497K 1 amesum12.htm Untitled Document
  

 

SUMMARY
PROSPECTUS

 

TRAMX

 

March 1, 2012

 
  

T. Rowe Price

Africa & Middle East Fund

The fund seeks long-term growth of capital by investing primarily in the common stocks of companies located (or with primary operations) in Africa and the Middle East.

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 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 or by sending an e-mail request to info@troweprice.com. This Summary Prospectus incorporates by reference the fund’s prospectus, dated March 1, 2012, and Statement of Additional Information, dated March 1, 2012.

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


  

Summary

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Investment Objective

The fund seeks long-term growth of capital by investing primarily in the common stocks of companies located (or with primary operations) in Africa and the Middle East.

Fees and Expenses

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

  

Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on
purchases

NONE

  

Maximum deferred sales charge (load)

NONE

  

Redemption fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed on shares held for 90 days or less)

2.00%

  

Maximum account fee

$20a

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

Management fees

1.05%

  

Distribution and service (12b-1) fees

0.00%

  

Other expenses

0.45%

  

Total annual fund operating expenses

1.50%

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. 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, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

    

1 year

3 years

5 years

10 years

$153

$474

$818

$1,791

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 fund 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


  

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most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 65.9% of the average value of its portfolio.

Investments, Risks, and Performance

Principal Investment Strategies The fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets (including any borrowings for investment purposes) in African and Middle Eastern companies. The fund may purchase the stocks of companies of any size. The fund expects to make substantially all of its investments in common stocks, and participation notes (P-notes) linked to common stocks, of companies located (or with primary operations) in the countries listed below, as well as others as their markets develop:

· Primary Emphasis: Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and United Arab Emirates.

· Others: Algeria, Botswana, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The fund is “nondiversified,” meaning it may invest a greater portion of assets in a single company and own more of the company’s voting securities than is permissible for a “diversified” fund. The fund’s portfolio is expected to be composed of investments in about 30 to 60 different companies, although the number could vary depending on market conditions. While most assets will be invested directly in common stocks, the fund may gain exposure to common stocks by purchasing
P-notes that offer a return linked to a particular underlying common stock. P-notes are primarily used to invest indirectly in certain stocks that trade in a market that restricts foreign investors, such as the fund, from investing directly in that market. The fund may make substantial investments (at times more than 25% of total assets) in telephone or banking companies in various African and Middle Eastern countries.

While the fund invests with an awareness of the outlook for industry sectors and individual countries within the region, bottom-up stock selection is the focus of our decision-making. Country allocation is driven largely by stock selection, though we may limit investments in markets that appear to have poor overall prospects.

Security selection reflects a growth style. The fund relies on a global team of investment analysts dedicated to in-depth fundamental research in an effort to identify companies capable of achieving and sustaining above-average, long-term earnings growth. We seek to purchase stocks of such companies at reasonable prices in relation to present or anticipated earnings, cash flow, or book value.

In selecting investments, the fund generally favors companies with one or more of the following characteristics:

· leading or improving market position;

· attractive business niche;

· attractive or improving franchise or industry position;

· seasoned management;


  

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· stable or improving earnings and/or cash flow; and

· sound or improving balance sheet.

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 mutual fund, there is no guarantee that the fund will achieve its objective. 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 are summarized as follows:

Active management risk The fund is subject to the risk that the investment adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. If the securities selected and strategies employed by the fund fail to produce the intended results, the fund could underperform other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.

Risks of 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 prices and falling prices. The value of a stock in which the fund invests may decline due to general weakness in the stock market or because of factors that affect a company or a particular industry.

Foreign investing risk Investing in the securities of non-U.S. companies involves special risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. companies. Foreign securities tend to be more volatile and less liquid than investments in U.S. securities, and may lose value because of adverse political, social or economic developments overseas, or due to changes in the exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. In addition, foreign investments are subject to settlement practices, and regulatory and financial reporting standards, that differ from those of the U.S.

Emerging markets risk The risks of foreign investing are heightened for securities of issuers in emerging market countries. Emerging market countries tend to have economic structures that are less diverse and mature, and political systems that are less stable, than those of developed countries. In addition to all of the risks of investing in foreign developed markets, emerging markets are more susceptible to governmental interference, local taxes being imposed on foreign investments, restrictions on gaining access to sales proceeds, and less liquid and efficient trading markets.

P-note risks To the extent the fund invests in P-notes, it is subject to certain risks in addition to the risks normally associated with a direct investment in the underlying foreign securities the P-note seeks to replicate. As the purchaser of a P-note, the fund is relying on the creditworthiness of the counterparty issuing the P-note and does not have the same rights under a P-note as it would as a shareholder of the underlying issuer. Therefore, if a counterparty becomes insolvent, the fund could lose the total


  

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value of its investment in the P-note. In addition, there is no assurance that there will be a trading market for a P-note or that the trading price of a P-note will equal the value of the underlying security.

Geographic concentration risk Because the fund concentrates its investments in a particular geographic region, the fund’s performance is closely tied to the social, political, and economic conditions within that region. Political developments and changes in regulatory, tax, or economic policy in particular countries within the region could significantly affect the markets in those countries as well as the entire region. As a result, the fund is likely to be more volatile than more geographically diverse international funds.

Many African and Middle Eastern countries have histories of dictatorships, political and military unrest, and financial troubles, and their markets should be considered extremely volatile even when compared to those of other emerging market countries. Many of these countries tend to be highly reliant on the exportation of oil and other commodities so their economies can be significantly impacted by fluctuations in commodity prices and the global demand for certain commodities. In addition, because the fund may invest significantly in telephone and banking companies within the region, the fund is also more susceptible to developments affecting these industries.

Nondiversification risk 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 comparable diversified fund.

Investment style risk Different investment styles tend to shift in and out of favor, depending on market conditions and investor sentiment. The fund’s growth approach to investing could cause it to underperform other stock funds that employ a different investment style. Growth stocks tend to be more volatile than certain other types of stocks and their prices usually fluctuate more dramatically than the overall stock market. A stock with growth characteristics can have sharp price declines due to decreases in current or expected earnings and may lack dividends that can help cushion its share price in a declining market.

Performance The bar chart showing calendar year returns and the average annual total returns table indicate risk by illustrating how much returns can differ from one year to the next and how fund performance compares with that of a comparable market index. The fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of future performance.

The fund can also experience short-term performance swings, as shown by the best and worst calendar quarter returns during the years depicted.


  

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In addition, the average annual total returns table shows hypothetical after-tax returns to suggest 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 individual retirement account.


  

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Average Annual Total Returns

      

 

 

 

Periods ended

 

 

  

December 31, 2011

 

 

     

Since inception

 

 

  

1 Year 

  

(9/4/07)

 

 

 

Africa & Middle East Fund

     

 

 

 

Returns before taxes

-16.10 

%

-7.23 

%

 

 

Returns after taxes on distributions

-16.37 

 

 

-7.80 

 

 

 

 

Returns after taxes on distributions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and sale of fund shares

-10.27 

 

 

-6.19 

 

 

 

S&P Emerging/Frontier ME & Africa BMI ex IL

-12.68 

 

 

-2.62 

 

 

 

Combined Index Portfolioa

-12.68 

 

 

-1.35 

 

 

 

Lipper Emerging Markets Funds Average

-20.30 

 

 

-5.76 

 

 

a Combined Index Portfolio is an unmanaged linked performance portfolio composed of: 100% S&P IFCG Africa & Middle East Index (excluding Saudi Arabia and Israel) through 6/30/09 (prior to 9/1/08, the index excluded Kuwait); 100% MSCI Arabian Markets & Africa Index from 7/1/09 through 9/29/10; and 100% S&P Emerging/Frontier ME & Africa BMI ex IL from 9/30/10 forward.

Updated performance information is available through troweprice.com or may be obtained by calling 1-800-225-5132.

Management

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

Investment Sub-adviser T. Rowe Price International Ltd (T. Rowe Price International)

    

Portfolio Manager

Title

Managed Fund Since

Joined Investment
Adviser

Oliver D.M. Bell

Chairman of Investment

Advisory Committee

2011

2011

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The fund’s investment minimums generally are as follows (if you hold shares through a financial intermediary, the intermediary may impose different investment minimums):

   

Type of Account

Minimum
initial purchase

Minimum subsequent
purchase

Individual retirement accounts, small business retirement plan accounts, Uniform Gifts to Minors Act or Uniform Transfers to Minors Act accounts, and Education Savings accounts

$1,000

$100

   

All other accounts

  2,500

   100

You may purchase, redeem, or exchange shares of the fund on any day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business by accessing your account online at


  

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troweprice.com, by calling 1-800-225-5132, or by written request. If you hold shares through a financial intermediary, you must purchase, redeem, and exchange shares through your intermediary.

Tax Information

Any dividends or capital gains are declared and paid annually, usually in December. Distributions by the fund, whether or not you reinvest these amounts in additional fund shares, may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains unless you invest through an individual retirement account, 401(k) plan, or other tax-deferred account. A redemption or exchange of fund shares may be taxable.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the performance of administrative 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 on these payments.


  

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

F168-045 3/1/12