497K 1 c497k.htm Untitled Document
    

SUMMARY PROSPECTUS

May 1, 2020

 

T. ROWE PRICE

 

New Era Fund

PRNEX

TRNEX

Investor Class

I Class

 
 

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Before you invest, you may want to review the fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the fund’s prospectus, shareholder reports, and other information about the fund online at troweprice.com/prospectus. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-800-638-5660, by sending an e-mail request to info@troweprice.com, or by contacting your financial intermediary. This Summary Prospectus incorporates by reference the fund’s prospectus, dated May 1, 2020, as amended or supplemented, and Statement of Additional Information, dated May 1, 2020, as amended or supplemented.

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by SEC regulations, paper copies of the T. Rowe Price funds’ annual and semiannual shareholder reports will no longer be mailed, unless you specifically request them. Instead, shareholder reports will be made available on the funds’ website (troweprice.com/prospectus), and you will be notified by mail with a website link to access the reports each time a report is posted to the site.

If you already elected to receive reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and need not take any action. At any time, shareholders who invest directly in T. Rowe Price funds may generally elect to receive reports or other communications electronically by enrolling at troweprice.com/paperless or, if you are a retirement plan sponsor or invest in the funds through a financial intermediary (such as an investment advisor, broker-dealer, insurance company, or bank), by contacting your representative or your financial intermediary.

You may elect to continue receiving paper copies of future shareholder reports free of charge. To do so, if you invest directly with T. Rowe Price, please call T. Rowe Price as follows: IRA, nonretirement account holders, and institutional investors, 1-800-225-5132; small business retirement accounts,
1-800-492-7670. If you are a retirement plan sponsor or invest in the T. Rowe Price funds through a financial intermediary, please contact your representative or financial intermediary, or follow additional instructions if included with this document. Your election to receive paper copies of reports will apply to all funds held in your account with your financial intermediary or, if you invest directly in the T. Rowe Price funds, with T. Rowe Price. Your election can be changed at any time in the future.

 
  
 

  


  

SUMMARY

1

Investment Objective(s)

The fund seeks to provide long-term capital growth primarily through the common stocks of companies that own or develop natural resources and other basic commodities, and also through the stocks of selected nonresource growth companies.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the fund. You may also incur brokerage commissions and other charges when buying or selling shares of the Investor Class or I Class, which are not reflected in the table.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

     
 

Investor
Class

I
Class

Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Maximum account fee

$20

a

Annual fund operating expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investment)

Management fees

0.54

%

0.54

%

   

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

 

 
   

Other expenses

0.15

 

0.02

 
   

Total annual fund operating expenses

0.69

 

0.56

 

a Subject to certain exceptions, accounts with a balance of less than $10,000 are charged an annual $20 fee.

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

     
 

1 year

3 years

5 years

10 years

Investor Class

$70

$221

$384

$859

I Class

57

179

313

701

Portfolio Turnover The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when the fund’s shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 45.2% of the average value of its portfolio.


  

T. ROWE PRICE

2

Investments, Risks, and Performance

Principal Investment Strategies

The fund will normally invest a minimum of two-thirds of its assets in the common stocks of natural resource companies. The earnings and tangible assets of natural resources companies may benefit from periods of accelerating inflation. We also invest in other growth companies that we believe have strong potential for earnings growth but do not own or develop natural resources. The relative percentages invested in resource and nonresource companies can vary depending on economic and monetary conditions and our outlook for inflation. The natural resource companies held by the fund typically own, develop, refine, service, or transport resources, including energy, metals, forest products, industrials, utilities, chemicals, real estate, and other basic commodities. In selecting natural resource stocks, we look for companies whose products can be produced and marketed profitably when both labor costs and prices are rising. In the mining area, for example, we might look for a company that we believe possesses the ability to expand production and maintain superior exploration programs and production facilities.

In pursuing its investment objective(s), the fund has the discretion to deviate from its normal investment criteria. These situations might arise when the adviser believes a security could increase in value for a variety of reasons, including an extraordinary corporate event, a new product introduction or innovation, a favorable competitive development, or a change in management.

At least half of the fund’s total assets will be invested in stocks of U.S. issuers, but up to 50% of its total assets may be invested in international stocks (including in stocks issued by companies in emerging market countries).

The fund is “nondiversified,” meaning it may invest a greater portion of its assets in fewer issuers than is permissible for a “diversified” fund.

The fund may sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into more promising opportunities.

Principal Risks

As with any fund, there is no guarantee that the fund will achieve its objective(s). The fund’s share price fluctuates, which means you could lose money by investing in the fund. The principal risks of investing in this fund, which may be even greater during periods of market disruption or volatility, are summarized as follows:

Market conditions The value of the fund’s investments may decrease, sometimes rapidly or unexpectedly, due to factors affecting an issuer held by the fund, particular industries, or the overall securities markets. A variety of factors can increase the volatility of the fund’s holdings and markets generally, including political or regulatory developments, recessions, inflation, rapid interest rate changes, war or acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and outbreaks of infectious illnesses or other widespread public health issues. Certain events may cause instability across global markets, including reduced liquidity and disruptions in trading markets, while some events may affect certain geographic regions, countries, sectors, and


  

SUMMARY

3

industries more significantly than others. These adverse developments may cause broad declines in market value due to short-term market movements or for significantly longer periods during more prolonged market downturns.

Natural resources companies A fund that focuses its investments in specific industries or sectors is more susceptible to adverse developments affecting those industries and sectors than a more broadly diversified fund. Because the fund invests significantly in natural resources companies, the fund may perform poorly during a downturn in certain industries. Natural resources companies can be adversely affected by, among other things, government regulation, global political and economic developments, energy and commodity prices, the supply and demand for oil and gas, and periods of low or declining inflation.

International investing Investing in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involves special risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. Non-U.S. securities tend to be more volatile and have lower overall liquidity than investments in U.S. securities and may lose value because of adverse local, political, social, or economic developments overseas, or due to changes in the exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. In addition, investments outside the U.S. are subject to settlement practices and regulatory and financial reporting standards that differ from those of the U.S. The risks of investing outside the U.S. are heightened for any investments in emerging markets, which are susceptible to greater volatility than investments in developed markets.

Active management The fund’s overall investment program and holdings selected by the fund’s investment adviser may underperform the broad markets, relevant indices, or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.

Stock investing Stocks generally fluctuate in value more than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. The value of stocks held by the fund may decline due to general weakness or volatility in the stock markets in which the fund invests or because of factors that affect a particular company or industry.

Nondiversification As a nondiversified fund, the fund has the ability to invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. As a result, poor performance by a single issuer could adversely affect fund performance more than if the fund were invested in a larger number of issuers. The fund’s share price can be expected to fluctuate more than that of a similar fund that is more broadly diversified.

Performance

The following performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The fund’s performance information represents only past performance (before and after taxes) and is not necessarily an indication of future results.

The following bar chart illustrates how much returns can differ from year to year by showing calendar year returns and the best and worst calendar quarter returns during those years for the fund’s Investor Class. Returns for other share classes vary since they have different expenses.


  

T. ROWE PRICE

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The following table shows the average annual total returns for each class of the fund that has been in operation for at least one full calendar year, and also compares the returns with the returns of a relevant broad-based market index, as well as with the returns of one or more comparative indexes that have investment characteristics similar to those of the fund, if applicable.

In addition, the table shows hypothetical after-tax returns to demonstrate how taxes paid by a shareholder may influence returns. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as a 401(k) account or an IRA. After-tax returns are shown only for the Investor Class and will differ for other share classes.


  

SUMMARY

5

                 

Average Annual Total Returns

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Periods ended

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since

Inception

 

 

 

 

1 Year 

 

 

5 Years 

 

 

10 Years 

 

 

inception

date

 

 

Investor Class

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

01/20/1969

 

 

 

 

Returns before taxes

16.88 

%

 

1.92 

%

 

2.28 

%

 

%

 

 

 

 

 

Returns after taxes on distributions

16.27 

 

 

1.44 

 

 

1.25 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Returns after taxes on distributions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and sale of fund shares

10.41 

 

 

1.42 

 

 

1.73 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Class

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12/17/2015

 

 

 

 

Returns before taxes

17.05 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8.11

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MSCI World Select Natural Resources Index Net (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses)

 

 

 

 

 

16.75 

 

 

1.35 

 

 

2.36 

 

 

8.06

a

 

 

 

 

Lipper Global Natural Resources Funds Index

 

 

 

 

 

12.33 

 

 

-0.91 

 

 

-0.77 

 

 

6.13

a

 

 

 

a Return since 12/17/15.

Updated performance information is available through troweprice.com.

Management

Investment Adviser T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (T. Rowe Price or Price Associates)

    

Portfolio Manager

Title

Managed

Fund

Since

Joined

Investment

Adviser

Shawn T. Driscoll

Chairman of Investment

Advisory Committee

2013

2006

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The Investor Class generally requires a $2,500 minimum initial investment ($1,000 minimum initial investment if opening an IRA, a custodial account for a minor, or a small business retirement plan account). Additional purchases generally require a $100 minimum. These investment minimums generally are waived for financial intermediaries and certain employer-sponsored retirement plans submitting orders on behalf of their customers.

The I Class requires a $1 million minimum initial investment and there is no minimum for additional purchases, although the initial investment minimum generally is waived for financial intermediaries, retirement plans, and certain institutional client accounts for which T. Rowe Price or its affiliate has discretionary investment authority.

For investors holding shares of the fund directly with T. Rowe Price, you may purchase, redeem, or exchange fund shares by mail; by telephone (1-800-225-5132 for IRAs and nonretirement accounts; 1-800-492-7670 for small business retirement plans; and


  

T. ROWE PRICE

6

1-800-638-8790 for institutional investors and financial intermediaries); or, for certain accounts, by accessing your account online through troweprice.com.

If you hold shares through a financial intermediary or retirement plan, you must purchase, redeem, and exchange shares of the fund through your intermediary or retirement plan. You should check with your intermediary or retirement plan to determine the investment minimums that apply to your account.

Tax Information

Any dividends or capital gains are declared and paid annually, usually in December. Redemptions or exchanges of fund shares and distributions by the fund, whether or not you reinvest these amounts in additional fund shares, generally may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains unless you invest through a tax-deferred account (in which case you will be taxed upon withdrawal from such account).

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

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


  

 

T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc.
100 East Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21202

F41-045 5/1/20