Registration Nos. 002-11101
811-00242
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 |
¨ | |||
Pre-Effective Amendment No. |
¨ | |||
Post-Effective Amendment No. 194 |
x |
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 |
¨ | |||
Amendment No. 122 (Check appropriate box or boxes.) |
x |
NATIXIS FUNDS TRUST II
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
399 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrants Telephone Number, including Area Code (617) 449-2810
Coleen Downs Dinneen, Esq.
NGAM Distribution, L.P.
399 Boylston Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
Copy to:
John M. Loder, Esq.
Ropes & Gray
800 Boylston Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02199
Approximate Date of Public Offering
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):
¨ | Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) |
x | On December 1, 2014 pursuant to paragraph (b) |
¨ | 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) |
¨ | On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) |
¨ | 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) |
¨ | On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485. |
If appropriate, check the following box:
¨ | This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment. |
Prospectus | |
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Class A |
Class C |
Class Y | |
ASG Global Macro Fund |
GMFAX |
GMFCX |
GMFYX |
The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have not approved or disapproved the Fund's shares or determined whether this Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a crime.
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Fund shares are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed, endorsed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency, and are subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal invested.
Fund Summary |
ASG Global Macro Fund
Investment Goal
The Fund seeks capital appreciation by pursuing long-term positive returns independent of market cycles.
Fund Fees & Expenses
The following 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 discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Natixis Fund Complex. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the section "How Sales Charges Are Calculated" on page 14 of the Prospectus and on page 75 in the section "Reduced Sales Charges" of the Statement of Additional Information ("SAI").
Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment) |
Class A |
Class C |
Class Y | |||
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) |
5.75 |
% |
None |
None | ||
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of original purchase price or redemption proceeds, as applicable) |
None* |
1.00 |
% |
None | ||
Redemption fees |
None |
None |
None |
|
* A 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") may apply to certain purchases of Class A shares of $1,000,000 or more that are redeemed within eighteen months of the date of purchase. |
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
Class A |
Class C |
Class Y | |||
Management fees |
1.25 |
% |
1.25 |
% |
1.25 |
% |
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees |
0.25 |
% |
1.00 |
% |
0.00 |
% |
Other expenses (estimated for the current fiscal year) |
4.85 |
% |
4.85 |
% |
4.85 |
% |
Acquired fund fees and expenses (estimated for the current fiscal year) |
0.02 |
% |
0.02 |
% |
0.02 |
% |
Total annual fund operating expenses |
6.37 |
% |
7.12 |
% |
6.12 |
% |
Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement1 |
4.65 |
% |
4.65 |
% |
4.65 |
% |
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement |
1.72 |
% |
2.47 |
% |
1.47 |
% |
1 |
AlphaSimplex Group, LLC ("AlphaSimplex" or the "Adviser") has given a binding contractual undertaking to the Fund to limit the amount of the Fund's total annual fund operating expenses to 1.70%, 2.45% and 1.45% of the Fund's average daily net assets for Class A, Class C and Class Y shares, respectively, exclusive of brokerage expenses, interest expense, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, organizational expenses and extraordinary expenses, such as litigation and indemnification expenses. This undertaking is in effect through April 30, 2016 and may be terminated before then only with the consent of the Fund's Board of Trustees. The Adviser will be permitted to recover, on a class by class basis, management fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed to the extent that expenses in later periods fall below 1.70%, 2.45% and 1.45% of the Fund's average daily net assets for Class A, Class C and Class Y shares, respectively. The Fund will not be obligated to repay any such waived/reimbursed fees and expenses more than one year after the end of the fiscal year in which the fee/expense was waived/reimbursed. |
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 (except where indicated). The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same, except that the example is based on the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement for the first 17 months and on the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses for the remaining periods. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
If shares are redeemed: |
1 year |
3 years | ||||
Class A |
$ |
740 |
$ |
1,795 |
||
Class C |
$ |
350 |
$ |
1,505 |
||
Class Y |
$ |
150 |
$ |
1,223 |
If shares are not redeemed: |
1 year |
3 years | ||||
Class C |
$ |
250 |
$ |
1,505 |
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund will pay 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 for you if your 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.
Investments, Risks and Performance
Principal Investment Strategies
Under normal market conditions, the Adviser will typically use a variety of derivative instruments, including futures and forward contracts, to achieve long and short exposures to the returns of global developed and emerging market equity and fixed-income securities, indices, currencies and commodities. Emerging markets are economies that that the Adviser believes are not generally recognized to be fully developed markets, as measured by gross national income, financial market infrastructure, market capitalization and/or other factors. The Adviser intends to pursue a global macro investment strategy. In general, the term “global macro” refers to a set of investment strategies based upon the analysis and forecast of monetary, political, or other macroeconomic conditions throughout the world. The Adviser will have great flexibility to allocate the Fund's exposure among various securities, indices, currencies, commodities and other instruments; the amount of the Fund's assets that may be allocated to derivative strategies and among these various instruments is expected to vary over time. The Fund may also invest in exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") to achieve certain investment exposures. The Fund may have both "short" and "long" exposures within an asset class. A "short" exposure will benefit when the underlying asset decreases in price. A "long" exposure will benefit when the underlying asset increases in price.
The Fund employs an absolute-return oriented investment strategy, which seeks positive returns over time independent of a market index or benchmark ( e.g., the S&P 500 ®). Relative-return strategies, by contrast, seek to outperform a designated market index or benchmark. The Fund may outperform the overall securities market during periods of negative market performance and may underperform during periods of strong market performance.
The Adviser employs a diverse set of proprietary models to identify potential market inefficiencies and investment opportunities across global equity, fixed-income, currency and commodity markets. These models, based on macroeconomic principles such as interest rate trends, global demand for assets, governmental fiscal and monetary policies and other fundamental and systemic factors, have been developed over a number of years and diverse market cycles. The Adviser uses an adaptive portfolio construction process to weight component markets and models within the Fund's portfolio in response to different market environments and regimes. The Adviser believes that the use of these models, combined with active risk management, may allow the Fund to earn a positive expected return over time.
The Adviser will use futures and currency forward positions to manage the annualized volatility of the Fund's overall portfolio. The Adviser currently targets an annualized volatility level of 7.5% or less (as measured by the standard deviation of the Fund's returns). The Fund's actual or realized volatility during certain periods or over time may significantly exceed its target volatility for various reasons, including changes in market levels of volatility and investments in instruments that are inherently volatile. This would increase the risk of investing in the Fund.
Under normal market conditions, it is expected that the Adviser will dedicate up to 25% of the Fund's total assets to initial and variation margin payments relating to the Fund's derivative transactions. The gross notional value of the Fund's derivative investments, however, will generally exceed 25% of the Fund's total assets, and may significantly exceed the total value of the Fund's assets.
The Fund expects that, under normal market conditions, it will invest at least 50% of its total assets in money market and other short-term, high-quality securities (the "Money Market Portion") managed by Reich & Tang Asset Management, LLC ("Reich & Tang" or the "Subadviser"). The Fund may invest less than this percentage in the Money Market Portion and the Adviser will determine the percentage of the Fund's assets that will be invested in the Money Market Portion at any time. The assets allocated to the Money Market Portion will be used primarily to support the Fund's investments in derivatives and, secondarily, to provide the Fund with incremental income and liquidity. Although the Fund will invest a significant portion of its assets in money market instruments, the Fund is not a "money market" fund and the value of the Money Market Portion as well as the value of the Fund's shares may decrease. The Fund is not subject to the portfolio quality, maturity and net asset value requirements applicable to money market funds, and the Fund will not seek to maintain a stable net asset value. The Fund will concentrate its investments in the financial services industry, which means it will normally invest at least 25% of its total assets in securities and other obligations (for example, bank certificates of deposit, repurchase agreements and time deposits) of issuers in that industry.
Reich & Tang will only invest the assets of the Money Market Portion in high-quality securities which are denominated in U.S. dollars, and will select securities for investment based on various factors, including the security's maturity and rating. Reich & Tang will invest primarily in: (i) short-term obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States government, its agencies or instrumentalities; (ii) securities issued by foreign governments, their political subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities; (iii) certificates of deposit, time deposits and bankers' acceptances issued by domestic banks, foreign branches of domestic banks, foreign subsidiaries of domestic banks and domestic and foreign branches of foreign banks; (iv) variable amount master demand notes; (v) participation interests in loans extended by banks to companies; (vi) commercial paper or similar debt obligations; and (vii) repurchase agreements.
Although the Fund does not intend to invest in physical commodities directly, the Fund expects to obtain investment exposure to commodities and commodity-related derivatives by investing in a wholly-owned subsidiary organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands that will make commodity-related investments (the "Commodity Subsidiary"). Under normal market conditions, it is expected that no more than 10% of the Fund's total assets will be dedicated to initial and variation margin payments relating to these transactions.
The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer and may invest in fewer issuers. Because the Fund may invest in the securities of a limited number of issuers, an investment in the Fund may involve a higher degree of risk than would be present in a diversified portfolio.
The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of securities and other instruments. Effects of frequent trading may include high transaction costs, which may lower the Fund's return, and realization of greater short-term capital gains, distributions of which are taxable as ordinary income to taxable shareholders. Trading costs and tax effects associated with frequent trading may adversely affect the Fund's performance. The Fund's trading in derivatives is active and frequent. Active and frequent trading of derivatives, like active and frequent trading of securities, will result in transaction costs which reduce fund returns.
The percentage limitations set forth herein are not investment restrictions and the Fund may exceed these limits from time to time.
Principal Investment Risks
The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. The Fund does not represent a complete investment program. You may lose money by investing in the Fund.
Allocation Risk: This is the risk that the Adviser's judgments about, and allocations between, asset classes and market exposures may adversely affect the Fund's performance. This risk can be increased by the use of derivatives to increase allocations to various market exposures. This is because derivatives can create investment leverage, which will magnify the impact to the Fund of its investment in any underperforming market exposure.
Commodity Risk: This is the risk that exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of physical commodities or commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity price volatility, changes in interest rates, currency fluctuations, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments.
Commodity Subsidiary Risk: Investing in the Commodity Subsidiary will indirectly expose the Fund to the risks associated with the Commodity Subsidiary's investments, such as commodity risk. The Commodity Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act") and is not subject to all of the investor protections of the 1940 Act. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the Fund and the Commodity Subsidiary, respectively, are organized, could negatively affect the Fund and its shareholders.
Concentrated Investment Risk: The Fund is particularly vulnerable to events affecting companies in the financial services industry because the Fund concentrates its investments in securities and other obligations of issuers in such industry. Examples of risks affecting the financial services industry include changes in governmental regulation, issues relating to the availability and cost of capital, changes in interest rates and/or monetary policy and price competition. In addition, financial services companies are often more highly leveraged than other companies, making them inherently riskier. As a result, the Fund's shares may rise and fall in value more rapidly and to a greater extent than shares of a fund that does not concentrate or focus in a particular industry or economic sector. The risk associated with investing in the Fund may be increased as compared to a fund that does not concentrate in the financial services industry.
Credit/Counterparty Risk: Credit risk is the risk that the issuer or the guarantor of a fixed-income security, or the counterparty to a derivatives or other transaction, will be unable or unwilling to make timely payments of interest or principal or to otherwise honor its obligations. The Fund will be subject to credit risks with respect to the counterparties of its derivative transactions. Many of the protections afforded to participants on organized exchanges, such as the performance guarantee of an exchange clearing house, are not available in connection with over-the-counter ("OTC") derivative transactions, such as foreign currency transactions. As a result, in instances when the Fund enters into OTC derivative transactions, the Fund will be subject to the risk that its direct counterparties will not perform their obligations under the transactions and that the Fund will sustain losses or be unable to realize gains.
Currency Risk: Fluctuations in the exchange rates between different currencies may negatively affect an investment. The Fund may be subject to currency risk because it may invest a significant portion of its assets in currency-related instruments and may invest in securities or other instruments denominated in, or receive revenues in, foreign currencies. The Fund may elect not to hedge currency risk, or may hedge such risk imperfectly, which may cause the Fund to incur losses that would not have been incurred had the risk been hedged.
Derivatives Risk: Derivative instruments (such as those in which the Fund may invest, including futures and forward contracts) are subject to changes in the value of the underlying assets or indices on which such instruments are based. There is no guarantee that the use of derivatives will be effective or that suitable transactions will be available. Even a small investment in derivatives may give rise to leverage risk and can have a significant impact on the Fund's exposure to commodities markets, securities markets values, interest rates or currency exchange rates. It is possible that the Fund's liquid assets may be insufficient to support its obligations under its derivatives positions. The use of derivatives for other than hedging purposes may be considered a speculative activity, and involves greater risks than are involved in hedging. The use of derivatives may cause the Fund to incur losses greater than those that would have occurred had derivatives not been used. The Fund's use of derivatives, such as futures, forward contracts, and other foreign currency transactions and commodity-linked derivatives involves other risks, such as the credit risk relating to the other party to a derivative contract (which is greater for forward contracts and other OTC derivatives), the risk of difficulties in pricing and valuation, the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate as expected with changes in the value of relevant assets, rates or indices, liquidity risk, allocation risk and the risk of losing more than the initial margin required to initiate derivatives positions. There is also the risk that the Fund may be unable to terminate or sell a derivatives position at an advantageous time or price. The Fund's derivative counterparties may experience financial difficulties or otherwise be unwilling or unable to honor their obligations, possibly resulting in losses to the Fund. There is a risk that the Adviser's use of derivatives, such as futures and forward contracts, to manage the Fund's volatility may be ineffective or may exacerbate losses, for example, if the derivative or the underlying assets decrease in value over time.
Emerging Markets Risk: In addition to the risks of investing in foreign investments generally, emerging markets investments are subject to greater risks arising from political or economic instability, nationalization or confiscatory taxation, currency exchange restrictions, sanctions by the U.S. government and an issuer's unwillingness or inability to make principal or interest payments on its obligations.
Equity Securities Risk: The value of the Fund's investments in equity securities could be subject to unpredictable declines in the value of individual securities and periods of below-average performance in individual securities or in the equity market as a whole. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of the issuer's bonds generally take precedence over the claims of those who own preferred stock or common stock.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk: Fixed-income securities are subject to credit risk, interest rate risk and liquidity risk. You may lose money on your investment due to unpredictable drops in a security's value or periods of below-average performance in a given security or in the securities market as a whole. In addition, an economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market of these securities and reduce the Fund's ability to sell them.
Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities may be subject to greater political, economic, environmental, credit and information risks. The Fund's investments in foreign securities also are subject to foreign currency fluctuations and other foreign currency-related risks. Foreign securities may be subject to higher volatility than U.S. securities, varying degrees of regulation and limited liquidity.
Interest Rate Risk: Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of the Fund's investments will fall if interest rates rise. Generally, the value of fixed-income securities rises when prevailing interest rates fall and falls when interest rates rise. Interest rate risk generally is greater for funds that invest in fixed-income securities with relatively longer durations than for funds that invest in fixed-income securities with shorter durations. In addition, an economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market of these securities and reduce the Fund's ability to sell them. A period of rising interest rates could negatively impact the performance of the Fund.
Investments in Other Investment Companies Risk: The Fund will indirectly bear the management, service and other fees of any other investment companies in which it invests in addition to its own expenses. In addition, investments in ETFs have unique characteristics, including, but not limited to, the expense structure and additional expenses associated with investing in ETFs.
Issuer Risk: The value of the Fund's investments may decline for a number of reasons that directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods and services.
Large Investor Risk: Ownership of shares of the Fund may be concentrated in one or a few large investors. Such investors may redeem shares in large quantities or on a frequent basis. Redemptions by a large investor can affect the performance of the Fund, may increase realized capital gains, may accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders and may increase transaction costs. These transactions potentially limit the use of any capital loss carryforwards and certain other losses to offset future realized capital gains (if any). Such transactions may also increase the Fund's expenses.
Leverage Risk: Use of derivative instruments may involve leverage. Taking short positions in securities may also result in a form of leverage. Leverage is the risk associated with securities or practices that multiply small index, market or asset-price movements into larger changes in value. The use of leverage increases the impact of gains and losses on a fund's returns, and may lead to significant losses if investments are not successful.
Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell, possibly preventing the Fund from transacting in these illiquid securities at an advantageous price or time. A lack of liquidity also may cause the value of investments to decline. Illiquid investments also may be difficult to value.
Management Risk: A strategy used by the Fund's portfolio managers may fail to produce the intended result. The Adviser utilizes various proprietary quantitative models to identify investment opportunities. There is a possibility that one or all of the quantitative models may fail to identify profitable opportunities at any time. Furthermore, they may incorrectly identify opportunities and these misidentified opportunities may lead to substantial losses.
Market Risk: The market value of a security or portfolio will move up and down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, based upon a change in an issuer's financial condition, as well as overall market and economic conditions. The Adviser will attempt to reduce this risk by implementing various volatility management strategies and techniques. However, there is no guarantee that such strategies and techniques will produce the intended result.
Non-Diversification Risk: Compared with other mutual funds, the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer and may invest in fewer issuers. Therefore, the Fund may have more risk because changes in the value of a single security or the impact of a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence may have a greater adverse impact on the Fund's NAV.
Short Exposure Risk: A short exposure through a derivative may present various risks, including credit/counterparty risk and leverage risk. If the value of the asset, asset class or index on which the Fund has obtained a short investment exposure increases, the Fund will incur a loss. Unlike a direct cash investment such as a stock, bond or exchange-traded fund, where the potential loss is limited to the purchase price, the potential risk of loss from a short exposure is theoretically unlimited. Moreover, there can be no assurance that securities necessary to cover a short position will be available for purchase.
U.S. Government Securities Risk: Investments in certain U.S. government securities may not be supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the U.S. government will provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. government securities held by the Fund may greatly exceed their current resources, and it is possible that these issuers will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future. In such a case, the Fund would have to look principally to the agency, instrumentality or sponsored enterprise issuing or guaranteeing the security for ultimate repayment, and the Fund may not be able to assert a claim against the U.S. government itself in the event the agency, instrumentality or sponsored enterprise does not meet its commitment. Concerns about the capacity of the U.S. government to meet its obligations may raise the interest rates payable on its ecurities, negatively impacting the price of such securities already held by the Fund.
Valuation Risk: This is the risk that the Fund has valued certain securities at a higher price than the price at which they can be sold. This risk may be especially pronounced for investments, such as derivatives, that may be illiquid or may become illiquid.
Risk/Return Bar Chart and Table
Because the Fund is new and has not yet commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, information related to Fund performance, including a bar chart showing annual returns, has not been included in this Prospectus. The performance information provided by the Fund in the future will give some indication of the risks of an investment in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare against those of a broad measure of market performance.
Management
Investment Adviser
AlphaSimplex Group, LLC
Investment Subadviser
Reich & Tang Asset Management, LLC
Portfolio Managers
Andrew W. Lo, Chief Investment Strategist of the Adviser, has served as co-portfolio manager of the Fund since 2014.
Alexander D. Healy, Director of Strategic Research of the Adviser, has served as co-portfolio manager of the Fund since 2014.
Peter A. Lee, Senior Research Scientist for the Adviser, has served as co-portfolio manager of the Fund since 2014.
Philippe P. Lüdi, CFA®, Senior Research Scientist for the Adviser, has served as co-portfolio manager of the Fund since 2014.
Robert W. Sinnott, Research Scientist for the Adviser, has served as co-portfolio manager of the Fund since 2014.
Robert S. Rickard, Senior Vice President and head of Portfolio Management and Trading of the Subadviser, has served as co-portfolio manager of the Fund since 2014.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
Class A and C Shares
The following chart shows the investment minimums for various types of accounts:
Type of Account |
Minimum Initial Purchase |
Minimum Subsequent Purchase | ||||
Any account other than those listed below |
$ |
2,500 |
$ |
100 |
||
For shareholders participating in Natixis Funds' Investment Builder Program |
$ |
1,000 |
$ |
50 |
||
For Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, Rollover IRA, SEP-IRA and Keogh plans using the Natixis Funds' prototype document (direct accounts, not held through intermediary) |
$ |
1,000 |
$ |
100 |
||
Coverdell Education Savings Accounts |
$ |
500 |
$ |
100 |
Class Y Shares
Class Y shares of the Fund may be purchased by the following entities at the following investment minimums.
A
minimum initial investment of $100,000 and the minimum subsequent investment of $100 for:
Other
mutual funds, endowments, foundations, bank trust departments or trust companies.
There is no initial or subsequent investment minimum for:
Wrap
Fee Programs of certain broker-dealers, the advisers or NGAM Distribution, L.P. (the "Distributor"). Please consult your financial representative to determine if your wrap fee program is subject to additional or different conditions or
fees. Retirement Plans such as 401(a), 401(k) or 457 plans. Certain
Individual Retirement Accounts if the amounts invested represent rollover distributions from investments by any of the retirement plans invested in the Fund. Registered Investment Advisers investing on behalf of clients in exchange for an advisory, management or consulting fee. Fund
Trustees, former Fund trustees, employees of affiliates of the Natixis Funds and other individuals who are affiliated with any Natixis Fund (this also applies to any spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren and in-laws of
those mentioned) and Natixis affiliate employee benefit plans.
Due to operational limitations at your financial intermediary, certain wrap fee programs, retirement plans, individual retirement accounts and accounts of registered investment advisers may be subject to the investment minimums described above.
The Fund's shares are available for purchase and are redeemable on any business day through your investment dealer, directly from the Fund by writing to the Fund at Natixis Funds, P.O. Box 219579, Kansas City, MO 64121-9579, by exchange, by wire, by internet at ngam.natixis.com, through the Automated Clearing House system, or, in the case of redemptions, by telephone at 800-225-5478 or by the Systematic Withdrawal Plan.
Tax Information
Fund distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, except for distributions to retirement plans and other investors that qualify for tax-exempt treatment under U.S. federal income tax law generally. Investments in such tax-advantaged plans will generally be taxed only upon withdrawal of monies from the tax-exempt arrangement.
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 the 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.
Investment Goals, Strategies and Risks |
More Information About the Fund
ASG Global Macro Fund
Investment Goal
The Fund seeks capital appreciation by pursuing long-term positive returns independent of market cycles. The investment goal is non-fundamental and may be changed without shareholder approval. The Fund will provide 60 days' prior notice to shareholders before changing the investment goal.
Principal Investment Strategies
Under normal market conditions, the Adviser will typically use a variety of derivative instruments, including futures and forward contracts, to achieve long and short exposures to the returns of global developed and emerging market equity and fixed-income securities, indices, currencies and commodities. Emerging markets are economies that that the Adviser believes are not generally recognized to be fully developed markets, as measured by gross national income, financial market infrastructure, market capitalization and/or other factors. The Adviser intends to pursue a global macro investment strategy. In general, the term “global macro” refers to a set of investment strategies based upon the analysis and forecast of monetary, political, or other macroeconomic conditions throughout the world. The Adviser will have great flexibility to allocate the Fund's exposure among various securities, indices, currencies, commodities and other instruments; the amount of the Fund's assets that may be allocated to derivative strategies and among these various instruments is expected to vary over time. The Fund may also invest in exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") to achieve certain investment exposures. The Fund may have both "short" and "long" exposures within an asset class. A "short" exposure will benefit when the underlying asset decreases in price. A "long" exposure will benefit when the underlying asset increases in price.
The Fund employs an absolute-return oriented investment strategy, which seeks positive returns over time independent of a market index or benchmark ( e.g., the S&P 500 ®). Relative-return strategies, by contrast, seek to outperform a designated market index or benchmark. The Fund may outperform the overall securities market during periods of negative market performance and may underperform during periods of strong market performance.
The Adviser employs a diverse set of proprietary models to identify potential market inefficiencies and investment opportunities across global equity, fixed-income, currency and commodity markets. These models, based on macroeconomic principles such as interest rate trends, global demand for assets, governmental fiscal and monetary policies and other fundamental and systemic factors, have been developed over a number of years and diverse market cycles. The Adviser uses an adaptive portfolio construction process to weight component markets and models within the Fund's portfolio in response to different market environments and regimes. The Adviser believes that the use of these models, combined with active risk management, may allow the Fund to earn a positive expected return over time.
The Adviser will use futures and currency forward positions to manage the annualized volatility of the Fund's overall portfolio. The Adviser currently targets an annualized volatility level of 7.5% or less (as measured by the standard deviation of the Fund's returns). The Fund's actual or realized volatility during certain periods or over time may significantly exceed its target volatility for various reasons, including changes in market levels of volatility and investments in instruments that are inherently volatile. This would increase the risk of investing in the Fund.
Under normal market conditions, it is expected that the Adviser will dedicate up to 25% of the Fund's total assets to initial and variation margin payments relating to the Fund's derivative transactions. The gross notional value of the Fund's derivative investments, however, will generally exceed 25% of the Fund's total assets, and may significantly exceed the total value of the Fund's assets.
The Fund expects that, under normal market conditions, it will invest at least 50% of its total assets in money market and other short-term, high-quality securities (the "Money Market Portion") managed by Reich & Tang Asset Management, LLC ("Reich & Tang" or the "Subadviser"). The Fund may invest less than this percentage in the Money Market Portion and the Adviser will determine the percentage of the Fund's assets that will be invested in the Money Market Portion at any time. The assets allocated to the Money Market Portion will be used primarily to support the Fund's investments in derivatives and, secondarily, to provide the Fund with incremental income and liquidity. Although the Fund will invest a significant portion of its assets in money market instruments, the Fund is not a "money market" fund and the value of the Money Market Portion as well as the value of the Fund's shares may decrease. The Fund is not subject to the portfolio quality, maturity and net asset value requirements applicable to money market funds, and the Fund will not seek to maintain a stable net asset value. The Fund will concentrate its investments in the financial services industry, which means it will normally invest at least 25% of its total assets in securities and other obligations (for example, bank certificates of deposit, repurchase agreements and time deposits) of issuers in that industry.
Reich & Tang will only invest the assets of the Money Market Portion in high-quality securities which are denominated in U.S. dollars, and will select securities for investment based on various factors, including the security's maturity and rating. Reich & Tang will invest primarily in: (i) short-term obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States government, its agencies or instrumentalities; (ii) securities issued by foreign governments, their political subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities; (iii) certificates of deposit, time deposits and bankers' acceptances issued by domestic banks, foreign branches of domestic banks, foreign subsidiaries of domestic banks and domestic and foreign branches of foreign banks; (iv) variable amount master demand notes; (v) participation interests in loans extended by banks to companies; (vi) commercial paper or similar debt obligations; and (vii) repurchase agreements.
Although the Fund does not intend to invest in physical commodities directly, the Fund expects to obtain investment exposure to commodities and commodity- related derivatives by investing in a wholly-owned subsidiary organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands that will make commodity-related investments (the "Commodity Subsidiary"). Under normal market conditions, it is expected that no more than 10% of the Fund's total assets will be dedicated to initial and variation margin payments relating to these transactions.
The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer and may invest in fewer issuers. Because the Fund may invest in the securities of a limited number of issuers, an investment in the Fund may involve a higher degree of risk than would be present in a diversified portfolio.
The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of securities and other instruments. Effects of frequent trading may include high transaction costs, which may lower the Fund's return, and realization of greater short-term capital gains, distributions of which are taxable as ordinary income to taxable shareholders. Trading costs and tax effects associated with frequent trading may adversely affect the Fund's performance. The Fund's trading in derivatives is active and frequent. Active and frequent trading of derivatives, like active and frequent trading of securities, will result in transaction costs which reduce fund returns.
The percentage limitations set forth herein are not investment restrictions and the Fund may exceed these limits from time to time.
Principal Investment Risks
The Fund has principal investment strategies that come with inherent risks. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized in the Fund Summary under "Principal Investment Risks." The Fund does not represent a complete investment program. The following provides more information about some of the risks to which the Fund may be subject because of its investments in various types of securities and other instruments or engagement in various practices. Because of the Fund's extensive use of derivative instruments, the Fund will be subject to many of the risks below indirectly through its derivative transactions rather than directly through investment in the actual securities themselves. For example, to the extent the Fund enters into a futures contract on an equity index, the Fund will be subject to "equity securities" risk.
Allocation Risk
This is the risk that the Adviser's judgments about, and allocations between, asset classes and market exposures may adversely affect the Fund's performance. This risk can be increased by the use of derivatives to increase allocations to various market exposures. This is because derivatives can create investment leverage, which will magnify the impact to the Fund of its investment in any underperforming market exposure.
Commodity Risk
This is the risk that exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of physical commodities or commodity-linked derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity price volatility, changes in interest rates, currency fluctuations or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. Rulemaking by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission ("CFTC") may affect the Fund's ability to pursue its investment strategies or increase the Fund's expenses. As of the date of this prospectus, the potential impact of the CFTC rules on the Fund is uncertain.
Commodity Subsidiary Risk
Investing in a wholly-owned commodity subsidiary organized under the laws of a non-U.S. jurisdiction, such as the Commodity Subsidiary, will indirectly expose the Fund to the risks associated with the Commodity Subsidiary's investments. The Commodity Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act, and unless otherwise noted, is not subject to all of the investor protections of the 1940 Act. In monitoring compliance with its investment restrictions, the Fund will consider the assets of the Commodity Subsidiary to be assets of the Fund. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands, under which the Fund and the Commodity Subsidiary, respectively, are organized, could negatively affect the Fund and its shareholders. For example, the Cayman Islands do not currently impose any income, corporate or capital gains tax, estate duty, inheritance tax, gift tax or withholding tax on the Commodity Subsidiary. If Cayman Islands law changes such that the Commodity Subsidiary is required to pay Cayman Islands taxes, the Fund's shareholders may suffer decreased investment returns.
Concentrated Investment Risk
The Fund is particularly vulnerable to events affecting companies in the financial services industry because the Fund concentrates its investments in securities and other obligations of issuers in such industry. Examples of risks affecting the financial services industry include changes in governmental regulation, issues relating to the availability and cost of capital, changes in interest rates and/or monetary policy and price competition. In addition, financial services companies are often more highly leveraged than other companies, making them inherently riskier. As a result, the Fund's shares may rise and fall in value more rapidly and to a greater extent than shares of a fund that does not concentrate or focus in a particular industry or economic sector. The financial services industry has recently experienced high volatility and a number of issuer failures and the value of many of these securities has significantly declined. As a result, the risk associated with investing in the Fund may be increased as compared to a fund that does not concentrate in the financial services industry.
Credit/Counterparty Risk
Credit risk is the risk that the issuer or the guarantor of a fixed-income security, or the counterparty to a derivatives or other transaction, will be unable or unwilling to make timely payments of interest or principal or to otherwise honor its obligations. The Fund will be subject to credit risks with respect to the counterparties of its derivative transactions. Many of the protections afforded to participants on organized exchanges, such as the performance guarantee of an exchange clearing house, are not available in connection with OTC derivative transactions, such as foreign currency transactions. As a result, in instances when the Fund enters into OTC derivative transactions, the Fund will be subject to the risk that its direct counterparties will not perform their obligations under the transactions and that the Fund will sustain losses or be unable to realize gains.
Currency Risk
Fluctuations in the exchange rates between different currencies may negatively affect an investment. The Fund may be subject to currency risk because it may invest a significant portion of its assets in currency-related instruments and may invest in securities or other instruments denominated, or receive revenues in, foreign currencies. The market for some or all currencies may from time to time have low trading volume and become illiquid, which may prevent the Fund from effecting a position or from promptly liquidating unfavorable positions in such markets, thus subjecting the Fund to substantial losses. The Fund may elect not to hedge currency risk, or may hedge such risk imperfectly, which may cause the Fund to incur losses that would not have been incurred had the risk been hedged.
Derivatives Risk
As described herein and in the SAI, the use of derivatives involves special risks. Derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends upon or is derived from the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index. The Fund expects to make extensive use of derivative transactions, and anticipates that the majority of its returns will be attributable to its derivative transactions. Therefore, the performance of the Fund will depend to a great extent on the success of the Adviser's derivative strategies. This use of derivatives for these purposes entails greater risk than using derivatives solely for hedging purposes, and may be considered a speculative activity. The Fund's use of derivatives, such as futures, forward contracts, foreign currency transactions and commodity-linked derivatives, involves other risks, such as the credit risk relating to the other party to a derivative contract (which is greater for forward contracts and other OTC-traded derivatives), the risk of difficulties in pricing and valuation, the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate as expected with relevant assets, rates or indices, liquidity risk and the risk of losing more than the initial margin required to initiate derivatives positions. It is possible that the Fund's liquid assets may be insufficient to support its obligations under its derivatives positions. To the extent that the Fund uses a derivative for purposes other than as a hedge, or if the Fund hedges imperfectly, the Fund is directly exposed to the risks of that derivative and any loss generated by the derivative will not be offset by a gain. There is also the risk that the Fund may be unable to terminate or sell a derivatives position at an advantageous time or price. When used, derivatives may increase the amount and affect the timing and character of taxes payable by shareholders. There is a risk that the Adviser's use of derivatives, such as futures and forward contracts, to manage the Fund's volatility may be ineffective or may exacerbate losses, for example, if the derivative or the underlying assets decrease in value over time.
Emerging Markets Risk
This is the risk associated with investing in emerging securities markets, which may be smaller and have shorter operating histories than developed markets. In addition to the risks of investing in foreign investments generally, emerging markets investments are subject to greater risks arising from political or economic instability, nationalization or confiscatory taxation, currency exchange restrictions, sanctions by the U.S. government and an issuer's unwillingness or inability to make principal or interest payments on its obligations.
Equity Securities Risk
The value of your investment in the Fund is based on the market value (or price) of the securities the Fund holds. You may lose money on your investment due to unpredictable declines in the value of individual securities and/or periods of below-average performance in individual securities, industries or in the equity market as a whole. This may impact the Fund's performance and may result in higher portfolio turnover, which may increase the tax liability to taxable shareholders and the expenses incurred by the Fund. The market value of a security can change daily due to political, economic and other events that affect the securities markets generally, as well as those that affect particular companies or governments. These price movements, sometimes called volatility, will vary depending on the types of securities the Fund owns and the markets in which they trade. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund's equity securities may fluctuate drastically from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response to such trends and developments. Common stocks represent an equity or ownership interest in an issuer. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of the issuer's bonds generally take precedence over the claims of those who own preferred stock or common stock.
Fixed-Income Securities Risk
Fixed-income securities are subject to credit risk, interest rate risk and liquidity risk. Generally, the value of fixed-income securities rises when prevailing interest rates fall and falls when prevailing interest rates rise. This means that you may lose money on your investment due to unpredictable drops in a security's value or periods of below-average performance in a given security or in the securities market as a whole. In addition, an economic downturn or period of rising interest rates could adversely affect the market of these securities and reduce the Fund's ability to sell them. Below investment grade fixed-income securities may be subject to these risks (including the risk of default) to a greater extent than other fixed-income securities. These securities are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's continuing ability to make principal and interest payments.
Foreign Securities Risk
This is the risk associated with investments in issuers located in foreign countries. The Fund's investments in foreign securities may experience more rapid and extreme changes in value than investments in securities of U.S. issuers. The securities markets of many foreign countries are relatively small, with a limited number of issuers and a small number of securities. In addition, foreign companies often are not subject to the same degree of regulation as U.S. companies. Reporting, accounting and auditing standards of foreign countries differ, in some cases significantly, from U.S. standards. Many countries, including developed nations and emerging markets, are faced with concerns about high government debt levels, credit rating downgrades, the future of the euro as a common currency, possible government debt restructuring and related issues, all of which may cause the value of the Fund's non-U.S. investments to decline. Nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, political changes or diplomatic developments may also cause the value of the Fund's non-U.S. investments to decline. When imposed, foreign withholding or other taxes reduce the Fund's return on foreign securities. In the event of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation, the Fund could lose its entire foreign investment. Investments in emerging markets may be subject to these risks to a greater extent than those in more developed markets and securities of developed market companies that conduct substantial business in emerging markets may also be subject to greater risk. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in a specific geographic region, the Fund may have more exposure to regional political, economic, environmental, credit and information risks. In addition, foreign securities may be subject to ncreased credit risk because of the potential difficulties of requiring foreign entities to honor their contractual commitments.
Interest Rate Risk
This is the risk that changes in interest rates will affect the value of the Fund's investments in fixed-income securities, such as bonds, notes, asset-backed securities and other income-producing securities, and derivatives. Fixed-income securities are obligations of the issuer to make payments of principal and/or interest on future dates. Increases in interest rates may cause the value of the Fund's investments to decline. In addition, the value of certain derivatives (such as interest rate futures) is related to changes in interest rates and may suffer significant price declines as a result of interest rate changes. A prolonged period of low interest rates may cause the Fund to have a low or negative yield, potentially reducing the value of your investment. Generally, the value of fixed-income securities, including short-term fixed-income securities, rises when prevailing interest rates fall and falls when interest rates rise. Interest rate risk generally is greater for funds that invest in fixed-income securities with relatively longer durations than for funds that invest in fixed-income securities with shorter durations. A significant change in interest rates could cause the Fund's share price (and the value of your investment) to change.
Investments in Other Investment Companies Risk
The Fund will indirectly bear the management, service and other fees of any other investment companies in which it invests in addition to its own expenses. In addition, investments in ETFs have unique characteristics, including, but not limited to, the expense structure and additional expenses associated with investing in ETFs.
Issuer Risk
The value of the Fund's investments may decline for a number of reasons that directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods and services.
Large Investor Risk
Ownership of shares of the Fund may be concentrated in one or a few large investors such as a fund-of-funds or a large group of similarly managed accounts. Such investors may redeem shares in large quantities or on a frequent basis. If a large investor redeems a portion or all of its investment in the Fund or redeems frequently, the Fund may be forced to sell investments at unfavorable times or prices, which can affect the performance of the Fund and may increase realized capital gains. In addition, such transactions may accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if the Fund's sales of investments result in gains, and also may increase transaction costs. These transactions potentially limit the use of any capital loss carryforwards and certain other losses to offset future realized capital gains (if any). Such transactions may also increase the Fund's expenses or could result in the Fund's current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Fund's expense ratios.
Leverage Risk
Use of derivative instruments may involve leverage. Taking short positions in securities may also result in a form of leverage. Leverage is the risk associated with securities or practices that multiply small index, market or asset-price movements into larger changes in value. Leverage magnifies the potential for gain and the risk of loss. As a result, a relatively small decline in the value of the underlying investments could result in a relatively large loss. Although the portfolio managers will seek to manage the Fund's risk from the leverage associated with derivative investments by closely monitoring the volatility of such investments, the portfolio managers may not be successful in this respect. The use of leverage will increase the impact of gains and losses on the Fund's returns, and may lead to significant losses if investments are not successful.
Liquidity Risk
Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to purchase or sell, possibly preventing the Fund from transacting in these illiquid securities at an advantageous price or time. A lack of liquidity also may cause the value of investments to decline. Derivatives and securities that involve substantial interest rate or credit risk tend to involve greater liquidity risk. Investments in foreign securities tend to have greater exposure to liquidity risk than domestic securities. Investment in derivatives may be especially illiquid when compared to other investments, especially during periods of market stress. Similarly, the market for money market and similar instruments may become illiquid at certain times. At these times, it may be difficult to sell securities. Changing regulatory or market conditions, including increases in interest rates or credit spreads, may adversely affect the liquidity of the Fund's investments. Illiquid investments also may be difficult to value.
Management Risk
Management risk is the risk that the portfolio managers' investment techniques could fail to achieve the Fund's objective and could cause your investment in the Fund to lose value. The Fund is subject to management risk because the Fund is actively managed. The portfolio managers will apply their investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that such decisions will produce the desired results. For example, securities that the portfolio managers expect to appreciate in value may, in fact, decline. Similarly, in some cases, derivative and other investment techniques may be unavailable or the portfolio managers may determine not to use them, even under market conditions where their use could have benefited the Fund. The Adviser utilizes various proprietary quantitative models to identify investment opportunities. Investments selected using the Adviser's models may perform differently than expected as a result of the market factors used in creating models, the weight given to each such market factor, changes from the market factors' historical trends and technical issues in the construction and implementation of the models (e.g., data problems, and/or software issues). The Adviser's judgments about the weightings among various models and strategies may be incorrect, adversely affecting performance. As a result, the Adviser's models may incorrectly identify opportunities and these misidentified opportunities may lead to substantial losses.
Market Risk
This is the risk that the market value of a security or derivative will move up and down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, based upon a change in an issuer's financial condition, as well as overall market and economic conditions. The Adviser will attempt to reduce this risk by implementing various volatility management strategies and techniques. However, there is no guarantee that such strategies and techniques will produce the intended result.
Non-Diversification Risk
Compared with other mutual funds, the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a particular issuer and may invest in fewer issuers. Therefore, the Fund may have more risk because changes in the value of a single security or the impact of a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence may have a greater adverse impact on the Fund's NAV.
Short Exposure Risk
A short exposure through a derivative may present various risks, including credit/counterparty risk and leverage risk. If the value of the asset, asset class or index on which the Fund has obtained a short investment exposure increases, the Fund will incur a loss. Unlike a direct cash investment like a stock, bond or exchange-traded fund, where the potential loss is limited to the purchase price, the potential risk of loss from a short exposure is theoretically unlimited. Moreover, there can be no assurance that securities necessary to cover a short position will be available for purchase.
U.S. Government Securities Risk
Investments in certain U.S. government securities may not be supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the U.S. government will provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. government securities held by the Fund may greatly exceed their current resources, and it is possible that these issuers will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future. In such a case, the Fund would have to look principally to the agency, instrumentality or sponsored enterprise issuing or guaranteeing the security for ultimate repayment, and the Fund may not be able to assert a claim against the U.S. government itself in the event the agency, instrumentality or sponsored enterprise does not meet its commitment. Concerns about the capacity of the U.S. government to meet its obligations may raise the interest rates payable on its securities, negatively impacting the price of such securities already held by the Fund.
Valuation Risk
This is the risk that the Fund has valued certain securities at a higher price than the price at which they can be sold. This risk may be especially pronounced for investments, such as derivatives, which may be illiquid or which may become illiquid.
More Information About the Fund's Strategies
Temporary Defensive Measures
As a temporary defensive measure, the Fund may hold any portion of its assets in cash (U.S. dollars, foreign currencies or multinational currency units) and/or invest in money market instruments or high-quality debt securities as its Adviser deems appropriate. The Fund may miss certain investment opportunities if it uses defensive strategies and thus may not achieve its investment goal.
Transactions with Other Investment Companies
Pursuant to SEC exemptive relief, the Fund may be permitted to invest its daily cash balances in shares of money market and short-term bond funds advised by NGAM Advisors, L.P. ("NGAM Advisors") (an affiliate of AlphaSimplex) or its affiliates ("Central Funds"). The Central Funds currently include one money market fund: the Daily Income Fund. The Daily Income Fund is advised by Reich & Tang. Because AlphaSimplex, NGAM Advisors and Reich & Tang are subsidiaries of Natixis Global Asset Management, L.P. ("Natixis US"), the Fund and the Central Funds may be considered to be related companies comprising a "group of investment companies" under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act").
Pursuant to such exemptive relief, the Fund may also borrow and lend money for temporary or emergency purposes directly to and from other funds through an interfund credit facility. In addition to the Fund and the Central Funds, series of the following mutual fund groups may also be able to participate in the facility: Natixis Funds Trust I (except the CGM Advisor Targeted Equity Fund series), Natixis Funds Trust II (except the Loomis Sayles Senior Floating Rate and Fixed Income Fund), Natixis Funds Trust IV, Harris Associates Investment Trust, Loomis Sayles Funds I, Loomis Sayles Funds II and Gateway Trust. The advisers and subadvisers to these mutual funds currently include NGAM Advisors, Natixis Asset Management U.S., LLC, Reich & Tang, Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P., AEW Capital Management, L.P., AlphaSimplex, Gateway Investment Advisers, LLC, Harris Associates, L.P., McDonnell Investment Management, LLC, and Vaughan Nelson Investment Management, L.P. These advisers and subadvisers are subsidiaries of Natixis US and are thus "affiliated persons" under the 1940 Act by reason of being under common control by Natixis US. In addition, because the Fund, and other funds, are advised by firms that are affiliated with one another, they may be considered to be related companies comprising a "group of investment companies" under the 1940 Act. The Central Funds will participate in the credit facility only as lenders. Participation in such an interfund lending program would be voluntary for both borrowing and lending funds, and the Fund would participate in an interfund lending program only if the Board of Trustees determined that doing so would benefit the Fund. Should the Fund participate in such an interfund lending program, the Board of Trustees would establish procedures for the operation of the program by the advisers or an affiliate. The Fund may engage in the transactions described above without further notice to shareholders. The Fund also may make nvestments in related investment companies to the extent permitted by SEC regulation.
Percentage Investment Limitations
Except as set forth in the SAI, the percentage limitations set forth in this Prospectus and the SAI apply at the time an investment is made and shall not be considered violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of such investment.
Portfolio Holdings
A description of the Fund's policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund's portfolio securities is available in the section "Portfolio Holdings Information" in the SAI.
A "snapshot" of the Fund's investments will be found in its annual and semiannual reports, when available. In addition, a list of the Fund's full portfolio holdings, which is updated monthly after an aging period of at least 7 days, is available on the Fund's website at ngam.natixis.com (select the name of the Fund in the "Find a fund" box). These holdings will remain accessible on the website until the Fund files its Form N-CSR or Form N-Q with the SEC for the period that includes the date of the information.
Management Team |
Management Team
Meet the Fund's Investment Adviser and Subadviser
The Natixis Funds family currently includes 31 mutual funds (the "Natixis Funds"). The Natixis Funds family had combined assets of $57.6 billion as of October 31, 2014. Natixis Funds are distributed through NGAM Distribution, L.P. (the "Distributor").
Adviser
AlphaSimplex, located at 255 Main Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, serves as the adviser to the Fund. AlphaSimplex was founded in 1999 and as of October 31, 2014, it serves as investment adviser or subadviser with respect to assets of $4.6 billion.
AlphaSimplex is a subsidiary of Natixis US, which is part of Natixis Global Asset Management, an international asset management group based in Paris, France, that is in turn owned by Natixis, a French investment banking and financial services firm. Natixis is principally owned by BPCE, France's second largest banking group. BPCE is owned by banks comprising two autonomous and complementary retail banking networks consisting of the Caisse d'Epargne regional savings banks and the Banque Populaire regional cooperative banks. The registered address of Natixis is 30, avenue Pierre Mendès France, 75013 Paris, France. The registered address of BPCE is 50, avenue Pierre Mendès France, 75013 Paris, France. Natixis US has 13 principal subsidiary or affiliated asset management firms that collectively had over $459.8 billion in assets under management as of October 31, 2014.
The aggregate advisory and subadvisory fees paid by the Fund (including the fees paid by the Fund's Commodity Subsidiary) as a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets is 1.25%.
Subadviser
Reich & Tang, located at 1411 Broadway, 28th Floor, New York, New York 10018, serves as subadviser to the Fund. Reich & Tang is a limited liability company with 100% of its membership interest owned by Natixis US. Reich & Tang's origins date back to 1970, and as of October 31, 2014, it is the investment manager, adviser or subadviser with respect to assets in excess of $17.5 billion.
A discussion of the factors considered by the Board of Trustees in approving the Fund's investment advisory contract will be included in the Fund's initial shareholder report covering the period in which the approval occurred.
Portfolio Trades
In placing portfolio trades, AlphaSimplex or Reich & Tang may use brokerage firms that market the Fund's shares or are affiliated with Natixis US, NGAM Advisors or AlphaSimplex or Reich & Tang. In placing trades, AlphaSimplex or Reich & Tang will seek to obtain the best combination of price and execution, which involves a number of subjective factors. Such portfolio trades are subject to applicable regulatory restrictions and related procedures adopted by the Board of Trustees.
Meet the Fund's Portfolio Managers
The following persons have had primary responsibility for the day-to-day management of the Fund's portfolio since the dates stated below.
AlphaSimplex
Andrew W. Lo - Dr. Lo founded AlphaSimplex in 1999 and currently serves as the firm's Chief Investment Strategist. He is also Chairman of AlphaSimplex's Investment Committee and a member of AlphaSimplex's Risk Committee. Dr. Lo has been a co-portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception. Dr. Lo is the Charles E. and Susan T. Harris Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology ("MIT") and Director of MIT's Laboratory for Financial Engineering.
Alexander D. Healy - Dr. Healy joined AlphaSimplex in 2007 and currently serves as Director of Strategic Research, focusing on risk management, asset allocation, and non-parametric investment models. Dr. Healy has served as co-portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception. Dr. Healy received an A.B. in Mathematics and Computer Science in 2002 and a Ph.D. in Theoretical Computer Science in 2007, both from Harvard University.
Peter A. Lee - Mr. Lee joined AlphaSimplex in 2007 and currently serves as Senior Research Scientist for hedge fund beta replication products. Mr. Lee has served as co-portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception. Mr. Lee received an A.B. in Applied Mathematics with a secondary field in Economics from Harvard University in 2007.
Philippe P. Lüdi, CFA - Dr. Lüdi joined AlphaSimplex in 2006 and currently serves as Senior Research Scientist, focusing on Global Macro and Global Tactical Asset Allocation strategies. Dr. Lüdi has served as co-portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception. Dr. Lüdi received the equivalent of an M.A. in Molecular and Computational Biology from the University of Basel in 2000, followed by an M.S. in Statistics in 2002 and a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics in 2006, both from Duke University. Dr. Lüdi holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst.
Robert W. Sinnott - Mr. Sinnott joined AlphaSimplex in 2009 and currently serves as Research Scientist for trend and relative-value models. Mr. Sinnott has served as co-portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception. Mr. Sinnott received both an A.B. and A.M. in Statistics from Harvard University.
Reich & Tang
Robert S. Rickard - Mr. Rickard is a Senior Vice President of Reich & Tang, and head of Portfolio Management and Trading for the Reich & Tang Funds division, which specializes in cash management strategies. Mr. Rickard has been a co-portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception. Mr. Rickard has focused on the management of short-term assets since joining Reich & Tang's investment staff in 1992. Mr. Rickard holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from Pace University and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Siena College.
Please see the SAI for information on portfolio manager compensation, other accounts under management by the portfolio managers and the portfolio managers' ownership of securities in the Fund.
Fund Services |
Fund Services
Investing in the Fund
Choosing a Share Class
Each class has different costs associated with buying, selling and holding Fund shares, which allows you to choose the class that best meets your needs. Which class is best for you depends upon a number of factors, including the size of your investment and how long you intend to hold your shares. Certain share classes and certain shareholder features may not be available to you if you hold your shares in a street name account. Your financial representative can help you decide which class of shares is most appropriate for you.
Class A Shares
You pay a
sales charge when you buy Class A shares. There are several ways to reduce this charge. See the section "How Sales Charges Are Calculated." You pay
lower annual expenses than Class C shares, giving you the potential for higher returns per share. However, where front-end sales charges are applicable, returns are earned on a smaller amount of your investment. You pay
higher expenses than Class Y shares. You do not pay a sales charge on orders of $1 million or more, but you may pay a charge on redemptions if you redeem these shares within 18 months of purchase.
Class C Shares
You do not pay a sales charge when you buy Class C shares. All of your money goes to work for you right away. You pay
higher annual expenses than Class A and Class Y shares. You may pay a sales charge on redemptions if you sell your Class C shares within one year of purchase. Investors
will not be permitted to purchase $1 million or more of Class C shares as a single investment per account. There may be certain exceptions to this restriction for omnibus and other nominee accounts. Investors may want to consider the lower operating
expense of Class A shares in such instances. You may pay a charge on redemptions if you redeem Class A shares within 18 months of purchase.
Class Y Shares
The
shares are available to a limited type of investor. See the section "Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares." You have
a minimum initial investment of $100,000. There are several ways to waive this minimum. See the section "Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares." You do
not pay a sales charge when you buy Class Y shares. All of your money goes to work for you right away. You do
not pay a sales charge on redemptions. You pay lower annual expenses than Class A and Class C shares, giving you the potential for higher returns per share.
For information about the Fund's expenses, see the section "Fund Fees & Expenses" in the Fund Summary.
Certificates
Certificates will not be issued or honored for any class of shares.
How Sales Charges Are Calculated
Class A Shares
The price that you pay when you buy Class A shares (the "offering price") is their net asset value ("NAV") plus a sales charge (sometimes called a "front-end sales charge"), which varies depending upon the size of your purchase:
Class A Sales Charges* |
||||||
Your Investment |
As a % of |
As a % of |
| |||
Less than $50,000 |
5.75 |
% |
6.10 |
% |
||
$50,000 – $99,999 |
4.50 |
% |
4.71 |
% |
||
$100,000 – $249,999 |
3.50 |
% |
3.63 |
% |
||
$250,000 – $499,999 |
2.50 |
% |
2.56 |
% |
||
$500,000 – $999,999 |
2.00 |
% |
2.04 |
% |
||
$1,000,000 or more** |
0.00 |
% |
0.00 |
% |
|
Due to rounding, the actual sales charge for a particular transaction may be higher or lower than the rates listed above. |
* |
Not imposed on shares that are purchased with reinvested dividends or other distributions. |
** |
For purchases of Class A shares of the Fund of $1 million or more, there is no front-end sales charge, but a CDSC of 1.00% may apply to redemptions of your shares within 18 months of the date of purchase. See the section "How the CDSC is Applied to Your Shares." |
If you invest in Class A shares through a financial intermediary, it is the responsibility of the financial intermediary to ensure that you obtain the proper "breakpoint" discount. It will be necessary at the time of purchase to inform the Distributor and the financial intermediary of the existence of other accounts in which there are holdings eligible to be aggregated to meet sales load breakpoints of the Fund. You may be required to provide certain records and information, such as account statements, with respect to all of your accounts that hold shares, including accounts with other financial intermediaries and your family members' and other related party accounts, in order to verify your eligibility for a reduced sales charge. If the Distributor is not notified that you are eligible for a reduced sales charge, the Distributor will be unable to ensure that the reduction is applied to your account. Additional information concerning sales load breakpoints is available from your financial intermediary, by visiting the Fund's website at ngam.natixis.com (click on "Sales Charges" at the bottom of the home page) or in the SAI.
Reducing Front-End Sales Charges
There are several ways you can lower your sales charge for Class A shares, including:
Letter
of Intent — By signing a Letter of Intent, you may purchase Class A shares of any Natixis Fund over a 13-month period but pay sales charges as if you had purchased all shares at once. This program can save you money if you plan to invest
$50,000 or more within 13 months. Cumulative Purchase Discount — You may be entitled to a reduced sales charge if your "total investment" reaches a breakpoint for a reduced sales charge. The total investment is determined by
adding the amount of your current purchase in the Fund, including the applicable sales charge, to the current public offering price of all series and classes of shares of the Natixis Funds held by you in one or more accounts. If your total
investment exceeds a sales charge breakpoint in the table above, the lower sales charge applies to the entire amount of your current purchase in the Fund. Combining Accounts — This allows you to combine shares of multiple Natixis Funds and classes for purposes of calculating your sales charge.
Individual Accounts: You may elect to combine your purchase(s) and your total investment, as defined above, with the purchases and total investment of your spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, in-laws (of those previously mentioned), individual fiduciary accounts, sole proprietorships, single trust estates and any other individuals acceptable to the Distributor.
Certain Retirement Plan Accounts: The Distributor may, at its discretion, combine the purchase(s) and total investment of all qualified participants in the same retirement plan for purposes of determining the availability of a reduced sales charge.
In most instances, individual accounts may not be linked with certain retirement plan accounts for the purposes of calculating sales charges. Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees ("SIMPLE IRA") contributions will automatically be linked with those of other participants in the same SIMPLE IRA Plan (Class A shares only). SIMPLE IRA accounts may not be linked with any other Natixis Fund account for rights of accumulation. Please refer to the SAI for more detailed information on combining accounts.
Eliminating Front-End Sales Charges and CDSCs
Class A shares may be offered without front-end sales charges or a CDSC to the following individuals and institutions:
Clients of a financial intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor and has been approved by the Distributor to offer Fund shares to
self-directed investment brokerage accounts that may or may not charge a transaction fee; Any
government entity that is prohibited from paying a sales charge or commission to purchase mutual fund shares; Selling
brokers, sales representatives, registered investment advisers, financial planners or other intermediaries under arrangements with the Distributor (this also applies to spouses and children under the age of 21 of those mentioned); Fund
trustees, former trustees, employees of affiliates of the Natixis Funds and other individuals who are affiliated with any Natixis Fund (this also applies to any spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren and in-laws of those
mentioned); Participants in certain employer-sponsored retirement plans. The availability of this pricing may depend upon the policies and procedures of your specific financial intermediary; consult your financial
adviser; Non-discretionary and non-retirement accounts of bank trust departments or trust companies, but only if they principally engage in banking or trust activities; Clients
of an adviser or subadviser to any Natixis Fund with investments of $25,000 or more in the Natixis Funds; and Clients
of NGAM Advisors that invest in a Natixis Fund that does not offer Class Y shares.
In order to receive Class A shares without a front-end sales charge or a CDSC, you must notify the Fund of your eligibility at the time of purchase. Due to operational limitations at your financial intermediary, a sales charge or a CDSC may be assessed; please consult your financial representative.
Repurchasing Fund Shares
You may apply proceeds from redeeming Class A shares of the Fund to repurchase Class A shares of any Natixis Fund without paying a front-end sales charge. To qualify, you must reinvest some or all of the proceeds within 120 days after your redemption and notify Natixis Funds in writing (directly or through your financial representative) at the time of reinvestment that you are taking advantage of this privilege. You may reinvest your proceeds by sending a new check for some or all of the redemption amount. Please note: for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a redemption generally is treated as a sale that involves tax consequences, even if the proceeds are later reinvested. Please consult your tax adviser to discuss how a redemption would affect you.
Eliminating the CDSC
As long as the Distributor is notified at the time you sell, the CDSC for Class A shares will generally be eliminated in the following cases: (1) to make distributions from a retirement plan (a plan termination or total plan redemption may incur a CDSC); (2) to make payments through a systematic withdrawal plan; (3) due to shareholder death or disability; (4) to return excess IRA contributions; or (5) to make required minimum distributions at age 70 ½ (applies only to the amount necessary to meet the required minimum distributions).
Please see the SAI for more information on eliminating or reducing front-end sales charges and the CDSC.
Class C Shares
The offering price of Class C shares is their NAV without a front-end sales charge. Class C shares are subject to a CDSC of 1.00% on redemptions made within one year of the date of their acquisition. The holding period for determining the CDSC will continue to run after an exchange to Class C shares of another Natixis Fund.
Class C Contingent Deferred Sales Charges
Year Since Purchase |
CDSC on Shares Being Sold |
1st |
1.00% |
Thereafter |
0.00% |
Eliminating the CDSC
As long as the Distributor is notified at the time you sell, the CDSC for Class C shares will generally be eliminated in the following cases: (1) to make distributions from a retirement plan (a plan termination or total plan redemption may incur a CDSC); (2) to make payments through a systematic withdrawal plan; (3) due to shareholder death or disability; (4) to return excess IRA contributions; or (5) to make required minimum distributions at age 70 ½ (applies only to the amount necessary to meet the required minimum distributions).
Please see the SAI for more information on eliminating or reducing front-end sales charges and the CDSC.
How the CDSC is Applied to Your Shares
The CDSC is a sales charge you pay when you redeem certain Fund shares. The CDSC:
Is
calculated based on the number of shares you are selling; Calculation is based on either your original purchase price or the current NAV of the shares being sold, whichever is lower in order to minimize your CDSC; Is
deducted from the proceeds of the redemption unless you request, at the time of the redemption, that it be deducted from the amount remaining in your account; and Applies
to redemptions made within the time frame shown above for each class.
A CDSC will not be charged on:
Increases
in NAV above the purchase price; Shares you acquired by reinvesting your dividends or capital gains distributions; or Exchanges. However, the original purchase date of the shares from which the exchange is made determines if the newly acquired shares are subject to the CDSC when they
are sold.
To minimize the amount of the CDSC you may pay when you redeem shares, the Fund will first redeem shares acquired through reinvested dividends and capital gain distributions. Shares will be sold in the order in which they were purchased (earliest to latest).
Because distribution and service (12b-1) 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 paying other types of sales charges and service fees.
Class Y Shares
The offering price of Class Y shares is their NAV without a front-end load sales charge. No CDSC applies when you redeem your shares. You must meet eligibility criteria in order to invest in Class Y shares.
Compensation to Securities Dealers
As part of its business strategy, the Fund pays securities dealers and other financial institutions (collectively, "dealers") that sell its shares. This compensation originates from two sources: sales charges (front-end or deferred) and 12b-1 fees (comprising the annual service and/or distribution fees paid under a plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act). The sales charges, some or all of which may be paid to dealers, are discussed in the section "How Sales Charges Are Calculated" and dealer commissions are disclosed in the SAI. Class A and Class C shares pay an annual service fee each of 0.25% of their respective average daily net assets. Class C shares are subject to an annual distribution fee of 0.75% of their average daily net assets. Generally, the 12b-1 fees are paid to securities dealers on a quarterly basis, but may be paid on other schedules. The SAI includes additional information about the payment of some or all of such fees to dealers. Because these distribution fees and service (12b-1) fees are paid out of the Fund's assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees for Class C shares will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying the front-end sales charge and service fees on Class A shares. Similarly, over time the fees for Class A and Class C shares will increase the cost of your investment.
In addition, the Fund may make payments to financial intermediaries that provide shareholder services to shareholders whose shares are held of record in omnibus, other group accounts (for example, 401(k) plans) or accounts traded through registered securities clearing agents to compensate those intermediaries for services they provide to such shareholders, including, but not limited to, sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, similar shareholder or participant recordkeeping, shareholder or participant reporting, or shareholder or participant transaction processing ("recordkeeping and processing-related services"). The actual payments, and the services provided, vary from firm to firm. These fees are paid by the Fund in light of the fact that other costs may be avoided by the Fund where the intermediary, not the Fund's service provider, provides services to Fund shareholders.
The Distributor, the Adviser and each of their respective affiliates may, out of their own resources, which generally come directly or indirectly from fees paid by the Fund, make payments to certain dealers and other financial intermediaries that satisfy certain criteria established from time to time by the Distributor. Payments may vary based on sales, the amount of assets a dealer's or intermediary's clients have invested in the Fund, and other factors. These payments may also take the form of sponsorship of seminars or informational meetings or payments for attendance by persons associated with a dealer or intermediary at informational meetings. The Distributor and its affiliates may also make payments for recordkeeping and processing-related services to financial intermediaries that sell Fund shares. These payments may be in addition to payments made by the Fund for similar services.
The payments described in this section, which may be significant to the dealers and the financial intermediaries, may create an incentive for a dealer or financial intermediary or their representatives to recommend or sell shares of the Fund or a particular share class over other mutual funds or share classes. Additionally, these payments may result in the Fund receiving certain marketing or servicing advantages that are not generally available to mutual funds that do not make such payments, including placement on a sales list, including a preferred or select sales list, or in other sales programs. These payments, which are in addition to any amounts you may pay your dealer or other financial intermediary, may create potential conflicts of interest between an investor and a dealer or other financial intermediary who is recommending a particular mutual fund over other mutual funds. Before investing, you should consult with your financial representative and review carefully any disclosure by the dealer or other financial intermediary as to what monies it receives from mutual funds and their advisers and distributors, as well as how your financial representative is compensated. Please see the SAI for additional information about payments made by the Distributor and its affiliates to dealers and intermediaries.
It's Easy to Open an Account
To Open an Account with Natixis Funds:
Read this
Prospectus carefully. The Fund is generally available for purchase in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Except to the extent otherwise permitted by the Distributor, the Funds will only accept accounts from U.S.
citizens with a U.S. address (including an APO or FPO address) or resident aliens with a U.S. address (including an APO or FPO address) and a U.S. taxpayer identification number. Determine how
much you wish to invest. See the information regarding investment minimums for accounts in the section "Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares."
For Class
A and Class C Shares, the Distributor, at its sole discretion, may lower investment minimums for accounts associated with wrap fee programs sponsored by certain broker-dealers and investment advisers and for accounts associated with certain other
defined contribution plans not using the Natixis Funds' prototype document. For Class Y, minimums are waived for such accounts. The
Distributor, at its sole discretion, may waive the investment minimums for new accounts being established into existing Corporate Retirement Plans and existing SEP-IRA, SARSEP and Keogh Plans using the Natixis Funds' prototype document.
The
Fund is not available to new SIMPLE IRAs. Class A and Class Y shares of the Fund are available to Fund trustees, former Fund trustees, employees of affiliates of the Natixis Funds and other individuals who are affiliated with any Natixis Fund
(this also applies to any spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren and in-laws of those mentioned) with no initial or subsequent investment minimum. At the
discretion of NGAM Advisors, clients of NGAM Advisors and its affiliates may purchase Class Y shares of the Fund below the stated minimums.
Complete the appropriate parts of the applicable account application, carefully following the instructions. If you have any questions, please call your financial
representative or Natixis Funds at 800-225-5478. For more information on Natixis Funds' investment programs, refer to the section "Additional Investor Services" in this Prospectus.
Use the sections of this Prospectus that follow as your guide for purchasing shares.
Minimum Balance Policy
(Excludes Class Y Shares)
In order to address the relatively higher costs of servicing smaller fund positions, on an annual basis the Fund may close an account and send the account holder the proceeds if the account falls below $50 for direct accounts and $500 for networked accounts. The valuation of account balances for this purpose and liquidation itself generally occur during October of each calendar year, although they may occur at another date in the year.
Certain accounts, such as accounts using the Natixis Funds' prototype document (including IRAs, Keogh Plans, 403(b)(7) plans and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts) and accounts associated with wrap fee programs or defined contribution plans, are excepted from the liquidation. However, the Fund reserves the right to liquidate any account with a balance of one share or less regardless of the account type.
Self-Servicing Your Account
Buying or selling shares is easy with the services described below (certain restrictions may apply):
Natixis Funds Personal Access Line®
800-225-5478, press 1
Natixis Funds Website:
ngam.natixis.com
You have access to your account 24 hours a day by calling the Personal Access Line® from a touch-tone telephone or by visiting us online. Using these customer service options, you may:
purchase,
exchange or redeem shares in your existing accounts; review your account balance, recent transactions, current net asset value per share and recent performance; order
duplicate account statements; and obtain tax information.
Please see the following pages for other ways to buy, exchange or sell your shares.
Buying Shares
Except to the extent otherwise permitted by the Distributor, the Fund will only accept investments from U.S. citizens with a U.S. address (including an APO or FPO address) or resident aliens with a U.S. address (including an APO or FPO address) and a U.S. taxpayer identification number.
Opening an Account |
Adding to an Account | |
Through Your Investment Dealer |
Call your
investment dealer for information about opening or adding to an account. Dealers may also charge you a processing or servicing fee in connection with the purchase of Fund shares. | |
By Mail |
Make out
a check in U.S. dollars for the investment amount, payable to "Natixis Funds." Third party checks, "starter" checks and credit card convenience checks will not be accepted. Mail the
check with your completed application to Natixis Funds, P.O. Box 219579, Kansas City, MO 64121-9579, or the overnight address, 330 West 9th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105-1514. Investments made by check are redeemable although the Fund may withhold payment until the purchase check has cleared. See the section "Selling Restrictions." |
Make out
a check in U.S. dollars for the investment amount, payable to "Natixis Funds." Third party checks, "starter" checks and credit card convenience checks will not be accepted. Complete
the investment slip from an account statement or include a letter specifying the Fund name, your class of shares, your account number and the registered account name(s). Investments made by check are redeemable although the Fund may withhold payment until the purchase check has cleared. See the section "Selling
Restrictions." |
By Exchange (See the section "Exchanging Shares" for more details.) |
Call your
investment dealer or Natixis Funds at 800-225-5478 or visit ngam.natixis.com to 1) obtain a current prospectus for the fund into which you are exchanging and 2) request an exchange. In
writing: Mail request to Natixis Funds, P.O. Box 219579, Kansas City, MO 64121-9579, or the overnight address, 330 West 9th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105-1514. |
Call your
investment dealer or Natixis Funds at 800-225-5478 or visit ngam.natixis.com to request an exchange. In
writing: Mail request to Natixis Funds, P.O. Box 219579, Kansas City, MO 64121-9579, or the overnight address, 330 West 9th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105-1514. |
By Wire |
For Class
Y shares only, mail your completed application to Natixis Funds, P.O. Box 219579, Kansas City, MO 64121-9579. Call Natixis Funds at (800) 225-5478 to obtain an account number and wire transfer instructions. Your bank may charge you for such a
transfer. |
Call
Natixis Funds at (800) 225-5478 to obtain wire transfer instructions. At the time of the wire transfer, you will need to include the Fund name, your class of shares, your account number and the registered account owner name(s). Your bank may charge
you for such a transfer. |
Through Automated Clearing House ("ACH") |
Although
you cannot open an account through ACH, you may add this feature by selecting it on your account application. Ask your
bank or credit union whether it is a member of the ACH system. |
Call
Natixis Funds at 800-225-5478 or visit ngam.natixis.com to add shares to your account through ACH. If you
have not signed up for the ACH system, please call Natixis Funds or visit ngam.natixis.com for a Service Options Form. A medallion signature guarantee may be required to add this privilege. Redemption proceeds may not be available immediately upon redemption for shares purchased through ACH. See the section "Selling Restrictions." |
Automatic Investing Through Investment Builder |
Although
you cannot open an account through Investment Builder, you may add this feature by selecting it on your account application. The Fund minimum must be met in order to establish an account. Ask your
bank or credit union whether it is a member of the ACH system. |
If you
have not signed up for Investment Builder, please call Natixis Funds at 800-225-5478 or visit ngam.natixis.com for a Service Options Form. A medallion signature guarantee may be required to add this privilege. See the
section "Additional Investor Services." Redemption proceeds may not be available immediately upon redemption for shares purchased through ACH. See the section "Selling Restrictions." |
Selling Shares
To Sell Some or All of Your Shares
Certain restrictions may apply. Redemption proceeds may not be available immediately upon redemption for shares purchased by check, through ACH or Investment Builder. See the section "Restrictions on Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares." Generally, a transaction fee will be charged for expedited payment of redemption proceeds of $5.50 for wire transfers, $50 for international wire transfers or $20.50 for overnight delivery. These fees are subject to change.
Redemptions of more than $100,000 cannot be processed on the same day unless the proceeds of the redemption are sent via pre-established banking information on the account. Please see the "Selling Shares in Writing" section for more information.
Through Your Investment Dealer |
Call your
investment dealer for information. Dealers may also charge you a processing or service fee in connection with the redemption of Fund shares. |
By Mail |
Write a
letter to request a redemption. Specify the name of your Fund, class of shares, account number, the exact registered account name(s), the number of shares or the dollar amount to be redeemed and the method by which you wish to receive your proceeds.
Additional materials may be required. See the section "Selling Shares in Writing." The
request must be signed by all of the owners of the shares and must include the capacity in which they are signing, if appropriate. Mail your
request by regular mail to Natixis Funds, P.O. Box 219579, Kansas City, MO 64121-9579 or by registered, express or certified mail to Natixis Funds, 330 West 9th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105-1514. Proceeds
(less any applicable CDSC) will be delivered by the method chosen in your letter. Proceeds delivered by mail will generally be mailed to you within three business days after the request is received in good order, although it may take longer. See the
sections "Selling Shares in Writing" and "Selling Restrictions." |
By Exchange |
Obtain a
current prospectus for the fund into which you are exchanging by calling your investment dealer or Natixis Funds at 800-225-5478 or visit ngam.natixis.com. Call
Natixis Funds or visit ngam.natixis.com to request an exchange. |
By Wire |
Complete
the "Bank Information" section on your account application. Call Natixis Funds at 800-225-5478, visit ngam.natixis.com or indicate in your redemption request letter (see above) that you wish to have your proceeds wired to your
bank. Proceeds (less any applicable CDSC) will generally be wired on the next business day, although it may take longer. See the sections "Selling Shares in Writing" and "Selling Restrictions." A wire fee will
be deducted from the proceeds. Your bank may charge you a fee to receive the wire. If you have not signed up for banking information on your application, please call Natixis Funds at 800-225-5478 or visit ngam.natixis.com for a Service Options Form.
A medallion signature guarantee may be required to add this privilege. |
Through ACH |
Ask your
bank or credit union whether it is a member of the ACH system. Complete the "Bank Information" section on your account application. If you
have not signed up for the ACH system on your application, please call Natixis Funds at 800-225-5478 or visit ngam.natixis.com for a Service Options Form. A medallion signature guarantee may be required to add this privilege. Call
Natixis Funds or visit ngam.natixis.com to request an ACH redemption or indicate in your redemption letter that you wish to have your proceeds sent to your bank through ACH. Proceeds
(less any applicable CDSC) will generally arrive at your bank within three business days, although it may take longer. See the sections "Selling Shares in Writing" and "Selling Restrictions." |
By Telephone |
Call
Natixis Funds at 800-225-5478 to choose the method you wish to use to redeem your shares. You may receive your proceeds (less any applicable CDSC) by mail, by wire or through ACH (see above), subject to certain restrictions. See the sections
"Selling Shares in Writing" and "Selling Restrictions." Redemptions by check in the amount greater than $100,000 must be done in writing. |
By Systematic Withdrawal Plan |
Call
Natixis Funds at 800-225-5478 or your financial representative for more information. Because
withdrawal payments may have tax consequences, you should consult your tax adviser before establishing such a plan. See the sections "Selling Shares in Writing" and "Selling Restrictions." |
Selling Shares in Writing
If you wish to redeem your shares in writing, all owners of the shares must sign the redemption request in the exact names in which the shares are registered and indicate any special capacity in which they are signing. In certain situations, you will be required to make your request to sell shares in writing. In these instances, a letter of instruction signed by the authorized owner is necessary. In certain situations, we also may require a medallion signature guarantee or additional documentation.
A medallion signature guarantee protects you against fraudulent orders and is necessary if:
your
address of record or bank account information has been changed within the past 30 days; you are
selling more than $100,000 worth of shares and you are requesting the proceeds by check (this does not apply to IRA transfer of assets to a new custodian); a
proceeds check for any amount is either mailed to an address other than the address of record or not payable to the registered owner(s); or the
proceeds are sent by check, wire or in some circumstances ACH to a bank account whose owner(s) do not match the owner(s) of the fund account.
A notary public cannot provide a medallion signature guarantee. The Fund will only accept medallion signature guarantees bearing the STAMP2000 Medallion imprint. A medallion signature guarantee can be obtained from one of the following sources:
a
financial representative or securities dealer; a federal savings bank, cooperative or other type of bank; a savings
and loan or other thrift institution; a credit union; or a securities exchange or clearing agency.
In some situations additional documentation may be necessary. Please contact your financial representative or Natixis Funds regarding documentation requirements.
Exchanging Shares
In general, you may exchange Class A, Class C or Class Y shares of the Fund for shares of the same class of another Natixis Fund or Loomis Sayles Fund that offers such class of shares, without paying a sales charge or a CDSC, if applicable (see the sections "Buying Shares" and "Selling Shares") subject to restrictions noted below. The exchange must be for at least the minimum to open an account (or the total NAV of your account, whichever is less), or, once the fund minimum is met, exchanges under the Automatic Exchange Plan must be made for at least $100 (see the section "Additional Investor Services"). You may exchange Class Y shares of the Fund, subject to minimum investment requirements, for Institutional Class shares of any series of Loomis Sayles Funds that offers Institutional Class shares subject to certain restrictions noted below. The exchange must be for at least the minimum to open an account (or the total NAV of your account, whichever is less). All exchanges are subject to the eligibility requirements of the fund into which you are exchanging and any other limits on sales of or exchanges into that fund. The exchange privilege may be exercised only in those states where shares of such funds may be legally sold. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, an exchange of Fund shares for shares of another fund is generally treated as a sale on which gain or loss may be recognized. Subject to the applicable rules of the SEC, the Board of Trustees reserves the right to modify the exchange privilege at any time. Before requesting an exchange into any other fund, please read its prospectus carefully. You may be unable to hold your shares through the same financial intermediary if you engage in certain share exchanges. You should contact your financial intermediary for further details. Please refer to the SAI for more detailed information on exchanging Fund shares.
In certain limited circumstances, accounts participating in wrap fee programs or held through a registered investment adviser may exchange Class Y shares of the Fund for Class A shares of the Fund. Class Y shares may be converted to Class A shares of the Fund if the Class Y shares are held in an investment option or program that no longer permits the use of Class Y shares in that option or program or if the shareholder otherwise becomes ineligible to participate in Class Y shares. Exchanges from Class Y shares to Class A shares will not be subject to an initial sales charge; however, future purchases may be subject to a sales charge, if applicable. In order to exchange shares, a representative of the wrap fee program or a registered investment adviser must follow the procedures set forth by the Distributor.
Accounts participating in or moving into wrap-fee programs or held through a registered investment adviser may exchange Class A shares of the Fund for Class Y shares of the Fund and may also exchange Class C shares of the Fund for Class A shares or Class Y shares of the Fund. Any account with an outstanding CDSC liability will be assessed the CDSC before converting to either Class A or Class Y shares. Accounts converting from Class C shares to Class A shares will not be subject to any Class A sales charges as a result of the initial conversion or any subsequent purchases of Class A shares. In order to exchange shares, a representative of the wrap-fee program or registered investment adviser must follow the procedures set forth by the Distributor. An exchange of shares for shares of a different class in the same fund generally should not be a taxable event for the exchanging shareholder.
Class A shares of the Fund acquired by Fund trustees, former Fund trustees, employees of affiliates of the Natixis Funds, individuals who are affiliated with any Natixis Fund (including spouses, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren and in-laws of those mentioned), Natixis and Natixis affiliate benefit plans (collectively, "Natixis affiliated shareholders") may be exchanged for Class Y shares of the Fund without payment of a CDSC.
Due to operational limitations at your financial intermediary, your ability to exchange between share classes of the same fund may be limited. Please consult your financial representative for more information.
Cost Basis Reporting. Upon the redemption or exchange of your shares in the Fund, or, if you purchased your shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary, your financial intermediary will be required to provide you and the Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") with cost basis and certain other related tax information about the Fund shares you redeemed or exchanged. Please contact the Fund at 800-225-5478, visit ngam.natixis.com or consult your financial intermediary, as appropriate, for more information regarding available methods for cost basis reporting and how to select a particular method. Please also consult your tax adviser to determine which available cost basis method is best for you.
Restrictions on Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares
The Fund discourages excessive short-term trading that may be detrimental to the Fund and its shareholders. Frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares by shareholders may present certain risks for other shareholders in the Fund. This includes the risk of diluting the value of Fund shares held by long-term shareholders, interfering with the efficient management of the Fund's portfolio and increasing brokerage and administrative costs. Funds investing in securities that require special valuation processes (such as foreign securities, below investment grade securities or small-cap securities), also may have increased exposure to these risks. The Board of Trustees has adopted the following policies to address and discourage such trading.
The Fund reserves the right to suspend or change the terms of purchasing or exchanging shares. The Fund and the Distributor reserve the right to reject any purchase or exchange order for any reason, including if the transaction is deemed not to be in the best interests of the Fund's other shareholders or possibly disruptive to the management of the Fund. A shareholder whose exchange order has been rejected may still redeem its shares by submitting a redemption request as described under "Selling Shares."
Limits on Frequent Trading. Excessive trading activity in the Fund is measured by the number of round trip transactions in a shareholder's account. A round trip is defined as (1) a purchase (including a purchase by exchange) into the Fund followed by a redemption (including a redemption by exchange) of any amount out of the Fund; or (2) a redemption (including a redemption by exchange) out of the Fund followed by a purchase (including a purchase by exchange) of any amount into the Fund. Two round trip transactions in the Fund within a rolling 90-day period is considered to be excessive and will constitute a violation of the Fund's trading limitations. After the detection of a first violation, the Fund or the Distributor will issue the shareholder and his or her financial intermediary, if any, a written warning. After the detection of a second violation ( i.e. , two more round trip transactions in the Fund within a rolling 90-day period), the Fund or the Distributor will restrict the account from making subsequent purchases (including purchases by exchange) for 90 days. After the detection of a third violation, the Fund or the Distributor will permanently restrict the account and any other accounts under the shareholder's control in any Natixis Fund from making subsequent purchases (including purchases by exchange). The above limits are applicable whether a shareholder holds shares directly with the Fund or indirectly through a financial intermediary, such as a broker, bank, investment adviser, recordkeeper for retirement plan participants, or other third party. The preceding is not an exclusive description of activities that the Fund and the Distributor may consider to be excessive and, at its iscretion, the Fund and the Distributor may restrict or prohibit transactions by such identified shareholders or intermediaries.
Notwithstanding the above, certain financial intermediaries, such as retirement plan administrators, may monitor and restrict the frequency of purchase and redemption transactions in a manner different from that described above. The policies of these intermediaries may be more or less restrictive than the generally applicable policies described above. The Fund may choose to rely on a financial intermediary's restrictions on frequent trading in place of the Fund's own restrictions if the Fund determines, at its discretion, that the financial intermediary's restrictions provide reasonable protection for the Fund from excessive short-term trading activity. Please contact your financial representative for additional information regarding their policies for limiting the frequent trading of Fund shares.
This policy also does not apply with respect to shares purchased by certain funds-of-funds or similar asset allocation programs that rebalance their investments only infrequently. To be eligible for this exemption, the fund-of-funds or asset allocation program must identify itself to and receive prior written approval from the Fund or the Distributor. The Fund and the Distributor may request additional information to enable them to determine that the fund-of-funds or asset allocation program is not designed to and/or is not serving as a vehicle for disruptive short-term trading, which may include requests for (i) written assurances from the sponsor or investment manager of the fund-of-funds or asset allocation program that it enforces the Fund's frequent trading policy on investors or another policy reasonably designed to deter disruptive short-term trading in Fund shares, and/or (ii) data regarding transactions by investors in the fund-of-funds or asset allocation program, for periods and on a frequency determined by the Fund and the Distributor, so that the Fund can monitor compliance by such investors with the trading limitations of the Fund or of the fund-of-funds or asset allocation program. Under certain circumstances, waivers to these conditions (including waivers to permit more frequent rebalancing) may be approved for programs that in the Fund's opinion are not vehicles for market timing and are not likely to engage in abusive trading.
Trade Activity Monitoring. Trading activity is monitored selectively on a daily basis in an effort to detect excessive short-term trading activities. If the Fund or the Distributor believes that a shareholder or financial intermediary has engaged in excessive, short-term trading activity, it may, at its discretion, request that the shareholder or financial intermediary stop such activities or refuse to process purchases or exchanges in the accounts. At its discretion, the Fund and the Distributor, as well as an adviser to the Fund may ban trading in an account if, in their judgment, a shareholder or financial intermediary has engaged in short-term transactions that, while not necessarily in violation of the Fund's stated policies on frequent trading, are harmful to the Fund or its shareholders. The Fund and the Distributor also reserve the right to notify financial intermediaries of the shareholder's trading activity.
Accounts Held by Financial Intermediaries. The ability of the Fund and the Distributor to monitor trades that are placed by omnibus or other nominee accounts is severely limited in those instances in which the financial intermediary maintains the record of the Fund's underlying beneficial owners. In general, the Fund and the Distributor will review trading activity at the omnibus account level. If the Fund and the Distributor detect suspicious activity, they may request and receive personal identifying information and transaction histories for some or all underlying shareholders (including plan participants) to determine whether such shareholders have engaged in excessive short-term trading activity. If the Fund believes that a shareholder has engaged in excessive short-term trading activity in violation of the Fund's policies through an omnibus account, the Fund will attempt to limit transactions by the underlying shareholder that engaged in such trading, although it may be unable to do so. The Fund may also limit or prohibit additional purchases of Fund shares by an intermediary. Investors should not assume the Fund will be able to detect or prevent all trading practices that may disadvantage the Fund.
Purchase Restrictions
The Fund is required by federal regulations to obtain certain personal information from you and to use that information to verify your identity. The Fund may not be able to open your account if the requested information is not provided. The Fund reserves the right to refuse to open an account, close an account and redeem your shares at the then-current price or take other such steps that the Fund deems necessary to comply with federal regulations if your identity cannot be verified.
Selling Restrictions
The table below describes restrictions placed on selling shares of the Fund. Please see the SAI for additional information regarding redemption payment policies.
Restriction |
Situation |
Each Fund may suspend the right of redemption or postpone payment for more than 7 days: |
When the
New York Stock Exchange (the "NYSE") is closed (other than a weekend/holiday) as permitted by the SEC. During an
emergency as permitted by the SEC. During any other period permitted by the SEC. |
Each Fund reserves the right to suspend account services or refuse transaction requests: |
With a
notice of a dispute between registered owners or death of a registered owner. With suspicion/evidence of a fraudulent act. |
Each Fund may pay the redemption price in whole or in part by a distribution in kind of readily marketable securities in lieu of cash or may take up to 7 days to pay a redemption request in order to raise capital: |
When it
is detrimental for a Fund to make cash payments as determined in the sole discretion of the Adviser or Subadviser. |
Each Fund may withhold redemption proceeds for 10 days from the purchase date: |
When
redemptions are made within 10 calendar days of purchase by check or ACH to allow the check or ACH transaction to clear. |
Although most redemptions are made in cash, as described in the SAI, the Fund reserves the right to redeem shares in kind. If a shareholder receives a distribution in kind, the shareholder will bear the market risk associated with the distributed securities and may incur brokerage or other charges in converting the securities to cash.
How Fund Shares Are Priced
NAV is the price of one share of the Fund without a sales charge, and is calculated each business day using this formula:
The NAV of Fund shares is determined pursuant to policies and procedures approved by the Board of Trustees, as summarized below:
A share's
NAV is determined at the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") on the days the NYSE is open for trading. This is normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time. The Fund's shares will not be priced on the days on which the NYSE is
closed for trading. In addition, the Fund's shares will not be priced on the holidays listed in the SAI. See the section "Net Asset Value" in the SAI for more details. The price
you pay for purchasing, redeeming or exchanging a share will be based upon the NAV next calculated (plus or minus applicable sales charges as described earlier in the Fund Summary) after your order is received by the transfer agent, Boston
Financial Data Services, Inc., "in good order" (meaning that the order is complete and contains all necessary information).1 Requests
received by the Fund after the NYSE closes will be processed based upon the NAV determined at the close of regular trading on the next day that the NYSE is open. If the transfer agent receives the order in good order prior to market close (normally
4:00 p.m., Eastern time), the shareholder will receive that day's NAV. Under limited circumstances, the Distributor may enter into contractual agreements pursuant to which orders received by your investment dealer before the Fund determines its
NAV and transmitted to the transfer agent prior to market open on the next business day are processed at the NAV determined on the day the order was received by your investment dealer. Please contact your investment dealer to determine whether it
has entered into such a contractual agreement. If your investment dealer has not entered into such a contractual agreement, your order will be processed at the NAV next determined after your investment dealer submits the order to the
Fund. If the Fund invests in foreign securities, it may have NAV changes on days when you cannot buy or sell its shares.
1 |
Please see the section "Buying Shares," which provides additional information regarding who can receive a purchase order. |
Generally, during times of substantial economic or market change, it may be difficult to place your order by phone. During these times, you may send your order by mail as described in the sections "Buying Shares" and "Selling Shares."
Fund securities and other investments are valued at market value based on market quotations obtained or determined by independent pricing services recommended by the Adviser and Subadviser and approved by the Board of Trustees. Fund securities and other investments for which market quotations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Adviser or Subadviser pursuant to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees, as described below. Market value is determined as follows:
Equity securities (including closed-end investment companies and exchange-traded funds (ETFs)), exchange traded notes, rights, and warrants — last sale price
quoted on the exchange or market where traded most extensively or, if there is no reported sale during the day, the closing bid quotation as reported by an independent pricing service. Securities traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, NASDAQ
Global Market and NASDAQ Capital Market are valued at the NASDAQ Official Closing Price ("NOCP"), or if lacking an NOCP, at the most recent bid quotations on the applicable NASDAQ Market. In some foreign markets, an official close price and a last
sale price may be available from the foreign exchange or market. In those cases, the official close price is used. Valuations from foreign markets are subject to the Funds' fair value policies described below. If a right is not tradedon any
exchange, its value is based on the market value of the underlying security, less the cost to subscribe to the underlying security (e.g., to exercise the right), adjusted for the subscription ratio. If a warrant is not traded on any exchange, a
price is obtained from a broker-dealer. Debt Securities and unlisted equity securities — evaluated bids furnished to a Fund by an independent pricing service using market information, transactions for comparable securities and
various relationships between securities, if available, or bid prices obtained from broker-dealers. Senior
Loans — bid prices supplied by an independent pricing service, if available, or bid prices obtained from broker-dealers. Bilateral Swaps — Bilateral credit default swaps are valued based on mid prices (between the bid price and the ask price) supplied by an independent pricing
service. Bilateral interest rate swaps are valued based on prices supplied by an independent pricing service. If prices from an independent pricing service are not available, prices from a broker-dealer may be used. Centrally Cleared Swaps — settlement prices of the clearinghouse on which the contracts were traded or prices obtained from broker-dealers. Options— domestic exchange-traded single equity option contracts are valued at the mean of the National
Best Bid and Offer quotations. Option contracts on domestic indices shall be priced at the average of the closing bid and ask quotations as of the close of trading on the Chicago Board Options Exchange ("CBOE"). Options on futures contracts are
valued using the current settlement price on the exchange on which, over time, they are traded most extensively. Other exchange-traded options are valued at the average of the closing bid and ask quotations on the exchange on which, over time, they
are traded most extensively. Over-the-counter ("OTC") currency options and swaptions are valued at mid prices (between the bid and the ask price) supplied by an independent pricing service, if available. On the last business day of the month, the
Fund will fair value S&P 500 ® index options using the closing rotation values published by the CBOE. Other OTC option contracts (including currency options and swaptions not priced through an independent pricing service) are valued
based on prices obtained from broker-dealers. Futures — current settlement price on the exchange on which the Adviser or Subadviser believes that, over time, they are traded most
extensively. Forward Foreign Currency Contracts — interpolated rates determined based on information provided by an independent pricing service.
Foreign denominated assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars based upon foreign exchange rates supplied by an independent pricing service. Fund securities and other investments for which market quotations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Adviser or Subadviser pursuant to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. The Fund may also value securities and other investments at fair value in other circumstances such as when extraordinary events occur after the close of a foreign market but prior to the close of the NYSE. This may include situations relating to a single issuer (such as a declaration of bankruptcy or a delisting of the issuer's security from the primary market on which it has traded) as well as events affecting the securities markets in general (such as market disruptions or closings and significant fluctuations in U.S. and/or foreign markets). When fair valuing its securities or other investments, the Fund may, among other things, use modeling tools or other processes that may take into account factors such as securities or other market activity and/or significant events that occur after the close of the foreign market and before the time the Fund's NAV is calculated. Fair value pricing may require subjective determinations about the value of a security, and fair values used to determine the Fund's NAV may differ from quoted or published prices, or from prices that are used by others, for the same securities. In addition, the use of fair value pricing may not always result in adjustments to the prices of securities held by a Fund.
Trading in some of the portfolio securities or other investments of the Fund takes place in various markets outside the United States on days and at times other than when the NYSE is open for trading. Therefore, the calculation of the Fund's NAV does not take place at the same time as the prices of many of its portfolio securities or other investments are determined, and the value of the Fund's portfolio may change on days when the Fund is not open for business and its shares may not be purchased or redeemed.
Dividends and Distributions
The Fund generally distributes all or substantially all of its net investment income (other than capital gains) in the form of dividends. The Fund declares and pays its dividends annually. The Fund expects to distribute all or substantially all of its net realized long- and short-term capital gains annually, after applying any capital loss carryovers. To the extent permitted by law, the Board of Trustees may adopt a different schedule for making distributions as long as payments are made at least annually.
Distributions will automatically be reinvested in shares of the same class of the distributing Fund at NAV unless you select one of the following alternatives:
Participate in the Dividend Diversification Program, which allows you to have all dividends and distributions automatically invested at NAV in shares of the same class
of another Natixis Fund registered in your name. Certain investment minimums and restrictions may apply. For more information about the program, see the section "Additional Investor Services;" Receive
distributions from dividends and interest in cash while reinvesting distributions from capital gains in additional shares of the same class of the Fund, or in the same class of another Natixis Fund; or Receive
all distributions in cash.
If a dividend or capital gain distribution check remains uncashed for six months and your account is still open, the Fund will reinvest the dividend or distribution in additional shares of the Fund promptly after making this determination and the check will be canceled. In addition, future dividends and capital gain distributions will be automatically reinvested in additional shares of the Fund unless you subsequently contact the Fund and request to receive distributions by check.
For more information or to change your distribution option, contact Natixis Funds in writing or call 800-225-5478.
If you earn more than $10 annually in taxable income from a Natixis Fund held in a non-retirement plan account, you will receive a Form 1099 to help you report the prior calendar year's distributions on your U.S. federal income tax return. This information will also be reported to the IRS. Be sure to keep this Form 1099 as a permanent record. A fee may be charged for any duplicate information requested.
Tax Consequences
Except as noted, the discussion below addresses only the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the Fund and does not address any non-U.S., state or local tax consequences.
The Fund intends to meet all requirements under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), necessary to qualify each year for treatment as a "regulated investment company" and thus does not expect to pay any federal income tax on income and capital gains that are timely distributed to shareholders.
Unless otherwise noted, the discussion below, to the extent it describes shareholder-level tax consequences, pertains solely to taxable shareholders.
Taxation of Distributions from the Fund. For federal income tax purposes, distributions of investment income are generally taxable to Fund shareholders as ordinary income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long the Fund owned (or is deemed to have owned) the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her shares. Distributions attributable to the excess of net long-term capital gains from the sale of investments that the Fund owned for more than one year over net short-term capital losses and that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends ("Capital Gain Dividends") will generally be taxable to a shareholder receiving such distributions as long-term capital gain includible in net capital gain and taxed to individuals at reduced rates. Distributions attributable to the excess of net short-term capital gains from the sale of investments that a Fund owned (or is deemed to have owned) for one year or less over net long-term capital losses will be taxable as ordinary income. The Fund's transactions in options or other derivatives or short sales may cause a larger portion of distributions to be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income than would be the case absent such transactions.
Distributions of investment income properly reported by the Fund as derived from "qualified dividend income" will be taxed in the hands of individuals at the reduced rates applicable to net capital gain, provided holding period and other requirements are met at both the shareholder and Fund levels. Income generated by investments in fixed-income securities, derivatives and REITs generally is not eligible for treatment as qualified dividend income. The Fund does not expect a significant portion of its distributions to be derived from qualified dividend income.
A 3.8% Medicare contribution tax is imposed on the net investment income of individuals whose income exceeds certain threshold amounts, and of certain trusts and estates under similar rules. Net investment income generally includes for this purpose dividends, including any capital gain dividends paid by the Fund, and capital gains recognized on the sale, redemption or exchange of shares of the Fund.
Fund distributions supported by earnings and profits are taxable whether shareholders receive them in cash or in additional shares. In addition, such distributions are taxable to shareholders even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Fund before a shareholder's investment (and thus were included in the price the shareholder paid for his or her shares). Such distributions are likely to occur in respect of shares purchased at a time when the Fund's NAV reflects gains that are either unrealized or realized but not distributed.
Dividends and distributions declared by a Fund in October, November or December of one year that are supported by earnings and profits and paid in January of the next year generally are taxable in the year in which the distributions are declared, rather than the year in which the distributions are received.
Fund distributions supported by earnings and profits to retirement plans and other investors that qualify for tax-exempt treatment under U.S. federal income tax laws generally will not be taxable, although distributions by retirement plans to their participants may be taxable. Special tax rules apply to investments through such retirement plans. If your investment is through such a plan, you should consult your tax adviser to determine the suitability of the Fund as an investment through your plan and the tax treatment of distributions to you (including distributions of amounts attributable to an investment in the Fund) from the plan.
Redemption, Sale or Exchange of Fund Shares. A redemption, sale or exchange of Fund shares (including an exchange of Fund shares for shares of another Natixis Fund or Loomis Sayles Fund) is a taxable event and will generally result in recognition of gain or loss. Gain or loss, if any, recognized by a shareholder on a redemption, sale, exchange or other disposition of Fund shares will generally be taxed as long-term capital gain or loss if the shareholder held the shares for more than one year, and as short-term capital gain or loss if the shareholder held the shares for one year or less, assuming in each case that the shareholder held the shares as capital assets. Short-term capital gains are generally taxed at the rates applicable to ordinary income. Any loss realized upon a disposition of shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term, rather than short-term, capital loss to the extent of any Capital Gain Dividends received by the shareholder with respect to the shares. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Taxation of Certain Fund Investments. The Fund's investments in foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding or other taxes. In that case, the Fund's yield on those securities would be decreased. The Fund generally does not expect that its shareholders will be entitled to claim a credit or deduction with respect to foreign taxes incurred by the Fund. In addition, the Fund's investments in foreign securities or foreign currencies may be subject to special tax rules that have the effect of increasing or accelerating the Fund's recognition of ordinary income and may affect the timing or amount of the Fund's distributions to shareholders.
The Fund's investments in certain debt obligations (those issued with "OID" or accrued with market discount, as described in the SAI), derivatives, or REITs may cause the Fund to recognize taxable income in excess of the cash generated by such investments. Thus, the Fund could be required to liquidate investments, including at times when it is not advantageous to do so, in order to satisfy the distribution requirements applicable to regulated investment companies under the Code. In addition, the Fund's investments in derivatives may affect the amount, timing or character of distributions to shareholders.
The Fund's ability to invest directly in commodities and commodities-related investments is limited by the requirement that at least 90 percent of a regulated investment company's income must consist of certain types of "qualifying income." Accordingly, the Fund will invest in a wholly-owned Cayman Islands subsidiary that will in turn make such investments.
Backup Withholding. The Fund is required in certain circumstances to apply backup withholding on taxable dividends, redemption proceeds and certain other payments that are paid to any shareholder if the shareholder does not furnish to the Fund certain information and certifications or the shareholder is otherwise subject to backup withholding. The backup withholding tax rate is 28%.
Please see the SAI for additional information on the U.S. federal income tax consequences of an investment in the Fund.
You should consult your tax adviser for more information on your own situation, including possible federal, state, local, foreign or other applicable taxes.
Additional Investor Services
Retirement Plans
Natixis Funds offer a range of retirement plans, including Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, IRAs, SEPs and other pension and profit sharing plans. Refer to the section "It's Easy to Open an Account" for investment minimums. For more information about our Retirement Plans, call us at 800-225-5478.
Investment Builder Program
This is Natixis Funds' automatic investment plan. Once you meet the Fund minimum, you may authorize automatic monthly transfers of $50 or more per Fund from your bank checking or savings account to purchase shares of one or more Natixis Funds. For instructions on how to join the Investment Builder Program, please refer to the section "Buying Shares."
Dividend Diversification Program
This program allows you to have all dividends and any other distributions automatically invested in shares of the same class of another Natixis Fund subject to the eligibility requirements of that other fund and to state securities law requirements. The fund minimum must be met in the new fund prior to establishing the dividend diversification program. Shares will be purchased at the selected fund's NAV without a front-end sales charge or CDSC on the ex dividend date. Before establishing a Dividend Diversification Program into any other Natixis Fund, please read its prospectus carefully.
Automatic Exchange Plan
Natixis Funds have an automatic exchange plan under which shares of a class of a Natixis Fund are automatically exchanged each month for shares of the same class of another Natixis Fund. The fund minimum must be met prior to establishing an automatic exchange plan. There is no fee for exchanges made under this plan. Please see the section "Exchanging Shares" above and refer to the SAI for more information on the Automatic Exchange Plan.
Systematic Withdrawal Plan
This plan allows you to redeem shares and receive payments from the Fund on a regular schedule. Redemptions of shares that are part of the Systematic Withdrawal Plan are not subject to a CDSC, however, the amount or percentage you specify in the plan may not exceed, on an annualized basis, 10% of the value of your Fund account based upon the value of your Fund account on the day you establish your plan. For information on establishing a Systematic Withdrawal Plan, please refer to the section "Selling Shares."
Natixis Funds Personal Access Line®
This automated customer service system allows you to have access to your account 24 hours a day by calling 800-225-5478, and pressing 1. With a touch-tone telephone, you can obtain information about your current account balance, recent transactions, Fund prices and recent performance. You may also use Personal Access Line® to purchase, exchange or redeem shares in any of your existing accounts. Certain restrictions may apply.
Natixis Funds Website
Visit us at ngam.natixis.com to review your account balance and recent transactions, to view current net asset value per share and performance information or to order duplicate account statements and tax information. You may also go online to purchase, exchange or redeem shares in your existing accounts. Certain restrictions may apply.
Financial Performance |
Financial Performance
The Fund is new and has not yet issued financial statements.
If you would like more information about the Fund, the following documents are available free upon request:
Annual and Semiannual Reports—Provide additional information about the Fund's investments. The report includes a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund's performance during its last fiscal year.
Statement of Additional Information (SAI)—Provides more detailed information about the Fund and its investment limitations and policies. The SAI has been filed with the SEC and is incorporated into this Prospectus by reference.
For a free copy of the Fund's annual or semiannual reports or its SAI, to request other information about the Fund, and to make shareholder inquiries generally, contact your financial representative, visit the Fund's website at ngam.natixis.com or call the Fund at 800-225- 5478.
Important Notice Regarding Delivery of Shareholder Documents:
In our continuing effort to reduce your Fund's expenses and the amount of mail that you receive from us, we will combine mailings of prospectuses, annual or semiannual reports and proxy statements to your household. If more than one family member in your household owns the same fund or funds described in a single prospectus, report or proxy statement, you will receive one mailing unless you request otherwise. Additional copies of our prospectuses, reports or proxy statements may be obtained at any time by calling 800-225-5478. If you are currently receiving multiple mailings to your household and would like to receive only one mailing or if you wish to receive separate mailings for each member of your household in the future, please call us at the telephone number listed above and we will resume separate mailings within 30 days of your request.
Your financial representative or Natixis Funds will also be happy to answer your questions or to provide any additional information that you may require.
Information about the Fund, including its reports and SAI, can be reviewed and copied at the Public Reference Room of the SEC in Washington, D.C. Text-only copies of the Fund's reports and SAI are available free from the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Internet site at: www.sec.gov. Copies of this information may also be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing the SEC's Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-551-8090.
Portfolio Holdings—A description of the Fund's policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund's portfolio securities is available in the SAI.
Investment Company Act File No. 811-00242 |
XGM51-1214 |
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
December 1, 2014
NATIXIS FUNDS TRUST II
ASG GLOBAL MACRO FUND (the Fund)
Class A (GMFAX), Class C (GMFCX), and Class Y (GMFYX)
This Statement of Additional Information (Statement) contains specific information that may be useful to investors but that is not included in the Statutory Prospectus of the Fund. This Statement is not a prospectus and is authorized for distribution only when accompanied or preceded by the Funds Summary or Statutory Prospectus, each dated December 1, 2014 (the Prospectus), as from time to time revised or supplemented. This Statement should be read together with the Prospectus. Investors may obtain the Prospectus without charge from NGAM Distribution, L.P. (the Distributor), Prospectus Fulfillment Desk, 399 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116, by calling Natixis Funds at 800-225-5478 or by visiting the Funds website at ngam.natixis.com.
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2
The following is a description of restrictions on the investments to be made by the Fund. These restrictions are fundamental policies that may not be changed without the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act)). Except in the case of the restriction marked with a dagger () (see General Notes on Investment Restrictions below), the percentages set forth below and the percentage limitations set forth in the Prospectus apply at the time an investment is made and shall not be considered violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as a result of such investment. The Fund has elected to be classified as a non-diversified series of an open-end investment company.
ASG Global Macro Fund
ASG Global Macro Fund may not:
(1) | Purchase any security (other than U.S. government securities) if, as a result, 25% or more of the Funds total assets (taken at current value) would be invested in any one industry, except that the Fund will invest at least 25% of its assets in securities and other obligations of issuers in the financial services industry. For purposes of this restriction, telephone, gas and electric public utilities are each regarded as separate industries and finance companies whose financing activities are related primarily to the activities of their parent companies are classified in the industry of their parents, finance companies whose financing activities are not related primarily to the activities of their parent companies are classified in the industry the Funds adviser or subadviser believes is most applicable to such finance companies, and each foreign countrys government (together with all subdivisions thereof) will be considered to be a separate industry. For purposes of this restriction, asset-backed securities are not considered to be bank obligations. |
(2) | Make short sales of securities or maintain a short position, except that the Fund may make any short sales or maintain any short positions where the short sales or short positions would not constitute senior securities under the 1940 Act. |
(3) | Borrow money, except to the extent permitted under the 1940 Act. |
(4) | Make loans, except that the Fund may purchase or hold debt instruments in accordance with its investment objectives and policies, provided however, this restriction does not apply to repurchase agreements or loans of portfolio securities. |
(5) | Act as an underwriter of securities of other issuers except that, in the disposition of portfolio securities, it may be deemed to be an underwriter under the federal securities laws. |
(6) | Purchase or sell real estate, although it may purchase securities of issuers which deal in real estate, securities which are secured by interests in real estate, and securities which represent interests in real estate, and it may acquire and dispose of real estate or interests in real estate acquired through the exercise of its rights as a holder of debt obligations secured by real estate or interests therein. |
(7) | Issue senior securities, except for permitted borrowings or as otherwise permitted under the 1940 Act. |
ASG Global Macro Fund may:
(8) | Purchase and sell commodities to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law. |
For more information about the Funds investments in commodities and commodity-related instruments, see the sub-sections Commodities General and Commodities Wholly-Owned Subsidiary in the section Investment Strategies and Risks and the section Taxes herein.
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General Notes on Investment Restrictions
In addition to temporary borrowing, and subject to any stricter restrictions on borrowing applicable to the Fund, the Fund may borrow from any bank, provided that immediately after any such borrowing there is an asset coverage of at least 300% for all borrowings by the Fund and provided further, that in the event that such asset coverage shall at any time fall below 300%, the Fund shall, within three days (not including Sundays and holidays) thereafter or such longer period as the SEC may prescribe by rules and regulations, reduce the amount of its borrowings to such an extent that the asset coverage of such borrowing shall be at least 300%. With respect to restrictions on borrowing, the 1940 Act limits the Funds ability to borrow money on a non-temporary basis if such borrowings constitute senior securities. The Fund may also borrow money or engage in economically similar transactions if those transactions do not constitute senior securities under the 1940 Act.
Under current pronouncements, certain positions (e.g., reverse repurchase agreements) are excluded from the definition of senior security so long as the Fund maintains adequate cover, segregation of assets or otherwise. Similarly, a short sale will not be considered a senior security if the Fund takes certain steps contemplated by SEC staff pronouncements, such as ensuring the short sale transaction is adequately covered.
Where applicable, the foregoing investment restrictions shall be interpreted based upon-no-action letters and other pronouncements of the staff of the SEC. The Fund may not purchase any illiquid security if, as a result, more than 15% of the Funds net assets (based on current value) would then be invested in such securities. This policy may be changed without a shareholder vote. The staff of the SEC is presently of the view that repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days are subject to this restriction. Until that position is revised, modified or rescinded, the Fund will conduct its operations in a manner consistent with this view. This limitation on investment in illiquid securities does not apply to certain securities which might otherwise be considered illiquid, including securities issued pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933 (the Securities Act) and certain commercial paper, which the Funds Adviser or Subadviser has determined to be liquid under procedures approved by the Board of Trustees (the Board).
For purposes of the foregoing restrictions, consistent with the position of the SEC, the Fund does not consider a swap or other derivative contract on one or more commodities, securities, indices, currencies or interest rates to involve the issuance of a senior security, provided the Fund designates on its records or segregates with its custodian or otherwise designates liquid assets (marked to market on a daily basis) sufficient to meet its obligations under such contracts.
ADVISORY FEES
Pursuant to an investment advisory agreement, AlphaSimplex Group, LLC (AlphaSimplex) has agreed to manage the investment and reinvestment of the assets of the Fund, subject to the supervision of the Board. For the services described in the advisory agreement, the Fund has agreed to pay AlphaSimplex an advisory fee at the annual rate set forth in the following table based on the average daily net assets of the Fund (less the average daily net assets of the Funds wholly-owned subsidiary) reduced by the amount of any subadvisory fees payable directly by the Fund to Reich & Tang Asset Management, LLC (Reich & Tang or the Subadviser) pursuant to the subadvisory agreement:
Fund |
Advisory fee payable by Fund to AlphaSimplex* (as a % of average daily net assets of the Fund) |
|||
ASG Global Macro Fund |
1.25 | % |
* | Average daily net assets exclude the average daily net assets of the Funds wholly-owned subsidiary. |
AlphaSimplex (the Adviser) has given a binding contractual undertaking to all classes of the Fund to waive its advisory fee and, if necessary, to reimburse certain expenses related to operating the Fund (including expenses related to a wholly-owned subsidiary organized under the laws of a non-U.S. jurisdiction) in order to limit the Funds expenses, exclusive of acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage expenses, interest expense, taxes, organizational and extraordinary expenses, such as litigation and indemnification expenses, to the annual rates indicated below. The undertaking is in effect until April 30, 2016 for the Fund and may be modified before then only with the consent of the Board. The undertaking will be reevaluated on an annual basis thereafter, subject to the obligation of the Fund to repay such advisory fees waived and/or expenses reimbursed in later periods to the extent
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that total annual Fund operating expenses for a class fall below the expense limit; provided, however, that the Fund is not obligated to repay such waived/reimbursed fees and expenses more than one year after the end of the fiscal year in which the fees or expenses were waived/reimbursed.
Fund |
Expense Limit | Date of Undertaking | ||||||
ASG Global Macro Fund |
December 1, 2014 | |||||||
Class A |
1.70 | % | ||||||
Class C |
2.45 | % | ||||||
Class Y |
1.45 | % |
SUBADVISORY FEES
The investment advisory agreement between AlphaSimplex and the Fund provides that AlphaSimplex may delegate its responsibilities thereunder to other parties. Pursuant to the subadvisory agreements, AlphaSimplex has delegated some of its portfolio management responsibilities to Reich & Tang, which manages the portion of the Funds assets that are invested in money market and other short-term, high-quality securities (the Money Market Portion). For the services described in the subadvisory agreement, the Fund has agreed to pay Reich & Tang a subadvisory fee at the annual rate of 0.05% of the average daily net assets of the Fund that are allocated by AlphaSimplex to be managed by Reich & Tang, subject to a minimum annual subadvisory fee of $50,000.
The Fund is newly formed and thus has not incurred any advisory or subadvisory fees as of the date of this Statement.
For more information about the Funds advisory and subadvisory agreements, see Investment Advisory and Other Services.
BROKERAGE COMMISSIONS
The Fund is newly formed and thus has not incurred any brokerage commissions as of the date of this Statement.
For a description of how transactions in portfolio securities are effected and how the Adviser and Subadviser select brokers, see the section Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage.
Regular Broker-Dealers
The Fund is newly formed and thus does not have any holdings of its regular broker-dealers as of the date of this Statement.
Sales Charges and Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees
As explained in this Statement, the Class A and Class C shares of the Fund pay the Distributor fees under plans adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act (the Plans). The Fund is newly formed and thus has not paid any Rule 12b-1 fees as of the date of this Statement.
The Fund is newly formed and has not yet publicly offered shares prior to the date of this Statement.
The Fund may experience large redemptions or investments due to transactions in Fund shares by funds of funds, other large shareholders or similarly managed accounts. While it is impossible to predict the overall effect of these transactions over time, there could be an adverse impact on the Funds performance. In the event of such redemptions or investments, the Fund could be required to sell securities or to invest cash at a time when it may not otherwise desire to do so. Such transactions may increase the Funds brokerage and/or other transaction costs. In
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addition, when funds of funds or other investors own a substantial portion of the Funds shares, a large redemption by a fund of funds could cause actual expenses to increase, or could result in the Funds current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Funds expense ratio. Redemptions of Fund shares could also accelerate the realization of taxable capital gains in the Fund if sales of securities result in capital gains. The impact of these transactions is likely to be greater when a fund of funds or other significant investor purchases, redeems, or owns a substantial portion of the Funds shares. When possible, the Funds Adviser or Subadviser will consider how to minimize these potential adverse effects, and may take such actions as it deems appropriate to address potential adverse effects, including redemption of shares in-kind rather than in cash or carrying out the transactions over a period of time, although there can be no assurance that such actions will be successful.
Natixis Funds Trust II (the Trust) is registered with the SEC as an open-end management investment company. Natixis Funds Trust II is organized as a Massachusetts business trust under the laws of Massachusetts pursuant to a Declaration of Trust (a Declaration of Trust) dated May 6, 1931, as last amended and restated on June 2, 2005, and consisted of a single fund (now the Natixis Oakmark Fund) until January 1989, when the Trust was reorganized as a series company as described in Section 18(f)(2) of the 1940 Act. The name of the Trust has changed several times since its organization as noted below:
Name of Trust |
Date | |
Investment Trust of Boston | May 1931 to November 1988 | |
Investment Trust of Boston Funds | December 1988 to April 1992 | |
TNE Funds Trust | April 1992 to March 1994 | |
New England Funds Trust II | April 1994 to January 2000 | |
Nvest Funds Trust II | January 2000 to April 2001 | |
CDC Nvest Funds Trust II | May 2001 to April 2005 | |
IXIS Advisor Funds Trust II | April 2005 to August 2007 | |
Natixis Funds Trust II | August 2007 to present |
INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS
Investment Strategies
The following is a list of certain investment strategies, including particular types of securities or instruments or specific practices that may be used by the Adviser or Subadviser in managing the Fund. Because of the Funds use of derivative instruments, the Fund is subject to many of the risks below indirectly through its derivative transactions as well as directly through investment in the actual securities themselves. For example, to the extent the Fund enters into a futures contract on an equity index, the Fund is subject to equity securities risk.
The Funds principal strategies are described in its Prospectus. This Statement describes some of the non-principal strategies the Fund may use, in addition to providing additional information, including related risks, about its principal strategies.
The list of securities or other instruments under each category below is not intended to be an exclusive list of securities, instruments and practices for investment and unless a strategy, practice or security is specifically prohibited by the investment restrictions listed in the Prospectuses, in the section Investment Restrictions in this Statement or under applicable law, the Fund may engage in strategies and invest in securities and instruments in addition to those listed below. The Adviser may invest in a general category listed below and, where applicable, with particular emphasis on a certain type of security, but investment is not limited to the categories listed below or the securities specifically enumerated under each category. The Fund is not required to engage in a particular transaction or invest in any security or instrument, even if to do so might benefit the Fund. Its Adviser may invest in some securities under a given category as a primary strategy and in other securities under the same category as a secondary strategy. The Adviser or Subadviser may invest in any security that falls under the specific category,
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including securities that are not listed below. Reich & Tang will invest the Money Market Portion of the Fund only in money market and similar short-term instruments. The Prospectus and/or this Statement will be updated if the Fund begins to engage in investment practices that are not described in the Prospectus and/or this Statement.
Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM) Securities
The Fund may invest in ARMs. An ARM, like a traditional mortgage security, is an interest in a pool of mortgage loans that provides investors with payments consisting of both principal and interest as mortgage loans in the underlying mortgage pool are paid off by the borrowers. ARMs have interest rates that are reset at periodic intervals, usually by reference to some interest rate index or market interest rate. Although the rate adjustment feature may act as a buffer to reduce sharp changes in the value of adjustable rate securities, these securities are still subject to changes in value based on changes in market interest rates or changes in the issuers creditworthiness. Since the interest rates are reset only periodically, changes in the interest rate on ARMs may lag behind changes in prevailing market interest rates. In addition, some ARMs (or the underlying mortgages) are subject to caps or floors that limit the maximum change in interest rate during a specified period or over the life of the security. As a result, changes in the interest rate on an ARM may not fully reflect changes in prevailing market interest rates during certain periods. Because of the resetting of interest rates, ARMs are less likely than non-adjustable rate securities of comparable quality and maturity to increase significantly in value when market interest rates fall. In addition, the Fund will not benefit from increases in interest rates to the extent that interest rates rise to the point where they cause the current coupon of the underlying ARM to exceed a cap rate for a particular mortgage. See Mortgage-Related Securities for more information on the risks involved in ARMs.
Asset-Backed Securities
The Fund may invest in asset-backed securities, which are securities that represent a participation in, or are secured by and payable from, a stream of payments generated by particular assets, most often a pool or pools of similar assets (e.g., trade receivables). The credit quality of these securities depends primarily upon the quality of the underlying assets and the level of credit support and/or enhancement provided. Mortgage-backed securities are a type of asset-backed security. The securitization techniques used to develop mortgage securities are being applied to a broad range of other assets. Through the use of trusts and special purpose vehicles, assets, such as automobile and credit card receivables, are being securitized in pass-through structures similar to mortgage pass-through structures or in a pay-through structure similar to a collateralized mortgage obligation (CMO) structure (described herein). Generally, the issuers of asset-backed bonds, notes or pass-through certificates are special purpose entities and do not have any significant assets other than the receivables securing such obligations. In general, the collateral supporting asset-backed securities is of shorter maturity than mortgage loans. Instruments backed by pools of receivables are similar to mortgage-backed securities in that they are subject to unscheduled prepayments of principal prior to maturity. When the obligations are prepaid, the Fund will ordinarily reinvest the prepaid amounts in securities, the yields of which reflect interest rates prevailing at the time. Therefore, the Funds ability to maintain a portfolio that includes high-yielding asset-backed securities may be adversely affected to the extent that prepayments of principal must be reinvested in securities that have lower yields than the prepaid obligations. Moreover, prepayments of securities purchased at a premium could result in a realized loss. In addition, the value of some mortgage-backed or asset-backed securities in which the Fund may invest may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates, and the ability of the Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend in part upon the ability of the Adviser or Subadviser to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These types of securities may also decline for reasons associated with the underlying collateral. Asset-backed securities involve risks similar to those described in the section Mortgage-Related Securities.
The Fund may also gain exposure to asset-backed securities by entering into credit default swaps or other derivative instruments related to this asset class. For example, the Fund may enter into credit default swaps on ABX, which are indices made up of tranches of asset-backed securities, each with different credit ratings. Utilizing ABX, one can either gain synthetic risk exposure to a portfolio of such securities by selling protection or take a short position by buying protection. The protection buyer pays a monthly premium to the protection seller, and the seller agrees to cover any principal losses and interest shortfalls of the referenced underlying asset-backed securities. Credit default swaps and other derivative instruments related to asset-backed securities are subject to the risks associated with asset-backed securities generally, as well as the risks of derivative transactions. See the section Derivative Instruments below.
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Bank Loans, Loan Participations and Assignments
The Fund may invest in bank loans, which include both secured and unsecured loans made by banks and other financial institutions to corporate customers. Senior loans typically hold the most senior position in a borrowers capital structure, may be secured by the borrowers assets and have interest rates that reset frequently. Senior loans can include term loans, revolving credit facility loans and second lien loans. The proceeds of senior loans primarily are used to finance leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, mergers, acquisitions, stock repurchases, dividends, and, to a lesser extent, to finance internal growth and for other corporate purposes. These loans may not be rated investment grade by the rating agencies. Although secured loans are secured by collateral of the borrower, there is no assurance that the liquidation of collateral from a secured loan would satisfy the borrowers obligation, or that the collateral can be liquidated. Economic downturns generally lead to higher non-payment and default rates and a senior loan could lose a substantial part of its value prior to a default. Some senior loans are subject to the risk that a court, pursuant to fraudulent conveyance or other similar laws, could subordinate such senior loans to presently existing or future indebtedness of the borrower or take other action detrimental to the holders of senior loans including, in certain circumstances, invalidating such senior loans or causing interest previously paid to be refunded to the borrower.
The Funds investments in loans are subject to credit risk and liquidity risk. Indebtedness of borrowers whose creditworthiness is poor involves substantially greater risks, and may be highly speculative. The interest rates on many bank loans reset frequently, and thus bank loans are subject to interest rate risk. Most bank loans are not traded on any national securities exchange. Bank loans generally have less liquidity than investment grade bonds and there may be less public information available about them.
Large loans to corporations or governments may be shared or syndicated among several lenders, usually (but often not limited to) banks. The Fund may participate in the primary syndicate for a loan or it may also purchase loans from other lenders (sometimes referred to as loan assignments), in either case becoming a direct lender. The Fund also may acquire a participation interest in another lenders portion of the loan. Participation interests involve special types of risk, including liquidity risk and the risks of being a lender. Loans and loan participations may be transferable among financial institutions; however, they may not have the liquidity of conventional debt securities and because they may be subject to restrictions on resale, they are potentially illiquid. The purchase or sale of loans may require the consent of a third party or of the borrower, and although such consent is rarely withheld in practice, the consent requirement could delay a purchase or affect the Funds ability to dispose of its investments in loans in a timely fashion. Although the market for loans and loan participations has become increasingly liquid over time, this market is still developing, and there can be no assurance that adverse developments with respect to this market or particular borrowers will not prevent the Fund from selling these loans at their market values at a desirable time or price. To the extent a senior loan has been deemed illiquid, it will be subject to the Funds restrictions on investment in illiquid securities. When investing in a loan participation, the Fund typically will have the right to receive payments only from the lender to the extent the lender receives payments from the borrower, and not from the borrower itself. Likewise, the Fund typically will be able to enforce its rights only through the lender, and not directly against the borrower. As a result, the Fund will assume the credit risk of both the borrower and the lender that is selling the participation.
Investments in loans through direct assignment of a financial institutions interests with respect to a loan may involve additional risks to the Fund. For example, if the 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 a co-lender. Loans and other debt instruments that are not in the form of securities may offer less legal protection to the Fund in the event of fraud or misrepresentation.
A loan is often administered by a bank or other financial institution that acts as agent for all holders. The agent administers the terms of the loan, as specified in the loan agreement. Unless, under the terms of the loan or other indebtedness, the Fund has direct recourse against the borrower, it may have to rely on the agent to pursue appropriate credit remedies against a borrower. In addition, holders of the loans, such as the Fund, may be required to indemnify the agent bank in certain circumstances.
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In addition to investing in senior secured loans, the Fund may invest in other loans, such as second lien loans and other secured loans, as well as unsecured loans. Second lien loans and other secured loans are subject to the same risks associated with investment in senior loans and below investment grade bonds. However, such loans may rank lower in right of payment than senior secured loans, and are subject to additional risk that the cash flow of the borrower and any property securing the loan may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the higher ranking secured obligations of the borrower. Second lien loans and other secured loans are expected to have greater price volatility than more senior loans and may be less liquid. There is also a possibility that originators will not be able to sell participations in lower ranking loans, which would create greater credit risk exposure. Each of these risks may be increased in the case of unsecured loans, which are not backed by a security interest in any specific collateral.
The Fund may also gain exposure to loan investments through the use of derivatives. See the section Derivative Instruments.
Commodities General
Commodities are assets that have tangible properties, such as oil, metals, livestock or agricultural products. Historically, commodity investments have had a relatively high correlation with changes in inflation and a relatively low correlation to stock and bond returns. Commodity-related securities and other instruments provide exposure, which may include long and/or short exposure, to the investment returns of physical commodities that trade in commodities markets, without investing directly in physical commodities. The Fund may invest in commodity-related securities and other instruments, such as structured notes, swap agreements, options, futures and options on futures that derive value from the price movement of commodities, or some other readily measurable economic variable dependent upon changes in the value of commodities or the commodities markets. However, investments in commodity-linked instruments do not generally provide a claim on the underlying commodity. In addition, the ability of the Fund to invest directly in commodities, and in certain commodity-related securities and other instruments, is subject to significant limitations in order to enable the Fund to maintain its status as a regulated investment company (a RIC) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code).
The value of commodity-related instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, volatility of the underlying benchmark, changes in interest rates or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as droughts, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. The value of commodity-related instruments will rise or fall in response to changes in the underlying commodity or related index. Investments in commodity-related instruments may be subject to greater volatility than non-commodity-based investments. A highly liquid secondary market may not exist for certain commodity-related instruments, and there can be no assurance that one will develop. Commodity-related instruments are also subject to credit and interest rate risks that in general affect the values of debt securities. The Fund may lose money on its commodity investments.
Commodities Wholly-Owned Subsidiary
The Fund has established a wholly-owned non-U.S. subsidiary to gain indirect exposure to the investment returns of the commodities markets within the limitations of the federal tax law requirements applicable to RICs. The subsidiary may invest principally in commodity-linked investments, including futures, options and possibly swap contracts, as well as certain fixed-income investments intended to serve as margin or collateral for the subsidiarys derivatives positions. The subsidiary must, however, comply with the Funds policies with respect to asset coverage of derivatives. See the section Asset Segregation and Coverage herein. By investing in such a subsidiary, the Fund will be exposed to the risks associated with its subsidiarys commodity-related investments.
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Convertible Securities
The Fund may invest in convertible securities. Convertible securities include corporate bonds, notes or preferred stocks of U.S. or foreign issuers that can be converted into (exchanged for) common stocks or other equity securities. Convertible securities also include other securities, such as warrants, that provide an opportunity for equity participation. Since convertible securities may be converted into equity securities, their values will normally vary in some proportion with those of the underlying equity securities. Convertible securities usually provide a higher yield than the underlying equity, however, so that the price decline of a convertible security may sometimes be less substantial than that of the underlying equity security. Convertible securities are generally subject to the same risks as non-convertible fixed-income securities, but usually provide a lower yield than comparable fixed-income securities. Many convertible securities are relatively illiquid.
Corporate Reorganizations
The Fund may invest in securities for which a tender or exchange offer has been made or announced and in securities of companies for which a merger, consolidation, liquidation or reorganization proposal has been announced if, in the judgment of the Adviser, there is a reasonable prospect of capital appreciation significantly greater than the brokerage and other transaction expenses involved. The primary risk of such investments is that if the contemplated transaction is abandoned, revised, delayed or becomes subject to unanticipated uncertainties, the market price of the securities may decline below the purchase price paid by the Fund.
In general, securities which are the subject of such an offer or proposal sell at a premium to their historic market price immediately prior to the announcement of the offer or proposal. However, the increased market price of such securities may also discount what the stated or appraised value of the security would be if the contemplated transaction were approved or consummated. Such investments may be advantageous when the discount significantly overstates the risk of the contingencies involved; significantly undervalues the securities, assets or cash to be received by shareholders of the prospective company as a result of the contemplated transaction; or fails adequately to recognize the possibility that the offer or proposal may be replaced or superseded by an offer or proposal of greater value. The evaluation of such contingencies requires unusually broad knowledge and experience on the part of the Adviser, which must appraise not only the value of the issuer and its component businesses, but also the financial resources and business motivation of the offer or proposal as well as the dynamics of the business climate when the offer or proposal is in process.
Debt Securities
The Fund may invest in debt securities. Debt securities are used by issuers to borrow money. The issuer usually pays a fixed, variable or floating rate of interest and must repay the amount borrowed at the maturity of the security. Some debt securities, such as zero-coupon securities, do not pay interest but are sold at a discount from their face values. Debt securities include corporate bonds, government securities and mortgage- and other asset-backed securities. Debt securities include a broad array of short-, medium- and long-term obligations issued by the U.S. or foreign governments, government or international agencies and instrumentalities, and corporate issuers of various types. Some debt securities represent uncollateralized obligations of their issuers; in other cases, the securities may be backed by specific assets (such as mortgages or other receivables) that have been set aside as collateral for the issuers obligation. Debt securities generally involve an obligation of the issuer to pay interest or dividends on either a current basis or at the maturity of the securities, as well as the obligation to repay the principal amount of the security at maturity.
Risks. Debt securities are subject to market risk and credit risk. Credit risk relates to the ability of the issuer to make payments of principal and interest and includes the risk of default. Sometimes, an issuer may make these payments from money raised through a variety of sources, including, with respect to issuers of municipal securities, (i) the issuers general taxing power, (ii) a specific type of tax, such as a property tax, or (iii) a particular facility or project such as a highway. The ability of an issuer to make these payments could be affected by general economic conditions, issues specific to the issuer, litigation, legislation or other political events, the bankruptcy of the issuer, war, natural disasters, terrorism or other major events. U.S. government securities are not generally perceived to
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involve credit risks to the same extent as investments in other types of fixed-income securities; as a result, the yields available from U.S. government securities are generally lower than the yields available from corporate and municipal debt securities. Market risk is the risk that the value of the security will fall because of changes in market rates of interest. Generally, the value of debt securities falls when market rates of interest are rising. Some debt securities also involve prepayment or call risk. This is the risk that the issuer will repay the Fund the principal on the security before it is due, thus depriving the Fund of a favorable stream of future interest payments.
Because interest rates vary, it is impossible to predict the income of a Fund that invests in debt securities for any particular period. Fluctuations in the value of the Funds investments in debt securities may cause the Funds net asset value (NAV) to increase or decrease.
Depositary Receipts
The Fund may invest in foreign equity securities by purchasing depositary receipts. Depositary receipts are instruments issued by banks that represent an interest in equity securities held by arrangement with the bank. Depositary receipts can be either sponsored or unsponsored. Sponsored depositary receipts are issued by banks in cooperation with the issuer of the underlying equity securities. Unsponsored depositary receipts are arranged without involvement by the issuer of the underlying equity securities and, therefore, less information about the issuer of the underlying equity securities may be available and the price may be more volatile than in the case of sponsored depositary receipts. American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) are depositary receipts that are bought and sold in the United States and are typically issued by a U.S. bank or trust company which evidence ownership of underlying securities by a foreign corporation. All depositary receipts, including those denominated in U.S. dollars, will be subject to foreign currency risk. European Depositary Receipts (EDRs) and Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) are depositary receipts that are typically issued by foreign banks or trust companies which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by either a foreign or U.S. corporation. All depositary receipts, including those denominated in U.S. dollars, will be subject to foreign currency risk.
The effect of changes in the dollar value of a foreign currency on the dollar value of the Funds assets and on the net investment income available for distribution may be favorable or unfavorable. The Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between various currencies. In addition, the Fund may be required to liquidate portfolio assets, or may incur increased currency conversion costs, to compensate for a decline in the dollar value of a foreign currency occurring between the time when the Fund declares and pays a dividend, or between the time when the Fund accrues and pays an operating expense in U.S. dollars.
Because the Fund may invest in depositary receipts, changes in foreign economies and political climates are more likely to affect the Fund than a mutual fund that invests exclusively in U.S. companies. There may also be less government supervision of foreign markets, resulting in non-uniform accounting practices and less publicly available information. If the Funds portfolio is over-weighted in a certain geographic region, any negative development affecting that region will have a greater impact on the Fund than a fund that is not over-weighted in that region.
Derivative Instruments
The Fund expects to use a number of 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 indices and other assets. For additional information about the use of derivatives in connection with foreign currency transactions, see the section Foreign Currency Transactions. The Adviser may decide not to employ all of these strategies and there is no assurance that any derivatives strategy used by the Fund will succeed. In addition, 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. Examples of derivative instruments that the Fund may use include (but are not limited to) futures contracts, warrants, structured notes, foreign currency transactions, credit default swaps, options contracts, swap transactions and forward currency contracts.
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Transactions in certain derivatives are subject to clearing on a U.S. national clearinghouse and to regulatory oversight, while other derivatives are subject to risks of trading in the over-the-counter markets or on non-U.S. exchanges. In addition, the U.S. government has enacted the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act), which includes provisions for new regulation of the derivatives market, including new clearing, margin, reporting and registration requirements. Because the legislation leaves much to rulemaking, various agencies are in the process of promulgating rules under the Dodd-Frank Act and other legislation, and the ultimate impact of this legislation on the market remains unclear. The regulatory changes could, among other things, restrict the Funds ability to engage in derivatives transactions (including because certain types of derivatives transactions may no longer be available to the Fund) and/or increase the costs of such derivatives transactions (including through increased margin requirements), and the Fund may be unable to execute portions of its investment strategy as a result. Additionally, the new requirements may result in increased uncertainty about counterparty credit risk. The regulation of derivatives transactions and funds that engage in such transactions is an evolving area of law and is subject to modification by government and judicial action.
Derivatives involve special risks, including possible default by the other party to the transaction, illiquidity, difficulties in valuation, leverage risk and, to the extent the Advisers view as to certain market movements is incorrect, the risk that the use of derivatives could result in significantly greater losses or lower income or gains than if they had not been used. See the subsection Additional Risks of Derivative Instruments. The Funds derivative counterparties may experience financial difficulties or otherwise be unwilling or unable to honor their obligations, possibly resulting in losses to the Fund. Losses resulting from the use of derivatives will reduce the Funds NAV, and possibly income, and the losses may be significantly greater than if derivatives had not been used. The degree of the Funds use of derivatives may be limited by certain provisions of the Code. When used, derivatives may increase the amount and affect the timing and character of taxable distributions paid to shareholders. See the section Additional Risks of Derivative Instruments below for additional information about the risks relating to derivatives instruments.
Several types of derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest are described in more detail below. However, the Fund is not limited to investments in these instruments.
Asset Segregation and Coverage
The Fund will segregate with its custodian or otherwise designate on its records liquid assets in an amount the Fund believes to be adequate to ensure that it has sufficient liquid assets to meet its obligations under its derivatives contracts, or the Fund may engage in other measures to cover its obligations with respect to such transactions. The amounts that are segregated or designated may be based on the notional value of the derivative or on the daily mark-to-market obligation under the derivatives contract and may be reduced by amounts on deposit with the applicable broker or counterparty to the derivatives transaction. The Fund may segregate amounts in addition to the amounts described above. In certain circumstances, the Fund may enter into an offsetting position rather than segregating or designating liquid assets (e.g., the Fund may cover a written put option with a purchased put option with the same or higher exercise price). Although the Funds Adviser will attempt to ensure that the Fund has sufficient liquid assets to cover its obligations under its derivative contracts, it is possible that the Funds liquid assets may be insufficient to support such obligations under its derivatives positions. The Fund may modify its asset segregation policies from time to time.
Futures Contracts
The Fund may transact in futures. Futures transactions involve the Funds buying or selling futures contracts. A futures contract is an agreement between two parties to buy and sell a particular security, commodity, currency or other asset, or group or index of securities, commodities, currencies or other assets for a specified price on a specified future date. A futures contract creates an obligation by the seller to deliver and the buyer to take delivery of the type of instrument or cash (depending on whether the contract calls for physical delivery or cash settlement) at the time and in the amount specified in the contract.
In the case of futures on an index, the seller and buyer agree to settle in cash, at a future date, based on the difference in value of the contract between the date it is opened and the settlement date. The value of each contract is equal to the value of the index from time to time multiplied by a specified dollar amount. For example, S&P 500® Index futures may trade in contracts with a value equal to $250 multiplied by the S&P 500® Index.
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When a trader, such as the Fund, enters into a futures contract, it is required to deposit with (or for the benefit of) its broker as initial margin an amount of cash or short-term, high-quality/liquid securities (such as U.S. Treasury bills or high-quality tax-exempt bonds acceptable to the broker) equal to approximately 2% to 5% of the delivery or settlement price of the contract (depending on applicable exchange rules). Initial margin is held to secure the performance of the holder of the futures contract. Should the value of the equity in the margin account drop below the minimum amount required to be maintained, or maintenance margin, the Fund will be required to deposit additional equity to restore the value in the margin account to its initial level. As the value of the contract changes, the value of futures contract positions increases or declines. At the end of each trading day, the amount of such increase and decline is received and paid respectively by and to the holders of these positions. The amount received or paid is known as variation margin.
Gain or loss on a futures position is equal to the net variation margin received or paid over the time the position is held, plus or minus the amount received or paid when the position is closed, minus brokerage commissions and other transaction costs.
Although many futures contracts call for the delivery (or acceptance) of the specified instrument, futures are usually closed out before the settlement date through the purchase (or sale) of a comparable contract. If the price of the sale of the futures contract by the Fund is less than the price of the offsetting purchase, the Fund will realize a loss. A futures sale is closed by purchasing a futures contract for the same aggregate amount of the specific type of financial instrument or commodity and with the same delivery date. Similarly, a futures purchase is closed by the purchaser selling an offsetting futures contract.
Futures contract prices, and the prices of the related contracts in which the Fund may trade, can be highly volatile. Such prices are influenced by, among other things: changing supply and demand relationships; government trade, fiscal, monetary and exchange control programs and policies; national and international political and economic events; and changes in interest rates. In addition, governments from time to time intervene, directly and by regulation, in these markets, with the specific intention of influencing such prices. The effect of such intervention is often heightened by a group of governments acting in concert.
Furthermore, the margin deposits normally required in futures trading can permit a high degree of leverage. Accordingly, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract can result in immediate and substantial losses to the investor. In addition, it is not always possible to liquidate futures positions to prevent further losses or recognize unrealized gains. Illiquidity can arise due to daily price limits taking effect or to market disruptions. Futures positions may be illiquid because certain commodity exchanges limit fluctuations in certain futures contract prices during a single day by regulations referred to as daily price fluctuation limits or daily limits.
Commodity Futures Contracts
The Fund may invest in commodity futures contracts. There are additional risks associated with transactions in commodity futures contracts including, but not limited to the following:
Storage. Unlike the financial futures markets, in the commodity futures markets there are costs of physical storage associated with purchasing the underlying commodity. The price of the commodity futures contract will reflect the storage costs of purchasing the physical commodity, including the time value of money invested in the physical commodity. To the extent that the storage costs for an underlying commodity change while the Fund is invested in futures contracts on that commodity, the value of the futures contract may also change. Physical delivery of commodities can result in temporary illiquidity and the Fund may incur additional charges associated with the holding and safekeeping of any such commodities.
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Reinvestment. In the commodity futures markets, producers of the underlying commodity may decide to hedge the price risk of selling the commodity by selling futures contracts today to lock in the price of the commodity at delivery tomorrow. In order to induce speculators to purchase the other side of the same futures contract, the commodity producer generally must sell the futures contract at a lower price than the expected future spot price. Conversely, if most hedgers in the futures market are purchasing futures contracts to hedge against a rise in prices, then speculators will only sell the other side of the futures contract at a higher futures price than the expected future spot price of the commodity. The changing positions and views of the participants in the commodity markets will influence whether futures prices are above or below the expected future spot price, which can have significant implications for the Fund. If the positions and views of the participants in futures markets have shifted when it is time for the Fund to reinvest the proceeds of a maturing contract in a new futures contract, the Fund might reinvest at higher or lower futures prices, or choose to pursue other investments.
Options
Options transactions may involve the Funds buying or writing (selling) options on securities, futures contracts, securities indices (including futures on securities indices) or currencies. The Fund may engage in these transactions either to enhance investment return or to hedge against changes in the value of other assets that it owns or intends to acquire.
Options can generally be classified as either call or put options. There are two parties to a typical options transaction: the writer (seller) and the buyer. A call option gives the buyer the right to buy a security or other asset (such as an amount of currency or a futures contract) from, and a put option gives the buyer the right to sell a security or other asset to, the option writer at a specified price, on or before a specified date. The buyer of an option pays a premium when purchasing the option, which reduces the return on the underlying security or other asset if the option is exercised, and results in a loss if the option expires unexercised. The writer of an option receives a premium from writing an option, which may increase its return if the option expires or is closed out at a profit. An American-style option allows exercise of the option at any time during the term of the option. A European-style option allows an option to be exercised only at a specific time or times, such as the end of its term. Options may be traded on or off an established securities or options exchange.
If the holder (writer) of an option wishes to terminate its position, it may seek to effect a closing sale transaction by selling (buying) an option identical to the option previously purchased. The effect of the purchase is that the previous option position will be canceled. The Fund will realize a profit from closing out an option if the price received for selling the offsetting position is more than the premium paid to purchase the option; the Fund will realize a loss from closing out an option transaction if the price received for selling the offsetting option is less than the premium paid to purchase the option. Since premiums on options having an exercise price close to the value of the underlying securities or futures contracts usually have a time value component (i.e., a value that diminishes as the time within which the option can be exercised grows shorter), the value of an options contract may change as a result of the lapse of time even though the value of the futures contract or security underlying the option (and of the security or other asset deliverable under the futures contract) has not changed.
As an alternative to purchasing call and put options on index futures, the Fund may purchase or sell call or put options on the underlying indices themselves. Such options would be used in a manner similar to the use of options on index futures.
Warrants and Rights
The Fund may invest in warrants and rights. A warrant is an instrument that gives the holder a right to purchase a given number of shares of a particular security at a specified price until a stated expiration date. Buying a warrant generally can provide a greater potential for profit or loss than an investment of equivalent amounts in the underlying common stock. The market value of a warrant does not necessarily move with the value of the underlying securities. If a holder does not sell the warrant, it risks the loss of its entire investment if the market price of the underlying security does not, before the expiration date, exceed the exercise price of the warrant. Investment in warrants is a speculative activity. Warrants pay no dividends and confer no rights (other than the right to purchase the underlying securities) with respect to the assets of the issuer. A right is a privilege granted to existing shareholders of a corporation to subscribe for shares of a new issue of common stock before it is issued. Rights normally have a short life, usually two to four weeks, are freely transferable and entitle the holder to buy the new common stock at a lower price than the public offering price.
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Options on Foreign Currencies
The Fund may buy and write options on foreign currencies in a manner similar to that in which futures or forward contracts on foreign currencies may be utilized, as described in the Prospectus. In addition, options on foreign currencies may be used to hedge against adverse changes in foreign currency conversion rates. For example, a decline in the U.S. dollar value of a foreign currency in which portfolio securities are denominated will reduce the U.S. dollar value of such securities, even if their value in the foreign currency remains constant. In order to protect against such diminutions in the value of the portfolio securities, the Fund may buy put options on the foreign currency. If the value of the currency declines, the Fund will have the right to sell such currency for a fixed amount in U.S. dollars, thereby offsetting, in whole or in part, the adverse effect on its portfolio.
Conversely, when a rise in the U.S. dollar value of a currency in which securities to be acquired are denominated is projected, thereby increasing the cost of such securities, the Fund may buy call options on the foreign currency. The purchase of such options could offset, at least partially, the effects of the adverse movements in exchange rates. As in the case of other types of options, however, the benefit to the Fund from purchases of foreign currency options will be reduced by the amount of the premium and related transaction costs. In addition, if currency exchange rates do not move in the direction or to the extent desired, the Fund could sustain losses on transactions in foreign currency options that would require the Fund to forego a portion or all of the benefits of advantageous changes in those rates.
The Fund may also write options on foreign currencies. For example, to hedge against a potential decline in the U.S. dollar due to adverse fluctuations in exchange rates, the Fund could, instead of purchasing a put option, write a call option on the relevant currency. If the decline expected by the Fund occurs, the option will most likely not be exercised and the diminution in value of portfolio securities will be offset at least in part by the amount of the premium received. Similarly, instead of purchasing a call option to hedge against a potential increase in the U.S. dollar cost of securities to be acquired, the Fund could write a put option on the relevant currency which, if rates move in the manner projected by the Fund, will expire unexercised and allow the Fund to hedge the increased cost up to the amount of the premium. If exchange rates do not move in the expected direction, the option may be exercised and the Fund would be required to buy or sell the underlying currency at a loss, which may not be fully offset by the amount of the premium. Through the writing of options on foreign currencies, the Fund also may lose all or a portion of the benefits that might otherwise have been obtained from favorable movements in exchange rates.
Options on Indices
The Fund may transact in options on indices (index options). Put and call index options are similar to puts and calls on securities or futures contracts except that all settlements are in cash and gain or loss at expiration depends on changes in the index in question rather than on price movements in individual securities or futures contracts. When the Fund writes an index call option, it receives a premium and undertakes the obligation that, prior to the expiration date (or, upon the expiration date for European-style options), the purchaser of the call, upon exercise of the call, will receive from the Fund an amount of cash if the exercise settlement value of the relevant index is greater than the exercise price of the call. The manner of determining exercise settlement value for a particular option series is fixed by the options market on which the series is traded. S&P 500® Index options, for example, have a settlement value that is calculated using the opening sales price in the primary market of each component security on the last business day (usually a Friday) before the expiration date. The amount of cash is equal to the difference between the exercise settlement value of the index and the exercise price of the call times a specified multiple (multiplier). When the Fund buys an index call option, it pays a premium and has the same rights as to such call as are indicated above. When the Fund buys an index put option, it pays a premium and has the right, prior to the expiration date (or, upon the expiration date for European-style options), to collect, upon the Funds exercise of the put, an amount of cash equal to the difference between the exercise price of the option and the exercise settlement value of the index, times a multiplier, similar to that described above for calls, if the exercise settlement value is less
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than the exercise price. When the Fund writes an index put option, it receives a premium and the purchaser of the put has the right, prior to the expiration date, to require the Fund to deliver to it an amount of cash equal to the difference between the exercise settlement value of the index and exercise price times the multiplier, if the closing level is less than the exercise price.
Exchange-Traded and Over-the-Counter Options
The Fund may purchase or write both exchange-traded and over-the-counter (OTC) options. OTC options differ from exchange-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.
An exchange-traded option may be closed out only on an exchange that generally provides a liquid secondary market for an option of the same series. If a liquid secondary market for an exchange-traded option does not exist, it might not be possible to effect a closing transaction with respect to a particular option, with the result that the Fund would have to exercise the option in order to consummate the transaction. Reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening transactions or closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options or underlying securities; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or the Options Clearing Corporation or other clearing organization may not at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or (vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons, decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the trading of options (or a particular class or series of options), in which event the secondary market on that exchange (or in that class or series of options) would cease to exist, although outstanding options on that exchange that had been issued by the Options Clearing Corporation as a result of trades on that exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with their terms.
An OTC option (an option not traded on an established exchange) may be closed out only by agreement with the other party to the original option transaction. With OTC options, the Fund is at risk that the other party to the transaction will default on its obligations or will not permit the Fund to terminate the transaction before its scheduled maturity. While the Fund will seek to enter into OTC options only with dealers who agree to or are expected to be capable of entering into closing transactions with the Fund, there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to liquidate an OTC option at a favorable price at any time prior to its expiration. OTC options are not subject to the protections afforded purchasers of listed options by the Options Clearing Corporation or other clearing organizations.
Index Warrants
The Fund may purchase put warrants and call warrants whose values vary depending on the change in the value of one or more specified securities indices (index warrants). Index warrants are generally issued by banks or other financial institutions and give the holder the right, at any time during the term of the warrant, to receive upon exercise of the warrant a cash payment from the issuer based on the value of the underlying index at the time of exercise. In general, if the value of the underlying index rises above the exercise price of the index warrant, the holder of a call warrant will be entitled to receive a cash payment from the issuer upon exercise based on the difference between the value of the index and the exercise price of the warrant; if the value of the underlying index falls, the holder of a put warrant will be entitled to receive a cash payment from the issuer upon exercise based on the difference between the exercise price of the warrant and the value of the index. The holder of a warrant would not be entitled to any payments from the issuer at a time when, in the case of a call warrant, the exercise price is more than the value of the underlying index, or in the case of a put warrant, the exercise price is less than the value of the underlying index. If the Fund were not to exercise an index warrant prior to its expiration, then the Fund would lose the amount of the purchase price paid by it for the warrant. The Fund may use index warrants in a manner similar to its use of options on securities indices.
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Forward Contracts
As described in the section Foreign Currency Transactions below, the Fund may invest in forward contracts. Forward contracts are transactions involving the Funds obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency or other asset at a future date at a specified price. For example, forward contracts may be used when the Adviser anticipates that particular foreign currencies will appreciate or depreciate in value or to take advantage of the expected relationships between various currencies, regardless of whether securities denominated in such currencies are held in the Funds investment portfolio. Forward contracts may also be used by the Fund for hedging purposes to protect against uncertainty in the level of future foreign currency exchange rates, such as when the Fund anticipates purchasing or selling a foreign security. This technique would allow the Fund to lock in the U.S. dollar price of the investment. Forward contracts also may be used to attempt to protect the value of the Funds existing holdings of foreign securities. There may be, however, imperfect correlation between the Funds foreign securities holdings and the forward contracts entered into with respect to such holdings. The cost to the Fund of engaging in forward contracts varies with factors such as the currency involved, the length of the contract period and the market conditions then prevailing.
Forward contracts are not traded on exchanges and are not standardized; rather, banks and dealers act as principals in these markets negotiating each transaction on an individual basis. Neither the CFTC nor any banking authority regulates trading in forward contracts. In addition, there is no limitation on the daily price movements of forward contracts. Principals in the forward markets have no obligation to continue to make markets in the forward contracts traded. There have been periods during which certain banks or dealers have refused to quote prices for forward contracts or have quoted prices with an unusually wide spread between the price at which they are prepared to buy and that at which they are prepared to sell. Disruptions can occur in the forward markets because of unusually high trading volume, political intervention or other factors. For example, the imposition of credit controls by governmental authorities might limit forward trading, to the possible detriment of the Fund.
Additionally, in its forward trading, the Fund is subject to the risk of the bankruptcy of, or the inability or refusal to perform with respect to its forward contracts by, the prime brokers with which the Fund holds its positions. Funds on deposit with such prime brokers are generally not protected by the same segregation requirements imposed on CFTC regulated commodity brokers in respect of customer funds on deposit with them. However, the Fund intends to engage in forward trading only with large, well-capitalized banks and dealers.
Swap Transactions
The Fund may enter into a variety of swap agreements, including, but not limited to, interest rate, index, commodity, equity-linked, credit default, credit-linked and currency exchange swaps. Depending on the structure of the swap agreement, the Fund may enter into swap transactions to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of its portfolio, to gain exposure to one or more securities, currencies, commodities, or interest rates, to protect against or attempt to take advantage of currency fluctuations, to manage duration, to protect against any increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date, to efficiently gain exposure to certain markets to add economic leverage to the Funds portfolio or to shift the Funds investment exposure from one type of investment to another.
Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods ranging from a few weeks to a number of years. Many swap agreements are individually negotiated and structured to include exposure to a variety of types of investments or market factors. 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 generally are calculated with respect to a notional amount, such as the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate or in a basket of securities representing a particular index. In a typical interest rate swap, for example, one party agrees to make regular payments equal to a floating interest rate times a notional principal amount, in return for payments equal to a fixed rate times the same amount, for the term of the swap agreement. The notional principal amount of a swap transaction is the agreed-upon basis for calculating the payments that the parties agree to exchange, 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 commodity or in a basket of securities. Under most swap agreements, payments by the parties will be exchanged on a net basis, and a party will receive or pay, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments.
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Swap agreements are sophisticated financial instruments that typically involve a small investment of cash relative to the magnitude of risks assumed. Swaps can be highly volatile and may have a considerable impact on the Funds performance, as the potential gain or loss on any swap transaction is not subject to any fixed limit. The Funds successful use of swap agreements will depend on the Advisers ability to predict correctly whether certain types of investments are likely to produce greater returns than other investments. Because swaps 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. If 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. The Fund may also suffer losses if it is unable to terminate (or terminate at the time and price desired) outstanding swap agreements (either by assignment or other disposition) or reduce its exposure through offsetting transactions.
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. When a counterpartys obligations are not fully secured by collateral, then the Fund is essentially an unsecured creditor of the counterparty. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund will have contractual remedies, but there is no assurance that a counterparty will be able to meet its obligations pursuant to such contracts or that, in the event of default, the Fund will succeed in enforcing contractual remedies. Counterparty risk still exists even if a counterpartys obligations are secured by collateral because the Funds interest in collateral may not be perfected or additional collateral may not be promptly posted as required. Counterparty risk also may be more pronounced if a counterpartys obligations exceed the amount of collateral held by the Fund (if any), the Fund is unable to exercise its interest in collateral upon default by the counterparty, or the termination value of the instrument varies significantly from the marked-to-market value of the instrument.
Counterparty risk with respect to derivatives will be affected by new rules and regulations affecting the derivatives market. Some derivatives transactions are required to be centrally cleared, and a party to a cleared derivatives transaction is subject to the credit risk of the clearing house and the clearing member through which it holds its cleared position, rather than the credit risk of its original counterparty to the derivative transaction. Credit risk of market participants with respect to derivatives that are centrally cleared is concentrated in a few clearing houses, and it is not clear how an insolvency proceeding of a clearing house would be conducted and what impact an insolvency of a clearing house would have on the financial system. A clearing member is obligated by contract and by applicable regulation to segregate all funds received from customers with respect to cleared derivatives transactions from the clearing members proprietary assets. However, all funds and other property received by a clearing broker from its customers are generally held by the clearing broker on a commingled basis in an omnibus account, and the clearing member may invest those funds in certain instruments permitted under the applicable regulations. The assets of the Fund might not be fully protected in the event of the bankruptcy of the Funds clearing member, because the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing brokers customers for a relevant account class. Also, the clearing member is required to transfer to the clearing organization the amount of margin required by the clearing organization for cleared derivatives, which amounts are generally held in an omnibus account at the clearing organization for all customers of the clearing member. Regulations promulgated by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) require that the clearing member notify the clearing house of the amount of initial margin provided by the clearing member to the clearing organization that is attributable to each customer. However, if the clearing member does not provide accurate reporting, the Fund is subject to the risk that a clearing organization will use the Funds assets held in an omnibus account at the clearing organization to satisfy payment obligations of a defaulting customer of the clearing member to the clearing organization. In addition, clearing members generally provide to the clearing organization the net amount of variation margin required for cleared swaps for all of its customers in the aggregate, rather than the gross amount of each customer. The Fund is therefore subject to the risk that a clearing organization will not make variation margin payments owed to the Fund if another customer of the clearing member has suffered a loss and is in default, and the risk that the Fund will be required to provide additional variation margin to the clearing house before the clearing house will move the Funds cleared derivatives transactions to another clearing member. In addition, if a clearing member does not comply with the applicable regulations or its agreement with the Fund, or in the event of fraud or misappropriation of customer assets by a clearing member, the Fund could have only an unsecured creditor claim in an insolvency of the clearing member with respect to the margin held by the clearing member.
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Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act established a framework for the regulation of OTC swap markets; the framework outlined the joint responsibility of the CFTC and the SEC in regulating swaps. The CFTC is responsible for the regulation of swaps, the SEC is responsible for the regulation of security-based swaps and jointly they are both responsible for the regulation of mixed swaps.
Credit Default Swaps
The Fund may enter into credit default swap agreements, which may have as reference obligations one or more debt securities or an index of such securities. In a credit default swap, one party (the protection buyer) is obligated to pay the other party (the protection seller) a stream of payments over the term of the contract, provided that no credit event, such as a default or a downgrade in credit rating, occurs on the reference obligation. If a credit event occurs, the protection seller must generally pay the protection buyer the par value (the agreed-upon notional value) of the referenced debt obligation in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable reference obligations or a specified amount of cash, depending upon the terms of the swap.
The Fund may be either the protection buyer or protection seller in a credit default swap. If the Fund is a protection buyer, such Fund would pay the counterparty a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract and would not recover any of those payments if no credit event were to occur. However, if a credit event occurs, the Fund that is a protection buyer has the right to deliver the referenced debt obligations or a specified amount of cash, depending upon the terms of the swap, and receive the par value of such debt obligations from the counterparty protection seller. As a protection seller, the Fund would receive fixed payments throughout the term of the contract if no credit event occurs. If a credit event occurs, however, the value of the obligation received by the Fund (e.g., bonds which defaulted), plus the periodic payments previously received, may be less than the par value of the obligation, or cash received, resulting in a loss to the protection seller. Furthermore, the Fund that is a protection seller would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because such Fund will have investment exposure to the notional amount of the swap.
Credit default swap agreements are subject to greater risk than a direct investment in the reference obligation. Like all swap agreements, credit default swaps are subject to liquidity, credit and counterparty risks. In addition, collateral posting requirements are individually negotiated and there is no regulatory requirement that a counterparty post collateral to secure its obligations or a specified amount of cash, depending upon the terms of the swap, under a credit default swap. Furthermore, a party to a credit default swap may not be required to inform the counterparty in advance when a credit default swap agreement is sold. Accordingly, the Fund may have difficulty identifying the party responsible for payment of its claims. The notional value of credit default swaps with respect to a particular investment is often larger than the total par value of such investment outstanding and, in event of a default, there may be difficulties in making the required deliveries of the reference investments, possibly delaying payments.
If a counterpartys credit becomes significantly impaired, multiple requests for collateral posting in a short period of time could increase the risk that the Fund may not receive adequate collateral. There is no readily available market for trading credit default swaps. The Fund generally may exit its obligations under a credit default swap only by terminating the contract and paying applicable breakage fees, or by entering into an offsetting credit default swap position, which may cause the Fund to incur more losses.
Investment Pools of Swap Contracts
In addition, the Fund may invest in publicly or privately issued interests in investment pools whose underlying assets are credit default, credit-linked, interest rate, currency exchange, equity-linked or other types of swap contracts and related underlying securities or securities loan agreements. The pools investment results may be designed to correspond generally to the performance of a specified securities index or basket of securities, or sometimes a single security. These types of pools are often used to gain exposure to multiple securities with less of an investment than would be required to invest directly in the individual securities. They may also be used to gain exposure to foreign securities markets without investing in the foreign securities themselves and/or the relevant foreign market. To the extent that the Fund invests in pools of swap contracts and related underlying securities or
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securities loan agreements whose performance corresponds to the performance of a foreign securities index or one or more foreign securities, investing in such pools will involve risks similar to the risks of investing in foreign securities. See Foreign Securities below. In addition to the risks associated with investing in swaps generally, an investing Fund bears the risks and costs generally associated with investing in pooled investment vehicles, such as paying the fees and expenses of the pool and the risk that the pool or the operator of the pool may default on its obligations to the holder of interests in the pool, such as the Fund. Interests in privately offered investment pools of swap contracts may be considered illiquid and, except to the extent that such interests are deemed liquid under the Funds policies, subject to the Funds restrictions on investments in illiquid securities.
Hybrid Instruments
The Fund may invest in hybrid instruments. A hybrid instrument is a type of derivative that combines a traditional stock or bond 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 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 economically similar to 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 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 NAV of the Fund.
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 and therefore are subject to many of the same risks as investments in those underlying securities, instruments or commodities. For more information, see the sections Commodities and Structured Notes.
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 Funds 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.
Additional Risks of Derivative Instruments
As described in the Prospectus, the Fund intends to use derivative instruments, including several of the instruments described above, as part of its investment practices as well as for risk management purposes. Although the Adviser may seek to use these transactions to achieve the Funds investment goals, no assurance can be given that the use of these transactions will achieve this result. Any or all of these investment techniques may be used at any time. The ability of the Fund to utilize these derivative instruments successfully will depend on the Advisers ability to predict pertinent market movements, which cannot be assured. Furthermore, the Funds use of certain derivatives may in some cases involve forms of financial leverage, which involves risk and may increase the volatility of the Funds NAV. Leveraging may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet
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segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. To the extent that the Fund is not able to close out a leveraged position because of market illiquidity, its liquidity may be impaired to the extent that it has a substantial portion of liquid assets segregated or earmarked to cover obligations. The Fund will comply with applicable regulatory requirements when implementing these strategies, techniques and instruments. Use of derivatives for other than hedging purposes may be considered a speculative activity, involving greater risks than are involved in hedging. A short exposure through a derivative may present additional risks. If the value of the asset, asset class or index on which the Fund has obtained a short exposure increases, the Fund will incur a loss. Moreover, the potential loss from a short exposure is theoretically unlimited.
The value of some derivative instruments in which the Fund may invest may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates or other economic factors and the ability of the Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend in part upon the ability of the Adviser to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. If the Adviser 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. If the Adviser 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 Funds 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. To the extent that the Fund gains exposure to an asset class using derivative instruments backed by a collateral portfolio of other securities, changes in the value of those other securities may result in greater or lesser exposure to that asset class than would have resulted from a direct investment in securities comprising that asset class. The Fund may invest in derivative instruments linked to the returns of one or more hedge funds or groups of hedge funds. To the extent that the Fund invests in such instruments, in addition to the risks associated with investments in derivative instruments generally, the Fund will be subject to the risks associated with investments in hedge funds.
The correlation between the price movement of the derivatives contract and the hedged security may be distorted due to differences in the nature of the relevant markets. For example, if the price of the futures contract moves more than the price of the hedged security, the Fund would experience either a loss or a gain on the derivative that is not completely offset by movements in the price of the hedged securities. For example, in an attempt to compensate for imperfect price movement correlations, the Fund may purchase or sell futures contracts in a greater dollar amount than the hedged securities if the price movement volatility of the hedged securities is historically greater than the volatility of the futures contract. Conversely, the Fund may purchase or sell futures contracts in a smaller dollar amount than the hedged securities if the volatility of the price of hedged securities is historically less than that of the futures contracts.
The price of index futures may not correlate perfectly with movement in the underlying index due to certain market distortions. One such distortion stems from the fact that all participants in the futures market are subject to margin deposit and maintenance requirements. Rather than meeting additional margin deposit requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting transactions, which could distort the normal relationship between the index and futures markets. Another market distortion results from the deposit requirements in the futures market being less onerous than margin requirements in the securities market, and as a result the futures market may attract more speculators than does the securities market. A third distortion is caused by the fact that trading hours for foreign stock index futures may not correspond perfectly to trading hours on the foreign exchange to which a particular foreign stock index futures contract relates. This may result in a disparity between the price of index futures and the value of the relevant index due to the lack of continuous arbitrage between the index futures price and the value of the underlying index. Finally, hedging transactions using stock indices involve the risk that movements in the price of the index may not correlate with price movements of the particular portfolio securities being hedged.
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Price movement correlation in derivative transactions also may be distorted by the illiquidity of the derivatives markets and the participation of speculators in such markets. If an insufficient number of contracts are traded, commercial users may not deal in derivatives because they do not want to assume the risk that they may not be able to close out their positions within a reasonable amount of time. In such instances, derivatives market prices may be driven by different forces than those driving the market in the underlying securities, and price spreads between these markets may widen. The participation of speculators in the market enhances its liquidity. Nonetheless, speculators trading spreads between futures markets may create temporary price distortions unrelated to the market in the underlying securities.
Positions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts may be established or closed out only on an exchange or board of trade. There is no assurance that a liquid market on an exchange or board of trade will exist for any particular contract or at any particular time. The liquidity of markets in futures contracts and options on futures contracts may be adversely affected by daily price fluctuation limits established by commodity exchanges that limit the amount of fluctuation in a futures or options price during a single trading day. Once the daily limit has been reached in a contract, no trades may be entered into at a price beyond the limit, which may prevent the liquidation of open futures or options positions. Prices have in the past exceeded the daily limit on a number of consecutive trading days. If there is not a liquid market at a particular time, it may not be possible to close a futures or options position at such time, and, in the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin. However, if futures or options are used to hedge portfolio securities, an increase in the price of the securities, if any, may partially or completely offset losses on the futures contract.
Income earned by the Fund from its options activities will be treated as capital gain and, if not offset by net recognized capital losses incurred by the Fund, will be distributed to shareholders in taxable distributions. Although gain from options transactions may hedge against a decline in the value of the Funds portfolio securities, that gain, to the extent not offset by losses, will be distributed in light of certain tax considerations and will constitute a distribution of that portion of the value preserved against decline.
The value of the Funds derivative instruments may fluctuate based on a variety of market and economic factors. In some cases, the fluctuations may offset (or be offset by) changes in the value of securities or derivatives held in the Funds portfolio. All transactions in derivatives involve the possible risk of loss to the Fund of all or a significant part of the value of its investment. In some cases, the risk of loss may exceed the amount of the Funds investment. When the Fund writes a call option or sells a futures contract without holding the underlying securities, currencies or futures contracts, its potential loss is unlimited.
The risks of the Funds use of index warrants are generally similar to those relating to its use of index options. Unlike most index options, however, index warrants are issued in limited amounts and are not obligations of a regulated clearing agency, but are backed only by the credit of the bank or other institution which issues the warrant. Also, index warrants generally have longer terms than index options. Although the Fund will normally invest only in exchange-listed warrants, index warrants are not likely to be as liquid as certain index options backed by a recognized clearing agency. In addition, the terms of index warrants may limit the Funds ability to exercise the warrants at such time, or in such quantities, as the Fund would otherwise wish to do.
In the case of options that are not traded on an exchange (OTC options), the Fund is at risk that the other party to the transaction will default on its obligations, or will not permit the Fund to terminate the transaction before its scheduled maturity.
The derivatives markets of foreign countries are small compared to those of the United States and consequently are characterized in most cases by less liquidity than U.S. markets. In addition, derivatives that are traded on foreign exchanges may not be regulated as effectively as similar transactions in the United States, may not involve a clearing mechanism and related guarantees, may be subject to less detailed reporting requirements, and are subject to the risk of governmental actions affecting trading in, or the prices of, foreign securities. The value of such
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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 Funds 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. Furthermore, investments in options in foreign markets are subject to many of the same risks as other foreign investments. See the section Foreign Securities below.
Forward contracts are subject to many of the same risks as options, warrants and futures contracts described above. As described in the section Foreign Currency Transactions below, forward contracts may give rise to ordinary income or loss to the extent such income or loss results from fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency concerned. In addition, the effect of changes in the dollar value of a foreign currency on the dollar value of the Funds assets and on the net investment income available for distribution may be favorable or unfavorable. The Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between various currencies, and the Fund will be subject to increased illiquidity and counterparty risk because forward contracts are not traded on an exchange and often are not standardized. The Fund may also be required to liquidate portfolio assets, or may incur increased currency conversion costs, to compensate for a decline in the dollar value of a foreign currency occurring between the time when the Fund declares and pays a dividend, or between the time when the Fund accrues and pays an operating expense in U.S. dollars.
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 part of its investment strategy, and could ultimately prevent the Fund from being able to achieve its investment goals. It is impossible to fully predict the effects of legislation and regulation in this area, but the effects could be substantial and adverse. It is possible that legislative and regulatory activity could limit or completely restrict the ability of the Fund to use these instruments as a part of its investment strategy, increase the costs of using these instruments or make them less effective. Limits or restrictions applicable to the counterparties with which the Fund engages in derivative transactions could also prevent the Fund from using these instruments or affect the pricing or other factors relating to these instruments, or may change the availability of certain investments.
There is a possibility of future regulatory changes altering, perhaps to a material extent, the nature of an investment in the Fund or the ability of the Fund to continue to implement its investment strategies. In particular, the Dodd-Frank Act was signed into law on July 21, 2010. The Dodd-Frank Act will change the way in which the U.S. financial system is supervised and regulated. Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act sets forth a new legislative framework for over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives, such as swaps, in which the Fund may invest. Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act makes broad changes to the OTC derivatives market, grants significant new authority to the SEC and the CFTC to regulate OTC derivatives and market participants, and will require clearing of many OTC derivatives transactions. The futures markets are subject to comprehensive statutes, regulations, and margin requirements. The SEC, CFTC and the exchanges are authorized to take extraordinary actions in the event of a market emergency, including, for example, the implementation or reduction of speculative position limits, the implementation of higher margin requirements, the establishment of daily price limits and the suspension of trading.
Additional Risk Factors in Cleared Derivatives Transactions
Under recently adopted rules and regulations, transactions in some types of swaps (including interest rate swaps and credit default index swaps on North American and European indices) are required to be centrally cleared. In a cleared derivatives transaction, the Funds counterparty is a clearing house, rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of a clearing house and only members of a clearing house can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at its clearing member. In a cleared derivatives transactions, the Fund will make payments (including margin payments) to and receive payments from a clearing house through accounts at its clearing members. Clearing members guarantee performance of their clients obligations to the clearing house.
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In many ways, centrally cleared derivative arrangements are less favorable to mutual funds than bilateral arrangements. For example, the Fund may be required to provide greater amounts of margin for cleared derivatives transactions than for bilateral derivatives transactions. Also, in contrast to bilateral derivatives transactions, following a period of notice to the Fund, a clearing member generally can require termination of existing cleared derivatives transactions at any time or increases in margin requirements above the margin that the clearing member required at the beginning of a transaction. Clearing houses also have broad rights to increase margin requirements for existing transactions or to terminate transactions at any time. Any increase in margin requirements or termination by the clearing member or the clearing house could interfere with the ability of the Fund to pursue its investment strategy. Further, any increase in margin requirements by a clearing member could also expose the Fund to greater credit risk to its clearing member, because margin for cleared derivatives transactions in excess of clearing house margin requirements typically is held by the clearing member. Also, the Fund is subject to risk if it enters into a derivatives transaction that is required to be cleared (or that the Adviser expects to be cleared), and no clearing member is willing or able to clear the transaction on the Funds behalf. While the documentation in place between the Fund and its clearing member generally provides that the clearing members will accept for clearing all transactions submitted for clearing that are within credit limits (specified in advance) for the Fund, the Fund is still subject to the risk that no clearing member will be willing or able to clear a transaction. In those cases, the transaction might have to be terminated, and the Fund could lose some or all of the benefit of the transaction, including loss of an increase in the value of the transaction and/or loss of hedging protection offered by the transaction. In addition, the documentation governing the relationship between the Fund and the clearing member is developed by the clearing member and generally is less favorable to the Fund than typical bilateral derivatives documentation. For example, this documentation generally includes a one-way indemnity by the Fund in favor of the clearing member, indemnifying the clearing member against losses it incurs in connection with acting as the Funds clearing member, and the documentation typically does not give the Fund any rights to exercise remedies if the clearing member defaults or becomes insolvent.
Some types of cleared derivatives are required to be executed on an exchange or on a swap execution facility. A swap execution facility is a trading platform where multiple market participants can execute derivatives by accepting bids and offers made by multiple other participants in the platform. While this execution requirement is designed to increase transparency and liquidity in the cleared derivatives market, trading on a swap execution facility can create additional costs and risks for the Fund. For example, swap execution facilities typically charge fees, and if the Fund executes derivatives on a swap execution facility through a broker intermediary, the intermediary may impose fees as well. Also, the Fund may indemnify a swap execution facility, or a broker intermediary who executes cleared derivatives on a swap execution facility on the Funds behalf, against any losses or costs that may be incurred as a result of the Funds transactions on the swap execution facility.
These and other new rules and regulations could, among other things, further restrict the Funds ability to engage in, or increase the cost to the Fund of, derivatives transactions, for example, by making some types of derivatives no longer available to the Fund, increasing margin or capital requirements, or otherwise limiting liquidity or increasing transaction costs. These regulations are new and evolving, so their potential impact on the Fund and the financial system are not yet known. While the new regulations and the central clearing of some derivatives transactions are designed to reduce systemic risk (i.e., the risk that the interdependence of large derivatives dealers could cause a number of those dealers to suffer liquidity, solvency or other challenges simultaneously), there is no assurance that the new clearing mechanisms will achieve that result, and in the meantime, as noted above, central clearing and related requirements will expose the Fund to new kinds of risks and costs.
Other Derivatives; Future Developments
The above discussion relates to the Funds proposed use of certain types of derivatives currently available. However, the Fund is not limited to the transactions described above. In addition, the relevant markets and related regulations are constantly changing and, in the future, the Fund may use derivatives not currently available or widely in use.
The Fund is registered as a commodity pool (the Pool) under the Commodity Exchange Act (the CEA) and AlphaSimplex is registered as a commodity pool operator (the CPO) under the CEA with respect to the Pool. The CPO and the Pool are subject to dual regulation by the SEC and CFTC. Compliance with the CFTCs new regulatory requirements could increase the Pools expenses, adversely affecting the Pools total return. The Pool and the CPO continue to analyze the effect that these rules, including the CFTCs recent harmonization of overlapping disclosure, reporting and recordkeeping requirements, may have on the Pool.
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Emerging Markets
Investments in foreign securities may include investments in emerging or developing countries whose economies or securities markets are not yet highly developed. The same or similar risks are seen in investments in companies that are located in developed markets but derive substantial revenues from emerging markets. As noted in the section Foreign Securities herein, the risks associated with investing in foreign securities are often heightened for investments in emerging market countries. These heightened risks include (i) greater risks of expropriation, confiscatory taxation, nationalization, and less social, political and economic stability; (ii) the small size of the markets for securities of emerging market issuers and the oftentimes low or nonexistent volume of trading, resulting in lack of liquidity and in price volatility; (iii) certain national policies that may restrict the Funds investment opportunities, including restrictions on investing in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to relevant national interests or currency transfer restrictions; (iv) an economys dependence on revenues from particular commodities or on international aid or development assistance; (v) the absence of developed legal structures governing private or foreign investment and private property and/or less developed custodial and deposit systems and delays and disruptions in securities settlement procedures; and (vi) risks associated with the imposition of sanctions by the U.S. government. The Funds purchase and sale of portfolio securities in certain emerging market countries may be constrained by limitations as to daily changes in the prices of listed securities, periodic trading or settlement volume and/or limitations on aggregate holdings of foreign investors. In certain cases, such limitations may be computed based upon the aggregate trading by or holdings of the Fund, its Adviser or Subadviser and its affiliates, and their respective clients and other service providers. The Fund may not be able to sell securities in circumstances where price, trading or settlement volume limitations have been reached. These limitations may have a negative impact on the Funds performance and may adversely affect the liquidity of the Funds investment to the extent that it invests in certain emerging market countries. In addition, some emerging market countries may have fixed or managed currencies that are not free-floating against the U.S. dollar. Further, certain emerging market countries currencies may not be internationally traded. Certain of these currencies have experienced a steady devaluation relative to the U.S. dollar. If the Fund does not hedge the U.S. dollar value of securities it owns denominated in currencies that are devalued, the Funds NAV will be adversely affected. Many emerging market countries have experienced substantial, and in some periods extremely high, rates of inflation for many years. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had and may continue to have adverse effects on the economies and securities markets of certain of these countries.
In determining whether to invest in securities of foreign issuers, the Adviser may consider the likely effects of foreign taxes on the net yield available to the Fund and its shareholders. Compliance with foreign tax laws may reduce the Funds net income available for distribution to shareholders.
Equity Securities
The Fund may invest in equity securities. Common stocks, preferred stocks, warrants, securities convertible into common or preferred stocks and similar securities, together called equity securities, are generally volatile and more risky than some other forms of investment. Equity securities of companies with relatively small market capitalizations may be more volatile than the securities of larger, more established companies and than the broad equity market indices generally. Common stock and other equity securities may take the form of stock in corporations, partnership interests, interests in limited liability companies and other direct or indirect interests in business organizations.
Equity securities are securities that represent an ownership interest (or the right to acquire such an interest) in a company and may include common and preferred stocks, securities exercisable for, or convertible into, common or preferred stocks, such as warrants, convertible debt securities and convertible preferred stock, and other equity-like interests in an entity. Equity securities may take the form of stock in a corporation, limited partnership interests, interests in limited liability companies, depositary receipts, real estate investment trusts (REITs) or other trusts and other similar securities. Common stocks represent an equity or ownership interest in an issuer. Preferred stocks represent an equity or ownership interest in an issuer that pays dividends at a specified rate and that has precedence over common stock in the payment of dividends. In the event that an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of bonds and other debt securities take precedence over holders of preferred stock, whose claims take precedence over the claims of those who own common stock.
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While offering greater potential for long-term growth, equity securities generally are more volatile and more risky than some other forms of investment, particularly debt securities. The value of your investment in a fund that invests in equity securities may decrease, potentially by a significant amount. The Fund may invest in equity securities of companies with relatively small market capitalizations. Securities of such companies may be more volatile than the securities of larger, more established companies and the broad equity market indices. See the section Market Capitalizations. The Funds investments may include securities traded OTC as well as those traded on a securities exchange. Some securities, particularly OTC securities, may be more difficult to sell under some market conditions.
Stocks of companies that the Adviser believes have earnings that will grow faster than the economy as a whole are known as growth stocks. Growth stocks typically trade at higher multiples of current earnings than other stocks. As a result, the values of growth stocks may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the values of other stocks. If the Advisers or Subadvisers assessment of the prospects for a companys earnings growth is wrong, or if its judgment of how other investors will value the companys earnings growth is wrong, then the price of that companys stock may fall or may not approach the value that the Adviser or Subadviser has placed on it.
Stocks of companies that are not expected to experience significant earnings growth, but whose stocks the Adviser or Subadviser believes are undervalued compared to their true worth, are known as value stocks. These companies may have experienced adverse business developments or may be subject to special risks that have caused their stocks to be out of favor. If the Advisers or Subadvisers assessment of a companys prospects is wrong, or if other investors do not eventually recognize the value of the company, then the price of the companys stock may fall or may not approach the value that the Adviser or Subadviser has placed on it.
Many stocks may have both growth and value characteristics, and for some stocks it may be unclear which category, if any, it fits into.
Fixed-Income Securities
The Fund may invest in fixed-income securities. Fixed-income securities pay a specified rate of interest or dividends, or a rate that is adjusted periodically by reference to some specified index or market rate. Fixed-income securities include securities issued by federal, state, local and foreign governments and related agencies, and by a wide range of private or corporate issuers. Fixed-income securities include, among others, bonds, debentures, notes, bills and commercial paper. Because interest rates vary, it is impossible to predict the income of the Fund for any particular period. In addition, the prices of fixed-income securities generally vary inversely with changes in interest rates. Prices of fixed-income securities may also be affected by items related to a particular issue or to the debt markets generally. The NAV of the Funds shares will vary as a result of changes in the value of the securities in the Funds portfolio.
Investment Grade Fixed-Income Securities. To be considered investment grade quality, at least one of the three major rating agencies (Fitch Investor Services, Inc. (Fitch), Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys) or Standard & Poors Ratings Group (S&P)) must have rated the security in one of its respective top four rating categories at the time the Fund acquires the security or, if the security is unrated, the Adviser or Subadviser must have determined it to be of comparable quality.
Below Investment Grade Fixed-Income Securities. Below investment grade fixed-income securities (commonly referred to as junk bonds) are rated below investment grade quality. To be considered below investment grade quality, none of the three major rating agencies (Fitch, Moodys and S&P) must have rated the security in one of its respective top four rating categories at the time the Fund acquires the security or, if the security is unrated, the Adviser or Subadviser must have determined it to be of comparable quality.
Below investment grade fixed-income securities are subject to greater credit risk and market risk than higher-quality fixed-income securities. Below investment grade fixed-income securities are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the ability of the issuer to make timely principal and interest payments. If the Fund invests in below investment grade fixed-income securities, the Funds achievement of its objective may be more dependent on the Advisers or Subadvisers own credit analysis than is the case with funds that invest in higher-quality fixed-income securities. The market for below investment grade fixed-income securities may be more severely affected than some
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other financial markets by economic recession or substantial interest rate increases, by changing public perceptions of this market, or by legislation that limits the ability of certain categories of financial institutions to invest in these securities. In addition, the secondary market may be less liquid for below investment grade fixed-income securities. This lack of liquidity at certain times may affect the values of these securities and may make the evaluation and sale of these securities more difficult. Below investment grade fixed-income securities may be in poor standing or in default and typically have speculative characteristics.
For more information about the ratings services descriptions of the various ratings categories, see Appendix A. The Fund may continue to hold fixed-income securities that are downgraded in quality subsequent to their purchase if the Adviser or Subadviser believes it would be advantageous to do so.
Foreign Currency Transactions
The Fund may engage in foreign currency transactions for both hedging and investment purposes. Foreign securities in the Funds portfolio may be denominated in foreign currencies or traded in securities markets in which settlements are made in foreign currencies. Any income on such investments is generally paid to the Fund in foreign currencies. The value of these foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar varies continually, causing changes in the dollar value of the Funds portfolio investments (even if the local market price of the investments is unchanged) and changes in the dollar value of the Funds income available for distribution to its shareholders. The effect of changes in the dollar value of a foreign currency on the dollar value of the Funds assets and on the net investment income available for distribution may be favorable or unfavorable.
To protect against a change in the foreign currency exchange rate between the date on which the Fund contracts to purchase or sell a security and the settlement date for the purchase or sale, to gain exposure to one or more foreign currencies or to lock in the equivalent of a dividend or interest payment in another currency, the Fund might purchase or sell a foreign currency on a spot (i.e., cash) basis at the prevailing spot rate or may enter into futures contracts on an exchange.
If conditions warrant, the Fund may also enter into contracts with banks or broker-dealers to purchase or sell foreign currencies at a future date (forward contracts), as described above in the section Derivative Instruments.
Forward contracts are subject to many of the same risks as derivatives described in the section Derivative Instruments. Forward contracts may give rise to ordinary income or loss to the extent such income or loss results from fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency concerned. In addition, the effect of changes in the dollar value of a foreign currency on the dollar value of the Funds assets and on the net investment income available for distribution may be favorable or unfavorable. The Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between various currencies, and the Fund will be subject to increased illiquidity and counterparty risk because forward contracts are not traded on an exchange and often are not standardized. The Fund may also be required to liquidate portfolio assets, or may incur increased currency conversion costs, to compensate for a decline in the dollar value of a foreign currency occurring between the time when the Fund declares and pays a dividend, or between the time when the Fund accrues and pays an operating expense in U.S. dollars.
The Adviser or Subadviser may decide not to engage in currency transactions, and there is no assurance that any currency strategy used by the Fund will succeed. In addition, suitable currency transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in these transactions when they would be beneficial. The foreign currency transactions in which the Fund may engage involve risks similar to those described in the section Derivative Instruments.
The Funds use of currency transactions may be limited by tax considerations. Transactions in foreign currencies, foreign currency denominated debt and certain foreign currency options, futures contracts and forward contracts (and similar instruments) may give rise to ordinary income or loss to the extent such income or loss results from fluctuations in the value of the foreign currency concerned and may affect the timing or amount of distributions to shareholders.
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Transactions in non-U.S. currencies are also subject to many of the risks of investing in non-U.S. securities described in the section Foreign Securities. Because the Fund may invest in foreign securities and foreign currencies, changes in foreign economies and political climates are more likely to affect the Fund than a mutual fund that invests exclusively in U.S. companies. There may also be less government supervision of foreign markets, resulting in non-uniform accounting practices and less publicly available information. If the Funds portfolio is over-weighted in a certain geographic region, any negative development affecting that region will have a greater impact on the Fund than a fund that is not over-weighted in that region.
Foreign Securities
The Fund may invest in foreign securities. Foreign securities may include, among other things, securities of issuers organized or headquartered outside the U.S. as well as obligations of supranational entities. In addition to the risks associated with investing in securities generally, such investments present additional risks not typically associated with investments in comparable securities of U.S. issuers. Investments in emerging markets may be subject to these risks to a greater extent than those in more developed markets, as described more fully in the section Emerging Markets. The non-U.S. securities in which the Fund may invest, all or a portion of which may be non-U.S. dollar-denominated, may include, among other investments: (a) debt obligations issued or guaranteed by non-U.S. national, provincial, state, municipal or other governments or by their agencies or instrumentalities, including Brady Bonds; (b) debt obligations of supranational entities; (c) debt obligations of the U.S. government issued in non-dollar securities; (d) debt obligations and other fixed-income securities of foreign corporate issuers; (e) non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities of U.S. corporate issuers; and (f) equity securities issued by foreign corporations or other business organizations.
There may be less information publicly available about a foreign corporate or government issuer than about a U.S. issuer, and foreign corporate issuers are not generally subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and practices comparable to those in the United States. The securities of some foreign issuers are less liquid and at times more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. issuers. Foreign brokerage commissions and securities custody costs are often higher than those in the United States, and judgments against foreign entities may be more difficult to obtain and enforce. With respect to certain foreign countries, there is a possibility of governmental expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, political or financial instability and diplomatic developments that could affect the value of investments in those countries. If the Funds portfolio is over-weighted in a certain geographic region, any negative development affecting that region will have a greater impact on the Fund than a fund that is not over-weighted in that region. The receipt of interest on foreign government securities may depend on the availability of tax or other revenues to satisfy the issuers obligations.
Since most foreign securities are denominated in foreign currencies or traded primarily in securities markets in which settlements are made in foreign currencies, the value of these investments and the net investment income available for distribution to shareholders of the Fund may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency exchange rates or exchange control regulations. To the extent the Fund may purchase securities denominated in foreign currencies, a change in the value of any such currency against the U.S. dollar will result in a change in the U.S. dollar value of the Funds assets and the Funds income available for distribution.
Although the Funds income may be received or realized in foreign currencies, the Fund will be required to compute and distribute its income in U.S. dollars. Therefore, if the value of a currency relative to the U.S. dollar declines after the Funds income has been earned in that currency, translated into U.S. dollars and declared as a dividend, but before payment of such dividend, the Fund could be required to liquidate portfolio securities to pay such dividend. Similarly, if the value of a currency relative to the U.S. dollar declines between the time the Fund incurs expenses or other obligations in U.S. dollars and the time such expenses or obligations are paid, the amount of such currency required to be converted into U.S. dollars in order to pay such expenses in U.S. dollars will be greater than the equivalent amount in such currency of such expenses at the time they were incurred.
In addition, because the Fund may invest in foreign securities traded primarily on markets that close prior to the time the Fund determines its NAV, the risks posed by frequent trading may have a greater potential to dilute the value of Fund shares held by long-term shareholders than a fund investing in U.S. securities. In instances where a significant event that affects the value of one or more foreign securities held by the Fund takes place after the close of the primary foreign market, but before the time that the Fund determines its NAV, certain investors may seek to take advantage of the fact that there will be a delay in the adjustment of the market price for a security caused by this event until the foreign market reopens (sometimes referred to as price or time zone arbitrage). Shareholders who
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attempt this type of arbitrage may dilute the value of the Funds shares by virtue of their transaction, if those prices reflect the fair value of the foreign securities. Although the Fund has procedures designed to determine the fair value of foreign securities for purposes of calculating its NAV when such an event has occurred, fair value pricing, because it involves judgments which are inherently subjective, may not always eliminate the risk of price arbitrage. The Funds securities may change in price on days on which the U.S. markets are closed and the Fund does not calculate its NAV or sell or redeem its shares. For more information on how the Fund uses fair value pricing, see the section Net Asset Value.
Foreign withholding or other taxes imposed on the Funds investments in foreign securities will reduce the Funds return on those securities. The Fund does not expect to be able to elect to permit shareholders to claim a credit or deduction on their income tax returns with respect to foreign taxes paid by the Fund. See the section Taxes.
The Fund may invest in certain securities that are denominated and traded in the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The recent global economic crisis has caused many European countries to experience serious fiscal difficulties, including bankruptcy, public budget deficits, recession, sovereign default, restructuring of government debt, credit rating downgrades and an overall weakening of the banking and financial sectors. In addition, some European economies may depend on others for assistance, and the inability of such economies to achieve the reforms or objectives upon which that assistance is conditioned may result in a deeper and/or longer global financial downturn. These recent events in the eurozone have called into question the long-term viability of the euro as a shared currency among the eurozone nations. Moreover, the strict fiscal and monetary controls of the European Economic and Monetary Union as well as any new requirements it may impose on member countries may significantly impact such countries and limit them from implementing their own economic policies to some degree. As the result of economic, political, regulatory or other actions taken in response to this crisis, including any discontinuation of the euro as the shared currency among the eurozone nations, or the implementation of capital controls or the restructuring of financial institutions, the Funds euro-denominated investments may become difficult to value, the Fund may be unable to dispose of investments or repatriate investment proceeds, the Funds ability to operate its strategy in connection with euro-denominated securities may be significantly impaired and the value of the Funds euro-denominated investments may decline significantly and unpredictably.
Illiquid Securities
The Fund may purchase illiquid securities. Illiquid securities are those that are not readily resalable. Securities whose disposition is restricted by federal securities laws may be considered illiquid. Securities will generally be considered illiquid if such securities cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the price at which the Fund has valued the securities. Investment in illiquid securities involves the risk that the Fund may be unable to sell such a security at the desired time or at the price at which the Fund values the security. Also, the Fund may incur expenses, losses or delays in the process of registering restricted securities prior to resale. Rule 144A securities and Section 4(2) commercial paper are treated as illiquid, unless the Adviser or Subadviser has determined, under guidelines established by the Board, that the particular issue is liquid. See the section Rule 144A Securities and Section 4(2) Commercial Paper for additional information on these instruments.
Inflation-Linked and Inflation-Indexed Securities
The Fund may invest in inflation-linked securities. Inflation-linked securities are fixed-income securities the principal values of which are adjusted periodically according to the rate of inflation. The principal amount of these securities increases with increases in the price index used as a reference value for the securities. In addition, the amounts payable as coupon interest payments increase when the price index increases because the interest amount is calculated by multiplying the principal amount (as adjusted) by a fixed coupon rate.
Although inflation-linked securities protect their holders from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may result in a decline in value. The values of inflation-linked securities generally fluctuate in response to changes to real interest rates, which are in turn tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If inflation were to rise at a rate faster than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in value of the inflation-linked securities. In contrast, if nominal interest rates increased at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in the value of inflation-linked securities. If
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inflation is lower than expected during a period in which the Fund holds inflation-linked securities, the Fund may earn less on such securities than on a conventional security. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to changes in currency exchange rates), investors in inflation-linked securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the price index used as a reference for the securities. There can be no assurance that the price index used for an inflation-linked security will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services. Inflation-linked and inflation-indexed securities include Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities issued by the U.S. government (see the section U.S. Government Securities for additional information), but also may include securities issued by state, local and non-U.S. governments and corporations and supranational entities.
The Funds investments in inflation-indexed securities can cause the Fund to accrue income for U.S. federal income tax purposes without a corresponding receipt of cash; the Fund may be required to dispose of portfolio securities (including when not otherwise advantageous to do so) in order to obtain sufficient cash to meet its distribution requirements for eligibility to be treated as a RIC under the Code.
Investment Companies
The Fund may invest in other investment companies. Investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (ETFs) such as iShares, SPDRs and VIPERs, are essentially pools of securities. Investing in other investment companies involves substantially the same risks as investing directly in the underlying securities, but may involve additional expenses at the investment company level, such as investment advisory fees and operating expenses. In some cases, investing in an investment company may involve the payment of a premium over the value of the assets held in that investment companys portfolio. In other circumstances, the market value of an investment companys shares may be less than the NAV per share of the investment company. As an investor in another investment company, the Fund will bear its ratable share of the investment companys expenses, including advisory fees, and the Funds shareholders will bear such expenses indirectly, in addition to similar fees and expenses of the Fund.
Despite the possibility of greater fees and expenses, investment in other investment companies may be attractive nonetheless for several reasons, especially in connection with foreign investments. Because of restrictions on direct investment by U.S. entities in certain countries, investing indirectly in such countries (by purchasing shares of another fund that is permitted to invest in such countries) may be the most practical and efficient way for the Fund to invest in such countries. In other cases, when the Funds Adviser or Subadviser desires to make only a relatively small investment in a particular country, investing through another fund that holds a diversified portfolio in that country may be more effective than investing directly in issuers in that country. In addition, it may be efficient for the Fund to gain exposure to particular market segments by investing in shares of one or more investment companies.
Exchange-Traded Funds. The Fund may invest in shares of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). An ETF is an investment company that is generally registered under the 1940 Act that holds a portfolio of securities designed to track the performance of a particular index. The index may be actively managed. ETFs sell and redeem their shares at NAV in large blocks (typically 50,000 of its shares or more) called creation units. Shares representing fractional interests in these creation units are listed for trading on national securities exchanges and can be purchased and sold in the secondary market in lots of any size at any time during the trading day. ETFs sometimes also refer to entities that are not registered under the 1940 Act that invest directly in commodities or other assets (e.g., gold bullion). Investments in ETFs involve certain inherent risks generally associated with investments in a broadly-based portfolio of securities, including risks that the general level of stock prices may decline, thereby adversely affecting the value of each unit of the ETF or other instrument. In addition, an ETF may not fully replicate the performance of its benchmark index because of the temporary unavailability of certain index securities in the secondary market or discrepancies between the ETF and the index with respect to the weighting of securities or number of stocks held.
Limitations on Investments in Other Investment Companies. The Funds investments in other investment companies are typically subject to limitations prescribed by the 1940 Act. The 1940 Act limitations currently provide, in part, that, unless an exception applies, the Fund may not purchase shares of an investment company if such a purchase would cause the Fund (a) to own in the aggregate more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of the
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investment company; (b) to have more than 5% of its total assets invested in the aggregate in the investment company; or (c) to have more than 10% of its total assets invested in the aggregate in all investment companies. Investments by the Fund may exceed these limitations, however, if permitted by applicable exemptive relief; for example, the Fund may invest in excess of the foregoing limitations in an unaffiliated ETF if the ETF has obtained exemptive relief from the Securities and Exchange Commission and both the ETF and the Fund adhere to the conditions in the exemptive relief.
Investments in Banks
The Fund may invest in certificates of deposit (certificates representing the obligation of a bank to repay funds deposited with it for a specified period of time), time deposits (non-negotiable deposits maintained in a bank for a specified period of time up to seven days at a stated interest rate), bankers acceptances (credit instruments evidencing the obligation of a bank to pay a draft drawn on it by a customer) and other securities and instruments issued by domestic banks, foreign branches of domestic banks, foreign subsidiaries of domestic banks and domestic and foreign branches of foreign banks. Banks are also expected to serve as counterparties on some of the Funds derivative contracts.
Investments by the Money Market Portion of the Fund in obligations of domestic banks, foreign branches of domestic banks and foreign subsidiaries of domestic banks generally will be limited to banks having total assets in excess of $1 billion or the equivalent in other currencies. Investments by the Money Market Portion of the Fund in obligations of domestic and foreign branches of foreign banks generally will be limited to dollar-denominated obligations of such banks which at the time of investment have more than $5 billion, or the equivalent in other currencies, in total assets. The Money Market Portion of the Fund will only invest in either securities which have been rated (or whose issuers have been rated) in the two highest short-term rating categories by nationally recognized statistical rating organizations, or are unrated securities but which have been determined by Reich & Tang to be of comparable quality. The total assets of a bank will not be the sole factor determining Reich & Tangs investment decisions.
The Fund may also purchase U.S. dollar-denominated obligations issued by foreign branches of domestic banks or foreign branches of foreign banks (Eurodollar obligations) and domestic branches of foreign banks (Yankee dollar obligations).
Eurodollar and other foreign obligations involve special investment risks, including the possibility that (i) liquidity could be impaired because of future political and economic developments, (ii) the obligations may be less marketable than comparable domestic obligations of domestic issuers, (iii) a foreign jurisdiction might impose withholding taxes on interest income payable on those obligations, (iv) deposits may be seized or nationalized, (v) foreign governmental restrictions such as exchange controls may be adopted, which might adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on those obligations, (vi) the selection of foreign obligations may be more difficult because there may be less information publicly available concerning foreign issuers, (vii) there may be difficulties in enforcing a judgment against a foreign issuer, or (viii) the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements applicable to foreign issuers may differ from those applicable to domestic issuers. In addition, foreign banks are not subject to examination by U.S. government agencies or instrumentalities.
The restrictions in this section will not apply to any investments that are not part of the portion of the Fund managed by Reich & Tang. For example, these restrictions will not limit which banks may serve as counterparties for a Funds derivative instruments.
Market Capitalizations
The Fund may invest in companies with small, medium or large market capitalizations. Large capitalization companies are generally large companies that have been in existence for a number of years and are well established in their market. Middle market capitalization companies are generally medium-sized companies that are not as established as large capitalization companies, may be more volatile and are subject to many of the same risks as smaller capitalization companies. The Fund may invest in companies with relatively small market capitalizations.
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Such investments may involve greater risk than is usually associated with more established companies. These companies often have sales and earnings growth rates that exceed those of companies with larger market capitalization. Such growth rates may in turn be reflected in more rapid share price appreciation. However, companies with smaller market capitalization often have limited product lines, markets or financial resources and may be dependent upon a relatively small management group. These securities may have limited marketability and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic movements in price than securities of companies with larger market capitalization or market averages in general. To the extent that the Fund invests in companies with relatively small market capitalizations, the value of its stock portfolio may fluctuate more widely than broad market averages.
Money Market Instruments
The Fund may invest in money market instruments and, as described in the Prospectus, the Fund will invest a substantial portion of its assets in money market instruments. Money market instruments are high-quality, short-term securities. The Fund may invest in instruments of lesser quality and does not have any minimum credit quality restriction. Money market instruments maturing in less than one year may yield less than obligations of comparable quality having longer maturities.
Although changes in interest rates can change the market value of a security, the Fund expects those changes to be minimal with respect to these securities, which may be purchased by the Fund for defensive purposes. The Funds money market investments may be issued by U.S. banks, foreign banks (including their U.S. branches) or foreign branches and subsidiaries of U.S. banks. Obligations of foreign banks may be subject to foreign economic, political and legal risks. Such risks include foreign economic and political developments, foreign governmental restrictions that may adversely affect payment of principal and interest on the obligations, foreign withholding and other taxes on interest income, difficulties in obtaining and enforcing a judgment against a foreign obligor, exchange control regulations (including currency blockage) and the expropriation or nationalization of assets or deposits. Foreign branches of U.S. banks and foreign banks are not necessarily subject to the same or similar regulatory requirements that apply to domestic banks. For instance, such branches and banks may not be subject to the types of requirements imposed on domestic banks with respect to mandatory reserves, loan limitations, examinations, accounting, auditing, record keeping and the public availability of information. Obligations of such branches or banks will be purchased only when the Adviser or Subadviser believes the risks are minimal. In addition, recently, many money market instruments previously thought to be highly liquid have become illiquid. If the Funds money market instruments become illiquid, the Fund may be unable to satisfy certain of its obligations or may only be able to do so by selling other securities at prices or times that may be disadvantageous to do so.
The Fund may invest in U.S. government securities that include all securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies, authorities or instrumentalities (U.S. government securities). Some U.S. government securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. U.S. government securities that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States are considered riskier than those that are.
The Fund expects that the assets invested by Reich & Tang will be invested principally in short-term money market obligations with maturities of 397 days or less, including bank certificates of deposit, time deposits, bankers acceptances, high-quality commercial paper, loan participation interests, securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, state agencies or instrumentalities, and repurchase agreements calling for resale in 397 days or less backed by the foregoing securities. The maturities of variable rate demand instruments held in the Funds portfolio will be deemed to be the longer of the period required before the Fund is entitled to receive payment of the principal amount of the instrument through demand, and the period remaining until the next interest rate adjustment, although the stated maturities may be in excess of 397 days. Money market instruments maturing in less than one year may yield less than obligations of comparable quality having longer maturities. The Funds money market investments at the time of purchase (other than U.S. government securities (defined below) and repurchase agreements relating thereto) generally will be rated at the time of purchase in the two highest short-term rating categories as rated by a major credit agency or, if unrated, will be of comparable quality as determined by the Funds Adviser or Subadviser. The Fund, consistent with its investment objectives, attempts to maximize yields by engaging in portfolio trading and by buying and selling portfolio investments in anticipation of, or in response to, changing economic and money market conditions and trends. The Fund may also seek to take advantage of what are believed to be temporary
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disparities in the yields of the different segments or among particular instruments within the same segment of the market. These policies, as well as the relatively short maturity of obligations to be purchased by the Fund, may result in frequent changes in the portfolio composition of the Fund. There are usually no brokerage commissions paid by the Fund in connection with the purchase of money market instruments. See the sections Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage and Investment Restrictions.
Although the Fund will usually invest a substantial portion of its assets in money market instruments, it is not a money market fund and therefore is not subject to the portfolio quality, maturity and NAV requirements applicable to money market funds. The Fund will not seek to maintain a stable NAV. The Fund also will not be required to comply with the rating restrictions applicable to money market funds, and will not necessarily sell an investment in cases where a securitys rating has been downgraded. Although the Fund is not a money market fund, recent regulatory changes affecting money market funds generally may impact the money market instruments in which the Fund invests, potentially adversely.
Considerations of liquidity, safety and preservation of capital may preclude the Fund from investing in money market instruments paying the highest available yield at a particular time. In addition, the Funds ability to trade money market securities may be constrained by the collateral and asset coverage requirements related to the Funds other investments. As a result, the Fund may need to buy or sell money market instruments at inopportune times. In addition, even though money market instruments are generally considered to be high-quality and a low-risk investment, recently a number of issuers of money market and money market-type instruments have experienced financial difficulties, leading in some cases to rating downgrades and decreases in the value of their securities. In addition, recently, many money market instruments previously thought to be highly liquid have become illiquid. If the Funds money market instruments become illiquid, the Fund may be unable to satisfy certain of its obligations or may only be able to do so by selling other securities at prices or times that may be disadvantageous to do so.
Mortgage Dollar Rolls
The Fund may enter into mortgage dollar rolls. A 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 designate on its records or segregate with its custodian bank assets determined to be liquid in an amount sufficient to meet its obligations under the transactions. A dollar roll involves potential risks of loss that are different from those related to the securities underlying the transactions. The Fund may be required to purchase securities at a higher price than may otherwise be available on the open market. Since the counterparty in the transaction is required to deliver a similar, but not identical, security to the Fund, the security that the Fund is required to buy under the dollar roll may be worth less than an identical security. There is no assurance that the Funds use of the cash that it receives from a dollar roll will provide a return that exceeds borrowing costs.
Mortgage-Related Securities
The Fund may invest in mortgage-related securities, such as Government National Mortgage Association (GNMA) or Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA) certificates, which differ from traditional debt securities. Among the major differences are that interest and principal payments are made more frequently, usually monthly, and that principal may be prepaid at any time because the underlying mortgage loans generally may be prepaid at any time. As a result, if the Fund purchases these assets at a premium, a faster-than-expected prepayment rate will tend to reduce yield to maturity, and a slower-than-expected prepayment rate may have the opposite effect of increasing yield to maturity. If the Fund purchases mortgage-related securities at a discount, faster-than-expected prepayments will tend to increase, and slower-than-expected prepayments will tend to reduce, yield to maturity. Prepayments, and resulting amounts available for reinvestment by the Fund, are likely to be greater during a period of declining interest rates and, as a result, are likely to be reinvested at lower interest rates. Accelerated prepayments on securities purchased at a premium may result in a loss of principal if the premium has not been fully amortized at the time of prepayment. Although these securities will decrease in value as a result of increases in interest rates generally, they are likely to appreciate less than other fixed-income securities when interest rates decline because of the risk of prepayments. In addition, an increase in interest rates would increase the inherent volatility of the Fund by increasing the average life of the Funds portfolio securities.
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The value of some mortgage-backed or asset-backed securities in which the Fund may invest may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates, and the ability of the Fund to successfully utilize these instruments may depend in part upon the ability of the Adviser or Subadviser to forecast interest rates and other economic factors correctly. These types of securities may also decline for reasons associated with the underlying collateral. The risk of non-payment is greater for mortgage-related securities that are backed by mortgage pools that contain subprime or Alt-A loans (loans made to borrowers with weakened credit histories, less documentation or with a lower capacity to make timely payments on their loans), but a level of risk exists for all loans. Market factors adversely affecting mortgage loan repayments may include a general economic downturn, high unemployment, a general slowdown in the real estate market, a drop in the market prices of real estate, or an increase in interest rates resulting in higher mortgage payments by holders of adjustable-rate mortgages. Securities issued by the GNMA and the FNMA and similar issuers also may be exposed to risks described under U.S. Government Securities.
The Fund also may gain exposure to mortgage-related securities through entering into credit default swaps or other derivative instruments related to this asset class. For example, the Fund may enter into credit default swaps on CMBX, which are indices made up of tranches of commercial mortgage-backed securities, each with different credit ratings. Utilizing CMBX, one can either gain synthetic risk exposure to a portfolio of such securities by selling protection or take a short position by buying protection. The protection buyer pays a monthly premium to the protection seller, and the seller agrees to cover any principal losses and interest shortfalls of the referenced underlying mortgage-backed securities. Credit default swaps and other derivative instruments related to mortgage-related securities are subject to the risks associated with mortgage-related securities generally, as well as the risks of derivative transactions. See the section Derivative Instruments.
Private Placements
The Fund may invest in securities that are purchased in private placements. While private placements may offer opportunities for investment that are not otherwise available on the open market, these securities may be subject to restrictions on resale as a matter of contract or under federal securities laws. Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for these securities, especially under adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial condition of the issuer, the Fund could find it more difficult to sell the securities when the Adviser or Subadviser believes that it is advisable to do so, or may be able to sell the securities only at prices lower than if the securities were more widely held. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the fair value of the securities for purposes of computing the Funds NAV.
The absence of a trading market can make it difficult to ascertain a market value for illiquid investments such as private placements. Disposing of illiquid investments may involve time-consuming negotiation and legal expenses, and it may be difficult or impossible for the Fund to sell the illiquid securities promptly at an acceptable price. The Fund may have to bear the extra expense of registering the securities for resale and the risk of substantial delay in effecting the registration. In addition, market quotations are typically less readily available for these securities. The judgment of the Adviser or Subadviser may at times play a greater role in valuing these securities than in the case of unrestricted securities.
The Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter for purposes of the Securities Act when reselling privately-issued securities to the public. As such, the Fund may be liable to purchasers of the securities if the registration statement prepared by the issuer, or the prospectus forming a part of the registration statement, is materially inaccurate or misleading.
REITs
The Fund may invest in REITs. REITs are pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in either real estate or real estate-related loans. REITs involve certain unique risks in addition to those risks associated with investing in the real estate industry in general (such as possible declines in the value of real estate, lack of availability of mortgage funds, or extended vacancies of property). Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REITs, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended and changes in interest rates. REITs whose underlying assets are concentrated in properties used by a particular industry, such as health care, are also subject to risks associated with such industry. REITs are dependent upon management skills, are not diversified, and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, risks of default by borrowers, and self-liquidation. REITs are also subject to the possibilities of failing to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Code, and failing to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act.
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REITs (especially mortgage REITs) are also subject to interest rate risks, including prepayment risk. When interest rates decline, the value of a REITs investment in fixed rate obligations can be expected to rise. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the value of a REITs investment in fixed rate obligations can be expected to decline. If the REIT invests in adjustable rate mortgage loans the interest rates on which are reset periodically, yields on a REITs investments in such loans will gradually align themselves to reflect changes in market interest rates. This causes the value of such investments to fluctuate less dramatically in response to interest rate fluctuations than would investments in fixed rate obligations. REITs may have limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in a limited volume, and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than more widely held securities.
The Funds investment in a REIT may result in the Fund making distributions that constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for federal income tax purposes, or may require the Fund to accrue and distribute income not yet received. In addition, distributions by the Fund from REITs will not qualify for the corporate dividends-received deduction, or, generally, for treatment as qualified dividend income.
Real Estate Securities
The Fund may invest in securities of companies in the real estate industry, including REITs, and is, therefore, subject to the special risks associated with the real estate market and the real estate industry in general. Companies in the real estate industry are considered to be those that (i) have principal activity involving the development, ownership, construction, management or sale of real estate; (ii) have significant real estate holdings, such as hospitality companies, supermarkets and mining, lumber and paper companies; and/or (iii) provide products or services related to the real estate industry, such as financial institutions that make and/or service mortgage loans and manufacturers or distributors of building supplies. Securities of companies in the real estate industry are sensitive to factors such as changes in real estate values, property taxes, interest rates, cash flow of underlying real estate assets, occupancy rates, government regulations affecting zoning, land use and rents, and the management skill and creditworthiness of the issuer. Companies in the real estate industry may also be subject to liabilities under environmental and hazardous waste laws.
Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements, by which the Fund purchases a security and obtains a simultaneous commitment from the seller (a bank or, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, a recognized securities dealer) to repurchase the security at an agreed-upon price and date (usually seven days or less from the date of original purchase). The resale price is in excess of the purchase price and reflects an agreed-upon market interest rate unrelated to the coupon rate on the purchased security. Repurchase agreements are economically similar to collateralized loans by the Fund. Such transactions afford the Fund the opportunity to earn a return on temporarily available cash at relatively low market risk. The Fund does not have percentage limitations on how much of its total assets may be invested in repurchase agreements. In addition to using repurchase agreements as a principal investment strategy in connection with the portion of the Fund managed by Reich & Tang, the Fund may also use repurchase agreements for cash management and temporary defensive purposes. The Fund may invest in a repurchase agreement that does not produce a positive return to the Fund if the Adviser or Subadviser believes it is appropriate to do so under the circumstances (for example, to help protect the Funds uninvested cash against the risk of loss during periods of market turmoil). While the underlying security may be a bill, certificate of indebtedness, note or bond issued by an agency, authority or instrumentality of the U.S. government, the obligation of the seller is not guaranteed by the U.S. government and there is a risk that the seller may fail to repurchase the underlying security. In such event, the Fund would attempt to exercise rights with respect to the underlying security, including possible disposition in the market. However, the Fund may be subject to various delays and risks of loss, including (i) possible declines in the value of the underlying security during the period while the Fund seeks to enforce its rights thereto, (ii) possible reduced levels of income and lack of access to income during this period, and (iii) inability to enforce rights and the expenses involved in the attempted enforcement, for example, against a counterparty undergoing financial distress.
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Reverse Repurchase Agreements and Other Borrowings
The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements. In a reverse repurchase agreement the Fund transfers possession of a portfolio instrument to another person, such as a financial institution, broker or dealer, in return for cash, and agrees that on a stipulated date in the future the Fund will repurchase the portfolio instrument by remitting the original consideration plus interest at an agreed-upon rate. The ability to use reverse repurchase agreements may enable, but does not ensure the ability of, the Fund to avoid selling portfolio instruments at a time when a sale may be deemed to be disadvantageous. When effecting reverse repurchase agreements, assets of the Fund in a dollar amount sufficient to make payment of the obligations to be purchased are segregated on the Funds records at the trade date and maintained until the transaction is settled. Reverse repurchase agreements are economically similar to secured borrowings by the Fund.
Rule 144A Securities and Section 4(2) Commercial Paper
Rule 144A securities are privately offered securities that can be resold only to certain qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act. The Fund may also purchase commercial paper issued under Section 4(2) of the Securities Act or similar debt obligations. Commercial paper is generally considered to be short-term unsecured debt of corporations. Investing in Rule 144A securities and Section 4(2) commercial paper could have the effect of increasing the level of the Funds illiquidity to the extent that qualified institutional buyers become, for a time, uninterested in purchasing these securities. As noted above, Rule 144A securities and Section 4(2) commercial paper are treated as illiquid unless the Adviser or Subadviser has determined, under guidelines established by the Board, that the particular issue is liquid. Under the guidelines, the Adviser or Subadviser considers such factors as: (1) the frequency of the trades and quotes for a security; (2) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the security and the number of other potential purchasers; (3) dealer undertakings to make a market in the security; and (4) the nature of the security and the nature of the marketplace trades in the security.
Short-Term Trading
The Fund may, consistent with its investment objective, engage in portfolio trading in anticipation of, or in response to, changing economic or market conditions and trends. These policies may result in higher turnover rates in the Funds portfolio, which may produce higher transaction costs and a higher level of taxable capital gains. Portfolio turnover considerations will not limit an Advisers or Subadvisers investment discretion in managing the Funds assets. The Fund anticipates that its portfolio turnover rates will vary significantly from time to time depending on the volatility of economic and market conditions.
Step-Coupon Securities
The Fund may invest in step-coupon securities. Step-coupon securities trade at a discount from their face value and pay coupon interest. The coupon rate is low for an initial period and then increases to a higher coupon rate thereafter. Market values of these types of securities generally fluctuate in response to changes in interest rates to a greater degree than conventional interest-paying securities of comparable term and quality. Under many market conditions, investments in such securities may be illiquid, making it difficult for the Fund to dispose of them or determine their current value.
Stripped Securities
The Fund may invest in stripped securities, which are usually structured with two or more classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distribution on a pool of U.S. government or foreign government securities or mortgage assets. In some cases, one class will receive all of the interest (the interest-only or IO class), while the other class will receive all of the principal (the principal-only or PO class). Stripped securities commonly have greater market volatility than other types of fixed-income securities. In the case of stripped mortgage securities, if the underlying mortgage assets experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal, the Fund may fail to recoup fully its investments in IOs. Stripped securities may be illiquid. Stripped securities may be considered derivative securities, discussed in the section Derivative Instruments.
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Structured Notes
The Fund may invest in a broad category of instruments known as structured notes. These instruments are debt obligations issued by industrial corporations, financial institutions or governmental or international agencies. Traditional debt obligations typically obligate the issuer to repay the principal plus a specified rate of interest. Structured notes, by contrast, obligate the issuer to pay amounts of principal or interest that are determined by reference to changes in some external factor or factors, or the principal and interest rate may vary from the stated rate because of changes in these factors. For example, the issuers obligations could be determined by reference to changes in the value of a commodity (such as gold or oil) or commodity index, a foreign currency, an index of securities (such as the S&P 500® Index) or an interest rate (such as the U.S. Treasury bill rate). In some cases, the issuers obligations are determined by reference to changes over time in the difference (or spread) between two or more external factors (such as the U.S. prime lending rate and the total return of the stock market in a particular country, as measured by a stock index). In some cases, the issuers obligations may fluctuate inversely with changes in an external factor or factors (for example, if the U.S. prime lending rate goes up, the issuers interest payment obligations are reduced). In some cases, the issuers obligations may be determined by some multiple of the change in an external factor or factors (for example, three times the change in the U.S. Treasury bill rate). In some cases, the issuers obligations remain fixed (as with a traditional debt instrument) so long as an external factor or factors do not change by more than the specified amount (for example, if the value of a stock index does not exceed some specified maximum), but if the external factor or factors change by more than the specified amount, the issuers obligations may be sharply reduced.
Structured notes can serve many different purposes in the management of the Fund. For example, they can be used to increase the Funds exposure to changes in the value of assets that the Fund would not ordinarily purchase directly (such as commodities or stocks traded in a market that is not open to U.S. investors). They can also be used to hedge the risks associated with other investments the Fund holds. For example, if a structured note has an interest rate that fluctuates inversely with general changes in a countrys stock market index, the value of the structured note would generally move in the opposite direction to the value of holdings of stocks in that market, thus moderating the effect of stock market movements on the value of the Funds portfolio as a whole.
Risks. Structured notes involve special risks. As with any debt obligation, structured notes involve the risk that the issuer will become insolvent or otherwise default on its payment obligations. This risk is in addition to the risk that the issuers obligations (and thus the value of the Funds investment) will be reduced because of adverse changes in the external factor or factors to which the obligations are linked. The value of structured notes will in many cases be more volatile (that is, will change more rapidly or severely) than the value of traditional debt instruments. Volatility will be especially high if the issuers obligations are determined by reference to some multiple of the change in the external factor or factors. Many structured notes have limited or no liquidity, so that the Fund would be unable to dispose of the investment prior to maturity. As with all investments, successful use of structured notes depends in significant part on the accuracy of the Advisers or Subadvisers analysis of the issuers creditworthiness and financial prospects, and of the Advisers or Subadvisers forecast as to changes in relevant economic and financial market conditions and factors. In instances where the issuer of a structured note is a foreign entity, the usual risks associated with investments in foreign securities (described above) apply. Structured notes may be considered derivative securities.
Supranational Entities
The Fund may invest in securities issued by supranational entities, such as the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (commonly called the World Bank), the Asian Development Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. The governmental members of these supranational entities are stockholders that typically make capital contributions to support or promote such entities economic reconstruction or development activities and may be committed to make additional capital contributions if the entity is unable to repay its borrowings. A supranational entitys lending activities may be limited to a percentage of its total capital, reserves and net income. There can be no assurance that the constituent governments will be able or willing to honor their commitments to those entities, with the result that the entity may be unable to pay interest or repay principal on its debt securities, and the Fund may lose money on such investments. Obligations of a supranational entity that are denominated in foreign currencies will also be subject to the risks associated with investments in foreign currencies, as described above in the section Foreign Currency Transactions.
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U.S. Government Securities
The Fund may invest in some or all of the following U.S. government securities:
U.S. Treasury Bills Direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury that are issued in maturities of one year or less. No interest is paid on Treasury bills; instead, they are issued at a discount and repaid at full face value when they mature. They are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.
U.S. Treasury Notes and Bonds Direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury issued in maturities that vary between one and thirty years, with interest normally payable every six months. These obligations are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.
U.S. Treasury Floating Rate Notes Treasury Floating Rate Notes are new instruments authorized by amendments to the U.S. Treasurys marketable securities auction rules. As with other floating rate securities, at certain intervals the interest payment on a Treasury Floating Rate Note will increase when the applicable index increases, and will decrease when the applicable index decreases. Treasury Floating Rate Notes are a relatively new type of financial instrument. As such, there is no significant trading history of these securities, and there can be no assurance that a liquid market in these securities will develop. Lack of a liquid market may impose the risk of higher transaction costs and the possibility that a Fund may be forced to liquidate positions when it would not be advantageous to do so. For additional information on floating rate securities, see the section Variable and Floating Rate Instruments below.
Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) Fixed-income securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation. The interest rate on TIPS is fixed at issuance, but over the life of the bond this interest may be paid on an increasing or decreasing principal value that has been adjusted for inflation. Although repayment of the original bond principal upon maturity is guaranteed, the market value of TIPS is not guaranteed, and will fluctuate.
Ginnie Maes Debt securities issued by a mortgage banker or other mortgagee that represent an interest in a pool of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration or the Rural Housing Service or guaranteed by the Veterans Administration. The GNMA guarantees the timely payment of principal and interest when such payments are due, whether or not these amounts are collected by the issuer of these certificates on the underlying mortgages. It is generally understood that a guarantee by GNMA is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Mortgages included in single family or multi-family residential mortgage pools backing an issue of Ginnie Maes have a maximum maturity of 30 years. Scheduled payments of principal and interest are made to the registered holders of Ginnie Maes (such as the Fund) each month. Unscheduled prepayments may be made by homeowners, or as a result of a default. Prepayments are passed through to the registered holder (such as the Fund, which reinvests any prepayments) of Ginnie Maes along with regular monthly payments of principal and interest.
Fannie Maes The FNMA is a government-sponsored corporation owned entirely by private stockholders that purchases residential mortgages from a list of approved seller/servicers, including state and federally chartered savings and loan associations, mutual funds savings banks, commercial banks, credit unions and mortgage banks. Fannie Maes are pass-through securities issued by FNMA that are guaranteed as to timely payment of principal and interest by FNMA, but these obligations are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.
Freddie Macs The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC) is a corporate instrumentality of the U.S. government. Freddie Macs are participation certificates issued by FHLMC that represent an interest in residential mortgages from FHLMCs National Portfolio. FHLMC guarantees the timely payment of interest and ultimate collection of principal, but these obligations are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government.
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Risks. U.S. government securities generally do not involve the credit risks associated with investments in other types of fixed-income securities, although, as a result, the yields available from U.S. government securities are generally lower than the yields available from corporate fixed-income securities. Like other debt securities, however, the values of U.S. government securities change as interest rates fluctuate. Fluctuations in the value of portfolio securities will not affect interest income on existing portfolio securities but will be reflected in the Funds NAV. Because the magnitude of these fluctuations will generally be greater at times when the Funds average maturity is longer, under certain market conditions the Fund may, for temporary defensive purposes, accept lower current income from short-term investments rather than investing in higher yielding long-term securities. Securities such as those issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are guaranteed as to the payment of principal and interest by the relevant entity (e.g., FNMA or FHLMC) but have not been backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Instead, they have been supported only by the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase the agencys obligations. An event affecting the guaranteeing entity could adversely affect the payment of principal or interest or both on the security, and therefore, these types of securities should be considered to be riskier than U.S. government securities.
S&P downgraded its long-term sovereign credit rating on the United States from AAA to AA+ on August 5, 2011. The downgrade by S&P and other possible downgrades in the future may result in increased volatility or liquidity risk, higher interest rates and lower prices for U.S. government securities and increased costs for all kinds of debt. The value of the Funds shares may be adversely affected by S&Ps downgrade or any future downgrades of the U.S. governments credit rating given that the Fund may invest in U.S. government securities.
In September 2008, the U.S. Treasury Department placed FNMA and FHLMC into conservatorship. The companies remain in conservatorship, and the effect that this conservatorship will have on the companies debt and equity securities is unclear. Although the U.S. government has recently provided financial support to FNMA and FHLMC, there can be no assurance that it will support these or other government-sponsored enterprises in the future. In addition, any such government support may benefit the holders of only certain classes of an issuers securities.
The values of TIPS generally fluctuate in response to changes in real interest rates, which are in turn tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation. If inflation were to rise at a faster rate than nominal interest rates, real interest rates might decline, leading to an increase in value of TIPS. In contrast, if nominal interest rates increased at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in value of TIPS. If inflation is lower than expected during the period the Fund holds TIPS, the Fund may earn less on the TIPS than on a conventional bond. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to changes in currency exchange rates), investors in TIPS may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the bonds inflation measure. There can be no assurance that the inflation index for TIPS will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services.
See the section Mortgage-Related Securities for additional information on these securities.
Variable and Floating Rate Instruments
The Fund may purchase variable and floating rate instruments (which may include bank loans, which are discussed in the section Bank Loans, Loan Participations and Assignments above). These instruments may include variable amount master demand notes, which are unsecured demand notes that permit the indebtedness thereunder to vary in addition to providing for periodic adjustments in the interest rate. These instruments may also include leveraged inverse floating rate debt instruments, or inverse floaters. The interest rate of an inverse floater resets in the opposite direction from the market rate of interest on a security or interest to which it is related. An inverse floater may be considered to be leveraged to the extent that its interest rate varies by a magnitude that exceeds the magnitude of the change in the index rate of interest, and is subject to many of the same risks as derivatives. The higher degree of leverage inherent in inverse floaters is associated with greater volatility in their market values. Certain of these investments may be illiquid. The absence of an active secondary market with respect to these investments could make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of a variable or floating rate note if the issuer defaulted on its payment obligation or during periods that the Fund is not entitled to exercise its demand rights, and the Fund could, for these or other reasons, suffer a loss with respect to such instruments.
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When-Issued, Delayed Delivery and Forward Commitment Securities
To reduce the risk of changes in interest rates and securities prices, the Fund may purchase securities on a forward commitment or when-issued or delayed delivery basis, which means delivery and payment take place a number of days after the date of the commitment to purchase. The payment obligation and the interest rate receivable with respect to such purchases are fixed when the Fund enters into the commitment, but the Fund does not make payment until it receives delivery from the counterparty. The Adviser or Subadviser will commit to purchase such securities only with the intention of actually acquiring the securities, but the Adviser or Subadviser may sell these securities before the settlement date if it is deemed advisable.
Securities purchased on a forward commitment or when-issued or delayed delivery basis are subject to changes in value, generally changing in the same way, i.e., appreciating when interest rates decline and depreciating when interest rates rise, based upon the publics perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and changes, real or anticipated, in the level of interest rates. Securities so purchased may expose the Fund to risks because they may experience such fluctuations prior to their actual delivery. Purchasing securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis can involve the additional risk that the yield available in the market when the delivery takes place actually may be higher than that obtained in the transaction itself. Purchasing securities on a forward commitment or when-issued or delayed delivery basis when the Adviser or Subadviser is fully or almost fully invested may result in greater potential fluctuation in the value of the Funds net assets. In addition, there is a risk that securities purchased on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis may not be delivered and that the purchaser of securities sold by the Fund on a forward commitment basis will not honor its purchase obligation. In such cases, the Fund may incur a loss.
Zero-Coupon Securities
The Fund may invest in zero-coupon securities. Zero-coupon securities are debt obligations that do not entitle the holder to any periodic payments of interest either for the entire life of the obligation or for an initial period after the issuance of the obligations; the holder generally is entitled to receive the par value of the security at maturity. These securities are issued and traded at a discount from their face amounts. The amount of the discount varies depending on such factors as the time remaining until maturity of the securities, prevailing interest rates, the liquidity of the security and the perceived credit quality of the issuer. The market prices of zero-coupon securities generally are more volatile than the market prices of securities that pay interest periodically and are likely to respond to changes in interest rates to a greater degree than are other types of securities having similar maturities and credit quality. The Funds investment in zero-coupon securities will require the Fund to accrue income without a corresponding receipt of cash; the Fund may be required to dispose of portfolio securities (including when not otherwise advantageous to do so) in order to obtain sufficient cash to meet its distribution requirements for treatment as a RIC under the Code.
The Fund has the flexibility to respond promptly to changes in market and economic conditions. In the interest of preserving shareholders capital, the Adviser or Subadviser may employ a temporary defensive strategy if it determines such a strategy to be warranted. Pursuant to such a defensive strategy, the Fund temporarily may hold cash (U.S. dollars, foreign currencies, or multinational currency units) and/or invest up to 100% of its assets in cash, high-quality debt securities or money market instruments of U.S. or foreign issuers. It is impossible to predict whether, when or for how long the Fund will employ temporary defensive strategies. The use of temporary defensive strategies may prevent the Fund from achieving its goal.
In addition, pending investment of proceeds from new sales of Fund shares or to meet ordinary daily cash needs, the Fund may temporarily hold cash and may invest any portion of its assets in money market or other short-term high-quality instruments.
While it is impossible to predict with certainty, the Fund expects to have investment portfolios that are short term in nature because the Fund typically expects to invest in futures and forward contracts that have maturities shorter than one year. Please see the Funds Prospectus for more information about the Funds investment strategies. The Funds portfolio turnover rate for a fiscal year is calculated by dividing the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio
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securities for the fiscal year by the monthly average of the value of the portfolio securities owned by the Fund during the fiscal year, in each case excluding securities having maturity dates at acquisition of one year or less. High portfolio turnover involves correspondingly greater brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, which will be borne directly by the Fund, thereby decreasing the Funds total return. High portfolio turnover also may give rise to additional taxable income for the Funds shareholders, including through the realization of short-term capital gains which are typically taxed to shareholders at ordinary income tax rates, and therefore can result in higher taxes for shareholders that hold their shares in taxable accounts. It is impossible to predict with certainty whether future portfolio turnover rates will be higher or lower than those experienced during past periods.
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION
The Board has adopted policies to limit the disclosure of confidential portfolio holdings information and to ensure equal access to such information, except in certain circumstances as approved by the Board. These policies are summarized below. Generally, portfolio holdings information will not be disclosed until it is first posted on the Funds website at ngam.natixis.com. Generally, full portfolio holdings information will not be posted until it is aged for at least 7 days. Any holdings information that is released must clearly indicate the date of the information, and must state that due to active management, the Fund may or may not still invest in the securities listed. Portfolio characteristics, such as industry/sector breakdown, current yield, quality breakdown, duration, average price-earnings ratio and other similar information may be provided on a current basis. However, portfolio characteristics do not include references to specific portfolio holdings.
The Board has approved exceptions to the general policy on the sharing of portfolio holdings information as in the best interests of the Fund:
(1) | Disclosure of portfolio holdings posted on the Funds website, provided that information is shared no sooner than the next day following the day on which the information is posted; |
(2) | Disclosure to firms offering industry-wide services, provided that the firm has agreed in writing to maintain the confidentiality of the Funds portfolio holdings. Entities that receive information pursuant to this exception include Lipper (monthly disclosure of full portfolio holdings, provided 6 days after month-end); and FactSet (daily disclosure of full portfolio holdings, provided the next business day); |
(3) | Disclosure (subject to a written confidentiality provision) to Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. as part of the proxy voting recordkeeping services provided to the Fund; |
(4) | Disclosure to employees of the Adviser, Subadviser, principal underwriter, administrator, custodian, financial printer, Fund accounting agent, independent registered public accountants, Fund counsel and Independent Trustees counsel, as well as to broker-dealers executing portfolio transactions for the Fund, provided that such disclosure is made for bona fide business purposes; |
(5) | Disclosure to Natixis Global Asset Management (NGAM), in its capacity as the seed capital investor for the Fund, in order to satisfy certain reporting obligations to its parent company and for its own risk management purposes; provided that NGAM agrees to maintain its seed capital in the Fund for a set period and does not effect a redemption of Fund shares while in possession of information that is not publicly available to other investors in the Fund. NGAM and its parent utilize a third-party service provider, Aptimum Formation Développement (Aptimum), to assist with their analysis of risk. Any sharing of holdings information with Aptimum is subject to a confidentiality agreement; and |
(6) | Other disclosures made for non-investment purposes, but only if approved in writing in advance by an officer of the Fund. Such exceptions will be reported to the Board. |
With respect to items (2) through (5) above, disclosure is made pursuant to procedures that have been approved by the Board, and may be made by employees of the Funds Adviser, Subadviser, administrator or custodian. With respect to (6) above, approval will be granted only when the officer determines that the Fund has a legitimate business reason for sharing the portfolio holdings information and the recipients are subject to a duty of
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confidentiality, including a duty not to trade on the information. As of the date of this Statement, the only entities that receive information pursuant to this exception are RR Donnelley (quarterly, or more frequently as needed, disclosure of full portfolio holdings) for the purposes of performing certain functions related to the production of the Funds semiannual financial statements, quarterly Form N-Q filings and other related items, Ernst & Young LLP (annually, or more frequently as needed, disclosure of foreign equity securities) for the purpose of performing certain functions related to the production of the Funds federal income and excise tax returns, and Thomson Reuters (daily disclosure of full portfolio holdings) for the purpose of performing certain electronic reconciliations of portfolio holdings. Although the Trust may enter into written confidentiality agreements, in other circumstances, such as those described in (4) above, the obligation to keep information confidential may be based on common law, professional or statutory duties of confidentiality. Common law, professional or statutory duties of confidentiality, including the duty not to trade on the information, may not be as clearly delineated and may be more difficult to enforce than contractual duties. The Funds officers determine on a case-by-case basis whether it is appropriate for the Fund to rely on such common law, professional or statutory duties. The Board exercises oversight of the disclosure of portfolio holdings by, among other things, receiving and reviewing reports from the Funds chief compliance officer regarding any material issues concerning the Funds disclosure of portfolio holdings or from officers of the Fund in connection with proposed new exceptions or new disclosures pursuant to item (6) above. Notwithstanding the above, there is no assurance that the Funds policies on the sharing of portfolio holdings information will protect the Fund from the potential misuse of holdings by individuals or firms in possession of that information.
Other registered investment companies that are advised or subadvised by the Funds Adviser or Subadviser may be subject to different portfolio holdings disclosure policies, and neither the Adviser nor the Board exercises control over such policies or disclosure. In addition, separate account clients of the Adviser or Subadviser have access to their portfolio holdings and are not subject to the Funds portfolio holdings disclosure policies. Some of the funds that are advised or subadvised by the Adviser or Subadviser and some of the separate accounts managed by the Adviser or Subadviser may have investment objectives and strategies that are substantially similar or identical to the Funds, and therefore potentially substantially similar, and in certain cases nearly identical, portfolio holdings as the Fund.
In addition, any disclosures of portfolio holdings information by the Fund or its Adviser or Subadviser must be consistent with the anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities laws, the Funds and the Advisers or Subadvisers fiduciary duty to shareholders, and the Funds code of ethics. The Funds policies expressly prohibit the sharing of portfolio holdings information if the Fund, its Adviser, its Subadviser, or any other affiliated party receives compensation or other consideration in connection with such arrangement. The term consideration includes any agreement to maintain assets in the Fund or in other funds or accounts managed by the Funds Adviser and/or Subadviser or by any affiliated person of the Adviser and/or Subadviser.
The Trust is governed by the Board, which is responsible for generally overseeing the conduct of Fund business and for protecting the interests of shareholders. The trustees meet periodically throughout the year to oversee the Funds activities, review contractual arrangements with companies that provide services to the Fund and review the Funds performance.
Trustees and Officers
The table below provides certain information regarding the trustees and officers of the Trust. For the purposes of this table and for purposes of this Statement, the term Independent Trustee means those trustees who are not interested persons, as defined in the 1940 Act, of the relevant Trust. In certain circumstances, trustees are also required to have no direct or indirect financial interest in the approval of a matter being voted on in order to be considered independent for the purposes of the requisite approval. For the purposes of this Statement, the term Interested Trustee means those trustees who are interested persons, as defined in the 1940 Act, of the relevant Trust.
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The following table provides information about the members of the Board, including information about their principal occupations during the past five years, information about other directorships held at public companies, and a summary of the experience, qualifications, attributes or skills that led to the conclusion that the trustee should serve as such. Unless otherwise indicated, the address of all persons below is 399 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116.
Name and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with the Trust, Length of Time Served and Term of Office1 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen2 and Other Directorships Held During Past 5 Years |
Experience, Qualifications, Attributes, Skills for Board Membership | ||||
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES | ||||||||
Kenneth A. Drucker (1945) |
Trustee
Since 2008
Chairman of the Audit Committee and Governance Committee Member |
Retired | 42
None |
Significant experience on the Board and on the board of other business organizations (including at investment companies); executive experience (including as treasurer of an aerospace, automotive, and metal manufacturing corporation) | ||||
Edmond J. English (1953) |
Trustee
Since 2013
Contract Review Committee Member |
Chief Executive Officer of Bobs Discount Furniture (retail) | 42
Formerly, Director, BJs Wholesale Club (retail); formerly, Director, Citizens Financial Group (bank) |
Experience on the Board and significant experience on the board of other business organizations (including at a retail company and a bank); executive experience (including at a retail company) |
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Name and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with the Trust, Length of Time Served and Term of Office1 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen2 and Other Directorships Held During Past 5 Years |
Experience, Qualifications, Attributes, Skills for Board Membership | ||||
Wendell J. Knox (1948) |
Trustee
Since 2009
Audit Committee Member and Governance Committee Member |
Director of Abt Associates Inc. (research and consulting) | 42
Director, Eastern Bank (commercial bank); Director, The Hanover Insurance Group (property and casualty insurance) |
Significant experience on the Board and on the board of other business organizations (including at a commercial bank and at a property and casualty insurance firm); executive experience (including roles as president and chief executive officer of a consulting company) | ||||
Martin T. Meehan (1956) |
Trustee
Since 2012
Contract Review Committee Member |
Chancellor and faculty member, University of Massachusetts Lowell | 42
None |
Experience on the Board and on the board of other business organizations; experience as Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Lowell; government experience (including as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives); academic experience |
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Name and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with the Trust, Length of Time Served and Term of Office1 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen2 and Other Directorships Held During Past 5 Years |
Experience, Qualifications, Attributes, Skills for Board Membership | ||||
Sandra O. Moose (1942) |
Chairperson of the Board since November 2005
Trustee
Since 1993 Ex Officio member of the Audit Committee, the Contract Review Committee and the Governance Committee |
President, Strategic Advisory Services (management consulting) | 42
Director, AES Corporation (international power company); formerly, Director, Rohm and Haas Company (specialty chemicals); formerly, Director, Verizon Communications (telecommunications company) |
Significant experience on the Board and on the board of other business organizations (including at a telecommunications company, an international power company and a specialty chemicals corporation); executive experience (including at a management consulting company) | ||||
Erik R. Sirri (1958) |
Trustee
Since 2009
Audit Committee Member |
Professor of Finance at Babson College | 42
None |
Significant experience on the Board; experience as Director of the Division of Trading and Markets at the Securities and Exchange Commission; academic experience; training as an economist | ||||
Peter J. Smail (1952) |
Trustee
Since 2009
Chairman of the Contract Review Committee and Governance Committee Member |
Retired | 42
None |
Significant experience on the Board; mutual fund industry and executive experience (including roles as president and chief executive officer for an investment adviser) |
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Name and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with the Trust, Length of Time Served and Term of Office1 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen2 and Other Directorships Held During Past 5 Years |
Experience, Qualifications, Attributes, Skills for Board Membership | ||||
Cynthia L. Walker (1956) |
Trustee
Since 2005
Chairperson of the Governance Committee and Contract Review Committee Member |
Deputy Dean for Finance and Administration, Yale University School of Medicine | 42
None |
Significant experience on the Board; executive experience in a variety of academic organizations (including roles as dean for finance and administration) | ||||
INTERESTED TRUSTEES | ||||||||
Robert J. Blanding3 (1947) 555 California Street San Francisco, CA 94104 |
Trustee
Since 2003 |
Chairman, Director and Chief Executive Officer (formerly, President), Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. | 42
None |
Significant experience on the Board; continuing service as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. | ||||
David L. Giunta4 (1965) |
Trustee
Since 2011
President and Chief Executive Officer
Since 2008 |
President and Chief Executive Officer, NGAM Distribution Corporation, NGAM Advisors, L.P. and NGAM Distribution, L.P. | 42
None |
Experience on the Board; continuing experience as President and Chief Executive Officer of NGAM Advisors, L.P. | ||||
John T. Hailer5 (1960) |
Trustee
Since 2000 |
President and Chief Executive Officer U.S. and Asia, Natixis Global Asset Management, L.P. | 42
None |
Significant experience on the Board; continuing experience as President and Chief Executive Officer U.S. and Asia, Natixis Global Asset Management, L.P. |
1 | Each trustee serves until retirement, resignation or removal from the Board. The current retirement age is 75. The position of Chairperson of the Board is appointed for a three-year term. Ms. Moose was appointed to serve an additional three-year term as the Chairperson of the Board on December 13, 2013. |
2 | The trustees of the Trust serve as trustees of a fund complex that includes all series of the Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust II, Natixis Funds Trust IV and Gateway Trust (collectively, the Natixis Funds Trusts) and Loomis Sayles Funds I and Loomis Sayles Funds II (collectively, the Loomis Sayles Funds Trusts)(collectively, the Fund Complex). |
3 | Mr. Blanding is deemed an interested person of the Trust because he holds the following positions with an affiliated person of the Trust: Chairman, Director and Chief Executive Officer of Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. and Director of Loomis Sayles Investment Asia Pte., Ltd. |
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4 | Mr. Giunta is deemed an interested person of the Trust because he holds the following positions with an affiliated person of the Trust: President and Chief Executive Officer of NGAM Distribution Corporation, NGAM Advisors, L.P. and NGAM Distribution, L.P. |
5 | Mr. Hailer is deemed an interested person of the Trust because he holds the following positions with an affiliated person of the Trust: President and Chief Executive Officer U.S. and Asia, Natixis Global Asset Management, L.P. |
Name and Year of Birth |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office1 and Length of Time Served |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years2 | |||
OFFICERS OF THE TRUST | ||||||
Coleen Downs Dinneen (1960) |
Secretary, Clerk and Chief Legal Officer | Since September 2004 |
Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary and Clerk, NGAM Distribution Corporation, NGAM Advisors, L.P. and NGAM Distribution, L.P. | |||
Russell L. Kane (1969) |
Chief Compliance Officer, Assistant Secretary and Anti-Money Laundering Officer |
Chief Compliance Officer since May 2006; Assistant Secretary since June 2004; and Anti- Money Laundering Officer since April 2007 |
Chief Compliance Officer for Mutual Funds, Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Assistant Secretary and Assistant Clerk, NGAM Distribution Corporation, NGAM Advisors, L.P. and NGAM Distribution, L.P. | |||
Michael C. Kardok (1959) |
Treasurer, Principal Financial and Accounting Officer | Since October 2004 | Senior Vice President, NGAM Advisors, L.P. and NGAM Distribution, L.P. |
1 | Each officer of the Trust serves for an indefinite term in accordance with the Trusts current by-laws until the date his or her successor is elected and qualified, or until he or she sooner dies, retires, is removed or becomes disqualified. |
2 | Each person listed above holds the same position(s) with the Fund Complex. Previous positions during the past five years with NGAM Distribution, L.P., NGAM Advisors, L.P. or Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. are omitted, if not materially different from a trustees or officers current position with such entity. |
Qualifications of Trustees
The preceding tables provide an overview of the considerations that led the Board to conclude that each individual serving as a trustee of the Trust should so serve. The current members of the Board have joined the Board at different points in time. Generally, no one factor was determinative in the original selection of an individual to join the Board. Among the factors the Board considered when concluding that an individual should serve on the Board were the following: (i) the individuals knowledge in matters relating to the mutual fund industry; (ii) any experience possessed by the individual as a director or senior officer of other public companies; (iii) the individuals educational background; (iv) the individuals reputation for high ethical standards and personal and professional integrity; (v) any specific financial, technical or other expertise possessed by the individual, and the extent to which such expertise would complement the Boards existing mix of skills and qualifications; (vi) the individuals perceived ability to contribute to the ongoing functions of the Board, including the individuals ability and commitment to attend meetings regularly and work collaboratively with other members of the Board; (vii) the individuals ability to qualify as an Independent Trustee for purposes of applicable regulations; and (viii) such other factors as the Board determined to be relevant in light of the existing composition of the Board and any anticipated vacancies or other transitions. Each trustees professional experience and additional considerations that contributed to the Boards conclusion that an individual should serve on the Board are summarized in the tables above.
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Leadership and Structure of the Board
The Board is led by the Chairperson of the Board, who is an Independent Trustee. The Board of Trustees of the Trust currently consists of eleven trustees, eight of whom are Independent Trustees. The trustees have delegated significant oversight authority to the three standing committees of the Trust, the Audit Committee, the Contract Review Committee and the Governance Committee, all of which consist solely of Independent Trustees. These committees meet separately and at times jointly, with the joint meetings intended to educate and involve all Independent Trustees in significant committee-level topics. As well as handling matters directly, the committees raise matters to the Board for consideration. In addition to the oversight performed by the committees and the Board, the Chairperson of the Board and the chairpersons of each committee interact frequently with management regarding topics to be considered at Board and committee meetings as well as items arising between meetings. At least once a year the Governance Committee reviews the Boards governance practices and procedures and recommends appropriate changes to the full Board. The Board believes its leadership structure is appropriate and effective in that it allows for oversight at the committee or board level, as the case may be, while facilitating communications among the trustees and between the Board and Fund management.
The Contract Review Committee of the Trust consists solely of trustees who are not employees, officers or directors of NGAM Advisors, the Distributor or their affiliates and considers matters relating to advisory and distribution arrangements and potential conflicts of interest between the Funds Adviser and the Trusts. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, this committee held five meetings.
The Governance Committee of the Trust consists solely of trustees who are not employees, officers or directors of NGAM Advisors, the Distributor or their affiliates and considers matters relating to candidates for membership on the Board and trustee compensation. The Governance Committee makes nominations for Independent Trustee membership on the Board when necessary and considers recommendations from shareholders of the Fund that are submitted in accordance with the procedures by which shareholders may communicate with the Board. Pursuant to those procedures, shareholders must submit a recommendation for nomination in a signed writing addressed to the attention of the Board, c/o Secretary of the Funds, NGAM Advisors, L.P., 399 Boylston Street, 12th Floor, Boston, MA 02116. This written communication must (i) be signed by the shareholder, (ii) include the name and address of the shareholder, (iii) identify the name of the Fund, and (iv) identify the account number, class and number of shares held by the shareholder as of a recent date or the intermediary through which the shares are held. The recommendation must be received in a timely manner (and in any event no later than the date specified for receipt of shareholder proposals in any applicable proxy statement with respect to the Fund). A recommendation for trustee nomination shall be kept on file and considered by the Board for six (6) months from the date of receipt, after which the recommendation shall be considered stale and discarded. The recommendation must contain sufficient background information concerning the trustee candidate to enable a proper judgment to be made as to the candidates qualifications.
The Governance Committee has not established specific, minimum qualifications that must be met by an individual to be recommended for nomination as an Independent Trustee. When identifying an individual to potentially fill a vacancy on a Trusts Board, the Governance Committee may seek referrals from a variety of sources, including current trustees, management of the Trust, Fund counsel, and counsel to the trustees, as well as shareholders of the Funds in accordance with the procedures described above. In evaluating candidates for a position on the Board, the Governance Committee may consider a variety of factors, including (i) the nominees knowledge of the mutual fund industry; (ii) any experience possessed by the nominee as a director or senior officer of a financial services company or a public company; (iii) the nominees educational background; (iv) the nominees reputation for high ethical standards and personal and professional integrity; (v) any specific financial, technical or other expertise possessed by the nominee, and the extent to which such expertise would complement the Boards existing mix of skills and qualifications; (vi) the nominees perceived ability to contribute to the ongoing functions of the Board, including the nominees ability and commitment to attend meetings regularly and work collaboratively with other members of the Board; (vii) the nominees ability to qualify as an Independent Trustee for purposes of applicable regulations; and (viii) such other factors as the Committee may request in light of the existing composition of the Board and any anticipated vacancies or other transitions.
The Audit Committee of the Trust consists solely of Independent Trustees and considers matters relating to the scope and results of the Trusts audits and serves as a forum in which the independent registered public accounting firm can raise any issues or problems identified in an audit with the Board. The Audit Committee also reviews and monitors compliance with stated investment objectives and policies, SEC regulations as well as operational issues relating to the transfer agent, administrator, sub-administrator and custodian. In addition, the Audit Committee
48
implements procedures for receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Fund regarding its accounting, internal accounting controls and the confidential, anonymous submission by officers of the Fund or employees of certain service providers of concerns related to such matters. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, this Committee held four meetings.
The current membership of each committee is as follows:
Audit Committee | Contract Review Committee | Governance Committee | ||
Kenneth A. Drucker Chairman | Peter J. Smail Chairman | Cynthia L. Walker Chairperson | ||
Wendell J. Knox | Edmond J. English | Kenneth A. Drucker | ||
Erik R. Sirri | Martin T. Meehan | Wendell J. Knox | ||
Cynthia L. Walker | Peter J. Smail |
As chairperson of the Board, Ms. Moose is an ex officio member of all three Committees.
The Boards Role in Risk Oversight of the Fund
The Boards role is one of oversight of the practices and processes of the Fund and its service providers, rather than active management of the Trust, including in matters relating to risk management. The Board seeks to understand the key risks facing the Fund, including those involving conflicts of interest; how Fund management identifies and monitors these risks on an ongoing basis; how Fund management develops and implements controls to mitigate these risks; and how Fund management tests the effectiveness of those controls. The Board cannot foresee, know, or guard against all risks, nor are the Trustees guarantors against risk.
Because the commodity subsidiary is wholly-owned by the Fund, the Board has oversight responsibility for the Funds investments in the commodity subsidiary and the role of the Fund as the sole shareholder of the commodity subsidiary. Like the Fund, the commodity subsidiary may retain service providers to conduct the commodity subsidiarys administrative and various other activities. As it is a sole shareholder of its wholly-owned commodity subsidiary, the Fund (and, thus indirectly, the Board) may indirectly cause certain service providers to be selected for such commodity subsidiary.
Periodically, Fund officers provide the full Board with an overview of the enterprise risk assessment program in place at NGAM Advisors and the Distributor, which serve as the administrator of and principal underwriter to the Fund, respectively. Fund officers on a quarterly and annual basis also provide the Board (or one of its standing committees) with written and oral reports on regulatory and compliance matters, operational and service provider matters, organizational developments, product proposals, Fund and internal audit results, and insurance and fidelity bond coverage, along with a discussion of the risks and controls associated with these matters, and periodically make presentations to management on risk issues and industry best practices. Fund service providers, including advisers, subadvisers, transfer agents and the custodian, periodically provide Fund management and/or the Board with information about their risk assessment programs and/or the risks arising out of their activities. The scope and frequency of these reports vary. Fund officers also communicate with the trustees between meetings regarding material exceptions and other items germane to the Boards risk oversight function.
Pursuant to Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act, the Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) who is responsible for administering the Funds compliance program, including monitoring and enforcing compliance by the Fund and its service providers with the federal securities laws. The CCO has an active role in daily Fund operations and maintains a working relationship with all relevant advisory, compliance, operations and administration personnel for the Funds service providers. On at least a quarterly basis, the CCO reports to the Independent Trustees on significant compliance program developments, including material compliance matters, and on an annual basis, the CCO provides the full Board with a written report that summarizes his review and assessment of the adequacy of the compliance programs of the Fund and its service providers. The CCO also periodically communicates with the Audit Committee members between its scheduled meetings.
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Fund Securities Owned by the Trustees
As of the date of this Statement, the Fund had not yet publicly offered its shares and therefore the Trustees did not own shares of the Fund.
As of December 31, 2013, the trustees had the following ownership in the funds in the Fund Complex:
Independent Trustees
Dollar Range of Fund Shares1 |
Aggregate Dollar Range of Fund Shares in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee | |
Kenneth A. Drucker |
E | |
Edmond J. English2 |
E | |
Wendell J. Knox2 |
E | |
Martin T. Meehan2 |
E | |
Sandra O. Moose |
E | |
Erik R. Sirri2 |
E | |
Peter J. Smail |
E | |
Cynthia L. Walker2 |
E |
1 | A. None |
B. $1 10,000
C. $10,001 $50,000
D. $50,001 $100,000
E. over $100,000
2 | Amounts include economic value of notional investments held through the deferred compensation plan. |
Interested Trustees
Dollar Range of Fund Shares1 |
Aggregate Dollar Range of Fund Shares in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee | |
Robert J. Blanding |
E | |
John T. Hailer |
E | |
David L. Giunta |
E |
1 | A. None |
B. $1 10,000
C. $10,001 $50,000
D. $50,001 $100,000
E. over $100,000
Trustee Fees
The Trust pays no compensation to its officers or to trustees who are employees, officers or directors of NGAM Advisors, the Distributor, or their affiliates.
The Chairperson of the Board receives a retainer fee at the annual rate of $300,000. The Chairperson does not receive any meeting attendance fees for Board meetings or committee meetings that she attends. Each trustee who is not an employee, officer or director of NGAM Advisors, the Distributor or their affiliates (other than the Chairperson) receives, in the aggregate, a retainer fee at the annual rate of $130,000. Each trustee who is not an employee, officer or director of NGAM Advisors, the Distributor or their affiliates also receives a meeting attendance fee of $10,000 for each meeting of the Board that he or she attends in person and $5,000 for each
50
meeting of the Board that he or she attends telephonically. In addition, each committee chairperson (except for the chairman of the Governance Committee) receives an additional retainer fee at the annual rate of $17,500. Each Contract Review Committee and Audit Committee member is compensated $6,000 for each committee meeting that he or she attends in person and $3,000 for each committee meeting that he or she attends telephonically. These fees are allocated among the mutual fund portfolios in the Natixis Funds Trusts, Loomis Sayles Funds Trusts, and Gateway Trust based on a formula that takes into account, among other factors, the relative net assets of each mutual fund portfolio.
The table below shows the amounts received by the trustees for serving as a trustee of the Trust, and also for serving as trustees of the Natixis Funds Trusts and Loomis Sayles Funds Trusts during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013. The table also sets forth, as applicable, pension or retirement benefits accrued as part of fund expenses, as well as estimated annual retirement benefits:
Compensation Table
For the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2013
Aggregate Compensation from Natixis Funds Trust II1 |
Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of Fund Expenses |
Estimated Annual Benefits Upon Retirement |
Total Compensation from the Fund Complex2 |
|||||||||||||
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES |
| |||||||||||||||
Daniel M. Cain3 |
$ | 27,584 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 199,500 | ||||||||
Kenneth A. Drucker |
$ | 28,948 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 204,500 | ||||||||
Edmond J. English |
$ | 27,382 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 190,000 | ||||||||
Wendell J. Knox |
$ | 27,382 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 190,000 | ||||||||
Martin T. Meehan |
$ | 27,382 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 190,000 | ||||||||
Sandra O. Moose |
$ | 18,462 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 285,000 | ||||||||
Erik R. Sirri |
$ | 27,382 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 190,000 | ||||||||
Peter J. Smail |
$ | 27,382 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 190,000 | ||||||||
Cynthia L. Walker |
$ | 27,382 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 190,000 | ||||||||
INTERESTED TRUSTEES |
||||||||||||||||
Robert J. Blanding |
$ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||||||
David L. Giunta |
$ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | ||||||||
John T. Hailer |
$ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 |
1 | Amounts include payments deferred by trustees for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, with respect to the Trust. The total amount of deferred compensation accrued for Natixis Funds Trust II as of December 31, 2013 for the trustees is as follows: Cain ($95,098), English ($28,675), Knox ($116,812), Meehan ($21,349), Sirri ($93,126) and Walker ($128,429). |
2 | Total Compensation represents amounts paid during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013 to a trustee for serving on the Board of seven (7) trusts with a total of forty-one (41) funds as of December 31, 2013. |
3 | Mr. Cain resigned as a trustee on June 19, 2014. |
The Natixis Funds Trusts do not provide pension or retirement benefits to trustees, but have adopted a deferred payment arrangement under which each trustee may elect not to receive fees from the funds on a current basis but to receive in a subsequent period an amount equal to the value that such fees would have had if they had been invested in a fund or funds selected by the trustee on the normal payment date for such fees.
Management Ownership
As of the date of this Statement, the Fund had not yet publicly offered its shares and, therefore, the officers and Trustees of the Trust collectively owned less than 1% of the then outstanding shares of the Fund.
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Code of Ethics
The Trust, the Adviser, the Subadviser and the Distributor each have adopted a code of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. These codes of ethics permit the personnel of these entities to invest in securities, including securities that the Fund may purchase or hold. The codes of ethics are on public file with, and are available from the SECs EDGAR database which can be accessed through www.sec.gov.
Proxy Voting Policies
The Board has adopted the Proxy Voting Policy and Guidelines (the Guidelines) for the voting of proxies for securities held by the Fund. Under the Guidelines, decisions regarding the voting of proxies are to be made solely in the interest of the Fund and its shareholders.
AlphaSimplex and Reich & Tang
Reich & Tang is responsible for voting proxies with respect to securities in the portion of the Funds portfolio that is managed by Reich & Tang. AlphaSimplex is responsible for voting proxies with respect to securities other than those in the portion of the Funds portfolio managed by Reich & Tang. Each of Reich & Tang and AlphaSimplex is responsible for maintaining certain records and reporting to the Audit Committee of Natixis Funds Trust II in connection with the voting of proxies.
AlphaSimplex. AlphaSimplex is responsible for voting proxies with respect to securities that are not in the portion of the Fund managed by Reich & Tang. AlphaSimplex believes that proxy voting is an important right of shareholders and reasonable care and diligence must be undertaken to ensure that such rights are properly and timely exercised. However, AlphaSimplex expects that the securities in which it will invest on behalf of the Fund (primarily futures and forwards) will not have voting rights, and therefore, AlphaSimplex does not expect to vote proxies for securities held by the Fund. If AlphaSimplex does vote proxies with respect to the Funds investments, it will vote in a manner that is consistent with what it believes to be the best interests of the Fund.
Reich & Tang. Reich & Tang has adopted Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures that are designed to ensure that Reich & Tang votes proxies in the best interests of its clients. These policies and procedures also require that Reich & Tang identify and address any conflicts of interest between the firm and its clients. If a material conflict of interest exists, then Reich & Tang will determine whether voting in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the policies and procedures is in the best interests of the clients and, if not, it will take other appropriate action. Reich & Tang generally votes in favor of routine corporate housekeeping proposals, including the election of directors (where no corporate governance issues are implicated), and against proposals that primarily benefit management. Generally, Reich & Tang will vote against proposals that make it more difficult to replace members of a board of directors.
Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies related to its portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30, 2015 will be available without charge (i) by calling toll-free at 800-225-5478, (ii) through the Funds website, ngam.natixis.com and (iii) on the SECs website at www.sec.gov.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND OTHER SERVICES
Information About the Organization and Ownership of the Adviser and Subadviser
NGAM Advisors, formed in 1995, is a limited partnership indirectly owned by Natixis Global Asset Management, L.P. (Natixis US).
Natixis US is part of Natixis Global Asset Management, an international asset management group based in Paris, France, that is in turn owned by Natixis, a French investment banking and financial services firm. Natixis is principally owned by BPCE, Frances second largest banking group. BPCE is owned by banks comprising two autonomous and complementary retail banking networks consisting of the Caisse dEpargne regional savings banks and the Banque Populaire regional cooperative banks. The registered address of Natixis is 30, avenue Pierre Mendès France, 75013 Paris, France. The registered address of BPCE is 50, avenue Pierre Mendès France, 75013 Paris, France.
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The 13 principal subsidiary or affiliated asset management firms of Natixis US collectively had $459.8 billion in assets under management or administration as of October 31, 2014.
AlphaSimplex Group, LLC, located at 255 Main Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, serves as investment adviser to the Fund. The Adviser, a Delaware limited liability company founded in 1999, served as investment manager, adviser, or subadviser with respect to assets of $4.6 billion as of October 31, 2014. The Adviser currently acts as investment manager or subadviser of six registered investment companies and one privately-offered fund. AlphaSimplex, a registered investment adviser, is a subsidiary of Natixis US.
Reich & Tang Asset Management, LLC, located at 1411 Broadway, 28th Floor, New York, New York 10018, serves as subadviser to the Fund. The Subadviser, a Delaware limited liability company founded in 1970, served as investment manager, adviser, or subadviser with respect to assets aggregating approximately $17.5 billion as of October 31, 2014, and currently acts as investment manager or subadviser of nine registered investment companies of which it acts as administrator for three, and advises pension trusts, profit-sharing trusts and endowments. Reich & Tang, a registered investment adviser, is also a subsidiary of Natixis US.
Advisory and Subadvisory Agreements
The Funds advisory agreement with its Adviser provides that the Adviser will furnish or pay the expenses of the Fund for office space, facilities and equipment, services of executive and other personnel of the Trust and certain administrative services. The Adviser may delegate certain administrative services to its affiliates. The Adviser is responsible for obtaining and evaluating such economic, statistical and financial data and information and performing such additional research as is necessary to manage the Funds assets in accordance with its investment objectives and policies. In addition, the Funds wholly-owned subsidiary has entered into separate advisory agreements with the Adviser that provide that the Adviser will be responsible for providing portfolio management services to the Funds wholly-owned subsidiary, which the Adviser may delegate to the Subadviser.
The Fund or its wholly-owned subsidiary, as the case may be, pay all expenses not borne by the Adviser or Subadviser including, but not limited to, the charges and expenses of custodian and transfer agents, independent registered public accountants and legal counsel for the Fund, its wholly-owned subsidiary and the Trusts Independent Trustees, 12b-1 fees, all brokerage commissions and transfer taxes in connection with portfolio transactions, all taxes and filing fees, the fees and expenses for registration or qualification of their shares under federal and state securities laws, all expenses of shareholders and trustees meetings and of preparing, printing and mailing reports to shareholders and the compensation of trustees who are not directors, officers or employees of the Adviser, Subadviser or their affiliates, other than affiliated registered investment companies. Certain expenses may be allocated differently among the Funds Class A and Class C shares, on the one hand, and Class Y shares on the other hand. See the section Description of the Trust below.
The advisory agreement and subadvisory agreement of the Fund and the advisory agreement of the Funds wholly-owned subsidiary, respectively, provide that they will continue in effect for two years from the date of execution and thereafter from year to year if their respective continuance is approved at least annually (i) by the Board of the Trusts or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund and (ii) by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
The advisory agreement and subadvisory agreement of the Fund and the advisory agreement of the Funds wholly-owned subsidiary, respectively, may be terminated without penalty by vote of the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, upon 60 days written notice, or by the Adviser upon 90 days written notice, and each terminates automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act). The subadvisory agreement also may be terminated by the Subadviser upon 90 days notice, and automatically terminates upon termination of the advisory agreement.
The advisory agreement and subadvisory agreement of the Fund and the advisory agreement of the Funds wholly-owned subsidiary, respectively, provide that the Adviser or Subadviser shall not be subject to any liability in connection with the performance of their respective services thereunder in the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of their obligations and duties.
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The Adviser oversees the portfolio management services provided to the Fund and to the Funds wholly-owned subsidiary, respectively, by the Subadviser. Subject to the review of the Board, the Adviser monitors the Subadviser to assure that the Subadviser is managing the applicable portions of the assets of the Fund and its wholly-owned subsidiary consistently with the Funds investment objective and restrictions and applicable laws and guidelines, including, but not limited to, compliance with the diversification requirements set forth in the 1940 Act and Subchapter M of the Code. The Adviser will provide, or cause the Funds custodian and the custodian of its wholly-owned subsidiary to provide, information to the Subadviser regarding the composition of assets of the Fund and the assets of its wholly-owned subsidiary and the assets to be invested and reinvested by the Subadviser. The Adviser does not determine which securities will be purchased or sold with respect to the portion of the Fund or the Funds wholly-owned subsidiary overseen by the Subadviser.
The Adviser may terminate any subadvisory agreement to which it is a party without shareholder approval. In such case, such Adviser will either manage the Funds assets itself or, subject to the receipt of any necessary shareholder approvals, retain one or more subadvisers to manage some or all of the Funds assets.
Distribution Agreement and Rule 12b-1 Plans
Under a separate agreement with the Fund, the Distributor serves as the principal distributor of each class of shares of the Fund. The Distributors principal business address is 399 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116. Under this agreement (the Distribution Agreement), the Distributor conducts a continuous offering and is not obligated to sell a specific number of shares. The Distributor bears the cost of making information about the Fund available through advertising and other means and the cost of printing and mailing the Prospectus to persons other than shareholders. The Fund pays the cost of registering and qualifying its shares under state and federal securities laws and distributing the Prospectus to existing shareholders.
The Distributor is paid by the Fund the service and distribution fees described in the Prospectus. The Distributor may, at its discretion, reallow the entire sales charge imposed on the sale of Class A and Class C shares of the Fund to investment dealers from time to time. The SEC is of the view that dealers receiving all or substantially all of the sales charge may be deemed underwriters of the Funds shares.
The Fund has adopted Rule 12b-1 plans (the Plans) for its Class A and Class C shares which, among other things, permit it to pay the Distributor monthly fees out of its net assets. Class Y shares have no such plan. These fees consist of a service fee and a distribution fee. Any such fees that are paid by a distributor to securities dealers are known as trail commissions. Pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act, each Plan was approved by the shareholders of the Fund, and (together with the Distribution Agreement) by the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees of the Trust.
Under the Plans, the Fund pays the Distributor a monthly service fee at an annual rate not to exceed 0.25% of the Funds average daily net assets attributable to the Class A and Class C shares. In the case of Class C shares, the Distributor retains the first years service fee of 0.25% assessed against such shares. For Class A and, after the first year, for Class C shares, the Distributor may pay up to the entire amount of this fee to securities dealers who are dealers of record with respect to the Funds shares, on a quarterly basis, unless other arrangements are made between the Distributor and the securities dealer, for providing personal services to investors in shares of the Fund and/or the maintenance of shareholder accounts. This service fee will accrue to securities dealers of record immediately with respect to reinvested income dividends and capital gain distributions of the Funds Class A shares.
The service fee on Class A shares may be paid only to reimburse the Distributor for expenses of providing personal services to investors, including, but not limited to, (i) expenses (including overhead expenses) of the Distributor for providing personal services to investors in connection with the maintenance of shareholder accounts and (ii) payments made by the Distributor to any securities dealer or other organization (including, but not limited to, any affiliate of the Distributor) with which the Distributor has entered into a written agreement for this purpose, for providing personal services to investors and/or the maintenance of shareholder accounts, which payments to any such organization may be in amounts in excess of the cost incurred by such organization in connection therewith.
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The Funds Class C shares also pay the Distributor a monthly distribution fee at an annual rate of 0.75% of the average net assets of the Funds Class C shares. The Distributor retains the 0.75% distribution fee assessed against Class C shares during the first year of investment. After the first year for Class C shares, the Distributor may pay up to the entire amount of this fee to securities dealers who are dealers of record with respect to the Funds shares, as distribution fees in connection with the sale of the Funds shares on a quarterly basis, unless other arrangements are made between the Distributor and the securities dealer. As stated in the Prospectus, investors will not be permitted to purchase $1,000,000 or more of Class C shares as a single investment per account.
Each Plan may be terminated by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the relevant class of shares of the Fund. Each Plan may be amended by vote of the relevant Trustees, including a majority of the relevant Independent Trustees, cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose. Any change in any Plan that would materially increase the fees payable thereunder by the relevant class of shares of the Fund requires approval by a vote of the holders of a majority of such shares outstanding. The Trusts Trustees review quarterly a written report of such costs and the purposes for which such costs have been incurred. For so long as a Plan is in effect, selection and nomination of those Trustees who are Independent Trustees of the Trust shall be committed to the discretion of such Trustees.
Fees paid by Class A or Class C shares of the Fund may indirectly support sales and servicing efforts relating to shares of the other series of the Natixis Funds Trusts or the Loomis Sayles Funds Trusts. In reporting its expenses to the Trustees, the Distributor itemizes expenses that relate to the distribution and/or servicing of a single funds shares, and allocates other expenses among the relevant funds based on their relative net assets or relative sales. Expenses allocated to the Fund are further allocated among its 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 has entered into selling agreements with investment dealers, including affiliates of the Distributor, for the sale of the Funds shares. As described in more detail below, the Distributor, the Adviser and their affiliates may, at their expense, pay additional amounts to dealers who have selling agreements with the Distributor. Class Y shares of the Fund may be offered by registered representatives of certain affiliates who are also employees of Natixis US and may receive compensation from the Adviser with respect to sales of Class Y shares.
The Distribution Agreement may be terminated at any time on 60 days notice to the Distributor without payment of any penalty, by either vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities or by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees. The Distribution Agreement may be terminated at any time on 90 days, written notice to the Trust, without payment of any penalty.
The Distribution Agreement and the Plans will continue in effect for successive one-year periods, provided that each such continuance is specifically approved (i) by the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose and (ii) by the vote of the Board or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding securities of the Fund (or the relevant class, in the case of the Plans).
With the exception of the Distributor, its affiliated companies and those Trustees that are not Independent Trustees, no interested person of the Trust or any Trustee of the Trust had any direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plans or any related agreement. Benefits to the Fund and its shareholders resulting from the Plans are believed to include (1) enhanced shareholder service, (2) asset retention, and (3) enhanced portfolio management opportunities and bargaining position with third-party service providers and economies of scale arising from having asset levels higher than they would be if the Plans were not in place.
The Distributor also acts as principal distributor for Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust IV, Loomis Sayles Funds I, and Loomis Sayles Funds II. The address of the Distributor is 399 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116.
The portion of the various fees and expenses for Class A and Class C shares that are paid (reallowed) to securities dealers are shown below
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ASG Global Macro Fund
Class A
Cumulative Investment |
Maximum Sales Charge Paid by Investors (% of offering price) |
Maximum Reallowance or Commission (% of offering price) |
Maximum First Year Service Fee (% of net investment) |
Maximum First Year Compensation (% of offering price) |
||||||||||||
Less than $50,000 |
5.75 | % | 5.00 | % | 0.25 | % | 5.25 | % | ||||||||
$50,000 $99,999 |
4.50 | % | 4.00 | % | 0.25 | % | 4.25 | % | ||||||||
$100,000 $249,999 |
3.50 | % | 3.00 | % | 0.25 | % | 3.25 | % | ||||||||
$250,000 $499,999 |
2.50 | % | 2.15 | % | 0.25 | % | 2.40 | % | ||||||||
$500,000 $999,999 |
2.00 | % | 1.70 | % | 0.25 | % | 1.95 | % | ||||||||
Investments of $1 Million or More(1) |
|
|||||||||||||||
First $3 million |
None | 1.00 | % | 0.25 | % | 1.25 | % | |||||||||
Excess over $3 million |
None | 0.50 | % | 0.25 | % | 0.75 | % | |||||||||
Investments with No Sales Charge(2) |
None | 0.00 | % | 0.25 | % | 0.25 | % |
(1) | Commissions are based on cumulative investments over the life of the account with no adjustment for redemptions, transfers or market declines. For example, if a shareholder has accumulated investments in excess of $3 million and subsequently redeems all or a portion of the account(s), purchases following the redemption will generate a dealer commission of 0.50%. |
(2) | Refers to any investments made by investors not subject to a sales charge as described in the Funds prospectus in the section How Sales Charges Are Calculated. |
Class C
Class C service fees are payable regardless of the amount of the Distributors related expenses. The portion of the various fees and expenses for Class C shares of the Fund that are paid to securities dealers are shown below:
Investment |
Maximum Front-End Sales Charge Paid by Investors (% of offering price) |
Maximum Reallowance or Commission (% of offering price) |
Maximum First Year Service Fee (% of net investment) |
Maximum First Year Compensation (% of offering price) |
||||||||||||
All amounts for Class C |
None | 1.00 | % | 0.00 | % | 1.00 | % |
As described in the Prospectus, each purchase or sale of shares is effected at the NAV next determined after an order is received, less any applicable sales charge. The sales charge is allocated between the investment dealer and the Distributor, as indicated in the tables above. The Distributor receives the contingent deferred sales charge (the CDSC). Proceeds from the CDSC on Class A and C shares are paid to the Distributor and are used by the Distributor to defray the expenses for services the Distributor provides the Trust. The Distributor may, at its discretion, pay (reallow) the entire sales charge imposed on the sale of Class A shares to investment dealers from time to time.
For new amounts invested at NAV by an eligible governmental authority, the Distributor may, at its expense, pay investment dealers a commission of 0.025% of the average daily net assets of an account at the end of each calendar quarter for up to one year. These commissions are not payable if the purchase represents the reinvestment of redemption proceeds from any other Natixis Fund or if the account is registered in street name.
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The Fund may pay fees to intermediaries such as banks, broker-dealers, financial advisors or other financial institutions for sub-administration, sub-transfer agency and other services, including, but not limited to, recordkeeping, shareholder or participant reporting or shareholder or participant recordkeeping (recordkeeping and processing-related services) associated with shareholders whose shares are held of record in omnibus, other group accounts (for example, 401(k) plans) or accounts traded through registered securities clearing agents. These fees are paid directly or indirectly by the Fund in light of the fact that other costs may be avoided by the Fund where the intermediary, not the Funds service providers, provides shareholder services to Fund shareholders. The intermediary may impose other account or service charges directly on account holders or participants. In addition, depending on the arrangements, the Funds Adviser and/or Distributor or their affiliates may, out of their own resources, compensate such financial intermediaries or their agents directly or indirectly for such recordkeeping and processing-related services. The services provided and related payments vary from firm to firm. Under these programs, the Distributor may enter into administrative services agreements with intermediaries pursuant to which intermediaries will provide sub-transfer agency services, sub-administrative services and other services with respect to the Fund. These services may include, but are not limited to, shareholder record set-up and maintenance, account statement preparation and mailing, transaction processing and settlement and account level tax reporting. The Distributor is reimbursed by the Fund for all or a portion of any fees paid to intermediaries by the Distributor on behalf of the Fund.
The Distributor, the Adviser and their affiliates may, out of their own resources, make additional payments to financial intermediaries who sell shares of the Fund. Such payments and compensation are in addition to any fees paid or reimbursed by the Fund. These payments may include: (i) full reallowance of the sales charge of Class A shares, (ii) additional compensation with respect to the sale and/or servicing of Class A, C and Y shares, (iii) payments based upon various factors, as described below, and (iv) financial assistance programs to firms who sell or arrange for the sale of Fund shares including, but not limited to, marketing and sales fees, expenses related to advertising or promotional activity and events, and shareholder record keeping, sub-transfer agency or miscellaneous administrative services. From its own profits and resources, the Distributor may, from time to time, make payments to qualified wholesalers, registered financial institutions and third-party marketers for marketing support services and/or retention of assets. Among others, the Distributor has agreed to make such payments for marketing support services to AXA Advisors, LLC. In addition to marketing and/or financial support payments described above, payment for travel, lodging and related expenses may be provided for attendance at Fund seminars and conferences, e.g., due diligence meetings held for training and educational purposes. The Distributor intends that the payment of these concessions and any other compensation offered will conform with state and federal laws and the rules of any self-regulatory organization, such as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). The participation of such firms in financial assistance programs is at the discretion of the firm and the Distributor. The payments described in (iii) above may be based on sales (generally ranging from 0.05% to 0.25% of gross sales) and/or the amount of assets a financial intermediarys clients have invested in the Fund (at annual rates generally ranging from 0.05% to 0.35% of the value of the clients shares). The actual payment rates to a financial intermediary will depend upon how the particular arrangement is structured (e.g., solely asset-based fees, solely sales-based fees or a combination of both) and other factors such as the length of time assets have remained invested in the Fund, redemption rates and the willingness of the financial intermediary to provide access to its representatives for educational and marketing purposes. The payments to financial intermediaries described in this section and elsewhere in this Statement, which may be significant to the financial intermediaries, may create an incentive for a financial intermediary or its representatives to recommend or sell shares of the Fund or particular share class over other mutual funds or share classes. Additionally, these payments may result in the Funds inclusion on a sales list, including a preferred or select sales list, or in other sales programs. Investors should contact their financial representative for details about the payment the financial intermediaries may receive.
From time to time, the Funds service providers, or any of their affiliates, may also pay non-cash compensation to the sales representatives of financial intermediaries in the form of (i) occasional gifts; (ii) occasional meals, tickets or other entertainment; and/or (iii) sponsorship support of regional events of intermediaries.
Dealers may charge their customers a processing fee or service fee in connection with the purchase or redemption of fund shares. The amount and applicability of such a fee is determined and disclosed by each individual dealer to its customers. Processing or service fees typically are fixed, nominal dollar amounts and are in addition to the sales and other charges described in the Funds Prospectus and this Statement. Customers will be provided with specific information about any processing or service fees charged by their dealer.
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The Fund is newly formed and thus has not allocated any commissions and sales charges as of the date of this Statement.
OTHER ARRANGEMENTS
Administrative Services NGAM Advisors, 399 Boylston Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02116, performs certain accounting and administrative services for the Fund, pursuant to an Administrative Services Agreement dated January 1, 2005, as amended from time to time (the Administrative Agreement). Under the Administrative Agreement, NGAM Advisors provides the following services to the Fund: (i) personnel that perform bookkeeping, accounting, internal auditing and financial reporting functions and clerical functions relating to the Fund, (ii) services required in connection with the preparation of registration statements and prospectuses, registration of shares in various states, shareholder reports and notices, proxy solicitation material furnished to shareholders of the Fund or regulatory authorities and reports and questionnaires for SEC compliance, (iii) the various registrations and filings required by various regulatory authorities, and (iv) consultation and legal advice on Fund-related matters. NGAM Advisors also provides certain administrative services to the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund.
Custodial Arrangements State Street Bank and Trust Company (State Street Bank), One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, serves as the custodian for the Trust. As such, State Street Bank holds in safekeeping certificated securities and cash belonging to the Fund and, in such capacity, is the registered owner of securities in book-entry form belonging to the Fund. Upon instruction, State Street Bank receives and delivers cash and securities of the Fund in connection with Fund transactions and collects all dividends and other distributions made with respect to Fund portfolio securities. State Street Bank also maintains certain accounts and records of the Trust and calculates the total NAV, total net income and NAV per share of the Fund on a daily basis. The wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund also custodies its assets with State Street Bank. State Street Cayman Trust Company, Ltd. provides transfer agent and certain sub-administrative services to the wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund.
Agent for Service of Process for Wholly-Owned Subsidiary ASG Global Macro Cayman Fund Ltd. (a wholly-owned subsidiary of ASG Global Macro Fund) has appointed CT Corporation System, located at 155 Federal Street, Suite 700, Boston, MA 02110, as agent in the United States for service of process in any suit, action or proceeding before the SEC or any appropriate court.
Transfer Agency Services Pursuant to a contract between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and Boston Financial Data Services, Inc. (Boston Financial or the Transfer Agent), whose principal business address is 2000 Crown Colony Drive, Quincy, Massachusetts 02169, Boston Financial acts as shareholder servicing and transfer agent for the Fund and is responsible for services in connection with the establishment, maintenance and recording of shareholder accounts, including all related tax and other reporting requirements and the implementation of investment and redemption arrangements offered in connection with the sale of the Funds shares.
From time to time, the Fund, directly or indirectly through arrangements with the Adviser or Transfer Agent, may pay amounts to third parties that provide recordkeeping and other administrative services relating to the Fund to persons who beneficially own interests in the Fund, such as shareholders whose shares are held of record in omnibus, other group accounts (for example, 401(k) plans) or accounts traded through registered securities clearing agents. See the section Distribution Agreements and Rule 12b-1 Plans.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm The Trusts independent registered public accounting firm is PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, located at 125 High Street, Boston, MA 02110. The independent registered public accounting firm assists in the review of federal and state income tax returns, consults with the Trust as to matters of accounting and federal and state income taxation and will conduct an annual audit of the Funds financial statements.
Counsel to the Funds Ropes & Gray LLP, located at Prudential Tower, 800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02199, serves as counsel to the Fund.
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PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS MANAGEMENT OF OTHER ACCOUNTS
As of September 30, 2014, the portfolio managers of the Fund managed other accounts in addition to managing the Fund. The following table provides information on the other accounts managed by each portfolio manager.
Registered Investment Companies |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | Other Accounts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other Accounts Managed |
Advisory Fee is Based on Performance |
Other Accounts Managed |
Advisory Fee is Based on Performance |
Other Accounts Managed |
Advisory Fee is Based on Performance | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name of Portfolio Manager (Firm) |
# of Accts |
Total Assets |
# of Accts |
Total Assets |
# of Accts |
Total Assets |
# of Accts |
Total Assets |
# of Accts |
Total Assets |
# of Accts |
Total Assets | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alexander D. Healy (AlphaSimplex) |
5 | $4.4 billion |
0 | $ | 0 | 0 | $0 | 0 | $ | 0 | 5 | $85.5 million |
1 | $11.6 million | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Peter A. Lee (AlphaSimplex) |
4 | $4.4 billion |
0 | $ | 0 | 0 | $0 | 0 | $ | 0 | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Andrew W. Lo (AlphaSimplex) |
5 | $4.4 billion |
0 | $ | 0 | 1 | $13.8 million |
0 | $ | 0 | 5 | $85.5 million |
1 | $11.6 million | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Philippe P. Lüdi (AlphaSimplex) |
4 | $4.4 billion |
0 | $ | 0 | 1 | $13.8 million |
0 | $ | 0 | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Robert S. Rickard (Reich & Tang) |
5 | $11.4 billion |
0 | $ | 0 | 1 | $2.1 billion |
0 | $ | 0 | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Robert W. Sinnott (AlphaSimplex) |
4 | $4.4 billion |
0 | $ | 0 | 1 | $13.8 million |
0 | $ | 0 | 0 | $0 | 0 | $0 |
Material Conflicts of Interest
Conflicts of interest may arise in the allocation of investment opportunities and the allocation of aggregated orders among the Fund and other accounts managed by a portfolio manager. A portfolio manager potentially could give favorable treatment to some accounts for a variety of reasons, including favoring larger accounts, accounts that pay higher fees, accounts that pay performance-based fees, accounts of affiliated companies and accounts in which the portfolio manager has an interest. Such favorable treatment could lead to more favorable investment opportunities or allocations for some accounts. The Adviser and Subadviser have adopted policies and procedures to mitigate the effects of these conflicts. For more information on how the Adviser and Subadviser allocate investment opportunities between the Fund and their other clients, see the section Allocation of Investment Opportunity Among the Fund and Other Investors Managed by the Adviser and Subadviser in this Statement. Conflicts of interest also may arise to the extent a portfolio manager short sells a stock in one client account but holds that stock long in other accounts, including the Fund, or sells a stock for some accounts while buying the stock for others, and through the use of soft dollar arrangements, which are discussed in the section Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage.
Portfolio Managers Compensation
The following describes the structure of, and the method used to determine, the compensation of each of the above-listed portfolio managers as of October 31, 2014:
AlphaSimplex. All AlphaSimplex investment professionals, including portfolio managers, may receive compensation in three ways: salary, year-end bonuses, and supplemental bonuses. The bonus amounts are decided by the AlphaSimplex Compensation Committee. As a retention tool, AlphaSimplex has implemented a three-year deferral of a significant portion of bonus amounts for senior professionals.
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Reich & Tang. Mr. Rickards compensation includes a fixed, annual base salary and an incentive bonus. Base salary amounts are determined by the compensation committee of the Subadviser (the Compensation Committee) based upon a number of factors, including the portfolio managers experience, overall performance, responsibilities and the competitive market place. Mr. Rickard receives a cash-based annual incentive bonus that is determined solely at the discretion of the Subadviser and approved by the Compensation Committee.
Portfolio Managers Ownership of Fund Shares
The Fund is newly formed and, as of the date of this Statement, none of the portfolio managers owned any shares of the Fund.
There are various reasons why a portfolio manager may not own shares of the Fund in the future. One reason is that the Funds respective investment objective and strategies may not match those of the portfolio managers personal investment objective. Also, the portfolio manager may invest in other funds or pooled investment vehicles or separate accounts managed by the portfolio manager in a similar style to the Fund. Administrative reasons (such as facilitating compliance with an advisers or subadvisers code of ethics) also may explain why a portfolio manager has chosen not to invest in the Natixis Funds.
Allocation of Investment Opportunity among the Fund and Other Investors Managed by the Adviser and/or Subadviser; Cross Relationships of Officers and Trustees
AlphaSimplex. AlphaSimplex manages other accounts using investment strategies that may or may not be similar to that of the Fund. A conflict of interest may exist in connection with AlphaSimplexs management of the Fund, on the one hand, and AlphaSimplexs management of other accounts, on the other hand. AlphaSimplex makes investment decisions for each account based on the clients investment objectives, policies, practices, cash flows, and other relevant investment considerations. Consequently, AlphaSimplex may purchase or sell securities or other instruments for one account and not for another account, and the performance of securities or other instruments purchased for one account may vary from the performance of securities or other instruments purchased for other accounts. Another conflict of interest may arise because accounts other than the Fund may have fee structures, such as performance-based fees, that differ from those of the Fund. In addition, a potential conflict of interest may arise as a result of the Portfolio Managers day-to-day management of the Fund. Because of their roles in managing the Fund, AlphaSimplexs Portfolio Managers know the size, timing and possible market impact of Fund trades and this information could in theory be used to the detriment of the Fund. AlphaSimplex has adopted policies and procedures reasonably designed to allocate investment opportunities on a fair and equitable basis over time and to address conflicts of interest relating to the management of multiple accounts. Finally, AlphaSimplex has adopted trade allocation procedures that require equitable allocation of trade orders for a particular security among participating accounts. The implementation of these procedures is monitored by AlphaSimplexs Chief Compliance Officer.
Reich & Tang. Certain officers and employees of Reich & Tang have responsibility for portfolio management of other advisory accounts and clients of Reich & Tang (including other registered investment companies and accounts of affiliates of Reich & Tang) that may invest in securities in which the Fund also invests. If Reich & Tang determines that an investment purchase or sale opportunity is appropriate and desirable for more than one advisory account, purchase and sale orders may be executed separately or may be combined and, to the extent practicable, allocated by Reich & Tang to the participating accounts. Where advisory accounts have competing interests in a limited investment opportunity, Reich & Tang will allocate investment opportunities based on a number of considerations, including cash availability and/or liquidity requirements, including time the competing accounts have had funds available for investment or have had securities available for sale, investment objectives and restrictions, an accounts participation in other opportunities, tax considerations and the relative size of portfolio holdings of the same or comparable securities. It is Reich & Tangs policy to allocate over a period of time, to the extent practicable, investment opportunities to each client on a fair and equitable basis relative to its other clients. The trustees are of the view that the benefits of retaining Reich & Tang as subadviser to the Fund outweigh the disadvantages, if any, that may result from participating in such transactions.
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PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
In placing orders for the purchase and sale of equity securities, the Adviser or Subadviser selects only brokers that it believes are financially responsible, will provide efficient and effective services in executing, clearing and settling an order and will charge commission rates that, when combined with the quality of the foregoing services, will produce the best price and execution for the transaction. This does not necessarily mean that the lowest available brokerage commission, if any, will be paid. However, the commissions charged are believed to be competitive with generally prevailing rates. The Adviser or Subadviser will use its best efforts to obtain information as to the general level of commission rates being charged by the brokerage community from time to time and will evaluate the overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions, if any, paid on transactions by reference to such data. In making such evaluation, factors affecting liquidity and execution of the order, as well as the amount of the capital commitment by the broker in connection with the order, are taken into account. The Adviser or Subadviser may place orders for the Fund which, combined with orders for the Advisers/Subadvisers other clients, may impact the price of the relevant security. This could cause the Fund to obtain a worse price on the transaction than would otherwise be the case if the orders were placed in smaller amounts or spread out over a longer period of time.
Subject to the overriding objective of obtaining the best possible execution of orders, the Adviser or Subadviser may allocate brokerage transactions to affiliated brokers. Any such transactions will comply with Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act. In order for the affiliated broker to effect portfolio transactions for the Fund, the commissions, fees or other remuneration received by the affiliated broker must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions, fees and other remuneration paid to other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities being purchased or sold on a securities exchange during a comparable period. Furthermore, the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, has adopted procedures that are reasonably designed to provide that any commissions, fees or other remuneration paid to an affiliated broker are consistent with the foregoing standard.
Transactions on stock, option, and futures exchanges involve the payment of negotiated brokerage commissions. In the case of securities traded in the OTC market, there is generally no stated commission but the price usually includes an undisclosed commission or mark-up.
AlphaSimplex
In arranging for the purchase and sale of clients portfolio securities, AlphaSimplex takes numerous factors into consideration. These include any legal restrictions, such as those imposed under the securities laws and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, and any client-imposed restrictions. Within these constraints, AlphaSimplex will employ or deal with members of the securities exchanges and other brokers and dealers as may in its judgment implement the policy of seeking best execution (i.e., prompt and reliable execution at the most favorable prices obtainable under the prevailing market conditions) of portfolio transactions. It is not AlphaSimplexs current practice to enter into soft dollar arrangements but AlphaSimplex does consider all services when executing transactions with a broker. As such, AlphaSimplex may utilize research and other products that provide lawful and appropriate assistance to AlphaSimplex in carrying out its investment-making responsibilities, as permitted under the safe harbor of Section 28(e) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. As long as it is lawful and appropriate to do so, AlphaSimplex may use this research and data in its investment advisory capacities with other clients. Clients may obtain other services from brokers in connection with investment transactions with brokers. Such services will be limited to services that would otherwise be a client expense.
In determining the abilities of a broker or dealer to obtain best execution of portfolio transactions, while the lowest price may be one factor, AlphaSimplex will consider all relevant factors, including the execution capabilities required by the transactions; the ability and willingness of the broker or dealer to facilitate the accounts portfolio transactions by participating therein for its own account; the importance to the account of speed, efficiency, and confidentiality; the brokers or dealers apparent familiarity with sources from or to whom particular securities might be purchased or sold; the reputation and perceived soundness of the broker or dealer; and other matters relevant to the selection of a broker or dealer for portfolio transactions for any account. AlphaSimplex will not adhere to any rigid formula in making the selection of the applicable broker or dealer for portfolio transactions, but will weigh a combination of the preceding factors.
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AlphaSimplex has no duty or obligation to seek in advance competitive bidding for the most favorable commission rate applicable to any particular portfolio transaction or to select any broker on the basis of its purported or posted commission rate, but will endeavor to be aware of the current level of the charges of eligible brokers and to minimize the expense incurred for effecting portfolio transactions to the extent consistent with the interests and policies of the accounts. Although AlphaSimplex generally seeks competitive commission rates, it will not necessarily pay the lowest commission or commission equivalent. Transactions may involve specialized services on the part of the broker or dealer involved and thereby entail higher commissions or their equivalents than would be the case with other transactions requiring more routine services.
Certain customers of AlphaSimplex may also be customers of broker-dealers through which AlphaSimplex may utilize executing and/or clearing brokerage services. Although AlphaSimplex may execute or clear through these broker-dealers, AlphaSimplex is under no obligation to do so.
Portfolio transactions for each client account are generally completed independently, except when AlphaSimplex is in the position of buying or selling the same security for a number of its clients under the same conditions (e.g., limit prices) at approximately the same time. Because of market fluctuations, the prices obtained on such transactions within a single day may vary substantially. In such a case, some clients would receive the benefit of the more-favorable prices while others would not. In order to more equitably allocate the effects of such market fluctuations, AlphaSimplex has adopted the following aggregation procedures. For purposes of aggregating client orders for futures contracts and forward contracts for all clients, each client that participates in an aggregated order will participate in that order based on the price received and the inception date of the clients account. The account with the oldest inception date will always receive the highest fill prices and the account with the most recent inception date will receive the lowest fill prices. Any advantages the oldest accounts may receive on the sell orders are theoretically offset by the disadvantages on the buy orders. For purposes of aggregating client orders for all other securities for all clients, each client that participates in an aggregated order will participate at the average price for all AlphaSimplexs transactions in that security on a given business day and transaction costs will be shared pro rata based on each clients participation in the transaction. If the aggregated order is partially filled, it will be allocated among clients pro rata.
Reich & Tang
With respect to the portion of the Funds assets managed by Reich & Tang, the purchases and sales of portfolio securities are usually principal transactions. Portfolio securities are generally purchased directly from the issuer, from banks and financial institutions or from an underwriter or market maker for the securities. There are usually no brokerage commissions paid for such purchases and the Fund does not currently anticipate paying brokerage commissions. Should the Fund pay a brokerage commission on a particular transaction, the Fund would seek to effect the transaction at the most favorable available combination of best execution and lowest commission. Purchases from underwriters of portfolio securities include a commission or concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter, and purchases from dealers serving as market makers include the spread between the bid and ask price.
No portfolio transactions are executed with Reich & Tang or its affiliates acting as principal. In addition, the Fund will not buy bankers acceptances, certificates of deposit or commercial paper from Reich & Tang or its affiliates. Reich & Tang does not earn soft dollars when trading in fixed-income securities. When trading equity securities, Reich & Tang may earn soft dollars through its regular trading. Reich & Tangs receipt of brokerage and research products may be a factor in its selection of a broker or dealer to execute transactions for the Fund where Reich & Tang believes that the broker or dealer will provide the best execution of the transactions. Such brokerage and research services may be paid for with Reich & Tangs own assets or may, in connection with transactions in securities effected for client accounts for which Reich & Tang exercises investment discretion, be paid for with client commissions.
The frequency of transactions and their allocation to various dealers is determined by Reich & Tang in its best judgment and in a manner deemed to be in the best interest of shareholders of the Fund. The primary consideration is prompt execution of orders in an effective manner at the most favorable price.
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Investment decisions for the Fund will be made independently from those for any other accounts or investment companies that may be or become managed by Reich & Tang or its affiliates. If, however, the Fund and other investment companies or accounts managed by Reich & Tang are contemporaneously engaged in the purchase or sale of the same security, the transactions may be averaged as to price and allocated equitably to each account. In some cases, this policy might adversely affect the price paid or received by the Fund or the size of the position obtainable for the Fund. In addition, when purchases or sales of the same security for the Fund and for other investment companies managed by Reich & Tang occur contemporaneously, the purchase or sale orders may be aggregated in order to obtain any price advantages available to large denomination purchasers or sellers.
General
Subject to procedures adopted by the Board, the Funds brokerage transactions may be executed by brokers that are affiliated with Natixis US or the Adviser or Subadviser. Any such transactions will comply with Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act, or other applicable restrictions as permitted by the SEC pursuant to exemptive relief or otherwise.
Under the 1940 Act, persons affiliated with the Trust are prohibited from dealing with the Trusts funds as a principal in the purchase and sale of securities. Since transactions in the OTC market usually involve transactions with dealers acting as principals for their own accounts, affiliated persons of the Trust may not serve as the Funds dealer in connection with such transactions.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, and in all instances subject to the foregoing policy of best execution, the Adviser or Subadviser may allocate brokerage transactions to broker-dealers (including affiliates of the Distributor) that have entered into arrangements in which the broker-dealer allocates a portion of the commissions paid by the Fund toward the reduction of the Funds expenses.
It is expected that the portfolio transactions in fixed-income securities will generally be with issuers or dealers on a net basis without a stated commission. Securities firms may receive brokerage commissions on transactions involving options, futures and options on futures and the purchase and sale of underlying securities upon exercise of options. The brokerage commissions associated with buying and selling options may be proportionately higher than those associated with general securities transactions.
The Declaration of Trust of Natixis Funds Trust II permits the trustees to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional shares of each series. Each share of the Fund represents an equal proportionate interest in the Fund with each other share of the Fund and is entitled to a proportionate interest in the dividends and distributions from the Fund. The Declarations of Trust further permit the Board to divide the shares of each series into any number of separate classes, each having such rights and preferences relative to other classes of the same series as the Board may determine. When you invest in the Fund, you acquire freely transferable shares of beneficial interest that entitle you to receive dividends as determined by the Board and to cast a vote for each share you own at shareholder meetings. The shares of the Fund do not have any preemptive rights. Upon termination of the Fund, whether pursuant to liquidation of a Trust or otherwise, shareholders of each class of the Fund are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets attributable to that class of shares of the Fund available for distribution to shareholders. The Declaration of Trust also permits the Board to charge shareholders directly for custodial, transfer agency and servicing expenses.
The shares of the Fund are divided into three classes: Class A, Class C and Class Y. As described in its Prospectus, Class Y shares are available for purchase only by certain eligible investors and have higher minimum purchase requirements than Class A and Class C shares. All expenses of the Fund (including advisory fees) are borne by its Class A, Class C and Class Y shares on a pro rata basis, except for 12b-1 fees, which are borne only by Class A and Class C and may be charged at a separate rate to each such class. Transfer agency fees for Class A, Class C and Class Y shares of the Fund are borne on a pro rata basis. The multiple class structure could be terminated should certain IRS rulings or SEC regulatory positions be rescinded or modified.
The assets received by each class of the Fund for the issue or sale of its shares and all income, earnings, profits, losses and proceeds therefrom, subject only to the rights of the creditors, are allocated to, and constitute the underlying assets of, that class of the Fund. The underlying assets of each class of the Fund are segregated and are charged with the expenses with respect to that class of the Fund and with a share of the general expenses of the Fund
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and Trust. Any general expenses of the Trust that are not readily identifiable as belonging to a particular class of the Fund are allocated by or under the direction of the Trustees in such manner as the Trustees determine to be fair and equitable. While the expenses of the Trust are allocated to the separate books of account of each series of the Trust, certain expenses may be legally chargeable against the assets of all of the series in the Trust.
The Declaration of Trust also permits the Board, without shareholder approval, to subdivide the Fund or series or class of shares into various sub-series or sub-classes with such dividend preferences and other rights as the Trustees may designate. The Board may also, without shareholder approval, establish one or more additional series or classes or, with shareholder approval, merge two or more existing series or classes. Shareholders investments in such an additional or merged series would be evidenced by a separate series of shares (i.e., a new fund).
The Declaration of Trust provides for the perpetual existence of the Trust. The Trust or the Fund, however, may be terminated at any time by vote of at least two-thirds of each series of the Trust entitled to vote. In addition, the Fund may be terminated at any time by vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of the Fund. Similarly, any class within the Fund may be terminated by vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of such class. The Declaration of Trust further provides that the Board may also, without shareholder approval, terminate the Trust or Fund upon written notice to its shareholders.
Shareholders of the Fund are entitled to one vote for each full share held (with fractional votes for each fractional share held) and may vote (to the extent provided therein) on the election of Trustees and the termination of the Trust and on other matters submitted to the vote of shareholders.
Shareholders of Natixis Funds Trust II have identical voting rights to each other. All classes of shares of the Fund have identical voting rights, except that each class of shares has exclusive voting rights on any matter submitted to shareholders that relates solely to that class, and 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. On any matters submitted to a vote of shareholders, all shares of the Trust then entitled to vote shall, except as otherwise provided in the Trusts by-laws, be voted in the aggregate as a single class without regard to series or class of shares, except (1) when required by the 1940 Act, or when the Trustees shall have determined that the matter affects one or more series or class of shares materially differently, shares shall be voted by individual series or class and (2) when the matter affects only the interest of one or more series or classes, only shareholders of such series or class shall be entitled to vote thereon. Consistent with the current position of the SEC, shareholders of all series and classes vote together, irrespective of series or class, on the election of Trustees and the selection of the Trusts independent registered public accounting firm, but shareholders of each series vote separately on most other matters requiring shareholder approval, such as certain changes in investment policies of that series or the approval of the investment advisory agreement relating to that series, and shareholders of each class within a series vote separately as to the Rule 12b-1 plan (if any) relating to that class.
There will normally be no meetings of shareholders for the purpose of electing trustees except that, in accordance with the 1940 Act, (i) the Trust will hold a shareholders meeting for the election of trustees at such time as less than a majority of the Trustees holding office have been elected by shareholders, and (ii) if there is a vacancy on a Board, such vacancy may be filled only by a vote of the shareholders unless, after filling such vacancy by other means, at least two-thirds of the Trustees holding office shall have been elected by the shareholders. In addition, Trustees may be removed from office by a written consent signed by the holders of two-thirds of the outstanding shares and filed with the Trusts custodian or by a vote of the holders of two-thirds of the outstanding shares at a meeting duly called for that purpose.
Upon written request by a minimum of ten holders of shares having held their shares for a minimum of six months and having an NAV of at least $25,000 or constituting at least 1% of the outstanding shares, whichever is less, stating that such shareholders wish to communicate with the other shareholders for the purpose of obtaining the signatures necessary to demand a meeting to consider removal of a trustee, the Trust has undertaken to provide a list of shareholders or to disseminate appropriate materials (at the expense of the requesting shareholders).
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Except as set forth above, the Trustees shall continue to hold office and may appoint successor trustees. Shareholder voting rights are not cumulative.
The affirmative vote of a majority of shares of the Trust voted (assuming a quorum is present in person or by proxy) is required to amend a Declaration of Trust if such amendment (1) affects the power of shareholders to vote, (2) amends the section of the Declaration of Trust governing amendments, (3) is one for which a vote is required by law or by the Trusts registration statement, or (4) is submitted to the shareholders by the Trustees. If one or more new series of the Trust is established and designated by the Trustees, the shareholders having beneficial interests in the funds shall not be entitled to vote on matters exclusively affecting such new series, such matters including, without limitation, the adoption of or any change in the investment objectives, policies or restrictions of the new series and the approval of the investment advisory contracts of the new series. Similarly, the shareholders of the new series shall not be entitled to vote on any such matters as they affect the other funds.
SHAREHOLDER AND TRUSTEE LIABILITY
Under Massachusetts law, shareholders could, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable for the obligations of the Trust. However, the Declaration of Trust disclaims shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Trust and requires that notice of such disclaimer be given in each agreement, obligation or instrument entered into or executed by the Trust or the Trustees. The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification out of the Funds property for all loss and expense of any shareholder held personally liable for the obligations of the Fund by reason of owning shares of such Fund. Thus, the risk of a shareholder incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is considered remote since it is limited to circumstances in which the disclaimer is inoperative and the Fund itself would be unable to meet its obligations.
The Declaration of Trust further provides that the Board will not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law. However, nothing in the Declaration of Trust protects a trustee against any liability to which the trustee would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office. The by-laws of the Trust provide for indemnification by the Trust of Trustees and officers of the Trust, except with respect to any matter as to which any such person did not act in good faith in the reasonable belief that his or her action was in the best interests of the Trust. Such persons may not be indemnified against any liability to the Trust or the Trusts shareholders to whom he or she would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office. The Trust offers only its own funds shares for sale, but it is possible that the Trust might become liable for any misstatements in a prospectus that relate to another Trust.
The procedures for purchasing shares of the Fund are summarized in the Prospectus. All purchases made by check should be in U.S. dollars and made payable to Natixis Funds or the Funds custodian bank.
Shares may also be purchased either in writing, by phone, by wire, by electronic funds transfer using Automated Clearing House (ACH) or by exchange, as described in the Prospectus, or through firms that are members of FINRA and that have selling agreements with the Distributor. For purchase of Fund shares by mail, the trade date is the day of receipt of the check in good order by the transfer agent so long as it is received by the close of regular trading of the New York Stock Exchange (the NYSE) on a day when the NYSE is open. For purchases through the ACH system, the shareholders bank or credit union must be a member of the ACH system and the shareholder must have approved banking information on file. With respect to shares purchased by wire or through the ACH system, shareholders should bear in mind that the transactions may take two or more days to complete. Banks may charge a fee for transmitting funds by wire.
Shareholders may use Natixis Funds Personal Access Line® (800-225-5478, press 1) or Natixis Funds website (ngam.natixis.com) to purchase Fund shares. For more information, see the section Shareholder Services in this Statement.
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At the discretion of the Distributor, bank trust departments or trust companies may also be eligible for investment in Class Y shares at a reduced minimum, subject to certain conditions including a requirement to meet the minimum investment balance within a specified time period. Please contact the Distributor at 800-225-5478 for more information. At the discretion of the Distributor, clients of NGAM Advisors may purchase, at NAV, Class A shares of Natixis Funds that do not offer Class Y shares.
Shareholders of the Fund in Class Y may be permitted to open an account without an initial investment and then wire funds into the account once established. These shareholders will still be subject to the investment minimums as detailed in the Prospectus of the Fund.
The procedures for redemption of shares of the Fund are summarized in its Prospectus. As described in the Prospectus, a CDSC may be imposed on certain redemptions of Class A and Class C shares. For purposes of the CDSC, an exchange of shares from one Fund to another Fund is not considered a redemption or a purchase. For federal income tax purposes, however, such an exchange is considered a sale and a purchase and, therefore, would be considered a taxable event on which you may recognize a gain or loss. In determining whether a CDSC is applicable to a redemption of Class A or Class C shares, the calculation will be determined in the manner that results in the lowest rate being charged. The charge will not be applied to dollar amounts representing an increase in the NAV of shares since the time of purchase or reinvested distributions associated with such shares. Unless you request otherwise at the time of redemption, the CDSC is deducted from the redemption, not the amount remaining in the account.
The Fund will only accept medallion signature guarantees bearing the STAMP2000 Medallion imprint. However, a medallion signature guarantee may not be required if the proceeds of the redemption do not exceed $100,000 and the proceeds check is made payable to the registered owner(s) and mailed to the record address, or if the proceeds are going to a bank on file. Please contact the Fund at 800-225-5478 with any questions regarding when a medallion signature guarantee is required.
If you select the telephone redemption service in the manner described in the next paragraph, shares of the Fund may be redeemed by calling toll-free 800-225-5478. A wire fee may be deducted from the proceeds if you elect to receive the funds wired to your bank on record. Telephone redemption requests must be received by the close of regular trading on the NYSE. Requests made after that time or on a day when the NYSE is closed will receive the next business days closing price. The proceeds of a telephone withdrawal will normally be sent within three business days following receipt of a proper redemption request, although it may take longer.
A shareholder automatically receives access to the ability to redeem shares by telephone following the completion of the Fund application, which is available at ngam.natixis.com or from your investment dealer. When selecting the service, a shareholder may have the withdrawal proceeds sent to his or her bank, in which case the shareholder must designate a bank account on his or her application or Service Options Form to which the redemption proceeds should be sent as well as provide a check marked VOID and/or a deposit slip that includes the routing number of his or her bank. Any change in the bank account so designated may be made by furnishing to Boston Financial or your investment dealer a completed Service Options Form, which may require a medallion signature guarantee or a Signature Validation Program Stamp. Telephone redemptions by ACH or wire may only be made if the designated bank is a member of the Federal Reserve System or has a correspondent bank that is a member of the System. If the account is with a savings bank, it must have only one correspondent bank that is a member of the System. The Fund, the Distributor, Boston Financial (the Funds transfer agent) and State Street Bank (the Funds custodian) are not responsible for the authenticity of withdrawal instructions received by telephone, although they will apply established verification procedures. Boston Financial, as agreed to with the Fund, will employ reasonable procedures to confirm that your telephone instructions are genuine, and if it does not, it may be liable for any losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent instructions. Such verification procedures include, but are not limited to, requiring a form of personal identification prior to acting on an investors telephone instructions and recording an investors instructions.
Shares purchased by check or through ACH may not be available immediately for redemption to the extent the check or ACH transaction has not cleared. The Fund may withhold redemption proceeds for ten days when redemptions are made within ten calendar days of purchase by check or through ACH.
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The redemption price will be the NAV per share (less any applicable CDSC) next determined after the redemption request and any necessary special documentation is received by the transfer agent or your investment dealer in proper form. Payment normally will be made by the Fund within seven days thereafter. However, in the event of a request to redeem shares for which the Fund has not yet received good payment, the Fund reserves the right to withhold payments of redemption proceeds if the purchase of shares was made by a check which was deposited within ten calendar days prior to the redemption request (unless the Fund is aware that the check has cleared).
The CDSC may be waived on redemptions made from IRA accounts due to attainment of age 59 1/2 for IRA shareholders who established accounts prior to January 3, 1995. The CDSC may also be waived on redemptions made from IRA accounts due to death, disability, return of excess contribution, required minimum distributions at age 70 1/2 (waivers apply only to amounts necessary to meet the required minimum amount based on assets held within the Fund), certain withdrawals pursuant to a systematic withdrawal plan, not to exceed 10% annually of the value of the account, and redemptions made from the account to pay custodial fees. The CDSC may also be waived on redemptions within one year following the death of (i) the sole shareholder of an individual account, (ii) a joint tenant where the surviving joint tenant is the deceaseds spouse or (iii) the beneficiary of a Uniform Gifts to Minors Act, Uniform Transfer to Minors Act or other custodial account. If the account is transferred to an account registered in the name of the deceaseds estate, the CDSC will be waived on any redemption occurring within one year of death. If shares are not redeemed within one year of the death, they will remain subject to the applicable CDSC when redeemed from the transferees account. If the account is transferred to a new registration and then a redemption is requested, the applicable CDSC will be charged.
The CDSC may be waived on redemptions made from 403(b)(7) custodial accounts due to attainment of age 59 1/2 for shareholders who established custodial accounts prior to January 3, 1995. The CDSC may also be waived on redemptions made from 403(b)(7) custodial accounts due to death or disability.
The CDSC may also be waived on redemptions necessary to pay plan participants or beneficiaries from qualified retirement plans under Section 401 of the Code, including profit sharing plans, money purchase plans, 401(k) and custodial accounts under Section 403(b)(7) of the Code. Distributions necessary to pay plan participants and beneficiaries include payment made due to death, disability, separation from service, normal or early retirement as defined in the plan document, loans from the plan and hardship withdrawals, return of excess contributions, required minimum distributions at age 70 1/2 (waivers only apply to amounts necessary to meet the required minimum amount), certain withdrawals pursuant to a systematic withdrawal plan, not to exceed 10% annually of the value of your account, and redemptions made from qualified retirement accounts or Section 403(b)(7) custodial accounts necessary to pay custodial fees.
A CDSC will apply in the event of plan level transfers, including transfers due to changes in investment where assets are transferred outside of Natixis Funds, including IRA and 403(b)(7) participant-directed transfers of assets to other custodians (except for the reasons given above) or qualified transfers of assets due to trustee-directed movement of plan assets due to merger, acquisition or addition of additional funds to the plan.
In order to redeem shares electronically through the ACH system, a shareholders bank or credit union must be a member of the ACH system and the shareholder must have a completed, approved ACH application on file. In addition, the telephone or online request must be received no later than the close of the NYSE. Upon receipt of the required information, the appropriate number of shares will be redeemed and the monies forwarded to the bank designated on the shareholders application through the ACH system. The redemption will be processed the day the telephone call or online request is made and the monies generally will arrive at the shareholders bank within three business days. The availability of these monies will depend on the individual banks rules.
The Fund will normally redeem shares for cash; however, the Fund reserves the right to pay the redemption price wholly or partly in kind, if NGAM Advisors determines it to be advisable and in the interest of the remaining shareholders of the Fund. If portfolio securities are distributed in lieu of cash, the shareholder will normally incur brokerage commissions upon subsequent disposition of any such securities. However, the Fund has elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act, pursuant to which the Fund is obligated to redeem shares solely in cash for any shareholder during any 90-day period up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the total NAV of the Fund at the beginning of such period.
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The Fund does not currently impose any redemption charge other than the CDSC imposed by the Funds Distributor, as described in the Prospectus. The Board reserves the right to impose additional charges at any time. A redemption constitutes a sale of shares for U.S. federal income tax purposes on which the investor may realize a long- or short-term capital gain or loss. See also the section Taxes.
The Fund reserves the right to suspend account services or refuse transaction requests if the Fund receives notice of a dispute between registered owners or of the death of a registered owner or the Fund suspects a fraudulent act. If the Fund refuses a transaction request because it receives notice of a dispute, the transaction will be processed at the NAV next determined after the Fund receives notice that the dispute has been settled or a court order has been entered adjudicating the dispute.
Reinstatement Privilege (Class A Shares Only)
The Prospectus describes redeeming shareholders reinstatement privileges for Class A shares. In order to exercise the reinstatement privilege, you must provide a new investment check made payable to Natixis Funds and written notice to Natixis Funds (directly or through your financial representative) within 120 days of your redemption. The reinstatement or exchange will be made at NAV next determined after receipt of the notice and the new investment check in good order and will be limited to the amount of the redemption proceeds.
Even though an account is reinstated, the redemption will constitute a sale for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Investors who reinstate their accounts by purchasing shares of the Fund should consult with their tax advisers with respect to the effect of the wash sale rule if a loss is realized at the time of the redemption.
Open Accounts
A shareholders investment is automatically credited to an open account maintained for the shareholder by Boston Financial. Following each additional investment or redemption from the account initiated by an investor (with the exception of systematic investment plans), a shareholder will receive a confirmation statement disclosing the current balance of shares owned and the details of recent transactions in the account. After the close of each calendar year, the Fund will send each shareholder a statement providing account information which may include federal tax information on dividends and distributions paid to the shareholder during the year. This statement should be retained as a permanent record.
The open account system provides for full and fractional shares expressed to three decimal places and, by making the issuance and delivery of stock certificates unnecessary, eliminates problems of handling and safekeeping, and the cost and inconvenience of replacing lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed certificates. Certificates will not be issued or honored for any class of shares.
The costs of maintaining the open account system are paid by the Fund and no direct charges are made to shareholders. Although the Fund has no present intention of making such direct charges to shareholders, it reserves the right to do so. Shareholders will receive prior notice before any such charges are made.
Minimum Balance Policy
The Funds minimum balance policy is described in the Prospectus.
Automatic Investment Plans
Subject to the Funds investor eligibility requirements, investors may automatically invest in additional shares of the Fund on a monthly basis by authorizing the Distributor to draw checks on an investors bank account. The checks are drawn under the Investment Builder Program, a program designed to facilitate such periodic payments, and are forwarded to Boston Financial for investment in the Fund. A plan in Class A and Class C shares may be opened
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with an initial investment of $1,000 or the fund minimum for Class Y shares or more and thereafter regular monthly checks of $50 or more will be drawn on the investors account. In the case of Class Y shares, there is no investment minimum and no dollar requirement for regular monthly checks. (Shareholders with accounts participating in Natixis Funds Investment Builder Program prior to May 1, 2005 may continue to make subsequent purchases of $25 or more into those accounts). The reduced minimum initial investment pursuant to an automatic investment plan for Class A and Class C shares is referred to in the Prospectus. A Service Options Form must be completed to open an automatic investment plan and may be obtained by calling the Fund at 800-225-5478 or your investment dealer or by visiting the Funds website at ngam.natixis.com.
This program is voluntary and may be terminated at any time by Boston Financial upon notice to existing plan participants. The Investment Builder Program plan may be discontinued at any time by the investor by written notice to Boston Financial, which must be received at least five business days prior to any payment date. The plan may be discontinued by State Street Bank at any time without prior notice if any check is not paid upon presentation or by written notice to the shareholder at least thirty days prior to any payment date. The Fund is under no obligation to notify shareholders as to the nonpayment of any check.
Retirement Plans and Other Plans Offering Tax Benefits
The federal tax laws provide for a variety of retirement plans offering tax benefits. These plans may be funded with shares of the Fund or with certain other investments. The plans include H.R. 10 (Keogh) plans for self-employed individuals and partnerships, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), corporate pension trust and profit sharing plans, including 401(k) plans and retirement plans for public school systems and certain tax-exempt organizations.
The minimum initial investment available to retirement plans and other plans offering tax benefits is referred to in the Prospectus. For these plans, initial investments in the Fund for Class A and Class C shares must be at least $1,000 for IRAs and Keogh plans using the Natixis Funds prototype document and $500 for Coverdell Education Savings Accounts and at least $100 for any subsequent investments. There is no initial or subsequent investment minimum for SIMPLE IRAs using the Natixis Funds prototype documents. Income dividends and capital gain distributions must be reinvested (unless the investor is over age 59 1/2 or disabled). These types of accounts may be subject to fees. Plan documents and further information can be obtained from the Distributor.
Certain retirement plans may also be eligible to purchase Class Y shares. See the Prospectus for details.
Systematic Withdrawal Plans (All Classes)
An investor owning the Funds shares having a value of $10,000 or more at the current public offering price may establish a Systematic Withdrawal Plan (a Plan) providing for periodic payments of a fixed or variable amount. An investor may terminate the plan at any time. A form for use in establishing such a plan is available from Boston Financial, your investment dealer or by visiting the Funds website at www.ngam.natixis.com. Withdrawals may be paid to a person other than the shareholder if a Medallion signature guarantee is provided. Please consult your investment dealer or the Fund.
A shareholder under a Plan may elect to receive payments monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually for a fixed amount of not less than $50 or a variable amount based on (1) the market value of a stated number of shares, (2) a specified percentage of the accounts market value or (3) for Natixis sponsored IRA accounts only, a specified number of years for liquidating the account (e.g., a 20-year program of 240 monthly payments would be liquidated at a monthly rate of 1/240, 1/239, 1/238, etc.). The initial payment under a variable payment option may be $50 or more.
In the case of shares subject to a CDSC, the amount or percentage you specify may not, on an annualized basis, exceed 10% of the value, as of the time you make the election, of your account with the Fund with respect to which you are electing the Plan. No CDSC applies to redemptions pursuant to the Plan.
Income dividends and capital gain distributions will be reinvested (without a sales charge in the case of Class A shares) based upon the NAV determined as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE on the ex-dividend date.
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Since withdrawal payments represent proceeds from the liquidation of shares, withdrawals may reduce and possibly exhaust the value of the account, particularly in the event of a decline in NAV. Accordingly, a shareholder should consider whether a Plan and the specified amounts to be withdrawn are appropriate under the circumstances. The Fund and the Distributor make no recommendations or representations in this regard. It may be appropriate for a shareholder to consult a tax adviser before establishing such a plan. See the sections Redemptions and Taxes for certain information as to U.S. federal income taxes.
It may be disadvantageous for a shareholder to purchase on a regular basis additional Fund shares with a sales charge while redeeming shares under a Plan. Accordingly, the Fund and the Distributor do not recommend additional investments in Class A shares by a shareholder who has a withdrawal plan in effect and who would be subject to a sales load on such additional investments. Natixis Funds may modify or terminate this program at any time.
Because of statutory restrictions this Plan may not be available to pension or profit-sharing plans and IRA plans that have State Street Bank as trustee. Different documentation may be required.
Dividend Diversification Program
You may also establish a Dividend Diversification Program, which allows you to have all dividends and any other distributions automatically invested in shares of the same class of another Natixis Fund, subject to the investor eligibility requirements of that other Fund and to state securities law requirements. Shares will be purchased based upon the selected Funds NAV (without a sales charge or CDSC) determined as of the close of regular trading on the NYSE on the ex-dividend date for each dividend or distribution. A dividend diversification account must be registered to the same shareholder as the distributing Fund account and, if a new account in the purchased Fund is being established, the purchased Funds minimum investment requirements must be met. Before establishing a Dividend Diversification Program into any other Natixis Fund, you must obtain and carefully read a copy of that Funds Prospectus.
Exchange Privilege
A shareholder may exchange Class A, Class C and Class Y shares of the Fund for shares of the same class of a Natixis Fund or series of Loomis Sayles Funds I or Loomis Sayles Funds II that offers that class (subject to the investor eligibility requirements, if any, of the fund into which the exchange is being made and any other limits on the sales of or exchanges into that fund) on the basis of relative NAVs at the time of the exchange without any sales charge. An exchange of shares in one fund for shares of another fund is a taxable event on which gain or loss may be recognized. When an exchange is made from the Class A or Class C shares of the Fund to the same class of shares of another fund, the shares received by the shareholder in the exchange will have the same age characteristics as the shares exchanged. The age of the shares determines the expiration of the CDSC. If you own Class Y shares, you may exchange those shares for Class Y shares of other funds, for Institutional Class shares of any series of Loomis Sayles Funds I or Loomis Sayles Funds II that offers Institutional Class shares. Shareholders who hold their shares through certain financial intermediaries may not be eligible to convert their Class A shares to Class Y shares. These options are summarized in the Funds Prospectus. An exchange may be effected, provided that neither the registered name nor address of the accounts is different by (1) a telephone request to the Fund at 800-225-5478, (2) a written exchange request to the Natixis Funds, P.O. Box 219579, Kansas City, MO 64121-9579 or (3) visiting our website at ngam.natixis.com. You must acknowledge receipt of a current Prospectus for the Fund before an exchange for the Fund can be effected. The minimum amount for an exchange is the minimum amount to open an account or the total NAV of your account, whichever is less.
Accounts participating in or moving into wrap-fee programs or held through a registered investment adviser may exchange Class A shares of a fund for Class Y shares of the same fund and may also exchange Class C shares of a fund for Class A shares or Class Y shares of the same fund. Any account with an outstanding CDSC liability will be assessed the CDSC before converting to either Class A or Class Y shares. Accounts converting from Class C shares to Class A shares will not be subject to any Class A sales charges as a result of the initial conversion or any subsequent purchases of Class A shares in such accounts. In order to exchange shares, a representative of the wrap-fee program or registered investment adviser must provide a completed cross-share exchange form and written notice to the Distributor indicating that a Class Y shareholder is eligible for conversion to Class A shares prior to any such exchange.
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Class A shares of a fund acquired by Trustees, former Trustees, employees of affiliates of the Natixis Funds, individuals who are affiliated with any Natixis Fund (including spouses, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren and in-laws of those mentioned) and Natixis affiliate employee benefit plans (collectively, Natixis affiliated shareholders) may be exchanged for Class Y shares of the same fund without payment of a CDSC. An exchange of shares for shares of a different class in the same fund generally should not be a taxable event for the exchanging shareholder.
In certain limited circumstances, accounts participating in wrap fee programs or held through a registered investment adviser may exchange Class Y shares of the Fund for Class A shares of the same Fund. Class Y shares may be converted to Class A shares of the same Fund if the Class Y shares are held in an investment option or program that no longer permits the use of Class Y shares in that option or program or if the shareholder otherwise becomes ineligible to participate in Class Y shares. Exchanges from Class Y shares to Class A shares will not be subject to an initial sales charge; however, future purchases may be subject to a sales charge, if applicable. A representative of the wrap fee program or a registered investment adviser must provide a completed cross-share exchange form and written notice to the Distributor indicating that a Class Y shareholder is eligible for conversion to Class A shares prior to any such exchange. An exchange of shares for shares of a different class in the same fund generally should not be a taxable event for the exchanging shareholder.
Due to operational limitations at your financial intermediary, your ability to exchange between shares classes of the same fund may be limited. Please consult your financial representative for more information.
All exchanges are subject to the eligibility requirements of the Fund into which you are exchanging and any other limits on sales of or exchanges into the Fund. The exchange privilege may be exercised only in those states where shares of such Fund may be legally sold. The Fund reserves the right to suspend or change the terms of exchanging shares. The Fund and the Distributor reserve the right to refuse or limit any exchange order for any reason, including if the transaction is deemed not to be in the best interests of the Funds other shareholders or possibly disruptive to the management of the Fund.
Before requesting an exchange into any other Natixis Fund or series of Loomis Sayles Funds I or Loomis Sayles Funds II, please read its prospectus carefully. Subject to the applicable rules of the SEC, the Board reserves the right to modify the exchange privilege at any time. Except as otherwise permitted by SEC rule, shareholders will receive at least 60 days advance notice of any material change to the exchange privilege.
Automatic Exchange Plan
As described in the Prospectus, a shareholder may establish an Automatic Exchange Plan under which shares of the Fund are automatically exchanged each month for shares of the same class of one or more of the other funds. Registration on all accounts must be identical. The Fund minimum of the new fund must be met in connection with each investment. Exchanges may be processed on any day of the month (or the first business day thereafter if the exchange date is not a business day) until the account is exhausted or until Boston Financial is notified in writing to terminate the plan. Exchanges may be made in amounts of $100 or more. The Service Options Form may be used to establish an Automatic Exchange Plan and is available from Boston Financial, your financial representative or by visiting our website at ngam.natixis.com.
Restrictions on Buying, Selling and Exchanging Shares
As stated in the Funds Prospectus, the Fund and the Distributor reserve the right to reject any purchase or exchange order for any reason. When a purchase or exchange order is rejected, the Fund or the Distributor will send notice to the prospective investor or the investors financial intermediary promptly after receipt of the rejected order.
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Broker Trading Privileges
The Distributor may, from time to time, enter into agreements with one or more brokers or other intermediaries to accept purchase and redemption orders for Fund shares until the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally, 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time on each day that the NYSE is open for trading); such purchase and redemption orders will be deemed to have been received by the Fund when the authorized broker or intermediary accepts such orders; and such orders will be priced using the Funds NAV next computed after the orders are placed with and accepted by such brokers or intermediaries. Any purchase and redemption orders received by a broker or intermediary under these agreements will be transmitted daily to the Fund no later than the time specified in such agreement; but, in any event, no later than market open, Eastern Time, following the day that such purchase or redemption orders are received by the broker or intermediary.
Transcript Requests
Transcripts of account transactions will be provided, free of charge, at the shareholders request.
Self-Servicing Your Account with Natixis Funds Personal Access Line® and Website
Natixis Funds shareholders may access account information, including share balances and recent account activity online, by visiting our website at ngam.natixis.com. Transactions may also be processed online for certain accounts (restrictions may apply). Such transactions include purchases, redemptions and exchanges, and shareholders are automatically eligible for these features. Natixis Funds has taken measures to ensure the security of shareholder accounts, including the encryption of data and the use of personal identification (PIN) numbers. In addition, you may restrict these privileges from your account by calling Natixis Funds at 800-225-5478, or writing to us at P.O. Box 219579, Kansas City, MO 64121-9579. More information regarding these features may be found on our website at ngam.natixis.com.
Investor activities through these mediums are subject to the terms and conditions outlined in the following Natixis Funds Online and Telephonic Customer Agreement. This agreement is also posted on our website. The initiation of any activity through the Natixis Funds Personal Access Line® or website at ngam.natixis.com by an investor shall indicate agreement with the following terms and conditions:
Natixis Funds Online and Telephonic Customer Agreement
NOTE: ACCESSING OR REQUESTING ACCOUNT INFORMATION OR TRANSACTIONS THROUGH THIS SITE CONSTITUTES AND SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE AN ACCEPTANCE OF THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
The accuracy, completeness and timeliness of all mutual fund information provided is the sole responsibility of the mutual fund company that provides the information. No party that provides a connection between this website and a mutual fund or its transfer agency system can verify or ensure the receipt of any information transmitted to or from a mutual fund or its transfer agent, or the acceptance by, or completion of any transaction with, a mutual fund.
The online acknowledgments or other messages that appear on your screen for transactions entered do not mean that the transactions have been received, accepted or rejected by the mutual fund. These acknowledgments are only an indication that the transactional information entered by you has either been transmitted to the mutual fund, or that it cannot be transmitted. It is the responsibility of the mutual fund to confirm to you that it has received the information and accepted or rejected a transaction. It is the responsibility of the mutual fund to deliver to you a current prospectus, confirmation statement and any other documents or information required by applicable law.
NO TRANSACTION SHALL BE DEEMED ACCEPTED UNTIL YOU RECEIVE A WRITTEN CONFIRMATION FROM THE NATIXIS FUNDS.
You are responsible for reviewing all mutual fund account statements received by you in the mail in order to verify the accuracy of all mutual fund account information provided in the statement and transactions entered through this site. You are also responsible for promptly notifying the mutual fund of any errors or inaccuracies relating to information contained in, or omitted from, your mutual fund account statements, including errors or inaccuracies arising from the transactions conducted through this site.
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TRANSACTIONS ARE SUBJECT TO ALL REQUIREMENTS, RESTRICTIONS AND FEES AS SET FORTH IN THE PROSPECTUS OF THE SELECTED FUND.
THE CONDITIONS SET FORTH IN THIS AGREEMENT EXTEND NOT ONLY TO TRANSACTIONS TRANSMITTED VIA THE INTERNET BUT TO TELEPHONIC TRANSACTIONS INITIATED THROUGH THE NATIXIS FUNDS PERSONAL ACCESS LINE(R).
You are responsible for the confidentiality and use of your personal identification numbers, account numbers, social security numbers and any other personal information required to access the site or transmit telephonically. Any individual that possesses the information required to pass through all security measures will be presumed to be you. All transactions submitted by an individual presumed to be you will be solely your responsibility.
You agree that Natixis Funds does not have the responsibility to inquire as to the legitimacy or propriety of any instructions received from you or any person believed to be you, and is not responsible or liable for any losses that may occur from acting on such instructions.
Natixis Funds is not responsible for incorrect data received via the internet or telephonically from you or any person believed to be you. Transactions submitted over the internet and telephonically are solely your responsibility and Natixis Funds makes no warranty as to the correctness, completeness or accuracy of any transmission. Similarly, Natixis Funds bears no responsibility for the performance of any computer hardware, software or the performance of any ancillary equipment and services such as telephone lines, modems or internet service providers.
The processing of transactions over this site or telephonically will involve the transmission of personal data including social security numbers, account numbers and personal identification numbers. While Natixis Funds has taken reasonable security precautions including data encryption designed to protect the integrity of data transmitted to and from the areas of our website that relate to the processing of transactions, we disclaim any liability for the interception of such data.
You agree to immediately notify Natixis Funds if any of the following occurs:
1. | You do not receive confirmation of a transaction submitted via the internet or telephonically within five (5) business days. |
2. | You receive confirmation of a transaction of which you have no knowledge and which was not initiated or authorized by you. |
3. | You transmit a transaction for which you do not receive a confirmation number. |
4. | You have reason to believe that others may have gained access to your personal identification number (PIN) or other personal data. |
5. | You notice an unexplained discrepancy in account balances or other changes to your account, including address changes, and banking instructions on any confirmations or statements. |
Any costs incurred in connection with the use of the Natixis Funds Personal Access Line® or the Natixis Funds internet site including telephone line costs and internet service provider costs are solely your responsibility.
Similarly, Natixis Funds makes no warranties concerning the availability of internet services or network availability. Natixis Funds reserves the right to suspend, terminate or modify the internet capabilities offered to shareholders without notice.
YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO RESTRICT INTERNET AND TELEPHONIC ACCESS TO YOUR ACCOUNTS BY NOTIFYING NATIXIS FUNDS OF YOUR DESIRE TO DO SO.
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Written notifications to Natixis Funds should be sent to:
All account types excluding SIMPLE IRAs:
Natixis Funds
P. O. Box 219579
Kansas City, MO 64121-9579
Notification may also be made by calling 800-225-5478 during normal business hours.
Simple IRA shareholders please use:
Natixis Funds
P. O. Box 8705
Boston, MA 02266-8705
Notification may also be made by calling 800-813-4127 during normal business hours.
The method for determining the public offering price and NAV per share is summarized in the Prospectus.
The total NAV of each class of shares of a Fund (the excess of the assets of such Fund attributable to such class over the liabilities attributable to such class) is determined at the close of regular trading (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each day that the NYSE is open for trading. Each Fund will not price its shares on the following holidays: New Years Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Fund securities and other investments are valued at market value based on market quotations obtained or determined by independent pricing services recommended by the Adviser and Subadviser and approved by the Board of Trustees. Fund securities and other investments for which market quotations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Adviser or Subadviser pursuant to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees, as described below. Market value is determined as follows:
| Equity securities (including closed-end investment companies and exchange-traded funds), exchange traded notes, rights, and warrants last sale price quoted on the exchange or market where traded most extensively or, if there is no reported sale during the day, the closing bid quotation as reported by an independent pricing service. Securities traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, NASDAQ Global Market and NASDAQ Capital Market are valued at the NASDAQ Official Closing Price (NOCP), or if lacking an NOCP, at the most recent bid quotations on the applicable NASDAQ Market. In some foreign markets, an official close price and a last sale price may be available from the foreign exchange or market. In those cases, the official close price is used. Valuations from foreign markets are subject to the Funds fair value policies described below. If a right is not traded on any exchange, its value is based on the market value of the underlying security, less the cost to subscribe to the underlying security (e.g., to exercise the right), adjusted for the subscription ratio. If a warrant is not traded on any exchange, a price is obtained from a broker-dealer. |
| Debt Securities and unlisted equity securities evaluated bids furnished to a Fund by an independent pricing service using market information, transactions for comparable securities and various relationships between securities, if available, or bid prices obtained from broker-dealers. |
| Senior Loans bid prices supplied by an independent pricing service, if available, or bid prices obtained from broker-dealers. |
| Bilateral Swaps Bilateral credit default swaps are valued based on mid prices (between the bid price and the ask price) supplied by an independent pricing service. Bilateral interest rate swaps are valued based on prices supplied by an independent pricing service. If prices from an independent pricing service are not available, prices from a broker-dealer may be used. |
| Centrally Cleared Swaps settlement prices of the clearinghouse on which the contracts were traded or prices obtained from broker-dealers. |
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| Options domestic exchange-traded single equity option contracts are valued at the mean of the National Best Bid and Offer quotations. Option contracts on domestic indices shall be priced at the average of the closing bid and ask quotations as of the close of trading on the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE). Options on futures contracts are valued using the current settlement price on the exchange on which, over time, they are traded most extensively. Other exchange-traded options are valued at the average of the closing bid and ask quotations on the exchange on which, over time, they are traded most extensively. Over-the-counter (OTC) currency options and swaptions are valued at mid prices (between the bid and the ask price) supplied by an independent pricing service, if available. On the last business day of the month, the Fund will fair value S&P 500® index options using the closing rotation values published by the CBOE. Other OTC option contracts (including currency options and swaptions not priced through an independent pricing service) are valued based on prices obtained from broker-dealers. |
| Futures current settlement price on the exchange on which the Adviser or Subadviser believes that, over time, they are traded most extensively. |
| Forward Foreign Currency Contracts interpolated rates determined based on information provided by an independent pricing service. |
Foreign denominated assets and liabilities are translated into U.S. dollars based upon foreign exchange rates supplied by an independent pricing service. Fund securities and other investments for which market quotations are not readily available are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Adviser or Subadviser pursuant to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. A Fund may also value securities and other investments at fair value in other circumstances such as when extraordinary events occur after the close of a foreign market but prior to the close of the NYSE. This may include situations relating to a single issuer (such as a declaration of bankruptcy or a delisting of the issuers security from the primary market on which it has traded) as well as events affecting the securities markets in general (such as market disruptions or closings and significant fluctuations in U.S. and/or foreign markets). When fair valuing its securities or other investments, each Fund may, among other things, use modeling tools or other processes that may take into account factors such as securities or other market activity and/or significant events that occur after the close of the foreign market and before the time a Funds NAV is calculated. Fair value pricing may require subjective determinations about the value of a security, and fair values used to determine a Funds NAV may differ from quoted or published prices, or from prices that are used by others, for the same securities. In addition, the use of fair value pricing may not always result in adjustments to the prices of securities held by a Fund.
Trading in some of the portfolio securities or other investments of some of the Funds takes place in various markets outside the United States on days and at times other than when the NYSE is open for trading. Therefore, the calculation of these Funds NAV does not take place at the same time as the prices of many of its portfolio securities or other investments are determined, and the value of these Funds portfolios may change on days when these Funds are not open for business and their shares may not be purchased or redeemed.
The per share NAV of a class of each Funds shares is computed by dividing the number of shares outstanding into the total NAV attributable to such class. The public offering price of a Class A share of a Fund is the NAV per share plus a sales charge as set forth in each Funds Prospectus.
The following special purchase plans are summarized in the Prospectus and are described in greater detail below. Investors should note that in many cases, the broker, and not the Fund, is responsible for ensuring that the investor receives current discounts.
If you invest in Class A shares through a financial intermediary, it is the responsibility of the financial intermediary to ensure you obtain the proper breakpoint discount. In order to reduce your sales charge, it will be necessary at the time of purchase to inform the Distributor and your financial intermediary, in writing, of the existence of other accounts in which there are holdings eligible to be aggregated to meet sales load breakpoints. If the Distributor is not notified that you are eligible for a reduced sales charge, the Distributor will be unable to ensure that the reduction is applied to the investors account. You may be required to provide certain records and information, such as account statements, with respect to all of your accounts which hold Fund shares, including accounts with other financial intermediaries, and your family members and other related parties accounts, in order to verify your eligibility for the reduced sales charge.
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Cumulative Purchase Discount
The Fund shareholder may make an initial or an additional purchase of Class A shares and be entitled to a discount on the sales charge payable on that purchase. This discount will be available if the shareholders total investment in the Fund reaches the breakpoint for a reduced sales charge in the table in the section How Sales Charges Are Calculated Class A Shares in the Prospectus. The total investment is determined by adding the amount of the additional purchase, including sales charges, to the current public offering price of all series and classes of shares of the Natixis Funds held by the shareholder in one or more accounts. If the total investment exceeds the breakpoint, the lower sales charge applies to the entire additional investment even though some portion of that additional investment is below the breakpoint to which a reduced sales charge applies.
Letter of Intent
A Letter of Intent (a Letter), which can be effected at any time, is a privilege available to investors that reduces the sales charge on investments in Class A shares. Ordinarily, reduced sales charges are available for single purchases of Class A shares only when they reach certain breakpoints (e.g., $50,000, $100,000, etc.). By signing a Letter, a shareholder indicates an intention to invest enough money in Class A shares within 13 months to reach a breakpoint. If the shareholders intended aggregate purchases of all series and classes of the Trust and other Natixis Funds over a defined 13-month period will be large enough to qualify for a reduced sales charge, the shareholder may invest the smaller individual amounts at the public offering price calculated using the sales load applicable to the 13-month aggregate investment.
A Letter is a non-binding commitment, the amount of which may be increased, decreased or canceled at any time. The effective date of a Letter is the date it is received in good order by the Funds transfer agency.
Purchases made within 90 days of the establishment of the Letter may be used towards meeting the Letter of Intent.
The Funds transfer agent will hold in escrow shares with a value at the current public offering price of 5% of the aggregate amount of the intended investment. The amount in escrow will be released when the commitment stated in the Letter is completed. If the shareholder does not purchase shares in the amount indicated in the Letter, the shareholder agrees to remit to the Funds transfer agent the difference between the sales charge actually paid and that which would have been paid had the Letter not been in effect, and authorizes the Funds transfer agent to redeem escrowed shares in the amount necessary to make up the difference in sales charges. Reinvested dividends and distributions are not included in determining whether the Letter has been completed. Certain shares held though Loomis Sayles Distributors, L.P. may not be eligible for this privilege.
Combining Accounts
For purposes of determining the sales charge applicable to a given purchase, a shareholder may elect to combine the purchase and the shareholders total investment (calculated at the current public offering price) in all series and classes of the Natixis Funds with the purchases and total investment of the shareholders spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren and in-laws of those previously mentioned, single trust estates, individual fiduciary accounts and sole proprietorships or any other group of individuals acceptable to the Distributor. If the combined value of the purchases and total investments exceeds a sales charge breakpoint as disclosed in the Prospectus, the lower sales charge applies to the entire amount of the purchase, even though some portion of that investment is below the breakpoint to which a reduced sales charge applies.
For certain retirement plans, the Distributor may, in its discretion, combine the purchases and total investment of all qualified participants in the same retirement plan for purposes of determining the availability of a reduced sales charge.
Purchases and total investments of individuals may not be combined with purchases and total investments of the retirement plan accounts described in the preceding paragraph for the purpose of determining the availability of a reduced sales charge. Only the purchases and total investments in tax-qualified retirement plans or other employee benefit plans in which the shareholder is the sole participant may be combined with individual accounts for purposes of determining the availability of a reduced sales charge. Certain shares held though Loomis Sayles Distributors, L.P. may not be eligible for this privilege.
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Clients of the Adviser
Investment advisory clients of NGAM Advisors and the Adviser may invest in Class Y shares of the Fund below the minimums stated in the Class Y Prospectus. No front-end sales charge or CDSC applies to investments of $25,000 or more in Class A shares of the Fund by (1) clients of the Adviser to any series of the Trust or another Natixis Fund; any director, officer or partner of a client of the Adviser to any series of the Trust or another Natixis Fund; or the spouse, parents, children, siblings, in-laws, grandparents or grandchildren of the foregoing; (2) any individual who is a participant in a Keogh or IRA Plan under a prototype of the Adviser to any series of the Trust or another Natixis Fund if at least one participant in the plan qualifies under category (1) above; and (3) an individual who invests through an IRA and is a participant in an employee benefit plan that is a client of the Adviser to any series of the Trust or another Natixis Fund. Any investor eligible for this arrangement should so indicate in writing at the time of the purchase. In addition, the front-end sales charge or CDSC may be waived for investments in Class A shares, for Funds that do not offer Class Y shares, by clients of the Adviser to any series of the Trust or another Natixis Fund.
Eligible Governmental Authorities
There is no sales charge or CDSC related to investments in Class A shares by any state, county or city or any instrumentality, department, authority or agency thereof that has determined that the Fund is a legally permissible investment and that is prohibited by applicable investment laws from paying a sales charge or commission in connection with the purchase of shares of any registered investment company.
Investment Advisory Accounts
Class A shares of the Fund may be purchased at NAV by investment advisers, financial planners or other intermediaries who place trades for their own accounts or the accounts of their clients and who charge a management, consulting or other fee for their services; clients of such investment advisers, financial planners or other intermediaries who place trades for their own accounts if the accounts are linked to the master account of such investment adviser, financial planner or other intermediary on the books and records of the broker or agent; and retirement and deferred compensation plans and trusts used to fund those plans, including, but not limited to, those defined in Sections 401(a), 403(b), 401(k) and 457 of the Code and rabbi trusts. Investors may be charged a fee if they effect transactions through a broker or agent.
Certain Broker-Dealers and Financial Services Organizations
Class A shares of the Fund also may be purchased at NAV through certain broker-dealers or financial services organizations without any transaction fee. Such organizations may also receive compensation paid by NGAM Advisors, or its affiliates out of their own assets (as described in the section Distribution Agreement and Rule 12b-1 Plans), or be paid indirectly by the Fund in the form of servicing, distribution or transfer agent fees.
Certain Clients of Financial Intermediaries
Class A shares may be offered without front-end sales charges or a CDSC to clients of a financial intermediary that has entered into an agreement with the Distributor and has been approved by the Distributor to offer Fund shares to self-directed investment brokerage accounts that may or may not charge a transaction fee.
Certain Retirement Plans
Class A shares of the Fund are available at NAV for investments by participants in certain employer-sponsored retirement plans. The availability of this pricing may depend upon the policies and procedures of your specific intermediary; consult your financial adviser.
Bank Trust Departments or Trust Companies
Class A shares of the Fund are available at NAV for investments by non-discretionary and non-retirement accounts of bank trust departments or trust companies, but are unavailable if the trust department or institution is part of an organization not principally engaged in banking or trust activities.
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The reduction or elimination of the sales charges in connection with special purchase plans described above reflects the absence or reduction of expenses associated with such sales.
As described in the Prospectus, it is the policy of the Fund to pay its shareholders annually according to the schedule specified in the Funds Prospectus, as dividends, all or substantially all of its net investment income and to distribute annually all or substantially all of its net realized long-term and short-term capital gains, if any, after offsetting any capital loss carryovers.
Ordinary income dividends and capital gain distributions are reinvested based upon the NAV determined as of the close of the NYSE on the ex-dividend date for each dividend or distribution. Shareholders, however, may elect to receive their ordinary income dividends or capital gain distributions, or both, in cash. The election may be made at any time by submitting a written request directly to Natixis Funds, contacting Natixis Funds at 1-800-225-5478 or visiting ngam.natixis.com to change your distribution option. In order for a change to be in effect for any dividend or distribution, it must be received by the Fund on or before the record date for such dividend or distribution.
If a dividend or capital gain distribution check remains uncashed for six months and your account is still open, the Fund will reinvest the dividend or distribution in additional shares of the Fund promptly after making this determination and the check will be cancelled. In addition, future dividends and capital gains distributions will be automatically reinvested in additional shares of the Fund unless you subsequently contact the Fund and request to receive distributions by check.
As required by federal law, federal tax information regarding Fund distributions will be furnished to each shareholder for each calendar year early in the succeeding year.
The following discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of investment in the Fund is based on the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations, and other applicable authorities, all as of the date of this Statement. These authorities are subject to change by legislative or administrative action, possibly with retroactive effect. The following discussion is only a summary of some of the important U.S. federal tax considerations generally applicable to investments in the Fund. There may be other tax considerations applicable to particular shareholders. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers regarding their particular situations and the possible application of foreign, state and local tax laws.
Taxation of the Fund
The Fund intends to elect and to qualify each year for the special tax treatment accorded to RICs under Subchapter M of the Code. In order to so qualify, the Fund must, among other things: (i) derive at least 90% of its gross income in each taxable year from (a) dividends, interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and (b) net income derived from interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships (QPTPs); (ii) diversify its holdings so that at the end of each quarter of the Funds taxable year (a) at least 50% of the market value of the Funds total assets consists of cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs, and other securities limited generally, with respect to any one issuer, to no more than 5% of the value of the Funds total assets and 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of the Funds total assets is invested (1) in the securities (other than those of the U.S. government or other RICs) of any one issuer or of two or more issuers that the Fund controls and that are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or (2) in the securities of one or more QPTPs; and (iii) distribute with respect to each taxable year at least 90% of the sum of its investment company taxable income (as that term is defined in the Code without regard to the deduction for dividends paid generally taxable ordinary income and the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gains over net long-term capital losses) and net tax-exempt income, if any, for such year.
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In general, for purposes of the 90% gross income requirement described in (i) above, income derived by the Fund from a partnership will be treated as qualifying income only to the extent such income is attributable to items of income of the partnership that would be qualifying income if realized directly by the Fund. However, 100% of the net income derived by the Fund from an interest in a QPTP (a partnership (a) interests in which are traded on an established securities market or are readily tradable on a secondary market or the substantial equivalent thereof, and (b) that derives less than 90% of its income from the qualifying income described in (i)(a) above) will be treated as qualifying income. In general, such entities will be treated as partnerships for federal income tax purposes because they meet the passive income requirement under Code section 7704(c)(2). In addition, although in general the passive loss rules of the Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a RIC with respect to items attributable to an interest in a QPTP.
The 90% of gross income requirement described in (i) above will significantly limit the ability of the Fund to invest directly in commodities and certain commodity-related instruments. The Fund intends to invest in a wholly-owned non-U.S. subsidiary that would in turn make commodity and commodity-related investments (the Commodity Subsidiary). The diversification requirement described in (ii) above limits the Funds investment in its wholly-owned subsidiary to 25% of the value of the Funds total assets. The Fund intends to operate the Commodity Subsidiary in such a manner as to generate only qualifying income for purposes of the 90% of gross income requirement described above. However, changes or modifications in existing judicial decisions or in the current positions of the IRS and the passage of new legislation could substantially modify the tax treatment of the Commodity Subsidiary, possibly on a retroactive basis.
For purposes of the diversification requirements set forth in (ii) above, the term outstanding voting securities of an issuer includes the equity securities of a QPTP. Also for purposes of the diversification requirements in (ii) above, identification of the issuer (or, in some cases, issuers) of a particular Fund investment can depend on the terms and conditions of that investment. In some cases, identification of the issuer (or issuers) is uncertain under current law, and an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to identification of the issuer for a particular type of investment may adversely affect the Funds ability to satisfy the diversification requirements.
Assuming that it qualifies for treatment as a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to federal income tax on income that is distributed to its shareholders in a timely manner in the form of dividends (including Capital Gain Dividends, defined below). If the Fund were to fail to satisfy the income, diversification or distribution requirements described above, the Fund could in some cases cure such failure, including by paying a fund-level tax, paying interest, making additional distributions or disposing of certain assets. If the Fund were ineligible to or did not cure such a failure for any year, or if the Fund otherwise were to fail to qualify as a RIC accorded special tax treatment, 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 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 may be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income in the case of shareholders taxed as individuals, provided in both cases that the shareholder meets certain holding period and other requirements in respect of the Funds shares (as described below). In addition, the Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial distributions before requalifying for the special tax treatment accorded to RICs under the Code.
The Fund intends to distribute at least annually to its shareholders all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends-paid deduction). If the Fund retains any investment company taxable income, it will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained. The Fund also intends to distribute annually all or substantially all of its net capital gain. If the Fund retains any net capital gain, it will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained, but may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a timely notice to its shareholders who then in turn (i) will be required to include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gains, their respective shares of such undistributed amount, and (ii) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund on such undistributed amount against their federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds on properly-filed U.S. federal income tax returns to the extent the credit exceeds such liabilities. In this event, for federal income tax purposes, the tax
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basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will be increased by an amount equal to the difference between the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the shareholders gross income under clause (i) of the preceding sentence and the tax deemed paid by the shareholder under clause (ii) of the preceding sentence. The Fund is not required to, and there can be no assurance that the Fund will, make this designation if it retains all or a portion of its net capital gain in a taxable year.
In determining its net capital gain, including in connection with determining the amount available to support a Capital Gain Dividend, its taxable income and its earnings and profits, a RIC may elect to treat any post-October capital loss (defined as the greatest of net capital loss, net long-term capital loss, or net short-term capital loss, in each case attributable to the portion of the taxable year after October 31 (or November 30, if the Fund so elects)) and certain late-year ordinary losses (generally, (i) net ordinary losses from the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of property attributable to the portion of the taxable year after October 31 (or November 30, if the Fund makes the election referred to above), plus (ii) other net ordinary losses attributable to the portion of the taxable year, if any, after December 31) as if incurred in the succeeding taxable year.
Capital losses in excess of capital gains (net capital losses) are not permitted to be deducted against the Funds net investment income. Instead, potentially subject to certain limitations, the Fund may carry net capital losses from any taxable year forward to offset capital gains in future years, thereby reducing the amount the Fund would otherwise be required to distribute in such future years to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded a RIC and avoid a fund-level tax. If the Fund incurs or has incurred net capital losses in taxable years beginning after December 22, 2010 (post-2010 losses), those losses will be carried forward to one or more subsequent taxable years without expiration; any such carryforward losses will retain their character as short-term or long-term.
If the Fund fails to distribute in a calendar year at least an amount equal to the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for such year and 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending October 31 of such year (or November 30 of that year if the Fund so elects) plus any retained amount from the prior year, the Fund will be subject to a nondeductible 4% excise tax on the undistributed amounts. For purposes of the required excise tax distribution, ordinary gains and losses from the sale, exchange or other taxable disposition of property that would be taken into account after October 31 (or November 30, if the Fund makes the election referred to above) are treated as arising on January 1 of the following calendar year. Also for purposes of the excise tax, the Fund will be treated as having distributed any amount on which it has been subject to corporate income tax in the taxable year ending within the calendar year. The Fund generally intends to make distributions sufficient to avoid imposition of the 4% excise tax, although there can be no assurance that it will be able to do so.
Taxation of Fund Distributions
Distributions of investment income other than exempt-interest dividends (discussed below) are generally taxable as ordinary income to the extent of the Funds earnings and profits. Taxes on distributions of capital gains are determined by how long the Fund owned (or is deemed to have owned) the investments that generated them, rather than how long a shareholder has owned his or her shares. In general, the Fund will recognize long-term capital gain or loss on the disposition of assets it has owned (or is deemed to have owned) for more than one year, and short-term capital gain or loss on the disposition of investments it has owned (or is deemed to have owned) for one year or less. Distributions of net capital gain (that is, the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses, in each case with reference to any capital loss carryforwards) that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (Capital Gain Dividends) generally will be taxable to a shareholder receiving such distributions as long-term capital gain includible in net capital gain and taxed to individuals at reduced rates. Distributions of the excess of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss generally will be taxable to a shareholder receiving such distributions as ordinary income. Distributions from capital gains generally are made after applying any available capital loss carryovers.
Fund distributions are taxable to shareholders as described herein even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Fund before a shareholders investment (and thus were included in the price the shareholder paid for his or her shares). Distributions are taxable whether shareholders receive them in cash or in additional shares.
Distributions declared and payable by the Fund during October, November or December to shareholders of record on a date in any such month and paid by the Fund during the following January generally will be treated for federal income tax purposes as paid by the Fund and received by shareholders on December 31 of the year in which distributions are declared rather than the calendar year in which they are received.
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Distributions of investment income properly reported by the Fund as derived from qualified dividend income will be taxed in the hands of individuals at the reduced rates applicable to long-term capital gain. In order for some portion of the dividends received by the Fund shareholder to be qualified dividend income, the Fund must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to some portion of the dividend-paying stocks in its portfolio and the shareholder must meet holding period and other requirements with respect to that Funds shares. A dividend will not be treated as qualified dividend income (at either the Fund or shareholder level) (1) if the dividend is received with respect to any share of stock held for fewer than 61 days during the 121-day period beginning on the date which is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date), (2) to the extent that the recipient is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property, (3) if the recipient elects to have the dividend income treated as investment income for purposes of the limitation on deductibility of investment interest, or (4) if the dividend is received from a foreign corporation that is (a) not eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive income tax treaty with the U.S. (with the exception of dividends paid on stock of such a foreign corporation that is readily tradable on an established securities market in the U.S.) or (b) treated as a PFIC (as defined below). Income derived from investments in derivatives, fixed-income securities and REITs generally is not eligible for treatment as qualified dividend income. The Fund does not expect a significant portion of its distributions to be derived from qualified dividend income.
In general, distributions of investment income properly reported by the Fund as derived from qualified dividend income will be treated as qualified dividend income in the hands of a shareholder taxed as an individual provided the shareholder meets the holding period and other requirements described above with respect to the Funds shares.
If the aggregate qualified dividends received by the Fund during a taxable year are 95% or more of its gross income (excluding net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss), then 100% of the Funds dividends (other than dividends properly reported as Capital Gain Dividends) will be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income.
Properly reported dividends of net investment income received by corporate shareholders of the Fund generally will qualify for the 70% dividends-received deduction available to corporations to the extent they are properly reported as being attributable to the amount of eligible dividends received by the Fund from domestic corporations for the taxable year. A dividend received by the Fund will not be treated as an eligible dividend (1) if it has been received with respect to any share of stock that the Fund has held for less than 46 days during the 91-day period beginning on the date which is 45 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend (less than 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date in the case of certain preferred stock) or (2) to the extent that the Fund is under an obligation (pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to positions in substantially similar or related property. Moreover, the dividends-received deduction may be disallowed or reduced (1) if the corporate shareholder fails to satisfy the foregoing requirements with respect to its shares of the Fund or (2) otherwise by application of the Code (for example, the dividends-received deduction is reduced in the case of a dividend received on debt-financed portfolio stock generally stock acquired with borrowed funds). The Fund generally does not expect that a significant portion of its distributions will be eligible for corporate dividends-received deduction.
Any distribution of income that is attributable to (i) income received by the Fund in lieu of dividends with respect to securities on loan pursuant to a securities lending transaction or (ii) dividend income received by the Fund on securities it temporarily purchased from a counterparty pursuant to a repurchase agreement that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is treated as a loan by the Fund, generally will not constitute qualified dividend income to individual shareholders or be eligible for the dividends-received deduction for corporate shareholders.
Section 1411 of the Code generally imposes a 3.8% Medicare contribution tax on the net investment income of individuals, estates and trusts to the extent their income exceeds certain threshold amounts. Net investment income generally includes for this purpose dividends paid by the Fund, including any capital gain dividends, and net capital gains recognized on the sale, redemption or exchange of Fund shares. Shareholders are advised to consult their tax advisers regarding the possible implications of this additional tax on their investment in the Fund.
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If the Fund makes a distribution in excess of its current and accumulated earnings and profits in any taxable year, the excess distribution will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of a shareholders tax basis in his or her shares, and thereafter as capital gain. A return of capital generally is not taxable, but it reduces a shareholders basis in his or her shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on a subsequent taxable disposition by the shareholder of such shares.
Sale, Exchange or Redemption of Shares
A sale, exchange or redemption of Fund shares generally will give rise to a gain or loss. In general, any gain or loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than 12 months. Otherwise, the gain or loss on the taxable disposition of Fund shares generally will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. However, any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Fund shares held by a shareholder for six months or less will be treated as long-term, rather than short-term, to the extent of any Capital Gain Dividends received (or deemed received) by the shareholder with respect to the shares. All or a portion of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of Fund shares will be disallowed under the Codes wash sale rules if other substantially identical shares of the Fund are purchased within 30 days before or after the disposition. In such a case, the basis of the newly purchased shares will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
Upon the redemption or exchange of Fund shares, the Fund or, in the case of shares purchased through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary may be required to provide you and the IRS with cost basis and certain other related tax information about the Fund shares you redeemed or exchanged. See the Funds Prospectus for more information.
Foreign Taxation
Income received by the Fund from investments in securities of foreign issuers may be subject to foreign withholding and other taxes. This will decrease the Funds yield on securities subject to such taxes. Tax treaties between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. The Fund generally does not expect that shareholders will be entitled to claim a credit or deduction with respect to such foreign taxes incurred by the Fund.
Tax Implications of Certain Fund Investments
Options, Futures, Forward Contracts, Swap Agreements and Hedging Transactions. The tax treatment of certain positions entered into by the Fund, including regulated futures contracts, certain foreign currency positions and certain listed non-equity options, will be governed by Section 1256 of the Code (Section 1256 Contracts). Gains or losses on Section 1256 Contracts generally are considered 60% long-term and 40% short-term capital gains or losses (60/40 gains or losses) although certain foreign currency gains and losses from such contracts may be treated as ordinary in character, as described below. Also, any 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 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 60/40 or ordinary gain or loss, as applicable.
The Funds investments in futures contracts, forward contracts, options, straddles, swap agreements, and options on swaps and foreign currencies, derivatives, as well as any of its other hedging, short sale, or similar transactions, may be subject to one or more special tax rules (including the mark-to-market, constructive sale, notional principal contract, straddle, wash sale and short sale rules). These rules may affect whether gains and losses recognized by the Fund are treated as ordinary or capital or as short-term or long-term, accelerate the recognition of income to the Fund, defer losses to the Fund, or cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Funds securities. These rules, therefore, could affect the amount, timing and/or character of distributions to shareholders. Moreover, because the tax rules applicable to these types of transactions are in some cases uncertain under current law, an adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS with respect to these rules (which determination or guidance could be retroactive) may affect whether the Fund has made sufficient distributions, and otherwise satisfied the relevant requirements, to maintain its qualification as a RIC and avoid a fund-level tax.
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In general, option premiums received by the Fund are not immediately included in the income of the Fund. Instead, the premiums are recognized when the option contract expires, the option is exercised by the holder, or the Fund transfers or otherwise terminates the option (e.g., through a closing transaction). If a call option written by the Fund is exercised and the Fund sells or delivers the underlying stock, the Fund generally will recognize capital gain or loss equal to (a) the sum of the strike price and the option premium received by the Fund minus (b) the Funds basis in the stock. Such gain or loss generally will be short-term or long-term depending upon the holding period of the underlying stock. If securities are purchased by the Fund pursuant to the exercise of a put option written by it, that Fund generally will subtract the premium received for purposes of computing its cost basis in the securities purchased. Gain or loss arising in respect of a termination of the Funds obligation under an option other than through the exercise of the option and related sale or delivery of the underlying stock will be short-term gain or loss depending on whether the premium income received by that Fund is greater or less than the amount paid by the Fund (if any) in terminating the transaction. Thus, for example, if an option written by the Fund expires unexercised, that Fund generally will recognize short-term gain equal to the premium received.
Certain covered call writing activities of the Fund may trigger the U.S. federal income tax straddle rules contained primarily in Section 1092 of the Code. Very generally, where applicable, Section 1092 requires (i) that losses be deferred on positions deemed to be offsetting positions with respect to substantially similar or related property, to the extent of unrealized gain in the latter, and (ii) that the holding period of such a straddle position that has not already been held for the long-term holding period be terminated and begin anew once the position is no longer part of a straddle. Options on single stocks that are not deep in the money may constitute qualified covered calls, which generally are not subject to the straddle rules; the holding period on stock underlying qualified covered calls that are in the money although not deep in the money will be suspended during the period that such calls are outstanding. Thus, the straddle rules and the rules governing qualified covered calls could cause gains that would otherwise constitute long-term capital gains to be treated as short-term capital gains, and distributions that would otherwise constitute qualified dividend income or qualify for the dividends-received deduction to fail to satisfy the holding period requirements and therefore to be taxed as ordinary income or to fail to qualify for the 70% dividends-received deduction, as the case may be.
The Funds investments in certain derivatives and foreign currency-denominated instruments, and the Funds transactions in foreign currencies and hedging activities, are likely to produce a difference between its book income and the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any). If the Funds book income is less than the sum of its taxable income and net tax-exempt income (if any), the Fund could be required to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a RIC that is accorded special tax treatment and avoid a fund-level tax. If the Funds book income exceeds the sum of its taxable income, including net realized capital gains, and net tax-exempt income (if any), the distribution (if any) of such excess will be treated as (i) a dividend to the extent of the Funds remaining earnings and profits (including earnings and profits arising from tax-exempt income, if any), (ii) thereafter, as a return of capital to the extent of the recipients basis in the shares, and (iii) thereafter, as gain from the sale or exchange of a capital asset.
Commodity-Linked Derivatives. The Funds use of commodities and commodity-linked derivatives can bear on or be limited by the Funds intention to qualify as a RIC. Income and gains from certain commodity-linked derivatives do not constitute qualifying income to a RIC for purposes of the 90% gross income test described above. The tax treatment of certain other commodity-linked derivative instruments in which the Fund might invest, including ETNs and certain structured notes, is not certain, in particular with respect to whether income or gains from such instruments constitute qualifying income to a RIC. If the Fund were to treat income or gain from a particular instrument as qualifying income and the income or gain were later determined not to constitute qualifying income and, together with any other nonqualifying income, caused the Funds nonqualifying income to exceed 10% of its gross income in any taxable year, the Fund would fail to qualify as a RIC unless it were eligible to and did pay a tax at the Fund level on the excess, to cure such failure.
Certain Foreign Currency Tax Issues. Gain or loss on foreign currency denominated debt securities and on certain other financial instruments, such as forward currency contracts and currency swaps, that is attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates occurring between the date of acquisition and the date of settlement or disposition of such securities or instruments may be treated under Section 988 of the Code as ordinary income or loss. The Fund may elect out of the application of Section 988 of the Code with respect to the tax treatment of each of its foreign currency forward contracts to the extent that (i) such contract is a capital asset in the hands of the Fund and is not part of a straddle transaction and (ii) the Fund makes an election by the close of the day the contract is entered into to treat the gain or loss attributable to such contract as capital gain or loss.
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The Funds forward contracts may qualify as Section 1256 contracts under the Code if the underlying currencies are currencies for which there are futures contracts that are traded on and subject to the rules of a qualified board or exchange. However, a forward currency contract that is a Section 1256 contract would, absent an election out of Section 988 of the Code as described in the preceding paragraph, be subject to Section 988. Accordingly, although such a forward currency contract would be marked-to-market annually like other Section 1256 contracts, the resulting gain or loss would be ordinary. If the Fund were to elect out of Section 988 with respect to forward currency contracts that qualify as Section 1256 contracts, the tax treatment generally applicable to Section 1256 contracts, as described above, would apply to those forward currency contracts: that is, the contracts would be marked-to-market annually and gains and losses with respect to the contracts would be treated as 60/40 gain or loss. If the Fund were to elect out of Section 988 with respect to any of its forward currency contracts that do not qualify as Section 1256 contracts, such contracts will not be marked to market annually and the Fund will recognize short-term or long-term capital gain or loss depending on the Funds holding period therein. The Fund may elect out of Section 988 with respect to all, some or none of its forward currency contracts.
Investments in Other RICs. If the Fund receives dividends from another investment company that qualifies as a RIC, and the investment company reports such dividends as qualified dividend income, then the Fund is permitted in turn to report a portion of its distributions as qualified dividend income, provided the Fund meets holding period and other requirements with respect to shares of the investment company.
If the Fund receives dividends from another investment company that qualifies as a RIC and the investment company reports such dividends as eligible for the dividends-received deduction, then the Fund is permitted in turn to report its distributions derived from those dividends as eligible for the dividends-received deduction as well, provided the Fund meets holding period and other requirements with respect to shares of the investment company.
Partnerships and Other Pass-Through Structures. To the extent the Fund invests in entities that are treated as partnerships (other than QPTPs, as defined above), trusts, or other pass-through structures for U.S. federal income tax purposes, all or a portion of any income and gains from such entities could constitute non-qualifying income to the Fund for purposes of the 90% gross income requirement described above. For example, income that the Fund derives from indirect investments, through such entities, in certain commodity-linked instruments generally will not or may not be considered qualifying income for the purposes of the 90% gross income requirement. In such cases, the Funds investments in such entities could be limited by its intention to qualify as a RIC, and could bear on its ability to so qualify. Income from such entities may be allocated to the Fund on a gross, rather than net, basis, for purposes of the 90% gross income requirement.
Investments in Exchange-Traded Notes. The timing and character of income or gains arising from exchange-traded notes can be uncertain. An adverse determination or future guidance by the IRS (which determination or guidance could be retroactive) may affect the funds ability to qualify for treatment as a RIC and to avoid a fund-level tax.
Investment in the Commodity Subsidiary. The Fund intends to invest in ASG Global Macro Cayman Fund Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary organized in the Cayman Islands (the Commodity Subsidiary) that will invest in commodity-related instruments. It is expected that the Commodity Subsidiary will be a controlled foreign corporation (CFC) for U.S. tax purposes, and that all of the Commodity Subsidiarys income will be subpart F income. The CFC status of the Commodity Subsidiary will cause all subpart F income earned by the Commodity Subsidiary to constitute ordinary income in the hands of the Fund, whether or not distributed to the Fund, and will likely accelerate and increase the portion of the Funds distributions taxable as ordinary income.
Certain Investments in REITs, REMICs and TMPs. An investment by the Fund in REIT equity securities may result in the Fund receiving cash in excess of the REITs earnings; if the Fund distributes these amounts, such distributions could constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for federal income tax purposes. Investments in REIT equity securities may require the Fund to accrue and distribute income not yet received. To generate sufficient cash to make the required distributions, the Fund may be required to sell securities in its portfolio (including when it is not advantageous to do so) that it otherwise would have continued to hold. Dividends received by the Fund from a REIT will not qualify for the corporate dividends-received deduction and generally will not constitute qualified dividend income.
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The Fund may invest directly or indirectly (including through a REIT) in residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs) (including by investing in residual interests in CMOs with respect to which an election to be treated as a REMIC is in effect) or equity interests in taxable mortgage pools (TMPs). Under a notice issued by the IRS in October 2006 and Treasury regulations that have yet to be issued but may apply retroactively, a portion of the Funds income (including income allocated to the Fund from a REIT or other pass-through entity) that is attributable to a residual interest in a REMIC or an equity interest in a TMP (referred to in the Code as an excess inclusion) will be subject to federal income tax in all events. This notice also provides, and the regulations are expected to provide, that excess inclusion income of a RIC generally will be allocated to shareholders of the RIC in proportion to the dividends received by such shareholders, with the same consequences as if the shareholders held the related interest directly. As a result, to the extent the Fund invests in such interests, it may not be a suitable investment for charitable remainder trusts (CRTs), as noted below.
In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income (UBTI) to entities (including a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan or other tax-exempt entity) subject to tax on UBTI, thereby potentially requiring such an entity that is allocated excess inclusion income, and otherwise might not be required to file a tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income and (iii) in the case of a non-U.S. shareholder, will not qualify for any reduction in U.S. federal withholding tax. See Tax-Exempt Shareholders below for a discussion of the special tax consequences that may result where a tax-exempt entity invests in a RIC that recognizes excess inclusion income. A shareholder will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on such inclusions notwithstanding any exemption from such income tax otherwise available under the Code.
Special Rules for Debt Obligations. Some debt obligations with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance (and zero-coupon debt obligations with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that are acquired by the Fund will be treated as debt obligations that are issued originally at a discount. Generally, the amount of the OID is treated as interest income and is included in the Funds income (and required to be distributed by that Fund) over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt security. In addition, payment-in-kind securities will give rise to income which is required to be distributed and is taxable even though the Fund holding the security receives no interest payment in cash on the security during the year.
Some debt obligations with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance that are acquired by the Fund in the secondary market may be treated as having market discount. Very generally, market discount is the excess of the stated redemption price of a debt obligation (or in the case of an obligation issued with OID, its revised issue price) over the purchase price of such obligation. 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. Alternatively, the Fund may elect to accrue market discount currently, in which case the Fund will be required to include the accrued market discount in the Funds income (as ordinary income) and thus distribute it over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt security. The rate at which the market discount accrues, and thus is included in the Funds income, will depend upon which of the permitted accrual methods the Fund elects.
Some debt obligations with a fixed maturity date of one year or less from the date of issuance that are acquired by the Fund may be treated as having OID or, in certain cases, acquisition discount (very generally, the excess of the stated redemption price over the purchase price). That Fund will be required to include the OID or acquisition discount in income (as ordinary income) and thus distribute it over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, upon partial or full repayment or disposition of the debt security. The rate at which OID or acquisition discount accrues, and thus is included in the Funds income, will depend upon which of the permitted accrual methods the Fund elects.
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If the Fund holds the foregoing kinds of securities, it may be required to pay out as an income distribution each year an amount which is greater than the total amount of cash interest the Fund actually received. Such distributions may be made from the cash assets of the Fund or, if necessary, by disposition of portfolio securities including at a time when it may not be advantageous to do so. These dispositions may cause the Fund to realize higher amounts of short-term capital gains (generally taxed to shareholders at ordinary income tax rates) and, in the event the Fund realizes net capital gains from such transactions, its shareholders may receive a larger Capital Gain Dividend than if the Fund had not held such securities.
Certain High-Yield Discount Obligations. A portion of the interest paid or accrued on certain high-yield discount obligations in which the Fund may invest may be treated as a dividend for purposes of the corporate dividends-received deduction. In such cases, if the issuer of the high-yield discount obligations is a domestic corporation, dividend payments by the Fund to corporate shareholders may be eligible for the dividends-received deduction to the extent of the deemed dividend portion of such accrued interest.
Higher-Risk Securities. The Fund may invest in below investment-grade fixed-income securities, including debt obligations of issuers not currently paying interest or that are in default. Investments in debt obligations that are at risk of, or in default, present special tax issues for the Fund. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as whether and to what extent the Fund should recognize market discount on such a debt obligation, when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent the Fund may take deductions for bad debts or worthless securities and how the Fund should allocate payments received on obligations in default between principal and income. These and other related issues will be addressed by the Fund when, as and if it invests in such securities, in order to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its status as a RIC and does not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.
Securities Purchased at a Premium. Very generally, where the Fund purchases a bond at a price that exceeds the redemption price at maturity (a premium) the premium is amortizable over the remaining term of the bond. In the case of a taxable bond, if the Fund makes an election applicable to all such bonds it purchases, which election is irrevocable without consent of the IRS, the Fund reduces the current taxable income from the bond by the amortized premium and reduces its tax basis in the bond by the amount of such offset; upon the disposition or maturity of such bonds, the Fund is permitted to deduct any remaining premium allocable to a prior period. In the case of a tax-exempt bond, tax rules require the Fund to reduce its tax basis by the amount of amortized premium.
Passive Foreign Investment Companies. An equity investment by the Fund in certain passive foreign investment companies (PFICs) could potentially subject the Fund to U.S. federal income tax (including interest charges) on distributions received from the PFIC or on proceeds received from a disposition of shares in the PFIC. This tax cannot be eliminated by making distributions to Fund shareholders. However, the Fund may make certain elections to avoid the imposition of that tax. For example, the Fund may elect to mark the gains (and to a limited extent losses) in its holdings in a PFIC to the market as though the Fund had sold and repurchased its holdings in the PFIC on the last day of the Funds taxable year. Such gains and losses are treated as ordinary income and loss. The Fund also may in certain cases elect to treat a PFIC as a qualified electing fund (i.e., make a QEF election), in which case the Fund will be required to include in its income annually its share of the PFICs income and net capital gains, regardless of whether it receives any distribution from the PFIC.
The mark-to-market and QEF elections may accelerate the recognition of income (without the receipt of cash) and increase the amount required to be distributed by the Fund to avoid taxation. Making either of these elections therefore may require the Fund to liquidate investments (including when it is not advantageous to do so) to meet its distribution requirements, which also may accelerate the recognition of gain and affect the Funds total return. Because it is not always possible to identify a foreign corporation as a PFIC, the Fund may incur the tax and interest charges described above in some instances. Dividends paid by PFICs generally will not be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income.
Tax-Exempt Shareholders
Income of a RIC that would be UBTI if earned directly by a tax-exempt entity generally will not be treated as UBTI to a tax-exempt shareholder of that RIC. Notwithstanding this blocking effect, a tax-exempt shareholder may realize UBTI by virtue of its investments in the Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Code Section 514(b).
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A tax-exempt shareholder may also recognize UBTI if the Fund recognizes excess inclusion income derived from direct or indirect investments in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs, as described above, if the amount of such income recognized by the Fund exceeds that Funds investment company taxable income (after taking into account deductions for dividends paid by the Fund). Furthermore, any investment in residual interests of a CMO that has elected to be treated as a REMIC can create complex tax consequences, especially if the Fund has state or local governments or other tax-exempt organizations as shareholders.
In addition, special tax consequences apply when CRTs invest in RICs that invest directly or indirectly in residual interests in REMICs or equity interests in TMPs. Under legislation enacted in December 2006, if a CRT (defined in Section 664 of the Code) realizes any UBTI for a taxable year, a 100% excise tax is imposed on such UBTI. Under IRS guidance issued in October 2006, a CRT will not recognize UBTI as a result of investing in a fund that recognizes excess inclusion income. Rather, if at any time during any taxable year a CRT (or one of certain other tax-exempt shareholders, such as the United States, a state or political subdivision, or an agency or instrumentality thereof, and certain energy cooperatives) is a record holder of a share in the fund that recognizes excess inclusion income, then the fund will be subject to a tax on the portion of its excess inclusion income for the taxable year that is allocable to such shareholders at the highest federal corporate income tax rate. To the extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the Fund may elect to specially allocate any such tax to the applicable CRT (or other shareholder), and thus reduce such shareholders distributions for the year by the amount of the tax that relates to such shareholders interest in the Fund. The extent to which this IRS guidance remains applicable in light of the December 2006 legislation is unclear. CRTs and other tax-exempt investors are urged to consult their tax advisers concerning the consequences of investing in the Fund.
Backup Withholding
The Fund generally is required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of the taxable distributions and redemption proceeds paid to any individual shareholder who fails to properly furnish the Fund with a correct taxpayer identification number (TIN), who has under-reported dividend or interest income, or who fails to certify to the Fund that he or she is not subject to such withholding. The backup withholding tax rate is 28%.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld may be credited against the shareholders U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the IRS.
Non-U.S. Shareholders
Capital Gain Dividends generally will not be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax. Dividends (other than Capital Gain Dividends) paid by the Fund to a shareholder that is not a United States person within the meaning of the Code (a Foreign Person) generally are subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) even if they are funded by income or gains (such as portfolio interest, short-term capital gains, or foreign-source dividend and interest income) that, if paid to a Foreign Person directly, would not be subject to withholding.
Effective for distributions with respect to taxable years of a RIC beginning before January 1, 2014, in general and subject to certain limitations, the RIC was not required to withhold any amounts (i) with respect to distributions attributable to U.S. source interest income of types similar to those that would not be subject to U.S. federal income tax if earned directly by an individual Foreign Person, to the extent such distributions were properly reported by the Fund as interest-related dividends, and (ii) with respect to distributions of net short-term capital gains in excess of net long-term capital losses, to the extent such distributions were properly reported by the Fund as short-term capital gain dividends. These exemptions have expired for distributions with respect to taxable years of a RIC beginning on or after January 1, 2014. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend these exemptions for distributions with respect to taxable years of a RIC beginning on or after January 1, 2014, and what the terms of such an extension would be, including whether such extension would have retroactive effect. To the extent these exemptions are extended the Fund may choose not to report potentially eligible distributions as interest-related or short-term capital gain dividends and/or treat such dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for these exemptions from withholding.
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In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may have withheld even if the RIC reported all or a portion of a payment as an interest-related or short-term capital gain dividend to shareholders. Foreign Persons should contact their intermediaries regarding the application of these rules to their accounts.
If a beneficial holder of Fund shares who or which is a Foreign Person has a trade or business in the United States, and Fund dividends received by such holder are effectively connected with the conduct of such trade or business, the dividends generally will be subject to U.S. federal net income taxation at regular income tax rates.
A beneficial holder of Fund shares who or which 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 a sale or redemption of shares of the Fund or on Capital Gain Dividends unless (i) such gain or Capital Gain Dividend is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business carried on by such holder within the United States, (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, redemption or Capital Gain Dividend, and certain other conditions are met or (iii) the special rules relating to gain attributable to the sale or exchange of U.S. real property interests (USRPIs) apply to the Foreign Persons sale of shares of the Fund or to the Capital Gain Dividend the Foreign Person received (as described below).
Special rules would apply if the Fund were either a U.S. real property holding corporation (USRPHC) or would be a USRPHC but for the operation of certain exceptions to the definition thereof. Very generally, a USRPHC is a domestic corporation that holds USRPIs the fair market value of which equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market values of the corporations USRPIs, interests in real property located outside the United States, and other trade or business assets. USRPIs generally are defined as any interest in U.S. real property and any interest (other than solely as a creditor) in a USRPHC or former USRPHC.
If the Fund were a USRPHC or would be a USRPHC but for the exceptions referred to above, under a special look-through rule, any distributions by the Fund to a Foreign Person (including, in certain cases, distributions made by the Fund in redemption of its shares) attributable directly or indirectly to distributions received by the Fund from a lower-tier REIT that the Fund is required to treat as USRPI gain in its hands, generally would be subject to U.S. tax withholding. In addition, such distributions could result in the Foreign Person being required to file a U.S. tax return and pay tax on the distributions at regular U.S. federal income tax rates. The consequences to a Foreign Person, including the rate of such withholding and character of such distributions (e.g., as ordinary income or USRPI gain), would vary depending upon the extent of the Foreign Persons current and past ownership of the Fund. Prior to January 1, 2014, the special look-through rule described above for distributions by a RIC to a Foreign Person also applied to distributions attributable to (i) gains realized on the disposition of USRPIs by the RIC and (ii) distributions received by the RIC from a lower-tier RIC that the upper-tier RIC was required to treat as USRPI gain in its hands. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend these former look-through provisions to distributions made on or after January 1, 2014, and what the terms of any such extension would be, including whether any such extension would have retroactive effect.
In addition, if the Fund were a USRPHC or former USRPHC, it could be required to withhold U.S. tax on the proceeds of a share redemption by a greater-than-5% shareholder that is a Foreign Person, in which case such Foreign Person generally would also be required to file U.S. tax returns and pay any additional taxes due in connection with the redemption. Prior to January 1, 2014, withholding generally was not required with respect to amounts paid in redemption of shares of a RIC if the RIC was a USRPHC that was considered to be domestically controlled or, in certain limited cases, if the RIC (whether or not domestically controlled) held substantial investments in RICs that were domestically controlled USRPHCs. This exemption from withholding for redemptions has expired and such withholding is required, without regard to whether the Fund or any RIC in which it invests is domestically controlled. It is currently unclear whether Congress will extend this exemption for redemptions made on or after January 1, 2014, and what the terms of any such extension would be, including whether any such extension would have retroactive effect.
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The Fund generally does not expect that it will be a USRPHC or would be a USRPHC but for the operation of certain of the special exceptions referred to above.
Foreign Persons should consult their tax advisers concerning the tax consequences of ownership of shares of the Fund, including the certification and filing requirements imposed on foreign investors in order to qualify for an exemption from the backup withholding tax described above or a reduced rate of withholding provided by treaty.
Certain Additional Reporting and Withholding Requirements
The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) generally requires the Fund to obtain information sufficient to identify the status of each of its shareholders under FATCA. If a shareholder fails to provide this information or otherwise fails to comply with FATCA, the Fund may be required to withhold under FATCA at a rate of 30% with respect to that shareholder on dividends, including Capital Gain Dividends, and the proceeds of the sale, redemption or exchange of Fund shares. If a payment by the Fund is subject to FATCA withholding, the Fund is required to withhold even if such payment would otherwise be exempt from withholding under the rules applicable to Foreign Persons described above (e.g., Capital Gain Dividends and short-term capital gain and interest-related dividends), beginning as early as July 1, 2014. The Subsidiary intends to comply with the provisions of FATCA to avoid being subject to the 30% FATCA withholding tax on withholding payments received by the Subsidiary after December 31, 2014.
Each prospective investor is urged to consult its tax adviser regarding the applicability of FATCA and any other reporting requirements with respect to the prospective investors own situation, including investments through an intermediary.
Other Tax Matters
Special tax rules apply to investments through defined contribution plans and other tax-qualified plans. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers to determine the suitability of shares of the Fund as an investment through such plans and the precise effect of such an investment on their particular tax situations.
Fund dividends and distributions and gains from the sale of Fund shares may be subject to state, local and foreign taxes. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding specific questions as to federal, state, local and, where applicable, foreign taxes.
If a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to the Funds shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases excepted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not excepted. Future guidance may extend the current exception from this reporting requirement to shareholders of most or all RICs. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayers treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.
Yield and Total Return
The Fund may advertise the yield and total return of each class of its shares. The Funds yield and total return will vary from time to time depending upon market conditions, the composition of its portfolio and operating expenses of the Trust allocated to the Fund. These factors, possible differences in the methods used in calculating yield and total return and the tax-exempt status of distributions should be considered when comparing the Funds yield and total return to yields and total returns published for other investment companies and other investment vehicles. Yield and total return should also be considered relative to changes in the value of the Funds shares and to the relative risks associated with the investment objectives and policies of the Fund. Yields do not take into account any applicable sales charges or CDSC. Yield and total return may be stated with or without giving effect to any expense limitations
89
in effect for the Fund. For those funds that present yields and total returns reflecting an expense limitation or waiver, the yield or total return would have been lower if no limitation or waiver were in effect. Yields and total returns will generally be higher for Class A shares than for Class C shares, because of the higher levels of expenses borne by the Class C shares. Because of its lower operating expenses, Class Y shares of the Fund can be expected to achieve a higher yield and total return than the same Funds Class A and Class C shares.
The Fund may also present one or more distribution rates for each class in its sales literature. These rates will be determined by annualizing the classs distributions from net investment income and net short-term capital gain over a recent 12-month, 3-month or 30-day period and dividing that amount by the maximum offering price or the NAV. If the NAV, rather than the maximum offering price, is used to calculate the distribution rate, the rate will be higher.
At any time in the future, yield and total return may be higher or lower than past yields or total return, and there can be no assurance that any historical results will continue.
Investors in the Fund are specifically advised that share prices, expressed as the NAVs per share, will vary just as yield and total return will vary. An investors focus on the yield of the Fund to the exclusion of the consideration of the share price of the Fund may result in the investors misunderstanding the total return he or she may derive from the Fund.
Benchmark Comparisons
Performance information for a fund with over one calendar year of performance history will be included in the Prospectus (in the section Risk/Return Bar Chart and Table in such funds Fund Summary), along with the performance of an appropriate benchmark index. Because index comparisons are generally calculated as of the end of each month, index performance information under the Since Inception, Life of Fund or Life of Class headings in the Prospectus for funds with less than ten years of performance history may not be coincident with the inception date of the fund (or class, as applicable). In such instances, index performance is generally presented from the month-end nearest to the inception date of the fund (or class, as applicable).
This document may contain references to third-party copyrights, indexes, and trademarks, each of which is the property of its respective owner. Such owner is not affiliated with Natixis Global Asset Management or any of its related or affiliated companies (collectively NGAM) and does not sponsor, endorse or participate in the provision of any NGAM services, funds or other financial products.
The index information contained herein is derived from third parties and is provided on an as is basis. The user of this information assumes the entire risk of use of this information. Each of the third-party entities involved in compiling, computing or creating index information, disclaims all warranties (including, without limitation, any warranties of originality, accuracy, completeness, timeliness, non-infringement, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose) with respect to such information.
The Fund is newly formed and has not yet issued financial statements.
90
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS
Standard & PoorsA brief description of the applicable rating symbols of Standard & Poors and their meanings (as published by Standard & Poors) follows:
Issue Credit Rating Definitions
A Standard & Poors issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion reflects Standard & Poors view of the obligors capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default.
Issue credit ratings can be either long-term or short-term. Short-term ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market. In the U.S., for example, that means obligations with an original maturity of no more than 365 daysincluding commercial paper. Short-term ratings are also used to indicate the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to put features on long-term obligations. Medium-term notes are assigned long-term ratings.
Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on Standard & Poors analysis of the following considerations:
| Likelihood of paymentcapacity 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 and the promise we impute; |
| 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.)
AAA
An obligation rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poors. The obligors 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 obligors capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.
A-1
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 obligors 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.
BB, B, CCC, CC, and C
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 obligors 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 obligors 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. The CC rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but Standard & Poors expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.
C
An obligation rated C is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher.
D
An obligation rated D is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless Standard & Poors believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated
A-2
grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligations rating is lowered to D if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
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, or that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poors 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 & Poors. The obligors 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 obligors 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 obligors 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 vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligors inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.
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 default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless Standard & Poors believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligations rating is lowered to D if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer.
A-3
SPUR (Standard & Poors Underlying Rating)
A SPUR rating is an opinion about the stand-alone capacity of an obligor to pay debt service on a credit-enhanced debt issue, without giving effect to the enhancement that applies to it. These ratings are published only at the request of the debt issuer/obligor with the designation SPUR to distinguish them from the credit-enhanced rating that applies to the debt issue. Standard & Poors maintains surveillance of an issue with a published SPUR.
Municipal Short-Term Note Ratings Definitions
A Standard & Poors U.S. municipal note rating reflects Standard & Poors opinion about the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to the notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes with an original maturity of more than three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. In determining which type of rating, if any, to assign, Standard & Poors analysis will review the following considerations:
| Amortization schedulethe larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and |
| Source of paymentthe more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note. |
Note rating symbols are as follows:
SP-1
Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.
SP-2
Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.
SP-3
Speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
Dual Ratings
Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, AAA/A-1+ or A-1+/A-1). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example SP-1+/A-1+).
The analyses, including ratings, and of Standard & Poors and its affiliates (together, Standard & Poors) are statements of opinion as of the date they are expressed and not statements of fact or recommendations to purchase, hold, or sell any securities or make any investment decisions. Standard & Poors assumes no obligation to update any information following publication. Users of ratings or other analyses should not rely on them in making any investment decision. Standard & Poors opinions and analyses do not address the suitability of any security. Standard & Poors does not act as a fiduciary or an investment advisor except where registered as such. While Standard & Poors has obtained information from sources it believes to be reliable, Standard & Poors does not perform an audit and undertakes no duty of due diligence or independent verification of any information it receives. Ratings and other opinions may be changed, suspended, or withdrawn at any time.
A-4
Active Qualifiers (Currently applied and/or outstanding)
Federal deposit insurances limit: L qualifier
Ratings qualified with L apply only to amounts invested up to federal deposit insurance limits.
Principal: p qualifier
This suffix 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 suffix indicates that the rating addresses the principal portion of the obligation only and that the interest is not rated.
Public Information Ratings: pi qualifier
Ratings with a pi suffix are based on an analysis of an issuers published financial information, as well as additional information in the public domain. They do not, however, reflect in-depth meetings with an issuers management and therefore may be based on less comprehensive information than ratings without a pi suffix. Ratings with a pi suffix are reviewed annually based on a new years financial statements, but may be reviewed on an interim basis if a major event occurs that may affect the issuers credit quality.
Preliminary Ratings: prelim qualifier
Preliminary ratings, with the prelim suffix, may be assigned to obligors or obligations, including financial programs, in the circumstances described below. Assignment of a final rating is conditional on the receipt by Standard & Poors of appropriate documentation. Standard & Poors reserves the right not to issue a final rating. Moreover, if a final rating is issued, it may differ from the preliminary rating.
| Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations, most commonly structured and project finance issues, pending receipt of final documentation and legal opinions. |
| 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 & Poors policies. |
| Preliminary ratings may be assigned to obligations that will likely be issued upon the obligors emergence from bankruptcy or similar reorganization, based on late-stage reorganization plans, documentation and discussions with the obligor. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligors. These ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the reorganized or post-bankruptcy issuer as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s). |
| Preliminary ratings may be assigned to entities that are being formed or that are in the process of being independently established when, in Standard & Poors opinion, documentation is close to final. Preliminary ratings may also be assigned to the obligations of these entities. |
| Preliminary ratings may be assigned when a previously unrated entity is undergoing a well-formulated restructuring, recapitalization, significant financing or other transformative event, generally at the point that investor or lender commitments are invited. The preliminary rating may be assigned to the entity and to its proposed obligation(s). These preliminary ratings consider the anticipated general credit quality of the obligor, as well as attributes of the anticipated obligation(s), assuming successful completion of the transformative event. Should the transformative event not occur, Standard & Poors would likely withdraw these preliminary ratings. |
| A preliminary recovery rating may be assigned to an obligation that has a preliminary issue credit rating. |
A-5
Termination Structures: t qualifier
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.
Inactive Qualifiers (No longer applied or outstanding)
Contingent upon final documentation: * inactive qualifier
This symbol that indicated that the rating was contingent upon Standard & Poors receipt of an executed copy of the escrow agreement or closing documentation confirming investments and cash flows. Discontinued use in August 1998.
Termination of obligation to tender: c inactive qualifier
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 was lowered to below an investment-grade level and/or the issuers bonds were deemed taxable. Discontinued use in January 2001.
U.S. direct government securities: G inactive qualifier
The letter G followed the rating symbol when a funds portfolio consisted primarily of direct U.S. government securities.
Provisional Ratings: pr inactive qualifier
The letters pr indicate that the rating is provisional. A provisional rating assumes the successful completion of a project financed by the debt being rated and indicates that payment of debt service requirements was 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, made no comment on the likelihood of or the risk of default upon failure of such completion.
Quantitative Analysis of public information: q inactive qualifier
A q subscript indicates that the rating is based solely on quantitative analysis of publicly available information. Discontinued use in April 2001.
Extraordinary risks: r inactive qualifier
The r modifier was assigned to securities containing extraordinary risks, particularly market risks, which 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 & Poors 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 & Poors analysis for credit ratings on any issuer or issue. Currency of repayment is a key factor in this analysis. An obligors capacity to repay foreign currency obligations may be lower than its capacity to repay obligations in its local currency due to the sovereign governments 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.
A-6
Moodys Investors Service, Inc.A brief description of the applicable Moodys Investors Service, Inc. rating symbols and their meanings (as published by Moodys) follows:
Long-Term Obligation Ratings
Ratings assigned on Moodys global long-term rating scale are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles, and public sector entities. Long-term ratings are assigned to issuers or obligations with an original maturity of one year or more and reflect both the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments and the expected financial loss suffered in the event of default.
Moodys Global Long-Term Rating Definitions:
Aaa
Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of 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 judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.
Baa
Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
Ba
Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative 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 speculative 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 and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.
Note: Moodys 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. Additionally, a (hyb) indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.
A-7
Issuer Ratings
Issuer Ratings are opinions of the ability of entities to honor senior unsecured financial counterparty obligations and contracts. As such, Issuer Ratings incorporate any external support that is expected to apply to all current and future issuance of senior unsecured financial obligations and contracts, such as explicit support stemming from a guarantee of all senior unsecured financial obligations and contracts, and/or implicit support for issuers subject to joint default analysis (e.g. banks and government-related issuers). Issuer Ratings do not incorporate support arrangements, such as guarantees, that apply only to specific (but not all) senior unsecured financial obligations and contracts. Moodys expresses Long-Term Issuer Ratings on its long-term global scale.
Medium-Term Note Program Ratings
Moodys assigns provisional ratings to medium-term note (MTN) programs and definitive ratings to the individual debt securities issued from them (referred to as drawdowns or notes).
MTN program ratings are intended to reflect the ratings likely to be assigned to drawdowns issued from the program with the specified priority of claim (e.g. senior or subordinated). To capture the contingent nature of a program rating, Moodys assigns provisional ratings to MTN programs. A provisional rating is denoted by a (P) in front of the rating and is defined elsewhere in this document.
The rating assigned to a drawdown from a rated MTN or bank/deposit note program is definitive in nature, and may differ from the program rating if the drawdown is exposed to additional credit risks besides the issuers default, such as links to the defaults of other issuers, or has other structural features that warrant a different rating. In some circumstances, no rating may be assigned to a drawdown.
Moodys encourages market participants to contact Moodys Ratings Desks or visit www.moodys.com directly if they have questions regarding ratings for specific notes issued under a medium-term note program. Unrated notes issued under an MTN program may be assigned an NR (not rated) symbol.
Short-Term Obligation Ratings
Ratings are assigned on Moodys global short-term rating scale are forward-looking opinions of the relative credit risks of financial obligations issued by non-financial corporates, financial institutions, structured finance vehicles, project finance vehicles and public sector entities. Short-term ratings are assigned to obligations with an original maturity of thirteen months or less and reflect the likelihood of a default on contractually promised payments.
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.
A-8
Fitch Investor Services, Inc. A brief description of the applicable rating symbols of Fitch Investor Services, Inc. and their meanings (as published by Fitch) follows:
Credit Rating Scales
Fitch Ratings credit ratings provide an opinion on the relative ability of an entity to meet financial commitments, such as interest, preferred dividends, repayment of principal, insurance claims or counterparty obligations. Credit ratings are used by investors as indications of the likelihood of receiving the money owed to them in accordance with the terms on which they invested. The agencys credit ratings cover the global spectrum of corporate, sovereign (including supranational and sub-national), financial, bank, insurance, municipal and other public finance entities and the securities or other obligations they issue, as well as structured finance securities backed by receivables or other financial assets.
The terms investment grade and speculative grade have established themselves over time as shorthand to describe the categories AAA to BBB (investment grade) and BB to D (speculative grade). The terms investment grade and speculative grade are market conventions, and do not imply any recommendation or endorsement of a specific security for investment purposes. Investment grade categories indicate relatively low to moderate credit risk, while ratings in the speculative categories either signal a higher level of credit risk or that a default has already occurred.
A designation of Not Rated or NR is used to denote securities not rated by Fitch where Fitch has rated some, but not all, securities comprising an issuance capital structure.
Credit ratings express risk in relative rank order, which is to say they are ordinal measures of credit risk and are not predictive of a specific frequency of default or loss.
Fitch Ratings credit ratings do not directly address any risk other than credit risk. In particular, ratings do not deal with the risk of a market value loss on a rated security due to changes in interest rates, liquidity and other market considerations. However, in terms of payment obligation on the rated liability, market risk may be considered to the extent that it influences the ability of an issuer to pay upon a commitment. Ratings nonetheless do not reflect market risk to the extent that they influence the size or other conditionality of the obligation to pay upon a commitment (for example, in the case of index-linked bonds).
In the default components of ratings assigned to individual obligations or instruments, the agency typically rates to the likelihood of non-payment or default in accordance with the terms of that instruments documentation. In limited cases, Fitch Ratings may include additional considerations (i.e. rate to a higher or lower standard than that implied in the obligations documentation). In such cases, the agency will make clear the assumptions underlying the agencys opinion in the accompanying rating commentary.
Long-Term Credit Rating Scales
Issuer Credit Rating Scales
Rated entities in a number of sectors, including financial and non-financial corporations, sovereigns and insurance companies, are generally assigned Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs). IDRs opine on an entitys relative vulnerability to default on financial obligations. The threshold default risk addressed by the IDR is generally that of the financial obligations whose non-payment would best reflect the uncured failure of that entity. As such, IDRs also address relative vulnerability to bankruptcy, administrative receivership or similar concepts, although the agency recognizes that issuers may also make pre-emptive and therefore voluntary use of such mechanisms.
In aggregate, IDRs provide an ordinal ranking of issuers based on the agencys view of their relative vulnerability to default, rather than a prediction of a specific percentage likelihood of default. For historical information on the default experience of Fitch-rated issuers, please consult the transition and default performance studies available from the Fitch Ratings website.
A-9
AAA
Highest credit quality. AAA ratings denote the lowest expectation of default risk. They are assigned only in cases 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 default risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A
High credit quality. A ratings denote expectations of low default risk. The capacity for 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 default 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.
BB
Speculative. BB ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to default risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial flexibility exists which supports the servicing of financial commitments.
B
Highly speculative. B ratings indicate that material default risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to deterioration in the business and economic environment.
CCC
Substantial credit risk. Default is a real possibility.
CC
Very high levels of credit risk. Default of some kind appears probable.
C
Exceptionally high levels of credit risk. Default is imminent or inevitable, or the issuer is in standstill. Conditions that are indicative of a C category rating for an issuer include:
a. | the issuer has entered into a grace or cure period following non-payment of a material financial obligation; |
b. | the issuer has entered into a temporary negotiated waiver or standstill agreement following a payment default on a material financial obligation; or |
A-10
c. | Fitch Ratings otherwise believes a condition of RD or D to be imminent or inevitable, including through the formal announcement of a distressed debt exchange. |
RD
Restricted default. RD ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch Ratings opinion has experienced an uncured payment default on a bond, loan or other material financial obligation but which has not entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure, and which has not otherwise ceased operating. This would include:
a. | the selective payment default on a specific class or currency of debt; |
b. | the uncured expiry of any applicable grace period, cure period or default forbearance period following a payment default on a bank loan, capital markets security or other material financial obligation; |
c. | the extension of multiple waivers or forbearance periods upon a payment default on one or more material financial obligations, either in series or in parallel; or |
d. | execution of a distressed debt exchange on one or more material financial obligations. |
D
Default. D ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch Ratings opinion has entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure, or which has otherwise ceased business.
Default ratings are not assigned prospectively to entities or their obligations; within this context, non-payment on an instrument that contains a deferral feature or grace period will generally not be considered a default until after the expiration of the deferral or grace period, unless a default is otherwise driven by bankruptcy or other similar circumstance, or by a distressed debt exchange.
Imminent default typically refers to the occasion where a payment default has been intimated by the issuer, and is all but inevitable. This may, for example, be where an issuer has missed a scheduled payment, but (as is typical) has a grace period during which it may cure the payment default. Another alternative would be where an issuer has formally announced a distressed debt exchange, but the date of the exchange still lies several days or weeks in the immediate future.
In all cases, the assignment of a default rating reflects the agencys opinion as to the most appropriate rating category consistent with the rest of its universe of ratings, and may differ from the definition of default under the terms of an issuers financial obligations or local commercial practice.
Note:
The modifiers + or - may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the AAA Long-Term IDR category, or to Long-Term IDR categories below B.
Limitations of the Issuer Credit Rating Scale
Specific limitations relevant to the issuer credit rating scale include:
| The ratings do not predict a specific percentage of default likelihood over any given time period. |
| The ratings do not opine on the market value of any issuers securities or stock, or the likelihood that this value may change. |
| The ratings do not opine on the liquidity of the issuers securities or stock. |
| The ratings do not opine on the possible loss severity on an obligation should an issuer default. |
| The ratings do not opine on the suitability of an issuer as counterparty to trade credit. |
A-11
| The ratings do not opine on any quality related to an issuers business, operational or financial profile other than the agencys opinion on its relative vulnerability to default. |
Ratings assigned by Fitch Ratings articulate an opinion on discrete and specific areas of risk. The above list is not exhaustive, and is provided for the readers convenience. Readers are requested to review the section Understanding Credit RatingsLimitations and Usage for further information on the limitations of the agencys ratings.
Short-Term Credit Ratings
Short-Term Ratings Assigned to Issuers or Obligations in Corporate, Public and Structured Finance
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, sovereign and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. 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. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.
D
Default. Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.
Limitations of the Short-Term Ratings Scale
Specific limitations relevant to the Short-Term Ratings scale include:
| The ratings do not predict a specific percentage of default likelihood over any given time period. |
| The ratings do not opine on the market value of any issuers securities or stock, or the likelihood that this value may change. |
A-12
| The ratings do not opine on the liquidity of the issuers securities or stock. |
| The ratings do not opine on the possible loss severity on an obligation should an obligation default. |
| The ratings do not opine on any quality related to an issuer or transactions profile other than the agencys opinion on the relative vulnerability to default of the rated issuer or obligation. |
Ratings assigned by Fitch Ratings articulate an opinion on discrete and specific areas of risk. The above list is not exhaustive, and is provided for the readers convenience. Readers are requested to review the section Understanding Credit RatingsLimitations and Usage for further information on the limitations of the agencys ratings.
Standard Rating Actions
Affirmed*
The rating has been reviewed with no change in rating. Ratings affirmations may also include an affirmation of, or change to Outlook when an Outlook is used.
Confirmed
Action taken in response to an external request or change in terms. Rating has been reviewed in either context, and no rating change has been deemed necessary. For servicer ratings, action taken in response to change in financial condition or IDR of servicer where servicer rating is reviewed in that context exclusively, and no rating action has been deemed necessary.
Downgrade*
The rating has been lowered in the scale.
Matured*/Paid-In-Full
a. Matured This action is used when an issue has reached the end of its repayment term and rating coverage is discontinued. Denoted as NR.
b. Paid-In-Full This action indicates that the issue has been paid in full. As the issue no longer exists, it is therefore no longer rated. Denoted as PIF.
New Rating*
Rating has been assigned to a previously unrated issue primarily used in cases of shelf issues such as MTNs or similar programs.
Prerefunded*
Assigned to long-term US Public Finance issues after Fitch assesses refunding escrow.
Publish*
Initial public announcement of rating on the agencys website, although not necessarily the first rating assigned. This action denotes when a previously private rating is published.
Upgrade*
The rating has been raised in the scale.
Withdrawn*
The rating has been withdrawn and the issue or issuer is no longer rated by Fitch Ratings. Indicated in rating databases with the symbol WD.
Rating Modifier Actions:
Rating Watch Maintained*
The issue or issuer has been reviewed and remains on active Rating Watch status.
A-13
Rating Watch On*
The issue or issuer has been placed on active Rating Watch status.
Rating Watch Revision*
Rating Watch status has changed.
Support Floor Rating Revision
Applicable only to Support ratings related to Financial Institutions, which are amended only with this action.
Under Review*
Applicable to ratings that may undergo a change in scale not related to changes in fundamental credit quality. Final action will be Revision Rating.
The Following Actions Will Only Apply in Structured Finance Transactions:
Revision Outlook*
Rating Outlook status has changed independent of a full review of the underlying rating.
* | A rating action must be recorded for each rating in a required cycle to be considered compliant with Fitch policy concerning aging of ratings. Not all Ratings or Data Actions, or changes in rating modifiers, will meet this requirement. Actions that meet this requirement are noted with an * in the above definitions. |
XGM33-1214
A-14
Registration Nos. 002-11101
811-00242
NATIXIS FUNDS TRUST II
PART C
OTHER INFORMATION
Item 28. Exhibits
(a) | Articles of Incorporation. | |||||
(1) | Natixis Funds Trust II (the Registrant) Fourth Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated June 2, 2005 (the Agreement and Declaration) is incorporated by reference to exhibit (a)(1) to Post-Effective Amendment (PEA) No. 128 to the initial registration statement (Registration Statement) filed on January 30, 2006. | |||||
(2) | Amendment No. 1 dated June 1, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration is incorporated by reference to exhibit (a)(2) to PEA No. 132 to the Registration Statement filed on January 28, 2008. | |||||
(3) | Memorandum and Articles of Association of ASG Global Alternatives Cayman Fund Ltd. (the Global Alternatives Commodity Subsidiary) dated August 11, 2008 is incorporated by reference to exhibit (a)(3) to PEA No. 138 filed on September 29, 2008. | |||||
(4) | Memorandum and Articles of Association of ASG Managed Futures Strategy Cayman Fund Ltd. (the Managed Futures Strategy Commodity Subsidiary) dated June 24, 2010 is incorporated by reference to exhibit (a)(5) to PEA No. 150 filed on July 29, 2010. | |||||
(5) | Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association of ASG Global Macro Cayman Fund Ltd. (the Global Macro Commodity Subsidiary) dated October 22, 2014 is filed herewith. | |||||
(b) | By-Laws. | |||||
(1) | The Registrants Amended and Restated By-Laws dated September 23, 2008 (the By-Laws) are incorporated by reference to exhibit (b)(1) to PEA No. 140 to the Registration Statement filed on December 1, 2008. | |||||
(c) | Instruments Defining Rights of Security Holders. | |||||
(1) | Rights of shareholders as described in Article III, Section 6 and Article V of the Registrants Agreement and Declaration is incorporated by reference to exhibit (c) to PEA No. 128 to the Registration Statement filed on January 30, 2006. |
1
(d) | Investment Advisory Contracts. | |||||
(1) | (i) | Advisory Agreement dated October 30, 2000 between the Registrant, on behalf of Natixis Oakmark Fund, and NGAM Advisors, L.P. (NGAM Advisors) is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(1)(i) to PEA No. 114 to the Registration Statement filed on February 27, 2001. | ||||
(ii) | Advisory Agreement dated September 30, 2008 between the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Global Alternatives Fund, and AlphaSimplex Group, LLC (AlphaSimplex) is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(1)(iii) to PEA No. 140 to the Registration Statement filed on December 1, 2008. | |||||
(iii) | Addendum dated July 1, 2012 to the Advisory Agreement dated September 30, 2008 between the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Global Alternatives Fund, and AlphaSimplex Group, LLC is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(1)(iii) to PEA No. 172 to the Registration Statement filed on January 24, 2013. | |||||
(iv) | Advisory Agreement dated October 31, 2008 between the Registrant, on behalf of Vaughan Nelson Value Opportunity Fund, and NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(1)(iv) to PEA No. 139 to the Registration Statement filed on October 30, 2008. | |||||
(v) | Advisory Agreement dated November 27, 2008 between the Global Alternatives Commodity Subsidiary and AlphaSimplex is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(1)(v) to PEA No. 141 to the Registration Statement filed on April 30, 2009. | |||||
(vi) | Advisory Agreement dated July 28, 2010 between the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Managed Futures Strategy Fund and AlphaSimplex is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(1)(vii) to PEA No. 151 filed on September 29, 2010. | |||||
(vii) | Advisory Agreement dated July 28, 2010 between the Managed Futures Strategy Commodity Subsidiary and AlphaSimplex is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(1)(viii) to PEA No. 151 filed on September 29, 2010. | |||||
(viii) | Advisory Agreement dated December 14, 2010 between the Registrant, on behalf of Loomis Sayles Strategic Alpha Fund (formerly, the Loomis Sayles Absolute Strategies Fund) and Loomis Sayles is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(1)(xii) to PEA No. 153 filed on December 14, 2010. | |||||
(ix) | Advisory Agreement dated September 16, 2011 between the Registrant, on behalf of Loomis Sayles Senior Floating Rate and Fixed Income Fund and Loomis Sayles is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(1)(xv) to PEA No. 158 as filed on September 29, 2011. | |||||
(x) | Advisory Agreement dated March 28, 2012 between the Registrant, on behalf of Loomis Sayles Capital Income Fund and Loomis Sayles is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(1)(xv) to PEA No. 162 to the Registration Statement filed on March 30, 2012. |
2
(xi) | Advisory Agreement dated June 29, 2012 between the Registrant, on behalf of Vaughan Nelson Select Fund and NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(1)(xvi) to PEA No. 167 filed on June 28, 2012. | |||||
(xii) | Advisory Agreement dated November 16, 2012 between the Registrant, on behalf of McDonnell Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund and NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(1)(xvii) to PEA No. 170 to the Registration Statement filed on December 28, 2012. | |||||
(xiii) | Advisory Agreement dated September 30, 2013 between the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Tactical U.S. Market Fund and AlphaSimplex is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(1)(xvii) to PEA No. 179 to the Registration Statement filed on September 26, 2013. | |||||
(xiv) | Advisory Agreement dated February 10, 2014 between the Registrant, on behalf of Loomis Sayles Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund and Loomis Sayles is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(1)(xvi) to PEA No. 182 to the Registration Statement filed on February 7, 2014. | |||||
(xv) | Advisory Agreement dated July 10, 2014 between the Registrant, on behalf of Seeyond Multi-Asset Allocation Fund and Natixis Asset Management U.S., LLC (Natixis AM US) is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(1)(xvii) to PEA No. 191 to the registration Statement filed on July 10, 2014. | |||||
(xvi) | Advisory Agreement dated December 1, 2014 between the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Global Macro Fund and AlphaSimplex is filed herewith. | |||||
(xvii) |
Advisory Agreement dated December 1, 2014 between the Global Macro Commodity Subsidiary and AlphaSimplex is filed herewith. | |||||
(2) | (i) | Sub-Advisory Agreement dated October 29, 2002 among the Registrant, on behalf of Natixis Oakmark Fund, NGAM Advisors, and Harris Associates L.P. (Harris Associates) is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(2)(i) to PEA No. 118 to the Registration Statement filed on February 28, 2003. | ||||
(ii) | Amendment dated February 28, 2014 to Sub-Advisory Agreement dated October 29, 2002 among the Registrant, on behalf of Natixis Oakmark Fund, NGAM Advisors, and Harris Associates is filed herewith. | |||||
(iii) | Sub-Advisory Agreement dated September 30, 2008 among the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Global Alternatives Fund, AlphaSimplex and Reich & Tang Asset Management, LLC (Reich & Tang) is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(2)(iii) to PEA No. 140 to the Registration Statement filed on December 1, 2008. | |||||
(iv) | Sub-Advisory Agreement dated October 31, 2008 among the Registrant on behalf of Vaughan Nelson Value Opportunity Fund, NGAM Advisors and Vaughan Nelson Investment Management, L.P. (Vaughan Nelson) is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(2)(iv) to PEA No. 139 to the Registration Statement filed on October 30, 2008. |
3
(v) | Sub-Advisory Agreement dated November 27, 2008 among the Global Alternatives Commodity Subsidiary, AlphaSimplex and Reich & Tang is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(2)(v) to PEA No. 141 to the Registration Statement filed on April 30, 2009. | |||||
(vi) | Sub-Advisory Agreement dated July 28, 2010 among the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Managed Futures Strategy Fund, AlphaSimplex and Reich & Tang is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(2)(viii) to PEA No. 151 filed on September 29, 2010. | |||||
(vii) | Sub-Advisory Agreement dated June 29, 2012 among the Registrant, on behalf of Vaughan Nelson Select Fund, NGAM Advisors and Vaughan Nelson is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(2)(xi) to PEA No. 167 filed on June 28, 2012. | |||||
(viii) | Sub-Advisory Agreement dated January 1, 2013 among the Registrant, on behalf of McDonnell Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund, NGAM Advisors and McDonnell Investment Management, LLC is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(2)(xiii) to PEA No. 170 to the Registration Statement filed on December 28, 2012. | |||||
(ix) | Sub-Advisory Agreement dated September 30, 2013 among the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Tactical U.S. Market Fund, AlphaSimplex and Reich & Tang is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(2)(xi) to PEA No. 179 to the Registration Statement filed on September 26, 2013. | |||||
(x) | Sub-Advisory Agreement dated September 30, 2013 among the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Tactical U.S. Market Fund, AlphaSimplex and NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (d)(2)(xii) to PEA No. 179 to the Registration Statement filed on September 26, 2013. | |||||
(xi) | Sub-Advisory Agreement dated December 1, 2014 among the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Global Macro Fund, Alpha Simplex and Reich & Tang is filed herewith. | |||||
(e) | Underwriting Contracts. | |||||
(1) | Distribution Agreement dated March 3, 2003 between the Registrant, on behalf of Natixis Oakmark Fund, and NGAM Distribution, L.P. (NGAM Distribution) is incorporated by reference to exhibit (e)(1) to PEA No. 119 to the Registration Statement filed on April 29, 2003. | |||||
(2) | Distribution Agreement dated September 30, 2008 between the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Global Alternatives Fund, and NGAM Distribution is incorporated by reference to exhibit (e)(4) to PEA No. 140 to the Registration Statement filed on December 1, 2008. | |||||
(3) | Distribution Agreement dated October 31, 2008 between the Registrant, on behalf of Vaughan Nelson Value Opportunity Fund, and NGAM Distribution is incorporated by reference to exhibit (e)(5) to PEA No. 139 to the Registration Statement filed on October 30, 2008. |
4
(4) | Distribution Agreement dated July 28, 2010 between the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Managed Futures Strategy Fund, and NGAM Distribution is incorporated by reference to exhibit (e)(5) to PEA No. 151 filed on September 29, 2010. | |||||
(5) | Distribution Agreement dated December 14, 2010 between the Registrant, on behalf of Loomis Sayles Strategic Alpha Fund, and NGAM Distribution is incorporated by reference to exhibit (e)(8) to PEA No. 153 filed on December 14, 2010. | |||||
(6) | Distribution Agreement dated September 30, 2011 between the Registrant, on behalf of Loomis Sayles Senior Floating Rate and Fixed Income Fund, and NGAM Distribution is incorporated by reference to exhibit (e)(10) to PEA No. 158 filed on September 29, 2011. | |||||
(7) | Distribution Agreement dated March 28, 2012 between the Registrant, on behalf of Loomis Sayles Capital Income Fund, and NGAM Distribution is incorporated by reference to exhibit (e)(10) to PEA No. 162 to the Registration Statement filed on March 30, 2012. | |||||
(8) | Distribution Agreement dated June 29, 2012 between the Registrant, on behalf of Vaughan Nelson Select Fund, and NGAM Distribution is incorporated by reference to exhibit (e)(11) to PEA No. 167 filed on June 28, 2012. | |||||
(9) | Distribution Agreement dated December 31, 2012 between the Registrant, on behalf of McDonnell Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund, and NGAM Distribution is incorporated by reference to exhibit (e)(12) to PEA No. 170 to the Registration Statement filed on December 28, 2012. | |||||
(10) | Distribution Agreement dated September 30, 2013 between the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Tactical U.S. Market Fund, and NGAM Distribution is incorporated by reference to exhibit (e)(12) to PEA No. 179 to the Registration Statement filed on September 26, 2013. | |||||
(11) | Distribution Agreement dated February 10, 2014 between the Registrant, on behalf of Loomis Sayles Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund, and NGAM Distribution is incorporated by reference to exhibit (e)(12) to PEA No. 182 to the Registration Statement filed on February 7, 2014. | |||||
(12) | Distribution Agreement dated July 10, 2014 between the Registrant, on behalf of Seeyond Multi-Asset Allocation Fund, and NGAM Distribution is incorporated by reference to exhibit (e)(13) to PEA No. 191 to the Registration Statement filed on July 10, 2014. | |||||
(13) | Distribution Agreement dated December 1, 2014 between the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Global Macro Fund, and NGAM Distribution is filed herewith. | |||||
(14) | Form of Dealer Agreement used by NGAM Distribution is filed herewith. | |||||
(f) | Bonus or Profit Sharing Contracts. | |||||
Not applicable. |
5
(g) | Custodian Agreements. | |||||
(1) | Custodian Contract dated September 1, 2005 among the Registrant, on behalf of its respective series, Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust IV, Loomis Sayles Funds I, Loomis Sayles Funds II and State Street Bank and Trust Company (State Street) is incorporated by reference to exhibit (g)(1) to PEA No. 128 to the Registration Statement filed on January 30, 2006. | |||||
(2) | Amendment No. 1 dated September 15, 2006 to Master Custody Agreement dated September 1, 2005 among the Registrant, on behalf of its respective series, Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust IV, Loomis Sayles Funds I, Loomis Sayles Funds II and State Street is incorporated by reference to exhibit (g)(2) to PEA No. 130 filed on January 26, 2007. | |||||
(3) | Custody Services Agreement dated November 27, 2008 between the Global Alternatives Commodity Subsidiary and State Street is incorporated by reference to exhibit (g)(3) to PEA No. 141 to the Registration Statement filed on April 30, 2009. | |||||
(4) | Custody Services Agreement dated July 28, 2010 between the Managed Futures Strategy Commodity Subsidiary and State Street is incorporated by reference to exhibit (g)(5) to PEA No. 151 filed on September 29, 2010. | |||||
(5) | Custody Services Agreement dated December 1, 2014 between the Global Macro Commodity Subsidiary and State Street is filed herewith. | |||||
(h) | Other Material Contracts. | |||||
(1) | (i) | Transfer Agency and Services Agreement dated October 1, 2005 among the Registrant, on behalf of its respective series, Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust IV, Loomis Sayles Funds I, Loomis Sayles Funds II and Boston Financial Data Services, Inc. (Boston Financial) is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(1)(i) to PEA No. 128 to the Registration Statement filed on January 30, 2006. | ||||
(ii) | Amendment dated October 1, 2008 to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement dated October 1, 2005 among the Registrant, on behalf of its respective series, Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust IV, Loomis Sayles Funds I, Loomis Sayles Funds II, Hansberger International Series, Gateway Trust and Boston Financial is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(1)(iii) to PEA No. 139 to the Registration Statement filed on October 30, 2008. | |||||
(iii) | Amendment dated October 1, 2011 to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement dated October 1, 2005 among the Registrant on behalf of its respective series, Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust IV, Loomis Sayles Funds I, Loomis Sayles Funds II, Gateway Trust, Hansberger International Series and Boston Financial is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(1)(vi) to PEA No. 161 to the Registration Statement filed on February 17, 2012. |
6
(iv) | Revised Appendix A dated March 30, 2012 to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement dated October 1, 2005 among the Registrant on behalf of its respective series, Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust IV, Loomis Sayles Funds I, Loomis Sayles Funds II, Gateway Trust, Hansberger International Series and Boston Financial is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(1)(v) to PEA No. 162 to the Registration Statement filed on March 29, 2012. | |||||
(v) | Amendment dated February 21, 2012 to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement dated October 1, 2005 among the Registrant on behalf of its respective series, Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust IV, Loomis Sayles Funds I, Loomis Sayles Funds II, Gateway Trust, Hansberger International Series and Boston Financial is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(1)(vi) to PEA No. 163 to the Registration Statement filed on April 13, 2012. | |||||
(vi) | Amendment dated April 23, 2014 to the Transfer Agency and Services Agreement dated October 1, 2005 among the Registrant on behalf of its respective series, Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust II, Natixis Funds Trust IV, Loomis Sayles Funds I, Loomis Sayles Funds II, Hansberger International Series and Boston Financial is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(1)(vi) to PEA No. 191 to the Registration Statement filed on July 10, 2014. | |||||
(2) |
(i) | Administrative Services Agreement dated January 3, 2005 between the Registrant, on behalf of its respective series, Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust IV, Loomis Sayles Funds I, Loomis Sayles Funds II and NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2) to PEA No. 125 to the Registration Statement filed on January 28, 2005. | ||||
(ii) | First Amendment dated November 1, 2005 to the Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(ii) to PEA No. 128 to the Registration Statement filed on January 30, 2006. | |||||
(iii) | Second Amendment dated January 1, 2006 to Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(iii) to PEA No. 128 to the Registration Statement filed on January 30, 2006. | |||||
(iv) | Third Amendment dated July 1, 2007 to Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(iv) to PEA No. 132 to the Registration Statement filed on January 28, 2008. | |||||
(v) | Fourth Amendment dated September 17, 2007 to the Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(v) to PEA No. 132 to the Registration Statement filed on January 28, 2008. | |||||
(vi) | Fifth Amendment dated February 1, 2008 to the Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(vi) to PEA No. 132 to the Registration Statement filed on January 28, 2008. |
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(vii) | Sixth Amendment dated February 19, 2008 to the Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(vii) to PEA No. 134 to the Registration Statement filed on April 29, 2008. | |||||
(viii) | Seventh Amendment dated July 1, 2008 to the Administrative Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(viii) to PEA No. 138 to the Registration Statement filed on September 29, 2008. | |||||
(ix) | Eighth Amendment dated September 29, 2008 to the Administrative Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(ix) to PEA No. 138 to the Registration Statement filed on September 29, 2008. | |||||
(x) | Ninth Amendment dated October 31, 2008 to the Administrative Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(x) to PEA No. 139 to the Registration Statement filed on October 30, 2008. | |||||
(xi) | Tenth Amendment dated January 9, 2009 to the Administrative Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xi) to PEA No. 141 to the Registration Statement filed on April 30, 2009. | |||||
(xii) |
Eleventh Amendment dated July 27, 2009 to the Administrative Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xii) to PEA No. 144 filed on July 31, 2009. | |||||
(xiii) |
Twelfth Amendment dated February 25, 2010 to the Administrative Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xiii) to PEA No. 146 filed on March 1, 2010. | |||||
(xiv) |
Thirteenth Amendment dated July 1, 2010 to the Administrative Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xiv) to PEA No. 150 filed on July 29, 2010. | |||||
(xv) |
Fourteenth Amendment dated September 21, 2010 to the Administrative Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xv) to PEA No. 151 filed on September 29, 2010. | |||||
(xvi) |
Fifteenth Amendment dated December 14, 2010 to the Administrative Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xvi) to PEA No. 153 filed on December 14, 2010. | |||||
(xvii) |
Sixteenth Amendment dated July 1, 2011 to the Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xvii) to PEA No. 157 filed on July 15, 2011. | |||||
(xviii) |
Seventeenth Amendment dated September 16, 2011 to the Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xviii) to PEA No. 158 filed on September 29, 2011. | |||||
(xix) |
Eighteenth Amendment dated March 28, 2012 to the Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xix) to PEA No. 162 filed on March 30, 2012. |
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(xx) |
Nineteenth Amendment dated June 29, 2012 to the Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xx) to PEA No. 167 filed on June 28, 2012. | |||||
(xxi) |
Twentieth Amendment dated November 16, 2012 to the Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xxi) to PEA No. 170 to the Registration Statement filed on December 28, 2012. | |||||
(xxii) |
Twenty-First Amendment dated September 26, 2013 to the Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xxii) to PEA No. 182 to the Registration Statement filed on February 7, 2014. | |||||
(xxiii) |
Twenty-Second Amendment dated February 10, 2014 to the Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xxiii) to PEA No. 182 to the Registration Statement filed on February 7, 2014. | |||||
(xxiv) |
Twenty-Third Amendment dated July 1, 2014 to the Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xxiv) to PEA No. 193 to the Registration Statement filed on September 15, 2014. | |||||
(xxv) |
Twenty-Fourth Amendment dated July 10, 2014 to the Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xxv) to PEA No. 193 to the Registration Statement filed on September 15, 2014. | |||||
(xxvi) |
Twenty-Fifth Amendment dated September 30, 2014 to the Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is filed herewith. | |||||
(xxvii) |
Twenty-Sixth Amendment dated December 1, 2014 to the Administrative Services Agreement with NGAM Advisors is filed herewith. | |||||
(xxviii) |
Administrative Services Agreement dated November 27, 2008 between the Global Alternatives Commodity Subsidiary and NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xii) to PEA No. 141 filed on April 30, 2009. | |||||
(xxix) |
Sub-Administrative Services Agreement dated January 28, 2009 among the Global Alternatives Commodity Subsidiary, State Street and NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xiii) to PEA No. 141 filed on April 30, 2009. | |||||
(xxx) |
Administrative Services Agreement dated July 28, 2010 between the Managed Futures Strategy Commodity Subsidiary and NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xx) to PEA No. 151 filed on September 29, 2010. | |||||
(xxxi) |
Sub-Administrative Services Agreement dated July 28, 2010 among the Managed Futures Strategy Commodity Subsidiary, State Street and NGAM Advisors is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(2)(xxi) to PEA No. 151 filed on September 29, 2010. |
9
(xxxii) | Administrative Services Agreement dated December 1, 2014 between the Global Macro Commodity Subsidiary and NGAM Advisors is filed herewith. | |||||
(xxxiii) | Sub-Administrative Services Agreement dated December 1, 2014 among the Global Macro Commodity Subsidiary, State Street and NGAM Advisors is filed herewith. | |||||
(3) |
(i) | Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 1, 2005 among the Registrant, on behalf of its respective series, Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust IV, Loomis Sayles Funds I, Loomis Sayles Funds II and State Street is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(3)(i) to PEA No. 128 to the Registration Statement filed on January 30, 2006. | ||||
(ii) | First Amendment dated December 20, 2005 to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 1, 2005 with State Street is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(3)(ii) to PEA No. 140 to the Registration Statement filed on December 1, 2008. | |||||
(iii) | Second Amendment dated February 29, 2008 to the Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 1, 2005 with State Street is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(3)(iii) to PEA No. 140 to the Registration Statement filed on December 1, 2008. | |||||
(iv) | Third Amendment dated January 1, 2011 to Securities Lending Authorization Agreement dated September 1, 2005 with State Street is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(3)(iv) to PEA No. 155 to the Registration Statement filed on May 2, 2011. | |||||
(4) |
AlphaSimplex Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Undertaking dated April 30, 2014 between AlphaSimplex and the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Global Alternatives Fund, ASG Managed Futures Strategy Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(4) to PEA No. 188 to the Registration Statement filed on April 29, 2014. | |||||
(5) |
NGAM Advisors Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Undertakings dated April 30, 2014 between NGAM Advisors and the Registrant, on behalf of McDonnell Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund, Natixis Oakmark Fund and Vaughan Nelson Value Opportunity Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(5) to PEA No. 188 to the Registration Statement filed on April 29, 2014. | |||||
(6) |
Loomis Sayles Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Undertaking dated April 30, 2014 between Loomis Sayles and the Registrant, on behalf of Loomis Sayles Strategic Alpha Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(6) to PEA No. 188 to the Registration Statement filed on April 29, 2014. | |||||
(7) |
Loomis Sayles Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Undertaking dated March 31, 2014 between Loomis Sayles and the Registrant, on behalf of Loomis Sayles Capital Income Fund and Loomis Sayles Senior Floating Rate and Fixed Income Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(7) to PEA No. 186 to the Registration Statement filed on April 16, 2014. |
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(8) | Reliance Agreement for Exchange Privileges dated June 30, 2009 by and among Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust IV, Gateway Trust, Hansberger International Series, Loomis Sayles Funds I, Loomis Sayles Funds II and the Registrant is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(7) to PEA No. 146 filed on March 1, 2010. | |||||
(9) | NGAM Advisors Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Undertaking dated March 31, 2014 between NGAM Advisors and the The Registrant, on behalf of Vaughan Nelson Select Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(9) to PEA No. 186 to the Registration Statement filed on April 16, 2014. | |||||
(10) | AlphaSimplex Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Undertaking dated September 30, 2013 between AlphaSimplex and the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Tactical U.S. Market Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(11) to PEA No. 179 to the Registration Statement filed on September 26, 2013. | |||||
(11) | Loomis Sayles Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Undertaking dated February 10, 2014 between Loomis Sayles and the Registrant, on behalf of Loomis Sayles Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(12) to PEA No. 182 to the Registration Statement filed on February 7, 2014. | |||||
(12) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Undertaking dated July 10, 2014 between Natixis AM US and the Registrant, on behalf of Seeyond Multi-Asset Allocation Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (h)(12) to PEA No. 191 to the Registration Statement filed on July 10, 2014. | |||||
(13) | Alpha Simplex Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Undertaking dated December 1, 2014 between Alpha Simplex and the Registrant, on behalf of ASG Global Macro Fund is filed herewith. | |||||
(i) | Legal Opinion. | |||||
(1) | Opinion and Consent of Counsel dated January 3, 1989 with respect to the Registrants Natixis Oakmark Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit 10(a) to PEA No. 106 filed on April 18, 1997. | |||||
(2) | Opinion and Consent of Counsel dated September 10, 1993 with respect to offering multiple classes of shares for all series of the Registrant is incorporated by reference to exhibit 10(d) to PEA No. 106 filed on April 18, 1997. | |||||
(j) | Other Opinions. | |||||
Not applicable. | ||||||
(k) | Omitted Financial Statements. | |||||
Not applicable. |
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(l) | Initial Capital Agreements. | |||||
Not applicable. | ||||||
(m) | Rule 12b-1 Plan. | |||||
(1) |
(a) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class A shares of Natixis Oakmark Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(1)(a) to PEA No. 115 to the Registration Statement filed on April 30, 2001. | ||||
(b) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class B shares of Natixis Oakmark Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(1)(b) to PEA No. 119 to the Registration Statement filed on April 29, 2003. | |||||
(c) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class C shares of Natixis Oakmark Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(1)(c) to PEA No. 115 to the Registration Statement filed on April 30, 2001. | |||||
(2) |
(a) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class A shares of ASG Global Alternatives Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(3)(a) to PEA No. 138 to the Registration Statement filed on September 29, 2008. | ||||
(b) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class C shares of ASG Global Alternatives Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(3)(b) to PEA No. 138 to the Registration Statement filed on September 29, 2008. | |||||
(3) |
(a) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class A shares of Vaughan Nelson Value Opportunity Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(4)(a) to PEA No. 139 to the Registration Statement filed on October 30, 2008. | ||||
(b) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class C shares of Vaughan Nelson Value Opportunity Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(4)(b) to PEA No. 139 to the Registration Statement filed on October 30, 2008. | |||||
(4) |
(a) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class A shares of ASG Managed Futures Strategy Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(5)(a) to PEA No. 150 filed on July 29, 2010. | ||||
(b) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class C shares of ASG Managed Futures Strategy Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(5)(b) to PEA No. 150 filed on July 29, 2010. | |||||
(5) |
(a) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class A shares of Loomis Sayles Strategic Alpha Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(8)(a) to PEA No. 153 filed on December 14, 2010. | ||||
(b) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class C shares of Loomis Sayles Strategic Alpha Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(8)(b) to PEA No. 153 filed on December 14, 2010. | |||||
(6) |
(a) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class A shares of Loomis Sayles Senior Floating Rate and Fixed Income Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(10)(a) to PEA No. 158 filed on September 29, 2011. |
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(b) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class C shares of Loomis Sayles Senior Floating Rate and Fixed Income Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(10)(b) to PEA No. 158 filed on September 29, 2011. | |||||
(7) |
(a) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class A shares of Loomis Sayles Capital Income Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(10)(a) to PEA No. 162 filed on March 30, 2012. | ||||
(b) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class C shares of Loomis Sayles Capital Income Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(10)(b) to PEA No. 162 filed on March 30, 2012. | |||||
(8) |
(a) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class A shares of Vaughan Nelson Select Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(11)(a) to PEA No. 167 filed on June 28, 2012. | ||||
(b) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class C shares of Vaughan Nelson Select Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(11)(b) to PEA No. 167 filed on June 28, 2012. | |||||
(9) |
(a) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class A shares of McDonnell Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(12)(a) to PEA No. 170 to the Registration Statement filed on December 28, 2012. | ||||
(b) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class C shares of McDonnell Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(12)(b) to PEA No. 170 to the Registration Statement filed on December 28, 2012. | |||||
(10) |
(a) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class A shares of ASG Tactical U.S. Market Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(12)(a) to PEA No. 179 to the Registration Statement filed on September 26, 2013. | ||||
(b) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class C shares of ASG Tactical U.S. Market Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(12)(b) to PEA No. 179 to the Registration Statement filed on September 26, 2013. | |||||
(11) |
(a) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class A shares of Loomis Sayles Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(12)(a) to PEA No. 182 to the Registration Statement filed on February 7, 2014. | ||||
(b) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class C shares of Loomis Sayles Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(12)(b) to PEA No. 182 to the Registration Statement filed on February 7, 2014. | |||||
(12) |
(a) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class A shares of Seeyond Multi-Asset Allocation Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(13)(a) to PEA No. 191 to the Registration Statement filed on July 10, 2014. | ||||
(b) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class C shares of Seeyond Multi-Asset Allocation Fund is incorporated by reference to exhibit (m)(13)(b) to PEA No. 191 to the Registration Statement filed on July 10, 2014. |
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(13) | (a) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class A shares of ASG Global Macro Fund is filed herewith. | ||||
(b) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class C shares of ASG Global Macro Fund is filed herewith. | |||||
(n) | Rule 18f-3 Plan. | |||||
(1) | The Registrants Amended and Restated Plan pursuant to Rule 18f-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act) effective August 1, 2014 is incorporated by reference to exhibit (n)(1) to PEA No. 193 to the Registration Statement filed on September 15, 2014. | |||||
(p) | Code of Ethics. | |||||
(1) | Code of Ethics dated September 14, 2007 for The Registrant is incorporated by reference to exhibit (p)(1) to PEA No. 132 to the Registration Statement filed on January 28, 2008. | |||||
(2) | Code of Ethics dated October 1, 2007 as amended January 1, 2010 for NGAM Advisors and NGAM Distribution is incorporated by reference to exhibit (p)(2) to PEA No. 147 to the Registration Statement filed on April 30, 2010. | |||||
(3) | Code of Ethics dated September 30, 2005 as amended April 8, 2013 for Harris Associates is incorporated by reference to exhibit (p)(3) to PEA No. 179 to the Registration Statement filed on September 26, 2013. | |||||
(4) | Code of Ethics revised as of July 30, 2010 for AlphaSimplex is incorporated by reference to exhibit (p)(4) to PEA No. 155 filed on May 2, 2011. | |||||
(5) | Code of Ethics dated February 1, 2008 as amended September 2012 for Reich & Tang is incorporated by reference to exhibit (p)(5) to PEA No. 174 filed on March 28, 2013. | |||||
(6) | Code of Ethics dated May 20, 2008 as amended March 11, 2014 for Vaughan Nelson is incorporated by reference to exhibit (p)(6) to PEA No. 190 filed on June 27, 2014. | |||||
(7) | Code of Ethics dated January 14, 2000 as amended October 16, 2013 for Loomis Sayles is incorporated by reference to exhibit (p)(7) to PEA No. 185 filed on March 28, 2014. | |||||
(8) | Code of Ethics dated June 1, 2011 as amended June 24, 2013 for McDonnell is incorporated by reference to exhibit (p)(8) to PEA No. 179 to the Registration Statement filed on September 26, 2013. | |||||
(9) | Code of Ethics dated June 17, 2014 for Natixis AM US is incorporated by reference to exhibit (p)(9) to PEA No. 191 to the Registration Statement filed on July 10, 2014. | |||||
(q) | Powers of Attorney. |
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(1) |
Powers of Attorney for John T. Hailer, Robert Blanding and Sandra O. Moose dated October 18, 2004, designating John M. Loder, Coleen Downs Dinneen, Russell Kane and Michael Kardok as attorneys to sign for each Trustee are incorporated by reference to exhibit (q) to PEA No. 124 to the Registration Statement filed on December 2, 2004. | |||||
(2) |
Power of Attorney for Cynthia L. Walker dated June 2, 2005, designating John M. Loder, Coleen Downs Dinneen, Russell Kane and Michael Kardok as attorneys to sign for each Trustee is incorporated by reference to exhibit (q)(2) to PEA No. 128 to the Registration Statement filed on January 30, 2006. | |||||
(3) |
Power of Attorney for Kenneth A. Drucker dated June 17, 2008, designating John M. Loder, Coleen Downs Dinneen, Russell Kane and Michael Kardok as attorneys to sign for each Trustee is incorporated by reference to exhibit (q)(4) to PEA No. 136 to the registration Statement filed on July 17, 2008. | |||||
(4) |
Power of Attorney for Wendell J. Knox dated June 4, 2009, designating John M. Loder, Coleen Downs Dinneen, Russell Kane and Michael Kardok as attorneys to sign for each Trustee is incorporated by reference to exhibit (q)(4) to PEA No. 143 to the Registration Statement filed on July 15, 2009. | |||||
(5) |
Power of Attorney for Erik Sirri dated November 19, 2009, designating John M. Loder, Coleen Downs Dinneen, Russell Kane and Michael Kardok as attorneys to sign for each Trustee is incorporated by reference to exhibit (q)(5) to PEA No. 146 to the Registration Statement filed on March 1, 2010. | |||||
(6) |
Power of Attorney for Peter Smail dated November 24, 2009, designating John M. Loder, Coleen Downs Dinneen, Russell Kane and Michael Kardok as attorneys to sign for each Trustee is incorporated by reference to exhibit (q)(6) to PEA No. 146 to the Registration Statement filed on March 1, 2010. | |||||
(7) |
Power of Attorney for David L. Giunta dated January 3, 2011, effective January 1, 2011, designating John M. Loder, Coleen Downs Dinneen, Russell Kane and Michael Kardok as attorneys to sign for each Trustee is incorporated by reference to exhibit (q)(8) to PEA No. 154 filed on February 25, 2011. | |||||
(8) |
Power of Attorney for Martin T. Meehan dated July 1, 2012, designating John M. Loder, Coleen Downs Dinneen, Russell Kane and Michael Kardok as attorneys to sign for each Trustee is incorporated by reference to exhibit (q)(9) to PEA No. 169 to the registration Statement filed on October 17, 2012. | |||||
(9) |
Power of Attorney for Edmond J. English dated December 28, 2012, designating John M. Loder, Coleen Downs Dinneen, Russell Kane and Michael Kardok as attorneys to sign for each Trustee is incorporated by reference to exhibit (1) to PEA No. 171 to the registration Statement filed on January 18, 2013. |
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Item 29. Persons Controlled by or under Common Control with the Registrant.
The Registrant is not aware of any person controlled or under common control with any of its series. As of November 3, 2014, the persons listed below owned 25% or more of the outstanding voting securities of one or more series of the Registrant and thus may be deemed to control the series within the meaning of Section 2(a)(9) of the 1940 Act:
Fund |
Shareholder and Address |
Percentage of shares held | ||
ASG Global Alternatives Fund |
Wells Fargo Bank NA Minneapolis, MN 55480-1533 |
32.86% | ||
ASG Managed Futures Strategy Fund |
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. San Francisco, CA 94104-4151 |
37.45% | ||
ASG Tactical U.S. Market Fund |
LPL Financial San Diego, CA 92121-1968 |
56.89% | ||
Natixis Global Asset Management, L.P. Boston, MA 02116-3368 |
35.75% | |||
Loomis Sayles Dividend Income Fund |
LPL Financial San Diego, CA 92121 - 1968 |
35.72% | ||
Loomis Sayles Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund |
Natixis Global Asset Management, L.P. Boston, MA 02116-3368 |
75.60% | ||
McDonnell Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund |
Natixis Global Asset Management, L.P. Boston, MA 02116-3368 |
55.75% | ||
Seeyond Multi Asset Allocation Fund |
Natixis Global Asset Management, L.P. Boston, MA 02116-3368 |
99.37% |
Item 30. Indemnification.
Under Article 5 of the Registrants By-laws, any past or present Trustee or officer of the Registrant (hereinafter referred to as a Covered Person) shall be indemnified to the fullest extent permitted by law against all liability and all expenses reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding to which he or she may be a party or otherwise involved by reason of his or her being or having been a Covered Person. That provision does not authorize indemnification when it is determined that such Covered Person would otherwise be liable to the Registrant or its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or her duties. This description is modified in its entirety by the provision of Article 5 of the Registrants By-laws incorporated by reference to exhibit (b)(1) to PEA No. 140 to the Registration Statement filed on December 1, 2008.
The Distribution Agreements, the Custodian Agreement, the Transfer Agency and Service Agreement and the Administrative Services Agreement (the Agreements) contained herein and in various post-effective amendments and incorporated herein by reference, provide for indemnification. The general effect of these provisions is to indemnify entities contracting with the Registrant against liability and expenses in certain circumstances. This description is modified in its entirety by the provisions of the Agreements as contained in this Registration Statement and incorporated herein by reference.
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Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), may be permitted to Trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a Trustee, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in connection with the successful defense of any claim, action, suit or proceeding) is asserted against the Registrant by such Trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the shares being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
The Registrant and its Trustees, officers and employees are insured, under a policy of insurance maintained by the Registrant in conjunction with Natixis Global Asset Management, L.P. and its affiliates, within the limits and subject to the limitations of the policy, against certain expenses in connection with the defense of actions, suits or proceedings, and certain liabilities that might be imposed as a result of such actions, suits or proceedings, to which they are parties by reason of being or having been such Trustees or officers. The policy expressly excludes coverage for any Trustee or officer for any claim arising out of any fraudulent act or omission, any dishonest act or omission or any criminal act or omission of the Trustee or officer.
Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser.
(a) | NGAM Advisors, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Natixis Global Asset Management, L.P., serves as investment adviser to Natixis Oakmark Fund, McDonnell Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund, Vaughan Nelson Value Opportunity Fund and Vaughan Nelson Select Fund and subadviser (through its Division Active Investment Advisors) to ASG Tactical U.S. Market Fund. NGAM Advisors was organized in 1995. |
The list required by this Item 31 regarding any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by officers and partners of NGAM Advisors during the past two years is incorporated by reference to schedules A, C and D of Form ADV filed by NGAM Advisors pursuant to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, (the Advisers Act) (SEC file No. 801-48408; IARD/CRD No. 106800).
(b) | Harris Associates serves as a subadviser to the Registrants Natixis Oakmark Fund. Harris Associates serves as investment adviser to mutual funds, individuals, trusts, retirement plans, endowments and foundations, and manages several private partnerships, and is a registered commodity trading adviser and commodity pool operator. |
The list required by this Item 31 regarding any other business, profession or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by officers and partners of Harris Associates during the past two years is incorporated herein by reference to schedules A, C and D of Form ADV filed by Harris Associates pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC File No. 801-50333; IARD/CRD No. 106960).
(c) | Reich & Tang, a subsidiary of Natixis Global Asset Management, L.P., serves as the subadviser to ASG Global Alternatives Fund, ASG Global Macro Fund, ASG Managed Futures Strategy Fund and ASG Tactical U.S. Market Fund and currently is manager or subadviser of 13 registered investment companies, of which it acts as administrator for 10, and advises pension trusts, profit sharing trusts and endowments. |
17
The list required by this Item 31 regarding any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by officers and partners of Reich & Tang during the past two years is incorporated herein by reference to schedules A, B and D of Form ADV filed by Reich & Tang pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC file No. 801-47230, IARD/CRD No. 106186).
(d) | AlphaSimplex, a subsidiary of Natixis Global Asset Management, L.P., serves as the investment adviser to ASG Global Alternatives Fund, ASG Global Macro Fund, ASG Managed Futures Strategy Fund and ASG Tactical U.S. Market Fund and currently is manager or subadviser of additional registered investment companies and privately-offered funds. |
The list required by this Item 31 regarding any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by officers and partners of AlphaSimplex during the past two years is incorporated herein by reference to schedules A, B and D of Form ADV filed by AlphaSimplex pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC file No. 801-62448, IARD/CRD No. 128356).
(e) | Vaughan Nelson, a subsidiary of Natixis Global Asset Management, L.P., serves as subadviser to the Registrants Vaughan Nelson Value Opportunity Fund and Vaughan Nelson Select Fund and provides investment advice to a number of other registered investment companies and to other organizations and individuals. |
The list required by this Item 31 regarding any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by officers and partners of Vaughan Nelson during the past two years is incorporated herein by reference to schedules A, C and D of Form ADV filed by Vaughan Nelson pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC file No. 801-51795, IARD/CRD No. 106975).
(f) | Loomis Sayles, a subsidiary of Natixis Global Asset Management, L.P., serves as adviser to the Registrants Loomis Sayles Capital Income Fund, Loomis Sayles Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund, Loomis Sayles Senior Floating Rate and Fixed Income Fund and Loomis Sayles Strategic Alpha Fund and provides investment advice to a number of other registered investment companies and to other organizations and individuals. |
The list required by this Item 31 regarding any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by officers and partners of Loomis Sayles during the past two years is incorporated herein by reference to schedules A, C and D of Form ADV filed by Loomis Sayles pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC file No. 801-170; IARD/CRD No. 105377).
(g) | McDonnell serves as subadviser to the Registrants McDonnell Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund and provides investment advice to a number of other registered investment companies and to other organizations and individuals. |
The list required by this Item 31 regarding any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by officers and partners of McDonnell during the past two years is incorporated herein by reference to schedules A, C and D of Form ADV filed by McDonnell pursuant to the Advisers Act (SEC file No. 801-60399; IARD/CRD No. 113878).
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(h) | Natixis AM US, a subsidiary of Natixis Asset Management, serves as the investment adviser to Seeyond Multi-Asset Allocation Fund and provides investment advice to a number of other organizations and individuals. |
The list required by this Item 31 regarding any other business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature engaged in by officers and partners of Natixis AM US during the past two years is incorporated herein by reference to schedules A, C, and D of Form ADV filed by Natixis AM US pursuant to the Advisors Act (SEC file No. 801-79804; IARD/ CRD no. 171003).
(a) | Item 32. Principal Underwriters |
NGAM Distribution, L.P., the Registrants principal underwriter, also serves as principal underwriter for:
Natixis Funds Trust I
Natixis Funds Trust IV
Loomis Sayles Funds I
Loomis Sayles Funds II
Gateway Trust
(b) | The general partner and officers of the Registrants principal underwriter, NGAM Distribution, L.P., and their addresses are as follows: |
Name |
Positions and Offices with Principal Underwriter |
Positions and Offices with the Registrant | ||
NGAM Distribution Corporation | General Partner | None | ||
David L. Giunta | President and Chief Executive Officer | President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
Coleen Downs Dinneen | Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary and Clerk | Secretary, Clerk and Chief Legal Officer | ||
Russell Kane | Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Assistant Secretary, Assistant Clerk and Chief Compliance Officer for Mutual Funds | Chief Compliance Officer, Anti-Money Laundering Officer and Assistant Secretary | ||
Michael Kardok | Senior Vice President | Treasurer, Principal Financial and Accounting Officer | ||
Beatriz Pina Smith | Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer | None | ||
Anthony Loureiro | Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer-Broker/Dealer and Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer | None |
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Name |
Positions and Offices with Principal Underwriter |
Positions and Offices with the Registrant | ||
Marilyn Rosh | Senior Vice President and Controller | None | ||
Josh Bogen | Executive Vice President | None | ||
Matthew Coldren | Executive Vice President | None | ||
Mark Doyle | Executive Vice President | None | ||
Ed Farrington | Executive Vice President | None | ||
Robert Hussey | Executive Vice President | None | ||
Dan Santaniello | Executive Vice President | None | ||
Sharon Wratchford | Executive Vice President | None | ||
Paul Anderson | Senior Vice President | None | ||
John Bearce | Senior Vice President | None | ||
William Butcher | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Spiro Christopulos | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Claudine Ciccia | Senior Vice President | None | ||
James Cove | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Jeff Clough | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Joe Duffey | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Dineen Dusablon | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Nick Elward | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Tracy Fagan | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Kevin Finney | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Tracey Flaherty | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Sean Foley | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Matt Garzone | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Alaina Giampapa | Senior Vice President | None | ||
David Goodsell | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Marina Gross | Senior Vice President | None |
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Name |
Positions and Offices with Principal Underwriter |
Positions and Offices with the Registrant | ||
Tom Huddleston | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Christopher Hunter | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Sean Kane | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Jeff Keselman | Senior Vice President | None | ||
David Lafferty | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Ted LeClair | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Rosa Licea-Mailloux | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Dan Lynch | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Cyndi Lyons | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Robert Lyons | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Ian MacDuff | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Timothy Maher | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Marla McDougall | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Peter Olsen | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Maureen ONeill | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Stacie Paoletti | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Meghan Peachey | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Daniel Price | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Elizabeth Puls-Burns | Senior Vice President | None | ||
David Snowden | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Jim Roach | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Nancy Spaulding Gray | Senior Vice President | None | ||
David Vallon | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Leslie Walstrom | Senior Vice President | None | ||
Susannah Wardly | Senior Vice President | None |
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The principal business address of all the above persons or entities is 399 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116.
(c) | Not applicable. |
Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records
The following companies, in the aggregate, maintain possession of the documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the 1940 Act and the rules thereunder:
(a) | For all series of The Registrant: | |||
(i) | Natixis Funds Trust II | |||
399 Boylston Street | ||||
Boston, Massachusetts 02116 | ||||
(ii) | NGAM Distribution, L.P. | |||
399 Boylston Street | ||||
Boston, Massachusetts 02116 | ||||
(iii) | NGAM Advisors, L.P. | |||
399 Boylston Street | ||||
Boston, Massachusetts 02116 | ||||
(iv) | State Street Bank and Trust Company | |||
225 Franklin Street | ||||
Boston, Massachusetts 02110 | ||||
(v) | Boston Financial Data Services, Inc. | |||
2000 Crown Colony Drive | ||||
Quincy, Massachusetts 02169 | ||||
(b) | For the series of the Registrant managed by Harris Associates: | |||
Harris Associates L.P. | ||||
111 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 4600 | ||||
Chicago, IL 60606 | ||||
(c) | For the series of the Registrant managed by Reich & Tang: Reich & Tang Asset Management, LLC 1411 Broadway, 28th Floor New York, New York 10018-3450 | |||
(d) | For the series of the Registrant managed by AlphaSimplex: AlphaSimplex Group, LLC 255 Main Street Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142 | |||
(e) | For the series of the Registrant managed by Vaughan Nelson: Vaughan Nelson Investment Management, L.P. 600 Travis Street, Suite 6300 Houston, Texas 77002 |
22
(f) | For the series of the Registrant managed by Loomis Sayles: Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. One Financial Center Boston, Massachusetts 02111 | |||
(g) | For the series of the Registrant managed by McDonnell: McDonnell Investment Management, LLC 1515 West 22nd Street Oak Brook, Illinois 60523 | |||
(h) | For the series of the Registrant managed by Natixis AM US: Natixis Asset Management U.S., LLC 399 Boylston Street Boston, Massachusetts 02116 |
Item 34. Management Services.
None.
Item 35. Undertakings.
The Registrant undertakes to provide the annual report of any of its series to any person who receives a prospectus for such series and who requests the annual report.
23
NATIXIS FUNDS TRUST II
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this registration statement under Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 194 to its Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Boston, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on the 26th day of November, 2014.
NATIXIS FUNDS TRUST II | ||
By: | /s/ David L. Giunta | |
David L. Giunta | ||
President and Chief Executive Officer |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this amendment to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.
Signature |
Title |
Date | ||
/s/ David L. Giunta |
||||
David L. Giunta | President, Chief Executive Officer and Trustee | November 26, 2014 | ||
/s/ Michael C. Kardok |
||||
Michael C. Kardok | Treasurer | November 26, 2014 | ||
Robert J. Blanding* |
||||
Robert J. Blanding | Trustee | November 26, 2014 | ||
Kenneth A. Drucker* |
||||
Kenneth A. Drucker | Trustee | November 26, 2014 | ||
Edmond J. English* |
||||
Edmond J. English | Trustee | November 26, 2014 | ||
John T. Hailer* |
||||
John T. Hailer | Trustee | November 26, 2014 | ||
Wendell J. Knox* |
||||
Wendell J. Knox | Trustee | November 26, 2014 | ||
Martin T. Meehan* |
||||
Martin T. Meehan | Trustee | November 26, 2014 | ||
Sandra O. Moose* |
||||
Sandra O. Moose | Trustee, Chairperson of the Board | November 26, 2014 | ||
Erik R. Sirri* |
||||
Erik R. Sirri | Trustee | November 26, 2014 |
Peter J. Smail* |
||||
Peter J. Smail | Trustee | November 26, 2014 | ||
Cynthia L. Walker* |
||||
Cynthia L. Walker | Trustee | November 26, 2014 |
*By: | /s/ Coleen Downs Dinneen | |
Coleen Downs Dinneen | ||
Attorney-In-Fact 1 | ||
November 26, 2014 |
1 | Powers of Attorney for Robert J. Blanding, John T. Hailer and Sandra O. Moose are incorporated by reference to exhibit (q) to PEA No. 124 to the Registration Statement filed on December 2, 2004. Power of Attorney for Cynthia L. Walker is incorporated by reference to exhibit (q)(2) to PEA No. 128 to the Registration Statement filed on January 30, 2006. Power of Attorney for Kenneth A. Drucker is incorporated by reference to exhibit (q)(4) to PEA No. 136 to the Registration Statement filed on July 17, 2008. Power of Attorney for Wendell J. Knox is incorporated by reference to exhibit (q)(4) to PEA No. 143 to the Registration Statement filed on July 15, 2009. Power of Attorney for Erik Sirri is incorporated by reference to exhibit (q)(5) to PEA No. 146 to the Registration Statement filed on March 1, 2010. Power of Attorney for Peter Smail is incorporated by reference to exhibit (q)(6) to PEA No. 146 to the Registration Statement filed on March 1, 2010. Power of Attorney for Martin T. Meehan is incorporated by reference to exhibit (q)(9) to PEA No. 169 to the Registration Statement filed on October 17, 2012. Power of Attorney for Edmond J. English is incorporated by reference to exhibit (1) to PEA No. 171 to the registration Statement filed on January 18, 2013. |
Natixis Funds Trust II
Exhibit Index
Exhibits for Item 28 of Form N1-A
Exhibit |
Exhibit Description | |
(a)(5) | Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association of ASG Global Macro Cayman Fund Ltd. | |
(d)(1)(xvi) | Advisory Agreement dated December 1, 2014 between Registrant on behalf of ASG Global Macro Fund, and AlphaSimplex. | |
(d)(1)(xvii) | Advisory Agreement dated December 1, 2014 between the Global Macro Commodity Subsidiary and AlphaSimplex. | |
(d)(2)(ii) | Amendment dated February 28, 2014 to Sub-Advisory agreement dated October 29, 2002 among the registrant, on behalf of Natixis Oakmark Fund, NGAM Advisors and Harris Associates. | |
(d)(2)(xi) | Sub-Advisory Agreement dated December 1, 2014 among Registrant on behalf of ASG Global Macro Fund, AlphaSimplex and Reich & Tang. | |
(e)(13) | Distribution Agreement dated December 1, 2014 between Registrant, on behalf of ASG Global Macro Fund, and Natixis Distributors. | |
(e)(14) | Form of Dealer Agreement used by Natixis Distributors. | |
(g)(5) | Custody Services Agreement dated December 1, 2014 between the Global Macro Commodity Subsidiary and State Street. | |
(h)(2)(xxvi) | Twenty-Fifth Amendment dated December 1, 2014 to the Administrative Services Agreement between the Registrant on behalf of its series, Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust IV, Loomis Sayles Funds I, Loomis Sayles Funds II, Gateway Trust and Natixis Advisors. | |
(h)(2)(xxvii) | Twenty-Sixth Amendment dated December 1, 2014 to the Administrative Services Agreement between the Registrant on behalf of its series, Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust IV, Loomis Sayles Funds I, Loomis Sayles Funds II, Gateway Trust and Natixis Advisors. | |
(h)(2)(xxxii) | Administrative Services Agreement dated December 1, 2014 between the Global Macro Commodity Subsidiary and Natixis Advisors. | |
(h)(2)(xxxiii) | Sub-Administrative Services Agreement dated December 1, 2014 between the Global Macro Commodity Subsidiary, State Street and Natixis Advisors. | |
(h)(13) | Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement Undertaking dated December 1, 2014 between Alpha Simplex and the Registrant | |
(m)(13)(a) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class A Shares of ASG Global Macro Fund. | |
(m)(13)(b) | Rule 12b-1 Plan for Class C Shares of ASG Global Macro Fund. |
Exhibit (a)(5)
THE COMPANIES LAW (AS AMENDED)
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
AMENDED AND RESTATED
MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
OF
ASG GLOBAL MACRO CAYMAN FUND LTD.
(AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION DATED 22 OCTOBER 2014)
REF: RDL/DIB/N0750-129524
Exhibit (a)(5)
THE COMPANIES LAW (AS AMENDED)
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
AMENDED AND RESTATED
MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION
OF
ASG GLOBAL MACRO CAYMAN FUND LTD.
(AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION DATED 22 OCTOBER 2014)
1. | The name of the company is ASG Global Macro Cayman Fund Ltd. (the Company). |
2. | The registered office of the Company will be situated at the offices of Intertrust Corporate Services (Cayman) Limited, 190 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-9005, Cayman Islands or at such other location as the Directors may from time to time determine. |
3. | The objects for which the Company is established are unrestricted and the Company shall have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by any law as provided by Section 7(4) of the Companies Law (as amended) of the Cayman Islands (the Law). |
4. | The Company shall have and be capable of exercising all the functions of a natural person of full capacity irrespective of any question of corporate benefit as provided by Section 27(2) of the Law. |
5. | The Company will not trade in the Cayman Islands with any person, firm or corporation except in furtherance of the business of the Company carried on outside the Cayman Islands; provided that nothing in this section shall be construed as to prevent the Company effecting and concluding contracts in the Cayman Islands, and exercising in the Cayman Islands all of its powers necessary for the carrying on of its business outside the Cayman Islands. |
6. | The liability of the shareholders of the Company is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid on the shares respectively held by them. |
7. | The capital of the Company is US$50,000.00 divided into 5,000,000 shares of a nominal or par value of US$0.01 each provided always that subject to the Law and the Articles of Association the Company shall have power to redeem or purchase any of its shares and to sub-divide or consolidate the said shares or any of them and to issue all or any part of its capital whether original, redeemed, increased or reduced with or without any preference, priority, special privilege or other rights or subject to any postponement of rights or to any conditions or restrictions whatsoever and so that unless the conditions of issue shall otherwise expressly provide every issue of shares whether stated to be ordinary, preference or otherwise shall be subject to the powers on the part of the Company hereinbefore provided. |
8. | The Company may exercise the power contained in Section 206 of the Law to deregister in the Cayman Islands and be registered by way of continuation in some other jurisdiction. |
1
Exhibit (a)(5)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CLAUSE | PAGE | |||
TABLE A |
1 | |||
INTERPRETATION |
1 | |||
PRELIMINARY |
3 | |||
SHARES |
4 | |||
MODIFICATION OF RIGHTS |
4 | |||
CERTIFICATES |
5 | |||
FRACTIONAL SHARES |
5 | |||
LIEN |
5 | |||
CALLS ON SHARES |
6 | |||
FORFEITURE OF SHARES |
7 | |||
TRANSFER OF SHARES |
7 | |||
TRANSMISSION OF SHARES |
8 | |||
ALTERATION OF SHARE CAPITAL |
8 | |||
REDEMPTION, PURCHASE AND SURRENDER OF SHARES |
9 | |||
TREASURY SHARES |
9 | |||
GENERAL MEETINGS |
10 | |||
NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS |
11 | |||
PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS |
11 | |||
VOTES OF SHAREHOLDERS |
12 | |||
CORPORATIONS ACTING BY REPRESENTATIVES AT MEETINGS |
13 | |||
DIRECTORS |
13 | |||
ALTERNATE DIRECTOR |
14 |
i
Exhibit (a)(5)
POWERS AND DUTIES OF DIRECTORS |
14 | |||
BORROWING POWERS OF DIRECTORS |
16 | |||
THE SEAL |
16 | |||
DISQUALIFICATION OF DIRECTORS |
16 | |||
PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS |
17 | |||
DIVIDENDS |
19 | |||
ACCOUNTS, AUDIT AND ANNUAL RETURN AND DECLARATION |
20 | |||
CAPITALISATION OF RESERVES |
20 | |||
SHARE PREMIUM ACCOUNT |
21 | |||
NOTICES |
21 | |||
INDEMNITY |
22 | |||
NON-RECOGNITION OF TRUSTS |
23 | |||
WINDING UP |
23 | |||
AMENDMENT OF ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION |
24 | |||
CLOSING OF REGISTER OR FIXING RECORD DATE |
24 | |||
REGISTRATION BY WAY OF CONTINUATION |
24 | |||
MERGERS AND CONSOLIDATION |
24 | |||
DISCLOSURE |
25 |
ii
Exhibit (a)(5)
COMPANIES LAW (AS AMENDED)
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
AMENDED AND RESTATED
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
OF
ASG GLOBAL MACRO CAYMAN FUND LTD.
(AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION DATED 22 OCTOBER 2014)
TABLE A
The Regulations contained or incorporated in Table A in the First Schedule of the Law shall not apply to ASG Global Macro Cayman Fund Ltd. (the Company) and the following Articles shall comprise the Articles of Association of the Company.
INTERPRETATION
1. | In these Articles the following defined terms will have the meanings ascribed to them, if not inconsistent with the subject or context: |
Articles means these articles of association of the Company, as amended or substituted from time to time.
Branch Register means any branch Register of such category or categories of Members as the Company may from time to time determine.
Class or Classes means any class or classes of Shares as may from time to time be issued by the Company.
Directors means the directors of the Company for the time being, or as the case may be, the directors assembled as a board or as a committee thereof.
Law means the Companies Law (as amended) of the Cayman Islands.
Memorandum of Association means the memorandum of association of the Company, as amended or substituted from time to time.
Office means the registered office of the Company as required by the Law.
Officers means the officers for the time being and from time to time of the Company.
Ordinary Resolution means a resolution:
1
Exhibit (a)(5)
(a) | passed by a simple majority of such Shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting of the Company and where a poll is taken regard shall be had in computing a majority to the number of votes to which each Shareholder is entitled; or |
(b) | approved in writing by all of the Shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Shareholders and the effective date of the resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument, or the last of such instruments, if more than one, is executed. |
paid up means paid up as to the par value in respect of the issue of any Shares and includes credited as paid up.
Person means any natural person, firm, company, joint venture, partnership, corporation, association or other entity (whether or not having a separate legal personality) or any of them as the context so requires, other than in respect of a Director or Officer in which circumstances Person shall mean any person or entity permitted to act as such in accordance with the laws of the Cayman Islands.
Principal Register, where the Company has established one or more Branch Registers pursuant to the Law and these Articles, means the Register maintained by the Company pursuant to the Law and these Articles that is not designated by the Directors as a Branch Register.
Register means the register of Members of the Company required to be kept pursuant to the Law and includes any Branch Register(s) established by the Company in accordance with the Law.
Seal means the common seal of the Company (if adopted) including any facsimile thereof.
Secretary means any Person appointed by the Directors to perform any of the duties of the secretary of the Company.
Share means a share in the capital of the Company. All references to Shares herein shall be deemed to be Shares of any or all Classes as the context may require. For the avoidance of doubt in these Articles the expression Share shall include a fraction of a Share.
Shareholder or Member means a Person who is registered as the holder of Shares in the Register and includes each subscriber to the Memorandum of Association pending entry in the Register of such subscriber
Share Premium Account means the share premium account established in accordance with these Articles and the Law.
signed means bearing a signature or representation of a signature affixed by mechanical means.
Special Resolution means a special resolution of the Company passed in accordance with the Law, being a resolution:
2
Exhibit (a)(5)
(a) | passed by a majority of not less than two-thirds of such Shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting of the Company of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been duly given and where a poll is taken regard shall be had in computing a majority to the number of votes to which each Shareholder is entitled; or |
(b) | approved in writing by all of the Shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one or more of the Shareholders and the effective date of the special resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument or the last of such instruments, if more than one, is executed. |
Treasury Shares means Shares that were previously issued but were purchased, redeemed, surrendered or otherwise acquired by the Company and not cancelled.
2. | In these Articles, save where the context requires otherwise: |
(a) | words importing the singular number shall include the plural number and vice versa; |
(b) | words importing the masculine gender only shall include the feminine gender and any Person as the context may require; |
(c) | the word may shall be construed as permissive and the word shall shall be construed as imperative; |
(d) | reference to a dollar or dollars or USD (or $) and to a cent or cents is reference to dollars and cents of the United States of America; |
(e) | reference to a statutory enactment shall include reference to any amendment or re-enactment thereof for the time being in force; |
(f) | reference to any determination by the Directors shall be construed as a determination by the Directors in their sole and absolute discretion and shall be applicable either generally or in any particular case; and |
(g) | reference to in writing shall be construed as written or represented by any means reproducible in writing, including any form of print, lithograph, email, facsimile, photograph or telex or represented by any other substitute or format for storage or transmission for writing or partly one and partly another. |
3. | Subject to the preceding Articles, any words defined in the Law shall, if not inconsistent with the subject or context, bear the same meaning in these Articles. |
PRELIMINARY
4. | The business of the Company may be commenced at any time after incorporation. |
5. | The Office shall be at such address in the Cayman Islands as the Directors may from time to time determine. The Company may in addition establish and maintain such other offices and places of business and agencies in such places as the Directors may from time to time determine. |
3
Exhibit (a)(5)
6. | The expenses incurred in the formation of the Company and in connection with the offer for subscription and issue of Shares shall be paid by the Company. Such expenses may be amortised over such period as the Directors may determine and the amount so paid shall be charged against income and/or capital in the accounts of the Company as the Directors shall determine. |
7. | The Directors shall keep, or cause to be kept, the Register at such place or (subject to compliance with the Law and these Articles) places as the Directors may from time to time determine. In the absence of any such determination, the Register shall be kept at the Office. The Directors may keep, or cause to be kept, one or more Branch Registers as well as the Principal Register in accordance with the Law, provided always that a duplicate of such Branch Register(s) shall be maintained with the Principal Register in accordance with the Law. |
SHARES
8. | Subject to these Articles, all Shares for the time being unissued shall be under the control of the Directors who may: |
(a) | issue, allot and dispose of the same to such Persons, in such manner, on such terms and having such rights and being subject to such restrictions as they may from time to time determine; and |
(b) | grant options with respect to such Shares and issue warrants or similar instruments with respect thereto; |
and, for such purposes, the Directors may reserve an appropriate number of Shares for the time being unissued.
9. | The Directors, or the Shareholders by Ordinary Resolution, may authorise the division of Shares into any number of Classes and sub-classes and the different Classes and sub-classes shall be authorised, established and designated (or re-designated as the case may be) and the variations in the relative rights (including, without limitation, voting, dividend and redemption rights), restrictions, preferences, privileges and payment obligations as between the different Classes (if any) may be fixed and determined by the Directors or the Shareholders by Ordinary Resolution. |
10. | The Company may insofar as may be permitted by law, pay a commission to any Person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe whether absolutely or conditionally for any Shares. Such commissions may be satisfied by the payment of cash or the lodgement of fully or partly paid-up Shares or partly in one way and partly in the other. The Company may also pay such brokerage as may be lawful on any issue of Shares. |
11. | The Directors may refuse to accept any application for Shares, and may accept any application in whole or in part, for any reason or for no reason. |
MODIFICATION OF RIGHTS
12. | Whenever the capital of the Company is divided into different Classes the rights attached to any such Class may, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to any Class, only be materially adversely varied or abrogated with the consent in writing of the holders of not less |
4
Exhibit (a)(5)
than two-thirds of the issued Shares of the relevant Class, or with the sanction of a resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the Shares of such Class by a majority of two-thirds of the votes cast at such a meeting. To every such separate meeting all the provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings of the Company or to the proceedings thereat shall, mutatis mutandis, apply, except that the necessary quorum shall be one or more Persons at least holding or representing by proxy one-third in nominal or par value amount of the issued Shares of the relevant Class (but so that if at any adjourned meeting of such holders a quorum as above defined is not present, those Shareholders who are present shall form a quorum) and that, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to the Shares of that Class, every Shareholder of the Class shall on a poll have one vote for each Share of the Class held by him. For the purposes of this Article the Directors may treat all the Classes or any two or more Classes as forming one Class if they consider that all such Classes would be affected in the same way by the proposals under consideration, but in any other case shall treat them as separate Classes. |
13. | The rights conferred upon the holders of the Shares of any Class issued with preferred or other rights shall not, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to the Shares of that Class, be deemed to be materially adversely varied or abrogated by, inter alia, the creation, allotment or issue of further Shares ranking pari passu with or subsequent to them or the redemption or purchase of any Shares of any Class by the Company. |
CERTIFICATES
14. | No Person shall be entitled to a certificate for any or all of his Shares, unless the Directors shall determine otherwise. |
FRACTIONAL SHARES
15. | The Directors may issue fractions of a Share and, if so issued, a fraction of a Share shall be subject to and carry the corresponding fraction of liabilities (whether with respect to nominal or par value, premium, contributions, calls or otherwise), limitations, preferences, privileges, qualifications, restrictions, rights (including, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, voting and participation rights) and other attributes of a whole Share. If more than one fraction of a Share of the same Class is issued to or acquired by the same Shareholder such fractions shall be accumulated. |
LIEN
16. | The Company has a first and paramount lien on every Share (whether or not fully paid) for all amounts (whether presently payable or not) payable at a fixed time or called in respect of that Share. The Company also has a first and paramount lien on every Share (whether or not fully paid) registered in the name of a Person indebted or under liability to the Company (whether he is the sole registered holder of a Share or one of two or more joint holders) for all amounts owing by him or his estate to the Company (whether or not presently payable). The Directors may at any time declare a Share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this Article. The Companys lien on a Share extends to any amount payable in respect of it. |
17. | The Company may sell, in such manner as the Directors in their absolute discretion think fit, any Share on which the Company has a lien, but no sale shall be made unless an amount in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable nor until the expiration of fourteen days after a notice in writing, demanding payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable, has been given to the registered holder for the time being of the Share, or the Persons entitled thereto by reason of his death or bankruptcy. |
5
Exhibit (a)(5)
18. | For giving effect to any such sale the Directors may authorise some Person to transfer the Shares sold to the purchaser thereof. The purchaser shall be registered as the holder of the Shares comprised in any such transfer and he shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the sale. |
19. | The proceeds of the sale after deduction of expenses, fees and commission incurred by the Company shall be received by the Company and applied in payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable, and the residue shall (subject to a like lien for sums not presently payable as existed upon the Shares prior to the sale) be paid to the Person entitled to the Shares immediately prior to the sale. |
CALLS ON SHARES
20. | The Directors may from time to time make calls upon the Shareholders in respect of any moneys unpaid on their Shares, and each Shareholder shall (subject to receiving at least fourteen days notice specifying the time or times of payment) pay to the Company at the time or times so specified the amount called on such Shares. |
21. | The joint holders of a Share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay calls in respect thereof. |
22. | If a sum called in respect of a Share is not paid before or on the day appointed for payment thereof, the Person from whom the sum is due shall pay interest upon the sum at the rate of eight percent per annum from the day appointed for the payment thereof to the time of the actual payment, but the Directors shall be at liberty to waive payment of that interest wholly or in part. |
23. | The provisions of these Articles as to the liability of joint holders and as to payment of interest shall apply in the case of non-payment of any sum which, by the terms of issue of a Share, becomes payable at a fixed time, whether on account of the amount of the Share, or by way of premium, as if the same had become payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified. |
24. | The Directors may make arrangements on the issue of partly paid Shares for a difference between the Shareholders, or the particular Shares, in the amount of calls to be paid and in the times of payment. |
25. | The Directors may, if they think fit, receive from any Shareholder willing to advance the same all or any part of the moneys uncalled and unpaid upon any partly paid Shares held by him, and upon all or any of the moneys so advanced may (until the same would, but for such advance, become presently payable) pay interest at such rate (not exceeding without the sanction of an Ordinary Resolution, eight percent per annum) as may be agreed upon between the Shareholder paying the sum in advance and the Directors. |
6
Exhibit (a)(5)
FORFEITURE OF SHARES
26. | If a Shareholder fails to pay any call or instalment of a call in respect of any Shares on the day appointed for payment, the Directors may, at any time thereafter during such time as any part of such call or instalment remains unpaid, serve a notice on him requiring payment of so much of the call or instalment as is unpaid, together with any interest which may have accrued. |
27. | The notice shall name a further day (not earlier than the expiration of fourteen days from the date of the notice) on or before which the payment required by the notice is to be made, and shall state that in the event of non-payment at or before the time appointed the Shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited. |
28. | If the requirements of any such notice as aforesaid are not complied with, any Share in respect of which the notice has been given may at any time thereafter, before the payment required by notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors to that effect. |
29. | A forfeited Share may be sold or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Directors think fit, and at any time before a sale or disposition the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Directors think fit. |
30. | A Person whose Shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Shareholder in respect of the forfeited Shares, but shall, notwithstanding, remain liable to pay to the Company all moneys which at the date of forfeiture were payable by him to the Company in respect of the Shares forfeited, but his liability shall cease if and when the Company receives payment in full of the amount unpaid on the Shares forfeited. |
31. | A statutory declaration in writing that the declarant is a Director, and that a Share has been duly forfeited on a date stated in the declaration, shall be conclusive evidence of the facts in the declaration as against all Persons claiming to be entitled to the Share. |
32. | The Company may receive the consideration, if any, given for a Share on any sale or disposition thereof pursuant to the provisions of these Articles as to forfeiture and may execute a transfer of the Share in favour of the Person to whom the Share is sold or disposed of and that Person shall be registered as the holder of the Share, and shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, if any, nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the disposition or sale. |
33. | The provisions of these Articles as to forfeiture shall apply in the case of non-payment of any sum which by the terms of issue of a Share becomes due and payable, whether on account of the amount of the Share, or by way of premium, as if the same had been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified. |
TRANSFER OF SHARES
34. | The instrument of transfer of any Share shall be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may, in their absolute discretion, approve and be executed by or on behalf of the transferor and if in respect of a nil or partly paid up Share, or if so required by the Directors, shall also be executed on behalf of the transferee and shall be accompanied by the certificate (if any) of the Shares to which it relates and such other evidence as the Directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer. The transferor shall be deemed to remain a Shareholder until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register in respect of the relevant Shares. |
7
Exhibit (a)(5)
35. | Subject to the terms of issue thereof, the Directors may in their absolute discretion decline to register any transfer of Shares without assigning any reason therefor. |
36. | The registration of transfers may be suspended at such times and for such periods as the Directors may from time to time determine. |
37. | All instruments of transfer that are registered shall be retained by the Company, but any instrument of transfer that the Directors decline to register shall (except in any case of fraud) be returned to the Person depositing the same. |
TRANSMISSION OF SHARES
38. | The legal personal representative of a deceased sole holder of a Share shall be the only Person recognised by the Company as having any title to the Share. In the case of a Share registered in the name of two or more holders, the survivors or survivor, or the legal personal representatives of the deceased holder of the Share, shall be the only Person recognised by the Company as having any title to the Share. |
39. | Any Person becoming entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder shall upon such evidence being produced as may from time to time be required by the Directors, have the right either to be registered as a Shareholder in respect of the Share or, instead of being registered himself, to make such transfer of the Share as the deceased or bankrupt Person could have made; but the Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the Share by the deceased or bankrupt Person before the death or bankruptcy. |
40. | A Person becoming entitled to a Share by reason of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder shall be entitled to the same dividends and other advantages to which he would be entitled if he were the registered Shareholder, except that he shall not, before being registered as a Shareholder in respect of the Share, be entitled in respect of it to exercise any right conferred by membership in relation to meetings of the Company. |
ALTERATION OF SHARE CAPITAL
41. | The Company may from time to time by Ordinary Resolution increase the share capital by such sum, to be divided into Shares of such Classes and amount, as the resolution shall prescribe. |
42. | The Company may by Ordinary Resolution: |
(a) | consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of a larger amount than its existing Shares; |
(b) | convert all or any of its paid up Shares into stock and reconvert that stock into paid up Shares of any denomination; |
8
Exhibit (a)(5)
(c) | subdivide its existing Shares, or any of them into Shares of a smaller amount provided that in the subdivision the proportion between the amount paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced Share shall be the same as it was in case of the Share from which the reduced Share is derived; and |
(d) | cancel any Shares that, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any Person and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the Shares so cancelled. |
43. | The Company may by Special Resolution reduce its share capital and any capital redemption reserve in any manner authorised by law. |
REDEMPTION, PURCHASE AND SURRENDER OF SHARES
44. | Subject to the Law, the Company may: |
(a) | issue Shares on terms that they are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Company or the Shareholder on such terms and in such manner as the Directors may determine; |
(b) | purchase its own Shares (including any redeemable Shares) on such terms and in such manner as the Directors may determine and agree with the Shareholder; |
(c) | make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own Shares in any manner authorised by the Law, including out of its capital; and |
(d) | accept the surrender for no consideration of any paid up Share (including any redeemable Share) on such terms and in such manner as the Directors may determine. |
45. | Any Share in respect of which notice of redemption has been given shall not be entitled to participate in the profits of the Company in respect of the period after the date specified as the date of redemption in the notice of redemption. |
46. | The redemption, purchase or surrender of any Share shall not be deemed to give rise to the redemption, purchase or surrender of any other Share. |
47. | The Directors may when making payments in respect of redemption or purchase of Shares, if authorised by the terms of issue of the Shares being redeemed or purchased or with the agreement of the holder of such Shares, make such payment either in cash or in specie. |
TREASURY SHARES
48. | Shares that the Company purchases, redeems or acquires (by way of surrender or otherwise) may, at the option of the Company, be cancelled immediately or held as Treasury Shares in accordance with the Law. In the event that the Directors do not specify that the relevant Shares are to be held as Treasury Shares, such Shares shall be cancelled. |
9
Exhibit (a)(5)
49. | No dividend may be declared or paid, and no other distribution (whether in cash or otherwise) of the Companys assets (including any distribution of assets to members on a winding up) may be declared or paid in respect of a Treasury Share. |
50. | The Company shall be entered in the Register as the holder of the Treasury Shares provided that: |
(a) | the Company shall not be treated as a member for any purpose and shall not exercise any right in respect of the Treasury Shares, and any purported exercise of such a right shall be void; |
(b) | a Treasury Share shall not be voted, directly or indirectly, at any meeting of the Company and shall not be counted in determining the total number of issued shares at any given time, whether for the purposes of these Articles or the Law, save that an allotment of Shares as fully paid bonus shares in respect of a Treasury Share is permitted and Shares allotted as fully paid bonus shares in respect of a treasury share shall be treated as Treasury Shares. |
51. | Treasury Shares may be disposed of by the Company on such terms and conditions as determined by the Directors. |
GENERAL MEETINGS
52. | The Directors may, whenever they think fit, convene a general meeting of the Company. |
53. | The Directors may cancel or postpone any duly convened general meeting at any time prior to such meeting, except for general meetings requisitioned by the Shareholders in accordance with these Articles, for any reason or for no reason at any time prior to the time for holding such meeting or, if the meeting is adjourned, the time for holding such adjourned meeting. The Directors shall give Shareholders notice in writing of any cancellation or postponement. A postponement may be for a stated period of any length or indefinitely as the Directors may determine. |
54. | General meetings shall also be convened on the requisition in writing of any Shareholder or Shareholders entitled to attend and vote at general meetings of the Company holding at least ten percent of the paid up voting share capital of the Company deposited at the Office specifying the objects of the meeting by notice given no later than 21 days from the date of deposit of the requisition signed by the requisitionists, and if the Directors do not convene such meeting for a date not later than 45 days after the date of such deposit, the requisitionists themselves may convene the general meeting in the same manner, as nearly as possible, as that in which general meetings may be convened by the Directors, and all reasonable expenses incurred by the requisitionists as a result of the failure of the Directors to convene the general meeting shall be reimbursed to them by the Company. |
55. | If at any time there are no Directors, any two Shareholders (or if there is only one Shareholder then that Shareholder) entitled to vote at general meetings of the Company may convene a general meeting in the same manner as nearly as possible as that in which general meetings may be convened by the Directors. |
10
Exhibit (a)(5)
NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS
56. | At least seven clear days notice in writing counting from the date service is deemed to take place as provided in these Articles specifying the place, the day and the hour of the meeting and the general nature of the business, shall be given in the manner hereinafter provided or in such other manner (if any) as may be prescribed by the Company by Ordinary Resolution to such Persons as are, under these Articles, entitled to receive such notices from the Company, but with the consent of all the Shareholders entitled to receive notice of some particular meeting and attend and vote thereat, that meeting may be convened by such shorter notice or without notice and in such manner as those Shareholders may think fit. |
57. | The accidental omission to give notice of a meeting to or the non-receipt of a notice of a meeting by any Shareholder shall not invalidate the proceedings at any meeting. |
PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS
58. | All business carried out at a general meeting shall be deemed special with the exception of sanctioning a dividend, the consideration of the accounts, balance sheets, any report of the Directors or of the Companys auditors, and the fixing of the remuneration of the Companys auditors. No special business shall be transacted at any general meeting without the consent of all Shareholders entitled to receive notice of that meeting unless notice of such special business has been given in the notice convening that meeting. |
59. | No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum of Shareholders is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business. Save as otherwise provided by these Articles, one or more Shareholders holding at least a majority of the paid up voting share capital of the Company present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote at that meeting shall form a quorum. |
60. | If within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting, if convened upon the requisition of Shareholders, shall be dissolved. In any other case it shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week, at the same time and place, and if at the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting the Shareholder or Shareholders present and entitled to vote shall form a quorum. |
61. | If the Directors wish to make this facility available for a specific general meeting or all general meetings of the Company, participation in any general meeting of the Company may be by means of a telephone or similar communication equipment by way of which all Persons participating in such meeting can communicate with each other and such participation shall be deemed to constitute presence in person at the meeting. |
62. | The chairman, if any, of the Directors shall preside as chairman at every general meeting of the Company. |
63. | If there is no such chairman, or if at any general meeting he is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting or is unwilling to act as chairman, any Director or Person nominated by the Directors shall preside as chairman, failing which the Shareholders present in person or by proxy shall choose any Person present to be chairman of that meeting. |
11
Exhibit (a)(5)
64. | The chairman may adjourn a meeting from time to time and from place to place either: |
(a) | with the consent of any general meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed by the meeting); or |
(b) | without the consent of such meeting if, in his sole opinion, he considers it necessary to do so to: |
(i) | secure the orderly conduct or proceedings of the meeting; or |
(ii) | give all persons present in person or by proxy and having the right to speak and / or vote at such meeting, the ability to do so, |
but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place. When a meeting, or adjourned meeting, is adjourned for fourteen days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given in the manner provided for the original meeting. Save as aforesaid, it shall not be necessary to give any notice of an adjournment or of the business to be transacted at an adjourned meeting.
65. | At any general meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands, unless a poll is (before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands) demanded by the chairman or one or more Shareholders present in person or by proxy entitled to vote, and unless a poll is so demanded, a declaration by the chairman that a resolution has, on a show of hands, been carried, or carried unanimously, or by a particular majority, or lost, and an entry to that effect in the book of the proceedings of the Company, shall be conclusive evidence of the fact, without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of, or against, that resolution. |
66. | If a poll is duly demanded it shall be taken in such manner as the chairman directs, and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the meeting at which the poll was demanded. |
67. | In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, the chairman of the meeting at which the show of hands takes place or at which the poll is demanded, shall be entitled to a second or casting vote. |
68. | A poll demanded on the election of a chairman of the meeting or on a question of adjournment shall be taken forthwith. A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken at such time as the chairman of the meeting directs. |
VOTES OF SHAREHOLDERS
69. | Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Share, on a show of hands every Shareholder present in person and every Person representing a Shareholder by proxy shall, at a general meeting of the Company, each have one vote and on a poll every Shareholder and every Person representing a Shareholder by proxy shall have one vote for each Share of which he or the Person represented by proxy is the holder. |
12
Exhibit (a)(5)
70. | In the case of joint holders the vote of the senior who tenders a vote whether in person or by proxy shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders and for this purpose seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names stand in the Register. |
71. | A Shareholder of unsound mind, or in respect of whom an order has been made by any court having jurisdiction in lunacy, may vote in respect of Shares carrying the right to vote held by him, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, by his committee, or other Person in the nature of a committee appointed by that court, and any such committee or other Person, may vote in respect of such Shares by proxy. |
72. | No Shareholder shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting of the Company unless all calls, if any, or other sums presently payable by him in respect of Shares carrying the right to vote held by him have been paid. |
73. | On a poll votes may be given either personally or by proxy. |
74. | The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointor or of his attorney duly authorised in writing or, if the appointor is a corporation, either under Seal or under the hand of an Officer or attorney duly authorised. A proxy need not be a Shareholder. |
75. | An instrument appointing a proxy may be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may approve. |
76. | The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited at the Office or at such other place as is specified for that purpose in the notice convening the meeting no later than the time for holding the meeting or, if the meeting is adjourned, the time for holding such adjourned meeting. |
77. | The instrument appointing a proxy shall be deemed to confer authority to demand or join in demanding a poll. |
78. | A resolution in writing signed by all the Shareholders for the time being entitled to receive notice of and to attend and vote at general meetings of the Company (or being corporations by their duly authorised representatives) shall be as valid and effective as if the same had been passed at a general meeting of the Company duly convened and held. |
CORPORATIONS ACTING BY REPRESENTATIVES AT MEETINGS
79. | Any corporation which is a Shareholder or a Director may by resolution of its directors or other governing body authorise such Person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or of any meeting of holders of a Class or of the Directors or of a committee of Directors, and the Person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation which he represents as that corporation could exercise if it were an individual Shareholder or Director. |
DIRECTORS
80. | The name(s) of the first Director(s) shall either be determined in writing by a majority (or in the case of a sole subscriber that subscriber) of, or elected at a meeting of, the subscribers of the Memorandum of Association. |
13
Exhibit (a)(5)
81. | The Company may by Ordinary Resolution appoint any Person to be a Director. |
82. | Subject to these Articles, a Director shall hold office until such time as he is removed from office by Ordinary Resolution. |
83. | The Company may by Ordinary Resolution from time to time fix the maximum and minimum number of Directors to be appointed but unless such numbers are fixed as aforesaid the minimum number of Directors shall be one and the maximum number of Directors shall be unlimited. |
84. | The remuneration of the Directors may be determined by the Directors or by Ordinary Resolution. |
85. | There shall be no shareholding qualification for Directors unless determined otherwise by Ordinary Resolution. |
86. | The Directors shall have power at any time and from time to time to appoint any Person to be a Director, either as a result of a casual vacancy or as an additional Director, subject to the maximum number (if any) imposed by Ordinary Resolution. |
ALTERNATE DIRECTOR
87. | Any Director may in writing appoint another Person to be his alternate and, save to the extent provided otherwise in the form of appointment, such alternate shall have authority to sign written resolutions on behalf of the appointing Director, but shall not be authorised to sign such written resolutions where they have been signed by the appointing Director, and to act in such Directors place at any meeting of the Directors. Every such alternate shall be entitled to attend and vote at meetings of the Directors as the alternate of the Director appointing him and where he is a Director to have a separate vote in addition to his own vote. A Director may at any time in writing revoke the appointment of an alternate appointed by him. Such alternate shall not be an Officer solely as a result of his appointment as an alternate other than in respect of such times as the alternate acts as a Director. The remuneration of such alternate shall be payable out of the remuneration of the Director appointing him and the proportion thereof shall be agreed between them. |
88. | Any Director may appoint any Person, whether or not a Director, to be the proxy of that Director to attend and vote on his behalf, in accordance with instructions given by that Director, or in the absence of such instructions at the discretion of the proxy, at a meeting or meetings of the Directors which that Director is unable to attend personally. The instrument appointing the proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointing Director and shall be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may approve, and must be lodged with the chairman of the meeting of the Directors at which such proxy is to be used, or first used, prior to the commencement of the meeting. |
POWERS AND DUTIES OF DIRECTORS
89. | Subject to the Law, these Articles and to any resolutions passed in a general meeting, the business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors, who may pay all expenses incurred in setting up and registering the Company and may exercise all powers of the Company. No resolution passed by the Company in general meeting shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors that would have been valid if that resolution had not been passed. |
14
Exhibit (a)(5)
90. | The Directors may from time to time appoint any Person, whether or not a Director to hold such office in the Company as the Directors may think necessary for the administration of the Company, including but not limited to, the office of president, one or more vice-presidents, treasurer, assistant treasurer, manager or controller, and for such term and at such remuneration (whether by way of salary or commission or participation in profits or partly in one way and partly in another), and with such powers and duties as the Directors may think fit. Any Person so appointed by the Directors may be removed by the Directors or by the Company by Ordinary Resolution. The Directors may also appoint one or more of their number to the office of managing director upon like terms, but any such appointment shall ipso facto terminate if any managing director ceases from any cause to be a Director, or if the Company by Ordinary Resolution resolves that his tenure of office be terminated. |
91. | The Directors may appoint any Person to be a Secretary (and if need be an assistant Secretary or assistant Secretaries) who shall hold office for such term, at such remuneration and upon such conditions and with such powers as they think fit. Any Secretary or assistant Secretary so appointed by the Directors may be removed by the Directors or by the Company by Ordinary Resolution. |
92. | The Directors may delegate any of their powers to committees consisting of such member or members of their body as they think fit; any committee so formed shall in the exercise of the powers so delegated conform to any regulations that may be imposed on it by the Directors. |
93. | The Directors may from time to time and at any time by power of attorney (whether under Seal or under hand) or otherwise appoint any company, firm or Person or body of Persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or attorneys or authorised signatory (any such person being an Attorney or Authorised Signatory, respectively) of the Company for such purposes and with such powers, authorities and discretion (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under these Articles) and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such power of attorney or other appointment may contain such provisions for the protection and convenience of Persons dealing with any such Attorney or Authorised Signatory as the Directors may think fit, and may also authorise any such Attorney or Authorised Signatory to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretion vested in him. |
94. | The Directors may from time to time provide for the management of the affairs of the Company in such manner as they shall think fit and the provisions contained in the three next following Articles shall not limit the general powers conferred by this Article. |
95. | The Directors from time to time and at any time may establish any committees, local boards or agencies for managing any of the affairs of the Company and may appoint any Person to be a member of such committees or local boards and may appoint any managers or agents of the Company and may fix the remuneration of any such Person. |
96. | The Directors from time to time and at any time may delegate to any such committee, local board, manager or agent any of the powers, authorities and discretions for the time being vested in the Directors and may authorise the members for the time being of any such local board, or any of them to fill any vacancies therein and to act notwithstanding vacancies and any such appointment or delegation may be made on such terms and subject to such conditions as the Directors may think fit and the Directors may at any time remove any Person so appointed and may annul or vary any such delegation, but no Person dealing in good faith and without notice of any such annulment or variation shall be affected thereby. |
15
Exhibit (a)(5)
97. | Any such delegates as aforesaid may be authorised by the Directors to sub-delegate all or any of the powers, authorities, and discretion for the time being vested in them. |
BORROWING POWERS OF DIRECTORS
98. | The Directors may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and uncalled capital or any part thereof, or to otherwise provide for a security interest to be taken in such undertaking, property or uncalled capital, and to issue debentures, debenture stock and other securities whenever money is borrowed or as security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party. |
THE SEAL
99. | The Seal shall not be affixed to any instrument except by the authority of a resolution of the Directors provided always that such authority may be given prior to or after the affixing of the Seal and if given after may be in general form confirming a number of affixings of the Seal. The Seal shall be affixed in the presence of a Director or a Secretary (or an assistant Secretary) or in the presence of any one or more Persons as the Directors may appoint for the purpose and every Person as aforesaid shall sign every instrument to which the Seal is so affixed in their presence. |
100. | The Company may maintain a facsimile of the Seal in such countries or places as the Directors may appoint and such facsimile Seal shall not be affixed to any instrument except by the authority of a resolution of the Directors provided always that such authority may be given prior to or after the affixing of such facsimile Seal and if given after may be in general form confirming a number of affixings of such facsimile Seal. The facsimile Seal shall be affixed in the presence of such Person or Persons as the Directors shall for this purpose appoint and such Person or Persons as aforesaid shall sign every instrument to which the facsimile Seal is so affixed in their presence and such affixing of the facsimile Seal and signing as aforesaid shall have the same meaning and effect as if the Seal had been affixed in the presence of and the instrument signed by a Director or a Secretary (or an assistant Secretary) or in the presence of any one or more Persons as the Directors may appoint for the purpose. |
101. | Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Secretary or any assistant Secretary shall have the authority to affix the Seal, or the facsimile Seal, to any instrument for the purposes of attesting authenticity of the matter contained therein but which does not create any obligation binding on the Company. |
DISQUALIFICATION OF DIRECTORS
102. | The office of Director shall be vacated, if the Director: |
(a) | becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors; |
(b) | dies or is found to be or becomes of unsound mind; |
(c) | resigns his office by notice in writing to the Company; |
16
Exhibit (a)(5)
(d) | is removed from office by Ordinary Resolution; |
(e) | is removed from office by notice addressed to him at his last known address and signed by all of his co-Directors (not being less than two in number); or |
(f) | is removed from office pursuant to any other provision of these Articles. |
PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS
103. | The Directors may meet together (either within or outside the Cayman Islands) for the despatch of business, adjourn, and otherwise regulate their meetings and proceedings as they think fit. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In case of an equality of votes the chairman shall have a second or casting vote. A Director may, and a Secretary or assistant Secretary on the requisition of a Director shall, at any time summon a meeting of the Directors. |
104. | A Director may participate in any meeting of the Directors, or of any committee appointed by the Directors of which such Director is a member, by means of telephone or similar communication equipment by way of which all Persons participating in such meeting can communicate with each other and such participation shall be deemed to constitute presence in person at the meeting. |
105. | The quorum necessary for the transaction of the business of the Directors may be fixed by the Directors, and unless so fixed, if there be two or more Directors the quorum shall be two, and if there be one Director the quorum shall be one. A Director represented by proxy or by an alternate Director at any meeting shall be deemed to be present for the purposes of determining whether or not a quorum is present. |
106. | A Director who is in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a contract or proposed contract with the Company shall declare the nature of his interest at a meeting of the Directors. A general notice given to the Directors by any Director to the effect that he is to be regarded as interested in any contract or other arrangement which may thereafter be made with that company or firm shall be deemed a sufficient declaration of interest in regard to any contract so made. A Director may vote in respect of any contract or proposed contract or arrangement notwithstanding that he may be interested therein and if he does so his vote shall be counted and he may be counted in the quorum at any meeting of the Directors at which any such contract or proposed contract or arrangement shall come before the meeting for consideration. |
107. | A Director may hold any other office or place of profit under the Company (other than the office of auditor) in conjunction with his office of Director for such period and on such terms (as to remuneration and otherwise) as the Directors may determine and no Director or intending Director shall be disqualified by his office from contracting with the Company either with regard to his tenure of any such other office or place of profit or as vendor, purchaser or otherwise, nor shall any such contract or arrangement entered into by or on behalf of the Company in which any Director is in any way interested, be liable to be avoided, nor shall any Director so contracting or being so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profit realised by any such contract or arrangement by reason of such Director holding that office or of the fiduciary relation thereby established. A Director, notwithstanding his interest, may be counted in the quorum present at any meeting of the Directors whereat he or any other Director is appointed to hold any such office or place of profit under the Company or whereat the terms of any such appointment are arranged and he may vote on any such appointment or arrangement. |
17
Exhibit (a)(5)
108. | Any Director may act by himself or his firm in a professional capacity for the Company, and he or his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional services as if he were not a Director; provided that nothing herein contained shall authorise a Director or his firm to act as auditor to the Company. |
109. | The Directors shall cause minutes to be made in books or loose-leaf folders provided for the purpose of recording: |
(a) | all appointments of Officers made by the Directors; |
(b) | the names of the Directors present at each meeting of the Directors and of any committee of the Directors; and |
(c) | all resolutions and proceedings at all meetings of the Company, and of the Directors and of committees of Directors. |
110. | When the chairman of a meeting of the Directors signs the minutes of such meeting the same shall be deemed to have been duly held notwithstanding that all the Directors have not actually come together or that there may have been a technical defect in the proceedings. |
111. | A resolution in writing signed by all the Directors or all the members of a committee of Directors entitled to receive notice of a meeting of Directors or committee of Directors, as the case may be (an alternate Director, subject as provided otherwise in the terms of appointment of the alternate Director, being entitled to sign such a resolution on behalf of his appointer), shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a duly called and constituted meeting of Directors or committee of Directors, as the case may be. When signed a resolution may consist of several documents each signed by one or more of the Directors or his duly appointed alternate. |
112. | The continuing Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body but if and for so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to these Articles as the necessary quorum of Directors, the continuing Directors may act for the purpose of increasing the number, or of summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose. |
113. | The Directors may elect a chairman of their meetings and determine the period for which he is to hold office but if no such chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the chairman is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the Directors present may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting. |
114. | Subject to any regulations imposed on it by the Directors, a committee appointed by the Directors may elect a chairman of its meetings. If no such chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the chairman is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the committee members present may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting. |
18
Exhibit (a)(5)
115. | A committee appointed by the Directors may meet and adjourn as it thinks proper. Subject to any regulations imposed on it by the Directors, questions arising at any meeting shall be determined by a majority of votes of the committee members present and in case of an equality of votes the chairman shall have a second or casting vote. |
116. | All acts done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of Directors, or by any Person acting as a Director, shall notwithstanding that it be afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any such Director or Person acting as aforesaid, or that they or any of them were disqualified, be as valid as if every such Person had been duly appointed and was qualified to be a Director. |
DIVIDENDS
117. | Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, or as otherwise provided for in the Law and these Articles, the Directors may from time to time declare dividends (including interim dividends) and other distributions on Shares in issue and authorise payment of the same out of the funds of the Company lawfully available therefor. |
118. | Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, the Company by Ordinary Resolution may declare dividends, but no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the Directors. |
119. | The Directors may, before recommending or declaring any dividend, set aside out of the funds legally available for distribution such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall, in the absolute discretion of the Directors be applicable for meeting contingencies, or for equalising dividends or for any other purpose to which those funds may be properly applied and pending such application may in the absolute discretion of the Directors, either be employed in the business of the Company or be invested in such investments as the Directors may from time to time think fit. |
120. | Any dividend may be paid in any manner as the Directors may determine. If paid by cheque it will be sent through the post to the registered address of the Shareholder or Person entitled thereto, or in the case of joint holders, to any one of such joint holders at his registered address or to such Person and such address as the Shareholder or Person entitled, or such joint holders as the case may be, may direct. Every such cheque shall be made payable to the order of the Person to whom it is sent or to the order of such other Person as the Shareholder or Person entitled, or such joint holders as the case may be, may direct. |
121. | The Directors when paying dividends to the Shareholders in accordance with the foregoing provisions of these Articles may make such payment either in cash or in specie. |
122. | Subject to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts paid up on the Shares, but if and for so long as nothing is paid up on any of the Shares dividends may be declared and paid according to the par value of the Shares. |
123. | If several Persons are registered as joint holders of any Share, any of them may give effectual receipts for any dividend or other moneys payable on or in respect of the Share. |
124. | No dividend shall bear interest against the Company. |
19
Exhibit (a)(5)
ACCOUNTS, AUDIT AND ANNUAL RETURN AND DECLARATION
125. | The books of account relating to the Companys affairs shall be kept in such manner as may be determined from time to time by the Directors. |
126. | The books of account shall be kept at the Office, or at such other place or places as the Directors think fit, and shall always be open to the inspection of the Directors. |
127. | The Directors may from time to time determine whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions or regulations the accounts and books of the Company or any of them shall be open to the inspection of Shareholders not being Directors, and no Shareholder (not being a Director) shall have any right of inspecting any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by law or authorised by the Directors or by Ordinary Resolution. |
128. | The accounts relating to the Companys affairs shall only be audited if the Directors so determine, in which case the financial year end and the accounting principles will be determined by the Directors. |
129. | The Directors in each year shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, an annual return and declaration setting forth the particulars required by the Law and deliver a copy thereof to the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands. |
CAPITALISATION OF RESERVES
130. | Subject to the Law and these Articles, the Directors may: |
(a) | resolve to capitalise an amount standing to the credit of reserves (including a Share Premium Account, capital redemption reserve and profit and loss account), whether or not available for distribution; |
(b) | appropriate the sum resolved to be capitalised to the Shareholders in proportion to the nominal amount of Shares (whether or not fully paid) held by them respectively and apply that sum on their behalf in or towards: |
(i) | paying up the amounts (if any) for the time being unpaid on Shares held by them respectively, or |
(ii) | paying up in full unissued Shares or debentures of a nominal amount equal to that sum, |
and allot the Shares or debentures, credited as fully paid, to the Shareholders (or as they may direct) in those proportions, or partly in one way and partly in the other, but the Share Premium Account, the capital redemption reserve and profits which are not available for distribution may, for the purposes of this Article, only be applied in paying up unissued Shares to be allotted to Shareholders credited as fully paid;
(c) | make any arrangements they think fit to resolve a difficulty arising in the distribution of a capitalised reserve and in particular, without limitation, where Shares or debentures become distributable in fractions the Directors may deal with the fractions as they think fit; |
20
Exhibit (a)(5)
(d) | authorise a Person to enter (on behalf of all the Shareholders concerned) into an agreement with the Company providing for either: |
(i) | the allotment to the Shareholders respectively, credited as fully paid, of Shares or debentures to which they may be entitled on the capitalisation, or |
(ii) | the payment by the Company on behalf of the Shareholders (by the application of their respective proportions of the reserves resolved to be capitalised) of the amounts or part of the amounts remaining unpaid on their existing Shares, |
and any such agreement made under this authority being effective and binding on all those Shareholders; and
(e) | generally do all acts and things required to give effect to any of the actions contemplated by this Article. |
SHARE PREMIUM ACCOUNT
131. | The Directors shall in accordance with the Law establish a Share Premium Account and shall carry to the credit of such account from time to time a sum equal to the amount or value of the premium paid on the issue of any Share. |
132. | There shall be debited to any Share Premium Account on the redemption or purchase of a Share the difference between the nominal value of such Share and the redemption or purchase price provided always that at the discretion of the Directors such sum may be paid out of the profits of the Company or, if permitted by the Law, out of capital. |
NOTICES
133. | Any notice or document may be served by the Company or by the Person entitled to give notice to any Shareholder either personally, or by posting it airmail or air courier service in a prepaid letter addressed to such Shareholder at his address as appearing in the Register, or by electronic mail to any electronic mail address such Shareholder may have specified in writing for the purpose of such service of notices, or by facsimile should the Directors deem it appropriate. In the case of joint holders of a Share, all notices shall be given to that one of the joint holders whose name stands first in the Register in respect of the joint holding, and notice so given shall be sufficient notice to all the joint holders. |
134. | Any Shareholder present, either personally or by proxy, at any meeting of the Company shall for all purposes be deemed to have received due notice of such meeting and, where requisite, of the purposes for which such meeting was convened. |
135. | Any notice or other document, if served by: |
(a) | post, shall be deemed to have been served five clear days after the time when the letter containing the same is posted; |
21
Exhibit (a)(5)
(b) | facsimile, shall be deemed to have been served upon production by the transmitting facsimile machine of a report confirming transmission of the facsimile in full to the facsimile number of the recipient; |
(c) | recognised courier service, shall be deemed to have been served 48 hours after the time when the letter containing the same is delivered to the courier service; or |
(d) | electronic mail, shall be deemed to have been served immediately upon the time of the transmission by electronic mail. |
In proving service by post or courier service it shall be sufficient to prove that the letter containing the notice or documents was properly addressed and duly posted or delivered to the courier service.
136. | Any notice or document delivered or sent in accordance with the terms of these Articles shall notwithstanding that such Shareholder be then dead or bankrupt, and whether or not the Company has notice of his death or bankruptcy, be deemed to have been duly served in respect of any Share registered in the name of such Shareholder as sole or joint holder, unless his name shall at the time of the service of the notice or document, have been removed from the Register as the holder of the Share, and such service shall for all purposes be deemed a sufficient service of such notice or document on all Persons interested (whether jointly with or as claiming through or under him) in the Share. |
137. | Notice of every general meeting of the Company shall be given to: |
(a) | all Shareholders holding Shares with the right to receive notice and who have supplied to the Company an address for the giving of notices to them; and |
(b) | every Person entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder, who but for his death or bankruptcy would be entitled to receive notice of the meeting. |
No other Person shall be entitled to receive notices of general meetings.
INDEMNITY
138. | Every Director (including for the purposes of this Article any alternate Director appointed pursuant to the provisions of these Articles), Secretary, assistant Secretary, or other Officer (but not including the Companys auditors) and the personal representatives of the same (each an Indemnified Person) shall be indemnified and secured harmless against all actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such Indemnified Person, other than by reason of such Indemnified Persons own dishonesty, wilful default or fraud as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction, in or about the conduct of the Companys business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs, expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such Indemnified Person in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings concerning the Company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere. |
22
Exhibit (a)(5)
139. | No Indemnified Person shall be liable: |
(a) | for the acts, receipts, neglects, defaults or omissions of any other Director or Officer or agent of the Company; or |
(b) | for any loss on account of defect of title to any property of the Company; or |
(c) | on account of the insufficiency of any security in or upon which any money of the Company shall be invested; or |
(d) | for any loss incurred through any bank, broker or other similar Person; or |
(e) | for any loss occasioned by any negligence, default, breach of duty, breach of trust, error of judgement or oversight on such Indemnified Persons part; or |
(f) | for any loss, damage or misfortune whatsoever which may happen in or arise from the execution or discharge of the duties, powers, authorities, or discretions of such Indemnified Persons office or in relation thereto; |
unless the same shall happen through such Indemnified Persons own dishonesty, wilful default or fraud as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.
NON-RECOGNITION OF TRUSTS
140. | Subject to the proviso hereto, no Person shall be recognised by the Company as holding any Share upon any trust and the Company shall not, unless required by law, be bound by or be compelled in any way to recognise (even when having notice thereof) any equitable, contingent, future or partial interest in any Share or (except only as otherwise provided by these Articles or as the Law requires) any other right in respect of any Share except an absolute right to the entirety thereof in each Shareholder registered in the Register, provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall be entitled to recognise any such interests as shall be determined by the Directors. |
WINDING UP
141. | If the Company shall be wound up the liquidator shall apply the assets of the Company in such manner and order as he thinks fit in satisfaction of creditors claims. |
142. | If the Company shall be wound up, the liquidator may, with the sanction of an Ordinary Resolution divide amongst the Shareholders in specie or kind the whole or any part of the assets of the Company (whether they shall consist of property of the same kind or not) and may, for such purpose set such value as he deems fair upon any property to be divided as aforesaid and may determine how such division shall be carried out as between the Shareholders or different Classes. The liquidator may, with the like sanction, vest the whole or any part of such assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the Shareholders as the liquidator, with the like sanction shall think fit, but so that no Shareholder shall be compelled to accept any assets whereon there is any liability. |
23
Exhibit (a)(5)
AMENDMENT OF ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
143. | Subject to the Law and the rights attaching to the various Classes, the Company may at any time and from time to time by Special Resolution alter or amend these Articles in whole or in part. |
CLOSING OF REGISTER OR FIXING RECORD DATE
144. | For the purpose of determining those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at any meeting of Shareholders or any adjournment thereof, or those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of any dividend, or in order to make a determination as to who is a Shareholder for any other purpose, the Directors may provide that the Register shall be closed for transfers for a stated period which shall not exceed in any case 40 days. If the Register shall be so closed for the purpose of determining those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Shareholders the Register shall be so closed for at least ten days immediately preceding such meeting and the record date for such determination shall be the date of the closure of the Register. |
145. | In lieu of or apart from closing the Register, the Directors may fix in advance a date as the record date for any such determination of those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of the Shareholders and for the purpose of determining those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of any dividend the Directors may, at or within 90 days prior to the date of declaration of such dividend, fix a subsequent date as the record date for such determination. |
146. | If the Register is not so closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of those Shareholders entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Shareholders or those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of a dividend, the date on which notice of the meeting is posted or the date on which the resolution of the Directors declaring such dividend is adopted, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such determination of Shareholders. When a determination of those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Shareholders has been made as provided in this Article, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof. |
REGISTRATION BY WAY OF CONTINUATION
147. | The Company may by Special Resolution resolve to be registered by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands or such other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing. In furtherance of a resolution adopted pursuant to this Article, the Directors may cause an application to be made to the Registrar of Companies to deregister the Company in the Cayman Islands or such other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing and may cause all such further steps as they consider appropriate to be taken to effect the transfer by way of continuation of the Company. |
MERGERS AND CONSOLIDATION
148. | The Company may by Special Resolution resolve to merge or consolidate the Company in accordance with the Law. |
24
Exhibit (a)(5)
DISCLOSURE
149. | The Directors, or any authorised service providers (including the Officers, the Secretary and the registered office agent of the Company), shall be entitled to disclose to any regulatory or judicial authority, or to any stock exchange on which the Shares may from time to time be listed, any information regarding the affairs of the Company including, without limitation, information contained in the Register and books of the Company. |
25
Exhibit (d)(1)(xvi)
ASG GLOBAL MACRO FUND
Advisory Agreement
AGREEMENT made the 1st day of December, 2014, by and between NATIXIS FUNDS TRUST II, a Massachusetts business trust (the Fund), with respect to its ASG Global Macro Fund series (the Series), and AlphaSimplex Group, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Manager).
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, the Fund and the Manager wish to enter into an agreement setting forth the terms upon which the Manager (or certain other parties acting pursuant to delegation from the Manager) will perform certain services for the Series;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and covenants hereinafter contained, the parties agree as follows:
1. (a) The Fund hereby employs the Manager to furnish the Series with Portfolio Management Services (as defined in Section 2 hereof), subject to the authority of the Manager to delegate any or all of its responsibilities hereunder to other parties as provided in Section 1(b) hereof. The Manager hereby accepts such employment and agrees, at its own expense, to furnish such services (either directly or pursuant to delegation to other parties as permitted by Section 1(b) hereof) and to assume the obligations herein set forth, for the compensation herein provided; provided, however, that the Manager shall have no obligation to pay the fees of any Sub-Adviser (as defined in Section 1(b) hereof), to the extent that the Fund has agreed, under any contract to which the Fund and the Sub-Adviser are parties (a Sub-Advisory Agreement) to pay such fees. The Manager shall, unless otherwise expressly provided or authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Fund in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Fund.
(b) The Manager may delegate any or all of its responsibilities hereunder with respect to the provision of Portfolio Management Services (and assumption of related expenses) to one or more other parties (each such party, a Sub-Adviser), pursuant in each case to a written agreement with such Sub-Adviser that meets the requirements of Section 15 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules thereunder (the 1940 Act) applicable to contracts for service as investment adviser of a registered investment company (including without limitation the requirements for approval by the trustees of the Fund and the shareholders of the Series), subject, however, to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any Sub-Adviser may (but need not) be affiliated with the Manager. If different Sub-Advisers are engaged to provide Portfolio Management Services with respect to different segments of the portfolio of the Series, the Manager shall determine, in the manner described in the prospectus of the Series from time to time in effect, what portion of the assets belonging to the Series shall be managed by each Sub-Adviser.
Exhibit (d)(1)(xvi)
2. As used in this Agreement, Portfolio Management Services means management of the investment and reinvestment of the assets belonging to the Series, consisting specifically of the following:
(a) obtaining and evaluating such economic, statistical and financial data and information and undertaking such additional investment research as shall be necessary or advisable for the management of the investment and reinvestment of the assets belonging to the Series in accordance with the Series investment objective and policies;
(b) taking such steps as are necessary to implement the investment policies of the Series by purchasing and selling of securities, including the placing of orders for such purchase and sale;
(c) regularly reporting to the Board of Trustees of the Fund with respect to the implementation of the investment policies of the Series;
(d) voting all proxies and exercising all other rights of the Series as a security holder of companies in which the Series from time to time invests; and
(e) oversight of all matters relating to compliance by the Series with applicable laws and with the Series investment policies, restrictions and guidelines, if the Manager has designated to one or more Sub-Advisers any or all of its responsibilities hereunder with respect to the provision of Portfolio Management Services.
The Manager shall manage the Series in conformity with (1) the investment objective, policies and restrictions of the Series set forth in the Funds prospectus and statement of additional information relating to the Series, (2) any additional policies or guidelines established by the Funds trustees that have been furnished in writing to the Manager, and (3) the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) applicable to regulated investment companies (as defined in Section 851 of the Code), all as from time to time in effect (collectively, the Policies), and with all applicable provisions of law, including, without limitation, all applicable provisions of the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. Subject to the foregoing, the Manager is authorized in its discretion to buy, sell, lend and otherwise trade in any stocks, bonds and other securities and investment instruments on behalf of the Series, without regard to the length of time the securities have been held and the resulting rate of portfolio turnover or any tax considerations; and the majority or the whole of the Series may be invested in such proportions of stocks, bonds, other securities or investment instruments, or cash, as the Manager shall determine.
2
Exhibit (d)(1)(xvi)
3. [RESERVED]
4. This Agreement shall not require the Manager to bear, or to reimburse the Fund for:
(a) any of the costs of printing and mailing the items referred to in sub-section (n) of this section 4;
(b) any of the costs of preparing, printing and distributing sales literature;
(c) compensation of trustees of the Fund who are not directors, officers or employees of the Manager, any Sub-Adviser or any Administrator or of any affiliated person (other than a registered investment company) of the Manager, any Sub-Adviser or any Administrator;
(d) registration, filing and other fees in connection with requirements of regulatory authorities;
(e) the charges and expenses of any entity appointed by the Fund for custodial, paying agent, shareholder servicing and plan agent services;
(f) charges and expenses of independent accountants retained by the Fund;
(g) charges and expenses of any transfer agents and registrars appointed by the Fund;
(h) brokers commissions and issue and transfer taxes chargeable to the Fund in connection with securities transactions to which the Fund is a party;
(i) taxes and fees payable by the Fund to federal, state or other governmental agencies;
(j) any cost of certificates representing shares of the Fund;
(k) legal fees and expenses in connection with the affairs of the Fund, including registering and qualifying its shares with Federal and State regulatory authorities;
(l) expenses of meetings of shareholders and trustees of the Fund;
(m) interest, including interest on borrowings by the Fund;
(n) the costs of services, including services of counsel, required in connection with the preparation of the Funds registration statements and prospectuses, including amendments and revisions thereto, annual, semiannual and other periodic reports of the Fund, and notices and proxy solicitation material furnished to shareholders of the Fund or regulatory authorities; and
3
Exhibit (d)(1)(xvi)
(o) the Funds expenses of bookkeeping, accounting, auditing and financial reporting, including related clerical expenses.
5. All activities undertaken by the Manager or any Sub-Adviser or Administrator pursuant to this Agreement shall at all times be subject to the supervision and control of the Board of Trustees of the Fund, any duly constituted committee thereof or any officer of the Fund acting pursuant to like authority.
6. The services to be provided by the Manager and any Sub-Adviser or Administrator hereunder are not to be deemed exclusive and the Manager and any Sub-Adviser or Administrator shall be free to render similar services to others, so long as its services hereunder are not impaired thereby.
7. As full compensation for all services rendered, facilities furnished and expenses borne by the Manager hereunder, the Fund shall pay the Manager compensation in an amount equal to (x) the annual rate of 1.25% of the average daily net assets of the Series (less the net asset value of the Series wholly-owned subsidiary) (or such lesser amount as the Manager may from time to time agree to receive) minus (y) any fees payable by the Fund, with respect to the period in question, to any one or more Sub-Advisers pursuant to any Sub-Advisory Agreements in effect with respect to such period. Such compensation shall be payable monthly in arrears or at such other intervals, not less frequently than quarterly, as the Board of Trustees of the Fund may from time to time determine and specify in writing to the Manager. The Manager hereby acknowledges that the Funds obligation to pay such compensation is binding only on the assets and property belonging to the Series.
8. It is understood that any of the shareholders, trustees, officers, employees and agents of the Fund may be a shareholder, director, officer, employee or agent of, or be otherwise interested in, the Manager, any affiliated person of the Manager, any organization in which the Manager may have an interest or any organization that may have an interest in the Manager; that the Manager, any such affiliated person or any such organization may have an interest in the Fund; and that the existence of any such dual interest shall not affect the validity hereof or of any transactions hereunder except as otherwise provided in the Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the Fund, the limited liability company agreement of the Manager or specific provisions of applicable law.
9. This Agreement shall become effective as of the date of its execution, and
(a) unless otherwise terminated, this Agreement shall continue in effect for two years from the date of execution, and from year to year thereafter so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (i) by the Board of Trustees of the Fund or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Series, and (ii) by vote of a majority of the trustees of the Fund who are not interested persons of the Fund or the Manager, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on, such approval;
4
Exhibit (d)(1)(xvi)
(b) this Agreement may at any time be terminated on sixty days written notice to the Manager either by vote of the Board of Trustees of the Fund or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Series;
(c) this Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment;
(d) this Agreement may be terminated by the Manager on ninety days written notice to the Fund;
Termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9 shall be without the payment of any penalty.
10. This Agreement may be amended at any time by mutual consent of the parties, provided that such consent on the part of the Fund shall have been approved by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Series and by vote of a majority of the trustees of the Fund who are not interested persons of the Fund or the Manager, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
11. For the purpose of this Agreement, the terms vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities, interested person, affiliated person and assignment shall have their respective meanings defined in the 1940 Act, subject, however, to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the 1940 Act. References in this Agreement to any assets, property or liabilities belonging to the Series shall have the meaning defined in the Funds Agreement and Declaration of Trust as amended from time to time.
12. In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Manager, or reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder, the Manager shall not be subject to any liability to the Fund, to any shareholder of the Fund or to any other person, firm or organization, for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder.
13. In accordance with Regulation S-P, if non-public personal information regarding either partys customers or consumers is disclosed to the other party in connection with this Agreement, the party receiving such information will not disclose or use that information other than as necessary to carry out the purposes of this Agreement.
5
Exhibit (d)(1)(xvi)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement on the day and year first above written.
NATIXIS FUNDS TRUST II
on behalf of its ASG Global Macro Fund series
By: | /s/ David Giunta | |
Name: | David Giunta | |
Title: | President | |
ALPHASIMPLEX GROUP, LLC | ||
By: | /s/ Kendall Walker | |
Name: | Kendall Walker | |
Title: | Chief Financial Officer |
6
Exhibit (d)(1)(xvi)
NOTICE
A copy of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust establishing Natixis Funds Trust II (the Fund) is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this Agreement is executed with respect to the Funds ASG Global Macro Fund series (the Series) on behalf of the Fund by officers of the Fund as officers and not individually and that the obligations of or arising out of this Agreement are not binding upon any of the trustees, officers or shareholders individually but are binding only upon the assets and property belonging to the Series.
7
Exhibit (d)(1)(xvii)
ASG GLOBAL MACRO CAYMAN FUND LTD.
Advisory Agreement
AGREEMENT made the 1st day of December, 2014, by and between ASG Global Macro Cayman Fund Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the Company), and AlphaSimplex Group, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Manager).
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, the Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ASG Global Macro Fund (the Fund), a series of Natixis Funds Trust II, a Massachusetts business trust (the Trust);
WHEREAS, the purpose of the Company is to facilitate the implementation of the Funds investment strategies, in particular with respect to investments in commodity futures and other commodity-related derivative instruments; and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Manager wish to enter into an agreement setting forth the terms upon which the Manager (or certain other parties acting pursuant to delegation from the Manager) will perform certain services for the Company;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and covenants hereinafter contained, the parties agree as follows:
1. (a) The Company hereby employs the Manager to furnish the Company with Portfolio Management Services (as defined in Section 2 hereof), subject to the authority of the Manager to delegate any or all of its responsibilities hereunder to other parties as provided in Sections 1(b) and (c) hereof. The Manager hereby accepts such employment and agrees, at its own expense, to furnish such services (either directly or pursuant to delegation to other parties as permitted by Sections 1(b) and (c) hereof) and to assume the obligations herein set forth, for the compensation herein provided; provided, however, that the Manager shall have no obligation to pay the fees of any Sub-Adviser (as defined in Section 1(b) hereof), to the extent that the Company has agreed, under any contract to which the Company and the Sub-Adviser are parties (a Sub-Advisory Agreement) to pay such fees. The Manager shall, unless otherwise expressly provided or authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Company in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Company.
(b) The Manager may delegate any or all of its responsibilities hereunder with respect to the provision of Portfolio Management Services (and assumption of related expenses) to one or more other parties (each such party, a Sub-Adviser), pursuant in each case to a written agreement with such Sub-Adviser and the approval of the Board of Directors of the Company and such other approvals as may be required under applicable law. Any Sub-Adviser may (but need not) be affiliated with the Manager.
Exhibit (d)(1)(xvii)
2. As used in this Agreement, Portfolio Management Services means management of the investment and reinvestment of the assets belonging to the Company, consisting specifically of the following:
(a) obtaining and evaluating such economic, statistical and financial data and information and undertaking such additional investment research as shall be necessary or advisable for the management of the investment and reinvestment of the assets belonging to the Company in accordance with the Funds investment objective and policies;
(b) taking such steps as are necessary to implement the investment policies of the Fund by purchasing and selling of securities, including the placing of orders for such purchase and sale;
(c) regularly reporting to the Board of Directors of the Company with respect to the implementation of the investment policies of the Fund;
(d) voting all proxies and exercising all other rights of the Company as a security holder of companies in which the Company from time to time invests; and
(e) oversight of all matters relating to compliance by the Company with applicable laws and with the Funds investment policies, restrictions and guidelines, if the Manager has designated to one or more Sub-Advisers any or all of its responsibilities hereunder with respect to the provision of Portfolio Management Services.
The Manager shall manage the Company in conformity with (1) the Companys Memorandum and Articles of Association, (2) the investment objective, policies and restrictions of the Fund, (3) any additional policies or guidelines established by the Board of Directors of the Company that have been furnished in writing to the Manager, all as from time to time in effect, and with all laws, rules and regulations applicable to the Fund (collectively, the Applicable Laws), including but not limited to the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended (the Code), applicable to regulated investment companies (as defined in Section 851 of the Code), and all applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), and the rules and regulations thereunder, such that the Fund is in compliance with such Applicable Laws. Subject to the foregoing, the Manager is authorized in its discretion to buy, sell, lend and otherwise trade in any stocks, bonds, derivative contracts and other securities and investment instruments on behalf of the Company, without regard to the length of time the securities have been held and the resulting rate of portfolio turnover or any tax considerations; and the majority or the whole of the assets of the Company may be invested in such proportions of stocks, bonds, derivative contracts, other securities or investment instruments, or cash, as the Manager shall determine.
2
Exhibit (d)(1)(xvii)
3. [RESERVED]
4. This Agreement shall not require the Manager to bear, or to reimburse the Company for:
(a) any of the costs of preparing, printing and distributing sales literature, if any;
(b) compensation of directors of the Company who are not directors, officers or employees of the Manager, any Sub-Adviser or any Administrator or of any affiliated person (other than a registered investment company) of the Manager, any Sub-Adviser or any Administrator;
(c) registration, filing and other fees in connection with requirements of regulatory authorities;
(d) the charges and expenses of any entity appointed by the Company for custodial, paying agent, shareholder servicing and plan agent services;
(e) charges and expenses of independent accountants retained by the Company;
(f) charges and expenses of any transfer agents and registrars appointed by the Company;
(g) brokers commissions and issue and transfer taxes chargeable to the Company in connection with securities transactions to which the Company is a party;
(h) taxes and fees payable by the Company to federal, state or other governmental agencies;
(i) any cost of certificates representing shares of the Company;
(j) legal fees and expenses in connection with the affairs of the Company, including, if required, registering and qualifying its shares with federal, state, and non-U.S. regulatory authorities;
(k) expenses for meetings of the Board of Directors or the shareholders of the Company;
(l) interest, including interest on borrowings by the Company; and
(m) the Companys expenses of bookkeeping, accounting, auditing and financial reporting, including related clerical expenses.
3
Exhibit (d)(1)(xvii)
5. All activities undertaken by the Manager or any Sub-Adviser or Administrator pursuant to this Agreement shall at all times be subject to the supervision and control of the Board of Directors of the Company, any duly constituted committee thereof or any officer of the Company acting pursuant to like authority.
6. The services to be provided by the Manager and any Sub-Adviser or Administrator hereunder are not to be deemed exclusive and the Manager and any Sub-Adviser or Administrator shall be free to render similar services to others, so long as its services hereunder are not impaired thereby.
7. As full compensation for all services rendered, facilities furnished and expenses borne by the Manager hereunder, the Company shall pay the Manager compensation in an amount equal to (x) the annual rate of 1.25% of the Companys average daily net assets (or such lesser amount as the Manager may from time to time agree to receive) minus (y) any fees payable by the Company, with respect to the period in question, to any one or more Sub-Advisers pursuant to any Sub-Advisory Agreements in effect with respect to such period. Such compensation shall be payable monthly in arrears or at such other intervals, not less frequently than quarterly, as the Board of Directors of the Company may from time to time determine and specify in writing to the Manager. The Manager hereby acknowledges that the Companys obligation to pay such compensation is binding only on the assets and property belonging to the Company.
8. It is understood that any of the shareholders, trustees, officers, employees and agents of the Company may be a shareholder, director, officer, employee or agent of, or be otherwise interested in, the Manager, any affiliated person of the Manager, any organization in which the Manager may have an interest or any organization which may have an interest in the Manager; that the Manager, any such affiliated person or any such organization may have an interest in the Company; and that the existence of any such dual interest shall not affect the validity hereof or of any transactions hereunder except as otherwise provided in the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company, the limited liability company agreement of the Manager or specific provisions of applicable law.
9. This Agreement shall become effective as of the date of its execution, and
(a) unless otherwise terminated, this Agreement shall continue in effect for two years from the date of execution, and from year to year thereafter so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (i) by the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, and (ii) by vote of a majority of the trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons of the Trust or the Manager, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on, such approval;
(b) this Agreement may at any time be terminated on sixty days written notice to the Manager either by vote of the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund;
4
Exhibit (d)(1)(xvii)
(c) this Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment;
(d) this Agreement may be terminated by the Manager on ninety days written notice to the Company;
Termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 9 shall be without the payment of any penalty.
10. This Agreement may be amended at any time by mutual consent of the parties, provided that, if required by applicable law, such consent on the part of the Trust shall have been approved by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund and by vote of a majority of the trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons of the Trust or the Manager, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
11. For the purpose of this Agreement, the terms vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities, interested person, affiliated person and assignment shall have their respective meanings defined in the 1940 Act, subject, however, to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the 1940 Act. References in this Agreement to any assets, property or liabilities belonging to the Company shall have the meaning defined in the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company as amended from time to time.
12. In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Manager, or reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder, the Manager shall not be subject to any liability to the Company or the Fund, to any shareholder of the Company or the Fund or to any other person, firm or organization, for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder.
5
Exhibit (d)(1)(xvii)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement on the day and year first above written.
ASG Global Macro Cayman Fund Ltd. | ||
By: | /s/ Roger Hanson | |
Name: | Roger H. Hanson | |
Title: | Director | |
AlphaSimplex Group, LLC | ||
By: | /s/ Kendall Walker | |
Name: | Kendall Walker | |
Title: | Chief Financial Officer |
6
Exhibit (d)(2)(ii)
NATIXIS OAKMARK FUND
Amendment No. 2 to the Sub-Advisory Agreement
(Harris Associates L.P.)
February 28, 2014
Pursuant to Section 11 of the Sub-Advisory Agreement (the Agreement) dated October 29, 2002 among Natixis Funds Trust II (formerly, CDC Nvest Funds Trust II), with respect to its Natixis Oakmark Fund series (the Series), NGAM Advisors, L.P. (formerly, CDC IXIS Asset Management Advisers, L.P.) (the Manager) and Harris Associates L.P. (the Sub-Adviser), the Agreement is hereby amended by deleting Section 7 and replacing it with the following:
7. Compensation of the Sub-Adviser. As full compensation for all services rendered, facilities furnished and expenses borne by the Sub-Adviser hereunder, the Sub-Adviser shall be paid at the annual rate of 0.52% of the first $200 million of the average daily net assets of the Series and 0.50% of such assets in excess of $200 million (or such lesser amount as the Sub-Adviser may from time to time agree to receive). Such compensation shall be paid by the Trust (except to the extent that the Trust, the Sub-Adviser and the Manager otherwise agree in writing from time to time). Such compensation shall be payable monthly in arrears or at such other intervals, not less frequently than quarterly, as the Manager is paid by the Series pursuant to the Advisory Agreement.
NGAM ADVISORS, L.P. | ||
By: NGAM Distribution Corporation, its general partner | ||
By: | /s/ David L. Giunta | |
Name: | David L. Giunta | |
Title: | President and Chief Executive Officer | |
HARRIS ASSOCIATES L.P. | ||
By: Harris Associates Inc., its general partner | ||
By: | /s/ Kristi L. Rowsell | |
Name: | Kristi L. Rowsell | |
Title: | President | |
NATIXIS FUNDS TRUST II | ||
On behalf of its Natixis Oakmark Fund series | ||
By: | /s/ David L. Giunta | |
Name: | David L. Giunta | |
Title: | President and Chief Executive Officer |
Exhibit (d)(2)(xi)
ASG GLOBAL MACRO FUND
Sub-Advisory Agreement
(Reich & Tang Asset Management, LLC)
Sub-Advisory Agreement (this Agreement) entered into as of 1st day of December, 2014, by and among Natixis Funds Trust II, a Massachusetts business trust (the Trust), with respect to its ASG Global Macro Fund series (the Series), AlphaSimplex Group, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Manager), and Reich & Tang Asset Management, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Sub-Adviser).
WHEREAS, the Manager has entered into an Advisory Agreement dated December 1, 2014 (the Advisory Agreement) with the Trust, relating to the provision of portfolio management services to the Series;
WHEREAS, the Advisory Agreement provides that the Manager may delegate any or all of its portfolio management responsibilities under the Advisory Agreement to one or more sub-advisers;
WHEREAS, the Manager and the Trustees of the Trust desire to retain the Sub-Adviser to render portfolio management services in the manner and on the terms set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements set forth in this Agreement, the Trust, the Manager and the Sub-Adviser agree as follows:
1. Sub-Advisory Services.
a. The Sub-Adviser shall, subject to the supervision of the Manager, manage the investment and reinvestment of such portion of the assets of the Series as the Manager may from time to time allocate to the Sub-Adviser for management (the Designated Assets), and have the authority on behalf of the Series to vote and shall vote all proxies and exercise all other rights of the Series as a security holder of companies in which the Series from time to time invests. The Sub-Adviser shall manage the Designated Assets in conformity with (1) the investment objective, policies and restrictions of the Series set forth in the Trusts prospectus and statement of additional information relating to the Series as they pertain to the Designated Assets, (2) any additional policies or guidelines established by the Manager or by the Trusts trustees that have been furnished in writing to the Sub-Adviser and (3) the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code as amended (the Code) applicable to regulated investment companies (as defined in Section 851 of the Code), all as from time to time in effect (collectively, the Policies), and with all applicable provisions of law, including without limitation all applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940 as amended (the 1940 Act) and the rules and regulations thereunder. Subject to the foregoing, the Sub-Adviser is authorized, in its
Exhibit (d)(2)(xi)
discretion and without prior consultation with the Manager, to buy, sell, lend and otherwise trade in any stocks, bonds and other securities and investment instruments on behalf of the Series, without regard to the length of time the securities have been held and the resulting rate of portfolio turnover or any tax considerations; and the majority or the whole of the Series may be invested in such proportions of stocks, bonds, other securities or investment instruments, or cash, as the Sub-Adviser shall determine.
b. The Sub-Adviser shall not be responsible for the investment or reinvestment of any assets other than the Designated Assets, or for compliance with the investment objectives, policies and restrictions of the Series as they apply to assets other than the Designated Assets.
c. The Sub-Adviser shall furnish the Manager monthly, quarterly and annual reports concerning portfolio transactions and performance of the Series in such form as may be mutually agreed upon, and agrees to review the Series and discuss the management of it. The Sub-Adviser shall permit all books and records with respect to the Series to be inspected and audited by the Manager at all reasonable times during normal business hours, upon reasonable notice. The Sub-Adviser shall also provide the Manager with such other information and reports as may reasonably be requested by the Manager from time to time, including without limitation all material requested by or required to be delivered to the Trustees of the Trust.
d. The Sub-Adviser shall provide to the Manager a copy of the Sub-Advisers Form ADV as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a list of the persons whom the Sub-Adviser wishes to have authorized to give written and/or oral instructions to custodians of assets of the Series.
2. Obligations of the Manager.
a. The Manager shall, on a continuous basis, identify, or cause the Series Custodian (as defined in Section 3 hereof) to identify, the Designated Assets to the Sub-Adviser.
b. The Manager shall provide, or cause the Series Custodian (as defined in Section 3 hereof) to provide, timely information to the Sub-Adviser regarding such matters as the composition of assets of the Series and the Designated Assets, cash requirements and cash available for investment in the Series, and all other information as may be reasonably necessary for the Sub-Adviser to perform its responsibilities hereunder, including information relating to the Code and the 1940 Act, as that information may be required by the Sub-Adviser for the proper management of the Designated Assets.
c. The Manager has furnished the Sub-Adviser a copy of the prospectus and statement of additional information of the Series and agrees during the continuance of this Agreement to furnish the Sub-Adviser copies of any revisions or supplements thereto
2
Exhibit (d)(2)(xi)
at, or, if practicable, before the time the revisions or supplements become effective. The Manager agrees to furnish the Sub-Adviser with minutes of meetings of the trustees of the Trust applicable to the Series to the extent they may affect the duties of the Sub-Adviser, and with copies of any financial statements or reports made by the Series to its shareholders, and any further materials or information which the Sub-Adviser may reasonably request to enable it to perform its functions under this Agreement.
3. Custodian. The Manager shall provide the Sub-Adviser with a copy of the Series agreement with the custodian designated to hold the assets of the Series (the Custodian) and any modifications thereto (the Custody Agreement), copies of such modifications to be provided to the Sub-Adviser a reasonable time in advance of the effectiveness of such modifications. The assets of the Series shall be maintained in the custody of the Custodian identified in, and in accordance with the terms and conditions of, the Custody Agreement (or any sub-custodian properly appointed as provided in the Custody Agreement). The Sub-Adviser shall have no liability for the acts or omissions of the Custodian, unless such act or omission is taken solely in reliance upon instruction given to the Custodian by a representative of the Sub-Adviser properly authorized to give such instruction under the Custody Agreement. Any assets added to the Series shall be delivered directly to the Custodian.
4. Proprietary Rights. The Manager agrees and acknowledges that the Sub-Adviser is the sole owner of the name Reich & Tang Asset Management, LLC and that all use of any designation consisting in whole or part of Reich & Tang Asset Management, LLC under this Agreement shall inure to the benefit of the Sub-Adviser. The Manager on its own behalf and on behalf of the Series agrees not to use any such designation in any advertisement or sales literature or other materials promoting the Series, except with the prior written consent of the Sub-Adviser. Without the prior written consent of the Sub-Adviser, the Manager shall not, and the Manager shall use its best efforts to cause the Series not to, make representations regarding the Sub-Adviser in any disclosure document, advertisement or sales literature or other materials relating to the Series. Upon termination of this Agreement for any reason, the Manager shall cease, and the Manager shall use its best efforts to cause the Series to cease, all use of any such designation as soon as reasonably practicable.
5. Expenses. Except for expenses specifically assumed or agreed to be paid by the Sub-Adviser pursuant hereto, the Sub-Adviser shall not be liable for any organizational, operational or business expenses of the Manager or the Trust including, without limitation, (a) interest and taxes, (b) brokerage commissions and other costs in connection with the purchase or sale of securities or other investment instruments with respect to the Series, (c) custodian fees and expenses, and (d) any legal fees and expenses incurred in connection with regulatory investigations or legal proceedings relating to the Trust, the Series or the Manager and not resulting from the conduct of the Sub-Adviser. Any reimbursement of advisory fees required by any expense limitation provision of any law shall be the sole responsibility of the Manager. The Manager and the Sub-Adviser shall not be considered as partners or participants in a joint venture. The Sub-Adviser will pay its own expenses incurred in furnishing the services to be provided by it pursuant to this Agreement. Neither the Sub-Adviser nor any affiliated person thereof shall be entitled to any compensation from the Manager or the Trust with respect to service by any affiliated person of the Sub-Adviser as an officer or trustee of the Trust (other than the compensation to the Sub-Adviser payable by the Manager pursuant to Section 7 hereof).
3
Exhibit (d)(2)(xi)
6. Purchase and Sale of Assets. The Sub-Adviser shall place all orders for the purchase and sale of securities for the Series with brokers or dealers selected by the Sub-Adviser, which may include brokers or dealers affiliated with the Sub-Adviser, provided such orders comply with Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act in all respects. To the extent consistent with applicable law, purchase or sell orders for the Series may be aggregated with contemporaneous purchase or sell orders of other clients of the Sub-Adviser. The Sub-Adviser shall use its best efforts to obtain execution of transactions for the Series at prices which are advantageous to the Series and at commission rates that are reasonable in relation to the benefits received. However, the Sub-Adviser may select brokers or dealers on the basis that they provide brokerage, research or other services or products to the Series and/or other accounts serviced by the Sub-Adviser. To the extent consistent with applicable law, the Sub-Adviser may pay a broker or dealer an amount of commission for effecting a securities transaction in excess of the amount of commission or dealer spread another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction if the Sub-Adviser determines in good faith that such amount of commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research products and/or services provided by such broker or dealer. This determination, with respect to brokerage and research services or products, may be viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or the overall responsibilities which the Sub-Adviser and its affiliates have with respect to the Series or to accounts over which they exercise investment discretion. Not all such services or products need be used by the Sub-Adviser in managing the Series.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, and in all instances subject to the foregoing policy of best execution, the Sub-Adviser may allocate brokerage transactions to broker-dealers (including affiliates of NGAM Distribution, L.P.) that have entered into arrangements in which the broker-dealer allocates a portion of the commissions paid by a fund toward the reduction of that funds expenses, subject to the policy of best execution.
7. Compensation of the Sub-Adviser. As full compensation for all services rendered, facilities furnished and expenses borne by the Sub-Adviser hereunder, the Sub-Adviser shall be paid at the annual rate of 0.05% of the average daily net assets of the Designated Assets (or such lesser amount as the Sub-Adviser may from time to time agree to receive), subject to a minimum annual fee of $50,000. Such compensation shall be paid by the Trust (except to the extent that the Trust, the Sub-Adviser and the Manager otherwise agree in writing from time to time). For the avoidance of doubt, to the extent assets are held in the Series wholly-owned subsidiary, they shall not constitute Designated Assets for purposes of calculating such compensation. Such compensation shall be payable monthly in arrears or at such other intervals, not less frequently than quarterly, as the Manager is paid by the Series pursuant to the Advisory Agreement.
4
Exhibit (d)(2)(xi)
8. Non-Exclusivity. The Manager and the Trust on behalf of the Series agree that the services of the Sub-Adviser are not to be deemed exclusive and that the Sub-Adviser and its affiliates are free to act as investment manager and provide other services to various investment companies and other managed accounts, except as the Sub-Adviser and the Manager may otherwise agree from time to time in writing before or after the date hereof. This Agreement shall not in any way limit or restrict the Sub-Adviser or any of its directors, officers, employees or agents from buying, selling or trading any securities or other investment instruments for its or their own account or for the account of others for whom it or they may be acting, provided that such activities do not adversely affect or otherwise impair the performance by the Sub-Adviser of its duties and obligations under this Agreement. The Manager and the Trust recognize and agree that the Sub-Adviser may provide advice to or take action with respect to other clients, which advice or action, including the timing and nature of such action, may differ from or be identical to advice given or action taken with respect to the Series. The Sub-Adviser shall for all purposes hereof be deemed to be an independent contractor and shall, unless otherwise provided or authorized, have no authority to act for or represent the Trust or the Manager in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Series or the Manager.
9. Liability. Except as may otherwise be provided by the 1940 Act or other federal securities laws, neither the Sub-Adviser nor any of its officers, directors, partners, employees or agents (the Indemnified Parties) shall be subject to any liability to the Manager, the Trust, the Series or any shareholder of the Series for any error of judgment, any mistake of law or any loss arising out of any investment or other act or omission in the course of, connected with, or arising out of any service to be rendered under this Agreement, except by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of the Sub-Advisers duties or by reason of reckless disregard by the Sub-Adviser of its obligations and duties hereunder. The Manager shall hold harmless and indemnify the Sub-Adviser for any loss, liability, cost, damage or expense (including reasonable attorneys fees and costs) arising from any claim or demand by any past or present shareholder of the Series that is not based upon the obligations of the Sub-Adviser under this Agreement.
The Manager acknowledges and agrees that the Sub-Adviser makes no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, that any level of performance or investment results will be achieved by the Series or that the Series will perform comparably with any standard or index, including other clients of the Sub-Adviser, whether public or private.
10. Effective Date and Termination. This Agreement shall become effective as of the date of its execution, and
a. unless otherwise terminated, this Agreement shall continue in effect for two years from the date of execution, and from year to year thereafter so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually (i) by the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Series, and (ii) by vote of a majority of the trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons of the Trust, the Manager or the Sub-Adviser, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval;
5
Exhibit (d)(2)(xi)
b. this Agreement may at any time be terminated on sixty days written notice to the Sub-Adviser either by vote of the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Series;
c. this Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment or upon the termination of the Advisory Agreement; and
d. this Agreement may be terminated by the Sub-Adviser on ninety days written notice to the Manager and the Trust, or by the Manager on ninety days written notice to the Sub-Adviser.
Termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 10 shall be without the payment of any penalty.
11. Amendment. This Agreement may be amended at any time by mutual consent of the Manager and the Sub-Adviser, provided that, if required by law, such amendment shall also have been approved by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Series and by vote of a majority of the trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons of the Trust, the Manager or the Sub-Adviser, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
12. Certain Definitions. For the purpose of this Agreement, the terms vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities, interested person, affiliated person and assignment shall have their respective meanings defined in the 1940 Act, subject, however, to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the 1940 Act.
13. General.
a. The Sub-Adviser may perform its services through any employee, officer or agent of the Sub-Adviser, and the Manager shall not be entitled to the advice, recommendation or judgment of any specific person; provided, however, that the persons identified in the prospectus of the Series shall perform the day-to-day portfolio management duties described therein until the Sub-Adviser notifies the Manager that one or more other employees, officers or agents of the Sub-Adviser, identified in such notice, shall assume such duties as of a specific date.
b. If any term or provision of this Agreement or the application thereof to any person or circumstances is held to be invalid or unenforceable to any extent, the remainder of this Agreement or the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby and shall be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law.
6
Exhibit (d)(2)(xi)
c. In accordance with Regulation S-P, if non-public personal information regarding either partys customers or consumers is disclosed to the other party in connection with this Agreement, the party receiving such information will not disclose or use that information other than as necessary to carry out the purposes of this Agreement.
d. This Agreement shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
e. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto in one or more counterparts, and, if so executed, the separate instruments shall constitute one agreement.
7
Exhibit (d)(2)(xi)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement on the day and year first above written.
AlphaSimplex Group, LLC | ||
By: | /s/ Kendall Walker | |
Name: | Kendall Walker | |
Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |
Reich & Tang Asset Management, LLC | ||
By: | /s/ Joseph Jerkovich | |
Name: | Joseph Jerkovich | |
Title: | Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer | |
Natixis Funds Trust II, on behalf of its ASG Global Macro Fund series | ||
By: | /s/ David Giunta | |
Name: | David Giunta | |
Title: | President |
8
Exhibit (d)(2)(xi)
NOTICE
A copy of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust establishing Natixis Funds Trust II (the Fund) is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this Agreement is executed with respect to the Funds ASG Global Macro Fund series (the Series) on behalf of the Fund by officers of the Fund as officers and not individually and that the obligations of or arising out of this Agreement are not binding upon any of the trustees, officers or shareholders individually but are binding only upon the assets and property belonging to the Series.
9
Exhibit (e)(13)
ASG GLOBAL MACRO FUND
Distribution Agreement
AGREEMENT made this December 1, 2014 by and between NATIXIS FUNDS TRUST II, a Massachusetts business trust (the Trust), and NGAM DISTRIBUTION, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the Distributor).
W I T N E S S E T H:
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and covenants hereinafter contained, the Trust and the Distributor agree as follows:
1. | Distributor. The Trust hereby appoints the Distributor as general distributor of shares of beneficial interest (Series shares) of the Trusts ASG Global Macro Fund series (the Series) during the term of this Agreement. The Trust reserves the right, however, to refuse at any time or times to sell any Series shares hereunder for any reason deemed adequate by the Board of Trustees of the Trust. |
2. | Sale and Payment. Under this agreement, the following provisions shall apply with respect to the sale of and payment for Series shares: |
(a) The Distributor shall have the right, as principal, to purchase Series shares from the Trust at their net asset value and to sell such shares to the public against orders therefor at the applicable public offering price, as defined in Section 3 hereof. The Distributor shall also have the right, as principal, to sell shares to dealers against orders therefor at the public offering price less a concession determined by the Distributor.
(b) Prior to the time of delivery of any shares by the Trust to, or on the order of, the Distributor, the Distributor shall pay or cause to be paid to the Trust or to its order an amount in Boston or New York clearing house funds equal to the applicable net asset value of such shares. The Distributor shall retain so much of any sales charge or underwriting discount as is not allowed by it as a concession to dealers.
3. | Public Offering Price. The public offering price shall be the net asset value of Series shares, plus any applicable sales charge, all as set forth in the current prospectus and statement of additional information (together the prospectus) of the Trust relating to the Series shares. In no event shall the public offering price exceed 1000/935 of such net asset value, and in no event shall any applicable sales charge or underwriting discount exceed 6.5% of the public offering price. The net asset value of Series shares shall be determined in accordance with the provisions of the agreement and declaration of trust and by-laws of the Trust, each as amended to date, and the current prospectus of the Trust relating to the Series shares. |
4. | Trust Issuance of Series Shares. The delivery of Series shares shall be made promptly by a credit to a shareholders open account for the Series or by delivery of a share certificate. The Trust reserves the right to (a) issue Series shares at any time directly to the shareholders of the Series as a stock dividend or stock split, (b) issue to such shareholders shares of the Series, or rights to subscribe to shares of the Series, as all or part of any dividend that may be distributed to shareholders of the Series or as all or part of any optional or alternative dividend that may be distributed to shareholders of the Series, and (c) to sell Series shares in accordance with the current applicable prospectus of the Trust relating to the Series shares. |
Exhibit (e)(13)
5. | Redemption or Repurchase. The Distributor shall act as agent for the Trust in connection with the redemption or repurchase of Series shares by the Trust to the extent and upon the terms and conditions set forth in the current applicable prospectus of the Trust relating to the Series shares, and the Trust agrees to reimburse the Distributor, from time to time upon demand, for any reasonable expenses incurred in connection with such redemptions or repurchases. |
6. | Undertaking Regarding Sales. The Distributor shall use reasonable efforts to sell Series shares but does not agree hereby to sell any specific number of Series shares and shall be free to act as distributor of the shares of other investment companies. Series shares will be sold by the Distributor only against orders therefor. The Distributor shall not purchase Series shares from anyone except in accordance with Sections 2 and 5 and shall not take long or short positions in Series shares contrary to the agreement and declaration of trust or by-laws of the Trust, each as amended to date. |
7. | Compliance. The Distributor shall conform to the Conduct Rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the sale of securities laws of any jurisdiction in which it sells, directly or indirectly, any Series shares. The Distributor agrees to make timely filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), FINRA and such other regulatory authorities as may be required, of any sales literature relating to the Series and intended for distribution to prospective investors. The Distributor also agrees to furnish to the Trust sufficient copies of any agreements or plans it intends to use in connection with any sale of Series shares in adequate time for the Trust to file and clear them with the proper authorities before they are put in use (which the Trust agrees to use its best efforts to do as expeditiously as reasonably possible), and not to use them until so filed and cleared. |
8. | Registration and Qualification of Series Shares. The Trust agrees to execute such papers and to do such acts and things as shall from time to time be reasonably requested by the Distributor for the purpose of qualifying and maintaining qualification of the Series shares for sale under the so-called Blue Sky Laws of any state or for maintaining the registration of the Trust and of the Series shares under the federal Securities Act of 1933, as amended and the federal Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), to the end that there will be available for sale from time to time such number of Series shares as the Distributor may reasonably be expected to sell. The Trust shall advise the Distributor promptly of (a) any action of the SEC or any authorities of any state or territory, of which it may be advised, affecting registration or qualification of the Trust or the Series shares, or rights to offer Series shares for sale, and (b) the happening of any event which makes untrue any statement or which requires the making of any change in the Trusts registration statement or its prospectus relating to the Series shares in order to make the statements therein not misleading. |
9. | Distributor Independent Contractor. The Distributor shall be an independent contractor and neither the Distributor nor any of its officers or employees as such is or shall be an employee of the Trust. The Distributor is responsible for its own conduct and the employment, control and conduct of its agents and employees and for injury to such agents or employees or to others through its agents or employees. The Distributor assumes full responsibility for its agents and employees under applicable statutes and agrees to pay all employer taxes thereunder. |
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Exhibit (e)(13)
10. | Expenses Paid by Distributor. While the Distributor continues to act as agent of the Trust to obtain subscriptions for and to sell Series shares, the Distributor shall pay the following: |
(a) all expenses of printing (exclusive of typesetting) and distributing any prospectus for use in offering Series shares for sale, and all other copies of any such prospectus used by the Distributor, and
(b) all other expenses of advertising and of preparing, printing and distributing all other literature or material for use in connection with offering Series shares for sale.
11. | Interests in and of Distributor. It is understood that any of the shareholders, trustees, officers, employees and agents of the Trust may be a shareholder, director, officer, employee or agent of, or be otherwise interested in, the Distributor, any affiliated person of the Distributor, any organization in which the Distributor may have an interest or any organization which may have an interest in the Distributor; that the Distributor, any such affiliated person or any such organization may have an interest in the Trust; and that the existence of any such dual interest shall not affect the validity hereof or of any transaction hereunder except as otherwise provided in the agreement and declaration of trust or by-laws of the Trust, in the limited partnership agreement of the Distributor or by specific provision of applicable law. |
12. | Effective Date and Termination. This Agreement shall become effective as of the date of its execution, and |
(a) Unless otherwise terminated, this Agreement shall continue in effect with respect to the shares of the Series so long as such continuation is specifically approved at least annually (i) by the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by the vote of a majority of the votes which may be cast by shareholders of the Series and (ii) by a vote of a majority of the Board of Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons of the Distributor or the Trust, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
(b) This Agreement may at any time be terminated on sixty days notice to the Distributor either by vote of a majority of the Trusts Board of Trustees then in office or by the vote of a majority of the votes which may be cast by shareholders of the Series.
(c) This Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment. (d) This Agreement may be terminated by the Distributor on ninety days written notice to the Trust.
Termination of this Agreement pursuant to this section shall be without payment of any penalty.
13. | Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, the following definitions shall apply: |
(a) The vote of a majority of the votes which may be cast by shareholders of the Series means (1) 67% or more of the votes of the Series present (in person or by proxy) and entitled to vote at such meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Series entitled to vote at such meeting are present; or (2) the vote of the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Series entitled to vote at such meeting, whichever is less.
(b) The terms affiliated person, interested person and assignment shall have their respective meanings as defined in the 1940 Act subject, however, to such exemptions as may be granted by the SEC under the 1940 Act.
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Exhibit (e)(13)
14. | Amendment. This Agreement may be amended at any time by mutual consent of the parties, provided that such consent on the part of the Series shall be approved (i) by the Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the votes which may be cast by shareholders of the Series and (ii) by a vote of a majority of the Board of Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons of the Distributor or the Trust cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. |
15. | Applicable Law and Liabilities. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. All sales hereunder are to be made, and title to the Series shares shall pass, in Boston, Massachusetts. |
16. | Limited Recourse. The Distributor hereby acknowledges that the Trusts obligations hereunder with respect to the shares of the Series are binding only on the assets and property belonging to the Series. |
17. | Privacy. In accordance with Regulation S-P, if non-public personal information regarding either partys customers or consumers is disclosed to the other party in connection with this Agreement, the party receiving such information will not disclose or use that information other than as necessary to carry out the purposes of this Agreement. |
18. | Anti-Money Laundering. Each party to this agreement hereby agrees to abide by and comply with all relevant anti-money laundering laws and regulations, including without limitation the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended, and the USA Patriot Act of 2001. Each party represents that it has established an Anti-Money Laundering Program that complies with all material aspects of the USA Patriot Act of 2001 and other applicable anti-money laundering laws and regulations. Each party also hereby agrees to comply with any new or additional anti-money laundering laws or regulations. |
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Exhibit (e)(13)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement on the day and year first above written.
NATIXIS FUNDS TRUST II, | ||
on behalf of its ASG GLOBAL MACRO FUND series | ||
By: | /s/ David L. Giunta | |
Name: David L. Giunta | ||
Title: President | ||
NGAM DISTRIBUTION, L.P. | ||
By: | NGAM Distribution Corporation, its general partner | |
By: | /s/ Coleen Downs Dinneen | |
Name: Coleen Downs Dinneen | ||
Title: Executive Vice President |
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Exhibit (e)(13)
A copy of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust establishing Natixis Funds Trust II, (the Trust), as amended to date, is on file with the Secretary of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and notice is hereby given that this Agreement is executed with respect to the Trusts ASG Global Macro Fund series (the Series) on behalf of the Trust by officers of the Trust as officers and not individually and that the obligations of or arising out of this Agreement are not binding upon any of the trustees, officers or shareholders of the Trust individually but are binding only upon the assets and property of the Series.
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Exhibit (e)(14)
NGAM Distribution, L.P.
399 Boylston Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
Dealer Agreement
This dealer agreement (Dealer Agreement) is entered into between NGAM Distribution, L.P. (formerly Natixis Distributors, L.P.) (our, us, or we) and the undersigned company (you). We offer to sell to you shares of each of the mutual funds distributed by us (the Funds and each a Fund), for each of which we serve as principal underwriter as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Act), and from which we have the right to purchase shares.1 Shares are offered pursuant to the then current prospectus, including any supplements or amendments thereto, of each of the Funds (the Prospectus, which term as hereinafter used shall include the Statement of Additional Information of the Fund).
With respect to each of the Funds (except for Section 5, which applies only with respect to each Fund having in effect from time to time a service plan, service and distribution plan or other plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act, each a Plan and together the Plans):
1. For all sales of shares of the Funds you shall act as dealer for your own account, and in no transaction shall you have any authority to act as agent, except as limited agent for purposes of receiving and transmitting orders and instructions regarding the purchase, exchange and redemption of shares of your customers and employees, with no authority to otherwise act as agent for any Fund or for us.
2. You or your designated agent agree to obtain and provide to your customers the Prospectus(es) of the applicable Fund(s) together with any supplemental sales literature you provide. You agree not to purchase any Fund shares for any customer, unless you deliver or cause to be delivered to such customer, at or prior to the time of such purchase, a copy of the Prospectus of the applicable Fund, or the Prospectus of the applicable Fund. You hereby represent that you understand your obligation to deliver a Prospectus to customers who purchase Fund shares pursuant to federal securities laws and you have taken all necessary steps to comply with such Prospectus delivery requirements.
3. Orders received from you will be accepted by us only at the public offering price applicable to each order, except for transactions to which a reduced offering price applies as provided in the Prospectus of the Fund(s). The minimum dollar purchase of shares of each Fund by any investor shall be the applicable minimum amount described in the Prospectus of the Fund and no order for less than such amount will be accepted hereunder. The public offering price shall be the net asset value per share plus the sales charge, if any, applicable to the transaction, expressed as a percentage of the public offering price, as determined and effective as of the time specified in the Prospectus of the Fund(s). The procedures relating to the handling of orders shall be subject to any instructions that we shall forward from time to time to you. All orders are subject to acceptance or rejection by us, or our designated agent, in our sole discretion. You hereby agree to comply with attached Appendix A, Policies and Procedures with Respect to Mutual Fund Trading, as well as with the terms of the Prospectus and the policies and procedures of the Funds. You understand that in recommending the purchase, sale or exchange of any Fund shares to your customers, you must have reasonable grounds for believing that such recommendation is suitable for such customer.
4. The sales charge applicable to any sale of Fund shares by you and the dealer concession or commission applicable to any order from you for the purchase of Fund shares accepted by us shall be set forth in the Prospectus of the Fund. You shall notify us if you are not eligible to receive a dealer concession or commission. You may be deemed to be an underwriter in connection with sales by you of shares of the Fund where you receive all or substantially all of the sales charge as set forth in the Funds Prospectus, and therefore you may be subject to applicable provisions of the Securities Act of 1933.
(a) We are entitled to a contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) on redemptions of applicable classes of shares of the Funds, as described in the Prospectus. You agree that you will sell shares subject to a CDSC and that are to be held in omnibus accounts only if you are a NETWORKING participant with the National Securities Clearing Corporation and if such accounts are established pursuant to a NETWORKING Agreement.
1 | The definition of Funds shall not include the following mutual funds, which are distributed by NGAM Distribution, L.P, but which are not available to you through the terms of this Dealer Agreement: Hansberger Emerging Markets Fund (Institutional Class); Hansberger International Growth Fund (Institutional Class); Hansberger International Value Fund (Institutional Class); Hansberger International Growth Fund (Advisor Class); Loomis Sayles Fixed Income Fund; Loomis Sayles Institutional High Income Fund; Loomis Sayles Investment Grade Fixed Income Fund; Loomis Sayles High Income Opportunities Fund; and Loomis Sayles Securitized Asset Fund. |
1 | 12-11 |
Exhibit (e)(14)
(b) Reduced sales charges or no sales charge may apply to certain transactions, including under letter of intent, combined purchases or investments, reinvestment of dividends and distributions, repurchase privilege, unit investment trust distribution reinvestment or other programs, as described in the Prospectus of the Fund(s). To obtain any such reductions, you must notify us when the sale that would qualify for such reduction takes place.
5. Rule 12b-1 Plans. The substantive provisions of this Section 5 have been adopted pursuant to the Plans.
(a) You agree to provide (i) for the Funds with a service plan, personal services to investors in shares of the Funds and/or services related to the maintenance of shareholder accounts, and (ii) for those Funds with a service and distribution plan, both personal services to investors in shares of the Funds and/or services related to the maintenance of shareholder accounts and also distribution and marketing services in the promotion of Fund shares. As compensation for these services, we shall pay you, as agent, upon receipt by us from the Fund(s), a quarterly service fee or service fee and distribution fee based on the average daily net asset value of Fund shares at the rate set forth with respect to the relevant Class(es) of shares of the Fund(s) in the Prospectus. This fee will be based on the average daily net asset value of Fund shares that are owned of record by your firm as nominee for your customers or that are owned by those shareholders whose records, as maintained by the Fund or its agent, designate your firm as the shareholders dealer of record. Normally, payment of such fee to you shall be made within forty-five (45) days after the close of each quarter for which such fee is payable provided, however, that any other provision of this Dealer Agreement or the Prospectuses to the contrary notwithstanding, we shall not have any obligation whatsoever to pay any amount of distribution and/or service fee with respect to shares of any Fund except to the extent, and only to the extent, that we have actually received payment of at least such amount of distribution and/or service fee from the Funds with respect to such shares pursuant to a Plan in consideration of you furnishing distribution and client services hereunder with respect to your customers that own such class of shares of such Fund, it being understood that our liability to you in respect of such fees is limited solely to the proceeds of such fees received by us from the Funds.
(b) You shall furnish us and the Fund with such information as shall reasonably be requested by the Trustees of the Fund with respect to the fees paid to you pursuant to this Section 5 and you shall notify us if you are not eligible to receive 12b-1 fees, including without limitation by reason of your failure to provide the services as required in this Section 5.
(c) The provisions of this Section 5 may be terminated by the vote of a majority of the Trustees of the Funds who are not interested persons of the Funds and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan or in any agreements related to the Plan, or by a vote of a majority of the Funds outstanding shares, on sixty (60) days written notice, without payment of any penalty. Such provisions will be terminated also by any act that terminates either the Funds Distribution Contract or Underwriting Agreement with us, or this Dealer Agreement under Section 16 hereof or otherwise and shall terminate automatically in the event of the assignment (as that term is defined in the Act) of this Dealer Agreement.
(d) The provisions of the Distribution Contract or Underwriting Agreement between the Fund and us, insofar as they relate to the Plan, are incorporated herein by reference. The provisions of this Section 5 shall continue in full force and effect only so long as the continuance of the Plan, the Distribution Contract or Underwriting Agreement and these provisions are approved at least annually by a vote of the Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Fund and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the Plan or in any agreements related to the Plan, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting thereon.
6. You agree to purchase Fund shares only from us or from your customers. If you purchase Fund shares from us, you agree that all such purchases shall be made only: (a) to cover orders already received by you from your customers; (b) for shares being acquired by your customers pursuant to either the exchange privilege or the reinvestment privilege, as described in the Prospectus of the Fund; or (c) for your own bona fide investment. If you purchase shares from your customers, you agree to pay such customers not less than the applicable redemption price next quoted by the Fund pursuant to the procedures set forth in the Prospectus of the Fund.
7. You shall sell shares only: (a) to customers at the applicable public offering price, except for shares being acquired by your customers at net asset value as described in the Prospectus of the Fund, and (b) to us as agent for the Fund at the redemption price. In such a sale to us, you may act either as principal for your own account or as agent for your customer. If you act as principal for your own account in purchasing shares for resale to us, you agree to pay your customer not less than the price that you receive from us. If you act as agent for your customer in selling shares to us, you agree not to charge your customer more than a fair commission or fee for handling the transaction, except that you agree to receive no compensation of any kind based on the reinvestment of redemption or repurchase proceeds pursuant to the repurchase privilege, as described in the Prospectus of the Fund.
2 | 12-11 |
Exhibit (e)(14)
8. You hereby certify that all of your customers taxpayer identification numbers (TIN) or social security numbers (SSN) furnished to us by you are correct and that you will not open an account without providing us with the customers TIN or SSN. You agree to comply with the provisions of Appendix B, Policies and Procedures with Respect to Rule 22c-2.
9. You hereby acknowledge that, in the performance of the services contemplated by this Dealer Agreement, you use or have access to records, systems, or operations that include, in tangible or electronic form, information relating to your customers such as their name, address (including email address), phone number, account number, SSN, drivers license number, date of birth, account activity, investments, and other nonpublic personal information (including consumer reports) (collectively, Personal Information or Customer Data), which is subject to the requirements of the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act and Regulation S-P thereunder promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, as from time to time amended, and other federal and state laws and regulations applicable to the management, use, disposal, and safekeeping of Personal Information and/or Customer Data as well as laws and regulations relating to know your customer, anti-money laundering, and similar federal and state regulatory requirements (collectively Privacy Laws). You agree to comply with all applicable Privacy Laws relating to Personal Information and Customer Data and to cooperate with us in enabling us to satisfy our regulatory requirements relating to Personal Information.
10. You shall not withhold placing with us orders received from your customers so as to profit yourself as a result of such withholding; e.g., by a change in the net asset value from that used in determining the public offering price to your customers.
11. | We will not accept from you any conditional orders for shares. |
12. If any Fund shares sold to you or your customers under the terms of this Dealer Agreement are redeemed by the Fund or repurchased by us as agent for the Fund within seven (7) business days after the date of our confirmation of the original purchase by you or your customers, it is agreed that you shall forfeit your right to any dealer concession or commission received by you on such Fund shares. We will notify you of any such repurchase or redemption within ten (10) business days after the date thereof and you shall forthwith refund to us the entire concession or commission allowed or paid to you on such sale. We agree, in the event of any such repurchase or redemption, to refund to the Fund the portion of the sales charge, if any, retained by us and, upon receipt from you of the concession allowed to you on any Fund shares, to pay such refund forthwith to the Fund.
13. Payment for Fund shares sold to you shall be made on or before the settlement date specified in our confirmation, at the office of our clearing agent, and by check payable to the order of the Fund, which reserves the right to delay issuance, redemption or transfer of shares until such check has cleared. If such payment and all necessary applications and documents are not received by us, we reserve the right, without notice, forthwith either to cancel the sale, or at our option, sell the shares ordered back to the Fund, in which case you shall bear any loss resulting from your failure to make payment as aforesaid.
14. You will also act as principal in all purchases by a shareholder for whom you are the dealer of record of Fund shares with respect to payments sent directly by such shareholder to the Shareholder Services and Transfer Agent (the TA) specified in the Prospectus of the Fund, and you authorize and appoint the TA to execute and confirm such purchases to such shareholders on your behalf. Upon receipt of payment from the Funds, we, as agent, will remit to you, no less frequently than monthly, the amount of any concessions due with respect to such purchases, except that no concessions will be paid to you on any transaction for which your net sales concession is less than $5.00 in any payment cycle. You also represent that with respect to all such direct purchases by such shareholder, you may lawfully sell shares of such Fund in the state designated as such shareholders record address.
15. No person is authorized to make any representations concerning shares of the Funds except those contained in the Prospectuses of the Funds and in sales literature issued by us supplemental to such Prospectuses or approved in writing by us. In purchasing shares from us, you shall rely solely on the representations contained in such Prospectuses and such sales literature. We will furnish you with additional copies of such Prospectuses and such sales literature and other releases and information issued by us in reasonable quantities upon request.
3 | 12-11 |
Exhibit (e)(14)
(a) If, with prior written approval from us, you use any advertisement or sales literature which has not been supplied by us, you are responsible for ensuring that the material complies with all applicable regulations and has been filed with the appropriate authorities.
(b) You shall indemnify and hold us (and our directors, officers, employees, controlling persons and agents) and the Fund and its Trustees and officers harmless from and against any and all losses, claims, liabilities and expenses (including reasonable attorneys fees) (Losses) incurred by us or any of them arising out of (i) your dissemination of information regarding any Fund that is alleged to contain an untrue statement of material fact or any omission of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and that was not published or provided to you by or on behalf of us, or accurately derived from information published or provided by or on behalf of us or any of our Affiliates, (ii) any breach by you of any representation, warranty or agreement contained in this Dealer Agreement, (iii) any act or omission, including without limitation any material misstatement by you in connection with any orders or solicitation of orders for, or transactions in, shares of the Funds, or (iv) any willful misconduct or negligence on your part in the performance of, or failure to perform, your obligations under this Dealer Agreement, except to the extent such losses are caused by our breach of this Dealer Agreement or our willful misconduct or negligence in the performance, or failure to perform, our obligations under this Dealer Agreement.
(c) We shall indemnify and hold you (and your directors, officers, employees, controlling persons and agents) harmless from and against any and all Losses incurred by you arising out of (i) our dissemination of information regarding any Fund that contains an untrue statement of material fact or any omission of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, (ii) any breach by us of any representation, warranty or agreement contained in this Dealer Agreement, (iii) any act or omission, including without limitation any material misstatement by us in connection with any orders or solicitation of orders for, or transactions in, shares of the Funds, or (iv) any willful misconduct or negligence on our part in the performance of, or failure to perform, our obligations under this Dealer Agreement, except to the extent such losses are caused by your breach of this Dealer Agreement or your willful misconduct or negligence in the performance, or failure to perform, your obligations under this Dealer Agreement.
(d) This Section 15 shall survive termination of this Dealer Agreement.
16. The Fund reserves the right in its discretion and we reserve the right in our discretion, without notice, to refuse any order for the purchase of Fund shares for any reason whatsoever, and to suspend sales or withdraw the offering of Fund shares (or shares of any class(es)) entirely. We reserve the right, by written notice to you, to amend, modify, cancel or assign this Dealer Agreement, including Section 5 hereof, and any appendices that are now or in the future attached to this Dealer Agreement. Notice for all purposes shall be deemed to be given when mailed or electronically transmitted to you.
17. This Dealer Agreement shall replace any prior agreement between you and us or any of our predecessor entities (including but not limited to Natixis Distributors, L.P., IXIS Asset Management Distributors, L.P., CDC IXIS Asset Management Distributors, L.P., Nvest Funds Distributor, L.P., New England Funds, L.P., TNE Investment Services Corporation, and Investment Trust of Boston Distributors, Inc.) and is conditioned upon your representation and warranty that you are (i) registered as a broker/dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the 1934 Act), and are a member in good standing of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) or (ii) exempt from registration as a broker/dealer under the 1934 Act. Regardless of whether you are a FINRA member, you and we agree to abide by the Rules and Regulations of FINRA, including without limitation Conduct Rules 2310, 2420, 3110, 3510 and 2830, and all applicable state and federal laws, rules and regulations. You agree to notify us immediately if you cease to be registered as a broker/dealer under the 1934 Act (or exempt from registration as a broker/dealer under the 1934 Act) and a member of FINRA. You agree to notify us of any material compliance matter related to the services provided by you pursuant to this Dealer Agreement. Should you cease to be registered as a broker/dealer under the 1934 Act (or exempt from such registration) and/or a cease to be a member in good standing of FINRA, you will be removed as broker-dealer of record and this Dealer Agreement will be terminated.
(a) You will not offer Fund shares for sale in any state (a) where they are not qualified for sale under the blue sky laws and regulations of such state or (b) where you are not qualified to act as a broker/dealer. You agree to offer Fund shares only to U.S. citizens with U.S. addresses.
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Exhibit (e)(14)
(b) If you are a bank, with respect to any and all transactions in shares of the Funds pursuant to this Dealer Agreement, it is understood and agreed in each case that unless otherwise agreed to by us in writing: (i) you shall be acting solely as agent for the account of your customer; (ii) each transaction shall be initiated solely upon the order of your customer; (iii) we shall execute transactions only upon receiving instructions from you acting as agent for your customer; (iv) as between you and your customer, your customer will have full beneficial ownership of all shares; and (v) each transaction shall be for the account of your customer and not for your account.
18. Each of the parties represents and warrants that it has enacted appropriate safeguards to protect non-public customer information. If non-public personal information regarding either partys customers or consumers is disclosed to the other party in connection with this Dealer Agreement, the party receiving such information will not disclose or use that information other than as necessary to carry out the purposes of this Dealer Agreement and in accordance with Regulation S-P.
19. You hereby represent and certify to us that you are aware of, and in compliance with, all applicable anti-money laundering laws, regulations, rules and government guidance, including the reporting, recordkeeping and compliance requirements of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 (the Patriot Act), its implementing regulations, and related Securities and Exchange Commission and self-regulatory organization rules and regulations. You hereby certify to us that, as required by the Patriot Act, you have a comprehensive anti-money laundering compliance program that includes: internal policies, procedures and controls for complying with the Patriot Act; a designated compliance officer or officers; an ongoing training program for appropriate employees; and an independent audit function. You also hereby certify to us that, to the extent applicable, you are in compliance with the economic sanctions programs administered by the U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and have an OFAC compliance program that satisfies all applicable laws and regulations and sanctions programs administered by the U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Laws and Regulations. You represent that you have adopted a Customer Identification Program in compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations and will verify the identity of customers who open accounts with you and who invest in shares of the Funds. Except to the extent restricted by applicable law, you hereby agree to notify the Funds promptly whenever questionable activity or potential indications of suspicious activity or OFAC matches are detected with respect to the Funds. You hereby undertake to notify us promptly if any of the foregoing certifications cease to be true and correct for any reason. You further agree to monitor your employees use of web based systems used by you to access customer account information. You agree to notify us should any system ID require reassignment. You agree to remove such access as necessary. You agree that any order to purchase shares shall constitute your continued certification of the matters you have certified in this Section 19.
20. You hereby agree that all purchases, redemptions and exchanges of shares contemplated by this Dealer Agreement shall be effected by you for your customers in accordance with each Funds Prospectus, including, without limitation, the collection of any redemption fees, if applicable, and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. You agree that, in the event that it should come to your attention that any of your customers are engaging in a pattern of purchases, redemptions and/or exchanges of Funds that potentially violates the Funds frequent trading policy as described in the relevant Funds Prospectus, you shall immediately notify us of such pattern and shall cooperate fully with us in any investigation and, if deemed necessary or appropriate by us, terminating any such pattern of trading, including, without limitation, by refusing such customers orders to purchase or exchange shares of the Funds.
21. You hereby represent that you have established and will maintain a business continuity program, in compliance with FINRA Rules 3510 and 3520, designed to ensure that you will at all times fulfill your obligations as set forth in this Dealer Agreement.
22. You hereby agree to provide any additional material as we may reasonably request to allow us to conduct periodic due diligence reviews and to ensure compliance with this Dealer Agreement.
23. You hereby acknowledge that each Fund and class of shares thereof may be offered and sold only in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the respective Funds prospectus and statement of additional information, as may be amended from time to time.
24. All communications to us should be mailed to the above address and e-mailed to thirdpartynotices@ngam.natixis.com. Any notice to you shall be duly given if mailed or faxed to you at the address specified by you.
25. This Dealer Agreement together with attached appendices shall be effective when accepted by you below and shall be governed by and construed under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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Exhibit (e)(14)
26. This Dealer Agreement together with attached appendices shall be effective as against you and your successor in interest. All obligations, representations, warranties and covenants made and belonging to you shall be enforceable against your successor in interest to the same extent that such would be enforceable against you.
Your submission and our acceptance of an order for the Funds, or receipt by us of an executed copy of this Dealer Agreement from you represents your acknowledgement and acceptance of the terms and conditions of this Dealer Agreement and its attached appendices.
Accepted: |
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NGAM Distribution, L.P. | ||||||
Dealers Name | By: NGAM Distribution Corporation, its general partner | |||||||
Address: |
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Address: | 399 Boylston Street | |||||
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Boston, MA 02116 | |||||||
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By: |
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By: |
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Authorized Signature of Dealer | Authorized Signature | |||||||
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Date: |
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(Please print name) |
6 | 12-11 |
Exhibit (e)(14)
Appendix A
NGAM Distribution, L.P.
Policies and Procedures with Respect to Mutual Fund Trading
You shall establish and maintain effective internal policies and controls, including operational and system controls, with respect to the processing of orders of the funds received prior to and after the close of the New York Stock Exchange normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (Pricing Time), for the purchase, redemption and exchange of shares of mutual funds, including the Funds.
For all transactions in the Funds, you shall follow all applicable rules and regulations and shall establish internal policies regarding the timely handling of orders for the purchase, redemption and exchange of shares of the Funds (Fund Orders) and maintain effective internal controls over the ability to distinguish and appropriately process Fund Orders received prior to and after the Funds Pricing Time, including operational and systems controls. Specifically, you represent as of the date of Dealer Agreement and each time that you accept a Fund Order on behalf of a Fund that:
| Your policies and procedures provide reasonable assurance that Fund Orders received by you prior to the Funds Pricing Time are segregated from Fund Orders received by you after the Funds Pricing Time and are properly transmitted to the Funds (or their agents) for execution at the current days net asset value (NAV). |
| Your policies and procedures provide reasonable assurances that Fund Orders received by you after the Funds Pricing Time are properly transmitted to the Funds (or their agents) for execution at the next days NAV. |
| Your policies and procedures provide reasonable assurance that transactional information is delivered to the Funds (or their agents) in a timely manner. |
| You have designed procedures to provide reasonable assurance that policies with regard to the receipt and processing of Fund Orders are complied with. Such procedures either prevent or detect, on a timely basis, instances of noncompliance with the policies governing the receipt and processing of Fund Orders. |
| Policies and procedures governing the timely handling of Fund Orders have been designed and implemented effectively by all third parties to whom you have designated the responsibility to distinguish and appropriately process Fund Orders received prior to and after the Funds Pricing Time. |
To the extent we have entered into related agreements with you regarding your handling of Fund Orders, you acknowledge and agree that this appendix shall apply to your handling of all Fund Orders, whether authorized under the Dealer Agreement or any other agreement with us or our affiliates.
7 | 12-11 |
Exhibit (e)(14)
Appendix B
NGAM Distribution, L.P.
Policies and Procedures with Respect to Rule 22c-2
I. Shareholder Information.
1. Agreement to Provide Information. You agree to provide to the Fund, upon written request, the taxpayer identification number (TIN), the Individual/International Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), or other government-issued identifier (GII), if known, of any or all Shareholder(s) of each account held of record by you and the amount, date, name or other identifier of any investment professional(s) associated with the Shareholder(s) or account (if known), and transaction type (purchase, redemption, transfer, or exchange) of every purchase, redemption, transfer, or exchange of Shares held through an account maintained by you during the period covered by the request.
2. Period Covered by Request. Requests must set forth a specific period, not to exceed ninety (90) days from the date of the request, for which transaction information is sought. The Fund may request transaction information older than ninety (90) days from the date of the request as the Fund deems necessary to investigate compliance with policies established by the Fund for the purpose of eliminating or reducing any dilution of the value of the outstanding shares issued by the Fund.
The Fund reserves the right to request the information set forth in Section I. (1) for each trading day and you agree, if so directed by the Fund, to provide the information.
3. Form and Timing of Response. You agree to provide, promptly upon request of the Fund or its designee, the requested information specified in Section I. (1). If requested by the Fund or its designee, you agree to use best efforts to determine promptly whether any specific person about whom you have received identification and transaction information specified in Section I. (1) is itself a financial intermediary (indirect intermediary) and, upon further request of the Fund or its designee, promptly either (i) provide (or arrange to have provided) the information set forth in Section I. (1) for those shareholders who hold an account with an indirect intermediary or (ii) restrict or prohibit the indirect intermediary from purchasing, in nominee name on behalf of other persons, securities issued by the Fund. You additionally agree to inform the Fund whether you plan to perform (i) or (ii). Responses required by this paragraph must be communicated in writing and in a format mutually agreed upon by the parties. To the extent practicable, the format for any transaction information provided to the Fund should be consistent with the NSCC Standardized Data Reporting Format.
4. Limitations on Use of Information. Fund agrees not to use the information received for marketing or any other similar purpose without your prior written consent.
5. Agreement to Restrict Trading. You agree to execute written instructions from the Fund to restrict or prohibit further purchases or exchanges of Shares by a Shareholder that has been identified by the Fund as having engaged in transactions of the Funds Shares (directly or indirectly through your account) that violate policies established by the Fund for the purpose of eliminating or reducing any dilution of the value of the outstanding Shares issued by the Fund.
6. Form of Instructions. Instructions to restrict or prohibit trading must include the TIN, ITIN, GII, if known, and the specific restriction(s) to be executed. If the TIN, ITIN, or GII is not known, the instructions must include an equivalent identifying number of the Shareholder(s) or account(s) or other agreed upon information to which the instruction relates.
7. Timing of Response. You agree to execute instructions as soon as reasonably practicable, but not later than five (5) business days after receipt of the instructions by you.
8. Confirmation. You must provide written confirmation to the Fund that instructions have been executed. You agree to provide confirmation as soon as reasonably practicable, but not later than ten (10) business days after the instructions have been executed.
9. Definitions. For purposes of this schedule only:
(a) The term Fund includes the funds principal underwriter and transfer agent. The term does not include any excepted funds as defined in SEC Rule 22c-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940.*
* | As defined in SEC Rule 22c-2(b), the term excepted fund means any: (1) money market fund; (2) fund that issues securities that are listed on a national securities exchange; and (3) fund that affirmatively permits short-term trading of its securities, if its prospectus clearly and prominently discloses that the fund permits short-term trading of its securities and that such trading may result in additional costs for the fund. |
8 | 12-11 |
Exhibit (e)(14)
(b) The term Shares means the interests of Shareholders corresponding to the redeemable securities of record issued by the Fund under the Investment Company Act of 1940 that are held by you.
(c) The term Shareholder means the beneficial owner of Shares, whether the Shares are held directly or by you in nominee name.
(d) Note that the term Shareholder may have alternative meanings as follows: (1) for Retirement Plan Recordkeepers the term Shareholder means the Plan participant notwithstanding that the Plan may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of Shares and (2) for Insurance Companies the term Shareholder means the holder of interests in a variable annuity or variable life insurance contract issued by an Intermediary.
(e) The term written includes electronic writings and facsimile transmissions.
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Exhibit (g)(5)
CUSTODY SERVICES AGREEMENT
This Custody Services Agreement (the Agreement) is made as of December 1, 2014 by and between ASG GLOBAL MACRO CAYMAN FUND LTD., an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands with its registered office at c/o Intertrust Corporate Services (Cayman) Limited, 190 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-9005, Cayman Islands (the Customer), and STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY, a trust company organized under the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States of America, with its principal place of business at One Lincoln Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, United States of America (the Custodian).
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, the Customer wishes to retain the Custodian as the custodian of certain of its assets, and the Custodian is willing to provide such services on the terms and conditions set forth herein,
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements hereinafter contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. | EMPLOYMENT OF CUSTODIAN AND PROPERTY TO BE HELD BY IT. |
The Customer hereby employs the Custodian as the custodian of certain assets owned and/or controlled by the Customer (such assets shall hereinafter be identified as the Customer Assets). Each of the Customer and the Custodian agrees that Customer Assets may include uncertificated shares of or other interests in (collectively, Underlying Shares) collective investment vehicles (collectively, Underlying Funds), including, inter alia, mutual funds. Each of the Customer and the Custodian further agrees that the holding by the Custodian of confirmation statements which identify Underlying Shares as being recorded in the Custodians name for the benefit of the Customer or in a nominee name of the Custodian for the benefit of the Customer, shall be deemed to constitute the custody by the Custodian of such Underlying Shares for purposes of this Agreement.
The Custodian shall not be responsible for any property constituting the Customer Assets (i) not received by the Custodian, its agents or its subcustodians as provided herein, or (ii) delivered by or otherwise removed from the custody of the Custodian, its agents or its subcustodians, pursuant to Proper Instructions (as defined in Section 2.12 hereof).
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Exhibit (g)(5)
2. | DUTIES OF THE CUSTODIAN WITH RESPECT TO PROPERTY HELD BY THE CUSTODIAN. |
2.1 | HOLDING SECURITIES. |
The Custodian shall hold and segregate from its own property, or direct its agents or its subcustodians to so hold and segregate for the Customer all securities and other noncash property constituting the Customer Assets, other than (i) securities which constitute the Customer Assets and are held by the Custodian or its agents or subcustodians in a clearing agency which acts as a securities depository or in another book-entry system for the central handling of securities (collectively referred to herein as Securities System); and (ii) Underlying Shares which constitute Customer Assets and are maintained with a Transfer Agent pursuant to Section 2.2. The Custodian shall identify on its books and records as belonging to the Customer the securities and other noncash property, as applicable, constituting Customer Assets held by (a) the Custodian, its agents and subcustodians, (b) a Securities System or (c) a Transfer Agent in accordance with Section 2.2. To the extent that the Custodian or any of its subcustodians holds securities constituting the Customer Assets in an omnibus account that is identified as belonging to the Custodian for the benefit of its customers, the records of the Custodian shall identify which of such securities constitute Customer Assets.
2.2 | DEPOSIT AND MAINTENANCE OF UNDERLYING SHARES WITH TRANSFER AGENT. |
Each of the Customer and Custodian agree that the provisions of this Section 2.2 shall govern the custody of the Underlying Shares and that, to the extent there is a conflict between said provisions and the provisions of any other Section of this Agreement in respect of Underlying Shares, the terms of this Section 2.2 shall control.
Each of the Customer and the Custodian hereby acknowledges and agrees that notwithstanding the custody services to be provided by the Custodian to the Customer hereunder, the Underlying Shares beneficially owned by the Customer shall be deposited and/or maintained in an account or accounts maintained by a transfer agent, registrar, corporate secretary, general partner or other relevant third party (each referred to herein as a Transfer Agent) as notified to the Custodian by Proper Instructions. Each of the Customer and the Custodian further acknowledges and agrees that the Custodians only responsibilities in respect of the Underlying Shares shall be limited to the following:
(i) | that, upon receipt of a confirmation or statement from a Transfer Agent that such Transfer Agent is holding or maintaining Underlying Shares in the name of the Custodian (or a nominee of the Custodian) for the benefit of the Customer, the Custodian shall (a) mark such holdings on its books and records and (b) identify by book-entry that the relevant Underlying Shares are being held by it as custodian for the benefit of the Customer; |
(ii) | that, in respect of the purchase of Underlying Shares, upon receipt of Proper Instructions, the Custodian shall (a) pay out money from the Customer Assets in furtherance of said purchase of Underlying Shares for the account of the Customer as directed by said Proper Instructions, and (b) record such payment from the account of the Customer on the books and records of the Custodian; |
2
Exhibit (g)(5)
(iv) | that, in respect of the sale or redemption of Underlying Shares, upon receipt of Proper Instructions, the Custodian shall (a) transfer Underlying Shares redeemed for the account of the Customer in accordance with said Proper Instructions, and (b) record such transfer on the books and records of the Custodian and, upon the receipt of related proceeds, record the related payment for the account of the Customer on said books and records. |
The Custodian shall not be liable to the Customer for any Indemnifiable Loss (as defined in Section 7.2) or damage to the Customer or the Customer Assets resulting from the maintenance of Underlying Shares with a Transfer Agent except for Losses resulting directly from the fraud, negligence or wilful misconduct of the Custodian or its agents.
2.3 | DELIVERY OF SECURITIES. |
The Custodian, upon receipt of Proper Instructions (which may be standing instructions when deemed appropriate by the parties hereto), shall release and deliver, or direct its agents or its subcustodians to release and deliver, securities constituting the Customer Assets held by the Custodian, its agents or its subcustodians or maintained by any of them in a Securities System, in the following cases:
(a) | Upon sale of such securities for the account or accounts holding the Customer Assets: (i) in accordance with the customary or established practices and procedures in the jurisdiction or market where the transactions occur, including, without limitation, delivery to the purchaser thereof or to a dealer therefore (or an agent of such purchaser or dealer) against expectation of receiving later payment; or (ii) in the case of a sale effected through a Securities System, in accordance with the rules governing the operations of the Securities System; |
(b) | Upon the receipt of payment in connection with any repurchase agreement related to such securities; |
(c) | To the depository agent in connection with tender or other similar offers for securities; |
(d) | To the issuer thereof or its agent when such securities are called, redeemed, retired or otherwise become payable; provided that, unless otherwise directed by Proper Instructions, the cash or other consideration is to be delivered to the Custodian, its agents or its subcustodians; |
(e) | To the issuer thereof, or its agent, for transfer into the name of the Custodian or of any nominee of the Custodian or into the name of any of its agents or subcustodians or their nominees or for exchange for a different number of bonds, certificates or other evidence representing the same aggregate face amount or number of units; |
3
Exhibit (g)(5)
(f) | To brokers, clearing banks or other clearing agents for examination in accordance with street delivery custom; |
(g) | For exchange or conversion pursuant to any plan of merger, consolidation, recapitalization, reorganization or readjustment of the securities of the issuer of such securities, or pursuant to provisions for conversion contained in such securities, or pursuant to any deposit agreement; provided that unless otherwise directed by Proper Instructions, the new securities and cash, if any, are to be delivered to the Custodian, its agents or its subcustodians; |
(h) | In the case of warrants, rights or similar securities, the surrender thereof in the exercise of such warrants, rights or similar securities or the surrender of interim receipts or temporary securities; provided that, unless otherwise directed by Proper Instructions, the new securities and cash, if any, are to be delivered to the Custodian, its agents or its subcustodians; |
(i) | For delivery as security in connection with any borrowings by the Customer requiring a pledge of assets by the Customer; |
(j) | In connection with trading in options and futures contracts, including delivery as original margin and variation margin; and |
(k) | In connection with securities lending by the Customer; and |
(l) | For any other purpose, but only upon receipt of Proper Instructions specifying the securities to be delivered and naming the person or persons to whom and the purpose for which delivery of such securities shall be made. |
2.4 | REGISTRATION OF SECURITIES. |
Securities held by the Custodian, its agents or its subcustodians (other than bearer securities or securities held in a Securities System) may be registered in the name of the Custodian or in the name of any nominee of the Custodian or in the name of any of the Custodians agents or subcustodians (or any of their nominees). The Custodian, its agents and its subcustodians shall not be obligated to accept securities constituting (in whole or in part) the Customer Assets under the terms of this Agreement unless such securities are in good delivery form.
2.5 | BANK ACCOUNTS. |
The Custodian, its agents or its subcustodians may open and maintain one or more accounts in the name of the Custodian or otherwise, in such banks, trust companies, or deposit taking institutions and upon such terms, as they may, in their discretion, deem advisable, including the Custodian, its subcustodians or any affiliates of the Custodian or the subcustodians, subject only to draft or order by the Custodian, its agents or its subcustodians acting pursuant to the terms of this Agreement. The Custodian shall
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Exhibit (g)(5)
hold in such account or accounts, subject to the provisions hereof, cash received by, from or for the Customer, and shall be under no duty of disclosure or accounting to the Customer or the Customer Assets with regard to the earnings on the investment of such cash, other than interest at the stated rate, if any, paid on such accounts.
In accordance with the laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States of America, the Custodian shall not be required to repay any deposit made at a non-U.S. branch of the Custodian or any deposit made with the Custodian and denominated in a non-U.S. dollar currency, if repayment of such deposit or the use of assets denominated in the non-U.S. dollar currency is prevented, prohibited or otherwise blocked due to (a) an act of war, insurrection or civil strife; (b) any action by a non-U.S. government or instrumentality or authority asserting governmental, military or police power of any kind, whether such authority be recognized as a de facto or a de jure government, or by any entity, political or revolutionary movement or otherwise that usurps, supervenes or otherwise materially impairs the normal operation of civil authority; or (c) the closure of a non-U.S. branch in order to prevent, in the reasonable judgement of the Custodian, harm to the employees or property of the Custodian.
The obligation to repay any such deposit shall not be transferred to and may not be enforced against any other branch of the Custodian. The Custodian shall repay such deposit when and if all circumstances preventing, prohibiting or otherwise blocking repayment cease to exist. All currency transactions are subject to the exchange control regulations of the United States, the laws of the country of the currency or the laws of the branch where the account is maintained.
2.6 | FOREIGN EXCHANGE. |
(1) Upon receipt of Proper Instructions, which for purposes of this paragraph may also include security trade advices, the Custodian shall facilitate the processing and settlement of foreign exchange transactions. Such foreign exchange transactions do not constitute part of the services provided by the Custodian under this Agreement.
(2) The Customer (or its Investment Manager acting on its behalf) may elect to enter into and execute foreign exchange transactions with third parties that are not affiliated with the Custodian, with State Street Global Markets, which is the foreign exchange division of State Street Bank and Trust Company and its affiliated companies (SSGM), or with a subcustodian. Where the Customer or its Investment Manager gives Proper Instructions for the execution of a foreign exchange transaction using an indirect foreign exchange service described in the Client Publications, the Customer (or its Investment Manager) hereby instructs the Custodian, on behalf of the Customer, to direct the execution of such foreign exchange transaction to SSGM or, when the relevant currency is not traded by SSGM, to the applicable subcustodian. The Custodian shall not have any agency (except as contemplated in preceding sentence), trust or fiduciary obligation to the Customer, its Investment Manager or any other Person in connection with the execution of any foreign exchange transaction. The Custodian shall have no responsibility under this Agreement for the selection of the counterparty to, or the method of execution of, any foreign exchange transaction entered into by the Customer (or its Investment Manager acting on its behalf) or the reasonableness of the execution rate on any such transaction.
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Exhibit (g)(5)
(3) | The Customer acknowledges that in connection with all foreign exchange transactions entered into by the Customer (or its Investment Manager acting on its behalf) with SSGM or any subcustodian, SSGM and each such subcustodian: |
(i) shall be acting in a principal capacity and not as broker, agent or fiduciary to the Customer or its Investment Manager;
(ii) shall seek to profit from such foreign exchange transactions, and are entitled to retain and not disclose any such profit to the Customer or its Investment Manager ; and
(iii) shall enter into such foreign exchange transactions pursuant to the terms and conditions, including pricing or pricing methodology, (a) agreed with the Customer or its Investment Manager from time to time or (b) in the case of an indirect foreign exchange service (i) as established by SSGM and set forth in the Client Publications with respect to the particular foreign exchange execution services selected by the Customer or the Investment Manager or (ii) as established by a subcustodian from time to time.
Client Publications means the general client publications of State Street Bank and Trust Company available from time to time available to clients and their investment managers.
The Custodian or its affiliates, including SSGM, may trade based upon information that is not available to, and may enter into transactions for its own account or the account of clients in the same or opposite direction to the transactions entered into with the Customer (or its Investment Manager acting on its behalf), and shall have no obligation under this Agreement to share such information with or consider the interests of their respective counterparties, including, where applicable, the Customer or the Investment Manager.
2.7 | CREDIT OF INCOME. |
The Custodian, its agents or its subcustodians shall credit all income and other payments received by them with respect to the securities held hereunder to the Customer Assets. The collection of income due to the Customer Assets on securities loaned other than through participation in securities lending programs sponsored by the Custodian or its affiliates, shall not be the responsibility of the Custodian.
2.8 | PAYMENT OF CUSTOMER ASSETS MONEYS. |
Upon receipt of Proper Instructions (which may be standing instructions), the Custodian shall pay out or direct its agents or its subcustodians to pay out, money from the Customer Assets in the following cases:
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Exhibit (g)(5)
(a) | Upon the purchase of securities for the account or accounts holding the Customer Assets: (i) in accordance with the customary or established practices and procedures in the jurisdiction or market where the transactions occur, including, without limitation, delivering money to the seller thereof or to a dealer therefor (or an agent for such seller or dealer) against expectation of receiving later delivery of such securities; or (ii) in the case of a purchase effected through a Securities System, in accordance with the rules governing the operations of such Securities System; |
(b) | In connection with conversion, exchange or surrender of securities as set forth in Section 2.3 hereof; |
(c) | For the payment of any expense or liability including but not limited to the following payments: interest, taxes, management, accounting, legal fees and operating expenses; |
(d) | For the purchase or sale of foreign exchange contracts for the account or accounts holding the Customer Assets, including transactions executed with or through the Custodian, its agents or its subcustodians; |
(e) | In connection with trading in options and futures contracts, including delivery as original margin and variation margin; and |
(f) | In connection with securities lending by the Customer; and |
(g) | For any other purpose, but only upon receipt of Proper Instructions specifying the amount of such payment and naming the person or persons to whom such payment is to be made. |
2.9 | APPOINTMENT OF AGENTS AND SUBCUSTODIANS. |
The Custodian may at its discretion appoint or remove agents or subcustodians to carry out such of the provisions of this Agreement as the Custodian may from time to time direct. Notwithstanding the foregoing, each of the Customer and the Custodian hereby agree that no Transfer Agent will be deemed to be an agent or a subcustodian of the Custodian for purposes of this Section 2.9 or for any other provision of this Agreement.
2.10 | PROXIES. |
The Custodian will act in accordance with Proper Instructions with regard to proxies received by the Custodian from its agents or its subcustodians or from issuers of the securities being held as Customer Assets. In the absence of such Proper Instructions, or in the event that such Proper Instructions are not received in a timely fashion, the Custodian shall be under no duty to act with regard to such proxies.
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Exhibit (g)(5)
2.11 | COMMUNICATIONS RELATING TO SECURITIES CONSTITUTING CUSTOMER ASSETS. |
The Custodian shall make reasonable efforts to transmit to the Customer written information (or a synopsis thereof) received by the Custodian from its agents or its subcustodians or from issuers of the securities being held as Customer Assets or from the party (or its agents) making any cash or exchange offer. The Custodian shall not be liable for any untimely exercise of any tender, exchange or other right or power in connection with securities or other property held by it as Customer Assets unless (i) the Custodian or its agents or subcustodians are in actual possession of such securities or property, (ii) the Custodian receives Proper Instructions with regard to the exercise of any such right or power, and (iii) both (i) and (ii) occur at least three (3) business days prior to the date on which the Custodian is to take action to exercise such right or power.
2.12 | PROPER INSTRUCTIONS. |
The term Proper Instructions shall mean instructions (including standing instructions) received by the Custodian from the Customer, the Investment Manager (as defined in Section 11.1 hereof), or any person duly authorized by either of them (each, an Authorized Person). Such instructions shall be transmitted in writing, and may be given by (i) a writing signed by the authorized person; (ii) a tested communication; (iii) a communication utilizing access codes effected between electro-mechanical or electronic devices, or (iv) such other means and utilizing such intermediary systems and utilities as may be agreed from time to time by the Custodian and the Authorized Person giving such instructions (including, without limitation, oral instructions). The Custodian shall have no responsibility or liability to the Customer or the Customer Assets, and shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Customer, in the event that a subsequent written confirmation of an oral instruction fails to conform to the oral instructions received by the Custodian. The Customer shall cause its duly-authorized officers to certify to the Custodian in writing the names and specimen signatures of Authorized Persons. The Custodian shall be entitled to rely upon the identity and authority of such persons until it receives written notice from the Customer or an Investment Manager, as applicable, to the contrary.
Upon any acquisition or disposal or other dealing in the securities or other property constituting the Customer Assets and upon every delivery or transfer of any property to the Custodian hereunder, and where the Custodian shall be requested to distribute or otherwise deal with any property, the Customer or any person duly authorized by it shall specify where relevant the following items:
(a) | Dealing date; |
(b) | Whether sale or purchase or, if another type of transaction, details of the same; |
(c) | Descriptions of the property in question; |
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Exhibit (g)(5)
(d) | Quantity; |
(e) | Price per unit; |
(f) | Amount of money to be received or delivered; |
(g) | Currency information; |
(h) | Name of the stockbrokers and other persons, firms or companies concerned with the execution of the purchase, sale or other transactions; |
(i) | Settlement date; and |
(j) | Any other relevant details. |
The Custodian shall have no obligation to act on any instructions purported to be given which do not specify any of the above, but the provisions of this Agreement shall apply in the event that the Custodian decides to act upon such purported instructions, and such instructions shall be considered Proper Instructions for purposes of this Agreement. The Custodian shall have no obligation to act in accordance with purported instructions to the extent that they conflict with applicable law or regulations, local market practice or the Custodians operating policies and practices. The Custodian shall not be liable for any loss resulting from a delay while it obtains clarification of any Proper Instructions.
2.13 | ACTIONS PERMITTED WITHOUT EXPRESS AUTHORITY. |
The Custodian may, at its discretion and without express authority from the Customer, attend to all nondiscretionary details in connection with the sale, exchange, substitution, purchase, transfer and other dealings with the securities and property constituting the Customer Assets.
2.14 | EVIDENCE OF AUTHORITY. |
The Custodian shall be protected in acting upon any instruction, notice, request, consent, certificate, instrument or paper reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to have been properly executed or otherwise given by or on behalf of the Customer or an Investment Manager.
2.15 | SECURITIES LENDING PROGRAMS. |
When directed in writing by the Customer, the Custodian shall participate in securities lending programs sponsored by the Custodian or any affiliate of the Custodian pursuant to the terms of a securities lending authorization agreement between the Customer and the Custodian (or such affiliates).
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Exhibit (g)(5)
3. | CUSTODIAN REPORTING. |
The Custodian shall render to the Customer (i) on a monthly basis, (a) a report of all monies received as, or paid from, the Customer Assets (including cash balances as of the closing date of the report), (b) an itemized statement of the securities held as Customer Assets under this Agreement, (c) a list of all securities transactions that remain unsettled as of the end of each month, and (ii) such other reports as the parties shall agree will be provided from time to time. All such records that are prepared for the Customer shall be the property of the Customer and shall at all times during the regular business hours of the Custodian be open for inspection by duly authorized officers, employees or agents of the Customer.
4. | REMOTE ACCESS SERVICES. |
Each of the Customer and the Custodian agree to be bound by the terms of the Remote Access Services Addendum attached hereto as Exhibit A. The Customer acknowledges that the data and information it will be accessing from the Custodian is unaudited and may not be accurate due to inaccurate pricing of securities, delays of a day or more in updating the relevant account and other causes for which the Custodian will not be liable to the Customer.
5. | DUTIES OF CUSTODIAN IN RESPECT OF MAINTENANCE OF BOOKS OF ACCOUNT AND CALCULATION OF NET ASSET VALUE. |
The Custodian shall cooperate with and supply information within its records as agreed between the Customer and Custodian from time to time to the entity or entities appointed by the Customer to keep the books of account of the Customer and/or compute relevant net asset values.
6. | COMPENSATION OF CUSTODIAN. |
The Custodian shall be entitled to compensation for its custodial and other services and expenses as Custodian as set forth in a written fee schedule (Fee Schedule) between the parties hereto, until a different compensation shall be agreed upon in writing by the Customer and Custodian.
7. | RESPONSIBILITY OF CUSTODIAN. |
7.1 | STANDARD OF CARE. |
The Custodian shall at all times exercise reasonable care and act in good faith in the performance of its duties hereunder, taking into account the laws, customs, and facts and circumstances prevailing in the jurisdictions in which the Customer elects to invest, provided, however, that the Custodian shall not be liable to the Customer for any loss, damage, claim, cost, expense or other liability arising under or in connection with this Agreement unless caused by the Custodians own fraud, negligence or willful misconduct in the discharge of its duties hereunder. The Custodian shall be responsible for the performance of only such duties that are expressly set forth in this
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Exhibit (g)(5)
Agreement, as the same are carried out in accordance with what the Custodian reasonably believes to be local market practice or otherwise in accordance with its operating policies and procedures, and shall have no responsibility for the acts or omissions or any other person, including, without limitation, third-parties. The Custodian shall not be responsible for the title, validity or genuineness, including good deliverable form, of any property or evidence of title thereto received by it or delivered by it pursuant to this Agreement and shall be held harmless in acting upon any notice, request, consent, certificate or instrument reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to be signed or otherwise given by the proper party or parties.
7.2 | INDEMNIFICATION. |
The Custodian shall be kept indemnified by and shall be without liability to the Customer and the Customer Assets for any and all losses, damages, claims, costs, actions, liabilities, suits, proceedings or expenses (including reasonable attorneys fees and disbursements) (each an Indemnifiable Loss) which may arise in connection with the property held hereunder or otherwise in connection with this Agreement, including, without limitation, any Indemnifiable Loss suffered or incurred as a result of (i) the acts or omissions of the Customer or any third party, including any Transfer Agent, whose data or services, including records, reports and other information, the Custodian must rely upon in performing its duties hereunder, or (ii) acting upon any Proper Instructions reasonably believed by it to have been duly authorized by the Customer, the Investment Manager or any other Authorized Person, provided any such Indemnifiable Loss has not arisen out of the Custodians own fraud, negligence or willful misconduct.
7.3 | LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. |
Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, the Custodian shall be without liability to the Customer or the Customer Assets for any loss, damage, claim, cost, expense or other liability resulting from or caused by: (i) events or circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including without limitation, acts of war or terrorism, governmental or quasi-governmental actions, including the suspension of trading or the suspension of foreign exchange, interruptions of telecommunications or other utilities and other force majeure events; (ii) errors by the Customer, any Investment Manager or any other authorized person (as applicable) in its instructions to the Custodian; (iii) the failure of the Customer, any Investment Manager or any other authorized person (as applicable) to adhere to the Custodians operational policies and procedures; (iv) any acts, omissions or insolvency of a Securities System or Transfer Agent; (v) any delay or failure of any broker, agent, intermediary, central bank or other commercially prevalent payment or clearing system to deliver to the Custodians subcustodian or agent securities purchased or in the remittance of payment made in
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Exhibit (g)(5)
connection with the securities sold; (vi) any delay or failure of any company, corporation, or other body in charge of registering or transferring securities in the name of the Custodian, the Customer, or the Custodians subcustodians, nominees or agents, or any consequential damages or losses arising out of such delay or failure to transfer such securities including, without limitation, non-receipt of bonus, dividends and rights and other accretions of benefits; or (vii) any delays or inability to perform its duties resulting from disorder in market infrastructure with respect to any particular security or Securities System. The Custodian shall be entitled to rely on, and may act upon, advice of counsel (who may be counsel for the Customer) on all matters, and shall be without liability for any action reasonably taken or omitted pursuant to such advice.
7.4 | CONFLICTING CLAIMS. |
In the event of any dispute or conflicting claims by any person or persons with respect to securities or other property held as Customer Assets, the Custodian shall be entitled to refuse to act until either: (a) such dispute or conflicting claim shall have been finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction or settled by agreement between conflicting parties, and the Custodian shall have received written evidence satisfactory to it of such determination or agreement; or (b) the Custodian shall have received an indemnity, security or both, satisfactory to it and sufficient to hold it harmless from and against any and all loss, liability and expense which the Custodian may incur as a result of its actions.
7.5 | THIRD-PARTY INFORMATION. |
The Customer and any third party agents including, without limitation, any Transfer Agent, (each, a Third Party Agent) from which the Custodian shall receive or obtain certain records, reports and other data in connection with the services provided hereunder are solely responsible for the contents of such information, including, without limitation, the accuracy thereof. The Custodian shall have no responsibility to review, confirm or otherwise assume any duty with respect to the accuracy or completeness of any such information and shall be without liability for any loss, damage, claim, cost, expense or other liability suffered by the Customer, the Customer Assets or any other party as a result of the Custodians reasonable reliance on and utilization of such information.
7.6 | LEGAL, REGULATORY AND INVESTMENT MANAGER COMPLIANCE. |
The Custodian shall have no obligation to review, monitor or otherwise ensure compliance by the Customer with (i) any law, regulation, policy, restriction or guideline applicable to the Customer, the Customer Assets or any Investment Manager, or (ii) any term or condition of any agreement between the Customer and any third party, including the Investment Manager.
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Exhibit (g)(5)
7.7 | RESPONSIBILITY FOR PROPERTY HELD BY SUBCUSTODIANS AND AGENTS. |
The Custodians responsibility with respect to any property held by its subcustodians or its agents is limited to the failure on the part of the Custodian to exercise reasonable care in the selection, retention or monitoring of such subcustodian or agent in light of prevailing settlement and securities handling practices, procedures and controls in the relevant market. With respect to any direct losses, damages, claims, costs, expenses or other liabilities incurred by the Customer or the Customer Assets as a result of the acts or the failure to act by any agent or subcustodian, the Custodians sole responsibility to the Customer shall be to take commercially reasonable action to pursue claims for such losses, damages, claims, costs, expenses or other liabilities, as applicable, from such subcustodian or agent.
Notwithstanding the foregoing or any other provision of this Agreement, the Customer acknowledges and agrees that the Custodian shall not be liable to the Customer, the Customer Assets, the Investment Manager or any other party for any loss, damage, claim, cost, expense or other liability arising from the bankruptcy, insolvency or receivership of any such subcustodian or agent. The Customer further acknowledges and agrees that Transfer Agents shall not be deemed to be subcustodians or agents of the Custodian for purposes of this Section 7.7 or for any other provision of this Agreement.
7.8 | RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY FOR PAST RECORDS. |
The Custodian shall have no liability in respect of any loss, damage, claim, cost, expense or other liability suffered by the Customer insofar as such loss, damage, claim, cost expense or other liability arises from the performance of the Custodians duties hereunder by reason of the Custodians reliance upon records that were maintained for the Customer by entities other than the Custodian prior to the Custodians appointment as custodian for the Customer and the Customer Assets.
7.9 | INDIRECT, SPECIAL AND CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. |
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, each of the Customer and Custodian hereby agree that in no event shall the Custodian be liable for indirect, special or consequential damages, or for any damages of a similar nature.
8. | SECURITY INTEREST. |
8.1 | CREATION OF SECURITY INTEREST. |
To secure the due and punctual payment of all liabilities, whether actual or contingent (Liabilities), of the Customer to the Custodian now or hereafter arising or incurred under or in connection with this Agreement, the Customer hereby grants to the Custodian a security interest in (i) all of the Customers cash, deposit accounts, securities and other investment property, and other assets, whether now existing or hereafter acquired or created, in the possession or under the control of any of the Custodian and its agents, affiliates and subcustodians and (ii) any and all proceeds of
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Exhibit (g)(5)
any thereof (collectively, the Collateral). The Liabilities include, without limitation, (a) the obligations of the Customer to the Custodian in relation to any advance of cash or securities for any purpose; (b) the obligations of the Customer to the Custodian (in its capacity as foreign exchange provider or otherwise) in relation to any spot or forward foreign exchange contracts or any other foreign exchange contract or facility entered into with the Customer; and (c) the obligations of the Customer to reimburse the Custodian for any taxes, interest, charges, expense, assessments, or other liabilities that may be assessed against or imposed on the Custodian under or in connection with this Agreement, except such Liabilities as may arise from the Custodians own fraud, negligence or wilful misconduct in the performance of its duties hereunder.
8.2 | SECURED PARTY AND OTHER RIGHTS. |
In the event that the Customer fails to satisfy any of the Liabilities as and when due and payable, the Custodian shall have in respect of the Collateral, in addition to all other rights and remedies arising hereunder or under applicable law, the rights and remedies of a secured party under the Uniform Commercial Code of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Without prejudice to the Custodians rights under applicable law, the Custodian shall be entitled, without notice to the Customer, to withhold delivery of any Collateral, sell or otherwise realize any such Collateral and to apply the money or other proceeds and any other monies credited to the cash accounts in satisfaction of such Liabilities. The Customer acknowledges that, in the Custodian exercising any such rights or remedies against any of the Collateral, it will be commercially reasonable for the Custodian (i) to accelerate or cause the acceleration of the maturity of any fixed term deposits comprised in the Collateral and (ii) to effect such currency conversions as may be necessary at its current rates for the sale and purchase of the relevant currencies.
9. | SECURITY CODES. |
If the Custodian has issued to the Customer (or any duly-authorized agent thereof) security codes, passwords, or test keys in order that the Custodian may verify that certain transmissions of information, including Proper Instructions, have been originated by the Customer (or such agent), the Custodian shall be kept indemnified by and be without liability to the Customer or the Customer Assets for any action taken or omitted by it in reliance upon receipt by the Custodian of transmissions of information with the proper security code or password, including instructions purporting to be Proper Instructions, which the Custodian reasonably believes to be from the Customer (or its duly-authorized agent). The Customer shall, and procure that any duly-authorized agent shall, safeguard any security codes, passwords, test keys or other security devices which the Custodian shall make available.
14
Exhibit (g)(5)
10. | TAX LAW. |
The Custodian shall have no responsibility or liability for any obligations now or hereafter imposed on the Customer, the Customer Assets or the Custodian as custodian of the Customer Assets by the tax laws of any country or of any state or political subdivision thereof. It shall be the responsibility of the Customer to notify the Custodian of the obligations imposed on the Customer or the Custodian, as custodian of the Customer (or the Customer Assets) by the tax law of countries, states and political subdivisions thereof, including responsibility for withholding and other taxes, assessments or other governmental charges, certifications and governmental reporting. The sole responsibility of the Custodian with regard to such tax law shall be to use commercially reasonable efforts to assist the Customer with respect to any claim for exemption or refund under the tax law of jurisdictions for which the Customer has provided appropriate tax information.
The Custodian shall be kept indemnified by and shall be without liability to the Customer or the Customer Assets for any such obligations including taxes, withholding and reporting requirements, claims for exemption and refund, additions for late payment, interest, penalties and other expense (including legal expenses) that may be assessed against the Customer the Customer Assets or the Custodian as Custodian of the Customer and the Customer Assets.
11. | INVESTMENT MANAGERS. |
11.1 | APPOINTMENT AND TERMINATION OF INVESTMENT MANAGERS. |
Customer at any time may appoint one or more persons to manage the investment of all or any portion of the Customer Assets (each an Investment Manager). In such event, Customer shall promptly notify the Custodian in writing of the appointment of such Investment Manager, and of the portion of the Customer Assets over which the Investment Manager may exercise its authority. Customer similarly promptly shall notify the Custodian of the termination of the appointment of any Investment Manager.
11.2 | AUTHORITY OF INVESTMENT MANAGERS. |
The Custodian, in performing its duties under this Agreement, shall be entitled to rely upon Proper Instructions from any Investment Manager upon receipt from the Customer of the written notice relating to the appointment of such Investment Manager described in Section 11.1 above, with such limitations as Customer and the Custodian may by written agreement provide. In the absence of such limitations, the Custodian shall be entitled to accept Proper Instructions from the Investment Manager upon the assumption that the Investment Manager may exercise full discretion with regard to all matters under this Agreement.
15
Exhibit (g)(5)
12. | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS. |
12.1 | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS OF CUSTOMER. |
The Customer represents and warrants and covenants, as applicable, to the Custodian that:
(a) | The Customer has the power to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement, and has duly executed this Agreement so as to constitute its valid and binding obligations; |
(b) | The Customer has the power pursuant to its constitutive documents, and any related laws and regulations: |
(i) | to enter into this Agreement; |
(ii) | to grant to the Custodian the rights against assets of the Customer (including, without limitation, the security interests, liens and rights of set-off referred to in Section 8) in connection with the obligations of the Customer; and |
(iii) | to carry out its obligations hereunder; |
(c) | In giving any instructions, which purport to be Proper Instructions under this Agreement, the Customer will act, and will cause any agent appointed by it or any Investment Manager to act, in accordance with the provisions of all documents establishing the Customer and governing the Customer Assets and any related laws and regulations; and |
(d) | The Customer will disclose to the Custodian such information, including, but not limited to, information concerning itself and the Customer Assets, as reasonably required for the performance of its duties and of obligations as the Custodian of the Customer Assets, or as required by applicable law or legal process. |
The Customer shall be deemed to repeat each of the foregoing representations and warranties on each date on which the Customer gives instructions to the Custodian (including, without limitation, instructions in relation to any foreign exchange transaction).
12.2 | ADDITIONAL COVENANTS OF CUSTOMER. |
The Customer shall, as and when requested by the Custodian, provide the Custodian with evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Custodian that the warranties set out in Sections 12.1(a) and 12.1(b) are true and correct.
12.3 | REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF CUSTODIAN. |
The Custodian represents and warrants to the Customer that:
(a) | the Custodian has the power under its charter to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement. |
16
Exhibit (g)(5)
(b) | the Custodian has duly executed this Agreement so as to constitute valid and binding obligations of the Custodian. |
12.4 | ADDITIONAL COVENANTS OF CUSTODIAN. |
The Custodian shall, as and when requested by the Customer, provide the Customer with evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Customer that the warranties set out in Sections 12.3(a) and 12.3(b) are true and correct.
13. | EFFECTIVE PERIOD, AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION. |
This Agreement shall become effective as of the date set forth herein, shall continue in full force and effect until terminated as hereinafter provided, may be amended at any time by mutual written agreement of the parties hereto and may be terminated by either the Customer or the Custodian by an instrument in writing delivered or mailed, postage prepaid to the other party, such termination to take effect not sooner than sixty (60) days after the date of such delivery or mailing unless a different period is agreed to in writing by the parties.
This Agreement may also be immediately terminated by:
(i) | the Customer in the event that: |
(a) | the Custodian has materially breached the terms of this Agreement; |
(b) | (i) the Custodian files a petition seeking protection from its creditors pursuant to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws, (ii) proceedings in bankruptcy are instituted against the Custodian by a third party, or (iii) a secured party takes possession of all or substantially all of the Custodians assets, and the same is not discharged within thirty (30) days; or |
(c) | the Custodian (i) admits in writing its inability to pay its debts as they fall due or (ii) passes a resolution relating to its winding up and/or liquidation (except pursuant to a plan of consolidation, amalgamation or merger). |
(ii) | the Custodian in the event that: |
(a) | the Customer has materially breached the terms of this Agreement; |
(b) | (i) the Customer files a petition seeking protection from its creditors pursuant to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws, (ii) proceedings in bankruptcy are instituted against the Customer by a third party, or (iii) a secured party takes possession of all or substantially all of the Customers assets, and the same is not discharged within thirty (30) days; or |
17
Exhibit (g)(5)
(c) | the Customer (i) admits in writing its inability to pay its debts as they fall due or (ii) passes a resolution relating to its winding up and/or liquidation (except pursuant to a plan of consolidation, amalgamation or merger). |
Upon termination of the Agreement, the Customer shall, upon demand, pay to the Custodian such compensation as may be due as of the date of such termination and shall likewise reimburse the Custodian for its reasonable costs, expenses and disbursements.
14. | ACTION ON TERMINATION. |
In the event that securities, funds and other property remain in the possession of the Custodian, its agents or its subcustodians after the date of termination hereof owing to failure of the Customer to appoint a successor custodian or to give Proper Instructions with regard to such assets, the Custodian may cause such property to be delivered to the Customer at the Customers sole risk and expense. The Custodian shall be entitled to fair compensation for its services and payment of all expenses incurred during such period as the Custodian retains possession of such securities, funds and other property after termination of this Agreement. Such compensation and expenses shall in no event be less than those to which the Custodian is entitled under this Agreement.
15. | NOTICES. |
Any notice, instruction or other instrument required to be given hereunder may be delivered in person to the offices of the parties as set forth herein during normal business hours or delivered prepaid registered mail or by telecopy to the parties at the following addresses or such other addresses as may be notified by any party from time to time.
To the Customer: |
ASG GLOBAL MACRO CAYMAN FUND LTD. | |
c/o Natixis Funds | ||
399 Boylston Street | ||
Boston, MA 02116 | ||
Attention: Secretary | ||
With a copy to: Treasurer of Natixis Funds Trust II | ||
Telephone: 617-449-2809 | ||
Telecopy: 617-369-9633 | ||
To the Custodian: |
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY | |
c/o State Street Fund Services | ||
30 Adelaide Street East, Suite 1100 | ||
Toronto, Ontario M5C 3G6 | ||
Canada | ||
Attention: Vice President, Cayman & Alternative Investments | ||
Tel: +1 647 775-7768 | ||
Facsimile: +1 416 681 3725 |
18
Exhibit (g)(5)
Such notice, instruction or other instrument shall be deemed to have been served in the case of a registered letter at the expiration of five business days after posting, in the case of telecopy on the business day of receipt thereof (as confirmed by the sender thereof by receipt of an error-free transmission report at the completion of the relevant transmission), and if delivered outside normal business hours it shall be deemed to have been received at the next time after delivery when normal business hours commence. Evidence that the notice was properly addressed, stamped and put into the post shall be conclusive evidence of posting.
16. | PROXY. |
The Customer does hereby irrevocably appoint the Custodian or any of its directors, officers or employees (from time to time duly appointed or authorized in writing by the Custodian for the purposes herein, the certificate of the Custodian of such appointment to be final and conclusive) to be the Customers attorney or attorneys for and in the name of the Customer or otherwise, with full powers of substitution from time to time, for each and all of the purposes hereunder, to sign and execute all documents and perform all acts and things the Custodian considers expedient or necessary for any of the purposes hereunder, and in that respect to employ and pay agents and generally to secure any appropriate assistance which the Custodian may consider necessary for the purposes of this Agreement.
The Customer does hereby declare that each and every receipt, deed, matter and thing which shall be properly given, made, executed or done by the attorney for the purposes hereunder shall be as good, valid and effectual to all intents and purposes as if the same had been signed, sealed, delivered, given, made, or done by the Customer. The Customer does hereby further undertake at all times to ratify whatever the attorney shall lawfully do or cause to be done in or concerning the property by virtue of this Agreement and power of attorney.
17. | LAW TO APPLY; CONSENT TO NON-EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION. |
This Agreement shall be construed and the provisions thereof interpreted under and in accordance with laws of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States of America, excluding the conflicts of laws principles thereof. The Customer hereby submits to the nonexclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the United States of America and The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including any appellate courts thereof.
18. | ASSIGNMENT. |
Neither this Agreement nor any rights hereunder shall be assigned by any party hereto without the prior written consent of the other party, provided, however, that Custodian may assign its interests herein to any of its respective affiliates or subsidiaries with prior notification to the Customer.
19
Exhibit (g)(5)
19. | CONFIDENTIALITY. |
All information provided under this Agreement by a party (the Disclosing Party) to the other party (the Receiving Party) regarding the Disclosing Partys business and operations shall be treated as confidential. Subject to the paragraphs below, all confidential information provided under this Agreement by Disclosing Party shall be used, including disclosure to third parties, by the Receiving Party, or its agents or service providers, solely for the purpose of performing or receiving the services and discharging the Receiving Partys other obligations under the Agreement or managing the business of the Receiving Party and its Affiliates, including financial and operational management and reporting, risk management, legal and regulatory compliance and Customer service management. The foregoing shall not be applicable to any information (a) that is publicly available when provided or thereafter becomes publicly available, other than through a breach of this Agreement, (b) that is independently derived by the Receiving Party without the use of any information provided by the Disclosing Party in connection with this Agreement, (c) that is disclosed to comply with any legal or regulatory proceeding, investigation, audit, examination, subpoena, civil investigative demand or other similar process, (d) that is disclosed as required by operation of law or regulation or as required to comply with the requirements of any market infrastructure that the Disclosing Party or its agents direct the Custodian or its Affiliates to employ (or which is required in connection with the holding or settlement of instruments included in the assets subject to this Agreement), or (e) where the party seeking to disclose has received the prior written consent of the party providing the information, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
In connection with the provision of the services and the discharge of its other obligations under this Agreement, the Custodian (which term for purposes of this Section 19 includes each of its parent company, branches and affiliates (Affiliates)) may collect and store information regarding the Customer and share such information with its Affiliates, agents and service providers in order and to the extent reasonably necessary (i) to carry out the provision of services contemplated under this Agreement and other agreements between the Customer and the Custodian or any of its Affiliates and (ii) to carry out management of its businesses, including, but not limited to, financial and operational management and reporting, risk management, legal and regulatory compliance and Customer service management.
Subject to the paragraph below, the Custodian and/or its Affiliates (except those Affiliates or business divisions principally engaged in the business of asset management) may use any data or other information (Data) obtained by such entities in the performance of their services under this Agreement or any other agreement between the Customer and the Custodian or one of its Affiliates, including Data regarding transactions and portfolio holdings relating to the Customer, and publish, sell, distribute or otherwise commercialize the Data; provided that, unless the Customer otherwise consents, Data is combined or aggregated with information relating to (i) other customers of the Custodian and/or its Affiliates or (ii) information derived from other sources, in each case such that any published information will be displayed in a manner designed to prevent attribution to or identification of such Data
20
Exhibit (g)(5)
with the Customer. The Customer agrees that Custodian and/or its Affiliates may seek to profit and realize economic benefit from the commercialization and use of the Data, that such benefit will constitute part of the Custodians compensation for services under this Agreement or such other agreement, and the Custodian and/or its Affiliates shall be entitled to retain and not be required to disclose the amount of such economic benefit and profit to the Customer.
Except as expressly contemplated by this Agreement, nothing in this Section 19 shall limit the confidentiality and data-protection obligations of the Customer, Custodian and its Affiliates under this Agreement and applicable law. The Custodian shall cause any Affiliate, agent or service provider to which it has disclosed Data pursuant to this Section 19 to comply at all times with confidentiality and data-protection obligations as if it were a party to this Agreement.
20. | ERISA MATTERS. |
The Customer hereby covenants and agrees during the term of this Agreement that (i) the aggregate interest in any class of shares of the Customer held by benefit plan investors (as such term is interpreted under The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA)) shall not at any time equal or exceed twenty-five per cent (25%) of the outstanding shares of such class without the prior written consent of the Custodian and (ii) the Customer shall not, without the prior written consent of the Custodian, permit the assets of the Customer to be deemed assets of an employee benefit plan which is subject to ERISA. Upon written notice, the Custodian shall be entitled to terminate this Agreement, effective immediately, in the event that this Section 20 is breached by the Customer.
21
Exhibit (g)(5)
21. | REGULATION GG. |
Customer hereby represents and warrants that it does not engage in an Internet gambling business, as such term is defined in Section 233.2(r) of Federal Reserve Regulation GG (12 CFR 233) (Regulation GG). Customer hereby covenants and agrees that it shall not engage in an Internet gambling business. In accordance with Regulation GG, Customer is hereby notified that restricted transactions, as such term is defined in Section 233.2(y) of Regulation GG, are prohibited in any dealings with the Custodian pursuant to this Agreement or otherwise between or among any party hereto.
22. | SEVERABILITY. |
Each section, subsection (or paragraph), and lesser section of this Agreement constitutes a separate and distinct undertaking, covenant and/or provision hereof. In the event that any provision of this Agreement shall be determined finally to be unlawful, invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be deemed severed from this Agreement, but every other provision of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
23. | COUNTERPARTS. |
This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and by the different parties hereto on separate counterparts, each of which, when executed and delivered, shall constitute an original, and all such counterparts together shall constitute one and the same instrument.
24. | ENGLISH LANGUAGE. |
This Agreement is written in the English language. The English language text of this Agreement shall prevail over any translation thereof.
25. | PROVISIONS SURVIVING TERMINATION. |
The provisions of Sections 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 17 and 19 of this Agreement shall survive termination of this Agreement for any reason.
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Exhibit (g)(5)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has caused this instrument to be executed in its name and behalf by its duly authorized representative(s) as of the date set forth above.
ASG GLOBAL MACRO CAYMAN FUND LTD. | ||
By: | /s/ Roger Hanson | |
Name: Roger H. Hanson | ||
Title: Director | ||
STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY | ||
By: | /s/ George Sullivan | |
Name: | ||
Title: Executive Vice President |
23
Exhibit (g)(5)
EXHIBIT A
REMOTE ACCESS SERVICES ADDENDUM TO CUSTODY SERVICES AGREEMENT
ADDENDUM to that certain Custody Services Agreement, dated as of , 2014 (the Agreement) between ASG GLOBAL MACRO CAYMAN FUND LTD. (you or the Customer) and STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY, including its subsidiaries and affiliates (State Street).
State Street has developed and/or utilizes proprietary or third party accounting and other systems in conjunction with the services that State Street provides to you. In this regard, State Street maintains certain information in databases under State Street ownership and/or control that State Street makes available to customers (the Remote Access Services).
The Services
State Street agrees to provide you, the Customer, and your designated investment advisors, consultants or other third parties who agree to abide by the terms of this Addendum (Authorized Designees) with access to State Street proprietary and third party systems as may be offered by State Street from time to time (each, a System) on a remote basis.
Security Procedures
You agree to comply, and to cause your Authorized Designees to comply, with remote access operating standards and procedures and with user identification or other password control requirements and other security devices and procedures as may be issued or required from time to time by State Street or its third party vendors for use of the System and access to the Remote Access Services. You are responsible for any use and/or misuse of the System and Remote Access Services by your Authorized Designees. You agree to advise State Street immediately in the event that you learn or have reason to believe that any person to whom you have given access to the System or the Remote Access Services has violated or intends to violate the terms of this Addendum and you will cooperate with State Street in seeking injunctive or other equitable relief. You agree to discontinue use of the System and Remote Access Services, if requested, for any security reasons cited by State Street and State Street may restrict access of the System and Remote Access Services by you or any Authorized Designee for security reasons or noncompliance with the terms of this Addendum at any time.
Fees
Fees and charges for the use of the System and the Remote Access Services and related payment terms shall be as set forth in the RAA Fee Schedule in effect from time to time between the parties (the RAA Fee Schedule). You shall be responsible for any tariffs, duties or taxes imposed or levied by any government or governmental agency by reason of the transactions contemplated by this Addendum, including, without limitation, federal, state and local taxes, use, value added and personal property taxes (other than income, franchise or similar taxes which may be imposed or assessed against State Street). Any claimed exemption from such tariffs, duties or taxes shall be supported by proper documentary evidence delivered to State Street.
25
Exhibit (g)(5)
Proprietary Information/Injunctive Relief
The System and Remote Access Services described herein and the databases, computer programs, screen formats, report formats, interactive design techniques, formulae, processes, systems, software, knowhow, algorithms, programs, training aids, printed materials, methods, books, records, files, documentation and other information made available to you by State Street as part of the Remote Access Services and through the use of the System and all copyrights, patents, trade secrets and other proprietary and intellectual property rights of State Street and third party vendors related thereto are the exclusive, valuable and confidential proprietary property of State Street and its relevant licensors and third party vendors (the Proprietary Information). You agree on behalf of yourself and your Authorized Designees to keep the Proprietary Information confidential and to limit access to your employees and Authorized Designees (under a similar duty of confidentiality) who require access to the System for the purposes intended. The foregoing shall not apply to Proprietary Information in the public domain or required by law to be made public.
You agree to use the Remote Access Services only in connection with the proper purposes of this Addendum. You will not, and will cause your employees and Authorized Designees not to, (i) permit any third party to use the System or the Remote Access Services, (ii) sell, rent, license or otherwise use the System or the Remote Access Services in the operation of a service bureau or for any purpose other than as expressly authorized under this Addendum, (iii) use the System or the Remote Access Services for any fund, trust or other investment vehicle without the prior written consent of State Street, or (iv) allow or cause any information transmitted from State Streets databases, including data from third party sources, available through use of the System or the Remote Access Services, to be published, redistributed or retransmitted for other than use for or on behalf of yourself, as our Customer.
You agree that neither you nor your Authorized Designees will modify the System in any way, enhance, copy or otherwise create derivative works based upon the System, nor will you or your Authorized Designees reverse engineer, decompile or otherwise attempt to secure the source code for all or any part of the System.
You acknowledge that the disclosure of any Proprietary Information, or of any information which at law or equity ought to remain confidential, will immediately give rise to continuing irreparable injury to State Street or its third party licensors and vendors inadequately compensable in damages at law and that State Street shall be entitled to obtain immediate injunctive relief against the breach or threatened breach of any of the foregoing undertakings, in addition to any other legal remedies which may be available.
Limited Warranties
State Street represents and warrants that it is the owner of and/or has the right to grant access to the System and to provide the Remote Access Services contemplated herein. Because of the nature of computer information technology, including but not limited to the use of the Internet, and the necessity of relying upon third party sources and data and pricing information obtained from third parties, the System and Remote Access Services are provided AS IS without warranty express or implied including as to availability of the System, and you and your Authorized Designees shall be
26
Exhibit (g)(5)
solely responsible for the use of the System and Remote Access Services and investment decisions, results obtained, regulatory reports and statements produced using the Remote Access Services. State Street and its relevant licensors and third party vendors will not be liable to you or your Authorized Designees for any direct or indirect, special, incidental, punitive or consequential damages arising out of or in any way connected with the System or the Remote Access Services, nor shall any party be responsible for delays or nonperformance under this Addendum arising out of any cause or event beyond such partys control.
EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN THIS ADDENDUM, STATE STREET FOR ITSELF AND ITS RELEVANT LICENSORS AND THIRD PARTY VENDORS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES CONCERNING THE SYSTEM AND THE SERVICES TO BE RENDERED HEREUNDER, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Infringement
State Street will defend or, at our option, settle any claim or action brought against you to the extent that it is based upon an assertion that access to or use of State Street proprietary systems by you under this Addendum constitutes direct infringement of any United States patent or copyright or misappropriation of a trade secret, provided that you notify State Street promptly in writing of any such claim or proceeding and cooperate with State Street in the defense of such claim or proceeding and allow State Street sole control over such claim or proceeding. Should the State Street proprietary system or any part thereof become, or in State Streets opinion be likely to become, the subject of a claim of infringement or the like under any applicable patent, copyright or trade secret laws, State Street shall have the right, at State Streets sole option, to (i) procure for you the right to continue using the State Street proprietary system, (ii) replace or modify the State Street proprietary system so that the State Street proprietary system becomes noninfringing, or (iii) terminate this Addendum without further obligation. This section constitutes the sole remedy available to you for the matters described in this section.
Termination
Either party may terminate this Addendum (i) for any reason by giving the other party at least one-hundred and eighty (180) days prior written notice in the case of notice of termination by State Street to you or thirty (30) days notice in the case of notice from you to State Street of termination, or (ii) immediately for failure of the other party to comply with any material term and condition of the Addendum by giving the other party written notice of termination. This Addendum shall in any event terminate within ninety (90) days after the termination of any service agreement applicable to you. Your use of any third party System is contingent upon your compliance with any terms and conditions of use of such System imposed by such third party and State Streets continued access to, and use of, such third party System. In the event of termination, you will return to State Street all copies of documentation and other confidential information in your possession or in the possession of your Authorized Designees and immediately cease access to the System and Remote Access Services. The foregoing provisions with respect to confidentiality and infringement will survive termination for a period of three (3) years.
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Exhibit (g)(5)
Miscellaneous
This Addendum constitutes our entire understanding with respect to access to the System and the Remote Access Services. This Addendum cannot be modified or altered except in a writing duly executed by both of us and shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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Exhibit (h)(2)(xxvi)
TWENTY-FIFTH AMENDMENT TO
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AGREEMENT
This Amendment made as of September 30, 2014, by and between NGAM Advisors, L.P. (NGAM Advisors), Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust II, Natixis Funds Trust IV, Loomis Sayles Funds I, Loomis Sayles Funds II, Gateway Trust and Hansberger International Series (collectively, the Trusts).
WHEREAS, NGAM Advisors and the Trusts are parties to an Administrative Services Agreement dated January 3, 2005, as amended November 1, 2005, January 1, 2006, July 1, 2007, September 17, 2007, February 1, 2008, February 19, 2008, July 1, 2008, September 29, 2008, October 31, 2008, January 9, 2009, July 27, 2009, February 25, 2010, July 1, 2010, September 21, 2010, December 14, 2010, July 1, 2011, September 16, 2011, March 28, 2012, June 29, 2012, November 16, 2012, September 26, 2013, February 10, 2014, July 1, 2014, and July 10, 2014, (together with the amendments, the Agreement), governing the terms and conditions under which NGAM Advisors provides certain administrative services to the series of the Trusts; and
WHEREAS, NGAM Advisors and the Trusts desire to amend Schedule A of the Agreement to reflect changes in Trust Portfolios;
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and covenants contained herein, NGAM Advisors and the Trusts hereby agree as follows:
1. | Schedule A of the Agreement is deleted in its entirety and replaced with Schedule A attached hereto. |
2. | Except as specifically superseded or modified herein, the terms and provisions of the Agreement shall continue to apply with full force and effect. |
3. | This Amendment may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument. |
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Exhibit (h)(2)(xxvi)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has caused this instrument to be executed as a sealed instrument in its name and behalf by its duly authorized representative as of the date first above written.
NGAM ADVISORS, L.P. | ||
By NGAM Distribution Corporation, its general partner | ||
By: | /s/ David L. Giunta | |
David L. Giunta, President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
NATIXIS FUNDS TRUST I | ||
NATIXIS FUNDS TRUST II | ||
NATIXIS FUNDS TRUST IV | ||
LOOMIS SAYLES FUNDS I | ||
LOOMIS SAYLES FUNDS II | ||
GATEWAY TRUST | ||
HANSBERGER INTERNATIONAL SERIES | ||
By: | /s/ Michael C. Kardok | |
Michael C. Kardok, Treasurer |
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxvi)
Schedule A
Trust Portfolios
As of: September 30, 2014
Natixis Funds Trust I |
CGM Advisor Targeted Equity Fund |
Loomis Sayles Core Plus Bond Fund |
Natixis Diversified Income Fund |
Natixis Oakmark International Fund |
Natixis U.S. Equity Opportunities Fund |
Vaughan Nelson Small Cap Value Fund |
Natixis Funds Trust II |
ASG Global Alternatives Fund |
ASG Managed Futures Strategy Fund |
ASG Tactical U.S. Market Fund |
Loomis Sayles Capital Income Fund |
Loomis Sayles Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund |
Loomis Sayles Senior Floating Rate and Fixed Income Fund |
Loomis Sayles Strategic Alpha Fund |
McDonnell Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund |
Natixis Oakmark Fund |
Seeyond Multi-Asset Allocation Fund |
Vaughan Nelson Select Fund |
Vaughan Nelson Value Opportunity Fund |
Natixis Funds Trust IV |
AEW Real Estate Fund |
Loomis Sayles Funds I |
Loomis Sayles Bond Fund |
Loomis Sayles Fixed Income Fund |
Loomis Sayles Global Bond Fund |
Loomis Sayles High Income Opportunities Fund |
Loomis Sayles Inflation Protected Securities Fund |
Loomis Sayles Institutional High Income Fund |
Loomis Sayles Intermediate Duration Bond Fund |
Loomis Sayles Investment Grade Fixed Income Fund |
Loomis Sayles Securitized Asset Fund |
Loomis Sayles Small Cap Value Fund |
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxvi)
Loomis Sayles Funds II |
Loomis Sayles Global Equity and Income Fund |
Loomis Sayles Growth Fund |
Loomis Sayles High Income Fund |
Loomis Sayles International Bond Fund |
Loomis Sayles Investment Grade Bond Fund |
Loomis Sayles Limited Term Government and Agency Fund |
Loomis Sayles Small Cap Growth Fund |
Loomis Sayles Strategic Income Fund |
Loomis Sayles Value Fund |
Hansberger International Series |
Gateway Trust |
Gateway Fund |
Gateway International Fund |
Gateway Equity Call Premium Fund (effective September 30, 2014) |
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxvii)
TWENTY-SIXTH AMENDMENT TO
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AGREEMENT
This Amendment made as of December 1, 2014, by and between NGAM Advisors, L.P. (NGAM Advisors), Natixis Funds Trust I, Natixis Funds Trust II, Natixis Funds Trust IV, Loomis Sayles Funds I, Loomis Sayles Funds II and Gateway Trust (collectively, the Trusts).
WHEREAS, NGAM Advisors and the Trusts are parties to an Administrative Services Agreement dated January 3, 2005, as amended November 1, 2005, January 1, 2006, July 1, 2007, September 17, 2007, February 1, 2008, February 19, 2008, July 1, 2008, September 29, 2008, October 31, 2008, January 9, 2009, July 27, 2009, February 25, 2010, July 1, 2010, September 21, 2010, December 14, 2010, July 1, 2011, September 16, 2011, March 28, 2012, June 29, 2012, November 16, 2012, September 26, 2013, February 10, 2014, July 1, 2014, July 10, 2014, and September 30, 2014 (together with the amendments, the Agreement), governing the terms and conditions under which NGAM Advisors provides certain administrative services to the series of the Trusts; and
WHEREAS, NGAM Advisors and the Trusts desire to amend Schedule A of the Agreement to reflect changes in Trust Portfolios;
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and covenants contained herein, NGAM Advisors and the Trusts hereby agree as follows:
1. | Schedule A of the Agreement is deleted in its entirety and replaced with Schedule A attached hereto. |
2. | Except as specifically superseded or modified herein, the terms and provisions of the Agreement shall continue to apply with full force and effect. |
3. | This Amendment may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original but all of which together will constitute one and the same instrument. |
[REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxvii)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has caused this instrument to be executed as a sealed instrument in its name and behalf by its duly authorized representative as of the date first above written.
NGAM ADVISORS, L.P. | ||
By NGAM Distribution Corporation, its general partner | ||
By: | /s/ David Giunta | |
David L. Giunta, President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
NATIXIS FUNDS TRUST I | ||
NATIXIS FUNDS TRUST II | ||
NATIXIS FUNDS TRUST IV | ||
LOOMIS SAYLES FUNDS I | ||
LOOMIS SAYLES FUNDS II | ||
GATEWAY TRUST | ||
By: | /s/ Michael Kardok | |
Michael C. Kardok, Treasurer |
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxvii)
Schedule A
Trust Portfolios
As of: December 1, 2014
Natixis Funds Trust I |
CGM Advisor Targeted Equity Fund |
Loomis Sayles Core Plus Bond Fund |
Natixis Diversified Income Fund |
Natixis Oakmark International Fund |
Natixis U.S. Equity Opportunities Fund |
Vaughan Nelson Small Cap Value Fund |
Natixis Funds Trust II |
ASG Global Alternatives Fund |
ASG Managed Futures Strategy Fund |
ASG Tactical U.S. Market Fund |
ASG Global Macro Fund (effective December 1, 2014) |
Loomis Sayles Capital Income Fund |
Loomis Sayles Emerging Markets Opportunities Fund |
Loomis Sayles Senior Floating Rate and Fixed Income Fund |
Loomis Sayles Strategic Alpha Fund |
McDonnell Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund |
Natixis Oakmark Fund |
Seeyond Multi-Asset Allocation Fund |
Vaughan Nelson Select Fund |
Vaughan Nelson Value Opportunity Fund |
Natixis Funds Trust IV |
AEW Real Estate Fund |
Loomis Sayles Funds I |
Loomis Sayles Bond Fund |
Loomis Sayles Fixed Income Fund |
Loomis Sayles Global Bond Fund |
Loomis Sayles High Income Opportunities Fund |
Loomis Sayles Inflation Protected Securities Fund |
Loomis Sayles Institutional High Income Fund |
Loomis Sayles Intermediate Duration Bond Fund |
Loomis Sayles Investment Grade Fixed Income Fund |
Loomis Sayles Securitized Asset Fund |
Loomis Sayles Small Cap Value Fund |
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxvii)
Loomis Sayles Funds II |
Loomis Sayles Global Equity and Income Fund |
Loomis Sayles Growth Fund |
Loomis Sayles High Income Fund |
Loomis Sayles International Bond Fund |
Loomis Sayles Investment Grade Bond Fund |
Loomis Sayles Limited Term Government and Agency Fund |
Loomis Sayles Small Cap Growth Fund |
Loomis Sayles Strategic Income Fund |
Loomis Sayles Value Fund |
Gateway Trust |
Gateway Fund |
Gateway International Fund |
Gateway Equity Call Premium Fund |
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxii)
ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made as of the 1st day of December 2014, by and between NGAM Advisors, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (NGAM Advisors), and ASG Global Macro Cayman Fund Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the Company).
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, the Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of ASG Global Macro Fund (the Fund), a series of Natixis Funds Trust II, a Massachusetts business trust (the Trust);
WHEREAS, the purpose of the Company is to facilitate the implementation of the Funds investment strategies, in particular with respect to investments in commodity futures and other commodity-related derivative instruments; and
WHEREAS, the Company desires to employ NGAM Advisors to provide certain administrative services to the Company in the manner and on the terms set forth in this Agreement and NGAM Advisors wishes to perform such services.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and covenants hereinafter contained, the parties hereby agree as follows:
1. Appointment and Acceptance. The Company hereby employs NGAM Advisors to act as Administrator of the Company on the terms set forth in this agreement. NGAM Advisors hereby accepts such employment and agrees to furnish the services and to assume the obligations herein set forth for the compensation herein provided.
2. | Services Provided by NGAM Advisors. |
(a) | NGAM Advisors shall perform or arrange for the performance of the various administrative and clerical services including but not limited to the services listed in Schedule A hereto. The administrative services provided hereunder shall be subject to the control, supervision and direction of the Company and the review and comment by the Companys auditors and legal counsel and shall be performed in accordance with procedures, which may be established from time to time between the Company and NGAM Advisors. NGAM Advisors shall provide the office space, facilities, equipment and the personnel required by it to perform the services contemplated herein. |
(b) | In providing any or all of the services listed in Schedule A hereto, and in satisfaction of its obligations to provide such services, NGAM Advisors may, at its expense, enter into agreements with one or more other third parties to provide such services to the Company; provided, however, that NGAM Advisors shall be as fully responsible to the Company for the acts and omissions of any such third party service providers as it would be for its own acts or omissions hereunder. |
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxii)
3. | Compensation and Expenses. |
(a) | For the services provided hereunder, the Company shall pay NGAM Advisors a monthly fee (accrued daily) calculated at the annual rate of 0.05% of the Companys average daily net assets. |
(b) | In addition, the Company shall reimburse NGAM Advisors for its reasonable out-of-pocket expenses as well as any other advances incurred by NGAM Advisors with the consent of the Company with respect to its provision of services hereunder. |
(c) | For any period less than a full calendar month, any fees payable to NGAM Advisors for such period shall be pro-rated for such lesser period. All of the foregoing fees and expenses will be billed monthly in arrears by NGAM Advisors. The Company shall pay such fees and reimburse such expenses promptly upon receipt of an invoice therefor and, in no event, later than five (5) business days after receipt of the invoice. |
(d) | The Company agrees promptly to reimburse NGAM Advisors for any equipment and supplies specially ordered by or for the Company through NGAM Advisors at the request or with the consent of the Company, and for any other expenses not contemplated by this Agreement that NGAM Advisors may incur on behalf of, at the request of, or with the consent of the Company. |
(e) | The Company will bear all expenses that are incurred in its operation and not specifically assumed by NGAM Advisors. Expenses to be borne by the Company, include, but are not limited to: organizational expenses; cost of services of independent accountants and outside legal and tax counsel; cost of any services contracted for by the Company directly from parties other than NGAM Advisors; cost of trading operations and brokerage fees, commissions and transfer taxes in connection with the purchase and sale of securities for the Company; investment advisory fees; taxes, insurance premiums and other fees and expenses applicable to its operation; costs incidental to any meetings of shareholders including, but not limited to, legal and accounting fees; costs incidental to meetings of the Board of Directors, including fees and expenses of Board members; the salary and expenses of any non-affiliated officer or director/trustee or any employee of the Company; all costs and expenses related to the Companys organization and operation in the Cayman Islands; fidelity bond and directors and officers liability insurance; and cost of independent pricing services used in computing the Companys net asset value. |
4. | Limitation of Liability; Indemnification. |
(a) | NGAM Advisors shall not be liable to the Company for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss arising out of any act or omission by NGAM Advisors, or any persons engaged pursuant to Section 2(b) hereof, including officers, agents, and employees of NGAM Advisors and its affiliates, in the performance of its duties hereunder; provided, however, that nothing contained herein shall be construed to protect NGAM Advisors against any liability to the Company or the Fund, or the shareholders of the Company or the Fund, to which NGAM Advisors shall otherwise be subject by reason of its willful misfeasance, bad faith, or negligence in the performance of its duties or the reckless disregard of its obligations and duties hereunder. |
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Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxii)
(b) | NGAM Advisors will indemnify and hold harmless the Company, the Fund and their respective officers, employees, and agents and any persons who control the Company and the Fund, respectively (collectively, the Indemnified Parties), from any losses, claims, damages, liabilities, or actions in respect thereof to which the Indemnified Parties may become subject, including amounts paid in settlement with the prior written consent of NGAM Advisors, insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities, or actions in respect thereof arise out of or result from the failure of NGAM Advisors to comply with the terms of this Agreement. |
NGAM Advisors will reimburse the Company and the Fund for reasonable legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company and the Fund in connection with investigating or defending against any such loss, claim, damage, liability, or action. NGAM Advisors shall not be liable to the Company or the Fund for any action taken or omitted by the Company or the Fund in bad faith or with willful misfeasance or negligence or with reckless disregard by the Company or the Fund of their respective obligations and duties hereunder. The indemnities herein shall, upon the same terms and conditions, extend to and inure to the benefit of each of the officers of the Company and the Fund, and any person controlling the Company and the Fund, respectively.
(c) | The obligations set forth in this Section 4 shall survive the termination of this Agreement. |
5. | Activities of NGAM Advisors Not Exclusive; Dual Interests. |
(a) | The services of NGAM Advisors under this Agreement are not to be deemed exclusive, and NGAM Advisors and any person controlled by or under common control with NGAM Advisors shall be free to render similar services to others. |
(b) | It is understood that any of the officers, employees, and agents of the Company, the Fund, the Trust or any investment adviser of the Company, may be a shareholder, director, officer, employee, or agent of, or be otherwise interested in, NGAM Advisors, any affiliated person of NGAM Advisors, any organization in which NGAM Advisors may have an interest, or any organization that may have an interest in NGAM Advisors. Except as otherwise provided by specific provisions of applicable law, the existence of any such dual interest shall not affect the validity of this Agreement or any of the transactions hereunder. |
6. | Representations and Warranties. |
(a) | The Company represents and warrants to NGAM Advisors that this Agreement has been duly authorized by the Company, when executed and delivered, will constitute a legal, valid, and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties. |
3
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxii)
(b) | NGAM Advisors represents and warrants to the Company that this Agreement has been duly authorized by NGAM Advisors and, when executed and delivered by NGAM Advisors, will constitute a legal, valid, and binding obligation of NGAM Advisors, enforceable against NGAM Advisors in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, and other laws of general application affecting the rights and remedies of creditors and secured parties. |
7. | Duration and Termination of this Agreement. |
(a) | This Agreement shall become effective as of the date first above written and, unless otherwise terminated, shall continue indefinitely; provided, however, that this Agreement may be terminated at any time without the payment of any penalty by either party on not less than sixty (60) days written notice to the other party. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, this Agreement may be terminated immediately and without prior notice by NGAM Advisors upon the termination of the Companys Advisory Agreement. |
(b) | NGAM Advisors hereby agrees that any books and records created hereunder with respect to the Company are the property of the Company and shall be readily accessible to the Company and its officers and agents during normal business hours, provided that the parties acknowledge that any such books and records shall be maintained outside the United States. NGAM Advisors further agrees that, upon the termination of this Agreement or otherwise upon request, NGAM Advisors will surrender promptly to the Company copies of all such books and records. |
8. Amendments and Waivers. This Agreement may be amended by the parties hereto only if such amendment is specifically approved by the Board of Directors of the Company, and such amendment is set forth in a written instrument executed by each of the parties hereto. At any time, any of the provisions hereof may be waived by the written mutual consent of the parties hereto.
9. Notices. All notices or other communications hereunder to either party shall be in writing and shall be deemed to be received on the earlier of the date actually received or on the fourth day after the postmark if such notice is mailed first class postage prepaid. Notices shall be sent to the addresses set forth below or to such other address as either party may designate by written notice to the other.
4
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxii)
If to NGAM Advisors:
NGAM Advisors, L.P.
399 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
Attention: President
With a copy to: General Counsel
If to the Company:
ASG Global Macro Cayman Fund Ltd.
Intertrust Corporate Services (Cayman) Limited
190 Elgin Avenue
George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-9005
Cayman Islands
Notice shall also be deemed sufficient if given electronically or by telex, telecopier, telegram, or other similar means of same day delivery (with a confirming copy by mail as provided herein).
10. | Additional Provisions |
(a) | Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes any prior arrangements, agreements, or understandings. |
(b) | Severability. If any term or provision of this Agreement or the application thereof to any person or circumstance is held to be invalid or unenforceable to any extent, the remainder of this Agreement or the application of such provision to other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby and shall be enforced to the fullest extent permitted by law. |
(c) | Governing Law. The provisions of this Agreement shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as then in effect. |
(d) | Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto in one or more counterparts, and, if so executed, the separate instruments shall constitute one agreement. |
(e) | Headings. Headings used in this Agreement are included for convenience only and are not to be used to construe or interpret this Agreement. |
5
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxii)
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement on the day and year first above written.
NGAM ADVISORS, L.P. | ||
By NGAM Distribution Corporation, its general partner | ||
By: | /s/Coleen Downs Dinneen | |
Name: | Coleen Downs Dinneen | |
Title: | Executive Vice President | |
ASG GLOBAL MACRO CAYMAN FUND LTD. | ||
By: | /s/ Roger Hanson | |
Name: | ||
Title: |
6
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxii)
Schedule A
Description of Services Provided
Dated: December 1, 2014
NGAM Advisors shall perform or arrange for the performance of the following administration and clerical service:
Corporate Secretarial Services
1. | draft general corporate calendar, coordinate tracking of legal and regulatory compliance through annual cycles; |
2. | draft contracts, assisting in negotiation and planning, as appropriate, for example advisory, custodian agreements, and various other agreements and amendments; |
3. | obtain and monitor directors and officers errors and omissions policies, if applicable; |
Legal Consulting and Planning Services
4. | provide general legal advice on matters relating to portfolio management, Company operations, and any potential changes in the Companys investment policies, operations, or structure; |
5. | communicate significant emerging regulatory and legislative developments to the AlphaSimplex Group, LLC (the Advisor) and the Company and provide related planning assistance; |
6. | develop or assist in developing guidelines and procedures to improve overall compliance by the Company; |
7. | provide advice with regard to litigation matters, routine examinations and investigations by regulatory agencies; |
8. | maintain effective communications with Company counsel; |
9. | create and implement timing and responsibility system for outside legal counsel when necessary to implement major projects and the legal management of such projects; |
10. | monitor activities and billing practices of counsel performing services for the Company or in connection with related activities of the Company; |
11. | provide consultation and advice for resolving compliance questions along with the Advisor, its counsel, the Company and Company counsel; |
7
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxii)
12. | provide active involvement with regulatory examinations; |
Treasury Financial Services
13. | generate portfolio schedules utilizing the Companys custodian system; |
14. | create financial statements and financial highlight tables; |
15. | establish and maintain internal controls over financial reporting; |
16. | maintain and update the notes to the financials; |
17. | coordinate with external auditors for annual audit; |
18. | review financial statements for completeness, accuracy and appropriate disclosures; |
19. | determine and monitor expense accruals for the Company; |
20. | review Company expense waivers and deferrals; |
21. | oversee and review custodial bank and sub-administrative services, including services of the transfer agent and registrar and including maintenance of books and records; |
22. | provide service bureaus with statistical information of the Company; |
23. | oversee the determination of the Companys net asset values; |
24. | review the calculation, and arrange for the payment of the Companys expenses; |
25. | oversee and review the calculation of fees paid to the Companys service providers, including, as applicable, the Companys investment adviser and custodian; |
26. | authorize expenses; |
Treasury Regulatory Services
27. | coordinate pre-approval of audit related services; |
28. | review pricing errors; |
29. | review fair value pricing; |
30. | review stale pricing; |
8
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxii)
31. | review collateral segregation; |
32. | provide weekly summaries of pricing overrides to management; |
33. | provide a review of expense caps and management fee waivers to management; |
34. | review short sales; |
35. | review derivatives positions; |
36. | review brokerage commissions; |
37. | review dividends and capital gain distributions; |
38. | coordinate declaration of distributions; |
Treasury Tax Services
39. | calculate distribution of capital gains and income requirements; |
40. | provide estimates of capital gains; |
Treasury Compliance Services
41. | perform oversight review to ensure investment manager compliance with investment policies and limitations; |
42. | obtain and review investment manager certification on adhering to all investment policies, restrictions and guidelines; |
43. | periodically review designated collateral on all derivative and delayed delivery positions; |
9
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
SUB-ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is made as of December 1, 2014 by and between ASG GLOBAL MACRO CAYMAN FUND LTD., an exempted company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Fund), NGAM ADVISORS, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the Administrator) and STATE STREET CAYMAN TRUST COMPANY, LTD., a trust company duly organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the Sub-Administrator).
W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, pursuant to that certain Administrative Services Agreement, dated as of December 1, 2014 the Fund has engaged the Administrator to provide the Fund with transfer agency and administrative services and personnel necessary to operate the Fund.
WHEREAS, the Fund and the Administrator desire to retain the Sub-Administrator to perform certain accounting, registrar, transfer agency and administrative services and the Sub-Administrator is willing to perform such services upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements contained herein and other good and valuable consideration the receipt and adequacy of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto do hereby agree as follows:
Section 1. APPOINTMENT AS SUB-ADMINISTRATOR.
The Fund and the Administrator hereby appoint the Sub-Administrator to act as administrator, registrar, transfer agent and accounting agent for the Fund and the Sub-Administrator hereby accepts such appointment, in each case upon the terms and conditions set forth below and subject to the control, supervision and direction of the Board of Directors of the Fund (the Board of Directors).
Section 2. DELIVERY OF DOCUMENTS.
The Fund or the Administrator shall promptly deliver to the Sub-Administrator certified copies of all documents relating to the Fund, including but not limited to each of the following documents and all future amendments and supplements thereto, if any:
(a) | The charter document and Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Fund (as the same may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the Charter Documents); |
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
(b) | The prospectus of the ASG Global Macro Cayman Fund Ltd. (as the same may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time and together with the Charter Documents, the Constitutive Documents); |
(c) | The resolutions of the Board of Directors authorizing (i) the Fund to enter into this Agreement and (ii) certain individuals on behalf of the Fund to give instructions to the Sub-Administrator pursuant to this Agreement; |
(d) | A copy of the investment management agreement between the investment manager of the Fund (the Investment Manager) and the Fund; and |
(e) | Such other certificates, documents and information as the Sub-Administrator may, in its reasonable discretion, deem necessary or desirable in connection with the performance of its duties hereunder. |
Section 3. ACCOUNTING SERVICES.
The Sub-Administrator shall maintain the books of account of the Fund and shall perform the following duties in the same manner prescribed by the Charter Documents or as otherwise directed by the Fund and further in accordance with such written procedures as may be adopted by the Board of Directors from time to time:
(a) | Record general ledger entries; |
(b) | Calculate daily net income; |
(c) | Reconcile activity to the trial balance; |
(d) | Calculate and publish daily net asset value (as more fully described below); |
(e) | Prepare account balances; and |
(f) | Prepare quarterly, semi-annual and annual financial statements. |
The net asset value of the Fund shall be calculated as follows or as otherwise may be directed by the Fund:
The per share net asset value of a class of the Funds shares shall be computed by dividing the number of shares outstanding into the total net asset value of the Fund. The net asset value of each share of the Fund shall be calculated at the close of regular trading (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) on each day that the NYSE is open for trading. The Fund will not price its shares on the following holidays: New Years Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
-2-
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
The Fund shall provide timely prior notice to the Sub-Administrator of any modification in the manner in which such calculations are to be performed. For purposes of calculating the net asset value of the Fund, the Sub-Administrator shall value the Funds portfolio securities utilizing prices obtained from sources designated by the Fund on a Price Source Authorization substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B, as the same may be amended by the Fund and the Sub- Administrator from time to time, or otherwise designated by means of Proper Instructions (as such term is defined in Section 9 below) (collectively, the Authorized Price Sources). The Sub-Administrator shall not be responsible for any revisions to the methods of calculation prescribed by the Charter Documents or adopted by the Board of Directors unless and until such revisions are communicated in writing to the Sub-Administrator.
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, other than making information available to the Funds or the Shareholders (as defined below) accountants (which costs shall be borne by the Fund or the Shareholders, as applicable), the Sub-Administrator is not responsible for preparing or filing any tax reports or returns on behalf of the Shareholders or the Fund. In addition, the Fund and the Administrator agree that the Sub-Administrator shall have no obligation to perform PFIC reporting under U.S. tax law.
Section 4. REGISTRAR AND TRANSFER AGENCY SERVICES.
The Sub-Administrator shall act as registrar and transfer agent for the shares (each a Share and collectively, the Shares) of each class of share capital of the Fund as may be authorized and issued from time to time, as dividend disbursing agent, and as relevant agent in connection with accumulation, open account or similar plans, including, without limitation, any periodic investment plan or periodic withdrawal program, in each case in accordance with the provisions of the Charter Documents and further in accordance with such written procedures as may be adopted by the Board of Directors from time to time. Subject to the Charter Documents and the direction of the Board of Directors as aforesaid, the Sub-Administrator shall in such capacity:
(a) | Receive and process orders for the purchase of Shares authorized pursuant to the Charter Documents of the Fund and promptly deliver appropriate data (including payment instructions) in respect of accepted orders to the Fund or its agent; |
(b) | Pursuant to purchase orders accepted by the Fund, establish accounts for the shareholders of the Fund (individually, a Shareholder and collectively, the Shareholders), issue the appropriate number of Shares and hold such Shares in the appropriate accounts; |
-3-
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
(c) | Receive and process redemption requests and redemption directions and deliver appropriate data in respect thereof to the Fund or its agent; |
(d) | In respect to the transactions in items (a), (b) and (c) above, the Sub-Administrator shall be authorized to execute such transactions directly with the entity acting as distributor of the Fund from time to time (the Distributor) or with any sub-distributor or broker dealer which has entered into a written selling agreement with the Distributor and which shall thereby be deemed to be acting on behalf of the Fund; |
(e) | Wire or cause to be wired to redeeming Shareholders, pursuant to the standing instructions of such Shareholders contained in such Shareholders subscription agreements with the Fund, redemption monies made available by the Fund or its agent; |
(f) | Prepare and transmit payments for dividends and distributions declared by the Fund pursuant to the standing instructions contained in the Shareholders subscription agreements with the Fund; |
(g) | Subject to the Charter Documents of the Fund, effect transfers of Shares by the registered owners thereof upon receipt of appropriate documentation in respect thereof; |
(h) | Maintain records of account and advise the Fund and the Shareholders as to the foregoing; and |
(i) | Maintain a register of shareholders of the Fund (the Register of Shareholders) in accordance with applicable law and the Charter Documents of the Fund; record the issuance and redemption of Shares and maintain a record of the total number of Shares of the Fund which are authorized (based upon data provided to it by the Fund) and issued and outstanding. The Sub-Administrator shall also provide the Fund on a regular basis with the total number of Shares which are authorized and issued and outstanding. The Sub-Administrator shall have no obligation, when recording the issuance of Shares, to monitor the issuance of such Shares or to take cognizance of any laws relating to the issue or sale of such Shares, which functions shall be the sole responsibility of the Fund. |
In addition to and neither in lieu nor in contravention of the services set forth in the preceding paragraph, the Sub-Administrator shall: perform the customary services of a transfer agent, dividend disbursing agent, and, as relevant, agent in connection with accumulation, open-account or similar
-4-
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
plans (including without limitation any periodic investment plan or periodic withdrawal program), including but not limited to: maintaining all Shareholder accounts, preparing Shareholder meeting lists, mailing proxies, mailing Shareholder reports to current Shareholders, preparing and mailing confirmation forms and statements of account to Shareholders for all purchases and redemptions of Shares and other confirmable transactions in Shareholder accounts, preparing and mailing activity statements for Shareholders, and providing Shareholder account information.
The Sub-Administrator shall provide such additional transfer agency services on behalf of the Fund as may be agreed upon in writing by the Fund and the Sub-Administrator from time to time.
Section 5. GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES.
The Sub-Administrator shall provide the following general administrative services in accordance with such procedures as may be established by the Fund and the Sub-Administrator from time to time:
(a) | prepare and maintain the books and records of the Fund in accordance with the Charter Documents and applicable law; |
(b) | deal with and answer all correspondence from or on behalf of the Shareholders relating to the functions of the Sub-Administrator under this Agreement and respond to, or refer to the Board of Directors, all other Shareholder inquiries relating to the Fund; |
(c) | prepare for review and approval by the Board of Directors financial information for the Funds quarterly financial statements, semi-annual and annual reports, proxy statements and other communications required or otherwise to be sent to the Shareholders, and arrange for the printing and dissemination of such reports and communications to Shareholders; |
(d) | maintain mailing lists and dispatch all notices of meetings, reports, financial statements and other written materials to all persons entitled to receive the same under the Charter Documents as the Fund may require; |
(e) | prepare the Funds expense budget and submit for approval by the Administrator of the Fund and arrange for payment of the Funds expenses; |
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Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
(f) | provide such periodic testing of portfolios as may be mutually agreed upon in writing by the Fund and the Sub-Administrator from time to time to assist the Investment Manager in complying with the investment limitations contained in the Constitutive Documents and such other investment restrictions to which the Fund may be subject from time to time; |
(g) | prepare for review and approval by the Board of Directors of the Fund such reports and filings as may be required by any stock exchange upon which Shares of the Fund are listed or any governmental or regulatory authority with jurisdiction over the Fund, in each case as may be mutually agreed upon in writing by the Fund and the Sub-Administrator from time to time, and arrange for the filing of the same with the appropriate exchange or authority; |
(h) | maintain the Funds general corporate calendar; |
(i) | organize, attend and prepare minutes of Shareholder meetings; and |
(j) | act as may be required by the Fund from time to time as proxy agent in connection with the holding of meetings of Shareholders, receive and tabulate votes cast by proxy and communicate to the Fund the results of such tabulation accompanied by appropriate certificates. |
The Sub-Administrator shall provide such additional administrative services to the Fund as may be agreed upon in writing by the Fund and the Sub-Administrator from time to time.
Section 6. BANKING ACCOUNTS.
The Sub-Administrator may open and maintain a separate bank account or accounts in the name of the Fund, subject only to draft or order by the Sub-Administrator acting pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, and shall hold in such account or accounts, subject to the provisions hereof, all cash received by it from or for the account of the Fund. Monies held by the Sub-Administrator for the Fund may be deposited by it to its credit as Sub-Administrator in the banking department of the Sub-Administrator or its affiliates or in such other banks or trust companies as it may in its discretion deem necessary or desirable; provided, however, that each such bank or trust company and the funds to be deposited with each such bank or trust company shall be approved by the Fund. Such funds shall be deposited by the Sub-Administrator in its capacity as Sub-Administrator and shall be withdrawable by the Sub-Administrator only in that capacity.
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Section 7. RECORDS.
The Sub-Administrator shall create and maintain all records relating to the services provided hereunder in a manner which shall meet the obligations of the Fund under the Charter Documents and applicable law. All such records shall be the property of the Fund and shall at all times during the regular business hours of the Sub-Administrator be open for inspection by duly authorized officers, employees or agents of the Fund and employees and agents of the regulatory agencies having jurisdiction over the Fund. The Sub-Administrator shall preserve the records required to be maintained hereunder for the period required by law unless such records are earlier surrendered in connection with the termination of this Agreement or otherwise upon written request.
Section 8. APPOINTMENT OF AGENTS.
The Sub-Administrator may at its own expense employ agents in the performance of its duties and the exercise of its rights under this Agreement, provided that the employment of such agents shall not reduce the Sub-Administrators obligations or liabilities hereunder. The Fund acknowledges that certain duties of the Sub-Administrator will be performed in Toronto, Canada by certain affiliates and agents of the Sub-Administrator and that, to facilitate the performance of such duties in Toronto, Canada, or such other relevant locations, by affiliates or agents of the Sub-Administrator, information concerning the Fund and concerning the Shareholders, including, but not limited to, personal information concerning individuals, may be disclosed to such affiliates or agents and collected, used and disclosed by such affiliates or agents.
Section 9. INSTRUCTIONS AND ADVICE.
The term Proper Instructions shall mean instructions received by the Sub-Administrator from the Fund or the Investment Manager or any person duly authorized by them. Such instructions may be in writing signed by the authorized person or may be in a tested communication or in a communication utilizing access codes effected between electro-mechanical or electronic devices or may be by such other means as may be agreed upon from time to time by the Sub-Administrator and the party giving such instructions (including, without limitation, oral instructions). All oral instructions shall be promptly confirmed in writing. The Fund and the Investment Manager shall each cause its duly authorized representative to certify to the Sub-Administrator in writing the names and specimen signatures of persons authorized to give Proper Instructions. The Sub-Administrator shall be entitled to rely upon the identity and authority of such persons until it receives written notice from the Fund or the Investment Manager, as the case may be, to the contrary. The Sub-Administrator may rely upon any Proper Instruction reasonably believed by it to be genuine and to have been properly issued by or on behalf of the Fund or the Investment Manager, as the case may be. The Fund shall give timely Proper Instructions to the Sub-Administrator in regard to matters affecting its duties under this Agreement.
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At any time, the Sub-Administrator may apply to any officer of the Fund for instructions and may consult with its own legal counsel or outside counsel for the Fund or the independent accountants for the Fund at the expense of the Fund, with respect to any matter arising in connection with the services to be performed by the Sub-Administrator under this Agreement. The Sub-Administrator shall not be liable, and shall be indemnified by the Administrator and the Fund, for any action taken or omitted by it in good faith in reliance upon any such instructions or advice or upon any paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed by the proper person or persons. The Sub-Administrator shall not be held to have notice of any change of authority of any person until receipt of written notice thereof from the Fund. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as imposing upon the Sub-Administrator any obligation to seek such instructions or advice, or to act in accordance with such advice when received.
Section 10. PROVISION OF INFORMATION.
The Fund shall provide, or shall cause a third party to provide, certain data to the Sub-Administrator as a condition to the Sub-Administrators obligations under Section 3 above. The data required to be provided pursuant to this Section is set forth on Schedule A hereto, which schedule may be separately amended or supplemented by the Fund and the Sub-Administrator from time to time.
The Sub-Administrator is authorized and instructed to rely upon the information it receives from the Fund or any third party authorized by the Fund (a Third Party Agent) to provide such information to the Sub-Administrator. The Sub-Administrator shall have no responsibility to review, confirm or otherwise assume any duty with respect to the accuracy or completeness of any information supplied to it by the Fund or any Third Party Agent.
Section 11. COMPLIANCE WITH GOVERNMENTAL RULES AND REGULATIONS.
The Fund assumes full responsibility for complying with all securities, tax, commodities, privacy and other laws, rules and regulations applicable to it.
Section 12. STANDARD OF CARE; LIMITATION ON LIABILITY.
The Sub-Administrator shall at all times exercise reasonable care and diligence and act in good faith in the performance of its duties hereunder, provided, however, that the Sub-Administrator shall assume no responsibility and shall be without liability for any loss, liability, claim or expense
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suffered or incurred by the Fund or the Administrator unless caused by its own fraud, gross negligence, willful default, or willful misconduct or that of its agents or employees. The Sub-Administrator shall be responsible for the performance of only such duties as are set forth in this Agreement and, except as otherwise provided under Section 8, shall have no responsibility for the actions or activities of any other party, including other service providers to the Fund.
Without in any way limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Sub-Administrator shall in no event be liable for any loss or damage arising from causes beyond its reasonable control, including, without limitation, delay or cessation of services hereunder or any damages to the Fund or the Administrator resulting therefrom as a result of any work stoppage, power or other mechanical failure, computer virus, natural disaster, governmental action, communications disruption or other impossibility of performance. The Sub-Administrator shall not be liable for any special, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages of any kind whatsoever (including, without limitation, attorneys fees) in any way due to the Funds or the Administrators use of the services provided hereunder or the performance of or failure to perform the Sub-Administrators obligations under this Agreement.
The Fund, the Administrator and any Third Party Agents or Authorized Price Sources from which the Sub-Administrator shall receive or obtain certain records, reports and other data included in the services provided hereunder are solely responsible for the contents of such information, including, without limitation, the accuracy thereof. The Sub-Administrator shall have no responsibility to review, confirm or otherwise assume any duty with respect to the accuracy or completeness of any such information and shall be without liability for any loss or damage suffered by the Fund or the Administrator as a result of the Sub-Administrators reasonable reliance on and utilization of such information, except as otherwise required by the terms of the Price Source Authorization form attached hereto as Exhibit B with respect to the use of data obtained from Authorized Price Sources. The Sub-Administrator shall have no responsibility and shall be without liability for any loss or damage caused by the failure of the Fund or any Third Party Agent to provide it with the information required by Section 10 hereof.
The Sub-Administrator shall have no liability and shall be kept indemnified by the Fund and the Administrator against any loss, liability, claim or expense resulting from the offer or sale of Shares in violation of any requirement under any applicable securities laws or regulations including, but not limited to, the laws of the United States.
Except as otherwise expressly agreed to in writing by the Sub-Administrator, the Sub-Administrator shall have no obligation to review, monitor or otherwise ensure compliance by the Fund with the investment policies, restrictions or guidelines applicable to it or any other term or condition of the Constitutive Documents.
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Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
Section 13. INDEMNIFICATION.
Each of the Fund and the Administrator hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Sub-Administrator from and against any loss, liability, claim or expense (including reasonable attorneys fees and disbursements) suffered or incurred by the Sub-Administrator in connection with the performance of its duties hereunder, including, without limitation, any liability or expense suffered or incurred as a result of the acts or omissions of the Fund, the Administrator or any Third Party Agent or Authorized Price Source whose data or services, including records, reports and other information, the Sub-Administrator must rely upon in performing its duties hereunder or as a result of acting upon any instructions reasonably believed by it to have been duly authorized by the Fund or the Administrator; provided, however, that such indemnity shall not apply to any liability or expense occasioned by or resulting from the fraud, willful default, gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Sub-Administrator in the performance of its duties hereunder.
The Fund and the Administrator each will be entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense, or, if it so elects, to assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce any liability subject to the indemnification provided above. In the event the Fund or the Administrator elects to assume the defense of any such suit and retain counsel, the Sub-Administrator or any of its affiliated persons, named as defendant or defendants in the suit, may retain additional counsel but shall bear the fees and expenses of such counsel unless (i) the Fund or the Administrator shall have specifically authorized the retaining of such counsel or (ii) the Sub-Administrator shall have determined in good faith that the retention of such counsel is required as a result of a conflict of interest.
Section 14. REPRESENTATION AND WARRANTIES OF THE SUB-ADMINISTRATOR.
The Sub-Administrator represents and warrants to the Fund that:
(a) | It is a Cayman Islands trust company, duly organized, existing and in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands; |
(b) | It has the corporate power and authority to carry on its business in the Cayman Islands; |
(c) | All requisite corporate proceedings have been taken to authorize it to enter into and perform this Agreement; |
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Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
(d) | Its entrance into this Agreement shall not cause a material breach or be in material conflict with any other agreement or obligation of the Sub-Administrator or any law or regulation applicable to it; |
(e) | It is in compliance with all applicable laws, including, but not limited to, all securities, tax and commodities laws and all laws that regulate the collection, used and disclosure of information; and |
(f) | It has obtained, for all applicable privacy law purposes, all necessary consents in order for a Shareholders information to be processed and collected by service providers or their agents, whether or not the service providers or their agents are located in the same jurisdiction as the Fund. |
Section 15. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE FUND AND THE ADMINISTRATOR.
Each of the Fund and the Administrator represents and warrants to the Sub-Administrator that:
(a) | The Fund is an exempted company, duly organized and existing and in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands |
(b) | The Administrator is a limited partnership, duly organized and existing and in good standing under the laws of Delaware; |
(c) | The Fund and the Administrator have the corporate power and authority under applicable laws and their respective organizational documents to enter into and perform this Agreement; |
(d) | All requisite proceedings have been taken to authorize the Fund and the Administrator to enter into and perform this Agreement; |
(e) | The Funds and the Administrators entrance into this Agreement shall not cause a material breach or be in material conflict with any other agreement or obligation of the Fund or of the Administrator or any law or regulation applicable to the Fund or the Administrator; and |
(e) | As of the close of business on the date of this Agreement, the Fund is authorized to issue Shares, and it will initially offer such Shares, in the amounts authorized by the Constitutive Documents. |
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Section 16. REMOTE ACCESS SERVICES ADDENDUM
The Remote Access Services Addendum to this Agreement shall be incorporated by reference into this Agreement. The Fund and the Administrator acknowledge that the data and information they will be accessing from the Sub-Administrator is unaudited and may not be accurate due to inaccurate pricing of securities, delays of a day or more in updating the account and other causes for which the Sub-Administrator will not be liable to the Fund or the Administrator.
If the transactions available to the Fund or the Administrator include the ability to originate electronic instructions to the Sub-Administrator in order to (i) effect the transfer or movement of cash or Shares or (ii) transmit Shareholder information or other information (such transactions constituting a COEFI), then in such event the Sub-Administrator shall be entitled to rely on the validity and authenticity of such instruction without undertaking any further inquiry as long as such instruction is undertaken in conformity with security procedures established by the Sub-Administrator from time to time.
Section 17. SUCCESSOR AGENT.
If a successor Sub-Administrator shall be appointed by the Fund or the Administrator, then the Fund or the Administrator shall deliver to the Sub-Administrator a written order designating the successor agent and the Sub-Administrator shall upon termination of this Agreement deliver to such successor agent at the office of the Sub-Administrator all books and records of account of the Fund maintained by the Sub-Administrator hereunder. In the event this Agreement is terminated by either party without the appointment of a successor agent, the Sub-Administrator shall, upon receipt of Proper Instructions, deliver such properties in accordance with such instructions.
In the event that no written order designating a successor agent or Proper Instructions shall have been delivered to the Sub-Administrator on or before the effective date of such termination, then the Sub-Administrator shall have the right to deliver to the offices of the Fund all property of the Fund held by the Sub-Administrator hereunder.
Section 18. TERM OF AGREEMENT.
This Agreement shall be effective from the date first stated above and shall remain in full force and effect until terminated as hereinafter provided. Either party may, in its discretion, terminate this Agreement for any reason by giving the other party at least sixty (60) days prior written notice of termination. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, this Agreement may be terminated immediately and without prior notice by the Sub-Administrator following notice of resignation by the Investment Manager or the Administrator.
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Section 19. FEES AND EXPENSES.
The Fund agrees to pay the Sub-Administrator such reasonable compensation for its services and expenses as may be agreed upon from time to time in a written fee schedule approved by the Fund and the Sub-Administrator. The fees shall be accrued daily and billed monthly and shall be due and payable upon receipt of the invoice. Upon the termination of this Agreement before the end of any month, the fee for the part of the month before such termination shall be prorated according to the proportion which such part bears to the full monthly period and shall be payable upon the date of termination of this Agreement. In addition, the Fund shall reimburse the Sub-Administrator for its out-of-pocket costs incurred in connection with this Agreement.
The Fund agrees promptly to reimburse the Sub-Administrator for any equipment and supplies specially ordered by or for the Fund through the Sub-Administrator and for any other expenses not contemplated by this Agreement that the Sub-Administrator may incur on the Funds behalf at the Funds request or with the Funds consent.
The Fund will bear all expenses that are incurred in its operation and not specifically assumed by the Sub-Administrator. Expenses to be borne by the Fund, include, but are not limited to: organizational expenses; cost of services of independent accountants and outside legal and tax counsel (including such counsels review of the Funds Charter Documents, proxy materials and other reports and materials prepared by the Sub-Administrator under this Agreement); cost of any services contracted for by the Fund directly from parties other than the Sub-Administrator; cost of trading operations and brokerage fees, commissions and transfer taxes in connection with the purchase and sale of securities for the Fund; investment advisory fees; taxes, insurance premiums and other fees and expenses applicable to its operation; costs incidental to any meetings of Shareholders including, but not limited to, legal and accounting fees, proxy filing fees and the costs of preparation, printing and mailing of any proxy materials; costs incidental to board meetings, including fees and expenses of Directors; the salary and expenses of any officer, director or employee of the Fund; costs incidental to the preparation, printing and distribution of Shareholder reports; cost of preparation and filing of the Funds tax returns, if any, and all notices, registrations and amendments, if any, associated with applicable tax and securities laws; all applicable registration fees and filing fees required under applicable tax and securities laws; fidelity bond and directors and officers liability insurance; and costs of independent pricing services used in computing the Funds net asset value.
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Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
Section 20. CONFIDENTIALITY.
All information provided under this Agreement by a party (the Disclosing Party) to the other party (the Receiving Party) regarding the Disclosing Partys business and operations shall be treated as confidential. Subject to the paragraphs below, all confidential information provided under this Agreement by Disclosing Party shall be used, including disclosure to third parties, by the Receiving Party, or its agents or service providers, solely for the purpose of performing or receiving the services and discharging the Receiving Partys other obligations under the Agreement or managing the business of the Receiving Party and its affiliates, including financial and operational management and reporting, risk management, legal and regulatory compliance and client service management. The foregoing shall not be applicable to any information (a) that is publicly available when provided or thereafter becomes publicly available, other than through a breach of this Agreement, (b) that is independently derived by the Receiving Party without the use of any information provided by the Disclosing Party in connection with this Agreement, (c) that is disclosed to comply with any legal or regulatory proceeding, investigation, audit, examination, subpoena, civil investigative demand or other similar process, (d) that is disclosed as required by operation of law or regulation or as required to comply with the requirements of any market infrastructure that the Disclosing Party or its agents direct the Receiving Party or its affiliates to employ (or which is required in connection with the holding or settlement of instruments included in the assets subject to this Agreement, or (e) where the party seeking to disclose has received the prior written consent of the party providing the information, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
In connection with the provision of the services and the discharge of its other obligations under this Agreement, the Sub-Administrator (which term for purposes of this paragraph includes each of its parent company, branches and affiliates (Affiliates)) may collect and store information regarding the Fund and share such information with its Affiliates, agents and service providers in order and to the extent reasonably necessary (i) to carry out the provision of services contemplated under this Agreement and other agreements between the Fund and the Sub-Administrator or any of its Affiliates and (ii) to carry out management of its businesses, including, but not limited to, financial and operational management and reporting, risk management, legal and regulatory compliance and client service management.
Subject to the paragraph below, the Sub-Administrator and/or its Affiliates (except those Affiliates or business divisions principally engaged in the business of asset management) may use any data or other information (Data) obtained by such entities in the performance of their services under this Agreement or any other agreement between the Fund and the Sub-Administrator or one of its Affiliates, including Data regarding transactions and portfolio holdings relating to the Fund, and publish, sell, distribute or otherwise commercialize the Data; provided that, unless the Fund otherwise consents, Data is combined or aggregated with information relating to (i) other customers of the Sub-Administrator and/or its Affiliates or (ii) information derived from other sources, in each case such that any published information will be displayed in a manner designed to prevent attribution to or identification of such Data with the Fund. The Fund agrees that Sub-Administrator
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Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
and/or its Affiliates may seek to profit and realize economic benefit from the commercialization and use of the Data, that such benefit will constitute part of the Sub-Administrators compensation for services under this Agreement or such other agreement, and the Sub-Administrator and/or its Affiliates shall be entitled to retain and not be required to disclose the amount of such economic benefit and profit to the Fund.
Except as expressly contemplated by this Agreement, nothing in this Section 20 shall limit the confidentiality and data-protection obligations of the Administrator, the Fund, the Sub-Administrator and its Affiliates under this Agreement and applicable law. The Sub-Administrator shall cause any Affiliate, agent or service provider to which it has disclosed Data pursuant to this Section 20 to comply at all times with confidentiality and data-protection obligations as if it were a party to this Agreement.
Section 21. ERISA MATTERS.
The Fund hereby covenants and agrees during the term of this Agreement that (i) the aggregate interest in any class of shares of the Fund held by benefit plan investors (as such term is interpreted under The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA)) shall not at any time equal or exceed 25% of the outstanding shares of such class without the prior written consent of the Sub-Administrator and (ii) the Fund shall not, without the prior written consent of the Sub-Administrator, permit the assets of the Fund to be deemed assets of an employee benefit plan which is subject to ERISA. Upon written notice, the Sub-Administrator shall be entitled to terminate this Agreement, effective immediately, in the event that this Section 21 is breached by the Fund.
Section 22. NOTICES.
All notices shall be in writing and shall be deemed given when delivered in person, by facsimile, by overnight delivery through a commercial courier service, or by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested. Notices shall be addressed to each party at its address set forth below, or such other address as the recipient may have specified by earlier notice to the sender.
If to the Sub-Administrator: | STATE STREET CAYMAN TRUST COMPANY, LTD. | |
P.O. Box 31113 | ||
45 Market Street, Suite #3307 | ||
Gardenia Court, Camana Bay | ||
Grand Cayman, KY1-1205 | ||
Cayman Islands | ||
Attention: Operations Department | ||
Telephone: (345) 949-6644 | ||
Facsimile: (345) 949-3181 |
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Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
with a copy to: | STATE STREET BANK AND TRUST COMPANY | |
c/o State Street Fund Services | ||
30 Adelaide Street East, Suite 1100 | ||
Toronto, Ontario M5C 3G6 | ||
Canada | ||
Attention: Vice President, Cayman & Alternative Investments | ||
Tel: +1 647 775-7768 | ||
Facsimile: +1 416 681 3725 | ||
If to the Administrator: | NGAM ADVISORS, L.P. | |
399 Boylston Street | ||
Boston, MA 02116 | ||
Attention: President | ||
With a copy to: General Counsel | ||
Telephone: 617-449-2810 | ||
Telecopy: 617-369-9632 | ||
If to the Fund: | ASG GLOBAL MACRO CAYMAN FUND LTD. | |
c/o Intertrust Corporate Services (Cayman) Limited | ||
190 Elgin Avenue | ||
George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-9005 | ||
Cayman Islands |
Section 23. ASSIGNMENT; SUCCESSORS.
This Agreement shall not be assigned by either party without the prior written consent of the other party, except that either party may assign its rights and obligations hereunder to a party controlling, controlled by, or under common control with such party.
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Section 24. ENTIRE AGREEMENT.
This Agreement (including all schedules and attachments hereto) constitutes the entire Agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof.
Section 25. AMENDMENTS.
No amendment to this Agreement shall be effective unless it is in writing and signed by a duly authorized representative of each party. The term Agreement, as used herein, includes all schedules and attachments hereto and any future written amendments, modifications, or supplements made in accordance herewith.
Section 26. HEADINGS NOT CONTROLLING.
Headings used in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not be deemed a part of this Agreement.
Section 27. SURVIVAL.
All provisions regarding indemnification, warranty, liability and limits thereon shall survive following the expiration or termination of this Agreement.
Section 28. SEVERABILITY.
In the event any provision of this Agreement is held illegal, void or unenforceable, the balance shall remain in effect.
Section 29. COUNTERPARTS.
This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts taken together shall constitute but one and the same Agreement.
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Section 30. GOVERNING LAW.
This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Cayman Islands.
[Remainder of Page Intentionally Blank]
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Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
SIGNATURE PAGE
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this Agreement as of the day and year first written above.
STATE STREET CAYMAN TRUST COMPANY, LTD. | ||||
By: | /s/ Nancy Lewis | |||
Name: | ||||
Title: | ||||
ASG GLOBAL MACRO CAYMAN FUND LTD. | ||||
By: | /s/ Roger Hanson | |||
Its: |
| |||
NGAM ADVISORS, L.P. | ||||
By: | /s/ Coleen Downs Dinneen | |||
Its: |
|
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
SCHEDULE A
REQUIRED INFORMATION |
RESPONSIBLE PARTY | |
Portfolio Trade Authorizations | Investment Manager | |
Currency Transactions | Investment Manager | |
Cash Transaction Report | Custodian | |
Portfolio Prices | Third Party Vendors/Investment Manager | |
Exchange Rates | Third Party Vendors/Investment Manager | |
Dividend/Distribution Schedule | Administrator | |
Dividend/Distribution Declaration | Board of Directors | |
Dividend Reconciliation/Confirmation | Transfer Agent | |
Corporate Actions |
Third Party Vendors/Custodian | |
Capital Stock Activity Report | Transfer Agent | |
Service Provider Fee Schedules | Administrator | |
Amortization Policy | Administrator | |
Accounting Policy/Complex Investments | Administrator | |
Audit Management Letter | Auditor | |
Annual Shareholder Letter | Investment Manager/Administrator | |
Annual/Quarterly Reports | Investment Manager/Sub-Administrator |
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
EXHIBIT B
SUB-ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AGREEMENT
December 1, 2014
by and between
ASG GLOBAL MACRO CAYMAN FUND LTD.
(the Fund);
NGAM ADVISORS, L.P. (the Administrator)
and
STATE STREET CAYMAN TRUST COMPANY, LTD.
(the Sub-Administrator)
Pursuant to the terms of the Sub-Administrative Services Agreement, the Fund and the Administrator have directed the Sub-Administrator to, inter alia, calculate the net asset value of the Fund and to perform certain other accounting services in accordance with the Charter Documents of the Fund (as such term is defined therein). The Fund and the Administrator hereby authorize and instruct the Sub-Administrator to utilize the pricing sources specified on the attached forms as sources for securities prices in calculating the net asset value of the Fund and acknowledge and agree that the Sub-Administrator shall have no liability for any incorrect data provided by pricing sources selected by the Fund, the Administrator or otherwise authorized by Proper Instructions (as such term is defined in the Sub-Administrative Services Agreement), except as may arise from the Sub-Administrators lack of reasonable care in performing the agreed-upon tolerance checks as to the data furnished and calculating the net asset value of the Fund in accordance with the data furnished and the Sub-Administrators performance of the agreed-upon tolerance checks.
ASG GLOBAL MACRO CAYMAN FUND LTD. | ||||
By: | /s/ Roger Hanson | |||
Title: | Director | |||
Date: | November 21, 2014 | |||
NGAM ADVISORS, L.P. | ||||
By: | /s/ Coleen Downs Dinneen | |||
Title: | EVP and General Counsel | |||
Date: | November 26, 2014 |
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
REMOTE ACCESS SERVICES ADDENDUM TO SUB-ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AGREEMENT BETWEEN ASG GLOBAL MACRO CAYMAN FUND LTD., NGAM ADVISORS, L.P. (collectively, you or the Customer) AND STATE STREET CAYMAN TRUST COMPANY, LTD.
Unless otherwise indicated, capitalized terms used in this Addendum shall have the meanings given to them in the Administrative Services Agreement.
State Street Bank and Trust Company and its direct and indirect subsidiaries (collectively referred to in this Addendum as State Street) has developed and/or utilizes proprietary or third party accounting and other systems in conjunction with the services that State Street provides to you. In this regard, State Street maintains certain information in databases under State Street ownership and/or control that State Street makes available to customers (the Remote Access Services).
The Services
State Street agrees to provide you, the Customer, and your designated investment advisors, consultants or other third parties who agree to abide by the terms of this Addendum (Authorized Designees) with access to State Street proprietary and third party systems as may be offered by State Street from time to time (each, a System) on a remote basis.
Security Procedures
You agree to comply, and to cause your Authorized Designees to comply, with remote access operating standards and procedures and with user identification or other password control requirements and other security devices and procedures as may be issued or required from time to time by State Street or its third party vendors for use of the System and access to the Remote Access Services. You are responsible for any use and/or misuse of the System and Remote Access Services by your Authorized Designees. You agree to advise State Street immediately in the event that you learn or have reason to believe that any person to whom you have given access to the System or the Remote Access Services has violated or intends to violate the terms of this Addendum and you will cooperate with State Street in seeking injunctive or other equitable relief. You agree to discontinue use of the System and Remote Access Services, if requested, for any security reasons cited by State Street and State Street may restrict access of the System and Remote Access Services by you or any Authorized Designee for security reasons or noncompliance with the terms of this Addendum at any time.
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
Fees
Fees and charges for the use of the System and the Remote Access Services and related payment terms shall be as set forth in the RAA Fee Schedule in effect from time to time between the parties (the RAA Fee Schedule). You shall be responsible for any tariffs, duties or taxes imposed or levied by any government or governmental agency by reason of the transactions contemplated by this Addendum, including, without limitation, federal, state and local taxes, use, value added and personal property taxes (other than income, franchise or similar taxes which may be imposed or assessed against State Street). Any claimed exemption from such tariffs, duties or taxes shall be supported by proper documentary evidence delivered to State Street.
Proprietary Information/Injunctive Relief
The System and Remote Access Services described herein and the databases, computer programs, screen formats, report formats, interactive design techniques, formulae, processes, systems, software, knowhow, algorithms, programs, training aids, printed materials, methods, books, records, files, documentation and other information made available to you by State Street as part of the Remote Access Services and through the use of the System and all copyrights, patents, trade secrets and other proprietary and intellectual property rights of State Street and third party vendors related thereto are the exclusive, valuable and confidential proprietary property of State Street and its relevant licensors and third party vendors (the Proprietary Information). You agree on behalf of yourself and your Authorized Designees to keep the Proprietary Information confidential and to limit access to your employees and Authorized Designees (under a similar duty of confidentiality) who require access to the System for the purposes intended. The foregoing shall not apply to Proprietary Information in the public domain or required by law to be made public.
You agree to use the Remote Access Services only in connection with the proper purposes of this Addendum. You will not, and will cause your employees and Authorized Designees not to, (i) permit any third party to use the System or the Remote Access Services, (ii) sell, rent, license or otherwise use the System or the Remote Access Services in the operation of a service bureau or for any purpose other than as expressly authorized under this Addendum, (iii) use the System or the Remote Access Services for any fund, trust or other investment vehicle without the prior written consent of State Street, or (iv) allow or cause any information transmitted from State Streets databases, including data from third party sources, available through use of the System or the Remote Access Services, to be published, redistributed or retransmitted for other than use for or on behalf of yourself, as our Customer.
You agree that neither you nor your Authorized Designees will modify the System in any way, enhance, copy or otherwise create derivative works based upon the System, nor will you or your Authorized Designees reverse engineer, decompile or otherwise attempt to secure the source code for all or any part of the System.
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
You acknowledge that the disclosure of any Proprietary Information, or of any information which at law or equity ought to remain confidential, will immediately give rise to continuing irreparable injury to State Street or its third party licensors and vendors inadequately compensable in damages at law and that State Street shall be entitled to obtain immediate injunctive relief against the breach or threatened breach of any of the foregoing undertakings, in addition to any other legal remedies which may be available.
Limited Warranties
State Street represents and warrants that it is the owner of and/or has the right to grant access to the System and to provide the Remote Access Services contemplated herein. Because of the nature of computer information technology, including but not limited to the use of the Internet, and the necessity of relying upon third party sources and data and pricing information obtained from third parties, the System and Remote Access Services are provided AS IS without warranty express or implied including as to availability of the System, and you and your Authorized Designees shall be solely responsible for the use of the System and Remote Access Services and investment decisions, results obtained, regulatory reports and statements produced using the Remote Access Services. State Street and its relevant licensors and third party vendors will not be liable to you or your Authorized Designees for any direct or indirect, special, incidental, punitive or consequential damages arising out of or in any way connected with the System or the Remote Access Services, nor shall any party be responsible for delays or nonperformance under this Addendum arising out of any cause or event beyond such partys control.
EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH IN THIS ADDENDUM, STATE STREET FOR ITSELF AND ITS RELEVANT LICENSORS AND THIRD PARTY VENDORS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES CONCERNING THE SYSTEM AND THE SERVICES TO BE RENDERED HEREUNDER, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
Infringement
State Street will defend or, at our option, settle any claim or action brought against you to the extent that it is based upon an assertion that access to or use of State Street proprietary systems by you under this Addendum constitutes direct infringement of any United States patent or copyright or misappropriation of a trade secret, provided that you notify State Street promptly in writing of any such claim or proceeding and cooperate with State Street in the defense of such claim or proceeding and allow State Street sole control over such claim or proceeding. Should the State Street proprietary system or any part thereof become, or in State Streets opinion be likely to become, the subject of a claim of infringement or the like under any applicable patent, copyright or trade secret laws, State Street shall have the right, at State Streets sole option, to (i) procure for you the right to continue using the State Street proprietary system, (ii) replace or modify the State Street proprietary system so that the State Street proprietary system becomes noninfringing, or (iii) terminate this Addendum without further obligation. This section constitutes the sole remedy available to you for the matters described in this section.
Exhibit (h)(2)(xxxiii)
Termination
Either party may terminate this Addendum (i) for any reason by giving the other party at least one-hundred and eighty (180) days prior written notice in the case of notice of termination by State Street to you or thirty (30) days notice in the case of notice from you to State Street of termination, or (ii) immediately for failure of the other party to comply with any material term and condition of the Addendum by giving the other party written notice of termination. This Addendum shall in any event terminate within ninety (90) days after the termination of any service agreement applicable to you. Your use of any third party System is contingent upon your compliance with any terms and conditions of use of such System imposed by such third party and State Streets continued access to, and use of, such third party System. In the event of termination, you will return to State Street all copies of documentation and other confidential information in your possession or in the possession of your Authorized Designees and immediately cease access to the System and Remote Access Services. The foregoing provisions with respect to confidentiality and infringement will survive termination for a period of three (3) years.
Miscellaneous
This Addendum constitutes our entire understanding with respect to access to the System and the Remote Access Services. This Addendum cannot be modified or altered except in a writing duly executed by both of us and shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Exhibit (h)(13)
December 1, 2014
Natixis Funds Trust II
399 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02116
Re: Fee Waiver/Expense Reimbursement
Ladies and Gentlemen:
AlphaSimplex Group, LLC (AlphaSimplex) notifies you that it will reduce its management fee and to the extent necessary, bear certain expenses of the ASG Global Macro Fund (the Fund) through April 30, 2016 to the extent that the total annual fund operating expenses of each class of the Fund, exclusive of acquired fund fees and expenses, brokerage, interest, taxes and organizational and extraordinary expenses, such as litigation and indemnification expenses, would exceed the following annual rates:
Name of Fund | Expense Cap |
December 1, 2014 through April 30, 2016:
ASG Global Macro Fund1 | 1.70% for Class A shares | |
2.45% for Class C shares | ||
1.45% for Class Y shares |
1 | NGAM Advisors, L.P. (NGAM Advisors) will bear a portion of the waiver. The NGAM Advisors portion of the waiver will be equal to the ratio of the NGAM Advisors Support Services Fee (Support Services Fee) divided by the management fee earned by AlphaSimplex. |
With respect to the Fund, subject to applicable legal requirements, AlphaSimplex shall be permitted to recover, on a class-by-class basis, management fees reduced and/or any expenses it has borne subsequent to the effective date of this agreement in later periods to the extent that a class total annual fund operating expenses fall below the annual rates set forth above; provided, however, that AlphaSimplex is not entitled to recover any such reduced fees and expenses with respect to a class more than one year after the end of the fiscal year in which the fee/expense was deferred.
During the period covered by this agreement, the expense cap arrangement set forth above may only be modified by a majority vote of the non-interested Trustees of Natixis Funds Trust II.
Exhibit (h)(13)
For purposes of determining any such waiver or expense reimbursement, expenses of the class of the Fund shall not reflect the application of balance credits made available by the Funds custodian or arrangements under which broker-dealers that execute portfolio transactions for the Fund agree to bear some portion of Fund expenses.
We understand and intend that you will rely on this undertaking in preparing and filing the Registration Statement on Form N-1A for the Fund with the Securities and Exchange Commission, in accruing the Funds expenses for purposes of calculating its net asset value per share, and for other purposes permitted under Form N-1A and/or the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and expressly permit you to do so.
AlphaSimplex Group, LLC | ||
By: | /s/ Kendall Walker | |
Name: Kendall Walker | ||
Title: Chief Financial Officer |
Exhibit (m)(13)(a)
ASG GLOBAL MACRO FUND
Class A 12b-1 Plan
This Plan (the Plan) constitutes the Service Plan relating to the Class A shares of ASG Global Macro Fund (the Series), a series of Natixis Funds Trust II, a Massachusetts business trust (the Trust).
Section 1. The Trust, on behalf of the Series, will pay to NGAM Distribution, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership which acts as the Principal Distributor of the Series shares, or such other entity as shall from time to time act as the Principal Distributor of the Series shares (the Distributor), a fee (the Service Fee) for expenses borne by the Distributor in connection with the provision of personal services provided to investors in Class A shares of the Series or the maintenance of shareholder accounts, at an annual rate not to exceed 0.25% of the Series average daily net assets attributable to the Class A shares. Subject to such limit and subject to the provisions of Section 7 hereof, the Service Fee shall be as approved from time to time by (a) the Trustees of the Trust and (b) the Independent Trustees of the Trust. The Service Fee shall be accrued daily and paid monthly or at such other intervals as the Trustees shall determine. All payments of Service Fees are intended to qualify as service fees as defined in Rule 2830(b)(9) of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (or any successor provision) Conduct Rules as in effect from time to time.
Section 2. The Service Fee may be paid only to reimburse the Distributor for expenses of providing personal services to investors in Class A shares of the Series, including, but not limited to, (i) expenses (including overhead expenses) of the Distributor for providing personal services to investors in Class A shares of the Series or in connection with the maintenance of shareholder accounts and (ii) payments made by the Distributor to any securities dealer or other organization (including, but not limited to, any affiliate of the Distributor) with which the Distributor has entered into a written agreement for this purpose, for providing personal services to investors in Class A shares of the Series or the maintenance of shareholder accounts, which payments to any such organization may be in amounts in excess of the cost incurred by such organization in connection therewith.
Section 3. This Plan shall continue in effect for a period of more than one year only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by votes of the majority (or whatever other percentage may, from time to time, be required by Section 12(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Act) or the rules and regulations thereunder) of both (a) the Trustees of the Trust, and (b) the Independent Trustees of the Trust, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on this Plan or such agreement.
Section 4. Any person authorized to direct the disposition of monies paid or payable by the Trust pursuant to this Plan or any related agreement shall provide to the Trustees of the Trust, and the Trustees shall review, at least quarterly, a written report of the amounts so expended and the purposes for which such expenditures were made.
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Exhibit (m)(13)(a)
Section 5. This Plan may be terminated at any time by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by vote of a majority of the outstanding Class A shares of the Series.
Section 6. All agreements with any person relating to implementation of this Plan shall be in writing, and any agreement related to this Plan shall provide:
A. That such agreement may be terminated at any time, without payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding Class A shares of the Series, on not more than 60 days written notice to any other party to the agreement; and
B. That such agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of its assignment.
Section 7. This Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount of expenses permitted pursuant to Section 1 hereof without approval by a vote of at least a majority of the outstanding Class A shares of the Series, and all material amendments of this Plan shall be approved in the manner provided for continuation of this Plan in Section 3.
Section 8. As used in this Plan, (a) the term Independent Trustees shall mean those Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons of the Trust, and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of this Plan or any agreements related to it, and (b) the terms assignment and interested person shall have the respective meanings specified in the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, and the term majority of the outstanding Class A shares of the Series shall mean the lesser of the 67% or the 50% voting requirements specified in clauses (A) and (B), respectively, of the third sentence of Section 2(a)(42) of the Act, all subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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Exhibit (m)(13)(b)
ASG GLOBAL MACRO FUND
Class C Distribution and Service Plan
This Plan (the Plan) constitutes the Distribution and Service Plan relating to the Class C shares of ASG Global Macro Fund (the Series), a series of Natixis Funds Trust II, a Massachusetts business trust (the Trust).
Section 1. Service Fee. The Trust, on behalf of the Series, will pay to NGAM Distribution, L.P. (NGAM Distribution), a Delaware limited partnership which acts as the Principal Distributor of the Series shares, or such other entity as shall from time to time act as the Principal Distributor of the Series shares (the Distributor), a fee (the Service Fee) at an annual rate not to exceed 0.25% of the Series average daily net assets attributable to the Class C shares. Subject to such limit and subject to the provisions of Section 7 hereof, the Service Fee shall be as approved from time to time by (a) the Trustees of the Trust and (b) the Independent Trustees of the Trust (as defined in Section 8 below); provided, however, that no Service Fee or other fee that is a service fee as defined in Rule 2830(b)(9) of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (or any successor provision thereto) Conduct Rules as in effect from time to time (the FINRA Rule) shall be paid, with respect to Class C shares of the Series, to NGAM Distribution (or to any affiliate of NGAM Distribution, or to any other person in circumstances where substantially all of the services and functions relating to the distribution of Class C shares of the Series have been delegated to, or are being performed by, NGAM Distribution or an affiliate of NGAM Distribution), under this Plan or otherwise, if the Distribution Fee is terminated or is reduced below the rate set forth in Section 2. The Service Fee shall be accrued daily and paid monthly or at such other intervals as the Trustees shall determine. The Distributor may pay all or any portion of the Service Fee to securities dealers or other organizations (including, but not limited to, any affiliate of the Distributor) as service fees pursuant to agreements with such organizations for providing personal services to investors in Class C shares of the Series and/or the maintenance of shareholder accounts, and may retain all or any portion of the Service Fee as compensation for providing personal services to investors in Class C shares of the Series and/or the maintenance of shareholder accounts. All payments under this Section 1 are intended to qualify as service fees as defined in the FINRA Rule.
Section 2. Distribution Fee. In addition to the Service Fee, the Trust, on behalf of the Series, will pay to the Distributor a fee (the Distribution Fee) at an annual rate of 0.75% of the Series average daily net assets attributable to the Class C shares (unless reduced as contemplated by and permitted pursuant to the next sentence hereof) in consideration of the services rendered in connection with the sale of such shares by the Distributor. The Trust will not terminate the Distribution Fee in respect of Series assets attributable to Class C shares, or pay such fee at an annual rate of less than 0.75% of the Series average daily net assets attributable to the Class C shares, unless it has ceased, and not resumed, paying the Service Fee (or any other fee that constitutes a service fee as defined in the FINRA Rule) to NGAM Distribution (or to any affiliate of NGAM Distribution, or to any other person in circumstances where substantially all of the services and functions relating to the distribution of Class C shares of the Series have been delegated to, or are being performed by, NGAM Distribution or an affiliate of NGAM Distribution). Subject to such restriction and subject to the provisions of Section 7 hereof, the Distribution Fee shall be as approved from time to time by (a) the Trustees of the Trust and (b) the Independent Trustees of the Trust. The Distribution Fee shall be accrued daily and paid monthly or at such other intervals as the Trustees shall determine.
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Exhibit (m)(13)(b)
The obligation of the Series to pay the Distribution Fee shall terminate upon the termination of this Plan or the relevant distribution agreement between the Distributor and the Trust relating to the Series, in accordance with the terms hereof or thereof, but until any such termination shall not be subject to any dispute, offset, counterclaim or defense whatsoever (it being understood that nothing in this sentence shall be deemed a waiver by the Trust or the Series of its right separately to pursue any claims it may have against the Distributor and enforce such claims against any assets of the Distributor (other than its right to be paid the Distribution Fee and to be paid contingent deferred sales charges)).
The right of NGAM Distribution to receive the Distribution Fee (but not the relevant distribution agreement or NGAM Distributions obligations thereunder) may be transferred by NGAM Distribution in order to raise funds which may be useful or necessary to perform its duties as principal underwriter, and any such transfer shall be effective upon written notice from NGAM Distribution to the Trust. In connection with the foregoing, the Series is authorized to pay all or part of the Distribution Fee directly to such transferee as directed by NGAM Distribution.
The Distributor may pay all or any portion of the Distribution Fee to securities dealers or other organizations (including, but not limited to, any affiliate of the Distributor) as commissions, asset-based sales charges or other compensation with respect to the sale of Class C shares of the Series, and may retain all or any portion of the Distribution Fee as compensation for the Distributors services as principal underwriter of the Class C shares of the Series. All payments under this Section 2 are intended to qualify as asset-based sales charges as defined in the FINRA Rule.
Section 3. This Plan shall continue in effect for a period of more than one year only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by votes of the majority (or whatever other percentage may, from time to time, be required by Section 12(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Act) or the rules and regulations thereunder) of both (a) the Trustees of the Trust, and (b) the Independent Trustees of the Trust, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on this Plan.
Section 4. Any person authorized to direct the disposition of monies paid or payable by the Trust pursuant to this Plan or any related agreement shall provide to the Trustees of the Trust, and the Trustees shall review, at least quarterly, a written report of the amounts so expended and the purposes for which such expenditures were made.
Section 5. This Plan may be terminated at any time by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees, or by vote of a majority of the outstanding Class C shares of the Series.
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Exhibit (m)(13)(b)
Section 6. All agreements with any person relating to implementation of this Plan shall be in writing, and any agreement related to this Plan shall provide:
A. | That such agreement may be terminated at any time, without payment of any penalty, by vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees or by vote of a majority of the outstanding Class C shares of the Series, on not more than 60 days written notice to any other party to the agreement; and |
B. | That such agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of its assignment. |
Section 7. This Plan may not be amended to increase materially the amount of expenses permitted pursuant to Sections 1 or 2 hereof without approval by a vote of at least a majority of the outstanding Class C shares of the Series, and all material amendments of this Plan shall be approved in the manner provided for continuation of this Plan in Section 3.
Section 8. As used in this Plan, (a) the term Independent Trustees shall mean those Trustees of the Trust who are not interested persons of the Trust, and have no direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of this Plan or any agreements related to it, and (b) the terms assignment and interested person shall have the respective meanings specified in the Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, and the term majority of the outstanding Class C shares of the Series shall mean the lesser of the 67% or the 50% voting requirements specified in clauses (A) and (B), respectively, of the third sentence of Section 2(a)(42) of the Act, all subject to such exemptions as may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
-3-
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