497K 1 d497k.htm ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN GLOBAL THEMATIC GROWTH FUND AllianceBernstein Global Thematic Growth Fund
LOGO    SUMMARY PROSPECTUS    NOVEMBER 2, 2009

AllianceBernstein Global Thematic Growth Fund

Ticker: Class A–ALTFX; Class B–ATEBX; Class C–ATECX; Advisor Class–ATEYX

 

Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s Prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. The Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated November 2, 2009, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus. For free paper or electronic copies of the Fund’s Prospectus and other information about the Fund, go to http://www.alliancebernstein.com/links/mf, email a request to prorequest@alliancebernstein.com, call (800) 227-4618, or ask any financial advisor, bank, or broker-dealer who offers shares of the Fund. Unless otherwise noted, page number references refer to the current Prospectus for this Fund.

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Fund’s investment objective is long-term growth of capital.

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge reductions if you and members of your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in AllianceBernstein Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial intermediary and in Investing in the Funds—Sales Charge Reduction Programs on page 43 of the Prospectus and in Purchase of Shares—Sales Charge Reduction Programs on page 110 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

      Class A
Shares
   Class B
Shares
(not currently offered
to new investors)
   Class C
Shares
  Advisor Class
Shares
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)    4.25%    None    None   None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of offering price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower)    None    4.00%*    1.00%**   None
Exchange Fee    None    None    None   None
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)  
      Class A    Class B    Class C   Advisor Class
Management Fees    .73%    .73%    .73%   .73%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees    .30%    1.00%    1.00%   None
Other Expenses:           

Transfer Agent

   .55%    .71%    .60%   .54%

Other Expenses

   .12%    .10%    .12%   .13%
                  
Total Other Expenses    .67%    .81%    .72%   .67%
                  
Total Fund Operating Expenses    1.70%    2.54%    2.45%   1.40%
                  
 

 

* Class B shares automatically convert to Class A shares after eight years. The contingent deferred sales charge or CDSC decreases over time. For Class B shares the CDSC decreases 1.00% annually to 0% after the fourth year.

 

** For Class C shares, the CDSC is 0% after the first year.

 

PRO-0101-GTG-1109

 

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Examples

The Examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Examples assume 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 Examples also assume that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Fund’s operating expenses stay the same and that all dividends and distributions are reinvested. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs as reflected in the Examples would be:

 

     Class A   Class B   Class C   Advisor Class
After 1 Year   $ 590   $ 657   $ 348   $ 143
After 3 Years   $ 938   $ 991   $ 764   $ 443
After 5 Years   $ 1,309   $ 1,350   $ 1,306   $ 766
After 10 Years   $ 2,348   $ 2,670   $ 2,786   $ 1,680

You would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares at the end of period:

 

     Class A   Class B   Class C   Advisor Class
After 1 Year   $ 590   $ 257   $ 248   $ 143
After 3 Years   $ 938   $ 791   $ 764   $ 443
After 5 Years   $ 1,309   $ 1,350   $ 1,306   $ 766
After 10 Years   $ 2,348   $ 2,670   $ 2,786   $ 1,680

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transactions costs, such as commissions, when it buys or sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when shares are held in a taxable account. These transaction costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Examples, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 201% of the average value of its portfolio.

PRINCIPAL STRATEGIES

The Fund pursues opportunistic growth by investing in a global universe of companies in multiple industries that may benefit from innovation.

The Fund pursues a high risk strategy, using AllianceBernstein Research to identify opportunistic investments in innovation, and is offered as a satellite to supplement core investment strategies.

The Adviser employs a combination of “top-down” and “bottom-up” investment processes with the goal of identifying the most attractive securities worldwide, fitting into broader themes, which are developments that have broad effects across industries and companies. Drawing on the global fundamental and quantitative research capabilities of the Adviser, and its economists’ macro-economic insights, the Adviser seeks to identify long-term economic or business trends that will affect multiple industries. The Adviser will assess the effects of these trends, in the context of the business cycle, on entire industries and on individual companies. Through this process, the Adviser intends to identify key investment themes, which will be the focus of the Fund’s investments and which are expected to change over time based on the Adviser’s research.

In addition to this “top-down” thematic approach, the Adviser will also use a “bottom-up” analysis of individual companies that focuses on prospective earnings growth, valuation and quality of company management. The Adviser normally considers a universe of approximately 2,600 mid- to large-capitalization companies worldwide for investment.

The Fund invests in securities issued by U.S. and non-U.S. companies from multiple industry sectors in an attempt to maximize opportunity, which should also tend to reduce risk. The Fund invests in both developed and emerging market countries. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests significantly (at least 40%—unless market conditions are not deemed favorable by the Adviser) in securities of non-U.S. companies. In addition, the Fund invests, under normal circumstances, in the equity securities of companies located in at least three countries. The percentage of the Fund’s assets invested in securities of companies in a particular country or denominated in a particular currency varies in accordance with the Adviser’s assessment of the appreciation potential of such securities. The Fund may invest in any company and industry and in any type of equity security, listed and unlisted, with potential for capital appreciation. It invests in well-known, established companies as well as new, smaller or less-seasoned companies. Investments in new, smaller or less-seasoned companies may offer more reward but may also entail more risk than is generally true of larger, established companies. The Fund may also invest in synthetic foreign equity securities, which are various types of warrants used internationally that entitle a holder to buy or sell underlying securities, real estate investment trusts and zero coupon bonds. Normally, the Fund invests in about 60-80 companies.

Currencies can have a dramatic impact on equity returns, significantly adding to returns in some years and greatly diminishing them in others. Currency and equity positions are evaluated separately. The Adviser may seek to hedge the currency exposure resulting from securities positions when it finds the currency exposure unattractive. To hedge a position of its currency risk, the Fund may from time to time invest in currency-related derivatives, including forward currency exchange contracts, futures, options on futures, swaps and options. The Adviser may also seek investment opportunities by taking long or short positions in currencies through the use of currency-related derivatives.

 

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PRINCIPAL RISKS

 

Market Risk: The value of the Fund’s assets will fluctuate as the stock or bond market fluctuates. The value of its investments may decline, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, simply because of economic changes or other events that affect large portions of the market. It includes the risk that a particular style of investing, such as growth, may underperform the market generally.

 

 

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Risk: Investment in securities of non-U.S. issuers may involve more risk than those of U.S. issuers. These securities may fluctuate more widely in price and may be less liquid due to adverse market, economic, political, regulatory or other factors.

 

 

Emerging Market Risk: Investments in emerging market countries may have more risk because the markets are less developed and less liquid as well as being subject to increased economic, political, regulatory, or other uncertainties.

 

 

Currency Risk: Fluctuations in currency exchange risk may negatively affect the value of the Fund’s investments or reduce its returns.

 

 

Capitalization Risk: Investments in small- and mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than investments in large-cap companies. Investments in small-cap companies may have additional risks because these companies have limited product lines, markets or financial resources.

 

 

Derivatives Risk: Investments in derivatives may be illiquid, difficult to price, and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Fund, and may be subject to counterparty risk to a greater degree than more traditional investments.

 

 

Management Risk: The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment fund. The Adviser will apply its investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there is no guarantee that its techniques will produce the intended results.

As with all investments, you may lose money by investing in the Fund.

BAR CHART AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

The bar chart and performance information provide an indication of the historical risk of an investment in the Fund by showing:

 

 

how the Fund’s performance changed from year to year over ten years; and

 

 

how the Fund’s average annual returns for one, five and ten years compare to those of a broad-based securities market index.

You may obtain updated performance information on the Fund’s website at www.AllianceBernstein.com (click on “Pricing & Performance”).

The Fund’s past performance before and after taxes, of course, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future.

In November 2008, the Fund implemented its current investment objective and policies (previously it had invested primarily in technology companies) and also changed its name and portfolio management team. Accordingly, the performance shown below for periods prior to November 2008 may not be representative of the Fund’s performance under its current investment policies.

Bar Chart

The annual returns in the bar chart are for the Fund’s Class A shares and do not reflect sales loads. If sales loads were reflected, returns would be less than those shown. Through September 30, 2009, the year-to-date unannualized return for Class A shares was 47.94%.

LOGO

During the period shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s:

Best Quarter was up 44.57%, 4th quarter, 1999; and Worst Quarter was down -35.31%, 3rd quarter, 2001.

 

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Performance Table

Average Annual Total Returns

(For the periods ended December 31, 2008)

 

          1 Year    5 Years    10 Years
Class A*   Return Before Taxes   -47.75%    -5.63%    -5.29%
     
    Return After Taxes on Distributions   -47.75%    -5.63%    -5.52%
     
    Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares   -31.04%    -4.70%    -4.28%
Class B   Return Before Taxes   -48.05%    -5.56%    -5.46%
Class C   Return Before Taxes   -46.37%    -5.50%    -5.58%
Advisor Class   Return Before Taxes   -45.27%    -4.51%    -4.59%
MSCI AC World Index (Net) (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes except the reinvestment of dividends net of non-U.S. withholding taxes)   -42.19%    -0.06%    -0.20%

 

* After-tax returns:

 

  Are shown for Class A shares only and will vary for Class B, Class C and Advisor Class shares because these Classes have different expense ratios;

 

  Are an estimate, which is based on the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes; actual after-tax returns depend on an individual investor’s tax situation and are likely to differ from those shown; and

 

  Are not relevant to investors who hold fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

INVESTMENT ADVISER

AllianceBernstein L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund.

PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

The following table lists the persons responsible for day-to-day management of the Fund’s portfolio:

 

Employee    Length of Service    Title
Joseph G. Carson    Since November 2008    Senior Vice President of the Adviser
     

Amy P. Raskin

 

   Since November 2008    Senior Vice President of the Adviser

Andrew Reiss

 

   Since November 2009    Senior Vice President of the Adviser

Robert W. Scheetz

 

   Since November 2009    Senior Vice President of the Adviser

Lisa A. Shalett

 

   Since November 2008    Executive Vice President of the Adviser

Catherine D. Wood

 

   Since November 2008    Senior Vice President of the Adviser
Vadim Zlotnikov    Since November 2008    Executive Vice President of the Adviser

PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES

Purchase Minimums*

 

      Initial    Subsequent
Class A/Class C Shares, including traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs (Class B shares are not currently offered to new shareholders)    $2,500    $50
Automatic Investment Program    Less than $2,500    $200 monthly until account
balance reaches $2,500
Advisor Class Shares (only available to fee-based programs or through other limited arrangements)    None    None

 

* Note: The Fund may waive investment minimums for certain types of retirement accounts or under certain other circumstances.

You may sell (redeem) your shares each day the New York Stock Exchange is open. You may sell your shares through your financial intermediary or by mail (AllianceBernstein Investor Services, Inc., P.O. Box 786003, San Antonio, TX 78278-6003) or telephone (800-221-5672).

TAX INFORMATION

The Fund may make income dividends or capital gains distributions, which may be subject to federal income taxes and taxable as ordinary income or capital gains, and may also be subject to state and local taxes.

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 financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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