund and may also establish certain privileges with respect to purchases, redemptions and exchanges of Class D shares or the reinvestment of dividends. Shareholders who hold Class D shares of the Fund through a financial service firm should contact that firm for information.

 

This prospectus should be read in connection with a financial service firm’s materials regarding its fees and services.

 

•    Payments to Financial Firms—Class D Shares  Some or all of the distribution fees and servicing fees described above for Class D shares are paid or “reallowed” to the broker, dealer or financial adviser (collectively, “financial firms”) through which a shareholder purchases shares. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for more details. A financial firm is one that, in exchange for compensation, sells, among other products, mutual fund shares (including the shares offered in this prospectus) or provides services for mutual fund shareholders. Financial firms include brokers, dealers, insurance companies and banks.

 

In addition, AGID, PIMCO and their affiliates (for purposes of this subsection only, collectively, the “Distributor”) may from time to time make payments such as cash bonuses or provide other incentives to selected financial firms as compensation for services such as, without limitation, providing the Fund with “shelf space” or a higher profile for the financial firms’ financial consultants and their customers, placing the Funds on the financial firms’ preferred or recommended fund list, granting the Distributor access to the financial firms’ financial consultants, providing assistance in training and educating the financial firms’ personnel, and furnishing marketing support and other specified services. These payments may be significant to the financial firms and may also take the form of sponsorship of seminars or informational meetings or payment for attendance by persons associated with the financial firms at seminars or informational meetings.

 

A number of factors will be considered in determining the amount of these payments to financial firms. On some occasions, such payments may be conditioned upon levels of sales, including the sale of a specified minimum dollar amount of the shares of the Fund, all other series of the Trust, other funds sponsored by the Distributor and/or a particular class of shares, during a specified period of time. The Distributor may also make payments to one or more participating financial firms based upon factors such as the amount of assets a financial firm’s clients have invested in the Fund and the quality of the financial firm’s relationship with the Distributor.

 

The payments described above are made at the Distributor’s expense. These payments may be made to financial firms selected by the Distributor, generally to the financial firms that have sold significant amounts of shares of the Fund. The level of payments made to a financial firm in any given year will vary and generally will not exceed the sum of (a) 0.10% of such year’s fund sales by that financial firm and (b) 0.06% of the assets attributable to that financial firm invested in equity funds sponsored by the Distributor and 0.03% of the assets invested in fixed-income funds sponsored by the Distributor. In certain cases, the payments described in the preceding sentence may be subject to certain minimum payment levels. In lieu of payments pursuant to the foregoing formulae, the Distributor may make payments of an agreed upon amount which normally will not exceed the amount that would have been payable pursuant to the formulae. There are a few existing relationships on different bases that are expected to terminate, although the actual termination date is not known. In some cases, in addition to the payments described above, the Distributor will make payments for special events such as a conference or seminar sponsored by one of such financial firms.

 

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If investment advisers, distributors or affiliates of mutual funds pay bonuses and incentives in differing amounts, financial firms and their financial consultants may have financial incentives for recommending a particular mutual fund over other mutual funds. In addition, depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a financial firm and its financial consultants may also have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes. A shareholder who holds Class D shares of the Fund through a financial firm should consult with the shareholder’s financial advisor and review carefully any disclosure by the financial firm as to its compensation received by the financial advisor.

 

Wholesale representatives of the Distributor visit brokerage firms on a regular basis to educate financial advisors about the Fund and to encourage the sale of Fund shares to their clients. The costs and expenses associated with these efforts may include travel, lodging, sponsorship at educational seminars and conferences, entertainment and meals to the extent permitted by law.

 

Although the Fund may use financial firms that sell Fund shares to effect transactions for the Fund’s portfolio, the Fund and PIMCO will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to effect those transactions.

 

For further details about payments made by the Distributor to financial firms, please see the Statement of Additional Information.

 

•    Payments by PIMCO.  From time to time, PIMCO may pay or reimburse broker-dealers, banks, recordkeepers or other financial institutions for PIMCO’s attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms, or PIMCO may co-sponsor such investment forums with such financial institutions. Payments and reimbursements for such activities are made out of PIMCO’s own assets and at no cost to the Fund. These payments and reimbursements may be made from profits received by PIMCO from advisory fees and supervisory and administrative fees paid to PIMCO by the Fund. Such activities by PIMCO may provide incentives to financial institutions to sell shares of the Fund. Additionally, these activities may give PIMCO additional access to sales representatives of such financial institutions, which may increase sales of Fund shares.

 

From time to time, PIMCO or its affiliates may pay investment consultants or their parent or affiliated companies for certain services including technology, operations, tax, or audit consulting services, and may pay such firms for PIMCO’s attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms or for various studies, surveys, or access to databases. Subject to applicable law, PIMCO and its affiliates may also provide investment advisory services to investment consultants and their affiliates and may execute brokerage transactions on behalf of the Fund with such investment consultants or their affiliates. These consultants or their affiliates may, in the ordinary course of their investment consultant business, recommend that their clients utilize PIMCO’s investment advisory services or invest in the Fund or in other products sponsored by PIMCO and its affiliates.

 

Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges

 

Purchasing Shares—Institutional Class, Class P, and Administrative Class Shares

Investors may purchase Institutional Class, Class P and Administrative Class shares of the Fund at the relevant net asset value (“NAV”) of that class without a sales charge.

 

Institutional Class shares are offered primarily for direct investment by investors such as pension and profit sharing plans, employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations, corporations and high net worth individuals. Institutional Class shares may also be offered through certain financial intermediaries that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to their customers’ investments in the Fund.

 

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Class P shares are offered through certain asset allocation, wrap fee and other similar programs offered by broker-dealers and other intermediaries. Broker-dealers, other intermediaries, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase Class P shares. These entities may purchase Class P shares only if the plan or program for which the shares are being acquired will not require the Fund to pay any type of administrative payment per participant account to any third party.

 

Administrative Class shares are offered primarily through employee benefit plan alliances, broker-dealers and other intermediaries, and the Fund pays service and/or distribution fees to these entities for services they provide to Administrative Class shareholders.

 

Pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances and “wrap account” programs established with broker-dealers or financial intermediaries may purchase shares of either Institutional Class, Class P or Administrative Class only if the plan or program for which the shares are being acquired will maintain an omnibus or pooled account for the Fund and will not require the Fund to pay any type of administrative payment per participant account to any third party. Shares may be offered to clients of PIMCO and its affiliates, and to the benefit plans of PIMCO and its affiliates.

 

•    Investment Minimums.  The minimum initial investment for shares of the Institutional Class, Class P or Administrative Class shares of the Fund is $5 million, except that the minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial intermediaries that submit trades on behalf of underlying investors.

 

The Trust or the Distributor may lower or waive the minimum initial investment for certain categories of investors at their discretion. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for details.

 

•    Initial Investment.  Investors may open an account by completing and signing a Client Registration Application and mailing it to PIMCO Funds, c/o [                        ]. A Client Registration Application may be obtained by calling [                    ].

 

Except as described below, an investor may purchase Institutional Class, Class P and Administrative Class shares only by wiring federal funds to the Trust’s transfer agent, [                    ] (“Transfer Agent”), [                    ]. Before wiring federal funds, the investor must telephone the Trust at [                    ] to receive instructions for wire transfer and must provide the following information: name of authorized person, shareholder name, shareholder account number, name of Fund and share class, and amount being wired.

 

An investor may purchase shares without first wiring federal funds if the proceeds of the investment are derived from an advisory account the investor maintains with PIMCO or one of its affiliates, or from an investment by broker-dealers, institutional clients or other financial intermediaries which have established a shareholder servicing relationship with the Trust on behalf of their customers.

 

•    Additional Investments.  An investor may purchase additional Institutional Class, Class P and Administrative Class shares of the Fund at any time by calling the Trust and wiring federal funds to the Transfer Agent as outlined above.

 

•    Other Purchase Information.  Purchases of the Fund’s Institutional Class, Class P and Administrative Class shares will be made in full and fractional shares. In the interest of economy and convenience, certificates for shares will not be issued.

 

The Trust and the Distributor each reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to suspend the offering of shares of the Fund or to reject any purchase order, in whole or in part, when, in the judgment of management, such suspension or rejection is in the best interests of the Trust.

 

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Subject to the approval of the Trust, an investor may purchase shares of the Fund with liquid securities that are eligible for purchase by the Fund (consistent with the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions) and that have a value that is readily ascertainable in accordance with the Trust’s valuation policies. These transactions will be effected only if PIMCO intends to retain the security in the Fund as an investment. Assets purchased by the Fund in such a transaction will be valued in generally the same manner as they would be valued for purposes of pricing the Fund’s shares, if such assets were included in the Fund’s assets at the time of purchase. The Trust reserves the right to amend or terminate this practice at any time.

 

•    Retirement Plans.  Institutional Class, Class P and Administrative Class shares of the Fund are available for purchase by retirement and savings plans, including Keogh plans, 401(k) plans, 403(b) custodial accounts, and Individual Retirement Accounts. The administrator of a plan or employee benefits office can provide participants or employees with detailed information on how to participate in the plan and how to elect the Fund as an investment option. Participants in a retirement or savings plan may be permitted to elect different investment options, alter the amounts contributed to the plan, or change how contributions are allocated among investment options in accordance with the plan’s specific provisions. The plan administrator or employee benefits office should be consulted for details. For questions about participant accounts, participants should contact their employee benefits office, the plan administrator, or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan. Investors who purchase shares through retirement plans should be aware that plan administrators may aggregate purchase and redemption orders for participants in the plan. Therefore, there may be a delay between the time the investor places an order with the plan administrator and the time the order is forwarded to the Transfer Agent for execution.

 

Purchasing Shares—Class D Shares

Class D shares of the Fund are continuously offered through financial service firms, such as broker-dealers or registered investment advisers, with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of the Fund in particular investment products, programs or accounts for which a fee may be charged. See “Financial Service Firms—Class D Shares” above.

 

Class D shares are offered through financial service firms. In connection with purchases, a financial service firm is responsible for forwarding all necessary documentation to the Distributor, and may charge for such services. To purchase shares of the Fund directly from the Distributor, an investor should inquire about the other classes of shares offered by the Trust. An investor may call the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107 for information about other investment options.

 

Class D shares of the Fund will be held in a shareholder’s account at a financial service firm and, generally, the firm will hold a shareholder’s Class D shares in nominee or street name as your agent. In most cases, the Trust’s transfer agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific Class D shareholders and a shareholder may obtain information about accounts only through the financial service firm. In certain circumstances, the firm may arrange to have shares held in a shareholder’s name or a shareholder’s may subsequently become a holder of record for some other reason (for instance, if you terminate your relationship with your firm). In such circumstances, a shareholder may contact the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107 for information about the account. In the interest of economy and convenience, certificates for Class D shares will not be issued.

 

The Distributor reserves the right to require payment by wire or U.S. bank check. The Distributor generally does not accept payments made by cash, temporary/starter checks, third-party checks, credit cards, traveler’s checks, credit card checks, or checks drawn on non-U.S. banks even if payment may be effected through a U.S. bank.

 

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Investment Minimums.   The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Class D shares.

 

  Initial Investment  

    

  Subsequent Investments  

$1,000 per Fund      $50 per Fund

 

The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial intermediaries that submit trades on behalf of underlying investors. The Trust or the Distributor may lower or waive the minimum investment for certain categories of investors at their discretion. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for details.

 

A financial service firm may impose different investment minimums than the Trust. For example, if a shareholder’s firm maintains an omnibus account with the Fund, the firm may impose higher or lower investment minimums than the Trust when a shareholder invests in Class D shares of the Fund through the firm. A Class D shareholder should contact the financial service firm for information.

 

Acceptance and Timing of Purchase Orders, Redemption Orders and Share Price Calculations

A purchase order received by the Trust or its designee prior to the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time), on a day the Trust is open for business, together with payment made in one of the ways described below, will be effected at that day’s NAV. An order received after the close of regular trading on the NYSE will be effected at the NAV determined on the next business day. However, orders received by certain retirement plans and other financial intermediaries on a business day prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and intermediary will be effected at the NAV determined on the business day the order was received by the intermediary. The Trust is “open for business” on each day the NYSE is open for trading, which excludes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Purchase orders will be accepted only on days on which the Trust is open for business.

 

A redemption request received by the Trust or its designee prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time), on a day the Trust is open for business, is effective on that day. A redemption request received after that time becomes effective on the next business day. Redemption requests for Fund shares are effected at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of a redemption request by the Trust or its designee. However, orders received by certain broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries on a business day prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE and communicated to the Trust or its designee prior to such time as agreed upon by the Trust and intermediary will be effected at the NAV determined on the business day the order was received by the intermediary. The request must properly identify all relevant information such as account number, redemption amount (in dollars or shares), the Fund name and the class of shares and must be executed by an Authorized Person (as defined below).

 

The Distributor, in its sole discretion, may accept or reject any order for purchase of Fund shares. The sale of shares will be suspended during any period in which the NYSE is closed for other than weekends or holidays, or if permitted by the rules of the SEC, when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of their securities or to determine fairly the value of their net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Additionally, redemptions of Fund shares may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of their securities or to determine fairly the value of their net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

 

An investor should invest in the Fund for long-term investment purposes only. The Trust reserves the right to refuse purchases if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the purchases would adversely affect the Fund and its

 

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shareholders. In particular, the Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict purchases of Fund shares (including exchanges) when a pattern of frequent purchases and sales made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price appears evident. Notice of any such restrictions, if any, will vary according to the particular circumstances.

 

Abusive Trading Practices

The Trust encourages shareholders to invest in the Fund as part of a long-term investment strategy and discourages excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, sometimes referred to as “market timing.” However, because the Trust will not always be able to detect market timing or other abusive trading activity, investors should not assume that the Trust will be able to detect or prevent all market timing or other trading practices that may disadvantage the Fund.

 

Certain of the Fund’s investment strategies may expose the Fund to risks associated with market timing activities. For example, since the Fund may invest in non-U.S. securities, it may be subject to the risk that an investor may seek to take advantage of a delay between the change in value of the Fund’s non-U.S. portfolio securities and the determination of the Fund’s NAV as a result of different closing times of U.S. and non-U.S. markets by buying or selling Fund shares at a price that does not reflect their true value. A similar risk exists for the Fund’s potential investment in securities of small capitalization companies, securities of issuers located in emerging markets, securities of distressed companies or high yield securities that are thinly traded and therefore may have actual values that differ from their market prices.

 

To discourage excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, the Trust’s Board of Trustees has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to detect and prevent short-term trading activity that may be harmful to the Fund and its shareholders. Such activities may have a detrimental effect on the Fund and its shareholders. For example, depending upon various factors such as the size of the Fund and the amount of its assets maintained in cash, short-term or excessive trading by Fund shareholders may interfere with the efficient management of the Fund’s portfolio, increase transaction costs and taxes, and may harm the performance of the Fund and its shareholders.

 

The Trust seeks to deter and prevent abusive trading practices, and to reduce these risks, through several methods. First, to the extent that there is a delay between a change in the value of a mutual fund’s portfolio holdings, and the time when that change is reflected in the NAV of the fund’s shares, the fund is exposed to the risk that investors may seek to exploit this delay by purchasing or redeeming shares at NAVs that do not reflect appropriate fair value prices. The Trust seeks to deter and prevent this activity, sometimes referred to as “stale price arbitrage,” by the appropriate use of “fair value” pricing of the Fund’s portfolio securities. See “How Fund Shares Are Priced” below for more information.

 

Second, the Trust seeks to monitor shareholder account activities in order to detect and prevent excessive and disruptive trading practices. The Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict or refuse any purchase or exchange transaction if, in the judgment of the Trust or of PIMCO, the transaction may adversely affect the interests of the Fund or its shareholders. Among other things, the Trust may monitor for any patterns of frequent purchases and sales that appear to be made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price. Notice of any restrictions or rejections of transactions may vary according to the particular circumstances.

 

Although the Trust and its service providers seek to use these methods to detect and prevent abusive trading activities, and although the Trust will consistently apply such methods, there can be no assurances that such activities can be mitigated or eliminated. By their nature, omnibus accounts, in which purchases and sales of Fund shares by multiple investors are aggregated for presentation to the Fund on a net basis, conceal the identity of the individual investors from the Fund. This makes it more difficult for the Fund to identify short-term transactions in the Fund.

 

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Verification of Identity

To help the federal government combat the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person that opens a new account, and to determine whether such person’s name appears on government lists of known or suspected terrorists and terrorist organizations. As a result, the Fund must obtain the following information for each person that opens a new account:

 

1.  Name;

2.  Date of birth (for individuals);

3.  Residential or business street address; and

4.  Social security number, taxpayer identification number, or other identifying number.

 

Federal law prohibits the Fund and other financial institutions from opening a new account unless they receive the minimum identifying information listed above.

 

Individuals may also be asked for a copy of their driver’s license, passport or other identifying document in order to verify their identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify an individual’s identity by cross- referencing the identification information with a consumer report or other electronic database. Additional information may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities.

 

After an account is opened, the Fund may restrict your ability to purchase additional shares until your identity is verified. The Fund also may close your account and redeem your shares or take other appropriate action if it is unable to verify your identity within a reasonable time.

 

Redeeming Shares—Institutional Class, Administrative Class and Class P shares

•    Redemptions in Writing.  An investor may redeem (sell) Institutional Class, Class P and Administrative Class shares by submitting a written request to PIMCO Funds, c/o [                    ]. The redemption request should state the Fund from which the shares are to be redeemed, the class of shares, the number or dollar amount of the shares to be redeemed and the account number. The request must be signed by the appropriate persons designated on the Client Registration Application (“Authorized Person”).

 

Additionally, an investor may request redemptions of shares by sending a facsimile to [            ]. Furthermore, an investor that elects to utilize e-mail redemptions on the Client Registration Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of shares by sending an e-mail to [                    ]. An Authorized Person must state the Fund and class from which the shares are to be redeemed, the number or dollar amount of the shares to be redeemed and the account number.

 

Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including those by fax or e-mail) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by utilizing fax or e-mail redemption, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares by mail. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that a shareholder will be unable to effect a redemption by fax or e-mail when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions initiated by mail, by fax or by e-mail as a procedure designed to confirm that instructions are genuine.

 

All redemptions, whether initiated by mail, fax or e-mail, will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See “Other Redemption Information.”

 

•    Redemptions by Telephone.  An investor that elects this option on the Client Registration Application (or subsequently in writing) may request redemptions of shares by calling the Trust at [                    ]. An

 

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Authorized Person must state his or her name, the Fund and class from which the shares are to be redeemed, the number or dollar amount of the shares to be redeemed and the account number. Redemption requests of an amount of $10 million or more must be submitted in writing by an Authorized Person.

 

In electing a telephone redemption, the investor authorizes PIMCO and the Transfer Agent to act on telephone instructions from any person representing himself to be an Authorized Person, and reasonably believed by PIMCO or the Transfer Agent to be genuine. Neither the Trust nor the Transfer Agent may be liable for any loss, cost or expense for acting on instructions (including by telephone) believed by the party receiving such instructions to be genuine and in accordance with the procedures described in this prospectus. Shareholders should realize that by electing the telephone option, they may be giving up a measure of security that they might have if they were to redeem their shares in writing. Furthermore, interruptions in service may mean that a shareholder will be unable to effect a redemption by telephone when desired. The Transfer Agent also provides written confirmation of transactions initiated by telephone as a procedure designed to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. All telephone transactions are recorded, and PIMCO or the Transfer Agent may request certain information in order to verify that the person giving instructions is authorized to do so. The Trust or Transfer Agent may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent telephone transactions if it fails to employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine. All redemptions initiated by telephone will be processed in a timely manner, and proceeds will be forwarded by wire in accordance with the redemption policies of the Trust detailed below. See “Other Redemption Information.”

 

An Authorized Person may decline telephone exchange or redemption privileges after an account is opened by providing the Transfer Agent a Medallion signature guaranteed letter of instruction. Shareholders may experience delays in exercising telephone redemption privileges during periods of abnormal market activity. During periods of volatile economic or market conditions, shareholders may wish to consider transmitting redemption orders by facsimile, e-mail or overnight courier.

 

Defined contribution plan participants may request redemptions by contacting the employee benefits office, the plan administrator or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan.

 

•    Other Redemption Information.  Redemption proceeds will ordinarily be wired to the investor’s bank within three business days after the redemption request, but may take up to seven days. Redemption proceeds will be sent by wire only to the bank name designated on the Client Registration Application.

 

For shareholder protection, a request to change information contained in an account registration (for example, a request to change the bank designated to receive wire redemption proceeds) must be received in writing, signed by an Authorized Person, and accompanied by a Medallion signature guarantee from any eligible guarantor institution, as determined in accordance with the Trust’s procedures, as more fully described below. See “Medallion Signature Guarantee.”

 

Redeeming Shares— Class D shares

An investor may sell (redeem) Class D shares through the investor’s financial service firm on any day the NYSE is open. An investor does not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust or the Distributor when selling shares, although the financial service firm may charge for its services in processing a redemption request. An investor should contact the firm for details. If an investor is the holder of record of Class D shares, the investor may contact the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107 for information regarding how to sell shares directly to the Trust.

 

A financial service firm is obligated to transmit an investor’s redemption orders to the Distributor promptly and is responsible for ensuring that a redemption request is in proper form. The financial service firm will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Distributor or the Trust’s transfer agent and may

 

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charge for its services. Redemption proceeds will be forwarded to the financial service firm as promptly as possible and in any event within seven days after the redemption request is received by the Distributor in good order.

 

For shareholder protection, a request to change information contained in an account registration (for example, a request to change the bank designated to receive wire redemption proceeds) must be received in writing, signed by the minimum number of persons designated on the completed application that are required to effect a redemption, and accompanied by a signature guarantee from any eligible guarantor institution, as determined in accordance with the Trust’s procedures, as more fully described below. See “Medallion Signature Guarantee.”

 

Redemptions In Kind

The Trust has agreed to redeem shares of the Fund solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund’s net assets during any 90-day period for any one shareholder. In consideration of the best interests of the remaining shareholders, the Trust may pay any redemption proceeds exceeding this amount in whole or in part by a distribution in kind of securities held by the Fund in lieu of cash. It is highly unlikely that your shares would ever be redeemed in kind. If your shares are redeemed in kind, you should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the distribution.

 

Medallion Signature Guarantee

When a signature guarantee is called for, a “Medallion” signature guarantee will be required. A Medallion signature guarantee may be obtained from a domestic bank or trust company, broker, dealer, clearing agency, savings association or other financial institution which is participating in a Medallion program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. The three recognized Medallion programs are the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program, Stock Exchanges Medallion Program and New York Stock Exchange, Inc. Medallion Signature Program. Signature guarantees from financial institutions which are not participating in one of these programs will not be accepted. Please note that financial institutions participating in a recognized Medallion program may still be ineligible to provide a signature guarantee for transactions of greater than a specified dollar amount. The Trust may change the signature guarantee requirements from time to time upon notice to shareholders, which may be given by means of a new or supplemented prospectus.

 

A Medallion signature guarantee cannot be provided by a notary public. In addition, corporations, trusts, and other institutional organizations are required to furnish evidence of the authority of the persons designated on the Client Registration Application to effect transactions for the organization.

 

Minimum Account Size

Due to the relatively high cost of maintaining small accounts, the Trust reserves the right to redeem shares in any account that falls below the values listed below.

 

•    Institutional Class, Class P and Administrative Class.  The Trust reserves the right to redeem Institutional Class, Class P and Administrative Class shares in any account for their then-current value (which will be promptly paid to the investor) if at any time, due to redemption by the investor, the shares in the account do not have a value of at least $100,000. A shareholder will receive advance notice of a mandatory redemption and will be given at least 30 days to bring the value of its account up to at least $100,000.

 

•    Class D.  Investors should maintain an account balance in the Fund held by an investor of at least the minimum investment necessary to open the particular type of account. If an investor’s balance for the Fund remains below the minimum for three months or longer, the Administrator has the right (except in the case of employer-sponsored retirement accounts) to redeem an investor’s remaining shares and close the Fund account after giving the investor 60 days to increase the account balance. An investor’s account will not be liquidated if the reduction in size is due solely to a decline in market value of Fund shares or if the aggregate value of all the investor’s holdings in PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Funds Equity Trust, Allianz Funds and Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust accounts exceeds $50,000.

 

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Exchange Privilege

An investor may exchange shares of the Fund for shares of the same class of a fund of PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds or Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust. Shareholders interested in such an exchange may request a prospectus for these other funds by contacting the Trust.

 

An investor may exchange Institutional Class, Class P and Administrative Class shares of the Fund by following the redemption procedure described above under “Redemptions in Writing” or, if the investor has elected the telephone redemption option, by calling the Trust at [1-800-927-4648]. An investor may exchange or obtain additional information about exchange privileges for Class D shares by contacting the investor’s financial service firm. The financial service firm may impose various fees and charges, investment minimums and other requirements with respect to exchanges.

 

Shares of the Fund may also be exchanged directly for shares of another class of the Fund, subject to any applicable sales charge, as described in the Statement of Additional Information.

 

The Trust reserves the right to refuse exchange purchases (or purchase and redemption and/or redemption and purchase transactions) if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the transaction would adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders. Although the Trust has no current intention of terminating or modifying the exchange privilege, it reserves the right to do so at any time. Except as otherwise permitted by the SEC, the Trust will give you 60 days’ advance notice if it exercises its right to terminate or materially modify the exchange privilege.

 

Request for
Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

To reduce expenses, it is intended that only one copy of the Fund’s prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report, when available, will be mailed to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents and your shares are held directly with the Trust, call the Trust at [1-800-927-4648]. Alternatively, if your shares are held through a financial institution, please contact it directly. Within 30 days after receipt of your request by the Trust, the Trust will begin sending you individual copies.

 

How Fund Shares Are Priced

 

The NAV of the Fund’s Institutional Class, Class P, Administrative Class and Class D shares is determined by dividing the total value of the Fund’s portfolio investments and other assets attributable to that class, less any liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding of that class.

 

Fund shares are valued as of the close of regular trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) (the “NYSE Close”) on each day that the NYSE is open. Information that becomes known to the Fund or its agents after the NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of a security or the NAV determined earlier that day. The Fund reserves the right to change the time its NAV is calculated if the Fund closes earlier, or as permitted by the SEC.

 

For purposes of calculating NAV, portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotes are readily available are valued at market value. Market value is generally determined on the basis of last reported sales prices, or if no sales are reported, based on quotes obtained from a quotation reporting system, established market makers, or pricing services. The Fund will normally use pricing data for domestic equity securities received shortly after the NYSE Close and does not normally take into account trading, clearances or settlements that take place after the NYSE Close. A foreign equity security traded on a foreign exchange or on more than one exchange is typically valued using pricing information from the exchange considered by the managers to be the primary exchange. A foreign equity security will be valued as of the close of trading on the foreign exchange, or the NYSE Close, if the NYSE Close occurs before the end of trading on the foreign exchange. Domestic and

 

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foreign fixed income securities and non-exchange traded derivatives are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or pricing services using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Prices obtained from independent pricing services use information provided by market makers or estimates of market values obtained from yield data relating to investments or securities with similar characteristics. Certain fixed income securities purchased on a delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily until settlement at the forward settlement date. Short term investments having a maturity of 60 days or less are generally valued at amortized cost. Exchange traded options, futures and options on futures are valued at the settlement price determined by the relevant exchange. With respect to any portion of the Fund’s assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies, the Fund’s NAV will be calculated based upon the NAVs of such investments.

 

If a foreign security’s value has materially changed after the close of the security’s primary exchange or principal market but before the NYSE Close, the security may be valued at fair value based on procedures established and approved by the Board of Trustees. Foreign securities that do not trade when the NYSE is open are also valued at fair value. The Fund may determine the fair value of investments based on information provided by pricing services and other third-party vendors, which may recommend fair value prices or adjustments with reference to other securities, indices or assets. In considering whether fair value pricing is required and in determining fair values, the Fund may, among other things, consider significant events (which may be considered to include changes in the value of U.S. securities or securities indices) that occur after the close of the relevant market and before the NYSE Close. The Fund may utilize modeling tools provided by third-party vendors to determine fair values of non-U.S. securities. Foreign exchanges may permit trading in foreign securities on days when the Trust is not open for business, which may result in the Fund’s portfolio investments being affected when you are unable to buy or sell shares.

 

Investments initially valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to the U.S. dollar using exchange rates obtained from pricing services. As a result, the NAV of the Fund’s shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of securities traded in markets outside the United States or denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the NYSE is closed and an investor is not able to purchase, redeem or exchange shares.

 

Securities and other assets for which market quotes are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction. The Board of Trustees has adopted methods for valuing securities and other assets in circumstances where market quotes are not readily available, and has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for applying the valuation methods. For instance, certain securities or investments for which daily market quotes are not readily available may be valued, pursuant to guidelines established by the Board of Trustees, with reference to other securities or indices. In the event that market quotes are not readily available, and the security or asset cannot be valued pursuant to one of the valuation methods, the value of the security or asset will be determined in good faith by the Valuation Committee of the Board of Trustees, generally based upon recommendations provided by PIMCO.

 

Market quotes are considered not readily available in circumstances where there is an absence of current or reliable market-based data (e.g., trade information, bid/asked information, broker quotes), including where events occur after the close of the relevant market, but prior to the NYSE Close, that materially affect the values of the Fund’s securities or assets. In addition, market quotes are considered not readily available when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the exchanges or markets on which the securities trade do not open for trading for the entire day and no other market prices are available. The Board has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for monitoring significant events that may materially affect the values of the Fund’s securities or assets and for determining whether the value of the applicable securities or assets should be re-evaluated in light of such significant events.

 

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When the Fund uses fair value pricing to determine its NAV, securities will not be priced on the basis of quotes from the primary market in which they are traded, but rather may be priced by another method that the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction believe accurately reflects fair value. Fair value pricing may require subjective determinations about the value of a security. While the Trust’s policy is intended to result in a calculation of the Fund’s NAV that fairly reflects security values as of the time of pricing, the Trust cannot ensure that fair values determined by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction would accurately reflect the price that the Fund could obtain for a security if it were to dispose of that security as of the time of pricing (for instance, in a forced or distressed sale). The prices used by the Fund may differ from the value that would be realized if the securities were sold. The Fund’s use of fair valuation may also help to deter “stale price arbitrage” as discussed above under “Abusive Trading Practices.”

 

Under certain circumstances, the per share NAV of a class of the Fund’s shares may be different from the per share NAV of another class of shares as a result of the different daily expense accruals applicable to each class of shares. Generally, when the Fund pays income dividends, those dividends are expected to differ over time by approximately the amount of the expense accrual differential between the two classes.

 

Fund Distributions

 

The Fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income to shareholders in the form of dividends. Dividends paid by the Fund with respect to each class of shares are calculated in the same manner and at the same time, but dividends on different classes of shares may be different as a result of the service and/or distribution fees applicable to certain classes shares. The Fund intends to declare income dividends [    ] and distribute them [    ] to shareholders of record.

 

In addition, the Fund distributes any net capital gains it earns from the sale of portfolio securities to shareholders no less frequently than annually. Net short-term capital gains may be paid more frequently.

 

The Fund’s dividend and capital gain distributions with respect to a particular class of shares will automatically be reinvested in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV unless the shareholder elects to have the distributions paid in cash. A shareholder may elect to have distributions paid in cash on the Client Registration Application or by submitting a written request, signed by an Authorized Person, indicating the account number, Fund name(s) and wiring instructions. Shareholders do not pay any sales charges on shares received through the reinvestment of Fund distributions.

 

A Class D shareholder may choose from the following distribution options:

 

   

Reinvest all distributions in additional Class D shares of the Fund at NAV. This will be done unless you elect another option.

   

Invest all distributions in Class D shares of any other fund of the Trust, PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds or Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust which offers Class D shares at NAV. A shareholder must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. This option must be elected when the account is set up.

   

Receive all distributions in cash (either paid directly or credited to the shareholder’s account with the financial service firm). This option must be elected when the account is set up.

 

The financial service firm may offer additional distribution reinvestment programs or options. Please contact the firm for details.

 

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Shareholders do not pay any sales charges on shares received through the reinvestment of Fund distributions. If a shareholder elects to receive Fund distributions in cash and the postal or other delivery service is unable to deliver checks to the address of record, the Trust’s Transfer Agent will hold the returned checks for the shareholder’s benefit in a non-interest bearing account.

 

Tax Consequences

 

•    Taxes on Fund Distributions.  A shareholder subject to U.S. federal income tax will be subject to tax on Fund taxable distributions whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Fund. For federal income tax purposes, Fund taxable distributions will be taxable to the shareholder as either ordinary income or capital gains.

 

Fund dividends (i.e., distributions of investment income) are generally taxable to shareholders as ordinary income, other than exempt-interest dividends, discussed below. Federal taxes on Fund distributions of gains are determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated the gains, rather than how long a shareholder has owned the shares. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for more than one year will generally be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gains. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for one year or less will generally be taxable as ordinary income.

 

Fund taxable distributions are taxable to shareholders even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Fund prior to the shareholder’s investment and thus were included in the price paid for the shares. For example, a shareholder who purchases shares on or just before the record date of a Fund distribution will pay full price for the shares and may receive a portion of his or her investment back as a taxable distribution.

 

•    Taxes on Redemption or Exchanges of Shares.  Any gain resulting from the sale of Fund shares will generally be subject to federal income tax. When a shareholder exchanges shares of the Fund for shares of another series, the transaction will be treated as a sale of the Fund shares for these purposes, and any gain on those shares will generally be subject to federal income tax.

 

•     Returns of Capital.  If the Fund’s distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder’s cost basis in the Fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.

 

This “Tax Consequences” section relates only to federal income tax; the consequences under other tax laws may differ. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors as to the possible application of foreign, state and local income tax laws to Fund dividends and capital distributions. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for additional information regarding the tax aspects of investing in the Fund.

 

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

 

This section provides additional information about some of the principal investments and related risks of the Fund described under “Summary Information” and “Summary of Principal Risks” above. It also describes characteristics and risks of additional securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Fund from

 

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time to time. Most of these securities and investment techniques are discretionary, which means that PIMCO can decide whether to use them or not. This prospectus does not attempt to disclose all of the various types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Fund. As with any mutual fund, investors in the Fund rely on the professional investment judgment and skill of PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers. Please see “Investment Objectives and Policies” in the Statement of Additional Information for more detailed information about the securities and investment techniques described in this section and about other strategies and techniques that may be used by the Fund.

 

Securities
Selection

In selecting securities for the Fund, PIMCO develops a research driven fundamental value strategy to select securities for the Fund. PIMCO attempts to identify equity and debt securities that are undervalued relative to the rest of the market. PIMCO identifies these securities through PIMCO’s analysis of the issuer’s value, including analysis of an issuer’s asset value, book value and cash flow and earnings estimates. There is no guarantee that PIMCO’s security selection techniques will produce the desired results.

 

Convertible and Equity Securities

Common stock represents equity ownership in a company and typically provides the common stockholder the power to vote on certain corporate actions, including the election of the company’s directors. Common stockholders participate in company profits through dividends and, in the event of bankruptcy, distributions, on a pro-rata basis after other claims are satisfied. Many factors affect the value of common stock, including earnings, earnings forecasts, corporate events and factors impacting the issuer’s industry and the market generally. Common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities.

 

The Fund may invest in convertible securities and equity securities. Convertible securities are generally preferred stocks and other securities, including fixed income securities and warrants, that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock at a stated price or rate. The price of a convertible security will normally vary in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying common stock because of this conversion or exercise feature. However, the value of a convertible security may not increase or decrease as rapidly as the underlying common stock. A convertible security will normally also provide income and is subject to interest rate risk. Convertible securities may be lower-rated securities subject to greater levels of credit risk. The Fund may be forced to convert a security before it would otherwise choose, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

 

Preferred stock represents an equity interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other stocks such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Preferred stocks may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred stock is subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred stock generally pays dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred stock will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects.

 

At times, in connection with the restructuring of a preferred stock or fixed income instrument either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, the Fund may determine or be required to accept equity securities, such as common stocks, in exchange for all or a portion of a preferred stock or fixed income instrument. Depending upon, among other things, PIMCO’s evaluation of the potential value of such securities in relation to the price that could be obtained by the Fund at any given time upon sale thereof, the Fund may determine to hold such securities in its portfolio.

 

Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. The market price of equity securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Equity securities

 

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may decline in value due to factors affecting equity securities markets generally or particular industries represented in those markets. The value of an equity security may also decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services.

 

High Yield Securities and Distressed Companies

Securities rated lower than Baa by Moody’s, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, are sometimes referred to as “high yield securities or “junk bonds.” Issuers of these securities may be distressed and undergoing restructuring, bankruptcy or other proceedings in an attempt to avoid insolvency. Investing in these securities involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated securities. While offering a greater potential opportunity for capital appreciation and higher yields, high yield and distressed company securities typically entail greater potential price volatility and may be less liquid than higher-rated securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies may be regarded as predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. They may also be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher-rated securities. Issuers of securities in default may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case the Fund may lose its entire investment.

 

U.S. Government Securities

U.S. Government Securities are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises. U.S. Government Securities are subject to market and interest rate risk, and may be subject to varying degrees of credit risk. Some U.S. Government Securities are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Other types of U.S. Government Securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States (but not issued by the U.S. Treasury). These securities have the lowest credit risk. Still other types of U.S. Government Securities are: (1) supported by the ability of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (2) supported only by the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or government-sponsored corporation; or (3) supported by the United States in some other way. These securities may be subject to greater credit risk. U.S. Government Securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

 

Loan Participations and Assignments

The Fund may invest in fixed- and floating-rate loans, which investments generally will be in the form of loan participations and assignments of portions of such loans. Participations and assignments involve special types of risk, including credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, and the risks of being a lender. If the Fund purchases a participation, it may only be able to enforce its rights through the lender, and may assume the credit risk of the lender in addition to the borrower.

 

Variable and Floating Rate Securities

Variable and floating rate securities provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the obligations. The Fund may invest in floating rate debt instruments (“floaters”). Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline.

 

Corporate Debt Securities

Corporate debt securities are subject to the risk of the issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligation and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. When interest rates rise, the value of corporate debt securities can be expected to decline. Debt securities with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rate movements than those with shorter maturities.

 

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Securities

The Fund may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to foreign (non-U.S.) countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to a non-U.S. country if the issuer is a foreign government (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), or if the issuer is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities may

 

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include American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), European Depositary Receipts (EDRs), Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) and similar securities that represent interests in a non-U.S. companies securities that have been deposited with a bank or trust and that trade on a U.S. exchange or over-the-counter. ADRs, EDRs and GDRs may be less liquid or may trade at a lower price than the underlying securities of the issuer. In the case of certain money market instruments, such instruments will be considered economically tied to a non-U.S. country if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instrument is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to non-U.S. countries if the underlying assets are foreign currencies (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued by foreign governments or issuers organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country (or if the underlying assets are certain money market instruments, if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instruments is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country).

 

Investing in foreign securities involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities. Investors should consider carefully the substantial risks involved in securities issued by foreign companies and governments of foreign countries. These risks include: differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; generally higher commission rates on foreign portfolio transactions; the possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation; adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations; and political instability. Individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rates of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources, self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. The securities markets, values of securities, yields and risks associated with foreign securities markets may change independently of each other. Also, foreign securities and dividends and interest payable on those securities may be subject to foreign taxes, including taxes withheld from payments on those securities. Foreign securities often trade with less frequency and volume than domestic securities and therefore may exhibit greater price volatility. Foreign securities may also be more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers. Investments in foreign securities may also involve higher custodial costs than domestic investments and additional transaction costs with respect to foreign currency conversions. Changes in foreign exchange rates also will affect the value of securities denominated or quoted in foreign currencies.

 

The Fund also may invest in sovereign debt issued by governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, or other government-related entities. Holders of sovereign debt may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. In addition, there is no bankruptcy proceeding by which defaulted sovereign debt may be collected.

 

    Emerging Market Securities.  The Fund may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to developing (or “emerging market”) countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to an emerging market country if the issuer or guarantor is a government of an emerging market country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), if the issuer or guarantor is organized under the laws of an emerging market country, or if the currency of settlement of the security is a currency of an emerging market country. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to emerging market countries if the underlying assets are currencies of emerging market countries (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued or guaranteed by governments of emerging market countries or by entities organized under the laws of emerging market countries. PIMCO has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets.

 

Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in domestic securities or in foreign, developed countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of

 

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securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by the Fund. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries.

 

Additional risks of emerging market securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; and less developed legal systems. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Settlement problems may cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, hold a portion of its assets in cash pending investment, or be delayed in disposing of a portfolio security. Such a delay could result in possible liability to a purchaser of the security.

 

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Currencies

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in foreign currencies, securities denominated in, that trade in, or receive revenues in foreign currencies, engage in foreign currency transactions on a spot (cash) basis, and enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts and invest in foreign currency futures contracts and options on foreign currencies and futures. The Fund is therefore subject to currency risk. A forward foreign currency exchange contract, which involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract, reduces the Fund’s exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will deliver and increases its exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will receive for the duration of the contract. Certain foreign currency transactions may also be settled in cash rather than the actual delivery of the relevant currency. The effect on the value of the Fund is similar to selling securities denominated in one currency and purchasing securities denominated in another currency. A contract to sell foreign currency would limit any potential gain which might be realized if the value of the hedged currency increases. The Fund may enter into these contracts to hedge against foreign exchange risk, to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one currency to another. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in such transactions at any given time or from time to time. Also, such transactions may not be successful and may eliminate any chance for the Fund to benefit from favorable fluctuations in relevant foreign currencies. The Fund may use one currency (or a basket of currencies) to hedge against adverse changes in the value of another currency (or a basket of currencies) when exchange rates between the two currencies are positively correlated. The Fund will segregate or “earmark” assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with the procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable law, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under forward foreign currency exchange contracts entered into for non-hedging purposes.

 

Foreign currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or perceived changes in interest rates and other complex factors. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments.

 

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Small-Cap and
Mid-Cap
Companies

The Fund may invest in small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies. The Fund considers a small-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between [$250 million and $1.5 billion] and a mid-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between [$1.5 billion and $10 billion]. Investments in small-cap and mid-cap companies involve greater risk than investments in large-capitalization companies. Small and mid-cap companies may not have an established financial history, which can present valuation challenges. The securities of small and mid-cap companies may be subject to increased market fluctuations, due to less liquid markets and more limited managerial and financial resources. The Fund’s investments in small and mid-cap companies may increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

Short Sales

The Fund may make short sales as part of its overall portfolio management strategies or to offset a potential decline in value of a security. A short sale involves the sale of a security that is borrowed from a broker or other institution to complete the sale. Short sales expose the Fund to the risk that it will be required to acquire, convert or exchange securities to replace the borrowed securities (also known as “covering” the short position) at a time when the securities sold short have appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund. When making a short sale (other than a “short sale against the box”), the Fund must segregate or “earmark” assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees or otherwise cover its position in a permissible manner. The Fund may engage in short selling to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and interpretations thereunder and other federal securities laws. To the extent the Fund engages in short selling in foreign (non-U.S.) jurisdictions, the Fund will do so to the extent permitted by the laws and regulations of such jurisdiction.

 

Repurchase Agreements

The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, in which the Fund purchases a security from a bank or broker-dealer, which agrees to repurchase the security at the Fund’s cost plus interest within a specified time. If the party agreeing to repurchase should default, the Fund will seek to sell the securities which it holds. This could involve procedural costs or delays in addition to a loss on the securities if their value should fall below their repurchase price. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days are considered illiquid securities.

 

Derivatives

The Fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments for risk management purposes or as part of its investment strategies. Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to stocks, bonds, interest rates, currencies or currency exchange rates, commodities, and related indexes. Examples of derivative instruments include options contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swap agreements (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps and swaps on exchange traded funds). The Fund may invest some or all of its assets in derivative instruments. The portfolio managers may decide not to employ any of these strategies and there is no assurance that any derivatives strategy used by the Fund will succeed. A description of these and other derivative instruments that the Fund may use are described under “Investment Objectives and Policies” in the Statement of Additional Information.

 

The Fund’s use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. A description of various risks associated with particular derivative instruments is included in “Investment Objectives and Policies” in the Statement of Additional Information. The following provides a more general discussion of important risk factors relating to all derivative instruments that may be used by the Fund.

 

Management Risk.  Derivative products are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with stocks and bonds. The use of a derivative requires an understanding not only of the underlying instrument but also of the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions.

 

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Credit Risk.  The use of a derivative instrument involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of another party to the contract (usually referred to as a “counterparty”) to make required payments or otherwise comply with the contract’s terms. Additionally, credit default swaps could result in losses if the Fund does not correctly evaluate the creditworthiness of the company on which the credit default swap is based.

 

Liquidity Risk.  Liquidity risk exists when a particular derivative instrument is difficult to purchase or sell. If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid (as is the case with many privately negotiated derivatives), it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price.

 

Leverage Risk.  Because many derivatives have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate or index can result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. When the Fund uses derivatives for leverage, investments in the Fund will tend to be more volatile, resulting in larger gains or losses in response to market changes. To limit leverage risk, the Fund will segregate or “earmark” assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable regulation, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under derivative instruments.

 

Lack of Availability.  Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, suitable derivatives transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, the portfolio managers may wish to retain the Fund’s position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other suitable counterparty can be found. There is no assurance that the Fund will engage in derivatives transactions at any time or from time to time. The Fund’s ability to use derivatives may also be limited by certain regulatory and tax considerations.

 

Market and Other Risks.  Like most other investments, derivative instruments are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to the Fund’s interest. If the portfolio managers incorrectly forecasts the values of securities, currencies or interest rates or other economic factors in using derivatives for the Fund, the Fund might have been in a better position if it had not entered into the transaction at all. While some strategies involving derivative instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. The Fund may also have to buy or sell a security at a disadvantageous time or price because the Fund is legally required to maintain offsetting positions or asset coverage in connection with certain derivatives transactions.

 

Other risks in using derivatives include the risk of mispricing or improper valuation of derivatives and the inability of derivatives to correlate perfectly with underlying assets, rates and indexes. Many derivatives, in particular privately negotiated derivatives, are complex and often valued subjectively. Improper valuations can result in increased cash payment requirements to counterparties or a loss of value to the Fund. Also, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. For example, a swap agreement on an exchange traded fund would not correlate perfectly with the index upon which the exchange traded fund is based because the fund’s return is net of fees and expenses. In addition, the Fund’s use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments.

 

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When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

The Fund may purchase or sell securities which it is eligible to purchase or sell on a when-issued basis, may purchase and sell such securities for delayed delivery and may make contracts to purchase or sell such securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond normal settlement time (forward commitments). When-issued transactions, delayed delivery purchases and forward commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities declines prior to the settlement date. This risk is in addition to the risk that the Fund’s other assets will decline in value. Therefore, these transactions may result in a form of leverage and increase the Fund’s overall investment exposure. Typically, no income accrues on securities the Fund has committed to purchase prior to the time delivery of the securities is made, although the Fund may earn income on securities it has segregated or “earmarked” to cover these positions. When the Fund has sold a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis, the Fund does not participate in future gains or losses with respect to the security. Additionally, when selling a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis without owning the security, the Fund will incur a loss if the security’s price appreciates in value such that the security’s price is above the agreed upon price on the settlement date.

 

Investment in
Other Investment Companies

The Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, or in pooled accounts or other unregistered accounts or investment vehicles to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief therefrom. As a shareholder of an investment company or other pooled vehicle, the Fund may indirectly bear investment advisory fees, supervisory and administrative fees, service fees and other fees which are in addition to the fees the Fund pays its service providers.

 

The Fund may invest in the PIMCO Funds Private Account Portfolio Series: Short-Term Floating NAV Portfolio (“PAPS Short-Term Floating NAV Portfolio”), to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder or exemptive relief therefrom. The PAPS Short-Term Floating NAV Portfolio is a registered investment company created for use solely by the Trust and series of the PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust and PIMCO ETF Trust, other series of registered investment companies advised by PIMCO, in connection with their cash management activities. The main investments of the PAPS Short-Term Floating NAV Portfolio are money market instruments and short maturity fixed income instruments. The PAPS Short-Term Floating NAV Portfolio may incur expenses related to its investment activities, but does not pay investment advisory or supervisory and administrative fees to PIMCO.

 

Subject to the restrictions and limitations of the 1940 Act, the Fund may elect to pursue its investment objective either by investing directly in securities, or by investing in one or more underlying investment vehicles or companies that have substantially similar investment objectives and policies as the Fund.

 

Illiquid Securities

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. Certain illiquid securities may require pricing at fair value as determined in good faith under the supervision of the Board of Trustees. The portfolio managers may be subject to significant delays in disposing of illiquid securities, and transactions in illiquid securities may entail registration expenses and other transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in liquid securities. The term “illiquid securities” for this purpose means securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued the securities. Restricted securities, i.e., securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, may be illiquid. However, some restricted securities (such as securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and certain commercial paper) may be treated as liquid, although they may be less liquid than registered securities traded on established secondary markets.

 

Loans of Portfolio Securities

For the purpose of achieving income, the Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions provided a number of conditions are satisfied, including that the loan is fully collateralized. Please see “Investment Objectives and Policies” in the Statement of Additional Information for details. When

 

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the Fund lends portfolio securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned, and the Fund will also receive a fee or interest on the collateral. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent. The Fund may pay lending fees to a party arranging the loan. Cash collateral received by the Fund in securities lending transactions may be invested in short-term liquid fixed income instruments or in money market or short-term mutual funds, or similar investment vehicles, including affiliated money market or short-term mutual funds. The Fund bears the risk of such investments.

 

Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings

The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls. A reverse repurchase agreement or dollar roll involves the sale of a security by the Fund and its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price, and may be considered a form of borrowing for some purposes. The Fund will segregate or “earmark” assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees to cover its obligations under reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls. Reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and other forms of borrowings may create leveraging risk for the Fund.

 

The Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This means that, in general, the Fund may borrow money from banks for any purpose in an amount up to 1/3 of the Fund’s total assets. The Fund may also borrow money for temporary administrative purposes in an amount not to exceed 5% of the Fund’s total assets.

 

Portfolio Turnover

The length of time the Fund has held a particular security is not generally a consideration in investment decisions. A change in the securities held by the Fund is known as “portfolio turnover.” When the managers deem it appropriate and particularly during periods of volatile market movements, the Fund may engage in frequent and active trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment objective. Higher portfolio turnover involves correspondingly greater expenses to the Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales may also result in realization of taxable capital gains, including short-term capital gains (which are generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates). The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect the Fund’s performance.

 

Temporary Defensive Strategies

For temporary or defensive purposes, the Fund may invest without limit in U.S. debt securities, including taxable securities and short-term money market securities, when PIMCO deems it appropriate to do so. When the Fund engages in such strategies, it may not achieve its investment objective.

 

Changes in Investment Objective and Policies

The investment objective of the Fund is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. Unless otherwise stated, all investment policies of the Fund may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.

 

Percentage Investment Limitations

Unless otherwise stated, all percentage limitations on Fund investments listed in this prospectus will apply at the time of investment. The Fund would not violate these limitations unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an investment.

 

Credit Ratings and Unrated Securities

Rating agencies are private services that provide ratings of the credit quality of fixed income securities, including convertible securities. Appendix A to this prospectus describes the various ratings assigned to fixed income securities by Moody’s, S&P and Fitch. Ratings assigned by a rating agency are not absolute standards of credit quality and do not evaluate market risks. Rating agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings and an issuer’s current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates. PIMCO does not rely solely on credit ratings, and develops its own analysis of issuer credit quality.

 

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The Fund may purchase unrated securities (which are not rated by a rating agency). Unrated securities may be less liquid than comparable rated securities and involve the risk that the portfolio managers may not accurately evaluate the security’s comparative credit rating. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher-quality fixed income securities. To the extent that the Fund invests in high yield and/or unrated securities, the Fund’s success in achieving its investment objective may depend more heavily on the portfolio managers’ creditworthiness analysis than if the Fund invested exclusively in higher-quality and rated securities.

 

Other Investments and Techniques

The Fund may invest in other types of securities and use a variety of investment techniques and strategies which are not described in this prospectus. These securities and techniques may subject the Fund to additional risks. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for additional information about the securities and investment techniques described in this prospectus and about additional securities and techniques that may be used by the Fund.

 

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Prior Performance of a Composite of Substantially Similar Managed Accounts

 

The tables below are designed to show you how a composite of accounts previously managed by the Fund’s portfolio managers in a style that is substantially similar to the Fund (the “Composite”) has performed in the past. The Composite consists of two accounts, one of which is a registered investment company, that were managed by the portfolio managers while at their previous employer. The Composite represents all accounts with substantially similar investment objectives, policies and strategies as the Fund managed by the portfolio managers while at their previous employer. However, you should not consider the performance of the Composite as an indication of the future performance of the Fund. Performance may vary based on differences in cash flows, fees and expenses and investment restrictions between the accounts included in the Composite and the Fund.

 

The performance shown in the tables reflects the deduction of the fees and expenses paid by accounts included in the Composite, which may be lower than those charged to the Fund. Performance reflects the reinvestment of dividends and distributions, and was calculated in the same manner that will be used by the Fund to calculate its own performance.

 

The following tables show rates of return of the Composite for the periods indicated, as well as a comparison with the performance of the MSCI World Index and S&P 500 Index, the Fund’s primary and secondary benchmark indices. The returns of the MSCI World Index and S&P 500 Index assume all dividends and distributions have been reinvested. Performance of each index does not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. One of the accounts included in the Composite was not subject to the restrictions of the 1940 Act or the Code, which, if applicable, might have adversely affected the performance of the Composite. These results are unaudited.

 

Annualized Compounded Rates of Returns for the periods ended [    ], 2009

 

     

1 Year

(%)

 

2 Years

(%)

 

3 Years

(%)

 

5 Years

(%)

 

10 Years

(%)

Composite

   [    ]   [    ]   [    ]   [    ]   [    ]

MSCI World Index

   [    ]   [    ]   [    ]   [    ]   [    ]

S&P 500 Index

   [    ]   [    ]   [    ]   [    ]   [    ]

 

Returns for the period [    ], 2009 through [    ], 2009*

    

Composite

   [    ]

MSCI World Index

   [    ]

S&P 500 Index

   [    ]

 

* [    ], 2009 is the last day that the portfolio managers for the Fund managed the accounts contained in the Composite.

 

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Financial Highlights

 

Because the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, audited financial highlights are not available.

 

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Appendix A

Description of Securities Ratings

 

The Fund’s investments may range in quality from securities rated in the lowest category in which the Fund is permitted to invest to securities rated in the highest category (as rated by Moody’s, S&P or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality). The percentage of the Fund’s assets invested in securities in a particular rating category will vary. The following terms are generally used to describe the credit quality of fixed income securities:

 

High Quality Debt Securities are those rated in one of the two highest rating categories (the highest category for commercial paper) or, if unrated, deemed comparable by PIMCO.

 

Investment Grade Debt Securities are those rated in one of the four highest rating categories or, if unrated, deemed comparable by PIMCO.

 

Below Investment Grade, High Yield Securities (“Junk Bonds”) are those rated lower than Baa by Moody’s, BBB by S&P or Fitch and comparable securities. They are deemed predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s ability to repay principal and interest.

 

The following is a description of Moody’s, S&P’s and Fitch’s rating categories applicable to fixed income securities.

 

Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.

Long-Term Obligation Ratings

Moody’s long-term obligation ratings are opinions of the relative credit risk of fixed-income obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. They address the possibility that a financial obligation will not be honored as promised. Such ratings reflect both the likelihood of default and any financial loss suffered in the event of default.

 

Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal credit risk.

 

Aa: Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

 

A: Obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

 

Baa: Obligations rated Baa are subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium-grade and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

 

Ba: Obligations rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements and are subject to substantial credit risk.

 

B: Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

 

Caa: Obligations rated Caa are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

 

Ca: Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

 

C: Obligations rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

 

Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.

 

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Short-Term Ratings

Moody’s short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.

 

Moody’s employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

 

P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

 

NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

 

US Municipal Short-Term Debt and Demand Obligation Ratings

Short-Term Obligation Ratings

There are three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels—MIG 1 through MIG 3. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation.

 

MIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

 

MIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

 

MIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

 

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

 

Demand Obligation Ratings

In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned; a long or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moody’s evaluation of the degree of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody’s evaluation of the degree of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand (“demand feature”), using a variation of the MIG rating scale, the Variable Municipal Investment Grade or VMIG rating. When either the long- or short-term aspect of a VRDO is not rated, that piece is designated NR, e.g., Aaa/NR or NR/VMIG 1. VMIG rating expirations are a function of each issue’s specific structural or credit features.

 

VMIG rating expirations are a function of each issue’s specific structural or credit features.

 

VMIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

VMIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

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VMIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services

Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings

Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on the following considerations:

 

   

Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

   

Nature of and provisions of the obligation;

   

Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors’ rights.

 

Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

 

Investment Grade

 

AAA: An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

 

AA: An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

 

A: An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

 

BBB: An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

Speculative Grade

Obligations rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, ‘CC’, and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

 

BB: An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

B: An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

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CCC: An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

CC: An obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment.

 

C: A ‘C’ rating is assigned to obligations that are currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, obligations that have payment arrearages allowed by the terms of the documents, or obligations of an issuer that is the subject of a bankruptcy petition or similar action which have not experienced a payment default. Among other, the ‘C’ rating may be assigned to subordinated debt, preferred stock or other obligations on which cash payments have been suspended in accordance with the instrument’s terms.

 

D: An obligation rated ‘D’ is in payment default. The ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

 

Plus (+) or minus (-): The ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

 

NR: This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor’s does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

 

Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings

 

A-1: A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

 

A-2: A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

 

A-3: A short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

B: A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. Ratings of ‘B-1’, ‘B-2’, and ‘B-3’ may be assigned to indicate finer distinctions within the ‘B’ category. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

B-1: A short-term obligation rated ‘B-1’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, but the obligor has a relatively stronger capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.

 

B-2: A short-term obligation rated ‘B-2’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has an average speculative-grade capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.

 

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B-3: A short-term obligation rated ‘B-3’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has a relatively weaker capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.

 

C: A short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

D: A short-term obligation rated ‘D’ is in payment default. The ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

 

Dual Ratings: Standard & Poor’s assigns “dual” ratings to all debt issues that have a put option or demand feature as part of their structure. The first rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second rating addresses only the demand feature. The long-term rating symbols are used for bonds to denote the long-term maturity and the short-term rating symbols for the put option (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+’). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, note rating symbols are used with the short-term issue credit rating symbols (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+’).

 

Active Qualifiers (currently applied and/or outstanding)

 

i: This subscript is used for issues in which the credit factors, terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of interest are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of principal on the obligation. The ‘i’ subscript indicates that the rating addresses the interest portion of the obligation only. The ‘i’ subscript will always be used in conjunction with the ‘p’ subscript, which addresses likelihood of receipt of principal. For example, a rated obligation could be assigned ratings of “AAAp NRi” indicating that the principal portion is rated “AAA” and the interest portion of the obligation is not rated.

 

L: Ratings qualified with ‘L’ apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.

 

P: This subscript is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of interest on the obligation. The ‘p’ subscript indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only. The ‘p’ subscript will always be used in conjunction with the ‘i’ subscript, which addresses likelihood of receipt of interest. For example, a rated obligation could be assigned ratings of “AAAp NRi” indicating that the principal portion is rated “AAA” and the interest portion of the obligation is not rated.

 

pi: Ratings with a ‘pi’ subscript are based on an analysis of an issuer’s published financial information, as well as additional information in the public domain. They do not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with an issuer’s management and are therefore based on less comprehensive information than ratings without a ‘pi’ subscript. Ratings with a ‘pi’ subscript are reviewed annually based on a new year’s financial statements, but may be reviewed on an interim basis if a major event occurs that may affect the issuer’s credit quality.

 

pr: The letters ‘pr’ indicate that the rating is provisional. A provisional rating assumes the successful completion of the project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements is largely or entirely dependent upon the successful, timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, makes no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure of such completion. The investor should exercise his own judgment with respect to such likelihood and risk.

 

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Preliminary: Preliminary ratings are assigned to issues, including financial programs, in the following circumstances.

 

   

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt and approval by Standard & Poor’s of appropriate documentation. Changes in the information provided to Standard & Poor’s could result in the assignment of a different rating. In addition, Standard & Poor’s reserves the right not to issue a final rating.

   

Preliminary ratings are assigned to Rule 415 Shelf Registrations. As specific issues, with defined terms, are offered from the master registration, a final rating may be assigned to them in accordance with Standard & Poor’s policies. The final rating may differ from the preliminary rating.

 

t: This symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.

 

Unsolicited: Unsolicited ratings are those credit ratings assigned at the initiative of Standard & Poor’s and not at the request of the issuer or its agents.

 

Inactive Qualifiers (no longer applied or outstanding)

 

*: This symbol indicated continuance of the ratings is contingent upon Standard & Poor’s receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August 1998.

 

c: This qualifier was used to provide additional information to investors that the bank may terminate its obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit rating of the issuer is below an investment-grade level and/or the issuer’s bonds are deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.

 

q: A ‘q’ subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.

 

r: The ‘r’ modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks, particularly market risks, that are not covered in the credit rating. The absence of an ‘r’ modifier should not be taken as an indication that an obligation will not exhibit extraordinary non-credit related risks. Standard & Poor’s discontinued the use of the ‘r’ modifier for most obligations in June 2000 and for the balance of obligations (mainly structured finance transactions) in November 2002.

 

Local Currency and Foreign Currency Risks: Country risk considerations are a standard part of Standard & Poor’s analysis for credit ratings on any issuer or issue. Currency of repayment is a key factor in this analysis. An obligor’s capacity to repay foreign currency obligations may be lower than its capacity to repay obligations in its local currency due to the sovereign government’s own relatively lower capacity to repay external versus domestic debt. These sovereign risk considerations are incorporated in the debt ratings assigned to specific issues. Foreign currency issuer ratings are also distinguished from local currency issuer ratings to identify those instances where sovereign risks make them different for the same issuer.

 

Fitch, Inc.

Long-Term Credit Ratings

Investment Grade

 

AAA: Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

 

A-6   PIMCO Funds Equity Trust


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AA: Very high credit quality. “AA” ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

 

A: High credit quality. “A” ratings denote low expectation of credit risk. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

 

BBB: Good credit quality. “BBB” ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

 

Speculative Grade

 

BB: Speculative. ‘BB’ ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.

 

B: Highly speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

 

CCC: Substantial credit risk. ‘CCC’ ratings indicate that substantial credit risk is present.

 

CC: Very high levels of credit risk. ‘CC’ ratings indicate very high levels of credit risk.

 

C: Exceptionally high levels of credit risk. ‘C’ indicates exceptionally high levels of credit risk.

 

Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned ‘D’ ratings, but are instead rated in the ‘B’ to ‘C’ rating categories, depending upon their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

 

Recovery Ratings

Recovery Ratings are assigned to selected individual securities and obligations. These currently are published for most individual obligations of corporate issuers with IDRs in the ‘B’ rating category and below, and for selected structured finance obligations in low speculative grade.

 

Among the factors that affect recovery rates for securities are the collateral, the seniority relative to other obligations in the capital structure (where appropriate), and the expected value of the company or underlying collateral in distress.

 

The Recovery Rating scale is based upon the expected relative recovery characteristics of an obligation upon the curing of a default, emergence from insolvency or following the liquidation or termination of the obligor or its associated collateral. For structured finance, Recovery Ratings are designed to estimate recoveries on a forward-looking basis while taking into account the time value of money.

 

Recovery Ratings are an ordinal scale and do not attempt to precisely predict a given level of recovery. As a guideline in developing the rating assessments, the agency employs broad theoretical recovery bands in its ratings approach based on historical averages, but actual recoveries for a given security may deviate materially from historical averages.

 

RR1: Outstanding recovery prospects given default. ‘RR1’ rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 91%-100% of current principal and related interest.

 

RR2: Superior recovery prospects given default. ‘RR2’ rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 71%-90% of current principal and related interest.

 

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RR3: Good recovery prospects given default. ‘RR3’ rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 51%-70% of current principal and related interest.

 

RR4: Average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR4’ rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 31%-50% of current principal and related interest.

 

RR5: Below average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR5’ rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 11%-30% of current principal and related interest.

 

RR6: Poor recovery prospects given default. ‘RR6’ rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 0%-10% of current principal and related interest.

 

Short-Term Credit Ratings

A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity or security stream, and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as “short term” based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, structured and sovereign obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in US public finance markets.

 

F1: Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

 

F2: Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

 

F3: Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

 

B: Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

 

C: High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

 

RD: Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Applicable to entity ratings only.

 

D: Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a specific short-term obligation.

 

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PIMCO Funds Equity Trust

INVESTMENT ADVISER AND ADMINISTRATOR

PIMCO, 840 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660

 

 

DISTRIBUTOR

Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC, 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York,     NY 10105-4800

 

 

CUSTODIAN

[                                                                         ]

 

 

TRANSFER AGENT

[                                                                                 ]

 

 

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

[                         ]

 

 

LEGAL COUNSEL

Dechert LLP, 1775 I Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006

 

 


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LOGO

 

PIMCO Funds Equity Trust

840 Newport Center Drive

Newport Beach, CA 92660

 

The Trust’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) includes additional information about the Fund. The SAI is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus, which means it is part of this Prospectus for legal purposes. The Fund’s annual report, once it is available, will discuss the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year.

 

You may get free copies of any of these materials, request other information about the Fund, or make shareholder inquiries by calling the Trust at [                    ] or PIMCO Infolink Audio Response Network at [1-800-987-4626], or by writing to:

 

PIMCO Funds Equity Trust:

840 Newport Center Drive

Newport Beach, CA 92660

 

You may review and copy information about the Trust, including its SAI, at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may call the Commission at 1-202-551-8090 for information about the operation of the public reference room. You may also access reports and other information about the Trust on the EDGAR Database on the Commission’s Web site at www.sec.gov. You may get copies of this information, with payment of a duplication fee, by writing the Public Reference Section of the Commission, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102, or by e-mailing your request to publicinfo@sec.gov.

 

You can also visit our Web site at [www.pimco.com] for additional information about the Funds, which is available for download free of charge.

 

Reference the Trust’s Investment Company Act file number in your correspondence.

 

Investment Company Act File No. [            ] [                    ]


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LOGO

 

Share Classes: Class A Class C Class R

The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. Shares of the Fund may not be sold until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.

Preliminary Prospectus Subject to Completion

PIMCO Funds Equity Trust Prospectus

PIMCO Global Opportunities Fund

Class A

Class C

Class R

As with other mutual funds, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

A company of Allianz

Global Investors PIMCO FUNDS


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PIMCO Funds Equity Trust Prospectus

 

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Prospectus   2


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PIMCO Global Opportunities Fund

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The Fund seeks capital appreciation.

 

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND

 

LOGO

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold Class A, Class C or Class R shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least [            ] in Class A shares of eligible funds offered by Allianz Funds, Allianz Multi-Strategy Funds, PIMCO Funds and PIMCO Funds Equity Trust. More information about these and other discounts is available in the “Classes of Shares—Class A, C and R Shares” section on page [    ] of the Fund’s prospectus or from your financial advisor.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

      Class A     Class C     Class R  
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)    [       [       [    
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of the original purchase price or redemption price)    [       [       [    

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

     Class A     Class C     Class R  
Management Fees   [     ]%    [     ]%    [     ]% 
Distribution and/or
Service (12b-1)
Fees
  [       [       [     ]% 
Other Expenses      

Organizational Expenses

  [     ]%    [     ]%    [     ]% 
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses   [     ]%    [     ]%    [     ]% 
Expense Reimbursement(1)   [       [       [    

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

After Expense Reimbursement

  [       [       [    

 

(1) PIMCO has contractually agreed, through [    ], to waive its supervisory and administrative fee, or reimburse the Fund, to the extent that organizational expenses and pro rata Trustees’ fees exceed 0.0049% of the Fund’s average net assets attributable to Class A, Class C, or Class R shares, respectively (the “Expense Limit”). Under the Expense Limitation Agreement, which renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days’ notice prior to the end of the contract term, PIMCO may recoup these waivers and reimbursements in future periods, not exceeding three years, provided organizational expenses and pro rata Trustees’ fees plus such recoupment, do not exceed the Expense Limit.

 

 

Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Class A, Class C, or Class R shares of the Fund with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the noted class of shares for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, the Example shows what your costs would be based on these assumptions.

 

     1 Year     3 Years  
Class A   $ [    ]    $ [    ] 
Class C   $ [    ]    $ [    ] 
Class R   $ [    ]    $ [    ] 

 

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund pays transaction costs when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example tables, affect the Fund’s performance. The Fund has not yet commenced operations. Thus, no portfolio turnover rate is provided for the Fund.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

LOGO

The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances in equity securities, including common and preferred stock (and securities convertible into, or that PIMCO expects to be exchanged for, common or preferred stock), of issuers that PIMCO believes are undervalued. The Fund will invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to at least three countries (one of which may be the United States). The Fund’s bottom-up value investment style attempts to identify securities that are undervalued by the market in comparison to PIMCO’s own determination of the company’s value, taking into account criteria such as asset value, book value and cash flow and earnings estimates.

 

When making investments, PIMCO evaluates the merits of each investment separately and there are no specific limitations on the value, asset size, earnings or industry classification of the Fund’s investments. The Fund may invest in securities issued by large-capitalization, mid-capitalization and small-capitalization companies. The Fund generally considers large- and mid-cap companies to be those with market capitalizations greater than $1.5 billion. The Fund may invest, without limitation, in securities and instruments that are economically tied to foreign (non-U.S.) countries. The Fund may also invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries.


 

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3   PIMCO Funds Equity Trust


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PIMCO Global Opportunities Fund

 

The Fund may also invest in U.S. and non-U.S. sovereign government debt and other debt securities, including bank loans, that PIMCO selects on the basis of its determination of the security’s value and not necessarily based on the coupon rate or credit rating of the security. The debt investments of the Fund may include high yield securities (“junk bonds”) of any rating. The Fund may invest in the securities of distressed companies including defaulted securities, which typically involve investments in lower-rated debt securities and loans but may also include equity securities of distressed companies.

 

The Fund may engage in a risk arbitrage strategy to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two securities. Under an arbitrage strategy, the Fund may purchase one security while selling short another security. The security purchased is generally considered by PIMCO to be undervalued relative to the price of the security sold short, or the security sold short is generally considered to be overvalued relative to the price of the security purchased. Issuers of securities acquired pursuant to an arbitrage strategy may be engaged in certain types of corporate events, such as restructurings, acquisitions, mergers, takeovers, tender or exchange offers or liquidations. The Fund may attempt to hedge foreign currency exposure using foreign currency exchange contracts and other investments and may utilize derivative instruments to hedge against other market risks. The Fund may also invest in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements consistent with its investment objective. The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales.

 

The Fund may purchase securities to seek to influence or control management of an issuer, or may invest in other companies that do so, when the portfolio managers believe such actions would benefit the Fund.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS

 

LOGO

The principal risks of investing in the Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and total return are:

 

Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred stocks, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities

 

Value Investing Risk: A value stock may decrease in price or may not increase in price as anticipated by PIMCO if it continues to be undervalued by the market or the factors that PIMCO believes will cause the stock price to increase do not occur

 

Foreign (non-U.S.) Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Fund experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets, differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political changes or diplomatic developments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers

 

Emerging Markets Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk

 

 

Market Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries

 

Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for reasons directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or service

 

Credit Risk: the risk that the Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations

 

High Yield and Distressed Company Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as “junk bonds”) and securities of distressed companies may be subject to greater levels of credit, issuer and liquidity risks. Securities of distressed companies include both debt and equity securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to make principal and interest payments. Distressed companies may be engaged in restructurings or bankruptcy proceedings

 

Currency Risk: the risk that foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Fund’s investments in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies

 

Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Fund may be unable to sell illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector

 

Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Fund, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage, causing the Fund to be more volatile than if it had not been leveraged

 

Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers in connection with managing the Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved

 

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Company Risk: the risk that the value of securities issued by small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, due to narrow markets and limited managerial and financial resources

 

Arbitrage Risk: the risk that securities purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy intended to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two securities may not perform as expected

 

Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments, including liquidity, market, credit and management risks, mispricing or improper valuation. Changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested

 

Short Sale Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms, causing a loss to the Fund


 

Prospectus   4


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PIMCO Global Opportunities Fund

 

 

Please see “Summary of Principal Risks” in the Fund’s prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Fund. It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

 

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

 

LOGO

The Fund does not have a full calendar year of performance. Thus, no bar chart or Average Annual Total Returns table is included for the Fund.

 

INVESTMENT ADVISER/PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

 

 

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Fund. The Fund’s portfolio is jointly managed by [                    ]

 

PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES

 

LOGO

Shares of the Fund may be purchased or sold (redeemed) on any business day (normally any day when the New York Stock Exchange is open). Generally, purchase and redemption orders for Fund shares are processed at the net asset value next calculated after an order is received by the Distributor.

 

n

 

The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C shares of the Fund is $1,000 and $50 for each minimum subsequent investment, except that the minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial intermediaries that submit trades on behalf of underlying investors. You may purchase or sell (redeem) all or part of your Fund shares through a broker, dealer, or other financial intermediary, or directly from the Trust by mail (Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC, P.O. Box 8050, Boston, MA 02266-8050) as further described in the Fund’s prospectus. The Distributor reserves the right to require payment by wire or U.S. Bank check.

  n  

There is no minimum initial or minimum additional investment in Class R shares because Class R shares may only be purchased through omnibus accounts for specified benefit plans. Specified benefit plans which wish to invest directly by mail should send a check payable to Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC, along with a completed application form to: Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC, P.O. Box 8050, Boston, MA 02266-8050.

 

TAX INFORMATION

 

LOGO

The Fund’s distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or a combination of the two, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account.

 

PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND  OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

 

LOGO

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and/or its related companies (including PIMCO) may pay the intermediary for the sale of those shares of the Fund and/or other services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s Web site for more information.

 


 

5   PIMCO Funds Equity Trust


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Summary of Principal Risks

 

The value of your investment in the Fund changes with the values of the Fund’s investments. Many factors can affect those values. The factors that are most likely to have a material effect on the Fund’s portfolio as a whole are called “principal risks.” The principal risks of the Fund are identified in the Fund Summary and are described in this section. The Fund may be subject to additional risks other than those described below because the types of investments made by the Fund can change over time. Securities and investment techniques mentioned in this summary that appear in bold type are described in greater detail under “Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques.” That section and “Investment Objectives and Policies” in the Statement of Additional Information also include more information about the Fund, its investments and the related risks. Please see “Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings” in the Statement of Additional Information for information about the availability of the complete schedule of the Fund’s holdings. There is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to achieve its investment objective. It is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund.

 

Equity Risk

The values of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred stocks, may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. These risks are generally magnified in the case of equity investments in distressed companies.

 

Value Investing Risk

Value investing attempts to identify companies that the portfolio managers believe to be undervalued. Value stocks typically have prices that are low relative to factors such as the company’s earnings, cash flow or dividends. A value stock may decrease in price or may not increase in price as anticipated by PIMCO if it continues to be undervalued by the market or the factors that the portfolio managers believe will cause the stock price to increase do not occur. A value investing style may perform better or worse than equity funds that focus on growth stocks or that have a broader investment style.

 

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Investment Risk

When the Fund invests in foreign (non-U.S.) securities, it may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than a fund that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies. The securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. Additionally, issuers of foreign securities are usually not subject to the same degree of regulation as U.S. issuers. Reporting, accounting and auditing standards of foreign countries differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards. Also, nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments could adversely affect the Fund’s investments in a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, the Fund could lose its entire investment in foreign securities. Adverse conditions in a certain region can adversely affect securities of other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated. To the extent that the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region, the Fund will generally have more exposure to regional economic risks associated with foreign investments. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers.

 

Emerging Markets Risk

Foreign investment risk may be particularly high to the extent that the Fund invests in emerging market securities that are economically tied to countries with developing economies. These securities may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed foreign countries. Those securities may also be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers.

 

Market Risk

The market price of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries represented in the securities markets. The value of a security may decline due to general market conditions which are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. The value may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities.

 

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Issuer Risk

The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services.

 

Credit Risk

The Fund could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement or a loan of portfolio securities, is unable or unwilling to make timely principal and/or interest payments, or to otherwise honor its obligations. Securities are subject to varying degrees of credit risk, which are often reflected in credit ratings.

 

High Yield and Distressed Company Risk

The Fund’s investments in high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as “junk bonds”) and securities of distressed companies may be subject to greater levels of credit, issuer and liquidity risk than a fund that does not invest in such securities. Securities of distressed companies include both debt and equity securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies are considered predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to make principal and interest payments. Issuers of high yield and distressed company securities may also be involved in restructurings or bankruptcy proceedings that may not be successful. An economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market for these securities and reduce the Fund’s ability to sell these securities (liquidity risk). If the issuer of a debt security is in default with respect to interest or principal payments, the Fund may lose its entire investment.

 

Currency Risk

If the Fund invests directly in foreign (non-U.S.) currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, or in derivatives that provide exposure to foreign (non-U.S.) currencies, it will be subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedging positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates, intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments, central banks or supranational entities such as the International Monetary Fund, or by the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the United States or abroad. As a result, the Fund’s investments in foreign currency-denominated securities may reduce the returns of the Fund.

 

Liquidity Risk

Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell. The Fund’s investments in illiquid securities may reduce the returns of the Fund because it may be unable to sell the illiquid securities at an advantageous time or price. Additionally, the market for certain investments may become illiquid under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the conditions of a particular issuer. In such cases, the Fund, due to limitations on investments in illiquid securities and the difficulty in purchasing and selling such securities or instruments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. To the extent that the Fund’s principal investment strategies involve foreign (non-U.S.) securities, derivatives or securities with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have greater exposure to liquidity risk.

 

Leveraging Risk

Certain transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Such transactions may include, among others, reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions. The use of derivatives may also create leveraging risk. To mitigate leveraging risk, PIMCO will segregate or “earmark” liquid assets or otherwise cover transactions that may give rise to such risk. The Fund also may be exposed to leveraging risk by borrowing money for investment purposes. Leveraging may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. Leveraging, including borrowing, may cause the Fund to be more volatile than if the Fund had not been leveraged. This is because leveraging tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities.

 

Management Risk

The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment portfolio. PIMCO and each individual portfolio manager will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions will produce the desired results. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO and the portfolio managers in connection with managing the Fund and may also adversely affect the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objectives.

 

Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Company Risk

Investments in securities issued by small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies involve greater risk than investments in large-capitalization companies. The value of securities issued by small- and mid-cap companies may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, due to narrower markets and more limited managerial and financial resources than large-cap companies. The Fund’s investments in small- and mid-cap companies may increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

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Arbitrage Risk

The Fund’s investments in securities purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy in order to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two securities present certain risks. Securities purchased or sold short pursuant to an arbitrage strategy may not perform as intended, which may result in a loss to the Fund. Additionally, issuers of a security purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy are often engaged in significant corporate events, such as restructurings, acquisitions, mergers, takeovers, tender offers or exchanges, or liquidations. Such corporate events may not be completed as initially planned or may fail.

 

Derivatives Risk

Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. The various derivative instruments that the Fund may use are referenced under “Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques—Derivatives” in this prospectus and described in more detail under “Investment Objectives and Policies” in the Statement of Additional Information. The Fund typically uses derivatives as a substitute for taking a position in the underlying asset and/or as part of a strategy designed to reduce exposure to other risks, such as interest rate or currency risk. The Fund may also use derivatives for leverage, in which case their use would involve leveraging risk. The Fund’s use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Derivatives are subject to a number of risks described elsewhere in this section, such as liquidity risk, market risk, credit risk and management risk. They also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index. If the Fund invests in a derivative instrument, it could lose more than the principal amount invested. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial.

 

Short Sale Risk

Short sales are subject to special risks. A short sale involves the sale by the Fund of a security that it does not own with the hope of purchasing the same security at a later date at a lower price. The Fund may also enter into a short position through a forward commitment or a short derivative position through a futures contract or swap agreement. If the price of the security or derivative has increased during this time, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short sale was entered into plus any premiums and interest paid to the third party. Therefore, short sales involve the risk that losses may be exaggerated, potentially losing more money than the actual cost of the investment. Also, there is the risk that the third party to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms, causing a loss to the Fund.

 

Management of the Fund

 

Investment Adviser and Administrator

PIMCO serves as the investment adviser and the administrator (serving in its capacity as administrator, the “Administrator”) for the Fund. Subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees of PIMCO Funds Equity Trust (the “Trust”) PIMCO is responsible for managing the investment activities of the Fund and the Fund’s business affairs and other administrative matters.

 

PIMCO is located at 840 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660. Organized in 1971, PIMCO provides investment management and advisory services to private accounts of institutional and individual clients and to mutual funds. As of [                    ], PIMCO had approximately $[    ] in assets under management.

 

Management Fees

The Fund pays for the advisory and supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. The Management Fees shown in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses table reflect both an advisory fee and a supervisory and administrative fee.

 

   

Advisory Fee.  The Fund pays PIMCO fees in return for providing investment advisory services. The Fund will pay monthly advisory fees to PIMCO at the annual rate (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets of the Fund) of [    ]%.

 

A discussion of the basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the Fund’s investment advisory contract will be available in the Fund’s first annual or semi-annual report to shareholders. As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund has not commenced operations.

 

   

Supervisory and Administrative Fee.  The Fund pays for the supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure. Class A, Class C and Class R shareholders of the Fund pay a supervisory and administrative fee to PIMCO, computed as a percentage of the Fund’s assets attributable in the aggregate to that class of shares. PIMCO, in turn, provides or procures supervisory and administrative services

 

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for Class A, Class C and Class R shareholders and also bears the costs of various third-party services required by the Fund, including audit, custodial, portfolio accounting, legal, transfer agency and printing costs. The Fund does bear other expenses which are not covered under the supervisory and administrative fee which may vary and affect the total level of expenses paid by the Class A, Class C and Class R shareholders, such as taxes and governmental fees, brokerage fees, commissions and other transaction expenses, costs of borrowing money, including interest expenses, extraordinary expenses (such as litigation and indemnification expenses) and fees and expenses of the Trust’s Independent Trustees and their counsel. PIMCO generally earns a profit on the supervisory and administrative fee paid by the Fund. Also, under the terms of the supervision and administration agreement, PIMCO, and not Fund shareholders, would benefit from any price decreases in third-party services, including decreases resulting from an increase in net assets.

 

The Fund will pay PIMCO monthly supervisory and administrative fees for the Class A, Class C and Class R shares at the following annual rates (stated as a percentage of the average daily net assets attributable in the aggregate to each class of shares taken separately): [    ]%, [    ]%, and [    ]%, respectively. PIMCO has contractually agreed, through [            ], to reduce total annual fund operating expenses for each of the Fund’s separate classes of shares, by waiving a portion of the Fund’s supervisory and administrative fee or reimbursing the Fund, to the extent that organizational expenses and pro rata Trustees’ fees exceed 0.0049% of the Fund’s average net assets attributable to a separate class of shares, respectively. Under the Expense Limitation Agreement, which renews annually for a full year unless terminated by PIMCO upon at least 30 days notice prior to the end of the contract term, PIMCO may recoup these waivers and reimbursements in future periods not exceeding three years, provided that organizational expenses and pro rata Trustees’ fees, plus recoupment, do not exceed the Expense Limit.

 

Individual Portfolio Managers

The following individuals have primary responsibility for managing the Fund.

 

Portfolio Manager  

Since

   Recent Professional Experience

[                         ]

  [            ]    [                                                                                    ]

 

Please see the Statement of Additional Information for additional information about other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, the portfolio managers’ compensation and the portfolio managers’ ownership of shares of the Fund.

 

Distributor

The Trust’s Distributor is Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC (“AGID” or “Distributor”), an indirect subsidiary of Allianz Global Investors of America L.P. (“AGI”), PIMCO’s parent company. The Distributor, located at 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10105, is a broker-dealer registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

 

Regulatory and
Litigation Matters

PIMCO and PIMCO Funds, another series of funds managed by PIMCO, are the subject of a lawsuit in the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division in which the complaint alleges that plaintiffs each purchased and sold a 10-year Treasury note futures contract and suffered damages from an alleged shortage when PIMCO held both physical and futures positions in 10-year Treasury notes for its client accounts. In July 2007, the court granted class certification of a class consisting of those persons who purchased futures contracts to offset short positions between May 9, 2005 and June 30, 2005. PIMCO currently believes that the complaint is without merit and PIMCO and PIMCO Funds intend to vigorously defend against this action.

 

In April 2006, certain registered investment companies and other funds managed by PIMCO were served in an adversary proceeding brought by the Official Committee of Asbestos Claimants of G-I Holdings, Inc. in G-I Holdings, Inc.’s bankruptcy in the District of New Jersey. In July 2004, PIMCO was named in this lawsuit and remains a defendant. The plaintiff seeks to recover for the bankruptcy estate assets that were transferred by the predecessor entity of G-I Holdings, Inc. to a wholly-owned subsidiary in 1994. The subsidiary has since issued notes, of which certain registered investment companies and other funds managed by PIMCO are alleged to be holders. The complaint alleges that in 2000, more than two hundred noteholders—including certain registered investment companies and other funds managed by PIMCO—were granted a second priority lien on the assets of the subsidiary in exchange for their consent to a refinancing transaction and the granting of a first priority lien to the lending banks. The plaintiff is seeking invalidation of the lien in favor of the noteholders and/or the value of the lien. A Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”) is currently under consideration by the Court in the underlying bankruptcy case. If the Plan is approved, it is expected that the adversary proceeding to which PIMCO and other funds managed by PIMCO (“PIMCO Entities”) are parties will be dismissed. It is not known at this time when

 

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the Plan may be approved, if at all. In the meantime, the adversary proceeding is stayed. This matter is not expected to have a material adverse effect on the relevant PIMCO Entities.

 

It is possible that these matters and/or other developments resulting from these matters could result in increased fund redemptions or other adverse consequences to the Fund. However, PIMCO and AGID believe that these matters are not likely to have a material adverse effect on the Fund or on PIMCO’s or AGID’s ability to perform their respective investment advisory or distribution services relating to the Fund.

 

The foregoing speaks only as of the date of this prospectus. While there may be additional litigation or regulatory developments in connection with the matters discussed above, the foregoing disclosure of litigation and regulatory matters will be updated only if those developments are material.

 

Classes of Shares—Class A, C and R Shares

 

The Trust offers investors Class A, Class C and Class R shares in this prospectus. Each class of shares is subject to different types and levels of sales charges (if applicable) and other fees than the other classes and bears a different level of expenses.

 

The class of shares that is best for you depends upon a number of factors, including the amount and the intended length of your investment. The following summarizes key information about each class to help you make your investment decision, including the various expenses associated with each class and the payments made to financial intermediaries for distribution and other services. More extensive information about the Trust’s multi-class arrangements is included in the Statement of Additional Information and can be obtained free of charge from the Distributor.

 

Class A Shares

 

You pay an initial sales charge when you buy Class A shares of the Fund. The maximum initial sales charge for the Fund is [    ]%. The sales charge is deducted from your investment so that not all of your purchase payment is invested.

 

   

You may be eligible for a reduction or a complete waiver of the initial sales charge under a number of circumstances. For example, you normally pay no sales charge if you purchase $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for details.

 

   

Class A shares are subject to lower 12b-1 fees than Class C shares. Therefore, Class A shareholders generally pay lower annual expenses and receive higher dividends than Class C shareholders.

 

   

You normally pay no contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) when you redeem Class A shares, although you may pay a 1% CDSC if you purchase $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares (and therefore pay no initial sales charge) and then redeem the shares during the first 18 months after your initial purchase. The Class A CDSC is waived for certain categories of investors and does not apply if you are otherwise eligible to purchase Class A shares without a sales charge. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for details.

 

Class C Shares

 

You normally pay a CDSC of 1% if you redeem Class C shares during the first year after your initial purchase. The Class C CDSC is waived for certain categories of investors. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for details.

 

   

Class C shares are subject to higher 12b-1 fees than Class A shares. Therefore, Class C shareholders normally pay higher annual expenses and receive lower dividends than Class A shareholders.

 

   

Class C shares do not convert into any other class of shares.

 

   

You do not pay an initial sales charge when you buy Class C shares. The full amount of your purchase is invested initially.

 

Some or all of the payments described below are paid or “reallowed” to financial intermediaries. The following provides additional information about the sales charges and other expenses associated with Class A and Class C shares.

 

 

Initial Sales Charges —Class A Shares

This section includes important information about sales charge reduction programs available to investors in Class A shares of the Fund and describes information or records you may need to provide to the Distributor or your financial intermediary in order to be eligible for sales charge reduction programs.

 

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, the public offering price you pay when you buy Class A shares of the Fund is the net asset value (“NAV”) of the shares plus an initial sales charge. The initial sales charge varies depending upon the size of your purchase, as set forth below. No sales charge is imposed where Class A shares are issued to

 

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you pursuant to the automatic reinvestment of income dividends or capital gains distributions. For investors investing in Class A shares of the Fund through a financial intermediary, it is the responsibility of the financial intermediary to ensure that the investor obtains the proper “breakpoint” discount.

 

Amount of Purchase     

Initial Sales Charge

as % of Net

Amount Invested

     Initial Sales Charge
as % of Public
Offering Price
$[    ]–$[    ]      [    ]      [    ]
$[    ]–$[    ]      [    ]      [    ]
$[    ]–$[    ]      [    ]      [    ]
$[    ]–$[    ]      [    ]      [    ]
$[    ] +      [    ]      [    ]

 

  *   As shown, investors that purchase $[    ] or more of the Fund’s Class A shares will not pay any initial sales charge on the purchase. However, purchasers of $[    ] or more of Class A shares may be subject to a CDSC of [    ]% if the shares are redeemed during the first 18 months after their purchase. See “CDSCs on Class A Shares” below.

 

Investors in the Fund may reduce or eliminate sales charges applicable to purchases of Class A shares through utilization of the Combined Purchase Privilege, the Cumulative Quantity Discount (Right of Accumulation), a Letter of Intent or the Reinstatement Privilege. These programs, which apply to purchases of one of more funds that are series of the Trust, PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds or Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust that offer Class A shares (other than the Government Money Market and Money Market series of PIMCO Funds) (together, “Eligible Funds”), are summarized below and are described in greater detail in the Statement of Additional Information.

 

Right of Accumulation and Combined Purchase Privilege (Breakpoints).  A Qualifying Investor (as defined below) may qualify for a reduced sales charge on Class A shares (the “Combined Purchase Privilege”) by combining concurrent purchases of the Class A shares of one or more Eligible Funds into a single purchase. In addition, a Qualifying Investor may qualify for a reduced sales charge on Class A shares (the “Right of Accumulation” or “Cumulative Quantity Discount”) by combining the purchase of Class A shares of an Eligible Fund with the current aggregate net asset value of all Class A and C shares of any Eligible Fund held by accounts for the benefit of such Qualifying Investor.

 

The term “Qualifying Investor” refers to:

 

(i) an individual, such individual’s spouse, such individual’s children under the age of 21 years, or such individual’s siblings (each a “family member”) (including family trust* accounts established by such a family member); or

 

(ii) a trustee or other fiduciary for a single trust (except family trusts* noted above), estate or fiduciary account although more than one beneficiary may be involved; or

 

(iii) an employee benefit plan of a single employer.

 

*For the purpose of determining whether a purchase would qualify for a reduced sales charge under the Combined Purchase Privilege or Right of Accumulation, a “family trust” is one in which a family member(s) described in section (i) above is/are a beneficiary/ies and such person(s) and/or another family member is the trustee.

 

Please see the Statement of Additional Information for details and for restrictions applicable to shares held by certain employer-sponsored benefit programs.

 

Letter of Intent.  An investor may also obtain a reduced sales charge on purchases of Class A shares by means of a written Letter of Intent, which expresses an intent to invest not less than $50,000 within a period of 13 months in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund(s). The maximum intended investment allowable in a Letter of Intent is $1,000,000. Each purchase of shares under a Letter of Intent will be made at the public offering price or prices applicable at the time of such purchase to a single purchase of the dollar amount indicated in the Letter of Intent. A Letter of Intent is not a binding obligation to purchase the full amount indicated. Shares purchased with the first 5% of the amount indicated in the Letter of Intent will be held in escrow (while remaining registered in your name) to secure payment of the higher sales charges applicable to the shares actually purchased in the event the full intended amount is not purchased.

 

Reinstatement Privilege.  A Class A shareholder who has caused any or all of his shares to be redeemed may reinvest all or any portion of the redemption proceeds in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund at NAV without any sales charge, provided that such investment is made within 120 calendar days after the redemption or repurchase date. The limitations and restrictions of this program are fully described in the Statement of Additional Information.

 

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Method of Valuation of Accounts.  To determine whether a shareholder qualifies for a reduction in sales charge on a purchase of Class A shares of Eligible Funds, the offering price of the shares is used for purchases relying on the Combined Purchase Privilege or a Letter of Intent and the amount of the total current purchase (including any sales load) plus the NAV (at the close of business on the day of the current purchase) of shares previously acquired is used for the Cumulative Quantity Discount.

 

Sales at Net Asset Value.  In addition to the programs summarized above, the Fund may sell its Class A shares at NAV without an initial sales charge to certain types of accounts or account holders, including, but not limited to: Trustees of the Fund; employees of PIMCO and the Distributor; employees of participating brokers; certain trustees or other fiduciaries purchasing shares for retirement plans; participants investing in certain “wrap accounts” and investors who purchase shares through a participating broker who has waived all or a portion of the payments it normally would receive from the Distributor at the time of purchase. In addition, Class A shares of the Fund issued pursuant to the automatic reinvestment of income dividends or capital gains distributions are issued at NAV and are not subject to any sales charges.

 

Required Shareholder Information and Records.  In order for investors in Class A shares of the Fund to take advantage of sales charge reductions, an investor or his or her financial intermediary must notify the Distributor that the investor qualifies for such a reduction. If the Distributor is not notified that the investor is eligible for these reductions, the Distributor will be unable to ensure that the reduction is applied to the investor’s account. An investor may have to provide certain information or records to his or her financial intermediary or the Distributor to verify the investor’s eligibility for breakpoint privileges or other sales charge waivers. An investor may be asked to provide information or records, including account statements, regarding shares of the Fund or other Eligible Funds held in:

 

   

all of the investor’s accounts held directly with the Trust or through a financial intermediary;

 

   

any account of the investor at another financial intermediary; and

 

   

accounts of related parties of the investor, such as members of the same family or household, at any financial intermediary.

 

The Trust makes available free of charge and in a clear and prominent format, on the Distributor’s Web site at www.allianzinvestors.com, information regarding eliminations of and reductions in sales loads associated with Eligible Funds.

 

 

Contingent Deferred Sales Charges (CDSCs)—Class C Shares

Unless you are eligible for a waiver, if you sell (redeem) your Class C shares within the time periods specified below, you will pay a CDSC according to the following schedule. For investors investing in Class C shares of the Fund through a financial intermediary, it is the responsibility of the financial intermediary to ensure that the investor is credited with the proper holding period for the shares redeemed.

 

 

Class C Shares

Years Since Purchase

Payment was Made

    

Percentage Contingent

Deferred Sales Charge

First      1%
Thereafter      0%

 

 

CDSCs on Class A Shares

Unless a waiver applies, investors who purchase $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares (and, thus, pay no initial sales charge) of the Fund will be subject to a 1% CDSC if the shares are redeemed within 18 months of their purchase. The Class A CDSC does not apply if you are otherwise eligible to purchase Class A shares without an initial sales charge or are eligible for a waiver of the CDSC. See “Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs” below.

 

 

How CDSCs will be Calculated

A CDSC is imposed on redemptions of Class C shares (and where applicable, Class A shares) on the amount of the redemption which causes the current value of your account for the particular class of shares of the Fund to fall below the total dollar amount of your purchase payments subject to the CDSC.

 

The following rules apply under the method for calculating CDSCs:

 

   

Shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions will be redeemed first and will not be subject to any CDSC.

 

   

For the redemption of all other shares, the CDSC will be based on either your original purchase price or the then current NAV of the shares being sold, whichever is lower. To illustrate this point, consider shares purchased at an NAV per share of $10. If the Fund’s NAV per share at the time of redemption is $12, the CDSC will apply to the purchase price of $10. If the NAV per share at the time of redemption is $8, the CDSC will apply to the $8 current NAV per share.

 

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CDSCs will be deducted from the proceeds of your redemption, not from amounts remaining in your account.

 

   

In determining whether a CDSC is payable, it is assumed that the shareholder will redeem first the lot of shares which will incur the lowest CDSC.

 

The following example illustrates the operation of the Class C CDSC:

 

   

Assume that an individual opens an account and makes a purchase payment of $10,000 for 1,000 Class C shares of the Fund (at $10 per share) and that six months later the value of the investor’s account for that Fund has grown through investment performance to $11,000 ($11 per share). If the investor should redeem $2,200 (200 shares), a CDSC would be applied against $2,000 of the redemption (the purchase price of the shares redeemed, because the purchase price is lower than the current NAV of such shares ($2,200)). At the rate of 1%, the Class C CDSC would be $20.

 

 

Reductions and Waivers of Initial Sales Charges and CDSCs

The initial sales charges on Class A shares and the CDSCs on Class A and Class C shares may be reduced or waived under certain purchase arrangements and for certain categories of investors. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for details.

 

 

 

Class R Shares— Specified Benefit Plans

Class R shares generally are available only to 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, health care benefit funding plans and other specified benefit plans and accounts whereby the plan or the plan’s financial service firm has an agreement with the Distributor or PIMCO to utilize Class R shares in certain investment products or programs (collectively, “specified benefit plans”). In addition, Class R shares also are generally available only to specified benefit plans where Class R shares are held on the books of the Fund through omnibus accounts (either at the benefit plan level or at the level of the plan’s financial service firm). Class R shares are not available to retail or institutional non-specified benefit plan accounts, traditional and Roth IRAs (except through omnibus accounts), Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, SEPs, SAR-SEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, or individual 403(b) plans.

 

The administrator of a specified benefit plan or employee benefits office can provide participants with detailed information on how to participate in the plan and how to elect the Fund as an investment option. Plan participants may be permitted to elect different investment options, alter the amounts contributed to the plan, or change how contributions are allocated among investment options in accordance with the plan’s specific provisions. The plan administrator or employee benefits office should be consulted for details. For questions about participant accounts, participants should contact their employee benefits office, the plan administrator, or the organization that provides recordkeeping services for the plan.

 

Eligible specified benefit plans generally may open an account and purchase Class R shares by contacting any broker, dealer or other financial intermediary (“financial service firm”) authorized to sell Class R shares of the Fund. Eligible specified benefit plans may also purchase shares directly from the Distributor. See “Buying Shares” below. Additional shares may be purchased through a benefit plan’s administrator or recordkeeper.

 

Financial service firms may provide or arrange for the provision of some or all of the shareholder servicing and account maintenance services required by specified benefit plan accounts and their plan participants, including, without limitation, transfers of registration and dividend payee changes. Financial service firms may also perform other functions, including generating confirmation statements, and may arrange with plan administrators for other investment or administrative services. Financial service firms may independently establish and charge specified benefit plans and plan participants transaction fees and/or other additional amounts for such services, which may change over time. Similarly, specified benefit plans may charge plan participants for certain expenses. These fees and additional amounts could reduce an investment return in Class R shares of the Fund. Financial service firms and specified benefit plans may have omnibus accounts and similar arrangements with the Trust and may be paid for providing sub-transfer agency and other services. A firm or specified benefit plan may be paid for its services directly or indirectly by the Fund, PIMCO or an affiliate (normally not to exceed an annual rate of [      ]% of the Fund’s average daily net assets attributable to its Class R shares and purchased through such firm or specified benefit plan for its clients). The Distributor may pay a financial service firm or specified benefit plan an additional amount not to exceed [      ]% for sub-transfer agency or other administrative services. Such sub-transfer agency or other administrative services may include, but are not limited to, the following: processing and mailing trade confirmations, monthly statements, prospectuses, annual reports, semi-annual reports and shareholder notices and other SEC required communications; capturing and processing tax data; issuing and mailing dividend checks to shareholders who have selected cash distributions; preparing record date shareholder lists for proxy solicitations; collecting and posting distributions to shareholder accounts; and establishing and

 

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maintaining systematic withdrawals and automated investment plans and shareholder account registrations. Your specified benefit plan may establish various minimum investment requirements for Class R shares of the Fund

and may also establish certain privileges with respect to purchases, redemptions and exchanges of Class R shares or the reinvestment of dividends. Plan participants should contact their plan administrator with respect to these issues. Plan administrators should contact their financial service firm for information about the firm. This prospectus should be read in connection with the specified benefit plan’s and/or the financial service firm’s materials regarding its fees and services.

 

 

Distribution and Servicing (12b-1) Plans

The Fund pays fees to the Distributor on an ongoing basis as compensation for the services the Distributor renders and the expenses it bears in connection with the sale and distribution of Fund shares (“distribution fees”) and/or in connection with personal services rendered to Fund shareholders and the maintenance of shareholder accounts (“servicing fees”). These payments are made pursuant to Distribution and Servicing Plans (“12b-1 Plans”) adopted by the Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.

 

There is a separate 12b-1 Plan for each class of shares offered in this prospectus. Class A shares pay only servicing fees. Class C and Class R shares pay both distribution and servicing fees. The following lists the maximum annual rates at which the distribution and/or servicing fees may be paid under each 12b-1 Plan (calculated as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets attributable to the particular class of shares):

 

        Servicing
Fee
     Distribution
Fee
Class A      [    ]      [    ]
Class C      [    ]      [    ]
Class R      [    ]      [    ]

 

Because distribution fees are paid out of the Fund’s assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than other types of sales charges, such as sales charges that are deducted at the time of investment. Therefore, although Class C and Class R shares do not pay initial sales charges, the distribution fees payable on Class C and Class R shares may, over time, cost you more than the initial sales charge imposed on Class A shares.

 

 

Payments to Financial Firms

Some or all of the sales charges and servicing fees described above are paid or “reallowed” to the broker, dealer or financial adviser (collectively, “financial firms”) through which you purchase your shares. With respect to Class C shares, the financial firms are also paid at the time of your purchase a commission of up to 1.00% of your investment in such share class. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for more details. A financial firm is one that, in exchange for compensation, sells, among other products, mutual fund shares (including the shares offered in this prospectus) or provides services for mutual fund shareholders. Financial firms include brokers, dealers, insurance companies and banks.

 

In addition, AGID, PIMCO and their affiliates (for purposes of this subsection only, collectively, the “Distributor”) may from time to time make payments such as cash bonuses or provide other incentives to selected financial firms as compensation for services such as, without limitation, providing the Fund and series of the PIMCO Funds (for purposes of this subsection only, the Fund and series of the PIMCO Funds are collectively referred to as the “Funds”) with “shelf space” or a higher profile for the financial firms’ financial consultants and their customers, placing the Funds on the financial firms’ preferred or recommended fund list, granting the Distributor access to the financial firms’ financial consultants, providing assistance in training and educating the financial firms’ personnel, and furnishing marketing support and other specified services. These payments may be significant to the financial firms and may also take the form of sponsorship of seminars or informational meetings or payment for attendance by persons associated with the financial firms at seminars or informational meetings.

 

A number of factors will be considered in determining the amount of these payments to financial firms. On some occasions, such payments may be conditioned upon levels of sales, including the sale of a specified minimum dollar amount of the shares of the Funds other funds sponsored by the Distributor and/or a particular class of shares, during a specified period of time. The Distributor may also make payments to one or more participating financial firms based upon factors such as the amount of assets a financial firm’s clients have invested in the Funds and the quality of the financial firm’s relationship with the Distributor.

 

The payments described above are made at the Distributor’s expense. These payments may be made to financial firms selected by the Distributor, generally to the financial firms that have sold significant amounts of shares of the Funds. The level of payments made to a financial firm in any given year will vary and generally will not exceed the sum of (a) 0.10% of such year’s fund sales by that financial firm and (b) 0.06% of the assets attributable to that financial firm invested in equity funds sponsored by the Distributor and 0.03% of the assets

 

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invested in fixed-income funds sponsored by the Distributor. In certain cases, the payments described in the preceding sentence may be subject to certain minimum payment levels. In lieu of payments pursuant to the foregoing formulae, the Distributor may make payments of an agreed upon amount which normally will not exceed the amount that would have been payable pursuant to the formulae. There are a few existing relationships on different bases are expected to terminate, although the actual termination date is not known. In some cases, in addition to the payments described above, the Distributor will make payments for special events such as a conference or seminar sponsored by one of such financial firms.

 

If investment advisers, distributors or affiliates of mutual funds pay bonuses and incentives in differing amounts, financial firms and their financial consultants may have financial incentives for recommending a particular mutual fund over other mutual funds. In addition, depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a financial firm and its financial consultants may also have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes. You should consult with your financial advisor and review carefully any disclosure by the financial firm as to compensation received by your financial advisor.

 

Wholesale representatives of the Distributor visit brokerage firms on a regular basis to educate financial advisors about the Funds and to encourage the sale of Fund shares to their clients. The costs and expenses associated with these efforts may include travel, lodging, sponsorship at educational seminars and conferences, entertainment and meals to the extent permitted by law.

 

From time to time, PIMCO or its affiliates may pay investment consultants or their parent or affiliated companies for certain services including technology, operations, tax, or audit consulting services, and may pay such firms for PIMCO’s attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms or for various studies, surveys, or access to databases. Subject to applicable law, PIMCO and its affiliates may also provide investment advisory services to investment consultants and their affiliates, and may execute brokerage transactions on behalf of the Funds with such investment consultants or their affiliates. These consultants or their affiliates may, in the ordinary course of their investment consultant business, recommend that their clients utilize PIMCO’s investment advisory services or invest in the Funds or in other products sponsored by PIMCO and its affiliates.

 

Although the Funds may use financial firms that sell Fund shares to effect transactions for the Funds’ portfolios, the Funds and PIMCO will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to effect those transactions.

 

For further details about payments made by the Distributor to financial firms, please see the Statement of Additional Information.

 

How Fund Shares Are Priced

 

The NAV of the Fund’s shares is determined by dividing the total value of the Fund’s portfolio investments and other assets attributable to that class, less any liabilities, by the total number of shares outstanding of that class.

 

Fund shares are valued as of the close of regular trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) (the “NYSE Close”) on each day that the NYSE is open. Information that becomes known to the Fund or its agents after the NAV has been calculated on a particular day will not generally be used to retroactively adjust the price of a security or the NAV determined earlier that day. The Fund reserves the right to change the time its NAV is calculated if the Fund closes earlier, or as permitted by the SEC.

 

For purposes of calculating NAV, portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotes are readily available are valued at market value. Market value is generally determined on the basis of last reported sales prices, or if no sales are reported, based on quotes obtained from a quotation reporting system, established market makers, or pricing services. The Fund will normally use pricing data for domestic equity securities received shortly after the NYSE Close and does not normally take into account trading, clearances or settlements that take place after the NYSE Close. A foreign equity security traded on a foreign exchange or on more than one exchange is typically valued using pricing information from the exchange considered by the managers to be the primary exchange. A foreign equity security will be valued as of the close of trading on the foreign exchange, or the NYSE Close, if the NYSE Close occurs before the end of trading on the foreign exchange. Domestic and foreign fixed income securities and non-exchange traded derivatives are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or pricing services using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Prices obtained from independent pricing services use information provided by

 

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market makers or estimates of market values obtained from yield data relating to investments or securities with similar characteristics. Certain fixed income securities purchased on a delayed-delivery basis are marked to market daily until settlement at the forward settlement date. Short term investments having a maturity of 60 days or less are generally valued at amortized cost. Exchange traded options, futures and options on futures are valued at the settlement price determined by the relevant exchange. With respect to any portion of the Fund’s assets that are invested in one or more open-end management investment companies, the Fund’s NAV will be calculated based upon the NAVs of such investments.

 

If a foreign security’s value has materially changed after the close of the security’s primary exchange or principal market but before the NYSE Close, the security may be valued at fair value based on procedures established and approved by the Board of Trustees. Foreign securities that do not trade when the NYSE is open are also valued at fair value. The Fund may determine the fair value of investments based on information provided by pricing services and other third-party vendors, which may recommend fair value prices or adjustments with reference to other securities, indices or assets. In considering whether fair value pricing is required and in determining fair values, the Fund may, among other things, consider significant events (which may be considered to include changes in the value of U.S. securities or securities indices) that occur after the close of the relevant market and before the NYSE Close. The Fund may utilize modeling tools provided by third-party vendors to determine fair values of non-U.S. securities. Foreign exchanges may permit trading in foreign securities on days when the Trust is not open for business, which may result in the Fund’s portfolio investments being affected when you are unable to buy or sell shares.

 

Investments initially valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to the U.S. dollar using exchange rates obtained from pricing services. As a result, the NAV of the Fund’s shares may be affected by changes in the value of currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar. The value of securities traded in markets outside the United States or denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar may be affected significantly on a day that the NYSE is closed and an investor is not able to purchase, redeem or exchange shares.

 

Securities and other assets for which market quotes are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction. The Board of Trustees has adopted methods for valuing securities and other assets in circumstances where market quotes are not readily available, and has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for applying the valuation methods. For instance, certain securities or investments for which daily market quotes are not readily available may be valued, pursuant to guidelines established by the Board of Trustees, with reference to other securities or indices. In the event that market quotes are not readily available, and the security or asset cannot be valued pursuant to one of the valuation methods, the value of the security or asset will be determined in good faith by the Valuation Committee of the Board of Trustees, generally based upon recommendations provided by PIMCO.

 

Market quotes are considered not readily available in circumstances where there is an absence of current or reliable market-based data (e.g., trade information, bid/asked information, broker quotes), including where events occur after the close of the relevant market, but prior to the NYSE Close, that materially affect the values of the Fund’s securities or assets. In addition, market quotes are considered not readily available when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the exchanges or markets on which the securities trade do not open for trading for the entire day and no other market prices are available. The Board has delegated to PIMCO the responsibility for monitoring significant events that may materially affect the values of the Fund’s securities or assets and for determining whether the value of the applicable securities or assets should be re-evaluated in light of such significant events.

 

When the Fund uses fair value pricing to determine its NAV, securities will not be priced on the basis of quotes from the primary market in which they are traded, but rather may be priced by another method that the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction believe accurately reflects fair value. Fair value pricing may require subjective determinations about the value of a security. While the Trust’s policy is intended to result in a calculation of the Fund’s NAV that fairly reflects security values as of the time of pricing, the Trust cannot ensure that fair values determined by the Board of Trustees or persons acting at their direction would accurately reflect the price that the Fund could obtain for a security if it were to dispose of that security as of the time of pricing (for instance, in a forced or distressed sale). The prices used by the Fund may differ from the value that would be realized if the securities were sold. The Fund’s use of fair valuation may also help to deter “stale price arbitrage” as discussed below under “Abusive Trading Practices.”

 

Under certain circumstances, the per share NAV of a class of the Fund’s shares may be different from the per share NAV of another class of shares as a result of the different daily expense accruals applicable to each class of

 

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shares. Generally, when the Fund pays income dividends, those dividends are expected to differ over time by approximately the amount of the expense accrual differential between the two classes.

 

How to Buy and Sell Shares

 

The following section provides basic information about how to buy, sell (redeem) and exchange shares of the Fund.

 

More detailed information about purchase, redemption and exchange arrangements for Fund shares is provided in the Statement of Additional Information, which can be obtained free of charge from the Distributor by written request or by calling 1-800-426-0107. The Statement of Additional Information provides technical information about the basic arrangements described below and also describes special purchase, sale and exchange features and programs offered by the Trust, including:

 

   

Automated telephone and wire transfer procedures

   

Automatic purchase, exchange and withdrawal programs

   

Programs that establish a link from your Fund account to your bank account

   

Special arrangements for tax-qualified retirement plans

   

Investment programs which allow you to reduce or eliminate the initial sales charges

   

Categories of investors that are eligible for waivers or reductions of initial sales charges and CDSCs

 

Calculation of Share Price and Redemption Payments

When you buy shares of the Fund, you pay a price equal to the NAV of the shares, plus any applicable sales charge. When you sell (redeem) shares, you receive an amount equal to the NAV of the shares, minus any applicable CDSC. NAVs are determined at the close of regular trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day the NYSE is open. See “How Fund Shares Are Priced” above for details. Generally, purchase and redemption orders for Fund shares are processed at the NAV next calculated after your order is received by the Distributor. There are certain exceptions where an order is received by a broker or dealer prior to the NYSE Close and then transmitted to the Distributor after the NAV has been calculated for that day (in which case the order may be processed according to that day’s NAV). Please see the Statement of Additional Information for details.

 

The Trust does not calculate NAVs or process orders on days when the NYSE is closed. If your purchase or redemption order is received by the Distributor on a day when the NYSE is closed, it will be processed on the next succeeding day when the NYSE is open (according to the succeeding day’s NAV).

 

Buying Shares—Classes A and C

You can buy Class A or Class C shares of the Fund in the following ways:

 

   

Through your broker, dealer or other financial intermediary.  Your broker, dealer or other intermediary may establish higher minimum investment requirements than the Trust and may also independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts (which may vary) in return for its services, which will reduce your return. Shares you purchase through your broker, dealer or other intermediary will normally be held in your account with that firm.

 

   

Directly from the Distributor.  To make direct investments, you must open an account with the Distributor and send payment for your shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust.

 

If you wish to invest directly by mail, please send a check payable to Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC, along with a completed application form to:

 

Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC

P.O. Box 8050

Boston, MA 02266-8050

 

The Distributor accepts all purchases by mail subject to collection of checks at full value and conversion into federal funds. You may make subsequent purchases by mailing a check to the address above with a letter describing the investment or with the additional investment portion of a confirmation statement. Checks for subsequent purchases should be payable to Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC and should clearly indicate your account number. Please call the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107 if you have any questions regarding purchases by mail.

 

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The Distributor reserves the right to require payment by wire or U.S. bank check. The Distributor generally does not accept payments made by cash, temporary/starter checks, third-party checks, or checks drawn on non-U.S. banks even if payment may be effected through a U.S. bank.

 

The Statement of Additional Information describes a number of additional ways you can make direct investments, including through the Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Auto-Invest and Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Fund Link programs. You can obtain the Statement of Additional Information free of charge from the Distributor by written request or by calling 1-800-426-0107.

 

Buying Shares—Class R Shares

Class R shares of the Fund are continuously offered to specified benefit plans. See “Class R shares—Specified Benefit Plans” above. Plan participants may purchase Class R shares only through their specified benefit plans. In connection with purchases, specified benefit plans are responsible for forwarding all necessary documentation to their financial service firm or the Distributor. Specified benefit plans and financial service firms may charge for such services.

 

Specified benefit plans may also purchase Class R shares directly from the Distributor. To make direct investments, a plan administrator must open an account with the Distributor and send payment for Class R shares either by mail or through a variety of other purchase options and plans offered by the Trust. Specified benefit plans that purchase their shares directly from the Trust must hold their shares in an omnibus account at the specified benefit plan level.

 

Specified benefit plans which wish to invest directly by mail should send a check payable to Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC, along with a completed application form to:

 

Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC

P.O. Box 8050

Boston, MA 02266-8050

 

The Distributor accepts all purchases by mail subject to collection of checks at full value and conversion into federal funds. Investors may make subsequent purchases by mailing a check to the address above with a letter describing the investment or with the additional investment portion of a confirmation statement. Checks for subsequent purchases should be payable to Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC and should clearly indicate the relevant account number. Investors should call the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107 if they have any questions regarding purchases by mail.

 

Class R shares of the Fund will be held in a plan participant’s account (which in turn may hold Class R shares through the account of a financial service firm) and, generally, specified benefit plans will hold Class R shares (either directly or through a financial service firm) in nominee or street name as the participant’s agent. In most cases, the Trust’s transfer agent, [                ], will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific Class R shareholders and participants may obtain information about their accounts only through their plan. In the interest of economy and convenience, certificates for Class R shares will not be issued.

 

Investment Minimums

The Distributor, in its sole discretion, may accept or reject any order for purchase of Fund shares. No share certificates will be issued unless specifically requested in writing.

 

The following investment minimums apply for purchases of Class A and Class C shares.

 

  Initial Investment  

    

  Subsequent Investments  

$1,000      $50

 

The minimum initial investment may be modified for certain financial intermediaries that submit trades on behalf of underlying investors. The Trust or the Distributor may lower or waive the minimum investment for certain categories of investors at their discretion. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for details.

 

There is no minimum initial or additional investment in Class R shares because Class R shares may only be purchased through omnibus accounts.

 

Abusive Trading Practices

The Trust encourages shareholders to invest in the Fund as part of a long-term investment strategy and discourages excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, sometimes referred to as “market timing.” However, because the Trust will not always be able to detect market timing or other abusive trading activity, investors should not assume that the Trust will be able to detect or prevent all market timing or other trading practices that may disadvantage the Fund.

 

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Certain of the Fund’s investment strategies may expose the Fund to risks associated with market timing activities. For example, since the Fund may invest in non-U.S. securities, it may be subject to the risk that an investor may seek to take advantage of a delay between the change in value of the Fund’s non-U.S. portfolio securities and the determination of the Fund’s NAV as a result of different closing times of U.S. and non-U.S. markets by buying or selling Fund shares at a price that does not reflect their true value. A similar risk exists for the Fund’s potential investment in securities of small capitalization companies, securities of issuers located in emerging markets, securities of distressed companies or high yield securities that are thinly traded and therefore may have actual values that differ from their market prices.

 

To discourage excessive, short-term trading and other abusive trading practices, the Trust’s Board of Trustees has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to detect and prevent short-term trading activity that may be harmful to the Fund and its shareholders. Such activities may have a detrimental effect on the Fund and its shareholders. For example, depending upon various factors such as the size of the Fund and the amount of its assets maintained in cash, short-term or excessive trading by Fund shareholders may interfere with the efficient management of the Fund’s portfolio, increase transaction costs and taxes, and may harm the performance of the Fund and its shareholders.

 

The Trust seeks to deter and prevent abusive trading practices, and to reduce these risks, through several methods. First, to the extent that there is a delay between a change in the value of a mutual fund’s portfolio holdings, and the time when that change is reflected in the NAV of the fund’s shares, the fund is exposed to the risk that investors may seek to exploit this delay by purchasing or redeeming shares at NAVs that do not reflect appropriate fair value prices. The Trust seeks to deter and prevent this activity, sometimes referred to as “stale price arbitrage,” by the appropriate use of “fair value” pricing of the Fund’s portfolio securities. See “How Fund Shares Are Priced” below for more information.

 

Second, the Trust seeks to monitor shareholder account activities in order to detect and prevent excessive and disruptive trading practices. The Trust and PIMCO each reserves the right to restrict or refuse any purchase or exchange transaction if, in the judgment of the Trust or of PIMCO, the transaction may adversely affect the interests of the Fund or its shareholders. Among other things, the Trust may monitor for any patterns of frequent purchases and sales that appear to be made in response to short-term fluctuations in share price. Notice of any restrictions or rejections of transactions may vary according to the particular circumstances.

 

Although the Trust and its service providers seek to use these methods to detect and prevent abusive trading activities, and although the Trust will consistently apply such methods, there can be no assurances that such activities can be mitigated or eliminated. By their nature, omnibus accounts, in which purchases and sales of Fund shares by multiple investors are aggregated for presentation to the Fund on a net basis, conceal the identity of the individual investors from the Fund. This makes it more difficult for the Fund to identify short-term transactions in the Fund.

 

Minimum Account Size

Due to the relatively high cost to the Fund of maintaining small accounts, you are asked to maintain an account balance in the Fund in which you invest of at least the minimum investment necessary to open the particular type of account. If your balance for the Fund remains below the minimum for three months or longer, the Administrator has the right (except in the case of employer-sponsored retirement accounts) to redeem your remaining shares and close the Fund account after giving you 60 days to increase your balance. Your Fund account will not be liquidated if the reduction in size is due solely to a decline in market value of your Fund shares or if the aggregate value of all your Allianz Funds, Allianz Multi-Strategy Funds, PIMCO Funds and PIMCO Funds Equity Trust accounts exceeds $50,000.

 

Exchanging Shares

You may exchange your Class A, Class C or Class R shares of the Fund for the same Class of shares of any other fund of PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds or Allianz Multi-Strategy Funds that offers the same Class of shares, subject to any restriction on exchanges set forth in the applicable fund’s prospectus. In addition, you may exchange your Class A or Class C shares of any fund for any interval funds that are, or may be, established and managed by Allianz Global Investors Fund Management LLC (“AGIFM”), an affiliate of PIMCO, and its affiliates. See “Exchanges for Interval Funds” below.

 

Exchanges of Class A and C shares are subject to the $1,000 minimum initial purchase requirements for each fund, except with respect to tax-qualified programs and exchanges effected through the PIMCO Funds and Allianz Funds Auto-Exchange plan. Specified benefit plans or financial service firms may impose various fees and charges, investment minimums and other requirements with respect to exchanges of Class R shares. In addition,

 

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an exchange is generally a taxable event which will generate capital gains or losses, and special rules may apply in computing tax basis when determining gain or loss. See “Tax Consequences” in this prospectus and “Taxation” in the Statement of Additional Information. If you maintain your account with the Distributor, you may exchange shares by completing a written exchange request and sending it to Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC, [                    ]. You can get an exchange form by calling the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107.

 

An investor may exchange shares only with respect to Fund or other eligible series that are registered in the investor’s state of residence or where an exemption from registration is available.

 

The Trust reserves the right to refuse exchange purchases (or purchase and redemption and/or redemption and purchase transactions) if, in the judgment of PIMCO, the transaction would adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders. Although the Trust has no current intention of terminating or modifying the exchange privilege, it reserves the right to do so at any time. Except as otherwise permitted by the SEC, the Trust will give you 60 days’ advance notice if it exercises its right to terminate or materially modify the exchange privilege with respect to Class A, C and R shares.

 

Exchanges for Interval Funds.  As noted above, you may exchange your Class A and Class C shares of the Fund for shares of interval funds that may be established and managed by AGIFM and its affiliates in the future. Like other exchanges, your shares of the Fund will be exchanged for shares of an interval fund on the basis of their respective NAVs, next calculated after your exchange order is received by the Distributor. Unlike the Fund and other open-end investment companies, interval funds do not allow for daily redemptions, and instead make quarterly offers to repurchase from 5% to 25% of their shares at net asset value. Further, unlike many closed-end investment companies, shares of interval funds are not publicly traded and there is generally no secondary market for their shares. Therefore, shares of interval funds have limited liquidity and you may not be able to sell or exchange such shares when and/or in the amount that you desire.

 

The Statement of Additional Information provides more detailed information about the exchange privilege, including the procedures you must follow and additional exchange options. You can obtain the Statement of Additional Information free of charge from the Distributor by written request or by calling 1-800-426-0107.

 

Selling Shares—Class A and C

You can sell (redeem) Class A or Class C shares of the Fund in the following ways:

 

   

Through your broker, dealer or other financial intermediary.  Your broker, dealer or other intermediary may independently charge you transaction fees and additional amounts in return for its services, which will reduce your return.

 

   

Directly from the Trust by Written Request.  To redeem shares directly from the Trust by written request (whether or not the shares are represented by certificates), you must send the following items to the Trust’s Transfer Agent, [                                        ]:

 

(1) a written request for redemption signed by all registered owners exactly as the account is registered on the Transfer Agent’s records, including fiduciary titles, if any, and specifying the account number and the dollar amount or number of shares to be redeemed;

 

(2) for certain redemptions described below, a guarantee of all signatures on the written request or on the share certificate or accompanying stock power, if required, as described under “Signature Guarantee” below;

 

(3) any share certificates issued for any of the shares to be redeemed (see “Certificated Shares” below); and

 

(4) any additional documents which may be required by the Transfer Agent for redemption by corporations, partnerships or other organizations, executors, administrators, trustees, custodians or guardians, or if the redemption is requested by anyone other than the shareholder(s) of record. Transfers of shares are subject to the same requirements.

 

A signature guarantee is not required for redemptions requested by and payable to all shareholders of record for the account, and to be sent to the address of record for that account. To avoid delay in redemption or transfer, if you have any questions about these requirements you should contact the Transfer Agent in writing or call 1-800-426-0107 before submitting a request. Written redemption or transfer requests will not be honored until all required documents in the proper form have been received by the Transfer Agent. You can not redeem your shares by written request if they are held in broker “street name” accounts—you must redeem through your broker.

 

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If the proceeds of your redemption (i) are to be paid to a person other than the record owner, (ii) are to be sent to an address other than the address of the account on the Transfer Agent’s records, and/or (iii) are to be paid to a corporation, partnership, trust or fiduciary, the signature(s) on the redemption request and on the certificates, if any, or stock power must be guaranteed as described under “Signature Guarantee” below. The Distributor may, however, waive the signature guarantee requirement for redemptions up to $2,500 by a trustee of a qualified retirement plan, the administrator for which has an agreement with the Distributor.

 

The Statement of Additional Information describes a number of additional ways you can redeem your shares, including:

 

   

Telephone requests to the Transfer Agent

   

Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Automated Telephone System (ATS)

   

Expedited wire transfers

   

Automatic Withdrawal Plan

   

Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Fund Link

 

Unless you specifically elect otherwise, your initial account application permits you to redeem shares by telephone subject to certain requirements. To be eligible for ATS, expedited wire transfer, Automatic Withdrawal Plan, and Fund Link privileges, you must specifically elect the particular option on your account application and satisfy certain other requirements. The Statement of Additional Information describes each of these options and provides additional information about selling shares. You can obtain the Statement of Additional Information free of charge from the Distributor by written request or by calling 1-800-426-0107.

 

Other than an applicable CDSC, you will not pay any special fees or charges to the Trust or the Distributor when you sell your shares. However, if you sell your shares through your broker, dealer or other financial intermediary, that firm may charge you a commission or other fee for processing your redemption request.

 

Selling Shares—Class R Shares

Class R shares may be redeemed through the investor’s plan administrator on any day the NYSE is open. Investors do not pay any fees or other charges to the Trust or the Distributor when selling shares, although specified benefit plans and financial service firms may charge for their services in processing redemption requests. Please contact the plan or firm for details.

 

Subject to any restrictions in the applicable specified benefit plan documents, plan administrators are obligated to transmit redemption orders to the Distributor or their financial service firm promptly and are responsible for ensuring that redemption requests are in proper form. Specified benefit plans and financial service firms will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Distributor or the Trust’s transfer agent and may charge for their services. Redemption proceeds will be forwarded to the specified benefit plan or financial service firm as promptly as possible and in any event within seven days after the redemption request is received by the Distributor in good order.

 

Other Redemption Information

Redemptions of all Classes of Fund shares may be suspended when trading on the NYSE is restricted or during an emergency which makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of their securities or to determine fairly the value of their net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the SEC for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payment for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

 

For shareholder protection, a request to change information contained in an account registration (for example, a request to change the bank designated to receive wire redemption proceeds) must be received in writing, signed by the minimum number of persons designated on the completed application that are required to effect a redemption, and accompanied by a signature guarantee from any eligible guarantor institution, as determined in accordance with the Trust’s procedures, as more fully described below. A signature guarantee cannot be provided by a notary public. In addition, corporations, trusts, and other institutional organizations are required to furnish evidence of the authority of the persons designated on the completed application to effect transactions for the organization.

 

Retirement plan sponsors, participant recordkeeping organizations and other financial intermediaries may also impose their own restrictions, limitations or fees in connection with transactions in the Fund’s shares, which may be stricter than those described in this section. You should contact your plan sponsor, recordkeeper or

 

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financial intermediary for more information on any additional restrictions, limitations or fees are imposed in connection with transactions in Fund shares.

 

Timing of Redemption Payments

Redemption proceeds will normally be mailed to the redeeming shareholder within seven calendar days or, in the case of wire transfer or Fund Link redemptions, sent to the designated bank account within one business day. Fund Link redemptions may be received by the bank on the second or third business day. In cases where shares have recently been purchased by personal check, redemption proceeds may be withheld until the check has been collected, which may take up to 15 days. To avoid such withholding, investors should purchase shares by certified or bank check or by wire transfer.

 

Redemptions In Kind

The Trust will redeem shares of the Fund solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the Fund’s net assets during any 90-day period for any one shareholder. In consideration of the best interests of the remaining shareholders, the Trust may pay any redemption proceeds exceeding this amount in whole or in part by a distribution in kind of securities held by the Fund in lieu of cash. It is highly unlikely that your shares would ever be redeemed in kind. If your shares are redeemed in kind, you should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the distribution.

 

Certificated Shares

If you are redeeming shares for which certificates have been issued, the certificates must be mailed to or deposited with the Trust, duly endorsed or accompanied by a duly endorsed stock power or by a written request for redemption. Signatures must be guaranteed as described under “Signature Guarantee” below. The Trust may request further documentation from institutions or fiduciary accounts, such as corporations, custodians (e.g., under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act), executors, administrators, trustees or guardians. Your redemption request and stock power must be signed exactly as the account is registered, including indication of any special capacity of the registered owner.

 

Signature Guarantee

When a signature guarantee is called for, a “Medallion” signature guarantee will be required. A Medallion signature guarantee may be obtained from a domestic bank or trust company, broker, dealer, clearing agency, savings association or other financial institution which is participating in a Medallion program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. The three recognized Medallion programs are the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program, Stock Exchanges Medallion Program and New York Stock Exchange, Inc. Medallion Signature Program. Signature guarantees from financial institutions which are not participating in one of these programs will not be accepted. Please note that financial institutions participating in a recognized Medallion program may still be ineligible to provide a signature guarantee for transactions of greater than a specified dollar amount. The Trust may change the signature guarantee requirements from time to time upon notice to shareholders, which may be given by means of a new or supplemented prospectus.

 

Verification of
Identity

To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person that opens a new

account, and to determine whether such person’s name appears on government lists of known or suspected terrorists and terrorist organizations. As a result, the Fund must obtain the following information for each person that opens a new account:

 

1.    Name.

2.    Date of birth (for individuals).

3.    Residential or business street address.

4.    Social security number, taxpayer identification number, or other identifying number.

 

Federal law prohibits the Fund and other financial institutions from opening a new account unless they receive the minimum identifying information listed above.

 

Individuals may also be asked for a copy of their driver’s license, passport or other identifying document in order to verify their identity. In addition, it may be necessary to verify an individual’s identity by cross-referencing the identification information with a consumer report or other electronic database. Additional information may be required to open accounts for corporations and other entities.

 

After an account is opened, the Fund may restrict your ability to purchase additional shares until your identity is verified. The Fund also may close your account and redeem your shares or take other appropriate action if it is unable to verify your identity within a reasonable time.

 

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Request for Multiple Copies of
Shareholder Documents

To reduce expenses, it is intended that only one copy of the Fund’s prospectus and each annual and semi-annual report, when available, will be mailed to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents and your shares are held directly with the Trust, call the Trust at 1-800-426-0107. Alternatively, if your shares are held through a financial institution, please contact it directly. Within thirty days after receipt of your request by the Trust, the Trust will begin sending you individual copies.

 

Fund Distributions

 

The Fund distributes substantially all of its net investment income to shareholders in the form of dividends. You begin earning dividends on Fund shares the day after the Trust receives your purchase payment. Dividends paid by the Fund with respect to each class of shares are calculated in the same manner and at the same time, but dividends on different classes of shares may be different as a result of the distribution fees applicable to certain classes of shares. The Fund intends to declare income dividends [                ] and distribute them [                ] to shareholders of record.

 

In addition, the Fund distributes any net capital gains it earns from the sale of portfolio securities to shareholders no less frequently than annually. Net short-term capital gains may be paid more frequently.

 

You can choose from the following distribution options:

 

   

Reinvest all distributions in additional shares of the same class of the Fund at NAV. This will be done unless you elect another option.

   

Invest all distributions in shares of the same class of any other fund of PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds or Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust which offers that class at NAV. You must have an account existing in the fund selected for investment with the identical registered name. You must elect this option on your account application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 1-800-426-0107.

   

Receive all distributions in cash (either paid directly to you or credited to your account with your broker or other financial intermediary). You must elect this option on your account application or by a telephone request to the Transfer Agent at 1-800-426-0107.

 

You do not pay any sales charges on shares you receive through the reinvestment of Fund distributions.

 

If you elect to receive Fund distributions in cash and the postal or other delivery service is unable to deliver checks to your address of record, the Trust’s Transfer Agent will hold the returned checks for your benefit in a non-interest bearing account.

 

The financial service firm may offer additional distribution reinvestment programs or options. Please contact the firm for details.

 

Shareholders do not pay any sales charges on shares received through the reinvestment of Fund distributions. If a shareholder elects to receive Fund distributions in cash and the postal or other delivery service is unable to deliver checks to the address of record, the Trust’s Transfer Agent will hold the returned checks for the shareholder’s benefit in a non-interest bearing account.

 

Tax Consequences

 

   

Taxes on Fund distributions.  If you are subject to U.S. federal income tax, you will be subject to tax on Fund distributions whether you received them in cash or reinvested them in additional shares of the Fund. For federal income tax purposes, Fund distributions will be taxable to you as either ordinary income or capital gains.

 

Fund dividends (i.e., distributions of investment income) are taxable to you as ordinary income. Federal taxes on Fund distributions of gains are determined by how long the Fund owned the investments that generated the gains, rather than how long you have owned your shares. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for more than one year will generally be taxable to you as long-term capital gains. Distributions of gains from investments that the Fund owned for one year or less will generally be taxable to you as ordinary income.

 

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Fund distributions are taxable to you even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Fund prior to your investment and thus were included in the price you paid for your shares. For example, if you purchase shares on or just before the record date of a Fund distribution, you will pay full price for the shares and may receive a portion of your investment back as a taxable distribution.

 

   

Taxes when you sell (redeem) or exchange your shares.  Any gain resulting from the sale of Fund shares will generally be subject to federal income tax. When you exchange shares of the Fund for shares of another series, the transaction will be treated as a sale of the Fund shares for these purposes, and any gain on those shares will generally be subject to federal income tax.

 

   

Returns of capital.  If the Fund’s distributions exceed its taxable income and capital gains realized during a taxable year, all or a portion of the distributions made in the same taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be taxable, but will reduce each shareholder’s cost basis in the Fund and result in a higher reported capital gain or lower reported capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.

 

This “Tax Consequences” section relates only to federal income tax; the consequences under other tax laws may differ. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors as to the possible application of foreign, state and local income tax laws to Fund dividends and capital distributions. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for additional information regarding the tax aspects of investing in the Fund.

 

Characteristics and Risks of Securities and Investment Techniques

 

This section provides additional information about some of the principal investments and related risks of the Fund described under “Summary Information” and “Summary of Principal Risks” above. It also describes characteristics and risks of additional securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Fund from time to time. Most of these securities and investment techniques are discretionary, which means that PIMCO can decide whether to use them or not. This prospectus does not attempt to disclose all of the various types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Fund. As with any mutual fund, investors in the Fund rely on the professional investment judgment and skill of PIMCO and the individual portfolio managers. Please see “Investment Objectives and Policies” in the Statement of Additional Information for more detailed information about the securities and investment techniques described in this section and about other strategies and techniques that may be used by the Fund.

 

Securities
Selection

In selecting securities for the Fund, PIMCO develops a research driven fundamental value strategy to select securities for the Fund. PIMCO attempts to identify equity and debt securities that are undervalued relative to the rest of the market. PIMCO identifies these securities through PIMCO’s analysis of the issuer’s value, including analysis of an issuer’s asset value, book value and cash flow and earnings estimates. There is no guarantee that PIMCO’s security selection techniques will produce the desired results.

 

Convertible and Equity Securities

Common stock represents equity ownership in a company and typically provides the common stockholder the power to vote on certain corporate actions, including the election of the company’s directors. Common stockholders participate in company profits through dividends and, in the event of bankruptcy, distributions, on a pro-rata basis after other claims are satisfied. Many factors affect the value of common stock, including earnings, earnings forecasts, corporate events and factors impacting the issuer’s industry and the market generally. Common stock generally has the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities.

 

The Fund may invest in convertible securities and equity securities. Convertible securities are generally preferred stocks and other securities, including fixed income securities and warrants, that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock at a stated price or rate. The price of a convertible security will normally vary in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying common stock because of this conversion or exercise feature. However, the value of a convertible security may not increase or decrease as rapidly as the underlying common stock. A convertible security will normally also provide income and is subject to interest rate risk. Convertible securities may be lower-rated securities subject to greater levels of credit risk. The Fund may be forced to convert a security before it would otherwise choose, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

 

Preferred stock represents an equity interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other stocks such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds

 

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resulting from a liquidation of the company. Preferred stocks may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred stock is subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred stock generally pays dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred stock will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects.

 

At times, in connection with the restructuring of a preferred stock or fixed income instrument either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, the Fund may determine or be required to accept equity securities, such as common stocks, in exchange for all or a portion of a preferred stock or fixed income instrument. Depending upon, among other things, PIMCO’s evaluation of the potential value of such securities in relation to the price that could be obtained by the Fund at any given time upon sale thereof, the Fund may determine to hold such securities in its portfolio.

 

Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities. The market price of equity securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. Equity securities may decline in value due to factors affecting equity securities markets generally or particular industries represented in those markets. The value of an equity security may also decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services.

 

High Yield Securities and Distressed Companies

Securities rated lower than Baa by Moody’s, or equivalently rated by S&P or Fitch, are sometimes referred to as “high yield securities or “junk bonds.” Issuers of these securities may be distressed and undergoing restructuring, bankruptcy or other proceedings in an attempt to avoid insolvency. Investing in these securities involves special risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated securities. While offering a greater potential opportunity for capital appreciation and higher yields, high yield and distressed company securities typically entail greater potential price volatility and may be less liquid than higher-rated securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies may be regarded as predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. They may also be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than higher-rated securities. Issuers of securities in default may fail to resume principal or interest payments, in which case the Fund may lose its entire investment.

 

U.S. Government Securities

U.S. Government Securities are obligations of, or guaranteed by, the U.S. Government, its agencies or government-sponsored enterprises. U.S. Government Securities are subject to market and interest rate risk, and may be subject to varying degrees of credit risk. Some U.S. Government Securities are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Other types of U.S. Government Securities are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States (but not issued by the U.S. Treasury). These securities have the lowest credit risk. Still other types of U.S. Government Securities are: (1) supported by the ability of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (2) supported only by the credit of the issuing agency, instrumentality or government-sponsored corporation; or (3) supported by the United States in some other way. These securities may be subject to greater credit risk. U.S. Government Securities include zero coupon securities, which tend to be subject to greater market risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

 

Loan Participations and Assignments

The Fund may invest in fixed- and floating-rate loans, which investments generally will be in the form of loan participations and assignments of portions of such loans. Participations and assignments involve special types of risk, including credit risk, interest rate risk, liquidity risk, and the risks of being a lender. If the Fund purchases a participation, it may only be able to enforce its rights through the lender, and may assume the credit risk of the lender in addition to the borrower.

 

Variable and Floating Rate Securities

Variable and floating rate securities provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the obligations. The Fund may invest in floating rate debt instruments (“floaters”). Variable and floating rate securities generally are less sensitive to interest rate changes but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline.

 

Corporate Debt Securities

Corporate debt securities are subject to the risk of the issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligation and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. When interest rates rise, the value of corporate debt securities can be expected to decline. Debt securities with longer maturities tend to be more sensitive to interest rate movements than those with shorter maturities.

 

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Foreign (Non-U.S.) Securities

The Fund may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to foreign (non-U.S.) countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to a non-U.S. country if the issuer is a foreign government (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), or if the issuer is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. The Fund’s investments in foreign securities may include American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), European Depositary Receipts (EDRs), Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) and similar securities that represent interests in a non-U.S. companies securities that have been deposited with a bank or trust and that trade on a U.S. exchange or over-the-counter. ADRs, EDRs and GDRs may be less liquid or may trade at a lower price than the underlying securities of the issuer. In the case of certain money market instruments, such instruments will be considered economically tied to a non-U.S. country if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instrument is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to non-U.S. countries if the underlying assets are foreign currencies (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued by foreign governments or issuers organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country (or if the underlying assets are certain money market instruments, if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instruments is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country).

 

Investing in foreign securities involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities. Investors should consider carefully the substantial risks involved in securities issued by foreign companies and governments of foreign countries. These risks include: differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; generally higher commission rates on foreign portfolio transactions; the possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation; adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations; and political instability. Individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rates of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources, self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. The securities markets, values of securities, yields and risks associated with foreign securities markets may change independently of each other. Also, foreign securities and dividends and interest payable on those securities may be subject to foreign taxes, including taxes withheld from payments on those securities. Foreign securities often trade with less frequency and volume than domestic securities and therefore may exhibit greater price volatility. Foreign securities may also be more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers. Investments in foreign securities may also involve higher custodial costs than domestic investments and additional transaction costs with respect to foreign currency conversions. Changes in foreign exchange rates also will affect the value of securities denominated or quoted in foreign currencies.

 

The Fund also may invest in sovereign debt issued by governments, their agencies or instrumentalities, or other government-related entities. Holders of sovereign debt may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. In addition, there is no bankruptcy proceeding by which defaulted sovereign debt may be collected.

 

   

Emerging Market Securities.  The Fund may invest in securities and instruments that are economically tied to developing (or “emerging market”) countries. PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to an emerging market country if the issuer or guarantor is a government of an emerging market country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), if the issuer or guarantor is organized under the laws of an emerging market country, or if the currency of settlement of the security is a currency of an emerging market country. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to emerging market countries if the underlying assets are currencies of emerging market countries (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued or guaranteed by governments of emerging market countries or by entities organized under the laws of emerging market countries. PIMCO has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets.

 

Investing in emerging market securities imposes risks different from, or greater than, risks of investing in domestic securities or in foreign, developed countries. These risks include: smaller market capitalization of securities markets, which may suffer periods of relative illiquidity; significant price volatility; restrictions on foreign investment; possible repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors may be required to register the proceeds of sales; future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies. The currencies of emerging market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by the Fund. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain emerging market countries.

 

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Additional risks of emerging market securities may include: greater social, economic and political uncertainty and instability; more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; unavailability of currency hedging techniques; companies that are newly organized and small; differences in auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; and less developed legal systems. In addition, emerging securities markets may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Settlement problems may cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, hold a portion of its assets in cash pending investment, or be delayed in disposing of a portfolio security. Such a delay could result in possible liability to a purchaser of the security.

 

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Currencies

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in foreign currencies, securities denominated in, that trade in, or receive revenues in foreign currencies, engage in foreign currency transactions on a spot (cash) basis, and enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts and invest in foreign currency futures contracts and options on foreign currencies and futures. The Fund is therefore subject to currency risk. A forward foreign currency exchange contract, which involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract, reduces the Fund’s exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will deliver and increases its exposure to changes in the value of the currency it will receive for the duration of the contract. Certain foreign currency transactions may also be settled in cash rather than the actual delivery of the relevant currency. The effect on the value of the Fund is similar to selling securities denominated in one currency and purchasing securities denominated in another currency. A contract to sell foreign currency would limit any potential gain which might be realized if the value of the hedged currency increases. The Fund may enter into these contracts to hedge against foreign exchange risk, to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one currency to another. Suitable hedging transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in such transactions at any given time or from time to time. Also, such transactions may not be successful and may eliminate any chance for the Fund to benefit from favorable fluctuations in relevant foreign currencies. The Fund may use one currency (or a basket of currencies) to hedge against adverse changes in the value of another currency (or a basket of currencies) when exchange rates between the two currencies are positively correlated. The Fund will segregate or “earmark” assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with the procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable law, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under forward foreign currency exchange contracts entered into for non-hedging purposes.

 

Foreign currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or perceived changes in interest rates and other complex factors. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or by currency controls or political developments.

 

Small-Cap and
Mid-Cap
Companies

The Fund may invest in small-capitalization and mid-capitalization companies. The Fund considers a small-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between [$250 million and $1.5 billion] and a mid-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between [$1.5 billion and $10 billion]. Investments in small-cap and mid-cap companies involve greater risk than investments in large-capitalization companies. Small and mid-cap companies may not have an established financial history, which can present valuation challenges. The securities of small and mid-cap companies may be subject to increased market fluctuations, due to less liquid markets and more limited managerial and financial resources. The Fund’s investments in small and mid-cap companies may increase the volatility of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

Short Sales

The Fund may make short sales as part of its overall portfolio management strategies or to offset a potential decline in value of a security. A short sale involves the sale of a security that is borrowed from a broker or other institution to complete the sale. Short sales expose the Fund to the risk that it will be required to acquire, convert or exchange securities to replace the borrowed securities (also known as “covering” the short position) at a time when the securities sold short have appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund. When making a short sale (other than a “short sale against the box”), the Fund must segregate or “earmark” assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees or otherwise cover its position in a permissible manner. The Fund may engage in short selling to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and rules and interpretations thereunder and other federal securities laws. To the extent the Fund engages in short selling in foreign (non-U.S.) jurisdictions, the Fund will do so to the extent permitted by the laws and regulations of such jurisdiction.

 

Repurchase Agreements

The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, in which the Fund purchases a security from a bank or broker-dealer, which agrees to repurchase the security at the Fund’s cost plus interest within a specified time. If the

 

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party agreeing to repurchase should default, the Fund will seek to sell the securities which it holds. This could involve procedural costs or delays in addition to a loss on the securities if their value should fall below their repurchase price. Repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days are considered illiquid securities.

 

Derivatives

The Fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments for risk management purposes or as part of its investment strategies. Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to stocks, bonds, interest rates, currencies or currency exchange rates, commodities, and related indexes. Examples of derivative instruments include options contracts, futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swap agreements (including, but not limited to, credit default swaps and swaps on exchange traded funds). The Fund may invest some or all of its assets in derivative instruments. The portfolio managers may decide not to employ any of these strategies and there is no assurance that any derivatives strategy used by the Fund will succeed. A description of these and other derivative instruments that the Fund may use are described under “Investment Objectives and Policies” in the Statement of Additional Information.

 

The Fund’s use of derivative instruments involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. A description of various risks associated with particular derivative instruments is included in “Investment Objectives and Policies” in the Statement of Additional Information. The following provides a more general discussion of important risk factors relating to all derivative instruments that may be used by the Fund.

 

Management Risk.  Derivative products are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques and risk analyses different from those associated with stocks and bonds. The use of a derivative requires an understanding not only of the underlying instrument but also of the derivative itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the derivative under all possible market conditions.

 

Credit Risk.  The use of a derivative instrument involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of another party to the contract (usually referred to as a “counterparty”) to make required payments or otherwise comply with the contract’s terms. Additionally, credit default swaps could result in losses if the Fund does not correctly evaluate the creditworthiness of the company on which the credit default swap is based.

 

Liquidity Risk.  Liquidity risk exists when a particular derivative instrument is difficult to purchase or sell. If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid (as is the case with many privately negotiated derivatives), it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price.

 

Leverage Risk.  Because many derivatives have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate or index can result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative itself. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. When the Fund uses derivatives for leverage, investments in the Fund will tend to be more volatile, resulting in larger gains or losses in response to market changes. To limit leverage risk, the Fund will segregate or “earmark” assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees (or, as permitted by applicable regulation, enter into certain offsetting positions) to cover its obligations under derivative instruments.

 

Lack of Availability.  Because the markets for certain derivative instruments (including markets located in foreign countries) are relatively new and still developing, suitable derivatives transactions may not be available in all circumstances for risk management or other purposes. Upon the expiration of a particular contract, the portfolio managers may wish to retain the Fund’s position in the derivative instrument by entering into a similar contract, but may be unable to do so if the counterparty to the original contract is unwilling to enter into the new contract and no other suitable counterparty can be found. There is no assurance that the Fund will engage in derivatives transactions at any time or from time to time. The Fund’s ability to use derivatives may also be limited by certain regulatory and tax considerations.

 

Market and Other Risks.  Like most other investments, derivative instruments are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to the Fund’s interest. If the portfolio managers incorrectly forecasts the values of securities, currencies or interest rates or other economic factors in using derivatives for the Fund, the Fund might have been in a better position if it had not entered into the transaction at all. While some strategies involving derivative instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments.

 

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The Fund may also have to buy or sell a security at a disadvantageous time or price because the Fund is legally required to maintain offsetting positions or asset coverage in connection with certain derivatives transactions.

 

Other risks in using derivatives include the risk of mispricing or improper valuation of derivatives and the inability of derivatives to correlate perfectly with underlying assets, rates and indexes. Many derivatives, in particular privately negotiated derivatives, are complex and often valued subjectively. Improper valuations can result in increased cash payment requirements to counterparties or a loss of value to the Fund. Also, the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly, or at all, with the value of the assets, reference rates or indexes they are designed to closely track. For example, a swap agreement on an exchange traded fund would not correlate perfectly with the index upon which the exchange traded fund is based because the fund’s return is net of fees and expenses. In addition, the Fund’s use of derivatives may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if the Fund had not used such instruments.

 

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

The Fund may purchase or sell securities which it is eligible to purchase or sell on a when-issued basis, may purchase and sell such securities for delayed delivery and may make contracts to purchase or sell such securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond normal settlement time (forward commitments). When-issued transactions, delayed delivery purchases and forward commitments involve a risk of loss if the value of the securities declines prior to the settlement date. This risk is in addition to the risk that the Fund’s other assets will decline in value. Therefore, these transactions may result in a form of leverage and increase the Fund’s overall investment exposure. Typically, no income accrues on securities the Fund has committed to purchase prior to the time delivery of the securities is made, although the Fund may earn income on securities it has segregated or “earmarked” to cover these positions. When the Fund has sold a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis, the Fund does not participate in future gains or losses with respect to the security. Additionally, when selling a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis without owning the security, the Fund will incur a loss if the security’s price appreciates in value such that the security’s price is above the agreed upon price on the settlement date.

 

Investment in
Other Investment Companies

The Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, such as open-end or closed-end management investment companies, including exchange-traded funds, or in pooled accounts or other unregistered accounts or investment vehicles to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder and any exemptive relief therefrom. As a shareholder of an investment company or other pooled vehicle, the Fund may indirectly bear investment advisory fees, supervisory and administrative fees, service fees and other fees which are in addition to the fees the Fund pays its service providers.

 

The Fund may invest in the PIMCO Funds Private Account Portfolio Series: Short-Term Floating NAV Portfolio (“PAPS Short-Term Floating NAV Portfolio”), to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, the rules thereunder or exemptive relief therefrom. The PAPS Short-Term Floating NAV Portfolio is a registered investment company created for use solely by the Trust and series of the PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust and PIMCO ETF Trust, other series of registered investment companies advised by PIMCO, in connection with their cash management activities. The main investments of the PAPS Short-Term Floating NAV Portfolio are money market instruments and short maturity fixed income instruments. The PAPS Short-Term Floating NAV Portfolio may incur expenses related to its investment activities, but does not pay investment advisory or supervisory and administrative fees to PIMCO.

 

Subject to the restrictions and limitations of the 1940 Act, the Fund may elect to pursue its investment objective either by investing directly in securities, or by investing in one or more underlying investment vehicles or companies that have substantially similar investment objectives and policies as the Fund.

 

Illiquid Securities

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. Certain illiquid securities may require pricing at fair value as determined in good faith under the supervision of the Board of Trustees. The portfolio managers may be subject to significant delays in disposing of illiquid securities, and transactions in illiquid securities may entail registration expenses and other transaction costs that are higher than those for transactions in liquid securities. The term “illiquid securities” for this purpose means securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued the securities. Restricted securities, i.e., securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale, may be illiquid. However, some restricted securities (such as securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and certain commercial paper) may be treated as liquid, although they may be less liquid than registered securities traded on established secondary markets.

 

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Loans of Portfolio Securities

For the purpose of achieving income, the Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions provided a number of conditions are satisfied, including that the loan is fully collateralized. Please see “Investment Objectives and Policies” in the Statement of Additional Information for details. When the Fund lends portfolio securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned, and the Fund will also receive a fee or interest on the collateral. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral if the borrower fails to return the security loaned or becomes insolvent. The Fund may pay lending fees to a party arranging the loan. Cash collateral received by the Fund in securities lending transactions may be invested in short-term liquid fixed income instruments or in money market or short-term mutual funds, or similar investment vehicles, including affiliated money market or short-term mutual funds. The Fund bears the risk of such investments.

 

Reverse Repurchase Agreements, Dollar Rolls and Other Borrowings

The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls. A reverse repurchase agreement or dollar roll involves the sale of a security by the Fund and its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price, and may be considered a form of borrowing for some purposes. The Fund will segregate or “earmark” assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees to cover its obligations under reverse repurchase agreements and dollar rolls. Reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and other forms of borrowings may create leveraging risk for the Fund.

 

The Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. This means that, in general, the Fund may borrow money from banks for any purpose in an amount up to 1/3 of the Fund’s total assets. The Fund may also borrow money for temporary administrative purposes in an amount not to exceed 5% of the Fund’s total assets.

 

Portfolio Turnover

The length of time the Fund has held a particular security is not generally a consideration in investment decisions. A change in the securities held by the Fund is known as “portfolio turnover.” When the managers deem it appropriate and particularly during periods of volatile market movements, the Fund may engage in frequent and active trading of portfolio securities to achieve its investment objective. Higher portfolio turnover involves correspondingly greater expenses to the Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. Such sales may also result in realization of taxable capital gains, including short-term capital gains (which are generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates). The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect the Fund’s performance.

 

Temporary Defensive Strategies

For temporary or defensive purposes, the Fund may invest without limit in U.S. debt securities, including taxable securities and short-term money market securities, when PIMCO deems it appropriate to do so. When the Fund engages in such strategies, it may not achieve its investment objective.

 

Changes in Investment Objective and Policies

The investment objective of the Fund is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. Unless otherwise stated, all investment policies of the Fund may be changed by the Board of Trustees without shareholder approval.

 

Percentage Investment Limitations

Unless otherwise stated, all percentage limitations on Fund investments listed in this prospectus will apply at the time of investment. The Fund would not violate these limitations unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of an investment.

 

Credit Ratings and Unrated Securities

Rating agencies are private services that provide ratings of the credit quality of fixed income securities, including convertible securities. Appendix A to this prospectus describes the various ratings assigned to fixed income securities by Moody’s, S&P and Fitch. Ratings assigned by a rating agency are not absolute standards of credit quality and do not evaluate market risks. Rating agencies may fail to make timely changes in credit ratings and an issuer’s current financial condition may be better or worse than a rating indicates. PIMCO does not rely solely on credit ratings, and develops its own analysis of issuer credit quality.

 

The Fund may purchase unrated securities (which are not rated by a rating agency). Unrated securities may be less liquid than comparable rated securities and involve the risk that the portfolio managers may not accurately evaluate the security’s comparative credit rating. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher-quality fixed income securities. To the extent that the Fund invests in high yield and/or unrated securities, the Fund’s success in achieving its investment objective may depend more heavily on the portfolio managers’ creditworthiness analysis than if the Fund invested exclusively in higher-quality and rated securities.

 

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Other Investments and Techniques

The Fund may invest in other types of securities and use a variety of investment techniques and strategies which are not described in this prospectus. These securities and techniques may subject the Fund to additional risks. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for additional information about the securities and investment techniques described in this prospectus and about additional securities and techniques that may be used by the Fund.

 

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Prior Performance of a Composite of Substantially Similar Managed Accounts

 

The tables below are designed to show you how a composite of accounts previously managed by the Fund’s portfolio managers in a style that is substantially similar to the Fund (the “Composite”) has performed in the past. The Composite consists of two accounts, one of which is a registered investment company, that were managed by the portfolio managers while at their previous employer. The Composite represents all accounts with substantially similar investment objectives, policies and strategies as the Fund managed by the portfolio managers while at their previous employer. However, you should not consider the performance of the Composite as an indication of the future performance of the Fund. Performance may vary based on differences in cash flows, fees and expenses and investment restrictions between the accounts included in the Composite and the Fund.

 

The performance shown in the tables reflects the deduction of the fees and expenses paid by accounts included in the Composite, which may be lower than those charged to the Fund. Performance reflects the reinvestment of dividends and distributions, and was calculated in the same manner that will be used by the Fund to calculate its own performance.

 

The following tables show rates of return of the Composite for the periods indicated, as well as a comparison with the performance of the MSCI World Index and S&P 500 Index, the Fund’s primary and secondary benchmark indices. The returns of the MSCI World Index and S&P 500 Index assume all dividends and distributions have been reinvested. Performance of each index does not reflect deductions for fees, expenses or taxes. One of the accounts included in the Composite was not subject to the restrictions of the 1940 Act or the Code, which, if applicable, might have adversely affected the performance of the Composite. These results are unaudited.

 

Annualized Compounded Rates of Returns for the periods ended [    ], 2009

 

     

1 Year

(%)

 

2 Years

(%)

 

3 Years

(%)

 

5 Years

(%)

 

10 Years

(%)

Composite    [    ]   [    ]   [    ]   [    ]   [    ]
MSCI World Index    [    ]   [    ]   [    ]   [    ]   [    ]
S&P 500 Index    [    ]   [    ]   [    ]   [    ]   [    ]

 

Returns for the period [    ], 2009 through [    ], 2009*     
Composite    [    ]
MSCI World Index    [    ]
S&P 500 Index    [    ]

 

*   [    ], 2009 is the last day that the portfolio managers for the Fund managed accounts contained in the the Composite.

 

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Financial Highlights

 

Because the Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, audited financial highlights are not available.

 

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Appendix A

Description of Securities Ratings

 

The Fund’s investments may range in quality from securities rated in the lowest category in which the Fund is permitted to invest to securities rated in the highest category (as rated by Moody’s, S&P or Fitch, or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality). The percentage of the Fund’s assets invested in securities in a particular rating category will vary. The following terms are generally used to describe the credit quality of fixed income securities:

 

High Quality Debt Securities are those rated in one of the two highest rating categories (the highest category for commercial paper) or, if unrated, deemed comparable by PIMCO.

 

Investment Grade Debt Securities are those rated in one of the four highest rating categories or, if unrated, deemed comparable by PIMCO.

 

Below Investment Grade, High Yield Securities (“Junk Bonds”) are those rated lower than Baa by Moody’s, BBB by S&P or Fitch and comparable securities. They are deemed predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s ability to repay principal and interest.

 

The following is a description of Moody’s, S&P’s and Fitch’s rating categories applicable to fixed income securities.

 

Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.

Long-Term Obligation Ratings

 

Moody’s long-term obligation ratings are opinions of the relative credit risk of fixed-income obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. They address the possibility that a financial obligation will not be honored as promised. Such ratings reflect both the likelihood of default and any financial loss suffered in the event of default.

 

Aaa: Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal credit risk.

 

Aa: Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

 

A: Obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

 

Baa: Obligations rated Baa are subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium-grade and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

 

Ba: Obligations rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements and are subject to substantial credit risk.

 

B: Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

 

Caa: Obligations rated Caa are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

 

Ca: Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

 

C: Obligations rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

 

Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category.

 

Short-Term Ratings

Moody’s short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.

 

Moody’s employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:

 

P-1: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

P-2: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.

 

P-3: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

 

NP: Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

 

US Municipal Short-Term Debt and Demand Obligation Ratings

 

Short-Term Obligation Ratings

There are three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels—MIG 1 through MIG 3. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation.

 

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MIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.

 

MIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.

 

MIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.

 

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.

 

Demand Obligation Ratings

In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned; a long or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moody’s evaluation of the degree of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moody’s evaluation of the degree of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand (“demand feature”), using a variation of the MIG rating scale, the Variable Municipal Investment Grade or VMIG rating. When either the long- or short-term aspect of a VRDO is not rated, that piece is designated NR, e.g., Aaa/NR or NR/VMIG 1. VMIG rating expirations are a function of each issue’s specific structural or credit features.

 

VMIG rating expirations are a function of each issue’s specific structural or credit features.

 

VMIG 1: This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

VMIG 2: This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

VMIG 3: This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

SG: This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.

 

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services

Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings

 

Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on the following considerations:

 

   

Likelihood of payment—capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation;

   

Nature of and provisions of the obligation;

   

Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors’ rights.

 

Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)

 

Investment Grade

AAA: An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.

 

AA: An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.

 

A: An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.

 

BBB: An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

Speculative Grade

Obligations rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, ‘CC’, and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.

 

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BB: An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

B: An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

CCC: An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

CC: An obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment.

 

C: A ‘C’ rating is assigned to obligations that are currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, obligations that have payment arrearages allowed by the terms of the documents, or obligations of an issuer that is the subject of a bankruptcy petition or similar action which have not experienced a payment default. Among other, the ‘C’ rating may be assigned to subordinated debt, preferred stock or other obligations on which cash payments have been suspended in accordance with the instrument’s terms.

 

D: An obligation rated ‘D’ is in payment default. The ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

 

Plus (+) or minus (-): The ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.

 

NR: This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poor’s does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.

 

Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings

A-1: A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by Standard & Poor’s. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong.

 

A-2: A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory.

 

A-3: A short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

B: A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. Ratings of ‘B-1’, ‘B-2’, and ‘B-3’ may be assigned to indicate finer distinctions within the ‘B’ category. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

B-1: A short-term obligation rated ‘B-1’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, but the obligor has a relatively stronger capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.

 

B-2: A short-term obligation rated ‘B-2’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has an average speculative-grade capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.

 

B-3: A short-term obligation rated ‘B-3’ is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has a relatively weaker capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.

 

C: A short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.

 

D: A short-term obligation rated ‘D’ is in payment default. The ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poor’s believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.

 

Dual Ratings: Standard & Poor’s assigns “dual” ratings to all debt issues that have a put option or demand feature as part of their structure. The first rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and

 

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the second rating addresses only the demand feature. The long-term rating symbols are used for bonds to denote the long-term maturity and the short-term rating symbols for the put option (for example, ‘AAA/A-1+’). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, note rating symbols are used with the short-term issue credit rating symbols (for example, ‘SP-1+/A-1+’).

 

Active Qualifiers (currently applied and/or outstanding)

i: This subscript is used for issues in which the credit factors, terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of interest are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of principal on the obligation. The ‘i’ subscript indicates that the rating addresses the interest portion of the obligation only. The ‘i’ subscript will always be used in conjunction with the ‘p’ subscript, which addresses likelihood of receipt of principal. For example, a rated obligation could be assigned ratings of “AAAp NRi” indicating that the principal portion is rated “AAA” and the interest portion of the obligation is not rated.

 

L: Ratings qualified with ‘L’ apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.

 

P: This subscript is used for issues in which the credit factors, the terms, or both, that determine the likelihood of receipt of payment of principal are different from the credit factors, terms or both that determine the likelihood of receipt of interest on the obligation. The ‘p’ subscript indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only. The ‘p’ subscript will always be used in conjunction with the ‘i’ subscript, which addresses likelihood of receipt of interest. For example, a rated obligation could be assigned ratings of “AAAp NRi” indicating that the principal portion is rated “AAA” and the interest portion of the obligation is not rated.

 

pi: Ratings with a ‘pi’ subscript are based on an analysis of an issuer’s published financial information, as well as additional information in the public domain. They do not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with an issuer’s management and are therefore based on less comprehensive information than ratings without a ‘pi’ subscript. Ratings with a ‘pi’ subscript are reviewed annually based on a new year’s financial statements, but may be reviewed on an interim basis if a major event occurs that may affect the issuer’s credit quality.

 

pr: The letters ‘pr’ indicate that the rating is provisional. A provisional rating assumes the successful completion of the project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements is largely or entirely dependent upon the successful, timely completion of the project. This rating, however, while addressing credit quality subsequent to completion of the project, makes no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure of such completion. The investor should exercise his own judgment with respect to such likelihood and risk.

 

Preliminary: Preliminary ratings are assigned to issues, including financial programs, in the following circumstances.

 

   

Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt and approval by Standard & Poor’s of appropriate documentation. Changes in the information provided to Standard & Poor’s could result in the assignment of a different rating. In addition, Standard & Poor’s reserves the right not to issue a final rating.

   

Preliminary ratings are assigned to Rule 415 Shelf Registrations. As specific issues, with defined terms, are offered from the master registration, a final rating may be assigned to them in accordance with Standard & Poor’s policies. The final rating may differ from the preliminary rating.

 

t: This symbol indicates termination structures that are designed to honor their contracts to full maturity or, should certain events occur, to terminate and cash settle all their contracts before their final maturity date.

 

Unsolicited: Unsolicited ratings are those credit ratings assigned at the initiative of Standard & Poor’s and not at the request of the issuer or its agents.

 

Inactive Qualifiers (no longer applied or outstanding)

*: This symbol indicated continuance of the ratings is contingent upon Standard & Poor’s receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August 1998.

 

c: This qualifier was used to provide additional information to investors that the bank may terminate its obligation to purchase tendered bonds if the long-term credit rating of the issuer is below an investment-grade level and/or the issuer’s bonds are deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.

 

q: A ‘q’ subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.

 

r: The ‘r’ modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks, particularly market risks, that are not covered in the credit rating. The absence of an ‘r’ modifier should not be taken as an indication that an obligation will not exhibit extraordinary non-credit related risks. Standard & Poor’s discontinued the use of the ‘r’ modifier for most obligations in June 2000 and for the balance of obligations (mainly structured finance transactions) in November 2002.

 

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Local Currency and Foreign Currency Risks: Country risk considerations are a standard part of Standard & Poor’s analysis for credit ratings on any issuer or issue. Currency of repayment is a key factor in this analysis. An obligor’s capacity to repay foreign currency obligations may be lower than its capacity to repay obligations in its local currency due to the sovereign government’s own relatively lower capacity to repay external versus domestic debt. These sovereign risk considerations are incorporated in the debt ratings assigned to specific issues. Foreign currency issuer ratings are also distinguished from local currency issuer ratings to identify those instances where sovereign risks make them different for the same issuer.

 

Fitch, Inc.

Long-Term Credit Ratings

 

Investment Grade

AAA: Highest credit quality. ‘AAA’ ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.

 

AA: Very high credit quality. “AA” ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.

 

A: High credit quality. “A” ratings denote low expectation of credit risk. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.

 

BBB: Good credit quality. “BBB” ratings indicate that expectations of credit risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.

 

Speculative Grade

BB: Speculative. ‘BB’ ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to credit risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met.

 

B: Highly speculative. ‘B’ ratings indicate that material credit risk is present.

 

CCC: Substantial credit risk. ‘CCC’ ratings indicate that substantial credit risk is present.

 

CC: Very high levels of credit risk. ‘CC’ ratings indicate very high levels of credit risk.

 

C: Exceptionally high levels of credit risk. ‘C’ indicates exceptionally high levels of credit risk.

 

Defaulted obligations typically are not assigned ‘D’ ratings, but are instead rated in the ‘B’ to ‘C’ rating categories, depending upon their recovery prospects and other relevant characteristics. This approach better aligns obligations that have comparable overall expected loss but varying vulnerability to default and loss.

 

Recovery Ratings

Recovery Ratings are assigned to selected individual securities and obligations. These currently are published for most individual obligations of corporate issuers with IDRs in the ‘B’ rating category and below, and for selected structured finance obligations in low speculative grade.

 

Among the factors that affect recovery rates for securities are the collateral, the seniority relative to other obligations in the capital structure (where appropriate), and the expected value of the company or underlying collateral in distress.

 

The Recovery Rating scale is based upon the expected relative recovery characteristics of an obligation upon the curing of a default, emergence from insolvency or following the liquidation or termination of the obligor or its associated collateral. For structured finance, Recovery Ratings are designed to estimate recoveries on a forward-looking basis while taking into account the time value of money.

 

Recovery Ratings are an ordinal scale and do not attempt to precisely predict a given level of recovery. As a guideline in developing the rating assessments, the agency employs broad theoretical recovery bands in its ratings approach based on historical averages, but actual recoveries for a given security may deviate materially from historical averages.

 

RR1: Outstanding recovery prospects given default. ‘RR1’ rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 91%-100% of current principal and related interest.

 

RR2: Superior recovery prospects given default. ‘RR2’ rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 71%-90% of current principal and related interest.

 

RR3: Good recovery prospects given default. ‘RR3’ rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 51%-70% of current principal and related interest.

 

RR4: Average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR4’ rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 31%-50% of current principal and related interest.

 

Prospectus   A-5


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RR5: Below average recovery prospects given default. ‘RR5’ rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 11%-30% of current principal and related interest.

 

RR6: Poor recovery prospects given default. ‘RR6’ rated securities have characteristics consistent with securities historically recovering 0%-10% of current principal and related interest.

 

Short-Term Credit Ratings

A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity or security stream, and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as “short term” based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, structured and sovereign obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in US public finance markets.

 

F1: Highest short-term credit quality. Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.

 

F2: Good short-term credit quality. Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.

 

F3: Fair short-term credit quality. The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.

 

B: Speculative short-term credit quality. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.

 

C: High short-term default risk. Default is a real possibility.

 

RD: Restricted default. Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Applicable to entity ratings only.

 

D: Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a specific short-term obligation.

 

A-6   PIMCO Funds


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PIMCO Funds Equity Trust

 

The Trust’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) includes additional information about the Fund. The SAI is incorporated by reference into this prospectus, which means it is part of this prospectus for legal purposes.

 

The Fund’s semi-annual report, once it is available, will discuss the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance during its last fiscal year.

 

You may get free copies of the SAI, the Fund’s annual or semi-annual report (once available), request other information about the Fund, or make shareholder inquiries by calling 1-800-426-0107, or by writing to:

 

Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC

1345 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10105-4800

 

You may review and copy information about the Trust, including its SAI, at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s public reference room in Washington, D.C. You may call the Commission at 1-202-551-8090 for information about the operation of the public reference room. You may also access reports and other information about the Trust on the EDGAR Database on the Commission’s Web site at www.sec.gov. You may get copies of this information, with payment of a duplication fee, by writing the Public Reference Section of the Commission, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102, or by e-mailing your request to publicinfo@sec.gov.

 

You can also visit our Web site at www.allianzinvestors.com for additional information about the Fund, including the SAI, which is available for download free of charge.

 

LOGO

 

Investment Company Act File number [            ]


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PIMCO Funds Equity Trust

INVESTMENT ADVISER AND ADMINISTRATOR

PIMCO, 840 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660

 

 

DISTRIBUTOR

Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC, 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York,     NY 10105-4800

 

 

CUSTODIAN

[                                                                         ]

 

 

TRANSFER AGENT

[                                                                                 ]

 

 

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

[                         ]

 

 

LEGAL COUNSEL

Dechert LLP, 1775 I Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006

 

 

For further information about the PIMCO Funds, call 1-800-426-0107 or visit our Web site at www.allianzinvestors.com.

 

 

 

Not part of the prospectus


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LOGO

 

Allianz Global Investors, the asset management subsidiary of Allianz SE, has more than $1 trillion under management for our clients worldwide.1 Our investment solutions—including the PIMCO Funds Equity Trust, PIMCO Funds and Allianz Funds, separately managed accounts and closed-end funds—offer access to a premier group of institutional investment firms, carefully assembled by Allianz to represent a broad spectrum of asset classes and investment styles.

 

n  PIMCO   n  Cadence Capital Management2   n  Nicholas-Applegate
n  NFJ Investment Group   n  RCM   n  Oppenheimer Capital

 

www.allianzinvestors.com

 

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the above mentioned Fund carefully before investing. This and other information is contained in the Fund’s prospectus, which may be obtained by contacting your financial advisor, by visiting www.allianzinvestors.com or by calling 1-888-877-4626. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest or send money.

 

1 Allianz Global Investors AG assets under management as of 3/31/09.

2 Cadence Capital Management is an independently owned investment firm.

Allianz Global Investors Fund Management LLC serves as the investment manager for the Allianz Funds and for the closed-end funds. PIMCO is the investment manager for the PIMCO Funds. Managed accounts are available through Allianz Global Investors Managed Accounts LLC. The PIMCO Funds and Allianz Funds are distributed by Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC. © 2009. For information about any product, contact your financial advisor.

 

This cover is not part of the Prospectus     [                


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PIMCO Funds Equity Trust

Statement of Additional Information

This Statement of Additional Information is not a prospectus, and should be read in conjunction with the prospectuses of PIMCO Funds Equity Trust (the “Trust”), as described below and as supplemented from time to time.

The Trust is an open-end management investment company (“mutual fund”) currently consisting of one portfolio, the PIMCO Global Opportunities Fund (the “Fund”). The Trust offers up to seven classes of shares of the Fund. The Fund’s Institutional Class, Class P, Administrative Class and Class D shares are offered through a Prospectus dated [ ], and the Fund’s Class A, Class C and Class R shares are offered through a Prospectus dated [ ], as amended or supplemented from time to time (collectively, the “Prospectuses”). A copy of the Prospectuses may be obtained free of charge at the address and telephone number listed below.

Pacific Investment Management Company LLC (“PIMCO” or the “Adviser”), 840 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, California 92660, is the investment adviser to the Fund.

Copies of Prospectuses and annual or semi-annual reports, when available, may be obtained free of charge at the addresses and telephone numbers listed below.

 

Institutional Class, Class P, Administrative Class and Class D Prospectus, Annual and Semi-Annual Reports:   Classes A, C and R Prospectus, Annual and Semi-Annual Reports:
PIMCO Funds Equity Trust   Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC
840 Newport Center Drive   1345 Avenue of the Americas
Newport Beach, California 92660   New York, New York 10105
Telephone: (800) 927-4648   Telephone: (800) 426-0107

[ ]


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page

THE TRUST

   1

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES

   1

Equity Securities

   1

Convertible Securities

   1

Preferred Stock

   2

Depositary Receipts

   3

Warrants to Purchase Securities

   3

U.S. Government Securities

   3

Mortgage-Related Securities and Asset-Backed Securities

   3

Real Estate Securities and Related Derivatives

   8

Bank Obligations

   9

Indebtedness, Loan Participations and Assignments

   9

Trade Claims

   10

Corporate Debt Securities

   11

High Yield Securities (“Junk Bonds”) and Securities of Distressed Companies

   11

Creditor Liability and Participation on Creditors Committees

   12

Variable and Floating Rate Securities

   12

Foreign Securities

   12

Foreign Currency Transactions

   15

Borrowing

   16

Derivative Instruments

   17

Hybrid Instruments

   25

Municipal Bonds

   26

Delayed Funding Loans and Revolving Credit Facilities

   29

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

   29

Standby Commitment Agreements

   30

Short Sales

   30

144A Securities

   30

Illiquid Securities

   31

Loans of Portfolio Securities

   31

Government Intervention in Financial Markets

   31

Temporary Investment

   31

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

   32

Fundamental Investment Restrictions

   32

Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions

   32

MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST

   35

Trustees and Officers

   35

Trustees

   35

Executive Officers

   35

Securities Ownership

   35

Trustee Ownership of the Investment Adviser and Principal Underwriter, and Their Control Persons

   35

Standing Committees

   36

Compensation Table

   37

Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities

   38

Investment Adviser

   38

Advisory Agreement

   38

Advisory Fee Rates

   38

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

   39

Fund Administrator

   39

Supervisory and Administrative Fee Rates

   40

Supervisory and Administrative Fees Waived and Recouped

   40

 

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PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

   41

Other Accounts Managed

   41

Conflicts of Interest

   41

Portfolio Manager Compensation

   41

Securities Ownership

   43

DISTRIBUTION OF TRUST SHARES

   43

Distributor and Multi-Class Plan

   43

Initial Sales Charge and Contingent Deferred Sales Charge

   44

Distribution and Servicing Plans for Class A, Class C and Class R Shares

   44

Distribution Plan for Administrative Class Shares and Administrative Services Plan for Administrative Class Shares

   47

Additional Information About Institutional Class, Administrative Class and Class P Shares

   49

Plan for Class D Shares

   49

Purchases, Exchanges and Redemptions

   50

Additional Information about Purchases, Exchanges and Redemptions of Class A, Class C and Class R Shares

   52

Additional Information About the Shares

   68

Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

   69

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE

   69

Investment Decisions and Portfolio Transactions

   69

Brokerage and Research Services

   70

Portfolio Turnover

   71

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

   71

Large Trade Notifications

   72

NET ASSET VALUE

   73

TAXATION

   73

Distributions

   74

Sales of Shares

   74

Potential Pass-Through of Tax Credits

   75

Backup Withholding

   75

Options, Futures and Forward Contracts, and Swap Agreements

   75

Short Sales

   76

Passive Foreign Investment Companies

   76

Foreign Currency Transactions

   76

Foreign Taxation

   76

Original Issue Discount and Market Discount

   77

Constructive Sales

   77

IRAs and Other Retirement Plans

   77

Non-U.S. Shareholders

   78

Other Taxation

   78

OTHER INFORMATION

   79

Capitalization

   79

Voting Rights

   79

Code of Ethics

   79

Custodian, Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent

   79

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

   80

Counsel

   80

Registration Statement

   80

Financial Statements

   80

 

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THE TRUST

The Trust is a Delaware statutory trust established under a Declaration of Trust dated [ ]. The Trust is an open-end management investment company (“mutual fund”) currently consisting of one investment portfolio, the PIMCO Global Opportunities Fund.

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES

The investment objective and general investment policies of the Fund are described in the Prospectuses. Additional information concerning the characteristics of certain of the Fund’s investments is set forth below.

Equity Securities

Equity securities, such as common stock, represent an ownership interest, or the right to acquire an ownership interest, in an issuer. Common stock generally takes the form of shares in a corporation. The value of a company’s stock may fall as a result of factors directly relating to that company, such as decisions made by its management or lower demand for the company’s products or services. A stock’s value also may fall because of factors affecting not just the company, but also companies in the same industry or in a number of different industries, such as increases in production costs. The value of a company’s stock also may be affected by changes in financial markets that are relatively unrelated to the company or its industry, such as changes in interest rates or currency exchange rates. In addition, a company’s stock generally pays dividends only after the company invests in its own business and makes required payments to holders of its bonds, other debt and preferred stock. For this reason, the value of a company’s stock will usually react more strongly than its bonds, other debt and preferred stock to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Stocks of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than those of larger companies. Stocks of companies that the portfolio managers believe are fast-growing may trade at a higher multiple of current earnings than other stocks. The value of such stocks may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the values of other stocks. The Fund generally considers a small-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between $250 million and $1.5 billion, a mid-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of between $1.5 billion and $10 billion, and a large-cap company to be a company with a market capitalization of greater than $10 billion.

Different types of equity securities provide different voting and dividend rights and priority in the event of the bankruptcy and/or insolvency of the issuer. In addition to common stock, equity securities may include preferred stock, convertible securities and warrants, which are discussed elsewhere in the Prospectuses and this Statement of Additional Information. Equity securities other than common stock are subject to many of the same risks as common stock, although possibly to different degrees. The risks of equity securities are generally magnified in the case of equity investments in distressed companies.

Convertible Securities

The Fund may invest in convertible securities, which may offer higher income than the common stocks into which they are convertible.

A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred stock, or other security that entitles the holder to acquire common stock or other equity securities of the same or a different issuer. A convertible security generally entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Before conversion, convertible securities have characteristics similar to non-convertible debt or preferred securities, as applicable. Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure and, therefore, generally entail less risk than the corporation’s common stock, although the extent to which such risk is reduced depends in large measure upon the degree to which the convertible security sells above its value as a fixed income security. Convertible securities are subordinate in rank to any senior debt obligations of the issuer, and, therefore, an issuer’s convertible securities entail more risk than its debt obligations. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible debt securities of similar credit quality because of the potential for capital appreciation. In addition, convertible securities are often lower-rated securities.

Because of the conversion feature, the price of the convertible security will normally fluctuate in some proportion to changes in the price of the underlying asset, and as such is subject to risks relating to the activities of the issuer and/or general market and economic conditions. The income component of a convertible security may tend to cushion the security against declines in the price of the underlying asset. However, the income component of convertible securities causes fluctuations based upon changes in interest rates and the credit quality of the issuer.

 

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If the convertible security’s “conversion value,” which is the market value of the underlying common stock that would be obtained upon the conversion of the convertible security, is substantially below the “investment value,” which is the value of a convertible security viewed without regard to its conversion feature (i.e., strictly on the basis of its yield), the price of the convertible security is governed principally by its investment value. If the conversion value of a convertible security increases to a point that approximates or exceeds its investment value, the value of the security will be principally influenced by its conversion value. A convertible security will sell at a premium over its conversion value to the extent investors place value on the right to acquire the underlying common stock while holding an income-producing security.

A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a predetermined price. If a convertible security held by the Fund is called for redemption, the Fund would be required to permit the issuer to redeem the security and convert it to underlying common stock, or would sell the convertible security to a third party, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

A third party or PIMCO also may create a “synthetic” convertible security by combining separate securities that possess the two principal characteristics of a traditional convertible security, i.e., an income-producing security (“income-producing component”) and the right to acquire an equity security (“convertible component”). The income-producing component is achieved by investing in non-convertible, income-producing securities such as bonds, preferred stocks and money market instruments, which may be represented by derivative instruments. The convertible component is achieved by investing in securities or instruments such as warrants or options to buy common stock at a certain exercise price, or options on a stock index. Unlike a traditional convertible security, which is a single security having a single market value, a synthetic convertible comprises two or more separate securities, each with its own market value. Therefore, the “market value” of a synthetic convertible security is the sum of the values of its income-producing component and its convertible component. For this reason, the values of a synthetic convertible security and a traditional convertible security may respond differently to market fluctuations.

More flexibility is possible in the assembly of a synthetic convertible security than in the purchase of a convertible security. Although synthetic convertible securities may be selected where the two components are issued by a single issuer, thus making the synthetic convertible security similar to the traditional convertible security, the character of a synthetic convertible security allows the combination of components representing distinct issuers, when PIMCO believes that such a combination may better achieve the Fund’s investment objective. A synthetic convertible security also is a more flexible investment in that its two components may be purchased separately. For example, the Fund may purchase a warrant for inclusion in a synthetic convertible security but temporarily hold short-term investments while postponing the purchase of a corresponding bond pending development of more favorable market conditions.

A holder of a synthetic convertible security faces the risk of a decline in the price of the security or the level of the index involved in the convertible component, causing a decline in the value of the security or instrument, such as a call option or warrant, purchased to create the synthetic convertible security. Should the price of the stock fall below the exercise price and remain there throughout the exercise period, the entire amount paid for the call option or warrant would be lost. Because a synthetic convertible security includes the income-producing component as well, the holder of a synthetic convertible security also faces the risk that interest rates will rise, causing a decline in the value of the income-producing instrument.

The Fund also may purchase synthetic convertible securities created by other parties, including convertible structured notes. Convertible structured notes are income-producing debentures linked to equity, and are typically issued by investment banks. Convertible structured notes have the attributes of a convertible security; however, the investment bank that issues the convertible note, rather than the issuer of the underlying common stock into which the note is convertible, assumes credit risk associated with the underlying investment, and the Fund in turn assumes credit risk associated with the convertible note.

Preferred Stock

The Fund may invest in preferred stock. Preferred stock represents an equity interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of other stocks such as common stocks, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Some preferred stocks also entitle their holders to receive additional liquidation proceeds on the same basis as holders of a company’s common stock, and thus also represent an ownership interest in that company.

Preferred stocks may pay fixed or adjustable rates of return. Preferred stock is subject to issuer-specific and market risks applicable generally to equity securities. In addition, a company’s preferred stock generally pays dividends only after the company makes required payments to holders of its bonds and other debt. For this reason, the value of preferred stock

 

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will usually react more strongly than bonds and other debt to actual or perceived changes in the company’s financial condition or prospects. Preferred stock of smaller companies may be more vulnerable to adverse developments than preferred stock of larger companies.

Depositary Receipts

The Fund may invest in American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), European Depositary Receipts (EDRs), Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) and similar securities that represent interests in a company’s securities that have been deposited with a bank or trust and that trade on an exchange or over-the-counter. For example, ADRs represent interests in a non-U.S. company but trade on a U.S. exchange or over-the-counter and are denominated in U.S. dollars. These securities represent the right to receive securities of the foreign issuer deposited with the bank or trust. ADRs, EDRs and GDRs can be sponsored by the issuing bank or trust company or the issuer of the underlying securities. Although the issuing bank or trust company may impose charges for the collection of dividends and the conversion of such securities into the underlying securities, there are generally no fees imposed on the purchase or sale of these securities, other than transaction fees ordinarily involved with trading stock. Such securities may be less liquid or may trade at a lower price than the underlying securities of the issuer. Additionally, receipt of corporate information about the underlying issuer and proxy disclosure may be untimely.

Warrants to Purchase Securities

The Fund may invest in or acquire warrants to purchase equity or fixed income securities. Warrants are instruments that give the holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy a security at a specific price for a specific period of time. Changes in the value of a warrant do not necessarily correspond to changes in the value of its underlying security. The price of a warrant may be more volatile than the price of its underlying security, and a warrant may offer greater potential for capital appreciation as well as capital loss. Warrants do not entitle a holder to dividends or voting rights with respect to the underlying security and do not represent any rights in the assets of the issuing company. A warrant ceases to have value if it is not exercised prior to its expiration date. These factors can make warrants more speculative than other types of investments. Bonds with warrants attached to purchase equity securities have many characteristics of convertible bonds and their prices may, to some degree, reflect the performance of the underlying stock. Bonds also may be issued with warrants attached to purchase additional fixed income securities at the same coupon rate. A decline in interest rates would permit the Fund to buy additional bonds at the favorable rate or to sell the warrants at a profit. If interest rates rise, the warrants would generally expire with no value.

U.S. Government Securities

U.S. Government securities are obligations of and, in certain cases, guaranteed by, the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities. The U.S. Government does not guarantee the net asset value of the Fund’s shares. Some U.S. Government securities, such as Treasury bills, notes and bonds, and securities guaranteed by the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”), are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States; others, such as those of the Federal Home Loan Banks, are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Department of the Treasury (the “U.S. Treasury”); others, such as those of the Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the agency’s obligations; and still others, such as those of the Student Loan Marketing Association, are supported only by the credit of the instrumentality. U.S. Government securities may include zero coupon securities, which do not distribute interest on a current basis and tend to be subject to greater risk than interest-paying securities of similar maturities.

Mortgage-Related Securities and Asset-Backed Securities

Mortgage-related securities are interests in pools of residential or commercial mortgage loans, including mortgage loans made by savings and loan institutions, mortgage bankers, commercial banks and others. Pools of mortgage loans are assembled as securities for sale to investors by various governmental, government-related and private organizations. See “Mortgage Pass-Through Securities.” The Fund also may invest in debt securities which are secured with collateral consisting of mortgage-related securities (see “Collateralized Mortgage Obligations”).

Mortgage Pass-Through Securities. Interests in pools of mortgage-related securities differ from other forms of debt securities, which normally provide for periodic payment of interest in fixed amounts with principal payments at maturity or specified call dates. Instead, these securities provide a monthly payment which consists of both interest and principal payments. In effect, these payments are a “pass-through” of the monthly payments made by the individual borrowers on their residential or commercial mortgage loans, net of any fees paid to the issuer or guarantor of such securities. Additional payments are caused by repayments of principal resulting from the sale of the underlying property, refinancing or foreclosure,

 

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net of fees or costs which may be incurred. Some mortgage-related securities (such as securities issued by GNMA) are described as “modified pass-through.” These securities entitle the holder to receive all interest and principal payments owed on the mortgage pool, net of certain fees, at the scheduled payment dates regardless of whether or not the mortgagor actually makes the payment.

The rate of pre-payments on underlying mortgages will affect the price and volatility of a mortgage-related security, and may have the effect of shortening or extending the effective duration of the security relative to what was anticipated at the time of purchase. To the extent that unanticipated rates of pre-payment on underlying mortgages increase the effective duration of a mortgage-related security, the volatility of such security can be expected to increase. The residential mortgage market in the United States recently has experienced difficulties that may adversely affect the performance and market value of certain of the Fund’s mortgage-related investments. Delinquencies and losses on residential mortgage loans (especially subprime and second-lien mortgage loans) generally have increased recently and may continue to increase, and a decline in or flattening of housing values (as has recently been experienced and may continue to be experienced in many housing markets) may exacerbate such delinquencies and losses. Borrowers with adjustable rate mortgage loans are more sensitive to changes in interest rates, which affect their monthly mortgage payments, and may be unable to secure replacement mortgages at comparably low interest rates. Also, a number of residential mortgage loan originators have recently experienced serious financial difficulties or bankruptcy. Owing largely to the foregoing, reduced investor demand for mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities and increased investor yield requirements have caused limited liquidity in the secondary market for mortgage-related securities, which can adversely affect the market value of mortgage-related securities. It is possible that such limited liquidity in such secondary markets could continue or worsen.

The principal governmental guarantor of mortgage-related securities is GNMA. GNMA is a wholly owned United States Government corporation within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. GNMA is authorized to guarantee, with the full faith and credit of the United States Government, the timely payment of principal and interest on securities issued by institutions approved by GNMA (such as savings and loan institutions, commercial banks and mortgage bankers) and backed by pools of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (the “FHA”), or guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (the “VA”).

Government-related guarantors (i.e., not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government) include FNMA and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”). FNMA is a government-sponsored corporation the common stock of which is owned entirely by private stockholders. FNMA purchases conventional (i.e., not insured or guaranteed by any government agency) residential mortgages from a list of approved seller/servicers which include state and federally chartered savings and loan associations, mutual savings banks, commercial banks and credit unions and mortgage bankers. Pass-through securities issued by FNMA are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA, but are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government. FHLMC was created by Congress in 1970 for the purpose of increasing the availability of mortgage credit for residential housing. It is a government-sponsored corporation formerly owned by the twelve Federal Home Loan Banks but now the common stock is owned entirely by private stockholders. FHLMC issues Participation Certificates (“PCs”), which are pass-through securities, each representing an undivided interest in a pool of residential mortgages. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but PCs are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States Government.

On September 6, 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) placed FNMA and FHLMC into conservatorship. As the conservator, FHFA succeeded to all rights, titles, powers and privileges of FNMA and FHLMC and of any stockholder, officer or director of FNMA and FHLMC with respect to FNMA and FHLMC and the assets of FNMA and FHLMC. FHFA selected a new chief executive officer and chairman of the board of directors for each of FNMA and FHLMC.

On September 7, 2008, the U.S. Treasury announced three additional steps taken by it in connection with the conservatorship. First, the U.S. Treasury entered into a Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement with each of FNMA and FHLMC pursuant to which the U.S. Treasury will purchase up to an aggregate of $100 billion of each of FNMA and FHLMC to maintain a positive net worth in each enterprise. This agreement contains various covenants that severely limit each enterprise’s operations. In exchange for entering into these agreements, the U.S. Treasury received $1 billion of each enterprise’s senior preferred stock and warrants to purchase 79.9% of each enterprise’s common stock. Second, the U.S. Treasury announced the creation of a new secured lending facility which is available to each of FNMA and FHLMC as a liquidity backstop. Third, the U.S. Treasury announced the creation of a temporary program to purchase mortgage-backed securities issued by each of FNMA and FHLMC. The liquidity backstop program is scheduled to expire in December 2009 and the mortgage-backed securities purchase program is expected to be wound down in the first quarter of 2010.

 

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FNMA and FHLMC are continuing to operate as going concerns while in conservatorship and each remain liable for all of its obligations, including its guaranty obligations, associated with its mortgage-backed securities. The liquidity backstop and the Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreement are both intended to enhance each of FNMA’s and FHLMC’s ability to meet its obligations.

Under the Federal Housing Finance Regulatory Reform Act of 2008 (the Reform Act”), which was included as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, FHFA, as conservator or receiver, has the power to repudiate any contract entered into by FNMA or FHLMC prior to FHFA’s appointment as conservator or receiver, as applicable, if FHFA determines, in its sole discretion, that performance of the contract is burdensome and that repudiation of the contract promotes the orderly administration of FNMA’s or FHLMC’s affairs. The Reform Act requires FHFA to exercise its right to repudiate any contract within a reasonable period of time after its appointment as conservator or receiver.

FHFA, in its capacity as conservator, has indicated that it has no intention to repudiate the guaranty obligations of FNMA or FHLMC because FHFA views repudiation as incompatible with the goals of the conservatorship. However, in the event that FHFA, as conservator or if it is later appointed as receiver for FNMA or FHLMC, were to repudiate any such guaranty obligation, the conservatorship or receivership estate, as applicable, would be liable for actual direct compensatory damages in accordance with the provisions of the Reform Act. Any such liability could be satisfied only to the extent of FNMA’s or FHLMC’s assets available therefor.

In the event of repudiation, the payments of interest to holders of FNMA or FHLMC mortgage-backed securities would be reduced if payments on the mortgage loans represented in the mortgage loan groups related to such mortgage-backed securities are not made by the borrowers or advanced by the servicer. Any actual direct compensatory damages for repudiating these guaranty obligations may not be sufficient to offset any shortfalls experienced by such mortgage-backed security holders.

Further, in its capacity as conservator or receiver, FHFA has the right to transfer or sell any asset or liability of FNMA or FHLMC without any approval, assignment or consent. Although FHFA has stated that it has no present intention to do so, if FHFA, as conservator or receiver, were to transfer any such guaranty obligation to another party, holders of FNMA or FHLMC mortgage-backed securities would have to rely on that party for satisfaction of the guaranty obligation and would be exposed to the credit risk of that party.

In addition, certain rights provided to holders of mortgage-backed securities issued by FNMA and FHLMC under the operative documents related to such securities may not be enforced against FHFA, or enforcement of such rights may be delayed, during the conservatorship or any future receivership. The operative documents for FNMA and FHLMC mortgage-backed securities may provide (or with respect to securities issued prior to the date of the appointment of the conservator may have provided) that upon the occurrence of an event of default on the part of FNMA or FHLMC, in its capacity as guarantor, which includes the appointment of a conservator or receiver, holders of such mortgage-backed securities have the right to replace FNMA or FHLMC as trustee if the requisite percentage of mortgage-backed securities holders consent. The Reform Act prevents mortgage-backed security holders from enforcing such rights if the event of default arises solely because a conservator or receiver has been appointed. The Reform Act also provides that no person may exercise any right or power to terminate, accelerate or declare an event of default under certain contracts to which FNMA or FHLMC is a party, or obtain possession of or exercise control over any property of FNMA or FHLMC, or affect any contractual rights of FNMA or FHLMC, without the approval of FHFA, as conservator or receiver, for a period of 45 or 90 days following the appointment of FHFA as conservator or receiver, respectively.

Commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, private mortgage insurance companies, mortgage bankers and other secondary market issuers also create pass-through pools of conventional residential mortgage loans. Such issuers may be the originators and/or servicers of the underlying mortgage loans as well as the guarantors of the mortgage-related securities. Pools created by such non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher rate of interest than government and government-related pools because there are no direct or indirect government or agency guarantees of payments in the former pools. However, timely payment of interest and principal of these pools may be supported by various forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, title, pool and hazard insurance and letters of credit, which may be issued by governmental entities or private insurers. Such insurance and guarantees and the creditworthiness of the issuers thereof will be considered in determining whether a mortgage-related security meets the Trust’s investment quality standards. There can be no assurance that the private insurers or guarantors can meet their obligations under the insurance policies or guarantee arrangements. The Fund may buy mortgage-related securities without insurance or guarantees if, through an examination of the loan experience and practices of the originators/servicers and poolers, PIMCO determines that the securities meet the Trust’s quality standards. Securities issued by certain private organizations may not be readily marketable. The Fund will not purchase mortgage-related securities or any other assets which in PIMCO’s opinion are illiquid if, as a result, more than 15% of the value of the Fund’s net assets will be illiquid.

 

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Mortgage-backed securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities, are not subject to the Fund’s industry concentration restrictions, set forth below under “Investment Restrictions,” by virtue of the exclusion from that test available to all U.S. Government securities. In the case of privately issued mortgage-related securities, the Fund takes the position that mortgage-related securities do not represent interests in any particular “industry” or group of industries. The assets underlying such securities may be represented by a portfolio of first lien residential mortgages (including both whole mortgage loans and mortgage participation interests) or portfolios of mortgage pass-through securities issued or guaranteed by GNMA, FNMA or FHLMC. Mortgage loans underlying a mortgage-related security may in turn be insured or guaranteed by the FHA or the VA. In the case of private issue mortgage-related securities whose underlying assets are neither U.S. Government securities nor U.S. Government-insured mortgages, to the extent that real properties securing such assets may be located in the same geographical region, the security may be subject to a greater risk of default than other comparable securities in the event of adverse economic, political or business developments that may affect such region and, ultimately, the ability of residential homeowners to make payments of principal and interest on the underlying mortgages.

Collateralized Mortgage Obligations (“CMOs”). A CMO is a debt obligation of a legal entity that is collateralized by mortgages and divided into classes. Similar to a bond, interest and prepaid principal is paid, in most cases, on a monthly basis. CMOs may be collateralized by whole mortgage loans or private mortgage bonds, but are more typically collateralized by portfolios of mortgage pass-through securities guaranteed by GNMA, FHLMC, or FNMA, and their income streams.

CMOs are structured into multiple classes, often referred to as “tranches,” with each class bearing a different stated maturity and entitled to a different schedule for payments of principal and interest, including pre-payments. Actual maturity and average life will depend upon the pre-payment experience of the collateral. In the case of certain CMOs (known as “sequential pay” CMOs), payments of principal received from the pool of underlying mortgages, including pre-payments, are applied to the classes of CMOs in the order of their respective final distribution dates. Thus, no payment of principal will be made to any class of sequential pay CMOs until all other classes having an earlier final distribution date have been paid in full.

In a typical CMO transaction, a corporation (“issuer”) issues multiple series (e.g., A, B, C, Z) of CMO bonds (“Bonds”). Proceeds of the Bond offering are used to purchase mortgages or mortgage pass-through certificates (“Collateral”). The Collateral is pledged to a third party trustee as security for the Bonds. Principal and interest payments from the Collateral are used to pay principal on the Bonds in the order A, B, C, Z. The Series A, B, and C Bonds all bear current interest. Interest on the Series Z Bond is accrued and added to principal and a like amount is paid as principal on the Series A, B, or C Bond currently being paid off. When the Series A, B, and C Bonds are paid in full, interest and principal on the Series Z Bond begins to be paid currently. CMOs may be less liquid and may exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- or asset-backed securities.

Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities include securities that reflect an interest in, and are secured by, mortgage loans on commercial real property. Many of the risks of investing in commercial mortgage-backed securities reflect the risks of investing in the real estate securing the underlying mortgage loans. These risks reflect the effects of local and other economic conditions on real estate markets, the ability of tenants to make loan payments, and the ability of a property to attract and retain tenants. Commercial mortgage-backed securities may be less liquid and exhibit greater price volatility than other types of mortgage- or asset-backed securities.

Other Mortgage-Related Securities. Other mortgage-related securities include securities other than those described above that directly or indirectly represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, mortgage loans on real property, including mortgage dollar rolls, CMO residuals or stripped mortgage-backed securities (“SMBS”). Other mortgage-related securities may be equity or debt securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, homebuilders, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks, partnerships, trusts and special purpose entities of the foregoing.

CMO Residuals. CMO residuals are mortgage securities issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, homebuilders, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose entities of the foregoing.

 

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The cash flow generated by the mortgage assets underlying a series of CMOs is applied first to make required payments of principal and interest on the CMOs and second to pay the related administrative expenses and any management fee of the issuer. The residual in a CMO structure generally represents the interest in any excess cash flow remaining after making the foregoing payments. Each payment of such excess cash flow to a holder of the related CMO residual represents income and/or a return of capital. The amount of residual cash flow resulting from a CMO will depend on, among other things, the characteristics of the mortgage assets, the coupon rate of each class of CMO, prevailing interest rates, the amount of administrative expenses and the pre-payment experience on the mortgage assets. In particular, the yield to maturity on CMO residuals is extremely sensitive to pre-payments on the related underlying mortgage assets, in the same manner as an interest-only (“IO”) class of stripped mortgage-backed securities. See “Other Mortgage-Related Securities—Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities.” In addition, if a series of a CMO includes a class that bears interest at an adjustable rate, the yield to maturity on the related CMO residual will also be extremely sensitive to changes in the level of the index upon which interest rate adjustments are based. As described below with respect to stripped mortgage-backed securities, in certain circumstances the Fund may fail to recoup fully its initial investment in a CMO residual.

CMO residuals are generally purchased and sold by institutional investors through several investment banking firms acting as brokers or dealers. Transactions in CMO residuals are generally completed only after careful review of the characteristics of the securities in question. In addition, CMO residuals may, or pursuant to an exemption therefrom, may not have been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). CMO residuals, whether or not registered under the 1933 Act, may be subject to certain restrictions on transferability, and may be deemed “illiquid” and subject to the Fund’s limitations on investment in illiquid securities.

Adjustable Rate Mortgage-Backed Securities. Adjustable rate mortgage-backed securities (“ARMBSs”) have interest rates that reset at periodic intervals. Acquiring ARMBSs permits the Fund to participate in increases in prevailing current interest rates through periodic adjustments in the coupons of mortgages underlying the pool on which ARMBSs are based. Such ARMBSs generally have higher current yield and lower price fluctuations than is the case with more traditional fixed income debt securities of comparable rating and maturity. In addition, when prepayments of principal are made on the underlying mortgages during periods of rising interest rates, the Fund can reinvest the proceeds of such prepayments at rates higher than those at which they were previously invested. Mortgages underlying most ARMBSs, however, have limits on the allowable annual or lifetime increases that can be made in the interest rate that the mortgagor pays. Therefore, if current interest rates rise above such limits over the period of the limitation, the Fund, when holding an ARMBS, does not benefit from further increases in interest rates. Moreover, when interest rates are in excess of coupon rates (i.e., the rates being paid by mortgagors) of the mortgages, ARMBSs behave more like fixed income securities and less like adjustable rate securities and are subject to the risks associated with fixed income securities. In addition, during periods of rising interest rates, increases in the coupon rate of adjustable rate mortgages generally lag current market interest rates slightly, thereby creating the potential for capital depreciation on such securities.

Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities. SMBS are derivative multi-class mortgage securities. SMBS may be issued by agencies or instrumentalities of the U.S. Government, or by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, mortgage banks, commercial banks, investment banks and special purpose entities of the foregoing.

SMBS are usually structured with two classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions on a pool of mortgage assets. A common type of SMBS will have one class receiving some of the interest and most of the principal from the mortgage assets, while the other class will receive most of the interest and the remainder of the principal. In the most extreme case, one class will receive all of the interest (the “IO” class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only or “PO” class). The yield to maturity on an IO class is extremely sensitive to the rate of principal payments (including pre-payments) on the related underlying mortgage assets, and a rapid rate of principal payments may have a material adverse effect on the Fund’s yield to maturity from these securities. If the underlying mortgage assets experience greater than anticipated pre-payments of principal, the Fund may fail to recoup some or all of its initial investment in these securities even if the security is in one of the highest rating categories.

Collateralized Debt Obligations. The Fund may invest in collateralized debt obligations (“CDOs”), which include collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”), collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) and other similarly structured securities. CBOs and CLOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. CDOs may charge management fees and administrative expenses.

 

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For both CBOs and CLOs, the cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the “equity” tranche which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Since it is partially protected from defaults, a senior tranche from a CBO trust or CLO trust typically have higher ratings and lower yields than their underlying securities, and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CBO or CLO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CBO or CLO securities as a class.

The risks of an investment in a CDO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the CDO in which the Fund invests. Normally, CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities, however an active dealer market may exist for CDOs allowing a CDO to qualify for Rule 144A transactions. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed income securities discussed elsewhere in this Statement of Additional Information and the Fund’s Prospectuses (e.g., interest rate risk and default risk), CDOs carry additional risks including, but are not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the Fund may invest in CDOs that are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.

Asset-Backed Securities. Asset-backed securities (“ABS”) are bonds backed by pools of loans or other receivables. ABS are created from many types of assets, including auto loans, credit card receivables, home equity loans, and student loans. ABS are issued through special purpose vehicles that are bankruptcy remote from the issuer of the collateral. The credit quality of an ABS transaction depends on the performance of the underlying assets. To protect ABS investors from the possibility that some borrowers could miss payments or even default on their loans, ABS include various forms of credit enhancement.

Some ABS, particularly home equity loan transactions, are subject to interest-rate risk and prepayment risk. A change in interest rates can affect the pace of payments on the underlying loans, which in turn, affects total return on the securities. ABS also carry credit or default risk. If many borrowers on the underlying loans default, losses could exceed the credit enhancement level and result in losses to investors in an ABS transaction. Finally, ABS have structure risk due to a unique characteristic known as early amortization, or early payout, risk. Built into the structure of most ABS are triggers for early payout, designed to protect investors from losses. These triggers are unique to each transaction and can include: a big rise in defaults on the underlying loans, a sharp drop in the credit enhancement level, or even the bankruptcy of the originator. Once early amortization begins, all incoming loan payments are used to pay investors as quickly as possible.

Consistent with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies, PIMCO also may invest in other types of asset-backed securities.

Real Estate Securities and Related Derivatives

The Fund may gain exposure to the real estate sector by investing in real estate-linked derivatives, real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), and common, preferred and convertible securities of issuers in real estate-related industries. Each of these types of investments are subject to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including loss to casualty or condemnation, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, zoning law amendments, changes in interest rates, overbuilding and increased competition, variations in market value, and possible environmental liabilities.

REITs are pooled investment vehicles that own, and typically operate, income-producing real estate. If a REIT meets certain requirements, including distributing to shareholders substantially all of its taxable income (other than net capital gains), then it is not taxed on the income distributed to shareholders. REITs are subject to management fees and other expenses, and so to the extent it invests in REITs the Fund will bear its proportionate share of the costs of the REITs’ operations.

There are three general categories of REITs: Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs invest primarily in direct fee ownership or leasehold ownership of real property; they derive most of their income from rents. Mortgage REITs invest mostly in mortgages on real estate, which may secure construction, development or long-term loans, and the main source of their income is mortgage interest payments. Hybrid REITs hold both ownership and mortgage interests in real estate.

 

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Along with the risks common to different types of real estate-related securities, REITs, no matter the type, involve additional risk factors. These include poor performance by the REIT’s manager, changes to the tax laws, and failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free distribution of income or exemption under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Furthermore, REITs are not diversified and are heavily dependent on cash flow.

Bank Obligations

Bank obligations in which the Fund may invest include certificates of deposit, bankers’ acceptances, and fixed time deposits. Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning, in effect, that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity. Fixed time deposits are bank obligations payable at a stated maturity date and bearing interest at a fixed rate. Fixed time deposits may be withdrawn on demand by the investor, but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties which vary depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation. There are no contractual restrictions on the right to transfer a beneficial interest in a fixed time deposit to a third party, although there is no market for such deposits. The Fund will not invest in fixed time deposits which (1) are not subject to prepayment or (2) provide for withdrawal penalties upon prepayment (other than overnight deposits) if, in the aggregate, more than 15% of its net assets would be invested in such deposits, repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days and other illiquid assets.

Subject to the Trust’s limitation on concentration of no more than 25% of its total assets in the securities of issuers in a particular industry, there is no limitation on the amount of the Fund’s assets which may be invested in obligations of foreign banks which meet the conditions set forth herein.

Obligations of foreign banks involve somewhat different investment risks than those affecting obligations of United States banks, including the possibilities that their liquidity could be impaired because of future political and economic developments, that their obligations may be less marketable than comparable obligations of United States banks, that a foreign jurisdiction might impose withholding taxes on interest income payable on those obligations, that foreign deposits may be seized or nationalized, that foreign governmental restrictions such as exchange controls may be adopted which might adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on those obligations and that the selection of those obligations may be more difficult because there may be less publicly available information concerning foreign banks or the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements applicable to foreign banks may differ from those applicable to United States banks. Foreign banks are not generally subject to examination by any United States Government agency or instrumentality.

Indebtedness, Loan Participations and Assignments

The Fund may purchase indebtedness and participations in commercial loans. Such investments may be secured or unsecured. Indebtedness is different from traditional debt securities in that debt securities are part of a large issue of securities to the public and indebtedness may not be a security, but may represent a specific commercial loan to a borrower. Loan participations typically represent direct participation, together with other parties, in a loan to a corporate borrower, and generally are offered by banks or other financial institutions or lending syndicates. The Fund may participate in such syndications, or can buy part of a loan, becoming a part lender. When purchasing indebtedness and loan participations, the Fund assumes the credit risk associated with the corporate borrower and may assume the credit risk associated with an interposed bank or other financial intermediary. The indebtedness and loan participations in which the Fund intends to invest may not be rated by any nationally recognized rating service.

The Fund may invest in debtor-in-possession financings (commonly known as “DIP financings”). DIP financings are arranged when an entity seeks the protections of the bankruptcy court under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. These financings allow the entity to continue its business operations while reorganizing under Chapter 11. Such financings constitute senior liens on unencumbered security (i.e., security not subject to other creditors’ claims). There is a risk that the entity will not emerge from Chapter 11 and be forced to liquidate its assets under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. In the event of liquidation, the Fund’s only recourse will be against the property securing the DIP financing.

A loan is often administered by an agent bank acting as agent for all holders. The agent bank administers the terms of the loan, as specified in the loan agreement. In addition, the agent bank is normally responsible for the collection of principal and interest payments from the corporate borrower and the apportionment of these payments to the credit of all institutions which are parties to the loan agreement. Unless, under the terms of the loan or other indebtedness, the Fund has direct recourse against the corporate borrower, the Fund may have to rely on the agent bank or other financial intermediary to apply appropriate credit remedies against a corporate borrower.

 

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A financial institution’s employment as agent bank might be terminated in the event that it fails to observe a requisite standard of care or becomes insolvent. A successor agent bank would generally be appointed to replace the terminated agent bank, and assets held by the agent bank under the loan agreement should remain available to holders of such indebtedness. However, if assets held by the agent bank for the benefit of the Fund were determined to be subject to the claims of the agent bank’s general creditors, the Fund might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on a loan or loan participation and could suffer a loss of principal and/or interest. In situations involving other interposed financial institutions (e.g., an insurance company or governmental agency) similar risks may arise.

Purchasers of loans and other forms of direct indebtedness depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the corporate borrower for payment of principal and interest. If the Fund does not receive scheduled interest or principal payments on such indebtedness, the Fund’s share price and yield could be adversely affected. Loans that are fully secured offer the Fund more protection than an unsecured loan in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal. However, there is no assurance that the liquidation of collateral from a secured loan would satisfy the corporate borrower’s obligation, or that the collateral can be liquidated.

Indebtedness of companies whose creditworthiness is poor involves substantially greater risks, and may be highly speculative. Some companies may never pay off their indebtedness, or may pay only a small fraction of the amount owed. Consequently, when investing in indebtedness of companies with poor credit, the Fund bears a substantial risk of losing the entire amount invested. The Fund may make investments in indebtedness and loan participations to achieve capital appreciation, rather than to seek income.

The Fund is diversified and limits the amount of its total assets that it will invest in any one issuer and the Fund limits the amount of its total assets that it will invest in issuers within the same industry (see “Investment Restrictions”). For purposes of these limits, the Fund generally will treat the corporate borrower as the “issuer” of indebtedness held by the Fund. In the case of loan participations where a bank or other lending institution serves as a financial intermediary between the Fund and the corporate borrower, if the participation does not shift to the Fund the direct debtor-creditor relationship with the corporate borrower, Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) interpretations require the Fund to treat both the lending bank or other lending institution and the corporate borrower as “issuers”. Treating a financial intermediary as an issuer of indebtedness may restrict the Fund’s ability to invest in indebtedness related to a single financial intermediary, or a group of intermediaries engaged in the same industry, even if the underlying borrowers represent many different companies and industries.

Loans and other types of direct indebtedness may not be readily marketable and may be subject to restrictions on resale. In some cases, negotiations involved in disposing of indebtedness may require weeks to complete. Consequently, some indebtedness may be difficult or impossible to dispose of readily at what PIMCO believes to be a fair price. In addition, valuation of illiquid indebtedness involves a greater degree of judgment in determining the Fund’s net asset value than if that value were based on available market quotations, and could result in significant variations in the Fund’s daily share price. At the same time, some loan interests are traded among certain financial institutions and accordingly may be deemed liquid. As the market for different types of indebtedness develops, the liquidity of these instruments is expected to improve. In addition, the Fund currently intends to treat indebtedness for which there is no readily available market as illiquid for purposes of the Fund’s limitation on illiquid investments. Investments in loan participations are considered to be debt obligations for purposes of the Trust’s investment restriction relating to the lending of funds or assets by the Fund.

Investments in loans through a direct assignment of the financial institution’s interests with respect to the loan may involve additional risks to the Fund. For example, if a loan is foreclosed, the Fund could become part owner of any collateral, and would bear the costs and liabilities associated with owning and disposing of the collateral. In addition, it is conceivable that under emerging legal theories of lender liability, the Fund could be held liable as co-lender. It is unclear whether loans and other forms of direct indebtedness offer securities law protections against fraud and misrepresentation. In the absence of definitive regulatory guidance, the Fund relies on PIMCO’s research in an attempt to avoid situations where fraud or misrepresentation could adversely affect the Fund.

Trade Claims

The Fund may purchase trade claims and similar obligations or claims against companies in bankruptcy proceedings. Trade claims are non-securitized rights of payment arising from obligations that typically arise when vendors and suppliers extend credit to a company by offering payment terms for products and services. If the company files for bankruptcy, payments on

 

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these trade claims stop and the claims are subject to compromise along with the other debts of the company. Trade claims may be purchased directly from the creditor or through brokers. There is no guarantee that a debtor will ever be able to satisfy its trade claim obligations. Trade claims are subject to the risks associated with low-quality obligations.

Corporate Debt Securities

The rate of interest on corporate debt securities (corporate bonds, debentures, notes and other similar corporate debt instruments, including convertible securities) may be fixed, floating or variable, and may vary inversely with respect to a reference rate. The rate of return or return of principal on some debt obligations may be linked or indexed to the level of exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and a foreign currency or currencies. Debt securities may be acquired with warrants attached.

Securities rated Baa and BBB are the lowest which are considered “investment grade” obligations. Moody’s describes securities rated Baa as “subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium-grade and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.” S&P describes securities rated BBB as “regarded as having adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.” For securities rated BBB, Fitch states that “…expectations of default risk are currently low…capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.” For a discussion of securities rated below investment grade, see “High Yield Securities (“Junk Bonds”) and Securities of Distressed Companies” below. The Fund may invest in debt securities that are rated in any rating category established by one or more independent rating organizations or that are unrated.

High Yield Securities (“Junk Bonds”) and Securities of Distressed Companies

Investments in securities rated below investment grade are described as “speculative” by Moody’s, S&P and Fitch. Investment in lower rated corporate debt securities (“high yield securities” or “junk bonds”) and securities of distressed companies generally provides greater income and increased opportunity for capital appreciation than investments in higher quality securities, but they also typically entail greater price volatility and principal and income risk. Securities of distressed companies include both debt and equity securities. High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. Issuers of high yield and distressed company securities may be involved in restructurings or bankruptcy proceedings that may not be successful. Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of debt securities that are high yield or debt securities of distressed companies may be more complex than for issuers of higher quality debt securities.

High yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies may be more susceptible to real or perceived adverse economic and competitive industry conditions than investment grade securities. The prices of these securities have been found to be less sensitive to interest-rate changes than higher-rated investments, but more sensitive to adverse economic downturns or individual corporate developments. A projection of an economic downturn or of a period of rising interest rates, for example, could cause a decline in prices of high yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies because the advent of a recession could lessen the ability of a highly leveraged company to make principal and interest payments on its debt securities. If an issuer of securities defaults, in addition to risking payment of all or a portion of interest and principal, the Fund by investing in such securities may incur additional expenses to seek recovery of its investment. In the case of securities structured as zero-coupon or pay-in-kind securities, their market prices are affected to a greater extent by interest rate changes, and therefore tend to be more volatile than securities which pay interest periodically and in cash. PIMCO seeks to reduce these risks through diversification, credit analysis and attention to current developments and trends in both the economy and financial markets.

The secondary market on which high yield and distressed company securities are traded may be less liquid than the market for higher grade securities. Less liquidity in the secondary trading market could adversely affect the price at which the Fund could sell a high yield or distressed company security, and could adversely affect the daily net asset value of the shares. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of high yield and distressed company securities, especially in a thinly-traded market. When secondary markets for high yield and distressed company securities are less liquid than the market for higher grade securities, it may be more difficult to value the securities because such valuation may require more research, and elements of judgment may play a greater role in the valuation because there is less reliable, objective data available. PIMCO seeks to minimize the risks of investing in all securities through diversification, in-depth analysis and attention to current market developments.

 

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The use of credit ratings as the sole method of evaluating high yield securities and debt securities of distressed companies can involve certain risks. For example, credit ratings evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments of a debt security, not the market value risk of a security. Also, credit rating agencies may fail to change credit ratings in a timely fashion to reflect events since the security was last rated. PIMCO does not rely solely on credit ratings when selecting debt securities for the Fund, and develops its own independent analysis of issuer credit quality. If a credit rating agency changes the rating of a debt security held by the Fund, the Fund may retain the security if PIMCO deems it in the best interest of shareholders.

Creditor Liability and Participation on Creditors Committees

Generally, when the Fund holds bonds or other similar fixed income securities of an issuer, the Fund becomes a creditor of the issuer. If the Fund is a creditor of an issuer it may be subject to challenges related to the securities that it holds, either in connection with the bankruptcy of the issuer or in connection with another action brought by other creditors of the issuer, shareholders of the issuer or the issuer itself. The Fund may from time to time participate on committees formed by creditors to negotiate with the management of financially troubled issuers of securities held by the Fund. Such participation may subject the Fund to expenses such as legal fees and may make the Fund an “insider” of the issuer for purposes of the federal securities laws, and therefore may restrict the Fund’s ability to trade in or acquire additional positions in a particular security when it might otherwise desire to do so. Participation by the Fund on such committees also may expose the Fund to potential liabilities under the federal bankruptcy laws or other laws governing the rights of creditors and debtors. The Fund will participate on such committees only when PIMCO believes that such participation is necessary or desirable to enforce the Fund’s rights as a creditor or to protect the value of securities held by the Fund. Further, PIMCO has the authority to represent the Trust, or the Fund, on creditors committees or similar committees and generally with respect to challenges related to the securities held by the Fund relating to the bankruptcy of an issuer or in connection with another action brought by other creditors of the issuer, shareholders of the issuer or the issuer itself.

Variable and Floating Rate Securities

Variable and floating rate securities provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the obligations. The terms of such obligations must provide that interest rates are adjusted periodically based upon an interest rate adjustment index as provided in the respective obligations. The adjustment intervals may be regular, and range from daily up to annually, or may be event based, such as based on a change in the prime rate.

The Fund may invest in floating rate debt instruments (“floaters”) and engage in credit spread trades. The interest rate on a floater is a variable rate which is tied to another interest rate, such as a money-market index or Treasury bill rate. The interest rate on a floater resets periodically, typically every six months. While, because of the interest rate reset feature, floaters provide the Fund with a certain degree of protection against rises in interest rates, the Fund will participate in any declines in interest rates as well. A credit spread trade is an investment position relating to a difference in the prices or interest rates of two securities or currencies, where the value of the investment position is determined by movements in the difference between the prices or interest rates, as the case may be, of the respective securities or currencies.

Foreign Securities

The Fund may invest, without limitation, in common or preferred or preference stock of foreign issuers, corporate debt securities of foreign issuers, certain foreign bank obligations (see “Bank Obligations”) and U.S. dollar or foreign currency-denominated obligations of foreign governments or their subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities, international agencies and supranational entities.

PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to a non-U.S. country if the issuer is a foreign government (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), or if the issuer is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. In the case of certain money market instruments, such instruments will be considered economically tied to a non-U.S. country if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instrument is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to non-U.S. countries if the underlying assets are foreign currencies (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued by foreign governments or issuers organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country (or if the underlying assets are certain money market instruments, if either the issuer or the guarantor of such money market instruments is organized under the laws of a non-U.S. country).

To the extent that the Fund invests in instruments economically tied to non-U.S. countries it may invest in a range of countries and, as such, the value of the Fund’s assets may be affected by uncertainties such as international political developments, changes in government policies, changes in taxation, restrictions on foreign investment and currency repatriation, currency fluctuations and other developments in the laws and regulations of countries in which investment may be made.

 

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PIMCO generally considers an instrument to be economically tied to an emerging market country if the issuer or guarantor is a government of an emerging market country (or any political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such government), if the issuer or guarantor is organized under the laws of an emerging market country, or if the currency of settlement of the security is a currency of an emerging market country. With respect to derivative instruments, PIMCO generally considers such instruments to be economically tied to emerging market countries if the underlying assets are currencies of emerging market countries (or baskets or indexes of such currencies), or instruments or securities that are issued or guaranteed by governments of emerging market countries or by entities organized under the laws of emerging market countries. PIMCO has broad discretion to identify countries that it considers to qualify as emerging markets. In exercising such discretion, PIMCO identifies countries as emerging markets consistent with the strategic objectives of the Fund. A country generally will be considered an emerging market country only if: (i) at least one supranational organization has classified it as an emerging or developing economy; and (ii) no other supranational organization has classified the country as a developed country.

Investment risk may be particularly high to the extent that the Fund invests in instruments economically tied to emerging market countries. These securities may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in developed countries. The Fund may invest in emerging markets that may be in the process of opening to trans-national investment, which may increase these risks. Risks particular to emerging market countries include, but are not limited to, the following risks.

General Emerging Market Risk. The securities markets of countries in which the Fund may invest may be relatively small, with a limited number of companies representing a small number of industries. Additionally, issuers in countries in which the Fund may invest may not be subject to a high degree of regulation and the financial institutions with which the Fund may trade may not possess the same degree of financial sophistication, creditworthiness or resources as those in developed markets. Furthermore, the legal infrastructure and accounting, auditing and reporting standards in certain countries in which the Fund may invest may not provide the same degree of investor protection or information to investors as would generally apply in major securities markets.

Nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments could adversely affect the Fund’s investments in a foreign country. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, the Fund could lose its entire investment in that country. Adverse conditions in a certain region can adversely affect securities of other countries whose economies appear to be unrelated. To the extent that the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a concentrated geographic area, the Fund will generally have more exposure to regional economic risks associated with those investments.

Restrictions on Foreign Investment. A number of emerging securities markets restrict foreign investment to varying degrees. Furthermore, repatriation of investment income, capital and the proceeds of sales by foreign investors may require governmental registration and/or approval in some countries. While the Fund will only invest in markets where these restrictions are considered acceptable, new or additional repatriation or other restrictions might be imposed subsequent to the Fund’s investment. If such restrictions were to be imposed subsequent to the Fund’s investment in the securities markets of a particular country, the Fund’s response might include, among other things, applying to the appropriate authorities for a waiver of the restrictions or engaging in transactions in other markets designed to offset the risks of decline in that country. Such restrictions will be considered in relation to the Fund’s liquidity needs and all other acceptable positive and negative factors. Some emerging markets limit foreign investment, which may decrease returns relative to domestic investors. The Fund may seek exceptions to those restrictions. If those restrictions are present and cannot by avoided by the Fund, the Fund’s returns may be lower.

Settlement Risks. Settlement systems in emerging markets may be less well organized than in developed markets. Supervisory authorities may also be unable to apply standards which are comparable with those in developed markets. Thus there may be risks that settlement may be delayed and that cash or securities belonging to the Fund may be in jeopardy because of failures of or defects in the systems. In particular, market practice may require that payment shall be made prior to receipt of the security which is being purchased or that delivery of a security must be made before payment is received. In such cases, default by a broker or bank (the “Counterparty”) through whom the relevant transaction is effected might result in a loss being suffered by the Fund. The Fund will seek, where possible, to use Counterparties whose financial status is such that this risk is reduced. However, there can be no certainty that the Fund will be successful in eliminating or reducing this risk, particularly as Counterparties operating in developing countries frequently lack the substance, capitalization and/or financial resources of those in developed countries.

 

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There may also be a danger that, because of uncertainties in the operation of settlement systems in individual markets, competing claims may arise in respect of securities held by or to be transferred to the Fund. Furthermore, compensation schemes may be non-existent, limited or inadequate to meet the Fund’s claims in any of these events.

Counterparty Risk. Trading in the securities of developing markets presents additional credit and financial risks. The Fund may have limited access to, or there may be a limited number of, potential Counterparties that trade in the securities of emerging market issuers. Governmental regulations may restrict potential Counterparties to certain financial institutions located or operating in the particular emerging market. Potential Counterparties may not possess, adopt or implement creditworthiness standards, financial reporting standards or legal and contractual protections similar to those in developed markets. Currency hedging techniques may not be available or may be limited. The Fund may not be able to reduce or mitigate risks related to trading with emerging market Counterparties. The Fund will seek, where possible, to use Counterparties whose financial status is such that the risk of default is reduced, but the risk of losses resulting from default is still possible.

Government in the Private Sector. Government involvement in the private sector varies in degree among the emerging markets in which the Fund invests. Such involvement may, in some cases, include government ownership of companies in certain sectors, wage and price controls or imposition of trade barriers and other protectionist measures. With respect to any developing country, there is no guarantee that some future economic or political crisis will not lead to price controls, forced mergers of companies, expropriation, or creation of government monopolies, to the possible detriment of the Fund’s investment in that country.

Litigation. The Fund may encounter substantial difficulties in obtaining and enforcing judgments against individuals and companies located in certain developing countries. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain or enforce legislation or remedies against governments, their agencies and sponsored entities.

Fraudulent Securities. It is possible, particularly in markets in developing countries, that purported securities in which the Fund invests may subsequently be found to be fraudulent and as a consequence the Fund could suffer losses.

Taxation. The local taxation of income and capital gains accruing to non-residents varies among developing countries and, in some cases, is comparatively high. In addition, developing countries typically have less well-defined tax laws and procedures and such laws may permit retroactive taxation so that the Fund could in the future become subject to local tax liabilities that had not been anticipated in conducting its investment activities or valuing its assets. The Fund will seek to reduce these risks by careful management of its assets. However, there can be no assurance that these efforts will be successful.

Political Risks/Risks of Conflicts. Recently, various countries have seen significant internal conflicts and in some cases, civil wars may have had an adverse impact on the securities markets of the countries concerned. In addition, the occurrence of new disturbances due to acts of war or other political developments cannot be excluded. Apparently stable systems may experience periods of disruption or improbable reversals of policy. Nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes, government regulation, political, regulatory or social instability or uncertainty or diplomatic developments could adversely affect the Fund’s investments. The transformation from a centrally planned, socialist economy to a more market oriented economy has also resulted in many economic and social disruptions and distortions. Moreover, there can be no assurance that the economic, regulatory and political initiatives necessary to achieve and sustain such a transformation will continue or, if such initiatives continue and are sustained, that they will be successful or that such initiatives will continue to benefit foreign (or non-national) investors. Certain instruments, such as inflation index instruments, may depend upon measures compiled by governments (or entities under their influence) which are also the obligors.

Investment in sovereign debt can involve a high degree of risk. The governmental entity that controls the repayment of sovereign debt may not be able or willing to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of the debt. A governmental entity’s willingness or ability to repay principal and interest due in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the governmental entity’s policy toward the International Monetary Fund, and the political constraints to which a governmental entity may be subject. Governmental entities also may depend on expected disbursements from foreign governments,

 

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multilateral agencies and others to reduce principal and interest arrearages on their debt. The commitment on the part of these governments, agencies and others to make such disbursements may be conditioned on a governmental entity’s implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of such debtor’s obligations. Failure to implement such reforms, achieve such levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of such third parties’ commitments to lend funds to the governmental entity, which may further impair such debtor’s ability or willingness to service its debts in a timely manner. Consequently, governmental entities may default on their sovereign debt. Holders of sovereign debt (including the Fund) may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. There is no bankruptcy proceeding by which sovereign debt on which governmental entities have defaulted may be collected in whole or in part.

The Fund’s investments in foreign currency denominated debt obligations, if any, and hedging activities would likely produce a difference between its book income and its taxable income. This difference may cause a portion of the Fund’s income distributions to constitute returns of capital for tax purposes or require the Fund to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a regulated investment company for federal tax purposes.

Foreign Currency Transactions

The Fund may purchase and sell foreign currency options and foreign currency futures contracts and related options (see “Derivative Instruments”), and may engage in foreign currency transactions either on a spot (cash) basis at the rate prevailing in the currency exchange market at the time or through forward currency contracts (“forwards”). The Fund may engage in these transactions in order to attempt to protect against uncertainty in the level of future foreign exchange rates in the purchase and sale of securities. The Fund also may use foreign currency options and foreign currency forward contracts to increase exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one country to another.

A forward 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. These contracts may be bought or sold to protect the Fund against a possible loss resulting from an adverse change in the relationship between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar or to increase exposure to a particular foreign currency. Open positions in forwards used for non-hedging purposes will be covered by the segregation or “earmarking” of assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, and are marked to market daily. Although forwards are intended to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currencies, at the same time, they tend to limit any potential gain which might result should the value of such currencies increase. Forwards will be used primarily to adjust the foreign exchange exposure of the Fund with a view to protecting the outlook, and the Fund might be expected to enter into such contracts under the following circumstances:

Lock In. When PIMCO desires to lock in the U.S. dollar price on the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency.

Cross Hedge. If a particular currency is expected to decrease against another currency, the Fund may sell the currency expected to decrease and purchase a currency which is expected to increase against the currency sold in an amount approximately equal to some or all of the Fund’s portfolio holdings denominated in the currency sold.

Direct Hedge. If PIMCO wants to a eliminate substantially all of the risk of owning a particular currency, and/or if PIMCO thinks that the Fund can benefit from price appreciation in a given country’s bonds but does not want to hold the currency, it may employ a direct hedge back into the U.S. dollar. In either case, the Fund would enter into a forward contract to sell the currency in which a portfolio security is denominated and purchase U.S. dollars at an exchange rate established at the time it initiated the contract. The cost of the direct hedge transaction may offset most, if not all, of the yield advantage offered by the foreign security, but the Fund would hope to benefit from an increase (if any) in value of the bond.

Proxy Hedge. PIMCO might choose to use a proxy hedge, which may be less costly than a direct hedge. In this case, the Fund, having purchased a security, will sell a currency whose value is believed to be closely linked to the currency in which the security is denominated. Interest rates prevailing in the country whose currency was sold would be expected to be closer to those in the United States and lower than those of securities denominated in the currency of the original holding. This type of hedging entails greater risk than a direct hedge because it is dependent on a stable relationship between the two currencies paired as proxies and the relationships can be very unstable at times.

Costs of Hedging. When the Fund purchases a foreign bond with a higher interest rate than is available on U.S. bonds of a similar maturity, the additional yield on the foreign bond could be substantially reduced or lost if the Fund were to enter into a direct hedge by selling the foreign currency and purchasing the U.S. dollar. This is what is known as the “cost” of hedging. Proxy hedging attempts to reduce this cost through an indirect hedge back to the U.S. dollar.

 

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It is important to note that hedging costs are treated as capital transactions and are not, therefore, deducted from the Fund’s dividend distribution and are not reflected in its yield. Instead such costs will, over time, be reflected in the Fund’s net asset value per share.

The forecasting of currency market movement is extremely difficult, and whether any hedging strategy will be successful is highly uncertain. Moreover, it is impossible to forecast with precision the market value of portfolio securities at the expiration of a foreign currency forward contract. Accordingly, the Fund may be required to buy or sell additional currency on the spot market (and bear the expense of such transaction) if PIMCO’s predictions regarding the movement of foreign currency or securities markets prove inaccurate. In addition, the use of cross-hedging transactions may involve special risks, and may leave the Fund in a less advantageous position than if such a hedge had not been established. Because foreign currency forward contracts are privately negotiated transactions, there can be no assurance that the Fund will have flexibility to roll-over a foreign currency forward contract upon its expiration if it desires to do so. Additionally, there can be no assurance that the other party to the contract will perform its services thereunder.

The Fund may hold a portion of its assets in bank deposits denominated in foreign currencies, so as to facilitate investment in foreign securities as well as protect against currency fluctuations and the need to convert such assets into U.S. dollars (thereby also reducing transaction costs). To the extent these monies are converted back into U.S. dollars, the value of the assets so maintained will be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in foreign currency exchange rates and exchange control regulations

Tax Consequences of Currency Hedging. Under applicable tax law, the Fund may be required to limit its gains from hedging in foreign currency forwards, futures, and options. Although the Fund is expected to comply with such limits, the extent to which these limits apply is subject to tax regulations as yet unissued. Hedging also may result in the application of the mark-to-market and straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. Those provisions could result in an increase (or decrease) in the amount of taxable dividends paid by the Fund and could affect whether dividends paid by the Fund is classified as capital gains or ordinary income.

Borrowing

Except as described below, the Fund may borrow money to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, and as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time. This means that, in general, the Fund may borrow money from banks for any purpose in an amount up to 1/3 of the Fund’s total assets. The Fund also may borrow money for temporary administrative purposes in an amount not to exceed 5% of the Fund’s total assets.

Specifically, provisions of the 1940 Act require the Fund to maintain continuous asset coverage (that is, total assets including borrowings, less liabilities exclusive of borrowings) of 300% of the amount borrowed, with an exception for borrowings not in excess of 5% of the Fund’s total assets made for temporary administrative purposes. Any borrowings for temporary administrative purposes in excess of 5% of the Fund’s total assets must maintain continuous asset coverage. If the 300% asset coverage should decline as a result of market fluctuations or other reasons, the Fund may be required to sell some of its portfolio holdings within three days to reduce the debt and restore the 300% asset coverage, even though it may be disadvantageous from an investment standpoint to sell securities at that time.

The Fund also may enter into certain transactions, including reverse repurchase agreements and sale-buybacks, that can be viewed as constituting a form of borrowing or financing transaction by the Fund. To the extent the Fund covers its commitment under a reverse repurchase agreement (or economically similar transaction) by the segregation or “earmarking” of assets determined in accordance with procedures adopted by the Trustees, equal in value to the amount of the Fund’s commitment to repurchase, such an agreement will not be considered a “senior security” by the Fund and therefore will not be subject to the 300% asset coverage requirement otherwise applicable to borrowings by the Fund. Borrowing will tend to exaggerate the effect on net asset value of any increase or decrease in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio. Money borrowed will be subject to interest costs which may or may not be recovered by appreciation of the securities purchased. The Fund also may be required to maintain minimum average balances in connection with such borrowing or to pay a commitment or other fee to maintain a line of credit; either of these requirements would increase the cost of borrowing over the stated interest rate.

 

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The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements and economically similar transactions. A reverse repurchase agreement involves the sale of a portfolio-eligible security by the Fund to another party, such as a bank or broker-dealer, coupled with its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. Under a reverse repurchase agreement, the Fund continues to receive any principal and interest payments on the underlying security during the term of the agreement. The Fund typically will segregate or “earmark” assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, equal (on a daily mark-to-market basis) to its obligations under reverse repurchase agreements. However, reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of securities retained by the Fund may decline below the repurchase price of the securities sold by the Fund which it is obligated to repurchase. With respect to reverse repurchase agreements in which banks are counterparties, the Fund may treat such transactions as bank borrowings, which would be subject to the Fund’s limitations on borrowings. Such treatment would, among other things, restrict the aggregate of such transactions (plus any other borrowings) to one-third of the Fund’s total assets.

The Fund also may effect simultaneous purchase and sale transactions that are known as “sale-buybacks.” A sale-buyback is similar to a reverse repurchase agreement, except that in a sale-buyback, the counterparty who purchases the security is entitled to receive any principal or interest payments make on the underlying security pending settlement of the Fund’s repurchase of the underlying security. The Fund’s obligations under a sale-buyback typically would be offset by liquid assets equal in value to the amount of the Fund’s forward commitment to repurchase the subject security.

Derivative Instruments

In pursuing its objective, the Fund may purchase and sell (write) both put options and call options on securities, swap agreements, securities indexes, commodity indexes and foreign currencies, and enter into interest rate, foreign currency, index and commodity futures contracts and purchase and sell options on such futures contracts (“futures options”) for hedging purposes, to seek to replicate the composition and performance of a particular index, or as part of its overall investment strategies. The Fund also may purchase and sell foreign currency options for purposes of increasing exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure to foreign currency fluctuations from one country to another. The Fund also may enter into swap agreements with respect to interest rates, commodities, and indexes of securities or commodities, and to the extent it may invest in foreign currency-denominated securities, may enter into swap agreements with respect to foreign currencies. The Fund may invest in structured notes. If other types of financial instruments, including other types of options, futures contracts, or futures options are traded in the future, the Fund also may use those instruments, provided that the Board of Trustees determines that their use is consistent with the Fund’s investment objective.

The value of some derivative instruments in which the Fund invests may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates, and, like the other investments of the Fund, the ability of the Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend in part upon the ability of PIMCO to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. If PIMCO incorrectly forecasts such factors and has taken positions in derivative instruments contrary to prevailing market trends, the Fund could be exposed to the risk of loss.

The Fund might not employ any of the strategies described below, and no assurance can be given that any strategy used will succeed. If PIMCO incorrectly forecasts interest rates, market values or other economic factors in using a derivatives strategy for the Fund, the Fund might have been in a better position if it had not entered into the transaction at all. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances. The use of these strategies involves certain special risks, including a possible imperfect correlation, or even no correlation, between price movements of derivative instruments and price movements of related investments. While some strategies involving derivative instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in related investments or otherwise, due to the possible inability of the Fund to purchase or sell a portfolio security at a time that otherwise would be favorable or the possible need to sell a portfolio security at a disadvantageous time because the Fund is required to maintain asset coverage or offsetting positions in connection with transactions in derivative instruments, and the possible inability of the Fund to close out or to liquidate its derivatives positions. In addition, the Fund’s use of such instruments may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed at ordinary income tax rates) than if it had not used such instruments.

Options on Securities and Indexes. The Fund may purchase and sell both put and call options on equity or other securities or indexes in standardized contracts traded on foreign or domestic securities exchanges, boards of trade, or similar entities, or quoted on NASDAQ or on an over-the-counter market, and agreements, sometimes called cash puts, which may accompany the purchase of a new issue of bonds from a dealer. An option on a security (or index) is a contract that gives the holder of the option, in return for a premium, the right to buy from (in the case of a call) or sell to (in the case of a put) the writer of the option the security underlying the option (or the cash value of the index) at a specified exercise price at any time during the term of the option. The writer of an option on a security has the obligation upon exercise of the option to deliver

 

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the underlying security upon payment of the exercise price or to pay the exercise price upon delivery of the underlying security. Upon exercise, the writer of an option on an index is obligated to pay the difference between the cash value of the index and the exercise price multiplied by the specified multiplier for the index option. (An index is designed to reflect features of a particular financial or securities market, a specific group of financial instruments or securities, or certain economic indicators.)

If the Fund writes a call option on a security or an index, it may “cover” its obligation under the call option by owning the security underlying the call option, by having an absolute and immediate right to acquire that security without additional cash consideration (or, if additional cash consideration is required, cash or other assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, in such amount are segregated or “earmarked”) upon conversion or exchange of other securities held by the Fund, or by maintaining with its custodian assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, in an amount equal to the market value of the security or index underlying the option. A call option written by the Fund is also covered if the Fund holds a call on the same security or index 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, provided the difference is maintained by the Fund in segregated or “earmarked” assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees. A put option on a security or an index written by the Fund is “covered” if the Fund segregates or “earmarks” assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees equal to the exercise price. A put option written by the Fund is also covered if the Fund holds a put on the same security or index as the put written where the exercise price of the put held is (i) equal to or greater than the exercise price of the put written, or (ii) less than the exercise price of the put written, provided the difference is maintained by the Fund in segregated or “earmarked” assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees.

If an option written by the Fund expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a capital gain equal to the premium received at the time the option was written. If an option purchased by the Fund expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a capital loss equal to the premium paid. Prior to the earlier of exercise or expiration, an exchange traded option may be closed out by an offsetting purchase or sale of an option of the same series (type, exchange, underlying security or index, exercise price, and expiration). There can be no assurance, however, that a closing purchase or sale transaction can be effected when the Fund desires.

The Fund may sell put or call options it has previously purchased, which could result in a net gain or loss depending on whether the amount realized on the sale is more or less than the premium and other transaction costs paid on the put or call option which is sold. Prior to exercise or expiration, an option may be closed out by an offsetting purchase or sale of an option of the same series. The Fund will realize a capital gain from a closing purchase transaction if the cost of the closing option is less than the premium received from writing the option, or, if it is more, the Fund will realize a capital loss. If the premium received from a closing sale transaction is more than the premium paid to purchase the option, the Fund will realize a capital gain or, if it is less, the Fund will realize a capital loss. The principal factors affecting the market value of a put or a call option include supply and demand, interest rates, the current market price of the underlying security or index in relation to the exercise price of the option, the volatility of the underlying security or index, and the time remaining until the expiration date.

The premium paid for a put or call option purchased by the Fund is an asset of the Fund. The premium received for an option written by the Fund is recorded as a deferred credit. The value of an option purchased or written is marked to market daily and is valued at the closing price on the exchange on which it is traded or, if not traded on an exchange or no closing price is available, at the mean between the last bid and asked prices.

The Fund may write covered straddles consisting of a combination of a call and a put written on the same underlying security. A straddle will be covered when sufficient assets are deposited to meet the Fund’s immediate obligations. The Fund may use the same liquid assets to cover both the call and put options where the exercise price of the call and put are the same, or the exercise price of the call is higher than that of the put. In such cases, the Fund will also segregate or “earmark” liquid assets equivalent to the amount, if any, by which the put is “in the money.”

Risks Associated with Options on Securities and Indexes. There are several risks associated with transactions in options on securities and on indexes. For example, there are significant differences between the securities and options markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between these markets, causing a given transaction not to achieve its objectives. A decision as to whether, when and how to use options involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived transaction may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected events.

 

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The writer of an option has no control over the time when it may be required to fulfill its obligation as a writer of the option. 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 the underlying security at the exercise price. If a put or call option purchased by the Fund is not sold when it has remaining value, and if the market price of the underlying security remains equal to or greater than the exercise price (in the case of a put), or remains less than or equal to the exercise price (in the case of a call), the Fund will lose its entire investment in the option. Also, where a put or call option on a particular security is purchased to hedge against price movements in a related security, the price of the put or call option may move more or less than the price of the related security.

There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist when the Fund seeks to close out an option position. If the Fund were unable to close out an option that it had purchased on a security, it would have to exercise the option in order to realize any profit or the option may expire worthless.

If trading were suspended in an option purchased by the Fund, the Fund would not be able to close out the option. If restrictions on exercise were imposed, the Fund might be unable to exercise an option it has purchased. Except to the extent that a call option on an index written by the Fund is covered by an option on the same index purchased by the Fund, movements in the index may result in a loss to the Fund; however, such losses may be mitigated by changes in the value of the Fund’s securities during the period the option was outstanding.

To the extent that the Fund writes a call option on a security it holds in its portfolio and intends to use such security as the sole means of “covering” its obligation under the call option, the Fund has, in return for the premium on the option, given up the opportunity to profit from a price increase in the underlying security above the exercise price during the option period, but, as long as its obligation under such call option continues, has retained the risk of loss should the price of the underlying security decline. If the Fund were unable to close out such a call option, the Fund would not be able to sell the underlying security unless the option expired without exercise.

Foreign Currency Options. The Fund may buy or sell put and call options on foreign currencies. The Fund may buy or sell put and call options on foreign currencies either on exchanges or in the over-the-counter market. A put option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell a foreign currency at the exercise price until the option expires. A call option on a foreign currency gives the purchaser of the option the right to purchase the currency at the exercise price until the option expires. Currency options traded on U.S. or other exchanges may be subject to position limits which may limit the ability of the Fund to reduce foreign currency risk using such options. Over-the-counter options differ from traded options in that they are two-party contracts with price and other terms negotiated between buyer and seller, and generally do not have as much market liquidity as exchange-traded options.

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. A futures contract is an agreement between two parties to buy and sell a security or commodity for a set price on a future date. These contracts are traded on exchanges, so that, in most cases, either party can close out its position on the exchange for cash, without delivering the security or commodity. An option on a futures contract gives the holder of the option the right to buy or sell a position in a futures contract to the writer of the option, at a specified price and on or before a specified expiration date.

The Fund may invest in futures contracts and options thereon (“futures options”) with respect to, but not limited to, interest rates, commodities, and security or commodity indexes. To the extent that the Fund may invest in foreign currency-denominated securities, it also may invest in foreign currency futures contracts and options thereon.

An interest rate, commodity, foreign currency or index futures contract provides for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified quantity of a financial instrument, commodity, foreign currency or the cash value of an index at a specified price and time. A futures contract on an index is an agreement pursuant to which two parties agree to take or make delivery of an amount of cash equal to the difference between the value of the index at the close of the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the index contract was originally written. Although the value of an index might be a function of the value of certain specified securities, no physical delivery of these securities is made. A public market exists in futures contracts covering a number of indexes as well as financial instruments and foreign currencies, including: the S&P 500; the S&P Midcap 400; the Nikkei 225; the NYSE composite; U.S. Treasury bonds; U.S. Treasury notes; GNMA Certificates; three-month U.S. Treasury bills; 90-day commercial paper; bank certificates of deposit; Eurodollar certificates of deposit; the Australian dollar; the Canadian dollar; the British pound; the Japanese yen; the Swiss franc; the Mexican peso; and certain multinational currencies, such as the euro. It is expected that other futures contracts will be developed and traded in the future.

 

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The Fund may purchase and write call and put futures options, as specified for the Fund in the Prospectuses. Futures options possess many of the same characteristics as options on securities and indexes (discussed above). A futures option gives the holder the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a long position (call) or short position (put) in a futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise of a call option, the holder acquires a long position in the futures contract and the writer is assigned the opposite short position. In the case of a put option, the opposite is true. A call option is “in the money” if the value of the futures contract that is the subject of the option exceeds the exercise price. A put option is “in the money” if the exercise price exceeds the value of the futures contract that is the subject of the option.

Pursuant to a claim for exemption filed with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) on behalf of the Fund, neither the Trust nor the Fund is deemed to be a “commodity pool” or “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”), and they are not subject to registration or regulation as such under the CEA. PIMCO is not deemed to be a “commodity pool operator” with respect to its service as investment adviser to the Fund.

Limitations on Use of Futures and Futures Options. The Fund will only enter into futures contracts and futures options which are standardized and traded on a U.S. or foreign exchange, board of trade, or similar entity, or quoted on an automated quotation system.

When a purchase or sale of a futures contract is made by the Fund, the Fund is required to deposit with its custodian (or broker, if legally permitted) a specified amount of assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees (“initial margin”). The margin required for a futures contract is set by the exchange on which the contract is traded and may be modified during the term of the contract. Margin requirements on foreign exchanges may be different than U.S. exchanges. The initial margin is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the futures contract which is returned to the Fund upon termination of the contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. The Fund expects to earn interest income on its initial margin deposits. A futures contract held by the Fund is valued daily at the official settlement price of the exchange on which it is traded. Each day the Fund pays or receives cash, called “variation margin,” equal to the daily change in value of the futures contract. This process is known as “marking to market.” Variation margin does not represent a borrowing or loan by the Fund but is instead a settlement between the Fund and the broker of the amount one would owe the other if the futures contract expired. In computing daily net asset value, the Fund will mark to market its open futures positions.

The Fund is also required to deposit and maintain margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts written by it. Such margin deposits will vary depending on the nature of the underlying futures contract (and the related initial margin requirements), the current market value of the option, and other futures positions held by the Fund.

Although some futures contracts call for making or taking delivery of the underlying securities or commodities, generally these obligations are closed out prior to delivery by offsetting purchases or sales of matching futures contracts (same exchange, underlying security or index, and delivery month). Closing out a futures contract sale is effected by purchasing a futures contract for the same aggregate amount of the specific type of financial instrument or commodity with the same delivery date. If an offsetting purchase price is less than the original sale price, the Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is more, the Fund realizes a capital loss. Conversely, if an offsetting sale price is more than the original purchase price, the Fund realizes a capital gain, or if it is less, the Fund realizes a capital loss. The transaction costs must also be included in these calculations.

The Fund may write covered straddles consisting of a call and a put written on the same underlying futures contract. A straddle will be covered when sufficient assets are deposited to meet the Fund’s immediate obligations. The Fund may use the same liquid assets to cover both the call and put options where the exercise price of the call and put are the same, or the exercise price of the call is higher than that of the put. In such cases, the Fund will also segregate or “earmark” liquid assets equivalent to the amount, if any, by which the put is “in the money.”

When purchasing a futures contract, the Fund will maintain with its custodian (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, that, when added to the amounts deposited with a futures commission merchant as margin, are equal to the market value of the futures contract. Alternatively, the Fund may “cover” its position by purchasing a put option on the same futures contract with a strike price as high or higher than the price of the contract held by the Fund.

When selling a futures contract, the Fund will maintain with its custodian (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, that are equal

 

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to the market value of the futures contract. Alternatively, the Fund may “cover” its position by owning the instruments underlying the futures contract (or, in the case of an index futures contract, a portfolio with a volatility substantially similar to that of the index on which the futures contract is based), or by holding a call option permitting the Fund to purchase the same futures contract at a price no higher than the price of the contract written by the Fund (or at a higher price if the difference is maintained in liquid assets with the Trust’s custodian).

With respect to futures contracts that are not legally required to “cash settle,” the Fund may cover the open position by setting aside or “earmarking” liquid assets in an amount equal to the market value of the futures contract. With respect to futures that are required to “cash settle,” however, the Fund is permitted to set aside or “earmark” liquid assets in an amount equal to the Fund’s daily marked to market (net) obligation, if any, (in other words, the Fund’s daily net liability, if any) rather than the market value of the futures contract. By setting aside or “earmarking” assets equal to only its net obligation under cash-settled futures, the Fund will have the ability to utilize these contracts to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to segregate or “earmark” assets equal to the full market value of the futures contract.

When selling a call option on a futures contract, the Fund will maintain with its custodian (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, that, when added to the amounts deposited with a futures commission merchant as margin, equal the total market value of the futures contract underlying the call option. Alternatively, the Fund may cover its position by entering into a long position in the same futures contract at a price no higher than the strike price of the call option, by owning the instruments underlying the futures contract, or by holding a separate call option permitting the Fund to purchase the same futures contract at a price not higher than the strike price of the call option sold by the Fund.

When selling a put option on a futures contract, the Fund will maintain with its custodian (and mark-to-market on a daily basis) assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, that equal the purchase price of the futures contract, less any margin on deposit. Alternatively, the Fund may cover the position either by entering into a short position in the same futures contract, or by owning a separate put option permitting it to sell the same futures contract so long as the strike price of the purchased put option is the same or higher than the strike price of the put option sold by the Fund.

To the extent that securities with maturities greater than one year are used to segregate or “earmark” assets to cover the Fund’s obligations under futures contracts and related options, such use will not eliminate the risk of a form of leverage, which may tend to exaggerate the effect on net asset value of any increase or decrease in the market value of the Fund’s portfolio, and may require liquidation of portfolio positions when it is not advantageous to do so.

The requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company also may limit the extent to which the Fund may enter into futures, futures options and forward contracts. See “Taxation.”

Risks Associated with Futures and Futures Options. There are several risks associated with the use of futures contracts and futures options as hedging techniques. A purchase or sale of a futures contract may result in losses in excess of the amount invested in the futures contract. There can be no guarantee that there will be a correlation between price movements in the hedging vehicle and in the Fund securities being hedged. In addition, there are significant differences between the securities and futures markets that could result in an imperfect correlation between the markets, causing a given hedge not to achieve its objectives. The degree of imperfection of correlation depends on circumstances such as variations in speculative market demand for futures and futures options on securities, including technical influences in futures trading and futures options, and differences between the financial instruments being hedged and the instruments underlying the standard contracts available for trading in such respects as interest rate levels, maturities, and creditworthiness of issuers. A decision as to whether, when and how to hedge involves the exercise of skill and judgment, and even a well-conceived hedge may be unsuccessful to some degree because of market behavior or unexpected interest rate trends.

Futures contracts on U.S. Government securities historically have reacted to an increase or decrease in interest rates in a manner similar to that in which the underlying U.S. Government securities reacted. To the extent, however, that the Fund enters into such futures contracts, the value of such futures will not vary in direct proportion to the value of the Fund’s holdings of U.S. Government securities. Thus, the anticipated spread between the price of the futures contract and the hedged security may be distorted due to differences in the nature of the markets. The spread also may be distorted by differences in initial and variation margin requirements, the liquidity of such markets and the participation of speculators in such markets.

 

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Futures exchanges may limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in certain futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount that the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day’s settlement price at the end of the current trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a futures contract subject to the limit, no more trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. The daily limit governs only price movements during a particular trading day and therefore does not limit potential losses because the limit may work to prevent the liquidation of unfavorable positions. For example, futures prices have occasionally moved to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of positions and subjecting some holders of futures contracts to substantial losses.

There can be no assurance that a liquid market will exist at a time when the Fund seeks to close out a futures or a futures option position, and that Fund would remain obligated to meet margin requirements until the position is closed. In addition, many of the contracts discussed above are relatively new instruments without a significant trading history. As a result, there can be no assurance that an active secondary market will develop or continue to exist.

Additional Risks of Options on Securities, Futures Contracts, Options on Futures Contracts, and Forward Currency Exchange Contracts and Options Thereon. Options on securities, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, forward currency exchange contracts and options on forward currency exchange contracts may be traded on foreign exchanges. Such transactions may not be regulated as effectively as similar transactions in the United States; may not involve a clearing mechanism and related guarantees, and are subject to the risk of governmental actions affecting trading in, or the prices of, foreign securities. The value of such positions also could be adversely affected by (i) other complex foreign political, legal and economic factors, (ii) lesser availability than in the United States of data on which to make trading decisions, (iii) delays in the Trust’s ability to act upon economic events occurring in foreign markets during non-business hours in the United States, (iv) the imposition of different exercise and settlement terms and procedures and margin requirements than in the United States, and (v) lesser trading volume.

Swap Agreements and Options on Swap Agreements. The Fund may engage in swap transactions, including, but not limited to, swap agreements on interest rates, security or commodity indexes, specific securities and commodities, and credit and event-linked swaps. To the extent the Fund may invest in foreign currency-denominated securities, it also may invest in currency exchange rate swap agreements. The Fund also may enter into options on swap agreements (“swap options”).

The Fund may enter into swap transactions for any legal purpose consistent with its investment objectives and policies, such as for the purpose of attempting to obtain or preserve a particular return or spread at a lower cost than obtaining a return or spread through purchases and/or sales of instruments in other markets, to protect against currency fluctuations, as a duration management technique, to protect against any increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date, or to gain exposure to certain markets in the most economical way possible.

Swap agreements are two party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a few weeks to more than one year. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, in a particular foreign currency, or in a “basket” of securities or commodities representing a particular index. A “quanto” or “differential” swap combines both an interest rate and a currency transaction. Other forms of swap agreements include interest rate caps, under which, in return for a premium, one party agrees to make payments to the other to the extent that interest rates exceed a specified rate, or “cap”; interest rate floors, under which, in return for a premium, one party agrees to make payments to the other to the extent that interest rates fall below a specified rate, or “floor”; and interest rate collars, under which a party sells a cap and purchases a floor or vice versa in an attempt to protect itself against interest rate movements exceeding given minimum or maximum levels.

The Fund also may enter into swap options. A swap option is a contract that gives a counterparty the right (but not the obligation) in return for payment of a premium, to enter into a new swap agreement or to shorten, extend, cancel or otherwise modify an existing swap agreement, at some designated future time on specified terms. The Fund may write (sell) and purchase put and call swap options.

Depending on the terms of the particular option agreement, the Fund will generally incur a greater degree of risk when it writes a swap option than it will incur when it purchases a swap option. When the Fund purchases a swap option, it risks losing only the amount of the premium it has paid should it decide to let the option expire unexercised. However, when the Fund writes a swap option, upon exercise of the option the Fund will become obligated according to the terms of the underlying agreement.

 

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Most other types of swap agreements entered into by the Fund would calculate the obligations of the parties to the agreement on a “net basis.” Consequently, the Fund’s current obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement will generally be equal only to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”). The Fund’s current obligations under a swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owed to the Fund) and any accrued but unpaid net amounts owed to a swap counterparty will be covered by the segregation or “earmarking” of assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, to avoid any potential leveraging of the Fund’s portfolio. Obligations under swap agreements so covered will not be construed to be “senior securities” for purposes of the Fund’s investment restriction concerning senior securities.

The Fund also may enter into credit default swap agreements. The credit default swap agreement may have as reference obligations one or more securities that are not currently held by the Fund. The protection “buyer” in a credit default contract is generally obligated to pay the protection “seller” an upfront or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract provided that no credit event, such as a default, on a reference obligation has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the “par value” (full notional value) of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity described in the swap, or the seller may be required to deliver the related net cash amount, if the swap is cash settled. The Fund may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction. If the Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund may recover nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer generally may elect to receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity whose value may have significantly decreased. As a seller, the Fund generally receives an upfront payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. As the seller, the Fund would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap.

The spread of a credit default swap is the annual amount the protection buyer must pay the protection seller over the length of the contract, expressed as a percentage of the notional amount. When spreads rise, market perceived credit risk rises and when spreads fall, market perceived credit risk falls. Wider credit spreads and decreasing market values, when compared to the notional amount of the swap, represent a deterioration of the referenced entity’s credit soundness and a greater likelihood or risk of default or other credit event occurring as defined under the terms of the agreement. For credit default swap agreements on asset-backed securities and credit indices, the quoted market prices and resulting values, as well as the annual payment rate, serve as an indication of the current status of the payment/performance risk.

Credit default swap agreements involve greater risks than if the Fund had invested in the reference obligation directly since, in addition to general market risks, credit default swaps are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk and credit risk. The Fund will enter into credit default swap agreements only with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness. A buyer generally also will lose its investment and recover nothing should no credit event occur and the swap is held to its termination date. If a credit event were to occur, the value of any deliverable obligation received by the seller, coupled with the upfront or periodic payments previously received, may be less than the full notional value it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss of value to the seller. The Fund’s obligations under a credit default swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owing to the Fund). In connection with credit default swaps in which the Fund is the buyer, the Fund will segregate or “earmark” cash or assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, or enter into certain offsetting positions, with a value at least equal to the Fund’s exposure (any accrued but unpaid net amounts owed by the Fund to any counterparty), on a marked-to-market basis. In connection with credit default swaps in which the Fund is the seller, the Fund will segregate or “earmark” cash or assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, or enter into offsetting positions, with a value at least equal to the full notional amount of the swap (minus any amounts owed to the Fund). Such segregation or “earmarking” will ensure that the Fund has assets available to satisfy its obligations with respect to the transaction and will limit any potential leveraging of the Fund’s portfolio. Such segregation or “earmarking” will not limit the Fund’s exposure to loss.

In January 2009, the SEC issued temporary rules to allow for clearinghouses to facilitate certain credit default swap transactions between one or more counterparties. A clearinghouse may act as the intermediary, or central counterparty, in credit default swap transactions, reducing the risk of a counterparty defaulting on a transaction while providing a central location for regulators to view traders’ positions and prices. The use of a clearinghouse for credit default swaps is voluntary and the temporary rules are in effect from January 22, 2009 until November 30, 2010. In March 2009 the SEC approved exemptions to allow the CME Group, Inc. and InterContinental, Inc. to operate a clearinghouse for credit default swaps.

 

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Similarly, dealers of credit-default swaps in Europe agreed in February 2009 to use a clearinghouse in the European Union to guarantee derivatives. Nine banks and brokers, including Deutsche Bank AG, JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Barclays PLC, committed to start using one or more clearinghouses within the 27-nation region by the end of July 2009. The clearinghouse(s) will be funded by their members. In response to these developments, in March 2009 the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) proposed a pilot program imposing margin rules for credit default swap transactions executed by a registered broker-dealer and cleared by the CME Group, Inc. or other central counterparty platforms. FINRA speculates that the creation of CDS central counterparties will result in an increasing volume of CDS transactions being handled through broker-dealers instead of through affiliated entities of investment banks as in the past. FINRA’s pilot program is set to expire November 30, 2010.

Whether the Fund’s use of swap agreements or swap options will be successful in furthering its investment objective will depend on PIMCO’s ability to predict correctly whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments. Moreover, the Fund bears the risk of loss of the amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap agreement counterparty. The Fund will enter into swap agreements only with counterparties that meet certain standards of creditworthiness. Certain restrictions imposed on the Fund by the Internal Revenue Code may limit the Fund’s ability to use swap agreements. The swaps market is largely unregulated. It is possible that developments in the swaps market, including potential government regulation, could adversely affect the Fund’s ability to terminate existing swap agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements.

Swaps are highly specialized instruments that require investment techniques, risk analyses, and tax planning different from those associated with traditional investments. The use of a swap requires an understanding not only of the referenced asset, reference rate, or index but also of the swap itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the swap under all possible market conditions. Because they are two party contracts that may be subject to contractual restrictions on transferability and termination and because they may have terms of greater than seven days, swap agreements may be considered to be illiquid and subject to the Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities. However, the Trust has adopted procedures pursuant to which PIMCO may determine swaps (including swap options) to be liquid under certain circumstances. To the extent that a swap is not liquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.

Like most other investments, swap agreements are subject to the risk that the market value of the instrument will change in a way detrimental to the Fund’s interest. The Fund bears the risk that PIMCO will not accurately forecast future market trends or the values of assets, reference rates, indexes, or other economic factors in establishing swap positions for the Fund. If PIMCO attempts to use a swap as a hedge against, or as a substitute for, a portfolio investment, the Fund will be exposed to the risk that the swap will have or will develop imperfect or no correlation with the portfolio investment. This could cause substantial losses for the Fund. While hedging strategies involving swap instruments can reduce the risk of loss, they can also reduce the opportunity for gain or even result in losses by offsetting favorable price movements in other Fund investments. Many swaps are complex and often valued subjectively.

Certain swap agreements are exempt from most provisions of the CEA and, therefore, are not regulated as futures or commodity option transactions under the CEA, pursuant to regulations approved by the CFTC. To qualify for this exemption, a swap agreement must be entered into by “eligible participants,” which includes the following, provided the participants’ total assets exceed established levels: a bank or trust company, savings association or credit union, insurance company, investment company subject to regulation under the 1940 Act, commodity pool, corporation, partnership, proprietorship, organization, trust or other entity, employee benefit plan, governmental entity, broker-dealer, futures commission merchant, natural person, or regulated foreign person. To be eligible, natural persons and most other entities must have total assets exceeding $10 million; commodity pools and employee benefit plans must have assets exceeding $5 million. In addition, an eligible swap transaction must meet three conditions. First, the swap agreement may not be part of a fungible class of agreements that are standardized as to their material economic terms. Second, the creditworthiness of parties with actual or potential obligations under the swap agreement must be a material consideration in entering into or determining the terms of the swap agreement, including pricing, cost or credit enhancement terms. Third, swap agreements may not be entered into and traded on or through a multilateral transaction execution facility.

This exemption is not exclusive, and participants may continue to rely on existing exclusions for swaps, such as the Policy Statement issued in July 1989 which recognized a safe harbor for swap transactions from regulation as futures or commodity option transactions under the CEA or its regulations. The Policy Statement applies to swap transactions settled in cash that (1) have individually tailored terms, (2) lack exchange-style offset and the use of a clearing organization or margin system, (3) are undertaken in conjunction with a line of business, and (4) are not marketed to the public.

 

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Synthetic Equity Swaps. The Fund may also enter into synthetic equity swaps, in which one party to the contract agrees to pay the other party the total return earned or realized on a particular “notional amount” of value of an underlying equity security including any dividends distributed by the underlying security. The other party to the contract makes regular payments, typically at a fixed rate or at a floating rate based on LIBOR or other variable interest rated based on the notional amount. The notional amount is not invested in the reference security. Similar to currency swaps, synthetic equity swaps are generally entered into on a net basis, which means the two payment streams are netted out and the Fund will either pay or receive the net amount. The Fund will enter into a synthetic equity swap instead of purchasing the reference security when the synthetic equity swap provides a more efficient or less expensive way of gaining exposure to a security compared with a direct investment in the security.

Structured Notes and Indexed Securities. Structured notes are derivative debt instruments, the interest rate or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator (for example, a currency, security, commodity or index thereof). The terms of the instrument may be “structured” by the purchaser and the borrower issuing the note. Indexed securities may include structured notes as well as securities other than debt securities, the interest rate or principal of which is determined by an unrelated indicator. Indexed securities may include a multiplier that multiplies the indexed element by a specified factor and, therefore, the value of such securities may be very volatile. The terms of structured notes and indexed securities may provide that in certain circumstances no principal is due at maturity, which may result in a loss of invested capital. Structured notes and indexed securities may be positively or negatively indexed, so that appreciation of the unrelated indicator may produce an increase or a decrease in the interest rate or the value of the structured note or indexed security at maturity may be calculated as a specified multiple of the change in the value of the unrelated indicator. Therefore, the value of such notes and securities may be very volatile. Structured notes and indexed securities may entail a greater degree of market risk than other types of debt securities because the investor bears the risk of the unrelated indicator. Structured notes or indexed securities also may be more volatile, less liquid, and more difficult to accurately price than less complex securities and instruments or more traditional debt securities. To the extent the Fund invests in these notes and securities, however, PIMCO analyzes these notes and securities in its overall assessment of the effective duration of the Fund’s holdings in an effort to monitor the Fund’s interest rate risk.

Risk of Potential Government Regulation of Derivatives. It is possible that government regulation of various types of derivative instruments, including futures and swap agreements, may limit or prevent the Fund from using such instruments as a part of its investment strategy, and could ultimately prevent the Fund from being able to achieve its investment objective. In 2008, multiple committees of the U.S. Congress held hearings investigating the rise in energy and agricultural prices and the role that the futures market and swap market participants may have played in this phenomenon. Some Members of Congress have introduced legislation that would impose limits on the maximum position that could be held by a single trader in energy-related contracts and would subject certain commodity- or energy-related swap agreements to new forms of regulation that could create barriers to commodity-related investment activity. While none of this regulatory or legislative activity has a direct, immediate effect upon the Fund, it is not possible to predict the course of future legislation or regulation in this area. It is possible that if these or similar measures were to become law, they could potentially limit or completely restrict the ability of the Fund to use these instruments as a part of its investment strategy. Limits or restrictions applicable to the counterparties with which the Fund engages in derivative transactions could also prevent the Fund from using these instruments.

Hybrid Instruments

A hybrid instrument is a type of potentially high-risk derivative that combines a traditional stock, bond, or commodity with an option or forward contract. Generally, the principal amount, amount payable upon maturity or redemption, or interest rate of a hybrid is tied (positively or negatively) to the price of some commodity, currency or securities index or another interest rate or some other economic factor (each a “benchmark”). The interest rate or (unlike most fixed income securities) the principal amount payable at maturity of a hybrid security may be increased or decreased, depending on changes in the value of the benchmark. An example of a hybrid could be a bond issued by an oil company that pays a small base level of interest with additional interest that accrues in correlation to the extent to which oil prices exceed a certain predetermined level. Such a hybrid instrument would be a combination of a bond and a call option on oil.

Hybrids can be used as an efficient means of pursuing a variety of investment goals, including currency hedging, duration management, and increased total return. Hybrids may not bear interest or pay dividends. The value of a hybrid or its interest rate may be a multiple of a benchmark and, as a result, may be leveraged and move (up or down) more steeply and rapidly than the benchmark. These benchmarks may be sensitive to economic and political events, such as commodity shortages and currency devaluations, which cannot be readily foreseen by the purchaser of a hybrid. Under certain conditions, the redemption value of a hybrid could be zero. Thus, an investment in a hybrid may entail significant market risks that are not associated with a similar investment in a traditional, U.S. dollar-denominated bond that has a fixed principal amount and pays a fixed rate or floating rate of interest. The purchase of hybrids also exposes the Fund to the credit risk of the issuer of the hybrids. These risks may cause significant fluctuations in the net asset value of the Fund.

 

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Certain hybrid instruments may provide exposure to the commodities markets. These are derivative securities with one or more commodity-linked components that have payment features similar to commodity futures contracts, commodity options, or similar instruments. Commodity-linked hybrid instruments may be either equity or debt securities, leveraged or unleveraged, and are considered hybrid instruments because they have both security and commodity-like characteristics. A portion of the value of these instruments may be derived from the value of a commodity, futures contract, index or other economic variable. The Fund will only invest in commodity-linked hybrid instruments that qualify under applicable rules of the CFTC for an exemption from the provisions of the CEA.

Certain issuers of structured products such as hybrid instruments may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the 1940 Act. As a result, the Fund’s investments in these products may be subject to limits applicable to investments in investment companies and may be subject to restrictions contained in the 1940 Act.

Municipal Bonds

The Fund may invest in securities issued by states, municipalities and other political subdivisions, agencies, authorities and instrumentalities of states and multi-state agencies or authorities, the income of which is exempt from federal income tax (“Municipal Bonds”).

Municipal Bonds share the attributes of debt/fixed income securities in general, but are generally issued by states, municipalities and other political subdivisions, agencies, authorities and instrumentalities of states and multi-state agencies or authorities. The Municipal Bonds which the Fund may purchase include general obligation bonds and limited obligation bonds (or revenue bonds), including industrial development bonds issued pursuant to former federal tax law. General obligation bonds are obligations involving the credit of an issuer possessing taxing power and are payable from such issuer’s general revenues and not from any particular source. Limited obligation bonds are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source. Tax-exempt private activity bonds and industrial development bonds generally are also revenue bonds and thus are not payable from the issuer’s general revenues. The credit and quality of private activity bonds and industrial development bonds are usually related to the credit of the corporate user of the facilities. Payment of interest on and repayment of principal of such bonds is the responsibility of the corporate user (and/or any guarantor).

The Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in the bonds of similar projects or industrial development bonds.

The Fund may invest in pre-refunded Municipal Bonds. Pre-refunded Municipal Bonds are tax-exempt bonds that have been refunded to a call date prior to the final maturity of principal, or, in the case of pre-refunded Municipal Bonds commonly referred to as “escrowed-to-maturity bonds,” to the final maturity of principal, and remain outstanding in the municipal market. The payment of principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by the Fund is funded from securities in a designated escrow account that holds U.S. Treasury securities or other obligations of the U.S. Government (including its agencies and instrumentalities (“Agency Securities”)). While still tax-exempt, pre-refunded Municipal Bonds usually will bear an Aaa rating (if a re-rating has been requested and paid for) because they are backed by U.S. Treasury or Agency securities. As the payment of principal and interest is generated from securities held in an escrow account established by the municipality and an independent escrow agent, the pledge of the municipality has been fulfilled and the original pledge of revenue by the municipality is no longer in place. The escrow account securities pledged to pay the principal and interest of the pre-refunded Municipal Bond do not guarantee the price movement of the bond before maturity. Issuers of Municipal Bonds refund in advance of maturity the outstanding higher cost debt and issue new, lower cost debt, placing the proceeds of the lower cost issuance into an escrow account to pre-refund the older, higher cost debt. Investments in pre-refunded Municipal Bonds held by the Fund may subject the Fund to interest rate risk and market risk. In addition, while a secondary market exists for pre-refunded Municipal Bonds, if the Fund sells pre-refunded Municipal Bonds prior to maturity, the price received may be more or less than the original cost, depending on market conditions at the time of sale. To the extent permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Internal Revenue Service, the Fund’s investment in pre-refunded Municipal Bonds backed by U.S. Treasury and Agency securities in the manner described above, will, for purposes of diversification tests applicable to the Fund, be considered an investment in the respective U.S. Treasury and Agency securities.

 

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Under the Internal Revenue Code, certain limited obligation bonds are considered “private activity bonds” and interest paid on such bonds is treated as an item of tax preference for purposes of calculating federal alternative minimum tax liability.

The Fund may invest in Build America Bonds. Build America Bonds are tax credit bonds created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which authorizes state and local governments to issue Build America Bonds as taxable bonds in 2009 and 2010, without volume limitations, to finance any capital expenditures for which such issuers could otherwise issue traditional tax-exempt bonds. State and local governments may receive a direct federal subsidy payment for a portion of their borrowing costs on Build America Bonds equal to 35% of the total coupon interest paid to investors. The state or local government issuer can elect to either take the federal subsidy or pass the 35% tax credit along to bondholders. The Fund’s investments in Build America Bonds will result in taxable income and the Fund may elect to pass through to shareholders the corresponding tax credits. The tax credits can generally be used to offset federal income taxes and the alternative minimum tax, but such credits are generally not refundable. Build America Bonds involve similar risks as Municipal Bonds, including credit and market risk. They are intended to assist state and local governments in financing capital projects at lower borrowing costs and are likely to attract a broader group of investors than tax-exempt Municipal Bonds. Although Build America Bonds are only authorized for 2009 and 2010, the program may result in reduced issuance of tax-exempt Municipal Bonds.

The Fund may invest in municipal lease obligations. A lease is not a full faith and credit obligation of the issuer and is usually backed only by the borrowing government’s unsecured pledge to make annual appropriations for lease payments. There have been challenges to the legality of lease financing in numerous states, and, from time to time, certain municipalities have considered not appropriating money for lease payments. In deciding whether to purchase a lease obligation, the Fund will assess the financial condition of the borrower, the merits of the project, the level of public support for the project, and the legislative history of lease financing in the state. These securities may be less readily marketable than other municipals. The Fund also may purchase unrated lease obligations if determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality to rated securities in which the Fund is permitted to invest.

The Fund may seek to enhance its yield through the purchase of private placements. These securities are sold through private negotiations, usually to institutions or mutual funds, and may have resale restrictions. Their yields are usually higher than comparable public securities to compensate the investor for their limited marketability. The Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities, including unmarketable private placements.

Some longer-term Municipal Bonds give the investor the right to “put” or sell the security at par (face value) within a specified number of days following the investor’s request - usually one to seven days. This demand feature enhances a security’s liquidity by shortening its effective maturity and enables it to trade at a price equal to or very close to par. If a demand feature terminates prior to being exercised, the Fund would hold the longer-term security, which could experience substantially more volatility.

The Fund may invest in municipal warrants, which are essentially call options on Municipal Bonds. In exchange for a premium, municipal warrants give the purchaser the right, but not the obligation, to purchase a Municipal Bond in the future. The Fund may purchase a warrant to lock in forward supply in an environment where the current issuance of bonds is sharply reduced. Like options, warrants may expire worthless and they may have reduced liquidity.

The Fund may invest in Municipal Bonds with credit enhancements such as letters of credit, municipal bond insurance and Standby Bond Purchase Agreements (“SBPAs”). Letters of credit are issued by a third party, usually a bank, to enhance liquidity and ensure repayment of principal and any accrued interest if the underlying Municipal Bond should default. Municipal bond insurance, which is usually purchased by the bond issuer from a private, nongovernmental insurance company, provides an unconditional and irrevocable guarantee that the insured bond’s principal and interest will be paid when due. Insurance does not guarantee the price of the bond or the share price of any fund. The credit rating of an insured bond reflects the credit rating of the insurer, based on its claims-paying ability. The obligation of a municipal bond insurance company to pay a claim extends over the life of each insured bond. Although defaults on insured Municipal Bonds have been low to date and municipal bond insurers have met their claims, there is no assurance this will continue. A higher-than-expected default rate could strain the insurer’s loss reserves and adversely affect its ability to pay claims to bondholders. Because a significant portion of insured Municipal Bonds that have been issued and are outstanding is insured by a small number of insurance companies, not all of which have the highest credit rating, an event involving one or more of these insurance companies, such as a credit rating downgrade, could have a significant adverse effect on the value of the Municipal Bonds insured by that insurance company and on the Municipal Bond markets as a whole. An SBPA is a liquidity facility provided to pay the purchase price of bonds that cannot be re-marketed. The obligation of the liquidity provider (usually a

 

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bank) is only to advance funds to purchase tendered bonds that cannot be remarketed and does not cover principal or interest under any other circumstances. The liquidity provider’s obligations under the SBPA are usually subject to numerous conditions, including the continued creditworthiness of the underlying borrower.

The Fund may invest in Residual Interest Bonds (“RIBs”), which brokers create by depositing a Municipal Bond in a trust. The trust in turn issues a variable rate security and RIBs. The interest rate on the short-term component is determined by the remarketing broker-dealer, while the RIB holder receives the balance of the income from the underlying Municipal Bond. Therefore, rising short-term interest rates result in lower income for the RIB, and vice versa. An investment in RIBs typically will involve greater risk than an investment in a fixed rate bond. RIBs have interest rates that bear an inverse relationship to the interest rate on another security or the value of an index. Because increases in the interest rate on the other security or index reduce the residual interest paid on a RIB, the value of a RIB is generally more volatile than that of a fixed rate bond. RIBs have interest rate adjustment formulas that generally reduce or, in the extreme, eliminate the interest paid to the Fund when short-term interest rates rise, and increase the interest paid to the Fund when short-term interest rates fall. RIBs have varying degrees of liquidity that approximate the liquidity of the underlying bond(s), and the market price for these securities is volatile. RIBs can be very volatile and may be less liquid than other Municipal Bonds of comparable maturity. These securities will generally underperform the market of fixed rate bonds in a rising interest rate environment, but tend to outperform the market of fixed rate bonds when interest rates decline or remain relatively stable. Although volatile, RIBs typically offer the potential for yields exceeding the yields available on fixed rate bonds with comparable credit quality, coupon, call provisions and maturity.

In a transaction in which the Fund purchases a RIB from a trust, and the underlying Municipal Bond was held by the Fund prior to being deposited into the trust, the Fund treats the transaction as a secured borrowing for financial reporting purposes. As a result, the Fund will incur a non-cash interest expense with respect to interest paid by the trust on the variable rate securities, and will recognize additional interest income in an amount directly corresponding to the non-cash interest expense. Therefore, the Fund’s net asset value per share and performance are not affected by the non-cash interest expense. This accounting treatment does not apply to RIBs acquired by the Fund where the Fund did not previously own the underlying Municipal Bond.

The Fund also may invest in participation interests. Participation interests are various types of securities created by converting fixed rate bonds into short-term, variable rate certificates. These securities have been developed in the secondary market to meet the demand for short-term, tax-exempt securities. The Fund will invest only in such securities deemed tax-exempt by a nationally recognized bond counsel, but there is no guarantee the interest will be exempt because the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has not issued a definitive ruling on the matter.

Municipal Bonds are subject to credit and market risk. Generally, prices of higher quality issues tend to fluctuate less with changes in market interest rates than prices of lower quality issues and prices of longer maturity issues tend to fluctuate more than prices of shorter maturity issues.

The Fund may purchase and sell portfolio investments to take advantage of changes or anticipated changes in yield relationships, markets or economic conditions. The Fund also may sell Municipal Bonds due to changes in PIMCO’s evaluation of the issuer or cash needs resulting from redemption requests for Fund shares. The secondary market for Municipal Bonds typically has been less liquid than that for taxable debt/fixed income securities, and this may affect the Fund’s ability to sell particular Municipal Bonds at then-current market prices, especially in periods when other investors are attempting to sell the same securities. Additionally, Municipal Bonds rated below investment grade (i.e., high yield Municipal Bonds) may not be as liquid as higher-rated Municipal Bonds. Reduced liquidity in the secondary market may have an adverse impact on the market price of a Municipal Bond and on the Fund’s ability to sell a Municipal Bond in response to changes or anticipated changes in economic conditions or to meet the Fund’s cash needs. Reduced liquidity may also make it more difficult to obtain market quotations based on actual trades for purposes of valuing the Fund’s portfolio. For more information on high yield securities please see “High Yield Securities (“Junk Bonds”) and Securities of Distressed Companies” above.

Prices and yields on Municipal Bonds are dependent on a variety of factors, including general money-market conditions, the financial condition of the issuer, general conditions of the Municipal Bond market, the size of a particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue. A number of these factors, including the ratings of particular issues, are subject to change from time to time. Information about the financial condition of an issuer of Municipal Bonds may not be as extensive as that which is made available by corporations whose securities are publicly traded.

 

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The Fund may purchase custodial receipts representing the right to receive either the principal amount or the periodic interest payments or both with respect to specific underlying Municipal Bonds. In a typical custodial receipt arrangement, an issuer or third party owner of Municipal Bonds deposits the bonds with a custodian in exchange for two classes of custodial receipts. The two classes have different characteristics, but, in each case, payments on the two classes are based on payments received on the underlying Municipal Bonds. In no event will the aggregate interest paid with respect to the two classes exceed the interest paid by the underlying Municipal Bond. Custodial receipts are sold in private placements. The value of a custodial receipt may fluctuate more than the value of a Municipal Bond of comparable quality and maturity.

Obligations of issuers of Municipal Bonds are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors. Congress or state legislatures may seek to extend the time for payment of principal or interest, or both, or to impose other constraints upon enforcement of such obligations. There is also the possibility that as a result of litigation or other conditions, the power or ability of issuers to meet their obligations for the payment of interest and principal on their Municipal Bonds may be materially affected or their obligations may be found to be invalid or unenforceable. Such litigation or conditions may from time to time have the effect of introducing uncertainties in the market for Municipal Bonds or certain segments thereof, or of materially affecting the credit risk with respect to particular bonds. Adverse economic, business, legal or political developments might affect all or a substantial portion of the Fund’s Municipal Bonds in the same manner.

Delayed Funding Loans and Revolving Credit Facilities

The Fund may enter into, or acquire participations in, delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are borrowing arrangements in which the lender agrees to make loans up to a maximum amount upon demand by the borrower during a specified term. A revolving credit facility differs from a delayed funding loan in that as the borrower repays the loan, an amount equal to the repayment may be borrowed again during the term of the revolving credit facility. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities usually provide for floating or variable rates of interest. These commitments may have the effect of requiring the Fund to increase its investment in a company at a time when it might not otherwise decide to do so (including at a time when the company’s financial condition makes it unlikely that such amounts will be repaid). To the extent that the Fund is committed to advance additional funds, it will at all times segregate or “earmark” assets, determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees, in an amount sufficient to meet such commitments.

The Fund may invest in delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities. Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities may be subject to restrictions on transfer, and only limited opportunities may exist to resell such instruments. As a result, the Fund may be unable to sell such investments at an opportune time or may have to resell them at less than fair market value. The Fund currently intends to treat delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities for which there is no readily available market as illiquid for purposes of the Fund’s limitation on illiquid investments. For a further discussion of the risks involved in investing in loan participations and other forms of direct indebtedness see “Loan Participations and Assignments.” Participation interests in revolving credit facilities will be subject to the limitations discussed in “Indebtedness, Loan Participations and Assignments.” Delayed funding loans and revolving credit facilities are considered to be debt obligations for purposes of the Trust’s investment restriction relating to the lending of funds or assets by the Fund.

When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Transactions

The Fund may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis. When such purchases or sales are outstanding, the Fund will segregate or “earmark” until the settlement date assets determined to be liquid by PIMCO in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees or otherwise cover its position in an amount sufficient to meet the Fund’s obligation. Typically, no income accrues on securities the Fund has committed to purchase prior to the time delivery of the securities is made, although the Fund may earn income on securities it has segregated or “earmarked.”

When purchasing a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis, the Fund assumes the rights and risks of ownership of the security, including the risk of price and yield fluctuations, and takes such fluctuations into account when determining its net asset value. Because the Fund is not required to pay for the security until the delivery date, these risks are in addition to the risks associated with the Fund’s other investments. If the other party to a transaction fails to deliver the securities, the Fund could miss a favorable price or yield opportunity. If the Fund remains substantially fully invested at a time when when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment purchases are outstanding, the purchases may result in a form of leverage.

 

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When the Fund has sold a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis, the Fund does not participate in future gains or losses with respect to the security. If the other party to a transaction fails to pay for the securities, the Fund could suffer a loss. Additionally, when selling a security on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis without owning the security, the Fund will incur a loss if the security’s price appreciates in value such that the security’s price is above the agreed upon price on the settlement date.

Standby Commitment Agreements

The Fund may enter into standby commitment agreements, which are agreements that obligate a party, for a set period of time, to buy a certain amount of a security that may be issued and sold at the option of the issuer. The price of a security purchased pursuant to a standby commitment agreement is set at the time of the agreement. In return for its promise to purchase the security, the Fund receives a commitment fee based upon a percentage of the purchase price of the security. The Fund receives this fee whether or not it is ultimately required to purchase the security.

There is no guarantee that the securities subject to a standby commitment agreement will be issued or, if such securities are issued, the value of the securities on the date of issuance may be more or less than the purchase price. The Fund will limit its investments in standby commitment agreements with remaining terms exceeding seven days pursuant to the Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities. The Fund will record the purchase of a standby commitment agreement, and will reflect the value of the security in the Fund’s net asset value, on the date on which the security can reasonably be expected to be issued.

Short Sales

The Fund may make short sales of securities to (i) offset potential declines in long positions in similar securities, (ii) to increase the flexibility of the portfolio, (iii) for investment return, (iv) as part of a risk arbitrage strategy, and (v) as part of its overall portfolio management strategies involving the use of derivative instruments. A short sale is a transaction in which the Fund sells a security it does not own in anticipation that the market price of that security will decline.

When the Fund makes a short sale, it must borrow the security sold short and deliver it to the broker-dealer through which it made the short sale as collateral for its obligation to deliver the security upon conclusion of the sale. The Fund may have to pay a fee to borrow particular securities and is often obligated to pay over any accrued interest and dividends on such borrowed securities.

If the price of the security sold short increases between the time of the short sale and the time that the Fund replaces the borrowed security, the Fund will incur a loss; conversely, if the price declines, the Fund will realize a capital gain. Any gain will be decreased, and any loss increased, by the transaction costs described above. The successful use of short selling may be adversely affected by imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the security sold short and the securities being hedged.

The Fund may invest pursuant to a risk arbitrage strategy to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two securities. Frequently, a risk arbitrage strategy involves the short sale of a security.

To the extent that the Fund engages in short sales, it will provide collateral to the broker-dealer and (except in the case of short sales “against the box”) will maintain additional asset coverage in the form of segregated or “earmarked” assets that PIMCO determines to be liquid in accordance with procedures established by the Board of Trustees and that is equal to the current market value of the securities sold short, or will ensure that such positions are covered by “offsetting” positions, until the Fund replaces the borrowed security. A short sale is “against the box” to the extent that the Fund contemporaneously owns, or has the right to obtain at no added cost, securities identical to those sold short.

144A Securities

In addition to the Fund’s investments in privately placed and unregistered securities, the Fund may also invest in securities sold pursuant to Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. Such securities are commonly known as “144A securities” and may only be resold under certain circumstances to other institutional buyers. 144A securities frequently trade in an active secondary market and are treated as liquid under procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. As a result of the resale restrictions on 144A securities, there is a greater risk that they will become illiquid than securities registered with the SEC.

 

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Illiquid Securities

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities. The term “illiquid securities” for this purpose means securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the amount at which the Fund has valued the securities. Illiquid securities are considered to include, among other things, written over-the-counter options, securities or other liquid assets being used as cover for such options, repurchase agreements with maturities in excess of seven days, certain loan participation interests, fixed time deposits which are not subject to prepayment or provide for withdrawal penalties upon prepayment (other than overnight deposits), and other securities whose disposition is restricted under the federal securities laws (other than 144A securities and certain commercial paper that PIMCO has determined to be liquid under procedures approved by the Board of Trustees).

Illiquid securities may include privately placed securities, which are sold directly to a small number of investors, usually institutions. Unlike public offerings, such securities are not registered under the federal securities laws. Although certain of these securities may be readily sold, others may be illiquid, and their sale may involve substantial delays and additional costs.

Loans of Portfolio Securities

For the purpose of achieving income, the Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers, and other financial institutions, provided: (i) the loan is secured continuously by collateral consisting of U.S. Government securities, cash or cash equivalents (negotiable certificates of deposits, bankers’ acceptances or letters of credit) maintained on a daily mark-to-market basis in an amount at least equal to the current market value of the securities loaned; (ii) the Fund may at any time call the loan and obtain the return of the securities loaned; (iii) the Fund will receive any interest or dividends paid on the loaned securities; and (iv) the aggregate market value of securities loaned will not at any time exceed 33 1/3% of the total assets of the Fund. The Fund’s performance will continue to reflect the receipt of either interest through investment of cash collateral by the Fund in permissible investments, or a fee, if the collateral is U.S. Government securities. Securities lending involves the risk of loss of rights in the collateral or delay in recovery of the collateral should the borrower fail to return the securities loaned or become insolvent. The Fund may pay lending fees to the party arranging the loan.

Government Intervention in Financial Markets

Recent instability in the financial markets has led the U.S. Government to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that have experienced extreme volatility, and in some cases a lack of liquidity. Federal, state, and other governments, their regulatory agencies, or self regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the Fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund itself is regulated. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such a program may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation and performance of the Fund’s portfolio holdings. Furthermore, volatile financial markets can expose the Fund to greater market and liquidity risk and potential difficulty in valuing portfolio instruments held by the Fund. The Fund has established procedures to assess the liquidity of portfolio holdings and to value instruments for which market prices may not be readily available. PIMCO will monitor developments and seek to manage the Fund in a manner consistent with achieving the Fund’s investment objective, but there can be no assurance that it will be successful in doing so.

Temporary Investment

If PIMCO believes that economic or market conditions are unfavorable to investors, PIMCO may temporarily invest up to 100% of the Fund’s assets in certain defensive strategies, including holding a substantial portion of the Fund’s assets in cash, cash equivalents or other highly rated short-term securities, including securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities. As discussed in this Statement of Additional Information, the Fund may also invest in affiliated money market and/or short-term bond funds for temporary cash management purposes.

 

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INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

Fundamental Investment Restrictions

The investment restrictions set forth below are fundamental policies of the Fund and may not be changed without shareholder approval by vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund.

 

(1) The Fund may not concentrate its investments in a particular industry, as that term is used in the 1940 Act, and as interpreted, modified, or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time.

 

(2) The Fund may not, with respect to 75% of the Fund’s total assets, purchase the securities of any issuer, except securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or any of its agencies or instrumentalities, if, as a result (i) more than 5% of the Fund’s total assets would be invested in the securities of that issuer, or (ii) the Fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of that issuer. For the purpose of this restriction, each state and each separate political subdivision, agency, authority or instrumentality of such state, each multi-state agency or authority, and each guarantor, if any, are treated as separate issuers of Municipal Bonds.

 

(3) The Fund may not purchase or sell real estate, although it may purchase securities secured by real estate or interests therein, or securities issued by companies which invest in real estate, or interests therein.

 

(4) The Fund may not purchase or sell commodities or commodities contracts or oil, gas or mineral programs. This restriction shall not prohibit the Fund, subject to restrictions described in the Prospectuses and elsewhere in this Statement of Additional Information, from purchasing, selling or entering into futures contracts, options on futures contracts, foreign currency forward contracts, foreign currency options, hybrid instruments, or any interest rate or securities-related or foreign currency-related hedging instrument, including swap agreements and other derivative instruments, subject to compliance with any applicable provisions of the federal securities or commodities laws.

 

(5) The Fund may borrow money or issue any senior security, only as permitted under the 1940 Act, as amended, and as interpreted, modified, or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time.

 

(6) The Fund may make loans, only as permitted under the 1940 Act, as amended, and as interpreted, modified, or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time.

 

(7) The Fund may not act as an underwriter of securities of other issuers, except to the extent that in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities, it may be deemed to be an underwriter under the federal securities laws.

 

(8) Notwithstanding any other fundamental investment policy or limitation, it is a fundamental policy of the Fund that it may pursue its investment objective by investing in one or more underlying investment companies or vehicles that have substantially similar investment objectives, policies and limitations as the Fund.

Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions

The Fund’s investment objective, as set forth in the Prospectuses under the heading “Principal Investments and Strategies,” is non-fundamental and may be changed by the Trust’s Board of Trustees without shareholder approval. The Fund is also subject to the following non-fundamental restrictions and policies (which may be changed by the Trust’s Board of Trustees without shareholder approval) relating to the investment of its assets and activities.

 

(A) The Fund may not invest more than 15% of its net assets (taken at market value at the time of the investment) in “illiquid securities,” which are defined to include securities subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale (which may include private placements), repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days, certain loan participation interests, fixed time deposits which are not subject to prepayment or provide for withdrawal penalties upon prepayment (other than overnight deposits), certain options traded over the counter that the Fund has purchased, securities or other liquid assets being used to cover such options the Fund has written, securities for which market quotations are not readily available, or other securities which legally or in PIMCO’s opinion may be deemed illiquid (other than securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and certain commercial paper that PIMCO has determined to be liquid under procedures approved by the Board of Trustees).

 

(B) The Fund may not purchase securities on margin, except for use of short-term credit necessary for clearance of purchases and sales of portfolio securities, but it may make margin deposits in connection with covered transactions in options, futures, options on futures and short positions. For purposes of this restriction, the posting of margin deposits or other forms of collateral in connection with swap agreements is not considered purchasing securities on margin.

 

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(C) The Fund may not maintain a short position, or purchase, write or sell puts, calls, straddles, spreads or combinations thereof, except on such conditions as may be set forth in the Prospectuses and in this Statement of Additional Information.

Under the 1940 Act, a “senior security” does not include any promissory note or evidence of indebtedness where such loan is for temporary purposes only and in an amount not exceeding 5% of the value of the total assets of the issuer at the time the loan is made. A loan is presumed to be for temporary purposes if it is repaid within sixty days and is not extended or renewed. To the extent that borrowings for temporary administrative purposes exceed 5% of the total assets of the Fund, such excess shall be subject to the 300% asset coverage requirement.

To the extent the Fund covers its commitment under a reverse repurchase agreement (or economically similar transaction) by the segregating or “earmarking” of assets determined to be liquid in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees, equal in value to the amount of the Fund’s commitment to repurchase, such an agreement will not be considered a “senior security” by the Fund and therefore will not be subject to the 300% asset coverage requirement otherwise applicable to borrowings by the Fund.

The staff of the SEC has taken the position that purchased over-the-counter (“OTC”) options and the assets used as cover for written OTC options are illiquid securities. Therefore, the Fund has adopted an investment policy pursuant to which the Fund will not purchase or sell OTC options if, as a result of such transactions, the sum of: 1) the market value of OTC options currently outstanding which are held by the Fund, 2) the market value of the underlying securities covered by OTC call options currently outstanding which were sold by the Fund and 3) margin deposits on the Fund’s existing OTC options on futures contracts, exceeds 15% of the net assets of the Fund, taken at market value, together with all other assets of the Fund which are illiquid or are otherwise not readily marketable. However, if an OTC option is sold by the Fund to a primary U.S. Government securities dealer recognized by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and if the Fund has the unconditional contractual right to repurchase such OTC option from the dealer at a predetermined price, then the Fund will treat as illiquid such amount of the underlying securities equal to the repurchase price less the amount by which the option is “in-the-money” (i.e., current market value of the underlying securities minus the option’s strike price). The repurchase price with the primary dealers is typically a formula price which is generally based on a multiple of the premium received for the option, plus the amount by which the option is “in-the-money.” This policy is not a fundamental policy of the Fund and may be amended by the Board of Trustees without the approval of shareholders. However, the Fund will not change or modify this policy prior to the change or modification by the SEC staff of its position.

For purposes of applying the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions (as stated in the Prospectuses and this Statement of Additional Information) swap agreements are generally valued by the Fund at market value. In the case of a credit default swap sold by the Fund (i.e., where the Fund is selling credit default protection), however, in applying certain of the Fund’s investment policies and restrictions, the Fund will value the credit default swap at its notional amount but may value the credit default swap at market value for purposes of applying certain of the Fund’s other investment policies and restrictions. The manner in which certain securities or other instruments are valued by the Fund for purposes of applying investment policies and restrictions may differ from the manner in which those investments are valued by other types of investors.

The Fund interprets its policy with respect to concentration in a particular industry under Fundamental Investment Restriction 1, above, to apply to direct investments in the securities of issuers in a particular industry, as defined by the Trust. For purposes of this restriction, a foreign government is considered to be an industry. Currency positions are not considered to be an investment in a foreign government for industry concentration purposes. Mortgage-backed securities that are issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities are not subject to the Fund’s industry concentration restrictions, by virtue of the exclusion from that test available to all U.S. Government securities. Similarly, Municipal Bonds issued by states, municipalities and other political subdivisions, agencies, authorities and instrumentalities of states and multi-state agencies and authorities are not subject to the Fund’s industry concentration restrictions. In the case of privately issued mortgage-related securities, or any asset-backed securities, the Trust takes the position that such securities do not represent interests in any particular “industry” or group of industries.

The Fund may invest in certain derivative instruments which, while representing a relatively small amount of the Fund’s net assets, provide a greater amount of economic exposure to a particular industry. To the extent that the Fund obtains economic exposure to a particular industry in this manner, it may be subject to similar risks of concentration in that industry as if it had invested in the securities of issuers in that industry directly.

 

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The Fund interprets its policy with respect to the purchase and sale of commodities or commodities contracts under Fundamental Investment Restriction 4 above to permit the Fund, subject to the Fund’s investment objectives and general investment policies (as stated in the Prospectuses and elsewhere in this Statement of Additional Information), to invest in commodity futures contracts and options thereon, commodity-related swap agreements, hybrid instruments, and other commodity-related derivative instruments.

The Fund interprets its policies with respect to borrowing and lending to permit such activities as may be lawful for the Fund, to the full extent permitted by the 1940 Act or by exemption from the provisions therefrom pursuant to exemptive order of the SEC. Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the SEC on November 19, 2001, the Fund may invest daily cash balances of the Fund in shares of affiliated money market and/or short-term bond funds in inter-fund lending transactions for temporary cash management purposes. The interest paid by the Fund in such an arrangement will be less than that otherwise payable for an overnight loan, and will be in excess of the overnight rate the money market and/or short-term bond funds could otherwise earn as lender in such a transaction.

Unless otherwise indicated, all limitations applicable to Fund investments (as stated above and elsewhere in this Statement of Additional Information or in the Prospectuses) apply only at the time a transaction is entered into. Any subsequent change in the percentage of Fund assets invested in certain securities or other instruments resulting from market fluctuations or other changes in the Fund’s total assets will not require the Fund to dispose of an investment. In the event that ratings services assign different ratings to the same security, PIMCO will use the highest rating as the credit rating for that security.

From time to time, the Fund may voluntarily participate in actions (for example, rights offerings, conversion privileges, exchange offers, credit event settlements, etc.) where the issuer or counterparty offers securities or instruments to holders or counterparties, such as the Fund, and the acquisition is determined to be beneficial to Fund shareholders (“Voluntary Action”). Notwithstanding any percentage investment limitation listed under this “Investment Restrictions” section or any percentage investment limitation of the 1940 Act or rules thereunder, if the Fund has the opportunity to acquire a permitted security or instrument through a Voluntary Action, and the Fund will exceed a percentage investment limitation following the acquisition, it will not constitute a violation if, prior to the receipt of the securities or instruments and after announcement of the offering, the Fund sells an offsetting amount of assets that are subject to the investment limitation in question at least equal to the value of the securities or instruments to be acquired.

Unless otherwise indicated, all percentage limitations on Fund investments (as stated throughout this Statement of Additional Information or in the Prospectuses) that are not (i) specifically included in this “Investment Restrictions” section or (ii) imposed by the 1940 Act, rules thereunder, the Internal Revenue Code or related regulations (the “Elective Investment Restrictions”), will apply only at the time a transaction is entered into unless the transaction is a Voluntary Action. In addition and notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of this policy, certain Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions, as noted above, are also considered Elective Investment Restrictions. The percentage limitations and absolute prohibitions with respect to Elective Investment Restrictions are not applicable to the Fund’s acquisition of securities or instruments through a Voluntary Action.

The Fund’s investment policies, limitations, or practices are applicable “normally” or under “normal circumstances” or “normal market conditions” (as stated above and elsewhere in this Statement of Additional Information or in the Prospectuses). Pursuant to the discretion of PIMCO, these investment policies, limitations, or practices may not apply during periods of abnormal purchase or redemption activity or during periods of unusual or adverse market, economic, political or other conditions. Such market, economic or political conditions may include periods of abnormal or heightened market volatility, strained credit and/or liquidity conditions, or increased governmental intervention in the markets or industries. During such periods, the Fund may not invest according to its principal investment strategies or in the manner in which its name may suggest, and may be subject to different and/or heightened risks. It is possible that such unusual or adverse conditions may continue for extended periods of time.

 

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MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST

Trustees and Officers

The business of the Trust is managed under the direction of the Trust’s Board of Trustees. Subject to the provisions of the Trust’s Declaration of Trust, its By-Laws and Delaware law, the Board of Trustees has all powers necessary and convenient to carry out this responsibility, including the election and removal of the Trust’s officers.

The charts below identify the Trustees and executive officers of the Trust. Unless otherwise indicated, the address of all persons below is 840 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660.

Trustees

 

Name, Age and Position Held with Trust*

   Term of Office
and Length of
Time
Served /+/
   Principal Occupation(s)
During Past 5 Years
   Number of
Funds in Fund
Complex
Overseen by
Trustee*
   Other Directorships
Held by Trustee

To be provided by amendment.

           

 

* The information for the individuals listed is as of [    ].
/+/ Trustees serve until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

Executive Officers

 

Name, Age and Position Held with Trust*

   Term of Office and Length of
Time Served
   Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5
Years

To be provided by amendment.

     

 

* The information for the individuals listed is as of [    ].

Securities Ownership

Listed below for each Trustee is a dollar range of securities beneficially owned in the Trust together with the aggregate dollar range of equity securities in all registered investment companies overseen by the Trustee that are in the same family of investment companies as the Trust, as of December 31, 2009.

 

Name of Trustee

   Dollar Range of Equity Securities in
the Fund*
   Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity
Securities in All Funds Overseen by

Trustee in Family of
Investment Companies

To be provided by amendment.

     

 

* As the Fund is a recently organized management company, the Fund’s Trustees did not own any of the Fund’s equity securities as of December 31, 2009.

To the best of the Trust’s knowledge, as of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, the Trustees and Officers of the Trust, as a group, owned less than 1% of the shares of each class of the Fund.

Trustee Ownership of the Investment Adviser and Principal Underwriter, and Their Control Persons

No independent Trustee (or his immediate family members) had any direct or indirect interest, the value of which exceeds $120,000, in the investment adviser, the principal underwriter of the Trust, or any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the investment adviser or the principal underwriter of the Trust (not including registered investment companies). Set forth in the table below is information regarding each independent Trustee’s (and his immediate family members’) share ownership in securities of the investment adviser of the Trust, the principal underwriter of the Trust, and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Trust (not including registered investment companies), as of December 31, 2009.

 

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Name of Trustee

   Name of Owners and
Relationships to
Trustee
   Company    Title of Class    Value of
Securities
   Percent of
Class

To be provided by amendment.

              

No independent Trustee or immediate family member has during the two most recently completed calendar years had: (i) any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction or series of similar transactions, in which the amount involved exceeds $120,000; (ii) any securities interest in the principal underwriter of the Trust or the investment adviser or their affiliates (other than the Trust); or (iii) any direct or indirect relationship of any nature, in which the amount involved exceeds $120,000, with:

 

 

the Fund;

 

 

an officer of the Fund;

 

 

an investment company, or person that would be an investment company but for the exclusions provided by sections 3(c)(1) and 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act, having the same investment adviser or principal underwriter as the Fund or having an investment adviser or principal underwriter that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund;

 

 

an officer or an investment company, or a person that would be an investment company but for the exclusions provided by sections 3(c)(1) and 3(c)(7) of the 1940 Act, having the same investment adviser or principal underwriter as the Fund or having an investment adviser or principal underwriter that directly or indirectly controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund;

 

 

the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund;

 

 

an officer of the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund;

 

 

a person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund; or

 

 

an officer of a person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund.

Standing Committees

The Trust will have an Audit Committee consisting of all of the independent Trustees [    ]. The Audit Committee reviews both the audit and non-audit work of the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm, submits a recommendation to the Board of Trustees as to the selection of an independent registered public accounting firm, and reviews generally the maintenance of the Trust’s records and the safekeeping arrangement of the Trust’s custodian.

The Board of Trustees will form a Valuation Committee whose function is to monitor the valuation of portfolio securities and other investments and, as required by the Trust’s valuation policies, when the Board of Trustees is not in session it shall determine the fair value of portfolio holdings after consideration of all relevant factors, which determinations shall be reported to the full Board of Trustees. The Valuation Committee will consist of [    ]. However, the members of this committee may be changed by the Board of Trustees from time to time.

The Trust will have a Governance Committee, composed of independent Trustees [    ], that is responsible for the selection and nomination of candidates to serve as Trustees of the Trust. The Governance Committee will have a policy in place for considering nominees recommended by shareholders.

The Governance Committee will consider potential trustee nominees recommended by shareholders provided that the proposed nominees: (i) satisfy any minimum qualifications of the Trust for its Trustees and (ii) are not “interested persons” of the Trust or the investment adviser within the meaning of the 1940 Act.

In addition, potential trustee nominees recommended by shareholders must fulfill the following requirements:

(a) The nominee may not be the nominating shareholder, a member of the nominating shareholder group, or a member of the immediate family of the nominating shareholder or any member of the nominating shareholder group;

 

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(b) Neither the nominee nor any member of the nominee’s immediate family may be currently employed or employed within the last year by any nominating shareholder entity or entity in a nominating shareholder group;

(c) Neither the nominee nor any immediate family member of the nominee is permitted to have accepted directly or indirectly, during the year of the election for which the nominee’s name was submitted, during the immediately preceding calendar year, or during the year when the nominee’s name was submitted, any consulting, advisory, or other compensatory fee from the nominating shareholder or any member of a nominating shareholder group;

(d) The nominee may not be an executive officer or director (or person performing similar functions) of the nominating shareholder or any member of the nominating shareholder group, or of an affiliate of the nominating shareholder or any such member of the nominating shareholder group; and

(e) The nominee may not control (as “control” is defined in the 1940 Act) the nominating shareholder or any member of the nominating shareholder group (or in the case of a shareholder or member that is a fund, an interested person of such shareholder or member as defined by Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act).

The nominating shareholder or shareholder group must meet the following requirements:

(a) Any shareholder or shareholder group submitting a proposed nominee must beneficially own, either individually or in the aggregate, more than 5% of the Fund’s securities that are eligible to vote at the time of submission of the nominee and at the time of the annual meeting where the nominee may be elected. Each of the securities used for purposes of calculating this ownership must have been held continuously for at least two years as of the date of the nomination. In addition, such securities must continue to be held through the date of the meeting. The nominating shareholder or shareholder group must also bear the economic risk of the investment and the securities used for purposes of calculating the ownership cannot be held “short”; and

(b) The nominating shareholder or shareholder group must also submit a certification which provides the number of shares which the person or group has (i) sole power to vote or direct the vote; (ii) shared power to vote or direct the vote; (iii) sole power to dispose or direct the disposition of such shares; and (iv) shared power to dispose or direct the disposition of such shares. In addition, the certification shall provide that the shares have been held continuously for at least two years.

A nominating shareholder or shareholder group may not submit more proposed nominees than the number of Board positions open each year. All shareholder recommended nominee submissions must be received by the Trust by the deadline for submission of any shareholder proposals which would be included in the Trust’s proxy statement, if any.

Shareholders recommending potential trustee nominees must substantiate compliance with these requirements at the time of submitting their proposed trustee nominee to the attention of the Trust’s Secretary. Notice to the Trust’s Secretary should be provided in accordance with the deadline specified above and include, (i) the shareholder’s contact information; (ii) the trustee nominee’s contact information and the number of shares owned by the proposed nominee; (iii) all information regarding the proposed nominee that would be required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for elections of trustees required by Regulation 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“1934 Act”); and (iv) a notarized letter executed by the proposed nominee, stating his or her intention to serve as a nominee and be named in the Trust’s proxy statement, if nominated by the Board of Trustees, to be named as a trustee if so elected.

As the Trust is a recently organized management investment company, no meetings of the above committees have been held in the current fiscal year.

Compensation Table

The following table sets forth estimated information regarding compensation the Trust expects to pay Trustees for the fiscal year ending [    ] and the aggregate compensation paid by the Fund Complex for the one-year period ended [    ].

 

Name and Position

   Aggregate Compensation
from Trust
   Total Compensation from Trust and
Fund Complex Paid to Trustees

To be provided by amendment.

     

 

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Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities

As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, PIMCO owned of record and beneficially [    ]% of the outstanding shares of the Fund, and thus, until the public offering of the shares commences, will control the Fund.

Investme nt Adviser

PIMCO, a Delaware limited liability company, serves as investment adviser to the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory contract (“Advisory Contract”) between PIMCO and the Trust. PIMCO is located at 840 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach, California 92660. PIMCO had approximately $[    ] of assets under management as of [    ].

PIMCO is a majority owned subsidiary of Allianz Global Investors of America L.P. (“Allianz Global Investors”) with a minority interest held by PIMCO Partners, LLC, a California limited liability company. PIMCO Partners, LLC is owned by the current managing directors and executive management of PIMCO. Through various holding company structures, Allianz Global Investors is majority owned by Allianz SE.

Allianz SE is a European based, multinational insurance and financial services holding company and a publicly traded German company. As of [    ], the Allianz Group (including PIMCO) had third-party assets under management of over €[    ].

The general partner of Allianz Global Investors has substantially delegated its management and control of Allianz Global Investors to a Management Board. The Management Board of Allianz Global Investors is comprised of John C. Maney.

There are currently no significant institutional shareholders of Allianz SE. Dresdner Bank AG was sold to Commerzbank AG in January 2009 and Allianz SE now owns approximately 14% of Commerzbank AG. Certain broker-dealers that might be controlled by, or affiliated with, Allianz SE may be considered to be affiliated persons of PIMCO and/or AGID. (Broker-dealer affiliates of such significant institutional shareholders, if any, are sometimes referred to herein as “Affiliated Brokers”). Absent an SEC exemption or other regulatory relief, the Fund generally is precluded from effecting principal transactions with the Affiliated Brokers, and the Fund’s ability to purchase securities being underwritten by an Affiliated Broker or a syndicate including an Affiliated Broker is subject to restrictions. Similarly, the Fund’s ability to utilize the Affiliated Brokers for agency transactions is subject to the restrictions of Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act. PIMCO does not believe that the restrictions on transactions with the Affiliated Brokers described above will materially adversely affect its ability to provide services to the Fund, the Fund’s ability to take advantage of market opportunities, or the Fund’s overall performance.

Advisory Contract

The Fund pays for the advisory and supervisory and administrative services it requires under what is essentially an all-in fee structure.

PIMCO is responsible for making investment decisions and placing orders for the purchase and sale of the Trust’s investments directly with the issuers or with brokers or dealers selected by it in its discretion. See “Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage,” below. PIMCO also furnishes to the Board of Trustees, which has overall responsibility for the business and affairs of the Trust, periodic reports on the investment performance of the Fund.

Under the terms of the Advisory Contract, PIMCO is obligated to manage the Fund in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The investment advisory services of PIMCO to the Trust are not exclusive under the terms of the Advisory Contract. PIMCO is free to, and does, render investment advisory services to others.

Following the expiration of the two year period commencing with the effectiveness of the Advisory Contract, the Advisory Contract is subject to annual approval by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act). The current Advisory Contract, dated [    ], was approved by the Board of Trustees, including all of the independent Trustees at a meeting held on [    ].

The Advisory Contract may be terminated by the Trustees, or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust or Fund, at any time on 60 days’ written notice. Following the expiration of the two-year period commencing with the effectiveness of the Advisory Contract, it may be terminated by PIMCO, also on 60 days’ written notice.

 

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Advisory Fee Rates

PIMCO has contractually agreed to provide the foregoing services, and to bear these expenses, at the rate of [    ]% (expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets attributable to each class of shares on an annual basis).

Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures

PIMCO has adopted written proxy voting policies and procedures (“Proxy Policy”) as required by Rule 206(4)-6 under the Advisers Act. The Proxy Policy has been adopted by the Trust as the policies and procedures that PIMCO will use when voting proxies on behalf of the Fund. In addition to covering the voting of equity securities, the Proxy Policy also applies to any voting rights and/or consent rights of PIMCO, on behalf of the Fund, with respect to debt securities, including but not limited to, plans of reorganization, and waivers and consents under applicable indentures. The Proxy Policy is designed and implemented in a manner reasonably expected to ensure that voting and consent rights are exercised in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. Each proxy is voted on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration any relevant contractual obligations as well as other relevant facts and circumstances at the time of the vote. In general, PIMCO reviews and considers corporate governance issues related to proxy matters and generally supports proposals that foster good corporate governance practices. PIMCO may vote proxies as recommended by management on routine matters related to the operation of the issuer and on matters not expected to have a significant economic impact on the issuer and/or its shareholders.

PIMCO will supervise and periodically review its proxy voting activities and implementation of the Proxy Policy. PIMCO will review each proxy to determine whether there may be a material conflict between PIMCO and the Fund. If no conflict exists, the proxy will be forwarded to the appropriate portfolio manager for consideration. If a conflict does exist, PIMCO will seek to resolve any such conflict in accordance with the Proxy Policy. PIMCO seeks to resolve any material conflicts of interest by voting in good faith in the best interest of the Fund. If a material conflict of interest should arise, PIMCO will seek to resolve such conflict in the Fund’s best interest by pursuing any one of the following courses of action: (i) convening a committee to assess and resolve the conflict; (ii) voting in accordance with the instructions of the Board of Trustees; (iii) voting in accordance with the recommendation of an independent third-party service provider; (iv) suggesting to the Board of Trustees that the Fund engage another party to determine how the proxy should be voted; (v) delegating the vote to a third-party service provider; or (vi) voting in accordance with the factors discussed in the Proxy Policy.

Once the Fund is operational, information about how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities held during the most recent twelve month period ended June 30th is available no later than the following August 31st without charge, upon request, by calling the Trust at 1-866-746-2606, on the Trust’s website at http://www.pimco-funds.com, on the Distributor’s website at http://www.allianzinvestors.com, and on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

Copies of the written Proxy Policy and the factors that PIMCO may consider in determining how to vote proxies for the Fund are available by calling the Trust at 1-866-746-2606, on the Trust’s website at http://www.pimco-funds.com and on the Distributor’s website at http://www.allianzinvestors.com.

Fund Administrator

PIMCO also serves as Administrator to the Fund pursuant to a supervision and administration agreement (the “Supervision and Administration Agreement”) with the Trust. Pursuant to the Supervision and Administration Agreement, PIMCO provides the Fund with certain supervisory, administrative and shareholder services necessary for Fund operations and is responsible for the supervision of other Fund service providers, and receives a supervisory and administrative fee in return. PIMCO may in turn use the facilities or assistance of its affiliates to provide certain services under the Supervision and Administration Agreement, on terms agreed between PIMCO and such affiliates. The supervisory and administrative services provided by PIMCO include but are not limited to: (1) shareholder servicing functions, including preparation of shareholder reports and communications, (2) regulatory compliance, such as reports and filings with the SEC and state securities commissions, and (3) general supervision of the operations of the Fund, including coordination of the services performed by the Fund’s transfer agent, custodian, legal counsel, independent registered public accounting firm, and others. PIMCO (or an affiliate of PIMCO) also furnishes the Fund with office space facilities required for conducting the business of the Fund, and pays the compensation of those officers, employees and Trustees of the Trust affiliated with PIMCO. In addition, PIMCO, at its own expense, arranges for the provision of legal, audit, custody, transfer agency and other services for the Fund, and is responsible for the costs of registration of the Trust’s shares and the printing of Prospectuses and shareholder reports for current shareholders.

 

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Supervisory and Administrative Fee Rates

PIMCO has contractually agreed to provide the foregoing services, and to bear these expenses, at the following rates for each class of the Fund (each expressed as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets attributable to its classes of shares on an annual basis).

 

Fund

   Institutional
and
Administrative
Classes
   Class A and C    Class D    Class P    Class R

To be provided by amendment.

              

Except for the expenses paid by PIMCO, the Trust bears all costs of its operations. The Fund is responsible for: (i) salaries and other compensation of any of the Trust’s executive officers and employees who are not officers, directors, stockholders, or employees of PIMCO or its subsidiaries or affiliates; (ii) taxes and governmental fees; (iii) brokerage fees and commissions and other portfolio transaction expenses; (iv) costs of borrowing money, including interest expenses; (v) fees and expenses of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” of PIMCO or the Trust, and any counsel retained exclusively for their benefit; (vi) extraordinary expenses, including costs of litigation and indemnification expenses; (vii) expenses, such as organizational expenses, which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; and (viii) any expenses allocated or allocable to a specific class of shares (“class-specific expenses”).

Class-specific expenses include distribution and service fees payable with respect to different classes of shares and supervisory and administrative fees as described above, and may include certain other expenses as permitted by the Trust’s Multi-Class Plan (the “Multi-Class Plan”) adopted pursuant to Rule 18f-3 under the 1940 Act and subject to review and approval by the Trustees.

The Supervision and Administration Agreement may be terminated by the Trustees, or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Trust, Fund or Class, as applicable, at any time on 60 days’ written notice. Following the expiration of the one-year period commencing with the effectiveness of the Supervision and Administration Agreement, it may be terminated by PIMCO, also on 60 days’ written notice.

The Supervision and Administration Agreement is subject to annual approval by the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust (as that term is defined in the 1940 Act). The current Supervision and Administration Agreement, dated [    ], was approved by the Board of Trustees, including all of the independent Trustees at a meeting held on [    ]. In approving the Supervision and Administration Agreement, the Trustees determined that: (1) the Supervision and Administration Agreement is in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders; (2) the services to be performed under the Supervision and Administration Agreement are services required for the operation of the Fund; (3) PIMCO is able to provide, or to procure, services for the Fund which are at least equal in nature and quality to services that could be provided by others; and (4) the fees to be charged pursuant to the Supervision and Administration Agreement are fair and reasonable in light of the usual and customary charges made by others for services of the same nature and quality.

Under the Supervision and Administration Agreement, the Administrator or an affiliate may pay financial service firms a portion of the Class D supervisory and administrative fees in return for the firms’ services (normally not to exceed an annual rate of 0.35% of the Fund’s average daily net assets attributable to Class D shares purchased through such firms). The Supervision and Administration Agreement includes a plan specific to Class D shares that has been adopted in conformity with the requirements set forth under Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act to allow for payment of up to 0.25% per annum of the Class D supervisory and administrative fees as reimbursement for expenses in respect of activities that may be deemed to be primarily intended to result in the sale of Class D shares. The principal types of activities for which such payments may be made are services in connection with the distribution and marketing of Class D shares and/or the provision of shareholder services. See “Distribution of Trust Shares - Plan for Class D Shares.”

Supervisory and Administrative Fees Waived and Recouped

PIMCO has contractually agreed to reduce total annual fund operating expenses for the Fund by waiving a portion of its supervisory and administrative fee or reimbursing the Fund, to the extent that they would exceed, due to the payment of organizational expenses and pro rata Trustees’ fees, the sum of the Fund’s advisory fee (prior to the application of any applicable advisory fee waiver), distribution and service fees, as applicable, supervisory and administrative fees (prior to the application of any applicable supervisory and administrative fee waiver) and other expenses borne by the Fund not covered

 

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by the supervisory and administrative fee as described above (other than organizational expenses and pro rata Trustees’ fees), plus 0.49 basis points. PIMCO may recoup these waivers and reimbursements for a period not exceeding three years, provided that total expenses, including such recoupment, do not exceed the annual expense limit.

PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

Other Accounts Managed

The portfolio managers primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund also manage other registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles and other accounts, as indicated below. The following table identifies, as of [    ]: (i) the number of other registered investment companies, pooled investment vehicles and other accounts managed by the portfolio manager; and (ii) the total assets of such companies, vehicles and accounts, and the number and total assets of such companies, vehicles and accounts with respect to which the advisory fee is based on performance.

 

     Total Number of
Accounts
   Total Assets of
All Accounts

(in $millions)
   Number of
Accounts Paying
a Performance
Fee
   Total Assets of
Accounts Paying
a Performance
Fee (in $millions)

To be provided by amendment.

           

Conflicts of Interest

From time to time, potential conflicts of interest may arise between a portfolio manager’s management of the investments of the Fund, on the one hand, and the management of other accounts, on the other. The other accounts might have similar investment objectives or strategies as the Fund, or otherwise hold, purchase, or sell securities that are eligible to be held, purchased or sold by the Fund. The other accounts might also have different investment objectives or strategies than the Fund.

Knowledge and Timing of Fund Trades. A potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the portfolio manager’s day-to-day management of the Fund. Because of their positions with the Fund, the portfolio managers know the size, timing and possible market impact of the Fund’s trades. It is theoretically possible that the portfolio managers could use this information to the advantage of other accounts they manage and to the possible detriment of the Fund.

Investment Opportunities. A potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the portfolio manager’s management of a number of accounts with varying investment guidelines. Often, an investment opportunity may be suitable for both the Fund and other accounts managed by the portfolio manager, but may not be available in sufficient quantities for both the Fund and the other accounts to participate fully. Similarly, there may be limited opportunity to sell an investment held by the Fund and another account. PIMCO has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to allocate investment opportunities on a fair and equitable basis over time.

Under PIMCO’s allocation procedures, investment opportunities are allocated among various investment strategies based on individual account investment guidelines and PIMCO’s investment outlook. PIMCO has also adopted additional procedures to complement the general trade allocation policy that are designed to address potential conflicts of interest due to the side-by-side management of the Fund and certain pooled investment vehicles, including investment opportunity allocation issues.

Performance Fees. A portfolio manager may advise certain accounts with respect to which the advisory fee is based entirely or partially on performance. Performance fee arrangements may create a conflict of interest for the portfolio manager in that the portfolio manager may have an incentive to allocate the investment opportunities that he or she believes might be the most profitable to such other accounts instead of allocating them to the Fund. PIMCO has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to allocate investment opportunities between the Fund and such other accounts on a fair and equitable basis over time.

Portfolio Manager Compensation

PIMCO has adopted a “Total Compensation Plan” for its professional level employees, including its portfolio managers, that is designed to pay competitive compensation and reward performance, integrity and teamwork consistent with the firm’s mission statement. The Total Compensation Plan includes a significant incentive component that rewards high

 

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performance standards, work ethic and consistent individual and team contributions to the firm. The compensation of portfolio managers consists of a base salary, a bonus, and may include a retention bonus. Portfolio managers who are Managing Directors of PIMCO also receive compensation from PIMCO’s profits. Certain employees of PIMCO, including portfolio managers, may elect to defer compensation through PIMCO’s deferred compensation plan. PIMCO also offers its employees a non-contributory defined contribution plan through which PIMCO makes a contribution based on the employee’s compensation. PIMCO’s contribution rate increases at a specified compensation level, which is a level that would include portfolio managers.

Salary and Bonus. Base salaries are determined by considering an individual portfolio manager’s experience and expertise and may be reviewed for adjustment annually. Portfolio managers are entitled to receive bonuses, which may be significantly more than their base salary, upon attaining certain performance objectives based on predetermined measures of group or department success. These goals are specific to individual portfolio managers and are mutually agreed upon annually by each portfolio manager and his or her manager. Achievement of these goals is an important, but not exclusive, element of the bonus decision process.

In addition, the following non-exclusive list of qualitative criteria (collectively, the “Bonus Factors”) may be considered when determining the bonus for portfolio managers:

 

   

3-year, 2-year and 1-year dollar-weighted and account-weighted, pre-tax investment performance as judged against the applicable benchmarks for each account managed by a portfolio manager (including the Fund) and relative to applicable industry peer groups;

 

   

Appropriate risk positioning that is consistent with PIMCO’s investment philosophy and the Investment Committee/CIO approach to the generation of alpha;

 

   

Amount and nature of assets managed by the portfolio manager;

 

   

Consistency of investment performance across portfolios of similar mandate and guidelines (reward low dispersion);

 

   

Generation and contribution of investment ideas in the context of PIMCO’s secular and cyclical forums, portfolio strategy meetings, Investment Committee meetings, and on a day-to-day basis;

 

   

Absence of defaults and price defaults for issues in the portfolios managed by the portfolio manager;

 

   

Contributions to asset retention, gathering and client satisfaction;

 

   

Contributions to mentoring, coaching and/or supervising; and

 

   

Personal growth and skills added.

A portfolio manager’s compensation is not based directly on the performance of the Fund or any other account managed by that portfolio manager. Final bonus award amounts are determined by the PIMCO Compensation Committee.

Investment professionals, including portfolio managers, are eligible to participate in a Long Term Cash Bonus Plan (“Cash Bonus Plan”), which provides cash awards that appreciate or depreciate based upon the performance of PIMCO’s parent company, Allianz Global Investors, and PIMCO over a three-year period. The aggregate amount available for distribution to participants is based upon Allianz Global Investors’ profit growth and PIMCO’s profit growth. Participation in the Cash Bonus Plan is based upon the Bonus Factors, and the payment of benefits from the Cash Bonus Plan, is contingent upon continued employment at PIMCO.

Key employees of PIMCO, including certain Managing Directors, Executive Vice Presidents, and Senior Vice Presidents, are eligible to participate in the PIMCO Class M Unit Equity Participation Plan, a long-term equity plan. The Class M Unit Equity Participation Plan grants options on PIMCO equity that vest in years three, four and five. Upon vesting, the options will convert into PIMCO M Units, which are non-voting common equity of PIMCO. M Units pay out quarterly distributions equal to a pro-rata share of PIMCO’s net profits. There is no assured liquidity and they may remain outstanding perpetually.

Profit Sharing Plan. Instead of a bonus, portfolio managers who are Managing Directors of PIMCO receive compensation from a non-qualified profit sharing plan consisting of a portion of PIMCO’s net profits. Portfolio managers who are Managing Directors receive an amount determined by the Partner Compensation Committee, based upon an individual’s overall contribution to the firm and the Bonus Factors.

Portfolio managers who are Managing Directors also have long-term employment contracts, which guarantee severance payments in the event of involuntary termination of a Managing Director’s employment with PIMCO.

 

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Securities Ownership

The Trust is a recently organized management investment company. Accordingly, as of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, the Portfolio Managers did not beneficially own any securities of the Fund.

DISTRIBUTION OF TRUST SHARES

Distributor and Multi-Class Plan

Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC (the “Distributor”) serves as the principal underwriter of each class of the Trust’s shares pursuant to a distribution contract (“Distribution Contract”) with the Trust which is subject to annual approval by the Board of Trustees. The Distributor is an indirect subsidiary of Allianz Global Investors. The Distributor, located at 1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10105, is a broker-dealer registered with the SEC. The Distribution Contract is terminable with respect to the Fund or a class without penalty, at any time, by the Fund or class by not more than 60 days’ nor less than 30 days’ written notice to the Distributor, or by the Distributor upon not more than 60 days’ nor less than 30 days’ written notice to the Trust. The Distributor is not obligated to sell any specific amount of Trust shares.

The Distribution Contract will continue in effect with respect to the Fund and each class of shares thereof for successive one-year periods, provided that each such continuance is specifically approved (i) by the vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust (as defined in the 1940 Act) and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Distribution Contract, the Supervision and Administration Agreement or the Distribution and/or Servicing Plans described below; and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the entire Board of Trustees cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose. If the Distribution Contract is terminated (or not renewed) with respect to a class of the Fund, it may continue in effect with respect to any class of the Fund as to which it has not been terminated (or has been renewed).

The Trust may offer up to seven classes of shares: Class A, Class C, Class D, Class P, Class R, the Institutional Class and Administrative Class.

Class A and Class C shares of the Trust are offered through firms (“participating brokers”) which are members of FINRA, which was created in July 2007 through the consolidation of NASD, Inc. and the member regulation, enforcement and arbitration functions of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) and which have dealer agreements with the Distributor, or which have agreed to act as introducing brokers for the Distributor (“introducing brokers”).

Class D shares are generally offered to clients of financial services firms, such as broker-dealers or registered investment advisors, with which the Distributor has an agreement for the use of PIMCO Funds Equity Trust in particular investment products, programs or accounts for which a fee may be charged.

Class P shares are offered through certain asset allocation, wrap fee and other similar programs offered by broker-dealers and other intermediaries. Broker-dealers, other intermediaries, pension and profit-sharing plans, employee benefit trusts and employee benefit plan alliances also may purchase Class P shares. These entities may purchase Class P shares only in the plan or program for which the shares are being acquired will not require the Fund to pay any type of administrative payment per participant account to any third party.

Class R shares generally are available only to 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans and other accounts whereby the plan or the plan’s financial service firm has an agreement with the Distributor or the Administrator to utilize Class R shares in certain investment products or programs (collectively, “retirement plans”). In addition, Class R shares also are generally available only to retirement plans where Class R shares are held on the books of the Fund through omnibus accounts (either at the plan level or at the level of the financial service firm). Class R shares are not available to retail or institutional non-specified benefit plan accounts, traditional and Roth IRAs (except through ombinus accounts), Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, SEPs, SAR-SEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, or individual 403(b) plans, or through the PIMCO CollegeAccess 529 Plan. Financial service firms may provide or arrange for the provision of some or all of the shareholder servicing, account maintenance and other services required by retirement plan accounts and their plan participants, for which fees or expenses may be charged in addition to those described in the Prospectuses and Statement of Additional Information.

Institutional Class shares are offered primarily for direct investment by investors such as pension and profit sharing plans, employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations, corporations and high net worth individuals. (Institutional Class shares also may be offered through certain financial intermediaries that charge their customers transaction or other fees with respect to the customer’s investment in the Fund.)

 

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Administrative Class shares are offered primarily through employee benefit plans alliances, broker-dealers, and other intermediaries, and the Fund pays service or distribution fees to such entities for services they provide to Administrative Class shareholders.

The Trust has adopted a Multi-Class Plan pursuant to Rule 18f-3 under the 1940 Act. Under the Multi-Class Plan, shares of each class of the Fund represent an equal pro rata interest in the Fund and, generally, have identical voting, dividend, liquidation, and other rights, preferences, powers, restrictions, limitations, qualifications and terms and conditions, except that: (a) each class has a different designation; (b) each class of shares bears any class-specific expenses allocated to it; and (c) each class has exclusive voting rights on any matter submitted to shareholders that relates solely to its distribution or service arrangements, and each class has separate voting rights on any matter submitted to shareholders in which the interests of one class differ from the interests of any other class.

Each class of shares bears any class specific expenses allocated to such class, such as expenses related to the distribution and/or shareholder servicing of such class. In addition, each class may, at the Board of Trustees’ discretion, also pay a different share of other expenses, not including advisory or custodial fees or other expenses related to the management of the Trust’s assets, if these expenses are actually incurred in a different amount by that class, or if the class receives services of a different kind or to a different degree than the other classes. All other expenses are allocated to each class on the basis of the net asset value of that class in relation to the net asset value of the Fund. In addition, each class may have a differing sales charge structure, and differing exchange and conversion features.

Initial Sales Charge and Contingent Deferred Sales Charge

As described in the Class A, C and R Prospectus under the caption “Classes of Shares—Class A, C and R Shares,” Class A shares of the Trust are sold pursuant to an initial sales charge, which declines as the amount of purchase reaches certain defined levels.

The Fund may sell its Class A shares at net asset value without an initial sales charge to certain categories of investors, including current or retired officers, trustees, directors or employees of the Trust, PIMCO or the Distributor, and certain other affiliates of PIMCO or the Distributor, a parent, brother or sister of any such officer, trustee, director or employee or a spouse or child of any of the foregoing persons. The Trust believes that this arrangement encourages affiliated persons of the Fund to invest in the Fund, which further aligns the interest of the Fund and those persons affiliated with it.

As described in the Class A, C and R Prospectus under the caption “Classes of Shares—Class A, C and R Shares,” a contingent deferred sales charge is imposed upon certain redemptions of the Class A and Class C shares. No contingent deferred sales charge is currently imposed upon redemptions of Class D, Class P, Class R, Institutional Class, or Administrative Class shares. Because contingent deferred sales charges are calculated on a fund-by-fund basis, shareholders should consider whether to exchange shares of one fund for shares of another fund prior to redeeming an investment if such an exchange would reduce the contingent deferred sales charge applicable to such redemptions.

In certain cases described in the Class A, C and R Prospectus, the contingent deferred sales charge is waived on redemptions of Class A or Class C shares for certain classes of individuals or entities on account of (i) the fact that the Trust’s sales-related expenses are lower for certain of such classes than for classes for which the contingent deferred sales charge is not waived, (ii) waiver of the contingent deferred sales charge with respect to certain of such classes is consistent with certain Internal Revenue Code policies concerning the favored tax treatment of accumulations, and (iii) with respect to certain of such classes, considerations of fairness, and competitive and administrative factors.

Distribution and Servicing Plans for Class A, Class C and Class R Shares

As stated in the text of the Class A, C and R Prospectus under the caption “Classes of Shares—Class A, C and R Shares,” Class A, Class C and Class R shares of the Trust are continuously offered through participating brokers which are members of FINRA and which have dealer agreements with the Distributor, or which have agreed to act as introducing brokers.

Pursuant to separate Distribution and Servicing Plans for Class A and Class C shares (the “Retail Plans”), as well as Class R shares, as described in the Prospectus, in connection with the distribution of Class C and Class R shares of the Trust, the Distributor receives certain distribution fees from the Trust, and in connection with personal services rendered to Class A, Class C and Class R shareholders of the Trust and the maintenance of shareholder accounts, the Distributor receives certain servicing fees from the Trust. Subject to the percentage limitations on these distribution and servicing fees set forth below, the distribution and servicing fees may be paid with respect to services rendered and expenses borne in the past with respect

 

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to Class A, Class C and Class R shares as to which no distribution and servicing fees were paid on account of such limitations. As described in the Prospectus, the Distributor pays (i) all or a portion of the distribution fees it receives from the Trust to participating and introducing brokers, and (ii) all or a portion of the servicing fees it receives from the Trust to participating and introducing brokers, certain banks and other financial intermediaries.

The Distributor makes distribution and servicing payments to participating brokers and servicing payments to certain banks and other financial intermediaries (including retirement plans, their service providers and their sponsors) in connection with the sale of Class C and Class R shares and servicing payments to participating brokers, certain banks and other financial intermediaries in connection with the sale of Class A shares. In the case of Class A shares, these parties are also compensated based on the amount of the front-end sales charge reallowed by the Distributor, except in cases where Class A shares are sold without a front-end sales charge (although the Distributor may pay brokers additional compensation in connection with sales of Class A shares without a sales charge). In the case of Class C shares, part or all of the first year’s distribution and servicing fee is generally paid at the time of sale. Pursuant to a Distribution Contract with the Trust, with respect to the Fund’s Class A, Class C and Class R shares, the Distributor bears various other promotional and sales related expenses, including the cost of printing and mailing Prospectuses to persons other than current shareholders.

The Retail Plans were adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-l under the 1940 Act and are of the type known as “compensation” plans. This means that, although the Trustees of the Trust are expected to take into account the expenses of the Distributor and its predecessors in their periodic review of the Retail Plans, the fees are payable to compensate the Distributor for services rendered even if the amount paid exceeds the Distributor’s expenses.

The distribution fee applicable to Class C and Class R shares may be spent by the Distributor on any activities or expenses primarily intended to result in the sale of Class C or Class R shares, respectively, including compensation to, and expenses (including overhead and telephone expenses) of, financial consultants or other employees of the Distributor or of participating or introducing brokers who engage in distribution of Class C or Class R shares, printing of Prospectuses and reports for other than existing Class C or Class R shareholders, advertising, and preparation, printing and distribution of sales literature. The servicing fee, applicable to Class A, Class C and Class R shares of the Trust, may be spent by the Distributor on personal services rendered to shareholders of the Trust and the maintenance of shareholder accounts, including compensation to, and expenses (including telephone and overhead expenses) of, financial consultants or other employees of participating or introducing brokers, certain banks and other financial intermediaries (including retirement plans, their service providers and their sponsors who provide services to plan participants) who aid in the processing of purchase or redemption requests or the processing of dividend payments, who provide information periodically to shareholders showing their positions in the Fund’s shares, who forward communications from the Trust to shareholders, who render ongoing advice concerning the suitability of particular investment opportunities offered by the Trust in light of the shareholders’ needs, who respond to inquiries from shareholders relating to such services, or who train personnel in the provision of such services. Distribution and servicing fees also may be spent on interest relating to unreimbursed distribution or servicing expenses from prior years.

In reporting its expenses to the Trustees, the Distributor itemizes expenses that relate to the distribution and/or servicing of the Fund’s shares. Expenses are allocated among the Fund’s classes of shares annually based on the relative sales of each class, except for any expenses that relate only to the sale or servicing of a single class. The Distributor may make payments to brokers (and with respect to servicing fees only, to certain banks and other financial intermediaries) of up to the following percentages annually of the average daily net assets attributable to shares in the accounts of their customers or clients:

 

     Servicing
Fee
    Distribution
Fee
 

Class A

   [       [    

Class C

   [       [    

Class R

   [       [    

Some or all of the sales charges, distribution fees and servicing fees described above are paid or “reallowed” to the broker, dealer or financial adviser (collectively, “financial firms”) through which you purchase your shares. A financial firm is one that, in exchange for compensation, sells, among other products, mutual fund shares (including shares of the Trust) or provides services for mutual fund shareholders. Financial firms include brokers, dealers, insurance companies and banks. The Distributor, PIMCO and their affiliates may from time to time pay additional cash bonuses or provide other incentives or make other payments to financial firms in connection with the sale or servicing of Class A, Class C and Class R shares of the Fund and for other services such as, without limitation, providing the Fund with “shelf space” or a higher profile for the

 

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financial firms’ financial consultants and their customers, placing the Fund on the financial firms’ preferred or recommended fund list or otherwise identifying the Fund as being part of a complex to be accorded a higher degree of marketing support than complexes not making such payments, granting the Distributor access to the financial firms’ financial consultants (including through the firms’ intranet websites) in order to promote the Fund, promotions in communications with financial firms’ customers such as in the firms’ internet websites or in customer newsletters, providing assistance in training and educating the financial firms’ personnel, and furnishing marketing support and other specified services. The actual services provided, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm. These payments may be significant to the financial firms and also may take the form of sponsorship of seminars or informational meetings or payment for attendance by persons associated with the financial firms at seminars or informational meetings.

A number of factors will be considered in determining the amount of these additional payments to financial firms. On some occasions, such payments may be conditioned upon levels of sales, including the sale of a specified minimum dollar amount of the shares of the Fund and/or other funds sponsored by the Distributor, PIMCO and their affiliates together or a particular class of shares, during a specified period of time. The Distributor, PIMCO and their affiliates also may make payments to one or more participating financial firms based upon factors such as the amount of assets a financial firm’s clients have invested in the Fund and the quality of the financial firm’s relationship with the Distributor, PIMCO and their affiliates.

The additional payments described above are made from the Distributor’s or PIMCO’s (or their affiliates’) own assets pursuant to agreements with brokers and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of the Fund’s shares or the amount the Fund will receive as proceeds from such sales. These payments to financial firms selected by the Distributor generally may be made to the financial firms that have sold significant amounts of shares of the Fund. The level of payments made to a financial firm in any future year will vary and generally will not exceed the sum of (a) 0.10% of such year’s fund sales by that financial firm and (b) 0.06% of the assets attributable to that financial firm invested in equity funds sponsored by the Distributor and 0.03% of the assets invested in fixed-income funds sponsored by the Distributor. In certain cases, the payments described in the preceding sentence are subject to certain minimum payment levels. In lieu of payments pursuant to the foregoing formulae, the Distributor, PIMCO or their affiliates may make payments of an agreed upon amount which will not exceed the amount that would have been payable pursuant to the formulae.

The additional payments and incentives described above may be made to brokers or third party administrators in addition to amounts paid to participating financial firms for providing shareholder services to shareholders holding Fund shares in nominee or street name, including without limitation, the following services: processing and mailing trade confirmations, monthly statements, prospectuses, annual reports, semi-annual reports, and shareholder notices and other SEC-required communications; capturing and processing tax data; issuing and mailing dividend checks to shareholders who have selected cash distributions; preparing record date shareholder lists for proxy solicitations; collecting and posting distributions to shareholder accounts; and establishing and maintaining systematic withdrawals and automated investment plans and shareholder account registrations. The actual services provided, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm. For these services, the Distributor or its affiliates may pay (i) annual per account charges that in the aggregate generally range from $0 to $6 per account, and in some cases up to $12 per account, for networking fees for NSCC-cleared accounts and from $14 to $19 for services to omnibus accounts, or (ii) an annual fee of up to 0.25% and, in some cases, up to 0.35% of the value of the assets in the relevant accounts. These payments may be material to financial intermediaries relative to other compensation paid by the Fund and/or PIMCO, the Distributor and their affiliates and may be in addition to any (i) distribution and/or servicing (12b-1) fees and (ii) the revenue sharing or “shelf space” fees disclosed elsewhere herein paid to such financial intermediaries. The payments described above may vary from amounts paid to the Trust’s transfer agent for providing similar services to other accounts. PIMCO and the Distributor do not audit the financial intermediaries to determine whether such intermediary is providing the services for which they are receiving such payments.

If investment advisers, distributors or affiliates of mutual funds pay bonuses and incentives in differing amounts, financial firms and their financial consultants may have financial incentives for recommending a particular mutual fund over other mutual funds. In addition, depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a financial firm and its financial consultants also may have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes. Because financial firms and plan recordkeepers may be paid varying amounts per class for sub-transfer agency and related recordkeeping services, the service requirements of which also may vary by class, this may create an additional incentive for financial firms and their financial advisors to favor one fund complex over another or one fund class over another. Also, you should review carefully any disclosure by the financial firm as to its compensation.

As of the date of the Statement of Additional Information, the Distributor and PIMCO anticipate that the firms that will receive the additional payments described above for distribution services and/or educational support include:

[To be provided by amendment.]

 

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The Distributor expects that additional firms may be added to this list from time to time. Wholesale representatives of the Distributor, PIMCO and their affiliates visit brokerage firms on a regular basis to educate financial advisors about the Fund and to encourage the sale of Fund shares to their clients. The costs and expenses associated with these efforts may include travel, lodging, sponsorship at educational seminars and conferences, entertainment and meals. Although the Fund may use financial firms that sell Fund shares to make transactions for the Fund’s portfolio, the Fund will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to make those transactions.

If in any year the Distributor’s expenses incurred in connection with the distribution of Class C and Class R shares and, for Class A, Class C and Class R shares, in connection with the servicing of shareholders and the maintenance of shareholder accounts, exceed the distribution and/or servicing fees paid by the Trust, the Distributor would recover such excess only if the Retail Plan with respect to such class of shares continues to be in effect in some later year when the distribution and/or servicing fees exceed the Distributor’s expenses. The Trust is not obligated to repay any unreimbursed expenses that may exist at such time, if any, as the relevant Retail Plan terminates.

Each Retail Plan may be terminated with respect to the Fund to which the Plan relates by vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust (as defined in the 1940 Act) and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan or the Distribution Contract (“Disinterested Trustees”) or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the relevant class of the Fund. Any change in any Retail Plan that would materially increase the cost to the class of shares of the Fund to which the Plan relates requires approval by the affected class of shareholders of the Fund. The Trustees review quarterly written reports of such costs and the purposes for which such costs have been incurred. Each Retail Plan may be amended by vote of the Disinterested Trustees cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose. As long as the Retail Plans are in effect, selection and nomination of those Trustees who are not interested persons of the Trust shall be committed to the discretion of such Disinterested Trustees.

The Retail Plans will continue in effect with respect to the Fund and each class of shares thereof for successive one-year periods, provided that each such continuance is specifically approved (i) by the vote of a majority of the Disinterested Trustees and (ii) by the vote of a majority of the entire Board of Trustees cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose.

If a Retail Plan is terminated (or not renewed) with respect to the Fund, it may continue in effect with respect to any class of the Fund as to which it has not been terminated (or has been renewed).

The Trustees believe that the Retail Plans will provide benefits to the Trust. The Trustees believe that the Retail Plans will result in greater sales and/or fewer redemptions of Trust shares, although it is impossible to know for certain the level of sales and redemptions of Trust shares that would occur in the absence of the Retail Plans or under alternative distribution schemes. Although the Fund’s expenses are essentially fixed, the Trustees believe that the effect of the Retail Plans on sales and/or redemptions may benefit the Trust by reducing Fund expense ratios and/or by affording greater flexibility to portfolio managers. From time to time, expenses of the Distributor incurred in connection with the sale of Class C and Class R shares of the Fund, and in connection with the servicing of Class C and Class R shareholders of the Fund and the maintenance of shareholder accounts, may exceed the distribution and servicing fees collected by the Distributor. The Trustees consider such unreimbursed amounts, among other factors, in determining whether to cause the Fund to continue payments of distribution and servicing fees in the future with respect to Class C and Class R shares.

As compensation for services rendered and borne by the Distributor in connection with personal services rendered to Class R shareholders of the Trust and the maintenance of Class R shareholder accounts (including in each case the accounts of plan participants where shares are held by a retirement plan or its financial service firm through an omnibus account), the Trust pays the Distributor servicing fees up to the current rate of 0.25% and distribution fees up to the current rate of 0.25% (each calculated as a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets attributable to Class R shares).

Distribution Plan for Administrative Class Shares and Administrative Services Plan for Administrative Class Shares

The Trust has adopted an Administrative Services Plan and Administrative Distribution Plan with respect to the Administrative Class shares of the Fund (together, the “Administrative Class Plans”).

Under the terms of the Administrative Distribution Plan for Administrative Class shares, the Trust is permitted to reimburse, out of the assets attributable to the Administrative Class shares of the Fund, in amounts up to 0.25% on an annual basis of the average daily net assets of the Fund’s Administrative Class shares, financial intermediaries for costs and expenses incurred in connection with the distribution and marketing of the Administrative Class shares and/or the provision

 

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of certain shareholder services to its customers that invest in Administrative Class shares of the Fund. Such services may include, but are not limited to, the following: providing facilities to answer questions from prospective investors about the Fund; receiving and answering correspondence, including requests for Prospectuses and statements of additional information; preparing, printing and delivering Prospectuses and shareholder reports to prospective shareholders; complying with federal and state securities laws pertaining to the sale of Administrative Class shares; and assisting investors in completing application forms and selecting dividend and other account options.

Under the terms of the Administrative Services Plan for Administrative Class shares, the Trust is permitted to reimburse, out of the assets attributable to the Administrative Class shares of the Fund, in amounts up to 0.25% on an annual basis of the respective average daily net assets of the Fund’s Administrative Class shares, financial intermediaries that provide certain administrative services for Administrative Class shareholders of the Fund. Such administrative services may include, but are not limited to, the following functions: receiving, aggregating and processing shareholder orders; furnishing shareholder sub-accounting; providing and maintaining elective shareholder services such as check writing and wire transfer services; providing and maintaining pre-authorized investment plans; communicating periodically with shareholders; acting as the sole shareholder of record and nominee for shareholders; maintaining accounting records for shareholders; answering questions and handling correspondence from shareholders about their accounts; and performing similar account administrative services.

The same entity may not receive fees under both of the Administrative Class Plans with respect to the same assets of the Administrative Class shares. Fees paid pursuant to either of the Administrative Class Plans may be paid for shareholder services and the maintenance of shareholder accounts, and therefore may constitute “service fees” for purposes of applicable rules of FINRA. Each of the Administrative Class Plans have been adopted in accordance with the requirements of Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act and will be administered in accordance with the provisions of that rule, except that shareholders will not have the voting rights set forth in Rule 12b-1 with respect to the Administrative Services Plans for Administrative Class shares that they will have with respect to the Administrative Distribution Plan for Administrative Class shares.

Each of the Administrative Class Plans provides that it may not be amended to materially increase the costs which Administrative Class shareholders may bear under the Plans without the approval of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Administrative Class, and by vote of a majority of both (i) the Trustees of the Trust and (ii) those Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust (as defined in the 1940 Act) and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan or any agreements related to it (the “Plan Trustees”), cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Plan and any related amendments.

Each of the Administrative Class Plans provides that it may not take effect until approved by vote of a majority of both (i) the Trustees of the Trust and (ii) the disinterested Trustees defined above.

Each of the Administrative Class Plans provides that it shall continue in effect so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Trustees and the disinterested Trustees defined above. Each of the Administrative Class Plans provides that any person authorized to direct the disposition of monies paid or payable by a class pursuant to that Plan or any related agreement shall provide to the Trustees, and the Board of Trustees shall review at least quarterly, a written report of the amounts so expended and the purposes for which such expenditures were made.

Each of the Administrative Class Plans is a “reimbursement plan,” which means that fees are payable to the relevant financial intermediary only to the extent necessary to reimburse expenses incurred pursuant to such plan. Each of the Administrative Class Plans provides that expenses payable under the Administrative Class Plans may be carried forward for reimbursement for up to twelve months beyond the date in which the expense is incurred, subject to the limit that not more that 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the Administrative Class shares may be used in any month to pay expenses under the Administrative Class Plans. Each of the Administrative Class Plans requires that the Administrative Class shares incur no interest or carrying charges.

FINRA rules limit the amount of distribution fees that may be paid by mutual funds. “Service fees,” defined to mean fees paid for providing shareholder services or the maintenance of accounts (but not transfer agency services) are not subject to these limits on distribution fees. The Trust believes that some, if not all, of the fees paid pursuant to the Administrative Class Plans will qualify as “service fees” and therefore will not be limited by FINRA rules which limit distribution fees. However, service fees are limited by FINRA rules that limit service fees to 0.25% of the Fund’s average annual net assets.

 

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Additional Information About Institutional Class, Administrative Class and Class P Shares

Institutional Class, Administrative Class and Class P shares of the Trust may be offered through brokers, other financial intermediaries and other entities, such as retirement or savings plans and their sponsors or service providers (“service agents”), that have established a shareholder servicing relationship with the Trust on behalf of their customers. The Trust pays no compensation to such entities other than service and/or distribution fees paid with respect to Administrative Class shares. The Distributor, PIMCO and their affiliates may pay, out of their own assets and at no cost to the Fund, amounts to service agents for providing bona fide shareholder services to shareholders holding Institutional Class or Administrative Class shares through such service agents. Such services may include, but are not limited to, the following: processing and mailing trade confirmations, monthly statements, prospectuses, annual reports, semi-annual reports and shareholder notices and other SEC required communications; capturing and processing tax data; issuing and mailing dividend checks to shareholders who have selected cash distributions; preparing record date shareholder lists for proxy solicitations; collecting and posting distributions to shareholder accounts; and establishing and maintaining systematic withdrawals and automated investment plans and shareholder account registrations. Service agents may impose additional or different conditions than the Trust on the purchase, redemption or exchanges of Trust shares by their customers. Service agents also may independently establish and charge their customers transaction fees, account fees and other amounts in connection with purchases, sales and redemption of Trust shares in addition to any fees charged by the Trust. Each service agent is responsible for transmitting to its customers a schedule of any such fees and information regarding any additional or different conditions regarding purchases and redemptions. Shareholders who are customers of service agents should consult their service agents for information regarding these fees and conditions.

PIMCO and/or its affiliates make payments to selected service agents for providing administrative, sub-transfer agency, sub-accounting and other shareholder services to shareholders holding Class P shares in nominee or street name, including, without limitation, the following services: receiving, aggregating and processing purchase, redemption and exchange orders at the service agent level; providing and maintaining elective services with respect to Class P shares such as check writing and wire transfer services; providing and maintaining pre-authorized investment plans; communicating periodically with shareholders; acting as the sole shareholder of record and nominee for holders of Class P shares; maintaining account records for shareholders; answering questions and handling correspondence from shareholders about their accounts; issuing confirmations for transactions by shareholders; collecting and posting distributions to shareholder accounts; capturing and processing tax data; processing and mailing trade confirmations, monthly statements, prospectuses, shareholder reports and other SEC-required communications; and performing similar account administrative services. The actual services provided, and the payments made for such services, vary from firm to firm. PIMCO currently estimates that it and/or its affiliates will pay up to 0.10% per annum of the value of Class P share assets in the relevant accounts out of PIMCO’s and/or its affiliates’ resources, including the Class P supervisory and administrative fees paid to PIMCO under the Trust’s Supervision and Administration Agreement, to service agents for providing the services described above. Payments described above may be material to service agents relative to other compensation paid by the Fund and/or PIMCO and/or its affiliates and may be in addition to other fees, such as the revenue sharing or “shelf space” fees paid to such service agents. The payments described above may vary from amounts paid to the Trust’s transfer agent for providing similar services to other accounts. PIMCO and/or its affiliates do not audit the service agents to determine whether such agents are providing the services for which they are receiving such payments.

In addition, the Distributor, PIMCO and their affiliates also may make payments out of their own resources, at no cost to the Fund, to financial intermediaries for services which may be deemed to be primarily intended to result in the sale of Institutional Class, Administrative Class or Class P shares of the Fund. The payments described in this section may be significant to the payors and the payees.

Plan for Class D Shares

As described under “Management of the Trust—Administrator,” the Fund’s Supervision and Administration Agreement includes a plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act which provides for the payment of up to 0.25% of the Class D supervisory and administrative fees as reimbursement for expenses in respect of activities that may be deemed to be primarily intended to result in the sale of Class D shares (the “Class D Plan”).

Specifically, the Supervision and Administration Agreement provides that the Administrator shall provide in respect of Class D shares (either directly or by procuring through other entities, including various financial services firms such as broker-dealers and registered investment advisors (“Service Organizations”)) some or all of the following services and facilities in connection with direct purchases by shareholders or in connection with products, programs or accounts offered by such Service Organizations (“Special Class D Services”): (i) facilities for placing orders directly for the purchase of the Fund’s shares and tendering the Fund’s Class D shares for redemption; (ii) advertising with respect to the Fund’s Class D shares; (iii) providing information about the Fund; (iv) providing facilities to answer questions from prospective investors

 

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about the Fund; (v) receiving and answering correspondence, including requests for Prospectuses and statements of additional information; (vi) preparing, printing and delivering Prospectuses and shareholder reports to prospective shareholders; (vii) assisting investors in applying to purchase Class D shares and selecting dividend and other account options; and (viii) shareholder services provided by a Service Organization that may include, but are not limited to, the following functions: receiving, aggregating and processing shareholder orders; furnishing shareholder sub-accounting; providing and maintaining elective shareholder services such as check writing and wire transfer services; providing and maintaining pre-authorized investment plans; communicating periodically with shareholders; acting as the sole shareholder of record and nominee for shareholders; maintaining accounting records for shareholders; answering questions and handling correspondence from shareholders about their accounts; issuing confirmations for transactions by shareholders; performing similar account administrative services; providing such shareholder communications and recordkeeping services as may be required for any program for which the Service Organization is a sponsor that relies on Rule 3a-4 under the 1940 Act; and providing such other similar services as may reasonably be requested to the extent the Service Organization is permitted to do so under applicable statutes, rules, or regulations.

The Administrator has entered into an agreement with the Distributor under which the Distributor is compensated for providing or procuring certain of the Class D Services at the rate of 0.25% per annum of all assets attributable to Class D shares sold through the Distributor. A financial intermediary may be paid for its services directly or indirectly by the Fund, PIMCO, the Distributor or their affiliates in amounts normally not to exceed an annual rate of 0.35% of the Fund’s average daily net assets attributable to its Class D shares and purchased through such financial intermediary for its clients. The Trust and the Administrator understand that some or all of the Special Class D Services pursuant to the Supervision and Administration Agreement may be deemed to represent services primarily intended to result in the sale of Class D shares. The Supervision and Administration Agreement includes the Class D Plan to account for this possibility. The Supervision and Administration Agreement provides that any portion of the fees paid thereunder in respect of Class D shares representing reimbursement for the Administrator’s and the Distributor’s expenditures and internally allocated expenses in respect of Class D Services of the Fund shall not exceed the rate of 0.25% per annum of the average daily net assets of the Fund attributable to Class D shares. In addition to the other payments described in this paragraph, the Distributor, PIMCO and their affiliates also may make payments out of their own resources, at no cost to the Fund, to financial intermediaries for services which may be deemed to be primarily intended to result in the sale of Class D shares of the Fund. The payments described in this paragraph may be significant to the payors and the payees.

In accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, the Class D Plan may not be amended to increase materially the costs which Class D shareholders may bear under the Plan without approval of a majority of the outstanding Class D shares, and by vote of a majority of both (i) the Trustees of the Trust and (ii) those Trustees (“disinterested Class D Plan Trustees”) who are not “interested persons” of the Trust (as defined in the 1940 Act) and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan or any agreements related to it, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on the Plan and any related amendments. The Class D Plan has been approved by a vote of a majority of both (i) the Trustees of the Trust and (ii) the disinterested Class D Plan Trustees. In addition, the Class D Plan shall continue in effect so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Trustees and the disinterested Class D Plan Trustees.

With respect to the Class D Plan, the Supervision and Administration Agreement requires the Administrator to present reports as to out-of-pocket expenditures and internal expenses allocations of the Administrator and the Distributor at least quarterly and in a manner that permits the disinterested Class D Plan Trustees to determine that portion of the Class D supervisory and administrative fees paid thereunder which represents reimbursements in respect of Special Class D Services.

FINRA rules limit the amount of distribution fees that may be paid by mutual funds. “Service fees,” defined to mean fees paid for providing shareholder services or the maintenance of accounts (but not transfer agency services) are not subject to these limits on distribution fees. The Trust believes that most, if not all, of the fees paid pursuant to the Class D Plan will qualify as “service fees” and therefore will not be limited by FINRA rules which limit distribution fees. However, service fees are limited by FINRA rules that limit service fees to 0.25% of the Fund’s average annual net assets.

Purchases, Exchanges and Redemptions

Purchases, exchanges and redemptions of Institutional Class, Class P and Administrative Class shares are discussed in the applicable Prospectus under the caption “Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges,” and that information is incorporated herein by reference.

Certain managed account clients of PIMCO may purchase shares of the Trust. To avoid the imposition of duplicative fees, PIMCO may be required to make adjustments in the management fees charged separately by PIMCO to these clients to offset the management fees and expenses paid indirectly through a client’s investment in the Trust.

 

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Certain clients of PIMCO whose assets would be eligible for purchase by the Fund may purchase shares of the Trust with such assets. Assets so purchased by the Fund will be valued in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees.

The minimum initial investment for shares of the Institutional Class, Class P and Administrative Class is $5 million, except that the minimum investment may be modified for certain financial intermediaries that submit trades on behalf of underlying investors. The Fund or the Distributor may lower or waive the minimum initial investment for certain categories of investors at their discretion. The minimum initial investment for employees of PIMCO and its affiliates is $25,000 (employee accounts are defined as those that contain the employee’s name on the account). The minimum initial investment for single defined contribution plans is $100,000, provided that the plan has 250 eligible participants or is associated with an existing plan that meets the minimum investment criteria. The investment minimum for shareholders with existing accounts is $200,000, provided that the current market value of the account is at least $1,000,000. For omnibus accounts, all minimums stated above apply at the omnibus level and not at the underlying investor level.

The minimum initial investment in Class D shares of the Fund is $1,000, with a minimum subsequent investment of $50 per Fund. The minimum investment may be modified for certain financial intermediaries that submit trades on behalf of underlying investors. The Fund or the Distributor may lower or waive the minimum initial investment for certain categories of investors at their discretion.

To obtain more information about exceptions to the minimum initial investment for Institutional Class, Class P, Administrative Class and Class D shares, please call the Trust at [    ] or the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107.

As described in the “Purchases, Redemptions and Exchanges” section of each Prospectus, a shareholder may exchange shares of the Fund for shares of the same class of any series of PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds, or Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust that is available for investment, each on the basis of their respective net asset values. This exchange privilege may in the future be extended to cover any “interval” funds that may be established and managed by the Adviser and its affiliates. The original purchase date(s) of shares exchanged for purposes of calculating any contingent deferred sales charge will carry over to the investment in the new fund. For example, if a shareholder invests in the Class C shares of the Fund and 6 months later (when the contingent deferred sales charge upon redemption would normally be 1%) exchanges his shares for Class C shares of another series of PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds, or Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust, no sales charge would be imposed upon the exchange but the investment in the new fund would be subject to the 1% contingent deferred sales charge until one year after the date of the shareholder’s investment in the Fund as described in the Prospectus.

Certain shares of the Fund may not be qualified or registered for sale in all states. Prospective investors should inquire as to whether shares of the Fund or class are available for offer and sale in their state of domicile or residence. Shares of the Fund may not be offered or sold in any state unless registered or qualified in that jurisdiction, unless an exemption from registration or qualification is available.

Shares of one class of the Fund may be exchanged, at a shareholder’s option, directly for shares of another class of the Fund (an “intra-Fund exchange”), subject to the terms and conditions described below and to such other fees and charges as set forth in the applicable Prospectus(es) (including the imposition or waiver of any sales charge (load) or contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC)), provided that the shareholder for whom the intra-Fund exchange is being requested meets the eligibility requirements of the class into which such shareholder seeks to exchange. Additional information regarding the eligibility requirements of different share classes, including investment minimums and intended distribution channels, is provided under “Distribution of Trust Shares” above, and/or in the applicable Prospectus(es). Shares of the Fund will be exchanged for shares of a different class of the Fund on the basis of their respective net asset values. Ongoing fees and expenses incurred by a given share class will differ from those of other share classes, and a shareholder receiving new shares in an intra-Fund exchange may be subject to higher or lower total expenses following such exchange. In addition to changes in ongoing fees and expenses, a shareholder receiving new shares in an intra-Fund exchange may be required to pay an initial sales charge (load) or CDSC. Generally, intra Fund exchanges into Class A shares will be subject to a Class A sales charge unless otherwise noted below, and intra-Fund exchanges out of Class A or Class C shares will be subject to the standard schedule of CDSCs for the share class out of which the shareholder is exchanging, unless otherwise noted below. If Class C shares are exchanged for Class A shares, a shareholder will be responsible for paying any Class C CDSCs and any applicable Class A sales charge. With respect to shares subject to a CDSC, if less than all of an investment is exchanged out of one class of a Fund, any portion of the investment exchanged will be from the lot of shares that would incur the lowest CDSC if such shares were being redeemed rather than exchanged. Shareholders generally should not recognize gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon such an intra-Fund exchange, provided that the transaction is undertaken and processed, with respect to any shareholder, as a direct exchange transaction. If an intra-Fund exchange incurs a CDSC or sales charge, Fund shares may be redeemed to pay such charge, and that redemption will be taxable. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors as to the federal, foreign, state and local tax consequences of an intra-Fund exchange.

 

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For the Fund, orders for exchanges accepted prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE on any day the Trust is open for business will be executed at the respective net asset values determined as of the close of business that day. Orders for exchanges received after the close of regular trading on the NYSE on any business day will be executed at the respective net asset values determined at the close of the next business day.

An excessive number of exchanges may be disadvantageous to the Trust. Therefore, the Trust, in addition to its right to reject any exchange, reserves the right to adopt a policy of terminating the exchange privilege of any shareholder who makes more than a specified number of exchanges in a 12-month period or in any calendar quarter. The Trust reserves the right to modify or discontinue the exchange privilege at any time.

The Trust reserves the right to suspend or postpone redemptions during any period when: (a) trading on the NYSE is restricted, as determined by the SEC, or the NYSE is closed for other than customary weekend and holiday closings; (b) the SEC has by order permitted such suspension; or (c) an emergency, as determined by the SEC, exists, making disposal of portfolio securities or valuation of net assets of the Fund not reasonably practicable.

The Trust is committed to paying in cash all requests for redemptions by any shareholder of record of the Fund limited in amount with respect to each shareholder during any 90-day period to the lesser of (i) $250,000, or (ii) 1% of the net asset value of the Trust at the beginning of such period. Although the Trust will normally redeem all shares for cash, it may, in unusual circumstances, redeem amounts in excess of the lesser of (i) or (ii) above by payment in kind of securities held in the Fund’s portfolios.

The Trust has adopted procedures under which it may make redemptions-in-kind to shareholders who are affiliated persons of the Fund. Under these procedures, the Trust generally may satisfy a redemption request from an affiliated person in-kind, provided that: (1) the redemption-in-kind is effected at approximately the affiliated shareholder’s proportionate share of the distributing Fund’s current net assets, and thus does not result in the dilution of the interests of the remaining shareholders; (2) the distributed securities are valued in the same manner as they are valued for purposes of computing the distributing Fund’s net asset value; (3) the redemption-in-kind is consistent with the Fund’s Prospectuses and Statement of Additional Information; and (4) neither the affiliated shareholder nor any other party with the ability and the pecuniary incentive to influence the redemption-in-kind selects, or influences the selection of, the distributed securities.

Due to the relatively high cost of maintaining smaller accounts, the Trust reserves the right to redeem shares in any account for their then-current value (which will be promptly paid to the investor) if at any time, due to shareholder redemption, the shares in the account do not have a value of at least a specified amount, the minimums of which are currently set at $250 for Class A and Class C, $2,000 for Class D shares, $50,000 for Class R shares and $100,000 for Institutional Class, Administrative Class and Class P shares. The Prospectuses may set higher minimum account balances for one or more classes from time to time depending upon the Trust’s current policy. An investor will be notified that the value of his or her account is less than the minimum and allowed 60 days to bring the value of the account up to at least the specified amount before the redemption is processed. The Declaration of Trust also authorizes the Trust to redeem shares under certain other circumstances as may be specified by the Board of Trustees. The Trust also may charge periodic account fees for accounts that fall below minimum balances, as described in the Prospectuses.

Additional Information about Purchases, Exchanges and Redemptions of Class A, Class C and Class R Shares

How to Buy Shares—Class A, Class C and Class R Shares. Class A, Class C and Class R shares of the Fund are continuously offered through the Trust’s principal underwriter, the Distributor and through other firms that have dealer agreements with the Distributor (“participating brokers”) or that have agreed to act as introducing brokers for the Distributor (“introducing brokers”). The Distributor is an affiliate of Allianz Global Investors Fund Management LLC (“Allianz Global Fund Management” and together with PIMCO, the “Advisers”), the investment adviser and administrator to the series of the Allianz Funds, the investment manager to the funds that are series of the Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust and a subsidiary of Allianz. PIMCO, the Trust’s investment adviser and administrator, also serves as the investment adviser and administrator to the funds that are series of PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds or Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust.

Purchases Through a Financial Advisor. Class A or Class C shares maybe purchased through a financial advisor.

Purchases By Mail. Investors who wish to invest in Class A or Class C shares by mail may send a completed application form along with a check payable to Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC, to the Distributor at:

Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC

P.O. Box 8050

Boston, MA 02266-8050

 

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(The Distributor does not provide investment advice and will not accept any responsibility for the selection of investments because it does not have access to the information necessary to assess an investor’s financial situation). All shareholders who establish accounts by mail will receive individual confirmations of each purchase, redemption, dividend reinvestment, exchange or transfer of Fund shares, including the total number of Fund shares owned as of the confirmation date, except that purchases resulting from the reinvestment of daily-accrued dividends and/or distributions will be confirmed once each calendar quarter. See “Fund Distributions” in the Fund’s Prospectus. An investor may obtain information regarding direct investment or any other features or plans offered by the Trust, PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds or Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust by calling the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107 or by calling the investor’s broker.

Purchases are accepted subject to collection of checks at full value and conversion into federal funds. Payment by a check drawn on any member of the Federal Reserve System can normally be converted into federal funds within two business days after receipt of the check. Checks drawn on a non-member bank may take up to 15 days to convert into federal funds. In all cases, the purchase price is based on the net asset value next determined after the purchase order and check are accepted, even though the check may not yet have been converted into federal funds.

The Distributor reserves the right to require payment by wire or official U.S. bank check. The Distributor generally does not accept payments made by cash, money order, temporary/starter checks, credit cards, traveler’s checks, credit card checks, or checks drawn on non-U.S. banks even if payment may be effected through a U.S. bank.

Purchases By Telephone. An investor may elect to purchase shares after enrolling in Fund Link (see “Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Fund Link” in this section below). An investor can purchase fund shares over the phone. To initiate such purchases, call 1-800-426-0107.

Purchasing Class R Shares. Class R shares are generally available only to 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, health care benefit funding plans, and other specified benefit plans and accounts whereby the plan or the plan’s financial service firm has an agreement with the Distributor or an Adviser to utilize Class R shares in certain investment products or programs (each such plan or account, a “Class R Eligible Plan”). Class R shares are not available to traditional and Roth IRAs (except through ombinus accounts), SEPs, SAR-SEPs, SIMPLE IRAs, 403(b)(7) custodial accounts, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts or retail or institutional benefit plans other than those specified above. Additionally, Class R shares are generally available only to Class R Eligible Plans where Class R shares are held on the books of the Fund through omnibus accounts (either at the plan level or at the level of the financial services firm level). Although Class R shares may be purchased by a plan administrator directly from the Distributor, specified benefit plans that purchase Class R shares directly from the Distributor must hold their shares in an omnibus account at the benefit plan level. Plan participants may not directly purchase Class R shares from the Distributor.

Subsequent Purchases of Shares—Class A and Class C Shares. Subsequent purchases of Class A or Class C shares can be made as indicated above by mailing a check with a letter describing the investment or with the additional investment portion of a confirmation statement. Except for subsequent purchases through the Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Auto-Invest plan, the Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Auto-Exchange plan, tax-qualified programs and the Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Fund Link referred to below, and except during periods when an Automatic Withdrawal Plan is in effect, the minimum subsequent purchase in the Fund is $50. All payments should be made payable to Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC and should clearly indicate the shareholder’s account number. Checks should be mailed to the address above under “Purchases By Mail” in this section.

Additional Information About Purchasing Shares—Class A, Class C and Class R Shares. Shares may be purchased at a price equal to their net asset value per share next determined after receipt of an order plus a sales charge, which may be imposed either (i) at the time of the purchase in the case of Class A shares (the “initial sales charge alternative”), or (ii) by the deduction of an ongoing asset-based sales charge in the case of Class C shares (the “asset-based sales charge alternative”). Class R shares may be purchased at a price equal to their net asset value per share next determined after receipt of an order. In certain circumstances, Class A and Class C shares are also subject to a CDSC. See “Alternative Purchase Arrangements” in this section. Purchase payments for Class C shares are fully invested at the net asset value next determined after acceptance of the trade. Purchase payments for Class A shares, less the applicable sales charge, are invested at the net asset value next determined after acceptance of the trade.

 

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All purchase orders received by the Distributor prior to the close of regular trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on the New York Stock Exchange on a regular business day are processed at that day’s offering price. However, orders received by the Distributor after the offering price is determined that day from dealers, brokers or certain retirement plans that have an agreement with PIMCO or the Distributor will receive such offering price if the orders were received by the dealer, broker or retirement plan from its customer prior to such determination and were transmitted to and received by the Distributor or the Transfer agent prior to 9:30 a.m., Eastern time on the next business day. Purchase orders received on other than a regular business day will be executed on the next succeeding regular business day. The Distributor, in its sole discretion, may accept or reject any order for purchase of Fund shares. The sale of shares will be suspended on any day on which the New York Stock Exchange is closed and, if permitted by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, when trading on the New York Stock Exchange is restricted or during an emergency that makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission for the protection of investors.

Minimum Purchase Amounts. Except for purchases through the Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Auto-Invest plan, the Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Auto-Exchange plan, investments pursuant to the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act, tax-qualified plans and, to the extent agreed to by the Distributor, wrap programs referred to in this section below under “Alternative Purchase Arrangements—Sales at Net Asset Value,” and purchases by certain registered representatives as described below under “Registered Representatives’ Investments,” the minimum initial investment in Class A or Class C shares of the Fund is $1,000, with a minimum additional investment of $50, and there is no minimum initial or additional investment in Class R shares because Class R shares may only be purchased through omnibus accounts. For information about dealer commissions and other payments to dealers, see “Alternative Purchase Arrangements” in this section below. Persons selling Fund shares may receive different compensation for selling Class A, Class C or Class R shares. Normally, Fund shares purchased through participating brokers are held in the investor’s account with that broker. No share certificates will be issued except, and to the extent, provided in the applicable prospectus.

Tax-Qualified Specified Benefit and Other Plans. The Distributor makes available specified benefit plan services and documents for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), including Roth IRAs, for which Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Company serves as trustee and for IRA Accounts under the Internal Revenue Code. The Distributor makes available services and prototype documents for Simplified Employee Pension Plans (SEP). In addition, prototype documents are available for establishing 403(b)(7) custodial accounts with Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Company as custodian. This form of account is available to employees of certain non-profit organizations.

For purposes of this section, “Plan Investor” means any of the following: 401(k) plan, profit-sharing plan, money purchase pension plan, defined benefit plan, 457 plan, employer-sponsored 403(b) plan, non-qualified deferred compensation plan, health care benefit funding plan and specified benefit plans and accounts whereby the plan or the plan’s financial service firm has an agreement with the Distributor or an Adviser to utilize Class R shares in certain investment products or programs, or other benefit plan specified as such by the Distributor. The term “Plan Investor” does not include an IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, SAR-SEP IRA, 403(b)(7) custodial account, a Coverdell Education Savings Account or a College Access 529 Plan Account.

The minimum initial investment for all Plan Investors, IRAs, Roth IRAs, SEP IRAs, SIMPLE IRAs, SAR-SEP IRAs and 403(b)(7) custodial accounts are set forth in the table under “Specified Benefit Account Minimums” in this section below. For Plan Investors invested in the Fund through “omnibus” account arrangements, there is no minimum initial investment per plan participant. Instead, there is a minimum initial investment per plan, which is agreed upon by the Distributor and the financial intermediary maintaining the omnibus account. However, any Plan Investor that has existing positions in the Fund and that does not already maintain an omnibus account with the Fund and would like to invest in the Fund is subject to the minimum initial investment set forth in the table under “Specified Benefit Account Minimums” in this section below.

Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Auto-Invest. The Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Auto-Invest plan provides for periodic investments into a shareholder’s account with the Trust by means of automatic transfers of a designated amount from the shareholder’s bank account. The minimum investment for eligibility in the Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Auto-Invest plan is $1,000 per fund. Investments may be made monthly or quarterly, and may be in any amount subject to a minimum of $50 per month for each fund in which shares are purchased through the plan. Further information regarding the Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Auto-Invest plan is available from the Distributor or participating brokers. An investor may enroll by completing the appropriate section on the account application, or may obtain an Auto-Invest application by calling the Distributor or the investor’s broker. The use of the Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Auto-Invest plan may be limited for certain funds and/or share classes at the discretion of the Distributor.

 

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Registered Representatives’ Investments. Current registered representatives and other full-time employees of participating brokers or such persons’ spouses or trusts or custodial accounts for their minor children may purchase Class A shares at net asset value without a sales charge. The minimum initial investment in the Fund is $1,000 and the minimum subsequent investment is $50.

Uniform Gifts to Minors Act Investments. For investments pursuant to the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act, the minimum initial investment in Class A and Class C shares of the Fund is $1,000, with a minimum additional investment of $50.

Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Auto-Exchange. The Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Auto-Exchange plan establishes regular, periodic exchanges from one fund account to another fund account. The plan provides for regular investments into a shareholder’s account in a specific fund by means of automatic exchanges of a designated amount from another fund account of the same class of shares and with identical account registration.

Exchanges may be made monthly or quarterly, and may be in any amount subject to a minimum of $1,000 to open a new fund account and of $50 for any existing fund account for which shares are purchased through the plan.

Further information regarding the Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Auto-Exchange plan is available from the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107 or participating brokers. An investor may enroll by completing an application, which may be obtained from the Distributor or by telephone request at 1-800-426-0107. The use of Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Auto-Exchange plan may be limited for certain funds and/or other share classes at the option of the Distributor, and as set forth in the Prospectus. For more information on exchanges, see “Exchange Privilege” in this section below.

Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Fund Link. Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Fund Link (“Fund Link”) connects an investor’s fund account(s) with a bank account. Fund Link may be used for subsequent purchases and for redemptions and other transactions described under “How to Redeem” in this section. Purchase transactions are effected by electronic funds transfers from the shareholder’s account at a U.S. bank or other financial institution that is an Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) member. Investors may use Fund Link to make subsequent purchases of shares in any amount greater than $50. To initiate such purchases, call 1-800-426-0107. All such calls will be recorded. Fund Link is normally established within 45 days of receipt of a Fund Link application by [ ] (the “Transfer Agent”), the Fund’s transfer agent for Class A, C and R shares. The minimum investment by Fund Link is $50 per fund. Shares will be purchased on the regular business day the Distributor receives the funds through the ACH system, provided the funds are received before the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange. If the funds are received after the close of regular trading, the shares will be purchased on the next regular business day.

Fund Link privileges must be requested on the account application. To establish Fund Link on an existing account, complete a Fund Link application, which is available from the Distributor or the investor’s broker, with signatures guaranteed from all shareholders of record for the account. See “Signature Guarantee” in this section below. Such privileges apply to each shareholder of record for the account unless and until the Distributor receives written instructions from a shareholder of record canceling such privileges. Changes of bank account information must be made by completing a new Fund Link application signed by all owners of record of the account, with all signatures guaranteed. The Distributor, the Transfer Agent and the Fund may rely on any telephone instructions believed to be genuine and will not be responsible to shareholders for any damage, loss or expenses arising out of such instructions. The Fund reserves the right to amend, suspend or discontinue Fund Link privileges at any time without prior notice. Fund Link does not apply to shares held in broker “street name” accounts or in other omnibus accounts.

Signature Guarantee. When a signature guarantee is called for, a “medallion” signature guarantee will be required. A medallion signature guarantee may be obtained from a domestic bank or trust company, broker, dealer, clearing agency, savings association or other financial institution that is participating in a medallion program recognized by the Securities Transfer Association. The three recognized medallion programs are the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (STAMP), Stock Exchanges Medallion Program (SEMP) and New York Stock Exchange, Inc. Medallion Signature Program (NYSE MSP). Signature guarantees from financial institutions that are not participating in one of these programs will not be accepted. Please note that financial institutions participating in a recognized medallion program may still be ineligible to provide a signature guarantee for transactions of greater than a specified dollar amount.

The Distributor reserves the right to modify its signature guarantee standards at any time. The Trust may change the signature guarantee requirements from time to time upon notice to shareholders, which may, but is not required to, be given by means of a new or supplemented prospectus. Shareholders should contact the Distributor for additional details regarding the Trust’s signature guarantee requirements.

 

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Account Registration Changes. Changes in registration or account privileges may be made in writing to the Transfer Agent. Signature guarantees may be required. See “Signature Guarantee” in this section above. All correspondence must include the account number and must be sent to:

Regular Mail:

Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC

P.O. Box 8050

Boston, MA 02266-8050

Overnight Mail:

Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC

c/o [    ]

[    ]

Minimum Account Size—Class A and Class C Shares. Due to the relatively high cost to the Fund of maintaining small accounts, shareholders are asked to maintain an account balance in the Fund in at least the amount necessary to open the type of account involved. If a shareholder’s balance for the Fund is below such minimum for three months or longer, the Fund’s administrator shall have the right (except in the case of retirement accounts) to close that Fund account after giving the shareholder 60 days in which to increase the account balance. The shareholder’s Fund account will not be liquidated if the reduction in size is due solely to market decline in the value of the shareholder’s Fund shares or if the aggregate value of the shareholder’s accounts (and the accounts of the shareholder’s spouse and his or her children under the age of 21 years), or all of the accounts of an employee benefits plan of a single employer, in funds of PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds, Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust and the Trust exceeds $50,000.

Transfer on Death Registration. The Distributor may accept “transfer on death” (“TOD”) registration requests from investors. The laws of a state selected by the Distributor in accordance with the Uniform TOD Security Registration Act will govern the registration. The Distributor may require appropriate releases and indemnifications from investors as a prerequisite for permitting TOD registration. The Distributor may from time to time change these requirements (including by changes to the determination as to which state’s law governs TOD registrations).

Summary of Minimum Investments and Account Size. The following table provides a summary of the minimum initial investment, minimum subsequent investment and minimum account size for each type of account (including Specified Benefit Accounts) with respect to an investment in the Fund:

 

Type of Account

   Initial Minimum Investment    Subsequent Minimum
Investment
   Minimum Account Size

Regular/General Retail Accounts

   $ 1,000    $ 50    $ 1,000

IRA

   $ 1,000    $ 50    $ 1,000

Roth IRA

   $ 1,000    $ 50    $ 1,000

UTMA

   $ 1,000    $ 50    $ 1,000

UGMA

   $ 1,000    $ 50    $ 1,000

Auto-Invest

   $ 1,000    $ 50    $ 1,000

Auto-Exchange

   $ 1,000    $ 50    $ 1,000

SEP IRA

   $ 1,000 per participant    $ 50 per participant    $ 1,000

SIMPLE IRA*

   $ 50 per participant    $ 50 per participant    $ 50

SAR-SEP IRA*

   $ 50 per participant    $ 50 per participant    $ 50

 

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Type of Account

   Initial Minimum Investment    Subsequent Minimum
Investment
   Minimum Account Size

403(b)(7) custodial account plan

   $ 1,000 per participant    $ 50 per participant    $ 1,000

Plan Investors held through omnibus accounts-

        

Plan Level

   $ 0    $ 0    $ 0

Participant Level

   $ 0    $ 0    $ 0

Plan Investors held through non-omnibus accounts (individual participant accounts)

   $ 1,000    $ 50    $ 1,000

 

* The minimums apply to existing accounts only. No new SIMPLE-IRA or SAR-SEP IRA accounts are being accepted.

Alternative Purchase Arrangements. The Fund offer investors three classes of shares (Class A, Class C and Class R) in the Fund’s Class A, C and R Prospectus. Class A and Class C shares bear sales charges in different forms and amounts and bear different levels of expenses, as described below. Class R shares do not bear a sales charge, but are subject to expenses that vary from those levied on Class A or Class C shares, and are available only to Class R Eligible Plans. Through a separate prospectus, the Fund currently offers up to four additional classes of shares in the United States: Class D, Class P, Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares. Class D shares are offered through financial intermediaries. Class P shares are offered primarily through certain asset allocation, wrap fee and other fee-based programs sponsored by broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries. Institutional Class shares are offered to pension and profit sharing plans, employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations, corporations and other high net worth individuals. Administrative Class shares are offered primarily through employee benefit plan alliances, broker-dealers and other intermediaries. Similar to Class R shares, Class D, Class P, Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares are sold without a sales charge and have different expenses than Class A, Class C and Class R shares. As a result of lower sales charges and/or operating expenses, Class D, Class P, Institutional Class and Administrative Class shares are generally expected to achieve higher investment returns than Class A, Class C or Class R shares. To obtain more information about the other classes of shares, please call the applicable Trust at [    ] (for Institutional Class, Administrative Class, and Class P shares) or the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107 (for Class D shares).

The alternative purchase arrangements described in this Statement of Additional Information are designed to enable a retail investor to choose the method of purchasing Fund shares that is most beneficial to the investor based on all factors to be considered, including the amount and intended length of the investment, the Fund and whether the investor intends to exchange shares for shares of other funds. Generally, when making an investment decision, investors should consider the anticipated life of an intended investment in the Fund, the size of the investment, the accumulated distribution and servicing fees plus CDSCs on Class C shares, the initial sales charge plus accumulated servicing fees on Class A shares (plus a CDSC in certain circumstances), the possibility that the anticipated higher return on Class A shares due to the lower ongoing charges will offset the initial sales charge paid on such shares and the difference in the CDSC applicable to Class A and Class C shares.

Investors should understand that initial sales charges, servicing and distribution fees and CDSCs are all used directly or indirectly to fund the compensation of financial intermediaries that sell Fund shares. Depending on the arrangements in place at any particular time, a financial intermediary may have a financial incentive for recommending a particular share class over other share classes.

Class A. The initial sales charge alternative (Class A) might be preferred by investors purchasing shares of sufficient aggregate value to qualify for reductions in the initial sales charge applicable to such shares. Similar reductions are not available on the asset-based sales charge alternative (Class C). Class A shares are subject to a servicing fee but are not subject to a distribution fee and, accordingly, such shares are expected to pay correspondingly higher dividends on a per share basis. However, because initial sales charges are deducted at the time of purchase, not all of the purchase payment for Class A shares is invested initially. Class C shares might be preferable to investors who wish to have all purchase payments invested initially, although remaining subject to higher distribution and servicing fees and, for certain periods, being subject to a CDSC. An investor who qualifies for an elimination of the Class A initial sales charge should also consider whether the investor anticipates redeeming shares in a time period that will subject such shares to a CDSC as described below.

 

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Class C. Class C shares might be preferred by investors who intend to purchase shares that are not of sufficient aggregate value to qualify for Class A sales charges of 1% or less and who wish to have all purchase payments invested initially. Class C shares are not subject to a CDSC after they have been held for one year.

Class R. Only Class R Eligible Plans may purchase Class R shares. Class R shares might be preferred by a Class R Eligible Plan that intends to invest retirement plan assets held through omnibus accounts and does not intend to purchase shares of sufficient aggregate value to qualify for sales charge reductions applicable to Class A shares. Class R shares are preferable to Class C shares because Class R shares are not subject to a CDSC and are subject to lower aggregate distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees and may be preferable to Class A shares because Class R shares are not subject to the initial sales charge imposed on Class A shares.

In determining which class of shares to purchase, an investor should always consider whether any waiver or reduction of a sales charge or a CDSC is available. See generally “Initial Sales Charge Alternative—Class A Shares” and “Waiver of Contingent Deferred Sales Charges” in this section below.

The maximum purchase of Class C shares of the Fund in a single purchase is $499,999. If an investor intends to purchase Class C shares of the Fund and additional series of Class C shares of PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds and Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust in a series of transactions and the aggregate purchase amount will exceed $499,999 ($249,000 for the California Short Duration Municipal Income, Floating Income Low Duration, Short-Term and Short Duration Municipal Income series of PIMCO Funds), then in such event the investor should consider whether purchasing another share class may be in the investor’s best interests. The Fund may refuse any order to purchase shares.

For a description of the Distribution and Servicing Plans and distribution and servicing fees payable thereunder with respect to Class A, Class C and Class R shares, see “Distribution and Servicing (12b-1) Plans” in the prospectuses.

Waiver of Contingent Deferred Sales Charges. The CDSC applicable to Class A and Class C shares is currently waived for:

(i) any partial or complete redemption in connection with (a) required minimum distributions to IRA account owners or beneficiaries who are age 70  1/2 or older or (b) distributions to participants in employer-sponsored retirement plans upon attaining age 59  1/2 or on account of death or permanent and total disability (as defined in Section 22(e) of the Internal Revenue Code) that occurs after the purchase of Class A or Class C shares;

(ii) any partial or complete redemption in connection with a qualifying loan or hardship withdrawal from an employer sponsored retirement plan;

(iii) any complete redemption in connection with a distribution from a qualified employer retirement plan in connection with termination of employment or termination of the employer’s plan and the transfer to another employer’s plan or to an IRA;

(iv) any partial or complete redemption following death or permanent and total disability (as defined in Section 22(e) of the Internal Revenue Code) of an individual holding shares for his or her own account and/or as the last survivor of a joint tenancy arrangement (this provision, however, does not cover an individual holding in a fiduciary capacity or as a nominee or agent or a legal entity that is other than an individual or the owners or beneficiaries of any such entity) provided the redemption is requested within one year of the death or initial determination of disability and provided the death or disability occurs after the purchase of the shares;

(v) any redemption resulting from a return of an excess contribution to a qualified employer retirement plan or an IRA;

(vi) up to 10% per year of the value of the Fund account that (a) has the value of at least $10,000 at the start of such year and (b) is subject to an Automatic Withdrawal Plan;

(vii) redemptions by Trustees, officers and employees of any of the Trust, PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds, Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust and by directors, officers and employees of the Distributor, Allianz, Allianz Global Fund Management or PIMCO;

 

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(viii) redemptions effected pursuant to the Fund’s right to involuntarily redeem a shareholder’s Fund account if the aggregate net asset value of shares held in such shareholder’s account is less than a minimum account size specified in such Fund’s prospectus;

(ix) involuntary redemptions caused by operation of law;

(x) redemptions of shares of the Fund that is combined with another investment company, or personal holding company by virtue of a merger, acquisition or other similar reorganization transaction;

(xi) redemptions by a shareholder who is a participant making periodic purchases of not less than $50 through certain employer sponsored savings plans that are clients of a broker-dealer with which the Distributor has an agreement with respect to such purchases;

(xii) redemptions effected by trustees or other fiduciaries who have purchased shares for employer-sponsored plans, the trustee, administrator, fiduciary, broker, trust company or registered investment adviser for which has an agreement with the Distributor with respect to such purchases;

(xiii) redemptions in connection with IRA accounts established with Form 5305-SIMPLE under the Internal Revenue Code for which the Trust is the designated financial institution;

(xiv) a redemption by a holder of Class A shares who purchased $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares (and therefore did not pay a sales charge) where the participating broker or dealer involved in the sale of such shares waived the commission it would normally receive from the Distributor pursuant to an agreement with the Distributor;

(xv) a redemption by a holder of Class A or Class C shares where the participating broker or dealer involved in the purchase of such shares waived all payments it normally would receive from the Distributor at the time of purchase (i.e., commissions or reallowances of initial sales charges and advancements of service and distribution fees); and

(xvi) a redemption by a holder of Class A or Class C shares where, by agreement with the Distributor, the participating broker or dealer involved in the purchase of such shares waived a portion of any payment it normally would receive from the Distributor at the time of purchase (or otherwise agreed to a variation from the normal payment schedule) in connection with such purchase.

The Distributor may require documentation prior to waiver of the CDSC for any class, including distribution letters, certification by plan administrators, applicable tax forms, death certificates, physicians’ certificates (e.g., with respect to disabilities), etc.

Exempt Transactions; No CDSCs or Payments to Brokers. Investors will not be subject to CDSCs, and brokers and dealers will not receive any commissions or reallowances of initial sales charges or advancements of service and distribution fees, on the transactions described below (which are sometimes referred to as “Exempt Transactions”):

 

   

A redemption by a holder of Class A or Class C shares where the participating broker or dealer involved in the purchase of such shares waived all payments it normally would receive from the Distributor at the time of purchase (e.g., commissions and/or reallowances of initial sales charges and advancements of service and distribution fees).

 

   

A redemption by a holder of Class A or Class C shares where, by agreement with the Distributor, the participating broker or dealer involved in the purchase of such shares waived a portion of any payment it normally would receive from the Distributor at the time of purchase (or otherwise agreed to a variation from the normal payment schedule) in connection with such purchase.

Initial Sales Charge Alternative – Class A Shares. Class A shares are sold at a public offering price equal to their net asset value per share plus a sales charge, as set forth in the Fund’s Prospectus. As indicated in this section below under “Class A Deferred Sales Charge,” certain investors who purchase $1,000,000 or more of the Fund’s Class A shares (and thus pay no initial sales charge) may be subject to a CDSC of up to 1% if they redeem such shares during the first 18 months after their purchase.

The Fund receives the entire net asset value of its Class A shares purchased by investors (i.e., the gross purchase price minus the applicable sales charge). The Distributor receives the sales charge listed in the Fund’s prospectus less any

 

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applicable discount or commission “reallowed” to participating brokers. The Distributor may, however, elect to reallow the entire sales charge to participating brokers for all sales with respect to which orders are placed with the Distributor for the Fund during a particular period. During such periods as may from time to time be designated by the Distributor, the Distributor will pay an additional amount of up to 0.50% of the purchase price on sales of Class A shares of the Fund purchased to each participating broker that obtains purchase orders in amounts exceeding thresholds established from time to time by the Distributor.

Shares issued pursuant to the automatic reinvestment of income dividends or capital gains distributions are issued at net asset value and are not subject to any sales charges.

Under the circumstances described below, investors may be entitled to pay reduced sales charges for Class A shares.

These discounts and commissions may be increased pursuant to special arrangements from time to time agreed upon between the Distributor and certain participating brokers.

Right of Accumulation and Combined Purchase Privilege (Breakpoints). A Qualifying Investor (as defined below) may qualify for a reduced sales charge on Class A shares (the “Combined Purchase Privilege”) by combining concurrent purchases of the Class A shares of one or more Eligible Funds (as defined below) into a single purchase. In addition, a Qualifying Investor may qualify for a reduced sale charge on Class A shares (the “Right of Accumulation” or “Cumulative Quantity Discount”) by combining the purchase of Class A shares of an Eligible Fund with the current aggregate net asset value of all Class A, B (when offered), and C shares of any Eligible Fund held by accounts for the benefit of such Qualifying Investor. An Eligible Fund is any series of PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds, Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust and the Trust that offers Class A shares. (Additional information regarding the series of PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds, and Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust is available in separate prospectuses, copies of which are available by contacting the Trust at 1-866-746-2606 or http://www.pimco-funds.com or by contacting the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107 or http://www.allianzinvestors.com.)

The term “Qualifying Investor” refers to:

 

  (i) an individual, such individual’s spouse, such individual’s children under the age of 21 years, or such individual’s siblings (each a “family member”) (including family trust* accounts established by such a family member)

or

 

  (ii) a trustee or other fiduciary for a single trust (except family trusts* noted above), estate or fiduciary account although more than one beneficiary may be involved

or

 

  (iii) an employee benefit plan of a single employer.

 

* For the purpose of determining whether a purchase would qualify for a reduced sales charge under the Combined Purchase Privilege or Right of Accumulation, a “family trust” is one in which a family member(s) described in section (i) above is/are a beneficiary/ies and such person(s) and/or another family member is the trustee.

Shares purchased or held through a Plan Investor or any other employer-sponsored benefit program do not count for purposes of determining whether an investor qualifies for a Cumulative Quantity Discount.

Letter of Intent. An investor may also obtain a reduced sales charge on purchases of Class A shares by means of a written Letter of Intent, which expresses an intention to invest not less than $50,000 within a period of 13 months in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund(s) (which does not include the Government Money Market, Money Market and Treasury Money Market series of PIMCO Funds). The maximum intended investment amount allowable in a Letter of Intent is $1,000,000 (except for Class A shares of the California Short Duration Municipal Income, Floating Income, Low Duration, Short-Term, and Short Duration Municipal Income series of PIMCO Funds, for which the maximum intended investment amount is $100,000). Each purchase of shares under a Letter of Intent will be made at the public offering price or prices applicable at the time of such purchase to a Single Purchase of the dollar amount indicated in the Letter. At the investor’s option, a Letter

 

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of Intent may include purchases of Class A shares of any Eligible Fund made not more than 90 days prior to the date the Letter of Intent is signed; however, the 13-month period during which the Letter of Intent is in effect will begin on the date of the earliest purchase to be included and the sales charge on any purchases prior to the Letter of Intent will not be adjusted. In making computations concerning the amount purchased for purpose of a Letter of Intent, any redemptions during the operative period are deducted from the amount invested.

Investors qualifying for the Combined Purchase Privilege described above may purchase shares of the Eligible Funds (which does not include the Government Money Market, Money Market and Treasury Money Market series of PIMCO Funds) under a single Letter of Intent. A Letter of Intent is not a binding obligation to purchase the full amount indicated. The minimum initial investment under a Letter of Intent is 5% of such amount. Shares purchased with the first 5% of the amount indicated in the Letter of Intent will be held in escrow (while remaining registered in the investor’s name) to secure payment of the higher sales charge applicable to the shares actually purchased in the event the full intended amount is not purchased. If the full amount indicated is not purchased, a sufficient amount of such escrowed shares will be involuntarily redeemed to pay the additional sales charge applicable to the amount actually purchased, if necessary. Dividends on escrowed shares, whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional Eligible Fund shares, are not subject to escrow. When the full amount indicated has been purchased, the escrow will be released.

If an investor wishes to enter into a Letter of Intent in conjunction with an initial investment in Class A shares of the Fund, the investor should complete the appropriate portion of the account application. Current Class A shareholders desiring to do so may obtain a form of Letter of Intent by contacting the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107 or any broker participating in this program.

Shares purchased or held through a Plan Investor or any other employer-sponsored benefit program do not count for purposes of determining whether an investor has qualified for a reduced sales charge through the use of a Letter of Intent.

Reinstatement Privilege. A Class A shareholder who has caused any or all of his shares (which does not include the Government Money Market, Money Market and Treasury Money Market series of PIMCO Funds that were not acquired by exchanging Class A shares of another Eligible Fund) to be redeemed may reinvest all or any portion of the redemption proceeds in Class A shares of any Eligible Fund at net asset value without any sales charge, provided that such reinvestment is made within 120 calendar days after the redemption or repurchase date. Shares are sold to a reinvesting shareholder at the net asset value next determined. See “How Fund Shares are Priced” in the applicable Eligible Fund’s prospectus. A reinstatement pursuant to this privilege will not cancel the redemption transaction and, consequently, any gain or loss so realized may be recognized for federal tax purposes except that no loss may be recognized to the extent that the proceeds are reinvested in shares of the same Eligible Fund within 30 days. The reinstatement privilege may be utilized by a shareholder only once, irrespective of the number of shares redeemed, except that the privilege may be utilized without limit in connection with transactions whose sole purpose is to transfer a shareholder’s interest in an Eligible Fund to his Individual Retirement Account or other qualified retirement plan account. An investor may exercise the reinstatement privilege by written request sent to the Distributor or to the investor’s broker.

Sales at Net Asset Value. The Fund may sell its Class A shares at net asset value without a sales charge to

(i) current or retired officers, trustees, directors or employees of any of the Trust, PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds, or Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust, Allianz, Allianz Global Fund Management, PIMCO or the Distributor, other affiliates of Allianz Global Fund Management and funds advised or subadvised by any such affiliates, in any case at the discretion of Allianz Global Fund Management, PIMCO or the Distributor; a parent, brother or sister of any such officer, trustee, director or employee or a spouse or child of any of the foregoing persons, or any trust, profit-sharing or pension plan for the benefit of any such person and to any other person if the Distributor anticipates that there will be minimal sales expenses associated with the sale;

(ii) current registered representatives and other full-time employees of participating brokers or such persons’ spouses or for trust or custodial accounts for their minor children;

(iii) trustees or other fiduciaries purchasing shares for certain plans sponsored by employers, professional organizations or associations or charitable organizations, the trustee, administrator, recordkeeper, fiduciary, broker, trust company or registered investment adviser for which has an agreement with the Distributor, Allianz Global Fund Management or PIMCO with respect to such purchases (including provisions related to minimum levels of investment in a Trust), and to participants in such plans and their spouses purchasing for their account(s) or IRAs;

 

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(iv) participants investing through accounts known as “wrap accounts” established with brokers or dealers approved by the Distributor where such brokers or dealers are paid a single, inclusive fee for brokerage and investment management services;

(v) client accounts of broker-dealers or registered investment advisers affiliated with such broker-dealers with which the Distributor, Allianz Global Fund Management or PIMCO has an agreement for the use of the Fund in particular investment products or programs or in particular situations;

(vi) accounts for which the company that serves as trustee or custodian either (a) is affiliated with Allianz Global Fund Management or PIMCO or (b) has a specific agreement to that effect with the Distributor; and

(vii) investors who purchase shares in “Exempt Transactions,” as described in this section under “Exempt Transactions; No CDSCs or Payments to Brokers” above.

The Distributor will only pay service fees and will not pay any initial commission or other fees to dealers upon the sale of Class A shares to the purchasers described in sub-paragraphs (i) through (vii) above except that the Distributor will pay initial commissions to any dealer for sales to purchasers described under sub-paragraph (iii) above provided such dealer has a written agreement with the Distributor specifically providing for the payment of such initial commissions.

Notification of Distributor. In many cases, neither the Trust, PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds, Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust, the Distributor nor the Transfer Agent will have the information necessary to determine whether a quantity discount or reduced sales charge is applicable to a purchase. An investor or participating broker must notify the Distributor whenever a quantity discount or reduced sales charge is applicable to a purchase and must provide the Distributor with sufficient information at the time of purchase to verify that each purchase qualifies for the privilege or discount, including such information as is necessary to obtain any applicable “combined treatment” of an investor’s holdings in multiple accounts. Upon such notification, the investor will receive the lowest applicable sales charge. For investors investing in Class A shares through a financial intermediary, it is the responsibility of the financial intermediary to ensure that the investor obtains the proper quantity discount or reduced sales charge. The quantity discounts and commission schedules described above may be modified or terminated at any time.

Class A Deferred Sales Charge. For purchases of Class A shares of all Eligible Funds (except the California Short Duration Municipal Income, Floating Income, Government Money Market, Low Duration, Money Market, Short Duration Municipal Income, Short-Term and Treasury Money Market series of the PIMCO Funds), investors who purchase $1,000,000 or more of Class A shares (and, thus, purchase such shares without any initial sales charge) may be subject to a 1% CDSC if such shares are redeemed within 18 months of their purchase. Certain purchases of Class A shares of the California Short Duration Municipal Income, Floating Income, Low Duration, Short Duration Municipal Income and Short-Term series of the PIMCO Funds will be subject to a CDSC of 0.75% (for the Low Duration series) or 0.50% (for the California Short Duration Municipal Income, Floating Income, Short Duration Municipal Income and Short-Term series) if such shares are redeemed within 18 months after their purchase as described in the applicable PIMCO Funds prospectus. The CDSCs described in this paragraph are sometimes referred to as the “Class A CDSC.” The Class A CDSC does not apply to investors purchasing an Eligible Fund’s Class A shares if such investors are otherwise eligible to purchase Class A shares without any sales charge because they are described under “Sales at Net Asset Value” in this section above.

For purchases subject to the Class A CDSC, a CDSC will apply for any redemption of such Class A shares that occurs within 18 months of their purchase. No CDSC will be imposed if the shares redeemed have been acquired through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions or if the amount redeemed is derived from increases in the value of the account above the amount of purchase payments subject to the CDSC. In determining whether a CDSC is payable, it is assumed that the shareholder will redeem first the lot of Class A shares that will incur the lowest CDSC. Any CDSC imposed on a redemption of Class A shares is paid to the Distributor. The manner of calculating the CDSC on Class A shares is described below in this section under “Calculation of CDSCs.”

The Class A CDSC does not apply to Class A shares of the Government Money Market, Money Market and Treasury Money Market series of the PIMCO Funds. However, if Class A shares of these series of PIMCO Funds are purchased in a transaction that, for any other Fund, would be subject to the CDSC (i.e., a purchase of $1,000,000 or more ($249,999 or more in the case of the California Short Duration Municipal Income, Floating Income, Low Duration, Short Duration Municipal Income and Short-Term series)) and are subsequently exchanged for Class A shares of any other Eligible Fund, a Class A CDSC will apply to the shares of the Eligible Fund(s) acquired by exchange for a period of 18 months from the date of the exchange.

 

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The Class A CDSC is currently waived in connection with certain redemptions as described in this section above under “Alternative Purchase Arrangements—Waiver of Contingent Deferred Sales Charges.” For more information about the Class A CDSC, call the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107.

For Class A shares outstanding for 18 months or more, the Distributor may also pay participating brokers annual servicing fees of 0.25% (0.10% for the Government Money Market, Money Market and Treasury Money Market series of the PIMCO Funds) of the net asset value of such shares.

Calculation of CDSCs. A CDSC may be imposed on Class A and Class C shares under certain circumstances. A CDSC is imposed on shares redeemed within a certain period after their purchase. When shares are redeemed, any shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions will be redeemed first and will not be subject to any CDSC. For redemption of all other shares, the CDSC will be based on either the shareholder’s original per share purchase price or the then current net asset value of the shares being sold, whichever is lower. CDSCs will be deducted from the proceeds of the shareholder’s redemption, not from the amounts remaining in the shareholder’s account. In determining whether a CDSC is payable, it is assumed that the shareholder will redeem first the lot of shares that will incur the lowest CDSC.

Whether a CDSC is imposed and the amount of the CDSC will depend on the number of years since the investor purchased the shares being redeemed. See the Fund’s prospectus for information about any applicable CDSCs.

Asset-Based Sales Charge Alternative – Class C Shares. Class C shares are sold at their current net asset value without any initial sales charge. A CDSC is imposed if an investor redeems Class C shares within a certain time period after their purchase. When shares are redeemed, any shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions will be redeemed first and will not be subject to any CDSC. For the redemption of all other shares, the CDSC will be based on either the shareholder’s original per-share purchase price or the then current net asset value of the shares being sold, whichever is lower. CDSCs will be deducted from the proceeds of the shareholder’s redemption, not from the amounts remaining in the shareholder’s account. In determining whether a CDSC is payable, it is assumed that the shareholder will redeem first the lot of shares that will incur the lowest CDSC. All of an investor’s purchase payments are invested in shares of the Fund.

Whether a CDSC is imposed and the amount of the CDSC will depend on the number of years since the investor made a purchase payment from which an amount is being redeemed. Purchases are subject to a CDSC as described in the Fund’s prospectus.

Any CDSC imposed on a redemption of Class C shares is paid to the Distributor. For investors investing in Class C shares through a financial intermediary, it is the responsibility of the financial intermediary to ensure that the investor is credited with the proper holding period for the shares redeemed. Class C shares do not automatically convert to any other class of shares of the Fund.

The manner of calculating the CDSC on Class C shares is described above under “Calculation of CDSCs.” Except as described below, for sales of Class C shares made and services rendered to Class C shareholders, the Distributor expects to make payments to participating brokers, at the time the shareholder purchases Class C shares of the Fund. For sales of Class C shares made to participants making periodic purchases of not less than $50 through certain employer sponsored savings plans that are clients of a broker-dealer with which the Distributor has an agreement with respect to such purchases, no payments are made at the time of purchase. Financial intermediaries that receive distribution and/or service fees may in turn pay and/or reimburse all or a portion of these fees to their customers. During such periods as may from time to time be designated by the Distributor, the Distributor will pay an additional amount of up to 0.50% of the purchase price on sales of Class C shares of the Fund purchased to each participating broker that obtains purchase orders in amounts exceeding thresholds established from time to time by the Distributor.

In addition, after the time of shareholder purchase for sales of Class C shares made and services rendered to Class C shareholders, the Distributor expects to make annual payments to participating brokers.

The Class C CDSC is currently waived in connection with certain redemptions as described in this section above under “Alternative Purchase Arrangements—Waiver of Contingent Deferred Sales Charges.” For more information about the Class C CDSC, contact the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107.

 

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No Sales Charge Alternative – Class R Shares. Class R shares are sold at their current net asset value without any initial sales charge. The full amount of the investor’s purchase payment will be invested in shares of the Fund. Class R shares are not subject to a CDSC upon redemption by an investor. For sales of Class R shares made and services rendered to Class R shareholders, the Distributor expects to make payments to participating brokers and, with respect to servicing fees, other financial intermediaries (which may include specified benefit plans, their service providers and their sponsors), at the time the shareholder purchases Class R shares, of up to 0.50% (representing up to 0.25% distribution fees and up to 0.25% servicing fees) of the purchase.

Additional Information About Brokers and Financial Intermediaries. Brokers and other financial intermediaries provide varying arrangements for their clients to purchase and redeem Fund shares. Some may establish higher minimum investment requirements than set forth above. Firms may arrange with their clients for other investment or administrative services and may independently establish and charge transaction fees and/or other additional amounts to their clients for such services, which charges would reduce clients’ return. Firms also may hold Fund shares in nominee or street name as agent for and on behalf of their customers. In such instances, the Trust’s Transfer Agent will have no information with respect to or control over accounts of specific shareholders. Such shareholders may obtain access to their accounts and information about their accounts only from their broker. In addition, certain privileges with respect to the purchase and redemption of shares or the reinvestment of dividends may not be available through such firms. Some firms may participate in a program allowing them access to their clients’ accounts for servicing including, without limitation, transfers of registration and dividend payee changes; and may perform functions such as generation of confirmation statements and disbursement of cash dividends.

Exchange Privilege—Class A, Class C and Class R Shares. Except with respect to exchanges for shares of the Fund for which sales may be suspended to new investors or as provided in the Fund’s prospectus or in this Statement of Additional Information, a shareholder may exchange Class A, Class C and Class R shares of the Fund for the same Class of shares of any series of the PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds or Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust, as permitted, in an account with identical registration on the basis of their respective net asset values. For Class R shares, specified benefit plans may also limit exchanges to the series of the PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds or Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust offered as investment options in the plan and exchanges may only be made through the plan administrator. Shares of one Class of the Fund may be exchanged directly for shares of another Class of the Fund, as described (and subject to the conditions and restrictions set forth) in this section under “Distribution of Trust Shares—Purchases, Exchanges and Redemptions.” There are currently no other exchange fees or charges. Exchanges are subject to any minimum initial purchase requirements for each share class of the Fund, except with respect to exchanges effected through the Trust’s Auto-Exchange plan. An exchange will constitute a taxable sale for federal income tax purposes.

Investors who maintain their account with the Distributor may exchange shares by a written exchange request sent to Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC, P.O. Box 8050, Boston, MA 02266-8050 or, unless the investor has specifically declined telephone exchange privileges on the account application or elected in writing not to utilize telephone exchanges, by a telephone request to the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107. The Trust will employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine, and may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent instructions if it fails to employ such procedures. The Trust will require a form of personal identification prior to acting on a caller’s telephone instructions, will provide written confirmations of such transactions and will record telephone instructions. Exchange forms are available from the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107 and may be used if there will be no change in the registered name or address of the shareholder. Changes in registration information or account privileges may be made in writing to the Transfer Agent, [    ], at Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC, P.O. Box 8050, Boston, MA 02266-8050 or by use of forms that are available from the Distributor. A signature guarantee is required. See “Signature Guarantee” in this section. Telephone exchanges may be made between 9:00 a.m., Eastern time and the close of regular trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on the New York Stock Exchange on any day the Exchange is open (generally weekdays other than normal holidays).

The Trust reserves the right to refuse exchange purchases (or purchase and redemption and/or redemption and purchase transactions) if, in the judgment of PIMCO, such transaction would adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders. In particular, a pattern of transactions characteristic of “market timing” strategies may be deemed by PIMCO to be detrimental to the Trust or the Fund. Although the Trust has no current intention of terminating or modifying the exchange privilege, it reserves the right to do so at any time. Except as otherwise permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Trust will give 60 days’ advance notice to shareholders of any termination or material modification of the exchange privilege. Because the Fund will not always be able to detect market timing activity, investors should not assume that the Fund will be able to detect or prevent all market timing or other trading practices that may disadvantage the Fund. For example, it is more difficult for the Fund to monitor trades that are placed by omnibus or other nominee accounts because the broker, retirement plan administrator, fee-based program sponsor or other financial intermediary maintains the record of the Fund’s underlying beneficial owners. For further information about exchange privileges, contact the participating broker or call the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107.

 

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With respect to Class C shares or Class A shares subject to a CDSC, if less than all of an investment is exchanged out of the Fund, any portion of the investment exchanged will be from the lot of shares that would incur the lowest CDSC if such shares were being redeemed rather than exchanged.

Except as otherwise disclosed in the applicable prospectus(es), shares that are received in an exchange will be subject to the same CDSC as the shares exchanged. For example, Class C shares that have a twelve-month CDSC period received in exchange for Class C shares that have an eighteen-month CDSC period will have the same CDSC period as the shares exchanged (in this case, eighteen months).

Shareholders should take into account the effect of any exchange on the applicability of any CDSC that may be imposed upon any subsequent redemption.

Investors may also select the Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Auto-Exchange plan, which establishes automatic periodic exchanges. For further information on automatic exchanges see “How to Buy Shares—Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Auto-Exchange” in this section above.

Redemptions of Class A, Class C and Class R Shares. Class A, Class C or Class R shares may be redeemed through a participating broker, by telephone, by submitting a written redemption request directly to the Transfer Agent (for non-broker accounts) or through an Automatic Withdrawal Plan or Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Fund Link, if available. Class R shares may be redeemed only through the plan administrator, and not directly by the plan participant.

A CDSC may apply to a redemption of Class A or Class C shares. See “Alternative Purchase Arrangements” in this section above. Shares are redeemed at their net asset value next determined after a redemption request has been received as described below, less any applicable CDSC. There is no charge by the Distributor (other than an applicable CDSC) with respect to a redemption; however, a participating broker who processes a redemption for an investor may charge customary commissions for its services (which may vary). Dealers and other financial services firms are obligated to transmit orders promptly. Requests for redemption received by dealers or other firms prior to the close of regular trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on the New York Stock Exchange on a regular business day and received by the Distributor prior to the close of the Distributor’s business day will be confirmed at the net asset value effective at the closing of the Exchange on that day, less any applicable CDSC.

Other than an applicable CDSC, a shareholder will not pay any special fees or charges to the Trust or the Distributor when the shareholder sells shares. However, if a shareholder sells shares through a broker, dealer or other financial intermediary, that firm may charge the shareholder a commission or other fee for processing the shareholder’s redemption request.

Redemptions of Fund shares may be suspended when trading on the New York Stock Exchange is restricted or during an emergency that makes it impracticable for the Fund to dispose of its securities or to determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other period as permitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission for the protection of investors. Under these and other unusual circumstances, the Trust may suspend redemptions or postpone payments for more than seven days, as permitted by law.

Direct Redemption. A shareholder’s original account application permits the shareholder to redeem by written request and by telephone (unless the shareholder specifically elects not to utilize telephone redemptions) and to elect one or more of the additional redemption procedures described below. A shareholder may change the instructions indicated on his original account application, or may request additional redemption options, only by transmitting a written direction to the Transfer Agent. Requests to institute or change any of the additional redemption procedures will require a signature guarantee.

Redemption proceeds will normally be mailed to the redeeming shareholder within seven days or, in the case of wire transfer or Fund Link redemptions, sent to the designated bank account within one business day. Fund Link redemptions may be received by the bank on the second or third business day. In cases where shares have recently been purchased by personal check, redemption proceeds may be withheld until the check has been collected, which may take up to 15 days. To avoid such withholding, investors should purchase shares by certified or bank check or by wire transfer.

 

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Written Requests. To redeem shares in writing (whether or not represented by certificates), a shareholder must send the following items to the Transfer Agent, [ ], at Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC, P.O. Box 8050, Boston, MA 02266-8050:

 

(1) a written request for redemption signed by all registered owners exactly as the account is registered on the Transfer Agent’s records, including fiduciary titles, if any, and specifying the account number and the dollar amount or number of shares to be redeemed;

 

(2) for certain redemptions described below, a guarantee of all signatures on the written request or on the share certificate or accompanying stock power, if required, as described in this section under “Signature Guarantee” in this section;

 

(3) any share certificates issued for any of the shares to be redeemed (see “Certificated Shares” in this section below); and

 

(4) any additional documents that may be required by the Transfer Agent for redemption by corporations, partnerships or other organizations, executors, administrators, trustees, custodians or guardians, or if the redemption is requested by anyone other than the shareholder(s) of record.

Transfers of shares are subject to the same requirements. A signature guarantee is not required for a redemption requested by and payable to all shareholders of record for the account that is to be sent to the address of record for that account. To avoid delay in redemption or transfer, shareholders having any questions about these requirements should contact the Transfer Agent in writing or call the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107 before submitting a request. Redemption or transfer requests will not be honored until all required documents have been completed by the shareholder and received by the Transfer Agent. This redemption option does not apply to shares held in broker “street name” accounts. Shareholders whose shares are held in broker “street name” accounts must redeem through their broker. Plan participants must redeem through their plan administrator.

If the proceeds of the redemption (i) are to be paid to a person other than the record owner, (ii) are to be sent to an address other than the address of the account on the Transfer Agent’s records or (iii) are to be paid to a corporation, partnership, trust or fiduciary, the signature(s) on the redemption request and on the certificates, if any, or stock power must be guaranteed as described above, except that the Distributor may waive the signature guarantee requirement for redemptions up to $2,500 by a trustee of a qualified specified benefit plan, the administrator for which has an agreement with the Distributor.

Telephone Redemptions. The Trust accepts telephone requests for redemption of uncertificated shares, except for investors who have specifically declined telephone redemption privileges on the account application or elected in writing not to utilize telephone redemptions. The proceeds of a telephone redemption will be sent to the record shareholder at his record address. Changes in account information must be made in a written authorization with a signature guarantee. See “Signature Guarantee” in this section. Telephone redemptions will not be accepted during the 30-day period following any change in an account’s record address. This redemption option does not apply to shares held in broker “street name” accounts. Shareholders whose shares are held in broker “street name” accounts must redeem through their broker. Plan participants must redeem through their plan administrator.

By completing an account application, an investor agrees that the Trust, the Distributor and the Transfer Agent shall not be liable for any loss incurred by the investor by reason of the Trust accepting unauthorized telephone redemption requests for his account if the Trust reasonably believes the instructions to be genuine. Thus, shareholders risk possible losses in the event of a telephone redemption not authorized by them. The Trust may accept telephone redemption instructions from any person identifying himself as the owner of an account or the owner’s broker where the owner has not declined in writing to utilize this service. The Trust will employ reasonable procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone are genuine, and may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent instructions if it fails to employ such procedures. The Trust will require a form of personal identification prior to acting on a caller’s telephone instructions, will provide written confirmations of such transactions and will record telephone instructions.

A shareholder making a telephone redemption should call the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107 and state (i) the name of the shareholder as it appears on the Transfer Agent’s records, (ii) his account number with the Trust, (iii) the amount to be withdrawn and (iv) the name of the person requesting the redemption. Usually the proceeds are sent to the investor on the next Trust business day after the redemption is effected, provided the redemption request is received prior to the close of regular trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on the New York Stock Exchange that day. If the redemption request is

 

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received after the close of the New York Stock Exchange, the redemption is effected on the following Trust business day at that day’s net asset value and the proceeds are usually sent to the investor on the second following Trust business day. The Trust reserves the right to terminate or modify the telephone redemption service at any time. During times of severe disruptions in the securities markets, the volume of calls may make it difficult to redeem by telephone, in which case a shareholder may wish to send a written request for redemption as described under “Written Requests” in this section above. Telephone communications may be recorded by the Distributor or the Transfer Agent.

Fund Link Redemptions. If a shareholder has established Fund Link, the shareholder may redeem shares by telephone and have the redemption proceeds sent to a designated account at a financial institution. Fund Link is normally established within 45 days of receipt of a Fund Link application by the Transfer Agent. To use Fund Link for redemptions, call the Distributor at 1-800-426-0107. Subject to the limitations set forth in this section above under “Telephone Redemptions,” the Distributor, the Trust and the Transfer Agent may rely on instructions by any registered owner believed to be genuine and will not be responsible to any shareholder for any loss, damage or expense arising out of such instructions. Requests received by the Transfer Agent prior to the close of regular trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on the New York Stock Exchange on a business day will be processed at the net asset value on that day and the proceeds (less any CDSC) will normally be sent to the designated bank account on the following business day and received by the bank on the second or third business day. If the redemption request is received after the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the redemption is effected on the following business day. Shares purchased by check may not be redeemed through Fund Link until such shares have been owned (i.e., paid for) for at least 15 days. Fund Link may not be used to redeem shares held in certificated form.

Changes in bank account information must be made by completing a new Fund Link application, signed by all owners of record of the account, with all signatures guaranteed. See “Signature Guarantee” in this section. See “Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Fund Link” for information on establishing the Fund Link privilege. The Trust, PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds or Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust may terminate the Fund Link program at any time without notice to its shareholders. This redemption option does not apply to shares held in broker “street name” accounts. Shareholders whose shares are held in broker “street name” accounts must redeem through their broker. Plan participants must redeem through their plan administrator. Fund Link may not be available to all funds and/or share classes at the option of the Distributor.

Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Automated Telephone System. Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Automated Telephone System (“ATS”) is an automated telephone system that enables shareholders to perform a number of account transactions automatically using a touch-tone telephone. ATS may be used on already-established Fund accounts after the shareholder obtains a Personal Identification Number (PIN) by calling the special ATS number: 1-800-223-2413.

Purchasing Shares. A shareholder may purchase shares by telephone by calling 1-800-223-2413. A shareholder must have established ATS privileges to link the shareholder’s bank account with the Fund to pay for these purchases.

Exchanging Shares. With the Allianz Funds and PIMCO Funds Exchange Privilege, a shareholder can exchange shares automatically by telephone from the shareholder’s Fund Link Account to another Trust, PIMCO Funds, Allianz Funds or Allianz Funds Multi-Strategy Trust account the shareholder has already established by calling 1-800-223-2413. Please refer to “Exchange Privilege” in this section for details.

Redemptions. A shareholder may redeem shares by telephone automatically by calling 1-800-223-2413 and the Fund will send the proceeds directly to the shareholder’s Fund bank account. Please refer to “How to Redeem” in this section for details. Plan participants must process their transactions through their plan administrator, and may not use ATS.

Expedited Wire Transfer Redemptions. If a shareholder has given authorization for expedited wire redemption, shares can be redeemed and the proceeds sent by federal wire transfer to a single previously designated bank account. Requests received by the Trust prior to the close of the New York Stock Exchange will result in shares being redeemed that day at the next determined net asset value (less any CDSC, if applicable). Normally the proceeds will be sent to the designated bank account the following business day. The bank must be a member of the Federal Reserve wire system. Delivery of the proceeds of a wire redemption request may be delayed by the Trust for up to seven days if the Distributor deems it appropriate under then current market conditions. Once authorization is on file with the Trust, the Trust will honor requests by any person identifying himself as the owner of an account or the owner’s broker by telephone at 1-800-426-0107 or by written instructions. The Trust cannot be responsible for the efficiency of the Federal Reserve wire system or the shareholder’s bank. The Trust does not currently charge for wire transfers. The shareholder is responsible for any charges imposed by the shareholder’s bank. The minimum amount that may be wired is $2,500. The Trust reserves the right to change this minimum or to terminate the wire redemption privilege. Shares purchased by check may not be redeemed by wire

 

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transfer until such shares have been owned (i.e., paid for) for at least 15 days. Expedited wire transfer redemptions may be authorized by completing a form available from the Distributor. Wire redemptions may not be used to redeem shares in certificated form. To change the name of the single bank account designated to receive wire redemption proceeds, it is necessary to send a written request with signatures guaranteed to Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC, P.O. Box 8050, Boston, MA 02266-8050. See “Signature Guarantee” in this section. This redemption option does not apply to shares held in broker “street name” accounts. Shareholders whose shares are held in broker “street name” accounts must redeem through their broker. Plan participants must redeem through their plan administrator.

Certificated Shares. To redeem shares for which certificates have been issued, the certificates must be mailed to or deposited with the Trust, duly endorsed or accompanied by a duly endorsed stock power or by a written request for redemption. Signatures must be guaranteed as described under “Signature Guarantee” in this section. Further documentation may be requested from institutions or fiduciary accounts, such as corporations, custodians (e.g., under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act), executors, administrators, trustees or guardians (“institutional account owners”). The redemption request and stock power must be signed exactly as the account is registered, including indication of any special capacity of the registered owner.

Automatic Withdrawal Plan. An investor who owns or buys shares of the Fund having a net asset value of $10,000 or more may open an Automatic Withdrawal Plan and have a designated sum of money paid monthly (or quarterly) to the investor or another person. Such a plan may be established by completing the appropriate section of the account application or by obtaining an Automatic Withdrawal Plan application from the Distributor or the broker. If an Automatic Withdrawal Plan is set up after the account is established providing for payment to a person other than the record shareholder or to an address other than the address of record, a signature guarantee is required. See “Signature Guarantee” in this section. In the case of Uniform Gifts to Minors or Uniform Transfers to Minors accounts, the application must state that the proceeds will be for the beneficial interest of the minor. Class A and Class C shares of the Fund are deposited in a plan account and all distributions are reinvested in additional shares of the particular class of the Fund at net asset value. Shares in a plan account are then redeemed at net asset value (less any applicable CDSC) to make each withdrawal payment. Any applicable CDSC may be waived for certain redemptions under an Automatic Withdrawal Plan. See “Alternative Purchase Arrangements—Waiver of Contingent Deferred Sales Charges” in this section above.

Redemptions for the purpose of withdrawals are ordinarily made on the business day selected by the investor at that day’s closing net asset value. Checks are normally mailed on the following business day. If the date selected by the investor falls on a weekend or holiday, the Transfer Agent will normally process the redemption on the preceding business day. Payment will be made to any person the investor designates; however, if the shares are registered in the name of a trustee or other fiduciary, payment will be made only to the fiduciary, except in the case of a profit-sharing or pension plan where payment will be made to the designee. As withdrawal payments may include a return of principal, they cannot be considered a guaranteed annuity or actual yield of income to the investor. The redemption of shares in connection with an Automatic Withdrawal Plan may result in a gain or loss for tax purposes. Continued withdrawals in excess of income will reduce and possibly exhaust invested principal, especially in the event of a market decline. The maintenance of an Automatic Withdrawal Plan concurrently with purchases of additional shares of the Fund would be disadvantageous to the investor because of the CDSC that may become payable on such withdrawals in the case of Class A or Class C shares and because of the initial sales charge in the case of Class A shares. For this reason, the minimum investment accepted for the Fund while an Automatic Withdrawal Plan is in effect for that Fund is $1,000, and an investor may not maintain a plan for the accumulation of shares of the Fund (other than through reinvestment of distributions) and an Automatic Withdrawal Plan at the same time. The Trust or the Distributor may terminate or change the terms of the Automatic Withdrawal Plan at any time.

Because the Automatic Withdrawal Plan may involve invasion of capital, investors should consider carefully with their own financial advisers whether the plan and the specified amounts to be withdrawn are appropriate in their circumstances. The Trust and the Distributor make no recommendations or representations in this regard.

Additional Information About the Shares

Independent financial intermediaries unaffiliated with PIMCO may perform shareholder servicing functions with respect to certain of their clients whose assets may be invested in the Fund. These services, normally provided by PIMCO directly to Trust shareholders, may include the provision of ongoing information concerning the Fund and its investment performance, responding to shareholder inquiries, assisting with purchases, redemptions and exchanges of Trust shares, and other services. PIMCO may pay fees to such entities for the provision of these services which PIMCO normally would perform, out of PIMCO’s own resources.

 

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From time to time, PIMCO may pay or reimburse broker-dealers, banks, recordkeepers or other financial institutions for PIMCO’s attendance at investment forums sponsored by such firms, or PIMCO may co-sponsor such investment forums with such financial institutions. Payments and reimbursements for such activities are made out of PIMCO’s own assets and at no cost to the Fund. These payments and reimbursements may be made from profits received by PIMCO from advisory fees and supervisory and administrative fees paid to PIMCO by the Trust. Such activities may provide incentives to financial institutions to sell shares of the Fund. Additionally, these activities may give PIMCO additional access to sales representatives of such financial institutions, which may increase sales of Fund shares.

Request for Multiple Copies of Shareholder Documents

To reduce expenses, it is intended that only one copy of the Fund’s Prospectuses and each annual and semi-annual report will be mailed to those addresses shared by two or more accounts. If you wish to receive individual copies of these documents and your shares are held directly with the Trust, call the Trust at 1-800-426-0107. Alternatively, if your shares are held through a financial institution, please contact it directly. Within 30 days after receipt of your request by the Trust, the Trust will begin sending you individual copies.

PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE

Investment Decisions and Portfolio Transactions

Investment decisions for the Trust and for the other investment advisory clients of PIMCO are made with a view to achieving their respective investment objectives. Investment decisions are the product of many factors in addition to basic suitability for the particular client involved (including the Trust). Some securities considered for investments by the Fund also may be appropriate for other clients served by PIMCO. Thus, a particular security may be bought or sold for certain clients even though it could have been bought or sold for other clients at the same time, including accounts in which PIMCO, its officers or employees may have a financial interest. If a purchase or sale of securities consistent with the investment policies of the Fund and one or more of these clients served by PIMCO is considered at or about the same time, transactions in such securities will be allocated among the Fund and other clients pursuant to PIMCO’s trade allocation policy that is designed to ensure that all accounts, including the Fund, are treated fairly, equitably, and in a non-preferential manner, such that allocations are not based upon fee structure or portfolio manager preference.

PIMCO may acquire on behalf of its clients (including the Trust) securities or other financial instruments providing exposure to different aspects of the capital and debt structure of an issuer, including without limitation those that relate to senior and junior/subordinate obligations of such issuer. In certain circumstances, the interests of those clients exposed to one portion of the issuer’s capital and debt structure may diverge from those clients exposed to a different portion of the issuer’s capital and debt structure. PIMCO may advise some clients or take actions for them in their best interests with respect to their exposures to an issuer’s capital and debt structure that may diverge from the interests of other clients with different exposures to the same issuer’s capital and debt structure.

PIMCO may aggregate orders for the Fund with simultaneous transactions entered into on behalf of other clients of PIMCO when, in PIMCO’s reasonable judgment, aggregation may result in an overall economic benefit to the Fund and other clients in terms of pricing, brokerage commissions or other expenses. When feasible, PIMCO allocates trades prior to execution. When pre-execution allocation is not feasible, PIMCO promptly allocates trades following established and objective procedures. Allocations generally are made at or about the time of execution and before the end of the trading day. As a result, one account may receive a price for a particular transaction that is different from the price received by another account for a similar transaction on the same day. In general, trades are allocated among portfolio managers on a pro rata basis (to the extent a portfolio manager decides to participate fully in the trade), for further allocation by each portfolio manager among that manager’s eligible accounts. In allocating trades among accounts, portfolio managers generally consider a number of factors, including, but not limited to, each account’s deviation (in terms of risk exposure and/or performance characteristics) from a relevant model portfolio, each account’s investment objectives, restrictions and guidelines, its risk exposure, its available cash, and its existing holdings of similar securities. Once trades are allocated, they may be reallocated only in unusual circumstances due to recognition of specific account restrictions.

In some cases, PIMCO may sell a security on behalf of a client, including the Fund, to a broker-dealer that thereafter may be purchased for the accounts of one or more of PIMCO’s other clients, including the Fund, from that or another broker-dealer. PIMCO has adopted procedures it believes are reasonably designed to obtain the best execution for the transactions by each account.

 

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Brokerage and Research Services

PIMCO places all orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities, options and futures contracts for the Fund and buys and sells such securities, options and futures for the Trust through a substantial number of brokers and dealers. In so doing, PIMCO uses its best efforts to obtain for the Trust the best execution available. In seeking best execution, PIMCO, having in mind the Trust’s best interests, considers all factors it deems relevant, including, by way of illustration, price, the size of the transaction, the nature of the market for the security, the amount of the commission, the timing of the transaction taking into account market prices and trends, the reputation, experience and financial stability of the broker-dealer involved and the quality of service rendered by the broker-dealer in other transactions. Changes in the aggregate amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund from year-to-year may be attributable to changes in the asset size of the Fund, the volume of portfolio transactions effected by the Fund, the types of instruments in which the Fund invests, or the rates negotiated by PIMCO on behalf of the Fund.

PIMCO places orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio investments for the Fund’s accounts with brokers or dealers selected by it in its discretion. In effecting purchases and sales of portfolio securities for the account of the Fund, PIMCO will seek the best execution of the Fund’s orders. In doing so, the Fund may pay higher commission rates than the lowest available when PIMCO believes it is reasonable to do so in light of the value of the brokerage and research services provided by the broker effecting the transaction, as discussed below. Although the Trust may use broker-dealers that sell Fund shares to effect the Trust’s portfolio transactions, the Trust and PIMCO will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when selecting broker-dealers to execute those transactions.

There is generally no stated commission in the case of fixed income securities, which are traded in the over-the-counter markets, but the price paid by the Trust usually includes an undisclosed dealer commission or mark-up. In underwritten offerings, the price paid by the Trust includes a disclosed, fixed commission or discount retained by the underwriter or dealer. Transactions on U.S. stock exchanges and other agency transactions involve the payment by the Trust of negotiated brokerage commissions. Such commissions vary among different brokers. Also, a particular broker may charge different commissions according to such factors as the difficulty and size of the transaction. Transactions in foreign securities generally involve the payment of fixed brokerage commissions, which are generally higher than those in the United States.

It has for many years been a common practice in the investment advisory business for advisers of investment companies and other institutional investors to receive research services from broker-dealers which execute portfolio transactions for the clients of such advisers. Consistent with this practice, PIMCO may receive research services from many broker-dealers with which PIMCO places the Trust’s portfolio transactions. PIMCO also may receive research or research related credits from brokers which are generated from underwriting commissions when purchasing new issues of fixed income securities or other assets for the Fund. These services, which in some cases also may be purchased for cash, include such matters as general economic and security market reviews, industry and company reviews, evaluations of securities and recommendations as to the purchase and sale of securities. Such information may be provided in the form of meetings with analysts, telephone contacts and written materials. Some of these services are of value to PIMCO in advising various of its clients (including the Trust), although not all of these services are necessarily useful and of value in managing the Trust. The management fee paid by the Trust would not be reduced in the event that PIMCO and its affiliates received such services. Although PIMCO considers the research products and services it receives from broker-dealers to be supplemental to its own internal research, PIMCO would likely incur additional costs if it had to generate these research products and services through its own efforts or if it paid for these products or services itself.

As permitted by Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act, PIMCO may cause the Trust to pay a broker-dealer which provides “brokerage and research services” (as defined in the 1934 Act) to PIMCO an amount of disclosed commission or spread for effecting a securities transaction for the Trust in excess of the commission or spread which another broker-dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction.

As noted above, PIMCO may purchase new issues of securities for the Trust in underwritten fixed price offerings. In these situations, the underwriter or selling group member may provide PIMCO with research in addition to selling the securities (at the fixed public offering price) to the Trust or other advisory clients. Because the offerings are conducted at a fixed price, the ability to obtain research from a broker-dealer in this situation provides knowledge that may benefit the Trust, other PIMCO clients, and PIMCO without incurring additional costs. These arrangements may not fall within the safe harbor of Section 28(e) because the broker-dealer is considered to be acting in a principal capacity in underwritten transactions. However, FINRA has adopted rules expressly permitting broker-dealers to provide bona fide research to advisers in connection with fixed price offerings under certain circumstances. As a general matter in these situations, the underwriter or selling group member will provide research credits at a rate that is higher than that which is available for secondary market transactions.

 

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PIMCO may place orders for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities with a broker-dealer that is affiliated to PIMCO where, in PIMCO’s judgment, such firm will be able to obtain a price and execution at least as favorable as other qualified broker-dealers.

Pursuant to applicable sections under the 1940 Act, a broker-dealer that is an affiliate of the Adviser may receive and retain compensation for effecting portfolio transactions for the Fund if the commissions paid to such an affiliated broker-dealer by the Fund do not exceed one per centum of the purchase or sale price of such securities.

SEC rules further require that commissions paid to such an affiliated broker-dealer, or PIMCO by the Fund on exchange transactions not exceed “usual and customary brokerage commissions.” The rules define “usual and customary” commissions to include amounts that are “reasonable and fair compared to the commission, fee or other remuneration received or to be received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on a securities exchange during a comparable period of time.”

Portfolio Turnover

A change in the securities held by the Fund is known as “portfolio turnover.” PIMCO manages the Fund without regard generally to restrictions on portfolio turnover. See “Taxation” below. Trading in equity securities involves the payment of brokerage commissions, which are transaction costs paid by the Fund. Trading in fixed income securities does not generally involve the payment of brokerage commissions, but does involve indirect transaction costs. The use of futures contracts may involve the payment of commissions to futures commission merchants. High portfolio turnover (e.g., greater than 100%) involves correspondingly greater expenses to the Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestments in other securities. The higher the rate of portfolio turnover of the Fund, the higher these transaction costs borne by the Fund generally will be. Such sales may result in realization of taxable capital gains (including short-term capital gains which are generally taxed to shareholders at ordinary income tax rates).

The portfolio turnover rate of the Fund is calculated by dividing (a) the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio securities for the particular fiscal year by (b) the monthly average of the value of the portfolio securities owned by the Fund during the particular fiscal year. In calculating the rate of portfolio turnover, there is excluded from both (a) and (b) all securities, including options, whose maturities or expiration dates at the time of acquisition were one year or less. Proceeds from short sales and assets used to cover short positions undertaken are included in the amounts of securities sold and purchased, respectively, during the year.

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

Policies and Procedures Generally. The Trust has adopted portfolio holdings disclosure policies and procedures to govern the disclosure of the securities holdings of the Fund (the “Disclosure Policy”). The Disclosure Policy is designed to protect the confidentiality of the Fund’s non-public portfolio holdings information, to prevent the selective disclosure of such information, and to ensure compliance by PIMCO and the Fund with the federal securities laws, including the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder and general principles of fiduciary duty.

Monitoring and Oversight. The Trust’s Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) is responsible for ensuring that PIMCO has adopted and implemented policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure compliance with the Disclosure Policy and, to the extent the CCO considers necessary, the CCO shall monitor PIMCO’s compliance with its policies and procedures.

Any exceptions to the Disclosure Policy may be made only if approved by the Trust’s CCO upon determining that the exception is in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. The CCO must report any exceptions made to the Disclosure Policy to the Trust’s Board of Trustees at its next regularly scheduled meeting.

Quarterly Disclosure. The Fund will publicly disclose the complete schedule of the Fund’s holdings, as reported on a fiscal quarter-end basis, by making the information publicly available in a manner consistent with requirements established by the SEC. You may view the Fund’s complete schedule of portfolio holdings for the most recently completed quarter online at http://www.pimco.com, or obtain a copy of the schedule by calling PIMCO at 1-866-746-2606. This information will be available no earlier than the day on which it is transmitted to shareholders in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports, or filed with the SEC on Form N-Q, which will occur on or about the sixtieth day after a fiscal quarter’s end.

 

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Once it begins operations, the Fund will file its complete schedules of securities holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The Fund’s Forms N-Q will be available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov and may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-202-551-8090.

Defaulted/Distressed Securities. PIMCO may, in its discretion, publicly disclose portfolio holdings information at any time with respect to securities held by the Fund that are in default or experiencing a negative credit event. Any such disclosure will be broadly disseminated via PIMCO’s website at http://www.pimco.com, the Distributor’s website at http://www.allianzinvestors.com, or by similar means.

Confidential Dissemination of Portfolio Holdings Information. No disclosure of non-public portfolio holdings information may be made to any unaffiliated third party except as set forth in this section. This prohibition does not apply to information sharing with the Fund’s service providers, such as the Fund’s investment adviser, distributor, custodian, transfer agent, administrator, sub-administrator (if any), accountant, counsel, securities class action claims services administrator, financial printer, proxy voting agent, lender and other select third party service providers (collectively, the “Service Providers”), who generally need access to such information in the performance of their contractual duties and responsibilities. Such Service Providers are subject to duties of confidentiality, including a duty not to trade on non-public information, imposed by law and/or contract.

The Fund or PIMCO may, to the extent permitted under applicable law, distribute non-public information regarding the Fund, including portfolio holdings information, more frequently to certain third parties, such as mutual fund analysts and rating and ranking organizations (e.g., Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s, Fitch, Morningstar and Lipper Analytical Services, etc.), pricing information vendors, analytical service providers (e.g., Abel/Noser Corp., FT Interactive Data, etc.) and potential Service Providers that have a legitimate business purpose in receiving such information. The distribution of non-public information must be authorized by an officer of the Trust or PIMCO after determining the requested disclosure is in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders and after consulting with and receiving approval from PIMCO’s legal department. Any recipient of non-public information will be subject to a confidentiality agreement that contains, at a minimum, provisions specifying that: (1) the Fund’s non-public information provided is the confidential property of the Fund and may not be used for any purpose except in connection with the provision of services to the Fund and, in particular, that such information may not be traded upon; (2) the recipient of the non-public information agrees to limit access to the information to its employees and agents who are subject to a duty to keep and treat such information as confidential; and (3) upon written request from the Fund or PIMCO, the recipient of the non-public information shall promptly return or destroy the information, except as otherwise required by applicable law or such recipient’s record retention policies and procedures. Neither the Fund nor PIMCO may receive compensation or consideration in connection with the distribution of non-public portfolio holdings information.

Non-Specific Information. Under the Disclosure Policy, the Fund or PIMCO may distribute non-specific information about the Fund and/or summary information about the Fund at any time. Such information will not identify any specific portfolio holding, but may reflect, among other things, the quality or character of the Fund’s holdings.

Large Trade Notifications

The Fund or its agent may from time to time receive notice that a current or prospective shareholder will place, or that a financial intermediary has received, an order for a large trade in the Fund’s shares. The Fund may determine to enter into portfolio transactions in anticipation of that order, even though the order will not be placed or processed until the following business day, as applicable. This practice provides for a closer correlation between the time shareholders place trade orders and the time the Fund enters into portfolio transactions based on those orders, and permits the Fund to be more fully invested in investment securities, in the case of purchase orders, and to more orderly liquidate its investment positions, in the case of redemption orders. On the other hand, the current or prospective shareholder or financial intermediary, as applicable, may not ultimately place or process the order. In this case, the Fund may be required to borrow assets to settle the portfolio transactions entered into in anticipation of that order, and would therefore incur borrowing costs. The Fund may also suffer investment losses on those portfolio transactions. Conversely, the Fund would benefit from any earnings and investment gains resulting from such portfolio transactions.

 

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NET ASSET VALUE

Net asset value is determined as indicated under “How Fund Shares are Priced” in the Prospectuses. The Fund’s net asset value will not be determined on the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

The Fund’s portfolio securities and other assets for which market quotations are readily available are valued at market value. Market value is determined on the basis of last reported sales prices, or if no sales are reported, as is the case for most securities traded over-the-counter, at the mean between representative bid and asked quotations obtained from a quotation reporting system, established market makers or independent pricing services. For NASDAQ traded securities, market value also may be determined on the basis of the NASDAQ Official Closing Price instead of the last reported sales price. Fixed income securities, including those to be purchased under firm commitment agreements (other than obligations having a maturity of 60 days or less), are normally valued on the basis of quotes obtained from brokers and dealers or independent pricing services, which take into account appropriate factors such as institutional-sized trading in similar groups of securities, yield, quality, coupon rate, maturity, type of issue, trading characteristics, and other market data.

The Fund’s liabilities are allocated among its classes. The total of such liabilities allocated to a class plus that class’s distribution and/or servicing fees (if any) and any other expenses specially allocated to that class are then deducted from the class’s proportionate interest in the Fund’s assets, and the resulting amount for each class is divided by the number of shares of that class outstanding to produce the class’s “net asset value” per share. Under certain circumstances, the per share net asset value of certain shares of the Fund may be lower than the per share net asset value of other shares as a result of different daily expense accruals applicable to different share classes. Generally, when the Fund pays income dividends, those dividends are expected to differ over time by approximately the amount of the expense accrual differential between the Fund’s classes.

TAXATION

The following summarizes certain additional federal income tax considerations generally affecting the Fund and its shareholders. The discussion is for general information only and does not purport to consider all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that might be relevant to beneficial owners of shares of the Fund. The discussion is based upon current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, existing regulations promulgated thereunder, and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, all of which are subject to change, which change could be retroactive. The discussion applies only to beneficial owners of Fund shares in whose hands such shares are capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code, and may not apply to certain types of beneficial owners of shares (such as insurance companies, tax exempt organizations, and broker-dealers) who may be subject to special rules. Persons who may be subject to tax in more than one country should consult the provisions of any applicable tax treaty to determine the potential tax consequences to them. Prospective investors should consult their own tax advisers with regard to the federal tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of Fund shares, as well as the tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, foreign country, or other taxing jurisdiction. The discussion here and in the Prospectuses is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning.

The Fund intends to qualify annually and elect to be treated as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code. To qualify as a regulated investment company, the Fund generally must, among other things, (a) derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, net income from certain “qualified publicly traded partnerships,” or other income derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies (“Qualifying Income Test”); (b) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of the taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund’s assets is represented by cash, U.S. Government securities, the securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities, with such other securities of any one issuer limited for the purposes of this calculation to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of its total assets is invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government securities or the securities of other regulated investment companies), the securities of certain controlled issuers in the same or similar trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more “qualified publicly traded partnerships”; and (c) distribute each taxable year the sum of (i) at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains in excess of any net long-term capital losses) and (ii) 90% of its tax exempt interest, net of expenses allocable thereto. The Treasury Department is authorized to promulgate regulations under which gains from foreign currencies (and options, futures, and forward contracts on foreign currency) would constitute qualifying income for purposes of the Qualifying Income Test only if such gains are directly related to investing in securities. To date, such regulations have not been issued.

 

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If the Fund failed to qualify as a regulated investment company accorded special tax treatment in any taxable year, the Fund would be subject to tax on its taxable income at corporate rates, and all distributions from earnings and profits, including any distributions of net tax-exempt income and net long-term capital gains, would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. Some portions of such distributions may be eligible for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders and reduced rates of taxation on qualified dividend income in the case of individuals. In addition, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions before requalifying as a regulated investment company that is accorded special tax treatment.

As a regulated investment company, the Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its investment company taxable income and net capital gains (any net long-term capital gains in excess of the sum of net short-term capital losses and capital loss carryovers from prior years) designated by the Fund as capital gain dividends, if any, that it distributes to shareholders on a timely basis. The Fund intends to distribute to its shareholders, at least annually, all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net capital gains. In addition, amounts not distributed by the Fund on a timely basis in accordance with a calendar year distribution requirement are subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax. To avoid the tax, the Fund must distribute during each calendar year an amount equal to the sum of (1) at least 98% of its ordinary income (not taking into account any capital gains or losses) for the calendar year, (2) at least 98% of its capital gains in excess of its capital losses (and adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for the twelve month period ending on October 31, and (3) all ordinary income and capital gains for previous years that were not distributed during such years. A distribution will be treated as paid on December 31 of the calendar year if it is declared by the Fund in October, November, or December of that year to shareholders of record on a date in such a month and paid by the Fund during January of the following year. Such distributions will be taxable to shareholders (other than those not subject to federal income tax) in the calendar year in which the distributions are declared, rather than the calendar year in which the distributions are received. To avoid application of the excise tax, the Fund intends to make its distributions in accordance with the calendar year distribution requirement.

Distributions

In years when the Fund distributes amounts in excess of its earnings and profits, such distributions may be treated in part as a return of capital. A return of capital is not taxable to a shareholder and has the effect of reducing the shareholder’s basis in the shares. Although a portion of the dividends paid by the Fund may qualify for the deduction for dividends received by corporations and/or the reduced tax rate for individuals on certain dividends, it is not expected that any such portion would be significant. Further, the reduced rate for individuals on certain dividends is scheduled to expire after 2010. Dividends paid by the Fund generally are not expected to qualify for the deduction for dividends received by corporations and/or the reduced tax rate for individuals on certain dividends. Distributions of net capital gains, if any, designated as capital gain dividends, are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long the shareholder has held the Fund’s shares and are not eligible for the dividends received deduction. Any distributions that are not from the Fund’s investment company taxable income or net realized capital gains may be characterized as a return of capital to shareholders or, in some cases, as capital gain. The tax treatment of dividends and distributions will be the same whether a shareholder reinvests them in additional shares or elects to receive them in cash. The maximum tax on long-term capital gains is currently scheduled to increase from 15% to 20% in 2010.

Sales of Shares

Upon the disposition of shares of the Fund (whether by redemption, sale or exchange), a shareholder may realize a gain or loss. Such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss if the shares are capital assets in the shareholder’s hands, and will be long-term or short-term generally depending upon the shareholder’s holding period for the shares. Any loss realized on a disposition will be disallowed to the extent the shares disposed of are replaced within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the shares are disposed of. In such a case, the basis of the shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss realized by a shareholder on a disposition of shares held by the shareholder for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions of capital gain dividends received by the shareholder with respect to such shares. If the Fund redeems a shareholder in-kind rather than in cash, the shareholder would realize the same gain or loss as if the shareholder had been redeemed in cash. Further, the shareholder’s basis in the securities received in the in-kind redemption would be the securities’ fair market value on the date of the in-kind redemption.

Potential Pass-Through of Tax Credits

If the Fund invests in Build America Bonds, created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, or any other qualified tax credit bonds, the investment will result in taxable income to the Fund. The Fund may elect to pass through to shareholders the applicable interest income and available tax credits, in which case shareholders will be required to report both the interest income and tax credits as taxable income. Shareholders may be able to claim the tax credits on their federal tax returns against their income tax, including alternative minimum tax, liability. However, such tax credits are generally not refundable. There is no assurance that the Fund will elect to pass through any such income and credits.

 

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Backup Withholding

The Fund may be required to withhold up to 28% of all taxable distributions payable to shareholders who fail to provide the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number or to make required certifications, or who have been notified by the IRS that they are subject to backup withholding. Corporate shareholders and certain other shareholders specified in the Internal Revenue Code generally are exempt from such backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholder’s U.S. federal tax liability.

Options, Futures and Forward Contracts, and Swap Agreements

Some of the options, futures contracts, forward contracts, and swap agreements used by the Fund may be “section 1256 contracts.” Any gains or losses on section 1256 contracts are generally considered 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gains or losses (“ 60/40”) although certain foreign currency gains and losses from such contracts may be treated as ordinary in character. Also, section 1256 contracts held by the Fund at the end of each taxable year (and, for purposes of the 4% excise tax, on certain other dates as prescribed under the Internal Revenue Code) are “marked to market” with the result that unrealized gains or losses are treated as though they were realized and the resulting gain or loss is treated as ordinary or  60/40 gain or loss.

Generally, the hedging transactions and certain other transactions in options, futures and forward contracts undertaken by the Fund, may result in “straddles” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In some cases, the straddle rules also could apply in connection with swap agreements. The straddle rules may affect the character of gains (or losses) realized by the Fund. In addition, losses realized by the Fund on positions that are part of a straddle may be deferred under the straddle rules, rather than being taken into account in calculating the taxable income for the taxable year in which such losses are realized. Because only a few regulations implementing the straddle rules have been promulgated, the tax consequences of transactions in options, futures, forward contracts, and swap agreements to the Fund are not entirely clear. The transactions may increase the amount of short-term capital gain realized by the Fund which is taxed as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders.

The Fund may make one or more of the elections available under the Internal Revenue Code which are applicable to straddles. If the Fund makes any of the elections, the amount, character and timing of the recognition of gains or losses from the affected straddle positions will be determined under rules that vary according to the election(s) made. The rules applicable under certain of the elections operate to accelerate the recognition of gains or losses from the affected straddle positions.

Because application of the straddle rules may affect the character of gains or losses, defer losses and/or accelerate the recognition of gains or losses from the affected straddle positions, the amount which must be distributed to shareholders, and which will be taxed to shareholders as ordinary income or long-term capital gain, may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to a fund that did not engage in such hedging transactions.

Rules governing the tax aspects of swap agreements are in a developing stage and are not entirely clear in certain respects. Accordingly, while the Fund intends to account for such transactions in a manner they deem to be appropriate, the IRS might not accept such treatment. If it did not, the status of the Fund as a regulated investment company might be affected. The Trust intends to monitor developments in this area.

Certain requirements that must be met under the Internal Revenue Code in order for the Fund to qualify as a regulated investment company, including the qualifying income and diversification requirements applicable to the Fund’s assets may limit the extent to which the Fund will be able to engage in transactions in options, futures contracts, forward contracts, and swap agreements.

In addition, the use of swaps or other derivatives could adversely affect the character (capital gain vs. ordinary income) of the income recognized by the Fund for federal income tax purposes, as well as the amount and timing of such recognition, as compared to a direct investment in underlying securities, and could result in the Fund’s recognition of income prior to the receipt of any corresponding cash. As a result of the use of swaps and derivatives, a larger portion of the Fund’s distributions may be treated as ordinary income than would have been the case if the Fund did not enter into such swaps or derivatives. The tax treatment of swap agreements and other derivatives may also be affected by future legislation or Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the Internal Revenue Service that could affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund’s taxable income or gains and distributions made by the Fund.

 

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Short Sales

The Fund may make short sales of securities. Short sales may increase the amount of short-term capital gain realized by the Fund, which is taxed as ordinary income when distributed to shareholders. Short sales also may be subject to the “Constructive Sales” rules, discussed below.

Passive Foreign Investment Companies

The Fund may invest in the stock of foreign corporations which may be classified under the Internal Revenue Code as passive foreign investment companies (“PFICs”). In general, a foreign corporation is classified as a PFIC for a taxable year if at least one-half of its assets constitute investment-type assets or 75% or more of its gross income is investment-type income. If the Fund receives a so-called “excess distribution” with respect to PFIC stock, the Fund itself may be subject to tax on a portion of the excess distribution, whether or not the corresponding income is distributed by the Fund to stockholders. In general, under the PFIC rules, an excess distribution is treated as having been realized ratably over the period during which the Fund held the PFIC stock. The Fund itself will be subject to tax on the portion, if any, of an excess distribution that is so allocated to prior taxable years and an interest factor will be added to the tax, as if the tax had been payable in such prior taxable years. Certain distributions from a PFIC as well as gain from the sale of PFIC stock are treated as excess distributions. Excess distributions are characterized as ordinary income even though, absent application of the PFIC rules, certain excess distributions might have been classified as capital gain.

The Fund may be eligible to elect alternative tax treatment with respect to PFIC stock. Under an election that currently is available in some circumstances, the Fund generally would be required to include in its gross income its share of the earnings of a PFIC on a current basis, regardless of whether distributions are received from the PFIC in a given year. If this election were made, the special rules, discussed above, relating to the taxation of excess distributions, would not apply. Alternatively, another election may be available that would involve marking to market the Fund’s PFIC shares at the end of each taxable year (and on certain other dates prescribed in the Internal Revenue Code), with the result that unrealized gains are treated as though they were realized and reported as ordinary income. Any mark-to-market losses and any loss from an actual disposition of PFIC shares would be deductible as ordinary losses to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains included in income with respect to such shares in prior years. If this election were made, tax at the Fund level under the PFIC rules would generally be eliminated, but the Fund could, in limited circumstances, incur nondeductible interest charges. The Fund’s intention to qualify annually as a regulated investment company may limit its elections with respect to PFIC shares.

Because the application of the PFIC rules may affect, among other things, the character of gains and the amount of gain or loss and the timing of the recognition of income with respect to PFIC shares, and may subject the Fund itself to tax on certain income from PFIC shares, the amount that must be distributed to shareholders and will be taxed to shareholders as ordinary income or long-term capital gain may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to a fund that did not invest in PFIC shares.

Foreign Currency Transactions

Under the Internal Revenue Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates which occur between the time the Fund accrues income or other receivables or accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities generally are treated as ordinary income or loss. Similarly, on disposition of debt securities denominated in a foreign currency and on disposition of certain other instruments, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency between the date of acquisition of the security or contract and the date of disposition also are treated as ordinary gain or loss. These gains and losses, referred to under the Internal Revenue Code as “section 988” gains or losses, may increase or decrease the amount of the Fund’s investment company taxable income to be distributed to its shareholders as ordinary income.

Foreign Taxation

Income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. In addition, PIMCO intends to manage the Fund with the intention of minimizing foreign taxation in cases where it is deemed prudent to do so. If more than 50% of the value of the Fund’s total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of securities of foreign corporations, the Fund will be eligible to elect to “pass-through” to the Fund’s shareholders the amount of foreign income and similar taxes paid by the Fund. If this election is made, a shareholder generally subject to tax will be required to

 

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include in gross income (in addition to taxable dividends actually received) his or her pro rata share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund, and may be entitled either to deduct (as an itemized deduction) his or her pro rata share of foreign taxes in computing his or her taxable income or to use it (subject to limitations) as a foreign tax credit against his or her U.S. federal income tax liability. No deduction for foreign taxes may be claimed by a shareholder who does not itemize deductions. Each shareholder will be notified within 60 days after the close of the Fund’s taxable year whether the foreign taxes paid by the Fund will “pass-through” for that year.

Generally, a credit for foreign taxes is subject to the limitation that it may not exceed the shareholder’s U.S. tax attributable to his or her total foreign source taxable income. For this purpose, if the pass-through election is made, the source of the Fund’s income will flow through to shareholders of the Trust. Gains from the sale of securities will be treated as derived from U.S. sources and certain currency fluctuation gains, including fluctuation gains from foreign currency-denominated debt securities, receivables and payables will be treated as ordinary income derived from U.S. sources. The limitation on the foreign tax credit is applied separately to foreign source passive income, and to certain other types of income. Shareholders may be unable to claim a credit for the full amount of their proportionate share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund. Various other limitations, including a minimum holding period requirement, apply to limit the credit and/or deduction for foreign taxes for purposes of regular federal tax and/or alternative minimum tax.

Original Issue Discount and Market Discount

Some of the debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund may be treated as debt securities that are issued originally at a discount. Generally, the amount of the original issue discount (“OID”) is treated as interest income and is included in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. A portion of the OID includable in income with respect to certain high-yield corporate debt securities may be treated as a dividend for federal income tax purposes.

Some of the debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund in the secondary market may be treated as having market discount. Generally, any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt security having market discount is treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the “accrued market discount” on such debt security. Market discount generally accrues in equal daily installments. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having market discount, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.

Some debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of one year or less from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by the Fund may be treated as having acquisition discount, or OID in the case of certain types of debt securities. Generally, the Fund will be required to include the acquisition discount, or OID, in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. The Fund may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having acquisition discount, or OID, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.

The Fund generally will be required to distribute dividends to shareholders representing discount on debt securities that is currently includable in income, even though cash representing such income may not have been received by the Fund. Cash to pay such dividends may be obtained from sales proceeds of securities held by the Fund.

Constructive Sales

Certain rules may affect the timing and character of gain if the Fund engages in transactions that reduce or eliminate its risk of loss with respect to appreciated financial positions. If the Fund enters into certain transactions in property while holding substantially identical property, the Fund would be treated as if it had sold and immediately repurchased the property and would be taxed on any gain (but not loss) from the constructive sale. The character of gain from a constructive sale would depend upon the Fund’s holding period in the property. Loss from a constructive sale would be recognized when the property was subsequently disposed of, and its character would depend on the Fund’s holding period and the application of various loss deferral provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.

IRAs and Other Retirement Plans

If you invest in the Fund through an IRA or other retirement plan you should consult with your own tax adviser on the applicable rules for such IRA or retirement plan with respect to plan qualification requirements, limits on contributions and distributions, and required distributions from IRAs and retirement plans. As an example, there could be tax penalties on distributions from an IRA or retirement plan prior to age 59  1/2 and, under current law, there are minimum distribution requirements applicable to IRAs or retirement plans at age 70  1/2.

 

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Non-U.S. Shareholders

Withholding of Income Tax on Dividends: Under U.S. federal tax law, dividends paid on shares beneficially held by a person who is a “foreign person” within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code, are, in general, subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% of the gross dividend, which may, in some cases, be reduced by an applicable tax treaty. However, if a beneficial holder who is a foreign person has a permanent establishment in the United States, and the shares held by such beneficial holder are effectively connected with such permanent establishment and, in addition, the dividends are effectively connected with the conduct by the beneficial holder of a trade or business in the United States, the dividend will be subject to U.S. federal net income taxation at regular income tax rates. Distributions of long-term net realized capital gains will not be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax.

Under legislation enacted in 2004, which was recently extended, the Fund is generally able to designate certain distributions to foreign persons as being derived from certain net interest income or net short-term capital gains and such designated distributions are generally not subject to U.S. tax withholding. Although the Fund expects to make allowable designations for dividends declared, the provision is currently scheduled to expire for the Fund’s tax year beginning after [    ]. It should also be noted that the provision does not eliminate all withholding on distributions by Fund to foreign investors. Distributions that are derived from any dividends on corporate stock or from ordinary income other than U.S. source interest would still be subject to withholding. Foreign currency gains, foreign source interest, and ordinary income from swaps or investments in PFICs would still be subject to withholding when distributed to foreign investors. There can be no assurance as to the amount of distributions that would not be subject to withholding when paid to foreign persons.

Income Tax on Sale of the Fund’s shares: Under U.S. federal tax law, a beneficial holder of shares who is a foreign person is not, in general, subject to U.S. federal income tax on gains (and is not allowed a deduction for losses) realized on the sale of such shares unless (i) the shares in question are effectively connected with a permanent establishment in the United States of the beneficial holder and such gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business carried on by such holder within the United States or (ii) in the case of an individual holder, the holder is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the sale and certain other conditions are met.

State and Local Tax: A beneficial holder of shares who is a foreign person may be subject to state and local tax in addition to the federal tax on income referred above.

Estate and Gift Taxes: Under existing law, upon the death of a beneficial holder of shares who is a foreign person, such shares will be deemed to be property situated within the United States and will be subject to U.S. federal estate tax. For foreign individuals dying before January 1, 2010, a portion of Fund shares will not be subject to estate tax to the extent that the Fund holds certain qualifying obligations. If at the time of death the deceased holder is a resident of a foreign country and not a citizen or resident of the United States, such tax will be imposed at graduated rates from 18% to 55% on the total value (less allowable deductions and allowable credits) of the decedent’s property situated within the United States. In general, there is no gift tax on gifts of shares by a beneficial holder who is a foreign person.

The availability of reduced U.S. taxation pursuant to any applicable treaties depends upon compliance with established procedures for claiming the benefits thereof and may further, in some circumstances, depend upon making a satisfactory demonstration to U.S. tax authorities that a foreign investor qualifies as a foreign person under U.S. domestic tax law and such treaties.

Other Taxation

Distributions also may be subject to additional state, local and foreign taxes, depending on each shareholder’s particular situation. Under the laws of various states, distributions of investment company taxable income generally are taxable to shareholders even though all or a substantial portion of such distributions may be derived from interest on certain federal obligations which, if the interest were received directly by a resident of such state, would be exempt from such state’s income tax (“qualifying federal obligations”). However, some states may exempt all or a portion of such distributions from income tax to the extent the shareholder is able to establish that the distribution is derived from qualifying federal obligations. Moreover, for state income tax purposes, interest on some federal obligations generally is not exempt from taxation, whether received directly by a shareholder or through distributions of investment company taxable income (for example, interest on FNMA Certificates and GNMA Certificates). The Fund will provide information annually to shareholders indicating the amount and percentage of the Fund’s dividend distribution which is attributable to interest on federal obligations, and will indicate to the extent possible from what types of federal obligations such dividends are derived. Shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisers with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.

 

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OTHER INFORMATION

Capitalization

The capitalization of the Trust consists solely of an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest with a par value of $[    ] each. The Board of Trustees may establish additional series (with different investment objectives and fundamental policies) at any time in the future. Establishment and offering of additional series will not alter the rights of the Trust’s shareholders. When issued, shares are fully paid, non-assessable, redeemable and freely transferable. Shares do not have preemptive rights or subscription rights. In liquidation of the Fund, each shareholder is entitled to receive his pro rata share of the net assets of the Fund.

Under Delaware law, shareholders are not personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. In addition, the Declaration of Trust disclaims liability of the shareholders, Trustees or officers of the Trust for acts or obligations of the Trust, which are binding only on the assets and property of the Trust.

Voting Rights

Under the Declaration of Trust, the Trust is not required to hold annual meetings of Trust shareholders to elect Trustees or for other purposes. It is not anticipated that the Trust will hold shareholders’ meetings unless required by law or the Declaration of Trust. In this regard, the Trust will be required to hold a meeting to elect Trustees to fill any existing vacancies on the Board of Trustees if, at any time, fewer than a majority of the Trustees have been elected by the shareholders of the Trust. In addition, the Declaration of Trust provides that the holders of not less than two-thirds of the outstanding shares of the Trust may remove a person serving as Trustee at any shareholder meeting. The Trustees are required to call a meeting of shareholders if requested in writing to do so by the holders of not less than ten percent of the outstanding shares of the Trust.

The Trust’s shares do not have cumulative voting rights, so that the holder of more than 50% of the outstanding shares may elect the entire Board of Trustees, in which case the holders of the remaining shares would not be able to elect any Trustees. Shareholders of a class of shares have different voting rights with respect to matters that affect only that class. In addition, to the extent the Fund owns shares of a money market fund or short-term bond fund pursuant to the November 19, 2001 SEC exemptive order discussed above, the Fund will vote such shares in proportion to the votes of all other shareholders of the respective money market or short-term bond fund.

Shares entitle their holders to one vote per share (with proportionate voting for fractional shares). As used in the Prospectuses or this Statement of Additional Information, the phrase “vote of a majority of the outstanding shares” of the Portfolio (or the Trust) means the vote of the lesser of: (1) 67% of the shares of the Portfolio (or the Trust) present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares are present in person or by proxy; or (2) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund (or the Trust).

Code of Ethics

The Trust, PIMCO and the Distributor each has adopted a Code of Ethics pursuant to the requirements of the 1940 Act and the Advisers Act. These Codes of Ethics permit personnel, subject to the Codes of Ethics, to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund.

Custodian, Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent

[    ] (“[    ]”), [    ], serves as custodian for assets of the Fund. Under the custody agreement, [    ] may hold the foreign securities at its principal office at [    ], and at [    ]’s branches, and subject to approval by the Board of Trustees, at a foreign branch of a qualified U.S. bank, with an eligible foreign subcustodian, or with an eligible foreign securities depository.

Pursuant to rules adopted under the 1940 Act, the Trust may maintain foreign securities and cash in the custody of certain eligible foreign banks and securities depositories. Selection of these foreign custodial institutions is made by the Board of Trustees following a consideration of a number of factors, including (but not limited to) the reliability and financial stability of the institution; the ability of the institution to perform capably custodial services for the Trust; the reputation of the institution in its national market; the political and economic stability of the country in which the institution is located; and further risks of potential nationalization or expropriation of Trust assets. The Board of Trustees reviews annually the continuance of foreign custodial arrangements for the Trust. No assurance can be given that the Trustees’ appraisal of the

 

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risks in connection with foreign custodial arrangements will always be correct or that expropriation, nationalization, freezes, or confiscation of assets that would impact assets of the Fund will not occur, and shareholders bear the risk of losses arising from these or other events.

[    ], [    ] serves as transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent for the Institutional Class, Class P, Administrative Class and Class D shares of the Fund. [    ], [    ] serves as transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent for the Class A, Class C and Class R shares of the Fund.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

[    ], serves as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund. [    ] provides audit services, tax assistance and consultation in connection with review of SEC and IRS filings.

Counsel

Dechert LLP, 1775 I Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006, passes upon certain legal matters in connection with the shares offered by the Trust, and also acts as counsel to the Trust.

Registration Statement

This Statement of Additional Information and the Prospectuses do not contain all of the information included in the Trust’s registration statement filed with the SEC under the 1933 Act with respect to the securities offered hereby, certain portions of which have been omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. The registration statement, including the exhibits filed therewith, may be examined at the offices of the SEC in Washington, D.C.

Statements contained herein and in the Prospectuses as to the contents of any contract or other documents referred to are not necessarily complete, and, in each instance, reference is made to the copy of such contract or other documents filed as an exhibit to the registration statement, each such statement being qualified in all respects by such reference.

Financial Statements

[To be provided by amendment.]

 

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PART C. OTHER INFORMATION

 

Item 23. Exhibits

 

(a)

   (1)    Declaration of Trust(2)
   (2)    Certificate of Trust dated December 28, 2009(1)

(b)

      By-Laws of Registrant(2)

(c)

      Not applicable

(d)

      Investment Advisory Contract(2)

(e)

      Distribution Contract(2)

(f)

      Not Applicable

(g)

      Custodian Agreement(2)

(h)

  

(1)

 

(2)

  

Supervision and Administration Agreement(2)

 

Transfer Agency Agreement(2)

(i)

      Opinion and Consent of Counsel(2)

(j)

      Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm(2)

(k)

      Not Applicable

(l)

      Not Applicable

(m)

   (1)    Distribution and Servicing Plan for Class A Shares(2)
   (2)    Distribution and Servicing Plan for Class C Shares(2)
   (3)    Distribution Plan for Administrative Class Shares(2)
   (4)    Administrative Services Plan for Administrative Class Shares(2)
   (5)    Distribution and Servicing Plan for Class R Shares(2)

(n)

      Multi-Class Plan adopted pursuant to Rule 18f-3(2)

(p)

   (1)    Code of Ethics for the Registrant(2)
   (2)    Code of Ethics for PIMCO(2)
   (3)    Code of Ethics for Allianz Global Investors Distributors LLC(2)

*

      Power of Attorney(1)

 

(1) Filed herewith.
(2) To be filed by amendment.

 

Item 24. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with Registrant.

None

 

Item 25. Indemnification


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To be provided by amendment.

 

Item 26. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser

To be provided by amendment.

 

Item 27. Principal Underwriter

To be provided by amendment.

 

Item 28. Location of Accounts and Records

To be provided by amendment.

 

Item 29. Management Services

Not applicable

 

Item 30. Undertakings

Not applicable


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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Washington in the District of Columbia on the 30th day of December, 2009.

 

PIMCO FUNDS EQUITY TRUST
(Registrant)
By:  
 

 

Brent R. Harris*, President

*By:  

/S/ DOUGLAS P. DICK

  Douglas P. Dick
  as attorney-in-fact

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following person in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

 

Signature

  

Title

 

Date

  

Trustee and President

(Principal Executive Officer)

  December 30, 2009

 

Brent R. Harris*

    

/S/ JOHN P. HARDAWAY

  

Treasurer

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

  December 30, 2009
John P. Hardaway     

 

*By:

 

/S/ DOUGLAS P. DICK

  Douglas P. Dick
  as attorney-in-fact

 

  * Pursuant to power of attorney filed herewith.

.


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EXHIBIT LIST

 

(a)(2)   Certificate of Trust dated December 28, 2009
(99)   Power of Attorney