Securities Act File No. []
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 26, 2013
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D. C. 20549
FORM N-14
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 |
Pre Effective Amendment No. | ¨ |
Post Effective Amendment No. | ¨ |
(Check appropriate box or boxes.)
GOLDMAN SACHS TRUST
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
71 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
Registrants Telephone Number, including Area Code (312) 655-4400
CAROLINE KRAUS, ESQ.
Goldman, Sachs & Co.
200 West Street
New York, New York 10282
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
COPY TO:
GEOFFREY R.T. KENYON, ESQ.
Dechert LLP
One International Place, 40th Floor
100 Oliver Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02110-2605
Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Registration Statement.
Title of Securities Being Registered: Institutional Shares of Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund, a series of the Registrant. The Registrant has registered an indefinite amount of securities pursuant to Rule 24f-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; accordingly, no fee is payable herewith in reliance upon Section 24(f).
It is proposed that this filing will become effective on October 28, 2013 pursuant to Rule 488 under the Securities Act of 1933.
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
71 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING
TO BE HELD ON JANUARY 22, 2014
October [], 2013
Dear Shareholder:
You are cordially invited to attend a Special Meeting (the Meeting) of Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund (the Fund), a closed-end, interval fund, to be held on January 22, 2014, at [] (Eastern time), at the offices of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (GSAM), located at []. Please note that if you plan to attend the Meeting, photographic identification as well as proof of ownership of Fund shares, such as a copy of your proxy voting card or brokerage statement showing your holdings of Fund shares, will be required for admission.
At this important meeting, you will be asked to consider and act upon the following proposals.
Proposal 1. | To approve an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization between the Fund and the Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund, a newly-organized series of the Goldman Sachs Trust, an open-end management investment company, providing for (i) the transfer of all of the assets and the assumption of all of the liabilities of the Fund, in exchange for Institutional Shares of the Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund; and (ii) the subsequent distribution of such shares to the shareholders of the Fund and liquidation and dissolution of the Fund (the Reorganization). | |
Proposal 2. | To transact such other business as may properly come before the Meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof. |
The Board of Trustees of the Fund, after careful consideration, unanimously approved the Reorganization and recommends that you vote FOR the Reorganization. After considering the recommendation of GSAM, the investment adviser to the Fund, the Board concluded that the Reorganization would benefit the shareholders of the Fund for several reasons, including the opportunity to invest in a fund with: (i) increased liquidity in the form of redemption rights on any business day; and (ii) investment strategies that are designed to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns, better insulate shareholders from rising interest rates and reduce volatility. The Reorganization is further described in the attached combined Proxy Statement/Prospectus.
Shareholders of record at the close of business on October 18, 2013 are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Meeting and any adjournments or postponements thereof.
WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO BE PRESENT AT THE MEETING, YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT. However, before you vote, please read the combined Proxy Statement/Prospectus for a complete description of the proposals. If you do not plan to be present at the Meeting, you can vote by signing, dating and returning the enclosed proxy card promptly or by using the Internet or telephone voting options as described on your proxy card. If you have any questions regarding the combined Proxy Statement/Prospectus or other materials, please contact the Fund at 1-800-526-7384. Your prompt response will help reduce proxy costswhich are paid by the Fund and its shareholdersand will also mean that you can avoid receiving follow-up phone calls or mailings.
By Order of the Board of Trustees of the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund, |
James A. McNamara |
President |
PLEASE SIGN, DATE AND RETURN THE ENCLOSED PROXY
CARD IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE OR USE THE INTERNET OR TELEPHONE VOTING
OPTIONS TO CAST YOUR VOTE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT.
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YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT
NO MATTER HOW MANY SHARES YOU OWN
To secure the largest possible representation at the Meeting, please mark your proxy card, sign it, date it, and return it in the postage paid envelope provided (unless you are voting by Internet or by telephone). If you sign, date and return a proxy card but give no voting instructions, your shares will be voted FOR the proposals indicated on the card. If you prefer, you may instead vote via the Internet or by telephone. To vote in this manner, you should refer to the directions below.
To vote via the Internet, please access the website found on your proxy card and follow the on-screen instructions on the website.
To vote by telephone, please call the toll-free number found on your proxy card from within the United States, and follow the recorded instructions (shareholders outside the United States should vote via the Internet or by submitting a proxy card or voting instruction form instead).
You may revoke your proxy or voting instruction form at any time at or before the Meeting, by submitting to the Secretary of the Fund at the Funds principal executive offices a written notice of revocation or subsequently executed proxy or voting instruction form or by attending the Meeting and electing to vote in person.
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR SIGNING PROXY CARDS
The following general guidelines for signing proxy cards may be of assistance to you and will help avoid the time and expense to the Fund involved in validating your vote if you fail to sign your proxy card properly.
1. Individual Accounts: Sign your name exactly as it appears in the registration on the proxy card.
2. Joint Accounts: Either party may sign, but the name of the party signing should conform exactly to the name shown in the registration on the proxy card.
3. All Other Accounts: The capacity of the individual signing the proxy card should be indicated unless it is reflected in the form of registration. For example:
Registration | Valid Signature | |
Corporate Accounts | ||
(1) ABC Corp. | ABC Corp. | |
John Doe, Treasurer | ||
(2) ABC Corp | John Doe, Treasurer | |
(3) ABC Corp. c/o John Doe, Treasurer | John Doe | |
(4) ABC Corp. Profit Sharing Plan | John Doe, Trustee | |
Partnership Accounts | ||
(1) The XYZ Partnership | Jane B. Smith, Partner | |
(2) Smith and Jones, Limited Partnership | Jane B. Smith, General Partner | |
Trust Accounts | ||
(1) ABC Trust Account | Jane B. Doe, Trustee | |
(2) Jane B. Doe, Trustee u/t/d 12/18/98 | Jane B. Doe | |
Custodial or Estate Accounts | ||
(1) John B. Smith, Cust. f/b/o | ||
John B. Smith Jr. UGMA/UTMA | John B. Smith | |
(2) Estate of John B. Smith | John B. Smith, Jr., Executor |
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COMBINED PROXY STATEMENT
OF
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
AND
PROSPECTUS FOR
GOLDMAN SACHS LONG SHORT CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
(a series of the GOLDMAN SACHS TRUST)
The address, telephone number and website of the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund and the Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund is:
71 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
1-800-526-7384
www.goldmansachsfunds.com
Shares of the Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund have not been approved or disapproved by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). The SEC has not passed upon the adequacy of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
An investment in either the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund or the Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund (each, a Fund) is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
This Proxy Statement/Prospectus sets forth information about the Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund that an investor needs to know before investing. Please read this Proxy Statement/Prospectus carefully before investing and keep it for future reference.
The date of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus is October [], 2013.
For more complete information about each Fund, please read the Funds Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, as they may be amended and/or supplemented. Because the Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund is newly-organized, its Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information are not yet effective. Each Funds Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, and other additional information about each Fund (as applicable), have been filed with the SEC (www.sec.gov) and are available upon written or oral request and without charge by writing to the address above or calling the following toll-free number: 1-800-526-7384.
INTRODUCTION
This combined proxy statement/prospectus, dated October [], 2013 (the Proxy Statement/Prospectus), is being furnished to shareholders of the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund (the Existing Fund) in connection with the solicitation by the Board of Trustees of the Existing Fund (the Board or Trustees) of proxies to be used at the Special Meeting of Shareholders of the Fund to be held at the offices of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P., located at [], on January 22, 2014, at [] (Eastern time). Such meeting and any postponement or adjournment thereof is referred to as the Meeting. This Proxy Statement/Prospectus is being mailed to shareholders of the Existing Fund on or about October [], 2013.
The purpose of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus is to obtain shareholder approval to reorganize the Existing Fund into the Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund (the New Fund). The Trustees recommend that you vote FOR this proposal.
The Existing Fund is a closed-end management investment company that is operated as an interval fund and organized as a Delaware statutory trust. The New Fund is a newly-organized series of Goldman Sachs Trust, an open-end management investment company organized as a Delaware statutory trust. The New Fund will commence operations upon consummation of the proposed Reorganization (as defined below). Each Fund is, or will be, registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act).
This Proxy Statement/Prospectus contains information you should know before voting on the proposed Agreement and Plan of Reorganization between the Existing Fund and the New Fund (the Plan), pursuant to which the Existing Fund would (i) transfer all of its assets and liabilities in exchange for Institutional Shares of the New Fund having an aggregate net asset value equal to the aggregate net asset value of the common shares of the Existing Fund; and (ii) distribute such shares to the shareholders of the Existing Fund and liquidate and dissolve (the Reorganization). A copy of the Plan is attached to this Proxy Statement/Prospectus as Exhibit A. Shareholders should read this entire Proxy Statement/Prospectus, including the exhibit, carefully.
Where to Get More Information
The Existing Funds current prospectus and any applicable supplements. | On file with the SEC (http://www.sec.gov) and available at no charge by calling: 1-800-526-7384 or on the Funds website (www.goldmansachsfunds.com). | |
The Existing Funds current statement of additional information and any applicable supplements. | On file with the SEC (http://www.sec.gov) and available at no charge by calling: 1-800-526-7384 or on the Funds website (www.goldmansachsfunds.com). | |
The Existing Funds most recent annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. | On file with the SEC (http://www.sec.gov) and available at no charge by calling: 1-800-526-7384 or on the Funds website (www.goldmansachsfunds.com). | |
A statement of additional information for this Proxy Statement/Prospectus, dated October [], 2013 (the SAI). The SAI contains additional information about the New Fund. | On file with the SEC (http://www.sec.gov) and available at no charge by calling: 1-800-526-7384. The SAI is incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement/Prospectus. | |
To ask questions about this Proxy Statement/Prospectus. | Call the toll-free telephone number: 1-800-526-7384. |
The Existing Funds prospectus and statement of additional information, each dated July 29, 2013, and any supplements thereto, are incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement/Prospectus.
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Background to the Reorganization
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (GSAM or Investment Adviser), an SEC-registered investment adviser, serves as investment adviser to both the Existing Fund and the New Fund. After evaluating the investment objective, strategies and policies of the Existing Fund, the Investment Adviser recommended to the Board that it approve the reorganization of the Existing Fund into a new series of Goldman Sachs Trust, thereby providing shareholders of the Existing Fund with the opportunity to invest in an open-end management investment company with increased liquidity in the form of daily redemption rights. Although the New Fund will invest in credit-related instruments that are similar to those in which the Existing Fund currently invests, the New Fund will implement a long/short credit strategy, which represents a departure from the long-only credit strategy of the Existing Fund. GSAM believes that the proposed investment strategy of the New Fund will provide attractive risk-adjusted returns, better insulate shareholders from rising interest rates and reduce volatility. The Board of Trustees of Goldman Sachs Trust has authorized the creation of a new series the New Fund into which the Existing Fund will be reorganized. The New Fund is not currently operating as a series of Goldman Sachs Trust, but will commence operations upon consummation of the Reorganization.
On September 19, 2013, the Board, including all of the Trustees who are not interested persons of the Existing Fund, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act (the Independent Trustees), unanimously voted to approve the Reorganization. In approving the Reorganization, the Board and the Independent Trustees determined that the Reorganization is in the best interests of the Existing Fund, and that the interests of existing shareholders of the Existing Fund would not be diluted as a result of the Reorganization. The Board, including the Independent Trustees, also considered and approved the terms and conditions of the Plan.
In approving the Reorganization and Plan, the Boards of Trustees of the Funds requested and received such information from the Investment Adviser as they determined to be necessary to evaluate the Reorganization. At its meetings, the Boards received and evaluated materials regarding the proposed investment objective, strategies, policies and risks of the New Fund, as well as the effect of the Reorganization on the existing shareholders of the Existing Fund. The Boards also evaluated and discussed: (i) the material differences between each Funds investment objective, strategies, policies and risks; and (ii) the specific terms of the Reorganization, including information regarding comparative anticipated expense ratios and the proposed plans for ongoing management, distribution and operation of the New Fund. In addition, the Boards considered additional factors, which are discussed in more detail below under Why Did the Board of Trustees of the Existing Fund Recommend the Reorganization?
The Independent Trustees were assisted in their consideration of the Reorganization by independent counsel. The Board considered that the Reorganization offered the shareholders of the Existing Fund the opportunity to invest in a fund with: (i) increased liquidity in the form of daily redemption rights; (ii) a lower expense ratio; and (iii) investment strategies that are designed to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns, better insulate shareholders from rising interest rates and reduce volatility.
When will the Reorganization Occur?
If approved at the Meeting, the Reorganization is scheduled to occur on or about January [], 2014, but may occur on such earlier or later date as the parties agree in writing (the Closing Date).
How Will the Reorganization Work?
| The Existing Fund will transfer all of its assets to the New Fund and the New Fund will assume all of the liabilities of the Existing Fund. Subsequently, the Existing Fund will liquidate and dissolve. |
| Shareholders of the Existing Fund will receive Institutional Shares of the New Fund, which are expected to have a lower expense ratio than common shares of the Existing Fund, in proportion to the relative net asset value of their share holdings of the Existing Fund on the Closing Date. Therefore, on the Closing Date, shareholders of the Existing Fund will hold shares of the New Fund in amounts equal to the aggregate net asset value of the Existing Fund shares that the shareholder held immediately prior to the Reorganization. |
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| No sales load, contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC), commission, redemption fee or other transactional fee will be charged as a result of the Reorganization. |
| GSAM, the investment adviser of the Existing Fund, will serve as investment adviser to the New Fund and it is expected that the current portfolio managers of the Existing Fund will continue to serve as portfolio managers of the New Fund following the completion of the Reorganization. |
| The exchange of the Existing Fund shares for the New Fund shares in the Reorganization is not expected to result in the recognition of income, gain or loss, for federal income tax purposes, by an exchanging shareholder. In addition, the Reorganization generally is not expected to result in the recognition of gain or loss for federal income tax purposes by either Fund. |
| If the Reorganization is approved by shareholders, the Existing Fund will cease operations and will be liquidated. |
In addition to the Institutional Shares to be issued in the Reorganization, the New Fund will also offer other classes of shares after the Reorganization. However, this Proxy Statement/Prospectus relates only to the New Funds Institutional Shares to be issued to the shareholders of the Existing Fund in connection with the Reorganization.
Why Did the Board of Trustees of the Existing Fund Recommend the Reorganization?
In recommending the Reorganization, the Board of Trustees of the Existing Fund, including all of the Independent Trustees, determined that the Reorganization is in the best interest of the Existing Fund and will not dilute the interests of the shareholders of the Existing Fund. The Trustees also believe that the Reorganization offers a number of potential benefits. These potential benefits and considerations include the following:
| As a closed-end, interval fund, shares of the Existing Fund may only be redeemed once per quarter. Currently, the Existing Fund conducts quarterly repurchase offers for between 5% and 25% of the Funds outstanding shares at net asset value. By reorganizing the Existing Fund into a new series of Goldman Sachs Trust, shareholders will be permitted to redeem their New Fund shares during any business day, thereby significantly enhancing their liquidity. |
| Although the New Fund will invest in credit-related instruments that are similar to those in which the Existing Fund currently invests, the New Fund will implement a long/short credit strategy, which represents a departure from the long-only credit strategy of the Existing Fund. The proposed investment strategies of the New Fund are designed to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns, better insulate shareholders from rising interest rates and reduce volatility. The implementation of a long/short credit strategy, although designed to reduce volatility (and, therefore, risk), entails unique investment risks to which shareholders of the Existing Fund are not currently subject. These differences, as well as other differences, are discussed in more detail below under Summary Comparison of the Existing Fund with the New Fund and Comparison of Principal Investment Risks of Investing in the Funds. |
| The potential benefit of increased distribution capabilities, which may result in asset growth over time and additional cost savings and scale advantages. While the Existing Fund continuously offers its shares, the New Fund may have greater opportunities for growth of assets because it is an investment vehicle more familiar to investors and it will offer redeemable shares. Over time, growth of Fund assets may produce economies of scale leading to a reduced expense ratio. |
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| That the contractual management fee schedule of the New Fund is identical to that of the Existing Fund at current asset levels (1.00% as an annual percentage of daily net assets). Each Fund also has the same contractual breakpoints that would reduce management fees at the same rates if assets increase. |
| That the pro forma gross and net expense ratios of Institutional Shares of the New Fund are expected to be lower than the current gross and net expense ratios of shares of the Existing Fund. |
| That the Reorganization is expected to qualify as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), and therefore, that you will not recognize gain or loss for federal income tax purposes on the exchange of the Existing Fund shares for shares of the New Fund. |
Additional considerations are discussed in more detail below under Summary Reasons for the Reorganization and Board Considerations.
How does the Board of Trustee of the Existing Fund suggest that I vote?
After careful consideration, the Board recommends that you vote in favor of the Reorganization.
Who Bears the Expenses Associated with the Reorganization?
The Investment Adviser will pay one-half of all proxy, solicitation and legal costs associated with each Funds participation in the Reorganization. The Funds will collectively pay the remaining one-half of such costs. Each Funds portion of these costs will not be subject to any expense limitation arrangement.
Will GSAM Benefit from the Reorganization?
The Investment Adviser believes that the New Fund will be a more attractive investment product for investors (e.g., it will provide increased liquidity to Fund investors), which could improve the Funds ability to gather additional assets. If this happens, the Investment Adviser would immediately benefit from managing a larger pool of assets, which will produce increased management fees.
What are the Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Reorganization?
As a condition to the closing of the Reorganization, the Funds must receive an opinion of Dechert LLP to the effect that the Reorganization will constitute a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368 of the Code. Accordingly, subject to the limited exceptions described below under the heading Tax Status of the Reorganization, it is expected that neither you nor a Fund will recognize gain or loss as a direct result of the Reorganization, and that the aggregate tax basis of the New Fund shares that you receive in the Reorganization will be the same as the aggregate tax basis of the shares that you surrendered in the Reorganization.
What Are the Differences Between Open-End Funds and Closed-End Interval Funds?
Generally. Open-end funds, commonly referred to as mutual funds, issue redeemable securities. The holders of redeemable securities have the right to surrender those securities to the mutual fund and obtain in return their proportionate share of the value of the mutual funds net assets. Most mutual funds also continuously issue new shares to investors at a price based on the funds net asset value next computed. Such a funds net asset value per share is determined by deducting the amount of its liabilities from the value of its assets and dividing the difference by the number of shares outstanding. In contrast, closed-end interval funds, such as the Existing Fund, generally engage in continuous sales of shares but do not permit daily redemptions or repurchases of their outstanding shares. Instead, closed-end interval funds offer shareholders limited liquidity by conducting periodic repurchase offers for their shares. The amount of shares that may be purchased by an interval fund is limited to no more than 25% of the outstanding shares per repurchase offer. Currently, the Existing Fund conducts quarterly
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repurchase offers for between 5% and 25% of the Funds outstanding shares at net asset value. Immediately below is a list of some of the legal, practical and operational differences between the Existing Fund, which is a closed-end, interval fund, and the New Fund, which is an open-end fund.
Redemption of Shares. Following the Reorganization, you will generally be able to redeem all or a portion of the New Fund shares on any business day and realize the value of the shares at the next determined current net asset value. Similar to the Existing Fund, the New Funds net asset value will be calculated by dividing (i) the value of the New Funds total assets less all liabilities (including accrued expenses) by (ii) the number of outstanding shares of the New Fund. Open-end funds generally value their assets on each business day in order to determine the current net asset value on the basis of which their shares may be redeemed by shareholders or purchased by investors.
Portfolio Management. Because the Existing Fund only repurchases its shares quarterly, it may generally keep its assets fully invested and make investment decisions that take into account cash inflows based on its continuous sales of shares while adjusting for cash outflows from repurchases of its shares only quarterly. In contrast, mutual funds, such as the New Fund, must generally honor redemption requests on any business day, as discussed above. Therefore, mutual funds must continuously consider cash inflows and outflows and the liquidity of their portfolios and may be required to sell portfolio securities at disadvantageous times or prices in order to satisfy redemption requests.
Senior Securities and Borrowing. Closed-end funds are permitted to issue senior securities representing indebtedness (e.g., bonds, debentures and notes), to any lender if they maintain 300% asset coverage for all the borrowings. In addition, closed-end funds may generally issue preferred stock. The 1940 Act prohibits open-end funds, however, from issuing senior securities representing indebtedness, other than indebtedness to banks where there is asset coverage of at least 300% for all borrowings. Thus, as a matter of law, the Existing Fund has more flexibility to leverage its assets than the New Fund will have, although, in practice, the Existing Fund has never used this additional flexibility and the Investment Adviser does not believe that the more restrictive requirements will materially affect the ability of the New Fund to implement its proposed investment program.
Illiquid Securities. An open-end fund may invest only up to 15% of its net assets in securities that are not readily marketable or are otherwise considered to be illiquid (illiquid securities). By contrast, closed-end, interval funds are subject to less onerous liquidity restrictions under Rule 23c-3 under the 1940 Act. The 15% limit will apply to the New Fund after the Reorganization. However, the Existing Fund has generally operated within this 15% limit, and therefore the Investment Adviser does not believe that the more restrictive requirement will materially affect the ability of the New Fund to implement its proposed investment program.
What Happens if the Reorganization is Not Approved?
If the required approval of shareholders is not obtained, the Meeting may be adjourned to a later date to permit further solicitation of proxies, as more fully described in this Proxy Statement/Prospectus. If the Reorganization is not approved, you will remain a shareholder of the Existing Fund and the Board of Trustees will take such actions as it deems necessary or appropriate in the best interests of the Funds shareholders based on the facts and circumstances.
Who is Eligible to Vote?
Shareholders of record of the Existing Fund on October 18, 2013 are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Meeting or any postponement or adjournment thereof. All shareholders of the Existing Fund will vote together as a single class. Each share is entitled to one vote. Shares represented by properly executed proxies, unless revoked before or at the Meeting, will be voted according to shareholders instructions. If you sign a proxy but do not fill in a vote, your shares will be voted to approve the Plan. If any other business comes before the meeting, your shares will be voted at the discretion of the persons named as proxies.
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i
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
AND
GOLDMAN SACHS LONG SHORT CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
The following is a summary of more complete information appearing later in this Proxy Statement/Prospectus or incorporated by reference herein. You should read carefully the entire Proxy Statement/Prospectus, including the form of Agreement and Plan of Reorganization attached as Exhibit A, because it contains details that are not in the summary.
If the Reorganization is approved, the Existing Fund will be reorganized into the New Fund, a newly organized series of Goldman Sachs Trust that will commence operations upon consummation of the Reorganization, as described above.
Comparison of the Existing Fund with the New Fund
Although the New Fund will invest in credit-related instruments that are similar to those in which the Existing Fund currently invests, there are some important differences between the proposed investment objective and principal investment strategies of the New Fund and those of the Existing Fund. These differences are discussed in more detail in the side-by-side chart below to facilitate comparison. This discussion is qualified in its entirety by reference to Exhibit B, which includes a full statement of each Funds principal investment strategies. Certain information below has been summarized and/or restated to facilitate comparison.
The Existing Fund |
The New Fund | |||
Type of Fund | The Existing Fund is a continuously offered, non-diversified, closed-end management investment company that is operated as an interval fund. | The New Fund is a series of Goldman Sachs Trust, a non-diversified, open-end, management investment company. | ||
Investment Objective | The Existing Fund seeks a total return comprised of income and capital appreciation. | The New Fund seeks an absolute return comprised of income and capital appreciation. | ||
How will each Fund Seek to Achieve its Investment Objective? | The Existing Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing opportunistically in various credit related instruments. | The New Fund will seek to achieve its investment objective through long and short exposures to credit related instruments. | ||
What are the Principal Types of Securities and Instruments in Which Each Fund will Invest? | Under normal market conditions, each Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) (Net Assets) in the following credit related instruments: (i) fixed rate and floating rate income securities; (ii) loans and loan participations including: (a) senior secured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt (Senior Loans), (b) second lien or other subordinated or unsecured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt (Second Lien Loans) and (c) other types of secured or unsecured loans with fixed, floating, or variable interest rates; (iii) convertible securities; (iv) collateralized debt, bond and loan obligations; (v) bank and corporate debt obligations; (vi) securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises (U.S. Government Securities), and securities issued by or on behalf of states, territories, and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia); (vii) preferred |
The Existing Fund |
The New Fund | |||
securities and trust preferred securities; (viii) structured securities, including credit-linked notes; and/or (ix) listed and unlisted, public and private, rated and unrated debt instruments and other obligations, including those of financially troubled companies (sometimes known as distressed securities or defaulted securities). | ||||
What are the Credit Rating, Maturity and Duration Requirements of each Funds Principal Investments? | There is no minimum credit rating for instruments in which each Fund may invest, and each Fund may invest without limitation in securities below investment grade. Non-investment grade securities are rated BB+, Ba1 or below by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or, if unrated, determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable credit quality. A Fund may also invest in credit instruments of any maturity or duration. | |||
How does each Fund Intend to use Derivative Instruments as Part of its Principal Investment Strategies? | Each Fund may invest in instruments and obligations directly or indirectly by investing in derivative or synthetic instruments, including, without limitation, credit default swaps and loan credit default swaps. | |||
How does each Fund Intend to use Short Positions as Part of its Principal Investment Strategies? | The Fund does not intend to implement short positions as part of its principal investment strategies. | The Fund intends to implement short positions for hedging purposes or to seek to enhance absolute return, and may do so by using swaps or futures, or through short sales of any instrument that the Fund may purchase for investment. For example, the Fund may buy credit default swaps. Credit default swaps involve the receipt of floating or fixed rate payments in exchange for assuming potential credit losses on an underlying security (or group of securities). When the Fund is the buyer of a credit default swap (buying protection), it may make periodic payments to the seller of the credit default swap to obtain protection against a credit default on a specified underlying asset (or group of assets). If a default occurs, the seller of a credit default swap may be required to pay the Fund the notional amount of the credit default swap on a specified security (or group of securities). |
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Portfolio Turnover | The Investment Adviser will not consider the portfolio turnover rate a limiting factor in making investment decisions for each Fund. A high rate of portfolio turnover (100% or more) involves correspondingly greater expenses which must be borne by a Fund and its shareholders and is also likely to result in higher short-term capital gains taxable to shareholders.
During the most recent fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, the Existing Funds portfolio turnover rate was 204% of the average value of its portfolio. Because the New Fund has not yet commenced operations as of the date of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus, there is no portfolio turnover information quoted for the New Fund. | |
Investment Adviser | GSAM serves as the investment adviser of each Fund. | |
Portfolio Management Team | Salvatore Lentini, Managing Director and Co-Head of Liberty Harbor
Mr. Lentini is a senior portfolio manager and co-head of the Liberty Harbor team, the credit alternatives platform of the Investment Adviser. He oversees the Fund and various other opportunistic credit portfolios. He joined the Investment Adviser in 2006.
Brendan McGovern, Managing Director and Co-Head of Liberty Harbor
Mr. McGovern is a senior portfolio manager and co-head of the Liberty Harbor team, the credit alternatives platform of the Investment Adviser. He oversees the Fund and various other opportunistic credit portfolios. He joined the Investment Adviser in 2006.
The SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers compensation and accounts managed by the portfolio managers. | |
Fiscal Year End | March 31 |
As the above table indicates, despite certain similarities, there are some notable differences between the investment objective and principal investment strategies of the New Fund and those of the Existing Fund. As part of its principal investment strategies, the New Fund will opportunistically seek short exposures to credit related instruments through the use of derivatives or synthetic instruments, including, but not limited to, credit related indices. This represents a departure from the long-only credit strategy of the Existing Fund. The implementation of a long/short credit strategy, although designed to reduce volatility (and, therefore, risk), entails unique investment risks to which shareholders of the Existing Fund are not currently subject. Moreover, whereas the Existing Fund seeks a total return comprised of income and capital appreciation, the New Fund seeks an absolute return comprised of income and capital appreciation. The proposed investment strategies of the New Fund are designed to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns, better insulate shareholders from rising interest rates and reduce volatility. The proposed investment strategies may impact performance.
Comparison of Principal Investment Risks of Investing in the Funds
Because the New Fund will invest in credit-related instruments that are similar to those in which the Existing Fund currently invests, each Fund will be subject to similar principal investment risks. However, shareholders of the New Fund will be subject to certain other principal investment risks as a result of the differences between the investment objective and principal investment strategies of the New Fund and those of the Existing Fund. These differences are discussed in more detail in the chart below to facilitate comparison.
Principal Investment Risks Applicable to the New Fund Only | Short Position Risk. The Fund may enter into a short position through a futures contract, an option or swap agreement or by shorting a security directly. Taking short positions involves leverage of the Funds assets and presents various risks. If the price of the underlying instrument or market on which the Fund has taken a short position increases, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in price from the time that the short position was entered into plus any related interest payments or other fees. Taking short positions involves the risk that losses may be disproportionate and may exceed the amount invested. |
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Swaps Risk. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns, differentials in rates of return or some other amount earned or realized on the notional amount of predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. Swaps can involve greater risks than direct investment in securities, because swaps may be leveraged and are subject to counterparty risk (e.g., the risk of a counterpartys defaulting on the obligation or bankruptcy), credit risk and pricing risk (i.e., swaps may be difficult to value). Swaps may also be considered illiquid. It may not be possible for the Fund to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.
| ||
Principal Investment Risks Applicable to each Fund | Counterparty Risk. Many of the protections afforded to cleared transactions, such as the security offered by transacting through a clearing house, might not be available in connection with over the counter (OTC) transactions. Therefore, in those instances in which the Fund enters into OTC transactions, the Fund will be subject to the risk that its direct counterparty will not perform its obligations under the transactions and that the Fund will sustain losses.
Credit/Default Risk. An issuer or guarantor of fixed income securities or instruments held by the Fund (which may have low credit ratings) may default on its obligation to pay interest and repay principal or default on any other obligation. Additionally, the credit quality of securities may deteriorate rapidly, which may impair the Funds liquidity and cause significant net asset value (NAV) deterioration. To the extent that the Fund holds non-investment grade fixed income securities, these risks may be more pronounced.
Derivatives Risk. Loss may result from the Funds investments in futures, swaps, structured securities (e.g., credit linked notes) and other derivative instruments. These instruments may be illiquid, difficult to price and leveraged so that small changes in the value of underlying instruments may produce disproportionate losses to the Fund. Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations.
Distressed Debt Risk. When the Fund invests in obligations of financially troubled companies (sometimes known as distressed securities), there exists the risk that the transaction involving such debt obligations will be unsuccessful, take considerable time or will result in a distribution of cash or a new security or obligation in exchange for the stressed and distressed debt obligations, the value of which may be less than the Funds purchase price of such debt obligations. Furthermore, if an anticipated transaction does not occur, the Fund may be required to sell its investment at a loss or hold its investment pending bankruptcy proceedings in the event the issuer files for bankruptcy.
Foreign Risk. Foreign securities may be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation, less public information and less economic, political and social stability in the countries in which the Fund invests. Loss may also result from the imposition of exchange controls, confiscations and other government restrictions, or from problems in registration, settlement or custody. Foreign risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which the Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time.
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4
Interest Rate Risk. When interest rates increase, fixed income securities or instruments held by the Fund will generally decline in value. Long-term fixed income securities or instruments will normally have more price volatility because of this risk than short-term fixed income securities or instruments.
Liquidity Risk. The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or that may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions. Illiquid investments may be more difficult to value. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Fund will not be able to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market conditions, an unusually high volume of redemption requests, or other reasons. To meet redemption requests, the Fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.
Loan-Related Investments Risk. In addition to risks generally associated with debt investments, loan-related investments such as loan participations and assignments are subject to other risks. Although a loan obligation may be fully collateralized at the time of acquisition, the collateral may decline in value, be relatively illiquid, or lose all or substantially all of its value subsequent to investment. Many loan investments are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale and may be relatively illiquid and difficult to value. There is less readily available, reliable information about most loan investments than is the case for many other types of securities. Substantial increases in interest rates may cause an increase in loan obligation defaults. With respect to loan participations, the Fund may not always have direct recourse against a borrower if the borrower fails to pay scheduled principal and/or interest; may be subject to greater delays, expenses and risks than if the Fund had purchased a direct obligation of the borrower; and may be regarded as the creditor of the agent lender (rather than the borrower), subjecting the Fund to the creditworthiness of that lender as well.
Senior Loans hold the most senior position in the capital structure of a business entity, and are typically secured with specific collateral, but are nevertheless usually rated below investment grade. Because Second Lien Loans are subordinated or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to Senior Loans, they are subject to the additional risk that the cash flow of the borrower and property securing the loan or debt, if any, may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after giving effect to the senior secured obligations of the borrower. Second Lien Loans generally have greater price volatility than Senior Loans and may be less liquid.
Management Risk. A strategy used by the Investment Adviser may fail to produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The value of the instruments in which the Fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies, particular sectors or governments and/or general economic conditions throughout the world due to increasingly interconnected global economies and financial markets.
Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is non-diversified, meaning that it is permitted to invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than diversified mutual funds. Thus, the Fund may be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer held in its portfolio, and may be more susceptible to greater losses because of these developments.
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5
Non-Investment Grade Fixed Income Securities Risk. Non-investment grade fixed income securities and unrated securities of comparable credit quality (commonly known as junk bonds) are considered speculative and are subject to the increased risk of an issuers inability to meet principal and interest payment obligations. These securities may be subject to greater price volatility due to such factors as specific corporate or municipal developments, interest rate sensitivity, negative perceptions of the junk bond markets generally and less secondary market liquidity.
Special Situation Investments Risk. The Fund may make investments in event-driven situations such as recapitalizations, financings, corporate and financial restructurings, acquisitions, divestitures, reorganizations or other situations in public or private companies that may provide the Fund with an opportunity to provide debt and/or equity financing, typically on a negotiated basis. The Investment Adviser will seek special situation investment opportunities with limited downside risk relative to their potential upside. These investments are complicated and an incorrect assessment of the downside risk associated with an investment could result in significant losses to the Fund.
U.S. Government Securities Risk. The U.S. government may not provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law. U.S. Government Securities issued by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) and the Federal Home Loan Banks, are neither issued nor guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury and, therefore, are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. Government Securities held by the Fund may greatly exceed their current resources, including any legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that issuers of U.S. Government Securities will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future.
EACH FUND IS NON-DIVERSIFIED UNDER 1940 ACT, AND MAY INVEST A LARGER PERCENTAGE OF ITS ASSETS IN FEWER ISSUERS THAN DIVERSIFIED MUTUAL FUNDS. | ||
Principal Investment Risks Applicable to the Existing Fund Only | Closed-End Interval Fund Risk. The Fund is a closed-end investment company structured as an interval fund and designed primarily for long-term investors, and the Funds shares are not intended to be used for trading purposes. The Fund does not currently intend to list its shares for trading on any securities exchange. There is no secondary market for the Funds shares and the Fund expects that no secondary market will develop. Although the Fund, as a fundamental policy, will make quarterly offers to repurchase at least 5% and up to 25% of its outstanding shares at NAV, the number of shares tendered in connection with a repurchase offer may exceed the number of shares the Fund has offered to repurchase, in which case not all of your shares tendered in that offer will be repurchased. In connection with any given repurchase offer, it is possible that the Fund may offer to repurchase only the minimum amount of 5% of its outstanding shares. Hence, you may not be able to sell your shares when and/or in the amount that you desire.
Concentration Risk. If the Fund invests a substantial portion of its total assets in issuers within the same country, state, region, currency or economic sector, an adverse economic, business or political development may affect the value of the Funds investments more than if its investments were not so concentrated.
Leverage Risk. The Fund reserves the flexibility to issue preferred shares or debt securities or to engage in borrowings (including through reverse repurchase agreements or dollar rolls) to add leverage to its portfolio. Any leverage used by the Fund would be limited to 33 1/3% of the Funds total assets (including the proceeds of the leverage) at the time utilized. Although the Fund is permitted to borrow and use other leveraging practices to the full extent permitted under the 1940 Act, the Fund does not currently intend to borrow for leveraging purposes or otherwise use leverage.
Non-Hedging Foreign Currency Trading Risk. The Fund may engage in forward foreign currency transactions for investment purposes. The Investment Adviser may purchase or sell foreign currencies through the use of forward contracts based on the Investment Advisers judgment regarding the direction of the market for a particular foreign currency or currencies. In pursuing this strategy, the Investment Adviser seeks to profit from anticipated movements in currency rates by establishing long and/or short positions in forward contracts on various foreign currencies. Foreign exchange rates can be extremely volatile and a variance in the degree of volatility of the market or in the direction of the market from the Investment Advisers expectations may produce significant losses to the Fund. Some of the transactions may also be subject to interest rate risk.
Repurchase Offers Risk. The Fund is an interval fund and, in order to provide some liquidity to shareholders, makes quarterly offers to repurchase between 5% and 25% of its outstanding shares at NAV, pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the 1940 Act. The Fund believes that these repurchase offers are generally beneficial to the Funds shareholders, and generally are funded from available cash or sales of portfolio securities. However, the repurchase of shares by the Fund decreases the assets of the Fund and, therefore, may have the effect of increasing the Funds expense ratio. Repurchase offers and the need to fund repurchase obligations may also affect the ability of the Fund to be fully invested or force the Fund to maintain a higher percentage of its assets in liquid investments, which may harm the Funds investment performance. Moreover, diminution in the size of the Fund through repurchases may result in untimely sales of portfolio securities, and may limit the ability of the Fund to participate in new investment opportunities. If the Fund uses leverage, repurchases of shares may compound the adverse effects of leverage in a declining market. In addition, if the Fund borrows money to finance repurchases, interest on that borrowing will negatively affect shareholders who do not tender their shares by increasing Fund expenses and reducing any net investment income. Certain shareholders, including Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management clients and other clients or affiliates of the Investment Adviser and/or other funds managed by the Investment Adviser, may from time to time own or control a significant percentage of the Funds shares. Repurchase requests by these shareholders of these shares of the Fund may cause repurchases to be oversubscribed, with the result that shareholders may only be able to have a portion of their shares repurchased in connection with any repurchase offer. If a repurchase offer is oversubscribed and the Fund determines not to repurchase additional shares beyond the repurchase offer amount, or if shareholders tender an amount of shares greater than that which the Fund is entitled to purchase, the Fund will repurchase the shares tendered on a pro rata basis, and shareholders will have to wait until the next repurchase offer to make another repurchase request. Shareholders will be subject to the risk of NAV fluctuations during that period. Thus, there is also a risk that some shareholders, in anticipation of proration, may tender more shares than they wish to have repurchased in a particular quarter, thereby increasing the likelihood that proration will occur. The NAV of shares tendered in a repurchase offer may fluctuate between the date a shareholder submits a repurchase request and the repurchase request deadline, and to the extent there is any delay between the repurchase request deadline and the repurchase pricing date. The NAV on the repurchase request deadline or the repurchase pricing date may be higher or lower than on the date a shareholder submits a repurchase request.
Sovereign Risk. An issuer of non-U.S. sovereign debt held by the Fund or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay the principal or interest when due. This may result from political or social factors, the general economic environment of a country, levels of foreign debt or foreign currency exchange rates. |
Shareholders of both Funds pay various fees and expenses, either directly or indirectly. The tables below show the fees and expenses that you would pay if you were to buy and hold shares of each Fund. The expenses in the tables appearing below for the Existing Fund are based on the expenses of the Existing Fund for the twelve-month period ended March 31, 2013. The New Fund is a newly-organized fund that will commence operations upon consummation of the Reorganization and has no performance history. Therefore, the fees and expenses for the New Fund have been estimated using the New Funds proposed fees and estimated expenses assuming the Reorganization occurred on April 1, 2013. For financial statement purposes, the Existing Fund will be the accounting survivor of the Reorganization. As the accounting survivor, the Existing Funds operating history will be used for the New Funds financial reporting purposes. The tables also show the pro forma expenses of the combined Fund after giving effect to the Reorganization based on pro forma net assets as of March 31, 2013.
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The Existing Fund |
The New Fund Institutional Class |
Combined Fund Institutional Class (Pro Forma) |
||||||||||
Shareholder fees (paid directly from your investment) |
| |||||||||||
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) |
2.50 | % | None | None | ||||||||
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the lower of original purchase price or sales proceeds) |
None | None | None | |||||||||
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
| |||||||||||
Management Fees |
1.00 | %1 | 1.00 | %1 | 1.00 | %1 | ||||||
Distribution and/or Service Fees |
0.25 | % | None | None | ||||||||
Other Expenses |
0.12 | %2 | 0.11 | % | 0.11 | % | ||||||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses3 |
1.37 | % | 1.11 | % | 1.11 | % |
1 | For each Fund, the Investment Adviser is entitled (or will be entitled) to management fees from the Fund at the annual rates equal to the following percentages of the Funds average daily net assets, thus excluding borrowings for investment purposes: |
Management Fee Annual Rate |
Average Daily Net Assets | |
1.00% |
First $1 Billion | |
0.90% |
Next $1 Billion | |
0.86% |
Next $3 Billion | |
0.84% |
Next $3 Billion | |
0.82% |
Over $8 Billion |
2 | Other Expenses include transfer agency fees and expenses equal on an annualized basis to 0.05% of the average daily net assets of the Existing Credit Strategy Funds Shares, plus all other ordinary expenses not detailed above. |
3 | The Investment Adviser may waive a portion of its management fee from time to time, and may discontinue or modify any such waivers in the future, consistent with the terms of any fee waiver arrangements in place. These waivers may be voluntary or contractual. |
With respect to the Existing Fund, the Investment Adviser has voluntarily agreed to reduce or limit certain Other Expenses of the Fund (excluding transfer agency fees and expenses, taxes, interest, brokerage fees, litigation, indemnification, shareholder meeting costs and other extraordinary expenses) to the extent that such expenses exceed, on an annual basis, 0.204% of the average daily net assets of the Funds Shares. The Funds Other Expenses may be further reduced by any custody and transfer agency fee credits received by the Fund.
With respect to the Existing Fund, the Investment Adviser has agreed to reduce or limit Other Expenses (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, transfer agency fees and expenses, taxes, interest, brokerage fees, litigation, indemnification, shareholder meeting and other extraordinary expenses) to 0.204% of average daily net assets for the Fund through at least [], 2014, and prior to such date, the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees of the New Fund. The expense limitation may be modified or terminated by the Investment Adviser at its discretion and without shareholder approval after such date, although the Investment Adviser does not presently intend to do so. The Funds Other Expenses may be further reduced by any custody and transfer agency fee credits received by the Fund.
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Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in each Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in each Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, and that each Funds operating expenses remain the same. Pro forma expenses are included assuming a Reorganization of the Funds. The examples are for comparison purposes only and are not a representation of either Funds actual expenses or returns, either past or future. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Fund |
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | ||||||||||||
The Existing Fund |
$ | 386 | $ | 673 | $ | 981 | $ | 1,855 | ||||||||
The New Fund Institutional Class |
$ | 113 | $ | 353 | $ | 612 | $ | 1,352 | ||||||||
Combined Fund Institutional Class (Pro Forma) |
$ | 113 | $ | 353 | $ | 612 | $ | 1,352 |
Portfolio Turnover
The Existing Fund pays and the New Fund will pay transaction costs when it buys and sells securities or instruments (i.e., turns over its portfolio). A high rate of portfolio turnover may result in increased transaction costs, which must be borne by a Fund and its shareholders, and is also likely to result in higher short-term capital gains for taxable shareholders. These costs are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example above, but are reflected in the Funds performance. During the most recent fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, the Existing Funds portfolio turnover rate was 204% of the average value of its portfolio. Because the New Fund has not yet commenced operations as of the date of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus, there is no portfolio turnover information quoted for the New Fund.
As of the date of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus, the New Fund has not yet commenced investment operations and therefore has no performance history. Upon completion of the Reorganization, the New Fund will assume the performance, financial and other historical information of the Existing Fund. Returns are based on the net asset value of fund shares.
The performance information of the Existing Fund is provided below. The New Fund has different fees and expenses and therefore would have had different performance results. Past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the New Fund will perform in the future.
The bar chart (including Best Quarter and Worst Quarter information) does not reflect the sales loads applicable to common shares of the Existing Fund. If the sales loads were reflected, returns would be less. Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expenses limitations in effect during the periods shown.
TOTAL RETURN
|
CALENDAR YEAR (Common Shares)
| |
The total return for Common Shares for the 6-month period ended June 30, 2013 was 1.07%
Best Quarter Q3 09 + 6.42%
Worst Quarter Q3 11 2.54% |
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Average Annual Total Return for the Period Ended December 31, 2012 Common Shares (inception June 15, 2009) |
1 Year | Since Inception | ||||||
Returns Before Taxes |
7.92 | % | 8.90 | % | ||||
Returns After Taxes on Distributions |
8.18 | % | 6.98 | % | ||||
Returns After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares |
6.89 | % | 6.74 | % | ||||
Bank of America Merrill Lynch USD LIBOR One-Month Constant Maturity Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) |
0.31 | % | 0.29 | % |
After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investors tax situation and may differ from those shown. In addition, the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Reasons for the Reorganization and Board Considerations
After evaluating the investment objective, strategies and policies of the Existing Fund, the Investment Adviser recommended to the Board that it approve the reorganization of the Existing Fund into a new series of Goldman Sachs Trust, thereby providing shareholders of the Existing Fund with the opportunity to invest in an open-end management investment company with increased liquidity in the form of daily redemption rights. Although the New Fund will invest in credit-related instruments that are similar to those in which the Existing Fund currently invests, the New Fund will implement a long/short credit strategy, which represents a departure from the long-only credit strategy of the Existing Fund. GSAM believes that the proposed investment strategy of the New Fund will provide attractive risk-adjusted returns, better insulate shareholders from rising interest rates and reduce volatility. The Board of Trustees of Goldman Sachs Trust has authorized the creation of a new series the New Fund into which the Existing Fund will be reorganized. The New Fund is not currently operating as a series of Goldman Sachs Trust, but will commence operations upon consummation of the Reorganization.
In recommending the Reorganization, the Board of Trustees of the Existing Fund, including all of the Independent Trustees, determined that the Reorganization is in the best interest of the Existing Fund and will not dilute the interests of the shareholders of the Existing Fund. The Trustees also believe that the Reorganization offers a number of potential benefits. These potential benefits and considerations include the following:
| As a closed-end, interval fund, shares of the Existing Fund may only be redeemed once per quarter. Currently, the Existing Fund conducts quarterly repurchase offers for between 5% and 25% of the Funds outstanding shares at net asset value. By reorganizing the Existing Fund into a new series of Goldman Sachs Trust, shareholders will be permitted to redeem their New Fund shares during any business day, thereby significantly enhancing their liquidity. |
| Although the New Fund will invest in credit-related instruments that are similar to those in which the Existing Fund currently invests, the New Fund will implement a long/short credit strategy, which represents a departure from the long-only credit strategy of the Existing Fund. The proposed investment strategies of the New Fund are designed to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns, better insulate shareholders from rising interest rates and reduce volatility. The implementation of a long/short credit strategy, although designed to reduce volatility (and, therefore, risk), entails unique investment risks to which shareholders of the Existing Fund are not currently subject. Moreover, whereas the Existing Fund seeks a total return comprised of income and capital appreciation, the New Fund seeks an absolute return comprised of income and capital appreciation. These differences are discussed in more detail above. |
| The benefit of increased distribution capabilities, which may result in asset growth over time and additional cost savings and scale advantages. While the Existing Fund continuously offers its shares, the New Fund may have greater opportunities for growth of assets because it is an investment vehicle more familiar to investors and it will offer redeemable shares. Over time, growth of Fund assets, may produce economies of scale leading to a reduced expense ratio. However, although unlikely, the Reorganization could result in immediate, substantial redemptions and hence a marked reduction in the size of the New Fund. Such reduction in the size of the New Fund could result in an increase in each shareholders per share costs and expenses of the New Fund. It is not possible to know whether the New Fund will experience net redemptions or net purchases, or over what time period either would occur. |
| That GSAM, the investment adviser of the Existing Fund, will continue as investment adviser to the New Fund. In addition, it is expected that the current portfolio managers of the Existing Fund will continue to serve as portfolio managers of the New Fund following the completion of the Reorganization. |
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| That the contractual management fee schedule of the New Fund is identical to that of the Existing Fund at current asset levels (1.00% as an annual percentage of average daily net assets). Each Fund also has the same contractual breakpoints that would reduce management fees at the same rates if assets increase. |
| That the pro forma gross and net expense ratios of Institutional Shares of the New Fund are expected to be lower than the current gross and net expense ratios of shares of the Existing Fund. That is, the pro forma gross expense ratio of Institutional Shares is expected to be 1.11%, whereas the historical gross expense ratio of common shares is 1.37%. |
| That no sales load, CDSC, commission, redemption fee or other transactional fee will be charged as a result of the Reorganization. |
| That the Reorganization is expected to qualify as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368 of the Code, and therefore, that you will not recognize gain or loss for federal income tax purposes on the exchange of your the Existing Fund shares for shares of the New Fund. |
| That GSAM has agreed to pay for a portion of the proxy, solicitation and legal costs associated with each Funds participating in the Reorganization. |
The Board also considered that the Investment Adviser will benefit from the Reorganization.
EVALUATION AND RECOMMENDATION OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE EXISTING
FUND
For the reasons described above, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, approved the Reorganization and determined that the Reorganization is in the best interest of the Existing Fund and that the interests of the shareholders of the Existing Fund would not be diluted as a result of the Reorganization.
The Board of Trustees of the Existing Fund recommends that shareholders vote FOR the proposal to approve the Agreement and Plan of Reorganization.
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OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION CONCERNING THE REORGANIZATION
Portfolio Securities
If the Reorganization is effected, management will analyze and evaluate the portfolio securities of the Existing Fund being transferred to the New Fund. The extent and duration to which the portfolio securities of the Existing Fund will be maintained by the New Fund will be determined consistent with the New Funds investment objective, strategies and policies, any restrictions imposed by the Code and in the best interests of each Funds shareholders (including former shareholders of the Existing Fund). Subject to market conditions at the time of any such disposition, the disposition of the portfolio securities by the New Fund may result in a capital gain or loss for the New Fund. The actual tax consequences of any disposition of portfolio securities will vary depending upon the specific security(ies) being sold and the New Funds ability to use any available tax loss carryforwards. The disposition of portfolio securities also may result in significant transaction costs to the New Fund.
Tax Capital Loss Carryforwards
Federal income tax law permits a regulated investment company to carry forward its net capital losses for a period of up to eight taxable years. (Net capital losses that arise in a tax year beginning after December 22, 2010 will generally be able to be carried forward without limit.) The Reorganization is not expected to affect the timing or usability of the Existing Funds capital loss carryforwards.
The ability of the New Fund to use capital losses to offset gains (even in the absence of the Reorganization) depends on factors other than loss limitations, such as the future realization of capital gains or losses.
The following table sets forth the capitalization of the Existing Fund as of March 31, 2013. The New Fund is a newly formed fund that will commence operations upon consummation of the Reorganization. Therefore, the New Fund had no assets or shares outstanding as of March 31, 2013. The table also sets forth the pro forma combined capitalization of the combined fund as if the Reorganization had occurred on March 31, 2013. If the Reorganization is consummated, the net assets, net asset value per share and shares outstanding on the Closing Date will vary from the information below due to changes in the market value of the portfolio securities of the Existing Fund between March 31, 2013 and the Closing Date, changes in the amount of undistributed net investment income and net realized capital gains of the Existing Fund during that period resulting from income and distributions, and changes in the accrued liabilities of the Existing Fund during the same period.
The Existing Fund (March 31, 2013) |
The New Fund (March 31, 2013) |
Pro Forma (March 31, 2013) |
||||||||||
Net Assets (in 000s) |
||||||||||||
Common Shares |
$ | 506,996 | | N/A | ||||||||
Institutional Class |
N/A | | $ | 506,996 | ||||||||
Total Net Assets |
$ | 506,996 | | $ | 506,996 | |||||||
Net Asset Value Per Share |
||||||||||||
Common Shares |
$ | 10.80 | | N/A | ||||||||
Institutional Class |
N/A | | $ | 10.80 | ||||||||
Shares Outstanding |
||||||||||||
Common Shares |
46,956,239 | | N/A | |||||||||
Institutional Class |
N/A | | 46,956,239 |
It is impossible to predict how many shares of the New Fund will actually be received and distributed by the Existing Fund on the Closing Date. The table should not be relied upon to determine the amount of the New Fund shares that will actually be received and distributed.
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TERMS OF THE AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION
The shareholders of the Existing Fund are being asked to approve an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization substantially in the form attached as Exhibit A (the Plan). The description of the Plan contained herein includes the material provisions of the Plan, but this description is qualified in its entirety by the attached copy.
Timing. The Reorganization is scheduled to occur on or about January 24, 2014 (i.e., Closing Date), but may occur on such earlier or later date as the parties agree in writing.
Transfer and Valuation of the Assets. The Plan contemplates the transfer of all of the assets of the Existing Fund to, and the assumption of the liabilities of the Existing Fund by, the New Fund, in exchange for Institutional Shares of the New Fund having an aggregate net asset value equal to the aggregate net asset value of the common shares of the Existing Fund on the Closing Date. The Existing Fund would then distribute to its shareholders the portion of the Institutional Shares of the New Fund to which each such shareholder is entitled. Thereafter, the Existing Fund would be liquidated.
All computations of value shall be made by the Investment Adviser, in its capacity as administrator for the Existing Fund and the New Fund, and shall be subject to confirmation by each Funds record keeping agent and by each Funds independent accountants.
Conditions to Closing the Reorganization. The obligation of each Fund to consummate the Reorganization is subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including the Funds performance of all of its obligations under the Plan, the receipt of certain documents and financial statements from the Existing Fund and the receipt of all consents, orders and permits necessary to consummate the Reorganization. The obligations of the Funds are subject to the approval of the Plan by the necessary vote of the outstanding shares of the Existing Fund with respect to the Reorganization, in accordance with the provisions of the Existing Funds Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, each as amended to date. The Funds obligations are also subject to the receipt of a favorable opinion of Dechert LLP as to the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Reorganization.
Termination of the Plan. The Plan may be terminated and the Reorganization may be abandoned by resolution of the Board of Trustees of Goldman Sachs Trust or the Board of Trustees of the Existing Fund at any time prior to the Closing Date, if circumstances should develop that, in the opinion of the Boards, make proceeding with the Plan inadvisable.
Cost of the Reorganization. The Investment Adviser will pay one-half of all proxy, solicitation and legal costs associated with each Funds participation in the Reorganization. The Funds will collectively pay the remaining one-half of such costs. Each Funds portion of these costs will not be subject to any expense limitation arrangement.
TAX STATUS OF THE REORGANIZATION
The Reorganization is conditioned upon the receipt by the Existing Fund and Goldman Sachs Trust of an opinion from Dechert LLP, counsel to Goldman Sachs Trust, substantially to the effect that, for federal income tax purposes:
| The transfer to the New Fund of all of the Existing Funds assets in exchange solely for the issuance of the New Fund shares to the Existing Fund and the assumption of all of the Existing Funds liabilities by the New Fund, followed by the distribution of the New Fund shares to the Existing Fund shareholders in complete liquidation of the Existing Fund, will constitute a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, of the type described in Section 368(a)(1)(F) of the Code; |
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| No gain or loss will be recognized by the Existing Fund upon (i) the transfer of all of its assets to the New Fund as described above or (ii) the distribution by the Existing Fund of New Fund shares to the Existing Funds shareholders in complete liquidation of the Existing Fund, except for (A) any gain or loss that may be recognized on the transfer of section 1256 contracts as defined in Section 1256(b) of the Code, (B) any gain that may be recognized on the transfer of stock in a passive foreign investment company as defined in Section 1297(a) of the Code, and (C) any other gain or loss that may be required to be recognized upon the transfer of an asset of the Existing Fund regardless of whether such transfer would otherwise be a non-recognition transaction under the Code; |
| The tax basis of each asset of the Existing Fund in the hands of the New Fund will be the same as the tax basis of that asset in the hands of the Existing Fund immediately before the transfer of the asset, increased by the amount of gain (or decreased by the amount of loss), if any, recognized by the Existing Fund on the transfer; |
| The holding period of each asset of the Existing Fund in the hands of the New Fund, other than assets with respect to which gain or loss is required to be recognized, will include the period during which that asset was held by the Existing Fund (except where investment activities of the New Fund have the effect of reducing or eliminating the holding period with respect to an asset); |
| No gain or loss will be recognized by the New Fund upon its receipt of the Existing Funds assets solely in exchange for shares of the New Fund and the assumption of the Existing Funds liabilities; |
| No gain or loss will be recognized by the Existing Fund shareholders upon the exchange of their Existing Fund shares for the New Fund shares as part of the Reorganization; |
| The aggregate tax basis of the New Fund shares received by the Existing Fund shareholders in the Reorganization will be the same as the aggregate tax basis of the shares of the Existing Fund surrendered in exchange therefor; and |
| Each Existing Fund shareholders holding period for the New Fund shares received in the Reorganization will include the holding period of the shares of the Existing Fund that were surrendered in exchange therefor, provided that the shareholder held the Existing Fund shares as capital assets on the date of the exchange. |
In rendering such opinion, counsel shall rely upon, among other things, certain facts, assumptions and representations of the Existing Fund and of Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the New Fund.
No tax ruling has been or will be received from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in connection with the Reorganization. An opinion of counsel is not binding on the IRS or a court, and no assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or a court would not sustain, a contrary position.
The foregoing discussion is very general. The foregoing consequences may not apply to certain classes of taxpayers who are subject to special circumstances, such as shareholders who are not citizens or residents of the United States, insurance companies, tax-exempt organizations, financial institutions, dealers in securities or foreign currencies, or persons who hold their shares as part of a straddle or conversion transaction. This discussion does not address any state, local or foreign tax consequences of the Reorganization. You should consult your tax adviser for the particular tax consequences to you of the transaction, including the applicability of any state, local or foreign tax laws.
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VOTING RIGHTS AND REQUIRED VOTE
Each common share of the Existing Fund is entitled to one vote. A quorum is required to conduct business at the Meeting. One-third of the voting power of the common shares of the Existing Fund entitled to vote in person or by proxy shall be a quorum for the transaction of business at the Meeting. Any lesser number shall be sufficient for adjournments. The Reorganization requires the approval by a majority shareholder vote, as defined in the Existing Funds Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust. For this purpose, a majority shareholder vote means the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities as defined in the 1940 Act. Under the 1940 Act, the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities means the affirmative vote of the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the voting securities present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of such company are present or represented by proxy; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of such company.
The table below shows how shares will be treated for the purposes of quorum and voting requirements.
Shares |
Quorum |
Voting | ||
In General | Shares present in person or by proxy are counted toward a quorum. | Shares present in person will be voted in person at the meeting. Shares present by proxy will be voted in accordance with instructions. | ||
Signed Proxy with no Voting Instruction (other than Broker Non-Vote) | Considered present at Meeting for purposes of quorum. | Shares voted for the proposal. | ||
Broker Non-Vote (where the underlying holder had not voted and the broker does not have discretionary authority to vote the shares) | Not considered present at Meeting for purposes of quorum. | Broker non-votes do not count as a vote for the proposal and effectively result in a vote against the proposal. | ||
Signed Proxy with Vote to Abstain | Considered present at Meeting for purposes of quorum. | Abstentions do not constitute a vote for the proposal and effectively result in a vote against the proposal. |
If the required approval of shareholders is not obtained, the meeting may be adjourned as more fully described in this Proxy Statement/Prospectus, and the Existing Fund will continue to engage in business as a closed end, interval fund and the Board of Trustees of the Existing Fund will take such actions as it deems necessary or appropriate in the best interests of the Funds shareholders based on the facts and circumstances.
COMPARISON OF CHARTER DOCUMENTS OF GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
AND GOLDMAN SACHS TRUST
Each of Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund and Goldman Sachs Trust is organized as a Delaware statutory trust. The operations of the Existing Fund are governed by its Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust and Amended and Restated By-Laws, each as amended to date. The operations of Goldman Sachs Trust are governed by its Declaration of Trust and Amended and Restated By-Laws, each as amended to date. The operations of both Funds are also governed by applicable Delaware law and are subject to the provisions of the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder. In general, the documents governing the Existing Fund are similar to those documents governing the New Fund. The attributes of a share of beneficial interest of each Fund are also comparable. The following is a summary of certain provisions of, and material differences between, the Existing Fund and its Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust (as amended to date, the Credit Strategies Fund Charter), on the one hand, and Goldman Sachs Trust and its Declaration of Trust (as amended to date, the Goldman Sachs Trust Charter), on the other.
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Responsibilities and Powers of Trustees. Subject to the provisions of the Goldman Sachs Trust Charter, the operations of Goldman Sachs Trust are supervised by Goldman Sachs Trusts Trustees and, subject to the provisions of the Credit Strategies Fund Charter, the operations of the Existing Fund are supervised by the Credit Strategies Fund Trustees. The responsibilities, powers and fiduciary duties of the Goldman Sachs Trust Trustees are substantially the same as those of the Existing Funds Trustees. The provisions in each charter regarding the terms of office of Trustees are also substantially similar.
Distributions, Redemptions and Repurchases. The provisions in each charter regarding distributions are similar. Each charter states that the Trustees or a committee of Trustees and/or officers may declare and pay dividends and other distributions, including dividends on shares of a particular series or class. The Trustees of each trust have full discretion to determine which items will be treated as income and which as capital, and each such determination and allocation is conclusive and binding on shareholders.
As an open-end management investment company, Goldman Sachs Trust grants each shareholder a right to require a series of Goldman Sachs Trust to redeem all or part of his or her shares at a redemption price equal to Net Asset Value Per Share. As a closed-end, interval fund, the Existing Fund may redeem or repurchase its shares, all upon such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Trustees and subject to any applicable provisions of the 1940 Act. Currently, the Existing Fund conducts quarterly repurchase offers for between 5% and 25% of the Funds outstanding shares at net asset value.
Liability and Indemnification. The provisions in each charter included to protect the Trustees against certain liabilities are substantially similar. Each charter provides that if the Trustees have exercised reasonable care and have acted under reasonable belief that their actions are in the best interests of the Trust, the Trustees shall not be responsible or liable for any action or omission or for neglect or wrongdoing of them or any officer, agent, employee, investment adviser or independent contractor of the Trust; however, nothing in either charter protects a Trustee against any liability to the Trust or its shareholders to which 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. In addition, each charter provides for indemnification of Trustees, officers, employees and agents of the Trust unless the recipient is adjudicated: (i) to be liable by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such persons office; or (ii) not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that such persons actions were in the best interests of the Trust.
Shareholder Liability. Under Delaware law, shareholders generally are shielded from personal liability for a trusts debts or obligations to the same extent a shareholder is shielded from a corporations debts. Furthermore, each charter provides that shareholders are not personally liable for the acts or obligations of a fund and requires a fund to indemnify shareholders against liability arising solely from a shareholders ownership of shares in the fund. In addition, notice of disclaimer of shareholder liability will normally be given in each agreement, obligation, or instrument entered into or executed by a fund and/or trust.
Voting Rights of Shareholders. Each charter provides that any Trustee may be removed at any meeting of shareholders by the vote of holders of shares of beneficial interest of two-thirds of the outstanding shares of the Trust at a meeting of the shareholders. Neither the Existing Fund nor Goldman Sachs Trust is required to hold annual meetings of shareholders and the Existing Fund and Goldman Sachs Trust do not intend to hold such meetings. In the event that a meeting of shareholders is held, each share of the Existing Fund and Goldman Sachs Trust will be entitled, as determined by the applicable Trustees without the vote or consent of shareholders, either to one vote for each share or to one vote for each dollar of net asset value represented by such shares on all matters presented to shareholders including the election of Trustees. However, to the extent required by the 1940 Act or otherwise determined by the Trustees, series and classes of the Existing Fund and Goldman Sachs Trust will vote separately from each other. Shareholders of the Existing Fund and Goldman Sachs Trust do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of Trustees.
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The Goldman Sachs Trust Charter provides that the shareholders have the power to vote only with respect to: (i) the election of Goldman Sachs Trust Trustees to the extent and as provided therein; (ii) the removal of Trustees as provided therein; (iii) any matter required to be approved by the shareholders under the 1940 Act; (iv) the termination of Goldman Sachs Trust under certain circumstances as provided therein; (v) certain amendments of the Goldman Sachs Trust Charter; and (vi) with respect to such additional matters relating to Goldman Sachs Trust as may be required or authorized by law, the Goldman Sachs Trust Charter or the Goldman Sachs Trust By-Laws or any registration of Goldman Sachs Trust with the SEC or any state, or as the Goldman Sachs Trust Trustees may consider desirable. Similarly, the Credit Strategies Fund Charter provides that the shareholders have the power to vote only with respect to: (i) the election of Credit Strategies Fund Trustees to the extent and as provided therein; (ii) the removal of Trustees as provided therein; and (iii) with respect to such additional matters relating to Credit Strategies Fund as may be required or authorized by law or as the Credit Strategies Fund Trustees may consider desirable.
Except when a larger vote is required by law, each of the Credit Strategies Fund Charter and the Goldman Sachs Trust Charter requires representation in person or by proxy of one-third of the holders of shares entitled to vote to establish a quorum for the transaction of business at a meeting of shareholders. In addition, both the Credit Strategies Fund Charter and Goldman Sachs Trust Charter provide that, except when a larger vote is required by law, by the respective Credit Strategies Fund Charter or Goldman Sachs Trust Charter, or by the respective By-laws of the Existing Fund or Goldman Sachs Trust, the holders of shares representing a majority of votes present and entitled to be cast at a shareholders meeting in person or by proxy on the matter shall decide that matter except that a plurality of votes cast shall elect a trustee.
Principal Shareholder Transactions. The Credit Strategies Fund Charter includes several other provisions regarding principal shareholder transactions not included in the Goldman Sachs Trust Charter. As defined therein, a Principal Shareholder means any corporation, person or other entity which is the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of five percent (5%) or more of the Trust or any series or class of shares of the shares, and shall include any affiliate or associate of a Principal Shareholder or any person managed, advised or administered by a Principal Shareholder or an affiliate or associate thereof. When a Principal Shareholder is a party to certain covered transactions, the affirmative vote or consent of the holders of not less than seventy-five percent (75%) of each class and series of shares or Trust shares outstanding and entitled to vote thereon is required to approve such transaction. Such affirmative vote or consent is required in addition to the vote or consent of the holders of shares otherwise required by law or hereafter authorized by any agreement between the Trust and any national securities exchange, if any.
Conversion. The Credit Strategies Fund Charter includes a provision that addresses conversion. The Credit Strategies Fund Charter requires a favorable vote of at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the affected shares of the Trust outstanding, voting as separate classes or series, to approve, adopt or authorize an amendment to the Credit Strategies Fund Charter to make Credit Strategies Fund shares a redeemable security as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, unless such amendment has been approved by a majority of the Trustees, in which case approval by a majority of the outstanding voting securities as defined in the 1940 Act. Upon the adoption of a proposal to convert the Existing Fund from a closed-end company to an open-end company as those terms are defined by the 1940 Act, and the necessary amendments to the Credit Strategies Fund Charter to permit such a conversion of the Trusts outstanding shares entitled to vote, the Trust shall, upon complying with any requirements of the 1940 Act and state law, become an open-end investment company. Such affirmative vote or consent will be in addition to the vote or consent of the holders of the shares otherwise required by law, or any agreement between the Trust and any national securities exchange.
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FUNDAMENTAL AND NON-FUNDAMENTAL INVESTMENT POLICIES OF THE FUNDS
Each Fund has adopted certain fundamental investment policies which may not be changed without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund. Under the 1940 Act, the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities means the affirmative vote of the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the voting securities present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of such company are present or represented by proxy; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of such company. In addition to the fundamental investment policies, each Fund has adopted certain non-fundamental policies which can be changed or amended by action of the Trustees of such Fund without approval of shareholders. The current fundamental and non-fundamental investment policies of the Existing Fund, and the proposed fundamental and non-fundamental investment policies of the New Fund, are listed below.
The Existing Fund |
The New Fund | |
Fundamental Investment Policies | ||
Concentration Policy | ||
The Fund may not: Invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry (excluding the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities).
For the purposes of this restriction, state and municipal governments and their agencies, authorities and instrumentalities are not deemed to be industries; telephone companies are considered to be a separate industry from water, gas or electric utilities; personal credit finance companies and business credit finance companies are deemed to be separate industries; wholly-owned finance companies are considered to be in the industry of their parents if their activities are primarily related to financing the activities of their parents; and residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities are deemed to be separate industries. |
The Fund may not: Invest more than 25% of its total assets in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry (excluding the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities). | |
Senior Securities | ||
The Fund may not: Issue senior securities other than (a) as permitted by applicable law; (b) preferred shares that immediately after issuance will have asset coverage of at least 200%; (c) indebtedness that immediately after issuance will have asset coverage of at least 300%; or (d) borrowing permitted by investment restriction (3) below. [i.e., the restriction directly below under Borrowing] | The Fund may not: Issue senior securities to the extent such issuance would violate applicable law. |
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The Existing Fund |
The New Fund | |
Borrowing | ||
The Fund may not: Borrow money, except (a) the Fund, to the extent permitted by applicable law, may borrow in amounts up to 33-1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed); (b) the Fund may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, borrow up to an additional 5% of its total assets for temporary purposes; (c) the Fund may obtain such short-term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of portfolio securities; (d) the Fund may purchase securities on margin to the extent permitted by applicable law; and (e) the Fund may engage in transactions in mortgage dollar rolls which are accounted for as financings. The Fund is not permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on Shares, or repurchase fund shares unless, at the time of such declaration, the value of the Funds total assets, less liabilities other than borrowing, is at least 300% of such principal amount. | The Fund may not: Borrow money, except (a) the Fund, to the extent permitted by applicable law, may borrow from banks (as defined in the Act), other affiliated investment companies and other persons or through reverse repurchase agreements in amounts up to 33-1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) (investments in reverse repurchase agreements would not be subject to this percentage limitation if they are covered in accordance with the Act); (b) the Fund may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, borrow up to an additional 5% of its total assets for temporary purposes; (c) the Fund may obtain such short-term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of portfolio securities; (d) the Fund may purchase securities on margin to the extent permitted by applicable law; and (e) the Fund may engage in transactions in mortgage dollar rolls which are accounted for as financings. | |
The following interpretation applies to, but is not part of, this fundamental policy: In determining whether a particular investment in portfolio instruments or participation in portfolio transactions is subject to this borrowing policy, the accounting treatment of such instrument or participation shall be considered, but shall not by itself be determinative. Whether a particular instrument or transaction constitutes a borrowing shall be determined by the Board, after consideration of all of the relevant circumstances. |
The following interpretation applies to, but is not part of, this fundamental policy: In determining whether a particular investment in portfolio instruments or participation in portfolio transactions is subject to this borrowing policy, the accounting treatment of such instrument or participation shall be considered, but shall not by itself be determinative. Whether a particular instrument or transaction constitutes a borrowing shall be determined by the Board, after consideration of all of the relevant circumstances. | |
Loans | ||
The Fund may not: Make loans, except through (a) the purchase of debt obligations, loan interests and other interests or obligations in accordance with the Funds investment objective and policies; (b) repurchase agreements with banks, brokers, dealers and other financial institutions; or (c) loans as permitted by applicable law or pursuant to an exemptive order granted under the Act. | ||
Underwriting | ||
The Fund may not: Underwrite securities issued by others, except to the extent that the sale of portfolio securities by the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriting. | ||
Real Estate | ||
The Fund may not: Purchase, hold or deal in real estate, although the Fund may purchase and sell securities that are secured by real estate or interests therein, securities of issuers which invest or deal in real estate, securities of real estate investment trusts and mortgage-related securities and may hold and sell real estate it has acquired as a result of the ownership of securities. | ||
Commodities | ||
The Fund may not: Invest in physical commodities or commodity contracts for the purchase or sale of physical commodities, except that the Fund may invest in currency and financial instruments and contracts that are commodities or commodity contracts. | The Fund may not: Invest in physical commodities, except that the Fund may invest in currency and financial instruments and contracts in accordance with its investment objective and policies, including without limitation, structured notes, futures contracts, swaps, options on commodities, currencies, swaps and futures, ETFs, investment pools and other instruments, regardless of whether such instrument is considered to be a commodity. |
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The Existing Fund |
The New Fund | |
Share Repurchases | ||
On a quarterly basis, in the months of March, June, September and December, the Fund will make an offer to repurchase a designated percentage of the outstanding Shares from shareholders (a Repurchase Offer), pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the Act, as it may be amended from time to time.
The Fund will repurchase Shares that are tendered by a specific date (the Repurchase Request Deadline). The Funds Board will establish the Repurchase Request Deadline for each Repurchase Offer. The Repurchase Request Deadline will ordinarily be on the third Friday of the month in which the repurchase occurs but such date may be revised by the Funds investment adviser, in its sole discretion, based on factors such as market conditions, the level of the Funds assets and shareholder servicing considerations provided that the Board is notified of this change and the reasons for it.
There will be a maximum 14 calendar day period (or the next business day if the 14th calendar day is not a business day) between the Repurchase Request Deadline and the date on which the Funds net asset value applicable to the Repurchase Offer is determined. |
As an open-end management investment company, the Fund is required under the 1940 Act to accept redemption orders from shareholders on any business day, except under limited circumstances. Accordingly, following the Reorganization, you will generally be able to redeem all or a portion of the New Fund shares on any business day and realize the value of the shares at the next determined current net asset value. | |
Non-Fundamental Policies | ||
To invest under normal market conditions at least 80% of its Net Assets in any one or in any combination of the categories of instruments described above. To the extent required by SEC regulations, shareholders will be provided with sixty days notice in the manner prescribed by the SEC before any change in the Funds policy to invest at least 80% of its Net Assets in the particular type of investment suggested by its name. |
To invest under normal market conditions at least 80% of its Net Assets in any one or in any combination of the categories of instruments described above. To the extent required by SEC regulations, shareholders will be provided with sixty days notice in the manner prescribed by the SEC before any change in the Funds policy to invest at least 80% of its Net Assets in the particular type of investment suggested by its name.
May not invest in companies for the purpose of exercising control or management.
May not invest more than 15% of the Funds net assets in illiquid investments, including illiquid repurchase agreements with a notice or demand period of more than seven days, securities which are not readily marketable and restricted securities not eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act.
May not purchase additional securities if the Funds borrowings (excluding covered mortgage dollar rolls and such short-term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of portfolio securities) exceed 5% of its net assets. |
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For purposes of the Funds industry concentration policy, the Investment Adviser may analyze the characteristics of a particular issuer and instrument and may assign an industry classification consistent with those characteristics. The Investment Adviser may, but need not, consider industry classifications provided by third parties, and the classifications applied to Fund investments will be informed by applicable law.
BUYING, SELLING AND EXCHANGING SHARES OF THE FUNDS
Shares of each Fund are continuously offered through Goldman, Sachs & Co., as affiliate of the Investment Adviser, as the exclusive distributor to each Fund (Goldman Sachs or Distributor). In addition, certain institutions (including banks, trust companies, brokers and investment advisers) may be authorized to accept, on behalf of a Fund, purchase and exchange orders and redemption requests placed by or on behalf of their customers, and if approved by the Fund, may designate other financial intermediaries to accept such orders (Authorized Institutions). The price you pay when you buy shares is a Funds next determined NAV for a share class (as adjusted for any applicable sales charge) after the Fund receives your order in proper form.
Each Fund and the Distributor will have the sole right to accept orders to purchase shares and reserve the right to reject any order in whole or in part. You may purchase shares of a Fund through certain Authorized Institutions. In order to make an initial investment in a Fund, you must furnish to your Authorized Institution the information in the Account Application.
As discussed above, the Existing Fund is an interval fund. No market currently exists for the Existing Funds shares. The Existing Fund does not currently intend to list its shares for trading on any securities exchange, and does not anticipate that a secondary market will develop for its shares. Neither the Investment Adviser, nor Goldman Sachs, intends to make a market in the Existing Funds shares. However, the Existing Fund, in order to provide some liquidity to shareholders, makes quarterly offers to repurchase between 5% and 25% of its outstanding shares at NAV, pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the 1940 Act.
Conversely, shares of the New Fund may generally be sold (redeemed) through your Authorized Institution. Customers of an Authorized Institution will normally give their redemption instructions to the Authorized Institution, and the Authorized Institution will, in turn, place redemption orders with the New Fund. Redemptions may be requested by electronic trading platform (through your Authorized Institution), in writing or by telephone (unless the Authorized Institution opts out of the telephone redemption privilege on the Account Application). The New Fund will generally redeem its shares upon request on any business day the Fund is open at the NAV next determined after receipt of such request in proper form, subject to any applicable CDSC.
The minimum initial investment in the Existing Fund is $25,000, subject to certain exceptions, with a $50 minimum amount required for subsequent investments. No minimum additional investment requirements are imposed with respect to investors trading through intermediaries who aggregate shares in omnibus or similar accounts (e.g., retirement plan accounts, wrap program accounts or traditional brokerage house accounts). These fees may be waived under certain circumstances. Conversely, for Institutional Shares of the New Fund, the minimum initial investment (other than in connection with the Reorganization) is $1,000,000 for individual or Institutional Investors, alone or in combination with other assets under the management of the Investment Adviser and its affiliates, except that no initial minimum will be imposed on (i) Employee Benefit Plans that hold their Institutional Shares through plan-level or omnibus accounts; or (ii) investment advisers investing for accounts for which they receive asset-based fees where the investment adviser or its Authorized Institution purchases Institutional shares through an omnibus account. For this purpose, Institutional Investors shall include wrap account sponsors (provided they have an agreement covering the arrangement with Goldman Sachs), corporations,
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qualified non-profit organizations, charitable trusts, foundations and endowments, state, county, city or any instrumentality, department, authority or agency thereof, and banks, trust companies or other depository institutions investing for their own account or on behalf of their clients. These fees may be waived under certain circumstances, as discussed more fully under Shareholder Guide How to Buy Shares What Is My Minimum Investment In The Fund?
You may exchange shares of each Fund at NAV without the imposition of an initial sales charge or CDSC, if applicable, at the time of exchange for certain shares of another Goldman Sachs Fund. With respect to the Existing Fund, such exchanges would occur in conjunction with quarterly repurchases made by the Fund. In this case, rather than tendering your shares for cash, you would elect to have the dollar value of those shares accepted for purchases of shares of the other Goldman Sachs Fund.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase a Fund through an Authorized Institution, the Fund and/or its related companies may pay the Authorized Institution for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Authorized Institution and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your Authorized Institutions website for more information.
OTHER INVESTMENT PRACTICES, SECURITIES AND RISKS OF THE FUNDS
As noted above, the Funds have similar investment objectives, strategies and policies and risks. This section provides further information on certain types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by each Fund, including their associated risks. The tables below identify some of the investment techniques that may (but are not required to) be used by each Fund in seeking to achieve its investment objectives, subject to the Funds investment objective and principal investment strategies and policies. Numbers in the tables show allowable usage only.
Investment Practices
10 | Percent of total assets (including securities lending collateral) (italic type) |
10 | Percent of net assets (excluding borrowings for investment purposes) (roman type) |
| No specific percentage limitation on usage; limited only by the objectives and strategies of the Fund. |
| Not permitted |
The Existing Fund | The New Fund | |||
Borrowings |
33 1/3 | 33 1/3 | ||
Credit, Currency, Equity, Index, Interest Rate, Total Return and Mortgage Swaps (and options on swaps) |
| | ||
Cross Hedging of Currencies |
| | ||
Custodial Receipts and Trust Certificates |
| | ||
Foreign Currency Transactions (including forward contracts) |
| | ||
Futures Contracts |
| | ||
Illiquid Investments* |
** | 15 | ||
Interest Rate Floors, Caps and Collars |
| | ||
Investment Company Securities (including exchange-traded funds (ETFs))1 |
10 | 10 | ||
Mortgage Dollar Rolls |
| |||
Options on Foreign Currencies2 |
| | ||
Options (including options on futures)3 |
| | ||
Preferred Stock |
| | ||
Repurchase Agreements |
| | ||
Short Sales |
| | ||
Standby Commitments and Tender Option Bonds |
| | ||
When-Issued Securities and Forward Commitments |
| |
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* | Illiquid investments are any investments which cannot be disposed of in seven days in the ordinary course of business at approximately the price at which the Fund values the instrument. |
** | The Existing Fund is subject to certain restrictions under Rule 23c-3 with respect to illiquid securities. |
1 | This percentage limitation does not apply to the Funds investments in investment companies (including ETFs) where a higher percentage limitation is permitted under the terms of an SEC exemptive order or SEC exemptive rule. |
2 | The Fund may purchase and sell call and put options on foreign currencies. |
3 | The Fund may sell covered call and put options and purchase call and put options on securities and securities indices in which it may invest. |
Investment Securities
| No specific percentage limitation on usage; limited only by the objectives and strategies of the Fund. |
The Existing Fund | The New Fund | |||
Asset-Backed Securities |
| | ||
Bank Obligations |
| | ||
Collateralized Debt Obligations |
| | ||
Commodity-Linked Derivative Instruments |
| | ||
Convertible Securities |
| | ||
Corporate Debt Obligations and Trust Preferred Securities |
| | ||
Equity Instruments |
| |||
Floating and Variable Rate Obligations |
| | ||
Foreign Securities1 |
| | ||
Loan and Loan Participations |
| | ||
Mortgage-Backed Securities |
||||
Adjustable Rate Mortgage Loans |
| | ||
Collateralized Mortgage Loans |
| | ||
Fixed Rate Mortgage Loans |
| | ||
Government Issued Mortgage-Backed Securities |
| | ||
Privately Issued Mortgage-Backed Securities |
| | ||
Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities |
| | ||
Municipal Securities |
| | ||
Non-Investment Grade Securities |
| | ||
Preferred Stock, Warrants and Rights |
| | ||
Real Estate Investment Trusts |
| |||
Structured Securities (which may include credit-linked notes) |
| | ||
Temporary Investments |
| | ||
U.S. Government Securities |
| |
1 | Includes issuers domiciled in one country and issuing securities denominated in the currency of another. |
Additional Information About the New Fund and Portfolio Risks, Securities and Techniques
The New Funds benchmark index is the Bank of America Merrill Lynch U.S. Dollar Three-Month LIBOR Constant Maturity Index. The Index tracks the performance of a synthetic asset paying LIBOR to a stated maturity. The Index is based on the assumed purchase at par of a synthetic instrument having exactly its stated maturity and with a coupon equal to that days fixing rate. That issue is assumed to be sold the following business day (priced at a yield equal to the current day fixing rate) and rolled into a new instrument.
The New Fund may, from time to time, take temporary defensive positions in attempting to respond to adverse market, political or other conditions. For temporary defensive purposes, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its total assets in U.S. Government Securities, commercial paper rated at least A-2 by Standard & Poors Ratings Services (Standard & Poors), P-2 by Moodys Investors Services, Inc. (Moodys), or having a comparable
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rating by another NRSRO (or if unrated, determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable credit quality), certificates of deposit, bankers acceptances, repurchase agreements and non-convertible corporate bonds with a remaining maturity of less than one year, ETFs and other investment companies and cash items. When the Funds assets are invested in such instruments, the Fund may not be achieving its investment objective.
For more information about the portfolio risks, securities and techniques of the New Fund, please see Exhibit C Additional Information on Portfolio Risks, Securities and Techniques.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEW FUND
Investment Adviser
GSAM, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, has been registered as an investment adviser with the SEC since 1990 and is an affiliate of Goldman Sachs. As of June 30, 2013 GSAM, including its investment advisory affiliates, had assets under management of $739.5 billion.
The Investment Adviser provides day-to-day advice regarding the Funds portfolio transactions. The Investment Adviser makes the investment decisions for the Fund and places purchase and sale orders for the Funds portfolio transactions in U.S. and foreign markets. As permitted by applicable law, these orders may be directed to any executing brokers, dealers, futures commission merchants or clearing brokers, including Goldman Sachs and its affiliates. While the Investment Adviser is ultimately responsible for the management of the Fund, it is able to draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates for portfolio decisions and management with respect to certain portfolio securities. In addition, the Investment Adviser has access to the research and certain proprietary technical models developed by Goldman Sachs (subject to legal, internal, regulatory and Chinese Wall restrictions), and will apply quantitative and qualitative analysis in determining the appropriate allocations among categories of issuers and types of securities.
The Investment Adviser also performs the following additional services for the New Fund:
| Supervises all non-advisory operations of the Fund; |
| Provides personnel to perform necessary executive, administrative and clerical services to the Fund; |
| Arranges for the preparation of all required tax returns, reports to shareholders, prospectuses and statements of additional information and other reports filed with the SEC and other regulatory authorities; |
| Maintains the records of the Fund; and |
| Provides office space and all necessary office equipment and services. |
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees approval of the Management Agreement for the Fund will be available in the Funds annual report for the period ended March 31, 2014.
Distributor and Transfer Agent
Goldman Sachs, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, serves as the exclusive distributor (the Distributor) of the New Funds shares. Goldman Sachs, 71 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, also serves as the New Funds transfer agent (the Transfer Agent) and, as such, performs various shareholder servicing functions.
For its transfer agency services, Goldman Sachs is entitled to receive a transfer agency fee equal, on an annualized basis, to 0.04% of average daily net assets with respect to the Institutional Shares.
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From time to time, Goldman Sachs or any of its affiliates may purchase and hold shares of the New Fund. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates reserve the right to redeem at any time some or all of the shares acquired for their own accounts.
Activities of Goldman Sachs and its Affiliates and Other Accounts Managed by Goldman Sachs
The involvement of the Investment Adviser, Goldman Sachs and their affiliates in the management of, or their interest in, other accounts and other activities of Goldman Sachs may present conflicts of interest with respect to the Fund or limit the Funds investment activities. Goldman Sachs is a worldwide, full service investment banking, broker dealer, asset management and financial services organization and a major participant in global financial markets that provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth individuals. As such, it acts as an investor, investment banker, research provider, investment manager, financier, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent and principal. In those and other capacities, Goldman Sachs advises clients in all markets and transactions and purchases, sells, holds and recommends a broad array of investments, including securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps, indices, baskets and other financial instruments and products for its own account or for the accounts of its customers and has other direct and indirect interests in the global fixed income, currency, commodity, equities, bank loans and other markets in which the Fund directly and indirectly invests. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from entities for which Goldman Sachs performs or seeks to perform investment banking or other services. The Investment Adviser and/or certain of its affiliates are the managers of the Goldman Sachs Funds. The Investment Adviser and its affiliates earn fees from this and other relationships with the Fund. Although these fees are generally based on asset levels, the fees are not directly contingent on Fund performance, and Goldman Sachs would still receive significant compensation from the Fund even if shareholders lose money. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates engage in proprietary trading and advise accounts and funds which have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or which engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and instruments as the Fund. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates will not have any obligation to make available any information regarding their proprietary activities or strategies, or the activities or strategies used for other accounts managed by them, for the benefit of the management of the Fund. The results of the Funds investment activities, therefore, may differ from those of Goldman Sachs, its affiliates and other accounts managed by Goldman Sachs, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which Goldman Sachs and its affiliates and other accounts achieve significant profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. In addition, the Fund may enter into transactions in which Goldman Sachs or its other clients have an adverse interest. For example, the Fund may take a long position in a security at the same time that Goldman Sachs or other accounts managed by the Investment Adviser take a short position in the same security (or vice versa). These and other transactions undertaken by Goldman Sachs, its affiliates or Goldman Sachs advised clients may, individually or in the aggregate adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Goldman Sachs advised clients or the Investment Adviser may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund. The Funds activities may be limited because of regulatory restrictions applicable to Goldman Sachs and its affiliates, and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. As a global financial services firm, Goldman Sachs also provides a wide range of investment banking and financial services to issuers of securities and investors in securities. Goldman Sachs, its affiliates and others associated with it may create markets or specialize in, have positions in and effect transactions in, securities of issuers held by the Fund, and may also perform or seek to perform investment banking and financial services for those issuers. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates may have business relationships with and purchase or distribute or sell services or products from or to distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund. For more information about conflicts of interest, see the SAI.
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The Funds Board of Trustees may approve a securities lending program where an affiliate of the Investment Adviser is retained to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund engages in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund, including a fee based on the returns earned on the Funds investment of the cash received as collateral for the loaned securities. The Board of Trustees periodically reviews all portfolio securities loan transactions for which an affiliated lending agent has acted as lending agent. In addition, the Fund may make brokerage and other payments to Goldman Sachs and its affiliates in connection with the Funds portfolio investment transactions, in accordance with applicable law.
Distributions
The Fund pays distributions from its investment income and from net realized capital gains. You may choose to have distributions paid in:
| Cash; |
| Additional shares of the same class of the Fund; |
| Shares of the same class from another Goldman Sachs Fund. Special restrictions may apply. See the SAI. |
You may indicate your election on your Account Application. Any changes may be submitted in writing, or via telephone, in some instances, to the Transfer Agent (either directly or through your Authorized Institution) at any time before the record date for a particular distribution. If you do not indicate any choice, your distributions will be reinvested automatically in the Fund. Distributions from net investment income are declared daily and paid monthly, and distributions from net capital gains, if any, are declared and paid annually. If cash distributions are elected with respect to the Funds monthly distributions from net investment income, then cash distributions must also be elected with respect to the net short-term capital gains component, if any, of the Funds annual distributions.
The election to reinvest distributions in additional shares will not affect the tax treatment of such distributions, which will be treated as received by you and then used to purchase the shares.
From time to time a portion of the Funds distributions may constitute a return of capital for tax purposes, and/or may include amounts in excess of the Funds net investment income for the period calculated in accordance with good accounting practice.
When you purchase shares of the Fund, part of the NAV per share may be represented by undistributed income and/or realized gains that have previously been earned by the Fund. Therefore, subsequent distributions on such shares from such income and/or realized gains may be taxable to you even if the NAV of the shares is, as a result of the distributions, reduced below the cost of such shares and the distributions (or portions thereof) represent a return of a portion of the purchase price.
The following section describes the Institutional Shares that the New Fund will make available after the Reorganization is effected and how shareholders may buy and sell Fund shares. It also describes the Funds policies and procedures on excessive trading practices. After the Reorganization is effected, the New Fund also may offer other classes of shares that are not discussed in this Proxy Statement/Prospectus.
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Shares Offering
Shares of the Fund are continuously offered through the Distributor. In addition, certain Authorized Institutions designated by the Fund may be authorized to accept, on behalf of the Fund, purchase and exchange orders and redemption requests placed by or on behalf of their customers, and if approved by the Fund, may designate other financial intermediaries to accept such orders.
The Fund and the Distributor will have the sole right to accept orders to purchase shares and reserve the right to reject any order in whole or in part.
How Can I Purchase Shares Of The Fund?
You may purchase shares of the Fund through certain Authorized Institutions. In order to make an initial investment in the Fund you must furnish to your Authorized Institution the information in the Account Application.
The decision as to which class to purchase depends on the amount you invest, the intended length of the investment and your personal situation. You should contact your Authorized Institution to discuss which share class option is right for you.
Note: Authorized Institutions may receive different compensation for selling different class shares.
To open an account, contact your Authorized Institution. Customers of certain Authorized Institutions will normally give their purchase instructions to the Authorized Institution, and the Authorized Institution will, in turn, place purchase orders with Goldman Sachs. Authorized Institutions will set times by which purchase orders and payments must be received by them from their customers.
For purchases by check, the Fund will not accept checks drawn on foreign banks, third party checks, temporary checks, or cash or cash equivalents; e.g., cashiers checks, official bank checks, money orders, travelers cheques or credit card checks. In limited situations involving the transfer of retirement assets, the Fund may accept cashiers checks or official bank checks.
What Is My Minimum Investment In The Fund?
For Institutional Shares, the minimum initial investment is $1,000,000 for individual or Institutional Investors, alone or in combination with other assets under the management of the Investment Adviser and its affiliates, except that no initial minimum will be imposed on (i) Section 401(k), 403(b), 457, profit sharing, money purchase pension, tax-sheltered annuity, defined benefit pension, non-qualified deferred compensation plans and non-qualified pension plans or other employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) or SIMPLE plans that are sponsored by one or more employers (including governmental or church employers) or employee organizations (Employee Benefit Plans) that hold their Institutional Shares through plan-level or omnibus accounts; or (ii) investment advisers investing for accounts for which they receive asset-based fees where the investment adviser or its Authorized Institution purchases Institutional Shares through an omnibus account. For this purpose, Institutional Investors shall include wrap account sponsors (provided they have an agreement covering the arrangement with the Distributor), corporations, qualified non-profit organizations, charitable trusts, foundations and endowments, state, county, city or any instrumentality, department, authority or agency thereof, and banks, trust companies or other depository institutions investing for their own account or on behalf of their clients.
No minimum amount is required for additional investments in Institutional Shares.
The minimum investment requirement for Institutional Shares may be waived for: (i) Goldman Sachs, its affiliates (including Goldman Sachs Trust (the Trust)) or their respective Trustees, officers, partners, directors or employees (including retired employees and former partners), as well as certain individuals related to such investors, including spouses or domestic partners, minor children including those of their domestic partners, other family members residing in the same household, and/or financial dependents, provided that all of the above are
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designated as such with an Authorized Institution or the Funds Transfer Agent; (ii) advisory clients of Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management and accounts for which The Goldman Sachs Trust Company, N.A. acts in a fiduciary capacity (i.e., as agent or trustee); (iii) certain mutual fund wrap programs at the discretion of the Trusts officers; and (iv) other investors at the discretion of the Trusts officers. No minimum amount is required for additional investments in such accounts.
What Should I Know When I Purchase Shares Through An Authorized Institution?
If shares of the Fund are held in an account maintained and serviced by your Authorized Institution, all recordkeeping, transaction processing and payments of distributions relating to your account will be performed by your Authorized Institution, and not by the Fund and its Transfer Agent. Since the Fund will have no record of your transactions, you should contact your Authorized Institution to purchase, redeem or exchange shares, to make changes in or give instructions concerning your account or to obtain information about your account. The transfer of shares from an account with one Authorized Institution to an account with another Authorized Institution involves special procedures and may require you to obtain historical purchase information about the shares in the account from your Authorized Institution. If your Authorized Institutions relationship with Goldman Sachs is terminated, and you do not transfer your account to another Authorized Institution, the Trust reserves the right to redeem your shares. The Trust will not be responsible for any loss in an investors account or tax liability resulting from a redemption.
Certain Authorized Institutions may be authorized to accept, on behalf of the Trust, purchase, redemption and exchange orders placed by or on behalf of their customers, and if approved by the Trust, to designate other financial intermediaries to accept such orders. In these cases:
| The Fund will be deemed to have received an order that is in proper form when the order is accepted by an Authorized Institution on a business day, and the order will be priced at the Funds NAV per share (adjusted for any applicable sales charge) next determined after such acceptance. |
| Authorized Institutions are responsible for transmitting accepted orders to the Fund within the time period agreed upon by them. |
You should contact your Authorized Institution to learn whether it is authorized to accept orders for the Trust.
Authorized Institutions that invest in shares on behalf of their customers may charge fees directly to their customer accounts in connection with their investments. You should contact your Authorized Institution for information regarding such charges as these fees, if any, may affect the return such customers realize with respect to their investments.
The Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may make payments or provide services to Authorized Institutions to promote the sale, distribution and/or servicing of shares of the Fund and other Goldman Sachs Funds. These payments are made out of the Investment Advisers, the Distributors and/or their affiliates own assets, and are not an additional charge to the Fund. The payments are in addition to the distribution and service fees and sales charges described in this Proxy Statement/Prospectus or another Goldman Sachs Fund Prospectus. Such payments are intended to compensate Authorized Institutions for, among other things: marketing shares of the Fund and other Goldman Sachs Funds, which may consist of payments relating to the Funds inclusion on preferred or recommended fund lists or in certain sales programs sponsored by the Authorized Institutions; access to the Authorized Institutions registered representatives or salespersons, including at conferences and other meetings; assistance in training and education of personnel; marketing support; and/or other specified services intended to assist in the distribution and marketing of the Fund and other Goldman Sachs Funds. The payments may also, to the extent permitted by applicable regulations, contribute to various non-cash and cash incentive arrangements to promote the sale of shares, as well as sponsor various educational programs,
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sales contests and/or promotions. The payments by the Investment Adviser, the Distributor and/or their affiliates which are in addition to the fees paid for these services by the Fund, may also compensate Authorized Institutions for sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, administrative and/or shareholder processing services. These additional payments may exceed amounts earned on these assets by the Investment Adviser, the Distributor and/or their affiliates for the performance of these or similar services. The amount of these additional payments is normally not expected to exceed 0.50% (annualized) of the amount sold or invested through the Authorized Institutions. In addition, certain Authorized Institutions may have access to certain services from the Investment Adviser, the Distributor and/or their affiliates, including research reports and economic analysis, and portfolio analysis tools. In certain cases, the Authorized Institution may not pay for these services. Please refer to the Payments to Intermediaries section of the SAI for more information about these payments and services.
The payments made by the Investment Adviser, the Distributor and/or their affiliates and the services provided by an Authorized Institution may differ for different Authorized Institutions. The presence of these payments, receipt of these services and the basis on which an Authorized Institution compensates its registered representatives or salespersons may create an incentive for a particular Authorized Institution, registered representative or salesperson to highlight, feature or recommend the Fund based, at least in part, on the level of compensation paid. You should contact your Authorized Institution for more information about the payments it receives and any potential conflicts of interest.
What Else Should I Know About Share Purchases?
The Trust reserves the right to:
| Refuse to open an account or require an Authorized Institution to refuse to open an account if you fail to (i) provide a Social Security Number or other taxpayer identification number; or (ii) certify that such number is correct (if required to do so under applicable law). |
| Reject or restrict any purchase or exchange order by a particular purchaser (or group of related purchasers) for any reason in its discretion. Without limiting the foregoing, the Trust may reject or restrict purchase and exchange orders by a particular purchaser (or group of related purchasers) when a pattern of frequent purchases, sales or exchanges of shares of the Fund is evident, or if purchases, sales or exchanges are, or a subsequent redemption might be, of a size that would disrupt the management of the Fund. |
| Close the Fund to new investors from time to time and reopen the Fund whenever it is deemed appropriate by the Investment Adviser. |
| Provide for, modify or waive the minimum investment requirements. |
| Modify the manner in which shares are offered. |
| Modify the sales charge rate applicable to future purchases of shares. |
Generally, non-U.S. citizens and certain U.S. citizens residing outside the United States may not open an account with the Fund.
The Fund may allow you to purchase shares with securities instead of cash if consistent with the Funds investment policies and operations and if approved by the Investment Adviser.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Trust and Goldman Sachs reserve the right to reject or restrict purchase or exchange requests from any investor. The Trust and Goldman Sachs will not be liable for any loss resulting from rejected purchase or exchange orders.
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Please be advised that abandoned or unclaimed property laws for certain states (to which your account may be subject) require financial organizations to transfer (escheat) unclaimed or lost property (including shares of the Fund) to the appropriate state if no activity occurs in an account for a period of time specified by state law.
Customer Identification Program. Federal law requires the Fund to obtain, verify and record identifying information for certain investors, which will be reviewed solely for customer identification purposes, and may include the name, residential or business street address, date of birth (for an individual), Social Security Number or taxpayer identification number or other information for each investor who opens an account directly with the Fund. Applications without the required information may not be accepted by the Fund. Throughout the life of your account, the Fund may request updated information in accordance with the Customer Identification Program. After accepting an application, to the extent permitted by applicable law or their customer identification program, the Fund reserves the right to: (i) place limits on transactions in any account until the identity of the investor is verified; (ii) refuse an investment in the Fund; or (iii) involuntarily redeem an investors shares and close an account in the event that the Fund is unable to verify an investors identity or obtain all required information. The Fund and its agents will not be responsible for any loss or tax liability in an investors account resulting from the investors delay in providing all required information or from closing an account and redeeming an investors shares pursuant to the customer identification program.
How Are Shares Priced?
The price you pay when you buy shares is the Funds next determined NAV for a share class (as adjusted for any applicable sales charge) after the Fund receives your order in proper form. The price you receive when you sell shares is the Funds next determined NAV for a share class with the redemption proceeds reduced by any applicable charges (e.g., CDSCs) after the Fund receives your order in proper form. Each class calculates its NAV as follows:
NAV = |
(Value of Assets of the Class) (Liabilities of the Class) | |
Number of Outstanding Shares of the Class |
The Funds investments for which market quotations are readily available are valued at market value on the basis of quotations furnished by a pricing service or provided by securities dealers. If accurate quotations are not readily available, or if the Investment Adviser believes that such quotations do not reflect fair value, the fair value of the Funds investments may be determined in good faith, based on yield equivalents, a pricing matrix or other sources, under valuation procedures established by the Board of Trustees of the New Fund. The pricing services may use valuation models or matrix pricing, which considers yield or price with respect to comparable bonds, quotations from bond dealers or by reference to other securities that are considered comparable in such characteristics as rating, interest rate and maturity date, to determine current value. Short-term debt obligations maturing in sixty days or less are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value. Cases where there is no clear indication of the value of the Funds investments include, among others, situations where a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source.
To the extent the Fund invests in foreign equity securities, fair value prices are provided by an independent fair value service in accordance with the fair value procedures approved by the Board of Trustees of the New Fund. Fair value prices are used because many foreign markets operate at times that do not coincide with those of the major U.S. markets. Events that could affect the values of foreign portfolio holdings may occur between the close of the foreign market and the time of determining the NAV, and would not otherwise be reflected in the NAV. If the independent fair value service does not provide a fair value price for a particular security, or if the price provided does not meet the established criteria for the Fund, the Fund will price that security at the most recent closing price for that security on its principal exchange.
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In addition, the Investment Adviser, consistent with its procedures and applicable regulatory guidance, may (but need not) determine to make an adjustment to the previous closing prices of either domestic or foreign securities in light of significant events, to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities at the time of determining the Funds NAV. Significant events that could affect a large number of securities in a particular market may include, but are not limited to: situations relating to one or more single issuers in a market sector; significant fluctuations in U.S. or foreign markets; market dislocations; market disruptions or unscheduled market closings; equipment failures; natural or manmade disasters or acts of God; armed conflicts; governmental actions or other developments; as well as the same or similar events which may affect specific issuers or the securities markets even though not tied directly to the securities markets. Other significant events that could relate to a single issuer may include, but are not limited to: corporate actions such as reorganizations, mergers and buy-outs; corporate announcements, including those relating to earnings, products and regulatory news; significant litigation; ratings downgrades; bankruptcies; and trading suspensions.
One effect of using an independent fair value service and fair valuation may be to reduce stale pricing arbitrage opportunities presented by the pricing of Fund shares. However, it involves the risk that the values used by the Fund to price its investments may be different from those used by other investment companies and investors to price the same investments.
Investments in other open-end registered investment companies (if any), excluding investments in ETFs, are valued based on the NAV of those open-end registered investment companies (which may use fair value pricing as discussed in their prospectuses).
Please note the following with respect to the price at which your transactions are processed:
| NAV per share of each share class is generally calculated by the accounting agent on each business day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) or such other times as the New York Stock Exchange or bond market may officially close. This occurs after the determination, if any, of the income to be declared as a dividend. Fund shares will generally not be priced on any day the New York Stock Exchange is closed, although Fund shares may be priced on such days if the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) recommends that the bond markets remain open for all or part of the day. |
| On any business day when the SIFMA recommends that the bond markets close early, the Fund reserves the right to close at or prior to the SIFMA recommended closing time. If the Fund does so, it will cease granting same business day credit for purchase and redemption orders received after the Funds closing time and credit will be given on the next business day. |
| The Trust reserves the right to reprocess purchase (including dividend reinvestments), redemption and exchange transactions that were processed at a NAV that is subsequently adjusted, and to recover amounts from (or distribute amounts to) shareholders accordingly based on the official closing NAV, as adjusted. |
| The Trust reserves the right to advance the time by which purchase and redemption orders must be received for same business day credit as otherwise permitted by the SEC. |
Consistent with industry practice, investment transactions not settling on the same day are recorded and factored into the Funds NAV on the business day following trade date (T+1). The use of T+1 accounting generally does not, but may, result in a NAV that differs materially from the NAV that would result if all transactions were reflected on their trade dates.
Note: The time at which transactions and shares are priced and the time by which orders must be received may be changed in case of an emergency or if regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange and/or bond markets is stopped at a time other than in its regularly scheduled closing time. In the event the New York Stock Exchange and/or the bond markets do not open for business, the Trust may, but is not required to, open the Fund for purchase, redemption and exchange transactions if the Federal Reserve wire payment system is open. To learn whether the Fund is open for business during this situation, please call the appropriate phone number located on the back cover of this Prospectus.
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Foreign securities may trade in their local markets on days the Fund is closed. As a result, if the Fund holds foreign securities, its NAV may be impacted on days when investors may not purchase or redeem Fund shares.
When Will Shares Be Issued And Dividends Begin To Be Accrued?
| Shares Purchased by Federal Funds Wire or ACH Transfer: |
| If a purchase order is received in proper form before the Fund closes, shares will generally be issued and dividends will generally begin to accrue on the purchased shares on the later of (i) the business day after payment is received, or (ii) the day that the federal funds wire is received by The Northern Trust Company. Failure to provide payment on settlement date may result in a delay in accrual. |
| If a purchase order is placed through an Authorized Institution that settles through the National Securities Clearing Corporation (the NSCC), the purchase order will begin accruing dividends on the NSCC settlement date. |
| Shares Purchased by Check: |
| If a purchase order is received in proper form before the Fund closes, shares will generally be issued and dividends will generally begin to accrue on the purchased shares no later than two business days after payment is received. |
How Can I Sell Shares Of The Fund?
Generally, Shares may be sold (redeemed) through your Authorized Institution. Customers of an Authorized Institution will normally give their redemption instructions to the Authorized Institution, and the Authorized Institution will, in turn, place redemption orders with the Fund. Redemptions may be requested by electronic trading platform (through your Authorized Institution), in writing or by telephone (unless the Authorized Institution opts out of the telephone redemption privilege on the Account Application). The Fund will generally redeem its Shares upon request on any business day the Fund is open at the NAV next determined after receipt of such request in proper form, subject to any applicable CDSC. You should contact your Authorized Institution to discuss redemptions and redemption proceeds. Certain Authorized Institutions are authorized to accept redemption requests on behalf of the Fund as described under How to Buy SharesShares Offering. The Fund may transfer redemption proceeds to an account with your Authorized Institution. In the alternative, your Authorized Institution may request that redemption proceeds be sent to you by check or wire (if the wire instructions are designated in the current records of the Transfer Agent).
Generally, any redemption request that requires money to go to an account or address other than that designated in the current records of the Transfer Agent must be in writing and signed by an authorized person with a Medallion signature guarantee. The written request may be confirmed by telephone with both the requesting party and the designated bank to verify instructions. Other restrictions may apply in these situations.
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When Do I Need A Medallion Signature Guarantee To Redeem Shares?
A Medallion signature guarantee may be required if:
| You would like the redemption proceeds sent to an address that is not your address of record; or |
| You would like the redemption proceeds sent to a domestic bank account that is not designated in the current records of the Transfer Agent. |
A Medallion signature guarantee must be obtained from a bank, brokerage firm or other financial intermediary that is a member of an approved Medallion Guarantee Program or that is otherwise approved by the Trust. A notary public cannot provide a Medallion signature guarantee. Additional documentation may be required.
What Do I Need To Know About Telephone Redemption Requests?
The Trust, the Distributor and the Transfer Agent will not be liable for any loss or tax liability you may incur in the event that the Trust accepts unauthorized telephone redemption requests that the Trust reasonably believes to be genuine. The Trust may accept telephone redemption instructions from any person identifying himself or herself as the owner of an account or the owners registered representative where the owner has not declined in writing to use this service. Authorized Institutions may submit redemption requests on your behalf by telephone. Thus, you risk possible losses if a telephone redemption is not authorized by you.
In an effort to prevent unauthorized or fraudulent redemption and exchange requests by telephone, Goldman Sachs and Boston Financial Data Services, Inc. (BFDS) each employ reasonable procedures specified by the Trust to confirm that such instructions are genuine. If reasonable procedures are not employed, the Trust may be liable for any loss due to unauthorized or fraudulent transactions. The following general policies are currently in effect:
| Telephone requests are recorded. |
| Proceeds of telephone redemption requests will be sent to your address of record or authorized account designated in the current records of the Transfer Agent (unless you provide written instructions and a Medallion signature guarantee indicating another address or account). |
| For the 30-day period following a change of address, telephone redemptions will only be filled by a wire transfer to the authorized account designated in the current records of the Transfer Agent (see immediately preceding bullet point). In order to receive the redemption by check during this time period, the redemption request must be in the form of a written, Medallion signature guaranteed letter. |
| The telephone redemption option does not apply to Shares held in an account maintained and serviced by your Authorized Institution. If your Shares are held in an account with an Authorized Institution, you should contact your registered representative of record, who may make telephone redemptions on your behalf. |
| The telephone redemption option may be modified or terminated at any time without prior notice. |
Note: It may be difficult to make telephone redemptions in times of unusual economic or market conditions.
How Are Redemption Proceeds Paid?
By Wire: You may arrange for your redemption proceeds to be paid as federal funds to an account with your Authorized Institution or to a domestic bank account designated in the current records of the Transfer Agent. In addition, redemption proceeds may be transmitted through an electronic trading platform to an account with your Authorized Institution. The following general policies govern wiring redemption proceeds:
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| Redemption proceeds will normally be paid on the next business day in federal funds, but may be paid up to three business days following receipt of a properly executed wire transfer redemption request. |
| Although redemption proceeds will normally be paid as described above, under certain circumstances, redemption requests or payments may be postponed or suspended as permitted under Section 22(e) of the 1940 Act. Generally, under that section, redemption requests or payments may be postponed or suspended if (i) the New York Stock Exchange is closed for trading or trading is restricted; (ii) an emergency exists which makes the disposal of securities owned by the Fund or the fair determination of the value of the Funds net assets not reasonably practicable; or (iii) the SEC, by order or regulation, permits the suspension of the right of redemption. |
| If you are selling shares you recently paid for by check or purchased by Automated Clearing House (ACH), the Fund will pay you when your check or ACH has cleared, which may take up to 15 days. |
| If the Federal Reserve Bank is closed on the day that the redemption proceeds would ordinarily be wired, wiring the redemption proceeds may be delayed until the Federal Reserve Bank reopens. |
| To change the bank wiring instructions designated in the current records of the Transfer Agent, you must send written instructions signed by an authorized person designated in the current records of the Transfer Agent. A Medallion signature guarantee may be required if you are requesting a redemption in conjunction with the change. |
| None of the Trust, the Investment Adviser or Goldman Sachs assumes any responsibility for the performance of your bank or any other financial intermediary in the transfer process. If a problem with such performance arises, you should deal directly with your bank or any such financial intermediary. |
By Check: You may elect to receive redemption proceeds by check. Redemption proceeds paid by check will normally be mailed to the address of record within three business days of receipt of a properly executed redemption request. If you are selling shares you recently paid for by check or ACH, the Fund will pay you when your check or ACH has cleared, which may take up to 15 days.
What Else Do I Need To Know About Redemptions?
The following generally applies to redemption requests:
| Shares of the Fund continue to earn dividends up to, but not including, the date of settlement. |
| Additional documentation may be required when deemed appropriate by the Transfer Agent. A redemption request will not be in proper form until such additional documentation has been received. |
| Authorized Institutions are responsible for the timely transmittal of redemption requests by their customers to the Transfer Agent. In order to facilitate the timely transmittal of redemption requests, these Authorized Institutions may set times by which they must receive redemption requests. These Authorized Institutions may also require additional documentation from you. |
The Trust reserves the right to:
| Redeem your shares in the event your Authorized Institutions relationship with Goldman Sachs is terminated, and you do not transfer your account to another Authorized Institution with a relationship with Goldman Sachs or in the event that the Fund is no longer an option in your Employee Benefit Plan or no longer available through your accounts established under a fee-based program that is sponsored and maintained by an Authorized Institution that is approved by Goldman Sachs (Eligible Fee-Based Program). |
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| Redeem your shares if your account balance is below the required Fund minimum. The Fund will not redeem your shares on this basis if the value of your account falls below the minimum account balance solely as a result of market conditions. The Fund will give you 60 days prior written notice to allow you to purchase sufficient additional shares of the Fund in order to avoid such redemption. Different rules may apply to investors who have established brokerage accounts with Goldman Sachs in accordance with the terms and conditions of their account agreements. |
| Subject to applicable law, redeem your shares in other circumstances determined by the Board of Trustees of the New Fund to be in the best interest of the Trust. |
| Pay redemptions by a distribution in-kind of securities (instead of cash). If you receive redemption proceeds in-kind, you should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of those securities. |
| Reinvest any amounts (e.g., dividends, distributions or redemption proceeds) which you have elected to receive by check should your check be returned to the Fund as undeliverable or remain uncashed for more than 180 days. Amounts will be reinvested in additional shares at the NAV per share next calculated on the day the check is reinvested. When reinvested, those amounts are subject to the risk of loss like any Fund investment. This provision may not apply to certain retirement or qualified accounts or to a closed account. Your participation in a systematic withdrawal program may be terminated if your checks remain uncashed. No interest will accrue on amounts represented by uncashed checks. |
| Charge an additional fee in the event a redemption is made via wire transfer. |
None of the Trust, the Investment Adviser or Goldman Sachs will be responsible for any loss in an investors account or tax liability resulting from an involuntary redemption.
Can I Reinvest Redemption Proceeds In The Same Or Another Goldman Sachs Fund?
You should obtain and read the applicable prospectuses before investing in any other Goldman Sachs Funds.
You may reinvest redemption proceeds as follows:
| The reinvestment privilege may be exercised at any time in connection with transactions in which the proceeds are reinvested at NAV in a tax-sheltered Employee Benefit Plan. In other cases, the reinvestment privilege may be exercised once per year upon receipt of a written request. |
| You may be subject to tax as a result of a redemption. You should consult your tax adviser concerning the tax consequences of a redemption and reinvestment. |
Can I Exchange My Investment From One Goldman Sachs Fund To Another Goldman Sachs Fund?
You may exchange shares of a Goldman Sachs Fund at NAV without the imposition of an initial sales charge or CDSC, if applicable, at the time of exchange for certain shares of another Goldman Sachs Fund. Redemption of shares (including by exchange) of certain Goldman Sachs Funds offered in other prospectuses may, however, be subject to a redemption fee for shares that are held for either 30 or 60 days or less, subject to certain exceptions as described in those Goldman Sachs Funds prospectuses. The exchange privilege may be materially modified or withdrawn at any time upon 60 days written notice. You should contact your Authorized Institution to arrange for exchanges of shares of the Fund for shares of another Goldman Sachs Fund.
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You should keep in mind the following factors when making or considering an exchange:
| You should obtain and carefully read the prospectus of the Goldman Sachs Fund you are acquiring before making an exchange. You should be aware that not all Goldman Sachs Funds may offer all share classes. |
| Currently, the Fund does not impose any charge for exchanges, although the Fund may impose a charge in the future. |
| The exchanged shares of the new Goldman Sachs Fund may later be exchanged for shares of the same class of the original Fund held at the next determined NAV without the imposition of an initial sales charge or CDSC (but subject to any applicable redemption fee). However, if additional shares of the new Goldman Sachs Fund were purchased after the initial exchange, and that Funds shares do not impose a sales charge or CDSC, then the applicable sales charge or CDSC of the original Funds shares will be imposed upon the exchange of those shares. |
| When you exchange shares subject to a CDSC, no CDSC will be charged at that time. However, for purposes of determining the CDSC applicable to the shares acquired in the exchange, the length of time you have owned the shares will be measured from the date you acquired the original shares subject to a CDSC, and the amount and terms of the CDSC will be those applicable to the original shares and will not be affected by a subsequent exchange. |
| Eligible investors may exchange certain classes of shares for another class of shares of the same Fund. For further information, contact your Authorized Institution. |
| All exchanges which represent an initial investment in a Goldman Sachs Fund must satisfy the minimum initial investment requirement of that Fund. This requirement may be waived at the discretion of the Trust. Exchanges into a Fund need not meet the traditional minimum investment requirements for that Fund if the entire balance of the original Fund account is exchanged. |
| Exchanges are available only in states where exchanges may be legally made. |
| It may be difficult to make telephone exchanges in times of unusual economic or market conditions. |
| Goldman Sachs and BFDS may use reasonable procedures described under What Do I Need To Know About Telephone Redemption Requests? in an effort to prevent unauthorized or fraudulent telephone exchange requests. |
| Normally, a telephone exchange will be made only to an identically registered account. |
| Exchanges into Goldman Sachs Funds or certain share classes of Goldman Sachs Funds that are closed to new investors may be restricted. |
| Exchanges into the Fund from another Goldman Sachs Fund may be subject to any redemption fee imposed by the other Goldman Sachs Fund. |
| Exchanges into the Fund from another Goldman Sachs Fund received by the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange will normally begin to accrue dividends on the next business day. |
For federal income tax purposes, an exchange from one Goldman Sachs Fund to another is treated as a redemption of the shares surrendered in the exchange, on which you may be subject to tax, followed by a purchase of shares received in the exchange. Exchanges within Employee Benefit Plan accounts will not result in capital gains or loss for federal or state income tax purposes. You should consult your tax adviser concerning the tax consequences of an exchange.
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SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
Can My Distributions From The Fund Be Invested In Other Goldman Sachs Funds?
You may elect to cross-reinvest distributions paid by a Goldman Sachs Fund in shares of the same class of other Goldman Sachs Funds.
| Shares will be purchased at NAV. |
| You may elect to cross-reinvest into an identically registered account. |
| You cannot make cross-reinvestments into a Goldman Sachs Fund unless that Funds minimum initial investment requirement is met. |
| You should obtain and read the prospectus of the Goldman Sachs Fund into which distributions are invested. |
What Types Of Reports Will I Be Sent Regarding My Investment?
Authorized Institutions may provide varying arrangements for their clients to purchase and redeem Fund shares. Authorized Institutions are responsible for providing to you any communication from the Fund to its shareholders, including but not limited to, prospectuses, prospectus supplements, proxy materials and notices regarding the source of dividend payments under Section 19 of the 1940 Act. They may charge additional fees not described in this Prospectus to their customers for such services.
You will be provided with a printed confirmation of each transaction in your account and a monthly account statement. If your account is held through your Authorized Institution, you will receive this information from your Authorized Institution.
You will also receive an annual shareholder report containing audited financial statements and a semi-annual shareholder report. If you have consented to the delivery of a single copy of shareholder reports, prospectuses and other information to all shareholders who share the same mailing address with your account, you may revoke your consent at any time by contacting your Authorized Institution or Goldman Sachs Funds at the appropriate phone number or address found on the back cover of this Prospectus. The Fund will begin sending individual copies to you within 30 days after receipt of your revocation. The Fund does not generally provide sub-accounting services.
RESTRICTIONS ON EXCESSIVE TRADING PRACTICES
Policies and Procedures on Excessive Trading Practices. In accordance with the policy adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, the Trust discourages frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares and does not permit market timing or other excessive trading practices. Purchases and exchanges should be made with a view to longer-term investment purposes only that are consistent with the investment policies and practices of the Fund. Excessive, short-term (market timing) trading practices may disrupt portfolio management strategies, increase brokerage and administrative costs, harm Fund performance and result in dilution in the value of Fund shares held by longer-term shareholders. The Trust and Goldman Sachs reserve the right to reject or restrict purchase or exchange requests from any investor. The Trust and Goldman Sachs will not be liable for any loss resulting from rejected purchase or exchange orders. To minimize harm to the Trust and its shareholders (or Goldman Sachs), the Trust (or Goldman Sachs) will exercise this right if, in the Trusts (or Goldman Sachs) judgment, an investor has a
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history of excessive trading or if an investors trading, in the judgment of the Trust (or Goldman Sachs), has been or may be disruptive to the Fund. In making this judgment, trades executed in multiple accounts under common ownership or control may be considered together to the extent they can be identified. No waivers of the provisions of the policy established to detect and deter market timing and other excessive trading activity are permitted that would harm the Trust or its shareholders or would subordinate the interests of the Trust or its shareholders to those of Goldman Sachs or any affiliated person or associated person of Goldman Sachs.
To deter excessive shareholder trading, certain Goldman Sachs Funds offered in other prospectuses impose a redemption fee on redemptions made within 30 or 60 days of purchase subject to certain exceptions as described in those Goldman Sachs Funds prospectuses. As a further deterrent to excessive trading, many foreign equity securities held by the Goldman Sachs Funds are priced by an independent pricing service using fair valuation. For more information on fair valuation, please see How to Buy SharesHow Are Shares Priced?
Pursuant to the policy adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, Goldman Sachs has developed criteria that it uses to identify trading activity that may be excessive. Excessive trading activity in the Fund is measured by the number of round trip transactions in a shareholders account. A round trip includes a purchase or exchange into the Fund followed or preceded by a redemption or exchange out of the same Fund. If the Fund detects that a shareholder has completed two or more round trip transactions in a single Fund within a rolling 90-day period, the Fund may reject or restrict subsequent purchase or exchange orders by that shareholder permanently. In addition, the Fund may, in its sole discretion, permanently reject or restrict purchase or exchange orders by a shareholder if the Fund detects other trading activity that is deemed to be disruptive to the management of the Fund or otherwise harmful to the Fund. For purposes of these transaction surveillance procedures, the Fund may consider trading activity in multiple accounts under common ownership, control, or influence. A shareholder that has been restricted from participation in the Fund pursuant to this policy will be allowed to apply for re-entry after one year. A shareholder applying for re-entry must provide assurances acceptable to the Fund that the shareholder will not engage in excessive trading activities in the future.
Goldman Sachs may modify its surveillance procedures and criteria from time to time without prior notice regarding the detection of excessive trading or to address specific circumstances. Goldman Sachs will apply the criteria in a manner that, in Goldman Sachs judgment, will be uniform.
Fund shares may be held through omnibus arrangements maintained by Authorized Institutions such as broker-dealers, investment advisers and insurance companies. In addition, Fund shares may be held in omnibus Employee Benefit Plans, Eligible Fee-Based Programs and other group accounts. Omnibus accounts include multiple investors and such accounts typically provide the Fund with a net purchase or redemption request on any given day where the purchases and redemptions of Fund shares by the investors are netted against one another. The identity of individual investors whose purchase and redemption orders are aggregated are ordinarily not tracked by the Fund on a regular basis. A number of these Authorized Institutions may not have the capability or may not be willing to apply the Funds market timing policies or any applicable redemption fee. While Goldman Sachs may monitor share turnover at the omnibus account level, the Funds ability to monitor and detect market timing by shareholders or apply any applicable redemption fee in these omnibus accounts may be limited in certain circumstances, and certain of these Authorized Institutions may charge the Fund a fee for providing certain shareholder financial information requested as part of the Funds surveillance process. The netting effect makes it more difficult to identify, locate and eliminate market timing activities. In addition, those investors who engage in market timing and other excessive trading activities may employ a variety of techniques to avoid detection. There can be no assurance that the Fund and Goldman Sachs will be able to identify all those who trade excessively or employ a market timing strategy, and curtail their trading in every instance. If necessary, the Trust may prohibit additional purchases of Fund shares by an Authorized Institution or by certain customers of the Authorized Institution. Authorized Institutions may also monitor their customers trading activities in the Fund. The criteria used by Authorized Institutions to monitor for excessive trading may differ from the criteria used by the Fund. If an Authorized Institution fails to cooperate in the implementation or enforcement of the Trusts excessive trading policies, the Trust may take certain actions including terminating the relationship.
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As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in the Fund will be taxed. The tax information below is provided as general information. More tax information is available in the SAI. You should consult your tax adviser about the federal, state, local or foreign tax consequences of your investment in the Fund. Except as otherwise noted, the tax information provided assumes that you are a U.S. citizen or resident.
Unless your investment is through an Employee Benefit Plan or other tax-advantaged account, you should carefully consider the possible tax consequences of Fund distributions and the sale of your Fund shares.
DISTRIBUTIONS
The Fund contemplates declaring as dividends each year all or substantially all of its taxable income. Distributions you receive from the Fund are generally subject to federal income tax, and may also be subject to state or local taxes. This is true whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Fund shares or receive them in cash. For federal tax purposes, Fund distributions attributable to net investment income and short-term capital gains are taxable to you as ordinary income, while any distributions of long-term capital gains are taxable to you as long-term capital gains, no matter how long you have owned your Fund shares.
Under current provisions of the Code, the maximum individual rate applicable to long-term capital gains is generally either 15% or 20%, depending on whether the individuals income exceeds certain threshold amounts. The preferential rates described above also apply to certain qualifying dividend income, but Fund distributions will not qualify for that favorable treatment and will also not qualify for the corporate dividends received deduction because the Fund will be earning interest income rather than dividend income.
An additional 3.8% Medicare tax will be imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such persons modified adjusted gross income (in the case of an individual) or adjusted gross income (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.
Although distributions are generally treated as taxable to you in the year they are paid, distributions declared in October, November or December but paid in January are taxable as if they were paid in December. The character and tax status of all distributions will be available to shareholders after the close of each calendar year.
If you buy shares of the Fund before it makes a distribution, the distribution will be taxable to you even though it may actually be a return of a portion of your investment. This is known as buying into a dividend.
The Fund may be subject to foreign withholding or other foreign taxes on income or gain from certain foreign securities. In general, the Fund may deduct these taxes in computing its taxable income. Shareholders of the Fund may, subject to certain limitations, be entitled to claim a credit or a deduction with respect to foreign taxes if the Fund is eligible to and elects to pass through these taxes to you. If the Fund makes such an election, the shareholders would also be required to include in their income their proportionate share of the foreign taxes covered by the election.
SALES AND EXCHANGES
Your sale or redemption of Fund shares is a taxable transaction for federal income tax purposes, and may also be subject to state and local taxes. For tax purposes, the exchange of your Fund shares for shares of a different Goldman Sachs Fund is the same as a sale. When you sell or redeem your shares, you will generally recognize a capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between your adjusted tax basis in the shares and the amount received. Generally, this capital gain or loss will be long-term or short-term depending on whether your
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holding period for the shares exceeds one year, except that any loss realized on shares held for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gain dividends that were received on the shares. Additionally, any loss realized on a sale, exchange or redemption of shares of the Fund may be disallowed under wash sale rules to the extent the shares disposed of are replaced with other shares of the Fund within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date of disposition (such as pursuant to a dividend reinvestment in shares of the Fund.) If disallowed, the loss will be reflected in an adjustment to the basis of the shares acquired.
OTHER INFORMATION
When you open your account, you should provide your Social Security Number or Tax Identification Number on your Account Application. By law, the Fund must withhold 28% of your taxable distributions and any redemption proceeds if you do not provide your correct taxpayer identification number, or certify that it is correct, or if the IRS instructs the Fund to do so.
Non-U.S. investors are generally subject to U.S. withholding tax with respect to dividends received from the Fund and may be subject to estate tax. However, withholding is generally not required on properly designated distributions to non-U.S. investors of long-term capital gains, or, for distributions in a taxable year of the Fund beginning before January 1, 2014, of short-term capital gains and qualified interest income. Although this designation will be made for capital gain distributions, the Fund does not anticipate making any qualified interest income designations. Therefore, all distributions of interest income will be subject to withholding when paid to non-U.S. investors.
Effective July 1, 2014, the Fund will be required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of dividends and, effective January 1, 2017, on redemption proceeds made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive new reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the Fund to determine whether withholding is required.
The Fund is required to report to you and the IRS annually on Form 1099-B not only the gross proceeds of Fund shares you sell or redeem but also, for shares purchased on or after January 1, 2012, their cost basis. Cost basis will be calculated using the Funds default method of average cost, unless you instruct the Fund to use a different methodology. If you would like to use the average cost method of calculation, no action is required. To elect an alternative method, you should contact Goldman Sachs Funds at the address or phone number on the back cover of this Prospectus. If your account is held with an Authorized Institution, contact your representative with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for your account.
You should carefully review the cost basis information provided by the Fund and make any additional basis, holding period or other adjustments that are required when reporting these amounts on your federal income tax returns.
No financial highlights are provided for the New Fund because the Fund is newly organized and has not yet offered shares. For financial statement purposes, the Existing Fund will be the accounting survivor of the Reorganization. As the accounting survivor, the Existing Funds operating history will be used for the New Funds financial reporting purposes after the consummation of the Reorganization.
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INFORMATION CONCERNING THE MEETING
Solicitation of Proxies
In addition to the mailing of these proxy materials, proxies may be solicited by telephone, by fax or in person by the Trustees, officers and employees of the Existing Fund, by personnel of the Investment Adviser or Goldman Sachs, or by broker-dealer firms. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., an independent proxy solicitation firm, has been retained to assist in the distribution of the proxy materials and the solicitation and tabulation of proxies. The cost of Broadridges services is estimated to be approximately $15,000, plus reasonable out-of-pocket expenses. The Investment Adviser will pay one-half of all proxy, solicitation and legal costs associated with each Funds participation in the Reorganization. The Funds will collectively pay the remaining one-half of such costs. Each Funds portion of these costs will not be subject to any expense limitation arrangement.
It is expected that the solicitation of proxies will be primarily by mail. Officers of the Existing Fund, and personnel of the Investment Adviser and the transfer agent and any authorized proxy solicitation agent, may also solicit proxies by telephone, facsimile, Internet or in person. If the Existing Fund records votes through the Internet or by telephone, it will use procedures designed to authenticate shareholders identities, to allow shareholders to authorize the voting of their shares in accordance with their instructions, and to confirm that their identities have been properly recorded.
Revoking Proxies
Any person giving a proxy may revoke it at any time before it is exercised by submitting to the Secretary of the Existing Fund at its principal executive offices a written notice of revocation or subsequently executed proxy or by attending the Meeting and electing to vote in person.
Outstanding Shares
Only shareholders of record on October 18, 2013 (the record date) are entitled to notice of and to vote at the Meeting. As of the record date, the following number of shares of the Existing Fund were outstanding: [].
Exhibit D to this Proxy Statement/Prospectus sets forth the persons who owned beneficially more than 5% of the Existing Fund as of the record date. The New Fund is a newly formed series of Goldman Sachs Trust that will commence operations upon consummation of the Reorganization. Therefore, the New Fund does not have any shares outstanding as of the date of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus.
Other Business
The management of the Existing Fund does not know of any other matters to be brought before the Meeting. If such matters are properly brought before the Meeting, proxies that do not contain specific instructions to the contrary will be voted in accordance with the judgment of the person or persons acting thereunder.
Adjournments and Postponements
In the event that at the time any session of the Meeting is called to order a quorum is not present in person or by proxy, the persons named as proxies may vote those proxies which have been received to adjourn the Meeting to a later date. In the event that a quorum is present but sufficient votes in favor of a Proposal have not been received, the persons named as proxies may propose one or more adjournments of the Meeting to permit further solicitation of proxies with respect to such proposal. If a quorum is present, any such adjournment will require the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at the session of the Meeting to be adjourned, and the persons named as proxies will vote those proxies which they are entitled to vote in favor of such proposal in favor of such an adjournment, and will vote those proxies required to be voted against such proposal against any such adjournment. Subject to the foregoing, the Meeting may be adjourned and re-adjourned without further notice to shareholders.
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Shareholder Proposals
The Existing Fund is not required and does not intend to hold a meeting of shareholders each year. Instead, meetings will be held only when and if required by law or as otherwise determined by the Board. Any shareholder desiring to present a proposal for consideration at the next meeting of shareholders must submit the proposal in writing, so that it is received by the Fund within a reasonable time before any meeting. The proposals should be sent to the Existing Fund at its address stated on the first page of this Proxy Statement/Prospectus.
Appraisal Rights
If the Reorganization of the Existing Fund is approved at the Meeting, shareholders of the Fund will not have the right to dissent and obtain payment of the fair value of their shares because the exercise of appraisal rights is subject to the forward pricing requirements of Rule 22c-1 under the 1940 Act, which supersede contrary provisions of state law. Shareholders of the Existing Fund, however, have the right to redeem their Fund shares until the Closing Date of the Reorganization.
The financial highlights and financial statements of the Existing Fund for the past five fiscal years are incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement/Prospectus. The financial highlights and financial statements of the Existing Fund for its most recent fiscal year end have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their reports thereon incorporated by reference into this Proxy Statement/Prospectus. Such financial statements and financial highlights are incorporated by reference herein in reliance upon such reports given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
You can obtain more free information about each Fund from your Authorized Institution or
By calling: 1-800-526-7384
By writing to:
Goldman Sachs Funds
P.O. Box 06050
Chicago, IL 60606-6306
On the Internet: SEC EDGAR database http://www.sec.gov.
The Existing Funds statement of additional information and shareholder reports are available free of charge by using the contact information above or visiting the Funds website at: www.goldmansachsfunds.com.
With respect to the New Fund:
By calling: 1-800-621-2550
Following the completion of the Reorganization, the New Funds statement of additional information and (when available) shareholder reports will be available free of charge at: www.goldmansachsfunds.com/summaries.
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Annual and semiannual reports to shareholders, and quarterly reports filed with the SEC, provide information about each Funds investments. An annual report discusses market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected a Funds performance during its last fiscal year.
Each Fund is subject to the informational requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and the 1940 Act and files reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. These reports, proxy statements and other information filed by the Funds and their predecessors can be inspected and copied (for a duplication fee) at the public reference facilities of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. Copies of these materials can also be obtained by mail from the Public Reference Branch, Office of Consumer Affairs and Information Services, SEC, Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates. In addition, copies of these documents may be viewed onscreen or downloaded from the SECs Internet site at http://www.sec.gov.
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EXHIBIT A AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF REORGANIZATION
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
GOLDMAN SACHS LONG SHORT CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
This Agreement and Plan of Reorganization is made as of [], 2013 by and between Goldman Sachs Trust, a Delaware statutory trust, (Goldman Sachs Trust), on behalf of the Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund (the Acquiring Fund), and Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund, a Delaware statutory trust (the Acquired Fund).
This agreement is intended to be and is adopted as a plan of reorganization and liquidation (the Plan) within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code). The reorganization and liquidation will consist of the transfer of all of the assets of the Acquired Fund to the Acquiring Fund in exchange solely for Institutional Shares of beneficial interest of the Acquiring Fund (Acquiring Fund Shares), the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all liabilities of the Acquired Fund, and the distribution of the Acquiring Fund Shares to the shareholders of the Acquired Fund in complete liquidation of the Acquired Fund, as provided herein (Reorganization), all upon the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth in this Plan.
WHEREAS, the Acquired Fund is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act) as a closed-end management investment company and the Acquired Fund owns securities that generally are assets of the character in which the Acquiring Fund is permitted to invest;
WHEREAS, the Acquiring Fund is a newly-organized series of Goldman Sachs Trust, an open-end management investment company registered under the 1940 Act;
WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees of Goldman Sachs Trust has determined, with respect to the Acquiring Fund, that the exchange of all of the assets of the Acquired Fund for Acquiring Fund Shares and the assumption of all liabilities of the Acquired Fund by the Acquiring Fund is in the best interests of the Acquiring Fund and its shareholders and that the interests of the existing shareholders of the Acquiring Fund would not be diluted as a result of this transaction; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Trustees of the Acquired Fund has determined that the exchange of all of the assets of the Acquired Fund for Acquiring Fund Shares and the assumption of all liabilities of the Acquired Fund by the Acquiring Fund is in the best interests of the Acquired Fund and its shareholders and that the interests of the existing shareholders of the Acquired Fund would not be diluted as a result of this transaction;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and of the covenants and agreements hereinafter set forth, the parties hereto covenant and agree as follows:
1. Transfer of Assets of the Acquired Fund to the Acquiring Fund in Exchange for Acquiring Fund Shares, the Assumption of all of the Acquired Funds Liabilities and the Liquidation of the Acquired Fund
1.1. Subject to the requisite approval of the Acquired Funds shareholders and the other terms and conditions herein set forth and on the basis of the representations and warranties contained herein, the Acquired Fund agrees to transfer all of its assets, as set forth in paragraph 1.2, to the Acquiring Fund, and the Acquiring Fund agrees in exchange therefor: (i) to deliver to the Acquired Fund the number of full and fractional Acquiring Fund Shares, determined by dividing the value of the Acquired Funds net assets, computed in the manner and as of the time and date set forth in paragraph 2.1, by the net asset value of one Acquiring Fund Share of the corresponding class, computed in the manner and as of the time and date set forth in paragraph 2.2; and (ii) to assume all liabilities of the Acquired Fund, as set forth in paragraph 1.3. Such transactions shall take place on the date of the closing provided for in paragraph 3.1 (Closing Date).
1.2. The assets of the Acquired Fund to be acquired by the Acquiring Fund shall consist of all assets and property, including, without limitation, all cash, securities, commodities and futures interests and dividends or interests receivable that are owned by the Acquired Fund and any deferred or prepaid expenses shown as an asset on the books of the Acquired Fund on the Closing Date (collectively, Assets).
A-1
1.3. The Acquired Fund will endeavor to discharge all of its liabilities and obligations prior to the Closing Date. The Acquiring Fund shall also assume all of the liabilities of the Acquired Fund, whether accrued or contingent, known or unknown, existing at the Valuation Date as defined in paragraph 2.1 (collectively, Liabilities).
1.4. Immediately after the transfer of assets provided for in paragraph 1.1, the Acquired Fund will distribute to its respective shareholders of record, determined as of immediately after the close of business on the Closing Date (Acquired Fund Shareholders), on a pro rata basis, the Acquiring Fund Shares of the corresponding class received by the Acquired Fund pursuant to paragraph 1.1, and will completely liquidate. Such distribution and liquidation will be accomplished by the transfer of the Acquiring Fund Shares then credited to the account of the Acquired Fund on the books of the Acquiring Fund to open accounts on the share records of the Acquiring Fund in the names of the Acquired Fund Shareholders. The aggregate net asset value of Acquiring Fund Shares to be so credited to Acquired Fund Shareholders, respectively, shall be equal to the aggregate net asset value of the shares of beneficial interest of the Acquired Fund (Acquired Fund Shares) owned by Acquired Fund Shareholders on the Closing Date. All issued and outstanding shares of the Acquired Fund will simultaneously be redeemed and canceled on the books of the Acquired Fund. The Acquiring Fund shall not issue certificates representing the Acquiring Fund Shares in connection with such exchange.
1.5. Ownership of Acquiring Fund Shares will be shown on the books of the Acquiring Funds Transfer Agent, as defined in paragraph 3.3. Shares of the Acquiring Fund will be issued in the manner described in the Acquiring Funds current prospectus.
1.6. Any reporting responsibility of the Acquired Fund, including, but not limited to, the responsibility for filing regulatory reports, tax returns, or other documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), any state securities commission, and any Federal, state or local tax authorities or any other relevant regulatory authority, is and shall remain the responsibility of the Acquired Fund up to and including the Closing Date.
2. Valuation
2.1. The value of the Assets shall be the value of such Assets computed as of immediately after the close of business of the New York Stock Exchange and after the declaration of any dividends on the Closing Date (such time and date being hereinafter called the Valuation Date), using the valuation procedures set forth in the then-current prospectus and statement of additional information with respect to the Acquired Fund, and valuation procedures established by the Board of Trustees of the Acquired Fund.
2.2. The net asset value of an Acquiring Fund Share shall be the net asset value per share computed with respect to that class as of the Valuation Date, using the valuation procedures set forth in the Acquiring Funds then-current prospectus and statement of additional information, each as may be supplemented, and valuation procedures established by the Board of Trustees of Goldman Sachs Trust.
2.3. The number of the Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued (including fractional shares, if any) in exchange for the Acquired Funds Assets shall be determined by dividing the value of the net assets with respect to the Acquired Fund Shares, determined using the same valuation procedures referred to in paragraph 2.1, by the net asset value of an Acquiring Fund Share, determined in accordance with paragraph 2.2.
2.4. All computations of value shall be made by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (GSAM), in its capacity as administrator for the Acquired Fund and the Acquiring Fund, and shall be subject to confirmation by each Funds record keeping agent and by each Funds independent accountants.
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3. Closing and Closing Date
3.1. The Closing Date shall be on or about January 24, 2014 or such other date as the parties may agree. All acts taking place at the closing of the transactions provided for in this Plan (Closing) shall be deemed to take place simultaneously as of immediately after the close of business on the Closing Date unless otherwise agreed to by the parties. The close of business on the Closing Date shall be as of 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. The Closing shall be held at the offices of GSAM or at such other time and/or place as the parties may agree.
3.2. The Acquired Fund shall direct State Street Bank and Trust Company as custodian for the Acquired Fund (Custodian), to deliver, at the Closing, a certificate of an authorized officer stating that the Assets shall have been delivered in proper form to the Acquiring Fund within two business days prior to or on the Closing Date. The Acquired Funds portfolio securities represented by a certificate or other written instrument shall be presented by the Custodian to those persons at the Custodian who have primary responsibility for the safekeeping of the assets of the Acquiring Fund, which Custodian also serves as the custodian for the Acquiring Fund. Such presentation shall be made for examination no later than five business days preceding the Closing Date, and shall be transferred and delivered by the Acquired Fund as of the Closing Date for the account of the Acquiring Fund duly endorsed in proper form for transfer in such condition as to constitute good delivery thereof. The Custodian shall deliver to those persons at the Custodian who have primary responsibility for the safekeeping of the assets of the Acquiring Fund as of the Closing Date by book entry, in accordance with the customary practices of the Custodian and of each securities depository, as defined in Rule 17f-4 under the 1940 Act, in which the Acquired Funds Assets are deposited, the Acquired Funds Assets deposited with such depositories. The cash to be transferred by the Acquired Fund shall be delivered by wire transfer of Federal funds on the Closing Date.
3.3. The Acquired Fund shall direct Goldman, Sachs & Co., in its capacity as transfer agent for the Acquired Fund (Transfer Agent), to deliver at the Closing a certificate of an authorized officer stating that its records contain the names and addresses of the Acquired Fund Shareholders and the number and percentage ownership of outstanding shares owned by each such shareholder immediately prior to the Closing. The Acquiring Fund shall issue and deliver to the Secretary of the Acquired Fund prior to the Closing Date a confirmation evidencing that the appropriate number of Acquiring Fund Shares will be credited to the Acquired Fund on the Closing Date, or provide other evidence satisfactory to the Acquired Fund as of the Closing Date that such Acquiring Fund Shares have been credited to the Acquired Funds accounts on the books of the Acquiring Fund. At the Closing each party shall deliver to the other such bills of sale, checks, assignments, share certificates, if any, receipts or other documents as such other party or its counsel may reasonably request.
3.4. In the event that on the Valuation Date (a) the New York Stock Exchange or another primary trading market for portfolio securities of the Acquiring Fund or the Acquired Fund (each, an Exchange) shall be closed to trading or trading thereupon shall be restricted, or (b) trading or the reporting of trading on such Exchange or elsewhere shall be disrupted so that, in the judgment of each Board, accurate appraisal of the value of the net assets of the Acquired Fund or the Acquiring Fund is impracticable, the Closing Date shall be postponed until the first business day after the day when trading shall have been fully resumed and reporting shall have been restored.
4. Representations and Warranties
4.1. Except as has been fully disclosed to the Acquiring Fund in a written instrument executed by an officer, the Acquired Fund represents and warrants to the Acquiring Fund, as follows:
(a) | The Acquired Fund is a duly organized statutory trust, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with power under the Acquired Funds Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, as amended from time to time, to own all of its Assets and to carry on its business as it is now being conducted; and |
(b) | The Acquired Fund is duly registered under the 1940 Act as a management company of the closed-end type operating as an interval fund, and its registration with the SEC as an investment company under the 1940 Act, and the registration of Acquired Fund Shares under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (1933 Act) have not been revoked or rescinded and are in full force and effect; |
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(c) | No consent, approval, authorization, or order of any court or governmental authority is required for the consummation by the Acquired Fund of the transactions contemplated herein, except such as have been obtained under the 1933 Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (1934 Act), and the 1940 Act, and such as may be required by state securities laws; |
(d) | The current prospectus and statement of additional information of the Acquired Fund and each prospectus and statement of additional information of the Acquired Fund used at all times prior to the date of this Plan conforms or conformed at the time of its use in all material respects to the applicable requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder and does not or did not at the time of its use include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not materially misleading; |
(e) | On the Closing Date, the Acquired Fund will have good and marketable title to the Assets and full right, power, and authority to sell, assign, transfer and deliver such Assets hereunder free of any liens or other encumbrances, and upon delivery and payment for such Assets, Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, will acquire good and marketable title thereto, subject to no restrictions on the full transfer thereof, including such restrictions as might arise under the 1933 Act, other than as disclosed to the Acquiring Fund; |
(f) | The Acquired Fund is not engaged currently, and the execution, delivery and performance of this Plan will not result, in (i) a material violation of its Declaration of Trust or By-Laws, or of any agreement, indenture, instrument, contract, lease or other undertaking to which the Acquired Fund is a party or by which it is bound, or (ii) the acceleration of any obligation, or the imposition of any penalty, under any agreement, indenture, instrument, contract, lease, judgment or decree to which the Acquired Fund is a party or by which it is bound; |
(g) | All material contracts or other commitments of the Acquired Fund (other than this Plan and certain investment contracts, including options, futures, and forward contracts) will terminate without liability to the Acquired Fund on or prior to the Closing Date; |
(h) | Except as otherwise disclosed in writing to and accepted by Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, no litigation or administrative proceeding or investigation of or before any court or governmental body is presently pending or, to its knowledge, threatened against the Acquired Fund or any of its properties or assets that, if adversely determined, would materially and adversely affect its financial condition or the conduct of its business. The Acquired Fund knows of no facts which might form the basis for the institution of such proceedings and is not a party to or subject to the provisions of any order, decree or judgment of any court or governmental body which materially and adversely affects its business or its ability to consummate the transactions herein contemplated; |
(i) | The Statement of Assets and Liabilities, Statement of Operations, Statements of Changes in Net Assets, and Schedule of Investments of the Acquired Fund dated March 31, 2013 have been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent accountants, and are in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) consistently applied, and such statements (copies of which have been furnished to the Acquiring Fund) present fairly, in all material respects, the financial condition of the Acquired Fund as of such date in accordance with GAAP, and there are no known contingent liabilities of the Acquired Fund required to be reflected on a balance sheet (including the notes thereto) in accordance with GAAP as of such date not disclosed therein; |
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(j) | Since March 31, 2013, there has not been any material adverse change in the Acquired Funds financial condition, assets, liabilities or business, other than changes occurring in the ordinary course of business, or any incurrence by the Acquired Fund of indebtedness maturing more than one year from the date such indebtedness was incurred, except as otherwise disclosed to and accepted by the Acquiring Fund. For the purposes of this subparagraph (j), a decline in net asset value per share of Acquired Fund Shares due to declines in market values of securities held by the Acquired Fund, the discharge of the Acquired Funds liabilities, or the redemption of the Acquired Funds shares by shareholders of the Acquired Fund shall not constitute a material adverse change; |
(k) | On the Closing Date, all Federal and other tax returns, dividend reporting forms, and other tax-related reports of the Acquired Fund required by law to have been filed by such date (including any extensions) shall have been filed and are or will be correct in all material respects, and all Federal and other taxes shown as due or required to be shown as due on said returns and reports shall have been paid or provision shall have been made for the payment thereof, and to the best of the Acquired Funds knowledge, no such return is currently under audit and no assessment has been asserted with respect to such returns; |
(l) | For each taxable year of its operation, the Acquired Fund has met (or will meet) the requirements of Subchapter M of the Code for qualification as a regulated investment company, has been (or will be) eligible to and has computed (or will compute) its Federal income tax under Section 852 of the Code; |
(m) | All issued and outstanding shares of the Acquired Fund are, and on the Closing Date will be, duly and validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and non-assessable by the Acquired Fund and have been offered and sold in every state and the District of Columbia in compliance in all material respects with applicable registration requirements of the 1933 Act and state securities laws. All of the issued and outstanding shares of the Acquired Fund will, at the time of Closing, be held by the persons and in the amounts set forth in the records of the Transfer Agent, on behalf of the Acquired Fund, as provided in paragraph 3.3. The Acquired Fund does not have outstanding any options, warrants or other rights to subscribe for or purchase any of the shares of the Acquired Fund, nor is there outstanding any security convertible into any of the Acquired Funds shares; |
(n) | The execution, delivery and performance of this Plan will have been duly authorized prior to the Closing Date by all necessary action, if any, on the part of the Board of Trustees of the Acquired Fund and, subject to the approval of the shareholders of the Acquired Fund, this Plan will constitute a valid and binding obligation of the Acquired Fund, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforcement, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws relating to or affecting creditors rights and to general equity principles; |
(o) | The information to be furnished by the Acquired Fund for use in registration statements, proxy materials and other documents filed or to be filed with any Federal, state or local regulatory authority (including the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority), which may be necessary in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, shall be accurate and complete in all material respects and shall comply in all material respects with Federal securities and other laws and regulations thereunder applicable thereto; and |
(p) | The combined proxy statement and prospectus (Proxy Statement) to be included in the Registration Statement referred to in paragraph 5.6, insofar as it relates to the Acquired Fund, will, on the effective date of the Registration Statement on Form N-14 (Registration Statement) and on the Closing Date (i) not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which such statements |
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were made, not materially misleading, provided, however, that the representations and warranties of this subparagraph (p) shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Proxy Statement and the Registration Statement made in reliance upon and in conformity with information that was furnished by the Acquiring Fund for use therein, and (ii) comply in all material respects with the provisions of the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. |
4.2. Except as has been fully disclosed to the Acquired Fund in a written instrument executed by an officer of Goldman Sachs Trust, Goldman Sachs Trust on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, represents and warrants to the Acquired Fund, as follows:
(a) | The Acquiring Fund is a newly-organized series of Goldman Sachs Trust, which is a statutory trust duly organized, validly existing, and in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware with power under its Declaration of Trust and By-Laws to own all of its properties and assets and to carry on its business as it is now being conducted; |
(b) | Goldman Sachs Trust is a registered investment company classified as a management company of the open-end type, and its registration with the SEC as an investment company under the 1940 Act is in full force and effect; |
(c) | The Acquiring Fund will have no financial statements as of the Closing Date; |
(d) | No consent, approval, authorization, or order of any court or governmental authority is required for the consummation by the Acquiring Fund of the transactions contemplated herein, except such as have been obtained under the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and the 1940 Act and such as may be required by state securities laws; |
(e) | Goldman Sachs Trusts registration statement on Form N-1A with respect to the Acquiring Fund, that will be in effect on the Closing Date, and the prospectus and statement of additional information of the Acquiring Fund included therein, will conform in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations of the SEC thereunder, and will not as of the effective date thereof and will not as of the Closing Date contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading; |
(f) | On the Closing Date, Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, will have good and marketable title to the Acquiring Funds assets, free of any liens or other encumbrances, except those liens or encumbrances as to which the Acquired Fund has received notice and necessary documentation at or prior to the Closing; |
(g) | The Acquiring Fund is not engaged currently, and the execution, delivery and performance of this Plan will not result, in (i) a material violation of Goldman Sachs Trusts Declaration of Trust or By-Laws or of any agreement, indenture, instrument, contract, lease or other undertaking to which Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, is a party or by which it is bound, or (ii) the acceleration of any obligation, or the imposition of any penalty, under any agreement, indenture, instrument, contract, lease, judgment or decree to which Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, is a party or by which it is bound; |
(h) | Except as otherwise disclosed in writing to and accepted by the Acquired Fund, no litigation or administrative proceeding or investigation of or before any court or governmental body is presently pending or, to the Acquiring Funds knowledge, threatened against Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, or any of the |
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Acquiring Funds properties or assets that, if adversely determined, would materially and adversely affect the Acquiring Funds financial condition or the conduct of its business. Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, knows of no facts which might form the basis for the institution of such proceedings and is not a party to or subject to the provisions of any order, decree or judgment of any court or governmental body which materially and adversely affects the Acquiring Funds business or its ability to consummate the transactions herein contemplated; |
(i) | All issued and outstanding Acquiring Fund Shares are, and on the Closing Date will be, duly and validly issued and outstanding, fully paid and non-assessable by Goldman Sachs Trust and will have been offered in every state and the District of Columbia in compliance in all material respects with applicable registration requirements of the 1933 Act and state securities laws. The Acquiring Fund does not have outstanding any options, warrants or other rights to subscribe for or purchase any Acquiring Fund Shares, nor is there outstanding any security convertible into any Acquiring Fund Shares; |
(j) | The execution, delivery and performance of this Plan will have been duly authorized prior to the Closing Date by all necessary action, if any, on the part of the Board of Trustees of Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, and this Plan will constitute a valid and binding obligation of the Acquiring Fund, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject, as to enforcement, to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws relating to or affecting creditors rights and to general equity principles; |
(k) | The Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued and delivered to the Acquired Fund, for the account of the Acquired Fund Shareholders, pursuant to the terms of this Plan, will on the Closing Date have been duly authorized and, when so issued and delivered, will be duly and validly issued Acquiring Fund Shares, and will be fully paid and non-assessable by the Acquiring Fund; |
(l) | The information to be furnished by the Acquiring Fund for use in the registration statements, proxy materials and other documents that may be necessary in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby shall be accurate and complete in all material respects and shall comply in all material respects with Federal securities and other laws and regulations applicable thereto; and |
(m) | The Proxy Statement to be included in the Registration Statement (and any amendment or supplement thereto), insofar as it relates to the Acquiring Fund and the Acquiring Fund Shares, will, from the effective date of the Registration Statement through the date of the Special Meeting of Shareholders of the Acquired Fund contemplated therein and on the Closing Date (i) not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not materially misleading, provided, however, that the representations and warranties of this subparagraph (m) shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Proxy Statement and the Registration Statement made in reliance upon and in conformity with information that was furnished by the Acquired Fund for use therein, and (ii) comply in all material respects with the provisions of the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act, and the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder. |
5. Covenants of the Acquiring Fund and the Acquired Fund
5.1. The Acquiring Fund and the Acquired Fund each will operate its business in the ordinary course between the date hereof and the Closing Date, it being understood that such ordinary course of business will include the declaration and payment of customary dividends and distributions, and any other distribution that may be advisable.
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5.2. The Acquired Fund has called a Special Meeting of the Shareholders of the Acquired Fund to consider and act upon this Plan and has taken all other action necessary to obtain approval of the transactions contemplated herein.
5.3. The Acquired Fund covenants that the Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued hereunder are not being acquired for the purpose of making any distribution thereof, other than in accordance with the terms of this Plan.
5.4. The Acquired Fund will assist the Acquiring Fund in obtaining such information as the Acquiring Fund reasonably requests concerning the beneficial ownership of the Acquired Funds shares.
5.5. Subject to the provisions of this Plan, the Acquiring Fund and the Acquired Fund will each take, or cause to be taken, all action, and do or cause to be done all things, reasonably necessary, proper or advisable to consummate and make effective the transactions contemplated by this Plan.
5.6. The Acquired Fund has provided the Acquiring Fund with information reasonably necessary for the preparation of the Proxy Statement (referred to in subparagraph 4.1(p)) to be included in a Registration Statement on Form N-14, in compliance with the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act and the 1940 Act, in connection with the Special Meeting of the Shareholders of the Acquired Fund to consider approval of this Plan and the transactions contemplated herein.
5.7. As soon as is reasonably practicable after the Closing, the Acquired Fund will make a liquidating distribution to its respective shareholders consisting of the Acquiring Fund Shares received at the Closing.
5.8. The Acquiring Fund and the Acquired Fund shall each use their reasonable best efforts to fulfill or obtain the fulfillment of the conditions precedent to effect the transactions contemplated by this Plan as promptly as practicable.
5.9. The Acquired Fund covenants that it will, from time to time, as and when reasonably requested by the Acquiring Fund, execute and deliver or cause to be executed and delivered all such assignments and other instruments, and will take or cause to be taken such further action as Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, may reasonably deem necessary or desirable in order to vest in and confirm (a) the Acquired Funds title to and possession of the Acquiring Fund Shares to be delivered hereunder, and (b) Goldman Sachs Trusts, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, title to and possession of all the Assets and otherwise to carry out the intent and purpose of this Plan.
5.10. The Acquiring Fund will use all reasonable efforts to obtain the approvals and authorizations required by the 1933 Act, the 1940 Act and such of the state blue sky or securities laws as may be necessary in order to continue its operations after the Closing Date.
6. Conditions Precedent to Obligations of the Acquired Fund
The obligations of the Acquired Fund to consummate the transactions provided for herein shall be subject, at the Acquired Funds election, to the performance by Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, of all the obligations to be performed by it hereunder on or before the Closing Date, and, in addition thereto, the following further conditions:
6.1. All representations and warranties of Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, contained in this Plan shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date hereof and, except as they may be affected by the transactions contemplated by this Plan, as of the Closing Date, with the same force and effect as if made on and as of the Closing Date;
6.2. Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, shall have delivered to the Acquired Fund a certificate executed in the name of the Acquiring Fund by its President or Vice President and its Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Acquired Fund, and dated as of the Closing Date, to the effect that the representations and warranties of Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, made in this Plan are true and correct at and as of the Closing Date, except as they may be affected by the transactions contemplated by this Plan, and as to such other matters as the Acquired Fund shall reasonably request;
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6.3. Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, shall have performed all of the covenants and complied with all of the provisions required by this Plan to be performed or complied with by Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, on or before the Closing Date; and
6.4. The Acquired Fund and the Acquiring Fund shall have agreed on the number of full and fractional Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued in connection with the Reorganization after such number has been calculated in accordance with paragraph 1.1.
7. Conditions Precedent to Obligations of the Acquiring Fund
The obligations of Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, to complete the transactions provided for herein shall be subject, at Goldman Sachs Trusts election, to the performance by the Acquired Fund of all of the obligations to be performed by it hereunder on or before the Closing Date and, in addition thereto, the following conditions:
7.1. All representations and warranties of the Acquired Fund contained in this Plan shall be true and correct in all material respects as of the date hereof and, except as they may be affected by the transactions contemplated by this Plan, as of the Closing Date, with the same force and effect as if made on and as of the Closing Date;
7.2. The Acquired Fund shall have delivered to the Acquiring Fund a statement of the Acquired Funds Assets and Liabilities, as of the Closing Date, certified by the Treasurer of the Acquired Fund;
7.3. The Acquired Fund shall have delivered to the Acquiring Fund a certificate executed in the name of the Acquired Fund by its President or Vice President and its Treasurer or Assistant Treasurer, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Acquiring Fund and dated as of the Closing Date, to the effect that the representations and warranties of the Acquired Fund made in this Plan are true and correct at and as of the Closing Date, except as they may be affected by the transactions contemplated by this Plan, and as to such other matters as Goldman Sachs Trust shall reasonably request;
7.4. The Acquired Fund shall have performed all of the covenants and complied with all of the provisions required by this Plan to be performed or complied with by the Acquired Fund on or before the Closing Date; and
7.5. The Acquired Fund and the Acquiring Fund shall have agreed on the number of full and fractional Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued in connection with the Reorganization after such number has been calculated in accordance with paragraph 1.1.
8. Further Conditions Precedent to Obligations of the Acquiring Fund and the Acquired Fund
If any of the conditions set forth below have not been satisfied on or before the Closing Date with respect to the Acquired Fund or Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, the other party to this Plan (or in the case of Paragraph 8.1, either party to this Plan) shall, at its option, not be required to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Plan:
8.1. The reorganization of the Acquired Fund, with and into the Acquiring Fund, shall have been approved by the necessary vote of the shareholders of the Acquired Fund (the Credit Strategies Fund Reorganization) and the closing of the Credit Strategies Fund Reorganization shall have occurred.
8.2. The Plan and the transactions contemplated herein shall have been approved by the requisite vote of the holders of the outstanding shares of the Acquired Fund in accordance with the provisions of the Acquired Funds Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, applicable Delaware law and the 1940 Act, and certified copies of the resolutions evidencing such approval shall have been delivered to the Acquiring Fund. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the parties may not waive the conditions set forth in this paragraph 8.2;
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8.3. On the Closing Date no action, suit or other proceeding shall be pending or, to either partys knowledge, threatened before any court or governmental agency in which it is sought to restrain or prohibit, or obtain damages or other relief in connection with, this Plan or the transactions contemplated herein;
8.4. All consents of other parties and all other consents, orders and permits of Federal, state and local regulatory authorities deemed necessary by each party to permit consummation, in all material respects, of the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been obtained, except where failure to obtain any such consent, order or permit would not involve a risk of a material adverse effect on the assets or properties of the Acquiring Fund or the Acquired Fund, provided that either party hereto may for itself waive any of such conditions;
8.5. The Registration Statement shall have become effective under the 1933 Act and no stop orders suspending the effectiveness thereof shall have been issued and, to the best knowledge of the parties hereto, no investigation or proceeding for that purpose shall have been instituted or be pending, threatened or contemplated under the 1933 Act; and
8.6. The parties shall have received the opinion of counsel to the parties substantially to the effect that based upon certain facts, assumptions, and representations, the transaction contemplated by this Plan shall constitute a tax-free reorganization for Federal income tax purposes. The delivery of such opinion is conditioned upon receipt by counsel to the parties of representations it shall request of the parties. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the parties may not waive the condition set forth in this paragraph 8.6.
9. Indemnification
9.1. Goldman Sachs Trust, out of the Acquiring Funds assets and property, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Acquired Fund from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses (including, without limitation, the payment of reasonable legal fees and reasonable costs of investigation) to which the Acquired Fund may become subject, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions with respect thereto) arises out of or is based on any breach by the Acquiring Fund of any of its representations, warranties, covenants or agreements set forth in this Plan.
9.2. The Acquired Fund, out of the Acquired Funds assets and property, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Acquiring Fund from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses (including, without limitation, the payment of reasonable legal fees and reasonable costs of investigation) to which the Acquiring Fund may become subject, insofar as such loss, claim, damage, liability or expense (or actions with respect thereto) arises out of or is based on any breach by the Acquired Fund of any of its representations, warranties, covenants or agreements set forth in this Plan.
10. Brokerage Fees and Expenses
10.1. The Acquiring Fund and the Acquired Fund represent and warrant to each other that there are no brokers or finders entitled to receive any payments in connection with the transactions provided for herein, other than any brokerage fees and expenses incurred in connection with the Reorganization.
10.2. GSAM will pay one-half of the expenses relating to the proposed Reorganization. The Acquiring Fund and the Acquired Fund will collectively pay the remaining one-half of such expenses, provided that each Funds portion of these costs will not be subject to any expense limitation arrangement. The costs of the Reorganization shall include, but not be limited to, costs associated with obtaining any necessary order of exemption from the 1940 Act, if any, preparation of the Registration Statement, printing and distributing the Proxy Statement, legal fees, accounting fees, securities registration fees, and expenses of holding shareholders meetings but will not include brokerage costs or other costs associated with portfolio adjustments. Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, expenses will in any event be paid by the party directly incurring such expenses if and to the extent that the payment by another person of such expenses would result in the disqualification of such party as a regulated investment company within the meaning of Section 851 of the Code.
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11. Entire Agreement; Survival of Warranties
11.1. Each party to this agreement agrees that it has not made any representation, warranty or covenant, not set forth herein, and that this Plan constitutes the entire agreement between the parties.
11.2. The representations, warranties and covenants contained in this Plan or in any document delivered pursuant hereto or in connection herewith shall survive the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereunder. The covenants to be performed after the Closing and the obligations of the Acquired Fund and Acquiring Fund in Sections 9.1 and 9.2 shall survive the Closing.
12. Termination
This Plan may be terminated and the transactions contemplated hereby may be abandoned by resolution of the Board of Trustees of Goldman Sachs Trust or the Board of Trustees of the Acquired Fund at any time prior to the Closing Date, if circumstances should develop that, in the opinion of the Boards, make proceeding with the Plan inadvisable.
13. Amendments
This Plan may be amended, modified or supplemented in such manner as may be deemed necessary or advisable by the authorized officers of the Acquired Fund or Goldman Sachs Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund; provided, however, that following the Special Meeting of the Shareholders of the Acquired Fund called by the Acquired Fund, pursuant to paragraph 5.2 of this Plan, no such amendment may have the effect of changing the provisions for determining the number of Acquiring Fund Shares to be issued to the Acquired Fund Shareholders, respectively, under this Plan to the detriment of such shareholders without their further approval.
14. Notices
Any notice, report, statement or demand required or permitted by any provisions of this Plan shall be in writing and shall be given by facsimile, electronic delivery (i.e., e-mail), personal service or prepaid or certified mail addressed to the Funds, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, Attn: Caroline Kraus, Esq., Secretary, in each case with a copy to Dechert LLP, One International Place, 40th Floor, 100 Oliver Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110-2605, Attn: Geoffrey R.T. Kenyon, Esq.
15. Headings; Governing Law; Assignment; Limitation of Liability
15.1. The Article and paragraph headings contained in this Plan are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Plan.
15.2. This Plan shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without regard to its principles of conflicts of laws.
15.3. This Plan shall bind and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns, but no assignment or transfer hereof or of any rights or obligations hereunder shall be made by any party without the written consent of the other party. Nothing herein expressed or implied is intended or shall be construed to confer upon or give any person, firm or corporation, other than the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns, any rights or remedies under or by reason of this Plan. Except as expressly provided otherwise in this Plan, the parties hereto will bear the expenses relating to the Reorganization as set forth in Section 10.2 as mutually agreed upon.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties hereto has caused this Plan to be executed as of the date above first written.
GOLDMAN SACHS TRUST | GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND | |||
On behalf of the Acquiring Fund: | ||||
Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund | ||||
By: | By: | |||
Name: | Name: | |||
Title: | Title: |
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. agrees to the provisions set forth in Sections 10.2 and 15.3 of this Plan.
GOLDMAN SACHS ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P. |
By: |
Name: |
Title: |
EXHIBIT B PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES OF THE NEW FUND AND THE EXISTING FUND
Principal Investment Strategies of the New Fund | The New Fund will seek to achieve its investment objective through long and short exposures to credit related instruments. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) (Net Assets) in the following credit related instruments: (i) fixed rate and floating rate income securities; (ii) loans and loan participations including: (a) senior secured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt (Senior Loans), (b) second lien or other subordinated or unsecured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt (Second Lien Loans) and (c) other types of secured or unsecured loans with fixed, floating, or variable interest rates; (iii) convertible securities; (iv) collateralized debt, bond and loan obligations; (v) bank and corporate debt obligations; (vi) securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises (U.S. Government Securities), and securities issued by or on behalf of states, territories, and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia); (vii) preferred securities and trust preferred securities; (viii) structured securities, including credit-linked notes; and/or (ix) listed and unlisted, public and private, rated and unrated debt instruments and other obligations, including those of financially troubled companies (sometimes known as distressed securities or defaulted securities).
The Fund may invest in instruments and obligations directly, or indirectly by investing in derivative or synthetic instruments, including, without limitation, credit default swaps and loan credit default swaps. The Fund will opportunistically seek short exposures to credit related instruments through the use of such derivatives or synthetic instruments, including, but not limited to, credit related indices.
The Fund may invest in U.S. dollar denominated as well as non-U.S. dollar denominated (foreign) securities. The Fund may also hold cash, and/or invest in cash equivalents.
The Fund intends to implement short positions for hedging purposes or to seek to enhance absolute return, and may do so by using swaps or futures, or through short sales of any instrument that the Fund may purchase for investment. For example, the Fund may buy credit default swaps. Credit default swaps involve the receipt of floating or fixed rate payments in exchange for assuming potential credit losses on an underlying security (or group of securities). When the Fund is the buyer of a credit default swap (buying protection), it may make periodic payments to the seller of the credit default swap to obtain protection against a credit default on a specified underlying asset (or group of assets). If a default occurs, the seller of a credit default swap may be required to pay the Fund the notional amount of the credit default swap on a specified security (or group of securities).
There is no minimum credit rating for instruments in which the Fund may invest, and the Fund may invest without limitation in securities below investment grade. Non-investment grade securities are rated BB+, Ba1 or below by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or, if unrated, determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable credit quality. The Fund may also invest in credit instruments of any maturity or duration.
When making investments, the Investment Adviser seeks to identify securities that are both fundamentally mispriced and have a potential catalyst for value creation. Within this universe, the Investment Adviser seeks perceived risk-adjusted return opportunities with a focus on:
Asymmetric return profile (i.e., upside versus downside potential);
Relative value analysis and impact on the current portfolio;
Technical dynamics in the market (i.e., understanding the price movements in the market relative to supply and demand); and
Overall risk/return potential. |
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The Fund employs a strict sell discipline aimed at minimizing losses. There are three primary reasons why the Fund would exit an investment or trade:
Position Target Achieved Position targets are established at the time of investment and monitored on both an absolute and relative value basis. An asset is typically sold as it approaches the target, unless changes in circumstances dictate a revised target.
Credit Profile Change/Credit Event The loss of (or change to) a catalyst or change in fundamentals which no longer support the initial investment decision will cause the team to exit a position.
Portfolio Re-Allocation Each position is monitored on a relative value basis versus other holdings and market opportunities. Positions are sold or reduced to maintain proper portfolio diversification. | ||
Principal Investment Strategies of the Existing Fund | The Existing Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing opportunistically in various credit-related instruments. Credit-related instruments are debt securities, instruments and obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. government, corporate and other non-governmental entities and issuers. Credit-related instruments also include preferred securities because such securities include features of fixed income (e.g., payment of income distribution). The Fund may invest in instruments and obligations directly or indirectly by investing in derivative or synthetic instruments, including, without limitation, credit default swaps and loan credit default swaps.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) (Net Assets) in any one or in any combination of the following categories of instruments: (i) investment grade fixed rate and floating rate income securities that are rated at the time of purchase at least BBB- by Standard and Poors Ratings Services (Standard & Poors) or at least Baa3 by Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys), or have a comparable rating by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or, if unrated are determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable quality; (ii) credit securities that are rated at the time of purchase below investment grade (BB, Ba or below) by an NRSRO or unrated credit securities that are deemed by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable quality, which securities are commonly referred to as junk bonds and are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuers capacity to pay interest and repay principal and which may include distressed and defaulted securities; (iii) loans and loan participations including: (a) senior secured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt (Senior Loans), (b) second lien or other subordinated or unsecured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt (Second Lien Loans) and (c) other types of secured or unsecured loans with fixed, floating, or variable interest rates; (iv) convertible securities; (v) collateralized debt, bond and loan obligations; (vi) corporate debt obligations; (vii) bank obligations; (viii) securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises (U.S. Government Securities), and debt issued by or on behalf of states, territories, and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia); (ix) preferred securities and trust preferred securities; (x) structured securities; and (xi) listed and unlisted, public and private, rated and unrated debt instruments and other obligations, including those of financially troubled companies (sometimes known as distressed securities). |
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The Fund may invest in U.S. dollar denominated as well as non-U.S. dollar denominated (foreign) securities.
The Fund may invest up to 100% of its Net Assets in any one of the categories of instruments included in the preceding list. The Fund may also hold cash, and/or invest in cash equivalents.
There is no minimum credit rating for instruments in which the Fund may invest. The Fund may invest in securities below investment grade, distressed or defaulted securities. The Fund may also invest in credit instruments of any maturity or duration and will not be managed for maturity or any target duration. |
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EXHIBIT C ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON PORTFOLIO RISKS, SECURITIES AND TECHNIQUES
A. General Portfolio Risks
The Fund will be subject to the risks associated with fixed income securities. These risks include interest rate risk, credit/default risk and call/extension risk. In general, interest rate risk involves the risk that when interest rates decline, the market value of fixed income securities tends to increase (although many mortgage-related securities will have less potential than other debt securities for capital appreciation during periods of declining rates). Conversely, when interest rates increase, the market value of fixed income securities tends to decline. Credit/default risk involves the risk that an issuer or guarantor could default on its obligations, and the Fund will not recover its investment. Call risk and extension risk are normally present in adjustable rate mortgage loans (ARMs), mortgage-backed securities and asset-backed securities. For example, homeowners have the option to prepay their mortgages. Therefore, the duration of a security backed by home mortgages can either shorten (call risk) or lengthen (extension risk). In general, if interest rates on new mortgage loans fall sufficiently below the interest rates on existing outstanding mortgage loans, the rate of prepayment would be expected to increase. Conversely, if mortgage loan interest rates rise above the interest rates on existing outstanding mortgage loans, the rate of prepayment would be expected to decrease. In either case, a change in the prepayment rate can result in losses to investors. The same would be true of asset-backed securities such as securities back by car loans.
To the extent the Fund invests in pooled investment vehicles (including investment companies and ETFs) and partnerships, the Fund will be affected by the investment policies, practices and performances of such entities in direct proportion to the amount of assets the Fund invests therein.
To the extent the Funds net assets decrease or increase in the future due to price volatility or share redemption or purchase activity, the Funds expense ratio may correspondingly increase or decrease from the expense ratio disclosed in this Prospectus.
The Investment Adviser will not consider the portfolio turnover rate a limiting factor in making investment decisions for the Fund. A high rate of portfolio turnover (100% or more) involves correspondingly greater expenses which must be borne by the Fund and its shareholders and is also likely to result in higher short-term capital gains taxable to certain shareholders. The portfolio turnover rate is calculated by dividing the lesser of the dollar amount of sales or purchases of portfolio securities by the average monthly value of the Funds portfolio securities, excluding securities having a maturity at the date of purchase of one year or less.
The Funds duration approximates its price sensitivity to changes in interest rates. For example, suppose that interest rates in one day fall by one percent which, in turn, causes yields on every bond in the market to fall by the same amount. In this example, the price of a bond with a duration of three years may be expected to rise approximately three percent and the price of a bond with a five year duration may be expected to rise approximately five percent. The converse is also true. Suppose interest rates in one day rise by one percent which, in turn, causes yields on every bond in the market to rise by the same amount. In this second example, the price of a bond with a duration of three years may be expected to fall approximately three percent and the price of a bond with a five year duration may be expected to fall approximately five percent. The longer the duration of a bond, the more sensitive the bonds price is to changes in interest rates. In computing portfolio duration, the Fund will estimate the duration of obligations that are subject to prepayment or redemption by the issuer, taking into account the influence of interest rates on prepayments and coupon flows. This method of computing duration is known as option-adjusted duration. The Fund will not be limited as to its maximum weighted average portfolio maturity or the maximum stated maturity with respect to individual securities unless otherwise noted. The Investment Adviser may use derivative instruments to manage the duration of the Funds investment portfolio. These derivative instruments may include futures contracts, options on futures contracts and swap transactions, as well as other types of derivatives, and can be used to shorten or lengthen the duration of the Fund.
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Maturity measures the time until final payment is due; it takes no account of the pattern of a securitys cash flows overtime. In calculating maturity, the Fund may determine the maturity of a variable or floating rate obligation according to its interest rate reset date, or the date principal can be recovered on demand, rather than the date of ultimate maturity. Similarly, to the extent that a fixed income obligation has a call, refunding or redemption provision, the date on which the instrument is expected to be called, refunded or redeemed may be considered to be its maturity date. There is no guarantee that the expected call, refund or redemption will occur, and the Funds average maturity may lengthen beyond the Investment Advisers expectations should the expected call, refund or redemption not occur.
The Funds investments in derivative instruments, including financial futures contracts, options and swaps, can be significant. These transactions can result in sizeable realized and unrealized capital gains and losses relative to the gains and losses from the Funds investments in bonds and other securities. Short-term and long-term realized capital gains distributions paid by the Fund are taxable to its shareholders.
Interest rates, fixed income securities prices, the prices of futures and other derivatives, and currency exchange rates can be volatile, and a variance in the degree of volatility or in the direction of the market from the Investment Advisers expectations may produce significant losses in the Funds investments in derivatives. In addition, a perfect correlation between a derivatives position and a fixed income security position is generally impossible to achieve. As a result, the Investment Advisers use of derivatives may not be effective in fulfilling the Investment Advisers investment strategies and may contribute to losses that would not have been incurred otherwise.
As discussed below, the Fund may invest in credit default swaps and loan credit default swaps, which are derivative instruments.
Financial futures contracts used by the Fund include interest rate futures contracts including, among others, Eurodollar futures contracts. Eurodollar futures contracts are U.S. dollar-denominated futures contracts that are based on the implied forward London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) of a three-month deposit. Further information is included in this Prospectus regarding futures contracts, swaps and other derivative instruments used by the Fund, including information on the risks presented by these instruments and other purposes for which they may be used by the Fund.
The following sections provide further information on certain types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Fund, including their associated risks. Additional information is provided in the SAI, which is available upon request. Among other things, the SAI describes certain fundamental investment restrictions that cannot be changed without shareholder approval. You should note, however, that all investment objectives and all investment policies not specifically designated as fundamental are non-fundamental, and may be changed without shareholder approval. If there is a change in the Funds investment objective, you should consider whether the Fund remains an appropriate investment in light of your then current financial position and needs.
B. Other Portfolio Risks
Credit/Default Risks. Debt securities purchased by the Fund may include U.S. Government Securities (including zero coupon bonds) and securities issued by foreign governments, domestic and foreign corporations, banks and other issuers. Some of these fixed income securities are described in the next section below. Further information is provided in the SAI.
Debt securities rated BBB or higher by Standard & Poors, or Baa3 or higher by Moodys or having a comparable rating by another NRSRO are considered investment grade. Securities rated BBB or Baa3 are considered medium-grade obligations with speculative characteristics, and adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances may weaken their issuers capacity to pay interest and repay principal.
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The Fund may invest in fixed income securities rated BB+ or Ba1 or below (or comparable unrated securities) which are commonly referred to as junk bonds. Junk bonds are considered speculative and may be questionable as to principal and interest payments.
In some cases, junk bonds may be highly speculative, have poor prospects for reaching investment grade standing and be in default. As a result, investment in such bonds will present greater speculative risks than those associated with investment in investment grade bonds. Also, to the extent that the rating assigned to a security in the Funds portfolio is downgraded by a rating organization, the market price and liquidity of such security may be adversely affected.
Risks of Derivative Investments. The Fund may invest in derivative instruments including, without limitation, options, futures, options on futures, forwards, swaps, interest rate caps, floors and collars, structured securities and other derivatives relating to foreign currency transactions. Investments in derivative instruments may be for both hedging and non-hedging purposes (that is, to seek to increase total return), although suitable derivative instruments may not always be available to an Investment Adviser for these purposes. Losses from investments in derivative instruments can result from a lack of correlation between changes in the value of derivative instruments and the portfolio assets (if any) being hedged, the potential illiquidity of the markets for derivative instruments, the failure of the counterparty to perform its contractual obligations, or the risks arising from margin requirements and related leverage factors associated with such transactions. Losses may also arise if the Fund receives cash collateral under the transactions and some or all of that collateral is invested in the market. To the extent that cash collateral is so invested, such collateral will be subject to market depreciation or appreciation, and the Fund may be responsible for any loss that might result from its investment of the counterpartys cash collateral. The use of these management techniques also involves the risk of loss if the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of the timing or level of fluctuations in securities prices, interest rates or currency prices. Investments in derivative instruments may be harder to value, subject to greater volatility and more likely subject to changes in tax treatment than other investments. For these reasons, the Investment Advisers attempts to hedge portfolio risks through the use of derivative instruments may not be successful, and the Investment Adviser may choose not to hedge certain portfolio risks. Investing for non-hedging purposes presents even greater risk of loss.
Derivative mortgage-backed securities (such as principal-only (POs), interest-only (IOs) or inverse floating rate securities) are particularly exposed to call and extension risks. Small changes in mortgage prepayments can significantly impact the cash flow and the market value of these securities. In general, the risk of faster than anticipated prepayments adversely affects IOs, super floaters and premium priced mortgage-backed securities. The risk of slower than anticipated prepayments generally adversely affects POs, floating-rate securities subject to interest rate caps, support tranches and discount priced mortgage-backed securities. In addition, particular derivative securities may be leveraged such that their exposure (i.e., price sensitivity) to interest rate and/or prepayment risk is magnified.
Some floating-rate derivative debt securities can present more complex types of derivative and interest rate risks. For example, range floaters are subject to the risk that the coupon will be reduced below market rates if a designated interest rate floats outside of a specified interest rate band or collar. Dual index or yield curve floaters are subject to lower prices in the event of an unfavorable change in the spread between two designated interest rates.
Risks of Foreign Investments. The Fund may make foreign investments. Foreign investments involve special risks that are not typically associated with U.S. dollar denominated or quoted securities of U.S. issuers. Foreign investments may be affected by changes in currency rates, changes in foreign or U.S. laws or restrictions applicable to such investments and changes in exchange control regulations (e.g., currency blockage). A decline in the exchange rate of the currency (i.e., weakening of the currency against the U.S. dollar) in which a portfolio security is quoted or denominated relative to the U.S. dollar would reduce the value of the portfolio security. In addition, if the currency in which the Fund receives dividends, interest or other payments declines in value against the U.S. dollar before such income is distributed as dividends to shareholders or converted to U.S. dollars, the Fund may have to sell portfolio securities to obtain sufficient cash to pay such dividends.
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Brokerage commissions, custodial services and other costs relating to investment in international securities markets generally are more expensive than in the United States. In addition, clearance and settlement procedures may be different in foreign countries and, in certain markets, such procedures have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, thus making it difficult to conduct such transactions.
Foreign issuers are not generally subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards comparable to those applicable to U.S. issuers. There may be less publicly available information about a foreign issuer than a U.S. issuer. In addition, there is generally less government regulation of foreign markets, companies and securities dealers than in the United States, and the legal remedies for investors may be more limited than the remedies available in the United States. Foreign securities markets may have substantially less volume than U.S. securities markets and securities of many foreign issuers are less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable domestic issuers. Furthermore, with respect to certain foreign countries, there is a possibility of nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, imposition of withholding or other taxes on dividend or interest payments (or, in some cases, capital gains distributions), limitations on the removal of funds or other assets from such countries, and risks of political or social instability or diplomatic developments which could adversely affect investments in those countries.
Concentration of the Funds assets in one or a few countries and currencies will subject the Fund to greater risks than if the Funds assets were not so geographically concentrated.
Risks of Sovereign Debt. Investment in sovereign debt obligations by the Fund involves risks not present in debt obligations of corporate issuers. The issuer of the debt or the governmental authorities that control the repayment of the debt may be unable or unwilling to repay principal or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt, and the Fund may have limited recourse to compel payment in the event of a default. Periods of economic uncertainty may result in the volatility of market prices of sovereign debt, and in turn the Funds NAV, to a greater extent than the volatility inherent in debt obligations of U.S. issuers.
A sovereign debtors willingness or ability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign currency reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtors policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which a sovereign debtor may be subject.
Foreign Custody Risk. The Fund may hold foreign securities with foreign banks, agents, and securities depositories appointed by the Funds custodian (each a Foreign Custodian). Some Foreign Custodians may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In some countries, Foreign Custodians may be subject to little or no regulatory oversight over or independent evaluation of their operations. Further, the laws of certain countries may place limitations on the Funds ability to recover its assets if a Foreign Custodian enters bankruptcy.
Risks of Illiquid Securities. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities which cannot be disposed of in seven days in the ordinary course of business at fair value. Illiquid securities in which the Fund may invest include:
| Both domestic and foreign securities that are not readily marketable |
| Certain municipal leases and participation interests |
| Certain stripped mortgage-backed securities |
| Repurchase agreements and time deposits with a notice or demand period of more than seven days |
| Certain over-the-counter options |
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| Certain structured securities and swap transactions |
| Certain Senior Loans and Second Lien Loans |
| Certain collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), collateralized bond obligations (CBOs), collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), bank obligations, non-investment grade securities and other credit instruments |
| Certain restricted securities, unless it is determined, based upon a review of the trading markets for a specific restricted security, that such restricted security is liquid because it is so-called 4(2) commercial paper or is otherwise eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act (144A Securities). |
Investing in 144A Securities may decrease the liquidity of the Funds portfolio to the extent that qualified institutional buyers become for a time uninterested in purchasing these restricted securities. The purchase price and subsequent valuation of restricted and illiquid securities normally reflect a discount, which may be significant, from the market price of comparable securities for which a liquid market exists.
Investments purchased by the Fund, particularly debt securities and over-the-counter traded instruments, that are liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid due to events relating to the issuer of the securities, markets events, economic conditions or investor perceptions. Domestic and foreign markets are becoming more and more complex and interrelated, so that events in one sector of the market or the economy, or in one geographical region, can reverberate and have negative consequences for other market, economic or regional sectors in a manner that may not be reasonably foreseen. With respect to over-the-counter traded securities, the continued viability of any over-the-counter secondary market depends on the continued willingness of dealers and other participants to purchase the instruments.
If one or more instruments in the Funds portfolio become illiquid, the Fund may exceed its 15 percent limitation in illiquid instruments. In the event that changes in the portfolio or other external events cause the investments in illiquid instruments to exceed 15 percent of the Funds net assets, the Fund must take steps to bring the aggregate amount of illiquid instruments back within the prescribed limitations as soon as reasonably practicable. This requirement would not force the Fund to liquidate any portfolio instrument where the Fund would suffer a loss on the sale of that instrument.
In cases where no clear indication of the value of the Funds portfolio instruments is available, the portfolio instruments will be valued at their fair value according to the valuation procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. These cases include, among others, situations where a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source, or the secondary markets on which an investment has previously been traded are no longer viable due to its lack of liquidity. For more information on fair valuation, please see Shareholder GuideHow to Buy SharesHow Are Shares Priced?
Risks of Structured Investment Vehicles. Structured Investment Vehicles (SIVs) are legal entities that are sponsored by banks, broker-dealers or other financial firms specifically created for the purpose of issuing particular securities or instruments. SIVs are often leveraged and securities issued by SIVs may have differing credit preferences. Investments in SIVs present counterparty risks, although they may be subject to a guarantee or other financial support by the sponsoring entity. Investments in SIVs may be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to price accurately than other types of investments.
Temporary Investment Risks. The Fund may, for temporary defensive purposes, invest up to 100% of its total assets in:
| U.S. Government Securities |
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| Commercial paper rated at least A-2 by Standard & Poors, P-2 by Moodys or having a comparable rating by another NRSRO (or, if unrated, determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable credit quality) |
| Certificates of deposit |
| Bankers acceptances |
| Repurchase agreements |
| Non-convertible preferred stocks and non-convertible corporate bonds with a remaining maturity of less than one year |
| ETFs |
| Other investment companies |
| Cash items |
When the Funds assets are invested in such instruments, the Fund may not be achieving its investment objective.
Risks of Large Shareholder Redemptions. Certain funds, accounts, individuals or Goldman Sachs affiliates may from time to time own (beneficially or of record) or control a significant percentage of the Funds shares. Redemptions by these funds, accounts or individuals of their holdings in the Fund may impact the Funds liquidity and NAV. These redemptions may also force the Fund to sell securities, which may negatively impact the Funds brokerage and tax costs.
Risks of Short Selling. The Fund may engage in short selling. In these transactions, the Fund sells a security it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of the security, then must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund, which may result in a loss or gain, respectively. Unlike purchasing a security, where potential losses are limited to the purchase price and there is no upside limit on potential gain, short sales involve no cap on maximum losses, while gains are limited to the price of the security at the time of the short sale.
The Fund may, during the term of any short sale, withdraw the cash proceeds of such short sale and use these cash proceeds to purchase additional securities or for any other Fund purposes. Because cash proceeds are Fund assets which are typically used to satisfy the collateral requirements for the short sale, the reinvestment of these cash proceeds may require the Fund to post as collateral other securities that it owns. If the Fund reinvests the cash proceeds, the Fund might be required to post an amount greater than its net assets (but less than its total assets) as collateral. For these or other reasons, the Fund might be required to liquidate long and short positions at times or in amounts that may be disadvantageous to the Fund.
The Fund may make short sales against the box, in which the Fund enters into a short sale of a security which it owns or has the right to obtain at no additional cost.
C. Portfolio Securities and Techniques
This section provides further information on certain types of securities and investment techniques that may be used by the Fund, including their associated risks.
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The Fund may purchase other types of securities or instruments similar to those described in this section if otherwise consistent with the Funds investment objective and policies. Further information is provided in the SAI, which is available upon request.
U.S. Government Securities. The Fund may invest in U.S. Government Securities. U.S. Government Securities include U.S. Treasury obligations and obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. U.S. Government Securities may be supported by (i) the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury; (ii) the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury; (iii) the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the issuer; or (iv) only the credit of the issuer. U.S. Government Securities also include Treasury receipts, zero coupon bonds and other stripped U.S. Government Securities where the interest and principal components are traded independently. U.S. Government Securities may also include Treasury inflation-protected securities whose principal value is periodically adjusted according to the rate of inflation.
U.S. Treasury obligations include, among other things, the separately traded principal and interest components of securities guaranteed or issued by the U.S. Treasury if such components are traded independently under the Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities program (STRIPS).
U.S. Government Securities are deemed to include (i) securities for which the payment of principal and interest is backed by an irrevocable letter of credit issued by the U.S. government, its agencies, authorities or instrumentalities; and (ii) participations in loans made to foreign governments or their agencies that are so guaranteed. Certain of these participations may be regarded as illiquid.
U.S. Government Securities have historically involved little risk of loss of principal if held to maturity. However, no assurance can be given that the U.S. government will provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises if it is not obligated to do so by law.
Custodial Receipts and Trust Certificates. The Fund may invest in custodial receipts and trust certificates representing interests in securities held by a custodian or trustee. The securities so held may include U.S. Government Securities, Municipal Securities or other types of securities in which the Fund may invest. The custodial receipts or trust certificates may evidence ownership of future interest payments, principal payments or both on the underlying securities, or, in some cases, the payment obligation of a third party that has entered into an interest rate swap or other arrangement with the custodian or trustee. For certain securities laws purposes, custodial receipts and trust certificates may not be considered obligations of the U.S. government or other issuer of the securities held by the custodian or trustee. If for tax purposes the Fund is not considered to be the owner of the underlying securities held in the custodial or trust account, the Fund may suffer adverse tax consequences. As a holder of custodial receipts and trust certificates, the Fund will bear its proportionate share of the fees and expenses charged to the custodial account or trust. The Fund may also invest in separately issued interests in custodial receipts and trust certificates.
Mortgage-Backed Securities. The Fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities. Mortgage-backed securities represent direct or indirect participations in, or are collateralized by and payable from, mortgage loans secured by real property. Mortgage-backed securities can be backed by either fixed rate mortgage loans or adjustable rate mortgage loans, and may be issued by either a governmental or non-governmental entity. The value of some mortgage-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates. The value of these securities may also fluctuate in response to the markets perception of the creditworthiness of the issuers. Early repayment of principal on mortgage- or asset-backed securities may expose the Fund to the risk of earning a lower rate of return upon reinvestment of principal.
The Fund may invest in privately-issued mortgage pass-through securities that represent interests in pools of mortgage loans that are issued by trusts formed by originators of and institutional investors in mortgage loans (or represent interests in custodial arrangements administered by such institutions). These originators and institutions
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include commercial banks, savings and loans associations, credit unions, savings banks, mortgage bankers, insurance companies, investment banks or special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing. The pools underlying privately-issued mortgage pass-through securities consist of mortgage loans secured by mortgages or deeds of trust creating a first lien on commercial, residential, residential multi-family and mixed residential/commercial properties. These mortgage-backed securities typically do not have the same credit standing as U.S. government guaranteed mortgage-backed securities.
Privately-issued mortgage pass-through securities generally offer a higher yield than similar securities issued by a government entity because of the absence of any direct or indirect government or agency payment guarantees. However, timely payment of interest and principal on mortgage loans in these pools may be supported by various other forms of insurance or guarantees, including individual loan, pool and hazard insurance, subordination and letters of credit. Such insurance and guarantees may be issued by private insurers, banks and mortgage poolers. There is no assurance that private guarantors or insurers, if any, will meet their obligations. Mortgage-backed securities without insurance or guarantees may also be purchased by the Fund if they have the required rating from an NRSRO. Some mortgage-backed securities issued by private organizations may not be readily marketable, may be more difficult to value accurately and may be more volatile than similar securities issued by a government entity.
Mortgage-backed securities may include multiple class securities, including collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) and Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit (REMIC) pass-through or participation certificates. A REMIC is a CMO that qualifies for special tax treatment under the Code and invests in certain mortgages principally secured by interests in real property and other permitted investments. CMOs provide an investor with a specified interest in the cash flow from a pool of underlying mortgages or of other mortgage-backed securities. CMOs are issued in multiple classes each with a specified fixed or floating interest rate and a final scheduled distribution date. In many cases, payments of principal are applied to the CMO classes in the order of their respective stated maturities, so that no principal payments will be made on a CMO class until all other classes having an earlier stated maturity date are paid in full.
Sometimes, however, CMO classes are parallel pay, i.e., payments of principal are made to two or more classes concurrently. In some cases, CMOs may have the characteristics of a stripped mortgage-backed security whose price can be highly volatile. CMOs may exhibit more or less price volatility and interest rate risk than other types of mortgage-backed securities, and under certain interest rate and payment scenarios, the Fund may fail to recoup fully its investment in certain of these securities regardless of their credit quality.
To the extent the Fund concentrates its investments in pools of mortgage-backed securities sponsored by the same sponsor or serviced by the same servicer, it may be subject to additional risks. Servicers of mortgage-related pools collect payments on the underlying mortgage assets for pass-through to the pool on a periodic basis. Upon insolvency of the servicer, the pool may be at risk with respect to collections received by the servicer but not yet delivered to the pool.
Mortgaged-backed securities also include stripped mortgage-backed securities (SMBS), which are derivative multiple class mortgage-backed securities. SMBS are usually structured with two different classes: one that receives substantially all of the interest payments and the other that receives substantially all of the principal payments from a pool of mortgage loans. The market value of SMBS consisting entirely of principal payments generally is unusually volatile in response to changes in interest rates. The yields on SMBS that receive all or most of the interest from mortgage loans are generally higher than prevailing market yields on other mortgage-backed securities because their cash flow patterns are more volatile and there is a greater risk that the initial investment will not be fully recouped. Throughout 2008, the market for mortgage-backed securities began experiencing substantially, often dramatically, lower valuations and greatly reduced liquidity. Markets for other asset-backed securities have also been affected. These instruments are increasingly subject to liquidity constraints, price volatility, credit downgrades and unexpected increases in default rates and, therefore, may be more difficult to value and more difficult to dispose of than previously. These events may have an adverse effect on the Fund to the extent it invests in mortgage-backed or other fixed income securities or instruments affected by the volatility in the fixed income markets.
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Asset-Backed Securities. The Fund may invest in asset-backed securities. Asset-backed securities are securities whose principal and interest payments are collateralized by pools of assets such as auto loans, credit card receivables, leases, installment contracts and personal property. Asset-backed securities may also include home equity line of credit loans and other second-lien mortgages. Asset-backed securities are often subject to more rapid repayment than their stated maturity date would indicate as a result of the pass-through of prepayments of principal on the underlying loans. During periods of declining interest rates, prepayment of loans underlying asset-backed securities can be expected to accelerate. Accordingly, the Funds ability to maintain positions in such securities will be affected by reductions in the principal amount of such securities resulting from prepayments, and its ability to reinvest the returns of principal at comparable yields is subject to generally prevailing interest rates at that time. Asset-backed securities present credit risks that are not presented by mortgage-backed securities. This is because asset-backed securities generally do not have the benefit of a security interest in collateral that is comparable to mortgage assets. Some asset-backed securities have only a subordinated claim or security interest in collateral. If the issuer of an asset-backed security defaults on its payment obligations, there is the possibility that, in some cases, the Fund will be unable to possess and sell the underlying collateral and that the Funds recoveries on repossessed collateral may not be available to support payments on the securities. In the event of a default, the Fund may suffer a loss if it cannot sell collateral quickly and receive the amount it is owed. The value of some asset-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in the prevailing interest rates. There is no guarantee that private guarantors or insurers of an asset-backed security, if any, will meet their obligations. Asset-backed securities may also be subject to increased volatility and may become illiquid and more difficult to value even when there is no default or threat of default due to the markets perception of the creditworthiness of the issuers and market conditions impacting asset-backed securities more generally.
Municipal Securities. The Fund may invest in securities and instruments issued by state and local government issuers. Municipal Securities in which the Fund may invest consist of bonds, notes, commercial paper and other instruments (including participation interests in such securities) issued by or on behalf of the states, territories and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia) and their political subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities. Such securities may pay fixed, variable or floating rates of interest. The interest on tax-free Municipal Securities will normally be exempt from regular federal income tax (i.e., excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes but not necessarily exempt from federal alternative minimum tax or from state or local taxes). Because of their tax-exempt status, the yields and market values of Municipal Securities may be more adversely impacted by changes in tax rates and policies than taxable fixed income securities.
Municipal Securities include both general obligation and revenue bonds and may be issued to obtain funds for various purposes. General obligations are secured by the issuers pledge of its full faith, credit and taxing power. Revenue obligations are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities.
Municipal Securities are often issued to obtain funds for various public purposes, including the construction of a wide range of public facilities such as bridges, highways, housing, hospitals, mass transportation, schools, streets and water and sewer works. Other purposes for which Municipal Securities may be issued include refunding outstanding obligations, obtaining funds for general operating expenses, and obtaining funds to lend to other public institutions and facilities. Municipal Securities in which the Fund may invest include private activity bonds, pre-refunded municipal securities and auction rate securities.
The obligations of the issuer to pay the principal of and interest on a Municipal Security are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the Federal Bankruptcy Act, and laws, if any, that may be enacted by Congress or state legislatures extending the time for payment of principal or interest or imposing other constraints upon the enforcement of such obligations. There is also the possibility that, as a result of litigation or other conditions, the power or ability of the issuer to pay when due the principal of or interest on a Municipal Security may be materially affected.
In addition, Municipal Securities include municipal leases, certificates of participation and moral obligation bonds. A municipal lease is an obligation issued by a state or local government to acquire equipment or facilities. Certificates of participation represent interests in municipal leases or other instruments, such as installment purchase
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agreements. Moral obligation bonds are supported by a moral commitment but not a legal obligation of a state or local government. Municipal leases, certificates of participation and moral obligation bonds frequently involve special risks not normally associated with general obligation or revenue bonds. In particular, these instruments permit governmental issuers to acquire property and equipment without meeting constitutional and statutory requirements for the issuance of debt. If, however, the governmental issuer does not periodically appropriate money to enable it to meet its payment obligations under these instruments, it cannot be legally compelled to do so. If a default occurs, it is likely that the Fund would be unable to obtain another acceptable source of payment. Some municipal leases, certificates of participation and moral obligation bonds may be illiquid.
Municipal Securities may also be in the form of a tender option bond, which is a Municipal Security (generally held pursuant to a custodial arrangement) having a relatively long maturity and bearing interest at a fixed rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term, tax-exempt rates. The bond is typically issued with the agreement of a third party, such as a bank, broker-dealer or other financial institution, which grants the security holders the option, at periodic intervals, to tender their securities to the institution. After payment of a fee to the financial institution that provides this option, the security holder effectively holds a demand obligation that bears interest at the prevailing short-term, tax-exempt rate. An institution may not be obligated to accept tendered bonds in the event of certain defaults or a significant downgrading in the credit rating assigned to the issuer of the bond. The tender option will be taken into account in determining the maturity of the tender option bonds and the Funds duration. There is risk that the Fund will not be considered the owner of a tender option bond for federal income tax purposes, and thus will not be entitled to treat such interest as exempt from federal income tax. Certain tender option bonds may be illiquid.
Municipal Securities may be backed by letters of credit or other forms of credit enhancement issued by domestic or foreign banks or by other financial institutions. The deterioration of the credit quality of these banks and financial institutions could, therefore, cause a loss to the Fund. Letters of credit and other obligations of foreign banks and financial institutions may involve risks in addition to those of domestic obligations because of less publicly available financial and other information, less securities regulation, potential imposition of foreign withholding and other taxes, war, expropriation or other adverse governmental actions. Foreign banks and their foreign branches are not regulated by U.S. banking authorities, and are generally not bound by the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards applicable to U.S. banks.
New Types of Instruments. From time to time the instruments discussed in this Prospectus have been, and may in the future be, offered having features other than those described herein. The Fund reserves the right to invest in these instruments and newly created instruments if the Investment Adviser believes that doing so would be consistent with the Funds investment objectives and policies.
Brady Bonds and Similar Instruments. The Fund may invest in debt obligations commonly referred to as Brady Bonds. Brady Bonds are created through the exchange of existing commercial bank loans to foreign borrowers for new obligations in connection with debt restructurings under a plan introduced by former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Nicholas F. Brady (the Brady Plan).
Brady Bonds involve various risk factors including the history of defaults with respect to commercial bank loans by public and private entities of countries issuing Brady Bonds. There can be no assurance that Brady Bonds in which the Fund may invest will not be subject to restructuring arrangements or to requests for new credit, which may cause the Fund to suffer a loss of interest or principal on its holdings.
In addition, the Fund may invest in other interests issued by entities organized and operated for the purpose of restructuring the investment characteristics of instruments issued by emerging country issuers. These types of restructuring involve the deposit with or purchase by an entity of specific instruments and the issuance by that entity of one or more classes of securities backed by, or representing interests in, the underlying instruments. Certain issuers of such structured securities may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the Investment Company Act. As a result, the Funds investment in such securities may be limited by certain investment restrictions contained in the Investment Company Act.
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Corporate Debt Obligations, Trust Preferred Securities and Convertible Securities. The Fund may invest in corporate debt obligations, trust preferred securities and convertible securities. Corporate debt obligations include bonds, notes, debentures, commercial paper and other obligations of corporations to pay interest and repay principal. A trust preferred security is a long dated bond (for example, 30 years) with preferred features. The preferred features are that payment of interest can be deferred for a specified period without initiating a default event. The securities are generally senior in claim to standard preferred stock but junior to other bondholders. The Fund may also invest in other short-term obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. corporations, non-U.S. corporations or other entities.
Convertible securities are preferred stock or debt obligations that are convertible into common stock. Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality. Convertible securities have both equity and fixed income risk characteristics. Like all fixed income securities, the value of convertible securities is susceptible to the risk of market losses attributable to changes in interest rates. Generally, the market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase and, conversely, to increase as interest rates decline. However, when the market price of the common stock underlying a convertible security exceeds the conversion price of the convertible security, the convertible security tends to reflect the market price of the underlying common stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the convertible security, like a fixed income security, tends to trade increasingly on a yield basis, and thus may not decline in price to the same extent as the underlying common stock.
Bank Obligations. The Fund may invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. or foreign banks. Bank obligations, including without limitation, time deposits, bankers acceptances and certificates of deposit, may be general obligations of the parent bank or may be limited to the issuing branch by the terms of the specific obligations or by government regulations. Banks are subject to extensive but different governmental regulations which may limit both the amount and types of loans which may be made and interest rates which may be charged. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry is largely dependent upon the availability and cost of funds for the purpose of financing lending operations under prevailing money market conditions. General economic conditions as well as exposure to credit losses arising from possible financial difficulties of borrowers play an important part in the operation of this industry.
Foreign Currency Transactions. The Fund may, to the extent consistent with its investment policies, purchase or sell foreign currencies on a cash basis or through forward contracts. A forward contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date at a price set at the time of the contract.
The Fund may engage in foreign currency transactions for hedging purposes and to seek to protect against anticipated changes in future foreign currency exchange rates. In addition, the Fund may enter into foreign currency transactions to seek a closer correlation between the Funds overall currency exposures and the currency exposures of the Funds performance benchmark. The Fund may also enter into such transactions to seek to increase total return, which presents additional risk.
The Fund may also engage in cross-hedging by using forward contracts in a currency different from that in which the hedged security is denominated or quoted. The Fund may hold foreign currency received in connection with investments in foreign securities when, in the judgment of the Investment Adviser, it would be beneficial to convert such currency into U.S. dollars at a later date (e.g., the Investment Adviser may anticipate the foreign currency to appreciate against the U.S. dollar).
The Fund may, from time to time, engage in non-deliverable forward transactions to manage currency risk or to gain exposure to a currency without purchasing securities denominated in that currency. A non-deliverable forward is a transaction that represents an agreement between the Fund and a counterparty (usually a commercial bank) to buy or sell a specified (notional) amount of a particular currency at an agreed upon foreign exchange rate on an agreed upon future date. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreement related to the transaction, but the Fund may be delayed or prevented from obtaining payments owed to it pursuant to non-deliverable forward transactions.
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Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time, causing, along with other factors, the Funds NAV to fluctuate (when the Funds NAV fluctuates, the value of your shares may go up or down). Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by the intervention of U.S. or foreign governments or central banks, or the failure to intervene, or by currency controls or political developments in the United States or abroad.
The market in forward foreign currency exchange contracts, currency swaps and other privately negotiated currency instruments offers less protection against defaults by the other party to such instruments than is available for currency instruments traded on an exchange. Such contracts are subject to the risk that the counterparty to the contract will default on its obligations. Since these contracts are not guaranteed by an exchange or clearinghouse, a default on a contract would deprive the Fund of unrealized profits, transaction costs or the benefits of a currency hedge or could force the Fund to cover its purchase or sale commitments, if any, at the current market price.
The Fund is not required to post cash collateral with its non-U.S. counterparties in certain foreign currency transactions. Accordingly, the Fund may remain more fully invested (and more of the Funds assets may be subject to investment and market risk) than if it were required to post collateral with its counterparties (which is the case with U.S. counterparties). Because the Funds non-U.S. counterparties are not required to post cash collateral with the Fund, the Fund will be subject to additional counterparty risk.
As an investment company registered with the SEC, the Fund must identify on its books (often referred to as asset segregation) liquid assets, or engage in other appropriate measures, to cover open positions with respect to its transactions in forward contracts. In the case of forward contracts that do not cash settle, for example, the Fund must identify on its books liquid assets equal to the full notional value of the forward contracts while the positions are open. With respect to forward contracts that do cash settle, however, the Fund is permitted to identify liquid assets in an amount equal to the Funds daily marked-to-market net obligations (i.e., the Funds daily net liability) under the forward contracts, if any, rather than their full notional value. The Fund reserves the right to modify its asset segregation policies in the future in its discretion. By identifying assets equal to only its net obligations under cash-settled forward contracts, the Fund will have the ability to employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to identify assets equal to the full notional amount of the forward contracts.
Collateralized Debt Obligations. The Fund may invest in CDOs, which include CBOs, CLOs and other similarly structured securities. CBOs and CLOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. CDOs may charge management fees and other administrative expenses.
For both CBOs and CLOs, the cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the equity tranche which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Since it is partially protected from defaults, a senior tranche from a CBO trust or CLO trust typically has higher ratings and lower yields than its underlying securities, and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CBO or CLO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CBO or CLO securities as a class.
The risks of an investment in a CDO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the CDO in which the Fund invests. Normally, CBOs, CLOs and CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities. However, an active dealer market may exist for CDOs that qualify under the Rule 144A safe harbor from the registration requirements of the Securities Act for resales of certain securities to qualified institutional buyers, and such CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as liquid securities. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed income securities discussed elsewhere in this SAI and the Funds Prospectus (e.g., interest rate
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risk and default risk), CDOs carry additional risks including, but not limited to, the risk that: (i) distributions from collateral securities may not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the Fund may invest in CDOs that are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.
Structured Securities and Inverse Floaters. The Fund may invest in structured securities. Structured securities are securities whose value is determined by reference to changes in the value of specific currencies, securities, interest rates, commodities, indices or other financial indicators (the Reference) or the relative change in two or more References. Investments in structured securities may provide exposure to certain securities or markets in situations where regulatory or other restrictions prevent direct investments in such issuers or markets.
The interest rate or the principal amount payable upon maturity or redemption may be increased or decreased depending upon changes in the applicable Reference. Structured securities may be positively or negatively indexed, so that appreciation of the Reference may produce an increase or decrease in the interest rate or value of the security at maturity. In addition, changes in the interest rates or the value of the security at maturity may be a multiple of changes in the value of the Reference effectively leveraging the Funds investment so that small changes in the value of the reference may result in disproportionate gains or losses to the Fund. Consequently, structured securities may present a greater degree of market risk than many types of securities and may be more volatile, less liquid and more difficult to price accurately than less complex securities. Structured securities are also subject to the risk that the issuer of the structured securities may fail to perform its contractual obligations. Certain issuers of structured products may be deemed to be investment companies as defined in the Investment Company Act. As a result, the Funds investments in structured securities may be subject to the limits applicable to investments in other investment companies.
Structured securities may also include credit linked notes. Credit linked notes are securities with embedded credit default swaps. An investor holding a credit linked note generally receives a fixed or floating coupon and the notes par value upon maturity, unless the referred credit defaults or declares bankruptcy, in which case the investor receives the amount recovered. In effect, investors holding credit linked notes receive a higher yield in exchange for assuming the risk of a specified credit event.
Structured securities may also include inverse floating rate debt securities (inverse floaters). The interest rate on inverse floaters resets in the opposite direction from the market rate of interest to which the inverse floater is indexed. 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. The higher the degree of leverage of an inverse floater, the greater the volatility of its market value.
Floating and Variable Rate Obligations. The Fund may purchase floating and variable rate obligations. The value of these obligations is generally more stable than that of a fixed rate obligation in response to changes in interest rate levels. The issuers or financial intermediaries providing demand features may support their ability to purchase the obligations by obtaining credit with liquidity supports. These may include lines of credit, which are conditional commitments to lend, and letters of credit, which will ordinarily be irrevocable both of which may be issued by domestic banks or foreign banks. The Fund may purchase variable or floating rate obligations from the issuers or may purchase certificates of participation, a type of floating or variable rate obligation, which are interests in a pool of debt obligations held by a bank or other financial institutions.
Floating and variable rate obligations may be transferable among financial institutions, but may not have the liquidity of conventional debt securities and are often subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale. Floating and variable rate obligations are not currently listed on any securities exchange or automatic quotation system. As a result, no active market may exist for some floating and variable rate obligations. To the extent a secondary market exists for other floating and variable rate obligations, such market may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads, and extended trade settlement periods. The lack of a highly liquid secondary market for floating and variable rate obligations may have an adverse effect on the value of such obligations and may make it more difficult to value the obligations for purposes of calculating their respective net asset value.
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Zero Coupon, Deferred Interest, Pay-In-Kind and Capital Appreciation Bonds. The Fund may invest in zero coupon bonds, deferred interest, pay-in-kind and capital appreciation bonds. These bonds are issued at a discount from their face value because interest payments are typically postponed until maturity. Pay-in-kind securities are securities that have interest payable by the delivery of additional securities. The market prices of these securities generally are more volatile than the market prices of interest-bearing securities and are likely to respond to a greater degree to changes in interest rates than interest-bearing securities having similar maturities and credit quality.
Mortgage Dollar Rolls. The Fund may enter into mortgage dollar rolls. A mortgage dollar roll involves the sale by the Fund of securities for delivery in the current month. The Fund simultaneously contracts with the same counterparty to repurchase substantially similar (same type, coupon and maturity) but not identical securities on a specified future date. During the roll period, the Fund loses the right to receive principal and interest paid on the securities sold. However, the Fund benefits to the extent of any difference between (a) the price received for the securities sold and (b) the lower forward price for the future purchase and/or fee income plus the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the securities sold. Unless the benefits of a mortgage dollar roll exceed the income, capital appreciation and gain or loss due to mortgage prepayments that would have been realized on the securities sold as part of the roll, the use of this technique will diminish the Funds performance.
Successful use of mortgage dollar rolls depends upon the Investment Advisers ability to predict correctly interest rates and mortgage prepayments. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its prediction, the Fund may experience a loss. The Fund does not currently intend to enter into mortgage dollar rolls for financing and does not treat them as borrowings.
Options on Securities, Securities Indices and Foreign Currencies. A put option gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell, and the writer (seller) of the option the obligation to buy, the underlying instrument during the option period. A call option gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy, and the writer (seller) of the option the obligation to sell, the underlying instrument during the option period. The Fund may purchase and sell (write) put and call options on any securities in which the Fund may invest or on any securities index consisting of securities in which it may invest. The Fund may also purchase and sell (write) put and call options on foreign currencies.
The writing and purchase of options is a highly specialized activity which involves special investment risks. Options may be used for either hedging or cross-hedging purposes, or to seek to increase total return (which presents additional risk). The successful use of options depends in part on the ability of the Investment Adviser to anticipate future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities (or currency) markets. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of changes in market prices or determination of the correlation between the instruments or indices on which options are written and purchased and the instruments in the Funds investment portfolio, the Fund may incur losses that it would not otherwise incur. The use of options can also increase the Funds transaction costs. Options written or purchased by the Fund may be traded on either U.S. or foreign exchanges or over-the-counter. Foreign and over-the-counter options will present greater possibility of loss because of their greater illiquidity and credit risks. When writing an option, the Fund must identify on its books liquid assets, or engage in other appropriate measures, to cover its obligation under the option contract.
Yield Curve Options. The Fund may enter into options on the yield spread or differential between two securities. Such transactions are referred to as yield curve options. In contrast to other types of options, a yield curve option is based on the difference between the yields of designated securities, rather than the prices of the individual securities, and is settled through cash payments. Accordingly, a yield curve option is profitable to the holder if this differential widens (in the case of a call) or narrows (in the case of a put), regardless of whether the yields of the underlying securities increase or decrease. The trading of yield curve options is subject to all of the risks associated with the trading of other types of options. In addition, such options present a risk of loss even if the yield of one of the underlying securities remains constant, or if the spread moves in a direction or to an extent which was not anticipated. When writing an option, the Fund must identify on its books liquid assets, or engage in other appropriate measures, to cover its obligation under the option contract.
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Futures Contracts and Options and Swaps on Futures Contracts. Futures contracts are standardized, exchange-traded contracts that provide for the sale or purchase of a specified financial instrument or currency at a future time at a specified price. An option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right (and the writer of the option the obligation) to assume a position in a futures contract at a specified exercise price within a specified period of time. A swap on a futures contract provides an investor with the ability to gain economic exposure to a particular futures market; however, unlike a futures contract that is exchange-traded, a swap on a futures contract is an over-the-counter transaction. A futures contract may be based on particular securities, foreign currencies, securities indices and other financial instruments and indices. The Fund may engage in futures transactions on U.S. and foreign exchanges.
The Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts, purchase and write call and put options on futures contracts and enter into swaps on futures contracts, in order to seek to increase total return or to hedge against changes in interest rates, securities prices or currency exchange rates, or to otherwise manage its term structure, sector selection and duration in accordance with its investment objective and policies. The Fund may also enter into closing purchase and sale transactions with respect to such contracts and options.
Futures contracts and related options and swaps present the following risks:
| While the Fund may benefit from the use of futures and options and swaps on futures, unanticipated changes in interest rates, securities prices or currency exchange rates may result in poorer overall performance than if the Fund had not entered into any futures contracts, options transactions or swaps. |
| Because perfect correlation between a futures position and a portfolio position that is intended to be protected is impossible to achieve, the desired protection may not be obtained and the Fund may be exposed to additional risk of loss. |
| The loss incurred by the Fund in entering into futures contracts and in writing call options and entering into swaps on futures is potentially unlimited and may exceed the amount of the premium received. |
| Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures may increase the volatility of the Funds NAV. |
| As a result of the low margin deposits normally required in futures trading, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in substantial losses to the Fund. |
| Futures contracts and options and swaps on futures may be illiquid, and exchanges may limit fluctuations in futures contract prices during a single day. |
| Foreign exchanges may not provide the same protection as U.S. exchanges. |
The Fund must identify on its books liquid assets, or engage in other appropriate measures, to cover open positions with respect to its transactions in futures contracts and options and swaps on futures contracts. In the case of futures contracts that do not cash settle, for example, the Fund must identify on its books liquid assets equal to the full notional value of the futures contracts while the positions are open. With respect to futures contracts that do cash settle, however, the Fund may identify liquid assets in an amount equal to the Funds daily marked-to-market net obligations (i.e., the Funds daily net liability) under the futures contracts, if any, rather than their full notional amount. The Fund reserves the right to modify its asset segregation policies in the future in its discretion. By identifying assets equal to only its net obligations under cash-settled futures contracts, the Fund will have the ability to employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to identify assets equal to the full notional amount of the futures contracts.
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When-Issued Securities and Forward Commitments. The Fund may purchase when-issued securities and make contracts to purchase or sell securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond customary settlement time. When-issued securities are securities that have been authorized, but not yet issued. When-issued securities are purchased in order to secure what is considered to be an advantageous price or yield to the Fund at the time of entering into the transaction. A forward commitment involves entering into a contract to purchase or sell securities for a fixed price at a future date beyond the customary settlement period.
The purchase of securities on a when-issued or forward commitment basis involves a risk of loss if the value of the security to be purchased declines before the settlement date. Conversely, the sale of securities on a forward commitment basis involves the risk that the value of the securities sold may increase before the settlement date. Although the Fund will generally purchase securities on a when-issued or forward commitment basis with the intention of acquiring the securities for its portfolio, the Fund may dispose of when-issued securities or forward commitments prior to settlement if the Investment Adviser deems it appropriate. When purchasing a security on a when-issued basis or entering into a forward commitment, the Fund must identify on its books liquid assets, or engage in other appropriate measures, to cover its obligations.
Lending of Portfolio Securities. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the lending of securities owned by the Fund to financial institutions such as certain broker-dealers, including, as permitted by the SEC, Goldman Sachs. The borrowers are required to secure their loans continuously with cash, cash equivalents, U.S. Government Securities or letters of credit in an amount at least equal to the market value of the securities loaned. Cash collateral may be invested by the Fund in short-term investments, including registered and unregistered investment pools managed by the Investment Adviser, or its affiliates and from which the Investment Adviser or its affiliates may receive fees. To the extent that cash collateral is so invested, such collateral will be subject to market depreciation or appreciation, and the Fund will be responsible for any loss that might result from its investment of the borrowers collateral. If the Investment Adviser determines to make securities loans, the value of the securities loaned may not exceed 331/3% of the value of the total assets of the Fund (including the loan collateral). Loan collateral (including any investment of that collateral) is not subject to the percentage limitations regarding investments.
The Fund may lend its securities to increase its income. The Fund may, however, experience delay in the recovery of its securities or incur a loss if the institution with which it has engaged in a portfolio loan transaction breaches its agreement with the Fund or becomes insolvent.
Repurchase Agreements. Repurchase agreements involve the purchase of securities subject to the sellers agreement to repurchase them at a mutually agreed upon date and price. The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with securities dealers and banks which furnish collateral at least equal in value or market price to the amount of their repurchase obligation. The Fund may also enter into repurchase agreements involving certain foreign government securities.
If the other party or seller defaults, the Fund might suffer a loss to the extent that the proceeds from the sale of the underlying securities and other collateral held by the Fund are less than the repurchase price and the Funds costs associated with delay and enforcement of the repurchase agreement. In addition, in the event of bankruptcy of the seller, the Fund could suffer additional losses if a court determines that the Funds interest in the collateral is not enforceable.
The Fund, together with other registered investment companies having advisory agreements with the Investment Adviser or any of its affiliates, may transfer uninvested cash balances into a single joint account, the daily aggregate balance of which will be invested in one or more repurchase agreements.
Borrowings. The Fund can borrow money from banks and other financial institutions, in amounts not exceeding one-third of the Funds total assets. The Fund generally may not make additional investments if borrowings exceed 5% of its net assets.
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Risk of Equity Swap Transactions. In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns, differentials in rates of return or some other amount earned or realized on a particular predetermined asset (or group of assets) which may be adjusted for transaction costs, interest payments, dividends paid on the reference asset or other factors. The gross returns to be exchanged or swapped between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a notional amount, for example, the increase or decrease in value of a particular dollar amount invested in the asset.
Equity swaps may be structured in different ways. For example, when the Fund takes a long position, a counterparty may agree to pay the Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the equity swap would have increased in value had it been invested in a particular stock (or group of stocks), plus the dividends that would have been received on the stock. In these cases, the Fund may agree to pay to the counterparty interest on the notional amount of the equity swap plus the amount, if any, by which that notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such stock (or group of stocks). Therefore, in this case the return to the Fund on the equity swap should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stock less the interest paid by the Fund on the notional amount. In other cases, when the Fund takes a short position, a counterparty may agree to pay the Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the equity swap would have decreased in value had the Fund sold a particular stock (or group of stocks) short, less the dividend expense that the Fund would have paid on the stock (or group of stocks), as adjusted for interest payments or other economic factors.
Under an equity swap, payments may be made at the conclusion of the equity swap or periodically during its term. Sometimes, however, the Investment Adviser may be able to terminate a swap contract prior to its term, subject to any potential termination fee that is in addition to the Funds accrued obligations under the swap.
Equity swaps are derivatives and their value can be very volatile. To the extent that the Investment Adviser does not accurately analyze and predict future market trends, the values of assets or economic factors, or the creditworthiness of the counterparty, the Fund may suffer a loss, which may be substantial.
Interest Rate Swaps, Mortgage Swaps, Credit Swaps, Currency Swaps, Total Return Swaps, Options on Swaps and Interest Rate Caps, Floors and Collars. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest, such as an exchange of fixed-rate payments for floating rate payments. Mortgage swaps are similar to interest rate swaps in that they represent commitments to pay and receive interest. The notional principal amount, however, is tied to a reference pool or pools of mortgages. Credit swaps, which may include credit default swaps and loan credit default swaps, involve the receipt of floating or fixed rate payments in exchange for assuming potential credit losses on an underlying security. Credit swaps give one party to a transaction (the buyer of the credit swap) the right to dispose of or acquire an asset (or group of assets or exposure to the performance of an index), or the right to receive a payment from the other party, upon the occurrence of specified credit events. Currency swaps involve the exchange of the parties respective rights to make or receive payments in specified currencies. Loan credit default swaps are similar to credit default swaps on bonds, except that the underlying protection is sold on secured loans of a reference entity rather than a broader category of bonds or loans. Loan credit default swaps may be on single names or on baskets of loans, both tranched and untranched. Total return swaps give the Fund the right to receive the appreciation in the value of a specified security, index or other instrument in return for a fee paid to the counterparty, which will typically be based on an agreed upon interest rate. If the underlying asset in a total return swap declines in value over the term of the swap, the Fund may also be required to pay the dollar value of that decline to the counterparty.
The Fund may also purchase and write (sell) options contracts on swaps, commonly referred to as swaptions. A swaption is an option to enter into a swap agreement. Like other types of options, the buyer of a swaption pays a non-refundable premium for the option and obtains the right, but not the obligation, to enter into an underlying swap or to modify the terms of an existing swap on agreed-upon terms. The seller of a swaption, in exchange for the premium, becomes obligated (if the option is exercised) to enter into or modify an underlying swap on agreed-upon terms, which generally entails greater risk of loss than the Fund incurs in buying a swaption. The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate, to
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receive payment of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling the interest rate floor. An interest rate collar is the combination of a cap and a floor that preserves a certain return within a predetermined range of interest rates.
The Fund may enter into swap transactions for hedging purposes or to seek to increase total return. As an example, when the Fund is the buyer of a credit default swap (commonly known as buying protection), it may make periodic payments to the seller of the credit default swap to obtain protection against a credit default on a specified underlying asset (or group of assets). If a default occurs, the seller of a credit default swap may be required to pay the Fund the notional amount of the credit default swap on a specified security (or group of securities). On the other hand, when the Fund is a seller of a credit default swap (commonly known as selling protection), in addition to the credit exposure the Fund has on the other assets held in its portfolio, the Fund is also subject to the credit exposure on the notional amount of the swap since, in the event of a credit default, the Fund may be required to pay the notional amount of the credit default swap on a specified security (or group of securities) to the buyer of the credit swap. The Fund will be the seller of a credit default swap only when the credit of the underlying asset is deemed by the Investment Adviser to meet the Funds minimum credit criteria at the time the swap is first entered into.
When the Fund writes (sells) credit default swaps on individual securities or instruments, the Fund must identify on its books liquid assets equal to the full notional amount of the swaps while the positions are open.
The use of interest rate, mortgage credit, currency and total return swaps, options on swaps, and interest rate caps, floors and collars, is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its forecasts of market values, interest rates and currency exchange rates, or in its evaluation of the creditworthiness of swap counterparties and the issuers of the underlying assets, the investment performance of the Fund would be less favorable than it would have been if these investment techniques were not used.
Currently, certain standardized swap transactions are subject to mandatory central clearing. Although central clearing is expected to decrease counterparty risk and increase liquidity compared to bilaterally negotiated swaps, central clearing does not eliminate counterparty risk or illiquidity risk entirely.
As an investment company registered with the SEC, the Fund must identify on its books (often referred to as asset segregation) liquid assets, or engage in other SEC or SEC-staff approved measures, to cover open positions with respect to certain kinds of derivatives instruments. In the case of swaps that do not cash settle, for example, the Fund must identify on its books liquid assets equal to the full notional amount of the swaps while the positions are open. With respect to swaps that are required to cash settle, however, the Fund may identify liquid assets in an amount equal to the Funds daily marked-to-market net obligations (i.e. the Funds daily net liability) under the swaps, if any, rather than their full notional amount. The Fund reserves the right to modify its asset segregation policies in the future in its discretion. By identifying assets equal to only its net obligations under cash settled swaps, the Fund will have the ability to employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to identify assets equal to the full notional amount of the swaps.
Other Investment Companies. The Fund may invest in securities of other investment companies, including ETFs, subject to statutory limitations prescribed by the Investment Company Act. These limitations include in certain circumstances a prohibition on the Fund acquiring more than 3% of the voting shares of any other investment company, and a prohibition on investing more than 5% of the Funds total assets in securities of any one investment company or more than 10% of its total assets in securities of all investment companies. Many ETFs, however, have obtained exemptive relief from the SEC to permit unaffiliated funds to invest in the ETFs shares beyond these statutory limitations, subject to certain conditions and pursuant to a contractual arrangement between the ETFs and the investing funds. The Fund may rely on these exemptive orders to invest in unaffiliated ETFs.
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The use of ETFs is intended to help the Fund match the total return of the particular market segments or indices represented by those ETFs, although that may not be the result. Most ETFs are passively managed investment companies whose shares are purchased and sold on a securities exchange. An ETF represents a portfolio of securities designed to track a particular market segment or index. An investment in an ETF generally presents the same primary risks as an investment in a conventional fund (i.e., one that is not exchange-traded) that has the same investment objectives, strategies and policies. In addition, an ETF may fail to accurately track the market segment or index that underlies its investment objective. The price of an ETF can fluctuate, and the Fund could lose money investing in an ETF. Moreover, ETFs are subject to the following risks that do not apply to conventional funds: (i) the market price of the ETFs shares may trade at a premium or a discount to their NAV; (ii) an active trading market for an ETFs shares may not develop or be maintained; and (iii) there is no assurance that the requirements of the exchange necessary to maintain the listing of an ETF will continue to be met or remain unchanged.
Pursuant to an exemptive order obtained from the SEC or under an exemptive rule adopted by the SEC, the Fund may invest in certain other investment companies and money market funds beyond the statutory limits described above. Some of those investment companies and money market funds may be funds for which the Investment Adviser or any of its affiliates serves as investment adviser, administrator or distributor.
The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees and other expenses paid by such other investment companies, in addition to the fees and expenses regularly borne by the Fund. Although the Fund does not expect to do so in the foreseeable future, the Fund is authorized to invest substantially all of its assets in a single open-end investment company or series thereof that has substantially the same investment objective, policies and fundamental restrictions as the Fund.
Non-Investment Grade Fixed Income Securities. Non-investment grade fixed-income securities and unrated securities of comparable credit quality (commonly known as junk bonds) are considered speculative. In some cases, these obligations may be highly speculative and have poor prospects for reaching investment grade standing. Non-investment grade fixed income securities are subject to the increased risk of an issuers inability to meet principal and interest obligations. These securities, also referred to as high yield securities, may be subject to greater price volatility due to such factors as specific corporate or municipal developments, interest rate sensitivity, negative perceptions of the junk bond markets generally and less secondary market liquidity.
Non-investment grade fixed income securities are often issued in connection with a corporate reorganization or restructuring or as part of a merger, acquisition, takeover or similar event. They are also issued by less established companies seeking to expand. Such issuers are often highly leveraged and generally less able than more established or less leveraged entities to make scheduled payments of principal and interest in the event of adverse developments or business conditions. Non-investment grade securities are also issued by governmental bodies that may have difficulty in making all scheduled interest and principal payments.
The market value of non-investment grade fixed income securities tends to reflect individual corporate or municipal developments to a greater extent than that of higher rated securities which react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. As a result, the Funds ability to achieve its investment objectives may depend to a greater extent on the Investment Advisers judgment concerning the creditworthiness of issuers than funds which invest in higher-rated securities. Issuers of non-investment grade fixed income securities may not be able to make use of more traditional methods of financing and their ability to service debt obligations may be affected more adversely than issuers of higher-rated securities by economic downturns, specific corporate or financial developments or the issuers inability to meet specific projected business forecasts. Negative publicity about the junk bond market and investor perceptions regarding lower rated securities, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may depress the prices for such securities.
A holders risk of loss from default is significantly greater for non-investment grade fixed income securities than is the case for holders of other debt securities because such non-investment grade securities are generally unsecured and are often subordinated to the rights of other creditors of the issuers of such securities. Investment by the Fund in defaulted securities poses additional risk of loss should nonpayment of principal and interest continue in respect of such securities. Even if such securities are held to maturity, recovery by the Fund of its initial investment and any anticipated income or appreciation is uncertain.
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The secondary market for non-investment grade fixed income securities is concentrated in relatively few market makers and is dominated by institutional investors, including mutual funds, insurance companies and other financial institutions. Accordingly, the secondary market for such securities is not as liquid as, and is more volatile than, the secondary market for higher-rated securities. In addition, market trading volume for high yield fixed income securities is generally lower and the secondary market for such securities could shrink or disappear suddenly and without warning as a result of adverse market or economic conditions, independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. The lack of sufficient market liquidity may cause the Fund to incur losses because it will be required to effect sales at a disadvantageous time and then only at a substantial drop in price. These factors may have an adverse effect on the market price and the Funds ability to dispose of particular portfolio investments. A less liquid secondary market also may make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain precise valuations of the high yield securities in its portfolio.
Credit ratings issued by credit rating agencies are designed to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments of rated securities. They do not, however, evaluate the market value risk of non-investment grade securities and, therefore, may not fully reflect the true risks of an investment. In addition, credit rating agencies may or may not make timely changes in a rating to reflect changes in the economy or in the conditions of the issuer that affect the market value of the security. Consequently, credit ratings are used only as a preliminary indicator of investment quality.
Downgraded Securities. After its purchase, a portfolio security may be assigned a lower rating or cease to be rated. If this occurs, the Fund may continue to hold the security if the Investment Adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders.
Equity Investments. After its purchase, a portfolio investment (such as a convertible debt obligation) may convert to an equity security. Alternatively, the Fund may acquire equity securities in connection with a restructuring event related to one or more of its investments. If this occurs, the Fund may continue to hold the investment if the Investment Adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders.
Loan-Related Investments. The Fund may invest in loan-related investments such as loan participations and assignments. A loan participation is an interest in a loan to a U.S. or foreign company or other borrower (the borrower) which is administered and sold by a financial intermediary. The Fund may only invest in loans to issuers in whose obligations it may otherwise invest. Loan interests may take the form of a direct or co-lending relationship with the borrower, an assignment of an interest in the loan by a co-lender or another participant, or a participation in the sellers share of the loan. When the Fund acts as co-lender in connection with a loan interest or when it acquires certain interests, the Fund will have direct recourse against the borrower if the borrower fails to pay scheduled principal and interest. In cases where the Fund lacks direct recourse, it will look to an agent for the lenders (the agent lender) to enforce appropriate credit remedies against the borrower. In these cases, the Fund may be subject to delays, expenses and risks that are greater than those that would have been involved if the Fund had purchased a direct obligation (such as commercial paper) of such borrower.
An assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations of the assigning institution and becomes a lender under the credit agreement with respect to the debt obligation; however, the purchasers rights can be more restricted than those of the assigning institution, and, in any event, the Fund may not be able to unilaterally enforce all rights and remedies under the loan and with regard to any associated collateral. A participation typically results in a contractual relationship only with the institution participating out the interest, not with the borrower. In purchasing participations, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement against the borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will be exposed to the credit risk of both the borrower and the institution selling the participation.
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Senior Loans hold the most senior position in the capital structure of a borrower, are typically secured with specific collateral and have a claim on the assets and/or stock of the borrower that is senior to that held by subordinated debt holders and stockholders of the borrower. The proceeds of Senior Loans primarily are used to finance leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, mergers, acquisitions, stock repurchases, refinancings and to finance internal growth and for other corporate purposes. Senior Loans typically have a stated term of between five and nine years, and have rates of interest which typically are redetermined daily, monthly, quarterly or semi-annually by reference to a base lending rate, plus a premium or credit spread. Longer interest rate reset periods generally increase fluctuations in the Funds net asset value as a result of changes in market interest rates. As a result, as short-term interest rates increase, interest payable to the Fund from its investments in Senior Loans should increase, and as short-term interest rates decrease, interest payable to the Fund from its investments in Senior Loans should decrease. Second Lien Loans have the same characteristics as Senior Loans except that such loans are subordinated or unsecured and thus lower in priority of payment to Senior Loans. Accordingly, the risks associated with Second Lien Loans are higher than the risk of loans with first priority over the collateral. In the event of default on a Second Lien Loan, the first priority lien holder has first claim to the underlying collateral of the loan. It is possible that no collateral value would remain for the second priority lien holder and therefore result in a loss of investment to the Fund. Second Lien Loans typically have adjustable floating rate interest payments.
Special Situation Investments. The Fund may make investments in special situation financings, including in event-driven situations such as recapitalizations, financings, corporate and financial restructurings, acquisitions, divestitures, reorganizations or other situations in public or private companies that may provide the Fund with an opportunity to provide debt and/or equity financing, and such investments will typically be made on a negotiated basis. The Investment Adviser will seek special situation investment opportunities with limited downside risk relative to their potential upside. These investments are complicated and an incorrect assessment of the downside risk associated with an investment could result in significant losses to the Fund.
Preferred Stock, Warrants and Stock Purchase Rights. The Fund may invest in preferred stock, warrants and stock purchase rights (or rights). Preferred stocks are securities that represent an ownership interest providing the holder with claims on the issuers earnings and assets before common stock owners but after bond owners. Unlike debt securities, the obligations of an issuer of preferred stock, including dividend and other payment obligations, may not typically be accelerated by the holders of such preferred stock on the occurrence of an event of default or other non-compliance by the issuer of the preferred stock.
Warrants and other rights are options to buy a stated number of shares of common stock at a specified price at any time during the life of the warrant or right. The holders of warrants and rights have no voting rights, receive no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer.
Distressed Debt. By investing in distressed debt the Fund may risk holding the securities through bankruptcy proceedings. There are a number of significant risks inherent in the bankruptcy process. Many events in a bankruptcy are the product of contested matters and adversary proceedings and are beyond the control of the creditors. A bankruptcy filing by an issuer may adversely and permanently affect the issuer, and if the proceeding is converted to liquidation, the value of the issuer may not equal the liquidation value that was believed to exist at the time of the investment. The duration of a bankruptcy proceeding is difficult to predict, and a creditors return on investment can be adversely affected by delays until the plan of reorganization ultimately becomes effective. The administrative costs in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding are frequently high and would be paid out of the debtors estate prior to any return to creditors. Because the standards for classification of claims under bankruptcy law are vague, there exists the risk that the Funds influence with respect to the class of securities or other obligations it owns can be lost by increases in the number and amount of claims in the same class or by different classification and treatment. In the early stages of the bankruptcy process it is often difficult to estimate the extent of, or even to identify, any contingent claims that might be made. In addition, certain claims that have priority by law (for example, claims for taxes) may be substantial.
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EXHIBIT D OWNERSHIP OF SHARES OF THE EXISTING FUND
To the knowledge of the Existing Fund, as of October 18, 2013, the following persons owned of record or beneficially 5% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund:
Shareholder Name and Address |
Number of Shares |
Percentage of Class | ||||
[] |
[] | [] | % |
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PART B: STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
DATED OCTOBER [], 2013
FUND |
INSTITUTIONAL SHARES |
|||
GOLDMAN SACHS LONG SHORT CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND |
[] |
(a series of Goldman Sachs Trust)
71 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
This Statement of Additional Information (the SAI) is not a prospectus. This SAI should be read in conjunction with the related Proxy Statement/Prospectus, dated October [], 2013, which covers the Institutional Shares of the Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund to be issued in exchange for shares of the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund. Please retain this SAI for further reference. To obtain a copy of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus, free of charge, please write to the Goldman Sachs Funds at the address set forth above or call the Goldman Sachs Funds at 1-800-526-7384.
GSAM® is a registered service mark of Goldman, Sachs & Co.
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The date of this SAI is [], 2013.
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GOLDMAN SACHS ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P.
Investment Adviser
200 West Street
New York, NY 10282
GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.
Distributor
200 West Street
New York, NY 10282
GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.
Transfer Agent
71 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60606
Toll free (in U.S.): 1-800-621-2550 (for Institutional Shareholders).
This SAI is intended to supplement the information provided in a Proxy Statement/Prospectus dated October [], 2013 (the Proxy Statement/Prospectus) relating to the proposed Agreement and Plan of Reorganization between the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund (the Existing Fund) and the Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund, a series of Goldman Sachs Trust (the New Fund), pursuant to which the Existing Fund would (i) transfer all of its assets and liabilities in exchange for Institutional Shares of the New Fund having an aggregate net asset value equal to the aggregate net asset value of the common shares of the Existing Fund; and (ii) distribute such shares to the shareholders of the Existing Fund and liquidate and dissolve (the Reorganization). The New Fund is a newly-organized fund that will commence operations upon consummation of the Reorganization. Please retain this SAI for further reference.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
This SAI consists of these cover pages, additional information regarding the New Fund and the following documents, each of which was filed electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) and is incorporated by reference herein.
1. The Existing Funds Annual Report for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 (File Nos. 333-163451 and 811-22280) as filed with the SEC on May 31, 2013 (Accession No. 0001410368-13-000236) is incorporated herein by reference.
2. The Existing Funds Statement of Additional Information, dated July 29, 2013 (File Nos. 333-163451 and 811-22280) as filed with the SEC on July 29, 2013 (Accession No. 0001193125-13-307670) is incorporated herein by reference.
PRO FORMA FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
No pro forma financial statements have been prepared and included relating to the Reorganization of the Existing Fund into the New Fund because the New Fund is a newly-organized fund and does not have any assets or liabilities as of the date hereof.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT GOLDMAN SACHS LONG SHORT CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
INTRODUCTION
Goldman Sachs Trust (the Trust) is an open-end, management investment company. The Trust is organized as a Delaware statutory trust and was established by a Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997. The Trust is a successor to a Massachusetts business trust that was combined with the Trust on April 30, 1997. The following series of the Trust is described in this SAI: Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund (the Fund).
The Trustees of the Trust have authority under the Declaration of Trust to create and classify shares into separate series and to classify and reclassify any series or portfolio of shares into one or more classes without further action by shareholders. Pursuant thereto, the Trustees have created the Fund and other series. Additional series may be added in the future from time to time. The Fund currently offers five classes of shares: Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional and Class IR Shares. See SHARES OF THE TRUST. This SAI only covers Institutional Shares.
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (GSAM or the Investment Adviser), an affiliate of Goldman, Sachs & Co. (Goldman Sachs), serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. In addition, Goldman Sachs serves as the Funds distributor and transfer agent. The Funds custodian is [].
The following information relates to and supplements the description of the Funds investment objective and policies contained in the Prospectus. See the Prospectus for a more complete description of the Funds investment objectives and policies. Investing in the Fund entails certain risks. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the same meaning as in the Prospectus.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICIES
The Fund has a distinct investment objective and policies. There can be no assurance that the Funds objective will be achieved. The Fund is a non-diversified, open-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Act). The investment objective and policies of the Fund, and the associated risks of the Fund, are discussed in the Funds Prospectus, which should be read carefully before an investment is made. All investment objectives and investment policies not specifically designated as fundamental may be changed without shareholder approval. However, to the extent required by U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations, shareholders will be provided with sixty days notice in the manner prescribed by the SEC before any change in the Funds policy to invest at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) (Net Assets), in the particular type of investment suggested by its name. Additional information about the Fund, its policies, and the investment instruments it may hold is provided below.
The Funds share price will fluctuate with market, economic and, to the extent applicable, foreign exchange conditions, so that an investment in the Fund may be worth more or less when redeemed than when purchased. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program.
The Investment Adviser has claimed temporary relief from registration as a commodity pool operator (CPO) under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) for the Fund and therefore is not subject to registration or regulation as a CPO under the CEA. If and when the temporary relief expires, to the extent the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, is not otherwise eligible to claim an exclusion from the definition of the term CPO, the Fund will incur additional compliance and other expenses in connection with certain applicable U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission disclosure, reporting and other requirements.
The following discussion supplements the information in the Prospectus.
General Information Regarding the Fund
The Fund will seek to achieve its investment objective through long and short exposures to credit related instruments. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) (Net Assets) in the following credit related instruments: (i) fixed rate and floating rate income securities; (ii) loans and loan participations including: (a) senior secured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt (Senior Loans), (b) second lien or other subordinated or unsecured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt (Second Lien Loans) and (c) other types of secured or unsecured loans with fixed, floating, or variable interest rates; (iii) convertible securities; (iv) collateralized debt, bond and loan obligations; (v) bank and corporate debt obligations; (vi) securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises (U.S. Government Securities), and securities issued by or on behalf of states, territories,
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and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia); (vii) preferred securities and trust preferred securities; (viii) structured securities, including credit-linked notes; and/or (ix) listed and unlisted, public and private, rated and unrated debt instruments and other obligations, including those of financially troubled companies (sometimes known as distressed securities or defaulted securities).
The Fund may invest in instruments and obligations directly, or indirectly by investing in derivative or synthetic instruments, including, without limitation, credit default swaps and loan credit default swaps. The Fund will opportunistically seek short exposures to credit related instruments through the use of such derivatives or synthetic instruments, including, but not limited to, credit related indices.
The Fund may invest in U.S. dollar denominated as well as non-U.S. dollar denominated (foreign) securities. The Fund may also hold cash, and/or invest in cash equivalents.
The Fund intends to implement short positions for hedging purposes or to seek to enhance absolute return, and may do so by using swaps or futures, or through short sales of any instrument that the Fund may purchase for investment. For example, the Fund may enter into credit default swaps. Credit default swaps involve the receipt of floating or fixed rate payments in exchange for assuming potential credit losses on an underlying security (or group of securities). When the Fund is the buyer of a credit default swap (buying protection), it may make periodic payments to the seller of the credit default swap to obtain protection against a credit default on a specified underlying asset (or group of assets). If a default occurs, the seller of a credit default swap may be required to pay the Fund the notional amount of the credit default swap on a specified security (or group of securities).
There is no minimum credit rating for instruments in which the Fund may invest, and the Fund may invest without limitation in securities below investment grade. Non-investment grade securities are rated BB+, Ba1 or below by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or, if unrated, determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable credit quality. The Fund may also invest in credit instruments of any maturity or duration.
The Funds benchmark index is the Bank of America Merrill Lynch U.S. Dollar Three-Month LIBOR Constant Maturity Index. References to the Funds benchmark are for informational purposes only and are not an indication of how the Fund is managed.
DESCRIPTION OF INVESTMENT SECURITIES AND PRACTICES
U.S. Government Securities
The Fund may invest in U.S. Government securities. Some U.S. Government securities (such as Treasury bills, notes and bonds, which differ only in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance) are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Others, such as obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises, are supported either by (i) the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, (ii) the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the issuer or (iii) only the credit of the issuer. The U.S. Government is under no legal obligation, in general, to purchase the obligations of its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will provide financial support to U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises in the future.
U.S. Government securities include (to the extent consistent with the Act) securities for which the payment of principal and interest is backed by an irrevocable letter of credit issued by the U.S. Government, or its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. U.S. Government securities may also include (to the extent consistent with the Act) participations in loans made to foreign governments or their agencies that are guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government or its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. The secondary market for certain of these participations is extremely limited. In the absence of a suitable secondary market, such participations are regarded as illiquid.
The Fund may also purchase U.S. Government securities in private placements and may also invest in separately traded principal and interest components of securities guaranteed or issued by the U.S. Treasury that are traded independently under the separate trading of registered interest and principal of securities program (STRIPS). The Fund may also invest in zero coupon U.S. Treasury securities and in zero coupon securities issued by financial institutions which represent a proportionate interest in underlying U.S. Treasury securities.
Inflation-Protected Securities. The Fund may invest in inflation protected securities (IPS), including treasury inflation protected securities (TIPS) and corporate inflation protected securities (CIPS), which are securities whose principal value is periodically
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adjusted according to the rate of inflation. The interest rate on IPS 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 IPS is not guaranteed, and will fluctuate.
The values of IPS 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 the value of IPS. In contrast, if nominal interest rates were to increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in the value of IPS. If inflation is lower than expected during the period the Fund holds IPS, the Fund may earn less on the IPS than on a conventional bond. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation (for example, due to changes in the currency exchange rates), investors in IPS 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 IPS will accurately measure the real rate of inflation in the prices of goods and services.
Any increase in principal value of IPS caused by an increase in the consumer price index is taxable in the year the increase occurs, even though the Fund holding IPS will not receive cash representing the increase at that time. As a result, the Fund could be required at times to liquidate other investments, including when it is not advantageous to do so, in order to satisfy its distribution requirements as a regulated investment company.
If the Fund invests in IPS, it will be required to treat as original issue discount any increase in the principal amount of the securities that occurs during the course of its taxable year. If the Fund purchases such IPS that are issued in stripped form either as stripped bonds or coupons, it will be treated as if it had purchased a newly issued debt instrument having original issue discount.
Because the Fund is required to distribute substantially all of its net investment income (including accrued original issue discount), the Funds investment in either zero coupon bonds or IPS may require the Fund to distribute to shareholders an amount greater than the total cash income it actually receives. Accordingly, in order to make the required distributions, the Fund may be required to borrow or liquidate securities.
Custodial Receipts and Trust Certificates
The Fund may invest in custodial receipts and trust certificates, which may be underwritten by securities dealers or banks, representing interests in securities held by a custodian or trustee. The securities so held may include U.S. Government securities, municipal securities or other types of securities in which the Fund may invest. The custodial receipts or trust certificates are underwritten by securities dealers or banks and may evidence ownership of future interest payments, principal payments or both on the underlying securities, or, in some cases, the payment obligation of a third party that has entered into an interest rate swap or other arrangement with the custodian or trustee. For purposes of certain securities laws, custodial receipts and trust certificates may not be considered obligations of the U.S. Government or other issuer of the securities held by the custodian or trustee. As a holder of custodial receipts and trust certificates, the Fund will bear its proportionate share of the fees and expenses charged to the custodial account or trust. The Fund may also invest in separately issued interests in custodial receipts and trust certificates.
Although under the terms of a custodial receipt or trust certificate the Fund would typically be authorized to assert its rights directly against the issuer of the underlying obligation, the Fund could be required to assert through the custodian bank or trustee those rights as may exist against the underlying issuers. Thus, in the event an underlying issuer fails to pay principal and/or interest when due, the Fund may be subject to delays, expenses and risks that are greater than those that would have been involved if the Fund had purchased a direct obligation of the issuer. In addition, in the event that the trust or custodial account in which the underlying securities have been deposited is determined to be an association taxable as a corporation, instead of a non-taxable entity, the yield on the underlying securities would be reduced in recognition of any taxes paid.
Certain custodial receipts and trust certificates may be synthetic or derivative instruments that have interest rates that reset inversely to changing short-term rates and/or have embedded interest rate floors and caps that require the issuer to pay an adjusted interest rate if market rates fall below or rise above a specified rate. Because some of these instruments represent relatively recent innovations, and the trading market for these instruments is less developed than the markets for traditional types of instruments, it is uncertain how these instruments will perform under different economic and interest-rate scenarios. Also, because these instruments may be leveraged, their market values may be more volatile than other types of fixed income instruments and may present greater potential for capital gain or loss. The possibility of default by an issuer or the issuers credit provider may be greater for these derivative instruments than for other types of instruments. In some cases, it may be difficult to determine the fair value of a derivative instrument because of a lack of reliable objective information and an established secondary market for some instruments may not exist. In many cases, the Internal Revenue Service (the IRS) has not ruled on the tax treatment of the interest or payments received on the derivative instruments and, accordingly, purchases of such instruments are based on the opinion of counsel to the sponsors of the instruments.
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Mortgage Loans and Mortgage-Backed Securities
The Fund may invest in mortgage loans, mortgage pass-through securities and other securities representing an interest in or collateralized by adjustable and fixed-rate mortgage loans, including collateralized mortgage obligations, real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs) and stripped mortgage-backed securities, as described below (Mortgage-Backed Securities).
Mortgage-Backed Securities are subject to both call risk and extension risk. Because of these risks, these securities can have significantly greater price and yield volatility than traditional fixed income securities.
General Characteristics of Mortgage Backed Securities.
In general, each mortgage pool underlying Mortgage-Backed Securities consists of mortgage loans evidenced by promissory notes secured by first mortgages or first deeds of trust or other similar security instruments creating a first lien on owner occupied and non-owner occupied one-unit to four-unit residential properties, multi-family (i.e., five-units or more) properties, agricultural properties, commercial properties and mixed use properties (the Mortgaged Properties). The Mortgaged Properties may consist of detached individual dwelling units, multi-family dwelling units, individual condominiums, townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, row houses, individual units in planned unit developments, other attached dwelling units (Residential Mortgaged Properties) or commercial properties, such as office properties, retail properties, hospitality properties, industrial properties, healthcare related properties or other types of income producing real property (Commercial Mortgaged Properties). Residential Mortgaged Properties may also include residential investment properties and second homes. In addition, the Mortgage-Backed Securities which are residential mortgage-backed securities may also consist of mortgage loans evidenced by promissory notes secured entirely or in part by second priority mortgage liens on Residential Mortgaged Properties.
The investment characteristics of adjustable and fixed rate Mortgage-Backed Securities differ from those of traditional fixed income securities. The major differences include the payment of interest and principal on Mortgage-Backed Securities on a more frequent (usually monthly) schedule, and the possibility that principal may be prepaid at any time due to prepayments on the underlying mortgage loans or other assets. These differences can result in significantly greater price and yield volatility than is the case with traditional fixed income securities. As a result, if the Fund purchases Mortgage-Backed Securities at a premium, a faster than expected prepayment rate will reduce both the market value and the yield to maturity from their anticipated levels. A prepayment rate that is slower than expected will have the opposite effect, increasing yield to maturity and market value. Conversely, if the Fund purchases Mortgage-Backed Securities at a discount, faster than expected prepayments will increase, while slower than expected prepayments will reduce yield to maturity and market value. To the extent that the Fund invests in Mortgage-Backed Securities, the Investment Adviser may seek to manage these potential risks by investing in a variety of Mortgage-Backed Securities and by using certain hedging techniques.
Prepayments on a pool of mortgage loans are influenced by changes in current interest rates and a variety of economic, geographic, social and other factors (such as changes in mortgagor housing needs, job transfers, unemployment, mortgagor equity in the mortgage properties and servicing decisions). The timing and level of prepayments cannot be predicted. A predominant factor affecting the prepayment rate on a pool of mortgage loans is the difference between the interest rates on outstanding mortgage loans and prevailing mortgage loan interest rates (giving consideration to the cost of any refinancing). Generally, prepayments on mortgage loans will increase during a period of falling mortgage interest rates and decrease during a period of rising mortgage interest rates. Accordingly, the amounts of prepayments available for reinvestment by the Fund are likely to be greater during a period of declining mortgage interest rates. If general interest rates decline, such prepayments are likely to be reinvested at lower interest rates than the Fund was earning on the Mortgage-Backed Securities that were prepaid. Due to these factors, Mortgage-Backed Securities may be less effective than U.S. Treasury and other types of debt securities of similar maturity at maintaining yields during periods of declining interest rates. Because the Funds investments in Mortgage-Backed Securities are interest-rate sensitive, the Funds performance will depend in part upon the ability of the Fund to anticipate and respond to fluctuations in market interest rates and to utilize appropriate strategies to maximize returns to the Fund, while attempting to minimize the associated risks to its investment capital. Prepayments may have a disproportionate effect on certain Mortgage-Backed Securities and other multiple class pass-through securities, which are discussed below.
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The rate of interest paid on Mortgage-Backed Securities is normally lower than the rate of interest paid on the mortgages included in the underlying pool due to (among other things) the fees paid to any servicer, special servicer and trustee for the trust fund which holds the mortgage pool, other costs and expenses of such trust fund, fees paid to any guarantor, such as Ginnie Mae (as defined below) or to any credit enhancers, mortgage pool insurers, bond insurers and/or hedge providers, and due to any yield retained by the issuer. Actual yield to the holder may vary from the coupon rate, even if adjustable, if the Mortgage-Backed Securities are purchased or traded in the secondary market at a premium or discount. In addition, there is normally some delay between the time the issuer receives mortgage payments from the servicer and the time the issuer (or the trustee of the trust fund which holds the mortgage pool) makes the payments on the Mortgage-Backed Securities, and this delay reduces the effective yield to the holder of such securities.
The issuers of certain mortgage-backed obligations may elect to have the pool of mortgage loans (or indirect interests in mortgage loans) underlying the securities treated as a REMIC, which is subject to special federal income tax rules. A description of the types of mortgage loans and mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest is provided below. The descriptions are general and summary in nature, and do not detail every possible variation of the types of securities that are permissible investments for the Fund.
Certain General Characteristics of Mortgage Loans
Adjustable Rate Mortgage Loans (ARMs). The Fund may invest in ARMs. ARMs generally provide for a fixed initial mortgage interest rate for a specified period of time. Thereafter, the interest rates (the Mortgage Interest Rates) may be subject to periodic adjustment based on changes in the applicable index rate (the Index Rate). The adjusted rate would be equal to the Index Rate plus a fixed percentage spread over the Index Rate established for each ARM at the time of its origination. ARMs allow the Fund to participate in increases in interest rates through periodic increases in the securities coupon rates. During periods of declining interest rates, coupon rates may readjust downward resulting in lower yields to the Fund.
Adjustable interest rates can cause payment increases that some mortgagors may find difficult to make. However, certain ARMs may provide that the Mortgage Interest Rate may not be adjusted to a rate above an applicable lifetime maximum rate or below an applicable lifetime minimum rate for such ARM. Certain ARMs may also be subject to limitations on the maximum amount by which the Mortgage Interest Rate may adjust for any single adjustment period (the Maximum Adjustment). Other ARMs (Negatively Amortizing ARMs) may provide instead or as well for limitations on changes in the monthly payment on such ARMs. Limitations on monthly payments can result in monthly payments which are greater or less than the amount necessary to amortize a Negatively Amortizing ARM by its maturity at the Mortgage Interest Rate in effect in any particular month. In the event that a monthly payment is not sufficient to pay the interest accruing on a Negatively Amortizing ARM, any such excess interest is added to the principal balance of the loan, causing negative amortization, and will be repaid through future monthly payments. It may take borrowers under Negatively Amortizing ARMs longer periods of time to build up equity and may increase the likelihood of default by such borrowers. In the event that a monthly payment exceeds the sum of the interest accrued at the applicable Mortgage Interest Rate and the principal payment which would have been necessary to amortize the outstanding principal balance over the remaining term of the loan, the excess (or accelerated amortization) further reduces the principal balance of the ARM. Negatively Amortizing ARMs do not provide for the extension of their original maturity to accommodate changes in their Mortgage Interest Rate. As a result, unless there is a periodic recalculation of the payment amount (which there generally is), the final payment may be substantially larger than the other payments. After the expiration of the initial fixed rate period and upon the periodic recalculation of the payment to cause timely amortization of the related mortgage loan, the monthly payment on such mortgage loan may increase substantially which may, in turn, increase the risk of the borrower defaulting in respect of such mortgage loan. These limitations on periodic increases in interest rates and on changes in monthly payments protect borrowers from unlimited interest rate and payment increases, but may result in increased credit exposure and prepayment risks for lenders. When interest due on a mortgage loan is added to the principal balance of such mortgage loan, the related mortgaged property provides proportionately less security for the repayment of such mortgage loan. Therefore, if the related borrower defaults on such mortgage loan, there is a greater likelihood that a loss will be incurred upon any liquidation of the mortgaged property which secures such mortgage loan.
ARMs also have the risk of prepayment. The rate of principal prepayments with respect to ARMs has fluctuated in recent years. The value of Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by ARMs is less likely to rise during periods of declining interest rates than the value of fixed-rate securities during such periods. Accordingly, ARMs may be subject to a greater rate of principal repayments in a declining interest rate environment resulting in lower yields to the Fund. For example, if prevailing interest rates fall significantly, ARMs could be subject to higher prepayment rates (than if prevailing interest rates remain constant or increase) because the availability of low fixed-rate mortgages may encourage mortgagors to refinance their ARMs to lock-in a fixed-rate mortgage. On the other hand, during periods of rising interest rates, the value of ARMs will lag behind changes in the market rate. ARMs are also typically subject to maximum increases and decreases in the interest rate adjustment which can be made on any one adjustment date, in any one year, or during the life of the security. In the event of dramatic increases or decreases in prevailing market interest rates, the value of the Funds investment in ARMs may fluctuate more substantially because these limits may prevent the security from fully adjusting its interest rate to the prevailing market rates. As with fixed-rate mortgages, ARM prepayment rates vary in both stable and changing interest rate environments.
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There are two main categories of indices which provide the basis for rate adjustments on ARMs: those based on U.S. Treasury securities and those derived from a calculated measure, such as a cost of funds index or a moving average of mortgage rates. Indices commonly used for this purpose include the one-year, three-year and five-year constant maturity Treasury rates, the three-month Treasury bill rate, the 180-day Treasury bill rate, rates on longer-term Treasury securities, the 11th District Federal Home Loan Bank Cost of Funds, the National Median Cost of Funds, the one-month, three-month, six-month or one-year London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), the prime rate of a specific bank, or commercial paper rates. Some indices, such as the one-year constant maturity Treasury rate, closely mirror changes in market interest rate levels. Others, such as the 11th District Federal Home Loan Bank Cost of Funds index, tend to lag behind changes in market rate levels and tend to be somewhat less volatile. The degree of volatility in the market value of ARMs in the Funds portfolio and, therefore, in the net asset value of the Funds shares, will be a function of the length of the interest rate reset periods and the degree of volatility in the applicable indices.
Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans. Generally, fixed-rate mortgage loans included in mortgage pools (the Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans) will bear simple interest at fixed annual rates and have original terms to maturity ranging from 5 to 40 years. Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans generally provide for monthly payments of principal and interest in substantially equal installments for the term of the mortgage note in sufficient amounts to fully amortize principal by maturity, although certain Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans provide for a large final balloon payment upon maturity.
Certain Legal Considerations of Mortgage Loans. The following is a discussion of certain legal and regulatory aspects of the mortgage loans in which the Fund may invest. This discussion is not exhaustive, and does not address all of the legal or regulatory aspects affecting mortgage loans. These regulations may impair the ability of a mortgage lender to enforce its rights under the mortgage documents. These regulations may also adversely affect the Funds investments in Mortgage-Backed Securities (including those issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities) by delaying the Funds receipt of payments derived from principal or interest on mortgage loans affected by such regulations.
1. | Foreclosure. A foreclosure of a defaulted mortgage loan may be delayed due to compliance with statutory notice or service of process provisions, difficulties in locating necessary parties or legal challenges to the mortgagees right to foreclose. Depending upon market conditions, the ultimate proceeds of the sale of foreclosed property may not equal the amounts owed on the Mortgage-Backed Securities. Furthermore, courts in some cases have imposed general equitable principles upon foreclosure generally designed to relieve the borrower from the legal effect of default and have required lenders to undertake affirmative and expensive actions to determine the causes for the default and the likelihood of loan reinstatement. |
2. | Rights of Redemption. In some states, after foreclosure of a mortgage loan, the borrower and foreclosed junior lienors are given a statutory period in which to redeem the property, which right may diminish the mortgagees ability to sell the property. |
3. | Legislative Limitations. In addition to anti-deficiency and related legislation, numerous other federal and state statutory provisions, including the federal bankruptcy laws and state laws affording relief to debtors, may interfere with or affect the ability of a secured mortgage lender to enforce its security interest. For example, a bankruptcy court may grant the debtor a reasonable time to cure a default on a mortgage loan, including a payment default. The court in certain instances may also reduce the monthly payments due under such mortgage loan, change the rate of interest, reduce the principal balance of the loan to the then-current appraised value of the related mortgaged property, alter the mortgage loan repayment schedule and grant priority of certain liens over the lien of the mortgage loan. If a court relieves a borrowers obligation to repay amounts otherwise due on a mortgage loan, the mortgage loan servicer will not be required to advance such amounts, and any loss may be borne by the holders of securities backed by such loans. In addition, numerous federal and state consumer protection laws impose penalties for failure to comply with specific requirements in connection with origination and servicing of mortgage loans. |
4. | Due-on-Sale Provisions. Fixed-rate mortgage loans may contain a so-called due-on-sale clause permitting acceleration of the maturity of the mortgage loan if the borrower transfers the property. The Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 sets forth nine specific instances in which no mortgage lender covered by that Act may exercise a due-on-sale clause upon a transfer of property. The inability to enforce a due-on-sale clause or the lack of such a clause in mortgage loan documents may result in a mortgage loan being assumed by a purchaser of the property that bears an interest rate below the current market rate. |
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5. | Usury Laws. Some states prohibit charging interest on mortgage loans in excess of statutory limits. If such limits are exceeded, substantial penalties may be incurred and, in some cases, enforceability of the obligation to pay principal and interest may be affected. |
6. | Recent Governmental Action, Legislation and Regulation. The rise in the rate of foreclosures of properties in certain states or localities has resulted in legislative, regulatory and enforcement action in such states or localities seeking to prevent or restrict foreclosures, particularly in respect of residential mortgage loans. Actions have also been brought against issuers and underwriters of residential mortgage-backed securities collateralized by such residential mortgage loans and investors in such residential mortgage-backed securities. Legislative or regulatory initiatives by federal, state or local legislative bodies or administrative agencies, if enacted or adopted, could delay foreclosure or the exercise of other remedies, provide new defenses to foreclosure, or otherwise impair the ability of the loan servicer to foreclose or realize on a defaulted residential mortgage loan included in a pool of residential mortgage loans backing such residential mortgage-backed securities. While the nature or extent of limitations on foreclosure or exercise of other remedies that may be enacted cannot be predicted, any such governmental actions that interfere with the foreclosure process could increase the costs of such foreclosures or exercise of other remedies in respect of residential mortgage loans which collateralize Mortgage-Backed Securities held by the Fund, delay the timing or reduce the amount of recoveries on defaulted residential mortgage loans which collateralize Mortgage-Backed Securities held by the Fund, and consequently, could adversely impact the yields and distributions the Fund may receive in respect of its ownership of Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by residential mortgage loans. For example, the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009 authorized bankruptcy courts to assist bankrupt borrowers by restructuring residential mortgage loans secured by a lien on the borrowers primary residence. Bankruptcy judges are permitted to reduce the interest rate of the bankrupt borrowers residential mortgage loan, extend its term to maturity to up to 40 years or take other actions to reduce the borrowers monthly payment. As a result, the value of, and the cash flows in respect of, the Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by these residential mortgage loans may be adversely impacted, and, as a consequence, the Funds investment in such Mortgage-Backed Securities could be adversely impacted. Other federal legislation, including the Home Affordability Modification Program (HAMP), encourages servicers to modify residential mortgage loans that are either already in default or are at risk of imminent default. Furthermore, HAMP provides incentives for servicers to modify residential mortgage loans that are contractually current. This program, as well other legislation and/or governmental intervention designed to protect consumers, may have an adverse impact on servicers of residential mortgage loans by increasing costs and expenses of these servicers while at the same time decreasing servicing cash flows. Such increased financial pressures may have a negative effect on the ability of servicers to pursue collection on residential mortgage loans that are experiencing increased delinquencies and defaults and to maximize recoveries on the sale of underlying residential mortgaged properties following foreclosure. Other legislative or regulatory actions include insulation of servicers from liability for modification of residential mortgage loans without regard to the terms of the applicable servicing agreements. The foregoing legislation and current and future governmental regulation activities may have the effect of reducing returns to the Fund to the extent it has invested in Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by these residential mortgage loans. |
Government Guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities. There are several types of government guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities currently available, including guaranteed mortgage pass-through certificates and multiple class securities, which include guaranteed Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit Certificates (REMIC Certificates), other collateralized mortgage obligations and stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities. The Fund is permitted to invest in other types of Mortgage-Backed Securities that may be available in the future, to the extent consistent with its investment policies and objective.
The Funds investments in Mortgage-Backed Securities may include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or one of its agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). Ginnie Mae securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, which means that the U.S. Government guarantees that the interest and principal will be paid when due. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac securities are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, and as a result, have historically been viewed by the market as high quality securities with low credit risks. From time to time, proposals have been introduced before Congress for the purpose of restricting or eliminating federal sponsorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Trust cannot predict what legislation, if any, may be proposed in the future in Congress as regards such sponsorship or which proposals, if any, might be enacted. Such proposals, if enacted, might materially and adversely affect the availability of government guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities and the liquidity and value of the Funds portfolio.
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There is risk that the U.S. Government will not provide financial support to its agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. The Fund may purchase U.S. Government securities that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, such as those issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. Government securities held by the Fund may greatly exceed such issuers current resources, including such issuers legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that these issuers will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future.
Below is a general discussion of certain types of guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities in which the Fund may invest.
Ginnie Mae Certificates. Ginnie Mae is a wholly-owned corporate instrumentality of the United States. Ginnie Mae is authorized to guarantee the timely payment of the principal of and interest on certificates that are based on and backed by a pool of mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), or guaranteed by the Veterans Administration (VA), or by pools of other eligible mortgage loans. In order to meet its obligations under any guaranty, Ginnie Mae is authorized to borrow from the United States Treasury in an unlimited amount. The National Housing Act provides that the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government is pledged to the timely payment of principal and interest by Ginnie Mae of amounts due on Ginnie Mae certificates.
Fannie Mae Certificates. Fannie Mae is a stockholder-owned corporation chartered under an act of the United States Congress. Generally, Fannie Mae Certificates are issued and guaranteed by Fannie Mae and represent an undivided interest in a pool of mortgage loans (a Pool) formed by Fannie Mae. A Pool consists of residential mortgage loans either previously owned by Fannie Mae or purchased by it in connection with the formation of the Pool. The mortgage loans may be either conventional mortgage loans (i.e., not insured or guaranteed by any U.S. Government agency) or mortgage loans that are either insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the VA. However, the mortgage loans in Fannie Mae Pools are primarily conventional mortgage loans. The lenders originating and servicing the mortgage loans are subject to certain eligibility requirements established by Fannie Mae. Fannie Mae has certain contractual responsibilities. With respect to each Pool, Fannie Mae is obligated to distribute scheduled installments of principal and interest after Fannie Maes servicing and guaranty fee, whether or not received, to Certificate holders. Fannie Mae also is obligated to distribute to holders of Certificates an amount equal to the full principal balance of any foreclosed mortgage loan, whether or not such principal balance is actually recovered. The obligations of Fannie Mae under its guaranty of the Fannie Mae Certificates are obligations solely of Fannie Mae. See Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae below.
Freddie Mac Certificates. Freddie Mac is a publicly held U.S. Government sponsored enterprise. A principal activity of Freddie Mac currently is the purchase of first lien, conventional, residential and multifamily mortgage loans and participation interests in such mortgage loans and their resale in the form of mortgage securities, primarily Freddie Mac Certificates. A Freddie Mac Certificate represents a pro rata interest in a group of mortgage loans or participations in mortgage loans (a Freddie Mac Certificate group) purchased by Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac guarantees to each registered holder of a Freddie Mac Certificate the timely payment of interest at the rate provided for by such Freddie Mac Certificate (whether or not received on the underlying loans). Freddie Mac also guarantees to each registered Certificate holder ultimate collection of all principal of the related mortgage loans, without any offset or deduction, but does not, generally, guarantee the timely payment of scheduled principal. The obligations of Freddie Mac under its guaranty of Freddie Mac Certificates are obligations solely of Freddie Mac. See Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae below.
The mortgage loans underlying the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Certificates consist of adjustable rate or fixed-rate mortgage loans with original terms to maturity of up to forty years. These mortgage loans are usually secured by first liens on one-to-four-family residential properties or multi-family projects. Each mortgage loan must meet the applicable standards set forth in the law creating Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. A Freddie Mac Certificate group may include whole loans, participation interests in whole loans, undivided interests in whole loans and participations comprising another Freddie Mac Certificate group.
Conventional Mortgage Loans. The conventional mortgage loans underlying the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Certificates consist of adjustable rate or fixed-rate mortgage loans normally with original terms to maturity of between five and thirty years. Substantially all of these mortgage loans are secured by first liens on one- to four-family residential properties or multi-family projects. Each mortgage loan must meet the applicable standards set forth in the law creating Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. A Freddie Mac Certificate group may include whole loans, participation interests in whole loans, undivided interests in whole loans and participations comprising another Freddie Mac Certificate group.
Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The volatility and disruption that impacted the capital and credit markets during late 2008 and into 2009 have led to increased market concerns about Freddie Macs and Fannie Maes ability to withstand future credit losses associated with securities held in their investment portfolios, and on which they provide guarantees, without the direct support of the federal government. On September 6, 2008, both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were placed under the conservatorship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Under the plan of conservatorship, the FHFA has
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assumed control of, and generally has the power to direct, the operations of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and is empowered to exercise all powers collectively held by their respective shareholders, directors and officers, including the power to (1) take over the assets of and operate Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with all the powers of the shareholders, the directors, and the officers of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and conduct all business of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (2) collect all obligations and money due to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (3) perform all functions of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which are consistent with the conservators appointment; (4) preserve and conserve the assets and property of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; and (5) contract for assistance in fulfilling any function, activity, action or duty of the conservator. In addition, in connection with the actions taken by the FHFA, the U.S. Treasury Department (the Treasury) entered into certain preferred stock purchase agreements with each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which established the Treasury as the holder of a new class of senior preferred stock in each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, which stock was issued in connection with financial contributions from the Treasury to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The conditions attached to the financial contribution made by the Treasury to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and the issuance of this senior preferred stock placed significant restrictions on the activities of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae must obtain the consent of the Treasury to, among other things, (i) make any payment to purchase or redeem its capital stock or pay any dividend other than in respect of the senior preferred stock issued to the Treasury, (ii) issue capital stock of any kind, (iii) terminate the conservatorship of the FHFA except in connection with a receivership, or (iv) increase its debt beyond certain specified levels. In addition, significant restrictions were placed on the maximum size of each of Freddie Macs and Fannie Maes respective portfolios of mortgages and Mortgage-Backed Securities, and the purchase agreements entered into by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae provide that the maximum size of their portfolios of these assets must decrease by a specified percentage each year. On June 16, 2010, FHFA ordered Fannie Mae and Freddie Macs stock de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) after the price of common stock in Fannie Mae fell below the NYSE minimum average closing price of $1 for more than 30 days.
The future status and role of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae could be impacted by (among other things) the actions taken and restrictions placed on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by the FHFA in its role as conservator, the restrictions placed on Freddie Macs and Fannie Maes operations and activities as a result of the senior preferred stock investment made by the Treasury, market responses to developments at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and future legislative and regulatory action that alters the operations, ownership, structure and/or mission of these institutions, each of which may, in turn, impact the value of, and cash flows on, any Mortgage-Backed Securities guaranteed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, including any such Mortgage-Backed Securities held by the Fund.
Privately Issued Mortgage-Backed Securities. The Fund may invest in privately issued Mortgage-Backed Securities. Privately issued Mortgage-Backed Securities are generally backed by pools of conventional (i.e., non-government guaranteed or insured) mortgage loans. The seller or servicer of the underlying mortgage obligations will generally make representations and warranties to certificate-holders as to certain characteristics of the mortgage loans and as to the accuracy of certain information furnished to the trustee in respect of each such mortgage loan. Upon a breach of any representation or warranty that materially and adversely affects the interests of the related certificate-holders in a mortgage loan, the seller or servicer generally will be obligated either to cure the breach in all material respects, to repurchase the mortgage loan or, if the related agreement so provides, to substitute in its place a mortgage loan pursuant to the conditions set forth therein. Such a repurchase or substitution obligation may constitute the sole remedy available to the related certificate-holders or the trustee for the material breach of any such representation or warranty by the seller or servicer.
Mortgage Pass-Through Securities
To the extent consistent with its investment policies, the Fund may invest in both government guaranteed and privately issued mortgage pass-through securities (Mortgage Pass-Throughs) that are fixed or adjustable rate Mortgage-Backed Securities which provide for monthly payments that are a pass-through of the monthly interest and principal payments (including any prepayments) made by the individual borrowers on the pooled mortgage loans, net of any fees or other amounts paid to any guarantor, administrator and/or servicer of the underlying mortgage loans. The seller or servicer of the underlying mortgage obligations will generally make representations and warranties to certificate-holders as to certain characteristics of the mortgage loans and as to the accuracy of certain information furnished to the trustee in respect of each such mortgage loan. Upon a breach of any representation or warranty that materially and adversely affects the interests of the related certificate-holders in a mortgage loan, the seller or servicer generally may be obligated either to cure the breach in all material respects, to repurchase the mortgage loan or, if the related agreement so provides, to substitute in its place a mortgage loan pursuant to the conditions set forth therein. Such a repurchase or substitution obligation may constitute the sole remedy available to the related certificate-holders or the trustee for the material breach of any such representation or warranty by the seller or servicer.
The following discussion describes certain aspects of only a few of the wide variety of structures of Mortgage Pass-Throughs that are available or may be issued.
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General Description of Certificates. Mortgage Pass-Throughs may be issued in one or more classes of senior certificates and one or more classes of subordinate certificates. Each such class may bear a different pass-through rate. Generally, each certificate will evidence the specified interest of the holder thereof in the payments of principal or interest or both in respect of the mortgage pool comprising part of the trust fund for such certificates.
Any class of certificates may also be divided into subclasses entitled to varying amounts of principal and interest. If a REMIC election has been made, certificates of such subclasses may be entitled to payments on the basis of a stated principal balance and stated interest rate, and payments among different subclasses may be made on a sequential, concurrent, pro rata or disproportionate basis, or any combination thereof. The stated interest rate on any such subclass of certificates may be a fixed rate or one which varies in direct or inverse relationship to an objective interest index.
Generally, each registered holder of a certificate will be entitled to receive its pro rata share of monthly distributions of all or a portion of principal of the underlying mortgage loans or of interest on the principal balances thereof, which accrues at the applicable mortgage pass-through rate, or both. The difference between the mortgage interest rate and the related mortgage pass-through rate (less the amount, if any, of retained yield) with respect to each mortgage loan will generally be paid to the servicer as a servicing fee. Because certain adjustable rate mortgage loans included in a mortgage pool may provide for deferred interest (i.e., negative amortization), the amount of interest actually paid by a mortgagor in any month may be less than the amount of interest accrued on the outstanding principal balance of the related mortgage loan during the relevant period at the applicable mortgage interest rate. In such event, the amount of interest that is treated as deferred interest will generally be added to the principal balance of the related mortgage loan and will be distributed pro rata to certificate-holders as principal of such mortgage loan when paid by the mortgagor in subsequent monthly payments or at maturity.
Ratings. The ratings assigned by a rating organization to Mortgage Pass-Throughs generally address the likelihood of the receipt of distributions on the underlying mortgage loans by the related certificate-holders under the agreements pursuant to which such certificates are issued. A rating organizations ratings normally take into consideration the credit quality of the related mortgage pool, including any credit support providers, structural and legal aspects associated with such certificates, and the extent to which the payment stream on such mortgage pool is adequate to make payments required by such certificates. A rating organizations ratings on such certificates do not, however, constitute a statement regarding frequency of prepayments on the related mortgage loans. In addition, the rating assigned by a rating organization to a certificate may not address the possibility that, in the event of the insolvency of the issuer of certificates where a subordinated interest was retained, the issuance and sale of the senior certificates may be recharacterized as a financing and, as a result of such recharacterization, payments on such certificates may be affected. A rating organization may downgrade or withdraw a rating assigned by it to any Mortgage Pass-Through at any time, and no assurance can be made that any ratings on any Mortgage Pass-Throughs included in the Fund will be maintained, or that if such ratings are assigned, they will not be downgraded or withdrawn by the assigning rating organization.
Recently, rating agencies have placed on credit watch or downgraded the ratings previously assigned to a large number of mortgage-backed securities (which may include certain of the Mortgage-Backed Securities in which the Fund may have invested or may in the future be invested), and may continue to do so in the future. In the event that any Mortgage-Backed Security held by the Fund is placed on credit watch or downgraded, the value of such Mortgage-Backed Security may decline and the Fund may consequently experience losses in respect of such Mortgage-Backed Security.
Credit Enhancement. Mortgage pools created by non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher yield than government and government-related pools because of the absence of direct or indirect government or agency payment guarantees. To lessen the effect of failures by obligors on underlying assets to make payments, Mortgage Pass-Throughs may contain elements of credit support. Credit support falls generally into two categories: (i) liquidity protection and (ii) protection against losses resulting from default by an obligor on the underlying assets. Liquidity protection refers to the provision of advances, generally by the entity administering the pools of mortgages, the provision of a reserve fund, or a combination thereof, to ensure, subject to certain limitations, that scheduled payments on the underlying pool are made in a timely fashion. Protection against losses resulting from default ensures ultimate payment of the obligations on at least a portion of the assets in the pool. Such credit support can be provided by, among other things, payment guarantees, letters of credit, pool insurance, subordination, or any combination thereof.
Subordination; Shifting of Interest; Reserve Fund. In order to achieve ratings on one or more classes of Mortgage Pass-Throughs, one or more classes of certificates may be subordinate certificates which provide that the rights of the subordinate certificate-holders to receive any or a specified portion of distributions with respect to the underlying mortgage loans may be subordinated to the rights of the senior certificate holders. If so structured, the subordination feature may be enhanced by distributing to the senior certificate-holders on certain distribution dates, as payment of principal, a specified percentage (which generally declines over time) of all principal payments received during the preceding prepayment period (shifting interest credit enhancement). This
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will have the effect of accelerating the amortization of the senior certificates while increasing the interest in the trust fund evidenced by the subordinate certificates. Increasing the interest of the subordinate certificates relative to that of the senior certificates is intended to preserve the availability of the subordination provided by the subordinate certificates. In addition, because the senior certificate-holders in a shifting interest credit enhancement structure are entitled to receive a percentage of principal prepayments which is greater than their proportionate interest in the trust fund, the rate of principal prepayments on the mortgage loans may have an even greater effect on the rate of principal payments and the amount of interest payments on, and the yield to maturity of, the senior certificates.
In addition to providing for a preferential right of the senior certificate-holders to receive current distributions from the mortgage pool, a reserve fund may be established relating to such certificates (the Reserve Fund). The Reserve Fund may be created with an initial cash deposit by the originator or servicer and augmented by the retention of distributions otherwise available to the subordinate certificate-holders or by excess servicing fees until the Reserve Fund reaches a specified amount.
The subordination feature, and any Reserve Fund, are intended to enhance the likelihood of timely receipt by senior certificate-holders of the full amount of scheduled monthly payments of principal and interest due to them and will protect the senior certificate-holders against certain losses; however, in certain circumstances the Reserve Fund could be depleted and temporary shortfalls could result. In the event that the Reserve Fund is depleted before the subordinated amount is reduced to zero, senior certificate-holders will nevertheless have a preferential right to receive current distributions from the mortgage pool to the extent of the then outstanding subordinated amount. Unless otherwise specified, until the subordinated amount is reduced to zero, on any distribution date any amount otherwise distributable to the subordinate certificates or, to the extent specified, in the Reserve Fund will generally be used to offset the amount of any losses realized with respect to the mortgage loans (Realized Losses). Realized Losses remaining after application of such amounts will generally be applied to reduce the ownership interest of the subordinate certificates in the mortgage pool. If the subordinated amount has been reduced to zero, Realized Losses generally will be allocated pro rata among all certificate-holders in proportion to their respective outstanding interests in the mortgage pool.
Alternative Credit Enhancement. As an alternative, or in addition to the credit enhancement afforded by subordination, credit enhancement for Mortgage Pass-Throughs may be provided through bond insurers, or at the mortgage loan-level through mortgage insurance, hazard insurance, or through the deposit of cash, certificates of deposit, letters of credit, a limited guaranty or by such other methods as are acceptable to a rating agency. In certain circumstances, such as where credit enhancement is provided by bond insurers, guarantees or letters of credit, the security is subject to credit risk because of its exposure to the credit risk of an external credit enhancement provider.
Voluntary Advances. Generally, in the event of delinquencies in payments on the mortgage loans underlying the Mortgage Pass-Throughs, the servicer may agree to make advances of cash for the benefit of certificate-holders, but generally will do so only to the extent that it determines such voluntary advances will be recoverable from future payments and collections on the mortgage loans or otherwise.
Optional Termination. Generally, the servicer may, at its option with respect to any certificates, repurchase all of the underlying mortgage loans remaining outstanding at such time the aggregate outstanding principal balance of such mortgage loans is less than a specified percentage (generally 5-10%) of the aggregate outstanding principal balance of the mortgage loans as of the cut-off date specified with respect to such series.
Multiple Class Mortgage-Backed Securities and Collateralized Mortgage Obligations. The Fund may invest in multiple class securities including collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) and REMIC Certificates. These securities may be issued by U.S. Government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac or by trusts formed by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, mortgage bankers, commercial banks, insurance companies, investment banks and special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing. In general, CMOs are debt obligations of a legal entity that are collateralized by, and multiple class Mortgage-Backed Securities represent direct ownership interests in, a pool of mortgage loans or Mortgage-Backed Securities the payments on which are used to make payments on the CMOs or multiple class Mortgage-Backed Securities.
Fannie Mae REMIC Certificates are issued and guaranteed as to timely distribution of principal and interest by Fannie Mae. In addition, Fannie Mae will be obligated to distribute the principal balance of each class of REMIC Certificates in full, whether or not sufficient funds are otherwise available.
Freddie Mac guarantees the timely payment of interest on Freddie Mac REMIC Certificates and also guarantees the payment of principal as payments are required to be made on the underlying mortgage participation certificates (PCs). PCs represent undivided interests in specified level payment, residential mortgages or participations therein purchased by Freddie Mac and placed in a PC pool.
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With respect to principal payments on PCs, Freddie Mac generally guarantees ultimate collection of all principal of the related mortgage loans without offset or deduction but the receipt of the required payments may be delayed. Freddie Mac also guarantees timely payment of principal of certain PCs.
CMOs and guaranteed REMIC Certificates issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are types of multiple class Mortgage-Backed Securities. The REMIC Certificates represent beneficial ownership interests in a REMIC trust, generally consisting of mortgage loans or Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities (the Mortgage Assets). The obligations of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac under their respective guaranty of the REMIC Certificates are obligations solely of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, respectively. See Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
CMOs and REMIC Certificates are issued in multiple classes. Each class of CMOs or REMIC Certificates, often referred to as a tranche, is issued at a specific adjustable or fixed interest rate and must be fully retired no later than its final distribution date. Principal prepayments on the mortgage loans or the Mortgage Assets underlying the CMOs or REMIC Certificates may cause some or all of the classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates to be retired substantially earlier than their final distribution dates. Generally, interest is paid or accrues on all classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates on a monthly basis.
The principal of and interest on the Mortgage Assets may be allocated among the several classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates in various ways. In certain structures (known as sequential pay CMOs or REMIC Certificates), payments of principal, including any principal prepayments, on the Mortgage Assets generally are applied to the classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates in the order of their respective final distribution dates. Thus, no payment of principal will be made on any class of sequential pay CMOs or REMIC Certificates until all other classes having an earlier final distribution date have been paid in full.
Additional structures of CMOs and REMIC Certificates include, among others, parallel pay CMOs and REMIC Certificates. Parallel pay CMOs or REMIC Certificates are those which are structured to apply principal payments and prepayments of the Mortgage Assets to two or more classes concurrently on a proportionate or disproportionate basis. These simultaneous payments are taken into account in calculating the final distribution date of each class.
A wide variety of REMIC Certificates may be issued in parallel pay or sequential pay structures. These securities include accrual certificates (also known as Z-Bonds), which only accrue interest at a specified rate until all other certificates having an earlier final distribution date have been retired and are converted thereafter to an interest-paying security, and planned amortization class (PAC) certificates, which are parallel pay REMIC Certificates that generally require that specified amounts of principal be applied on each payment date to one or more classes or REMIC Certificates (the PAC Certificates), even though all other principal payments and prepayments of the Mortgage Assets are then required to be applied to one or more other classes of the PAC Certificates. The scheduled principal payments for the PAC Certificates generally have the highest priority on each payment date after interest due has been paid to all classes entitled to receive interest currently. Shortfalls, if any, are added to the amount payable on the next payment date. The PAC Certificate payment schedule is taken into account in calculating the final distribution date of each class of PAC. In order to create PAC tranches, one or more tranches generally must be created that absorb most of the volatility in the underlying mortgage assets. These tranches tend to have market prices and yields that are much more volatile than other PAC classes.
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities. Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) are a type of Mortgage Pass-Through that are primarily backed by a pool of commercial mortgage loans. The commercial mortgage loans are, in turn, generally secured by commercial mortgaged properties (such as office properties, retail properties, hospitality properties, industrial properties, healthcare related properties or other types of income producing real property). CMBS generally entitle the holders thereof to receive payments that depend primarily on the cash flow from a specified pool of commercial or multifamily mortgage loans. CMBS will be affected by payments, defaults, delinquencies and losses on the underlying mortgage loans. The underlying mortgage loans generally are secured by income producing properties such as office properties, retail properties, multifamily properties, manufactured housing, hospitality properties, industrial properties and self storage properties. Because issuers of CMBS have no significant assets other than the underlying commercial real estate loans and because of the significant credit risks inherent in the underlying collateral, credit risk is a correspondingly important consideration with respect to the related CMBS. Certain of the mortgage loans underlying CMBS constituting part of the collateral interests may be delinquent, in default or in foreclosure.
Commercial real estate lending may expose a lender (and the related Mortgage-Backed Security) to a greater risk of loss than certain other forms of lending because it typically involves making larger loans to single borrowers or groups of related borrowers. In addition, in the case of certain commercial mortgage loans, repayment of loans secured by commercial and multifamily properties depends upon the ability of the related real estate project to generate income sufficient to pay debt service, operating expenses and leasing commissions and to make necessary repairs, tenant improvements and capital improvements, and in the case of loans that do not fully amortize over their terms, to retain sufficient value to permit the borrower to pay off the loan at maturity through a sale or
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refinancing of the mortgaged property. The net operating income from and value of any commercial property is subject to various risks, including changes in general or local economic conditions and/or specific industry segments; declines in real estate values; declines in rental or occupancy rates; increases in interest rates, real estate tax rates and other operating expenses; changes in governmental rules, regulations and fiscal policies; acts of God; terrorist threats and attacks and social unrest and civil disturbances. In addition, certain of the mortgaged properties securing the pools of commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may have a higher degree of geographic concentration in a few states or regions. Any deterioration in the real estate market or economy or adverse events in such states or regions, may increase the rate of delinquency and default experience (and as a consequence, losses) with respect to mortgage loans related to properties in such state or region. Pools of mortgaged properties securing the commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may also have a higher degree of concentration in certain types of commercial properties. Accordingly, such pools of mortgage loans represent higher exposure to risks particular to those types of commercial properties. Certain pools of commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS consist of a fewer number of mortgage loans with outstanding balances that are larger than average. If a mortgage pool includes mortgage loans with larger than average balances, any realized losses on such mortgage loans could be more severe, relative to the size of the pool, than would be the case if the aggregate balance of the pool were distributed among a larger number of mortgage loans. Certain borrowers or affiliates thereof relating to certain of the commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may have had a history of bankruptcy. Certain mortgaged properties securing the commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may have been exposed to environmental conditions or circumstances. The ratings in respect of certain of the CMBS comprising the Mortgage-Backed Securities may have been withdrawn, reduced or placed on credit watch since issuance. In addition, losses and/or appraisal reductions may be allocated to certain of such CMBS and certain of the collateral or the assets underlying such collateral may be delinquent and/or may default from time to time.
CMBS held by the Fund may be subordinated to one or more other classes of securities of the same series for purposes of, among other things, establishing payment priorities and offsetting losses and other shortfalls with respect to the related underlying mortgage loans. Realized losses in respect of the mortgage loans included in the CMBS pool and trust expenses generally will be allocated to the most subordinated class of securities of the related series. Accordingly, to the extent any CMBS is or becomes the most subordinated class of securities of the related series, any delinquency or default on any underlying mortgage loan may result in shortfalls, realized loss allocations or extensions of its weighted average life and will have a more immediate and disproportionate effect on the related CMBS than on a related more senior class of CMBS of the same series. Further, even if a class is not the most subordinate class of securities, there can be no assurance that the subordination offered to such class will be sufficient on any date to offset all losses or expenses incurred by the underlying trust. CMBS are typically not guaranteed or insured, and distributions on such CMBS generally will depend solely upon the amount and timing of payments and other collections on the related underlying commercial mortgage loans.
Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities. The Fund may invest in stripped mortgage-backed securities (SMBS), which are derivative multiclass mortgage securities, issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities or non-governmental originators. SMBS are usually structured with two different classes: one that receives substantially all of the interest payments (the interest-only, or IO and/or the high coupon rate with relatively low principal amount, or IOette), and the other that receives substantially all of the principal payments (the principal-only, or PO), from a pool of mortgage loans.
Certain SMBS may not be readily marketable and will be considered illiquid for purposes of the Funds limitation on investments in illiquid securities. The Investment Adviser may determine that SMBS which are U.S. Government securities are liquid for purposes of the Funds limitation on investments in illiquid securities. The market value of POs generally is unusually volatile in response to changes in interest rates. The yields on IOs and IOettes are generally higher than prevailing market yields on other Mortgage-Backed Securities because their cash flow patterns are more volatile and there is a greater risk that the initial investment will not be fully recouped. The Funds investments in SMBS may require the Fund to sell certain of its portfolio securities to generate sufficient cash to satisfy certain income distribution requirements.
Asset-Backed Securities
The Fund may invest in asset-backed securities. Asset-backed securities represent participations in, or are secured by and payable from, assets such as motor vehicle installment sales, installment loan contracts, leases of various types of real and personal property, receivables from revolving credit (credit card) agreements and other categories of receivables. Such assets are securitized through the use of trusts and special purpose corporations. Payments or distributions of principal and interest may be guaranteed up to certain amounts and for a certain time period by a letter of credit or a pool insurance policy issued by a financial institution unaffiliated with the trust or corporation, or other credit enhancements may be present.
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Such securities are often subject to more rapid repayment than their stated maturity date would indicate as a result of the pass-through of prepayments of principal on the underlying loans. During periods of declining interest rates, prepayment of loans underlying asset-backed securities can be expected to accelerate. Accordingly, the Funds ability to maintain positions in such securities will be affected by reductions in the principal amount of such securities resulting from prepayments, and its ability to reinvest the returns of principal at comparable yields is subject to generally prevailing interest rates at that time. To the extent that the Fund invests in asset-backed securities, the values of the Funds portfolio securities will vary with changes in market interest rates generally and the differentials in yields among various kinds of asset-backed securities.
Asset-backed securities present certain additional risks because asset-backed securities generally do not have the benefit of a security interest in collateral that is comparable to mortgage assets. Credit card receivables are generally unsecured and the debtors on such receivables are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which give such debtors the right to set-off certain amounts owed on the credit cards, thereby reducing the balance due. Automobile receivables generally are secured, but by automobiles rather than residential real property. Most issuers of automobile receivables permit the loan servicers to retain possession of the underlying obligations. If the servicer were to sell these obligations to another party, there is a risk that the purchaser would acquire an interest superior to that of the holders of the asset-backed securities. In addition, because of the large number of vehicles involved in a typical issuance and technical requirements under state laws, the trustee for the holders of the automobile receivables may not have a proper security interest in the underlying automobiles. Therefore, if the issuer of an asset-backed security defaults on its payment obligations, there is the possibility that, in some cases, the Fund will be unable to possess and sell the underlying collateral and that the Funds recoveries on repossessed collateral may not be available to support payments on these securities.
Events Relating to the Mortgage and Asset-Backed Securities Markets and the Overall Economy
The unprecedented disruption in the residential mortgage-backed securities market (and in particular, the subprime residential mortgage market), the broader mortgage-backed securities market and the asset-backed securities market in 2008 and 2009 has resulted (and may continue to result) in downward price pressures and increasing foreclosures and defaults in residential and commercial real estate. Concerns over inflation, energy costs, geopolitical issues, the availability and cost of credit, the mortgage market and a depressed real estate market have contributed to increased volatility and diminished expectations for the economy and markets going forward, and have contributed to dramatic declines in the housing market, with falling home prices and increasing foreclosures and unemployment, and significant asset write-downs by financial institutions. These conditions have prompted a number of financial institutions to seek additional capital, to merge with other institutions and, in some cases, to fail or seek bankruptcy protection. Between 2008 and 2009, the market for Mortgage-Backed Securities (as well as other asset-backed securities) was particularly adversely impacted by, among other factors, the failure and subsequent sale of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. to J.P. Morgan Chase, the merger of Bank of America Corporation and Merrill Lynch & Co., the insolvency of Washington Mutual Inc., the failure and subsequent bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., the extension of approximately $152 billion in emergency credit by the U.S. Treasury to American International Group Inc., and, as described above, the conservatorship and the control by the U.S. Government of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Recently, the global markets have also seen an increase in volatility due to uncertainty surrounding the level and sustainability of sovereign debt of certain countries that are part of the European Union, including Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Italy, as well as the sustainability of the European Union itself. Recent concerns over the level and sustainability of the sovereign debt of the United States have aggravated this volatility. No assurance can be made that this uncertainty will not lead to further disruption of the credit markets in the United States or around the globe. These events, coupled with the general global economic downturn, have resulted in a substantial level of uncertainty in the financial markets, particularly with respect to mortgage-related investments.
The continuation or worsening of this general economic downturn may lead to further declines in income from, or the value of, real estate, including the real estate which secures the Mortgage-Backed Securities held by the Fund. Additionally, a lack of credit liquidity, adjustments of mortgages to higher rates and decreases in the value of real property have occurred and may continue to occur or worsen, and potentially prevent borrowers from refinancing their mortgages, which may increase the likelihood of default on their mortgage loans. These economic conditions, coupled with high levels of real estate inventory and elevated incidence of underwater mortgages, may also adversely affect the amount of proceeds the holder of a mortgage loan or mortgage-backed securities (including the Mortgaged-Backed Securities in which the Fund may invest) would realize in the event of a foreclosure or other exercise of remedies. Moreover, even if such Mortgage-Backed Securities are performing as anticipated, the value of such securities in the secondary market may nevertheless fall or continue to fall as a result of deterioration in general market conditions for such Mortgage-Backed Securities or other asset-backed or structured products. Trading activity associated with market indices may also drive spreads on those indices wider than spreads on Mortgage-Backed Securities, thereby resulting in a decrease in value of such Mortgage-Backed Securities, including the Mortgage-Backed Securities owned by the Fund.
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The U.S. Government, the Federal Reserve, the Treasury, the SEC, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC) and other governmental and regulatory bodies have taken or are considering taking actions to address the financial crisis. These actions include, but are not limited to, the enactment by the United States Congress of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd Frank Act), which was signed into law on July 21, 2010 and imposes a new regulatory framework over the U.S. financial services industry and the consumer credit markets in general, and proposed regulations by the SEC, which, if enacted, would significantly alter the manner in which asset-backed securities, including Mortgage-Backed Securities, are issued. Given the broad scope, sweeping nature, and relatively recent enactment of some of these regulatory measures, the potential impact they could have on any of the asset-backed or Mortgage-Backed Securities held by the Fund is unknown. There can be no assurance that these measures will not have an adverse effect on the value or marketability of any asset-backed or Mortgage-Backed Securities held by the Fund. Furthermore, no assurance can be made that the U.S. Government or any U.S. regulatory body (or other authority or regulatory body) will not continue to take further legislative or regulatory action in response to the economic crisis or otherwise, and the effect of such actions, if taken, cannot be known.
Among its other provisions, the Dodd-Frank Act creates a liquidation framework under which the FDIC, may be appointed as receiver following a systemic risk determination by the Secretary of Treasury (in consultation with the President) for the resolution of certain nonbank financial companies and other entities, defined as covered financial companies, and commonly referred to as systemically important entities, in the event such a company is in default or in danger of default and the resolution of such a company under other applicable law would have serious adverse effects on financial stability in the United States, and also for the resolution of certain of their subsidiaries. No assurances can be given that this new liquidation framework would not apply to the originators of asset-backed securities, including Mortgage-Backed Securities, or their respective subsidiaries, including the issuers and depositors of such securities, although the expectation embedded in the Dodd-Frank Act is that the framework will be invoked only very rarely. Recent guidance from the FDIC indicates that such new framework will largely be exercised in a manner consistent with the existing bankruptcy laws, which is the insolvency regime that would otherwise apply to the sponsors, depositors and issuing entities with respect to asset-backed securities, including Mortgage-Backed Securities. The application of such liquidation framework to such entities could result in decreases or delays in amounts paid on, and hence the market value of, the Mortgage-Backed or asset-backed securities that are owned by the Fund.
Recently, delinquencies, defaults and losses on residential mortgage loans have increased substantially and may continue to increase, which may affect the performance of the Mortgage-Backed Securities in which the Fund may invest. Mortgage loans backing non-agency Mortgage-Backed Securities are more sensitive to economic factors that could affect the ability of borrowers to pay their obligations under the mortgage loans backing these securities. In addition, housing prices and appraisal values in many states and localities have declined or stopped appreciating. A continued decline or an extended flattening of those values may result in additional increases in delinquencies and losses on Mortgage-Backed Securities generally (including the Mortgaged-Backed Securities that the Fund may invest in as described above).
The foregoing adverse changes in market conditions and regulatory climate may reduce the cash flow which the Fund, to the extent it invests in Mortgage-Backed Securities or other asset-backed securities, receives from such securities and increase the incidence and severity of credit events and losses in respect of such securities. In addition, interest rate spreads for Mortgage-Backed Securities and other asset-backed securities have at times widened and are more volatile when compared to the recent past due to these adverse changes in market conditions. In the event that interest rate spreads for Mortgage-Backed Securities and other asset-backed securities widen following the purchase of such assets by the Fund, the market value of such securities is likely to decline and, in the case of a substantial spread widening, could decline by a substantial amount. Furthermore, these adverse changes in market conditions have resulted in reduced liquidity in the market for Mortgage-Backed Securities and other asset-backed securities (including the Mortgage-Backed Securities and other asset-backed securities in which the Fund may invest) and increasing unwillingness by banks, financial institutions and investors to extend credit to servicers, originators and other participants in the market for Mortgage-Backed and other asset-backed securities. As a result, the liquidity and/or the market value of any Mortgage-Backed or asset-backed securities that are owned by the Fund may experience further declines after they are purchased by the Fund.
Collateralized Debt Obligations
The Fund may invest in collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), which include collateralized bond obligations (CBOs), collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), and other similarly structured securities. CBOs and CLOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. CDOs may charge management fees and other administrative expenses.
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For both CBOs and CLOs, the cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the equity tranche which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Since it is partially protected from defaults, a senior tranche from a CBO trust or CLO trust typically has higher ratings and lower yields than its underlying securities, and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CBO or CLO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CBO or CLO securities as a class.
The risks of an investment in a CDO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the CDO in which the Fund invests. Normally, CBOs, CLOs and CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities. However, an active dealer market may exist for CDOs that qualify under the Rule 144A safe harbor from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (1933 Act) for resales of certain securities to qualified institutional buyers, and such CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as liquid securities. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed income securities discussed elsewhere in this SAI and the Funds Prospectus (e.g., interest rate risk and credit/default risk), CDOs carry additional risks including, but not limited to, the risk that: (i) distributions from collateral securities may not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the Fund may invest in CDOs that are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.
Equity Investments
The Fund may purchase equity investments. In addition, after its purchase, a portfolio investment (such as a convertible debt obligation) may convert to an equity security. The Fund may also acquire equity securities in connection with a restructuring event related to one or more of its investments. If this occurs, the Fund may continue to hold the investment if the Investment Adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders.
Zero Coupon, Deferred Interest, Pay-in-Kind and Capital Appreciation Bonds
The Fund may invest in zero coupon, deferred interest, pay-in-kind (PIK) and capital appreciation bonds. Zero coupon, deferred interest and capital appreciation bonds are debt securities issued or sold at a discount from their face value and which do not entitle the holder to any periodic payment of interest prior to maturity or a specified date. The original issue discount varies depending on the time remaining until maturity or cash payment date, prevailing interest rates, the liquidity of the security and the perceived credit quality of the issuer. These securities also may take the form of debt securities that have been stripped of their unmatured interest coupons, the coupons themselves or receipts or certificates representing interests in such stripped debt obligations or coupons. The market prices of zero coupon, deferred interest, capital appreciation bonds and PIK securities generally are more volatile than the market prices of interest bearing securities and are likely to respond to a greater degree to changes in interest rates than interest bearing securities having similar maturities and credit quality.
PIK securities may be debt obligations or preferred shares that provide the issuer with the option of paying interest or dividends on such obligations in cash or in the form of additional securities rather than cash. Similar to zero coupon bonds and deferred interest bonds, PIK securities are designed to give an issuer flexibility in managing cash flow. PIK securities that are debt securities can be either senior or subordinated debt and generally trade flat (i.e., without accrued interest). The trading price of PIK debt securities generally reflects the market value of the underlying debt plus an amount representing accrued interest since the last interest payment.
Zero coupon, deferred interest, capital appreciation and PIK securities involve the additional risk that, unlike securities that periodically pay interest to maturity, the Fund will realize no cash until a specified future payment date unless a portion of such securities is sold and, if the issuer of such securities defaults, the Fund may obtain no return at all on its investment. In addition, even though such securities do not provide for the payment of current interest in cash, the Fund is nonetheless required to accrue income on such investments for each taxable year and generally are required to distribute such accrued amounts (net of deductible expenses, if any) to avoid being subject to tax. Because no cash is generally received at the time of the accrual, the Fund may be required to liquidate other portfolio securities to obtain sufficient cash to satisfy federal tax distribution requirements applicable to the Fund. A portion of the discount with respect to stripped tax exempt securities or their coupons may be taxable. See TAXATION.
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Floating Rate Loans and Other Variable and Floating Rate Securities
The interest rates payable on certain securities in which the Fund may invest are not fixed and may fluctuate based upon changes in market rates. Variable and floating rate obligations are debt instruments issued by companies or other entities with interest rates that reset periodically (typically, daily, monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually) in response to changes in the market rate of interest on which the interest rate is based. Moreover, such obligations may fluctuate in value in response to interest rate changes if there is a delay between changes in market interest rates and the interest reset date for the obligation. The value of these obligations is generally more stable than that of a fixed rate obligation in response to changes in interest rate levels, but they may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline.
Floating rate loans consist generally of obligations of companies or other entities (e.g., a U.S. or foreign bank, insurance company or finance company) (collectively, borrowers) incurred for a variety of purposes. Floating rate loans may be acquired by direct investment as a lender or as an assignment of the portion of a floating rate loan previously attributable to a different lender. The Fund may also invest in floating rate loans through a participation interest (which represents a fractional interest in a floating rate loan) issued by a lender or other financial institution.
Floating rate loans may be obligations of borrowers who are highly leveraged. Floating rate loans may be structured to include both term loans, which are generally fully funded at the time of the making of the loan, and revolving credit facilities, which would require additional investments upon the borrowers demand. A revolving credit facility may require a purchaser to increase its investment in a floating rate loan at a time when it would not otherwise have done so, even if the borrowers condition makes it unlikely that the amount will ever be repaid.
A floating rate loan offered as part of the original lending syndicate typically is purchased at par value. As part of the original lending syndicate, a purchaser generally earns a yield equal to the stated interest rate. In addition, members of the original syndicate typically are paid a commitment fee. In secondary market trading, floating rate loans may be purchased or sold above, at, or below par, which can result in a yield that is below, equal to, or above the stated interest rate, respectively. At certain times when reduced opportunities exist for investing in new syndicated floating rate loans, floating rate loans may be available only through the secondary market. There can be no assurance that an adequate supply of floating rate loans will be available for purchase.
Historically, floating rate loans have not been registered with the SEC or any state securities commission or listed on any securities exchange. As a result, the amount of public information available about a specific floating rate loan historically has been less extensive than if the floating rate loan were registered or exchange-traded. As a result, no active market may exist for some floating rate loans.
Purchasers of floating rate loans and other forms of debt obligations depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the borrower for payment of interest and repayment of principal. If scheduled interest or principal payments are not made, the value of the obligation may be adversely affected. Floating rate loans and other debt obligations that are fully secured provide more protections than unsecured obligations in the event of failure to make scheduled interest or principal payments. Indebtedness of borrowers whose creditworthiness is poor involves substantially greater risks and may be highly speculative. Borrowers that are in bankruptcy or restructuring may never pay off their indebtedness, or may pay only a small fraction of the amount owed. Some floating rate loans and other debt obligations are not rated by any nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO). In connection with the restructuring of a floating rate loan or other debt obligation outside of bankruptcy court in a negotiated work-out or in the context of bankruptcy proceedings, equity securities or junior debt obligations may be received in exchange for all or a portion of an interest in the obligation.
From time to time, Goldman Sachs and its affiliates may borrow money from various banks in connection with their business activities. These banks also may sell floating rate loans to the Fund or acquire floating rate loans from the Fund, or may be intermediate participants with respect to floating rate loans owned by the Fund. These banks also may act as agents for floating rate loans that the Fund owns.
Agents. Floating rate loans typically are originated, negotiated, and structured by a bank, insurance company, finance company, or other financial institution (the agent) for a lending syndicate of financial institutions. The borrower and the lender or lending syndicate enter into a loan agreement. In addition, an institution (typically, but not always, the agent) holds any collateral on behalf of the lenders.
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In a typical floating rate loan, the agent administers the terms of the loan agreement and is responsible for the collection of principal and interest and fee payments from the borrower and the apportionment of these payments to all lenders that are parties to the loan agreement. Purchasers will rely on the agent to use appropriate creditor remedies against the borrower. Typically, under loan agreements, the agent is given broad discretion in monitoring the borrowers performance and is obligated to use the same care it would use in the management of its own property. Upon an event of default, the agent typically will enforce the loan agreement after instruction from the lenders. The borrower compensates the agent for these services. This compensation may include special fees paid on structuring and funding the floating rate loan and other fees paid on a continuing basis. The typical practice of an agent or a lender in relying exclusively or primarily on reports from the borrower may involve a risk of fraud by the borrower.
If an agent becomes insolvent, or has a receiver, conservator, or similar official appointed for it by the appropriate bank or other regulatory authority, or becomes a debtor in a bankruptcy proceeding, the agents appointment may be terminated, and a successor agent would be appointed. If an appropriate regulator or court determines that assets held by the agent for the benefit of the purchasers of floating rate loans are subject to the claims of the agents general or secured creditors, the purchasers might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on a floating rate loan or suffer a loss of principal and/or interest. Furthermore, in the event of the borrowers bankruptcy or insolvency, the borrowers obligation to repay a floating rate loan may be subject to certain defenses that the borrower can assert as a result of improper conduct by the agent.
Assignments. The Fund may purchase an assignment of a portion of a floating rate loan from an agent or from another group of investors. The purchase of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations under the original loan agreement; however, assignments may also be arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, and the rights and obligations acquired by the purchaser of an assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning agent or investor.
Loan Participation Interests. Purchasers of participation interests do not have any direct contractual relationship with the borrower. Purchasers rely on the lender who sold the participation interest not only for the enforcement of the purchasers rights against the borrower but also for the receipt and processing of payments due under the floating rate loan. For additional information, see the section Loans and Loan Participations below.
Liquidity. Floating rate loans may be transferable among financial institutions, but may not have the liquidity of conventional debt securities and are often subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale. Floating rate loans are not currently listed on any securities exchange or automatic quotation system. As a result, no active market may exist for some floating rate loans. To the extent a secondary market exists for other floating rate loans, such market may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads, and extended trade settlement periods. The lack of a highly liquid secondary market for floating rate loans may have an adverse affect on the value of such loans and may make it more difficult to value the loans for purposes of calculating their respective net asset value.
Collateral. Most floating rate loans are secured by specific collateral of the borrower and are senior to most other securities or obligations of the borrower. The collateral typically has a market value, at the time the floating rate loan is made, that equals or exceeds the principal amount of the floating rate loan. The value of the collateral may decline, be insufficient to meet the obligations of the borrower, or be difficult to liquidate. As a result, a floating rate loan may not be fully collateralized and can decline significantly in value.
Floating rate loan collateral may consist of various types of assets or interests, including working capital assets, such as accounts receivable or inventory; tangible or intangible assets; or assets or other types of guarantees of affiliates of the borrower.
Generally, floating rate loans are secured unless (i) the purchasers security interest in the collateral is invalidated for any reason by a court, or (ii) the collateral is fully released with the consent of the agent bank and lenders or under the terms of a loan agreement as the creditworthiness of the borrower improves. Collateral impairment is the risk that the value of the collateral for a floating rate loan will be insufficient in the event that a borrower defaults. Although the terms of a floating rate loan generally require that the collateral at issuance have a value at least equal to 100% of the amount of such floating rate loan, the value of the collateral may decline subsequent to the purchase of a floating rate loan. In most loan agreements there is no formal requirement to pledge additional collateral. There is no guarantee that the sale of collateral would allow a borrower to meet its obligations should the borrower be unable to repay principal or pay interest or that the collateral could be sold quickly or easily.
In addition, most borrowers pay their debts from the cash flow they generate. If the borrowers cash flow is insufficient to pay its debts as they come due, the borrower may seek to restructure its debts rather than sell collateral.
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Borrowers may try to restructure their debts by filing for protection under the federal bankruptcy laws or negotiating a work-out. If a borrower becomes involved in bankruptcy proceedings, access to the collateral may be limited by bankruptcy and other laws. In the event that a court decides that access to the collateral is limited or void, it is unlikely that purchasers could recover the full amount of the principal and interest due.
There may be temporary periods when the principal asset held by a borrower is the stock of a related company, which may not legally be pledged to secure a floating rate loan. On occasions when such stock cannot be pledged, the floating rate loan will be temporarily unsecured until the stock can be pledged or is exchanged for, or replaced by, other assets.
Some floating rate loans are unsecured. The claims of holders under unsecured loans are subordinated to claims of creditors holding secured indebtedness and possibly also to claims of other creditors holding unsecured debt. Unsecured loans have a greater risk of default than secured loans, particularly during periods of deteriorating economic conditions. If the borrower defaults on an unsecured floating rate loan, there is no specific collateral on which the purchaser can foreclose.
Floating Interest Rates. The rate of interest payable on floating rate loans and other floating or variable rate obligations is the sum of a base lending rate plus a specified spread. Base lending rates are generally LIBOR, the Prime Rate of a designated U.S. bank, the Federal Funds Rate, or another base lending rate used by commercial lenders. A borrower usually has the right to select the base lending rate and to change the base lending rate at specified intervals. The applicable spread may be fixed at time of issuance or may adjust upward or downward to reflect changes in credit quality of the borrower.
The interest rate on LIBOR-based floating rate loans/obligations is reset periodically at intervals ranging from 30 to 180 days, while the interest rate on Prime Rate- or Federal Funds Rate-based floating rate loans/obligations floats daily as those rates change. Investment in floating rate loans/obligations with longer interest rate reset periods can increase fluctuations in the floating rate loans values when interest rates change.
The yield on a floating rate loan/obligation will primarily depend on the terms of the underlying floating rate loan/obligation and the base lending rate chosen by the borrower. The relationship between LIBOR, the Prime Rate, and the Federal Funds Rate will vary as market conditions change.
Maturity. Floating rate loans typically will have a stated term of five to nine years. However, because floating rate loans are frequently prepaid, their average maturity is expected to be two to three years. The degree to which borrowers prepay floating rate loans, whether as a contractual requirement or at their election, may be affected by general business conditions, the borrowers financial condition, and competitive conditions among lenders. Prepayments cannot be predicted with accuracy. Prepayments of principal to the purchaser of a floating rate loan may result in the principals being reinvested in floating rate loans with lower yields.
Supply of Floating Rate Loans. The legislation of state or federal regulators that regulate certain financial institutions may impose additional requirements or restrictions on the ability of such institutions to make loans, particularly with respect to highly leveraged transactions. The supply of floating rate loans may be limited from time to time due to a lack of sellers in the market for existing floating rate loans or the number of new floating rate loans currently being issued. As a result, the floating rate loans available for purchase may be lower quality or higher priced.
Restrictive Covenants. A borrower must comply with various restrictive covenants contained in the loan agreement. In addition to requiring the scheduled payment of interest and principal, these covenants may include restrictions on dividend payments and other distributions to stockholders, provisions requiring the borrower to maintain specific financial ratios, and limits on total debt. The loan agreement may also contain a covenant requiring the borrower to prepay the floating rate loan with any free cash flow. A breach of a covenant that is not waived by the agent (or by the lenders directly) is normally an event of default, which provides the agent or the lenders the right to call the outstanding floating rate loan.
Fees. Purchasers of floating rate loans may receive and/or pay certain fees. These fees are in addition to interest payments received and may include facility fees, commitment fees, commissions, and prepayment penalty fees. When a purchaser buys a floating rate loan, it may receive a facility fee; and when it sells a floating rate loan, it may pay a facility fee. A purchaser may receive a commitment fee based on the undrawn portion of the underlying line of credit portion of a floating rate loan or a prepayment penalty fee on the prepayment of a floating rate loan. A purchaser may also receive other fees, including covenant waiver fees and covenant modification fees.
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Other Types of Floating Rate Debt Obligations. Floating rate debt obligations include other forms of indebtedness of borrowers such as notes and bonds, obligations with fixed rate interest payments in conjunction with a right to receive floating rate interest payments, and shares of other investment companies. These instruments are generally subject to the same risks as floating rate loans but are often more widely issued and traded.
Inverse Floating Rate Debt Obligations. The Fund may invest in leveraged inverse floating rate debt instruments (inverse floaters), including leveraged inverse floaters. The interest rate on inverse floaters resets in the opposite direction from the market rate of interest to which the inverse floater is indexed. 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. The higher the degree of leverage inherent in inverse floaters is associated with greater volatility in their market values. Accordingly, the duration of an inverse floater may exceed its stated final maturity. Certain inverse floaters may be deemed to be illiquid securities for purposes of the Funds limitation on illiquid investments.
Loans and Loan Participations
The Fund may invest in loans and loan participations. A loan participation is an interest in a loan to a U.S. or foreign company or other borrower which is administered and sold by a financial intermediary. In a typical corporate loan syndication, a number of lenders, usually banks (co-lenders), lend a corporate borrower a specified sum pursuant to the terms and conditions of a loan agreement. One of the co-lenders usually agrees to act as the agent bank with respect to the loan.
Participation interests acquired by the Fund may take the form of a direct or co-lending relationship with the corporate borrower, an assignment of an interest in the loan by a co-lender or another participant, or a participation in the sellers share of the loan. The participation by the Fund in a lenders portion of a loan typically will result in the Fund having a contractual relationship only with such lender, not with the business entity borrowing the funds (the Borrower). As a result, the Fund may have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the lender selling the participation and only upon receipt by such lender of payments from the Borrower. Such indebtedness may be secured or unsecured. Under the terms of the loan participation, the Fund may be regarded as a creditor of the agent bank (rather than of the underlying corporate borrower), so that the Fund may also be subject to the risk that the agent bank may become insolvent. Loan participations typically represent direct participations in a loan to a Borrower, and generally are offered by banks or other financial institutions or lending syndicates. The Fund may participate in such syndicates, or can buy part of a loan, becoming a part lender. The participation interests in which the Fund may invest may not be rated by any NRSRO. The secondary market, if any, for loan participations may be limited and loan participations purchased by the Fund may be regarded as illiquid.
When the Fund acts as co-lender in connection with a participation interest or when the Fund acquires certain participation interests, the Fund may have direct recourse against the borrower if the borrower fails to pay scheduled principal and interest. In cases where the Fund lacks direct recourse, it will look to the agent bank to enforce appropriate credit remedies against the borrower. In these cases, the Fund may be subject to delays, expenses and risks that are greater than those that would have been involved if the Fund had purchased a direct obligation (such as commercial paper) of such borrower. For example, in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the corporate borrower, a loan participation may be subject to certain defenses by the borrower as a result of improper conduct by the agent bank.
For purposes of certain investment limitations pertaining to diversification of the Funds portfolio investments, the issuer of a loan participation will be the underlying borrower. However, in cases where the Fund does not have recourse directly against the borrower, both the borrower and each agent bank and co-lender interposed between the Fund and the borrower will be deemed issuers of a loan participation.
Senior Loans. The Fund may invest in Senior Loans. Senior Loans hold the most senior position in the capital structure of the Borrower, are typically secured with specific collateral and have a claim on the assets and/or stock of the Borrower that is senior to that held by subordinated debt holders and stockholders of the Borrower. The proceeds of Senior Loans primarily are used to finance leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, mergers, acquisitions, stock repurchases, refinancings and to finance internal growth and for other corporate purposes. Senior Loans typically have rates of interest which are redetermined daily, monthly, quarterly or semi-annually by reference to a base lending rate, plus a premium or credit spread. These base lending rates are primarily the LIBOR and secondarily the prime rate offered by one or more major U.S. banks and the certificate of deposit rate or other base lending rates used by commercial lenders.
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Senior Loans typically have a stated term of between five and nine years, and have rates of interest which typically are redetermined daily, monthly, quarterly or semi-annually. Longer interest rate reset periods would generally increase fluctuations in the Funds net asset value as a result of changes in market interest rates. The Fund is not subject to any restrictions with respect to the maturity of Senior Loans held in its portfolio. As a result, as short-term interest rates increase, interest payable to the Fund from its investments in Senior Loans should increase, and as short-term interest rates decrease, interest payable to the Fund from its investments in Senior Loans should decrease. Because of prepayments, the Investment Adviser expects the average life of the Senior Loans in which the Fund invests to be shorter than the stated maturity.
Senior Loans are subject to the risk of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal. Such non-payment would result in a reduction of income to the Fund, a reduction in the value of the investment and a potential decrease in the Funds net asset value. There can be no assurance that the liquidation of any collateral securing a Senior Loan would satisfy the Borrowers obligation in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal payments, or that such collateral could be readily liquidated. In the event of bankruptcy of a Borrower, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of the collateral securing a Senior Loan. The collateral securing a Senior Loan may lose all or substantially all of its value in the event of the bankruptcy of a Borrower. 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. If interest were required to be refunded, it could negatively affect the Funds performance.
Many Senior Loans in which the Fund may invest may not be rated by a rating agency, will not be registered with the SEC or any state securities commission, and will not be listed on any national securities exchange. The amount of public information available with respect to Senior Loans will generally be less extensive than that available for registered or exchange-listed securities. In evaluating the creditworthiness of Borrowers, the Investment Adviser will consider, and may rely in part, on analyses performed by others. Borrowers may have outstanding debt obligations that are rated below investment grade by a rating agency. Many of the Senior Loans in which the Fund may invest will have been assigned below investment grade ratings by independent rating agencies. In the event Senior Loans are not rated, they are likely to be the equivalent of below investment grade quality. Because of the protective features of Senior Loans, the Investment Adviser believes that Senior Loans tend to have more favorable loss recovery rates as compared to more junior types of below investment grade debt obligations. The Investment Adviser does not view ratings as the determinative factor in its investment decisions and rely more upon their credit analysis abilities than upon ratings.
No active trading market may exist for some Senior Loans, and some loans may be subject to restrictions on resale. A secondary market may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which may impair the ability to realize full value and thus cause a material decline in the net asset value of the Fund. In addition, the Fund may not be able to readily dispose of its Senior Loans at prices that approximate those at which the Fund could sell such loans if they were more widely-traded and, as a result of such illiquidity, the Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations. During periods of limited supply and liquidity of Senior Loans, the Funds yield may be lower.
When interest rates decline, the value of the Fund invested in fixed rate obligations can be expected to rise. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the value of the Fund invested in fixed rate obligations can be expected to decline. Although changes in prevailing interest rates can be expected to cause some fluctuations in the value of Senior Loans (due to the fact that floating rates on Senior Loans only reset periodically), the value of Senior Loans is substantially less sensitive to changes in market interest rates than fixed rate instruments. As a result, to the extent the Fund invests in floating-rate Senior Loans, the Funds portfolio may be less volatile and less sensitive to changes in market interest rates than if the Fund invested in fixed rate obligations. Similarly, a sudden and significant increase in market interest rates may cause a decline in the value of these investments and in the Funds net asset value. Other factors (including, but not limited to, rating downgrades, credit deterioration, a large downward movement in stock prices, a disparity in supply and demand of certain securities or market conditions that reduce liquidity) can reduce the value of Senior Loans and other debt obligations, impairing the net asset value of the Fund.
The Fund may purchase and retain in its portfolio a Senior Loan where the Borrower has experienced, or may be perceived to be likely to experience, credit problems, including involvement in or recent emergence from bankruptcy reorganization proceedings or other forms of debt restructuring. Such investments may provide opportunities for enhanced income as well as capital appreciation, although they also will be subject to greater risk of loss. At times, in connection with the restructuring of a Senior Loan either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, the Fund may determine or be required to accept equity securities or junior credit securities in exchange for all or a portion of a Senior Loan.
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The Fund may also purchase Senior Loans on a direct assignment basis. If the Fund purchases a Senior Loan on direct assignment, it typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations under the loan agreement of the assigning lender and becomes a lender under the loan agreement with the same rights and obligations as the assigning lender. Investments in Senior Loans on a direct assignment basis may involve additional risks to the Fund. For example, if such 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.
Loans and other types of direct indebtedness may not be readily marketable and may be subject to restrictions on resale. In some cases, negotiations involved in disposing of indebtedness may require weeks to complete. Consequently, some indebtedness may be difficult or impossible to dispose of readily at what the Investment Adviser believes to be a fair price. In addition, valuation of illiquid indebtedness involves a greater degree of judgment in determining the net asset value of the Fund than if that valuation were based on available market quotations, and could result in significant variations in the Funds daily share price. At the same time, some loan interests are traded among certain financial institutions and accordingly may be deemed liquid. As the market for different types of indebtedness develops, the liquidity of these instruments is expected to improve. The Fund currently intends to treat loan indebtedness as liquid when, in the view of the Investment Adviser, there is a readily available market at the time of the investment. To the extent a readily available market ceases to exist for a particular investment, such investment would be treated as illiquid for purposes of the Funds limitations on illiquid investments. Investments in loans and loan participations are considered to be debt obligations for purposes of the Funds investment restriction relating to the lending of funds or assets by the Fund.
Second Lien Loans. The Fund may invest in Second Lien Loans, which have the same characteristics as Senior Loans except that such loans are second in lien property rather than first. Second Lien Loans typically have adjustable floating rate interest payments. Accordingly, the risks associated with Second Lien Loans are higher than the risk of loans with first priority over the collateral. In the event of default on a Second Lien Loan, the first priority lien holder has first claim to the underlying collateral of the loan. It is possible that no collateral value would remain for the second priority lien holder and therefore result in a loss of investment to the Fund.
This risk is generally higher for subordinated unsecured loans or debt, which are not backed by a security interest in any specific collateral. Second Lien Loans generally have greater price volatility than Senior Loans and may be less liquid. There is also a possibility that originators will not be able to sell participations in Second Lien Loans, which would create greater credit risk exposure for the holders of such loans. Second Lien Loans share the same risks as other below investment grade securities.
Distressed Debt
The Fund may invest in the securities and other obligations of financially troubled companies, including stressed, distressed and bankrupt issuers and debt obligations that are in covenant or payment default. Such investments generally trade significantly below par and are considered speculative. The repayment of defaulted obligations is subject to significant uncertainties. Defaulted obligations might be repaid only after lengthy workout or bankruptcy proceedings, during which the issuer might not make any interest or other payments. Typically such workout or bankruptcy proceedings result in only partial recovery of cash payments or an exchange of the defaulted obligation for other debt or equity securities of the issuer or its affiliates, which may in turn be illiquid or speculative.
In any investment involving stressed and distressed debt obligations, there exists the risk that the transaction involving such debt obligations will be unsuccessful, take considerable time or will result in a distribution of cash or a new security or obligation in exchange for the stressed and distressed debt obligations, the value of which may be less than the Funds purchase price of such debt obligations. Furthermore, if an anticipated transaction does not occur, the Fund may be required to sell its investment at a loss. There are a number of significant risks inherent in the bankruptcy process. Many events in a bankruptcy are the product of contested matters and adversary proceedings and are beyond the control of the creditors. A bankruptcy filing by an issuer may adversely and permanently affect the issuer, and if the proceeding is converted to a liquidation, the value of the issuer may not equal the liquidation value that was believed to exist at the time of the investment. The duration of a bankruptcy proceeding is difficult to predict, and a creditors return on investment can be adversely affected by delays until the plan of reorganization ultimately becomes effective. The administrative costs in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding are frequently high and would be paid out of the debtors estate prior to any return to creditors. Because the standards for classification of claims under bankruptcy law are vague, there exists the risk that the Funds influence with respect to the class of securities or other obligations it owns can be lost by increases in the number and amount of claims in the same class or by different classification and treatment. In the early stages of the bankruptcy process it is often difficult to estimate the extent of, or even to identify, any contingent claims that might be made. In addition, certain claims that have priority by law (for example, claims for taxes) may be substantial.
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Real Estate Investment Trusts
The Fund may invest in shares of REITs. REITs are pooled investment vehicles which invest primarily in real estate or real estate related loans. REITs are generally classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs or a combination of equity and mortgage REITs. Equity REITs invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive income primarily from the collection of rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages and derive income from the collection of interest payments. Like regulated investment companies such as the Fund, REITs are not taxed on income distributed to shareholders provided they comply with certain requirements under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code). The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any expenses paid by REITs in which it invests in addition to the expenses paid by the Fund.
Investing in REITs involves certain unique risks. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by such REITs, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. REITs are dependent upon management skills, are not diversified (except to the extent the Code requires), and are subject to the risks of financing projects. REITs are subject to heavy cash flow dependency, default by borrowers, self-liquidation, and the possibilities of failing to qualify for the exemption from tax for distributed income under the Code and failing to maintain their exemptions from the Act. REITs (especially mortgage REITs) are also subject to interest rate risks.
Preferred Stock, Warrants and Stock Purchase Rights
The Fund may invest in preferred stock and in warrants and stock purchase rights (in addition to those acquired in units or attached to other securities) (rights). Preferred stocks are securities that represent an ownership interest providing the holder with claims on the issuers earnings and assets before common stock owners but after bond owners. Unlike debt securities, the obligations of an issuer of preferred stock, including dividend and other payment obligations, may not typically be accelerated by the holders of such preferred stock on the occurrence of an event of default (such as a covenant default or filing of a bankruptcy petition) or other non-compliance by the issuer with the terms of the preferred stock. Often, however, on the occurrence of any such event of default or non-compliance by the issuer, preferred stockholders will be entitled to gain representation on the issuers board of directors or increase their existing board representation. In addition, preferred stockholders may be granted voting rights with respect to certain issues on the occurrence of any event of default.
Warrants and other rights are options to buy a stated number of shares of common stock at a specified price at any time during the life of the warrant. The holders of warrants and rights have no voting rights, receive no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer.
Corporate Debt Obligations
The Fund may invest in corporate debt obligations, including obligations of industrial, utility and financial issuers. Corporate debt obligations include bonds, notes, debentures and other obligations of corporations to pay interest and repay principal. Corporate debt obligations are subject to the risk of an issuers inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligations and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as market interest rates, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity.
Corporate debt obligations rated BBB or Baa are considered medium grade obligations with speculative characteristics, and adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances may weaken their issuers capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Medium to lower rated and comparable non-rated securities tend to offer higher yields than higher rated securities with the same maturities because the historical financial condition of the issuers of such securities may not have been as strong as that of other issuers. The price of corporate debt obligations will generally fluctuate in response to fluctuations in supply and demand for similarly rated securities. In addition, the price of corporate debt obligations will generally fluctuate in response to interest rate levels. Fluctuations in the prices of portfolio securities subsequent to their acquisition will not affect cash income from such securities but will be reflected in the Funds net asset value.
Because medium to lower rated securities generally involve greater risks of loss of income and principal than higher rated securities, investors should consider carefully the relative risks associated with investment in securities which carry medium to lower ratings and in comparable unrated securities. In addition to the risk of default, there are the related costs of recovery on defaulted issues. The Investment Adviser will attempt to reduce these risks through portfolio diversification and by analysis of each issuer and its ability to make timely payments of income and principal, as well as broad economic trends and corporate developments.
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The Investment Adviser employs its own credit research and analysis, which includes a study of an issuers existing debt, capital structure, ability to service debt and pay dividends, sensitivity to economic conditions, operating history and current earnings trend. The Investment Adviser continually monitors the investments in the Funds portfolio and evaluates whether to dispose of or to retain corporate debt obligations whose credit ratings or credit quality may have changed. If after its purchase, a portfolio security is assigned a lower rating or ceases to be rated, the Fund may continue to hold the security if the Investment Adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders.
Trust Preferred Securities
The Fund may invest in trust preferred securities. A trust preferred or capital security is a long dated bond (for example 30 years) with preferred features. The preferred features are that payment of interest can be deferred for a specified period without initiating a default event. From a bondholders viewpoint, the securities are senior in claim to standard preferred but are junior to other bondholders. From the issuers viewpoint, the securities are attractive because their interest is deductible for tax purposes like other types of debt instruments.
Commercial Paper and Other Short-Term Corporate Obligations
The Fund may invest in commercial paper and other short-term obligations payable in U.S. dollars and issued or guaranteed by U.S. corporations, non-U.S. corporations or other entities. Commercial paper represents short-term unsecured promissory notes issued in bearer form by banks or bank holding companies, corporations and finance companies.
High Yield Securities
The Fund may invest in bonds rated BB+ or below by Standard & Poors Rating Group (Standard & Poors) or Ba1 or below by Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys) (or comparable rated and unrated securities). These bonds are commonly known as junk bonds, are non-investment grade, and are considered speculative. The ability of issuers of high yield securities to make principal and interest payments may be questionable because such issuers are often less creditworthy or are highly leveraged. High yield securities are also issued by governmental issuers that may have difficulty in making all scheduled interest and principal payments. In some cases, high yield securities may be highly speculative, have poor prospects for reaching investment grade standing and be in default. As a result, investment in such bonds will entail greater risks than those associated with investment in investment grade bonds (i.e., bonds rated AAA, AA, A or BBB by Standard & Poors or Aaa, Aa, A or Baa by Moodys). Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of higher quality debt securities, and the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective may, to the extent of its investments in high yield securities, be more dependent upon such creditworthiness analysis than would be the case if the Fund were investing in higher quality securities. See Appendix A for a description of the corporate bond and preferred stock ratings by Standard & Poors, Moodys, Fitch, Inc. (Fitch) and Dominion Bond Rating Service Limited (DBRS).
The market values of high yield securities tend to reflect individual corporate or municipal developments to a greater extent than do those of higher rated securities, which react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. Issuers of high yield securities that are highly leveraged may not be able to make use of more traditional methods of financing. Their ability to service debt obligations may be more adversely affected by economic downturns or their inability to meet specific projected business forecasts than would be the case for issuers of high rated securities. Negative publicity about the junk bond market and investor perceptions regarding lower-rated securities, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may depress the prices for high yield securities. In the lower quality segments of the fixed income securities market, changes in perceptions of issuers creditworthiness tend to occur more frequently and in a more pronounced manner than do changes in higher quality segments of the fixed income securities market, resulting in greater yield and price volatility. Another factor which causes fluctuations in the prices of high yield securities is the supply and demand for similarly rated securities. In addition, the prices of investments fluctuate in response to the general level of interest rates. Fluctuations in the prices of portfolio securities subsequent to their acquisition will not affect cash income from such securities but will be reflected in the Funds NAV.
The risk of loss from default for the holders of high yield securities is significantly greater than is the case for holders of other debt securities because high yield securities are generally unsecured and are often subordinated to the rights of other creditors of the issuers of such securities. Investment by the Fund in already defaulted securities poses an additional risk of loss should nonpayment of principal and interest continue in respect of such securities. Even if such securities are held to maturity, recovery by the Fund of its initial investment and any anticipated income or appreciation is uncertain. In addition, the Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent that it is required to seek recovery relating to the default in the payment of principal or interest on such securities or otherwise protect its interests. The Fund may be required to liquidate other portfolio securities to satisfy annual distribution obligations of the Fund in respect of accrued interest income on securities which are subsequently written off, even though the Fund has not received any cash payments of such interest.
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The secondary market for high yield securities is concentrated in relatively few markets and is dominated by institutional investors, including mutual funds, insurance companies and other financial institutions. Accordingly, the secondary market for such securities may not be as liquid as and may be more volatile than the secondary market for higher-rated securities. In addition, the trading volume for high yield securities is generally lower than that of higher rated securities and the secondary market for high yield securities could contract under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. These factors may have an adverse effect on the ability of the Fund to dispose of particular portfolio investments when needed to meet redemption requests or other liquidity needs. The Investment Adviser could find it difficult to sell these investments or may be able to sell the investments only at prices lower than if such investments were widely traded. Prices realized upon the sale of such lower rated or unrated securities, under these circumstances, may be less than the prices used in calculating the NAV of the Fund. A less liquid secondary market also may make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain precise valuations of the high yield securities in its portfolio.
The adoption of new legislation could adversely affect the secondary market for high yield securities and the financial condition of issuers of these securities. The form of any future legislation, and the probability of such legislation being enacted, is uncertain.
Non-investment grade or high yield securities also present risks based on payment expectations. High yield securities frequently contain call or buy-back features which permit the issuer to call or repurchase the security from its holder. If an issuer exercises such a call option and redeems the security, the Fund may have to replace such security with a lower-yielding security, resulting in a decreased return for investors. In addition, if the Fund experiences net redemptions of its shares, it may be forced to sell its higher-rated securities, resulting in a decline in the overall credit quality of its portfolio and increasing its exposure to the risks of high yield securities.
Credit ratings issued by credit rating agencies are designed to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments of rated securities. They do not, however, evaluate the market value risk of high yield securities and, therefore, may not fully reflect the true risks of an investment. In addition, credit rating agencies may or may not make timely changes in a rating to reflect changes in the economy or in the conditions of the issuer that affect the market value of the security. Consequently, credit ratings are used only as a preliminary indicator of investment quality. Investments in non-investment grade and comparable unrated obligations will be more dependent on the Investment Advisers credit analysis than would be the case with investments in investment-grade debt obligations. The Investment Adviser employs its own credit research and analysis, which includes a study of an issuers existing debt, capital structure, ability to service debt and to pay dividends, sensitivity to economic conditions, operating history and current earnings trend. The Investment Adviser continually monitors the investments in the Funds portfolio and evaluates whether to dispose of or to retain non-investment grade and comparable unrated securities whose credit ratings or credit quality may have changed. If after its purchase, a portfolio security is assigned a lower rating or ceases to be rated, the Fund may continue to hold the security if the Investment Adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders.
An economic downturn could severely affect the ability of highly leveraged issuers of junk bond investments to service their debt obligations or to repay their obligations upon maturity. Factors having an adverse impact on the market value of junk bonds will have an adverse effect on the Funds NAV to the extent it invests in such investments. In addition, the Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in payment of principal or interest on its portfolio holdings.
Bank Obligations
The Fund may invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. and foreign banks. Bank obligations, including without limitation time deposits, bankers acceptances and certificates of deposit, may be general obligations of the parent bank or may be obligations only of the issuing branch pursuant to the terms of the specific obligations or government regulation.
Banks are subject to extensive but different governmental regulations which may limit both the amount and types of loans which may be made and interest rates which may be charged. Foreign banks are subject to different regulations and are generally permitted to engage in a wider variety of activities than U.S. banks. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry is largely dependent upon the availability and cost of funds for the purpose of financing lending operations under prevailing money market conditions. General economic conditions as well as exposure to credit losses arising from possible financial difficulties of borrowers play an important part in the operations of this industry.
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Certificates of deposit are certificates evidencing the obligation of a bank to repay funds deposited with it for a specified period of time at a specified rate. Certificates of deposit are negotiable instruments and are similar to saving deposits but have a definite maturity and are evidenced by a certificate instead of a passbook entry. Banks are required to keep reserves against all certificates of deposit. Fixed time deposits are bank obligations payable at a stated maturity date and bearing interest at a fixed rate. Fixed time deposits may be withdrawn on the demand by the investor, but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties which vary depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation. The Fund may invest in deposits in U.S. and European banks which satisfy the standards set forth above.
Municipal Securities
The Fund may invest in Municipal Securities, the interest on which is exempt from regular federal income tax (i.e., excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes but not necessarily exempt from the federal alternative minimum tax or from the income taxes of any state or local government). In addition, Municipal Securities include participation interests in such securities the interest on which is, in the opinion of bond counsel or counsel selected by the Investment Adviser, excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes. The Fund may revise its definition of Municipal Securities in the future to include other types of securities that currently exist, the interest on which is or will be, in the opinion of such counsel, excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes, provided that investing in such securities is consistent with the Funds investment objective and policies. The Fund may also invest in taxable Municipal Securities.
The yields and market values of municipal securities are determined primarily by the general level of interest rates, the creditworthiness of the issuers of municipal securities and economic and political conditions affecting such issuers. The yields and market prices of municipal securities may be adversely affected by changes in tax rates and policies, which may have less effect on the market for taxable fixed income securities. Moreover, certain types of municipal securities, such as housing revenue bonds, involve prepayment risks which could affect the yield on such securities. The credit rating assigned to municipal securities may reflect the existence of guarantees, letters of credit or other credit enhancement features available to the issuers or holders of such municipal securities.
Dividends paid by the Fund that are derived from interest paid on both tax exempt and taxable Municipal Securities will be taxable to the Funds shareholders.
Municipal Securities are often issued to obtain funds for various public purposes including refunding outstanding obligations, obtaining funds for general operating expenses, and obtaining funds to lend to other public institutions and facilities. Municipal Securities also include certain private activity bonds or industrial development bonds, which are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to provide financing aid to acquire sites or construct or equip facilities within a municipality for privately or publicly owned corporations.
Investments in municipal securities are subject to the risk that the issuer could default on its obligations. Such a default could result from the inadequacy of the sources or revenues from which interest and principal payments are to be made, including property tax collections, sales tax revenue, income tax revenue and local, state and federal government funding, or the assets collateralizing such obligations. Municipal securities and issuers of municipal securities may be more susceptible to downgrade, default, and bankruptcy as a result of recent periods of economic stress. During the recent economic downturn, several municipalities have filed for bankruptcy protection or have indicated that they may seek bankruptcy protection in the future. Revenue bonds, including private activity bonds, are backed only by specific assets or revenue sources and not by the full faith and credit of the governmental issuer.
The two principal classifications of Municipal Securities are general obligations and revenue obligations. General obligations are secured by the issuers pledge of its full faith and credit for the payment of principal and interest, although the characteristics and enforcement of general obligations may vary according to the law applicable to the particular issuer. Revenue obligations, which include, but are not limited to, private activity bonds, resource recovery bonds, certificates of participation and certain municipal notes, are not backed by the credit and taxing authority of the issuer, and are payable solely from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source. Nevertheless, the obligations of the issuer of a revenue obligation may be backed by a letter of credit, guarantee or insurance. General obligations and revenue obligations may be issued in a variety of forms, including commercial paper, fixed, variable and floating rate securities, tender option bonds, auction rate bonds, zero coupon bonds, deferred interest bonds and capital appreciation bonds.
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In addition to general obligations and revenue obligations, there is a variety of hybrid and special types of Municipal Securities. There are also numerous differences in the security of Municipal Securities both within and between these two principal classifications.
The Fund may own a large percentage of any one general assessment bond issuance. Therefore, the Funds may be adversely impacted if the issuing municipality fails to pay principal and/or interest on those bonds.
For the purpose of applying the Funds investment restrictions, the identification of the issuer of a Municipal Security which is not a general obligation is made by the Investment Adviser based on the characteristics of the Municipal Security, the most important of which is the source of funds for the payment of principal and interest on such securities.
An entire issue of Municipal Securities may be purchased by one or a small number of institutional investors, including the Fund. Thus, the issue may not be said to be publicly offered. Unlike some securities that are not publicly offered, a secondary market exists for many Municipal Securities that were not publicly offered initially and such securities may be readily marketable.
The credit rating assigned to Municipal Securities may reflect the existence of guarantees, letters of credit or other credit enhancement features available to the issuers or holders of such Municipal Securities.
The obligations of the issuer to pay the principal of and interest on a Municipal Security are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the Federal Bankruptcy Code, and laws, if any, that may be enacted by Congress or state legislatures extending the time for payment of principal or interest or imposing other constraints upon the enforcement of such obligations. There is also the possibility that, as a result of litigation or other conditions, the power or ability of the issuer to pay when due principal of or interest on a Municipal Security may be materially affected.
Municipal Leases, Certificates of Participation and Other Participation Interests. The Fund may invest in municipal leases, certificates of participation and other participation interests. A municipal lease is an obligation in the form of a lease or installment purchase which is issued by a state or local government to acquire equipment and facilities. Income from such obligations is generally exempt from state and local taxes in the state of issuance. Municipal leases frequently involve special risks not normally associated with general obligations or revenue bonds. Leases and installment purchase or conditional sale contracts (which normally provide for title to the leased asset to pass eventually to the governmental issuer) have evolved as a means for governmental issuers to acquire property and equipment without meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements for the issuance of debt. The debt issuance limitations are deemed to be inapplicable because of the inclusion in many leases or contracts of non-appropriation clauses that relieve the governmental issuer of any obligation to make future payments under the lease or contract unless money is appropriated for such purpose by the appropriate legislative body on a yearly or other periodic basis. In addition, such leases or contracts may be subject to the temporary abatement of payments in the event the issuer is prevented from maintaining occupancy of the leased premises or utilizing the leased equipment. Although the obligations may be secured by the leased equipment or facilities, the disposition of the property in the event of non-appropriation or foreclosure might prove difficult, time consuming and costly, and result in a delay in recovering or the failure to fully recover the Funds original investment. To the extent that the Fund invests in unrated municipal leases or participates in such leases, the credit quality rating and risk of cancellation of such unrated leases will be monitored on an ongoing basis.
Certificates of participation represent undivided interests in municipal leases, installment purchase agreements or other instruments. The certificates are typically issued by a trust or other entity which has received an assignment of the payments to be made by the state or political subdivision under such leases or installment purchase agreements.
Certain municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation may be deemed to be illiquid for the purpose of the Funds limitation on investments in illiquid securities. Other municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation acquired by the fund may be determined by the Investment Adviser, pursuant to guidelines adopted by the Trustees of the Trust, to be liquid securities for the purpose of such limitation. In determining the liquidity of municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation, the Investment Adviser will consider a variety of factors, including: (i) the willingness of dealers to bid for the security; (ii) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the obligation and the number of other potential buyers; (iii) the frequency of trades or quotes for the obligation; and (iv) the nature of the marketplace trades. In addition, the Investment Adviser will consider factors unique to particular lease obligations and certificates of participation affecting the marketability thereof. These include the general creditworthiness of the issuer, the importance to the issuer of the property covered by the lease and the likelihood that the marketability of the obligation will be maintained throughout the time the obligation is held by the Fund.
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The Fund may purchase participations in Municipal Securities held by a commercial bank or other financial institution. Such participations provide the Fund with the right to a pro rata undivided interest in the underlying Municipal Securities. In addition, such participations generally provide the Fund with the right to demand payment, on not more than seven days notice, of all or any part of the Funds participation interest in the underlying Municipal Securities, plus accrued interest.
Municipal Notes. Municipal Securities in the form of notes generally are used to provide for short-term capital needs, in anticipation of an issuers receipt of other revenues or financing, and typically have maturities of up to three years. Such instruments may include tax anticipation notes, revenue anticipation notes, bond anticipation notes, tax and revenue anticipation notes and construction loan notes. Tax anticipation notes are issued to finance the working capital needs of governments. Generally, they are issued in anticipation of various tax revenues, such as income, sales, property, use and business taxes, and are payable from these specific future taxes. Revenue anticipation notes are issued in expectation of receipt of other kinds of revenue, such as federal revenues available under federal revenue sharing programs. Bond anticipation notes are issued to provide interim financing until long-term bond financing can be arranged. In most cases, the long-term bonds then provide the funds needed for repayment of the notes. Tax and revenue anticipation notes combine the funding sources of both tax anticipation notes and revenue anticipation notes. Construction loan notes are sold to provide construction financing. These notes are secured by mortgage notes insured by the FHA; however, the proceeds from the insurance may be less than the economic equivalent of the payment of principal and interest on the mortgage note if there has been a default. The obligations of an issuer of municipal notes are generally secured by the anticipated revenues from taxes, grants or bond financing. An investment in such instruments, however, presents a risk that the anticipated revenues will not be received or that such revenues will be insufficient to satisfy the issuers payment obligations under the notes or that refinancing will be otherwise unavailable.
Tax Exempt Commercial Paper. Issues of commercial paper typically represent short-term, unsecured, negotiable promissory notes. These obligations are issued by state and local governments and their agencies to finance working capital needs of municipalities or to provide interim construction financing and are paid from general revenues of municipalities or are refinanced with long-term debt. In most cases, tax exempt commercial paper is backed by letters of credit, lending agreements, note repurchase agreements or other credit facility agreements offered by banks or other institutions.
Pre-Refunded Municipal Securities. The principal of and interest on pre-refunded Municipal Securities are no longer paid from the original revenue source for the securities. Instead, the source of such payments is typically an escrow fund consisting of U.S. Government securities. The assets in the escrow fund are derived from the proceeds of refunding bonds issued by the same issuer as the pre-refunded Municipal Securities. Issuers of Municipal Securities use this advance refunding technique to obtain more favorable terms with respect to securities that are not yet subject to call or redemption by the issuer. For example, advance refunding enables an issuer to refinance debt at lower market interest rates, restructure debt to improve cash flow or eliminate restrictive covenants in the indenture or other governing instrument for the pre-refunded Municipal Securities. However, except for a change in the revenue source from which principal and interest payments are made, the pre-refunded Municipal Securities remain outstanding on their original terms until they mature or are redeemed by the issuer. Pre-refunded Municipal Securities are often purchased at a price which represents a premium over their face value.
Private Activity Bonds. The Fund may invest in certain types of Municipal Securities, generally referred to as industrial development bonds (and referred to under current tax law as private activity bonds), which are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to obtain funds to provide privately operated housing facilities, airport, mass transit or port facilities, sewage disposal, solid waste disposal or hazardous waste treatment or disposal facilities and certain local facilities for water supply, gas or electricity. Other types of industrial development bonds, the proceeds of which are used for the construction, equipment, repair or improvement of privately operated industrial or commercial facilities, may constitute Municipal Securities, although the current federal tax laws place substantial limitations on the size of such issues. The Funds distributions of any tax exempt interest it receives from any source will be taxable for regular federal income tax purposes.
Tender Option Bonds. A tender option bond is a Municipal Security (generally held pursuant to a custodial arrangement) having a relatively long maturity and bearing interest at a fixed rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term, tax exempt rates. The bond is typically issued with the agreement of a third party, such as a bank, broker-dealer or other financial institution, which grants the security holders the option, at periodic intervals, to tender their securities to the institution and receive the face value thereof. As consideration for providing the option, the financial institution receives periodic fees equal to the difference between the bonds fixed coupon rate and the rate, as determined by a remarketing or similar agent at or near the commencement of such period, that would cause the securities, coupled with the tender option, to trade at par on the date of such determination. Thus, after payment of this fee, the security holder effectively holds a demand obligation that bears interest at the prevailing short-term, tax exempt rate. However, an institution will not be obligated to accept tendered bonds in the event of certain defaults or a significant downgrade in the credit rating
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assigned to the issuer of the bond. The liquidity of a tender option bond is a function of the credit quality of both the bond issuer and the financial institution providing liquidity. Tender option bonds are deemed to be liquid unless, in the opinion of the Investment Adviser, the credit quality of the bond issuer and the financial institution is deemed, in light of the Funds credit quality requirements, to be inadequate and the bond would not otherwise be readily marketable.
Auction Rate Securities. The Fund may invest in auction rate securities. Auction rate securities include auction rate Municipal Securities and auction rate preferred securities issued by closed-end investment companies that invest primarily in Municipal Securities (collectively, auction rate securities). Provided that the auction mechanism is successful, auction rate securities usually permit the holder to sell the securities in an auction at par value at specified intervals. The dividend is reset by Dutch auction in which bids are made by broker-dealers and other institutions for a certain amount of securities at a specified minimum yield. The dividend rate set by the auction is the lowest interest or dividend rate that covers all securities offered for sale. While this process is designed to permit auction rate securities to be traded at par value, there is some risk that an auction will fail due to insufficient demand for the securities. In certain market environments, auction failures may be more prevalent, which may adversely affect the liquidity and price of auction rate securities. Moreover, between auctions, there may be no secondary market for these securities, and sales conducted on a secondary market may not be on terms favorable to the seller. Thus, with respect to liquidity and price stability, auction rate securities may differ substantially from cash equivalents, notwithstanding the frequency of auctions and the credit quality of the security. The Fund will take the time remaining until the next scheduled auction date into account for the purpose of determining the auction rate securities duration.
Dividends on auction rate preferred securities issued by a closed-end fund may be designated as exempt from federal income tax to the extent they are attributable to exempt income earned by the fund on the securities in its portfolio and distributed to holders of the preferred securities, provided that the preferred securities are treated as equity securities for federal income tax purposes and the closed-end fund complies with certain tests under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code).
The Funds investments in auction rate securities of closed-end funds are subject to the limitations prescribed by the Act and certain state securities regulations. The Fund will indirectly bear their proportionate share of any management and other fees paid by such closed-end funds in addition to the advisory fees payable directly by the Fund.
Insurance. The Fund may invest in insured tax exempt Municipal Securities. Insured Municipal Securities are securities for which scheduled payments of interest and principal are guaranteed by a private (non-governmental) insurance company. The insurance only entitles the Fund to receive the face or par value of the securities held by the Fund. The insurance does not guarantee the market value of the Municipal Securities or the value of the Shares of the Fund.
The Funds may utilize new issue or secondary market insurance. A new issue insurance policy is purchased by a bond issuer who wishes to increase the credit rating of a security. By paying a premium and meeting the insurers underwriting standards, the bond issuer is able to obtain a high credit rating (usually, Aaa from Moodys or AAA from Standard & Poors) for the issued security. Such insurance is likely to increase the purchase price and resale value of the security. New issue insurance policies generally are non-cancelable and continue in force as long as the bonds are outstanding.
A secondary market insurance policy is purchased by an investor (such as the Fund) subsequent to a bonds original issuance and generally insures a particular bond for the remainder of its term. The Fund may purchase bonds which have already been insured under a secondary market insurance policy by a prior investor, or the Fund may directly purchase such a policy from insurers for bonds which are currently uninsured.
An insured Municipal Security acquired by the Fund will typically be covered by only one of the above types of policies.
Standby Commitments. In order to enhance the liquidity of Municipal Securities, the Fund may acquire the right to sell a security to another party at a guaranteed price and date. Such a right to resell may be referred to as a standby commitment or liquidity put, depending on its characteristics. The aggregate price which the Fund pays for securities with standby commitments may be higher than the price which otherwise would be paid for the securities. Standby commitments may not be available or may not be available on satisfactory terms.
Standby commitments may involve letters of credit issued by domestic or foreign banks supporting the other partys ability to purchase the security from the Fund. The right to sell may be exercisable on demand or at specified intervals, and may form part of a security or be acquired separately by the Fund. In considering whether a security meets the Funds quality standards, the Fund will look to the creditworthiness of the party providing the Fund with the right to sell as well as the quality of the security itself.
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The Fund values Municipal Securities which are subject to standby commitments at amortized cost. The exercise price of the standby commitments is expected to approximate such amortized cost. No value is assigned to the standby commitments for purposes of determining the Funds net asset value. The cost of a standby commitment is carried as unrealized depreciation from the time of purchase until it is exercised or expires. Because the value of a standby commitment is dependent on the ability of the standby commitment writer to meet its obligation to repurchase, the Funds policy is to enter into standby commitment transactions only with banks, brokers or dealers which present a minimal risk of default.
The Investment Adviser understands that the IRS has issued a favorable revenue ruling to the effect that, under specified circumstances, a registered investment company will be the owner of tax exempt municipal obligations acquired subject to a put option. The IRS has subsequently announced that it will not ordinarily issue advance ruling letters as to the identity of the true owner of property in cases involving the sale of securities or participation interests therein if the purchaser has the right to cause the security, or the participation interest therein, to be purchased by either the seller or a third party. The Fund intends to take the position that they are the owner of any Municipal Securities acquired subject to a standby commitment or acquired or held with certain other types of put rights and that tax exempt interest earned with respect to such Municipal Securities will be tax exempt in their hands. There is no assurance that standby commitments will be available to the Fund nor have the Fund assumed that such commitments would continue to be available under all market conditions.
Call Risk and Reinvestment Risk. Municipal Securities may include call provisions which permit the issuers of such securities, at any time or after a specified period, to redeem the securities prior to their stated maturity. In the event that Municipal Securities held in the Funds portfolio are called prior to the maturity, the Fund will be required to reinvest the proceeds on such securities at an earlier date and may be able to do so only at lower yields, thereby reducing the Funds return on its portfolio securities.
Tobacco Settlement Revenue Bonds. The Fund may invest in tobacco settlement revenue bonds. Tobacco settlement revenue bonds are municipal obligations that are backed entirely by expected revenues to be derived from lawsuits involving tobacco related deaths and illnesses which were settled between certain states and American tobacco companies. Tobacco settlement revenue bonds are secured by an issuing states proportionate share in the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). The MSA is an agreement, reached out of court in November 1998 between 46 states and nearly all of the U.S. tobacco manufacturers. The MSA provides for annual payments in perpetuity by the manufacturers to the states in exchange for releasing all claims against the manufacturers and a pledge of no further litigation. Tobacco manufacturers pay into a master escrow trust based on their market share, and each state receives a fixed percentage of the payment as set forth in the MSA. A number of states have securitized the future flow of those payments by selling bonds pursuant to indentures or through distinct governmental entities created for such purpose. The principal and interest payments on the bonds are backed by the future revenue flow related to the MSA. Annual payments on the bonds, and thus risk to the Fund, are highly dependent on the receipt of future settlement payments to the state or its governmental entity.
The actual amount of future settlement payments is further dependent on many factors, including, but not limited to, annual domestic cigarette shipments, reduced cigarette consumption, increased taxes on cigarettes, inflation, financial capability of tobacco companies, continuing litigation and the possibility of tobacco manufacturer bankruptcy. The initial and annual payments made by the tobacco companies will be adjusted based on a number of factors, the most important of which is domestic cigarette consumption. If the volume of cigarettes shipped in the U.S. by manufacturers participating in the settlement decreases significantly, payments due from them will also decrease. Demand for cigarettes in the U.S. could continue to decline due to price increases needed to recoup the cost of payments by tobacco companies. Demand could also be affected by: anti-smoking campaigns, tax increases, reduced advertising, enforcement of laws prohibiting sales to minors; elimination of certain sales venues such as vending machines; and the spread of local ordinances restricting smoking in public places. As a result, payments made by tobacco manufacturers could be negatively impacted if the decrease in tobacco consumption is significantly greater than the forecasted decline. A market share loss by the MSA companies to non-MSA participating tobacco manufacturers would cause a downward adjustment in the payment amounts. A participating manufacturer filing for bankruptcy also could cause delays or reductions in bond payments. The MSA itself has been subject to legal challenges and has, to date, withstood those challenges.
Foreign Investments
The Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers, including securities quoted or denominated in a currency other than U.S. dollars. Investments in foreign securities may offer potential benefits not available from investments solely in U.S. dollar-denominated or quoted securities of domestic issuers. Such benefits may include the opportunity to invest in foreign issuers that appear, in the
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opinion of the Investment Adviser, to offer the potential for better long term growth of capital and income than investments in U.S. securities, the opportunity to invest in foreign countries with economic policies or business cycles different from those of the United States and the opportunity to reduce fluctuations in portfolio value by taking advantage of foreign securities markets that do not necessarily move in a manner parallel to U.S. markets. Investing in the securities of foreign issuers also involves, however, certain special risks, including those discussed in the Funds Prospectus and those set forth below, which are not typically associated with investing in U.S. dollar-denominated securities or quoted securities of U.S. issuers.
With respect to investments in certain foreign countries, there exist certain economic, political and social risks, including the risk of adverse political developments, nationalization, military unrest, social instability, war and terrorism, confiscation without fair compensation, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, limitations on the movement of funds and other assets between different countries, or diplomatic developments, any of which could adversely affect the Funds investments in those countries. Governments in certain foreign countries continue to participate to a significant degree, through ownership interest or regulation, in their respective economies. Action by these governments could have a significant effect on market prices of securities and dividend payments. Individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments position.
Many countries throughout the world are dependent on a healthy U.S. economy and are adversely affected when the U.S. economy weakens or its markets decline. Additionally, many foreign country economies are heavily dependent on international trade and are adversely affected by protective trade barriers and economic conditions of their trading partners. Protectionist trade legislation enacted by those trading partners could have a significant adverse affect on the securities markets of those countries.
Investments in foreign securities often involve currencies of foreign countries. Accordingly, the Fund may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency rates and in exchange control regulations and may incur costs in connection with conversions between various currencies. The Fund may be subject to currency exposure independent of its securities positions. To the extent that the Fund is fully invested in foreign securities while also maintaining net currency positions, it may be exposed to greater combined risk. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by the forces of supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or anticipated changes in interest rates and other complex factors, as seen from an international perspective. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or the failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks or by currency controls or political developments in the United States or abroad. To the extent that a portion of the Funds total assets, adjusted to reflect the Funds net position after giving effect to currency transactions, is denominated or quoted in the currencies of foreign countries, the Fund will be more susceptible to the risk of adverse economic and political developments within those countries. The Funds net currency positions may expose it to risks independent of its securities positions.
Because foreign issuers generally are not subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies, there may be less publicly available information about a foreign company than about a comparable U.S. company. Volume and liquidity in most foreign securities markets are less than in the United States markets and securities of many foreign companies are less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. companies. The securities of foreign issuers may be listed on foreign securities exchanges or traded in foreign over-the-counter markets. Fixed commissions on foreign securities exchanges are generally higher than negotiated commissions on U.S. exchanges, although the Fund endeavors to achieve the most favorable net results on its portfolio transactions. There is generally less government supervision and regulation of foreign securities markets and exchanges, brokers, dealers and listed and unlisted companies than in the United States, and the legal remedies for investors may be more limited than the remedies available in the United States. For example, there may be no comparable provisions under certain foreign laws to insider trading and similar investor protections that apply with respect to securities transactions consummated in the United States. Mail service between the United States and foreign countries may be slower or less reliable than within the United States, thus increasing the risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates for portfolio securities.
Foreign markets also have different clearance and settlement procedures, and in certain markets there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such transactions. Such delays in settlement could result in temporary periods when a portion of the assets of the Fund are uninvested and no return is earned on such assets. The inability of the Fund to make intended security purchases due to settlement problems could cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities. Inability to dispose of portfolio securities due to settlement problems could result either in losses to the Fund due to subsequent declines in value of the portfolio securities, or, if the Fund has entered into a contract to sell the securities, in possible liability to the purchaser.
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Foreign Government Obligations. Foreign government obligations include securities, instruments and obligations issued or guaranteed by a foreign government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. Investment in foreign government obligations can involve a high degree of risk. The governmental entity that controls the repayment of foreign government obligations may not be able or willing to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt. A governmental entitys willingness or ability to repay principal and interest due in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the governmental entitys policy towards the International Monetary Fund and the political constraints to which a governmental entity may be subject. Governmental entities may also be dependent on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and others abroad to reduce principal and interest on their debt. The commitment on the part of these governments, agencies and others to make such disbursements may be conditioned on a governmental entitys implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of such debtors obligations. Failure to implement such reforms, achieve such levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of such third parties commitments to lend funds to the governmental entity, which may further impair such debtors ability or willingness to services its debts in a timely manner. Consequently, governmental entities may default on their debt. Holders of foreign government obligations (including the Fund) may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental agencies.
Brady Bonds. Certain foreign debt obligations commonly referred to as Brady Bonds are created through the exchange of existing commercial bank loans to foreign borrowers for new obligations in connection with debt restructurings under a plan introduced by former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Nicholas F. Brady (the Brady Plan).
Brady Bonds may be collateralized or uncollateralized and issued in various currencies (although most are dollar-denominated) and they are actively traded in the over-the-counter secondary market. Certain Brady Bonds are collateralized in full as to principal due at maturity by zero coupon obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities having the same maturity (Collateralized Brady Bonds). Brady Bonds are not, however, considered to be U.S. Government securities.
Dollar-denominated, Collateralized Brady Bonds may be fixed rate bonds or floating rate bonds. Interest payments on Brady Bonds are often collateralized by cash or securities in an amount that, in the case of fixed rate bonds, is equal to at least one year of rolling interest payments or, in the case of floating rate bonds, initially is equal to at least one years rolling interest payments based on the applicable interest rate at that time and is adjusted at regular intervals thereafter. Certain Brady Bonds are entitled to value recovery payments in certain circumstances, which in effect constitute supplemental interest payments but generally are not collateralized. Brady Bonds are often viewed as having three or four valuation components: (i) collateralized repayment of principal at final maturity; (ii) collateralized interest payments; (iii) uncollateralized interest payments; and (iv) any uncollateralized repayment of principal at maturity (these uncollateralized amounts constitute the residual risk). In the event of a default with respect to Collateralized Brady Bonds as a result of which the payment obligations of the issuer are accelerated, the U.S. Treasury zero coupon obligations held as collateral for the payment of principal will not be distributed to investors, nor will such obligations be sold and the proceeds distributed. The collateral will be held by the collateral agent to the scheduled maturity of the defaulted Brady Bonds, which will continue to be outstanding, at which time the face amount of the collateral will equal the principal payments which would have been due on the Brady Bonds in the normal course. In addition, in light of the residual risk of Brady Bonds and, among other factors, the history of defaults with respect to commercial bank loans by public and private entities of countries issuing Brady Bonds, investments in Brady Bonds should be viewed as speculative.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts. The Fund may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts for hedging purposes and to seek to increase total return. A forward foreign currency exchange contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts are traded in the interbank market and are conducted directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. A forward contract generally has no deposit requirement, and no commissions are generally charged at any stage for trades.
At the maturity of a forward contract, the Fund may either accept or make delivery of the currency specified in the contract or, at or prior to maturity, enter into a closing purchase transaction involving the purchase or sale of an offsetting contract. Closing purchase transactions with respect to forward contracts are usually effected with the currency trader who is a party to the original forward contract.
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The Fund may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts for hedging purposes in several circumstances. First, when the Fund enters into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security quoted or denominated in a foreign currency, or when the Fund anticipates the receipt in a foreign currency of a dividend or interest payment on such a security which it holds, the Fund may desire to lock in the U.S. dollar price of the security or the U.S. dollar equivalent of such dividend or interest payment, as the case may be. By entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars, of the amount of foreign currency involved in the underlying transactions, the Fund may attempt to protect itself against an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the subject foreign currency during the period between the date on which the security is purchased or sold, or on which the dividend or interest payment is declared, and the date on which such payments are made or received.
Additionally, when the Investment Adviser believes that the currency of a particular foreign country may suffer a substantial decline against the U.S. dollar, it may enter into a forward contract to sell, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars, the amount of foreign currency approximating the value of some or all of the Funds portfolio securities quoted or denominated in such foreign currency. The precise matching of the forward contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date on which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. Using forward contracts to protect the value of the Funds portfolio securities against a decline in the value of a currency does not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of the securities. It simply establishes a rate of exchange which the Fund can achieve at some future point in time. The precise projection of short-term currency market movements is not possible, and short-term hedging provides a means of fixing the U.S. dollar value of only a portion of the Funds foreign assets.
The Fund may engage in cross-hedging by using forward contracts in one currency to hedge against fluctuations in the value of securities denominated or quoted in a different currency if the Investment Adviser determines that there is a pattern of correlation between the two currencies. In addition, the Fund may enter into foreign currency transactions to seek a closer correlation between the Funds overall currency exposures and the currency exposures of the Funds performance benchmark.
The Fund is not required to post cash collateral with its non-U.S. counterparties in certain foreign currency transactions. Accordingly, the Fund may remain more fully invested (and more of the Funds assets may be subject to investment and market risk) than if it were required to post collateral with its counterparties (which is the case with U.S. counterparties). Because the Funds non-U.S. counterparties are not required to post cash collateral with the Fund, the Fund will be subject to additional counterparty risk.
As an investment company registered with the SEC, the Fund must identify on its books liquid assets, or engage in other appropriate measures, to cover open positions with respect to its transactions in forward contracts. In the case of forward contracts that do not cash settle, for example, the Fund must identify on its books liquid assets equal to the full notional amount of the forward contracts while the positions are open. With respect to forward contracts that are required to cash settle, however, the Fund may identify liquid assets in an amount equal to the Funds daily marked-to-market net obligations (i.e., the Funds daily net liability) under the forward contracts, if any, rather than their full notional amount. The Fund reserves the right to modify its asset segregation policies in the future in its discretion. By identifying assets equal to only its net obligations under cash-settled forward contracts, the Fund will have the ability to employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to identify assets equal to the full notional amount of the forward contracts.
While the Fund may enter into forward contracts to seek to reduce currency exchange rate risks, transactions in such contracts involve certain other risks. Thus, while the Fund may benefit from such transactions, unanticipated changes in currency prices may result in a poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not engaged in any such transactions. Moreover, there may be imperfect correlation between the Funds portfolio holdings of securities quoted or denominated in a particular currency and forward contracts entered into by the Fund. Such imperfect correlation may cause the Fund to sustain losses which will prevent the Fund from achieving a complete hedge or expose the Fund to risk of foreign exchange loss.
Markets for trading forward foreign currency contracts offer less protection against defaults than is available when trading in currency instruments on an exchange. Forward contracts are subject to the risk that the counterparty to such contract will default on its obligations. Because a forward foreign currency exchange contract is not guaranteed by an exchange or clearinghouse, a default on the contract would deprive the Fund of unrealized profits, transaction costs or the benefits of a currency hedge or force the Fund to cover its purchase or sale commitments, if any, at the current market price. In addition, the institutions that deal in forward currency contracts are not required to continue to make markets in the currencies they trade and these markets can experience periods of illiquidity. The Fund will not enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts, unless the credit quality of the unsecured senior debt or the claims-paying ability of the counterparty is considered to be investment grade by the Investment Adviser. To the extent that a substantial portion of the Funds total assets, adjusted to reflect the Funds net position after giving effect to currency transactions, is denominated or quoted in the currencies of foreign countries, the Fund will be more susceptible to the risk of adverse economic and political developments within those countries.
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Investing in Europe
The Fund may operate in euros and/or may hold euros and/or euro-denominated bonds and other obligations. The euro requires participation of multiple sovereign states forming the Euro zone and is therefore sensitive to the credit, general economic and political position of each such state, including each states actual and intended ongoing engagement with and/or support for the other sovereign states then forming the European Union, in particular those within the Euro zone. Changes in these factors might materially adversely impact the value of securities that the Fund has invested in.
European countries can be significantly affected by the tight fiscal and monetary controls that the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) imposes for membership. Europes economies are diverse, its governments are decentralized, and its cultures vary widely. Several EU countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain and Portugal, have faced budget issues, some of which may have negative long-term effects for the economies of those countries and other EU countries. There is continued concern about national-level support for the euro and the accompanying coordination of fiscal and wage policy among EMU member countries. Member countries are required to maintain tight control over inflation, public debt, and budget deficit to qualify for membership in the EMU. These requirements can severely limit the ability of EMU member countries to implement monetary policy to address regional economic conditions.
Equity Swaps
The Fund may enter into equity swap contracts to invest in a market without owning or taking physical custody of securities in various circumstances, including circumstances where direct investment in the securities is restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise impracticable. Equity swaps may also be used for hedging purposes or to seek to increase total return. The counterparty to an equity swap contract will typically be a bank, investment banking firm or broker/dealer. Equity swap contracts may be structured in different ways. For example, a counterparty may agree to pay the Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the equity swap contract would have increased in value had it been invested in particular stocks (or an index of stocks), plus the dividends that would have been received on those stocks. In these cases, the Fund may agree to pay to the counterparty a floating rate of interest on the notional amount of the equity swap contract plus the amount, if any, by which that notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such stocks. Therefore, the return to the Fund on the equity swap contract should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stocks less the interest paid by the Fund on the notional amount. In other cases, the counterparty and the Fund may each agree to pay the other the difference between the relative investment performances that would have been achieved if the notional amount of the equity swap contract had been invested in different stocks (or indices of stocks).
The Fund will generally enter into equity swaps on a net basis, which means that the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Payments may be made at the conclusion of an equity swap contract or periodically during its term. Equity swaps normally do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to equity swaps is normally limited to the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the other party to an equity swap defaults, the Funds risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any. Inasmuch as these transactions are entered into for hedging purposes or are offset by segregated cash or liquid assets to cover the Funds exposure, the Fund and its Investment Adviser believe that these transactions do not constitute senior securities under the Act and, accordingly, will not treat them as being subject to the Funds borrowing restrictions.
Interest Rate Swaps, Mortgage Swaps, Credit Swaps, Currency Swaps, Total Return Swaps, Options on Swaps and Interest Rate Caps, Floors and Collars
The Fund may enter into interest rate, mortgage, credit, currency and total return swaps for both hedging purposes and to seek to increase total return. As examples, the Fund may enter into swap transactions for the purpose of attempting to obtain or preserve a particular return or spread at a lower cost than obtaining a return or spread through purchases and/or sales of instruments in other markets, to protect against currency fluctuations, as a duration management technique, to protect against any increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date, or to gain exposure to certain markets in an economical way. The Fund may also enter into interest rate caps, floors and collars. The Fund may also purchase and write (sell) options contracts on swaps, commonly referred to as swaptions.
In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns, differentials in rates of return or some other amount earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. The gross returns to be exchanged or swapped between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a notional amount, i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, in a particular foreign currency or security, or in a basket of securities representing a particular index. Bilateral swap agreements are two party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors. Cleared swaps are transacted through futures commission merchants (FCMs) that are members of central clearinghouses with the clearinghouse serving as a central counterparty similar to transactions in futures contracts. Funds post initial and variation margin by making payments to their clearing member FCMs.
Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest, such as an exchange of fixed-rate payments for floating rate payments. Mortgage swaps are similar to interest rate swaps in that they represent commitments to pay and receive interest. The notional principal amount, however, is tied to a reference pool or pools of mortgages. Credit default swaps involve the exchange of a floating or fixed rate payment in return for assuming potential credit losses of an underlying security or pool of securities. Loan credit default swaps are similar to credit default swaps on bonds, except that the underlying protection is sold on secured loans of a reference entity rather than a broader category of bonds or loans. Loan credit default swaps may be on single names or on baskets of loans, both tranched and untranched. Currency swaps involve the exchange of the parties respective rights to make or receive payments in specified currencies. Total return swaps are contracts that obligate a party to pay or receive interest in exchange for payment by the other party of the total return generated by a security, a basket of securities, an index, or an index component.
A swaption is an option to enter into a swap agreement. Like other types of options, the buyer of a swaption pays a non-refundable premium for the option and obtains the right, but not the obligation, to enter into or modify an underlying swap or to modify the terms of an existing swap on agreed-upon terms. The seller of a swaption, in exchange for the premium, becomes obligated (if the option is exercised) to enter into or modify an underlying swap on agreed-upon terms, which generally entails a greater risk of loss than incurred in buying a swaption. The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate, to receive payment of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling the interest rate floor. An interest rate collar is the combination of a cap and a floor that preserves a certain return within a predetermined range of interest rates.
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A great deal of flexibility may be possible in the way swap transactions are structured. However, generally the Fund will enter into interest rate, total return, credit and mortgage swaps on a net basis, which means that the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Interest rate, total return, credit and mortgage swaps do not normally involve the delivery of securities, other underlying assets or principal. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to interest rate, total return, credit and mortgage swaps is normally limited to the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the other party to an interest rate, total return, credit or mortgage swap defaults, the Funds risk of loss consists of the net amount of interest payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any.
In contrast, currency swaps usually involve the delivery of a gross payment stream in one designated currency in exchange for a gross payment stream in another designated currency. Therefore, the entire payment stream under a currency swap is subject to the risk that the other party to the swap will default on its contractual delivery obligations. A credit swap may have as reference obligations one or more securities that may, or may not, be currently held by the Fund. The protection buyer in a credit swap is generally obligated to pay the protection seller an upfront or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the swap provided that no credit event, such as a default, on a reference obligation has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the par value (full notional value) of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity described in the swap, or the seller may be required to deliver the related net cash amount, if the swap is cash settled. The Fund may be either the protection buyer or seller in the transaction. If the Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund may recover nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer generally may elect to receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity whose value may have significantly decreased. As a seller, the Fund generally receives an upfront payment or a rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. As the seller, the Fund would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. If a credit event occurs, the value of any deliverable obligation received by the Fund as seller, coupled with the upfront or periodic payments previously received, may be less than the full notional value it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss of value to the Fund.
As a result of new rules adopted in 2012, certain standardized swaps are currently subject to mandatory central clearing. Central clearing is expected to decrease counterparty risk and increase liquidity compared to bilateral swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterparty to each participants swap. However, central clearing does not eliminate counterparty risk or illiquidity risk entirely. In addition, depending on the size of the Fund and other factors, the margin required under the rules of a clearinghouse and by a clearing member may be in excess of the collateral required to be posted by the Fund to support its obligations under a similar bilateral swap. However, regulators are expected to adopt rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on uncleared swaps in the near future, which could change this comparison.
The Fund may obtain exposure to Senior Loans through the use of derivative instruments including loan credit default swaps. Investments in loan credit default swaps involve many of the risks associated with investments in derivatives more generally.
To the extent that the Funds exposure in a transaction involving a swap, swaption or an interest rate floor, cap or collar is covered by identifying cash or liquid assets on the Funds books or is covered by other means in accordance with SEC guidance, the Fund and the Investment Adviser believe that the transactions do not constitute senior securities under the Act and, accordingly, will not treat them as being subject to the Funds borrowing restrictions.
The use of interest rate, mortgage, credit, total return and currency swaps, as well as interest rate caps, floors and collars, is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of a swap requires an understanding not only of the referenced asset, reference rate, or index but also of the swap itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the swap under all possible market conditions. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its forecasts of market values, credit quality, interest rates and currency exchange rates, the investment performance of the Fund would be less favorable than it would have been if these investment instruments were not used.
In addition, these transactions can involve greater risks than if the Fund had invested in the reference obligation directly because, in addition to general market risks, swaps are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk, credit risk and pricing risk. Regulators also may impose limits on an entitys or group of entities positions in certain swaps. However, certain risks are reduced (but not eliminated) if the Fund invests in cleared swaps. Because bilateral swap agreements are two party contracts and because they may have terms of greater than seven days, these swaps may be considered to be illiquid. Moreover, the Fund bears the risk of loss of the
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amount expected to be received under a swap agreement in the event of the default or bankruptcy of a swap counterparty. Many swaps are complex and often valued subjectively. Swaps and other derivatives may also be subject to pricing or basis risk, which exists when the price of a particular derivative diverges from the price of corresponding cash market instruments. Under certain market conditions it may not be economically feasible to imitate a transaction or liquidate a position in time to avoid a loss or take advantage of an opportunity. If a swap transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid, 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.
Regulators are in the process of developing rules that would require trading and execution of most liquid swaps on trading facilities. Moving trading to an exchange-type system may increase market transparency and liquidity but may require the Fund to incur increased expenses to access the same types of swaps.
Rules adopted in 2012 also require centralized reporting of detailed information about many types of cleared and uncleared swaps. This information is available to regulators and, to a more limited extent and on an anonymous basis, to the public. Reporting of swap data may result in greater market transparency, which may be beneficial to funds that use swaps to implement trading strategies. However, these rules place potential additional administrative obligations on these funds, and the safeguards established to protect anonymity may not function as expected.
The swap market has grown substantially in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid in comparison with the markets for other similar instruments which are traded in the interbank market. The Investment Adviser, under the supervision of the Board of Trustees, is responsible for determining and monitoring the liquidity of the Funds transactions in swaps, swaptions, caps, floors and collars.
Commodity-Linked Investments
The Fund may invest in commodities through investments in PTPs, ETFs, other investment companies, or other pooled investment vehicles. The Fund may seek to provide exposure to the investment returns of real assets that trade in the commodity markets through investments in commodity-linked derivative securities, such as structured notes, discussed below, which are designed to provide this exposure without direct investment in physical commodities or commodities futures contracts. Real assets are assets such as oil, gas, industrial and precious metals, livestock, and agricultural or meat products, or other items that have tangible properties, as compared to stocks or bonds, which are financial instruments. In choosing investments, the Investment Adviser may seek to provide exposure to various commodities and commodity sectors. The value of commodity-linked derivative instruments held by the Fund may be affected by a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, overall market movements and other factors affecting the value of particular industries or commodities, such as weather, disease, embargoes, acts of war or terrorism, or political and regulatory developments.
The prices of commodity-linked derivative instruments may move in different directions than investments in traditional equity and debt securities when the value of those traditional securities is declining due to adverse economic conditions. As an example, during periods of rising inflation, debt securities have historically tended to decline in value due to the general increase in prevailing interest rates. Conversely, during those same periods of rising inflation, the prices of certain commodities, such as oil and metals, have historically tended to increase. Of course, there cannot be any guarantee that these investments will perform in that manner in the future, and at certain times the price movements of commodity-linked instruments have been parallel to those of debt and equity securities. Commodities have historically tended to increase and decrease in value during different parts of the business cycle than financial assets. Nevertheless, at various times, commodities prices may move in tandem with the prices of financial assets and thus may not provide overall portfolio diversification benefits. Under favorable economic conditions, an investment in commodities may be expected to underperform an investment in traditional securities. Over the long term, the returns on the Funds investments in commodities are expected to exhibit low or negative correlation with stocks and bonds.
Because commodity-linked derivative instruments are available from a relatively small number of issuers, the Funds investments in commodity-linked derivative instruments are particularly subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the issuer of the commodity-linked derivative (which issuer may also serve as counterparty to a substantial number of the Funds commodity-linked and other derivative investments) will not fulfill its contractual obligations.
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Commercial Paper and Other Short-Term Corporate Obligations
The Fund may invest in commercial paper and other short-term obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. corporations, non-U.S. corporations or other entities. Commercial paper represents short-term unsecured promissory notes issued in bearer form by banks or bank holding companies, corporations and finance companies.
Options on Securities and Securities Indices and Foreign Currencies
Writing Options. The Fund may write (sell) call and put options on any securities in which it may invest or on any securities index consisting of securities in which it may invest. The Fund may write such options on securities that are listed on national domestic securities exchanges or foreign securities exchanges or traded in the over-the-counter market. A call option written by the Fund obligates that Fund to sell specified securities to the holder of the option at a specified price if the option is exercised on or before the expiration date. Depending upon the type of call option, the purchaser of a call option either (i) has the right to any appreciation in the value of the security over a fixed price (the exercise price) on a certain date in the future (the expiration date) or (ii) has the right to any appreciation in the value of the security over the exercise price at any time prior to the expiration of the option. If the purchaser does not exercise the option, the Fund pays the purchaser the difference between the price of the security and the exercise price of the option. The premium, the exercise price and the market value of the security determine the gain or loss realized by the Fund as the seller of the call option. The Fund can also repurchase the call option prior to the expiration date, ending its obligation. In this case, the cost of entering into closing purchase transactions will determine the gain or loss realized by the Fund. All call options written by the Fund are covered, which means that the Fund will own the securities subject to the option so long as the option is outstanding or the Fund will use the other methods described below. The Funds purpose in writing call options is to realize greater income than would be realized on portfolio securities transactions alone. However, the Fund may forego the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market price of the underlying security.
A put option written by the Fund obligates the Fund to purchase specified securities from the option holder at a specified price if the option is exercised on or before the expiration date. All put options written by the Fund would be covered, which means that the Fund will identify on its books cash or liquid assets with a value at least equal to the exercise price of the put option (less any margin on deposit) or will use the other methods described below. The purpose of writing such options is to generate additional income for the Fund. However, in return for the option premium, the Fund accepts the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying securities at a price in excess of the securities market value at the time of purchase.
In the case of a call option, the option may be covered if the Fund owns the instrument underlying the call or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that instrument without additional cash consideration (or, if additional cash consideration is required, liquid assets in such amount are identified on the Funds books) upon conversion or exchange of other instruments held by it. A call option may also be covered if the Fund holds a call on the same instrument as the option written where the exercise price of the option held is (i) equal to or less than the exercise price of the option written, or (ii) greater than the exercise price of the option written provided the Fund identifies liquid assets in the amount of the difference. A put option may be covered if the Fund holds a put on the same security as the option written where the exercise price of the option held is (i) equal to or higher than the exercise price of the option written, or (ii) less than the exercise price of the option written provided the Fund identifies on its books liquid assets in the amount of the difference. Identified cash or liquid assets may be quoted or denominated in any currency.
The Fund may terminate its obligations under an exchange-traded call or put option by purchasing an option identical to the one it has written. Obligations under over-the-counter options may be terminated only by entering into an offsetting transaction with the counterparty to such option. Such purchases are referred to as closing purchase transactions.
The Fund may also write (sell) call and put options on any securities index consisting of securities in which it may invest. Options on securities indices are similar to options on securities, except that the exercise of securities index options requires cash settlement payments and does not involve the actual purchase or sale of securities. In addition, securities index options are designed to reflect price fluctuations in a group of securities or segment of the securities market rather than price fluctuations in a single security.
The Fund may cover call options on a securities index by owning securities whose price changes are expected to be similar to those of the underlying index or by having an absolute and immediate right to acquire such securities without additional cash consideration (or if additional cash consideration is required, liquid assets in such amount are identified on the Funds books) upon conversion or exchange of other securities held by it. The Fund may also cover call and put options by identifying cash or liquid assets, as permitted by applicable law, with a value, when added to any margin on deposit, that is equal to the market value of the underlying securities in the case of a call option or the exercise price in the case of a put option or by owning offsetting options as described above.
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The writing of options is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of options to seek to increase total return involves the risk of loss if the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of fluctuations in securities prices or interest rates. The successful use of options for hedging purposes also depends in part on the ability of the Investment Adviser to predict future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities markets. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of changes in securities prices or determination of the correlation between the securities indices on which options are written and purchased and the securities in the Funds investment portfolio, the investment performance of the Fund will be less favorable than it would have been in the absence of such options transactions. The writing of options could increase the Funds portfolio turnover rate and, therefore, associated brokerage commissions or spreads.
Purchasing Options. The Fund may purchase put and call options on any securities in which it may invest or any securities index consisting of securities in which it may invest. In addition, the Fund may enter into closing sale transactions in order to realize gains or minimize losses on options it had purchased.
The Fund may purchase call options in anticipation of an increase, or put options in anticipation of a decrease (protective puts), in the market value of securities or other instruments of the type in which it may invest. The purchase of a call option would entitle the Fund, in return for the premium paid, to purchase specified securities or other instruments at a specified price during the option period. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain on the purchase of a call option if, during the option period, the value of such securities exceeded the sum of the exercise price, the premium paid and transaction costs; otherwise the Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the call option. The purchase of a put option would entitle the Fund, in exchange for the premium paid, to sell specified securities at a specified price during the option period. The purchase of protective puts is designed to offset or hedge against a decline in the market value of the Funds securities. Put options may also be purchased by the Fund for the purpose of affirmatively benefiting from a decline in the price of securities which it does not own. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying securities decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to cover the premium and transaction costs; otherwise the Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the put option. Gains and losses on the purchase of put options may be offset by countervailing changes in the value of the underlying portfolio securities.
The Fund may purchase put and call options on securities indices for the same purposes as it may purchase options on securities. Options on securities indices are similar to options on securities, except that the exercise of securities index options requires cash payments and does not involve the actual purchase or sale of securities. In addition, securities index options are designed to reflect price fluctuations in a group of securities or segment of the securities market rather than price fluctuations in a single security.
Writing and Purchasing Currency Call and Put Options. The Fund may write put and call options and purchase put and call options on foreign currencies in an attempt to protect against declines in the U.S. dollar value of foreign portfolio securities and against increases in the U.S. dollar cost of foreign securities to be acquired. The Fund may also use options on currency to cross-hedge, which involves writing or purchasing options on one currency to seek to hedge against changes in exchange rates for a different currency with a pattern of correlation. As with other kinds of option transactions, however, the writing of an option on foreign currency will constitute only a partial hedge, up to the amount of the premium received. If an option that the Fund has written is exercised, the Fund could be required to purchase or sell foreign currencies at disadvantageous exchange rates, thereby incurring losses. The purchase of an option on foreign currency may constitute an effective hedge against exchange rate fluctuations; however, in the event of exchange rate movements adverse to the Funds position, the Fund may forfeit the entire amount of the premium plus related transaction costs. Options on foreign currencies may be traded on U.S. and foreign exchanges or over-the-counter. In addition, the Fund may purchase call options on currency to seek to increase total return.
A currency call option written by the Fund obligates the Fund to sell specified currency to the holder of the option at a specified price if the option is exercised at any time before the expiration date. A currency put option written by the Fund obligates the Fund to purchase specified currency from the option holder at a specified price if the option is exercised at any time before the expiration date. The writing of currency options involves a risk that the Fund will, upon exercise of the option, be required to sell currency subject to a call at a price that is less than the currencys market value or be required to purchase currency subject to a put at a price that exceeds the currencys market value. Written put and call options on foreign currencies may be covered in a manner similar to written put and call options on securities and securities indices described under Options on Securities and Securities IndicesWriting Options above.
The Fund may terminate its obligations under a written call or put option by purchasing an option identical to the one written. Such purchases are referred to as closing purchase transactions. The Fund may enter into closing sale transactions in order to realize gains or minimize losses on purchased options.
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The Fund may purchase call options on foreign currency in anticipation of an increase in the U.S. dollar value of currency in which securities to be acquired by the Fund are denominated or quoted. The purchase of a call option would entitle the Fund, in return for the premium paid, to purchase specified currency at a specified price during the option period. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of such currency exceeded the sum of the exercise price, the premium paid and transaction costs; otherwise, the Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the call option.
The Fund may purchase put options in anticipation of a decline in the U.S. dollar value of currency in which securities in its portfolio are denominated or quoted (protective puts). The purchase of a put option would entitle the Fund, in exchange for the premium paid, to sell specified currency at a specified price during the option period. The purchase of protective puts is usually designed to offset or hedge against a decline in the U.S. dollar value of the Funds portfolio securities due to currency exchange rate fluctuations. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying currency decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to more than cover the premium and transaction costs; otherwise, the Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the put option. Gains and losses on the purchase of protective put options would tend to be offset by countervailing changes in the value of the underlying currency.
In addition to using options for the hedging purposes described above, the Fund may use options on currency to seek to increase total return. The Fund may write (sell) covered put and call options on any currency in an attempt to realize greater income than would be realized on portfolio securities transactions alone. However, in writing covered call options for additional income, the Fund may forego the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market value of the underlying currency. Also, when writing put options, the Fund accepts, in return for the option premium, the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying currency at a price in excess of the currencys market value at the time of purchase.
The Fund may purchase call options to seek to increase total return in anticipation of an increase in the market value of a currency. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of such currency exceeded the sum of the exercise price, the premium paid and transaction costs. Otherwise the Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the call option. Put options may be purchased by the Fund for the purpose of benefiting from a decline in the value of currencies which they do not own. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying currency decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to more than cover the premium and transaction costs. Otherwise, the Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the put option.
Special Risks Associated with Options on Currency. An exchange-traded option position may be closed out only on an options exchange that provides a secondary market for an option of the same series. Although the Fund will generally purchase or write only those options for which there appears to be an active secondary market, there is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an exchange will exist for any particular option or at any particular time. For some options no secondary market on an exchange may exist. In such event, it might not be possible to effect closing transactions in particular options, with the result that the Fund would have to exercise its options in order to realize any profit and would incur transaction costs upon the sale of underlying securities pursuant to the exercise of its options. If the Fund as a covered call option writer is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction in a secondary market, it will not be able to sell the underlying currency (or security quoted or denominated in that currency), or dispose of the identified assets, until the option expires or it delivers the underlying currency upon exercise.
There is no assurance that higher-than-anticipated trading activity or other unforeseen events might not, at times, render certain of the facilities of the Options Clearing Corporation inadequate, and thereby result in the institution by an exchange of special procedures which may interfere with the timely execution of customers orders.
The Fund may purchase and write over-the-counter options to the extent consistent with its limitation on investments in illiquid securities. Trading in over-the-counter options is subject to the risk that the other party will be unable or unwilling to close out options purchased or written by the Fund.
The amount of the premiums that the Fund may pay or receive, may be adversely affected as new or existing institutions, including other investment companies, engage in or increase their option purchasing and writing activities.
Yield Curve Options. The Fund may enter into options on the yield spread or differential between two securities. Such transactions are referred to as yield curve options. In contrast to other types of options, a yield curve option is based on the difference between the yields of designated securities, rather than the prices of the individual securities, and is settled through cash payments. Accordingly, a yield curve option is profitable to the holder if this differential widens (in the case of a call) or narrows (in the case of a put), regardless of whether the yields of the underlying securities increase or decrease.
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The Fund may purchase or write yield curve options for the same purposes as other options on securities. For example, the Fund may purchase a call option on the yield spread between two securities if the Fund owns one of the securities and anticipates purchasing the other security and wants to hedge against an adverse change in the yield spread between the two securities. The Fund may also purchase or write yield curve options in an effort to increase current income if, in the judgment of the Investment Adviser, the Fund will be able to profit from movements in the spread between the yields of the underlying securities. The trading of yield curve options is subject to all of the risks associated with the trading of other types of options. In addition, however, such options present a risk of loss even if the yield of one of the underlying securities remains constant, or if the spread moves in a direction or to an extent which was not anticipated.
Yield curve options written by the Fund will be covered. A call (or put) option is covered if the Fund holds another call (or put) option on the spread between the same two securities and identifies on its books cash or liquid assets sufficient to cover the Funds net liability under the two options. Therefore, the Funds liability for such a covered option is generally limited to the difference between the amount of the Funds liability under the option written by the Fund less the value of the option held by the Fund. Yield curve options may also be covered in such other manner as may be in accordance with the requirements of the counterparty with which the option is traded and applicable laws and regulations. Yield curve options are traded over-the-counter, and established trading markets for these options may not exist.
Risks Associated with Options Transactions. There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on a domestic or foreign options exchange will exist for any particular exchange-traded option or at any particular time. If the Fund is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction with respect to covered options it has written, the Fund will not be able to sell the underlying securities or dispose of the assets identified on its books to cover the position until the options expire or are exercised. Similarly, if the Fund is unable to effect a closing sale transaction with respect to options it has purchased, it will have to exercise the options in order to realize any profit and will incur transaction costs upon the purchase or sale of underlying securities.
Reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening or closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or the Options Clearing Corporation 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.
There can be no assurance that higher trading activity, order flow or other unforeseen events will not, at times, render certain of the facilities of the Options Clearing Corporation or various exchanges inadequate. Such events have, in the past, resulted in the institution by an exchange of special procedures, such as trading rotations, restrictions on certain types of order or trading halts or suspensions with respect to one or more options. These special procedures may limit liquidity.
The Fund may purchase and sell both options that are traded on U.S. and foreign exchanges and options traded over-the-counter with broker-dealers and other types of institutions that make markets in these options. The ability to terminate over-the-counter options is more limited than with exchange-traded options and may involve the risk that the broker-dealers or financial institutions participating in such transactions will not fulfill their obligations.
Transactions by the Fund in options will be subject to limitations established by each of the exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities on which such options are traded governing the maximum number of options in each class which may be written or purchased by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert regardless of whether the options are written or purchased on the same or different exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities or are held in one or more accounts or through one or more brokers. Thus, the number of options which the Fund may write or purchase may be affected by options written or purchased by other investment advisory clients of an Investment Adviser. An exchange, board of trade or other trading facility may order the liquidation of positions found to be in excess of these limits, and it may impose certain other sanctions.
The writing and purchase of options is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of options to seek to increase total return involves the risk of loss if the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of fluctuations in securities prices or interest rates. The successful use of options for hedging purposes also depends in part on the ability of the Investment Adviser to manage future price fluctuations and the
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degree of correlation between the options and securities (or currency) markets. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of changes in securities prices or determination of the correlation between the securities or securities indices on which options are written and purchased and the securities in the Funds investment portfolio, the Fund may incur losses that it would not otherwise incur. The writing of options could increase the Funds portfolio turnover rate and, therefore, associated brokerage commissions or spreads.
Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts
The Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts and may also purchase and write call and put options on futures contracts. The Fund may also enter into closing purchase and sale transactions with respect to any of such contracts and options. The futures contracts may be based on various securities (such as U.S. Government securities), securities indices, foreign currencies and any other financial instruments and indices. Financial futures contracts used by the Fund include interest rate futures contracts including, among others, Eurodollar futures contracts. Eurodollar futures contracts are U.S. dollar-denominated futures contracts that are based on the implied forward LIBOR of a three-month deposit.
The Fund may engage in futures and related options transactions in order to seek to increase total return or to hedge against changes in interest rates, securities prices or, if the Fund invests in foreign securities, currency exchange rates, or to otherwise manage its term structure, sector selection and duration in accordance with its investment objective and policies. The Fund may also enter into closing purchase and sale transactions with respect to such contracts and options.
Futures contracts entered into by funds have historically been traded on U.S. exchanges or boards of trade that are licensed and regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) or on foreign exchanges. More recently, certain futures may also be traded either over-the-counter or on trading facilities such as derivatives transaction execution facilities, exempt boards of trade or electronic trading facilities that are licensed and/or regulated to varying degrees by the CFTC. Also, certain single stock futures and narrow based security index futures may be traded either over-the-counter or on trading facilities such as contract markets, derivatives transaction execution facilities and electronic trading facilities that are licensed and/or regulated to varying degrees by both the CFTC and the SEC or on foreign exchanges.
Neither the CFTC, National Futures Association (NFA), SEC nor any domestic exchange regulates activities of any foreign exchange or boards of trade, including the execution, delivery and clearing of transactions, or has the power to compel enforcement of the rules of a foreign exchange or board of trade or any applicable foreign law. This is true even if the exchange is formally linked to a domestic market so that a position taken on the market may be liquidated by a transaction on another market. Moreover, such laws or regulations will vary depending on the foreign country in which the foreign futures or foreign options transaction occurs. For these reasons, the Funds investments in foreign futures or foreign options transactions may not be provided the same protections in respect of transactions on United States exchanges. In particular, persons who trade foreign futures or foreign options contracts may not be afforded certain of the protective measures provided by the CEA, the CFTCs regulations and the rules of the NFA and any domestic exchange, including the right to use reparations proceedings before the CFTC and arbitration proceedings provided by the NFA or any domestic futures exchange. Similarly, these persons may not have the protection of the U.S. securities laws.
Futures Contracts. A futures contract may generally be described as an agreement between two parties to buy and sell particular financial instruments or currencies for an agreed price during a designated month (or to deliver the final cash settlement price, in the case of a contract relating to an index or otherwise not calling for physical delivery at the end of trading in the contract).
When interest rates are rising or securities prices are falling, the Fund can seek to offset a decline in the value of its current portfolio securities through the sale of futures contracts. When interest rates are falling or securities prices are rising, the Fund, through the purchase of futures contracts, can attempt to secure better rates or prices than might later be available in the market when it effects anticipated purchases. The Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts on a specified currency in order to seek to increase total return or to protect against changes in currency exchange rates. For example, the Fund may seek to offset anticipated changes in the value of a currency in which its portfolio securities, or securities that it intends to purchase, are quoted or denominated by purchasing and selling futures contracts on such currencies. In addition, the Fund may enter into futures transactions to seek a closer correlation between the Funds overall currency exposures and the currency exposures of the Funds performance benchmark.
Positions taken in the futures markets are not normally held to maturity but are instead liquidated through offsetting transactions which may result in a profit or a loss. While futures contracts on securities or currency will usually be liquidated in this manner, the Fund may instead make or take delivery of the underlying securities or currency whenever it appears economically advantageous to do so. A clearing corporation associated with the exchange on which futures on securities or currency are traded guarantees that, if still open, the sale or purchase will be performed on the settlement date.
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Hedging Strategies Using Futures Contracts. When the Fund uses futures for hedging purposes, the Fund often seeks to establish with more certainty than would otherwise be possible the effective price or rate of return on portfolio securities (or securities that the Fund proposes to acquire) or the exchange rate of currencies in which portfolio securities are quoted or denominated. The Fund may, for example, take a short position in the futures market by selling futures contracts to seek to hedge against an anticipated rise in interest rates or a decline in market prices or foreign currency rates that would adversely affect the U.S. dollar value of the Funds portfolio securities. Such futures contracts may include contracts for the future delivery of securities held by the Fund or securities with characteristics similar to those of the Funds portfolio securities. Similarly, the Fund may sell futures contracts on any currencies in which its portfolio securities are quoted or denominated or sell futures contracts on one currency to seek to hedge against fluctuations in the value of securities quoted or denominated in a different currency if there is an established historical pattern of correlation between the two currencies. If, in the opinion of the Investment Adviser, there is a sufficient degree of correlation between price trends for the Funds portfolio securities and futures contracts based on other financial instruments, securities indices or other indices, the Fund may also enter into such futures contracts as part of a hedging strategy. Although under some circumstances prices of securities in the Funds portfolio may be more or less volatile than prices of such futures contracts, the Investment Adviser will attempt to estimate the extent of this volatility difference based on historical patterns and compensate for any such differential by having the Fund enter into a greater or lesser number of futures contracts or by attempting to achieve only a partial hedge against price changes affecting the Funds portfolio securities. When hedging of this character is successful, any depreciation in the value of portfolio securities will be substantially offset by appreciation in the value of the futures position. On the other hand, any unanticipated appreciation in the value of the Funds portfolio securities would be substantially offset by a decline in the value of the futures position.
On other occasions, the Fund may take a long position by purchasing futures contracts. This may be done, for example, when the Fund anticipates the subsequent purchase of particular securities when it has the necessary cash, but expects the prices or currency exchange rates then available in the applicable market to be less favorable than prices or rates that are currently available.
Options on Futures Contracts. The acquisition of put and call options on futures contracts will give the Fund the right (but not the obligation) for a specified price to sell or to purchase, respectively, the underlying futures contract at any time during the option period. As the purchaser of an option on a futures contract, the Fund obtains the benefit of the futures position if prices move in a favorable direction but limits its risk of loss in the event of an unfavorable price movement to the loss of the premium and transaction costs.
The writing of a call option on a futures contract generates a premium which may partially offset a decline in the value of the Funds assets. By writing a call option, the Fund becomes obligated, in exchange for the premium, to sell a futures contract if the option is exercised, which may have a value higher than the exercise price. The writing of a put option on a futures contract generates a premium which may partially offset an increase in the price of securities that the Fund intends to purchase. However, the Fund becomes obligated (upon exercise of the option) to purchase a futures contract if the option is exercised, which may have a value lower than the exercise price. Thus, the loss incurred by the Fund in writing options on futures is potentially unlimited and may exceed the amount of the premium received. The Fund will incur transaction costs in connection with the writing of options on futures.
The holder or writer of an option on a futures contract may terminate its position by selling or purchasing an offsetting option on the same financial instrument. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be effected. The Funds ability to establish and close out positions on such options will be subject to the development and maintenance of a liquid market.
Other Considerations. The Fund will engage in transactions in futures contracts and related options transactions only to the extent such transactions are consistent with the requirements of the Code for maintaining their qualifications as regulated investment companies for federal income tax purposes. Transactions in futures contracts and options on futures involve brokerage costs, require margin deposits and, in certain cases, require the Fund to identify on its books cash or liquid assets. The Fund may cover its transactions in futures contracts and related options by identifying on its books cash or liquid assets or by other means, in any manner permitted by applicable law.
While transactions in futures contracts and options on futures may reduce certain risks, such transactions themselves entail certain other risks. Thus, unanticipated changes in interest rates, securities prices or currency exchange rates may result in a poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not entered into any futures contracts or options transactions. When futures contracts and options are used for hedging purposes, perfect correlation between the Funds futures positions and portfolio positions may be
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impossible to achieve, particularly where futures contracts based on individual equity or corporate fixed income securities are currently not available. In the event of imperfect correlation between a futures position and a portfolio position which is intended to be protected, the desired protection may not be obtained and the Fund may be exposed to risk of loss.
In addition, it is not possible for the Fund to hedge fully or perfectly against currency fluctuations affecting the value of securities quoted or denominated in foreign currencies because the value of such securities is likely to fluctuate as a result of independent factors unrelated to currency fluctuations. The profitability of the Funds trading in futures depends upon the ability of the Investment Adviser to analyze correctly the futures markets.
Combined Transactions
The Fund may enter into multiple transactions, including multiple options transactions, multiple futures transactions, multiple currency transactions (as applicable)(including forward currency contracts) and multiple interest rate and other swap transactions and any combination of futures, options, currency and swap transactions (component transactions) as part of a single or combined strategy when, in the opinion of the Investment Adviser, it is in the best interests of the Fund to do so. A combined transaction will usually contain elements of risk that are present in each of its component transactions. Although combined transactions are normally entered into based on the Investment Advisers judgment that the combined strategies will reduce risk or otherwise more effectively achieve the desired portfolio management goal, it is possible that the combination will instead increase such risks or hinder achievement of the portfolio management objective.
Short Sales
The Fund may engage in short sales. Short sales are transactions in which the Fund sells a security it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of that security. To complete such a transaction, the Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund then is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund. Until the security is replaced, the Fund is required to pay to the lender amounts equal to any dividend which accrues during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, the Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. There will also be other costs associated with short sales.
The Fund will incur a loss as a result of the short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the borrowed security. The Fund will realize a gain if the security declines in price between those dates. This result is the opposite of what one would expect from a cash purchase of a long position in a security. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of any premium or amounts in lieu of interest the Fund may be required to pay in connection with a short sale, and will be also decreased by any transaction or other costs.
Until the Fund replaces a borrowed security in connection with a short sale, the Fund will (a) identify on its books cash or liquid assets at such a level that the identified assets plus any amount deposited as collateral will equal the current value of the security sold short or (b) otherwise cover its short position in accordance with applicable law.
There is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to close out a short position at any particular time or at an acceptable price. During the time that the Fund is short a security, it is subject to the risk that the lender of the security will terminate the loan at a time when the Fund is unable to borrow the same security from another lender. If that occurs, the Fund may be bought in at the price required to purchase the security needed to close out the short position, which may be a disadvantageous price.
Short Sales Against the Box. The Fund may engage in short sales against the box. As noted above, a short sale is made by selling a security the seller does not own. A short sale is against the box to the extent that the seller contemporaneously owns or has the right to obtain, at no added cost, securities identical to those sold short. The Fund may enter into a short sale against the box, for example, to lock in a sales price for a security the Fund does not wish to sell immediately. If the Fund sells securities short against the box, it may protect itself from loss if the price of the securities declines in the future, but will lose the opportunity to profit on such securities if the price rises. If the Fund effects a short sale of securities at a time when it has an unrealized gain on the securities, it may be required to recognize that gain as if it had actually sold the securities (as a constructive sale) on the date it effects the short sale. However, such constructive sale treatment may not apply if the Fund closes out the short sale with securities other than the appreciated securities held at the time of the short sale and if certain other conditions are satisfied. Uncertainty regarding the tax consequences of effecting short sales may limit the extent to which the Fund may effect short sales.
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Mortgage Dollar Rolls
The Fund may enter into mortgage dollar rolls in which the Fund sells securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts with the same counterparty to repurchase similar, but not identical, securities on a specified future date. During the roll period, the Fund loses the right to receive principal and interest paid on the securities sold. However, the Fund would benefit to the extent of any difference between the price received for the securities sold and the lower forward price for the future purchase or fee income plus the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the securities sold until the settlement date of the forward purchase. All cash proceeds will be invested in instruments that are permissible investments for the Fund. The Fund will, until the settlement date, identify cash or liquid assets on its books, as permitted by applicable law, in an amount equal to its forward purchase price.
For financial reporting and tax purposes, the Fund treats mortgage dollar rolls as two separate transactions; one involving the purchase of a security and a separate transaction involving a sale. The Fund does not currently intend to enter into mortgage dollar rolls for financing and does not treat them as borrowings.
Mortgage dollar rolls involve certain risks including the following: if the broker-dealer to whom the Fund sells the security becomes insolvent, the Funds right to purchase or repurchase the mortgage-related securities subject to the mortgage dollar roll may be restricted. Also, the instrument which the Fund is required to repurchase may be worth less than an instrument which the Fund originally held. Successful use of mortgage dollar rolls will depend upon the Investment Advisers ability to manage the Funds interest rate and mortgage prepayments exposure. For these reasons, there is no assurance that mortgage dollar rolls can be successfully employed. The use of this technique may diminish the investment performance of the Fund compared with what such performance would have been without the use of mortgage dollar rolls.
Convertible Securities
The Fund may invest in convertible securities. Convertible securities are bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks or other securities that may be converted into or exchanged for a specified amount of common stock (or other securities) of the same or different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest that is generally paid or accrued on debt or a dividend that is paid or accrued on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Convertible securities have unique investment characteristics, in that they generally (i) have higher yields than common stocks, but lower yields than comparable non-convertible securities, (ii) are less subject to fluctuation in value than the underlying common stock due to their fixed income characteristics and (iii) provide the potential for capital appreciation if the market price of the underlying common stock increases.
The value of a convertible security is a function of its investment value (determined by its yield in comparison with the yields of other securities of comparable maturity and quality that do not have a conversion privilege) and its conversion value (the securitys worth, at market value, if converted into the underlying common stock). The investment value of a convertible security is influenced by changes in interest rates, with investment value normally declining as interest rates increase and increasing as interest rates decline. The credit standing of the issuer and other factors may also have an effect on the convertible securitys investment value. The conversion value of a convertible security is determined by the market price of the underlying common stock. If the conversion value is low relative to the investment value, the price of the convertible security is governed principally by its investment value. To the extent the market price of the underlying common stock approaches or exceeds the conversion price, the price of the convertible security will be increasingly influenced by its conversion value. A convertible security generally will sell at a premium over its conversion value by the extent to which investors place value on the right to acquire the underlying common stock while holding a fixed income security.
A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible securitys governing instrument. If a convertible security held by the Fund is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to permit the issuer to redeem the security, convert it into the underlying common stock or sell it to a third party. Any of these actions could have an adverse effect on the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective, which, in turn, could result in losses to the Fund. To the extent that the Fund holds a convertible security, or a security that is otherwise converted or exchanged for common stock (e.g., as a result of a restructuring), the Fund may, consistent with its investment objective, hold such common stock in its portfolio.
Lending of Portfolio Securities
The Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other institutions, including Goldman Sachs, although it does not presently intend to do so. By lending its securities, the Fund attempts to increase its net investment income.
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Securities loans are required to be secured continuously by collateral in cash, cash equivalents, letters of credit or U.S. Government securities equal to at least 100% of the value of the loaned securities. This collateral must be valued, or marked to market, daily. Borrowers are required to furnish additional collateral to the Fund as necessary to fully cover their obligations.
With respect to loans that are collateralized by cash, the Fund may reinvest that cash in short-term investments and pay the borrower a pre-negotiated fee or rebate from any return earned on the investment. Investing the collateral subjects it to market depreciation or appreciation, and the Fund is responsible for any loss that may result from its investment of the borrowed collateral. Cash collateral may be invested in, among other things, other registered or unregistered funds, including private investing funds or money market funds that are managed by the Investment Adviser or its affiliates, and which pay the Investment Adviser or its affiliates for their services. If the Fund would receive non-cash collateral, the Fund receives a fee from the borrower equal to a negotiated percentage of the market value of the loaned securities.
For the duration of any securities loan, the Fund will continue to receive the equivalent of the interest, dividends or other distributions paid by the issuer on the loaned securities. The Fund will not have the right to vote its loaned securities during the period of the loan, but the Fund may attempt to recall a loaned security in anticipation of a material vote if it desires to do so. The Fund will have the right to terminate a loan at any time and recall the loaned securities within the normal and customary settlement time for securities transactions.
Securities lending involves certain risks. The Fund may lose money on its investment of cash collateral, resulting in a loss of principal, or may fail to earn sufficient income on its investment to cover the fee or rebate it has agreed to pay the borrower. The Fund may incur losses in connection with its securities lending activities that exceed the value of the interest income and fees received in connection with such transactions. Securities lending subjects the Fund to the risk of loss resulting from problems in the settlement and accounting process, and to additional credit, counterparty and market risk. These risks could be greater with respect to non-U.S. securities. Engaging in securities lending could have a leveraging effect, which may intensify the other risks associated with investments in the Fund. In addition, the Fund bears the risk that the price of the securities on loan will increase while they are on loan, or that the price of the collateral will decline in value during the period of the loan, and that the counterparty will not provide, or will delay in providing, additional collateral. The Fund also bears the risk that a borrower may fail to return securities in a timely manner or at all, either because the borrower fails financially or for other reasons. If a borrower of securities fails financially, the Fund may also lose its rights in the collateral. The Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering loaned securities or in gaining access to and liquidating the collateral, which could result in actual financial loss and which could interfere with portfolio management decisions or the exercise of ownership rights in the loaned securities. If the Fund is not able to recover the securities lent, the Fund may sell the collateral and purchase replacement securities in the market. However, the Fund will incur transaction costs on the purchase of replacement securities. These events could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. In determining whether to lend securities to a particular borrower, and throughout the period of the loan, the creditworthiness of the borrower will be considered and monitored. Loans will only be made to firms deemed to be of good standing, and where the consideration that can be earned currently from securities loans of this type is deemed to justify the attendant risk. It is intended that the value of securities loaned by the Fund will not exceed one-third of the value of the Funds total assets (including the loan collateral).
The Fund will consider the loaned securities as assets of the Fund, but will not consider any collateral as the Fund asset except when determining total assets for the purpose of the above one-third limitation. Loan collateral (including any investment of the collateral) is not subject to the percentage limitations stated elsewhere in this SAI or in the Prospectus regarding investing in fixed income securities and cash equivalents.
The Funds Board of Trustees may approve the Funds participation in a securities lending program and adopt policies and procedures relating thereto. The Fund may retain an affiliate of the Investment Adviser to serve as its securities lending agent.
For its services, the securities lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund, including a fee based on the returns earned on the Funds investment of cash received as collateral for the loaned securities. In addition, the Fund may make brokerage and other payments to Goldman Sachs and its affiliates in connection with the Funds portfolio investment transactions. The Funds Board of Trustees periodically reviews securities loan transactions for which a Goldman Sachs affiliate has acted as lending agent for compliance with the Funds securities lending procedures. Goldman Sachs may also be approved as a borrower under the Funds securities lending program, subject to certain conditions.
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Restricted and Illiquid Securities
The Fund may purchase securities and other financial instruments that are not registered or that are offered in an exempt non-public offering (Restricted Securities) under the 1933 Act, including securities eligible for resale to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act. However, the Fund will not invest more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments, which include repurchase agreements with a notice or demand period of more than seven days, certain SMBS, certain municipal leases, certain over-the-counter options, securities and other financial instruments that are not readily marketable, certain Senior Loans and Second Lien Loans, certain CDOs, CLOs, CBOs, bank obligations, non-investment grade securities and other credit instruments and Restricted Securities unless, based upon a review of the trading markets for specific investments, those investments are determined to be liquid. Those investment practices could have the effect of increasing the level of illiquidity in the Fund to the extent that market demand for securities held by the Fund decreases such that previously liquid securities become illiquid. The Trustees have adopted guidelines and delegated to the Investment Adviser the function of determining and monitoring the liquidity of the Funds portfolio securities.
The purchase price and subsequent valuation of Restricted Securities may reflect a discount from the price at which such securities trade when they are not restricted, because the restriction makes them less liquid. The amount of the discount from the prevailing market price is expected to vary depending upon the type of security, the character of the issuer, the party who will bear the expenses of registering the Restricted Securities and prevailing supply and demand conditions.
When-Issued Securities and Forward Commitments
The Fund may purchase securities on a when-issued basis or purchase or sell securities on a forward commitment basis beyond the customary settlement time. These transactions involve a commitment by the Fund to purchase or sell securities at a future date. The price of the underlying securities (usually expressed in terms of yield) and the date when the securities will be delivered and paid for (the settlement date) are fixed at the time the transaction is negotiated. When-issued purchases and forward commitment transactions are negotiated directly with the other party, and such commitments are not traded on exchanges. The Fund will generally purchase securities on a when-issued basis or purchase or sell securities on a forward commitment basis only with the intention of completing the transaction and actually purchasing or selling the securities. If deemed advisable as a matter of investment strategy, however, the Fund may dispose of or negotiate a commitment after entering into it. The Fund may also sell securities it has committed to purchase before those securities are delivered to the Fund on the settlement date. The Fund may realize capital gains or losses in connection with these transactions. For purposes of determining the Funds duration, the maturity of when-issued or forward commitment securities for fixed-rate obligations will be calculated from the commitment date. The Fund is generally required to identify on its books, until three days prior to settlement date, cash and liquid assets in an amount sufficient to meet the purchase price unless the Funds obligations are otherwise covered. Alternatively, the Fund may enter into offsetting contracts for the forward sale of other securities that it owns. Securities purchased or sold on a when-issued or forward commitment basis involve a risk of loss if the value of the security to be purchased declines prior to the settlement date or if the value of the security to be sold increases prior to the settlement date.
MMD Rate Locks
The Fund may purchase and sell Municipal Market Data AAA Cash Curve forward contracts, also known as MMD rate locks. The Fund may use these transactions for hedging purposes or, to the extent consistent with its investment policies, to enhance income or gain or to increase the Funds yield, for example, during periods of steep interest rate yield curves (i.e., wide differences between short term and long term interest rates).
An MMD rate lock permits the Fund to lock in a specified municipal interest rate for a portion of its portfolio to preserve a return on a particular investment, as a duration management technique, or to protect against any increase in the price of securities to be purchased at a later date. By using an MMD rate lock, the Fund can create a synthetic long or short position, allowing the Fund to select the most attractive part of the yield curve. An MMD rate lock is a forward contract between the Fund and an MMD rate lock provider pursuant to which the parties agree to make payments to each other on a notional amount, contingent upon whether the Municipal Market Data AAA General Obligations Scale is above or below a specified level on the expiration date of the contract. In connection with investments in MMD rate locks, there is a risk that municipal yields will move in the opposite direction than that anticipated by the Fund, which would cause the Fund to make payments to its counterparty in the transaction that could adversely affect the Funds performance.
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Pooled Investment Vehicles
The Fund may invest in securities of pooled investment vehicles, including other investment companies and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees and other expenses paid by pooled investment vehicles in which it invests, in addition to the management fees (and other expenses) paid by the Fund. The Funds investments in pooled investment vehicles are subject to statutory limitations prescribed by the Act, including in certain circumstances a prohibition on the Fund acquiring more that 3% of the voting shares of any other investment company, and a prohibition on investing more than 5% of the Funds total assets in securities of any one investment company or more than 10% of its total assets in the securities of all investment companies. Many ETFs, however, have obtained exemptive relief from the SEC to permit unaffiliated funds (such as the Fund) to invest in their shares beyond these statutory limits, subject to certain conditions and pursuant to contractual arrangements between the ETFs and the investing funds. The Fund may rely on these exemptive orders in investing in ETFs. Moreover, pursuant to an exemptive order obtained from the SEC or under an exemptive rule adopted by the SEC, the Fund may invest in investment companies and money market funds for which the Investment Adviser, or any of its affiliates, serves as investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor. However, to the extent that the Fund invests in a money market fund for which the Investment Adviser or any of its affiliates acts as investment adviser, the management fees payable by the Fund to the Investment Adviser will, to the extent required by the SEC, be reduced by an amount equal to the Funds proportionate share of the management fees paid by such money market fund to its investment adviser. Although the Fund does not expect to do so in the foreseeable future, the Fund is authorized to invest substantially all of its assets in a single open-end investment company or series thereof that has substantially the same investment objective, policies and fundamental restrictions as the Fund. Additionally, if the Fund serves as an underlying Fund to another Goldman Sachs Fund, the underlying Fund may invest a percentage of its assets in other investment companies if those investments are consistent with applicable law and/or exemptive orders obtained from the SEC.
The Fund may purchase shares of investment companies investing primarily in foreign securities, including country funds. Country funds have portfolios consisting primarily of securities of issuers located in specified foreign countries or regions.
ETFs are shares of pooled investment vehicles issuing shares which are traded like traditional equity securities on a stock exchange. An ETF represents a portfolio of securities or other assets, which is often designed to track a particular market segment or index. An investment in an ETF, like one in any pooled investment vehicle, carries the risks of its underlying securities. An ETF may fail to accurately track the returns of the market segment or index that it is designed to track, and the price of an ETFs shares may fluctuate or lose money. In addition, because they, unlike other pooled investment vehicles, are traded on an exchange, ETFs are subject to the following risks: (i) the market price of the ETFs shares may trade at a premium or discount to the ETFs net asset value; (ii) an active trading market for an ETF may not develop or be maintained; and (iii) there is no assurance that the requirements of the exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the ETF will continue to be met or remain unchanged. In the event substantial market or other disruptions affecting ETFs should occur in the future, the liquidity and value of the Funds shares could also be substantially and adversely affected.
Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with banks, brokers, and dealers which furnish collateral at least equal in value or market price to the amount of their repurchase obligation. These repurchase agreements may involve foreign government securities. A repurchase agreement is an arrangement under which the Fund purchases securities and the seller agrees to repurchase the securities within a particular time and at a specified price. Custody of the securities is maintained by the Funds custodian (or sub-custodian). The repurchase price may be higher than the purchase price, the difference being income to the Fund, or the purchase and repurchase prices may be the same, with interest at a stated rate due to the Fund together with the repurchase price on repurchase. In either case, the income to the Fund is unrelated to the interest rate on the security subject to the repurchase agreement.
For purposes of the Act, and generally for tax purposes, a repurchase agreement is deemed to be a loan from the Fund to the seller of the security. For other purposes, it is not always clear whether a court would consider the security purchased by the Fund subject to a repurchase agreement as being owned by the Fund or as being collateral for a loan by the Fund to the seller. In the event of commencement of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings with respect to the seller of the security before repurchase of the security under a repurchase agreement, the Fund may encounter delay and incur costs before being able to sell the security. Such a delay may involve loss of interest or a decline in value of the security. If the court characterizes the transaction as a loan and the Fund has not perfected a security interest in the security, the Fund may be required to return the security to the sellers estate and be treated as an unsecured creditor of the seller. As an unsecured creditor, the Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and interest involved in the transaction.
Apart from the risk of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, there is also the risk that the seller may fail to repurchase the security. However, if the market value of the security subject to the repurchase agreement becomes less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest), the Fund will direct the seller of the security to deliver additional securities so that the market value of all securities subject to the repurchase agreement equals or exceeds the repurchase price. Certain repurchase agreements which provide for settlement in more than seven days can be liquidated before the nominal fixed term on seven days or less notice. Such repurchase agreements will be regarded as liquid instruments.
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The Fund, together with other registered investment companies having management agreements with the Investment Adviser or their affiliates, may transfer uninvested cash balances into a single joint account, the daily aggregate balance of which will be invested in one or more repurchase agreements.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may borrow money by entering into transactions called reverse repurchase agreements. Under these arrangements, the Fund will sell portfolio securities to dealers in U.S. Government securities or members of the Federal Reserve System, with an agreement to repurchase the security on an agreed date, price and interest payment. These reverse repurchase agreements may involve foreign government securities. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the possible risk that the value of portfolio securities the Fund relinquishes may decline below the price the Fund must pay when the transaction closes. Borrowings may magnify the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested resulting in an increase in the speculative character of the Funds outstanding shares.
When the Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it identifies on its books cash or liquid assets that have a value equal to or greater than the repurchase price. The amount of cash or liquid assets so identified is then monitored continuously by the Investment Adviser to make sure that an appropriate value is maintained. Reverse repurchase agreements are considered to be borrowings under the Act.
Portfolio Maturity
Dollar-weighted average maturity is derived by multiplying the value of each investment by the time remaining to its maturity, adding these calculations, and then dividing the total by the value of the Funds portfolio. An obligations maturity is typically determined on a stated final maturity basis, although there are some exceptions. For example, if an issuer of an instrument takes advantage of a maturity-shortening device, such as a call, refunding, or redemption provision, the date on which the instrument is expected to be called, refunded, or redeemed may be considered to be its maturity date. There is no guarantee that the expected call, refund or redemption will occur and the Funds average maturity may lengthen beyond the Investment Advisers expectations should the expected call refund or redemption not occur. Similarly, in calculating its dollar-weighted average maturity, the Fund may determine the maturity of a variable or floating rate obligation according to the interest rate reset date, or the date principal can be recovered on demand, rather than the date of ultimate maturity.
Temporary Investments
The Fund may, for temporary defensive purposes, invest up to 100% of its total assets in: U.S. Government securities; commercial paper rated at least A-2 by Standard & Poors, P-2 by Moodys or having a comparable rating by another NRSRO (or if unrated, determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable credit quality); certificates of deposit; bankers acceptances; repurchase agreements; non-convertible preferred stocks and non-convertible corporate bonds with a remaining maturity of less than one year; ETFs and other investment companies; and cash items. When the Funds assets are invested in such instruments, the Fund may not be achieving its investment objective.
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund may engage in active short-term trading to benefit from yield disparities among different issues of securities or among the markets for fixed income securities, or for other reasons. As a result of active management, it is anticipated that the portfolio turnover rate of the Fund will vary from year to year, and may be affected by changes in the holdings of specific issuers, changes in country and currency weightings, cash requirements for redemption of shares and by requirements which enable the Fund to receive favorable tax treatment. The Fund is not restricted by policy with regard to portfolio turnover and will make changes in their investment portfolio from time to time as business and economic conditions as well as market prices may dictate. When the Fund purchases a TBA mortgage, it can either receive the underlying pools of the TBA mortgage or roll it forward a month. The portfolio turnover rate increases when the Fund rolls the TBA forward.
Special Note Regarding Market Events
Events in the financial sector over the past several years have resulted in reduced liquidity in credit and fixed income markets and in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestically and internationally. While entire markets have been impacted, issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets have been particularly affected. These events and the potential for continuing market turbulence may have an adverse effect on the Funds investments. It is uncertain how long these conditions will continue.
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The instability in the financial markets led the U.S. government to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and certain segments of the financial markets. Federal, state, and foreign governments, regulatory agencies, and self -regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the Fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective.
Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such ownership or disposition may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation and performance of the Funds portfolio holdings.
Non-Diversified Status
Because the Fund is non-diversified under the Act, it is subject only to certain federal tax diversification requirements. Under federal tax laws, the Fund may, with respect to 50% of its total assets, invest up to 25% of its total assets in the securities of any issuer. With respect to the remaining 50% of the Funds total assets, (i) the Fund may not invest more than 5% of its total assets in the securities of any one issuer, and (ii) the Fund may not acquire more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer. These tests apply at the end of each quarter of the taxable year and are subject to certain conditions and limitations under the Code. These tests do not apply to investments in United States Government Securities and regulated investment companies.
The investment restrictions set forth below have been adopted by the Trust as fundamental policies that cannot be changed without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the Act) of the Fund. The investment objective of the Fund and all other investment policies or practices of the Fund are considered by the Trust not to be fundamental and accordingly may be changed without shareholder approval. As defined in the Act, a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund means the vote of (i) 67% or more of the shares of the Fund present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the shares of the Fund.
For the purposes of the limitations (except for the asset coverage requirement with respect to borrowings, which is subject to different requirements under the Act), any limitation which involves a maximum percentage shall not be considered violated unless an excess over the percentage occurs immediately after, and is caused by, an acquisition or encumbrance of securities or assets of, or borrowings by, the Fund.
Fundamental Investment Restrictions
As a matter of fundamental policy, the Fund may not:
(1) | Invest more than 25% of its total assets in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry (excluding the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities). |
(2) | Borrow money, except (a) the Fund, to the extent permitted by applicable law, may borrow from banks (as defined in the Act), other affiliated investment companies and other persons or through reverse repurchase agreements in amounts up to 33-1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) (investments in reverse repurchase agreements would not be subject to this percentage limitation if they are covered in accordance with the Act); (b) the Fund may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, borrow up to an additional 5% of its total assets for temporary purposes; (c) the Fund may obtain such short-term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of portfolio securities; (d) the Fund may purchase securities on margin to the extent permitted by applicable law; and (e) the Fund may engage in transactions in mortgage dollar rolls which are accounted for as financings; |
The following interpretation applies to, but is not part of, this fundamental policy: In determining whether a particular investment in portfolio instruments or participation in portfolio transactions is subject to this borrowing policy, the accounting treatment of such instrument or participation shall be considered, but shall not by itself be determinative. Whether a particular instrument or transaction constitutes a borrowing shall be determined by the Board, after consideration of all of the relevant circumstances.
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(3) | Make loans, except through (a) the purchase of debt obligations, loan interests and other interests or obligations in accordance with the Funds investment objective and policies; (b) repurchase agreements with banks, brokers, dealers and other financial institutions; or (c) loans as permitted by applicable law or pursuant to an exemptive order granted under the Act; |
(4) | Underwrite securities issued by others, except to the extent that the sale of portfolio securities by the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriting; |
(5) | Purchase, hold or deal in real estate, although the Fund may purchase and sell securities that are secured by real estate or interests therein, securities of issuers which invest or deal in real estate, securities of real estate investment trusts and mortgage-related securities and may hold and sell real estate it has acquired as a result of the ownership of securities; |
(6) | Invest in physical commodities, except that the Fund may invest in currency and financial instruments and contracts in accordance with its investment objective and policies, including without limitation, structured notes, futures contracts, swaps, options on commodities, currencies, swaps and futures, ETFs, investment pools and other instruments, regardless of whether such instrument is considered to be a commodity; and |
(7) | Issue senior securities to the extent such issuance would violate applicable law. |
The Fund may, notwithstanding any other fundamental investment restriction or policy, invest some or all of its assets in a single open-end investment company or series thereof with substantially the same fundamental investment restrictions and policies as the Fund.
For purposes of the Funds industry concentration policy, the Investment Adviser may analyze the characteristics of a particular issuer and instrument and may assign an industry classification consistent with those characteristics. The Investment Adviser may, but need not, consider industry classifications provided by third parties, and the classifications applied to Fund investments will be informed by applicable law.
Non-Fundamental Investment Restrictions
In addition to the fundamental policies mentioned above, the Trustees have adopted the following non-fundamental policies which can be changed or amended by action of the Trustees without approval of shareholders. Again, for purposes of the following limitations, any limitation which involves a maximum percentage shall not be considered violated unless an excess over the percentage occurs immediately after, and is caused by, an acquisition of securities by the Fund.
The Fund may not:
(1) | Invest in companies for the purpose of exercising control or management; |
(2) | Invest more than 15% of the Funds net assets in illiquid investments, including illiquid repurchase agreements with a notice or demand period of more than seven days, securities which are not readily marketable and restricted securities not eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act; and |
(3) | Purchase additional securities if the Funds borrowings (excluding covered mortgage dollar rolls and such short-term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of portfolio securities) exceed 5% of its net assets. |
The Trusts Leadership Structure
The business and affairs of the Fund are managed under the direction of the Board of Trustees (the Board), subject to the laws of the State of Delaware and the Trusts Declaration of Trust. The Trustees are responsible for deciding matters of overall policy and reviewing the actions of the Trusts service providers. The officers of the Trust conduct and supervise the Funds daily business
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operations. Trustees who are not deemed to be interested persons of the Trust as defined in the Act are referred to as Independent Trustees. Trustees who are deemed to be interested persons of the Trust are referred to as Interested Trustees. The Board is currently composed of seven Independent Trustees and two Interested Trustees. The Board has selected an Independent Trustee to act as Chairman, whose duties include presiding at meetings of the Board and acting as a focal point to address significant issues that may arise between regularly scheduled Board and Committee meetings. In the performance of the Chairmans duties, the Chairman will consult with the other Independent Trustees and the Funds officers and legal counsel, as appropriate. The Chairman may perform other functions as requested by the Board from time to time.
The Board meets as often as necessary to discharge its responsibilities. Currently, the Board conducts regular, in-person meetings at least six times a year, and holds special in-person or telephonic meetings as necessary to address specific issues that require attention prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting. In addition, the Independent Trustees meet at least annually to review, among other things, investment management agreements, distribution (Rule 12b-1) and/or service plans and related agreements, transfer agency agreements and certain other agreements providing for the compensation of Goldman Sachs and/or its affiliates by the Fund, and to consider such other matters as they deem appropriate.
The Board has established six standing committees Audit, Governance and Nominating, Compliance, Valuation, Dividend and Contract Review Committees. The Board may establish other committees, or nominate one or more Trustees to examine particular issues related to the Boards oversight responsibilities, from time to time. Each Committee meets periodically to perform its delegated oversight functions and reports its findings and recommendations to the Board. For more information on the Committees, see the section STANDING BOARD COMMITTEES, below.
The Trustees have determined that the Trusts leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Trustees to effectively perform their oversight responsibilities.
Trustees of the Trust
Information pertaining to the Trustees of the Trust as of [], 2013 is set forth below.
Independent Trustees
Name, Address and Age1 |
Position(s) Held |
Term of Office |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee4 | |||||
Ashok N. Bakhru Age: [71] |
Chairman of the Board of Trustees | Since 1996 (Trustee since 1991) | Mr. Bakhru is retired. He was formerly Director, Apollo Investment Corporation (a business development company) 2008-2013); President, ABN Associates (a management and financial consulting firm) (19941996 and 19982012); Trustee, Scholarship America (19982005); Trustee, Institute for Higher Education Policy (20032008); Director, Private Equity InvestorsIII and IV (19982007), and Equity-Linked Investors II (April 20022007).
Chairman of the Board of TrusteesGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
[106] | None | |||||
Donald C. Burke Age: [53] |
Trustee | Since 2010 | Mr. Burke is retired. He is Director, Avista Corp. (2011Present); and was formerly a Director, BlackRock Luxembourg and Cayman Funds (20062010); President and Chief Executive Officer, BlackRock U.S. Funds (20072009); Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (20062009).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
[104] | Avista Corp. (an energy company) |
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Name, Address and Age1 |
Position(s) Held |
Term of Office |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee4 | |||||
John P. Coblentz, Jr. Age: [72] | Trustee | Since 2003 | Mr. Coblentz is retired. Formerly, he was Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP (19752003); Director, Emerging Markets Group, Ltd. (20042006); and Director, Elderhostel, Inc. (20062012).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
[106] | None | |||||
Diana M. Daniels Age: [63] |
Trustee | Since 2007 | Ms. Daniels is retired. Formerly, she was Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, The Washington Post Company (19912006). Ms. Daniels serves as a Presidential Councillor of Cornell University (2013Present); Member, Advisory Board, Psychology Without Borders (international humanitarian aid organization) (2007-Present), and former Member of the Legal Advisory Board, New York Stock Exchange (20032006) and of the Corporate Advisory Board, Standish Mellon Management Advisors (20062007).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
[104] | None | |||||
Joseph P. LoRusso Age: [56] |
Trustee | Since 2010 | Mr. LoRusso is retired. Formerly, he was President, Fidelity Investments Institutional Services Co. (FIIS) (20022008); Director, FIIS (20022008); Director, Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company (20032007); Executive Officer, Fidelity Distributors Corporation (20072008).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
[104] | None | |||||
Jessica Palmer Age: [64] |
Trustee | Since 2007 | Ms. Palmer is retired. She is Director, Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture (2011-Present); and was formerly a Consultant, Citigroup Human Resources Department (2007-2008); Managing Director, Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking (previously, Salomon Smith Barney/Salomon Brothers) (19842006). Ms. Palmer was a Member of the Board of Trustees of Indian Mountain School (private elementary and secondary school) (20042009).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
[104] | None | |||||
Richard P. Strubel Age: [73] |
Trustee | Since 1987 | Mr. Strubel is retired. Formerly, he was Director, Cardean Learning Group (provider of educational services via the internet) (20032008); Trustee Emeritus, The University of Chicago (1987Present).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
[106] | The Northern Trust Mutual Fund Complex (64 Portfolios) (Chairman of the Board of Trustees); Gildan Activewear Inc. (a clothing marketing and manufacturing company) |
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Interested Trustees
Name, Address and Age1 |
Position(s) Held |
Term of Office |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee3 |
Other Directorships | |||||
James A. McNamara* Age: [50] | President and Trustee | Since 2007 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993April 1998).
PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2007Present); Senior Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (May 2007November 2007); and Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (20012007).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (since November 2007 and December 2002May 2004). |
[106] | None | |||||
Alan A. Shuch* Age: [63] |
Trustee | Since 1990 | Advisory DirectorGSAM (May 1999Present); Consultant to GSAM (December 1994May 1999); and Limited Partner, Goldman Sachs (December 1994May 1999). TrusteeGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
[104] | None |
Advisory Board Members
Name, Address and Age1 |
Position(s) Held |
Term of Office |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Advisory Board Member3 |
Other Directorships Held by Advisory Board Member4 | |||||
Herbert J. Markley Age: [63] |
Advisory Board Member | Since 2013 | Mr. Markley is retired. Formerly, he was Executive Vice President, Deere & Company (an agricultural and construction equipment manufacturer) (2007-2009), and President, Agricultural Division, Deere & Company (2001-2007). | [104] | None | |||||
Roy W. Templin Age: [52] |
Advisory Board Member | Since 2013 | Mr. Templin is retired. He is Director, Con-Way Incorporated (2012Present); and was formerly Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Whirlpool Corporation (an appliance manufacturer and marketer) (20042012). | [104] | Con-Way Incorporated (a transportation, supply-chain management and logistics services company) |
* | These persons are considered to be Interested Trustees because they hold positions with Goldman Sachs and own securities issued by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Each Interested Trustee holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor. |
1 | Each Trustee and Advisory Board Member may be contacted by writing to the Trustee or Advisory Board Member, c/o Goldman Sachs, 200 West Street, New York, New York, 10282, Attn: Caroline Kraus. |
2 | Each Trustee holds office for an indefinite term until the earliest of: (a) the election of his or her successor; (b) the date the Trustee resigns or is removed by the Board of Trustees or shareholders, in accordance with the Trusts Declaration of Trust; (c) the conclusion of the first Board meeting held subsequent to the day the Trustee attains the age of 74 years, subject to waiver by a majority of the Trustees (in accordance with the current resolutions of the Board of Trustees, which may be changed by the Trustees without shareholder vote); or (d) the termination of the Trust. |
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3 | The Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex includes the Trust, Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust. As of [, 2013], the Trust consisted of [91] portfolios ([83] of which offered shares to the public), Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust consisted of 12 portfolios and Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund consisted of one portfolio. The Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex also includes, with respect to Messrs. Bakhru, Coblentz, Strubel and McNamara, Goldman Sachs Trust II and Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc. Goldman Sachs Trust II and Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc. each consisted of one portfolio. Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc. did not offer shares to the public. |
4 | This column includes only directorships of companies required to report to the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (i.e., public companies) or other investment companies registered under the Act. |
The significance or relevance of an Advisory Board Members or Trustees particular experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills is considered by the Board on an individual basis. Experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills common to all Advisory Board Members and Trustees include the ability to critically review, evaluate and discuss information provided to them and to interact effectively with the other Trustees and with representatives of the Investment Adviser and its affiliates, other service providers, legal counsel and the Funds independent registered public accounting firm, the capacity to address financial and legal issues and exercise reasonable business judgment, and a commitment to the representation of the interests of the Fund and its shareholders. The Governance and Nominating Committees charter contains certain other factors that are considered by the Governance and Nominating Committee in identifying and evaluating potential nominees to serve as Independent Trustees. Based on each Advisory Board Members or Trustees experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills, considered individually and with respect to the experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills of other Advisory Board Members and Trustees, the Board has concluded that each Advisory Board Member and Trustee should serve as an Advisory Board Member or Trustee. Below is a brief discussion of the experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills of each individual Advisory Board Member or Trustee as of [], 2013 that led the Board to conclude that such individual should serve as an Advisory Board Member or Trustee.
Ashok N. Bakhru. Mr. Bakhru has served as a Trustee since 1991 and Chairman of the Board since 1996. Previously, Mr. Bakhru served as Director, Apollo Investment Corporation (a business development company) (2008-2013), and President of ABN Associates, a management and financial consulting firm, and was the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Coty Inc., a multinational cosmetics, fragrance and personal care company. In addition, Mr. Bakhru formerly held several senior management positions at Scott Paper Company, a major manufacturer of paper products, including Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Bakhru also serves on the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council and the Board of Governors of the Investment Company Institute. He also serves on the Advisory Board of BoardIQ, an investment publication. In addition, Mr. Bakhru has served as Director of Equity-Linked Investments II and Private Equity Investors III and IV, which are private equity partnerships based in New York City. Mr. Bakhru was also a Director of Arkwright Mutual Insurance Company. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Bakhru is experienced with financial and investment matters.
Donald C. Burke. Mr. Burke has served as Trustee since 2010. Mr. Burke serves as a Director of Avista Corp., an energy company. Mr. Burke was a Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc., where he was President and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRocks U.S. funds and a director and chairman of several offshore funds advised by BlackRock. As President and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRocks U.S. funds, he was responsible for all accounting, tax and regulatory reporting requirements for over 300 open-end and closed-end BlackRock funds. Previously, he was a Managing Director, First Vice President and Vice President of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, L.P. (MLIM), where he worked for 16 years prior to MLIMs merger with BlackRock, and was instrumental in the integration of BlackRocks and MLIMs operating infrastructure following the merger. While at MLIM, he was Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of MLIMs U.S. funds and Head of Global Operations and Client Services, where he was responsible for the development and maintenance of MLIMs operating infrastructure across the Americas, Europe and the Pacific Rim. He also developed controls for the MLIM U.S. funds financial statement certification process to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, worked with fund auditors in connection with the funds annual audits and established the department responsible for all tax issues impacting the MLIM U.S. funds. Previously, Mr. Burke was Tax Manager at Deloitte & Touche, where he was designated as one of the firms lead specialists in the investment company industry, and advised multinational corporations, partnerships, universities and high net worth individuals in tax matters. Mr. Burke is a certified public accountant. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Burke is experienced with accounting, financial and investment matters.
John P. Coblentz, Jr. Mr. Coblentz has served as Trustee since 2003. Mr. Coblentz has been designated as the Boards audit committee financial expert given his extensive accounting and finance experience. Mr. Coblentz was a partner with Deloitte & Touche LLP for 28 years. While at Deloitte & Touche LLP, Mr. Coblentz was lead partner responsible for all auditing and accounting services to a variety of large, global companies, a significant portion of which operated in the financial services industry. Mr. Coblentz was also the national managing partner for the firms risk management function, a member of the firms Management Committee and the first managing partner of the firms Financial Advisory Services practice, which brought together the firms mergers and acquisition services, forensic and dispute services, corporate finance, asset valuation and reorganization businesses under one management structure. He served as a member of the firms Board of Directors. Mr. Coblentz is a certified public accountant. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Coblentz is experienced with accounting, financial and investment matters.
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Diana M. Daniels. Ms. Daniels has served as Trustee since 2007. Ms. Daniels also serves as a Trustee Emeritus and Presidential Councillor of Cornell University. Ms. Daniels held several senior management positions at The Washington Post Company and its subsidiaries, where she worked for 29 years. While at The Washington Post Company, Ms. Daniels served as Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary to the Board of Directors and Secretary to the Audit Committee. Previously, Ms. Daniels served as Vice President and General Counsel of Newsweek, Inc. Ms. Daniels also serves on the Executive Committee of the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council of the Investment Company Institute. Ms. Daniels has also served as Vice Chair and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Cornell University and as a member of the Corporate Advisory Board of Standish Mellon Management Advisors and of the Legal Advisory Board of New York Stock Exchange. Ms. Daniels is also a member of the American Law Institute and of the Advisory Council of the Inter-American Press Association. Based on the foregoing, Ms. Daniels is experienced with legal, financial and investment matters.
Joseph P. LoRusso. Mr. LoRusso has served as Trustee since 2010. Mr. LoRusso held a number of senior management positions at Fidelity Investments for over 15 years, where he was most recently President of Fidelity Investments Institutional Services Co. (FIIS). As President of FIIS, Mr. LoRusso oversaw the development, distribution and servicing of Fidelitys investment and retirement products through various financial intermediaries. Previously, he served as President, Executive Vice President and Senior Vice President of Fidelity Institutional Retirement Services Co., where he helped establish Fidelitys 401(k) business and built it into the largest in the U.S. In these positions, he oversaw sales, marketing, implementation, client services, operations and technology. Mr. LoRusso also served on Fidelitys Executive Management Committee. Prior to his experience with Fidelity, he was Second Vice President in the Investment and Pension Group of John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance, where he had responsibility for developing and running the companys 401(k) business. Previously, he worked at The Equitable (now a subsidiary of AXA Financial), where he was Product Manager of the companys then-nascent 401(k) business, and at Arthur Andersen & Co. (now Accenture), as a Senior Consultant within the firms consulting practice. Based on the foregoing, Mr. LoRusso is experienced with financial and investment matters.
Jessica Palmer. Ms. Palmer has served as Trustee since 2007. Ms. Palmer serves as a Director of Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture, a not-for-profit organization. Ms. Palmer worked at Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking (previously, Salomon Smith Barney/Salomon Brothers) for over 20 years, where she was a Managing Director. While at Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking, Ms. Palmer was Head of Global Risk Management, Chair of the Global Commitment Committee, Co-Chair of International Investment Banking (New York) and Head of Fixed Income Capital Markets. Ms. Palmer was also a member of the Management Committee and Risk Management Operating Committee of Citigroup, Inc. Prior to that, Ms. Palmer was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs in its international corporate finance department. Ms. Palmer was also Assistant Vice President of the International Division at Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Ms. Palmer was also a member of the Board of Trustees of a private elementary and secondary school. Based on the foregoing, Ms. Palmer is experienced with financial and investment matters.
Richard P. Strubel. Mr. Strubel has served as Trustee since 1987. Mr. Strubel also serves as Chairman of the Northern Funds, a family of retail and institutional mutual funds managed by The Northern Trust Company. He also serves on the board of Gildan Activewear Inc., which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Mr. Strubel was Vice-Chairman of the Board of Cardean Learning Group (formerly known as Unext), and previously served as Unexts President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Strubel was Managing Director of Tandem Partners, Inc., a privately-held management services firm, and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Microdot, Inc. Previously, Mr. Strubel served as President of Northwest Industries, then a NYSE-listed company, a conglomerate with various operating entities located around the country. Before joining Northwest, Mr. Strubel was an associate and later managing principal of Fry Consultants, a management consulting firm based in Chicago. Mr. Strubel is also a Trustee Emeritus of the University of Chicago and is an adjunct professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Strubel is experienced with financial and investment matters.
James A. McNamara. Mr. McNamara has served as Trustee and President of the Trust since 2007 and has served as an officer of the Trust since 2001. Mr. McNamara is a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs. Mr. McNamara is currently head of Global Third Party Distribution at GSAM, where he was previously head of U.S. Third Party Distribution. Prior to that role, Mr. McNamara served as Director of Institutional Fund Sales. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Mr. McNamara was Vice President and Manager at Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation. Based on the foregoing, Mr. McNamara is experienced with financial and investment matters.
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Alan A. Shuch. Mr. Shuch has served as a Trustee since 1990. Mr. Shuch is an Advisory Director to Goldman Sachs. Mr. Shuch serves on the Board of Trustees of a number of offshore funds managed by GSAM. He serves on GSAMs Valuation Committee. Prior to retiring as a general partner of Goldman Sachs in 1994, Mr. Shuch was president and chief operating officer of GSAM which he founded in 1988. Mr. Shuch joined the Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Division in 1976. He was instrumental in building Goldman Sachs Corporate Bond Department and served as co-head of the Global Fixed Income Sales and the High Yield Bond and Preferred Stock Departments. He headed the Portfolio Restructuring and Fixed Income Quantitative and Credit Research Departments. Mr. Shuch also served on a variety of firm-wide committees including the International Executive, New Product and Strategic Planning Committees and was a member of the Stone Street/Bridge Street Private Equity Board. Mr. Shuch serves on Whartons Graduate Executive Board. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Shuch is experienced with financial and investment matters.
Advisory Board Members
Herbert J. (H.J.) Markley. Mr. Markley held several senior management positions at Deere & Company, where he worked for 35 years, including Executive Vice President of Worldwide Parts Service, Global Supply Management and Logistics, Enterprise Information Technology and Corporate Communications. Mr. Markleys experience at Deere included managing manufacturing and engineering facilities, including the two largest manufacturing facilities and a joint venture with Hitachi. He later served as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Human Resources where he helped to lay the foundation for a new human resources system, and as a President of the Agricultural Division, Deeres largest business unit. In addition to his work with Deere, Mr. Markley has served on the Boards of Directors of the Dubuque Chamber of Commerce, the First National Bank of Dubuque, the University of Dubuque and the Iowa Public Television Foundation as well as the Board of Overseers of the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Mr. Markley currently serves on the Trusts Advisory Board. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Markley is experienced with financial and investment matters.
Roy W. Templin. Mr. Templin is a Director of Con-Way Incorporated, a transportation, supply-chain management and logistics services company, and serves on its Finance and Audit Committees (he is the Chair of the Finance Committee). Mr. Templin held a number of senior management positions at Whirlpool Corporation, an appliance manufacturer and marketer, including Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Vice President and Corporate Controller there. At Whirlpool, Mr. Templin served on the Executive Committee and was responsible for all aspects of finance globally, including treasury, accounting, risk management, investor relations, internal auditing, tax, and facilities. Prior to joining Whirlpool, Mr. Templin served in several roles at Kimball International, a furniture and electronic assemblies manufacturer, including Vice President of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer. Mr. Templin was also a Director of Corporate Finance for Cummins, Inc., a diesel engine manufacturer, a Director of Financial Development at NCR Corporation, a computer hardware and electronics company, and a member of the audit staff of Price Waterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP). Mr. Templin is a certified public accountant. Mr. Templin currently serves on the Trusts Advisory Board. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Templin is experienced with accounting, financial and investment matters.
Officers of the Trust
Information pertaining to the officers of the Trust as of [], 2013 is set forth below.
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Name, Age and Address |
Position(s) Held with the |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served1 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | |||
James A. McNamara 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: [50] |
Trustee and President | Since 2007 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998 Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998 December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993 April 1998).
President, Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2007 Present); Senior Vice President, Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (May 2007 November 2007); and Vice President, Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (2001 2007).
Trustee Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2007 Present and December 2002 May 2004). | |||
Scott McHugh 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: [41] |
Treasurer and Senior Vice President |
Since 2009 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (February 2007 Present); Assistant Treasurer of certain mutual funds administered by DWS Scudder (2005 2007); and Director (2005 2007), Vice President (2000 2005), and Assistant Vice President (1998 2000), Deutsche Asset Management or its predecessor (1998 2007).
Treasurer Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (October 2009 Present); Senior Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2009 Present); and Assistant Treasurer Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (May 2007 October 2009). | |||
George F. Travers 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: [45] |
Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer | Since 2009 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (2007 Present); Managing Director, UBS Ag (2005 2007); and Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP (1990 2005, partner from 2000 2005).
Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Philip V. Giuca, Jr. 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: [51] |
Assistant Treasurer | Since 1997 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (May 1992 Present).
Assistant Treasurer Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Peter Fortner 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: [55] |
Assistant Treasurer | Since 2000 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (July 2000 Present); Principal Financial Officer, Commerce Bank Mutual Fund Complex (2008 Present); Associate, Prudential Insurance Company of America (November 1985 June 2000); and Assistant Treasurer, certain closed-end funds administered by Prudential (1999 2000).
Assistant Treasurer Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Kenneth G. Curran 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: [49] |
Assistant Treasurer | Since 2001 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (November 1998 Present); and Senior Tax Manager, KPMG Peat Marwick (accountants) (August 1995 October 1998).
Assistant Treasurer Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Sarah Walton 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: [41] |
Assistant Treasurer | Since 2012 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (December 2002 Present); and Associate, Goldman Sachs (February 2000 December 2002).
Assistant Treasurer Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Jesse Cole 71 South Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 Age: [50] |
Vice President | Since 1998 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 2006 Present); Vice President, GSAM (June 1998 Present); and Vice President, AIM Management Group, Inc. (investment adviser) (April 1996 June 1998).
Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Kerry K. Daniels 71 South Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 Age: [50] |
Vice President | Since 2000 | Manager, Financial Control Shareholder Services, Goldman Sachs (1986 Present).
Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
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Name, Age and Address |
Position(s) Held with the |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served1 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | |||
Mark Hancock 71 South Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 Age: [45] |
Vice President | Since 2007 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (November 2005 Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (August 2000 November 2005); Senior Vice President, Dreyfus Service Corp (1999 2000); and Vice President, Dreyfus Service Corp (1996 1999).
Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Carlos W. Samuels 6011 Connection Drive Irving, TX 75039 Age: [38] |
Vice President | Since 2007 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (December 2007 Present); Associate, Goldman Sachs (December 2005 December 2007); and Analyst, Goldman Sachs (January 2004 December 2005).
Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Miriam Cytryn 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: [55] |
Vice President | Since 2008 | Vice President, GSAM (2008 Present); Vice President of Divisional Management, Investment Management Division (2007 2008); Vice President and Chief of Staff, GSAM US Distribution (2003 2007); and Vice President of Employee Relations, Goldman Sachs (1996 2003).
Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Glen Casey 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: [48] |
Vice President | Since 2008 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (2007 Present); and Vice President, Goldman Sachs (1997 2007).
Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Mark Heaney Christchurch Court 10-15 Newgate Street London, EC1A 7HD, UK Age: [45] |
Vice President | Since 2010 | Executive Director, GSAM (May 2005 Present); Director of Operations (UK and Ireland), Invesco Asset Management (May 2004 March 2005); Global Head of Investment Administration, Invesco Asset Management (September 2001 May 2004); Managing Director (Ireland), Invesco Asset Management (March 2000 September 2001); and Director of Investment Administration, Invesco Asset Management (December 1998 March 2000).
Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Michael Magee 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: [36] |
Vice President | Since 2012 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (December 2007-Present); Associate (December 2004-December 2007); and Analyst (December 2002-December 2004).
Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Robert McCormack 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: [39] |
Vice President | Since 2012 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (December 2008 Present); and Associate, Goldman Sachs (September 2005 December 2008).
Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Greg R. Wilson 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: [40] |
Vice President | Since 2013 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (January 2011 Present); Head of the North American Sub-Advisory & Platform Distribution Group, GSAM (April 2010 Present); and Business Development and Relationship Management Sub-Advisory & Platform Distribution Group, GSAM (May 2003 April 2010).
Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Caroline Kraus 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: [36] |
Secretary | Since 2012 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (August 2006 Present); Associate General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (2012 Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (August 2006 December 2011); and Associate, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, LLP (2002 2006).
Secretary Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (August 2012 Present); and Assistant Secretary Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (June 2012 August 2012). | |||
David Fishman 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: [48] |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2001 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 2001 Present); and Vice President, Goldman Sachs (1997 December 2001).
Assistant Secretary Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
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Name, Age and Address |
Position(s) Held with the |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served1 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | |||
Danny Burke 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: [50] |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2001 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (1987 Present).
Assistant Secretary Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Deborah Farrell 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: [41] |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2007 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (2005 Present); Associate, Goldman Sachs (2001 2005); and Analyst, Goldman Sachs (1994 2005).
Assistant Secretary Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Patrick T. OCallaghan 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: [41] |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2009 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (2000 Present); Associate, Goldman Sachs (1998 2000); and Analyst, Goldman Sachs (1995 1998).
Assistant Secretary Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
James A. McCarthy 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: [49] |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2009 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (2003 Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (1996 2003); and Portfolio Manager, Goldman Sachs (1995 1996).
Assistant Secretary Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Andrew Murphy 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: [40] |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2010 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (April 2009 Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (April 2009 Present); Attorney, Axiom Legal (2007 2009); and Vice President and Counsel, AllianceBernstein, L.P. (2001 2007).
Assistant Secretary Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Robert Griffith 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: [38] |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2011 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (August 2011 Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (August 2011 Present); Vice President and Counsel, Nomura Holding America, Inc. (2010 2011); and Associate, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP (2005 2010).
Assistant Secretary Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Matthew Wolfe 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: [31] |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2012 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (July 2012 Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (July 2012 Present); and Associate, Dechert LLP (2007 2012).
Assistant Secretary Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
1 | Officers hold office at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Each officer holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor. |
Standing Board Committees
The Audit Committee oversees the audit process and provides assistance to the Board with respect to fund accounting, tax compliance and financial statement matters. In performing its responsibilities, the Audit Committee selects and recommends annually to the Board an independent registered public accounting firm to audit the books and records of the Trust for the ensuing year, and reviews with the firm the scope and results of each audit. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee held five meetings during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013.
The Governance and Nominating Committee has been established to: (i) assist the Board in matters involving mutual fund governance, which includes making recommendations to the Board with respect to the effectiveness of the Board in carrying out its responsibilities in governing the Fund and overseeing its management; (ii) select and nominate candidates for appointment or election to serve as Independent Trustees; and (iii) advise the Board on ways to improve its effectiveness. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Governance and Nominating Committee. The Governance and Nominating Committee held two meetings during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. As stated above, each Trustee holds office for an indefinite term until the occurrence of certain events. In filling Board vacancies, the Governance and Nominating Committee will consider nominees recommended by shareholders. Nominee recommendations should be submitted to the Trust at its mailing address stated in the Funds Prospectus and should be directed to the attention of the Goldman Sachs Trust Governance and Nominating Committee.
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The Compliance Committee has been established for the purpose of overseeing the compliance processes: (i) of the Fund; and (ii) insofar as they relate to services provided to the Fund, of the Funds investment adviser, distributor, administrator (if any), and transfer agent, except that compliance processes relating to the accounting and financial reporting processes, and certain related matters, are overseen by the Audit Committee. In addition, the Compliance Committee provides assistance to the full Board with respect to compliance matters. The Compliance Committee met three times during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Compliance Committee.
The Valuation Committee is authorized to act for the Board in connection with the valuation of portfolio securities held by the Fund in accordance with the Trusts Valuation Procedures. Messrs. McNamara and Shuch serve on the Valuation Committee, together with certain employees of GSAM who are not Trustees. The Valuation Committee met twelve times during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. The Valuation Committee reports periodically to the Board.
The Dividend Committee is authorized, subject to the ratification of Trustees who are not members of the committee, to declare dividends and capital gain distributions consistent with the Funds Prospectus. Messrs. McNamara and McHugh serve on the Dividend Committee. The Dividend Committee met twelve times during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013.
The Contract Review Committee has been established for the purpose of overseeing the processes of the Board for reviewing and monitoring performance under the Funds investment management, distribution, transfer agency, and certain other agreements with the Funds Investment Adviser and its affiliates. The Contract Review Committee is also responsible for overseeing the Boards processes for considering and reviewing performance under the operation of the Funds distribution, service, shareholder administration and other plans, and any agreements related to the plans, whether or not such plans and agreements are adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act. The Contract Review Committee also provides appropriate assistance to the Board in connection with the Boards approval, oversight and review of the Funds other service providers including, without limitation, the Funds custodian/accounting agent, sub-transfer agents, professional (legal and accounting) firms and printing firms. The Contract Review Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Contract Review Committee.
Risk Oversight
The Board is responsible for the oversight of the activities of the Fund, including oversight of risk management. Day-to-day risk management with respect to the Fund is the responsibility of GSAM or other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk), subject to supervision by GSAM. The risks of the Fund include, but are not limited to, investment risk, compliance risk, operational risk, reputational risk, credit risk and counterparty risk. Each of GSAM and the other service providers have their own independent interest in risk management and their policies and methods of risk management may differ from the Fund and each others in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. As a result, the Board recognizes that it is not possible to identify all of the risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to eliminate or mitigate all of their occurrences or effects, because some risks are simply beyond the control of the Fund or GSAM, its affiliates or other service providers.
The Board effectuates its oversight role primarily through regular and special meetings of the Board and Board committees. In certain cases, risk management issues are specifically addressed in presentations and discussions. For example, GSAM has an independent dedicated Market Risk Group that assists GSAM in managing investment risk. Representatives from the Market Risk Group regularly meet with the Board to discuss their analysis and methodologies. In addition, investment risk is discussed in the context of regular presentations to the Board on Fund strategy and performance. Other types of risk are addressed as part of presentations on related topics (e.g. compliance policies) or in the context of presentations focused specifically on one or more risks. The Board also receives reports from GSAM management on operational risks, reputational risks and counterparty risks relating to the Fund.
Board oversight of risk management is also performed by various Board committees. For example, the Audit Committee meets with both the Funds independent registered public accounting firm and GSAMs internal audit group to review risk controls in place that support the Fund as well as test results, and the Compliance Committee meets with the CCO and representatives of GSAMs compliance group to review testing results of the Funds compliance policies and procedures and other compliance issues. Board oversight of risk is also performed as needed between meetings through communications between GSAM and the Board. The Board may, at any time and in its discretion, change the manner in which it conducts risk oversight. The Boards oversight role does not make the Board a guarantor of the Funds investments or activities.
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Trustee Ownership of Fund Shares
The following table shows the dollar range of shares beneficially owned by each Trustee in the Fund and other portfolios of the Fund Complex as of December 31, 2012, unless otherwise noted.
Name of Trustee |
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund1 |
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee | ||
Ashok N. Bakhru |
| Over $100,000 | ||
Donald C. Burke |
| Over $100,000 | ||
John P. Coblentz, Jr. |
| Over $100,000 | ||
Diana M. Daniels |
| Over $100,000 | ||
Joseph P. LoRusso |
| Over $100,000 | ||
James A. McNamara |
| Over $100,000 | ||
Jessica Palmer |
| Over $100,000 | ||
Alan A. Shuch |
| Over $100,000 | ||
Richard P. Strubel |
| Over $100,000 |
1 | Includes the value of shares beneficially owned by each Trustee in the Fund. |
As of [], 2013, the Fund has not commenced operations, and therefore the Trustees and Officers of the Trust did not own any of the outstanding shares of the Fund.
Board and Advisory Board Compensation
Each Independent Trustee and Advisory Board Member is compensated with a unitary annual fee for his or her services as a Trustee or Advisory Board Member, as applicable, of the Trust and as a member of the Governance and Nominating Committee, Compliance Committee, Contract Review Committee, and Audit Committee. The Chairman and audit committee financial expert receive additional compensation for their services. The Independent Trustees and Advisory Board Members are also reimbursed for reasonable travel expenses incurred in connection with attending meetings. The Trust may also pay the reasonable incidental costs of a Trustee or Advisory Board Member to attend training or other types of conferences relating to the investment company industry.
The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the compensation of each Trustee of the Trust for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013:
Trustee Compensation
Name of Trustee |
Aggregate Compensation from the Fund* |
Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of the Trusts Expenses |
Total Compensation From Fund Complex (including the Fund)4 |
|||||||
Ashok N. Bakhru1 |
| $ | 0 | $ | 402,500 | |||||
Donald C. Burke |
| 0 | 260,000 | |||||||
John P. Coblentz, Jr.2 |
| 0 | 301,250 | |||||||
Diana M. Daniels |
| 0 | 260,000 | |||||||
Joseph P. LoRusso |
| 0 | 260,000 | |||||||
James A. McNamara3 |
| 0 | | |||||||
Jessica Palmer |
| 0 | 260,000 | |||||||
Alan A. Shuch3 |
| 0 | | |||||||
Richard P. Strubel |
| 0 | 260,000 |
* | The Fund had not commenced operations as of [], 2013. Under current compensation arrangements, it is estimated that the Trustees will receive the following compensation from the Fund for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014: Mr. Bakhru, $[]; Mr. Burke, $[]; Mr. Coblentz, $[]; Ms. Daniels, $[]; Mr. LoRusso, $[]; Mr. McNamara, $0; Ms. Palmer, $[]; Mr. Shuch, $0; Mr. Strubel, $[]; Mr. Markley, $[]; and Mr. Templin, $[]. |
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1 | Includes compensation as Board Chairman. |
2 | Includes compensation as audit committee financial expert, as defined in Item 3 of Form N-CSR. |
3 | Messrs. McNamara and Shuch are Interested Trustees, and as such, receive no compensation from the Fund or the Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
4 | Represents fees paid to each Trustee during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 from the Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. As of the most recent fiscal year end, neither the Fund nor the Fund Complex paid any fees to either of the Advisory Board Members. |
Miscellaneous
Class A Shares of the Fund may be sold at NAV without payment of any sales charge to Goldman Sachs, its affiliates and their respective officers, partners, directors or employees (including retired employees and former partners), any partnership of which Goldman Sachs is a general partner, any Trustee or officer of the Trust and designated family members of any of the above individuals. These and the Funds other sales load waivers are due to the nature of the investors and/or the reduced sales effort and expense that are needed to obtain such investments.
The Trust, the Investment Adviser and principal underwriter have adopted codes of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the Act that permit personnel subject to their particular codes of ethics to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund.
As stated in the Funds Prospectus, GSAM, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, serves as Investment Adviser to the Fund. GSAM is a subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and an affiliate of Goldman Sachs. See Service Providers in the Funds Prospectus for a description of the Investment Advisers duties to the Fund.
Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a financial holding company and a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm. Goldman Sachs is a leader in developing portfolio strategies and in many fields of investing and financing, participating in financial markets worldwide and serving individuals, institutions, corporations and governments. Goldman Sachs is also among the principal market sources for current and thorough information on companies, industrial sectors, markets, economies and currencies, and trades and makes markets in a wide range of equity and debt securities 24 hours a day. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in countries throughout the world. It has trading professionals throughout the United States, as well as in London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Seoul, Sao Paulo and other major financial centers around the world. The active participation of Goldman Sachs in the worlds financial markets enhances its ability to identify attractive investments. Goldman Sachs has agreed to permit the Fund to use the name Goldman Sachs or a derivative thereof as part of the Funds name for as long as the Funds Management Agreement (as described below) is in effect.
The Investment Adviser is able to draw on the substantial research and market expertise of Goldman Sachs, whose investment research effort is one of the largest in the industry. The Global Investment Research division provides original fundamental insights and analysis for clients in the equity, fixed income and currency and commodities markets. The group covers areas such as economics, portfolio strategy, derivatives and equity and credit securities in more than 25 stock markets and 50 economies and regions around the world. The in-depth information and analyses generated by Goldman Sachs research analysts are available to the Investment Adviser subject to Chinese Wall restrictions.
In addition, many of Goldman Sachs economists, securities analysts, portfolio strategists and credit analysts have consistently been highly ranked in respected industry surveys conducted in the United States and abroad. Goldman Sachs is also among the leading investment firms using quantitative analytics (now used by a growing number of investors) to structure and evaluate portfolios. For example, Goldman Sachs options evaluation model analyzes a securitys term, coupon and call option, providing an overall analysis of the securitys value relative to its interest risk.
In managing the Fund, the Investment Adviser will review the existing overall economic and mortgage market trends. The Investment Adviser will then study yield spreads, the implied volatility and the shape of the yield curve. The Investment Adviser will then apply this analysis to a list of eligible securities that meet the respective Funds investment guidelines.
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The fixed income research capabilities of Goldman Sachs available to the Investment Adviser include the Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Research Department and the Credit Department. The Fixed Income Research Department monitors developments in U.S. and foreign fixed income markets, assesses the outlooks for various sectors of the markets and provides relative value comparisons, as well as analyzes trading opportunities within and across market sectors. The Fixed Income Research Department is at the forefront in developing and using computer-based tools for analyzing fixed income securities and markets, developing new fixed income products and structuring portfolio strategies for investment policy and tactical asset allocation decisions. The Credit Department tracks specific governments, regions and industries and from time to time may review the credit quality of the Funds investments.
In addition to fixed income research and credit research, the Investment Adviser is supported by Goldman Sachs economics research. The Economics Research Department, based in London, conducts economic, financial and currency markets research which analyzes economic trends and interest and exchange rate movements worldwide. The Economics Research Department tracks factors such as inflation and money supply figures, balance of trade figures, economic growth, commodity prices, monetary and fiscal policies, and political events that can influence interest rates and currency trends. The success of Goldman Sachs international research team has brought wide recognition to its members. The team has earned top rankings in various external surveys such as Pensions and Investments, Forbes and Dalbar. These rankings acknowledge the achievements of the firms economists, strategists and equity analysts.
In allocating the Funds assets among foreign countries and currencies, the Investment Adviser will have access to the Global Asset Allocation Model. The model is based on the observation that the prices of all financial assets, including foreign currencies, will adjust until investors globally are comfortable holding the pool of outstanding assets. Using the model, the Investment Adviser will estimate the total returns from each currency sector which are consistent with the average investor holding a portfolio equal to the market capitalization of the financial assets among those currency sectors. These estimated equilibrium returns are then combined with the expectations of Goldman Sachs research professionals to produce an optimal currency and asset allocation for the level of risk suitable for the Fund given its investment objectives and criteria.
The Funds management agreement (the Management Agreement) provides that GSAM, in its capacity as Investment Adviser, may render similar services to others so long as the services under the Management Agreement are not impaired thereby. The Funds Management Agreement was approved by the Trustees of the Trust, including a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not parties to such agreement or interested persons (as such term is defined in the Act) of any party thereto (the non-interested Trustees), on [], 2013. The Management Agreement was approved by the initial sole shareholder of the Fund prior to the Funds commencement of operations. A discussion regarding the Trustees basis for approving the Management Agreement for the Fund will be available in the Funds annual report for the period ended March 31, 2014.
The Management Agreement will remain in effect until [], 2014 and will continue in effect with respect to the Fund from year to year thereafter provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by (i) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund or a majority of the Trustees of the Trust, and (ii) the vote of a majority of the non-interested Trustees of the Trust cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
The Management Agreement will terminate automatically if assigned (as defined in the Act). The Management Agreement is also terminable at any time without penalty by the Trustees of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund on 60 days written notice to the Investment Adviser or by the Investment Adviser on 60 days written notice to the Trust.
Pursuant to the Management Agreement, the Investment Adviser is entitled to receive a fee, payable monthly, based on the Funds average daily net assets, at the annual rate of 1.00% on first $1 billion; 0.90% over $1 billion up to $2 billion; 0.86% over $2 billion up to $5 billion; 0.84% over $5 billion up to $8 billion; 0.82% over $8 billion. Since the Fund is newly-organized, it did not pay management fees during the last three fiscal years.
The Investment Adviser also performs administrative services for the Fund under the Management Agreement. Such administrative services include, subject to the general supervision of the Trustees of the Trust, (i) providing supervision of all aspects of the Funds non-investment operations (other than certain operations performed by others pursuant to agreements with the Fund); (ii) providing the Fund, to the extent not provided pursuant to the agreement with the Trusts custodian, transfer and dividend disbursing agent or agreements with other institutions, with personnel to perform such executive, administrative and clerical services as are reasonably necessary to provide effective administration of the Fund; (iii) arranging, to the extent not provided pursuant to such agreements, for the preparation, at the Funds expense, of the Funds tax returns, reports to shareholders, periodic updating of the Funds prospectus and statement of additional information, and reports filed with the SEC and other regulatory authorities; (iv) providing the Fund, to the extent not provided pursuant to such agreements, with adequate office space and certain related office equipment and services; and (v) maintaining all of the Funds records other than those maintained pursuant to such agreements.
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Portfolio Managers Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers
The following table discloses other accounts within each type of category listed below for which the portfolio managers are jointly and primarily responsible for day to day portfolio management as of March 31, 2013, unless otherwise noted.
For each portfolio manager listed below, the total number of accounts managed is a reflection of accounts within the strategy they oversee or manage, as well as accounts which participate in the sector in which the manage. There are multiple portfolio managers involved with each account.
Number of Accounts Managed and Total Assets by Account Type |
Number of Accounts and Total Assets for Which Advisory Fee is Performance Based |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Registered Investment Companies |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles |
Other Accounts | Registered Investment Companies |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles |
Other Accounts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name of Portfolio Manager |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salvatore Lentini |
1 | 505.7 | 5 | 3,811.8 | 4 | 947.1 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1,528.7 | 3 | 662.8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brenden McGovern |
1 | 505.7 | 5 | 3,811.8 | 4 | 947.1 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1,528.7 | 3 | 662.8 |
Assets are preliminary, in millions of USD.
Conflicts of Interest. The Investment Advisers portfolio managers are often responsible for managing the Fund as well as other accounts, including proprietary accounts, separate accounts and other pooled investment vehicles, such as unregistered hedge funds. A portfolio manager may manage a separate account or other pooled investment vehicle which may have materially higher fee arrangements than the Fund and may also have a performance-based fee. The side-by-side management of these funds may raise potential conflicts of interest relating to cross trading, the allocation of investment opportunities and the aggregation and allocation of trades.
The Investment Adviser has a fiduciary responsibility to manage all client accounts in a fair and equitable manner. The Investment Adviser seeks to provide best execution of all securities transactions and aggregate and then allocate securities to client accounts in a fair and timely manner. To this end, the Investment Adviser has developed policies and procedures designed to mitigate and manage the potential conflicts of interest that may arise from side-by-side management. In addition, the Investment Adviser and the Fund have adopted policies limiting the circumstances under which cross-trades may be effected between the Fund and another client account. The Investment Adviser conducts periodic reviews of trades for consistency with these policies. For more information about conflicts of interests that may arise in connection with the portfolio managers management of the Funds investments and the investments of other accounts, see Potential Conflicts of Interest Potential Conflicts Relating to the Allocation of Investment Opportunities Among the Fund and Other Goldman Sachs Accounts and Potential Conflicts Relating to Goldman Sachs and the Investment Advisers Proprietary Activities and Activities on Behalf of Other Accounts.
Portfolio Managers Compensation
Compensation for portfolio managers of the Investment Adviser is comprised of a base salary and discretionary variable compensation. The base salary is fixed from year to year. Year-end discretionary variable compensation is primarily a function of each portfolio managers individual performance and his or her contribution to overall team performance; the performance of the Investment Adviser and Goldman Sachs; the teams net revenues for the past year which in part is derived from advisory fees, and for certain accounts, performance-based fees; and anticipated compensation levels among competitor firms. Portfolio managers are rewarded, in part, for their delivery of investment performance, measured on a pre-tax basis, which is reasonably expected to meet or exceed the expectations of clients and fund shareholders in terms of: excess return over an applicable benchmark, peer group ranking, risk management and factors specific to certain funds such as yield or regional focus. Performance is judged over 1-3- and 5-year time horizons.
The benchmark for the Fund for purposes of compensation is the Bank of America Merrill Lynch U.S. Dollar Three-Month LIBOR Constant Maturity Index.
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The discretionary variable compensation for portfolio managers is also significantly influenced by: (1) effective participation in team research discussions and process; and (2) management of risk in alignment with the targeted risk parameter and investment objective of the fund. Other factors may also be considered including: (1) general client/shareholder orientation and (2) teamwork and leadership. Portfolio managers may receive equity-based awards as part of their discretionary variable compensation.
Other CompensationIn addition to base salary and discretionary variable compensation, the Investment Adviser has a number of additional benefits in place including (1) a 401k program that enables employees to direct a percentage of their pretax salary and bonus income into a tax-qualified retirement plan; and (2) investment opportunity programs in which certain professionals may participate subject to certain eligibility requirements.
Portfolio Managers Portfolio Managers Ownership of Securities in the Fund
The Fund was not in operation as of [], 2013. Consequently, the portfolio managers own no securities issued by the Fund.
Distributor and Transfer Agent
Distributor. Goldman Sachs, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, serves as the exclusive distributor of shares of the Fund pursuant to a best efforts arrangement as provided by a distribution agreement with the Trust on behalf of the Fund. Shares of the Fund are offered and sold on a continuous basis by Goldman Sachs, acting as agent. Pursuant to the distribution agreement, after the Funds Prospectus and periodic reports have been prepared, set in type and mailed to shareholders, Goldman Sachs will pay for the printing and distribution of copies thereof used in connection with the offering to prospective investors. Goldman Sachs will also pay for other supplementary sales literature and advertising costs.
Transfer Agent. Goldman Sachs, 71 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606, serves as the Trusts transfer and dividend disbursing agent. Under its transfer agency agreement with the Trust, Goldman Sachs has undertaken with the Trust with respect to the Fund to: (i) record the issuance, transfer and redemption of shares; (ii) provide purchase and redemption confirmations and quarterly statements, as well as certain other statements; (iii) provide certain information to the Trusts custodian and the relevant subcustodian in connection with redemptions; (iv) provide dividend crediting and certain disbursing agent services; (v) maintain shareholder accounts; (vi) provide certain state Blue Sky and other information; (vii) provide shareholders and certain regulatory authorities with tax-related information; (viii) respond to shareholder inquiries; and (ix) render certain other miscellaneous services. For its transfer agency and dividend disbursing agent services, Goldman Sachs is entitled to receive a fee equal, on an annualized basis, to 0.04% of average daily net assets with respect to the Funds Institutional Shares and 0.13% of average daily net assets with respect to the Funds Class A, Class C, Class R and Class IR Shares (less transfer agency expenses borne by a share class). Goldman Sachs may pay to certain intermediaries who perform transfer agent services to shareholders a networking or sub-transfer agent fee. These payments will be made from the transfer agency fees noted above and in the Funds Prospectus.
Since the Fund is newly-organized, Goldman Sachs did not receive compensation for services rendered to the Trust by Goldman Sachs as transfer and dividend disbursing agent with respect to the Fund and the assumption by Goldman Sachs of the expenses related thereto during the last three fiscal years.
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The Trusts distribution and transfer agency agreements each provide that Goldman Sachs may render similar services to others so long as the services Goldman Sachs provides thereunder are not impaired thereby. Such agreements also provide that the Trust will indemnify Goldman Sachs against certain liabilities.
Expenses
The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, is responsible for the payment of the Funds expenses. The expenses include, without limitation, the fees payable to the Investment Adviser, the fees and expenses of the Trusts custodian and subcustodians, transfer agent fees and expenses, pricing service fees and expenses, brokerage fees and commissions, filing fees for the registration or qualification of the Trusts shares under federal or state securities laws, expenses of the organization of the Trust, fees and expenses incurred by the Trust in connection with membership in investment company organizations, including, but not limited to, the Investment Company Institute, taxes, interest, costs of liability insurance, fidelity bonds or indemnification, any costs, expenses or losses arising out of any liability of, or claim for damages or other relief asserted against, the Trust for violation of any law, legal, tax and auditing fees and expenses (including the cost of legal and certain accounting services rendered by employees of Goldman Sachs or its affiliates with respect to the Trust), expenses of preparing and setting in type Prospectuses, SAIs, proxy material, reports and notices and the printing and distributing of the same to the Trusts shareholders and regulatory authorities, shareholder expenses, any expenses assumed by the Fund pursuant to its distribution and service plans, compensation and expenses of its Independent Trustees, the fees and expenses of pricing services and extraordinary expenses, if any, incurred by the Trust. Except for fees and expenses under any distribution and service plan applicable to a particular class and transfer agency fees and expenses, all Fund expenses are borne on a non-class specific basis.
Fees and expenses borne by the Fund relating to legal counsel, registering shares of the Fund, holding meetings and communicating with shareholders may include an allocable portion of the cost of maintaining an internal legal and compliance department. The Fund may also bear an allocable portion of the Investment Advisers costs of performing certain accounting services not being provided by the Trusts custodian.
The imposition of the Investment Advisers fees, as well as other operating expenses, will have the effect of reducing the total return to investors. From time to time, the Investment Adviser may waive receipt of fees and/or assume certain expenses of the Fund, which would have the effect of lowering the Funds overall expense ratio and increasing total return to investors at the time such amounts are waived or assumed, as the case may be.
The Investment Adviser has agreed to reduce or limit Other Expenses (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, transfer agency fees and expenses, taxes, interest, brokerage fees, litigation, indemnification, shareholder meeting and other extraordinary expenses) to []% of average daily net assets of the Fund through at least [], 2014. Such reductions or limits are calculated monthly on a cumulative basis during the Funds fiscal year. The Funds Other Expenses may be further reduced by any custody and transfer agency fee credits received by the Fund. The Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement prior to [], 2014 without the approval of the Board of Trustees.
Custodian and Sub-Custodians
[], is the custodian of the Funds portfolio securities and cash. State Street also maintains the Funds accounting records. State Street may appoint domestic and foreign sub-custodians and use depositories from time to time to hold securities and other instruments purchased by the Trust in foreign countries and to hold cash and currencies for the Trust.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
[] is the Funds independent registered public accounting firm. In addition to audit services, [] prepares the Funds federal and state tax returns and provides assistance on certain non-audit matters.
POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
General Categories of Conflicts Associated with the Funds
Goldman Sachs (which, for purposes of this POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST section, shall mean, collectively, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., the Investment Adviser and their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managers, members, officers and employees) is a worldwide, full-service investment banking, broker-dealer, asset management and financial services organization and a major participant in global financial markets. As such, Goldman Sachs provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base. In those and other capacities, Goldman Sachs advises clients in all markets and transactions and
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purchases, sells, holds and recommends a broad array of investments for its own accounts and for the accounts of clients and of its personnel, through client accounts and the relationships and products it sponsors, manages and advises (such Goldman Sachs or other client accounts (including the Funds), relationships and products collectively, the Accounts). Goldman Sachs has direct and indirect interests in the global fixed income, currency, commodity, equities, bank loan and other markets, and the securities and issuers, in which the Funds may directly and indirectly invest. As a result, Goldman Sachs activities and dealings may affect the Funds in ways that may disadvantage or restrict the Funds and/or benefit Goldman Sachs or other Accounts. For purposes of this POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST section, Funds shall mean, collectively, the Fund and any of the other Goldman Sachs Funds.
The following are descriptions of certain conflicts of interest and potential conflicts of interest that may be associated with the financial or other interests that the Investment Adviser and Goldman Sachs may have in transactions effected by, with, and on behalf of the Funds. They are not, and are not intended to be, a complete enumeration or explanation of all of the potential conflicts of interest that may arise. Additional information about potential conflicts of interest regarding the Investment Adviser and Goldman Sachs is set forth in the Investment Advisers Form ADV, which prospective shareholders should review prior to purchasing Fund shares. A copy of Part 1 and Part 2 of the Investment Advisers Form ADV is available on the SECs website (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov). A copy of Part 2 of the Investment Advisers Form ADV will be provided to shareholders or prospective shareholders upon request.
The Sale of Fund Shares and the Allocation of Investment Opportunities
Sales Incentives and Related Conflicts Arising from Goldman Sachs Financial and Other Relationships with Intermediaries
Goldman Sachs and its personnel, including employees of the Investment Adviser, may have relationships (both involving and not involving the Funds, and including without limitation placement, brokerage, advisory and board relationships) with distributors, consultants and others who recommend, or engage in transactions with or for, the Funds. Such distributors, consultants and other parties may receive compensation from Goldman Sachs or the Funds in connection with such relationships. As a result of these relationships, distributors, consultants and other parties may have conflicts that create incentives for them to promote the Funds.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, Goldman Sachs and the Funds may make payments to authorized dealers and other financial intermediaries and to salespersons to promote the Funds. These payments may be made out of Goldman Sachs assets or amounts payable to Goldman Sachs. These payments may create an incentive for such persons to highlight, feature or recommend the Funds.
Allocation of Investment Opportunities Among the Funds and Other Accounts
The Investment Adviser may manage or advise multiple Accounts (including Accounts in which Goldman Sachs and its personnel have an interest) that have investment objectives that are similar to the Funds and that may seek to make investments or sell investments in the same securities or other instruments, sectors or strategies as the Funds. This may create potential conflicts, particularly in circumstances where the availability of such investment opportunities is limited (e.g., in local and emerging markets, high yield securities, fixed income securities, regulated industries, small capitalization and initial public offerings/new issues) or where the liquidity of such investment opportunities is limited.
The Investment Adviser does not receive performance-based compensation in respect of its investment management activities on behalf of the Funds, but may simultaneously manage Accounts for which the Investment Adviser receives greater fees or other compensation (including performance-based fees or allocations) than it receives in respect of the Funds. The simultaneous management of Accounts that pay greater fees or other compensation and the Funds may create a conflict of interest as the Investment Adviser may have an incentive to favor Accounts with the potential to receive greater fees. For instance, the Investment Adviser may be faced with a conflict of interest when allocating scarce investment opportunities given the possibly greater fees from Accounts that pay performance-based fees. To address these types of conflicts, the Investment Adviser has adopted policies and procedures under which it will allocate investment opportunities in a manner that it believes is consistent with its obligations as an investment adviser. However, the amount, timing, structuring or terms of an investment by the Funds may differ from, and performance may be lower than, the investments and performance of other Accounts.
To address these potential conflicts, the Investment Adviser has developed allocation policies and procedures that provide that Goldman Sachs personnel making portfolio decisions for Accounts will make purchase and sale decisions for, and allocate investment opportunities among, Accounts consistent with the Investment Advisers fiduciary obligations. These policies and procedures may
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result in the pro rata allocation (on a basis determined by the Investment Adviser) of limited opportunities across eligible Accounts managed by a particular portfolio management team, but in many other cases the allocations reflect numerous other factors as described below. Accounts managed by different portfolio management teams may be viewed separately for allocation purposes. There will be cases where certain Accounts (including Accounts in which Goldman Sachs and Goldman Sachs personnel have an interest) receive an allocation of an investment opportunity when the Funds do not.
Allocation-related decisions for the Funds and other Accounts may be made by reference to one or more factors, including without limitation: the Accounts portfolio and its investment horizons, objectives, guidelines and restrictions (including legal and regulatory restrictions affecting certain Accounts or affecting holdings across Accounts); strategic fit and other portfolio management considerations, including different desired levels of exposure to certain strategies; the expected future capacity of the applicable Accounts; limits on the Investment Advisers brokerage discretion; cash and liquidity considerations; and the availability of other appropriate investment opportunities. Suitability considerations, reputational matters and other considerations may also be considered. The application of these considerations may cause differences in the performance of Accounts that have strategies similar to those of the Fund. In addition, in some cases the Investment Adviser may make investment recommendations to Accounts where the Accounts make investments independently of the Investment Adviser. In circumstances in which there is limited availability of an investment opportunity, if such Accounts invest in the investment opportunity prior to a Fund, the availability of the investment opportunity for the Fund will be reduced irrespective of the Investment Advisers policies regarding allocation of investments. Additional information about the Investment Advisers allocation policies is set forth in Item 6 (PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENTSide-by-Side Management) of the Investment Advisers Form ADV.
The Investment Adviser may, from time to time, develop and implement new trading strategies or seek to participate in new trading strategies and investment opportunities. These strategies and opportunities may not be employed in all Accounts or employed pro rata among Accounts where they are employed, even if the strategy or opportunity is consistent with the objectives of such Accounts.
During periods of unusual market conditions, the Investment Adviser may deviate from its normal trade allocation practices. For example, this may occur with respect to the management of unlevered and/or long-only Accounts that are typically managed on a side-by-side basis with levered and/or long-short Accounts.
The Investment Adviser and the Funds may receive notice of, or offers to participate in, investment opportunities. The Investment Adviser in its sole discretion will determine whether a Fund will participate in any such investment opportunities and investors should not expect that the Fund will participate in any such investment opportunities. Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing, the Funds may or may not receive, but in any event will have no rights with respect to, opportunities sourced by Goldman Sachs businesses and affiliates other than the Investment Adviser. Opportunities or any portion thereof that the Funds do not participate in may be offered to other Accounts, Goldman Sachs (including the Investment Adviser), all or certain investors in the Funds, or such other persons or entities as determined by Goldman Sachs in its sole discretion, and the Funds will not receive any compensation related to such opportunities.
Goldman Sachs Financial and Other Interests May Incentivize Goldman Sachs to Promote the Sale of Fund Shares
Goldman Sachs and its personnel have interests in promoting sales of Fund shares, and the compensation from such sales may be greater than the compensation relating to sales of interests in other Accounts. Therefore, Goldman Sachs and its personnel may have a financial interest in promoting Fund shares over interests in other Accounts.
Management of the Funds by the Investment Adviser
Potential Restrictions and Issues Relating to Information Held by Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs has established certain information barriers and other policies to address the sharing of information between different businesses within Goldman Sachs. As a result of information barriers, the Investment Adviser generally will not have access, or will have limited access, to information and personnel in other areas of Goldman Sachs, and generally will not be able to manage the Funds with the benefit of information held by such other areas. Such other areas, including without limitation, Goldman Sachs prime brokerage and administration businesses, will have broad access to detailed information that is not available to the Investment Adviser, including information in respect of markets and investments, which, if known to the Investment Adviser, might cause the Investment Adviser to seek to dispose of, retain or increase interests in investments held by the Funds or acquire certain positions on
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behalf of the Funds, or take other actions. Goldman Sachs will be under no obligation or fiduciary or other duty to make any such information available to the Investment Adviser or personnel of the Investment Adviser involved in decision-making for the Funds. In addition, Goldman Sachs will not have any obligation to make available any information regarding its trading activities, strategies or views, or the activities, strategies or views used for other Accounts, for the benefit of the Funds. Different portfolio management teams within the Investment Adviser may make decisions based on information or take (or refrain from taking) actions with respect to Accounts they advise in a manner that may be adverse to the Funds. Such teams may not share information with the Funds portfolio management teams, including as a result of certain information barriers and other policies, and will not have any obligation to do so.
Valuation of the Funds Investments
The Investment Adviser, while not the primary valuation agent of the Funds, performs certain valuation services related to securities and assets in the Funds. The Investment Adviser values securities and assets in the Funds according to its valuation policies. The Investment Adviser may value an identical asset differently than another division or unit within Goldman Sachs values the asset, including because such other division or unit has information regarding valuation techniques and models or other information that it does not share with the Investment Adviser. This is particularly the case in respect of difficult-to-value assets. The Investment Adviser may also value an identical asset differently in different Accounts (e.g., because different Accounts are subject to different valuation guidelines pursuant to their respective governing agreements, different third party vendors are hired to perform valuation functions for the Accounts or the Accounts are managed or advised by different portfolio management teams within the Investment Adviser). The Investment Adviser may face a conflict with respect to such valuations as they affect the Investment Advisers compensation.
Goldman Sachs and the Investment Advisers Activities on Behalf of Other Accounts
Goldman Sachs engages in various activities in the global financial markets. Goldman Sachs, acting in various capacities (including investment banker, market maker, investor, broker, advisor and research provider), may take actions or advise on transactions in respect of Accounts (including the Funds) or companies or affiliated or unaffiliated investment funds in which one or more Funds have an interest that may have potential adverse effects on the Funds.
The Investment Adviser provides advisory services to the Funds. The Investment Advisers decisions and actions on behalf of the Funds may differ from those on behalf of other Accounts. Advice given to, or investment or voting decisions made for, one or more Accounts may compete with, affect, differ from, conflict with, or involve timing different from, advice given to or investment decisions made for the Funds.
Goldman Sachs (including the Investment Adviser), the clients it advises, and its personnel have interests in and advise Accounts that have investment objectives or portfolios similar to or opposed to those of the Funds, and/or which engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities and other instruments as the Funds. Transactions by such Accounts may involve the same or related securities or other instruments as those in which the Funds invest, and may negatively affect the Funds or the prices or terms at which the Funds transactions may be effected. For example, Accounts may engage in a strategy while the Funds are undertaking the same or a differing strategy, any of which could directly or indirectly disadvantage the Funds. The Funds on one hand and Goldman Sachs or Accounts on the other hand may also vote differently on or take or refrain from taking different actions with respect to the same security, which may be disadvantageous to the Funds. Goldman Sachs or Accounts, on the one hand, and a Fund, on the other hand, may also invest in or extend credit to different classes of securities or different parts of the capital structure of the same issuer and as a result Goldman Sachs or Accounts may take actions that adversely affect the Fund. In addition, Goldman Sachs (including the Investment Adviser) may advise Accounts with respect to different parts of the capital structure of the same issuer, or classes of securities that are subordinate or senior to securities, in which a Fund invests. As a result, Goldman Sachs may pursue or enforce rights or activities, or refrain from pursuing or enforcing rights or activities, on behalf of Accounts with respect to a particular issuer in which one or more Funds have invested. The Funds could sustain losses during periods in which Goldman Sachs and other Accounts achieve profits. The negative effects described above may be more pronounced in connection with transactions in, or the Funds use of, small capitalization, emerging market, distressed or less liquid strategies.
Goldman Sachs (including the Investment Adviser) and its personnel may advise on transactions, make investment decisions or recommendations, provide differing investment views or have views with respect to research or valuations that are inconsistent with, or adverse to, the interests and activities of the Funds. Similarly, the Investment Advisers investment teams may have differing investment views in respect of an issuer or a security, and the positions a Funds investment team takes in respect of the Fund may be inconsistent with, or adversely affected by, the interests and activities of the Accounts advised by other investment teams of the Investment Adviser. Research, analyses or viewpoints may be available to clients or potential clients at different times. Goldman
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Sachs will not have any obligation to make available to the Funds any research or analysis prior to its public dissemination. The Investment Adviser is responsible for making investment decisions on behalf of the Funds and such investment decisions can differ from investment decisions or recommendations by Goldman Sachs on behalf of other Accounts. Goldman Sachs, on behalf of one or more Accounts and in accordance with its management of such Accounts, may implement an investment decision or strategy ahead of, or contemporaneously with, or behind similar investment decisions or strategies made for the Funds. The relative timing for the implementation of investment decisions or strategies for Accounts, on the one hand, and the Funds, on the other hand, may disadvantage the Funds. Certain factors, for example, market impact, liquidity constraints, or other circumstances, could result in the Funds receiving less favorable trading results or incurring increased costs associated with implementing such investment decisions or strategies, or being otherwise disadvantaged.
Subject to applicable law, the Investment Adviser may cause the Funds to invest in securities, bank loans or other obligations of companies affiliated with or advised by Goldman Sachs or in which Goldman Sachs or Accounts have an equity, debt or other interest, or to engage in investment transactions that may result in other Accounts being relieved of obligations or otherwise divested of investments, which may enhance the profitability of Goldman Sachs or other Accounts investment in and activities with respect to such companies.
When the Investment Adviser wishes to place an order for different types of Accounts (including the Funds) for which aggregation is not practicable, the Investment Adviser may use a trade sequencing and rotation policy to determine which type of Account is to be traded first. Under this policy, each portfolio management team may determine the length of its trade rotation period and the sequencing schedule for different categories of clients within this period provided that the trading periods and these sequencing schedules are designed to be fair and equitable over time. The portfolio management teams currently base their trading periods and rotation schedules on the relative amounts of assets managed for different client categories (e.g., unconstrained client accounts, wrap program accounts, etc.) and, as a result, the Funds may trade behind other Accounts. Within a given trading period, the sequencing schedule establishes when and how frequently a given client category will trade first in the order of rotation. The Investment Adviser may deviate from the predetermined sequencing schedule under certain circumstances, and the Investment Advisers trade sequencing and rotation policy may be amended, modified or supplemented at any time without prior notice to clients.
Investments in Goldman Sachs Funds
To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Funds may invest in money market and other funds sponsored, managed or advised by Goldman Sachs. In connection with any such investments, a Fund, to the extent permitted by the Act, will pay all advisory, administrative or Rule 12b-1 fees applicable to the investment, and fees to the Investment Adviser in its capacity as manager of the Funds will not be reduced thereby (i.e., there could be double fees involved in making any such investment because Goldman Sachs could receive fees with respect to both the management of the Funds and such money market fund). In such circumstances, as well as in all other circumstances in which Goldman Sachs receives any fees or other compensation in any form relating to the provision of services, no accounting or repayment to the Funds will be required.
Goldman Sachs May In-Source or Outsource
Subject to applicable law, Goldman Sachs, including the Investment Adviser, may from time to time and without notice to investors in-source or outsource certain processes or functions in connection with a variety of services that it provides to the Funds in its administrative or other capacities. Such in-sourcing or outsourcing may give rise to additional conflicts of interest.
Distributions of Assets Other Than Cash
With respect to redemptions from the Funds, the Funds may, in certain circumstances, have discretion to decide whether to permit or limit redemptions and whether to make distributions in connection with redemptions in the form of securities or other assets, and in such case, the composition of such distributions. In making such decisions, the Investment Adviser may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities with respect to redeeming investors and remaining investors.
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Goldman Sachs May Act in a Capacity Other Than Investment Adviser to the Funds
Principal and Cross Transactions
When permitted by applicable law and the Investment Advisers policies, the Investment Adviser, acting on behalf of the Funds, may enter into transactions in securities and other instruments with or through Goldman Sachs or in Accounts managed by the Investment Adviser, and may cause the Funds to engage in transactions in which the Investment Adviser acts as principal on its own behalf (principal transactions), advises both sides of a transaction (cross transactions) and acts as broker for, and receives a commission from, the Funds on one side of a transaction and a brokerage account on the other side of the transaction (agency cross transactions). There may be potential conflicts of interest or regulatory issues relating to these transactions which could limit the Investment Advisers decision to engage in these transactions for the Funds. Goldman Sachs may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities to the parties in such transactions, and has developed policies and procedures in relation to such transactions and conflicts. Any principal, cross or agency cross transactions will be effected in accordance with fiduciary requirements and applicable law.
Goldman Sachs May Act in Multiple Commercial Capacities
To the extent permitted by applicable law, Goldman Sachs may act as broker, dealer, agent, lender or advisor or in other commercial capacities for the Funds or issuers of securities held by the Funds. Goldman Sachs may be entitled to compensation in connection with the provision of such services, and the Funds will not be entitled to any such compensation. Goldman Sachs will have an interest in obtaining fees and other compensation in connection with such services that are favorable to Goldman Sachs, and in connection with providing such services may take commercial steps in its own interests, or may advise the parties to which it is providing services to take actions or engage in transactions, that negatively affect the Funds. For example, Goldman Sachs may advise a company to make changes to its capital structure the result of which would be a reduction in the value or priority of a security held by one or more Funds. Actions taken or advised to be taken by Goldman Sachs in connection with other types of transactions may also result in adverse consequences for the Fund. In addition, due to its access to and knowledge of funds, markets and securities based on its other businesses, Goldman Sachs may make decisions based on information or take (or refrain from taking) actions with respect to interests in investments of the kind held directly or indirectly by the Funds in a manner that may be adverse to the Funds. Goldman Sachs may also provide various services to the Funds or to issuers of securities in which the Funds invest, which may result in fees, compensation and remuneration as well as other benefits to Goldman Sachs, enhance Goldman Sachs relationships with various parties, facilitate additional business development and enable Goldman Sachs to obtain additional business and generate additional revenue.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, Goldman Sachs (including the Investment Adviser) may create, write, sell, issue, invest in or act as placement agent or distributor of derivative instruments related to the Funds, or with respect to underlying securities or assets of the Funds, or which may be otherwise based on or seek to replicate or hedge the performance of the Funds. Such derivative transactions, and any associated hedging activity, may differ from and be adverse to the interests of the Funds.
Goldman Sachs may make loans to shareholders or enter into similar transactions that are secured by a pledge of, or mortgage over, a shareholders Fund shares, which would provide Goldman Sachs with the right to redeem such Fund shares in the event that such shareholder defaults on its obligations. These transactions and related redemptions may be significant and may be made without notice to the shareholders.
Goldman Sachs may make loans to clients or enter into asset-based or other credit facilities or similar transactions with clients that are secured by a clients assets or interests other than Fund shares. In connection with its rights as lender, Goldman Sachs may take actions that adversely affect the borrower. The borrowers actions may in turn adversely affect the Funds (e.g., if the borrower rapidly liquidates a large position in a security that is held by one or more Funds, the value of such security may decline and the value of the Funds may in turn decline in value or may be unable to liquidate their positions in such security at an advantageous price).
Code of Ethics and Personal Trading
Each of the Funds and Goldman Sachs, as each Funds Investment Adviser and distributor, has adopted a Code of Ethics (the Code of Ethics) in compliance with Section 17(j) of the Act designed to provide that personnel of the Investment Adviser, and certain additional Goldman Sachs personnel who support the Investment Adviser, comply with applicable federal securities laws and place the interests of clients first in conducting personal securities transactions. The Code of Ethics imposes certain restrictions on securities transactions in the personal accounts of covered persons to help avoid conflicts of interest. Subject to the limitations of the Code of Ethics, covered persons may buy and sell securities or other investments for their personal accounts, including investments in the Funds, and may also take positions that are the same as, different from, or made at different times than, positions taken by the Funds. The Codes of Ethics can be reviewed and copied at the SECs Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-942-8090. The Codes of Ethics are also
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available on the EDGAR Database on the SECs Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. Copies may also be obtained after paying a duplicating fee by writing the SECs Public Reference Section, Washington, DC 20549-0102, or by electronic request to publicinfo@sec.gov. Additionally, all Goldman Sachs personnel, including personnel of the Investment Adviser, are subject to firm-wide policies and procedures regarding confidential and proprietary information, information barriers, private investments, outside business activities and personal trading.
Proxy Voting by the Investment Adviser
The Investment Adviser has adopted policies and procedures designed to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing proxy voting decisions that it makes on behalf of advisory clients, including the Funds, and to help ensure that such decisions are made in accordance with its fiduciary obligations to its clients. Notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, proxy voting decisions made by the Investment Adviser in respect of securities held by the Funds may benefit the interests of Goldman Sachs and/or Accounts other than the Funds. For a more detailed discussion of these policies and procedures, see the section of this SAI entitled PROXY VOTING.
Potential Limitations and Restrictions on Investment Opportunities and Activities of Goldman Sachs and the Funds
The Investment Adviser may restrict its investment decisions and activities on behalf of the Funds in various circumstances, including as a result of applicable regulatory requirements, information held by Goldman Sachs, Goldman Sachs internal policies and/or potential reputational risk in connection with Accounts (including the Funds). As a result, the Investment Adviser might not engage in transactions for one or more Funds in consideration of Goldman Sachs activities outside the Funds (e.g., the Investment Adviser may refrain from making investments for the Funds that would cause Goldman Sachs to exceed position limits or cause Goldman Sachs to have additional disclosure obligations and may limit purchases or sales of securities in respect of which Goldman Sachs is engaged in an underwriting or other distribution). The Investment Adviser may also reduce a Funds interest in an investment opportunity that has limited availability so that other Accounts that pursue similar investment strategies may be able to acquire an interest in the investment opportunity. In addition, the Investment Adviser is not permitted to obtain or use material non-public information in effecting purchases and sales in public securities transactions for the Funds. The Investment Adviser may also limit an activity or transaction engaged in by the Funds, and may limit its exercise of rights on behalf of the Funds for reputational or other reasons, including where Goldman Sachs is providing (or may provide) advice or services to an entity involved in such activity or transaction, where Goldman Sachs or an Account is or may be engaged in the same or a related transaction to that being considered on behalf of the Funds, where Goldman Sachs or an Account has an interest in an entity involved in such activity or transaction, or where such activity or transaction or the exercise of such rights on behalf of or in respect of the Funds could affect Goldman Sachs, the Investment Adviser or their activities. The Investment Adviser may restrict its investment decisions and activities on behalf of one or more Funds and not on behalf of other Accounts.
Brokerage Transactions
The Investment Adviser may select broker-dealers (including affiliates of the Investment Adviser) that furnish the Investment Adviser, the Funds, their affiliates and other Goldman Sachs personnel with proprietary or third party brokerage and research services (collectively, brokerage and research services) that provide, in the Investment Advisers view, appropriate assistance to the Investment Adviser in the investment decision-making process. As a result, the Investment Adviser may pay for such brokerage and research services with soft or commission dollars.
Brokerage and research services may be used to service the Funds and any or all other Accounts, including Accounts that do not pay commissions to the broker-dealer relating to the brokerage and research service arrangements. As a result, brokerage and research services (including soft dollar benefits) may disproportionately benefit other Accounts relative to the Funds based on the relative amount of commissions paid by the Funds. The Investment Adviser does not attempt to allocate soft dollar benefits proportionately among clients or to track the benefits of brokerage and research services to the commissions associated with a particular Account or group of Accounts.
Aggregation of Trades by the Investment Adviser
The Investment Adviser follows policies and procedures pursuant to which it may combine or aggregate purchase or sale orders for the same security for multiple Accounts (including Accounts in which Goldman Sachs has an interest) (sometimes called bunching), so that the orders can be executed at the same time. The Investment Adviser aggregates orders when the Investment Adviser considers doing so appropriate and in the interests of its clients generally. In addition, under certain circumstances trades for the Funds may be aggregated with Accounts that contain Goldman Sachs assets.
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When a bunched order is completely filled, the Investment Adviser generally will allocate the securities purchased or proceeds of sale pro rata among the participating Accounts, based on the purchase or sale order. If an order is filled at several different prices, through multiple trades (whether at a particular broker-dealer or among multiple broker-dealers), generally all participating Accounts will receive the average price and pay the average commission, however, this may not always be the case (due to, e.g., odd lots, rounding, market practice or constraints applicable to particular Accounts).
Although it may do so in certain circumstances, the Investment Adviser generally does not bunch or aggregate orders for different Funds, or net buy and sell orders for the same Fund, if portfolio management decisions relating to the orders are made by separate portfolio management teams, if bunching, aggregating or netting is not appropriate or practicable from the Investment Advisers operational or other perspective, or if doing so would not be appropriate in light of applicable regulatory considerations. The Investment Adviser may be able to negotiate a better price and lower commission rate on aggregated trades than on trades for Funds that are not aggregated, and incur lower transaction costs on netted trades than trades that are not netted. Where transactions for a Fund are not aggregated with other orders, or not netted against orders for the Fund, the Fund may not benefit from a better price and lower commission rate or lower transaction cost.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
The portfolio transactions for the Fund are generally effected at a net price without a brokers commission (i.e., a dealer is dealing with the Fund as principal and receives compensation equal to the spread between the dealers cost for a given security and the resale price of such security). In certain foreign countries, debt securities are traded on exchanges at fixed commission rates. In connection with portfolio transactions, the Management Agreements provide that the Investment Adviser shall attempt to obtain the most favorable execution and net price available. The Management Agreement provides that, on occasions when the Investment Adviser deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interests of the Fund as well as its other customers (including any other fund or other investment company or advisory account for which an Investment Adviser or an affiliate acts as Investment Adviser), the Fund, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may aggregate the securities to be sold or purchased for the Fund with those to be sold or purchased for such other customers in order to obtain the best net price and most favorable execution. In such event, allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the applicable Investment Adviser in the manner it considers to be most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the applicable Fund and such other customers. In some instances, this procedure may adversely affect the size and price of the position obtainable for the Fund. The Management Agreement permits the Investment Adviser, in its discretion, to purchase and sell portfolio securities to and from dealers who provide the Trust with brokerage or research services in which dealers may execute brokerage transactions at a higher cost to the Fund. Brokerage and research services furnished by firms through which the Fund effects its securities transactions may be used by the Investment Adviser in servicing other accounts and not all of these services may be used by the Investment Adviser in connection with the specific Fund generating the brokerage credits. Such research or other services may include research reports on companies, industries and securities; economic and financial data; financial publications; computer data bases; quotation equipment and services; and research-oriented computer hardware, software and other services. The fees received under the Management Agreement are not reduced by reason of an Investment Adviser receiving such brokerage and research services.
Such services are used by the Investment Adviser in connection with all of its investment activities, and some of such services obtained in connection with the execution of transactions for the Fund may be used in managing other investment accounts. Conversely, brokers furnishing such services may be selected for the execution of transactions of such other accounts, whose aggregate assets may be larger than those of the Fund, and the services furnished by such brokers may be used by the Investment Adviser in providing management services for the Trust. The Investment Adviser may also participate in so-called commission sharing arrangements and client commission arrangements under which the Investment Adviser may execute transactions through a broker-dealer and request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions or commission credits to another firm that provides research to the Investment Adviser. The Investment Adviser excludes from use under these arrangements those products and services that are not fully eligible under applicable law and regulatory interpretationseven as to the portion that would be eligible if accounted for separately.
The research services received as part of commission sharing and client commission arrangements will comply with Section 28(e) and may be subject to different legal requirements in the jurisdictions in which the Investment Adviser does business. Participating in commission sharing and client commission arrangements may enable the Investment Adviser to consolidate payments for research
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through one or more channels using accumulated client commissions or credits from transactions executed through a particular broker-dealer to obtain research provided by other firms. Such arrangements also help to ensure the continued receipt of research services while facilitating best execution in the trading process. The Investment Adviser believes such research services are useful in its investment decision-making process by, among other things, ensuring access to a variety of high quality research, access to individual analysts and availability of resources that the Investment Adviser might not be provided access to absent such arrangements.
The Fund is prohibited, in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the Act, from compensating a broker or dealer for any promotion or sale of Fund shares by directing to such broker or dealer the Trusts portfolio transactions or by making any payment to such broker or dealer received or to be received (which payment may include commissions, mark-ups or mark-downs or other fees) from the Trusts portfolio transactions effected through another broker or dealer. However, the Fund may direct portfolio transactions to a broker or dealer that promotes or sells shares of the Trust if the Trusts Board of Trustees approves policies and procedures designed to ensure that the selection of such brokers is not influenced by considerations about the sale of Trust shares. Accordingly, the Trustees (including a majority of the Trustees who are not interested Trustees) have approved policies permitting the Trust to direct portfolio securities transactions to a broker or dealer that promotes or sells shares of the Trust subject to the prohibitions that: i) all persons responsible for selecting such brokers or dealers (including but not limited to trading desk personnel and portfolio managers) may not take into account in connection with their selections the promotion or sale of shares issued by the Trust or any other registered investment company, and ii) the Trust, the Investment Adviser and Goldman, Sachs & Co. as the Trusts distributor may not enter into any agreement or understanding where the Trust or the Investment Adviser directs, or is expected to direct, portfolio transactions or any payment to a broker or dealer in consideration for the promotion or sale of shares of the Trust or any other registered investment company.
The Fund may participate in a Fund commission recapture program. Under the program, participating broker-dealers rebate a percentage of commissions earned on the Fund portfolio transactions to the particular Fund from which they were generated. The rebated commissions are expected to be treated as realized capital gains of the Funds.
Subject to the above considerations, the Investment Adviser may use Goldman Sachs or an affiliate as a broker for the Fund. In order for Goldman Sachs or an affiliate, acting as agent, to effect securities or futures transactions for the Fund, the commissions, fees or other remuneration received by Goldman Sachs or an affiliate must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions, fees or other remuneration received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities or futures contracts. Furthermore, the Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, have adopted procedures which are reasonably designed to provide that any commissions, fees or other remuneration paid to Goldman Sachs are consistent with the foregoing standard. Brokerage transactions with Goldman Sachs are also subject to such fiduciary standards as may be imposed upon Goldman Sachs by applicable law. The amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund may vary substantially from year to year because of differences in shareholder purchase and redemption activity, portfolio turnover rates and other factors.
Since the Fund is newly-organized, it did not pay brokerage commissions during the last three fiscal years.
The Fund is a series of Goldman Sachs Trust, a Delaware statutory trust established by an Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997. The Funds fiscal year end is March 31.
The Trustees have authority under the Trusts Declaration of Trust to create and classify shares of beneficial interest in separate series, without further action by shareholders. The Trustees also have authority to classify and reclassify any series of shares into one or more classes of shares. As of [], 2013, the Trustees have authorized the issuance of five classes of shares of the Fund: Class A, Class C, Class R, Institutional and Class IR Shares. Additional series and classes may be added in the future. This SAI only covers Institutional Shares.
Each Class A Share, Class C Share, Institutional Share, Class R Share and Class IR Share of the Fund represents a proportionate interest in the assets belonging to the applicable class of the Fund. All expenses of the Fund are borne at the same rate by each class of shares, except that fees under each Distribution and Service Plan (each, a Plan) are borne exclusively by Class A, Class C or Class R Shares, respectively, and transfer agency fees and expenses are borne at different rates by different share classes. The Trustees may determine in the future that it is appropriate to allocate other expenses differently among classes of shares and may do so to the extent consistent with the rules of the SEC and positions of the IRS. Each class of shares may have different minimum investment requirements and be entitled to different shareholder services. With limited exceptions, shares of a class may only be exchanged for shares of the same or an equivalent class of another fund. See Shareholder Guide in the Prospectus and OTHER INFORMATION REGARDING MAXIMUM SALES CHARGE, PURCHASES, REDEMPTIONS, EXCHANGES AND DIVIDENDS below. In addition, the fees and expenses set forth below for each class may be subject to fee waivers or reimbursements, as discussed in the Funds Prospectus.
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Institutional Shares may be purchased at net asset value without a sales charge for accounts in the name of an investor or institution that is not compensated by the Fund under a Plan for services provided to the institutions customers.
Class IR and Class R Shares are sold at net asset value without a sales charge. As noted in the Prospectus, Class IR and Class R Shares are not sold directly to the public. Instead, Class IR and Class R Shares generally are available only to Section 401(k) plans, 403(b), 457, profit sharing, money purchase pension, tax-sheltered annuity, defined benefit pension, non-qualified deferred compensation plans and non-qualified pension plans or other employee benefit plans (including health savings accounts) or SIMPLE plans that are sponsored by one or more employers (including governmental or church employers) or employee organizations (Employee Benefit Plans). Such an Employee Benefit Plan must purchase Class IR or Class R Shares through a plan level or omnibus account. Class IR Shares may also be sold to accounts established under a fee-based program that is sponsored and maintained by an Authorized Institution that is approved by Goldman Sachs (Eligible Fee-Based Program). Class IR and R Shares are not available to traditional and Roth Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), SEPs and SARSEPs; except that Class IR Shares are available to such accounts or plans to the extent they are purchased through an Eligible Fee-Based Program. Participants in an Employee Benefit Plan should contact their Employee Benefit Plan service provider for information regarding purchases, sales and exchanges of Class IR and Class R Shares. Class R Shares bear the cost of distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees at the aggregate rate of up to 0.50% of the average daily net assets attributable to Class R Shares. With respect to Class R Shares the distributor at its discretion may use compensation for distribution services paid under the Distribution and Service Plan for personal and account maintenance services and expenses so long as such total compensation under the Plan does not exceed the maximum cap on service fees imposed by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
Class A Shares are sold, with an initial sales charge, through brokers and dealers who are members of the FINRA and certain other financial service firms that have sales agreements with Goldman Sachs. Class A Shares of the Fund bear the cost of distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees at the aggregate rate of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of such Class A Shares. With respect to Class A Shares, the Distributor at its discretion may use compensation for distribution services paid under the Distribution and Services Plan for personal and account maintenance services and expenses so long as such total compensation under the Plan does not exceed the maximum cap on service fees imposed by the FINRA.
Class C Shares of the Fund are sold subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) through brokers and dealers who are members of FINRA and certain other financial services firms that have sales arrangements with Goldman Sachs. Class C Shares bear the cost of distribution (Rule 12b-1) fees at the aggregate rate of up to 0.75% of the average daily net assets attributed to Class C Shares. Class C Shares also bear the cost of service fees at an annual rate of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets attributed to Class C Shares.
It is possible that an institution or its affiliate may offer different classes of shares (i.e., Institutional, Class A, Class C, Class R and Class IR Shares) to its customers and thus receive different compensation with respect to different classes of shares of the Fund. Dividends paid by the Fund, if any, with respect to each class of shares will be calculated in the same manner, at the same time on the same day and will be in the same amount, except for differences caused by the fact that the respective transfer agency and Plan fees relating to a particular class will be borne exclusively by that class. Similarly, the net asset value per share may differ depending upon the class of shares purchased.
Certain aspects of the shares may be altered, after advance notice to shareholders, if it is deemed necessary in order to satisfy certain tax regulatory requirements.
When issued for the consideration described in the Funds Prospectus, shares are fully paid and non-assessable. The Trustees may, however, cause shareholders, or shareholders of a particular series or class, to pay certain custodian, transfer, servicing or similar agent charges by setting off the same against declared but unpaid dividends or by reducing share ownership (or by both means). In the event of liquidation of the Fund, shareholders of the Fund are entitled to share pro rata in the net assets of the applicable class of the Fund available for distribution to such shareholders. All shares are freely transferable and have no preemptive, subscription or conversion rights. The Trustees may require Shareholders to redeem Shares for any reason under terms set by the Trustees.
In the interest of economy and convenience, the Trust does not issue certificates representing the Funds shares. Instead, the Transfer Agent maintains a record of each shareholders ownership. Each shareholder receives confirmation of purchase and redemption orders from the Transfer Agent. Fund shares and any dividends and distributions paid by the Fund are reflected in account statements from the Transfer Agent.
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The Act requires that where more than one series of shares exists, each series must be preferred over all other series in respect of assets specifically allocated to such series. Rule 18f-2 under the Act provides that any matter required to be submitted by the provisions of the Act or applicable state law, or otherwise, to the holders of the outstanding voting securities of an investment company such as the Trust shall not be deemed to have been effectively acted upon unless approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of each series affected by such matter. Rule 18f-2 further provides that a series shall be deemed to be affected by a matter unless the interests of each series in the matter are substantially identical or the matter does not affect any interest of such series. However, Rule 18f-2 exempts the selection of independent public accountants, the approval of principal distribution contracts and the election of trustees from the separate voting requirements of Rule 18f-2.
The Trust is not required to hold annual meetings of shareholders and does not intend to hold such meetings. In the event that a meeting of shareholders is held, each share of the Trust will be entitled, as determined by the Trustees without the vote or consent of the shareholders, either to one vote for each share or to one vote for each dollar of net asset value represented by such share on all matters presented to shareholders including the election of Trustees (this method of voting being referred to as dollar based voting). However, to the extent required by the Act or otherwise determined by the Trustees, series and classes of the Trust will vote separately from each other. Shareholders of the Trust do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of Trustees. Meetings of shareholders of the Trust, or any series or class thereof, may be called by the Trustees, certain officers or upon the written request of holders of 10% or more of the shares entitled to vote at such meetings. The Trustees will call a special meeting of shareholders for the purpose of electing Trustees, if, at any time, less than a majority of Trustees holding office at the time were elected by shareholders. The shareholders of the Trust will have voting rights only with respect to the limited number of matters specified in the Declaration of Trust and such other matters as the Trustees may determine or may be required by law.
The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification of Trustees, officers, employees and agents of the Trust unless the recipient is adjudicated (i) to be liable by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such persons office; or (ii) not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that such persons actions were in the best interest of the Trust. The Declaration of Trust provides that, if any shareholder or former shareholder of any series is held personally liable solely by reason of being or having been a shareholder and not because of the shareholders acts or omissions or for some other reason, the shareholder or former shareholder (or the shareholders heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives or general successors) shall be held harmless from and indemnified against all loss and expense arising from such liability. The Trust, acting on behalf of any affected series, must, upon request by such shareholder, assume the defense of any claim made against such shareholder for any act or obligation of the series and satisfy any judgment thereon from the assets of the series.
The Declaration of Trust permits the termination of the Trust or of any series or class of the Trust (i) by a majority of the affected shareholders at a meeting of shareholders of the Trust, series or class; or (ii) by a majority of the Trustees without shareholder approval if the Trustees determine, in their sole discretion, that such action is in the best interest of the Trust, such series, such class or their shareholders. The Trustees may consider such factors as they, in their sole discretion, deem appropriate in making such determination, including (i) the inability of the Trust or any series or class to maintain its assets at an appropriate size; (ii) changes in laws or regulations governing the Trust or series affecting assets of the type in which it invests; or (iii) economic developments or trends having a significant adverse impact on the business or operations of the Trust or series.
The Declaration of Trust authorizes the Trustees, without shareholder approval, to cause the Trust, or any series thereof, to merge or consolidate with any corporation, association, trust or other organization or sell or exchange all or substantially all of the property belonging to the Trust or any series thereof. In addition, the Trustees, without shareholder approval, may adopt a master-feeder structure by investing all or a portion of the assets of a series of the Trust in the securities of another open-end investment company with substantially the same investment objective, restrictions and policies.
The Declaration of Trust permits the Trustees to amend the Declaration of Trust without a shareholder vote. However, shareholders of the Trust have the right to vote on any amendment (i) that would adversely affect the voting rights of shareholders; (ii) that is required by law to be approved by shareholders; (iii) that would amend the provisions of the Declaration of Trust regarding amendments; or (iv) that the Trustees determine to submit to shareholders.
The Trustees may appoint separate Trustees with respect to one or more series or classes of the Trusts shares (the Series Trustees). Series Trustees may, but are not required to, serve as Trustees of the Trust or any other series or class of the Trust. To the extent provided by the Trustees in the appointment of Series Trustees, the Series Trustees may have, to the exclusion of any other Trustees of the Trust, all the powers and authorities of Trustees under the Declaration of Trust with respect to such series or class, but may have no power or authority with respect to any other series or class.
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Shareholder and Trustee Liability
Under Delaware law, the shareholders of the Fund are not generally subject to liability for the debts or obligations of the Trust. Similarly, Delaware law provides that a series of the Trust will not be liable for the debts or obligations of any other series of the Trust. However, no similar statutory or other authority limiting statutory trust shareholder liability exists in other states. As a result, to the extent that a Delaware statutory trust or a shareholder is subject to the jurisdiction of courts of such other states, the courts may not apply Delaware law and may thereby subject the Delaware statutory trust shareholders to liability. To guard against this risk, the Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of a series. Notice of such disclaimer will normally be given in each agreement, obligation or instrument entered into or executed by a series of the Trust. The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification by the relevant series for all loss suffered by a shareholder as a result of an obligation of the series. The Declaration of Trust also provides that a series shall, upon request, assume the defense of any claim made against any shareholder for any act or obligation of the series and satisfy any judgment thereon. In view of the above, the risk of personal liability of shareholders of a Delaware statutory trust is remote.
In addition to the requirements under Delaware law, the Declaration of Trust provides that shareholders of a series may bring a derivative action on behalf of the series only if the following conditions are met: (a) shareholders eligible to bring such derivative action under Delaware law who hold at least 10% of the outstanding shares of the series, or 10% of the outstanding shares of the class to which such action relates, shall join in the request for the Trustees to commence such action; and (b) the Trustees must be afforded a reasonable amount of time to consider such shareholder request and to investigate the basis of such claim. The Trustees will be entitled to retain counsel or other advisers in considering the merits of the request and may require an undertaking by the shareholders making such request to reimburse the Fund for the expense of any such advisers in the event that the Trustees determine not to bring such action.
The Declaration of Trust further provides that the Trustees will not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law, but nothing in the Declaration of Trust protects a Trustee against liability to which 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.
Principal Holders of Securities
The Fund had not commenced operations as of [], 2013, and the Trust does not know of any persons who own of record or beneficially 5% or more of any class of the Funds shares as of that date.
In accordance with procedures adopted by the Trustees of the Trust, the net asset value per share of each class of the Fund is calculated by determining the value of the net assets attributed to each class of the Fund and dividing by the number of outstanding shares of that class. All securities are valued on each Business Day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (normally, but not always, 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) or such other time as the New York Stock Exchange or National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations System (NASDAQ) market may officially close. The term Business Day means any day the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading, which is Monday through Friday except for holidays. The New York Stock Exchange is closed on the following holidays: New Years Day (observed), Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Washingtons Birthday (observed), Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas.
The time at which transactions and shares are priced and the time by which orders must be received may be changed in case of an emergency or if regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange is stopped at a time other than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The Trust reserves the right to reprocess purchase, redemption and exchange transactions that were initially processed at a net asset value other than the Funds official closing net asset value (as the same may be subsequently adjusted), and to recover amounts from (or distribute amounts to) shareholders based on the official closing net asset value. The Trust reserves the right to advance the time by which purchase and redemption orders must be received for same business day credit as otherwise permitted by the SEC. In addition, the Fund may compute its net asset value as of any time permitted pursuant to any exemption, order or statement of the SEC or its staff.
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For the purpose of calculating the net asset value of the Fund, investments are valued under valuation procedures established by the Trustees. Portfolio securities, for which market quotations are readily available, other than money market instruments, are valued via electronic feeds to the custodian bank containing dealer-supplied bid quotations or bid quotations from a recognized pricing service. Securities for which a pricing service either does not supply a quotation, or supplies a quotation that is believed by the Investment Adviser to be inaccurate, will be valued based on bid-side broker quotations. Although not required, quotations from a pricing service or broker-dealer are typically verified via a second pricing source. However, second source pricing may not be available with respect to certain credit instruments in which the Fund invests. Securities for which the custodian bank is unable to obtain an external price as provided above or with respect to which the Investment Adviser believes an external price does not reflect accurate market values, will be valued by the Investment Adviser in good faith based on yield equivalents, a pricing matrix or other sources, under valuation procedures established by the Trustees. The pricing services may use valuation models or matrix pricing, which considers yield or price with respect to comparable bonds, quotations from bond dealers or by reference to other securities that are considered comparable in such characteristics as rating, interest rate and maturity date, to determine current value. Other securities are valued as follows: (i) overnight repurchase agreements will be valued at cost; (ii) term repurchase agreements (i.e., those whose maturity exceeds seven days) and swaps, caps, collars and floors will be valued at the average of the bid quotations obtained daily from at least one dealer; (iii) debt securities with a remaining maturity of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, which the Trustees have determined to approximate fair value; (iv) spot and forward foreign currency exchange contracts will be valued using a pricing service such as Reuters (if quotations are unavailable from a pricing service or, if the quotations by the Investment Adviser are believed to be inaccurate, the contracts will be valued by calculating the mean between the last bid and asked quotations supplied by at least one independent dealers in such contracts); (v) exchange-traded options and futures contracts will be valued by the custodian bank at the last sale price on the exchange where such contracts and options are principally traded if accurate quotations are readily available; and (vi) over-the-counter options will be valued by a broker identified by the portfolio manager/trader. Other securities, including those for which a pricing service supplies no exchange quotation or a quotation that is believed by the portfolio manager/trader to be inaccurate, will be valued at fair value as stated in the valuation procedures which were approved by the Board of Trustees.
The value of all assets and liabilities expressed in foreign currencies will be converted into U.S. dollar values at current exchange rates of such currencies against U.S. dollars as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (normally, but not always, 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time). If such quotations are not available, the rate of exchange will be determined in good faith by or under procedures established by the Board of Trustees.
Generally, trading in securities on European, Asian and Far Eastern securities exchanges and on over-the-counter markets in these regions is substantially completed at various times prior to the close of business on each Business Day in New York (i.e., a day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading). In addition, European, Asian or Far Eastern securities trading generally or in a particular country or countries may not take place on all Business Days in New York. Furthermore, trading takes place in various foreign markets on days which are not Business Days in New York and days on which the Funds net asset value is not calculated. Such calculation does not take place contemporaneously with the determination of the prices of the majority of the portfolio securities used in such calculation. The Funds investments are valued based on market quotations which may be furnished by a pricing service or provided by securities dealers. If accurate market quotations are not readily available, or if the Investment Adviser believes that such quotations or prices do not accurately reflect fair value, the fair value of the Funds investments may be determined based on yield equivalents, a pricing matrix or other sources, under valuation procedures established by the Trustees.
The Investment Adviser, consistent with its procedures and applicable regulatory guidance, may (but need not) determine to make an adjustment to the previous closing prices of either domestic or foreign securities in light of significant events, to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities at the time of determining the Funds NAV. Significant events that could affect a large number of securities in a particular market may include, but are not limited to: situations relating to one or more single issuers in a market sector; significant fluctuations in U.S. or foreign markets; market dislocations; market disruptions or unscheduled market closings; equipment failures; natural or man-made disasters or acts of God; armed conflicts; governmental actions or other developments; as well as the same or similar events which may affect specific issuers or the securities markets even though not tied directly to the securities markets. Other significant events that could relate to a single issuer may include, but are not limited to: corporate actions such as reorganizations, mergers and buy-outs; corporate announcements, including those relating to earnings, products and regulatory news; significant litigation; ratings downgrades; bankruptcies; and trading suspensions.
In general, fair value represents a good faith approximation of the current value of an asset and may be used when there is no public market or possibly no market at all for an asset. A security that is fair valued may be valued at a price higher or lower than actual market quotations or the value determined by other funds using their own fair valuation procedures. The fair value of an asset may not be the price at which that asset is ultimately sold.
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The proceeds received by the Fund and each other series of the Trust from the issue or sale of its shares, and all net investment income, realized and unrealized gain and proceeds thereof, subject only to the rights of creditors, will be specifically allocated to the Fund or particular series and constitute the underlying assets of that Fund or series. The underlying assets of the Fund will be segregated on the books of account, and will be charged with the liabilities in respect of the Fund and with a share of the general liabilities of the Trust. Expenses of the Trust with respect to the Fund and the other series of the Trust are generally allocated in proportion to the net asset values of the respective Fund or series except where allocations of direct expenses can otherwise be fairly made.
Errors and Corrective Actions
The Investment Adviser will report to the Board of Trustees any material breaches of investment objective, policies or restrictions and any material errors in the calculation of the NAV of the Fund or the processing of purchases and redemptions. Depending on the nature and size of an error, corrective action may or may not be required. Corrective action may involve a prospective correction of the NAV only, correction of any erroneous NAV and compensation to the Fund, or correction of any erroneous NAV, compensation to the Fund and reprocessing of individual shareholder transactions. The Trusts policies on errors and corrective action limit or restrict when corrective action will be taken or when compensation to the Fund or its shareholders will be paid, and not all mistakes will result in compensable errors. As a result, neither the Fund nor its shareholders who purchase or redeem shares during periods in which errors accrue or occur may be compensated in connection with the resolution of an error. Shareholders will generally not be notified of the occurrence of a compensable error or the resolution thereof absent unusual circumstances. As discussed in more detail under Net Asset Value, the Funds portfolio securities may be priced based on quotations for those securities provided by pricing services. There can be no guarantee that a quotation provided by a pricing service will be accurate.
The following is a summary of the principal U.S. federal income, and certain state and local, tax considerations affecting the Fund and its shareholders that are not described in the Prospectus. This summary does not address special tax rules applicable to certain classes of investors, such as tax exempt entities, insurance companies and financial institutions. Each prospective shareholder is urged to consult his or her own tax adviser with respect to the specific federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of investing in the Fund. The summary is based on the laws in effect as of the date of this SAI, which are subject to change.
General
The Fund is a separate taxable entity. The Fund will elect to be treated and intends to qualify for each taxable year as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of Subtitle A, Chapter 1, of the Code. To qualify as such, the Fund must satisfy certain requirements relating to the sources of its income, diversification of its assets and distribution of its income to shareholders. As a regulated investment company, the Fund will not be subject to federal income or excise tax on any net investment income and net realized capital gains that are distributed to its shareholders in accordance with certain timing requirements of the Code.
There are certain tax requirements that the Fund must follow in order to avoid federal taxation. In its efforts to adhere to these requirements, the Fund may have to limit its investment activities in some types of instruments. Qualification as a regulated investment company under the Code requires, among other things, that (i) the Fund derive at least 90% of its gross income (including tax exempt interest) for its taxable year from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of stocks or securities, or foreign currencies, income from certain publicly traded partnerships or other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures and forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies (the 90% gross income test); and (ii) the Fund diversify its holdings so that, at the close of each quarter of its taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of its total (gross) assets is comprised of cash, cash items, U.S. Government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the value of the Funds total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total (gross) assets is invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies) or two or more issuers controlled by the Fund and engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or in the securities of certain publicly traded partnerships.
Future Treasury regulations could provide that qualifying income under the 90% gross income test will not include gains from foreign currency transactions that are not directly related to the principal business of the Fund in investing in stock or securities or options and futures with respect to stock or securities. Using foreign currency positions or entering into foreign currency options, futures and forward contracts for purposes other than hedging currency risk with respect to securities held by the Fund or anticipated to be acquired may not qualify as directly related under these tests.
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As a regulated investment company, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its income and capital gains that it distributes to its shareholders in any taxable year for which it distributes, in compliance with the Codes timing and other requirements, an amount at least equal to the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes dividends, taxable interest, taxable original issue discount income, market discount income, income from securities lending, net short-term capital gain in excess of net long-term capital loss, certain net realized foreign exchange gains, and any other taxable income other than net capital gain as defined below and is reduced by deductible expenses) plus 90% of the excess of its gross tax exempt interest income, if any, over certain disallowed deductions (net tax exempt interest). The Fund may retain for investment its net capital gain (which consists of the excess of its net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss). However, if the Fund retains any investment company taxable income or net capital gain, it will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained.
The Fund generally intends to distribute for each taxable year to its shareholders all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income (if any), net capital gain and any net tax exempt interest. Exchange control or other foreign laws, regulations or practices may restrict repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of securities sales by foreign investors such as the Fund, and may therefore make it more difficult for the Fund to satisfy the distribution requirements described above, as well as the excise tax distribution requirements described below. However, the Fund generally expects to be able to obtain sufficient cash to satisfy such requirements from new investors, the sale of securities or other sources. If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, it will be taxed on all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain at corporate rates, without any deduction for dividends paid, its net tax exempt interest (if any) may be subject to the alternative minimum tax, and its distributions to shareholders will be taxable as ordinary dividends to the extent of its current and accumulated earnings and profits.
If the Fund retains any net capital gain, the Fund may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (1) if subject to U.S. federal income tax on long-term capital gains, will be required to include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their shares of that undistributed amount, and (2) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds those liabilities. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will be increased by the amount of any such undistributed net capital gain included in the shareholders gross income and decreased by the federal income tax paid by the Fund on that amount of net capital gain.
For federal income tax purposes, the Fund is permitted to carry forward a net capital loss in any taxable year to offset its own capital gains, if any, during the eight years following the year of the loss. Capital loss carryforwards arising in taxable years of a Fund beginning after December 22, 2010 will generally be able to be carried forward indefinitely. These amounts are available to be carried forward to offset future capital gains to the extent permitted by the Code and applicable tax regulations.
In order to avoid a 4% federal excise tax, the Fund must distribute or be deemed to have distributed by December 31 of each calendar year at least 98% of its taxable ordinary income for such year, at least 98.2% of the excess of its capital gains over its capital losses (generally computed on the basis of the one-year period ending on October 3 of such year) and 100% of any taxable ordinary income and the excess of capital gains over capital losses for the prior year that were not distributed during such year and on which the Fund did not pay federal income tax. The Fund anticipates that it will generally make timely distributions of income and capital gains in compliance with these requirements so that it will generally not be required to pay the excise tax.
Gains and losses on the sale, lapse, or other termination of options and futures contracts, options thereon and certain forward contracts (except certain foreign currency options, forward contracts and futures contracts) will generally be treated as capital gains and losses. Certain of the futures contracts, forward contracts and options held by the Fund will be required to be marked-to-market for federal income tax purposes; that is, treated as having been sold at their fair market value on the last day of the Funds taxable year. These provisions may require the Fund to recognize income or gains without a concurrent receipt of cash. Any gain or loss recognized on actual or deemed sales of these futures contracts, forward contracts or options will (except for certain foreign currency options, forward contracts, and futures contracts) be treated as 60% long-term capital gain or loss and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. As a result of certain hedging transactions entered into by the Fund, the Fund may be required to defer the recognition of losses on futures or forward contracts and options or underlying securities or foreign currencies to the extent of any unrecognized gains on related positions held by the Fund and the characterization of gains or losses as long-term or short-term may be changed. The tax provisions described above applicable to options, futures and forward contracts may affect the amount, timing, and character of the Funds distributions to shareholders. Certain tax elections may be available to the Fund to mitigate some of the unfavorable consequences described in this paragraph.
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Section 988 of the Code contains special tax rules applicable to certain foreign currency transactions and instruments that may affect the amount, timing and character of income, gain or loss recognized by the Fund. Under these rules, foreign exchange gain or loss realized by the Fund with respect to foreign currencies and certain futures and options thereon, foreign currency-denominated debt instruments, foreign currency forward contracts, and foreign currency-denominated payables and receivables will generally be treated as ordinary income or loss, although in some cases elections may be available that would alter this treatment. If a net foreign exchange loss treated as ordinary loss under Section 988 of the Code were to exceed the Funds investment company taxable income (computed without regard to such loss) for a taxable year, the resulting loss would not be deductible by the Fund or its shareholders in future years. Net loss, if any, from certain foreign currency transactions or instruments could exceed net investment income otherwise calculated for accounting purposes with the result being either no dividends being paid or a portion of the Funds dividends being treated as a return of capital for tax purposes, nontaxable to the extent of a shareholders tax basis in his or her shares and, once such basis is exhausted, generally giving rise to capital gains.
The Fund may be subject to foreign taxes on income (possibly including, in some cases, capital gains) from foreign securities. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes in some cases. If more than 50% of the Funds total assets at the close of any taxable year consist of stock or securities of foreign corporations and it meets the distribution requirements described above, the Fund will generally qualify to file an election with the IRS pursuant to which shareholders of the Fund would be required to (i) include in ordinary gross income (in addition to taxable dividends actually received) their pro rata shares of foreign income taxes paid by the Fund that are treated as income taxes under U.S. tax regulations (which excludes, for example, stamp taxes, securities transaction taxes, and similar taxes) even though not actually received by such shareholders; and (ii) treat such respective pro rata portions as foreign income taxes paid by them. The Fund may or may not make this election for any particular taxable year. If the Fund does not make the election, it will, however, be entitled to deduct such taxes in computing the amounts it is required to distribute.
If the Fund makes this election, its shareholders may then deduct such pro rata portions of qualified foreign taxes in computing their taxable incomes, or, alternatively, use them as foreign tax credits, subject to applicable limitations, against their U.S. federal income taxes. Shareholders who do not itemize deductions for federal income tax purposes will not, however, be able to deduct their pro rata portion of qualified foreign taxes paid by the Fund, although such shareholders will be required to include their shares of such taxes in gross income if the Fund makes the election referred to above.
If a shareholder chooses to take a credit for the foreign taxes deemed paid by such shareholder as a result of any such election by the Fund, the amount of the credit that may be claimed in any year may not exceed the same proportion of the U.S. tax against which such credit is taken which the shareholders taxable income from foreign sources (but not in excess of the shareholders entire taxable income) bears to his or her entire taxable income. For this purpose, distributions from long-term and short-term capital gains or foreign currency gains by the Fund will generally not be treated as income from foreign sources. This foreign tax credit limitation may also be applied separately to certain specific categories of foreign-source income and the related foreign taxes. As a result of these rules, and certain other limitations, which have different effects depending upon each shareholders particular tax situation, certain shareholders may not be able to claim a credit for the full amount of their proportionate shares of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund.
Shareholders who are not liable for U.S. federal income taxes, including tax exempt shareholders, will ordinarily not benefit from this election. Each year, if any, that the Fund files the election described above, its shareholders will be notified of the amount of (i) each shareholders pro rata share of qualified foreign income taxes paid by the Fund; and (ii) the portion of Fund dividends which represents income from each foreign country.
If the Fund acquires stock (including, under proposed regulations, an option to acquire stock such as is inherent in a convertible bond) in certain foreign corporations (passive foreign investment companies) that receive at least 75% of their annual gross income from passive sources (such as interest, dividends, rents, royalties or capital gain) or hold at least 50% of their assets in investments producing such passive income, the Fund could be subject to federal income tax and additional interest charges on excess distributions received from such companies or gain from the sale of such stock in such companies, even if all income or gain actually received by the Fund is timely distributed to its shareholders. The Fund would not be able to pass through to its shareholders any credit or deduction for such a tax. Certain elections may, if available, ameliorate these adverse tax consequences, but any such election would require the Fund to recognize taxable income or gain without the concurrent receipt of cash. The Fund may limit and/or manage its holdings in passive foreign investment companies to minimize its tax liability or maximize its return from these investments.
The Funds investment in zero coupon securities, deferred interest securities, capital appreciation bonds or other securities bearing original issue discount or, if the Fund elects to include market discount in income currently, market discount, as well as any mark-to-market gain from certain options, futures or forward contracts, as described above, will generally cause it to realize income or gain
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prior to the receipt of cash payments with respect to these securities or contracts. In order to obtain cash to enable it to distribute this income or gain, maintain its qualification as a regulated investment company and avoid federal income or excise taxes, the Fund may be required to liquidate portfolio securities earlier than it might otherwise have done.
Investment in lower-rated securities may present special tax issues for the Fund to the extent actual or anticipated defaults may be more likely with respect to such securities. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount, or market discount; when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities; how payment received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income; and whether exchanges of debt obligations in a workout context are taxable. These and other issues will be addressed by the Fund, if it invests in such securities, in order to seek to eliminate or minimize any adverse tax consequences.
The application of certain requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company and the application of certain other tax rules may be unclear in some respects in connection with certain investment practices such as dollar rolls, or investments in certain derivatives, including interest rate swaps, floors, cap and collars, currency swaps, total return swaps, index swaps, forward contracts and structured notes. As a result, the Fund may therefore be required to limit its investments in such transactions and it is also possible that the IRS may not agree with the Funds tax treatment of such transactions. In addition, the tax treatment of derivatives, and certain other investments, may be affected by future legislation, Treasury Regulations and guidance issued by the IRS that could affect the timing, character and amount of the Funds income and gains and distributions to shareholders.
Taxable U.S. Shareholders Distributions
Distributions from investment company taxable income, whether reinvested in additional shares or paid in cash, as defined above, are generally taxable to shareholders who are subject to tax as ordinary income whether paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares. However, under current law, distributions to noncorporate shareholders attributable to dividends received by the Fund from U.S. and certain foreign corporations will generally be taxed at the long-term capital gain rate (described below), as long as certain other requirements are met. For these lower rates to apply, the noncorporate shareholders must have owned their Fund shares for at least 61 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the Funds ex-dividend date. Distributions from the Fund generally will not qualify for taxation at the lower rate because the Fund generally will be earning interest rather than dividend income. Taxable distributions include distributions from the Fund that are attributable to (i) taxable income, including but not limited to dividends, taxable bond interest, recognized market discount income, original issue discount income accrued with respect to taxable bonds, income from repurchase agreements, income from securities lending, income from dollar rolls, income from interest rate, currency, total return swaps, options on swaps, caps, floors and collars, and a portion of the discount from certain stripped tax exempt obligations or their coupons; or (ii) capital gains from the sale of securities or other investments (including from the disposition of rights to when-issued securities prior to issuance) or from options, futures or certain forward contracts. Any portion of such taxable distributions that is attributable to the Funds net capital gain, as defined above, may be reported by the Fund as a capital gain dividend, taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gain whether received in cash or additional shares and regardless of the length of time their shares of the Fund have been held. The maximum individual rate applicable to long-term capital gains is generally either 15% or 20%, depending on whether the individuals income exceeds certain threshold amounts.
It is expected that distributions made by the Fund will ordinarily not qualify for the dividends-received deduction for corporations because qualifying distributions may be made only from the Funds dividend income that it receives from stock in U.S. domestic corporations. The Fund does not intend to purchase stock of domestic corporations other than in limited instances, distributions from which may in rare cases qualify as dividends for this purpose. The dividends-received deduction, if available, is reduced to the extent the shares with respect to which the dividends are received are treated as debt-financed under the federal income tax law and is eliminated if the shares are deemed to have been held for less than a minimum period, generally 46 days. Receipt of certain distributions qualifying for the deduction may result in reduction of the tax basis of the corporate shareholders shares and may give rise to or increase its liability for federal corporate alternative minimum tax.
Distributions in excess of the Funds current and accumulated earnings and profits, as computed for federal income tax purposes, will first reduce a shareholders basis in his or her shares and, after the shareholders basis is reduced to zero, will generally constitute capital gains to a shareholder who holds his or her shares as capital assets.
Shareholders receiving a distribution in the form of newly issued shares will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the amount of cash that they would have received had they elected to receive cash and will have a cost basis in the shares received equal to such amount.
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After the close of each calendar year, the Fund will inform shareholders of the federal income tax status of its dividends and distributions for such year, including the portion of such dividends, if any, that qualifies as tax exempt or as capital gain, the portion, if any, that should be treated as a tax preference item for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax and the foreign tax credits, if any, associated with such dividends.
All distributions, whether received in shares or in cash, as well as redemptions and exchanges, must be reported by each shareholder who is required to file a U.S. federal income tax return.
Different tax treatment, including penalties on certain excess contributions and deferrals, certain pre-retirement and post-retirement distributions, and certain prohibited transactions is accorded to accounts maintained as qualified retirement plans. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers for more information.
Taxable U.S. ShareholdersSale of Shares
When a shareholders shares are sold, redeemed or otherwise disposed of in a transaction that is treated as a sale for tax purposes, the shareholder will generally recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the shareholders adjusted tax basis in the shares and the cash, or fair market value of any property, received. (To aid in computing that tax basis, a shareholder should generally retain its account statements for the period that it holds shares.) If the shareholder holds the shares as a capital asset at the time of sale, the character of the gain or loss should be capital, and treated as long-term if the shareholders holding period is more than one year and short-term otherwise, subject to the rules below. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers with reference to their particular circumstances to determine whether a redemption (including an exchange) or other disposition of Fund shares is properly treated as a sale for tax purposes, as is assumed in this discussion.
Certain special tax rules may apply to a shareholders capital gains or losses on Fund shares. If a shareholder receives a capital gain dividend with respect to shares and such shares have a tax holding period of six months or less at the time of a sale or redemption of such shares, then any loss the shareholder realizes on the sale or redemption will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of such capital gain dividend. All or a portion of any sales load paid upon the purchase of shares of the Fund will generally not be taken into account in determining gain or loss on the redemption or exchange of such shares within 90 days after their purchase to the extent the redemption proceeds are reinvested, or the exchange is effected, in new shares on or before January 31st of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the original shares are disposed of without payment of an additional sales load pursuant to the reinvestment or exchange privilege. The load not taken into account will be added to the tax basis of the newly acquired shares. Additionally, any loss realized on a sale or redemption of shares of the Fund may be disallowed under wash sale rules to the extent the shares disposed of are replaced with other shares of the Fund within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the shares are disposed of, such as pursuant to a dividend reinvestment in shares of the Fund. If disallowed, the loss will be reflected in an adjustment to the basis of the shares acquired.
Medicare Tax
For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012, an additional 3.8% Medicare tax will be imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from the Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such persons modified adjusted gross income (in the case of an individual) or adjusted gross income (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
The Fund will be required to report to the IRS all taxable distributions, as well as gross proceeds from the redemption or exchange of Fund shares, except in the case of certain exempt recipients, i.e., certain corporations and certain other investors, distributions to which are exempt from the information reporting provisions of the Code. Under the backup withholding provisions of Code Section 3406 and applicable Treasury regulations, all such reportable distributions and proceeds may be subject to backup withholding of federal income tax at the current specified rate of 28% in the case of exempt recipients that fail to certify to the Fund that they are not subject to withholding, non-exempt shareholders who fail to furnish the Fund with their correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) and with certain required certifications or if the IRS or a broker notifies the Fund that the number furnished by the shareholder is incorrect or that the shareholder is subject to backup withholding as a result of failure to report interest or dividend income. The Fund may refuse to accept an application that does not contain any required taxpayer identification number or certification that the number provided is correct. If the backup withholding provisions are applicable, any such distributions and proceeds, whether taken in cash or reinvested in shares, will be reduced by the amounts required to be withheld. Any amounts withheld may be credited against a shareholders U.S. federal income tax liability. If a shareholder does not have a TIN, it should
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apply for one immediately by contacting the local office of the Social Security Administration or the IRS. Backup withholding could apply to payments relating to a shareholders account while it is awaiting receipt of a TIN. Special rules apply for certain entities. For example, for an account established under a Uniform Gifts or Transfers to Minors Act, the TIN of the minor should be furnished. Investors should consult their tax advisers about the applicability of the backup withholding provisions.
Non-U.S. Shareholders
The discussion above relates solely to U.S. federal income tax law as it applies to U.S. persons subject to tax under such law.
Except as discussed below, distributions attributable to shareholders who, as to the United States, are not U.S. persons, (i.e., are nonresident aliens, foreign corporations, fiduciaries of foreign trusts or estates, foreign partnerships or other non-U.S. investors) generally will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at the rate of 30% on distributions treated as ordinary income unless the tax is reduced or eliminated pursuant to a tax treaty or the distributions are effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the shareholder; but distributions of net capital gain (the excess of any net long-term capital gains over any net short-term capital losses) including amounts retained by the Fund which are designated as undistributed capital gains, to such a non-U.S. shareholder will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax unless the distributions are effectively connected with the shareholders trade or business in the United States or, in the case of a shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual, the shareholder is present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and certain other conditions are met.
Any capital gain realized by a non-U.S. shareholder upon a sale or redemption of shares of the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax unless the gain is effectively connected with the shareholders trade or business in the U.S., or in the case of a shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual, the shareholder is present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year and certain other conditions are met.
Non-U.S. persons who fail to furnish the Fund with the proper IRS Form W-8 (i.e., W-8BEN, W-8ECI, W-8IMY or W-8EXP), or an acceptable substitute, may be subject to backup withholding (currently, at a rate of 28%) rate on dividends (including capital gain dividends) and on the proceeds of redemptions and exchanges.
Also, non-U.S. shareholders of the Fund may be subject to U.S. estate tax with respect to their Fund shares.
Under a temporary provision, which is scheduled to expire for taxable years of the Fund beginning after December 31, 2013, non-U.S. shareholders generally are not subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding on certain distributions of interest income and/or short-term capital gains that are designated by the Fund. It is expected that the Fund will generally make designations of short-term gains, to the extent permitted, but the Fund does not intend to make designations of any distributions attributable to interest income. As a result, U.S. tax withholding would apply to distributions attributable to interest income, dividends and other investment income earned by the Fund and, would also apply to distributions of short-term gains for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2013, unless Congress extends the above provision.
Effective July 1, 2014, the Fund will be required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of dividends (effective January 1, 2017) and redemption proceeds made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive new reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the Fund to determine whether withholding is required.
Each shareholder who is not a U.S. person should consult his or her tax adviser regarding the U.S. and non-U.S. tax consequences of ownership of shares of, and receipt of distributions from, the Fund.
State and Local Taxes
The Fund may be subject to state or local taxes in certain jurisdictions in which the Fund may be deemed to be doing business. A state income (and possibly local income and/or intangible property) tax exemption is generally available to the extent (if any) the Funds distributions are derived from interest on (or, in the case of intangible property taxes, the value of its assets is attributable to) certain U.S. government obligations and/or tax exempt municipal obligations issued by or on behalf of the particular state or a political subdivision thereof, provided in some states that certain thresholds for holdings of such obligations and/or reporting requirements are satisfied. In addition, in those states or localities which have income tax laws, the treatment of the Fund and its shareholders under such laws may differ from their treatment under federal income tax laws, and investment in the Fund may have tax consequences for shareholders different from those of a direct investment in the Funds portfolio securities. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers concerning these matters.
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The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has delegated the voting of portfolio securities to the Investment Adviser. For client accounts for which the Investment Adviser has voting discretion, the Investment Adviser has adopted policies and procedures (the Proxy Voting Policy) for the voting of proxies. Under the Proxy Voting Policy, the Investment Advisers guiding principles in performing proxy voting are to make decisions that favor proposals that in the Investment Advisers view tend to maximize a companys shareholder value and are not influenced by conflicts of interest. To implement these guiding principles for investments in publicly-traded equities, the Investment Adviser has developed customized proxy voting guidelines (the Guidelines) that it generally applies when voting on behalf of client accounts. Attached as Appendix B is a summary of the Guidelines. These Guidelines address a wide variety of individual topics, including, among other matters, shareholder voting rights, anti-takeover defenses, board structures, the election of directors, executive and director compensation, reorganizations, mergers, issues of corporate social responsibility and various shareholder proposals. The Guidelines embody the positions and factors the Investment Adviser generally considers important in casting proxy votes.
The Proxy Voting Policy, including the Guidelines, is reviewed periodically to ensure that it continues to be consistent with the Investment Advisers guiding principles.
The Investment Adviser has retained a third-party proxy voting service (Proxy Service), currently Institutional Shareholder Services, to assist in the implementation and administration of certain proxy voting-related functions including, without limitation, operational, recordkeeping and reporting services. The Proxy Service also prepares a written analysis and recommendation (a Recommendation) of each proxy vote that reflects the Proxy Services application of the Guidelines to particular proxy issues. While it is the Investment Advisers policy generally to follow the Guidelines and Recommendations from the Proxy Service, the Investment Advisers portfolio management teams (Portfolio Management Teams) may on certain proxy votes seek approval to diverge from the Guidelines or a Recommendation by following an override process. Such decisions are subject to a review and approval process, including a determination that the decision is not influenced by any conflict of interest. A Portfolio Management Team that receives approval through the override process to cast a proxy vote that diverges from the Guidelines and/or a Recommendation may vote differently than other Portfolio Management Teams that did not seek to override that vote. In forming their views on particular matters, the Portfolio Management Teams are also permitted to consider applicable regional rules and practices, including codes of conduct and other guides, regarding proxy voting, in addition to the Guidelines and Recommendations. The Investment Adviser may hire other service providers to replace or supplement the Proxy Service with respect to any of the services the Investment Adviser currently receives from the Proxy Service.
GSAM conducts periodic due diligence meetings with the Proxy Service which include, but are not limited to, a review of the Proxy Services general organizational structure, new developments with respect to research and technology, work flow improvements and internal due diligence with respect to conflicts of interest.
From time to time, the Investment Adviser may face regulatory, compliance, legal or logistical limits with respect to voting securities that it may purchase or hold for client accounts which can affect the Investment Advisers ability to vote such proxies, as well as the desirability of voting such proxies. Among other limits, federal, state, foreign regulatory restrictions or company specific ownership limits, as well as legal matters related to consolidated groups, may restrict the total percentage of an issuers voting securities that the Investment Adviser can hold for clients and the nature of the Investment Advisers voting in such securities. The Investment Advisers ability to vote proxies may also be affected by, among other things: (i) late receipt of meeting notices; (ii) requirements to vote proxies in person: (iii) restrictions on a foreigners ability to exercise votes; (iv) potential difficulties in translating the proxy; (v) requirements to provide local agents with unrestricted powers of attorney to facilitate voting instructions; and (vi) requirements that investors who exercise their voting rights surrender the right to dispose of their holdings for some specified period in proximity to the shareholder meeting.
The Investment Adviser has adopted policies and procedures designed to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing its proxy voting decisions that the Investment Adviser makes on behalf of a client account. These policies and procedures include the Investment Advisers use of the Guidelines and Recommendations from the Proxy Service, the override approval process previously discussed, and the establishment of information barriers between the Investment Adviser and other businesses within The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, actual proxy voting decisions of the Investment Adviser may have the effect of benefitting the interests of other clients or businesses of other divisions or units of Goldman Sachs and/or its affiliates.
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Voting decisions with respect to fixed income securities and the securities of privately held issuers generally will be made by a Funds managers based on their assessment of the particular transactions or other matters at issue.
Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 will be available on or through the Funds website at www.goldmansachsfunds.com and on the SECs website at www.sec.gov.
The Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may make payments to Intermediaries from time to time to promote the sale, distribution and/or servicing of shares of the Fund. These payments (Additional Payments) are made out of the Investment Advisers, Distributors and/or their affiliates own assets (which may come directly or indirectly from fees paid by the Fund), are not an additional charge to the Fund or its shareholders, and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of the Funds shares or the amount the Fund receives as proceeds from such purchases. Although paid by the Investment Advisor, Distributor, and/or their affiliates, the Additional Payments are in addition to the distribution and service fees paid by the Fund to the Intermediaries as described in the Funds Prospectus and this SAI, and are also in addition to the sales commissions payable to Intermediaries as set forth in the Prospectus. For purposes of this Payments to Intermediaries section, Funds shall mean, collectively, the Fund and any of the other Goldman Sachs Funds.
The Additional Payments are intended to compensate Intermediaries for, among other things: marketing shares of the Funds, which may consist of payments relating to funds included on preferred or recommended fund lists or in certain sales programs from time to time sponsored by the Intermediaries; due diligence examination and/or review of the Funds from time to time; access to the Intermediaries registered representatives or salespersons, including at conferences and other meetings; assistance in training and education of personnel; finders or referral fees for directing investors to the Funds; marketing support fees for providing assistance in promoting the sale of Fund shares (which may include promotions in communications with the Intermediaries customers, registered representatives and salespersons); and/or other specified services intended to assist in the distribution and marketing of the Funds. In addition, the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may make Additional Payments (including through sub-transfer agency and networking agreements) for subaccounting, administrative and/or shareholder processing services that are in addition to the transfer agent, shareholder administration, servicing and processing fees paid by the Funds. These Additional Payments may exceed amounts earned on these assets by the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates for the performance of these or similar services. The Additional Payments may be a fixed dollar amount; may be based on the number of customer accounts maintained by an Intermediary; may be based on a percentage of the value of shares sold to, or held by, customers of the Intermediary involved; or may be calculated on another basis. The Additional Payments are negotiated with each Intermediary based on a range of factors, including but not limited to the Intermediarys ability to attract and retain assets (including particular classes of Fund shares), target markets, customer relationships, quality of service and industry reputation. Although the individual components may be higher or lower and the total amount of Additional Payments made to any Intermediary in any given year will vary, the amount of these Additional Payments (excluding payments made through sub-transfer agency and networking agreements), on average, is normally not expected to exceed 0.50% (annualized) of the amount sold or invested through an Intermediary.
These Additional Payments may be significant to certain Intermediaries, and may be an important factor in an Intermediarys willingness to support the sale of the Funds through its distribution system.
The Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may be motivated to make Additional Payments since they promote the sale of Fund shares to clients of Intermediaries and the retention of those investments by those clients. To the extent Intermediaries sell more shares of the Funds or retain shares of the Funds in their clients accounts, the Investment Adviser and Distributor benefit from the incremental management and other fees paid by the Funds with respect to those assets.
In addition, certain Intermediaries may have access to certain research and investment services from the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates. Such research and investment services (Additional Services) may include research reports, economic analysis, portfolio analysis tools, business planning services, certain marketing and investor education materials and strategic asset allocation modeling. The Intermediary may not pay for these products or services. The cost of the Additional Services and the particular services provided may vary from Intermediary to Intermediary.
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The Additional Payments made by the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates or the Additional Services received by an Intermediary may vary with respect to the type of fund (e.g., equity, fund, fixed income fund, specialty fund, asset allocation portfolio or money market fund) sold by the Intermediary. In addition, the Additional Payment arrangements may include breakpoints in compensation which provide that the percentage rate of compensation varies as the dollar value of the amount sold or invested through an Intermediary increases.
The presence of these Additional Payments or Additional Services, the varying fee structure and the basis on which an Intermediary compensates its registered representatives or salespersons may create an incentive for a particular Intermediary, registered representative or salesperson to highlight, feature or recommend funds, including the Funds, or other investments based, at least in part, on the level of compensation paid. Additionally, if one mutual fund sponsor makes greater distribution payments than another, an Intermediary may have an incentive to recommend one fund complex over another. Similarly, if an Intermediary receives more distribution assistance for one share class versus another, that Intermediary may have an incentive to recommend that share class. Because Intermediaries may be paid varying amounts per class for sub-transfer agency and related recordkeeping services, the service requirements of which also may vary by class, this may create an additional incentive for financial firms and their financial advisors to favor one fund complex over another, or one fund class over another. You should consider whether such incentives exist when evaluating any recommendations from an Intermediary to purchase or sell Shares of the Fund and when considering which share class is most appropriate for you.
For the year ended December 31, 2012, the Investment Adviser, Distributor and their affiliates made Additional Payments out of their own assets to approximately 152 Intermediaries, totaling approximately $99.8 million (excluding payments made through sub-transfer agency and networking agreements and certain other types of payments described below), with respect to all of the funds of the Trust, all of the funds in an affiliated investment company, Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust, and the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund, an affiliated closed-end investment company. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates had contractual arrangements to make Additional Payments to the Intermediaries listed below (or their affiliates or successors), among others. This list will change over time, and any additions, modifications or deletions thereto that have occurred since December 31, 2012 are not reflected. Additional Intermediaries may receive payments in 2013 and in future years. Certain arrangements are still being negotiated, and there is a possibility that payments will be made retroactively to Intermediaries not listed below.
ADP Broker Dealer, Inc
American Enterprise Investment Services Inc; Riversource Life Insurance Company; Riversource Life Insurance Company of New York
Allstate Life Insurance Company
Allstate Life Insurance Company of New York
Amalga Trust Company
Amalgamated Bank of Chicago
American National Trust and Investment Management Company (dba Old National Trust Company)
American United Life Insurance Company
Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
Ascensus, Inc
Associated Trust Company, National Association; Associated Investment Services Inc.
AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company
Banc of America Securities, LLC
Bancorp South
Bank Hapoalim B.M.
Bank of New York
Bankers Trust
Barclays Capital Inc.
BB&T Capital Markets
BMO Nesbitt Burns (Harris)
BOSC, Inc.
Branch Banking & Trust Company
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co
C.M. Life Insurance Company
Financial Network Investment Corporation
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Multi Financial Securities Corporation
PrimeVest Financial Services
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Inc.; CME Shareholder Servicing, LLC.
Citibank N.A.
Citibank N.A. - Agency and Trust Department
Citigroup Private Bank at Citibank N.A.
Citizens Bank Wealth Management N.A.
Comerica Bank
Comerica Securities, Inc.
Commerce Bank
Commerce Bank N.A.
Commerce Trust Co.
Companion Life Insurance Company
Compass Bank
Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
Connecticut General Life Insurance Company
Daily Access Corporation
Dain Rauscher Inc.
Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas
Diversified Investment Advisors
Dubuque Bank & Trust
Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P.
Farmers New World Life Insurance Co.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc
Fifth Third Bank; Fifth Third Securities
First National Bank of Omaha
First Trust Corporation
Fulton Bank N.A.
Fulton Financial Advisors, National Association
GE Life and Annuity Assurance Company
Genworth Financial Securities Corporation
Genworth Financial Trust Company
Greatbanc Trust Co.
Guardian Insurance and Annuity Company, Inc
GW Capital Management, LLC
GWFS Equities, Inc.
Harris Trust & Savings Bank
Hartford Life Insurance Company
Hartford Securities Distribution Company Inc.
Hewitt Associates LLC
Horace Mann Life Insurance Company
HSBC Bank USA
Hunt Dupree & Rhine
ICMA-RC Services, LLC
ING Institutional Plan Services, LLC; ING Investment Advisors, LLC
ING Life Insurance & Annuity Company; ING Financial Advisers, LLC; ING Institutional Plan Services, LLC
Invesmart, Inc.
JPMorgan Chase Bank
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
Jefferson Pilot Financial Insurance Company
JP Morgan Retirement Plan Services, LLC
JP Morgan Securities, Inc.
Kemper Investors Life Insurance Company
Key Bank Capital Markets
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LaSalle Bank N.A.
Law Debenture Trust Company of New York
Lincoln Benefit Life Company
Lincoln National Life Insurance Company; Lincoln Life & Annuity Company of New York
Lincoln Retirement Services Company, LLC
LPL Financial Corporation
M&T Securities, Inc.
Marshall & Ilsley Trust Company N.A.
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
McCready and Keen, Inc.
Mellon Bank N.A.
Mercer HR Services, LLC
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated
Midland National Life Insurance Company
Minnesota Life Insurance Company
Morgan Keegan and Company, Inc.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC
MSCS Financial Services
National Financial Services LLC; Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC
National Security Life and Annuity Company
Nationwide Financial Services, Inc.
Newport Retirement Services, Inc
NYLife Distributors, Inc.
Pershing, LLC
PNC Bank, N.A.
PNC Bank, National Organization
PNC Capital Markets LLC
Principal Life Insurance Company
Protective Life Insurance Company
PruCo Life Insurance Company; PruCo Life Insurance Company of New Jersey
Prudential Financial, Inc
Prudential Insurance Company of America
Prudential Life Insurance Company of America
Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and Raymond James Financial Services
Regions Bank
Reliance Trust Company
Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc.
Scott & Stringfellow Inc.
Security Benefit Life Insurance Company; Security Distributors, Inc.
Signature Bank
Standard Insurance Company
State Street Global Markets, LLC and State Street Bank and Trust Company
Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (US)
Sungard Institutional Brokerage, Inc
SunTrust Bank
SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc.
SVB Securities
Synovus Securities
TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.
Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America
T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc
The Ohio National Life Insurance Company
The Prudential Insurance Company of America
The Travelers Insurance Company; The Travelers Life and Annuity Company
The Vanguard Group, Inc.
Transamerica Life Insurance Company; Transamerica Financial Life Insurance Company
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Treasury Curve, LLC
Trustmark National Bank
UBS Financial Services, Inc.
Union Bank, N.A.
United of Omaha Life Insurance Company
US Bank National Association
Valic Retirement Services Company
Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC.
Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC; Wells Fargo Investment, LLC
Wells Fargo Bank N.A.; Wells Fargo Corporate Trust Services
Wells Fargo Bank National Association
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
Wilmington Trust Company
Xerox HR Solutions, LLC
Zions First National Bank
Your Authorized Institution or other Intermediary may charge you additional fees or commissions other than those disclosed in the Prospectus. Shareholders should contact their Authorized Institution or other Intermediary for more information about the Additional Payments or Additional Services they receive and any potential conflicts of interest, as well as for information regarding any fees and/or commissions it charges. For additional questions, please contact Goldman Sachs Funds at 1-800-621-2550.
Not included on the list above are other subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs who may receive revenue from the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates through intra-company compensation arrangements and for financial, distribution, administrative and operational services.
Furthermore, the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may, to the extent permitted by applicable regulations, contribute to various non-cash and cash incentive arrangements to promote the sale of Fund shares, as well as sponsor various educational programs, sales contests and/or promotions. The Investment Adviser, Distributor and their affiliates may also pay for the travel expenses, meals, lodging and entertainment of Intermediaries and their salespersons and guests in connection with educational, sales and promotional programs subject to applicable FINRA regulations. Other compensation may also be offered from time to time to the extent not prohibited by applicable federal or state laws or FINRA regulations. This compensation is not included in, and is made in addition to, the Additional Payments described above.
Selective Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings
The Board of Trustees of the Trust and the Investment Adviser have adopted a policy on selective disclosure of portfolio holdings in accordance with regulations that seek to ensure that disclosure of information about portfolio securities is in the best interest of Fund shareholders and to address the conflicts between the interests of shareholders and its service providers. The policy provides that neither the Fund nor its Investment Adviser, Distributor or any agent, or any employee thereof (Fund Representative) will disclose the Funds portfolio holdings information to any person other than in accordance with the policy. For purposes of the policy, portfolio holdings information means the Funds actual portfolio holdings, as well as nonpublic information about its trading strategies or pending transactions. Under the policy, neither the Fund nor any Fund Representative may solicit or accept any compensation or other consideration in connection with the disclosure of portfolio holdings information. A Fund Representative may provide portfolio holdings information to third parties if such information has been included in the Funds public filings with the SEC or is disclosed on the Funds publicly accessible website. Information posted on the Funds website may be separately provided to any person commencing the day after it is first published on the Funds website.
Portfolio holdings information that is not filed with the SEC or posted on the publicly available website may be provided to third parties only if the third party recipients are required to keep all portfolio holdings information confidential and are prohibited from trading on the information they receive. Disclosure to such third parties must be approved in advance by the Investment Advisers legal or compliance department. Disclosure to providers of auditing, custody, proxy voting and other similar services for the Fund, as well as rating and ranking organizations, will generally be permitted; however, information may be disclosed to other third parties (including, without limitation, individuals, institutional investors, and intermediaries that sell shares of the Fund,) only upon approval by the Funds Chief Compliance Officer, who must first determine that the Fund has a legitimate business purpose for doing so. In general, each recipient of non-public portfolio holdings information must sign a confidentiality and non-trading agreement, although
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this requirement will not apply when the recipient is otherwise subject to a duty of confidentiality. In accordance with the policy, the identity of those recipients who receive non-public portfolio holdings information on an ongoing basis is as follows: the Investment Adviser and its affiliates, the Funds independent registered public accounting firm, the Funds custodian, the Funds legal counselDechert LLP, the Funds financial printerRR Donnelley, and the Funds proxy voting serviceISS. In addition, the Fund may provide non-public portfolio holdings information to Standard & Poors Rating Services to allow the Fund to be rated by it and certain equity funds provide non-public portfolio holdings information to FactSet, a provider of global financial and economic information. These entities are obligated to keep such information confidential. Third party providers of custodial or accounting services to the Fund may release non-public portfolio holdings information of the Fund only with the permission of Fund Representatives. From time to time portfolio holdings information may be provided to broker-dealers, prime brokers, futures commission merchants or derivatives clearing merchants in connection with the Funds portfolio trading activities. In providing this information reasonable precautions, including limitations on the scope of the portfolio holdings information disclosed, are taken to avoid any potential misuse of the disclosed information. All marketing materials prepared by the Trusts principal underwriter are reviewed by Goldman Sachs Compliance department for consistency with the Trusts portfolio holdings disclosure policy.
The Fund currently intends to publish on the Trusts website (http://www.goldmansachsfunds.com) complete portfolio holdings for the Fund as of the end of each fiscal quarter, subject to a thirty calendar day lag between the date of the information and the date on which the information is disclosed, and to post selected holdings information monthly subject to a ten calendar day lag between the date of the information and the date on which the information is disclosed. The Fund may publish on the website complete portfolio holdings information more frequently if it has a legitimate business purpose for doing so.
Under the policy, Fund Representatives will initially supply the Board of the Trustees with a list of third parties who receive portfolio holdings information pursuant to any ongoing arrangement. In addition, the Board is to receive information, on a quarterly basis, regarding any other disclosures of non-public portfolio holdings information that were permitted during the preceding quarter. In addition, the Board of Trustees is to approve at its meetings a list of Fund Representatives who are authorized to disclose portfolio holdings information under the policy. As of [], 2013, only certain officers of the Trust as well as certain senior members of the compliance and legal groups of the Investment Adviser have been approved by the Board of Trustees to authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings information.
Miscellaneous
The Fund will redeem shares solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net asset value of the Fund during any 90-day period for any one shareholder. The Fund, however, reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to pay redemptions by a distribution in kind of securities (instead of cash) if (i) the redemption exceeds the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the net asset value of the Fund at the time of redemption; or (ii) with respect to lesser redemption amounts, the redeeming shareholder requests in writing a distribution in kind of securities instead of cash. The securities distributed in kind would be readily marketable and would be valued for this purpose using the same method employed in calculating the Funds net asset value per share. See NET ASSET VALUE. If a shareholder receives redemption proceeds in kind, the shareholder should expect to incur transaction costs upon the disposition of the securities received in the redemption.
The right of a shareholder to redeem shares and the date of payment by the Fund may be suspended for more than seven days for any period during which the New York Stock Exchange is closed, other than the customary weekends or holidays, or when trading on such Exchange is restricted as determined by the SEC; or during any emergency, as determined by the SEC, as a result of which it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund to dispose of securities owned by it or fairly to determine the value of its net assets; or for such other period as the SEC may by order permit for the protection of shareholders of the Fund. (The Trust may also suspend or postpone the recordation of the transfer of shares upon the occurrence of any of the foregoing conditions.)
As stated in the Prospectus, the Trust may authorize Authorized Institutions and other institutions that provide recordkeeping, reporting and processing services to their customers to accept on the Trusts behalf purchase, redemption and exchange orders placed by or on behalf of their customers and, if approved by the Trust, to designate other intermediaries to accept such orders. These institutions may receive payments from the Trust or Goldman Sachs for their services. Certain Authorized Institutions or other institutions may enter into sub-transfer agency agreements with the Trust or Goldman Sachs with respect to their services.
In the interest of economy and convenience, the Trust does not issue certificates representing the Funds shares. Instead, the Transfer Agent maintains a record of each shareholders ownership. Each shareholder receives confirmation of purchase and redemption orders from the Transfer Agent. Fund shares and any distributions paid by the Fund are reflected in account statements from the Transfer Agent.
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The Prospectus and this SAI do not contain all the information included in the Registration Statement filed with the SEC under the 1933 Act with respect to the securities offered by the Prospectus. Certain portions of the Registration Statement have been omitted from the Prospectus and this SAI pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. The Registration Statement including the exhibits filed therewith may be examined at the office of the SEC in Washington, D.C.
Statements contained in the Prospectus or in this SAI as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to are not necessarily complete, and, in each instance, reference is made to the copy of such contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of which the Prospectus and this SAI form a part, each such statement being qualified in all respects by such reference.
Large Trade Notifications
The Transfer Agent may from time to time receive notice that an Authorized Institution or other financial intermediary has received an order for a large trade in the Funds shares. The Fund may determine to enter into portfolio transactions in anticipation of that order, even though the order will not be processed until the following business day. This practice provides for a closer correlation between the time shareholders place trade orders and the time the Fund enters into portfolio transactions based on those orders, and permits the Fund to be more fully invested in investment securities, in the case of purchase orders, and to more orderly liquidate its investment positions, in the case of redemption orders. On the other hand, the Authorized Institution or other financial intermediary may not ultimately process the order. In this case, the Fund may be required to borrow assets to settle the portfolio transactions entered into in anticipation of that order, and would therefore incur borrowing costs. The Fund may also suffer investment losses on those portfolio transactions. Conversely, the Fund would benefit from any earnings and investment gains resulting from such portfolio transactions.
Line of Credit
The Fund intends to participate in a $780,000,000 committed, unsecured revolving line of credit facility together with other funds of the Trust and registered investment companies having management or investment advisory agreements with GSAM or its affiliates. Pursuant to the terms of this facility, the Fund and other borrowers may increase the credit amount by an additional $220,000,000, for a total of up to $1,000,000,000. This facility is to be used for temporary emergency purposes or to allow for an orderly liquidation of securities to meet redemption requests. The interest rate on borrowings is based on the federal funds rate. The facility also requires a fee to be paid by the Fund based on the amount of the commitment that has not been utilized.
Corporate Actions
From time to time, the issuer of a security held in the Funds portfolio may initiate a corporate action relating to that security. Corporate actions relating to equity securities may include, among others, an offer to purchase new shares, or to tender existing shares, of that security at a certain price. Corporate actions relating to debt securities may include, among others, an offer for early redemption of the debt security, or an offer to convert the debt security into stock. Certain corporate actions are voluntary, meaning that the Fund may only participate in the corporate action if it elects to do so in a timely fashion. Participation in certain corporate actions may enhance the value of the Funds investment portfolio.
In cases where the Fund or its Investment Adviser receives sufficient advance notice of a voluntary corporate action, the Investment Adviser will exercise its discretion, in good faith, to determine whether the Fund will participate in that corporate action. If the Fund or its Investment Adviser does not receive sufficient advance notice of a voluntary corporate action, the Fund may not be able to timely elect to participate in that corporate action. Participation or lack of participation in a voluntary corporate action may result in a negative impact on the value of the Funds investment portfolio.
A copy of the annual report for the Fund (when available) may be obtained upon request and without charge by writing Goldman, Sachs & Co., P.O. Box 06050, Chicago, Illinois 60606 or by calling Goldman, Sachs & Co., at the telephone number on the back cover of the Funds Prospectus. The annual report for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014 will become available to investors in May 2014.
B-92
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS
Short-Term Credit Ratings
A Standard & Poors short-term issue credit rating is a current opinion of the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation having an original maturity of no more than 365 days. The following summarizes the rating categories used by Standard & Poors for short-term issues:
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 having significant speculative characteristics. Ratings of B-1, B-2, and B-3 may be assigned to indicate finer distinctions within the B category. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligors inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B-1 A short-term obligation rated B-1 is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, but the obligor has a relatively stronger capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.
B-2 A short-term obligation rated B-2 is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has an average speculative-grade capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.
B-3 A short-term obligation rated B-3 is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has a relatively weaker capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.
C A short-term obligation rated C is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
D A short-term obligation rated D is in payment default. The D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poors believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.
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.
Moodys Investors Service (Moodys) short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.
1-A
Moodys employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:
P-1 Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-2 Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-3 Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.
NP Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
Fitch, Inc. / Fitch Ratings Ltd. (Fitch) short-term ratings scale applies to foreign currency and local currency ratings. A short-term rating has a time horizon of less than 13 months for most obligations, or up to three years for U.S. public finance, in line with industry standards, to reflect unique risk characteristics of bond, tax, and revenue anticipation notes that are commonly issued with terms up to three years. Short-term ratings thus place greater emphasis on the liquidity necessary to meet financial commitments in a timely manner. The following summarizes the rating categories used by Fitch for short-term obligations:
F1 Securities possess the highest credit quality. This designation indicates the strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added + to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
F2 Securities possess good credit quality. This designation indicates a satisfactory capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, but the margin of safety is not as great as in the case of the higher ratings.
F3 Securities possess fair credit quality. This designation indicates that the capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate; however, near term adverse changes could result in a reduction to non investment grade.
B Securities possess speculative credit quality. This designation indicates minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
C Securities possess high default risk. Default is a real possibility. This designation indicates a capacity for meeting financial commitments which is solely reliant upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.
D Indicates an entity or sovereign that has defaulted on all of its financial obligations.
NR This designation indicates that Fitch does not publicly rate the associated issuer or issue.
WD This designation indicates that the rating has been withdrawn and is no longer maintained by Fitch.
The following summarizes the ratings used by Dominion Bond Rating Service Limited (DBRS) for commercial paper and short-term debt:
R-1 (high) Short-term debt rated R-1 (high) is of the highest credit quality, and indicates an entity possessing unquestioned ability to repay current liabilities as they fall due. Entities rated in this category normally maintain strong liquidity positions, conservative debt levels, and profitability that is both stable and above average. Companies achieving an R-1 (high) rating are normally leaders in structurally sound industry segments with proven track records, sustainable positive future results, and no substantial qualifying negative factors. Given the extremely tough definition DBRS has established for an R-1 (high), few entities are strong enough to achieve this rating.
R-1 (middle) Short-term debt rated R-1 (middle) is of superior credit quality and, in most cases, ratings in this category differ from R-1 (high) credits by only a small degree. Given the extremely tough definition DBRS has established for the R-1 (high) category, entities rated R-1 (middle) are also considered strong credits, and typically exemplify above average strength in key areas of consideration for the timely repayment of short-term liabilities.
R-1 (low) Short-term debt rated R-1 (low) is of satisfactory credit quality. The overall strength and outlook for key liquidity, debt and profitability ratios are not normally as favorable as with higher rating categories, but these considerations are still respectable. Any qualifying negative factors that exist are considered manageable, and the entity is normally of sufficient size to have some influence in its industry.
2-A
R-2 (high) Short-term debt rated R-2 (high) is considered to be at the upper end of adequate credit quality. The ability to repay obligations as they mature remains acceptable, although the overall strength and outlook for key liquidity, debt, and profitability ratios is not as strong as credits rated in the R-1 (low) category. Relative to the latter category, other shortcomings often include areas such as stability, financial flexibility, and the relative size and market position of the entity within its industry.
R-2 (middle) Short-term debt rated R-2 (middle) is considered to be of adequate credit quality. Relative to the R-2 (high) category, entities rated R-2 (middle) typically have some combination of higher volatility, weaker debt or liquidity positions, lower future cash flow capabilities, or are negatively impacted by a weaker industry. Ratings in this category would be more vulnerable to adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
R-2 (low) Short-term debt rated R-2 (low) is considered to be at the lower end of adequate credit quality, typically having some combination of challenges that are not acceptable for an R-2 (middle) credit. However, R-2 (low) ratings still display a level of credit strength that allows for a higher rating than the R-3 category, with this distinction often reflecting the issuers liquidity profile.
R-3 Short-term debt rated R-3 is considered to be at the lowest end of adequate credit quality, one step up from being speculative. While not yet defined as speculative, the R-3 category signifies that although repayment is still expected, the certainty of repayment could be impacted by a variety of possible adverse developments, many of which would be outside the issuers control. Entities in this area often have limited access to capital markets and may also have limitations in securing alternative sources of liquidity, particularly during periods of weak economic conditions.
R-4 Short-term debt rated R-4 is speculative. R-4 credits tend to have weak liquidity and debt ratios, and the future trend of these ratios is also unclear. Due to its speculative nature, companies with R-4 ratings would normally have very limited access to alternative sources of liquidity. Earnings and cash flow would typically be very unstable, and the level of overall profitability of the entity is also likely to be low. The industry environment may be weak, and strong negative qualifying factors are also likely to be present.
R-5 Short-term debt rated R-5 is highly speculative. There is a reasonably high level of uncertainty as to the ability of the entity to repay the obligations on a continuing basis in the future, especially in periods of economic recession or industry adversity. In some cases, short term debt rated R-5 may have challenges that if not corrected, could lead to default.
D A security rated D implies the issuer has either not met a scheduled payment or the issuer has made it clear that it will be missing such a payment in the near future. In some cases, DBRS may not assign a D rating under a bankruptcy announcement scenario, as allowances for grace periods may exist in the underlying legal documentation. Once assigned, the D rating will continue as long as the missed payment continues to be in arrears, and until such time as the rating is discontinued or reinstated by DBRS.
Long-Term Credit Ratings
The following summarizes the ratings used by Standard & Poors for long-term issues:
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 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.
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.
3-A
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.
C A C rating is assigned to obligations that are currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, obligations that have payment arrearages allowed by the terms of the documents, or obligations of an issuer that is the subject of a bankruptcy petition or similar action which have not experienced a payment default. Among others, the C rating may be assigned to subordinated debt, preferred stock or other obligations on which cash payments have been suspended in accordance with the instruments terms.
D An obligation rated D is in payment default. The D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poors believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.
Plus (+) or minus (-) The ratings from AA to CCC may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
NR This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poors does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.
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.
The following summarizes the ratings used by Moodys for long-term debt:
Aaa Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal credit risk.
Aa Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.
A Obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.
Baa Obligations rated Baa are subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium-grade and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
Ba Obligations rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements and are subject to substantial credit risk.
B Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.
Caa Obligations rated Caa are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.
4-A
Ca Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.
C Obligations rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.
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.
The following summarizes long-term ratings used by Fitch:
AAA Securities considered to be of the highest credit quality. AAA ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.
AA Securities considered to be of very high credit quality. AA ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A Securities considered to be of high credit quality. A ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to changes in circumstances or in economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.
BBB Securities considered to be of good credit quality. BBB ratings indicate that there are currently expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate but adverse changes in circumstances and economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity. This is the lowest investment grade category.
BB Securities considered to be speculative. BB ratings indicate that there is a possibility of credit risk developing, particularly as the result of adverse economic change over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met. Securities rated in this category are not investment grade.
B Securities considered to be highly speculative. For issuers and performing obligations, B ratings indicate that significant credit risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is contingent upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment. For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for extremely high recoveries. Such obligations would possess a Recovery Rating of RR1 (outstanding).
CCC For issuers and performing obligations, default is a real possibility. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon sustained, favorable business or economic conditions. For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for average to superior levels of recovery. Differences in credit quality may be denoted by plus/minus distinctions. Such obligations typically would possess a Recovery Rating of RR2 (superior), or RR3 (good) or RR4 (average).
CC For issuers and performing obligations, default of some kind appears probable. For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with a Recovery Rating of RR4 (average) or RR5 (below average).
C For issuers and performing obligations, default is imminent. For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for below-average to poor recoveries. Such obligations would possess a Recovery Rating of RR6 (poor).
RD Indicates an entity that has failed to make due payments (within the applicable grace period) on some but not all material financial obligations, but continues to honor other classes of obligations.
D Indicates an entity or sovereign that has defaulted on all of its financial obligations.
Plus (+) or minus (-) may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the AAA category or to categories below CCC.
5-A
NR Denotes that Fitch does not publicly rate the associated issue or issuer.
WD Indicates that the rating has been withdrawn and is no longer maintained by Fitch.
The following summarizes the ratings used by DBRS for long-term debt:
AAA Long-term debt rated AAA is of the highest credit quality, with exceptionally strong protection for the timely repayment of principal and interest. Earnings are considered stable, the structure of the industry in which the entity operates is strong, and the outlook for future profitability is favorable. There are few qualifying factors present that would detract from the performance of the entity. The strength of liquidity and coverage ratios is unquestioned and the entity has established a credible track record of superior performance. Given the extremely high standard that DBRS has set for this category, few entities are able to achieve a AAA rating.
AA Long-term debt rated AA is of superior credit quality, and protection of interest and principal is considered high. In many cases they differ from long-term debt rated AAA only to a small degree. Given the extremely restrictive definition DBRS has for the AAA category, entities rated AA are also considered to be strong credits, typically exemplifying above-average strength in key areas of consideration and unlikely to be significantly affected by reasonably foreseeable events.
A Long-term debt rated A is of satisfactory credit quality. Protection of interest and principal is still substantial, but the degree of strength is less than that of AA rated entities. While A is a respectable rating, entities in this category are considered to be more susceptible to adverse economic conditions and have greater cyclical tendencies than higher-rated securities.
BBB Long-term debt rated BBB is of adequate credit quality. Protection of interest and principal is considered acceptable, but the entity is fairly susceptible to adverse changes in financial and economic conditions, or there may be other adverse conditions present which reduce the strength of the entity and its rated securities.
BB Long-term debt rated BB is defined to be speculative and non-investment grade, where the degree of protection afforded interest and principal is uncertain, particularly during periods of economic recession. Entities in the BB range typically have limited access to capital markets and additional liquidity support. In many cases, deficiencies in critical mass, diversification, and competitive strength are additional negative considerations.
B Long-term debt rated B is considered highly speculative and there is a reasonably high level of uncertainty as to the ability of the entity to pay interest and principal on a continuing basis in the future, especially in periods of economic recession or industry adversity.
CCC, CC and C Long-term debt rated in any of these categories is very highly speculative and is in danger of default of interest and principal. The degree of adverse elements present is more severe than long-term debt rated B. Long-term debt rated below B often have features which, if not remedied, may lead to default. In practice, there is little difference between these three categories, with CC and C normally used for lower ranking debt of companies for which the senior debt is rated in the CCC to B range.
D A security rated D implies the issuer has either not met a scheduled payment of interest or principal or that the issuer has made it clear that it will miss such a payment in the near future. In some cases, DBRS may not assign a D rating under a bankruptcy announcement scenario, as allowances for grace periods may exist in the underlying legal documentation. Once assigned, the D rating will continue as long as the missed payment continues to be in arrears, and until such time as the rating is discontinued or reinstated by DBRS.
(high, low) Each rating category is denoted by the subcategories high and low. The absence of either a high or low designation indicates the rating is in the middle of the category. The AAA and D categories do not utilize high, middle, and low as differential grades.
Municipal Note Ratings
A Standard & Poors U.S. municipal note rating reflects the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes maturing beyond three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. The following criteria will be used in making that assessment:
Amortization schedule-the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and
Source of payment-the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note.
6-A
Note rating symbols are as follows:
SP-1 The issuers of these municipal notes exhibit a strong capacity to pay principal and interest. Those issues determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service are given a plus (+) designation.
SP-2 The issuers of these municipal notes exhibit a satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.
SP-3 The issuers of these municipal notes exhibit speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
Moodys uses three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels MIG-1 through MIG-3. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation. The following summarizes the ratings used by Moodys for these short-term obligations:
MIG-1 This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.
MIG-2 This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.
MIG-3 This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.
SG This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.
In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned; a long- or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moodys evaluation of the degree of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moodys evaluation of the degree of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand (demand feature), using a variation of the MIG rating scale, the Variable Municipal Investment Grade or VMIG rating.
When either the long- or short-term aspect of a VRDO is not rated, that piece is designated NR, e.g., Aaa/NR or NR/VMIG-1.
VMIG rating expirations are a function of each issues specific structural or credit features.
VMIG-1 This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
VMIG-2 This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
VMIG-3 This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
SG This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
7-A
Fitch uses the same ratings for municipal securities as described above for other short-term credit ratings.
About Credit Ratings
A Standard & Poors issue credit rating is a current opinion of 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 issue credit rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell, or hold a financial obligation, inasmuch as it does not comment as to market price or suitability for a particular investor.
Moodys credit ratings must be construed solely as statements of opinion and not as statements of fact or recommendations to purchase, sell or hold any securities.
Fitchs 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. Fitch credit ratings are used by investors as indications of the likelihood of receiving their money back in accordance with the terms on which they invested. Fitchs 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.
DBRS credit ratings are not buy, hold or sell recommendations, but rather the result of qualitative and quantitative analysis focusing solely on the credit quality of the issuer and its underlying obligations.
8-A
EFFECTIVE MARCH 2013
GSAM PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES SUMMARY
The following is a summary of the material GSAM Proxy Voting Guidelines (the Guidelines), which form the substantive basis of GSAMs Policy on Proxy Voting for Client Accounts (Policy). As described in the main body of the Policy, one or more GSAM portfolio management teams may diverge from the Guidelines and a related Recommendation on any particular proxy vote or in connection with any individual investment decision in accordance with the Policy.
A. US proxy items:
1. Operational Items |
page 1 | |||
2. Board of Directors |
page 2 | |||
3. Executive Compensation |
page 4 | |||
4. Proxy Contests and Access |
page 6 | |||
5. Shareholder Rights and Defenses |
page 7 | |||
6. Mergers and Corporate Restructurings |
page 8 | |||
7. State of Incorporation |
page 8 | |||
8. Capital Structure |
page 8 | |||
9. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Issues |
page 9 |
B. Non-U.S. proxy items:
1. Operational Items |
page 10 | |||
2. Board of Directors |
page 12 | |||
3. Compensation |
page 13 | |||
4. Board Structure |
page 14 | |||
5. Capital Structure |
page 14 | |||
6. Mergers and Corporate Restructurings & Other |
page 16 | |||
7. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Issues |
page 17 |
U.S. Proxy Items
The following section is a summary of the Guidelines, which form the substantive basis of the Policy with respect to U.S. public equity investments.
1. Operational Items
Auditor Ratification
Vote FOR proposals to ratify auditors, unless any of the following apply within the last year:
| An auditor has a financial interest in or association with the company, and is therefore not independent; |
| There is reason to believe that the independent auditor has rendered an opinion which is neither accurate nor indicative of the companys financial position; |
| Poor accounting practices are identified that rise to a serious level of concern, such as: fraud; misapplication of GAAP; or material weaknesses identified in Section 404 disclosures; or |
| Fees for non-audit services are excessive. |
Non-audit fees are excessive if:
| Non-audit fees exceed audit fees + audit-related fees + tax compliance/preparation fees. |
1-B
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on shareholder proposals asking companies to prohibit or limit their auditors from engaging in non-audit services or asking for audit firm rotation.
2. Board of Directors
The Board of Directors should promote the interests of shareholders by acting in an oversight and/or advisory role; the board should consist of a majority of independent directors and should be held accountable for actions and results related to their responsibilities. When evaluating board composition, GSAM believes a diversity of ethnicity, gender and experience is an important consideration.
Classification of Directors
Where applicable, the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ Listing Standards definition is to be used to classify directors as insiders or affiliated outsiders. General definitions are as follows:
| Inside Director |
| Employee of the company or one of its affiliates |
| Among the five most highly paid individuals (excluding interim CEO) |
| Listed as an officer as defined under Section 16 of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 |
| Current interim CEO |
| Beneficial owner of more than 50 percent of the companys voting power (this may be aggregated if voting power is distributed among more than one member of a defined group) |
| Affiliated Outside Director |
| Board attestation that an outside director is not independent |
| Former CEO or other executive of the company within the last 3 years |
| Former CEO or other executive of an acquired company within the past three years |
| Independent Outside Director |
| No material connection to the company other than a board seat |
Additionally, GSAM will consider compensation committee interlocking directors to be affiliated (defined as CEOs who sit on each others compensation committees).
Voting on Director Nominees in Uncontested Elections
Vote on director nominees should be determined on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from individual directors who:
| Attend less than 75 percent of the board and committee meetings without a disclosed valid excuse for each of the last two years; |
| Sit on more than six public company boards; |
| Are CEOs of public companies who sit on the boards of more than two public companies besides their ownwithhold only at their outside boards. |
Other items considered for an AGAINST vote include specific concerns about the individual or the company, such as criminal wrongdoing or breach of fiduciary responsibilities, sanctions from government or authority, violations of laws and regulations, or other issues related to improper business practice.
Vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from Inside Directors and Affiliated Outside Directors (per the Classification of Directors above) when:
| The inside or affiliated outside director serves on the audit, compensation, or nominating (vote against affiliated directors only for nominating) committees; |
| The company lacks an audit compensation, or nominating (vote against affiliated directors only for nominating) committee so that the full board functions as that committee and insiders are participating in voting on matters that independent committees should be voting on; |
2-B
| The full board is less than majority independent (in this case withhold from affiliated outside directors); at controlled companies, GSAM will vote against the election of affiliated outsiders and nominees affiliated with the parent and will not vote against the executives of the issuer. |
Vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from members of the appropriate committee for the following reasons (or independent Chairman or lead director in cases of a classified board and members of appropriate committee are not up for reelection). Extreme cases may warrant a vote against the entire board.
| Material failures of governance, stewardship, or fiduciary responsibilities at the company; |
| Egregious actions related to the director(s) service on other boards that raise substantial doubt about his or her ability to effectively oversee management and serve the best interests of shareholders at any company; |
| At the previous board election, any director received more than 50 percent withhold/against votes of the shares cast and the company has failed to address the underlying issue(s) that caused the high withhold/against vote (members of the Nominating or Governance Committees); |
| The board failed to act on a shareholder proposal that received approval of the majority of shares cast for the previous two consecutive years (a management proposal with other than a FOR recommendation by management will not be considered as sufficient action taken); an adopted proposal that is substantially similar to the original shareholder proposal will be deemed sufficient; (vote against members of the committee of the board that is responsible for the issue under consideration). If GSAM did not support the shareholder proposal in both years, GSAM will still vote against the committee member (s). |
Vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from the members of the Audit Committee if:
| The non-audit fees paid to the auditor are excessive; |
| The company receives an adverse opinion on the companys financial statements from its auditor; or |
| There is persuasive evidence that the audit committee entered into an inappropriate indemnification agreement with its auditor that limits the ability of the company, or its shareholders, to pursue legitimate legal recourse against the audit firm. |
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on members of the Audit Committee and/or the full board if poor accounting practices, which rise to a level of serious concern are identified, such as: fraud; misapplication of GAAP; and material weaknesses identified in Section 404 disclosures.
Examine the severity, breadth, chronological sequence and duration, as well as the companys efforts at remediation or corrective actions in determining whether negative vote recommendations are warranted against the members of the Audit Committee who are responsible for the poor accounting practices, or the entire board.
See section 3 on executive and director compensation for reasons to withhold from members of the Compensation Committee.
In limited circumstances, GSAM may vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from all nominees of the board of directors (except from new nominees who should be considered on a CASE-BY-CASE basis and except as discussed below) if:
| The companys poison pill has a dead-hand or modified dead-hand feature for two or more years. Vote against/withhold every year until this feature is removed; however, vote against the poison pill if there is one on the ballot with this feature rather than the director; |
| The board adopts or renews a poison pill without shareholder approval, does not commit to putting it to shareholder vote within 12 months of adoption (or in the case of an newly public company, does not commit to put the pill to a shareholder vote within 12 months following the IPO), or reneges on a commitment to put the pill to a vote, and has not yet received a withhold/against recommendation for this issue; |
| The board failed to act on takeover offers where the majority of the shareholders tendered their shares; |
| If in an extreme situation the board lacks accountability and oversight, coupled with sustained poor performance relative to peers. |
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Shareholder proposal regarding Independent Chair (Separate Chair/CEO)
Vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
GSAM will generally recommend a vote AGAINST shareholder proposals requiring that the chairmans position be filled by an independent director, if the company satisfies 3 of the 4 following criteria:
| Designated lead director, elected by and from the independent board members with clearly delineated and comprehensive duties; |
| Two-thirds independent board; |
| All independent key committees; or |
| Established, disclosed governance guidelines. |
Shareholder proposal regarding board declassification
GSAM will generally vote FOR proposals requesting that the board adopt a declassified structure in the case of operating and holding companies.
Majority Vote Shareholder Proposals
GSAM will vote FOR proposals requesting that the board adopt majority voting in the election of directors provided it does not conflict with the state law where the company is incorporated.
GSAM also looks for companies to adopt a post-election policy outlining how the company will address the situation of a holdover director.
Cumulative Vote Shareholder Proposals
GSAM will generally support shareholder proposals to restore or provide cumulative voting unless:
| The company has adopted majority vote standard with a carve-out for plurality voting in situations where there are more nominees than seats, and a director resignation policy to address failed elections. |
3. Executive Compensation
Pay Practices
Good pay practices should align managements interests with long-term shareholder value creation. Detailed disclosure of compensation criteria is preferred; proof that companies follow the criteria should be evident and retroactive performance target changes without proper disclosure is not viewed favorably. Compensation practices should allow a company to attract and retain proven talent. Some examples of poor pay practices include: abnormally large bonus payouts without justifiable performance linkage or proper disclosure, egregious employment contracts, excessive severance and/or change in control provisions, repricing or replacing of underwater stock options/stock appreciation rights without prior shareholder approval, and excessive perquisites. A company should also have an appropriate balance of short-term vs. long-term metrics and the metrics should be aligned with business goals and objectives.
If the company maintains problematic or poor pay practices, generally vote first:
| AGAINST Management Say on Pay (MSOP) Proposals or; |
| AGAINST an equity-based incentive plan proposal if excessive non-performance-based equity awards are the major contributor to a pay-for-performance misalignment, then; |
| If no MSOP or equity-based incentive plan proposal item is on the ballot, AGAINST/WITHHOLD from compensation committee members. |
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Equity Compensation Plans
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on equity-based compensation plans. Reasons to vote AGAINST the equity plan could include the following factors:
| The plan is a vehicle for poor pay practices; or |
| The plan permits the repricing of stock options/stock appreciation rights (SARs) without prior shareholder approval; or |
| The companys three year burn rate and Shareholder Value Transfer (SVT) calculations both materially exceed industry group metrics. |
Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (Say-on-Pay, MSOP) Management Proposals
Vote FOR annual frequency and AGAINST shareholder or management proposals asking for any frequency less than annual.
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on management proposals for an advisory vote on executive compensation. For U.S. companies, consider the following factors in the context of each companys specific circumstances and the boards disclosed rationale for its practices. In general more than one factor will need to be present in order to warrant a vote AGAINST.
Pay-for-Performance Disconnect:
| GSAM will consider there to be a disconnect based on a quantitative assessment of the following: CEO pay vs. TSR and peers, CEO pay as a percentage of the median peer group or CEO pay vs. shareholder return over time. |
Additional Factors Considered Include:
| Boards responsiveness if company received 70% or less shareholder support in the previous years MSOP vote; |
| Abnormally large bonus payouts without justifiable performance linkage or proper disclosure; |
| Egregious employment contracts; |
| Excessive perquisites or excessive severance and/or change in control provisions; |
| Repricing or replacing of underwater stock options without prior shareholder approval; |
| Excessive executive pledging or hedging of stock by executives; |
| Egregious pension/SERP (supplemental executive retirement plan) payouts; |
| Extraordinary relocation benefits; |
| Internal pay disparity; |
| Depth of disclosure of compensation philosophy and goals and targets, including details on short-term and long-term performance incentives; and |
| Long-term equity based compensation is 100% time-based. |
Other Compensation Proposals and Policies
Employee Stock Purchase Plans Non-Qualified Plans
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on nonqualified employee stock purchase plans taking into account the following factors:
| Broad-based participation; |
| Limits on employee contribution; |
| Company matching contribution; and |
| Presence of a discount on the stock price on the date of purchase. |
Option Exchange Programs/Repricing Options
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on management proposals seeking approval to exchange/reprice options, taking into consideration:
| Historic trading patternsthe stock price should not be so volatile that the options are likely to be back in-the-money over the near term; |
| Rationale for the re-pricing; |
| If it is a value-for-value exchange; |
| If surrendered stock options are added back to the plan reserve; |
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| Option vesting; |
| Term of the optionthe term should remain the same as that of the replaced option; |
| Exercise priceshould be set at fair market or a premium to market; |
| Participantsexecutive officers and directors should be excluded. |
Vote FOR shareholder proposals to put option repricings to a shareholder vote.
Other Shareholder Proposals on Compensation
Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (Frequency on Pay)
Vote FOR annual frequency.
Stock retention holding period
Vote FOR Shareholder proposals asking for a policy requiring that senior executives retain a significant percentage of shares acquired through equity compensation programs if the policy allows retention for two years or less following the termination of their employment (through retirement or otherwise) and a holding threshold percentage of 50% or less.
Also consider:
| Whether the company has any holding period, retention ratio, or officer ownership requirements in place. |
Elimination of accelerated vesting in the event of a change in control
Vote AGAINST shareholder proposals seeking a policy eliminating the accelerated vesting of time-based equity awards in the event of a change in control.
Performance-based equity awards and pay-for-superior-performance proposals
Generally support unless there is sufficient evidence that the current compensation structure is already substantially performance-based. GSAM considers performance-based awards to include awards that are tied to shareholder return or other metrics that are relevant to the business.
Say on Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans (SERP)
Generally vote AGAINST proposals asking for shareholder votes on SERP.
4. Proxy Contests and Access
Voting for Director Nominees in Contested Elections
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on the election of directors in contested elections, considering the following factors:
| Long-term financial performance of the target company relative to its industry; |
| Managements track record; |
| Background to the proxy contest; |
| Qualifications of director nominees (both slates); |
| Strategic plan of dissident slate and quality of critique against management; |
| Likelihood that the proposed goals and objectives can be achieved (both slates); |
| Stock ownership positions. |
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Proxy Access
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on shareholder or management proposals asking for open proxy access.
GSAM may support proxy access as an important right for shareholders and as an alternative to costly proxy contests and as a method for GSAM to vote for directors on an individual basis, as appropriate, rather than voting on one slate or the other. While this could be an important shareholder right, the following will be taken into account when evaluating the shareholder proposals:
| The ownership thresholds, percentage and duration proposed (GSAM will not support if the ownership threshold is less than 3%); |
| The maximum proportion of directors that shareholders may nominate each year (GSAM will not support if the proportion of directors is greater than 25%); and |
| The method of determining which nominations should appear on the ballot if multiple shareholders submit nominations. |
Reimbursing Proxy Solicitation Expenses
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on proposals to reimburse proxy solicitation expenses. When voting in conjunction with support of a dissident slate, vote FOR the reimbursement of all appropriate proxy solicitation expenses associated with the election.
5. Shareholders Rights & Defenses
Shareholder Ability to Act by Written Consent
Generally vote FOR shareholder proposals that provide shareholders with the ability to act by written consent, unless:
| The company already gives shareholders the right to call special meetings at a threshold of 25% or lower; and |
| The company has a history of strong governance practices. |
Shareholder Ability to Call Special Meetings
Generally vote FOR management proposals that provide shareholders with the ability to call special meetings.
Generally vote FOR shareholder proposals that provide shareholders with the ability to call special meetings at a threshold of 25% or lower if the company currently does not give shareholders the right to call special meetings. However, if a company already gives shareholders the right to call special meetings at a threshold of at least 25%, do not support shareholder proposals to further reduce the threshold.
Advance Notice Requirements for Shareholder Proposals/Nominations
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on advance notice proposals, giving support to proposals that allow shareholders to submit proposals/nominations reasonably close to the meeting date and within the broadest window possible, recognizing the need to allow sufficient notice for company, regulatory and shareholder review.
Poison Pills
Vote FOR shareholder proposals requesting that the company submit its poison pill to a shareholder vote or redeem it UNLESS the company has: (1) A shareholder-approved poison pill in place; or (2) the company has adopted a policy concerning the adoption of a pill in the future specifying certain shareholder friendly provisions.
Vote FOR shareholder proposals calling for poison pills to be put to a vote within a time period of less than one year after adoption.
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on management proposals on poison pill ratification, focusing on the features of the shareholder rights plan.
In addition, the rationale for adopting the pill should be thoroughly explained by the company. In examining the request for the pill, take into consideration the companys existing governance structure, including: board independence, existing takeover defenses, and any problematic governance concerns.
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6. Mergers and Corporate Restructurings
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on mergers and acquisitions taking into account the following based on publicly available information:
| Valuation; |
| Market reaction; |
| Strategic rationale; |
| Managements track record of successful integration of historical acquisitions; |
| Presence of conflicts of interest; and |
| Governance profile of the combined company. |
7. State of Incorporation
Reincorporation Proposals
GSAM may support management proposals to reincorporate as long as the reincorporation would not substantially diminish shareholder rights. GSAM may not support shareholder proposals for reincorporation unless the current state of incorporation is substantially less shareholder friendly than the proposed reincorporation, there is a strong economic case to reincorporate or the company has a history of making decisions that are not shareholder friendly.
Exclusive venue for shareholder lawsuits
Generally vote FOR on exclusive venue proposals, taking into account:
| Whether the company has been materially harmed by shareholder litigation outside its jurisdiction of incorporation, based on disclosure in the companys proxy statement; |
| Whether the company has the following good governance features: |
| An annually elected board; |
| A majority vote standard in uncontested director elections; and |
| The absence of a poison pill, unless the pill was approved by shareholders. |
8. Capital Structure
Common Stock Authorization
Votes on proposals to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance are determined on a CASE-BY-CASE basis. We consider company-specific factors that include, at a minimum, the following:
| Past Board performance; |
| The companys use of authorized shares during the last three years; |
| One- and three-year total shareholder return; |
| The boards governance structure and practices; |
| The current request; |
| Disclosure in the proxy statement of specific reasons for the proposed increase; |
| The dilutive impact of the request as determined through an allowable increase, which examines the companys need for shares and total shareholder returns; and |
| Risks to shareholders of not approving the request. |
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9. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Issues
Overall Approach
GSAM recognizes that Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors can affect investment performance, expose potential investment risks and provide an indication of management excellence and leadership. When evaluating ESG proxy issues GSAM balances the purpose of a proposal with the overall benefit to shareholders.
Shareholder proposals considered under this category could include: Reports asking for details on 1) labor and safety policies, 2) impact on the environment of the companys oil sands or fracturing operations or 3) water-related risks
When evaluating social and environmental shareholder proposals the following factors should be considered:
| Whether adoption of the proposal is likely to enhance or protect shareholder value; |
| Whether the information requested concerns business issues that relate to a meaningful percentage of the companys business; |
| The degree to which the companys stated position on the issues raised in the proposal could affect its reputation or sales, or leave it vulnerable to a boycott or selective purchasing; |
| Whether the company has already responded in some appropriate manner to the request embodied in the proposal; |
| What other companies have done in response to the issue addressed in the proposal; |
| Whether the proposal itself is well framed and the cost of preparing the report is reasonable; |
| Whether the subject of the proposal is best left to the discretion of the board; |
| Whether the company has material fines or violations in the area and if so, if appropriate actions have already been taken to remedy going forward; |
| Whether the requested information is available to shareholders either from the company or from a publicly available source; and |
| Whether providing this information would reveal proprietary or confidential information that would place the company at a competitive disadvantage. |
Sustainability, climate change reporting
Generally vote FOR proposals requesting the company to report on its policies, initiatives, and oversight mechanisms related to social, economic, and environmental sustainability, or how the company may be impacted by climate change. The following factors will be considered:
| The companys current level of publicly-available disclosure including if the company already discloses similar information through existing reports or policies |
| If the company has formally committed to the implementation of a reporting program based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines or a similar standard within a specified time frame; |
| If the companys current level of disclosure is comparable to that of its industry peers; and |
| If there are significant controversies, fines, penalties, or litigation associated with the companys environmental performance. |
Establishing goals or targets for emissions reduction
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on proposals that call for the adoption of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction goals from products and operations, taking into account:
| Overly prescriptive requests for the reduction in GHG emissions by specific amounts or within a specific time frame; |
| Whether company disclosure lags behind industry peers; |
| Whether the company has been the subject of recent, significant violations, fines, litigation, or controversy related to GHG emissions; |
| The feasibility of reduction of GHGs given the companys product line and current technology and; |
| Whether the company already provides meaningful disclosure on GHG emissions from its products and operations. |
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Political Contributions and Trade Association Spending/Lobbying Expenditures and Initiatives
Generally vote AGAINST proposals asking the company to affirm political nonpartisanship in the workplace so long as:
| There are no recent, significant controversies, fines or litigation regarding the companys political contributions or trade association spending; and |
| The company has procedures in place to ensure that employee contributions to company-sponsored political action committees (PACs) are strictly voluntary and prohibits coercion. |
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on proposals to improve the disclosure of a companys political contributions and trade association spending, considering:
| Recent significant controversy or litigation related to the companys political contributions or governmental affairs; |
| The public availability of a company policy on political contributions and trade association spending including information on the types of organizations supported, the business rationale for supporting these organizations, and the oversight and compliance procedures related to such expenditures of corporate assets. |
GSAM will not necessarily vote for the proposal merely to encourage further disclosure of trade association or lobbying spending.
Vote AGAINST proposals barring the company from making political contributions. Businesses are affected by legislation at the federal, state, and local level and barring political contributions can put the company at a competitive disadvantage.
Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
A company should have a clear, public Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) statement and/or diversity policy. Generally vote FOR proposals seeking to amend a companys EEO statement or diversity policies to additionally prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Labor and Human Rights Standards
Generally vote FOR proposals requesting a report or implementation of a policy on company or company supplier labor and/or human rights standards and policies unless such information is already publicly disclosed considering:
| The degree to which existing relevant policies and practices are disclosed; |
| Whether or not existing relevant policies are consistent with internationally recognized standards; |
| Whether company facilities and those of its suppliers are monitored and how; |
| Company participation in fair labor organizations or other internationally recognized human rights initiatives; |
| Scope and nature of business conducted in markets known to have higher risk of workplace labor/human rights abuse; |
| Recent, significant company controversies, fines, or litigation regarding human rights at the company or its suppliers; |
| The scope of the request; and |
| Deviation from industry sector peer company standards and practices. |
Non-U.S. Proxy Items
The following section is a broad summary of the Guidelines, which form the basis of the Policy with respect to non-U.S. public equity investments. Applying these guidelines is subject to certain regional and country-specific exceptions and modifications and is not inclusive of all considerations in each market.
1. Operational Items
Financial Results/Director and Auditor Reports
Vote FOR approval of financial statements and director and auditor reports, unless:
| There are concerns about the accounts presented or audit procedures used; or |
| The company is not responsive to shareholder questions about specific items that should be publicly disclosed. |
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Appointment of Auditors and Auditor Fees
Vote FOR the reelection of auditors and proposals authorizing the board to fix auditor fees, unless:
| There are serious concerns about the accounts presented, audit procedures used or audit opinion rendered; |
| There is reason to believe that the auditor has rendered an opinion, which is neither accurate nor indicative of the companys financial position; |
| Name of the proposed auditor has not been published; |
| The auditors are being changed without explanation; non-audit-related fees are substantial or are in excess of standard annual audit-related fees; or the appointment of external auditors if they have previously served the company in an executive capacity or can otherwise be considered affiliated with the company. |
Appointment of Statutory Auditors
Vote FOR the appointment or reelection of statutory auditors, unless:
| There are serious concerns about the statutory reports presented or the audit procedures used; |
| Questions exist concerning any of the statutory auditors being appointed; or |
| The auditors have previously served the company in an executive capacity or can otherwise be considered affiliated with the company. |
Allocation of Income
Vote FOR approval of the allocation of income, unless:
| The dividend payout ratio has been consistently low without adequate explanation; or |
| The payout is excessive given the companys financial position. |
Stock (Scrip) Dividend Alternative
Vote FOR most stock (scrip) dividend proposals.
Vote AGAINST proposals that do not allow for a cash option unless management demonstrates that the cash option is harmful to shareholder value.
Amendments to Articles of Association
Vote amendments to the articles of association on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Change in Company Fiscal Term
Vote FOR resolutions to change a companys fiscal term unless a companys motivation for the change is to postpone its AGM.
Lower Disclosure Threshold for Stock Ownership
Vote AGAINST resolutions to lower the stock ownership disclosure threshold below 5 percent unless specific reasons exist to implement a lower threshold.
Amend Quorum Requirements
Vote proposals to amend quorum requirements for shareholder meetings on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Transact Other Business
Vote AGAINST other business when it appears as a voting item.
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2. Board of Directors
Director Elections
Vote FOR management nominees taking into consideration the following:
| Adequate disclosure has not been provided in a timely manner; or |
| There are clear concerns over questionable finances or restatements; or |
| There have been questionable transactions or conflicts of interest; or |
| There are any records of abuses against minority shareholder interests; or |
| The board fails to meet minimum corporate governance standards. or |
| There are reservations about: |
| Director terms |
| Bundling of proposals to elect directors |
| Board independence |
| Disclosure of named nominees |
| Combined Chairman/CEO |
| Election of former CEO as Chairman of the Board |
| Overboarded directors |
| Composition of committees |
| Director independence |
| Specific concerns about the individual or company, such as criminal wrongdoing or breach of fiduciary responsibilities; or |
| Repeated absences at board meetings have not been explained (in countries where this information is disclosed); or |
| Unless there are other considerations which may include sanctions from government or authority, violations of laws and regulations, or other issues related to improper business practice, failure to replace management, or egregious actions related to service on other boards. |
Vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis in contested elections of directors, e.g., the election of shareholder nominees or the dismissal of incumbent directors, determining which directors are best suited to add value for shareholders.
The analysis will generally be based on, but not limited to, the following major decision factors:
| Company performance relative to its peers; |
| Strategy of the incumbents versus the dissidents; |
| Independence of board candidates; |
| Experience and skills of board candidates; |
| Governance profile of the company; |
| Evidence of management entrenchment; |
| Responsiveness to shareholders; |
| Whether a takeover offer has been rebuffed; |
| Whether minority or majority representation is being sought. |
Vote FOR employee and/or labor representatives if they sit on either the audit or compensation committee and are required by law to be on those committees.
Vote AGAINST employee and/or labor representatives if they sit on either the audit or compensation committee, if they are not required to be on those committees.
Classification of directors
Executive Director
| Employee or executive of the company; |
| Any director who is classified as a non-executive, but receives salary, fees, bonus, and/or other benefits that are in line with the highest-paid executives of the company. |
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Non-Independent Non-Executive Director (NED)
| Any director who is attested by the board to be a non-independent NED; |
| Any director specifically designated as a representative of a significant shareholder of the company; |
| Any director who is also an employee or executive of a significant shareholder of the company; |
| Beneficial owner (direct or indirect) of at least 10% of the companys stock, either in economic terms or in voting rights (this may be aggregated if voting power is distributed among more than one member of a defined group, e.g., family members who beneficially own less than 10% individually, but collectively own more than 10%), unless market best practice dictates a lower ownership and/or disclosure threshold (and in other special market-specific circumstances); |
| Government representative; |
| Currently provides (or a relative provides) professional services to the company, to an affiliate of the company, or to an individual officer of the company or of one of its affiliates in excess of $10,000 per year; |
| Represents customer, supplier, creditor, banker, or other entity with which company maintains transactional/commercial relationship (unless company discloses information to apply a materiality test); |
| Any director who has conflicting or cross-directorships with executive directors or the chairman of the company; |
| Relative of a current employee of the company or its affiliates; |
| Relative of a former executive of the company or its affiliates; |
| A new appointee elected other than by a formal process through the General Meeting (such as a contractual appointment by a substantial shareholder); |
| Founder/co-founder/member of founding family but not currently an employee; |
| Former executive (5 year cooling off period); |
| Years of service is generally not a determining factor unless it is recommended best practice in a market and/or in extreme circumstances, in which case it may be considered; and |
| Any additional relationship or principle considered to compromise independence under local corporate governance best practice guidance. |
Independent NED
| No material connection, either directly or indirectly, to the company other than a board seat. |
Employee Representative
| Represents employees or employee shareholders of the company (classified as employee representative but considered a non-independent NED). |
Discharge of Directors
Generally vote FOR the discharge of directors, including members of the management board and/or supervisory board, unless there is reliable information about significant and compelling controversies that the board is not fulfilling its fiduciary duties warranted by:
| A lack of oversight or actions by board members which invoke shareholder distrust related to malfeasance or poor supervision, such as operating in private or company interest rather than in shareholder interest; or |
| Any legal issues (e.g., civil/criminal) aiming to hold the board responsible for breach of trust in the past or related to currently alleged actions yet to be confirmed (and not only the fiscal year in question), such as price fixing, insider trading, bribery, fraud, and other illegal actions; or |
| Other egregious governance issues where shareholders may bring legal action against the company or its directors; or |
| Vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis where a vote against other agenda items are deemed inappropriate. |
3. Compensation
Good pay practices should align managements interests with long-term shareholder value creation. Detailed disclosure of compensation criteria is preferred; proof that companies follow the criteria should be evident and retroactive performance target changes without proper disclosure is not viewed favorably. Compensation practices should allow a company to attract and retain proven talent. Some examples of poor pay practices include: abnormally large bonus payouts without justifiable performance linkage or proper disclosure, egregious employment contracts, excessive severance and/or change in control provisions, repricing or replacing of underwater stock options/stock appreciation rights without prior shareholder approval, and excessive perquisites. A company should also have an appropriate balance of short-term vs. long-term metrics and the metrics should be aligned with business goals and objectives.
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Director Compensation
Vote FOR proposals to award cash fees to non-executive directors unless the amounts are excessive relative to other companies in the country or industry.
Vote non-executive director compensation proposals that include both cash and share-based components on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Vote proposals that bundle compensation for both non-executive and executive directors into a single resolution on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Vote AGAINST proposals to introduce retirement benefits for non-executive directors.
Compensation Plans
Vote compensation plans on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Director, Officer, and Auditor Indemnification and Liability Provisions
Vote proposals seeking indemnification and liability protection for directors and officers on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Vote AGAINST proposals to indemnify auditors.
4. Board Structure
Vote AGAINST the introduction of classified boards and mandatory retirement ages for directors.
Vote AGAINST proposals to alter board structure or size in the context of a fight for control of the company or the board.
Chairman CEO combined role (for applicable markets)
GSAM will generally recommend a vote AGAINST shareholder proposals requiring that the chairmans position be filled by an independent director, if the company satisfies 3 of the 4 following criteria:
| 2/3 independent board, or majority in countries where employee representation is common practice; |
| A designated, or a rotating, lead director, elected by and from the independent board members with clearly delineated and comprehensive duties; |
| Fully independent key committees; and/or |
| Established, publicly disclosed, governance guidelines and director biographies/profiles. |
5. Capital Structure
Share Issuance Requests
General Issuances:
Vote FOR issuance requests with preemptive rights to a maximum of 100 percent over currently issued capital.
Vote FOR issuance requests without preemptive rights to a maximum of 20 percent of currently issued capital.
Specific Issuances:
Vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis on all requests, with or without preemptive rights.
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Increases in Authorized Capital
Vote FOR non-specific proposals to increase authorized capital up to 100 percent over the current authorization unless the increase would leave the company with less than 30 percent of its new authorization outstanding.
Vote FOR specific proposals to increase authorized capital to any amount, unless:
| The specific purpose of the increase (such as a share-based acquisition or merger) does not meet guidelines for the purpose being proposed; or |
| The increase would leave the company with less than 30 percent of its new authorization outstanding after adjusting for all proposed issuances. |
Vote AGAINST proposals to adopt unlimited capital authorizations.
Reduction of Capital
Vote FOR proposals to reduce capital for routine accounting purposes unless the terms are unfavorable to shareholders.
Vote proposals to reduce capital in connection with corporate restructuring on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Capital Structures
Vote FOR resolutions that seek to maintain or convert to a one-share, one-vote capital structure.
Vote AGAINST requests for the creation or continuation of dual-class capital structures or the creation of new or additional super voting shares.
Preferred Stock
Vote FOR the creation of a new class of preferred stock or for issuances of preferred stock up to 50 percent of issued capital unless the terms of the preferred stock would adversely affect the rights of existing shareholders.
Vote FOR the creation/issuance of convertible preferred stock as long as the maximum number of common shares that could be issued upon conversion meets guidelines on equity issuance requests.
Vote AGAINST the creation of a new class of preference shares that would carry superior voting rights to the common shares.
Vote AGAINST the creation of blank check preferred stock unless the board clearly states that the authorization will not be used to thwart a takeover bid.
Vote proposals to increase blank check preferred authorizations on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Debt Issuance Requests
Vote non-convertible debt issuance requests on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, with or without preemptive rights.
Vote FOR the creation/issuance of convertible debt instruments as long as the maximum number of common shares that could be issued upon conversion meets guidelines on equity issuance requests.
Vote FOR proposals to restructure existing debt arrangements unless the terms of the restructuring would adversely affect the rights of shareholders.
Increase in Borrowing Powers
Vote proposals to approve increases in a companys borrowing powers on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
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Share Repurchase Plans
GSAM will generally recommend FOR share repurchase programs taking into account whether:
| The share repurchase program can be used as a takeover defense; |
| There is clear evidence of historical abuse; |
| There is no safeguard in the share repurchase program against selective buybacks; |
| Pricing provisions and safeguards in the share repurchase program are deemed to be unreasonable in light of market practice. |
Reissuance of Repurchased Shares
Vote FOR requests to reissue any repurchased shares unless there is clear evidence of abuse of this authority in the past.
Capitalization of Reserves for Bonus Issues/Increase in Par Value
Vote FOR requests to capitalize reserves for bonus issues of shares or to increase par value.
6. Mergers and Corporate Restructuring & Other
Reorganizations/Restructurings
Vote reorganizations and restructurings on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Mergers and Acquisitions
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on mergers and acquisitions taking into account the following based on publicly available information:
| Valuation; |
| Market reaction; |
| Strategic rationale; |
| Managements track record of successful integration of historical acquisitions; |
| Presence of conflicts of interest; and |
| Governance profile of the combined company. |
Antitakeover Mechanisms
Generally vote AGAINST all antitakeover proposals, unless they are structured in such a way that they give shareholders the ultimate decision on any proposal or offer.
Reincorporation Proposals
Vote reincorporation proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Related-Party Transactions
Vote related-party transactions on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering factors including, but not limited to, the following:
| The parties on either side of the transaction; |
| The nature of the asset to be transferred/service to be provided; |
| The pricing of the transaction (and any associated professional valuation); |
| The views of independent directors (where provided); |
| The views of an independent financial adviser (where appointed); |
| Whether any entities party to the transaction (including advisers) is conflicted; and |
| The stated rationale for the transaction, including discussions of timing. |
16-B
Shareholder Proposals
Vote all shareholder proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Vote FOR proposals that would improve the companys corporate governance or business profile at a reasonable cost.
Vote AGAINST proposals that limit the companys business activities or capabilities or result in significant costs being incurred with little or no benefit.
7. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Issues
Please refer to page 9 for our current approach to these important topics.
17-B
PART C: OTHER INFORMATION
Item 15. Indemnification
Article IV of the Declaration of Trust of Goldman Sachs Trust, a Delaware statutory trust, provides for indemnification of the Trustees, officers and agents of the Trust, subject to certain limitations. The Declaration of Trust is incorporated by reference to Exhibit (1)(a).
The Management Agreement provides that the Investment Adviser will not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by a Fund, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of the Investment Adviser or from reckless disregard by the Investment Adviser of its obligations or duties under the Management Agreement. The Management Agreement is incorporated by reference as Exhibit (6).
Section 9 of the Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Goldman Sachs dated April 30, 1997, as amended, and Section 7 of the Transfer Agency Agreement between the Registrant and Goldman, Sachs & Co. dated August 9, 2007 provides that the Registrant will indemnify Goldman, Sachs & Co. against certain liabilities. Copies of the Distribution Agreement and the Transfer Agency Agreement are incorporated by reference as Exhibits (7)(a) and (b) and (13)(d) and (e), respectively.
Mutual fund and trustees and officers liability policies purchased jointly by the Registrant, Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust, Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund, Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc. and Goldman Sachs Trust II insure such persons and their respective trustees, partners, officers and employees, subject to the policies coverage limits and exclusions and varying deductibles, against loss resulting from claims by reason of any act, error, omission, misstatement, misleading statement, neglect or breach of duty.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, the Registrant has been informed that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Item 16. Exhibits
(1) | (a) Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 1/ |
(b) | Amendment No. 1 dated April 24, 1997 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust January 28, 1997 2/ |
(c) | Amendment No. 2 dated July 21, 1997 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 2/ |
(d) | Amendment No. 3 dated October 21, 1997 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 3/ |
(e) | Amendment No. 4 dated January 28, 1998 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 3/ |
(f) | Amendment No. 5 dated January 28, 1998 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 4/ |
(g) | Amendment No. 6 dated July 22, 1998 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 4/ |
(h) | Amendment No. 7 dated November 3, 1998 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 5/ |
(i) | Amendment No. 8 dated January 22, 1999 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 6/ |
(j) | Amendment No. 9 dated April 28, 1999 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 7/ |
(k) | Amendment No. 10 dated July 27, 1999 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 8/ |
(l) | Amendment No. 11 dated July 27, 1999 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 8/ |
(m) | Amendment No. 12 dated October 26, 1999 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 9/ |
(n) | Amendment No. 13 dated February 3, 2000 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 10/ |
(o) | Amendment No. 14 dated April 26, 2000 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 11/ |
(p) | Amendment No. 15 dated August 1, 2000 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 12/ |
(q) | Amendment No. 16 dated January 30, 2001 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 13/ |
(r) | Amendment No. 17 dated April 25, 2001 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 14/ |
(s) | Amendment No. 18 dated July 1, 2002 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 15/ |
(t) | Amendment No. 19 dated August 1, 2002 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 15/ |
(u) | Amendment No. 20 dated August 1, 2002 to Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 15/ |
(v) | Amendment No. 21 dated January 29, 2003 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 16/ |
(w) | Amendment No. 22 dated July 31, 2003 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 17/ |
(x) | Amendment No. 23 dated October 30, 2003 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 17/ |
(y) | Amendment No. 24 dated May 6, 2004 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 18/ |
(z) | Amendment No. 25 dated April 21, 2004 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 19/ |
(aa) | Amendment No. 26 dated November 4, 2004 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 19/ |
(bb) | Amendment No. 27 dated February 10, 2005 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 20/ |
(cc) | Amendment No. 28 dated May 12, 2005 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 21/ |
(dd) | Amendment No. 29 dated June 16, 2005 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 21/ |
(ee) | Amendment No. 30 dated August 4, 2005 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1977 21/ |
(ff) | Amendment No. 31 dated November 2, 2005 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 22/ |
(gg) | Amendment No. 32 dated December 31, 2005 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 23/ |
(hh) | Amendment No. 33 dated March 16, 2006 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 22/ |
(ii) | Amendment No. 34 dated March 16, 2006 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 22/ |
(jj) | Amendment No. 35 dated May 11, 2006 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 24/ |
(kk) | Amendment No. 36 dated June 15, 2006 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 25/ |
(ll) | Amendment No. 37 dated August 10, 2006 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 26/ |
(mm) | Amendment No. 38 dated November 9, 2006 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 26/ |
(nn) | Amendment No. 39 dated December 14, 2006 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 27/ |
(oo) | Amendment No. 40 dated December 14, 2006 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 27/ |
(pp) | Amendment No. 41 dated February 8, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 27/ |
(qq) | Amendment No. 42 dated March 15, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 27/ |
(rr) | Amendment No. 43 dated May 10, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 27/ |
(ss) | Amendment No. 44 dated June 13, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 28/ |
(tt) | Amendment No. 45 dated June 13, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 29/ |
(uu) | Amendment No. 46 dated November 8, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 29/ |
(vv) | Amendment No. 47 dated November 8, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 29/ |
(ww) | Amendment No. 48 dated December 13, 2007 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 30/ |
(xx) | Amendment No. 49 dated June 19, 2008 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 31/ |
(yy) | Amendment No. 50 dated August 14, 2008 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 32/ |
(zz) | Amendment No. 51 dated August 25, 2008 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 33/ |
(aaa) | Amendment No. 52 dated November 13, 2008 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 33/ |
(bbb) | Amendment No. 53 dated May 21, 2009 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 34/ |
(ccc) | Amendment No. 54 dated November 19, 2009 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 34/ |
(ddd) | Amendment No. 55 dated February 11, 2010 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 35/ |
(eee) | Amendment No. 56 dated May 20, 2010 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 36/ |
(fff) | Amendment No. 57 dated June 17, 2010 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 36/ |
(ggg) | Amendment No. 58 dated November 18, 2010 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 37/ |
(hhh) | Amendment No. 59 dated January 5, 2011 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 38/ |
(iii) | Amendment No. 60 dated February 10, 2011 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 38/ |
(jjj) | Amendment No. 61 dated February 10, 2011 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 38/ |
(kkk) | Amendment No. 62 dated June 16, 2011 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 39/ |
(lll) | Amendment No. 63 dated August 18, 2011 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 40/ |
(mmm) | Amendment No. 64 dated September 27, 2011 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 41/ |
(nnn) | Amendment No. 65 dated October 20, 2011 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 41/ |
(ooo) | Amendment No. 66 dated December 15, 2011 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 42/ |
(ppp) | Amendment No. 67 dated April 19, 2012 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 43/ |
(qqq) | Amendment No. 68 dated August 16, 2012 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 44/ |
(rrr) | Amendment No. 69 dated December 13, 2012 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 45/ |
(sss) | Amendment No. 70 dated February 12, 2013 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 46/ |
(ttt) | Amendment No. 71 dated April 18, 2013 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 47/ |
(uuu) | Amendment No. 72 dated June 13, 2013 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 48/ |
(vvv) | Amendment No. 73 dated August 15, 2013 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 60/ |
(www) | Amendment No. 74 dated September 19, 2013 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997, filed herewith |
(2) | Amended and Restated By-Laws of Goldman Sachs Trust dated August 15, 2013 49/ |
(3) | Not applicable |
(4) | Form of Agreement and Plan of Reorganization is included in Part A to the Registration Statement on Form N-14. |
(5) | Instruments Defining the Rights of Holders of Registrants Shares of Beneficial Interest 50/ |
(6) (a) Management Agreement dated April 30, 1997 between Registrant, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Goldman Sachs Fund Management L.P. and Goldman Sachs Asset Management International 51/
(b) | Amended Annex A dated [], 2013 to the Management Agreement dated April 30, 1997 between Registrant, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Goldman Sachs Fund Management L.P. and Goldman Sachs Asset Management International (to be filed by amendment) |
(7) | (a) Distribution Agreement dated April 30, 1997 17/ |
(b) | Amended Exhibit A dated [], 2013 to the Distribution Agreement dated April 30, 1997 (to be filed by amendment) |
(8) | Not applicable |
(9) | (a) Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991, between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company 52/ |
(b) | Additional Portfolio Agreement dated September 27, 1999 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company 10/ |
(c) | Letter Agreement dated September 27, 1999 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company relating to Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 10/ |
(d) | Amendment dated July 2, 2001 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company 14/ |
(e) | Amendment dated August 1, 2001 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company 53/ |
(f) | Global Custody Agreement dated June 30, 2006 between Registrant and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. 54/ |
(g) | Letter Amendment dated [], 2013 to the Custodian Contract dated July 15, 1991 between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund) (to be filed by amendment) |
(10) | Plan in Accordance with Rule 18f-3, amended and restated as of December 1, 2010 59/ |
(11) | Opinion and Consent of Dechert LLP, filed herewith |
(12) | Form of Opinion of Dechert LLP supporting the tax matters and consequences to shareholders discussed in the Prospectus/Information Statement, filed herewith |
(13) (a) First Amendment dated July 18, 1994 to Amended and Restated Wiring Agreement dated January 25, 1994 among Goldman, Sachs & Co., State Street Bank and Trust Company and The Northern Trust Company 55/
(b) | Amended and Restated Wiring Agreement dated January 25, 1994 among Goldman, Sachs & Co., State Street Bank and Trust Company and The Northern Trust Company 55/ |
(c) | Letter Agreement dated June 20, 1987 regarding use of checking account between Registrant and The Northern Trust Company 56/ |
(d) | Amended and Restated Transfer Agency Agreement dated August 9, 2007 between Registrant and Goldman, Sachs & Co. 57/ |
(e) | Amended and Restated Transfer Agency Agreement Fee Schedule dated [], 2013, to the Transfer Agency Agreement dated August 9, 2007 between Registrant and Goldman, Sachs & Co. (to be filed by amendment) |
(i) | Form of Service Agreement on behalf of Goldman Sachs Trust relating to the Institutional Class, Select Class, Preferred Class, Capital Class, Administration Class, Premier Class, Service Class, Resource Class and Cash Management Class, as applicable, of Goldman Sachs Financial Square Funds, Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Funds, Goldman Sachs Domestic Equity Funds, Goldman Sachs International Equity Funds and Goldman Sachs Fund of Funds Portfolios 58/ |
(j) | Code of Ethics Goldman Sachs Trust, Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust and Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund dated April 23, 1997, as amended effective June 1, 2012 48/ |
(k) | Code of Ethics Goldman, Sachs & Co., Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P., Goldman Sachs Asset Management International, Goldman Sachs Hedge Fund Strategies LLC and GS Investment Strategies, LLC dated January 23, 1991, effective February 6, 2012 47/ |
(14) | Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, filed herewith |
(15) | Not applicable |
(16) | Powers of Attorney for James A. McNamara, George F. Travers, Ashok N. Bakhru, Donald C. Burke, John P. Coblentz, Jr., Diana M. Daniels, Joseph P. LoRusso, Jessica Palmer, Alan A. Shuch and Richard P. Strubel, filed herewith |
(17) (a) Form of Proxy Card, filed herewith
(b) | Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information of Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund, dated July 29, 2013, as supplemented, filed herewith |
(c) | Audited Financials of the Annual Report of Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, filed herewith |
1/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 29 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 14, 1997. |
2/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 40 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed October 16, 1997. |
3/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 41 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 13, 1998. |
4/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 47 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed October 1, 1998. |
5/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 29, 1998. |
6/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 52 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 12, 1999. |
7/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 16, 1999. |
8/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 56 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed September 16, 1999. |
9/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 58 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 22, 1999. |
10/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 23, 2000. |
11/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 65 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 3, 2000. |
12/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 68 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 22, 2000. |
13/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 72 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 13, 2001. |
14/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 73 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 21, 2001. |
15/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 79 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 11, 2002. |
16/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 81 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 19, 2003. |
17/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 85 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 12, 2003. |
18/ | Incorporated by reference from the Registrants Registration Statement on Form N-14 relating to the Registrants acquisition of the Golden Oak® Family of Funds (Acquisition), SEC File No. 333-117561, filed July 22, 2004. |
19/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 93 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 23, 2004. |
20/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 103 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 17, 2005. |
21/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 112 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 7, 2005. |
22/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 127 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed May 26, 2006. |
23/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 114 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 29, 2005. |
24/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 133 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed August 18, 2006. |
25/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 129 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 23, 2006. |
26/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 143 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 21, 2006. |
27/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 159 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 12, 2007. |
28/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 162 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed August 14, 2007. |
29/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 173 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 27, 2007. |
30/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 183 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed January 18, 2008. |
31/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 205 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 29, 2008. |
32/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 206 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed August 27, 2008. |
33/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 217 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 27, 2009. |
34/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 226 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 24, 2009. |
35/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 242 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 30, 2010. |
36/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 249 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed June 30, 2010. |
37/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 261 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 3, 2010. |
38/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 270 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 16, 2011. |
39/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 285 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 29, 2011. |
40/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 290 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 12, 2011. |
41/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 291 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 16, 2011. |
42/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 292 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 23, 2011. |
43/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 321 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 27, 2012. |
44/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 333 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed September 24, 2012. |
45/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 346 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed January 28, 2013. |
46/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 348 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed February 28, 2013. |
47/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 355 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 30, 2013. |
48/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 363 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 29, 2013. |
49/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 364 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed August 16, 2013. |
50/ | Article II, Section 10; Article IV, Section 3; Article V; Article VI; Article VII; Article IX, Section 8; and Section 9 of the Registrants Agreement and Declaration of Trust incorporated herein by reference as Exhibit (1)(a) and Article III of the Registrants Amended and Restated By-Laws incorporated by reference as Exhibit (2). |
51/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 48 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed November 25, 1998. |
52/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 26 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 29, 1995. |
53/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 75 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed April 15, 2002. |
54/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 149 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed January 19, 2007. |
55/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 222 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File. No. 33-17619, filed July 28, 2009. |
56/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 43 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed March 2, 1998. |
57/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 175 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 10, 2007. |
58/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 252 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed July 29, 2010. |
59/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 263 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed December 29, 2010. |
60/ | Incorporated by reference from Post-Effective Amendment No. 366 to the Registrants registration statement, SEC File No. 33-17619, filed September 12, 2013. |
Item 17. Undertakings
(1) | The undersigned Registrant agrees that prior to any public reoffering of the securities registered through the use of a prospectus which is a part of this registration statement by any person or party who is deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of Rule 145(c) of the Securities Act [17 CFR 230.145c], the reoffering prospectus will contain the information called for by the applicable registration form for the reofferings by persons who may be deemed underwriters, in addition to the information called for by the other items of the applicable form. |
(2) | The undersigned Registrant agrees that every prospectus that is filed under paragraph (1) above will be filed as a part of an amendment to the registration statement and will not be used until the amendment is effective, and that, in determining any liability under the 1933 Act, each post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement for the securities offered therein, and the offering of the securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering of them. |
(3) | The Registrant hereby undertakes to file, by post-effective amendment, the final opinion of Dechert LLP supporting the tax consequences of the proposed reorganization as soon as practicable after the closing of the reorganization. |
SIGNATURES
As required by the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been filed on behalf of the Registrant, in the City and State of New York on the 26th day of September, 2013.
GOLDMAN SACHS TRUST | ||
(A Delaware statutory trust) | ||
By: | /s/ Caroline Kraus | |
Caroline Kraus Secretary |
As required by the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Name |
Title |
Date | ||
1James A. McNamara James A. McNamara |
President (Chief Executive Officer) and Trustee | September 26, 2013 | ||
1George F. Travers George F. Travers |
Principal Financial Officer and Senior Vice President | September 26, 2013 | ||
1Ashok N. Bakhru Ashok N. Bakhru |
Chairman and Trustee | September 26, 2013 | ||
1Donald C. Burke Donald C. Burke |
Trustee | September 26, 2013 | ||
1John P. Coblentz, Jr. John P. Coblentz, Jr. |
Trustee | September 26, 2013 | ||
1Diana M. Daniels Diana M. Daniels |
Trustee | September 26, 2013 | ||
1Joseph P. LoRusso Joseph P. LoRusso |
Trustee | September 26, 2013 | ||
1Jessica Palmer Jessica Palmer |
Trustee | September 26, 2013 | ||
1Alan A. Shuch Alan A. Shuch |
Trustee | September 26, 2013 | ||
1Richard P. Strubel Richard P. Strubel |
Trustee | September 26, 2013 |
By: | /s/ Caroline Kraus | |
Caroline Kraus, Attorney-In-Fact |
1 | Pursuant to powers of attorney, filed herewith. |
EXHIBIT INDEX
(1)(www) | Amendment No. 74 dated September 19, 2013 to the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated January 28, 1997 | |
(11) | Opinion and Consent of Dechert LLP | |
(12) | Form of Opinion of Dechert LLP supporting the tax matters and consequences to shareholders discussed in the Prospectus/Information Statement | |
(14) | Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | |
(16) | Powers of Attorney for James A. McNamara, George F. Travers, Ashok N. Bakhru, Donald C. Burke, John P. Coblentz, Jr., Diana M. Daniels, Joseph P. LoRusso, Jessica Palmer, Alan A. Shuch and Richard P. Strubel | |
(17)(a) | Form of Proxy Card | |
(17)(b) | Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information of Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund dated July 29, 2013, as supplemented | |
(17)(c) | Audited Financials of the Annual Report of Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 |
AMENDMENT NO. 74
TO THE
DECLARATION OF TRUST
OF
GOLDMAN SACHS TRUST
This AMENDMENT NO. 74 to the AGREEMENT AND DECLARATION OF TRUST (the Declaration) as amended, dated the 28th day of January, 1997 of Goldman Sachs Trust (the Trust) is made by the Trustees named below as of September 19, 2013:
WHEREAS, the Trustees have established the Trust for the investment and reinvestment of funds contributed thereto;
WHEREAS, the Trustees divided the beneficial interest in the trust assets into transferable shares of beneficial interest and divided such shares of beneficial interest into separate Series and Classes;
WHEREAS, the Trustees desire to establish and designate an additional Series of the Trust, Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund, and related Share Classes with respect to such Series; and
WHEREAS, the Trustees desire to rename the Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Alternative Strategies Fund the Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Macro Alternative Strategies Fund;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing premises and the agreements contained herein, the undersigned, being all of the Trustees of the Trust and acting in accordance with Article V, Section 1 of the Declaration, hereby amend Article V, Section 1 of the Declaration as follows:
The Trust shall consist of one or more Series. Without limiting the authority of the Trustees to establish and designate any further Series, the Trustees hereby establish the following 92 Series: Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund, Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Macro Alternative Strategies Fund, Goldman Sachs Dynamic Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs Multi-Asset Real Return Fund, Goldman Sachs MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund, Goldman Sachs World Bond Fund, Goldman Sachs Global Macro Fund, Goldman Sachs Equity Long-Short Fund, Goldman Sachs Event Driven Fund, Goldman Sachs Relative Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Retirement Portfolio Completion Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Enhanced Put Option Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Focused Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Rising Dividend Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Commodities Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Floating Rate Fund, Goldman Sachs China Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs India Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs N-11 Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Dynamic Allocation Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Flexible Cap Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs Absolute Return Tracker Fund, Goldman Sachs Inflation Protected Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Structured International Tax-Managed Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs International Small Cap Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs International Equity Dividend and
Premium Fund, Goldman Sachs Satellite Strategies Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Income Strategies Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic International Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Commodity Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Core Plus Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs BRIC Fund, Goldman Sachs International Real Estate Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium Fund, Goldman Sachs Small/Mid Cap Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Mortgages Fund, Goldman Sachs Investment Grade Credit Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs High Quality Floating Rate Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Government Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Tax-Free Fund, Goldman Sachs Core Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Global Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Government Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Municipal Income Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Municipal Fund, Goldman Sachs Enhanced Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Income Builder Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs International Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Capital Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Mid Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Concentrated International Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Asia Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Real Estate Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs International Small Cap Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth Opportunities Fund, Goldman Sachs Technology Tollkeeper Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Concentrated Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Structured Tax-Managed Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Equity Growth Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Prime Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Government Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Free Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Federal Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Instruments Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Exempt New York Fund and Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Exempt California Fund (the Existing Series). Each additional Series shall be established and is effective upon the adoption of a resolution of a majority of the Trustees or any alternative date specified in such resolution. The Trustees may designate the relative rights and preferences of the Shares of each Series. The Trustees may divide the Shares of any Series into Classes. Without limiting the authority of the Trustees to establish and designate any further Classes, the Trustees hereby establish the following classes of shares with respect to the series set forth below:
Class A Shares: | Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund, Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Macro Alternative Strategies Fund, Goldman Sachs Dynamic Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs Multi-Asset Real Return Fund, Goldman Sachs MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund, Goldman Sachs World Bond Fund, Goldman Sachs Global Macro Fund, Goldman Sachs Equity Long-Short Fund, Goldman Sachs Event Driven Fund, Goldman Sachs Relative Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Retirement Portfolio Completion Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Enhanced Put Option Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Focused Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Rising Dividend Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Commodities Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Floating Rate Fund, Goldman Sachs China Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs India Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs N-11 Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Dynamic Allocation Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Flexible Cap Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs Absolute Return Tracker Fund, Goldman Sachs Inflation Protected Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Structured International Tax-Managed Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs International Small Cap Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs International Equity Dividend and Premium Fund, Goldman Sachs Satellite Strategies Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Income Strategies Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic International Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Commodity Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Core Plus Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs |
BRIC Fund, Goldman Sachs International Real Estate Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium Fund, Goldman Sachs Small/Mid Cap Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Mortgages Fund, Goldman Sachs Investment Grade Credit Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs High Quality Floating Rate Fund, Goldman Sachs Global Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Government Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Municipal Income Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Government Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Tax-Free Fund, Goldman Sachs Core Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Municipal Fund, Goldman Sachs Enhanced Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Income Builder Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs International Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Mid Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Capital Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Concentrated Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Concentrated International Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Asia Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Real Estate Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs International Small Cap Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth Opportunities Fund, Goldman Sachs Technology Tollkeeper Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Structured Tax-Managed Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Equity Growth Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio and Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Strategy Portfolio. | ||
Class B Shares: | Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Prime Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic International Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Core Plus Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Enhanced Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Small/Mid Cap Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Global Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Government Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Municipal Income Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Government Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Tax-Free Fund, Goldman Sachs Core Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Municipal Fund, Goldman Sachs Income Builder Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs International Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Mid Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Capital Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Concentrated Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Concentrated International Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Asia Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Real Estate Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs International Small Cap Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth Opportunities Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Technology Tollkeeper Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Structured Tax-Managed Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Equity Growth Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio and Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Strategy Portfolio. | |
Class C Shares: | Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund, Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Macro Alternative Strategies Fund, Goldman Sachs Dynamic Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs Multi-Asset Real Return Fund, Goldman Sachs MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund, Goldman Sachs World Bond Fund, Goldman Sachs Global Macro Fund, Goldman Sachs Equity Long-Short Fund, Goldman Sachs Event Driven Fund, Goldman Sachs Relative Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Retirement Portfolio Completion Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Enhanced Put Option Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Focused Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Rising Dividend Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Commodities Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Floating Rate Fund, Goldman Sachs China Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs India Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs N-11 Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Income Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Prime Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs Dynamic Allocation Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Flexible Cap Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs |
Absolute Return Tracker Fund, Goldman Sachs Inflation Protected Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs Structured International Tax-Managed Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs International Small Cap Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs International Equity Dividend and Premium Fund, Goldman Sachs Satellite Strategies Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Income Strategies Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic International Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs Commodity Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Core Plus Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs BRIC Fund, Goldman Sachs International Real Estate Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium Fund, Goldman Sachs Small/Mid Cap Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Global Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Government Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Municipal Income Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Government Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Tax-Free Fund, Goldman Sachs Core Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Municipal Fund, Goldman Sachs Income Builder Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs International Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Mid Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Capital Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Concentrated Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Concentrated International Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Asia Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs International Small Cap Fund, Goldman Sachs Real Estate Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth Opportunities Fund, Goldman Sachs Technology Tollkeeper Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Structured Tax-Managed Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Equity Growth Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio and Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Strategy Portfolio. | ||
Institutional Shares: | Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund, Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Macro Alternative Strategies Fund, Goldman Sachs Dynamic Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs Multi-Asset Real Return Fund, Goldman Sachs MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund, Goldman Sachs World Bond Fund, Goldman Sachs Global Macro Fund, Goldman Sachs Equity Long-Short Fund, Goldman Sachs Event Driven Fund, Goldman Sachs Relative Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Retirement Portfolio Completion Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Enhanced Put Option Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Focused Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Rising Dividend Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Commodities Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Floating Rate Fund, Goldman Sachs China Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs India Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs N-11 Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Dynamic Allocation Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Flexible Cap Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs Absolute Return Tracker Fund, Goldman Sachs Inflation Protected Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs Tax-Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Structured International Tax-Managed Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs International Small Cap Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs International Equity Dividend and Premium Fund, Goldman Sachs Satellite Strategies Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Income Strategies Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic International Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Commodity Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Core Plus Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs BRIC Fund, Goldman Sachs International Real Estate Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium Fund, Goldman Sachs Small/Mid Cap Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Mortgages Fund, Goldman Sachs Investment Grade Credit Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs High Quality Floating Rate Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Government Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Tax-Free Fund, Goldman Sachs Government Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Municipal Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Core Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Municipal Fund, Goldman Sachs Global Income Fund, |
Goldman Sachs High Yield Fund, Goldman Sachs Enhanced Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Income Builder Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Concentrated Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Capital Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Cap Large Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs International Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Mid Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Concentrated International Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Asia Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs International Small Cap Fund, Goldman Sachs Real Estate Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth Opportunities Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Technology Tollkeeper Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Structured Tax-Managed Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Prime Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Government Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Free Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Federal Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Instruments Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Exempt New York Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Exempt California Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Equity Growth Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio and Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Strategy Portfolio. | ||
Service Shares: | Goldman Sachs Core Plus Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Small/Mid Cap Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs High Quality Floating Rate Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Government Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Tax-Free Fund, Goldman Sachs Government Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Municipal Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Core Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Municipal Fund, Goldman Sachs Global Income Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Capital Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs International Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Mid Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Concentrated International Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Asia Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs International Small Cap Fund, Goldman Sachs Real Estate Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth Opportunities Fund, Goldman Sachs Technology Tollkeeper Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Structured Tax-Managed Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Prime Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Government Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Free Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Federal Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Instruments Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Exempt New York Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Exempt California Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Equity Growth Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Strategy Portfolio, and Goldman Sachs Satellite Strategies Portfolio. | |
Administration Shares: | Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Prime Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Government Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Free Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Federal Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Instruments Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Exempt New York Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Exempt California Fund, and Goldman Sachs Enhanced Income Fund. | |
Preferred Administration Shares: | Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Prime Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Government Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Free Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Federal Fund and Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Instruments Fund. |
Cash Management Shares: | Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Federal Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Prime Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Government Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Free Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Instruments Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Exempt New York Fund, and Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Exempt California Fund. | |
Select Shares: | Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Prime Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Government Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Free Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Federal Fund and Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Instruments Fund. | |
Capital Shares: | Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Prime Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Government Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Free Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Federal Fund and Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Instruments Fund. | |
Separate Account Institutional Shares: | Goldman Sachs U.S. Mortgages Fund and Goldman Sachs Investment Grade Credit Fund. | |
Class R Shares: | Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund, Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Macro Alternative Strategies Fund, Goldman Sachs Dynamic Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs Multi-Asset Real Return Fund, Goldman Sachs MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund, Goldman Sachs World Bond Fund, Goldman Sachs Global Macro Fund, Goldman Sachs Equity Long-Short Fund, Goldman Sachs Event Driven Fund, Goldman Sachs Relative Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Retirement Portfolio Completion Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Enhanced Put Option Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Focused Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Rising Dividend Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Commodities Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Floating Rate Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Mid Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Flexible Cap Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Concentrated Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Capital Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth Opportunities Fund, Goldman Sachs Small/Mid Cap Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs International Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic International Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Growth Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Equity Growth Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Income Strategies Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Satellite Strategies Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Real Estate Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs Commodity Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Government Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Core Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Core Plus Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Fund, Goldman Sachs Inflation Protected Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs Absolute Return Tracker Fund, Goldman Sachs Dynamic Allocation Fund and Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Fund. |
Class IR Shares: | Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund, Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Macro Alternative Strategies Fund, Goldman Sachs Dynamic Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs Multi-Asset Real Return Fund, Goldman Sachs MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund, Goldman Sachs World Bond Fund, Goldman Sachs Global Macro Fund, Goldman Sachs Equity Long-Short Fund, Goldman Sachs Event Driven Fund, Goldman Sachs Relative Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Retirement Portfolio Completion Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Enhanced Put Option Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Focused Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Rising Dividend Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Managed Futures Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Commodities Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Floating Rate Fund, Goldman Sachs China Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs India Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs N-11 Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Flexible Cap Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Mid Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Fund, Goldman Sachs Concentrated Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Capital Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs Growth Opportunities Fund, Goldman Sachs Small/Mid Cap Growth Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Large Cap Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Value Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Small Cap Growth Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs International Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Strategic International Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Balanced Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Growth and Income Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Growth Strategies Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Equity Growth Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Income Strategy Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Satellite Strategies Portfolio, Goldman Sachs Real Estate Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs International Real Estate Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs Commodity Strategy Fund, Goldman Sachs Government Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Core Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs High Quality Floating Rate Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Government Fund, Goldman Sachs Core Plus Fixed Income Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Fund, Goldman Sachs Inflation Protected Securities Fund, Goldman Sachs Absolute Return Tracker Fund, Goldman Sachs Dynamic Allocation Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Asia Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs BRIC Fund, Goldman Sachs Concentrated International Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs International Small Cap Fund, Goldman Sachs Technology Tollkeeper Fund, Goldman Sachs Structured Tax-Managed Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Structured International Tax-Managed Equity Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs International Small Cap Insights Fund, Goldman Sachs Income Builder Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium Fund, Goldman Sachs International Equity Dividend and Premium Fund, Goldman Sachs Enhanced Income Fund, Goldman Sachs Short Duration Tax-Free Fund, Goldman Sachs Municipal Income Fund, Goldman Sachs High Yield Municipal Fund, Goldman Sachs U.S. Mortgages Fund, Goldman Sachs Investment Grade Credit Fund, Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Debt Fund, Goldman Sachs Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund and Goldman Sachs Global Income Fund. | |
Premier Shares: | Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Federal Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Prime Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Government Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Free Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Instruments Fund and Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Obligations Fund. | |
Resource Shares: | Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Federal Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Prime Obligations Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Government Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Tax-Free Money Market Fund, Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Instruments Fund and Goldman Sachs-Financial Square Treasury Obligations Fund. |
/s/ Ashok N. Bakhru | /s/ Donald C. Burke | |||
Ashok N. Bakhru | Donald C. Burke | |||
as Trustee and not individually | as Trustee and not individually | |||
/s/ John P. Coblentz, Jr. | /s/ Diana M. Daniels | |||
John P. Coblentz, Jr. | Diana M. Daniels | |||
as Trustee and not individually | as Trustee and not individually | |||
/s/ Joseph P. LoRusso | /s/ James A. McNamara | |||
Joseph P. LoRusso | James A. McNamara | |||
as Trustee and not individually | as Trustee and not individually | |||
/s/ Jessica Palmer | /s/ Alan A. Shuch | |||
Jessica Palmer | Alan A. Shuch | |||
as Trustee and not individually | as Trustee and not individually | |||
/s/ Richard P. Strubel |
| |||
Richard P. Strubel | ||||
as Trustee and not individually |
|
1095 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036-6797 +1 212 698 3500 Main +1 212 698 3599 Fax www.dechert.com
|
September 26, 2013
Goldman Sachs Trust
71 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
Re: | Goldman Sachs Trust Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund (the Acquiring Fund) Registration Statement on Form N-14 (the Registration Statement) |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to Goldman Sachs Trust (the Trust), a Delaware statutory trust, in connection with the Trusts Registration Statement on Form N-14 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), on September 26, 2013, relating to the transfer of all of the assets of the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund, a Delaware statutory trust (the Acquired Fund), in exchange for the issuance of shares of beneficial interest of the Acquiring Fund, a series of the Trust (the Shares), and the assumption by the Acquiring Fund of all of the liabilities of the Acquired Fund, pursuant to the proposed reorganization as described in the Registration Statement and in the form of Agreement and Plan of Reorganization by and between the Trust, on behalf of the Acquiring Fund, and the Acquired Fund, filed therewith.
We have examined such governmental and corporate certificates and records as we deemed necessary to render this opinion, and we are familiar with the Trusts Declaration of Trust and Amended and Restated By-Laws, each as amended to date. We note that we are not admitted to practice law in the State of Delaware and, to the extent that this opinion addresses matters of Delaware law, we have relied upon the provisions of the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, and have otherwise assumed that the laws of Delaware are identical to the laws of Massachusetts in all relevant respects.
Based upon the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares of the Acquiring Fund to be registered under the 1933 Act have been duly authorized for issuance and, when issued to Acquired Fund shareholders in the manner described in the Registration Statement, will be validly issued and, subject to the qualifications set forth in the Trusts Declaration of Trust, fully paid and non-assessable beneficial interests in the Acquiring Fund. In this regard, we note that, pursuant to Section 2 of Article VIII of the Declaration of Trust, the Trustees have the power to cause each shareholder, or each shareholder of any particular series or class, to pay directly, in advance or arrears, for charges of the Trusts custodian or transfer, shareholder servicing or similar agent, an amount fixed from time to time by the Trustees, by setting off such charges due from such shareholder from declared but unpaid dividends owed such shareholder and/or by reducing the number of shares in the account of such shareholder by that number of full and/or fractional shares which represents the outstanding amount of such charges due from such shareholder.
US Austin Boston Charlotte Hartford Los Angeles New York Orange County Philadelphia Princeton San Francisco Silicon Valley
Washington DC EUROPE Brussels Dublin Frankfurt London Luxembourg Moscow Munich Paris ASIA Beijing Hong Kong
Goldman Sachs Trust September 26, 2013 Page 2 |
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, to be filed with the SEC, and to the use of our name in the Registration Statement, unless and until we revoke such consent. In giving such consent, however, we do not admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required by Section 7 of the 1933 Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Dechert LLP
Dechert LLP
|
1095 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036-6797 +1 212 698 3500 Main +1 212 698 3599 Fax www.dechert.com
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FORM OF TAX OPINION
[], 2013
Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund 71 South Wacker Drive Chicago, Illinois 60606 |
Goldman Sachs Trust Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund 71 South Wacker Drive Chicago, Illinois 60606 |
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:
You have requested our opinion regarding certain federal income tax consequences to Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund, a Delaware statutory trust (the Acquired Fund), to Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund (the Acquiring Fund), a series of Goldman Sachs Trust, a Delaware statutory trust (the Acquiring Fund Trust), and to the holders of the shares of beneficial interest in Acquired Fund (the Acquired Fund Shareholders), in connection with the proposed transfer of all of the properties of Acquired Fund to Acquiring Fund in exchange solely for voting shares of beneficial interest of Acquiring Fund (the Acquiring Fund Shares) and the assumption of all liabilities of Acquired Fund by Acquiring Fund, followed by the distribution of such Acquiring Fund Shares received by Acquired Fund in complete liquidation and termination of Acquired Fund (the Reorganization), all pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Reorganization (the Plan) dated as of [], 2013, executed by Acquired Fund and Acquiring Fund Trust on behalf of Acquiring Fund.
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For purposes of this opinion, we have examined and relied upon (1) the Plan, (2) the Form N-14 and Proxy Statement filed by Acquiring Fund with the Securities and Exchange Commission, (3) the facts and representations contained in the letter dated on or about the date hereof addressed to us from the Acquiring Fund Trust on behalf of Acquiring Fund, (4) the facts and representations contained in the letter dated on or about the date hereof addressed to us from the Acquired Fund, and (5) such other documents and instruments as we have deemed necessary or appropriate for purposes of rendering this opinion.
This opinion is based upon the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), United States Treasury regulations, judicial decisions, and administrative rulings and pronouncements of the Internal Revenue Service, all as in effect on the date hereof. This opinion is conditioned upon the Reorganization taking place in the manner described in the Plan.
Based upon the foregoing, it is our opinion that for federal income tax purposes:
1. | The acquisition by Acquiring Fund of all of the properties of Acquired Fund in exchange solely for Acquiring Fund Shares and the assumption of all liabilities of Acquired Fund by Acquiring Fund followed by the distribution of Acquiring Fund Shares to the Acquired Fund Shareholders in exchange for their Acquired Fund shares in complete liquidation and termination of Acquired Fund will constitute a tax-free reorganization under Section 368(a)(1)(F) of the Code. |
2. | Acquired Fund will not recognize gain or loss upon the transfer of all of its properties to Acquiring Fund in exchange solely for Acquiring Fund Shares and the assumption of all liabilities of Acquired Fund, subject to the qualifications included below, except that Acquired Fund may be required to recognize gain or loss with respect to contracts described in Section 1256(b) of the Code or stock in a passive foreign investment company, as defined in Section 1297(a) of the Code. |
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3. | Acquired Fund will not recognize gain or loss upon the distribution to its shareholders of the Acquiring Fund Shares received by Acquired Fund in the Reorganization. |
4. | Acquiring Fund will recognize no gain or loss upon receiving the properties of Acquired Fund in exchange solely for Acquiring Fund Shares and the assumption of all liabilities of Acquired Fund. |
5. | The adjusted basis to Acquiring Fund of the properties of Acquired Fund received by Acquiring Fund in the Reorganization will be the same as the adjusted basis of those properties in the hands of Acquired Fund immediately before the exchange. |
6. | Acquiring Funds holding periods with respect to the properties of Acquired Fund that Acquiring Fund acquires in the Reorganization will include the respective periods for which those properties were held by Acquired Fund (except where investment activities of Acquiring Fund have the effect of reducing or eliminating a holding period with respect to an asset). |
7. | The Acquired Fund Shareholders will recognize no gain or loss upon receiving Acquiring Fund Shares solely in exchange for Acquired Fund shares. |
8. | The aggregate basis of the Acquiring Fund Shares received by an Acquired Fund Shareholder in the Reorganization will be the same as the aggregate basis of Acquired Fund shares surrendered by the Acquired Fund Shareholder in exchange therefor. |
9. | An Acquired Fund Shareholders holding period for the Acquiring Fund Shares received by the Acquired Fund Shareholder in the Reorganization will include the holding period during which the Acquired Fund Shareholder held Acquired Fund shares surrendered in exchange therefor, provided that the Acquired Fund Shareholder held such shares as a capital asset on the date of the Reorganization. |
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We express no opinion as to the federal income tax consequences of the Reorganization except as expressly set forth above, or as to any transaction except those consummated in accordance with the Plan.
Very truly yours,
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We hereby consent to the reference to us under the heading Experts in the Registration Statement on Form N-14 of the Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund. We also consent to the incorporation by reference, into such N-14 Registration Statement of our report, dated May 22, 2013, relating to the financial statements and financial highlights which appear in the March 31, 2013 Annual Report to Shareholders of Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund, which are also incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement.
Boston, Massachusetts
September 25, 2013
POWER OF ATTORNEY
Each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints James A. McNamara, Caroline Kraus, Andrew Murphy, Robert Griffith and Matthew Wolfe, jointly and severally, and each of them, his or her true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power and authority of substitution and resubstitution, to do any and all acts and things and to execute any and all instruments which said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, may deem necessary or advisable or which may be required to enable Goldman Sachs Trust (the Trust) to comply with the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (collectively, the Acts), and any rules, regulations or requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission in respect thereof, in connection with the filing and effectiveness of the Trusts Registration Statement on Form N-14 (the Registration Statement), relating to the proposed reorganization of Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund into Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund, a series of the Trust, and any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to the Registration Statement, including specifically, but without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the power and authority to sign in the name and on behalf of the undersigned as a Trustee and/or officer of the Trust, any and all such amendments to the Registration Statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Acts, and any other instruments or documents related thereto, and the undersigned does hereby ratify and confirm all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, shall do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
All past acts of such attorneys-in-fact and agents in furtherance of the foregoing are hereby ratified and confirmed.
This Power of Attorney may be executed in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but which taken together shall constitute one instrument.
As to each of the undersigned, this Power of Attorney shall be valid from the date hereof until revoked by such individual.
WITNESS our hands on the date(s) set forth below.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Power of Attorney has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and as of the dates indicated.
Name |
Title |
Date | ||
/s/ James A. McNamara James A. McNamara |
President (Chief Executive Officer) and Trustee | September 19, 2013 | ||
/s/ George F. Travers George F. Travers |
Principal Financial Officer and Senior Vice President | September 19, 2013 | ||
/s/ Ashok N. Bakhru Ashok N. Bakhru |
Chairman and Trustee | September 19, 2013 | ||
/s/ Donald C. Burke Donald C. Burke |
Trustee | September 19, 2013 | ||
/s/ John P. Coblentz, Jr. John P. Coblentz, Jr. |
Trustee | September 19, 2013 | ||
/s/ Diana M. Daniels Diana M. Daniels |
Trustee | September 19, 2013 | ||
/s/ Joseph P. LoRusso Joseph P. LoRusso |
Trustee | September 19, 2013 | ||
/s/ Jessica Palmer Jessica Palmer |
Trustee | September 19, 2013 | ||
/s/ Alan A. Shuch Alan A. Shuch |
Trustee | September 19, 2013 | ||
/s/ Richard P. Strubel Richard P. Strubel |
Trustee | September 19, 2013 |
[Form of Proxy Card]
TO VOTE, MARK BLOCKS BELOW IN BLUE OR BLACK INK AS FOLLOWS:
<MXXXXX>-x##### | KEEP THIS PORTION FOR YOUR RECORDS | |||
THIS PROXY CARD IS VALID ONLY WHEN SIGNED AND DATED | DETACH AND RETURN THIS PORTION ONLY |
The Board of Trustees recommends you vote FOR the following proposals: |
For | Against | Abstain | |||||
1. To approve an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization between the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund and Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund, a newly-organized series of the Goldman Sachs Trust, an open-end management investment company, providing for (i) the transfer of all of the assets and the assumption of all of the liabilities of the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund, in exchange for Institutional Shares of the Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund; and (ii) the subsequent distribution of such shares to the shareholders of the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund and liquidation and dissolution of the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund. |
¨ | ¨ | ¨ | |||||
2. To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof. |
||||||||
Please sign exactly as your name(s) appear(s) hereon. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, or other fiduciary, please give full title as such. Joint owners should each sign personally. All holders must sign. If a corporation or partnership, please sign in full corporate or partnership name by authorized officer. |
Signature [PLEASE SIGN WITHIN BOX] |
Date | Signature [Joint Owners] | Date |
[Form of Proxy Card]
Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Special Meeting to be
held on January [], 2014:
The Proxy Statement/Prospectus is available online at www.proxyvote.com.
<MXXXXX>-X#####
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
THIS PROXY IS SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The undersigned shareholder of the Fund hereby appoints Caroline Kraus, Secretary of the Fund, and Scott McHugh, Treasurer and Senior Vice President of the Fund, and each of them, the proxies of the undersigned, with full power of substitution, to vote, as indicated herein, all of the shares of the Fund standing in the name of the undersigned at the close of business on [], 2014 at a Special Meeting to be held at the offices of Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P., located at [], and at any postponement or adjournment thereof, with all of the powers the undersigned would possess if then and there personally present and especially (but without limiting the general authorization and power hereby given) to vote as indicated on the proposals, as more fully described in the Joint Proxy Statement for the Special Meeting.
THIS PROXY CARD WILL BE VOTED AS INSTRUCTED. IF THIS PROXY IS EXECUTED BUT NO INSTRUCTION IS GIVEN, THE PROXY CARD WILL BE VOTED FOR PROPOSAL 1. THE PROXIES ARE ALSO AUTHORIZED, IN THEIR DISCRETION, TO VOTE UPON SUCH OTHER MATTERS AS MAY COME BEFORE THE SPECIAL MEETING OR ANY POSTPONEMENTS OR ADJOURNMENTS.
PLEASE SIGN AND DATE ON THE REVERSE
SIDE
Exhibit 99.(17)(b)
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Supplement dated September 19, 2013 to the
Prospectus dated July 29, 2013 (the Prospectus)
At a meeting held on September 19, 2013, the Board of Trustees of the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund (the Fund) approved an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization between the Fund and Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund, a newly-organized series of the Goldman Sachs Trust, an open-end management investment company, providing for the reorganization of the Fund into Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund (the Proposed Reorganization). Upon consummation of the Proposed Reorganization, which is subject to shareholder approval, shareholders of the Fund will become shareholders of the Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund.
Shareholders who own shares of the Fund as of the record date will receive a proxy statement/prospectus containing additional information about the Proposed Reorganization and the Goldman Sachs Long Short Credit Strategies Fund. The proxy statement/prospectus will also include voting instruction cards with which shareholders of the Fund may vote on the Proposed Reorganization at the Special Meeting of Shareholders to be held in mid-to-late January, 2014.
This Supplement should be retained with your Prospectus for future reference.
CRSTROSTK 09-13
Prospectus | July 29, 2013
Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund | |
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND |
The Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund (the Fund) seeks a total return comprised of income and capital appreciation. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing opportunistically in various credit-related instruments. Credit-related instruments are debt securities, instruments and obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. government, corporate and other non-governmental entities and issuers. Credit-related instruments also include preferred securities because such securities include fixed income features (e.g., payment of income distribution). The Fund may invest in instruments and obligations directly or indirectly by investing in derivative or synthetic instruments, including, without limitation, credit default swaps and loan credit default swaps. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) (Net Assets) in any one or in any combination of the following categories of instruments: (i) investment grade fixed rate and floating rate income securities that are rated at the time of purchase at least BBB- by Standard and Poors Rating Group (Standard & Poors) or at least Baa3 by Moodys Investor Service, Inc. (Moodys), or have a comparable rating by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or, if unrated are determined by the Funds Investment Adviser (as defined below) to be of comparable quality; (ii) credit securities that are rated at the time of purchase below investment grade (BB, Ba or below) by an NRSRO or unrated credit securities that are deemed by the Funds Investment Adviser (as defined below) to be of comparable quality, which securities are commonly referred to as junk bonds and are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuers capacity to pay interest and repay principal and which may include distressed and defaulted securities; (iii) loans and loan participations including: (a) senior secured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt (Senior Loans), (b) second lien or other subordinated or unsecured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt (Second Lien Loans) and (c) other types of secured or unsecured loans with fixed, floating, or variable interest rates; (iv) convertible securities; (v) collateralized debt, bond and loan obligations; (vi) corporate debt obligations; (vii) bank obligations; (viii) securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises (U.S. Government Securities), and debt issued by or on behalf of states, territories, and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia); (ix) preferred securities and trust preferred securities; (x) structured securities; and (xi) listed and unlisted, public and private, rated and unrated debt instruments and other obligations, including those of financially troubled companies (sometimes known as distressed securities). The Fund may invest up to 100% of its Net Assets in any one of the categories of instruments included in the preceding list. The Fund may also hold cash, and/or invest in cash equivalents. The Fund will not invest 25% or more of its total assets in issuers that conduct their principal business activities in the same industry, as further detailed in the Statement of Additional Information, as may be amended (SAI). There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
The Fund may invest in U.S. dollar denominated as well as non-U.S. dollar denominated (foreign) securities.
You should carefully consider the risks of investing in the Fund, including the fact that there is no minimum credit rating for instruments in which the Fund may invest. The Fund may invest in below investment grade, distressed or defaulted securities.
The Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company that continuously offers its shares. Because the Fund is a closed-end fund, shares are not redeemed daily at net asset value (NAV). The Fund currently offers one class of common shares (the Shares). Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (GSAM), serves as investment adviser to the Fund. GSAM is referred to in this Prospectus as the Investment Adviser.
The Fund is designed primarily for long-term investors and not as a trading vehicle. The Fund has an interval fund structure pursuant to which the Fund, subject to applicable law, will conduct quarterly repurchase offers for between 5% and 25% of the Funds outstanding Shares at NAV. In connection with any given repurchase offer, it is possible that the Fund may offer to repurchase only the minimum amount of 5% of its outstanding Shares. It is also possible that a repurchase offer may be oversubscribed, with the result that shareholders may only be able to have a portion of their Shares repurchased. The Fund does not currently intend to list its Shares for trading on any national securities exchange. There is not expected to be any secondary trading market in the Shares. The Shares are, therefore, not readily marketable. Even though the Fund will make quarterly repurchase offers to repurchase a portion of the Shares to try to provide liquidity to shareholders, you should consider the Shares to be illiquid.
THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION HAS NOT APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED THESE SECURITIES OR PASSED UPON THE ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND IS NOT A BANK DEPOSIT AND IS NOT INSURED BY THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCY. AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUND INVOLVES INVESTMENT RISKS, AND YOU MAY LOSE MONEY IN THE FUND. |
This is only a summary. This summary does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in the Fund. You should review the more detailed information contained in this Prospectus and in the SAI.
The Fund |
The Fund is a continuously offered, non-diversified, closed-end management investment company that is operated as an interval fund (as defined below). See The Fund. |
The Offering |
The Fund intends to offer the Shares in a continuous offering. The offering price for the Shares will be equal to the NAV per Share plus any applicable sales charge calculated each regular business day. The Funds Shares are offered through the Distributor, an affiliate of the Investment Adviser, as the exclusive distributor. In addition, certain institutions (including banks, trust companies, brokers and investment advisers) may be authorized to accept, on behalf of the Fund, purchase and exchange orders and repurchase requests placed by or on behalf of their customers, and if approved by the Fund, may designate other financial intermediaries to accept such orders (Authorized Institutions). |
The minimum initial investment is $25,000, subject to certain exceptions, with a $50 minimum amount required for subsequent investments. The Fund reserves the right to reject a purchase order for any reason. See Shareholder GuideHow to Buy Shares.
Periodic Repurchase Offers |
The Fund is an interval fund, a type of fund which, in order to provide some liquidity to shareholders, makes quarterly offers to repurchase between 5% and 25% of its outstanding Shares at NAV, pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the 1940 Act. In connection with any given repurchase offer, it is possible that the Fund may offer to repurchase only the minimum amount of 5% of its outstanding Shares. Quarterly repurchases occur in the months of March, June, September and December. Written notification of each quarterly repurchase offer (the Repurchase Offer Notice) is sent to shareholders at least 21 calendar days before the repurchase request deadline (i.e., the date by which shareholders can tender their Shares in response to a repurchase offer) (the Repurchase Request Deadline), which is ordinarily on the third Friday of the month in which the repurchase occurs. The Fund expects to determine the NAV applicable to repurchases on the Repurchase Request Deadline. However, the NAV will be calculated no later than the 14th calendar day (or the next business day if the 14th calendar day is not a business day) after the Repurchase Request Deadline (the Repurchase Pricing Date), although the NAV is expected to be determined on the Repurchase Request Deadline. The Fund expects to distribute payment to shareholders between one and three business days after the Repurchase Pricing Date and will distribute such payment no later than seven calendar days after such Date. The Funds Shares are not listed on any securities exchange, and the Fund anticipates that no secondary market will develop for its Shares. Accordingly, you may not be able to sell Shares when and/or in the amount that you desire. Thus, the Shares are appropriate only as a long-term investment. In addition, the Funds repurchase offers may subject the Fund and shareholders to special risks. See Principal Risks of the FundRepurchase Offers Risk. |
Exchange Privilege |
Shareholders may exchange Class A shares of certain other funds included in the Goldman Sachs mutual fund complex (Goldman Sachs Funds) into Shares of the Fund. Shareholders may also move an investment in the Shares of the Fund into Class A shares of certain other Goldman Sachs Funds in conjunction with quarterly repurchases made by the Fund. See Shareholder GuideCan I Exchange My Investment From One Goldman Sachs Fund to Another Goldman Sachs Fund? |
Investment Objective and Strategies |
The Fund seeks a total return comprised of income and capital appreciation. The Fund will seek to achieve its investment objective by investing opportunistically in various credit-related instruments. Credit-related instruments are debt securities, instruments and obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. government, corporate and other non-governmental entities and issuers. Credit-related instruments also include preferred securities because such securities include features of fixed income (e.g., payment of income distribution). The Fund may invest in instruments and obligations directly or indirectly by investing in derivative or synthetic instruments, including, |
1
without limitation, credit default swaps and loan credit default swaps. Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its Net Assets in any one or in any combination of following categories of instruments: (i) investment grade fixed rate and floating rate income securities that are rated at the time of purchase at least BBB- by Standard and Poors or at least Baa3 by Moodys, or have a comparable rating by another NRSRO, (or if unrated are determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable credit quality); (ii) credit securities that are rated at the time of purchase below investment grade (BB, Ba or below) by an NRSRO or unrated credit securities that are deemed by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable quality, which securities are commonly referred to as junk bonds and are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuers capacity to pay interest and repay principal and which may include distressed and defaulted securities; (iii) loans and loan participations including: (a) Senior Loans, (b) Second Lien Loans and (c) other types of secured or unsecured loans with fixed, floating, or variable interest rates; (iv) convertible securities; (v) collateralized debt, bond and loan obligations; (vi) corporate debt obligations; (vii) bank obligations; (viii) U.S. Government Securities, and debt issued by or on behalf of states, territories, and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia); (ix) preferred securities and trust preferred securities; (x) structured securities; and/or (xi) listed and unlisted, public and private, rated and unrated debt instruments and other obligations, including those of financially troubled companies (sometimes known as distressed securities). The Fund may invest up to 100% of its Net Assets in any one of the categories of instruments included in the preceding list. The Fund may also hold cash and/or invest in cash equivalents. The Fund will not invest 25% or more of its total assets in issuers that conduct their principal business activities in the same industry as further detailed in the SAI. |
There is no minimum credit rating for instruments in which the Fund may invest. The Fund may invest in securities below investment grade, distressed or defaulted securities.
The Fund may invest in derivatives using any counterparty within the applicable limitations of the 1940 Act and applicable SEC guidance, if any.
See Fund Investment Objectives and Strategies.
Duration |
The Fund may invest in credit instruments of any maturity or duration and will not be managed for maturity or any target duration. |
Investment Adviser |
GSAM serves as the investment adviser of the Fund. Subject to the supervision of the Funds Board of Trustees, the Investment Adviser provides day-to-day advice regarding the Funds portfolio transactions and is responsible for the Funds business affairs and other administrative matters. As compensation for its services and its assumption of certain expenses, the Investment Adviser is entitled to fees, computed daily and payable monthly, at the following annual rates (as a percentage of the Funds average daily net assets, thus excluding borrowings for investment purposes): 1.00% of the first $1 billion, 0.90% of the next $1 billion, 0.86% of the next $3 billion, 0.84% of the next $3 billion and 0.82% over $8 billion. |
The Investment Adviser is located at 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282. The Investment Adviser has been registered as an investment adviser with the SEC since 1990 and is a subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., a bank holding company and an affiliate of Goldman Sachs. As of March 31, 2013, the Investment Adviser, including its investment advisory affiliates, had assets under management of approximately $748.1 billion. See Management of the Fund.
Distributions |
The Fund pays dividends from its investment income and distributions from net realized capital gains. Dividends from net investment income are declared daily and paid monthly, and distributions from net capital gains, if any, are declared and paid annually. You may choose to have dividends and distributions paid in cash, additional Shares of the Fund, or Class A shares |
2
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
of certain other Goldman Sachs Funds. Special restrictions may apply. See Additional Information About the FundDividends. |
Unlisted Closed-End Fund Structure; Limited Liquidity |
The Fund does not currently intend to list its Shares for trading on any securities exchange and does not expect any secondary market to develop for its Shares. Shareholders of the Fund are not able to have their Shares redeemed or otherwise sell their Shares on a daily basis because the Fund is an unlisted closed-end fund. In order to provide some liquidity to shareholders, the Fund is structured as an interval fund and conducts periodic repurchase offers for a portion of its outstanding Shares, as described below. An investment in the Fund is suitable only for long-term investors who can bear the risks associated with the limited liquidity of the Shares. See Shareholder GuideHow to Sell Shares |
Custodian and Transfer Agent |
State Street Bank and Trust Company is the Funds custodian. Goldman Sachs serves as the Funds transfer agent and, as such, performs various shareholder servicing functions. See Management of the FundOther Service Providers. |
Special Risk Considerations |
The following are the principal risks of investing in the Fund. A more detailed description of these and other risks of investing in the Fund are described under Principal Risks of The Fund and in Appendix A. |
Applicable | Credit Strategies Fund | |
Call |
| |
Closed-End Interval Fund |
| |
Collateralized Debt Obligation |
| |
Concentration |
| |
Credit/Default |
| |
Derivatives |
| |
Distressed Debt |
| |
Extension |
| |
Foreign |
| |
Interest Rate |
| |
Leverage |
| |
Liquidity |
| |
Management |
| |
Market |
| |
NAV |
| |
Non-Diversification |
| |
Non-Hedging Foreign Currency Trading |
| |
Non-Investment Grade Securities1 |
| |
Repurchase Offers |
| |
Second Lien Loans |
| |
Senior Loans |
| |
Sovereign |
||
Political |
| |
Economic |
| |
Repayment |
| |
Special Situations Investments |
| |
U.S. Government Securities |
| |
1 | Non-investment grade securities (commonly known as junk bonds) tend to offer higher yields than higher rated securities with similar maturities. Non-investment grade securities are, however, considered speculative and generally involve greater price volatility and greater risk of loss of principal and interest than higher rated securities. A number of instruments and strategies used by the Fund may involve non-investment grade securities, including without limitation distressed securities, special situation investments and collateralized loan obligations. The Fund may purchase the securities of issuers that are in default. |
Anti-Takeover Provisions |
The Funds Declaration of Trust, together with any amendments thereto, includes provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund or convert the Fund to open-end status. See Additional Information About the FundAnti-Takeover Provisions. |
3
4
5
6
Fund Investment Objectives and Strategies
Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund
* | The Funds investment objective is not fundamental and may be changed without shareholder vote. The Fund will provide shareholders with at least 60 days prior notice of any change in its investment objective. |
** | To the extent required by SEC regulations, shareholders will be provided with sixty days notice in the manner prescribed by the SEC before any change in the Funds policy to invest at least 80% of its Net Assets in the particular type of investment suggested by its name. |
*** | The Bank of America Merrill Lynch USD LIBOR One-Month Constant Maturity Index tracks the performance of a synthetic asset paying LIBOR to a stated maturity. The index is based on the assumed purchase at par of a synthetic instrument having exactly its stated maturity and with a coupon equal to that days fixing rate. That issue is assumed to be sold the following business day (priced at a yield equal to the current day fixing rate) and rolled into a new instrument. |
7
Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund continued
8
Other Investment Practices and Securities
The following tables identify some of the investment techniques that may (but are not required to) be used by the Fund in seeking to achieve its investment objective. Numbers in the tables show allowable usage only; for actual usage, consult the Funds annual/semi-annual report, when available. For more information about these and other investment practices and securities, see Appendix A.
10 | Percent of total assets (italic type) | |
10 | Percent of net assets (excluding borrowings for investment purposes) (roman type) | |
| No specific percentage limitation on usage; limited only by the objectives and strategies of the Fund |
Credit Strategies Fund |
||||
Investment Practices | ||||
Borrowings |
33 1⁄3 | |||
Currency Options and Futures |
| |||
Cross Hedging of Currencies |
| |||
Currency Swaps |
| |||
Credit, Interest Rate and Total Return Swaps |
| |||
Financial Futures Contracts |
| |||
Foreign Currency Transactions (including forward contracts) |
| |||
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts |
| |||
Interest Rate Floors, Caps and Collars |
| |||
Investment Company Securities (including exchange-traded funds (ETFs))* |
10 | |||
Mortgage Dollar Rolls |
| |||
Mortgage Swaps |
| |||
Options (including Options on Futures) |
| |||
Options on Foreign Currencies1 |
| |||
Repurchase Agreements |
| |||
Standby Commitments and Tender Option Bonds |
| |||
When-Issued Securities and Forward Commitments |
| |||
Investment Securities | ||||
Asset-Backed and Mortgage-Backed Securities |
| |||
Bank Obligations |
| |||
Collateralized Debt Obligations |
| |||
Convertible Securities |
| |||
Corporate Debt Obligations and Trust Preferred Securities |
| |||
Distressed Debt |
| |||
Floating and Variable Rate Obligations |
| |||
Foreign Securities |
| |||
Investment Grade Securities |
| |||
Loans and Loan Participations |
| |||
Non-investment Grade Securities2 |
| |||
Preferred Stock, Warrants and Rights |
| |||
Second Lien Loans |
| |||
Senior Loans |
| |||
Special Situation Investments |
| |||
Structured Securities (which may include credit-linked notes)3 |
| |||
Taxable Municipal Securities |
| |||
Tax-Free Municipal Securities |
| |||
Temporary Investments |
| |||
U.S. Government Securities |
| |||
* | This percentage limitation does not apply to the Funds investments in investment companies (including ETFs) where a higher percentage limitation is permitted under the terms of the 1940 Act, an SEC exemptive order or SEC exemptive rule. |
1 | The Fund may purchase and sell call and put options on foreign currencies. |
2 | Includes credit securities that are rated at the time of purchase below investment grade (BB, Ba or below) by an NRSRO or unrated credit securities that are deemed by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable quality, which securities are commonly referred to as junk bonds and are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuers capacity to pay interest and repay principal and which may include distressed and defaulted securities. |
3 | Structured securities are not subject to the same minimum credit quality requirements as the Funds investments in fixed income investments. |
9
10
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF THE FUND
11
12
PRINCIPAL RISKS OF THE FUND
13
14
The business and affairs of the Fund, including supervision of the duties performed by the Funds Investment Adviser are managed under the direction of its Board of Trustees. The names and business addresses of the Trustees and officers of the Fund and their principal occupations and other affiliations during the past five years are set forth under Trustees and Officers in the SAI.
INVESTMENT ADVISER |
Investment Adviser | Fund | |
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (GSAM) |
Credit Strategies | |
200 West Street |
||
New York, New York 10282 |
||
GSAM has been registered as an investment adviser with the SEC since 1990 and is a subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., a bank holding company, and an affiliate of Goldman Sachs. As of March 31, 2013, GSAM, including its investment advisory affiliates, had assets under management of $748.1 billion.
The Investment Adviser provides day-to-day advice regarding the Funds portfolio transactions. The Investment Adviser makes the investment decisions for the Fund and places purchase and sale orders for the Funds portfolio transactions in U.S. and foreign markets. As permitted by applicable law, these orders may be directed to any brokers, dealers, futures commissions merchants or derivative clearing merchants, including Goldman Sachs and its affiliates. While the Investment Adviser is ultimately responsible for the management of the Fund, it is able to draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates for portfolio decisions and management with respect to certain portfolio securities. In addition, the Investment Adviser has access to the research and certain proprietary technical models developed by Goldman Sachs (subject to legal, internal, regulatory and Chinese Wall restrictions), and will apply quantitative and qualitative analysis in determining the appropriate allocations among categories of issuers and types of securities.
The Investment Adviser also performs the following additional services for the Fund:
¢ | Supervises all non-advisory operations of the Fund |
¢ | Provides personnel to perform necessary executive, administrative and clerical services to the Fund |
¢ | Arranges for the preparation of all required tax returns, reports and notices to shareholders, prospectuses and statements of additional information and other reports filed with the SEC and other regulatory authorities |
¢ | Maintains the records of the Fund |
¢ | Provides office space and all necessary office equipment and services |
MANAGEMENT FEES |
As compensation for its services and its assumption of certain expenses, the Investment Adviser is entitled to the following fees, computed daily and payable monthly, at the annual rates listed below (as a percentage of the Funds average daily net assets, thus excluding borrowings for investment purposes):
Fund | Contractual Rate | |||||
Credit Strategies |
1.00% | First $1 Billion | ||||
0.90% | Next $1 Billion | |||||
0.86% | Next $3 Billion | |||||
0.84% | Next $3 Billion | |||||
0.82% | Over $8 Billion | |||||
The Investment Adviser may voluntarily waive a portion of its management fee from time to time, and may discontinue or modify any such waivers in the future, consistent with the terms of any fee waiver arrangements in place.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees approval of the Management Agreement for the Fund in 2012 is available in the Funds semi-annual report dated September 30, 2012. A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees approval of the Management Agreement for the Fund in 2013 will be available in the Funds semi-annual report dated September 30, 2013.
15
FUND MANAGERS |
Liberty Harbor Portfolio Management Team
¢ | The Liberty Harbor team consists of over 20 investment professionals and manages approximately $5 billion in assets. |
¢ | The team is led by Raanan Agus who has over 20 years of investment experience. |
Name and Title | Fund Responsibility | Years Primarily Responsible |
Five Year Employment History | |||
Salvatore Lentini Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Manager and Head of Credit Trading |
Portfolio Manager Credit Strategies |
Since 2010 |
Mr. Lentini is the Head of Credit Trading for the Liberty Harbor team and a portfolio manager for the Credit Strategies Fund and various other opportunistic credit portfolios. He joined the Investment Adviser in 2006. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Lentini was a managing director in the Global Investments Group at Amaranth Advisors. | |||
Brendan McGovern Managing Director, Senior Portfolio Manager and Head of Research |
Portfolio Manager Credit Strategies |
Since 2013 |
Mr. McGovern is a senior portfolio manager on the Liberty Harbor team and oversees the groups research efforts. As a member of Liberty Harbors Investment Committee, he assists in the management of the groups fundamental investment and trading strategies. He joined the Investment Adviser in 2006. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. McGovern was a managing director in the Global Investments Group at Amaranth Advisors. | |||
Accountability for the portfolio resides with the lead portfolio managers, Brendan McGovern and Salvatore Lentini, who oversee the portfolio construction process.
For information about portfolio manager compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers and portfolio manager ownership of securities in the Fund, see the SAI.
OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS |
Goldman Sachs, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282, serves as the exclusive Distributor of the Funds Shares. It is currently anticipated that Goldman Sachs will receive no compensation for its services as Distributor. Goldman Sachs, 71 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606, also serves as the Funds transfer agent (the Transfer Agent) and, as such, performs various shareholder servicing functions. State Street Bank and Trust Company is the Funds custodian (the Custodian). State Street Bank and Trust Company may appoint domestic and foreign sub-custodians and use depositories from time to time to hold certain securities and other instruments purchased by the Fund in foreign countries and to hold cash and currencies for the Fund.
From time to time, Goldman Sachs or any of its affiliates or certain Authorized Institutions (as defined herein) may purchase and hold Shares of the Fund. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates reserve the right to tender for repurchase some or all of the Shares acquired for their own accounts.
ACTIVITIES OF GOLDMAN SACHS AND ITS AFFILIATES AND OTHER ACCOUNTS MANAGED BY GOLDMAN SACHS |
The involvement of the Investment Adviser, Goldman Sachs and their affiliates in the management of, or their interest in, other accounts and other activities of Goldman Sachs may present conflicts of interest with respect to the Fund or limit the Funds investment activities. Goldman Sachs is a worldwide, full service investment banking, broker dealer, asset management and financial services organization and a major participant in global financial markets that provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth
16
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
individuals. As such, it acts as an investor, investment banker, research provider, investment manager, financier, adviser, market maker, trader, prime broker, lender, agent and principal. In those and other capacities, Goldman Sachs advises clients in all markets and transactions and purchases, sells, holds and recommends a broad array of investments, including securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps, indices, baskets and other financial instruments and products for its own account or for the accounts of its customers and has other direct and indirect interests in the global fixed income, currency, commodity, equities, bank loans, and other markets in which the Fund directly and indirectly invests. Thus, it is likely that the Fund will have multiple business relationships with and will invest in, engage in transactions with, make voting decisions with respect to, or obtain services from entities for which Goldman Sachs performs or seeks to perform investment banking or other services. The Investment Adviser and/or certain of its affiliates are the managers of the Goldman Sachs Funds. The Investment Adviser and its affiliates earn fees from this and other relationships with the Fund. Although these fees are generally based on asset levels, the fees are not directly contingent on Fund performance, and Goldman Sachs would still receive significant compensation from the Fund even if shareholders lose money. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates engage in proprietary trading and advise accounts and funds which have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or which engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and instruments as the Fund. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates engage in trading and advise accounts and funds which have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or which engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and instruments as the Fund. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates will not have any obligation to make available any information regarding their proprietary activities or strategies, or the activities or strategies used for other accounts managed by them, for the benefit of the management of the Fund. The results of the Funds investment activities, therefore, may differ from those of Goldman Sachs, its affiliates and other accounts managed by Goldman Sachs and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which Goldman Sachs and its affiliates and other accounts achieve significant profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. In addition, the Fund may enter into transactions in which Goldman Sachs or its other clients have an adverse interest. For example, the Fund may take a long position in a security at the same time that Goldman Sachs or other accounts managed by the Investment Adviser takes a short position in the same security (or vice versa). These and other transactions undertaken by Goldman Sachs, its affiliates or Goldman Sachs-advised clients may, individually or in the aggregate, adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more Goldman Sachs-advised clients or the Investment Adviser may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund. The Funds activities may be limited because of regulatory restrictions applicable to Goldman Sachs and its affiliates, and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions. As a global financial services firm, Goldman Sachs also provides a wide range of investment banking and financial services to issuers of securities and investors in securities. Goldman Sachs, its affiliates and others associated with it may create markets or specialize in, have positions in and effect transactions in, securities of issuers held by the Fund, and may also perform or seek to perform investment banking and financial services for those issuers. Goldman Sachs and its affiliates may have business relationships with and purchase or distribute or sell services or products from or to distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund. For more information about conflicts of interest, see the SAI.
The Funds Board of Trustees may approve a securities lending program where an affiliate of the Investment Adviser is retained to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund engages in the securities lending program. For these services, the lending agent may receive a fee from the Fund, including a fee based on the returns earned on the Funds investment of the cash received as collateral for the loaned securities. The Board of Trustees periodically reviews all portfolio securities loan transactions for which an affiliated lending agent has acted as lending agent. In addition, a Fund may make brokerage and other payments to Goldman Sachs and its affiliates in connection with the Funds portfolio investment transactions in accordance with applicable law.
The Fund may make brokerage and other payments to Goldman Sachs and its affiliates in connection with the Funds portfolio investment transactions, as permitted by applicable law.
FUND EXPENSES |
In addition to the fees of the Investment Adviser, the Fund pays all other costs and expenses of its operations, including compensation of its Trustees (other than those affiliated with the Investment Adviser), custodial expenses, shareholder servicing transfer agency expenses, dividend disbursing expenses, legal fees, expenses of independent auditors, expenses of repurchasing Shares, expenses of preparing, printing and distributing prospectuses, shareholder reports, notices, proxy statements and reports to governmental agencies, and taxes, if any.
17
Additional Information About the Fund
18
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND
19
* | No minimum additional investment requirements are imposed with respect to investors trading through intermediaries who aggregate shares in omnibus or similar accounts (e.g. retirement plan accounts, wrap program accounts or traditional brokerage house accounts). |
20
SHAREHOLDER GUIDE
21
22
SHAREHOLDER GUIDE
23
24
SHAREHOLDER GUIDE
25
26
SHAREHOLDER GUIDE
27
28
SHAREHOLDER GUIDE
29
30
31
32
Additional Information on Portfolio Risks, Securities and Techniques
33
34
APPENDIX A
35
36
APPENDIX A
37
38
APPENDIX A
39
40
APPENDIX A
41
42
APPENDIX A
43
44
APPENDIX A
45
46
APPENDIX A
47
48
APPENDIX A
deterioration of the credit quality of these banks and financial institutions could, therefore, cause a loss to the Fund. Letters of credit and other obligations of foreign banks and financial institutions may involve risks in addition to those of domestic obligations because of less publicly available financial and other information, less securities regulation, potential imposition of foreign withholding and other taxes, war, expropriation or other adverse governmental actions. Foreign banks and their foreign branches are not regulated by U.S. banking authorities, and are generally not bound by the accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards applicable to U.S. banks.
New Types of Instruments. From time to time the instruments discussed in this Prospectus have been, and may in the future be, offered having features other than those described herein. The Fund reserves the right to invest in these instruments and newly created instruments if the Investment Adviser believes that doing so would be consistent with the Funds investment objectives and policies.
49
TABLE OF CONTENTS OF STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
INTRODUCTION |
B-1 | |||
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICIES |
B-1 | |||
DESCRIPTION OF INVESTMENT SECURITIES AND PRACTICES |
B-2 | |||
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS |
B-48 | |||
TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS |
B-50 | |||
MANAGEMENT SERVICES |
B-61 | |||
POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST |
B-66 | |||
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE |
B-72 | |||
NET ASSET VALUE |
B-73 | |||
SHARES OF THE FUND |
B-75 | |||
TAXATION |
B-76 | |||
PROXY VOTING |
B-82 | |||
PAYMENTS TO INTERMEDIARIES |
B-83 | |||
OTHER INFORMATION |
B-87 | |||
OTHER INFORMATION REGARDING PURCHASES, REPURCHASES, EXCHANGES AND DIVIDENDS |
B-88 | |||
SERVICE PLAN |
B-90 | |||
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS |
B-90 | |||
APPENDIX A DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS |
1-A | |||
APPENDIX B GSAM PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES SUMMARY |
1-B | |||
APPENDIX C STATEMENT OF INTENTION |
1-C |
50
Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund Prospectus
CRSTRATPRO13
PART B
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
DATED JULY 29, 2013
Common Shares
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
71 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
This Statement of Additional Information (the SAI) is not a prospectus. This SAI describes the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund (the Fund). This SAI should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus for the shares of the Fund, dated July 29, 2013, as it may be further amended and/or supplemented from time to time (the Prospectus). The Prospectus may be obtained without charge from Goldman, Sachs & Co. by calling the telephone number or writing to one of the addresses listed below, or from institutions (Authorized Institutions) acting on behalf of their customers.
The audited financial statements and related report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund, contained in the Funds 2013 Annual Report are incorporated herein by reference in the section FINANCIAL STATEMENTS. No other portions of the Funds Annual Report are incorporated by reference herein. The Funds Annual Report may be obtained upon request and without charge by calling Goldman, Sachs & Co. toll free at 1-800-621-2550.
GSAM® is a registered service mark of Goldman, Sachs & Co.
B-1 | ||||
B-1 | ||||
B-2 | ||||
B-48 | ||||
B-50 | ||||
B-61 | ||||
B-66 | ||||
B-72 | ||||
B-73 | ||||
B-75 | ||||
B-76 | ||||
B-82 | ||||
B-83 | ||||
B-87 | ||||
OTHER INFORMATION REGARDING PURCHASES, REPURCHASES, EXCHANGES AND DIVIDENDS |
B-88 | |||
B-90 | ||||
B-90 | ||||
1-A | ||||
1-B | ||||
1-C |
The date of this SAI is July 29, 2013.
GOLDMAN SACHS ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P.
Investment Adviser
200 West Street
New York, New York 10282
GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.
Distributor
200 West Street
New York, New York 10282
GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.
Transfer Agent
71 South Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60606
Toll free (in U.S.) 800-621-2550
The Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the Act) and is structured as an interval fund. The Fund was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on February 24, 2009 and is governed by the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust dated March 12, 2009, as amended February 10, 2011. The Fund currently offers one class of common shares (the Shares). The Trustees of the Fund have authority under the Declaration of Trust to create and classify shares into separate classes or series and to classify and reclassify any series of shares into one or more classes without further action by shareholders.
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (GSAM), an affiliate of Goldman, Sachs & Co. (Goldman Sachs), serves as the investment adviser to the Fund. GSAM is referred to herein as the Investment Adviser. In addition, Goldman Sachs serves as the Funds distributor and transfer agent. State Street Bank and Trust Company (State Street) serves as custodian for the Fund.
The following information relates to and supplements the description of the Funds investment objective and policies contained in the Prospectus. See the Prospectus for a more complete description of the Funds investment objective and policies. Investing in the Fund entails certain risks and there is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its objective. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the same meaning as in the Prospectus.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICIES
The investment objective and investment policies not specifically designated as fundamental may be changed without shareholder approval. There can be no assurance that the Funds investment objective will be achieved. The Fund may invest in instruments and obligations directly, or indirectly by investing in derivative or synthetic instruments, including credit default swaps and loan credit default swaps. The Funds policy to invest at least 80% of its net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes (measured at the time of purchase) (Net Assets), in any one or in any combination of the following categories of instruments: (i) investment grade fixed rate and floating rate income securities that are rated at the time of purchase at least BBB- by Standard and Poors Rating Group (Standard & Poors) or at least Baa3 by Moodys Investor Service, Inc. (Moodys), or have a comparable rating by another nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or, if unrated are determined by the Funds Investment Adviser to be of comparable quality; (ii) credit securities that are rated at the time of purchase below investment grade (BB, Ba or below) by an NRSRO or unrated credit securities that are deemed by the Funds Investment Adviser to be of comparable quality, which securities are commonly referred to as junk bonds and are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuers capacity to pay interest and repay principal and which may include distressed and defaulted securities; (iii) loans and loan participations including: (a) senior secured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt (Senior Loans), (b) second lien or other subordinated or unsecured floating rate and fixed rate loans or debt (Second Lien Loans) and (c) other types of secured or unsecured loans with fixed, floating, or variable interest rates; (iv) convertible securities; (v) collateralized debt, bond and loan obligations; (vi) corporate debt obligations; (vii) bank obligations; (viii) securities issued by the U.S. government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises (U.S. Government Securities), and debt issued by or on behalf of states, territories, and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia); (ix) preferred securities and trust preferred securities; (x) structured securities; and (xi) listed and unlisted, public and private, rated and unrated debt instruments and other obligations, including those of financially troubled companies (sometimes known as distressed securities), is a non-fundamental policy. The Fund may invest up to 100% of its Net Assets in any one of the categories of instruments included in the preceding list. To the extent required by U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations, shareholders will be provided with sixty days notice in the manner prescribed by the SEC before any change in the Funds policy to invest at least 80% of its Net Assets in the particular type of investment suggested by its name.
The Fund is not a money market fund. The Fund is designed for investors who seek a total return comprised of income and capital appreciation. The Funds share price will fluctuate with market, economic and, to the extent applicable, foreign exchange conditions, so that an investment in the Fund may be worth more or less when the Fund repurchases Shares than when such Shares were purchased. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program.
The Fund is appropriate for investors who seek to invest opportunistically in various credit-related instruments. Credit-related instruments are debt securities, instruments and obligations of government, corporate and other non-governmental entities and issuers. Credit-related instruments also include preferred securities because such securities include features of fixed income (e.g., payment of income distribution).
The Fund may also hold cash and/or invest in cash equivalents. The Fund may invest in U.S. dollar denominated as well as non-U.S. dollar denominated (foreign) securities. There is no minimum credit rating for instruments in which the Fund may invest.
B-1
The Fund may invest in securities below investment grade, distressed or defaulted securities. The Fund may invest in credit instruments of any maturity or duration and will not be managed for maturity or any target duration. The Fund will not invest 25% or more of its total assets in issuers that conduct their principal business activities in the same industry as further detailed in this SAI. See Investment Restrictions.
The Investment Adviser has claimed temporary relief from registration as a commodity pool operator (CPO) under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) for the Fund and therefore is not subject to registration or regulation as a CPO under the CEA. When the temporary relief expires, to the extent the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, is not otherwise eligible to claim an exclusion from the definition of the term CPO, the Fund may incur certain expenses. However, as a result of proposed rulemaking by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that has not yet been adopted, the impact of CFTC recordkeeping, reporting and disclosure requirements remains uncertain. If and when the Investment Adviser becomes subject to these requirements, as well as related National Futures Association (NFA) rules, the Fund may incur additional compliance and other expenses.
DESCRIPTION OF INVESTMENT SECURITIES AND PRACTICES
U. S. Government Securities
The Fund may invest in U.S. Government Securities. Some U.S. Government Securities (such as Treasury bills, notes and bonds, which differ only in their interest rates, maturities and times of issuance) are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. Others, such as obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises, are supported either by (i) the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, (ii) the discretionary authority of the U.S. government to purchase certain obligations of the issuer or (iii) only the credit of the issuer. The U.S. government is under no legal obligation, in general, to purchase the obligations of its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. No assurance can be given that the U.S. government will provide financial support to the U.S. government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises in the future.
U.S. Government Securities include (to the extent consistent with the Act) securities for which the payment of principal and interest is backed by an irrevocable letter of credit issued by the U.S. government, or its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. U.S. Government Securities may also include (to the extent consistent with the Act) participations in loans made to foreign governments or their agencies that are guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. government or its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. The secondary market for certain of these participations is extremely limited. In the absence of a suitable secondary market, such participations are regarded as illiquid.
The Fund may also purchase U.S. Government Securities in private placements and may also invest in separately traded principal and interest components of securities guaranteed or issued by the U.S. Treasury that are traded independently under the separate trading of registered interest and principal of securities program (STRIPS). The Fund may also invest in zero coupon U.S. Treasury securities and in zero coupon securities issued by financial institutions which represent a proportionate interest in underlying U.S. Treasury securities. A zero coupon security pays no interest to its holder during its life and its value consists of the difference between its face value at maturity and its cost. The market prices of zero coupon securities generally are more volatile than the market prices of securities that pay interest periodically.
Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities. The Fund may invest in Treasury inflation protected securities or TIPS, which are U.S. Government 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.
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 the value of TIPS. In contrast, if nominal interest rates were to increase at a faster rate than inflation, real interest rates might rise, leading to a decrease in the 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 the 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.
B-2
Any increase in principal value of TIPS caused by an increase in the consumer price index is taxable in the year the increase occurs, even though the Fund holding TIPS will not receive cash representing the increase at that time. As a result, the Fund could be required at times to liquidate other investments, including when it is not advantageous to do so, in order to satisfy its distribution requirements as a regulated investment company.
If the Fund invests in TIPS, it will be required to treat as original issue discount any increase in the principal amount of the securities that occurs during the course of its taxable year. If the Fund purchases such inflation protected securities that are issued in stripped form either as stripped bonds or coupons, it will be treated as if it had purchased a newly issued debt instrument having original issue discount.
Because the Fund is required to distribute substantially all of its net investment income (including accrued original issue discount), the Funds investment in either zero coupon bonds or TIPS may require the Fund to distribute to shareholders an amount greater than the total cash income it actually receives. Accordingly, in order to make the required distributions, the Fund may be required to borrow or liquidate securities.
Custodial Receipts and Trust Certificates
The Fund may invest in custodial receipts and trust certificates, which may be underwritten by securities dealers or banks, representing interests in securities held by a custodian or trustee. The securities so held may include U.S. Government Securities, Municipal Securities or other types of securities in which the Fund may invest. The custodial receipts or trust certificates are underwritten by securities dealers or banks and may evidence ownership of future interest payments, principal payments or both on the underlying securities, or, in some cases, the payment obligation of a third party that has entered into an interest rate swap or other arrangement with the custodian or trustee. For purposes of certain securities laws, custodial receipts and trust certificates may not be considered obligations of the U.S. government or other issuer of the securities held by the custodian or trustee. As a holder of custodial receipts and trust certificates, the Fund will bear its proportionate share of the fees and expenses charged to the custodial account or trust. The Fund may also invest in separately issued interests in custodial receipts and trust certificates.
Although under the terms of a custodial receipt or trust certificate the Fund would be typically authorized to assert its rights directly against the issuer of the underlying obligation, the Fund could be required to assert through the custodian bank or trustee those rights as may exist against the underlying issuers. Thus, in the event an underlying issuer fails to pay principal and/or interest when due, the Fund may be subject to delays, expenses and risks that are greater than those that would have been involved if the Fund had purchased a direct obligation of the issuer. In addition, in the event that the trust or custodial account in which the underlying securities have been deposited is determined to be an association taxable as a corporation, instead of a non-taxable entity, the yield on the underlying securities would be reduced in recognition of any taxes paid.
Certain custodial receipts and trust certificates may be synthetic or derivative instruments that have interest rates that reset inversely to changing short-term rates and/or have embedded interest rate floors and caps that require the issuer to pay an adjusted interest rate if market rates fall below or rise above a specified rate. Because some of these instruments represent relatively recent innovations, and the trading market for these instruments is less developed than the markets for traditional types of instruments, it is uncertain how these instruments will perform under different economic and interest-rate scenarios. Also, because these instruments may be leveraged, their market values may be more volatile than other types of fixed income instruments and may present greater potential for capital gain or loss. The possibility of default by an issuer or the issuers credit provider may be greater for these derivative instruments than for other types of instruments. In some cases, it may be difficult to determine the fair value of a derivative instrument because of a lack of reliable objective information and an established secondary market for some instruments may not exist. In many cases, the Internal Revenue Service (the IRS) has not ruled on the tax treatment of the interest or payments received on the derivative instruments and, accordingly, purchases of such instruments are based on the opinion of counsel to the sponsors of the instruments.
Mortgage Loans and Mortgage-Backed Securities
The Fund may invest in mortgage loans, mortgage pass-through securities and other securities representing an interest in or collateralized by adjustable and fixed rate mortgage loans, including collateralized mortgage obligations, real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs) and stripped mortgage-backed securities, as described below (Mortgage-Backed Securities).
Mortgage-Backed Securities are subject to both call risk and extension risk. Because of these risks, these securities can have significantly greater price and yield volatility than traditional fixed income securities.
B-3
General Characteristics of Mortgage Backed Securities.
In general, each mortgage pool underlying Mortgage-Backed Securities consists of mortgage loans evidenced by promissory notes secured by first mortgages or first deeds of trust or other similar security instruments creating a first lien on owner occupied and non-owner occupied one-unit to four-unit residential properties, multi-family (i.e., five-units or more) properties, agricultural properties, commercial properties and mixed use properties (the Mortgaged Properties). The Mortgaged Properties may consist of detached individual dwelling units, multi-family dwelling units, individual condominiums, townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, row houses, individual units in planned unit developments, other attached dwelling units (Residential Mortgaged Properties) or commercial properties, such as office properties, retail properties, hospitality properties, industrial properties, healthcare related properties or other types of income producing real property (Commercial Mortgaged Properties). Residential Mortgaged Properties may also include residential investment properties and second homes. In addition, the Mortgage-Backed Securities which are residential mortgage-backed securities may also consist of mortgage loans evidenced by promissory notes secured entirely or in part by second priority mortgage liens on Residential Mortgaged Properties.
The investment characteristics of adjustable and fixed rate Mortgage-Backed Securities differ from those of traditional fixed income securities. The major differences include the payment of interest and principal on Mortgage-Backed Securities on a more frequent (usually monthly) schedule, and the possibility that principal may be prepaid at any time due to prepayments on the underlying mortgage loans or other assets. These differences can result in significantly greater price and yield volatility than is the case with traditional fixed income securities. As a result, if the Fund purchases Mortgage-Backed Securities at a premium, a faster than expected prepayment rate will reduce both the market value and the yield to maturity from their anticipated levels. A prepayment rate that is slower than expected will have the opposite effect, increasing yield to maturity and market value. Conversely, if the Fund purchases Mortgage-Backed Securities at a discount, faster than expected prepayments will increase, while slower than expected prepayments will reduce yield to maturity and market value. To the extent that the Fund invests in Mortgage-Backed Securities, the Investment Adviser may seek to manage these potential risks by investing in a variety of Mortgage-Backed Securities and by using certain hedging techniques.
Prepayments on a pool of mortgage loans are influenced by changes in current interest rates and a variety of economic, geographic, social and other factors (such as changes in mortgagor housing needs, job transfers, unemployment, mortgagor equity in the mortgage properties and servicing decisions). The timing and level of prepayments cannot be predicted. A predominant factor affecting the prepayment rate on a pool of mortgage loans is the difference between the interest rates on outstanding mortgage loans and prevailing mortgage loan interest rates (giving consideration to the cost of any refinancing). Generally, prepayments on mortgage loans will increase during a period of falling mortgage interest rates and decrease during a period of rising mortgage interest rates. Accordingly, the amounts of prepayments available for reinvestment by the Fund are likely to be greater during a period of declining mortgage interest rates. If general interest rates decline, such prepayments are likely to be reinvested at lower interest rates than the Fund was earning on the Mortgage-Backed Securities that were prepaid. Due to these factors, Mortgage-Backed Securities may be less effective than U.S. Treasury and other types of debt securities of similar maturity at maintaining yields during periods of declining interest rates. Because the Funds investments in Mortgage-Backed Securities are interest-rate sensitive, the Funds performance will depend in part upon the ability of the Fund to anticipate and respond to fluctuations in market interest rates and to utilize appropriate strategies to maximize returns to the Fund, while attempting to minimize the associated risks to its investment capital. Prepayments may have a disproportionate effect on certain Mortgage-Backed Securities and other multiple class pass-through securities, which are discussed below.
The rate of interest paid on Mortgage-Backed Securities is normally lower than the rate of interest paid on the mortgages included in the underlying pool due to (among other things) the fees paid to any servicer, special servicer and trustee for the trust fund which holds the mortgage pool, other costs and expenses of such trust fund, fees paid to any guarantor such as Ginnie Mae (as defined below) or to any credit enhancers, mortgage pool insurers, bond insurers and/or hedge providers, and due to any yield retained by the issuer. Actual yield to the holder may vary from the coupon rate, even if adjustable, if the Mortgage-Backed Securities are purchased or traded in the secondary market at a premium or discount. In addition, there is normally some delay between the time the issuer receives mortgage payments from the servicer and the time the issuer (or the trustee of the trust fund which holds the mortgage pool) makes the payments on the Mortgage-Backed Securities, and this delay reduces the effective yield to the holder of such securities.
The issuers of certain mortgage-backed obligations may elect to have the pool of mortgage loans (or indirect interests in mortgage loans) underlying the securities treated as a REMIC, which is subject to special federal income tax rules. A description of the types of mortgage loans and mortgage-backed securities in which the Fund may invest is provided below. The descriptions are general and summary in nature, and do not detail every possible variation of the types of securities that are permissible investments for the Fund.
B-4
Certain General Characteristics of Mortgage Loans
Adjustable Rate Mortgage Loans (ARMs). The Fund may invest in ARMs. ARMs generally provide for a fixed initial mortgage interest rate for a specified period of time. Thereafter, the interest rates (the Mortgage Interest Rates) may be subject to periodic adjustment based on changes in the applicable index rate (the Index Rate). The adjusted rate would be equal to the Index Rate plus a fixed percentage spread over the Index Rate established for each ARM at the time of its origination. ARMs allow the Fund to participate in increases in interest rates through periodic increases in the securities coupon rates. During periods of declining interest rates, coupon rates may readjust downward resulting in lower yields to the Fund.
Adjustable interest rates can cause payment increases that some mortgagors may find difficult to make. However, certain ARMs may provide that the Mortgage Interest Rate may not be adjusted to a rate above an applicable lifetime maximum rate or below an applicable lifetime minimum rate for such ARM. Certain ARMs may also be subject to limitations on the maximum amount by which the Mortgage Interest Rate may adjust for any single adjustment period (the Maximum Adjustment). Other ARMs (Negatively Amortizing ARMs) may provide instead or as well for limitations on changes in the monthly payment on such ARMs. Limitations on monthly payments can result in monthly payments which are greater or less than the amount necessary to amortize a Negatively Amortizing ARM by its maturity at the Mortgage Interest Rate in effect in any particular month. In the event that a monthly payment is not sufficient to pay the interest accruing on a Negatively Amortizing ARM, any such excess interest is added to the principal balance of the loan, causing negative amortization, and will be repaid through future monthly payments. It may take borrowers under Negatively Amortizing ARMs longer periods of time to build up equity and may increase the likelihood of default by such borrowers. In the event that a monthly payment exceeds the sum of the interest accrued at the applicable Mortgage Interest Rate and the principal payment which would have been necessary to amortize the outstanding principal balance over the remaining term of the loan, the excess (or accelerated amortization) further reduces the principal balance of the ARM. Negatively Amortizing ARMs do not provide for the extension of their original maturity to accommodate changes in their Mortgage Interest Rate. As a result, unless there is a periodic recalculation of the payment amount (which there generally is), the final payment may be substantially larger than the other payments. After the expiration of the initial fixed rate period and upon the periodic recalculation of the payment to cause timely amortization of the related mortgage loan, the monthly payment on such mortgage loan may increase substantially which may, in turn, increase the risk of the borrower defaulting in respect of such mortgage loan. These limitations on periodic increases in interest rates and on changes in monthly payments protect borrowers from unlimited interest rate and payment increases, but may result in increased credit exposure and prepayment risks for lenders. When interest due on a mortgage loan is added to the principal balance of such mortgage loan, the related mortgaged property provides proportionately less security for the repayment of such mortgage loan. Therefore, if the related borrower defaults on such mortgage loan, there is a greater likelihood that a loss will be incurred upon any liquidation of the mortgaged property which secures such mortgage loan.
ARMs also have the risk of prepayment. The rate of principal prepayments with respect to ARMs has fluctuated in recent years. The value of Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by ARMs is less likely to rise during periods of declining interest rates than the value of fixed-rate securities during such periods. Accordingly, ARMs may be subject to a greater rate of principal repayments in a declining interest rate environment resulting in lower yields to the Fund. For example, if prevailing interest rates fall significantly, ARMs could be subject to higher prepayment rates (than if prevailing interest rates remain constant or increase) because the availability of low fixed-rate mortgages may encourage mortgagors to refinance their ARMs to lock-in a fixed-rate mortgage. On the other hand, during periods of rising interest rates, the value of ARMs will lag behind changes in the market rate. ARMs are also typically subject to maximum increases and decreases in the interest rate adjustment which can be made on any one adjustment date, in any one year, or during the life of the security. In the event of dramatic increases or decreases in prevailing market interest rates, the value of the Funds investment in ARMs may fluctuate more substantially because these limits may prevent the security from fully adjusting its interest rate to the prevailing market rates. As with fixed-rate mortgages, ARM prepayment rates vary in both stable and changing interest rate environments.
There are two main categories of indices which provide the basis for rate adjustments on ARMs: those based on U.S. Treasury securities and those derived from a calculated measure, such as a cost of funds index or a moving average of mortgage rates. Indices commonly used for this purpose include the one-year, three-year and five-year constant maturity Treasury rates, the three-month Treasury bill rate, the 180-day Treasury bill rate, rates on longer-term Treasury securities, the 11th District Federal Home Loan Bank Cost of Funds, the National Median Cost of Funds, the one-month, three-month, six-month or one-year London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), the prime rate of a specific bank, or commercial paper rates. Some indices, such as the one-year constant maturity Treasury rate, closely mirror changes in market interest rate levels. Others, such as the 11th District Federal Home Loan Bank Cost of Funds index, tend to lag behind changes in market rate levels and tend to be somewhat less volatile. The degree of volatility in the market value of ARMs in the Funds portfolio and, therefore, in the net asset value of the Funds Shares, will be a function of the length of the interest rate reset periods and the degree of volatility in the applicable indices.
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Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans. Generally, fixed-rate mortgage loans included in mortgage pools (the Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans) will bear simple interest at fixed annual rates and have original terms to maturity ranging from 5 to 40 years. Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans generally provide for monthly payments of principal and interest in substantially equal installments for the term of the mortgage note in sufficient amounts to fully amortize principal by maturity, although certain Fixed-Rate Mortgage Loans provide for a large final balloon payment upon maturity.
Certain Legal Considerations of Mortgage Loans. The following is a discussion of certain legal and regulatory aspects of the mortgage loans in which the Fund may invest. This discussion is not exhaustive, and does not address all of the legal or regulatory aspects affecting mortgage loans. These regulations may impair the ability of a mortgage lender to enforce its rights under the mortgage documents. These regulations may also adversely affect the Funds investments in Mortgage-Backed Securities (including those issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities) by delaying the Funds receipt of payments derived from principal or interest on mortgage loans affected by such regulations.
1. | Foreclosure. A foreclosure of a defaulted mortgage loan may be delayed due to compliance with statutory notice or service of process provisions, difficulties in locating necessary parties or legal challenges to the mortgagees right to foreclose. Depending upon market conditions, the ultimate proceeds of the sale of foreclosed property may not equal the amounts owed on the Mortgage-Backed Securities. Furthermore, courts in some cases have imposed general equitable principles upon foreclosure generally designed to relieve the borrower from the legal effect of default and have required lenders to undertake affirmative and expensive actions to determine the causes for the default and the likelihood of loan reinstatement. |
2. | Rights of Redemption. In some states, after foreclosure of a mortgage loan, the borrower and foreclosed junior lienors are given a statutory period in which to redeem the property, which right may diminish the mortgagees ability to sell the property. |
3. | Legislative Limitations. In addition to anti-deficiency and related legislation, numerous other federal and state statutory provisions, including the federal bankruptcy laws and state laws affording relief to debtors, may interfere with or affect the ability of a secured mortgage lender to enforce its security interest. For example, a bankruptcy court may grant the debtor a reasonable time to cure a default on a mortgage loan, including a payment default. The court in certain instances may also reduce the monthly payments due under such mortgage loan, change the rate of interest, reduce the principal balance of the loan to the then-current appraised value of the related mortgaged property, alter the mortgage loan repayment schedule and grant priority of certain liens over the lien of the mortgage loan. If a court relieves a borrowers obligation to repay amounts otherwise due on a mortgage loan, the mortgage loan servicer will not be required to advance such amounts, and any loss may be borne by the holders of securities backed by such loans. In addition, numerous federal and state consumer protection laws impose penalties for failure to comply with specific requirements in connection with origination and servicing of mortgage loans. |
4. | Due-on-Sale Provisions. Fixed-rate mortgage loans may contain a so-called due-on-sale clause permitting acceleration of the maturity of the mortgage loan if the borrower transfers the property. The Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982 sets forth nine specific instances in which no mortgage lender covered by that Act may exercise a due-on-sale clause upon a transfer of property. The inability to enforce a due-on-sale clause or the lack of such a clause in mortgage loan documents may result in a mortgage loan being assumed by a purchaser of the property that bears an interest rate below the current market rate. |
5. | Usury Laws. Some states prohibit charging interest on mortgage loans in excess of statutory limits. If such limits are exceeded, substantial penalties may be incurred and, in some cases, enforceability of the obligation to pay principal and interest may be affected. |
6. | Recent Governmental Action, Legislation and Regulation. The rise in the rate of foreclosures of properties in certain states or localities has resulted in legislative, regulatory and enforcement action in such states or localities seeking to prevent or restrict foreclosures, particularly in respect of residential mortgage loans. Actions have also been brought against issuers and underwriters of residential mortgage-backed securities collateralized by such residential mortgage loans and investors in such residential mortgage-backed securities. Legislative or regulatory initiatives by federal, state or local legislative bodies or administrative agencies, if enacted or adopted, could delay foreclosure or the exercise of other remedies, provide new defenses to foreclosure, or otherwise impair the ability of the loan servicer to foreclose or realize on a defaulted residential mortgage loan included in a pool of residential mortgage loans backing such residential mortgage-backed securities. While the nature or extent of limitations on foreclosure or exercise of other remedies that may be enacted cannot be predicted, any such governmental actions that interfere with the foreclosure process could increase the costs of such foreclosures or exercise of other remedies in respect of residential mortgage loans which collateralize Mortgage-Backed Securities held by the Fund, |
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delay the timing or reduce the amount of recoveries on defaulted residential mortgage loans which collateralize Mortgage-Backed Securities held by the Fund, and consequently, could adversely impact the yields and distributions the Fund may receive in respect of its ownership of Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by residential mortgage loans. For example, the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009 authorizes bankruptcy courts to assist bankrupt borrowers by restructuring residential mortgage loans secured by a lien on the borrowers primary residence. Bankruptcy judges are permitted to reduce the interest rate of the bankrupt borrowers residential mortgage loan, extend its term to maturity to up to 40 years or take other actions to reduce the borrowers monthly payment. As a result, the value of, and the cash flows in respect of, the Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by these residential mortgage loans may be adversely impacted, and, as a consequence, the Funds investment in such Mortgage-Backed Securities could be adversely impacted. Other federal legislation, including the Home Affordability Modification Program (HAMP), encourages servicers to modify residential mortgage loans that are either already in default or are at risk of imminent default. Furthermore, HAMP provides incentives for servicers to modify residential mortgage loans that are contractually current. This program, as well other legislation and/or governmental intervention designed to protect consumers, may have an adverse impact on servicers of residential mortgage loans by increasing costs and expenses of these servicers while at the same time decreasing servicing cash flows. Such increased financial pressures may have a negative effect on the ability of servicers to pursue collection on residential mortgage loans that are experiencing increased delinquencies and defaults and to maximize recoveries on the sale of underlying residential mortgaged properties following foreclosure. Other legislative or regulatory actions include insulation of servicers from liability for modification of residential mortgage loans without regard to the terms of the applicable servicing agreements. The foregoing legislation and current and future governmental regulation activities may have the effect of reducing returns to the Fund to the extent it has invested in Mortgage-Backed Securities collateralized by these residential mortgage loans. |
Government Guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities. There are several types of government guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities currently available, including guaranteed mortgage pass-through certificates and multiple class securities, which include guaranteed Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit Certificates (REMIC Certificates), other collateralized mortgage obligations and stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities. The Fund is permitted to invest in other types of Mortgage-Backed Securities that may be available in the future to the extent consistent with its investment policies and objective.
The Funds investments in Mortgage-Backed Securities may include securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or one of its agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). Ginnie Mae securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, which means that the U.S. government guarantees that the interest and principal will be paid when due. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac securities are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have the ability to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, and as a result, they are generally viewed by the market as high quality securities with low credit risks. From time to time, proposals have been introduced before Congress for the purpose of restricting or eliminating federal sponsorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Trust cannot predict what legislation, if any, may be proposed in the future in Congress as regards such sponsorship or which proposals, if any, might be enacted. Such proposals, if enacted, might materially and adversely affect the availability of government guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities and the liquidity and value of the Funds portfolio.
There is risk that the U.S. government will not provide financial support to its agencies, authorities, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. The Fund may purchase U.S. Government Securities that are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, such as those issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The maximum potential liability of the issuers of some U.S. Government Securities held by the Fund may greatly exceed such issuers current resources, including such issuers legal right to support from the U.S. Treasury. It is possible that these issuers will not have the funds to meet their payment obligations in the future.
Below is a general discussion of certain types of guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities in which the Fund may invest.
| Ginnie Mae Certificates. Ginnie Mae is a wholly-owned corporate instrumentality of the United States. Ginnie Mae is authorized to guarantee the timely payment of the principal of and interest on certificates that are based on and backed by a pool of mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), or guaranteed by the Veterans Administration (VA), or by pools of other eligible mortgage loans. In order to meet its obligations under any guaranty, Ginnie Mae is authorized to borrow from the United States Treasury in an unlimited amount. The National Housing Act provides that the full faith and credit of the U.S. government is pledged to the timely payment of principal and interest by Ginnie Mae of amounts due on Ginnie Mae certificates. |
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| Fannie Mae Certificates. Fannie Mae is a stockholder-owned corporation chartered under an act of the United States Congress. Generally, Fannie Mae Certificates are issued and guaranteed by Fannie Mae and represent an undivided interest in a pool of mortgage loans (a Pool) formed by Fannie Mae. A Pool consists of residential mortgage loans either previously owned by Fannie Mae or purchased by it in connection with the formation of the Pool. The mortgage loans may be either conventional mortgage loans (i.e., not insured or guaranteed by any U.S. Government agency) or mortgage loans that are either insured by the FHA or guaranteed by the VA. However, the mortgage loans in Fannie Mae Pools are primarily conventional mortgage loans. The lenders originating and servicing the mortgage loans are subject to certain eligibility requirements established by Fannie Mae. Fannie Mae has certain contractual responsibilities. With respect to each Pool, Fannie Mae is obligated to distribute scheduled installments of principal and interest after Fannie Maes servicing and guaranty fee, whether or not received, to Certificate holders. Fannie Mae also is obligated to distribute to holders of Certificates an amount equal to the full principal balance of any foreclosed mortgage loan, whether or not such principal balance is actually recovered. The obligations of Fannie Mae under its guaranty of the Fannie Mae Certificates are obligations solely of Fannie Mae. See Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae below. |
| Freddie Mac Certificates. Freddie Mac is a publicly held U.S. Government sponsored enterprise. A principal activity of Freddie Mac currently is the purchase of first lien, conventional, residential and multifamily mortgage loans and participation interests in such mortgage loans and their resale in the form of mortgage securities, primarily Freddie Mac Certificates. A Freddie Mac Certificate represents a pro rata interest in a group of mortgage loans or participations in mortgage loans (a Freddie Mac Certificate group) purchased by Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac guarantees to each registered holder of a Freddie Mac Certificate the timely payment of interest at the rate provided for by such Freddie Mac Certificate (whether or not received on the underlying loans). Freddie Mac also guarantees to each registered Certificate holder ultimate collection of all principal of the related mortgage loans, without any offset or deduction, but does not, generally, guarantee the timely payment of scheduled principal. The obligations of Freddie Mac under its guaranty of Freddie Mac Certificates are obligations solely of Freddie Mac. See Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae below. |
Conventional Mortgage Loans. The conventional mortgage loans underlying the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae Certificates consist of adjustable rate or fixed-rate mortgage loans normally with original terms to maturity of between five and thirty years. Substantially all of these mortgage loans are secured by first liens on one- to four-family residential properties or multi-family projects. Each mortgage loan must meet the applicable standards set forth in the law creating Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. A Freddie Mac Certificate group may include whole loans, participation interests in whole loans, undivided interests in whole loans and participations comprising another Freddie Mac Certificate group.
Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The volatility and disruption that impacted the capital and credit markets during late 2008 and into 2009 have led to increased market concerns about Freddie Macs and Fannie Maes ability to withstand future credit losses associated with securities held in their investment portfolios, and on which they provide guarantees, without the direct support of the federal government. On September 6, 2008, both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were placed under the conservatorship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Under the plan of conservatorship, the FHFA has assumed control of, and generally has the power to direct, the operations of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and is empowered to exercise all powers collectively held by their respective shareholders, directors and officers, including the power to (1) take over the assets of and operate Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae with all the powers of the shareholders, the directors, and the officers of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and conduct all business of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (2) collect all obligations and money due to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; (3) perform all functions of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which are consistent with the conservators appointment; (4) preserve and conserve the assets and property of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae; and (5) contract for assistance in fulfilling any function, activity, action or duty of the conservator. In addition, in connection with the actions taken by the FHFA, the U.S. Treasury Department (the Treasury) entered into certain preferred stock purchase agreements with each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae which established the Treasury as the holder of a new class of senior preferred stock in each of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, which stock was issued in connection with financial contributions from the Treasury to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. The conditions attached to the financial contribution made by the Treasury to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae and the issuance of this senior preferred stock placed significant restrictions on the activities of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae must obtain the consent of the Treasury to, among other things, (i) make any payment to purchase or redeem its capital stock or pay any dividend other than in respect of the senior preferred stock issued by the Treasury, (ii) issue capital stock of any kind, (iii) terminate the conservatorship of the FHFA except in connection with a receivership, or (iv) increase its debt beyond certain specified levels. In addition, significant restrictions were placed on the maximum size of each of Freddie Macs and Fannie Maes respective portfolios of mortgages and Mortgage-Backed Securities, and the purchase agreements entered into by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae provide that
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the maximum size of their portfolios of these assets must decrease by a specified percentage each year. On June 16, 2010, FHFA ordered Fannie Mae and Freddie Macs stock de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) after the price of common stock in Fannie Mae fell below the NYSE minimum average closing price of $1 for more than 30 days.
The future status and role of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae could be impacted by (among other things) the actions taken and restrictions placed on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae by the FHFA in its role as conservator, the restrictions placed on Freddie Macs and Fannie Maes operations and activities as a result of the senior preferred stock investment made by the Treasury, market responses to developments at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and future legislative and regulatory action that alters the operations, ownership, structure and/or mission of these institutions, each of which may, in turn, impact the value of, and cash flows on, any Mortgage-Backed Securities guaranteed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, including any such Mortgage-Backed Securities held by the Fund.
Privately Issued Mortgage-Backed Securities. The Fund may invest in privately issued Mortgage-Backed Securities. Privately issued Mortgage-Backed Securities are generally backed by pools of conventional (i.e., non-government guaranteed or insured) mortgage loans. The seller or servicer of the underlying mortgage obligations will generally make representations and warranties to certificate-holders as to certain characteristics of the mortgage loans and as to the accuracy of certain information furnished to the trustee in respect of each such mortgage loan. Upon a breach of any representation or warranty that materially and adversely affects the interests of the related certificate-holders in a mortgage loan, the seller or servicer generally will be obligated either to cure the breach in all material respects, to repurchase the mortgage loan or, if the related agreement so provides, to substitute in its place a mortgage loan pursuant to the conditions set forth therein. Such a repurchase or substitution obligation may constitute the sole remedy available to the related certificate-holders or the trustee for the material breach of any such representation or warranty by the seller or servicer.
Mortgage Pass-Through Securities
The Fund may invest in both government guaranteed and privately issued mortgage pass-through securities (Mortgage Pass-Throughs) that are fixed or adjustable rate Mortgage-Backed Securities which provide for monthly payments that are a pass-through of the monthly interest and principal payments (including any prepayments) made by the individual borrowers on the pooled mortgage loans, net of any fees or other amounts paid to any guarantor, administrator and/or servicer of the underlying mortgage loans. The seller or servicer of the underlying mortgage obligations will generally make representations and warranties to certificate-holders as to certain characteristics of the mortgage loans and as to the accuracy of certain information furnished to the trustee in respect of each such mortgage loan. Upon a breach of any representation or warranty that materially and adversely affects the interests of the related certificate-holders in a mortgage loan, the seller or servicer generally may be obligated either to cure the breach in all material respects, to repurchase the mortgage loan or, if the related agreement so provides, to substitute in its place a mortgage loan pursuant to the conditions set forth therein. Such a repurchase or substitution obligation may constitute the sole remedy available to the related certificate-holders or the trustee for the material breach of any such representation or warranty by the seller or servicer.
The following discussion describes certain aspects of only a few of the wide variety of structures of Mortgage Pass-Throughs that are available or may be issued.
General Description of Certificates. Mortgage Pass-Throughs may be issued in one or more classes of senior certificates and one or more classes of subordinate certificates. Each such class may bear a different pass-through rate. Generally, each certificate will evidence the specified interest of the holder thereof in the payments of principal or interest or both in respect of the mortgage pool comprising part of the trust fund for such certificates.
Any class of certificates may also be divided into subclasses entitled to varying amounts of principal and interest. If a REMIC election has been made, certificates of such subclasses may be entitled to payments on the basis of a stated principal balance and stated interest rate, and payments among different subclasses may be made on a sequential, concurrent, pro rata or disproportionate basis, or any combination thereof. The stated interest rate on any such subclass of certificates may be a fixed rate or one which varies in direct or inverse relationship to an objective interest index.
Generally, each registered holder of a certificate will be entitled to receive its pro rata share of monthly distributions of all or a portion of principal of the underlying mortgage loans or of interest on the principal balances thereof, which accrues at the applicable mortgage pass-through rate, or both. The difference between the mortgage interest rate and the related mortgage pass-through rate (less the amount, if any, of retained yield) with respect to each mortgage loan will generally be paid to the servicer as a servicing fee. Because certain adjustable rate mortgage loans included in a mortgage pool may provide for deferred interest (i.e., negative amortization), the amount of interest actually paid by a mortgagor in any month may be less than the amount of interest accrued on the
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outstanding principal balance of the related mortgage loan during the relevant period at the applicable mortgage interest rate. In such event, the amount of interest that is treated as deferred interest will generally be added to the principal balance of the related mortgage loan and will be distributed pro rata to certificate-holders as principal of such mortgage loan when paid by the mortgagor in subsequent monthly payments or at maturity.
Ratings. The ratings assigned by a rating organization to Mortgage Pass-Throughs generally address the likelihood of the receipt of distributions on the underlying mortgage loans by the related certificate-holders under the agreements pursuant to which such certificates are issued. A rating organizations ratings normally take into consideration the credit quality of the related mortgage pool, including any credit support providers, structural and legal aspects associated with such certificates, and the extent to which the payment stream on such mortgage pool is adequate to make payments required by such certificates. A rating organizations ratings on such certificates do not, however, constitute a statement regarding frequency of prepayments on the related mortgage loans. In addition, the rating assigned by a rating organization to a certificate may not address the possibility that, in the event of the insolvency of the issuer of certificates where a subordinated interest was retained, the issuance and sale of the senior certificates may be recharacterized as a financing and, as a result of such recharacterization, payments on such certificates may be affected. A rating organization may downgrade or withdraw a rating assigned by it to any Mortgage Pass-Through at any time, and no assurance can be made that any ratings on any Mortgage Pass-Throughs included in the Fund will be maintained, or that if such ratings are assigned, they will not be downgraded or withdrawn by the assigning rating organization.
Recently, rating agencies have placed on credit watch or downgraded the ratings previously assigned to a large number of mortgage-backed securities (which may include certain of the Mortgage-Backed Securities in which the Fund may have invested or may in the future be invested), and may continue to do so in the future. In the event that any Mortgage-Backed Security held by the Fund is placed on credit watch or downgraded, the value of such Mortgage-Backed Security may decline and the Fund may consequently experience losses in respect of such Mortgage-Backed Security.
Credit Enhancement. Mortgage pools created by non-governmental issuers generally offer a higher yield than government and government-related pools because of the absence of direct or indirect government or agency payment guarantees. To lessen the effect of failures by obligors on underlying assets to make payments, Mortgage Pass-Throughs may contain elements of credit support. Credit support falls generally into two categories: (i) liquidity protection and (ii) protection against losses resulting from default by an obligor on the underlying assets. Liquidity protection refers to the provision of advances, generally by the entity administering the pools of mortgages, the provision of a reserve fund, or a combination thereof, to ensure, subject to certain limitations, that scheduled payments on the underlying pool are made in a timely fashion. Protection against losses resulting from default ensures ultimate payment of the obligations on at least a portion of the assets in the pool. Such credit support can be provided by, among other things, payment guarantees, letters of credit, pool insurance, subordination, or any combination thereof.
Subordination; Shifting of Interest; Reserve Fund. In order to achieve ratings on one or more classes of Mortgage Pass-Throughs, one or more classes of certificates may be subordinate certificates which provide that the rights of the subordinate certificate-holders to receive any or a specified portion of distributions with respect to the underlying mortgage loans may be subordinated to the rights of the senior certificate holders. If so structured, the subordination feature may be enhanced by distributing to the senior certificate-holders on certain distribution dates, as payment of principal, a specified percentage (which generally declines over time) of all principal payments received during the preceding prepayment period (shifting interest credit enhancement). This will have the effect of accelerating the amortization of the senior certificates while increasing the interest in the trust fund evidenced by the subordinate certificates. Increasing the interest of the subordinate certificates relative to that of the senior certificates is intended to preserve the availability of the subordination provided by the subordinate certificates. In addition, because the senior certificate-holders in a shifting interest credit enhancement structure are entitled to receive a percentage of principal prepayments which is greater than their proportionate interest in the trust fund, the rate of principal prepayments on the mortgage loans may have an even greater effect on the rate of principal payments and the amount of interest payments on, and the yield to maturity of, the senior certificates.
In addition to providing for a preferential right of the senior certificate-holders to receive current distributions from the mortgage pool, a reserve fund may be established relating to such certificates (the Reserve Fund). The Reserve Fund may be created with an initial cash deposit by the originator or servicer and augmented by the retention of distributions otherwise available to the subordinate certificate-holders or by excess servicing fees until the Reserve Fund reaches a specified amount.
The subordination feature, and any Reserve Fund, are intended to enhance the likelihood of timely receipt by senior certificate-holders of the full amount of scheduled monthly payments of principal and interest due to them and will protect the senior certificate-holders against certain losses; however, in certain circumstances the Reserve Fund could be depleted and temporary
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shortfalls could result. In the event that the Reserve Fund is depleted before the subordinated amount is reduced to zero, senior certificate-holders will nevertheless have a preferential right to receive current distributions from the mortgage pool to the extent of the then outstanding subordinated amount. Unless otherwise specified, until the subordinated amount is reduced to zero, on any distribution date any amount otherwise distributable to the subordinate certificates or, to the extent specified, in the Reserve Fund will generally be used to offset the amount of any losses realized with respect to the mortgage loans (Realized Losses). Realized Losses remaining after application of such amounts will generally be applied to reduce the ownership interest of the subordinate certificates in the mortgage pool. If the subordinated amount has been reduced to zero, Realized Losses generally will be allocated pro rata among all certificate-holders in proportion to their respective outstanding interests in the mortgage pool.
Alternative Credit Enhancement. As an alternative, or in addition to the credit enhancement afforded by subordination, credit enhancement for Mortgage Pass-Throughs may be provided through bond insurers, or at the mortgage loan-level through mortgage insurance, hazard insurance, or through the deposit of cash, certificates of deposit, letters of credit, a limited guaranty or by such other methods as are acceptable to a rating agency. In certain circumstances, such as where credit enhancement is provided by bond insurers, guarantees or letters of credit, the security is subject to credit risk because of its exposure to the credit risk of an external credit enhancement provider.
Voluntary Advances. Generally, in the event of delinquencies in payments on the mortgage loans underlying the Mortgage Pass-Throughs, the servicer may agree to make advances of cash for the benefit of certificate-holders, but generally will do so only to the extent that it determines such voluntary advances will be recoverable from future payments and collections on the mortgage loans or otherwise.
Optional Termination. Generally, the servicer may, at its option with respect to any certificates, repurchase all of the underlying mortgage loans remaining outstanding if at such time the aggregate outstanding principal balance of such mortgage loans is less than a specified percentage (generally 5-10%) of the aggregate outstanding principal balance of the mortgage loans as of the cut-off date specified with respect to such series.
Multiple Class Mortgage-Backed Securities and Collateralized Mortgage Obligations. The Fund may invest in multiple class securities including collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) and REMIC Certificates. These securities may be issued by U.S. Government agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac or by trusts formed by private originators of, or investors in, mortgage loans, including savings and loan associations, mortgage bankers, commercial banks, insurance companies, investment banks and special purpose subsidiaries of the foregoing. In general, CMOs are debt obligations of a legal entity that are collateralized by, and multiple class Mortgage-Backed Securities represent direct ownership interests in, a pool of mortgage loans or Mortgage-Backed Securities the payments on which are used to make payments on the CMOs or multiple class Mortgage-Backed Securities.
Fannie Mae REMIC Certificates are issued and guaranteed as to timely distribution of principal and interest by Fannie Mae. In addition, Fannie Mae will be obligated to distribute the principal balance of each class of REMIC Certificates in full, whether or not sufficient funds are otherwise available.
Freddie Mac guarantees the timely payment of interest on Freddie Mac REMIC Certificates and also guarantees the payment of principal as payments are required to be made on the underlying mortgage participation certificates (PCs). PCs represent undivided interests in specified level payment, residential mortgages or participations therein purchased by Freddie Mac and placed in a PC pool. With respect to principal payments on PCs, Freddie Mac generally guarantees ultimate collection of all principal of the related mortgage loans without offset or deduction but the receipt of the required payments may be delayed. Freddie Mac also guarantees timely payment of principal of certain PCs.
CMOs and guaranteed REMIC Certificates issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are types of multiple class Mortgage-Backed Securities. The REMIC Certificates represent beneficial ownership interests in a REMIC trust, generally consisting of mortgage loans or Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac or Ginnie Mae guaranteed Mortgage-Backed Securities (the Mortgage Assets). The obligations of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac under their respective guaranty of the REMIC Certificates are obligations solely of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, respectively. See Certain Additional Information with Respect to Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
CMOs and REMIC Certificates are issued in multiple classes. Each class of CMOs or REMIC Certificates, often referred to as a tranche, is issued at a specific adjustable or fixed interest rate and must be fully retired no later than its final distribution date. Principal prepayments on the mortgage loans or the Mortgage Assets underlying the CMOs or REMIC Certificates may cause some or all of the classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates to be retired substantially earlier than their final distribution dates. Generally, interest is paid or accrues on all classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates on a monthly basis.
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The principal of and interest on the Mortgage Assets may be allocated among the several classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates in various ways. In certain structures (known as sequential pay CMOs or REMIC Certificates), payments of principal, including any principal prepayments, on the Mortgage Assets generally are applied to the classes of CMOs or REMIC Certificates in the order of their respective final distribution dates. Thus, no payment of principal will be made on any class of sequential pay CMOs or REMIC Certificates until all other classes having an earlier final distribution date have been paid in full.
Additional structures of CMOs and REMIC Certificates include, among others, parallel pay CMOs and REMIC Certificates. Parallel pay CMOs or REMIC Certificates are those which are structured to apply principal payments and prepayments of the Mortgage Assets to two or more classes concurrently on a proportionate or disproportionate basis. These simultaneous payments are taken into account in calculating the final distribution date of each class.
A wide variety of REMIC Certificates may be issued in parallel pay or sequential pay structures. These securities include accrual certificates (also known as Z-Bonds), which only accrue interest at a specified rate until all other certificates having an earlier final distribution date have been retired and are converted thereafter to an interest-paying security, and planned amortization class (PAC) certificates, which are parallel pay REMIC Certificates that generally require that specified amounts of principal be applied on each payment date to one or more classes or REMIC Certificates (the PAC Certificates), even though all other principal payments and prepayments of the Mortgage Assets are then required to be applied to one or more other classes of the PAC Certificates. The scheduled principal payments for the PAC Certificates generally have the highest priority on each payment date after interest due has been paid to all classes entitled to receive interest currently. Shortfalls, if any, are added to the amount payable on the next payment date. The PAC Certificate payment schedule is taken into account in calculating the final distribution date of each class of PAC. In order to create PAC tranches, one or more tranches generally must be created that absorb most of the volatility in the underlying mortgage assets. These tranches tend to have market prices and yields that are much more volatile than other PAC classes.
Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities. Commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) are a type of Mortgage Pass-Through that are primarily backed by a pool of commercial mortgage loans. The commercial mortgage loans are, in turn, generally secured by commercial mortgaged properties (such as office properties, retail properties, hospitality properties, industrial properties, healthcare related properties or other types of income producing real property). CMBS generally entitle the holders thereof to receive payments that depend primarily on the cash flow from a specified pool of commercial or multifamily mortgage loans. CMBS will be affected by payments, defaults, delinquencies and losses on the underlying mortgage loans. The underlying mortgage loans generally are secured by income producing properties such as office properties, retail properties, multifamily properties, manufactured housing, hospitality properties, industrial properties and self storage properties. Because issuers of CMBS have no significant assets other than the underlying commercial real estate loans and because of the significant credit risks inherent in the underlying collateral, credit risk is a correspondingly important consideration with respect to the related CMBS Securities. Certain of the mortgage loans underlying CMBS Securities constituting part of the collateral interests may be delinquent, in default or in foreclosure.
Commercial real estate lending may expose a lender (and the related Mortgage-Backed Security) to a greater risk of loss than certain other forms of lending because it typically involves making larger loans to single borrowers or groups of related borrowers. In addition, in the case of certain commercial mortgage loans, repayment of loans secured by commercial and multifamily properties depends upon the ability of the related real estate project to generate income sufficient to pay debt service, operating expenses and leasing commissions and to make necessary repairs, tenant improvements and capital improvements, and in the case of loans that do not fully amortize over their terms, to retain sufficient value to permit the borrower to pay off the loan at maturity through a sale or refinancing of the mortgaged property. The net operating income from and value of any commercial property is subject to various risks, including changes in general or local economic conditions and/or specific industry segments; declines in real estate values; declines in rental or occupancy rates; increases in interest rates, real estate tax rates and other operating expenses; changes in governmental rules, regulations and fiscal policies; acts of God; terrorist threats and attacks; and social unrest and civil disturbances. In addition, certain of the mortgaged properties securing the pools of commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may have a higher degree of geographic concentration in a few states or regions. Any deterioration in the real estate market or economy or adverse events in such states or regions may increase the rate of delinquency and default experience (and as a consequence, losses) with respect to mortgage loans related to properties in such state or region. Pools of mortgaged properties securing the commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may also have a higher degree of concentration in certain types of commercial properties. Accordingly, such pools of mortgage loans represent higher exposure to risks particular to those types of commercial properties. Certain pools of commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS consist of a fewer number of mortgage loans with outstanding balances that are larger than average. If a mortgage pool includes mortgage loans with larger than average balances, any realized
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losses on such mortgage loans could be more severe, relative to the size of the pool, than would be the case if the aggregate balance of the pool were distributed among a larger number of mortgage loans. Certain borrowers or affiliates thereof relating to certain of the commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may have had a history of bankruptcy. Certain mortgaged properties securing the commercial mortgage loans underlying CMBS may have been exposed to environmental conditions or circumstances. The ratings in respect of certain of the CMBS comprising the Mortgage-Backed Securities may have been withdrawn, reduced or placed on credit watch since issuance. In addition, losses and/or appraisal reductions may be allocated to certain of such CMBS and certain of the collateral or the assets underlying such collateral may be delinquent and/or may default from time to time.
CMBS held by the Fund may be subordinated to one or more other classes of securities of the same series for purposes of, among other things, establishing payment priorities and offsetting losses and other shortfalls with respect to the related underlying mortgage loans. Realized losses in respect of the mortgage loans included in the CMBS pool and trust expenses generally will be allocated to the most subordinated class of securities of the related series. Accordingly, to the extent any CMBS is or becomes the most subordinated class of securities of the related series, any delinquency or default on any underlying mortgage loan may result in shortfalls, realized loss allocations or extensions of its weighted average life and will have a more immediate and disproportionate effect on the related CMBS than on a related more senior class of CMBS of the same series. Further, even if a class is not the most subordinate class of securities, there can be no assurance that the subordination offered to such class will be sufficient on any date to offset all losses or expenses incurred by the underlying trust. CMBS are typically not guaranteed or insured, and distributions on such CMBS generally will depend solely upon the amount and timing of payments and other collections on the related underlying commercial mortgage loans.
Stripped Mortgage-Backed Securities. The Fund may invest in stripped mortgage-backed securities (SMBS), which are derivative multiclass mortgage securities, issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities or non-governmental originators. SMBS are usually structured with two different classes: one that receives substantially all of the interest payments (the interest-only, or IO and/or the high coupon rate with relatively low principal amount, or IOette), and the other that receives substantially all of the principal payments (the principal-only, or PO), from a pool of mortgage loans.
Certain SMBS may not be readily marketable and will be considered illiquid for purposes of the Funds limitation on investments in illiquid securities. The Investment Adviser may determine that SMBS which are U.S. Government Securities are liquid for purposes of the Funds limitation on investments in illiquid securities. The market value of POs generally is unusually volatile in response to changes in interest rates. The yields on IOs and IOettes are generally higher than prevailing market yields on other Mortgage-Backed Securities because their cash flow patterns are more volatile and there is a greater risk that the initial investment will not be fully recouped. The Funds investment in SMBS may require the Fund to sell certain of its portfolio securities to generate sufficient cash to satisfy certain income distribution requirements.
Asset-Backed Securities
The Fund may invest in asset-backed securities. Asset-backed securities represent participations in, or are secured by and payable from, assets such as motor vehicle installment sales, installment loan contracts, leases of various types of real and personal property, receivables from revolving credit (credit card) agreements and other categories of receivables. Such assets are securitized through the use of trusts and special purpose corporations. Payments or distributions of principal and interest may be guaranteed up to certain amounts and for a certain time period by a letter of credit or a pool insurance policy issued by a financial institution unaffiliated with the trust or corporation, or other credit enhancements may be present.
Such securities are often subject to more rapid repayment than their stated maturity date would indicate as a result of the pass-through of prepayments of principal on the underlying loans. During periods of declining interest rates, prepayment of loans underlying asset-backed securities can be expected to accelerate. Accordingly, the Funds ability to maintain positions in such securities will be affected by reductions in the principal amount of such securities resulting from prepayments, and its ability to reinvest the returns of principal at comparable yields is subject to generally prevailing interest rates at that time. To the extent that the Fund invests in asset-backed securities, the values of the Funds portfolio securities will vary with changes in market interest rates generally and the differentials in yields among various kinds of asset-backed securities.
Asset-backed securities present certain additional risks because asset-backed securities generally do not have the benefit of a security interest in collateral that is comparable to mortgage assets. Credit card receivables are generally unsecured and the debtors on such receivables are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which give such debtors the right to set-off certain amounts owed on the credit cards, thereby reducing the balance due. Automobile receivables generally are secured, but by automobiles rather than residential real property. Most issuers of automobile receivables permit the loan servicers to
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retain possession of the underlying obligations. If the servicer were to sell these obligations to another party, there is a risk that the purchaser would acquire an interest superior to that of the holders of the asset-backed securities. In addition, because of the large number of vehicles involved in a typical issuance and technical requirements under state laws, the trustee for the holders of the automobile receivables may not have a proper security interest in the underlying automobiles. Therefore, if the issuer of an asset-backed security defaults on its payment obligations, there is the possibility that, in some cases, the Fund will be unable to possess and sell the underlying collateral and that the Funds recoveries on repossessed collateral may not be available to support payments on these securities.
Recent Events Relating to the Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Markets and the Overall Economy
The unprecedented disruption in the residential mortgage-backed securities market (and in particular, the subprime residential mortgage market), the broader mortgage-backed securities market, and the asset-backed securities market in 2008-2009 has resulted (and continues to result) in downward price pressures and increasing foreclosures and defaults in residential and commercial real estate. Concerns over inflation, energy costs, geopolitical issues, the availability and cost of credit, the mortgage market and a depressed real estate market have contributed to increased volatility and diminished expectations for the economy and markets going forward, and have contributed to dramatic declines in the housing market, with falling home prices and increasing foreclosures and unemployment, and significant asset write-downs by financial institutions. These conditions have prompted a number of financial institutions to seek additional capital, to merge with other institutions and, in some cases, to fail or seek bankruptcy protection. Between 2008 and 2009, the market for Mortgage-Backed Securities (as well as other asset-backed securities) was particularly adversely impacted by, among other factors, the failure and subsequent sale of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. to J.P. Morgan Chase, the merger of Bank of America Corporation and Merrill Lynch & Co., the insolvency of Washington Mutual Inc., the failure and subsequent bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc., the extension of approximately $152 billion in emergency credit by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to American International Group Inc., and, as described above, the conservatorship and the control by the U.S. government of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Recently, the global markets have also seen an increase in volatility due to uncertainty surrounding the level and sustainability of sovereign debt of certain countries that are part of the European Union, including Greece, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Italy, as well as the sustainability of the European Union itself. Recent concerns over the level and sustainability of the sovereign debt of the United States have aggravated this volatility. No assurance can be made that this uncertainty will not lead to further disruption of the credit markets in the United States or around the globe. These events, coupled with the general global economic downturn, have resulted in a substantial level of uncertainty in the financial markets, particularly with respect to mortgage-related investments.
The continuation or worsening of this general economic downturn may lead to further declines in income from, or the value of, real estate, including the real estate which secures the Mortgage-Backed Securities held by the Fund. Additionally, a lack of credit liquidity, adjustments of mortgages to higher rates and decreases in the value of real property have occurred and may continue to occur or worsen, and potentially prevent borrowers from refinancing their mortgages, which may increase the likelihood of default on their mortgage loans. These economic conditions, coupled with high levels of real estate inventory and elevated incidence of underwater mortgages, may also adversely affect the amount of proceeds the holder of a mortgage loan or mortgage-backed securities (including the Mortgaged-Backed Securities in which the Fund may invest) would realize in the event of a foreclosure or other exercise of remedies. Moreover, even if such Mortgage-Backed Securities are performing as anticipated, the value of such securities in the secondary market may nevertheless fall or continue to fall as a result of deterioration in general market conditions for such Mortgage-Backed Securities or other asset-backed or structured products. Trading activity associated with market indices may also drive spreads on those indices wider than spreads on Mortgage-Backed Securities, thereby resulting in a decrease in value of such Mortgage-Backed Securities, including the Mortgage-Backed Securities owned by the Fund.
The U.S. Government, the Federal Reserve, the Treasury, the SEC, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC) and other governmental and regulatory bodies have recently taken or are considering taking actions to address the financial crisis. These actions include, but are not limited to, the enactment by the U.S. Congress of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act), which was signed into law on July 21, 2010 and imposes a new regulatory framework over the U.S. financial services industry and the consumer credit markets in general, and proposed regulations by the SEC, which, if enacted, would significantly alter the manner in which asset-backed securities, including Mortgage-Backed Securities, are issued. Given the broad scope, sweeping nature, and relatively recent enactment of some of these regulatory measures, the potential impact they could have on any of the asset-backed or Mortgage-Backed Securities held by the Fund is unknown. There can be no assurance that these measures will not have an adverse effect on the value or marketability of any asset-backed or Mortgage-Backed Securities held by the Fund. Furthermore, no assurance can be made that the U.S. government or any U.S. regulatory body (or other authority or regulatory body) will not continue to take further legislative or regulatory action in response to the economic crisis or otherwise, and the effect of such actions, if taken, cannot be known.
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Among its other provisions, the Dodd-Frank Act creates a liquidation framework under which the FDIC, may be appointed as receiver following a systemic risk determination by the Secretary of Treasury (in consultation with the President) for the resolution of certain nonbank financial companies and other entities, defined as covered financial companies, and commonly referred to as systemically important entities, in the event such a company is in default or in danger of default and the resolution of such a company under other applicable law would have serious adverse effects on financial stability in the United States, and also for the resolution of certain of their subsidiaries. No assurances can be given that this new liquidation framework would not apply to the originators of asset-backed securities, including Mortgage-Backed Securities, or their respective subsidiaries, including the issuers and depositors of such securities, although the expectation embedded in the Dodd-Frank Act is that the framework will be invoked only very rarely. Recent guidance from the FDIC indicates that such new framework will largely be exercised in a manner consistent with the existing bankruptcy laws, which is the insolvency regime that would otherwise apply to the sponsors, depositors and issuing entities with respect to asset-backed securities, including Mortgage-Backed Securities. The application of such liquidation framework to such entities could result in decreases or delays in amounts paid on, and hence the market value of, the Mortgage-Backed or asset-backed securities that are owned by the Fund.
Recently, delinquencies, defaults and losses on residential mortgage loans have increased substantially and may continue to increase, which may affect the performance of the Mortgage-Backed Securities in which the Fund may invest. Mortgage loans backing non-agency Mortgage-Backed Securities are more sensitive to economic factors that could affect the ability of borrowers to pay their obligations under the mortgage loans backing these securities. In addition, housing prices and appraisal values in many states and localities have declined or stopped appreciating. A continued decline or an extended flattening of those values may result in additional increases in delinquencies and losses on Mortgage-Backed Securities generally (including the Mortgaged-Backed Securities that the Fund may invest in as described above).
The foregoing adverse changes in market conditions and regulatory climate may reduce the cash flow which the Fund, to the extent it invests in Mortgage-Backed Securities or other asset-backed securities, receives from such securities and increase the incidence and severity of credit events and losses in respect of such securities. In addition, interest rate spreads for Mortgage-Backed Securities have widened and are more volatile when compared to the recent past due to these adverse changes in market conditions. In the event that interest rate spreads for Mortgage-Backed Securities and other asset-backed securities continue to widen following the purchase of such assets by the Fund, the market value of such securities is likely to decline and, in the case of a substantial spread widening, could decline by a substantial amount. Furthermore, these adverse changes in market conditions have resulted in reduced liquidity in the market for Mortgage-Backed Securities and other asset-backed securities (including the Mortgaged-Backed Securities and other asset-backed securities in which the Fund may invest) and increasing unwillingness by banks, financial institutions and investors to extend credit to servicers, originators and other participants in the market for Mortgage-Backed and other asset-backed securities. As a result, the liquidity and/or the market value of any Mortgage-Backed or asset-backed securities that are owned by the Fund may experience further declines after they are purchased by the Fund.
Collateralized Debt Obligations
The Fund may invest in collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), which include collateralized bond obligations (CBOs), collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) and other similarly structured securities. CBOs and CLOs are types of asset-backed securities. A CBO is a trust which is backed by a diversified pool of high risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. CDOs may charge management fees and other administrative expenses.
For both CBOs and CLOs, the cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the equity tranche which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Since it is partially protected from defaults, a senior tranche from a CBO trust or CLO trust typically has higher ratings and lower yields than its underlying securities, and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CBO or CLO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CBO or CLO securities as a class.
The risks of an investment in a CDO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the CDO in which the Fund invests. Normally, CBOs, CLOs and CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities. However, an active dealer market may exist for CDOs that qualify under the Rule 144A safe harbor from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as
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amended (1933 Act) for resales of certain securities to qualified institutional buyers, and such CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as liquid securities. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed income securities discussed elsewhere in this SAI and the Funds Prospectus (e.g., interest rate risk and credit/default risk), CDOs carry additional risks including, but not limited to, the risk that: (i) distributions from collateral securities may not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the Fund may invest in CDOs that are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.
Zero Coupon, Deferred Interest, Pay-in-Kind and Capital Appreciation Bonds
The Fund may invest in zero coupon, deferred interest, pay-in-kind (PIK) and capital appreciation bonds. Zero coupon, deferred interest and capital appreciation bonds are debt securities issued or sold at a discount from their face value and which do not entitle the holder to any periodic payment of interest prior to maturity or a specified date. The original issue discount varies depending on the time remaining until maturity or cash payment date, prevailing interest rates, the liquidity of the security and the perceived credit quality of the issuer. These securities also may take the form of debt securities that have been stripped of their unmatured interest coupons, the coupons themselves or receipts or certificates representing interests in such stripped debt obligations or coupons. The market prices of zero coupon, deferred interest, capital appreciation bonds and PIK securities generally are more volatile than the market prices of interest bearing securities and are likely to respond to a greater degree to changes in interest rates than interest bearing securities having similar maturities and credit quality.
PIK securities may be debt obligations or preferred shares that provide the issuer with the option of paying interest or dividends on such obligations in cash or in the form of additional securities rather than cash. Similar to zero coupon bonds and deferred interest bonds, PIK securities are designed to give an issuer flexibility in managing cash flow. PIK securities that are debt securities can be either senior or subordinated debt and generally trade flat (i.e., without accrued interest). The trading price of PIK debt securities generally reflects the market value of the underlying debt plus an amount representing accrued interest since the last interest payment.
Zero coupon, deferred interest, capital appreciation and PIK securities involve the additional risk that, unlike securities that periodically pay interest to maturity, the Fund will realize no cash until a specified future payment date unless a portion of such securities is sold and, if the issuer of such securities defaults, the Fund may obtain no return at all on its investment. In addition, even though such securities do not provide for the payment of current interest in cash, the Fund is nonetheless required to accrue income on such investments for each taxable year and generally is required to distribute such accrued amounts (net of deductible expenses, if any) to avoid being subject to tax. Because no cash is generally received at the time of the accrual, the Fund may be required to liquidate other portfolio securities to obtain sufficient cash to satisfy federal tax distribution requirements applicable to the Fund. A portion of the discount with respect to stripped tax exempt securities or their coupons may be taxable. See TAXATION.
Floating Rate Loans and other Variable and Floating Rate Securities
The interest rates payable on certain securities in which the Fund may invest are not fixed and may fluctuate based upon changes in market rates. Variable and floating rate obligations are debt instruments issued by companies or other entities with interest rates that reset periodically (typically daily, monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually) in response to changes in the market rate of interest on which the interest rate is based. Moreover, such obligations may fluctuate in value in response to interest rate changes if there is a delay between changes in market interest rates and the interest reset date for the obligations. The value of these obligations is generally more stable than that of a fixed rate obligation in response to changes in interest rate levels, but they may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in value if interest rates decline.
Floating rate loans consist generally of obligations of companies or other entities (e.g., a U.S. or foreign bank, insurance company or finance company) (collectively, borrowers) incurred for a variety of purposes. Floating rate loans may be acquired by direct investment as a lender or as an assignment of the portion of a floating rate loan previously attributable to a different lender. The Investment Grade Credit Fund, High Yield Fund, High Yield Floating Rate Fund, Strategic Income Fund, Short Duration Income Fund, Emerging Markets Debt Fund, and Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund may also invest in floating rate loans through a participation interest (which represents a fractional interest in a floating rate loan) issued by a lender or other financial institution.
Floating rate loans may be obligations of borrowers who are highly leveraged. Floating rate loans may be structured to include both term loans, which are generally fully funded at the time of the making of the loan, and revolving credit facilities, which would require additional investments upon the borrowers demand. A revolving credit facility may require a purchaser to increase its investment in a floating rate loan at a time when it would not otherwise have done so, even if the borrowers condition makes it unlikely that the amount will ever be repaid.
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A floating rate loan offered as part of the original lending syndicate typically is purchased at par value. As part of the original lending syndicate, a purchaser generally earns a yield equal to the stated interest rate. In addition, members of the original syndicate typically are paid a commitment fee. In secondary market trading, floating rate loans may be purchased or sold above, at, or below par, which can result in a yield that is below, equal to, or above the stated interest rate, respectively. At certain times when reduced opportunities exist for investing in new syndicated floating rate loans, floating rate loans may be available only through the secondary market. There can be no assurance that an adequate supply of floating rate loans will be available for purchase.
Historically, floating rate loans have not been registered with the SEC or any state securities commission or listed on any securities exchange. As a result, the amount of public information available about a specific floating rate loan historically has been less extensive than if the floating rate loan were registered or exchange-traded. As a result, no active market may exist for some floating rate loans.
Purchasers of floating rate loans and other forms of debt obligations depend primarily upon the creditworthiness of the borrower for payment of interest and repayment of principal. If scheduled interest or principal payments are not made, the value of the obligation may be adversely affected. Floating rate loans and other debt obligations that are fully secured provide more protections than unsecured obligations in the event of failure to make scheduled interest or principal payments. Indebtedness of borrowers whose creditworthiness is poor involves substantially greater risks and may be highly speculative. Borrowers that are in bankruptcy or restructuring may never pay off their indebtedness, or may pay only a small fraction of the amount owed. Some floating rate loans and other debt obligations are not rated by any NRSRO. In connection with the restructuring of a floating rate loan or other debt obligation outside of bankruptcy court in a negotiated work-out or in the context of bankruptcy proceedings, equity securities or junior debt obligations may be received in exchange for all or a portion of an interest in the obligation.
From time to time, Goldman Sachs and its affiliates may borrow money from various banks in connection with their business activities. These banks also may sell floating rate loans to the Funds or acquire floating rate loans from the Funds, or may be intermediate participants with respect to floating rate loans owned by the Funds. These banks also may act as agents for floating rate loans that the Funds own.
Agents. Floating rate loans typically are originated, negotiated, and structured by a bank, insurance company, finance company, or other financial institution (the agent) for a lending syndicate of financial institutions. The borrower and the lender or lending syndicate enter into a loan agreement. In addition, an institution (typically, but not always, the agent) holds any collateral on behalf of the lenders.
In a typical floating rate loan, the agent administers the terms of the loan agreement and is responsible for the collection of principal and interest and fee payments from the borrower and the apportionment of these payments to all lenders that are parties to the loan agreement. Purchasers will rely on the agent to use appropriate creditor remedies against the borrower. Typically, under loan agreements, the agent is given broad discretion in monitoring the borrowers performance and is obligated to use the same care it would use in the management of its own property. Upon an event of default, the agent typically will enforce the loan agreement after instruction from the lenders. The borrower compensates the agent for these services. This compensation may include special fees paid on structuring and funding the floating rate loan and other fees paid on a continuing basis. The typical practice of an agent or a lender in relying exclusively or primarily on reports from the borrower may involve a risk of fraud by the borrower.
If an agent becomes insolvent, or has a receiver, conservator, or similar official appointed for it by the appropriate bank or other regulatory authority, or becomes a debtor in a bankruptcy proceeding, the agents appointment may be terminated, and a successor agent would be appointed. If an appropriate regulator or court determines that assets held by the agent for the benefit of the purchasers of floating rate loans are subject to the claims of the agents general or secured creditors, the purchasers might incur certain costs and delays in realizing payment on a floating rate loan or suffer a loss of principal and/or interest. Furthermore, in the event of the borrowers bankruptcy or insolvency, the borrowers obligation to repay a floating rate loan may be subject to certain defenses that the borrower can assert as a result of improper conduct by the agent.
Assignments. The Fund may purchase an assignment of a portion of a floating rate loan from an agent or from another group of investors. The purchase of an assignment typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations under the original loan agreement; however, assignments may also be arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, and the rights and obligations acquired by the purchaser of an assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning agent or investor.
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Loan Participation Interests. Purchasers of participation interests do not have any direct contractual relationship with the borrower. Purchasers rely on the lender who sold the participation interest not only for the enforcement of the purchasers rights against the borrower but also for the receipt and processing of payments due under the floating rate loan. For additional information, see the section Loans and Loan Participations below.
Liquidity. Floating rate loans may be transferable among financial institutions, but may not have the liquidity of conventional debt securities and are often subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale. Floating rate loans are not currently listed on any securities exchange or automatic quotation system. As a result, no active market may exist for some floating rate loans. To the extent a secondary market exists for other floating rate loans, such market may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads, and extended trade settlement periods. The lack of a highly liquid secondary market for floating rate loans may have an adverse affect on the value of such loans and may make it more difficult to value the loans for purposes of calculating their respective net asset value.
Collateral. Most floating rate loans are secured by specific collateral of the borrower and are senior to most other securities or obligations of the borrower. The collateral typically has a market value, at the time the floating rate loan is made, that equals or exceeds the principal amount of the floating rate loan. The value of the collateral may decline, be insufficient to meet the obligations of the borrower, or be difficult to liquidate. As a result, a floating rate loan may not be fully collateralized and can decline significantly in value.
Floating rate loan collateral may consist of various types of assets or interests, including working capital assets, such as accounts receivable or inventory; tangible or intangible assets; or assets or other types of guarantees of affiliates of the borrower.
Generally, floating rate loans are secured unless (i) the purchasers security interest in the collateral is invalidated for any reason by a court, or (ii) the collateral is fully released with the consent of the agent bank and lenders or under the terms of a loan agreement as the creditworthiness of the borrower improves. Collateral impairment is the risk that the value of the collateral for a floating rate loan will be insufficient in the event that a borrower defaults. Although the terms of a floating rate loan generally require that the collateral at issuance have a value at least equal to 100% of the amount of such floating rate loan, the value of the collateral may decline subsequent to the purchase of a floating rate loan. In most loan agreements there is no formal requirement to pledge additional collateral. There is no guarantee that the sale of collateral would allow a borrower to meet its obligations should the borrower be unable to repay principal or pay interest or that the collateral could be sold quickly or easily.
In addition, most borrowers pay their debts from the cash flow they generate. If the borrowers cash flow is insufficient to pay its debts as they come due, the borrower may seek to restructure its debts rather than sell collateral.
Borrowers may try to restructure their debts by filing for protection under the federal bankruptcy laws or negotiating a work-out. If a borrower becomes involved in bankruptcy proceedings, access to the collateral may be limited by bankruptcy and other laws. In the event that a court decides that access to the collateral is limited or void, it is unlikely that purchasers could recover the full amount of the principal and interest due.
There may be temporary periods when the principal asset held by a borrower is the stock of a related company, which may not legally be pledged to secure a floating rate loan. On occasions when such stock cannot be pledged, the floating rate loan will be temporarily unsecured until the stock can be pledged or is exchanged for, or replaced by, other assets.
Some floating rate loans are unsecured. The claims of holders under unsecured loans are subordinated to claims of creditors holding secured indebtedness and possibly also to claims of other creditors holding unsecured debt. Unsecured loans have a greater risk of default than secured loans, particularly during periods of deteriorating economic conditions. If the borrower defaults on an unsecured floating rate loan, there is no specific collateral on which the purchaser can foreclose.
Floating Interest Rates. The rate of interest payable on floating rate loans and other floating or variable rate obligations is the sum of a base lending rate plus a specified spread. Base lending rates are generally LIBOR, the Prime Rate of a designated U.S. bank, the Federal Funds Rate, or another base lending rate used by commercial lenders. A borrower usually has the right to select the base lending rate and to change the base lending rate at specified intervals. The applicable spread may be fixed at time of issuance or may adjust upward or downward to reflect changes in credit quality of the borrower.
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The interest rate on LIBOR-based floating rate loans/obligations is reset periodically at intervals ranging from 30 to 180 days, while the interest rate on Prime Rate- or Federal Funds Rate-based floating rate loans/obligations floats daily as those rates change. Investment in floating rate loans/obligations with longer interest rate reset periods can increase fluctuations in the floating rate loans values when interest rates change.
The yield on a floating rate loan/obligation will primarily depend on the terms of the underlying floating rate loan/obligation and the base lending rate chosen by the borrower. The relationship between LIBOR, the Prime Rate, and the Federal Funds Rate will vary as market conditions change.
Maturity. Floating rate loans typically will have a stated term of five to nine years. However, because floating rate loans are frequently prepaid, their average maturity is expected to be two to three years. The degree to which borrowers prepay floating rate loans, whether as a contractual requirement or at their election, may be affected by general business conditions, the borrowers financial condition, and competitive conditions among lenders. Prepayments cannot be predicted with accuracy. Prepayments of principal to the purchaser of a floating rate loan may result in the principals being reinvested in floating rate loans with lower yields.
Supply of Floating Rate Loans. The legislation of state or federal regulators that regulate certain financial institutions may impose additional requirements or restrictions on the ability of such institutions to make loans, particularly with respect to highly leveraged transactions. The supply of floating rate loans may be limited from time to time due to a lack of sellers in the market for existing floating rate loans or the number of new floating rate loans currently being issued. As a result, the floating rate loans available for purchase may be lower quality or higher priced.
Restrictive Covenants. A borrower must comply with various restrictive covenants contained in the loan agreement. In addition to requiring the scheduled payment of interest and principal, these covenants may include restrictions on dividend payments and other distributions to stockholders, provisions requiring the borrower to maintain specific financial ratios, and limits on total debt. The loan agreement may also contain a covenant requiring the borrower to prepay the floating rate loan with any free cash flow. A breach of a covenant that is not waived by the agent (or by the lenders directly) is normally an event of default, which provides the agent or the lenders the right to call the outstanding floating rate loan.
Fees. Purchasers of floating rate loans may receive and/or pay certain fees. These fees are in addition to interest payments received and may include facility fees, commitment fees, commissions, and prepayment penalty fees. When a purchaser buys a floating rate loan, it may receive a facility fee; and when it sells a floating rate loan, it may pay a facility fee. A purchaser may receive a commitment fee based on the undrawn portion of the underlying line of credit portion of a floating rate loan or a prepayment penalty fee on the prepayment of a floating rate loan. A purchaser may also receive other fees, including covenant waiver fees and covenant modification fees.
Other Types of Floating Rate Debt Obligations. Floating rate debt obligations include other forms of indebtedness of borrowers such as notes and bonds, obligations with fixed rate interest payments in conjunction with a right to receive floating rate interest payments, and shares of other investment companies. These instruments are generally subject to the same risks as floating rate loans but are often more widely issued and traded.
Inverse Floating Rate Debt Obligations. The Fund may invest in leveraged inverse floating rate debt instruments (inverse floaters), including leveraged inverse floaters. The interest rate on inverse floaters resets in the opposite direction from the market rate of interest to which the inverse floater is indexed. 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. The higher the degree of leverage inherent in inverse floaters is associated with greater volatility in their market values. Accordingly, the duration of an inverse floater may exceed its stated final maturity. Certain inverse floaters may be deemed to be illiquid securities for purposes of the Funds limitation on illiquid investments.
Loans and Loan Participations
The Fund may invest in loans and loan participations. A loan participation is an interest in a loan to a U.S. or foreign company or other borrower which is administered and sold by a financial intermediary. In a typical corporate loan syndication, a number of lenders, usually banks (co-lenders), lend a corporate borrower a specified sum pursuant to the terms and conditions of a loan agreement. One of the co-lenders usually agrees to act as the agent bank with respect to the loan.
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Participation interests acquired by the Fund may take the form of a direct or co-lending relationship with the corporate borrower, an assignment of an interest in the loan by a co-lender or another participant, or a participation in the sellers share of the loan. The participation by the Fund in a lenders portion of a loan typically will result in the Fund having a contractual relationship only with such lender, not with the business entity borrowing the funds (the Borrower). As a result, the Fund may have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the lender selling the participation and only upon receipt by such lender of payments from the Borrower. Such indebtedness may be secured or unsecured. Under the terms of the loan participation, the Fund may be regarded as a creditor of the agent bank (rather than of the underlying corporate borrower), so that the Fund may also be subject to the risk that the agent bank may become insolvent. Loan participations typically represent direct participations in a loan to a Borrower, and generally are offered by banks or other financial institutions or lending syndicates. The secondary market, if any, for these loan participations may be limited and loan participations purchased by the Fund may be regarded as illiquid.
When the Fund acts as co-lender in connection with a participation interest or when the Fund acquires certain participation interests, the Fund may have direct recourse against the borrower if the borrower fails to pay scheduled principal and interest. In cases where the Fund lacks direct recourse, it will look to the agent bank to enforce appropriate credit remedies against the borrower. In these cases, the Fund may be subject to delays, expenses and risks that are greater than those that would have been involved if the Fund had purchased a direct obligation (such as commercial paper) of such borrower. For example, in the event of the bankruptcy or insolvency of the corporate borrower, a loan participation may be subject to certain defenses by the borrower as a result of improper conduct by the agent bank.
For purposes of certain investment limitations pertaining to diversification of the Funds portfolio investments, the issuer of a loan participation will be the underlying borrower. However, in cases where the Fund does not have recourse directly against the borrower, both the borrower and each agent bank and co-lender interposed between the Fund and the borrower will be deemed issuers of a loan participation.
Senior Loans. The Fund may invest in Senior Loans. Senior Loans hold the most senior position in the capital structure of a business entity (the Borrower), are typically secured with specific collateral and have a claim on the assets and/or stock of the Borrower that is senior to that held by subordinated debt holders and stockholders of the Borrower. The proceeds of Senior Loans primarily are used to finance leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, mergers, acquisitions, stock repurchases, refinancings and to finance internal growth and for other corporate purposes. Senior Loans typically have rates of interest which are re-determined daily, monthly, quarterly or semi-annually by reference to a base lending rate, plus a premium or credit spread. These base lending rates are primarily the LIBOR and secondarily the prime rate offered by one or more major U.S. banks and the certificate of deposit rate or other base lending rates used by commercial lenders.
Senior Loans typically have a stated term of between five and nine years, and have rates of interest which typically are re-determined daily, monthly, quarterly or semi-annually. Longer interest rate reset periods generally increase fluctuations in the Funds net asset value as a result of changes in market interest rates. The Fund is not subject to any restrictions with respect to the maturity of Senior Loans held in its portfolio. As a result, as short-term interest rates increase, interest payable to the Fund from its investments in Senior Loans should increase, and as short-term interest rates decrease, interest payable to the Fund from its investments in Senior Loans should decrease. Because of prepayments, the Investment Adviser expects the average life of the Senior Loans in which the Fund invests to be shorter than the stated maturity.
Senior Loans are subject to the risk of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal. Such non-payment would result in a reduction of income to the Fund, a reduction in the value of the investment and a potential decrease in the net asset value of the Fund. There can be no assurance that the liquidation of any collateral securing a Senior Loan would satisfy the Borrowers obligation in the event of non-payment of scheduled interest or principal payments, or that such collateral could be readily liquidated. In the event of bankruptcy of a Borrower, the Fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of the collateral securing a Senior Loan. The collateral securing a Senior Loan may lose all or substantially all of its value in the event of the bankruptcy of a Borrower. 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. If interest were required to be refunded, it could negatively affect the Funds performance.
Many Senior Loans in which the Fund will invest may not be rated by a rating agency, will not be registered with the SEC or any state securities commission, and will not be listed on any national securities exchange. The amount of public information available
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with respect to Senior Loans will generally be less extensive than that available for registered or exchange-listed securities. In evaluating the creditworthiness of Borrowers, the Investment Adviser will consider, and may rely in part, on analyses performed by others. Borrowers may have outstanding debt obligations that are rated below investment grade by a rating agency. Many of the Senior Loans in which the Fund will invest will have been assigned below investment grade ratings by independent rating agencies. In the event Senior Loans are not rated, they are likely to be the equivalent of below investment grade quality. Because of the protective features of Senior Loans, the Investment Adviser believes that Senior Loans tend to have more favorable loss recovery rates as compared to more junior types of below investment grade debt obligations. The Investment Adviser does not view ratings as the determinative factor in their investment decisions and rely more upon their credit analysis abilities than upon ratings.
No active trading market may exist for some Senior Loans, and some loans may be subject to restrictions on resale. A secondary market may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which may impair the ability to realize full value and thus cause a material decline in the Funds net asset value. In addition, the Fund may not be able to readily dispose of its Senior Loans at prices that approximate those at which the Fund could sell such loans if they were more widely-traded and, as a result of such illiquidity, the Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations. During periods of limited supply and liquidity of Senior Loans, the Funds yield may be lower.
When interest rates decline, the value of a fund invested in fixed rate obligations can be expected to rise. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the value of a fund invested in fixed rate obligations can be expected to decline. Although changes in prevailing interest rates can be expected to cause some fluctuations in the value of Senior Loans (due to the fact that floating rates on Senior Loans only reset periodically), the value of Senior Loans is substantially less sensitive to changes in market interest rates than fixed rate instruments. As a result, to the extent the Fund invests in floating-rate Senior Loans, the Funds portfolio may be less volatile and less sensitive to changes in market interest rates than if the Fund invested in fixed rate obligations. Similarly, a sudden and significant increase in market interest rates may cause a decline in the value of these investments and in the Funds net asset value. Other factors (including, but not limited to, rating downgrades, credit deterioration, a large downward movement in stock prices, a disparity in supply and demand of certain securities or market conditions that reduce liquidity) can reduce the value of Senior Loans and other debt obligations, impairing the Funds net asset value.
The Fund may purchase and retain in its portfolio a Senior Loan where the Borrower has experienced, or may be perceived to be likely to experience, credit problems, including involvement in or recent emergence from bankruptcy reorganization proceedings or other forms of debt restructuring. Such investments may provide opportunities for enhanced income as well as capital appreciation, although they also will be subject to greater risk of loss. At times, in connection with the restructuring of a Senior Loan either outside of bankruptcy court or in the context of bankruptcy court proceedings, the Fund may determine or be required to accept equity securities or junior credit securities in exchange for all or a portion of a Senior Loan.
The Fund may purchase Senior Loans on a direct assignment basis. If the Fund purchases a Senior Loan on direct assignment, it typically succeeds to all the rights and obligations under the loan agreement of the assigning lender and becomes a lender under the loan agreement with the same rights and obligations as the assigning lender. Investments in Senior Loans on a direct assignment basis may involve additional risks to the Fund. For example, if such 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.
The Fund may also purchase, without limitation, participations in Senior Loans. The participation by the Fund in a lenders portion of a Senior Loan typically will result in the Fund having a contractual relationship only with such lender, not with the Borrower. As a result, the Fund may have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the lender selling the participation and only upon receipt by such lender of payments from the Borrower. Such indebtedness may be secured or unsecured. Loan participations typically represent direct participations in a loan to a Borrower, and generally are offered by banks or other financial institutions or lending syndicates. The Fund may participate in such syndications, or can buy part of a loan, becoming a part lender. When purchasing loan participations, the Fund assumes the credit risk associated with the Borrower and may assume the credit risk associated with an interposed bank or other financial intermediary. The participation interests in which the Fund intends to invest may not be rated by any nationally recognized rating service.
Loans and other types of direct indebtedness may not be readily marketable and may be subject to restrictions on resale. In some cases, negotiations involved in disposing of indebtedness may require weeks to complete. Consequently, some indebtedness may be difficult or impossible to dispose of readily at what the Investment Adviser believes to be a fair price. In addition, valuation of illiquid indebtedness involves a greater degree of judgment in determining the Funds net asset value than if that valuation were based on available market quotations, and could result in significant variations in the Funds daily share price. At the same time, some loan
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interests are traded among certain financial institutions and accordingly may be deemed liquid. As the market for different types of indebtedness develops, the liquidity of these instruments is expected to improve. The Fund currently intends to treat loan indebtedness as liquid when, in the view of the Investment Adviser, there is a readily available market at the time of the investment. To the extent a readily available market ceases to exist for a particular investment, such investment would be treated as illiquid for purposes of the Funds limitations on illiquid investments. Investments in loans and loan participations are considered to be debt obligations for purposes of the Funds investment restriction relating to the lending of funds or assets by the Fund.
Second Lien Loans. The Fund may invest in Second Lien Loans, which have the same characteristics as Senior Loans except that such loans are second in lien property rather than first. Second Lien Loans typically have adjustable floating rate interest payments. Accordingly, the risks associated with Second Lien Loans are higher than the risk of loans with first priority over the collateral. In the event of default on a Second Lien Loan, the first priority lien holder has first claim to the underlying collateral of the loan. It is possible that no collateral value would remain for the second priority lien holder and therefore result in a loss of investment to the Fund.
This risk is generally higher for subordinated unsecured loans or debt, which are not backed by a security interest in any specific collateral. Second Lien Loans generally have greater price volatility than Senior Loans and may be less liquid. There is also a possibility that originators will not be able to sell participations in Second Lien Loans, which would create greater credit risk exposure for the holders of such loans. Second Lien Loans share the same risks as other below investment grade securities.
Distressed Debt
The Fund may invest in the securities and other obligations of financially troubled companies, including stressed, distressed and bankrupt issuers and debt obligations that are in covenant or payment default. Many distressed securities are illiquid or trade in low volumes and thus may be more difficult to value. Such investments generally trade significantly below par and are considered speculative. The repayment of defaulted obligations is subject to significant uncertainties. Defaulted obligations might be repaid only after lengthy workout or bankruptcy proceedings, during which the issuer might not make any interest or other payments. Typically such workout or bankruptcy proceedings result in only partial recovery of cash payments or an exchange of the defaulted obligation for other debt or equity securities of the issuer or its affiliates, which may in turn be illiquid or speculative.
In any investment involving stressed and distressed debt obligations, there exists the risk that the transaction involving such debt obligations will be unsuccessful, take considerable time or will result in a distribution of cash or a new security or obligation in exchange for the stressed and distressed debt obligations, the value of which may be less than the Funds purchase price of such debt obligations. Furthermore, if an anticipated transaction does not occur, the Fund may be required to sell its investment at a loss. There are a number of significant risks inherent in the bankruptcy process. Many events in a bankruptcy are the product of contested matters and adversary proceedings and are beyond the control of the creditors. A bankruptcy filing by an issuer may adversely and permanently affect the issuer, and if the proceeding is converted to a liquidation, the value of the issuer may not equal the liquidation value that was believed to exist at the time of the investment. The duration of a bankruptcy proceeding is difficult to predict, and a creditors return on investment can be adversely affected by delays until the plan of reorganization ultimately becomes effective. The administrative costs in connection with a bankruptcy proceeding are frequently high and would be paid out of the debtors estate prior to any return to creditors. Because the standards for classification of claims under bankruptcy law are vague, there exists the risk that the Funds influence with respect to the class of securities or other obligations it owns can be lost by increases in the number and amount of claims in the same class or by different classification and treatment. In the early stages of the bankruptcy process it is often difficult to estimate the extent of, or even to identify, any contingent claims that might be made. In addition, certain claims that have priority by law (for example, claims for taxes) may be substantial.
Preferred Stock, Warrants and Stock Purchase Rights
The Fund may invest in preferred stock, warrants and stock purchase rights (rights). Preferred stocks are securities that represent an ownership interest providing the holder with claims on the issuers earnings and assets before common stock owners but after bond owners. Unlike debt securities, the obligations of an issuer of preferred stock, including dividend and other payment obligations, may not typically be accelerated by the holders of such preferred stock on the occurrence of an event of default (such as a covenant default or filing of a bankruptcy petition) or other non-compliance by the issuer with the terms of the preferred stock. Often, however, on the occurrence of any such event of default or non-compliance by the issuer, preferred stockholders will be entitled to gain representation on the issuers board of directors or increase their existing board representation. In addition, preferred stockholders may be granted voting rights with respect to certain issues on the occurrence of any event of default.
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Warrants and other rights are options to buy a stated number of shares of common stock at a specified price at any time during the life of the warrant. The holders of warrants and rights have no voting rights, receive no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer.
Corporate Debt Obligations
The Fund may invest in corporate debt obligations, including obligations of industrial, utility and financial issuers. Corporate debt obligations include bonds, notes, debentures and other obligations of corporations to pay interest and repay principal. Corporate debt obligations are subject to the risk of an issuers inability to meet principal and interest payments on the obligations and may also be subject to price volatility due to such factors as market interest rates, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity. The Fund may invest in corporate debt obligations of any credit rating.
Corporate Debt Obligations rated BBB or Baa are considered medium grade obligations with speculative characteristics, and adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances may weaken their issuers capacity to pay interest and repay principal. Medium to lower rated and comparable non-rated securities tend to offer higher yields than higher rated securities with the same maturities because the historical financial condition of the issuers of such securities may not have been as strong as that of other issuers. The price of corporate debt obligations will generally fluctuate in response to fluctuations in supply and demand for similarly rated securities. In addition, the price of corporate debt obligations will generally fluctuate in response to interest rate levels. Fluctuations in the prices of portfolio securities subsequent to their acquisition will not affect cash income from such securities but will be reflected in the Funds net asset value (NAV). Because medium to lower rated securities generally involve greater risks of loss of income and principal than higher rated securities, investors should consider carefully the relative risks associated with investment in securities which carry medium to lower ratings and in comparable unrated securities. In addition to the risk of default, there are the related costs of recovery on defaulted issues. The Funds Investment Adviser will attempt to reduce these risks through portfolio diversification and by analysis of each issuer and its ability to make timely payments of income and principal, as well as broad economic trends and corporate developments.
The Investment Adviser employs its own credit research and analysis, which includes a study of an issuers existing debt, capital structure, ability to service debt and pay dividends, sensitivity to economic conditions, operating history and current earnings trend. The Investment Adviser continually monitors the investments in the Funds portfolio and evaluates whether to dispose of or to retain corporate debt obligations whose credit ratings or credit quality may have changed. If after its purchase, a portfolio security is assigned a lower rating or ceases to be rated, the Fund may continue to hold the security if the Investment Adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders.
Commercial Paper and Other Short-Term Corporate Obligations
The Fund may invest in commercial paper and other short-term obligations payable in U.S. dollars and issued or guaranteed by U.S. corporations, non-U.S. corporations or other entities. Commercial paper represents short-term unsecured promissory notes issued in bearer form by banks or bank holding companies, corporations and finance companies.
Trust Preferred Securities
The Fund may invest in trust preferred securities. A trust preferred or capital security is a long dated bond (for example 30 years) with preferred features. The preferred features are that payment of interest can be deferred for a specified period without initiating a default event. From a bondholders viewpoint, the securities are senior in claim to standard preferred but are junior to other bondholders. From the issuers viewpoint, the securities are attractive because their interest is deductible for tax purposes like other types of debt instruments.
High Yield Securities
The Fund may invest in bonds rated BB or below by Standard & Poors or Ba or below by Moodys (or comparable rated and unrated securities). These bonds are commonly referred to as junk bonds, are non-investment grade and are considered speculative. The ability of issuers of high yield securities to make principal and interest payments may be questionable because such issuers are often less creditworthy or are highly leveraged and generally less able than more established or less leveraged entities to make scheduled payments of principal and interest. High yield securities are also issued by governmental issuers that may have difficulty in making all scheduled interest and principal payments. In some cases, high yield securities may be highly speculative, have poor prospects for reaching investment grade standing and be in default. As a result, investment in such bonds will entail greater risks than those associated with investment in investment grade bonds (i.e., bonds rated AAA, AA, A or BBB by Standard & Poors or Aaa, Aa, A or Baa by Moodys). Analysis of the creditworthiness of issuers of high yield securities may be more complex than for issuers of
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higher quality debt securities, and the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objective may, to the extent of its investments in high yield securities, be more dependent upon such creditworthiness analysis than would be the case if the Fund were investing in higher quality securities. See Appendix A for a description of the corporate bond and preferred stock ratings by Standard & Poors, Moodys, Fitch, Inc. (Fitch) and Dominion Bond Rating Service Limited (DBRS).
The market values of high yield securities tend to reflect individual corporate or municipal developments to a greater extent than do those of higher rated securities, which react primarily to fluctuations in the general level of interest rates. Issuers of high yield securities that are highly leveraged may not be able to make use of more traditional methods of financing. Their ability to service debt obligations may be more adversely affected by economic downturns or their inability to meet specific projected business forecasts than would be the case for issuers of high-rated securities. Negative publicity about the junk bond market and investor perceptions regarding lower-rated securities, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may depress the prices such high yield securities. In the lower quality segments of the fixed income securities market, changes in perceptions of issuers creditworthiness tend to occur more frequently and in a more pronounced manner than do changes in higher quality segments of the fixed income securities market, resulting in greater yield and price volatility. Another factor which causes fluctuations in the prices of high yield securities is the supply and demand for similarly rated securities. In addition, the prices of investments fluctuate in response to the general level of interest rates. Fluctuations in the prices of portfolio securities subsequent to their acquisition will not affect cash income from such securities but will be reflected in the Funds net asset value.
The risk of loss from default for the holders of high yield securities is significantly greater than is the case for holders of other debt securities because high yield securities are generally unsecured and are often subordinated to the rights of other creditors of the issuers of such securities. Investment by the Fund in already defaulted securities poses an additional risk of loss should nonpayment of principal and interest continue in respect of such securities. Even if such securities are held to maturity, recovery by the Fund of its initial investment and any anticipated income or appreciation is uncertain. In addition, the Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent that it is required to seek recovery relating to the default in the payment of principal or interest on such securities or otherwise protect its interests. The Fund may be required to liquidate other portfolio securities to satisfy annual distribution obligations of the Fund in respect of accrued interest income on securities which are subsequently written off, even though the Fund has not received any cash payments of such interest.
The secondary market for high yield securities is concentrated in relatively few markets and is dominated by institutional investors, including mutual funds, insurance companies and other financial institutions. Accordingly, the secondary market for such securities may not be as liquid as and may be more volatile than the secondary market for higher rated securities. In addition, the trading volume for high yield securities is generally lower than that of higher rated securities. The secondary market for high yield securities could contract under adverse market or economic conditions independent of any specific adverse changes in the condition of a particular issuer. These factors may have an adverse effect on the ability of the Fund to dispose of particular portfolio investments when needed to meet their redemption requests or other liquidity needs. The Investment Adviser could find it difficult to sell these investments or may be able to sell the investments only at prices lower than if such investments were widely traded. Prices realized upon the sale of such lower rated or unrated securities, under these circumstances, may be less than the prices used in calculating the net asset value of the Fund. A less liquid secondary market also may make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain precise valuations of the high yield securities in its portfolio.
The adoption of new legislation could adversely affect the secondary market for high yield securities and the financial condition of issuers of these securities. The form of any future legislation, and the probability of such legislation being enacted, is uncertain.
Non-investment grade securities also present risks based on payment expectations. High yield securities frequently contain call or buy-back features which permit the issuer to call or repurchase the security from its holder. If an issuer exercises such a call option and redeems the security, the Fund may have to replace such security with a lower-yielding security, resulting in a decreased return for investors.
Credit ratings issued by credit rating agencies are designed to evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments of rated securities. They do not, however, evaluate the market value risk of high yield securities and, therefore, may not fully reflect the true risks of an investment. In addition, credit rating agencies may or may not make timely changes in a rating to reflect changes in the economy or in the conditions of the issuer that affect the market value of the security. Consequently, credit ratings are used only as a preliminary indicator of investment quality. Investments in non-investment grade and comparable unrated obligations will be more dependent on the Investment Advisers credit analysis than would be the case with investments in investment-grade debt obligations. The Investment Adviser employs its own credit research and analysis, which includes a study of an issuers existing debt, capital
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structure, ability to service debt and to pay dividends, sensitivity to economic conditions, operating history and current earnings trend. The Investment Adviser continually monitors the investments in the portfolio of the Fund and evaluates whether to dispose of or to retain non-investment grade and comparable unrated securities whose credit ratings or credit quality may have changed. If after its purchase, a portfolio security is assigned a lower rating or ceases to be rated, the Fund may continue to hold the security if the Investment Adviser believes it is in the best interest of the Fund and its shareholders.
An economic downturn could severely affect the ability of highly leveraged issuers of junk bond investments to service their debt obligations or to repay their obligations upon maturity. Factors having an adverse impact on the market value of junk bonds will have an adverse effect on the Funds net asset value to the extent it invests in such investments. In addition, the Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek recovery upon a default in payment of principal or interest on its portfolio holdings.
Special Situation Investments
The Fund may make investments in special situation financings, including in event-driven situations such as recapitalizations, financings, corporate and financial restructurings, acquisitions, divestitures, reorganizations or other situations in public or private companies that may provide the Fund with an opportunity to provide debt and/or equity financing, and such investments will typically be made on a negotiated basis. The Investment Adviser will seek special situation investment opportunities with limited downside risk relative to their potential upside. These investments are complicated and an incorrect assessment of the downside risk associated with an investment could result in significant losses to the Fund.
Bank Obligations
The Fund may invest in obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. and foreign banks. Bank obligations, including without limitation time deposits, bankers acceptances and certificates of deposit, may be general obligations of the parent bank or may be obligations only of the issuing branch pursuant to the terms of the specific obligations or government regulation.
Banks are subject to extensive but different governmental regulations which may limit both the amount and types of loans which may be made and interest rates which may be charged. Foreign banks are subject to different regulations and are generally permitted to engage in a wider variety of activities than U.S. banks. In addition, the profitability of the banking industry is largely dependent upon the availability and cost of funds for the purpose of financing lending operations under prevailing money market conditions. General economic conditions as well as exposure to credit losses arising from possible financial difficulties of borrowers play an important part in the operations of this industry.
Certificates of deposit are certificates evidencing the obligation of a bank to repay funds deposited with it for a specified period of time at a specified rate. Certificates of deposit are negotiable instruments and are similar to saving deposits but have a definite maturity and are evidenced by a certificate instead of a passbook entry. Banks are required to keep reserves against all certificates of deposit. Fixed time deposits are bank obligations payable at a stated maturity date and bearing interest at a fixed rate. Fixed time deposits may be withdrawn on the demand by the investor, but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties which vary depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation. The Fund may invest in deposits in U.S. and European banks which satisfy the standards set forth above.
Municipal Securities
The Fund may invest in Municipal Securities, the interest on which is exempt from regular federal income tax (i.e., excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes but not necessarily exempt from the federal alternative minimum tax or from the income taxes of any state or local government). In addition, Municipal Securities include participation interests in such securities the interest on which is, in the opinion of bond counsel or counsel selected by the Investment Adviser, excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes. The Fund may revise its definition of Municipal Securities in the future to include other types of securities that currently exist, the interest on which is or will be, in the opinion of such counsel, excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes, provided that investing in such securities is consistent with the Funds investment objective and policies. The Fund may also invest in taxable Municipal Securities.
The yields and market values of municipal securities are determined primarily by the general level of interest rates, the creditworthiness of the issuers of municipal securities and economic and political conditions affecting such issuers. The yields and market prices of municipal securities may be adversely affected by changes in tax rates and policies, which may have less effect on the market for taxable fixed income securities. Moreover, certain types of municipal securities, such as housing revenue bonds, involve
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prepayment risks which could affect the yield on such securities. The credit rating assigned to municipal securities may reflect the existence of guarantees, letters of credit or other credit enhancement features available to the issuers or holders of such municipal securities.
Dividends paid by the Fund that are derived from interest paid on both tax exempt and taxable Municipal Securities will be taxable to the Funds shareholders.
Municipal Securities are often issued to obtain funds for various public purposes including refunding outstanding obligations, obtaining funds for general operating expenses, and obtaining funds to lend to other public institutions and facilities. Municipal Securities also include certain private activity bonds or industrial development bonds, which are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to provide financing aid to acquire sites or construct or equip facilities within a municipality for privately or publicly owned corporations.
Investments in municipal securities are subject to the risk that the issuer could default on its obligations. Such a default could result from the inadequacy of the sources or revenues from which interest and principal payments are to be made or the assets collateralizing such obligations. Revenue bonds, including private activity bonds, are backed only by specific assets or revenue sources and not by the full faith and credit of the governmental issuer.
The two principal classifications of Municipal Securities are general obligations and revenue obligations. General obligations are secured by the issuers pledge of its full faith and credit for the payment of principal and interest, although the characteristics and enforcement of general obligations may vary according to the law applicable to the particular issuer. Revenue obligations, which include, but are not limited to, private activity bonds, resource recovery bonds, certificates of participation and certain municipal notes, are not backed by the credit and taxing authority of the issuer, and are payable solely from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source. Nevertheless, the obligations of the issuer of a revenue obligation may be backed by a letter of credit, guarantee or insurance. General obligations and revenue obligations may be issued in a variety of forms, including commercial paper, fixed, variable and floating rate securities, tender option bonds, auction rate bonds, zero coupon bonds, deferred interest bonds and capital appreciation bonds.
In addition to general obligations and revenue obligations, there is a variety of hybrid and special types of Municipal Securities. There are also numerous differences in the security of Municipal Securities both within and between these two principal classifications.
The Fund may own a large percentage of any one general assessment bond issuance. Therefore, the Fund may be adversely impacted if the issuing municipality fails to pay principal and/or interest on those bonds.
For the purpose of applying the Funds investment restrictions, the identification of the issuer of a Municipal Security which is not a general obligation is made by the Investment Adviser based on the characteristics of the Municipal Security, the most important of which is the source of funds for the payment of principal and interest on such securities.
An entire issue of Municipal Securities may be purchased by one or a small number of institutional investors, including the Fund. Thus, the issue may not be said to be publicly offered. Unlike some securities that are not publicly offered, a secondary market exists for many Municipal Securities that were not publicly offered initially and such securities may be readily marketable.
The credit rating assigned to Municipal Securities may reflect the existence of guarantees, letters of credit or other credit enhancement features available to the issuers or holders of such Municipal Securities.
The obligations of the issuer to pay the principal of and interest on a Municipal Security are subject to the provisions of bankruptcy, insolvency and other laws affecting the rights and remedies of creditors, such as the Federal Bankruptcy Code, and laws, if any, that may be enacted by Congress or state legislatures extending the time for payment of principal or interest or imposing other constraints upon the enforcement of such obligations. There is also the possibility that, as a result of litigation or other conditions, the power or ability of the issuer to pay when due principal of or interest on a Municipal Security may be materially affected.
Municipal Leases, Certificates of Participation and Other Participation Interests. The Fund may invest in municipal leases, certificates of participation and other participation interests. A municipal lease is an obligation in the form of a lease or installment
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purchase which is issued by a state or local government to acquire equipment and facilities. Income from such obligations is generally exempt from state and local taxes in the state of issuance. Municipal leases frequently involve special risks not normally associated with general obligations or revenue bonds. Leases and installment purchase or conditional sale contracts (which normally provide for title to the leased asset to pass eventually to the governmental issuer) have evolved as a means for governmental issuers to acquire property and equipment without meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements for the issuance of debt. The debt issuance limitations are deemed to be inapplicable because of the inclusion in many leases or contracts of non-appropriation clauses that relieve the governmental issuer of any obligation to make future payments under the lease or contract unless money is appropriated for such purpose by the appropriate legislative body on a yearly or other periodic basis. In addition, such leases or contracts may be subject to the temporary abatement of payments in the event the issuer is prevented from maintaining occupancy of the leased premises or utilizing the leased equipment. Although the obligations may be secured by the leased equipment or facilities, the disposition of the property in the event of non-appropriation or foreclosure might prove difficult, time consuming and costly, and result in a delay in recovering or the failure to fully recover the Funds original investment. To the extent that the Fund invests in unrated municipal leases or participates in such leases, the credit quality rating and risk of cancellation of such unrated leases will be monitored on an ongoing basis.
Certificates of participation represent undivided interests in municipal leases, installment purchase agreements or other instruments. The certificates are typically issued by a trust or other entity which has received an assignment of the payments to be made by the state or political subdivision under such leases or installment purchase agreements.
Certain municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation may be deemed to be illiquid for the purpose of the Funds limitation on investments in illiquid securities. Other municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation acquired by the Fund may be determined by the Investment Adviser, pursuant to guidelines adopted by the Trustees of the Fund, to be liquid securities for the purpose of such limitation. In determining the liquidity of municipal lease obligations and certificates of participation, the Investment Adviser will consider a variety of factors, including: (i) the willingness of dealers to bid for the security; (ii) the number of dealers willing to purchase or sell the obligation and the number of other potential buyers; (iii) the frequency of trades or quotes for the obligation; and (iv) the nature of the marketplace trades. In addition, the Investment Adviser will consider factors unique to particular lease obligations and certificates of participation affecting the marketability thereof. These include the general creditworthiness of the issuer, the importance to the issuer of the property covered by the lease and the likelihood that the marketability of the obligation will be maintained throughout the time the obligation is held by the Fund.
The Fund may purchase participations in Municipal Securities held by a commercial bank or other financial institution. Such participations provide the Fund with the right to a pro rata undivided interest in the underlying Municipal Securities. In addition, such participations generally provide the Fund with the right to demand payment, on not more than seven days notice, of all or any part of the Funds participation interest in the underlying Municipal Securities, plus accrued interest.
Municipal Notes. Municipal Securities in the form of notes generally are used to provide for short-term capital needs, in anticipation of an issuers receipt of other revenues or financing, and typically have maturities of up to three years. Such instruments may include tax anticipation notes, revenue anticipation notes, bond anticipation notes, tax and revenue anticipation notes and construction loan notes. Tax anticipation notes are issued to finance the working capital needs of governments. Generally, they are issued in anticipation of various tax revenues, such as income, sales, property, use and business taxes, and are payable from these specific future taxes. Revenue anticipation notes are issued in expectation of receipt of other kinds of revenue, such as federal revenues available under federal revenue sharing programs. Bond anticipation notes are issued to provide interim financing until long-term bond financing can be arranged. In most cases, the long-term bonds then provide the funds needed for repayment of the notes. Tax and revenue anticipation notes combine the funding sources of both tax anticipation notes and revenue anticipation notes. Construction loan notes are sold to provide construction financing. These notes are secured by mortgage notes insured by the FHA; however, the proceeds from the insurance may be less than the economic equivalent of the payment of principal and interest on the mortgage note if there has been a default. The obligations of an issuer of municipal notes are generally secured by the anticipated revenues from taxes, grants or bond financing. An investment in such instruments, however, presents a risk that the anticipated revenues will not be received or that such revenues will be insufficient to satisfy the issuers payment obligations under the notes or that refinancing will be otherwise unavailable.
Tax Exempt Commercial Paper. Issues of commercial paper typically represent short-term, unsecured, negotiable promissory notes. These obligations are issued by state and local governments and their agencies to finance working capital needs of municipalities or to provide interim construction financing and are paid from general revenues of municipalities or are refinanced with long-term debt. In most cases, tax exempt commercial paper is backed by letters of credit, lending agreements, note repurchase agreements or other credit facility agreements offered by banks or other institutions.
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Pre-Refunded Municipal Securities. The principal of and interest on pre-refunded Municipal Securities are no longer paid from the original revenue source for the securities. Instead, the source of such payments is typically an escrow fund consisting of U.S. Government Securities. The assets in the escrow fund are derived from the proceeds of refunding bonds issued by the same issuer as the pre-refunded Municipal Securities. Issuers of Municipal Securities use this advance refunding technique to obtain more favorable terms with respect to securities that are not yet subject to call or redemption by the issuer. For example, advance refunding enables an issuer to refinance debt at lower market interest rates, restructure debt to improve cash flow or eliminate restrictive covenants in the indenture or other governing instrument for the pre-refunded Municipal Securities. However, except for a change in the revenue source from which principal and interest payments are made, the pre-refunded Municipal Securities remain outstanding on their original terms until they mature or are redeemed by the issuer. Pre-refunded Municipal Securities are often purchased at a price which represents a premium over their face value.
Private Activity Bonds. The Fund may invest in certain types of Municipal Securities, generally referred to as industrial development bonds (and referred to under current tax law as private activity bonds), which are issued by or on behalf of public authorities to obtain funds to provide privately operated housing facilities, airport, mass transit or port facilities, sewage disposal, solid waste disposal or hazardous waste treatment or disposal facilities and certain local facilities for water supply, gas or electricity. Other types of industrial development bonds, the proceeds of which are used for the construction, equipment, repair or improvement of privately operated industrial or commercial facilities, may constitute Municipal Securities, although the current federal tax laws place substantial limitations on the size of such issues. The Funds distributions of any tax exempt interest it receives from any source will be taxable for regular federal income tax purposes.
Tender Option Bonds. A tender option bond is a Municipal Security (generally held pursuant to a custodial arrangement) having a relatively long maturity and bearing interest at a fixed rate substantially higher than prevailing short-term, tax exempt rates. The bond is typically issued with the agreement of a third party, such as a bank, broker-dealer or other financial institution, which grants the security holders the option, at periodic intervals, to tender their securities to the institution and receive the face value thereof. As consideration for providing the option, the financial institution receives periodic fees equal to the difference between the bonds fixed coupon rate and the rate, as determined by a remarketing or similar agent at or near the commencement of such period, that would cause the securities, coupled with the tender option, to trade at par on the date of such determination. Thus, after payment of this fee, the security holder effectively holds a demand obligation that bears interest at the prevailing short-term, tax exempt rate. However, an institution will not be obligated to accept tendered bonds in the event of certain defaults or a significant downgrade in the credit rating assigned to the issuer of the bond. The liquidity of a tender option bond is a function of the credit quality of both the bond issuer and the financial institution providing liquidity. Tender option bonds are deemed to be liquid unless, in the opinion of the Investment Adviser, the credit quality of the bond issuer and the financial institution is deemed, in light of the Funds credit quality requirements, to be inadequate and the bond would not otherwise be readily marketable.
Auction Rate Securities. Auction rate securities include auction rate Municipal Securities and auction rate preferred securities issued by closed-end investment companies that invest primarily in Municipal Securities (collectively, auction rate securities). Provided that the auction mechanism is successful, auction rate securities usually permit the holder to sell the securities in an auction at par value at specified intervals. The dividend is reset by Dutch auction in which bids are made by broker-dealers and other institutions for a certain amount of securities at a specified minimum yield. The dividend rate set by the auction is the lowest interest or dividend rate that covers all securities offered for sale. While this process is designed to permit auction rate securities to be traded at par value, there is some risk that an auction will fail due to insufficient demand for the securities. In certain recent market environments, auction failures have been more prevalent, which may adversely affect the liquidity and price of auction rate securities. Moreover, between auctions, there may be no secondary market for these securities, and sales conducted on a secondary market may not be on terms favorable to the seller. Thus, with respect to liquidity and price stability, auction rate securities may differ substantially from cash equivalents, notwithstanding the frequency of auctions and the credit quality of the security. In certain market environments, auction failures may be more prevalent, which may adversely affect the liquidity and price of auction rate securities. Moreover, between auctions, there may be no secondary market for these securities, and sales conducted on a secondary market may not be on terms favorable to the seller. Thus, with respect to liquidity and price stability, auction rate securities may differ substantially from cash equivalents, notwithstanding the frequency of auctions and the credit quality of the security. The Fund will take the time remaining until the next scheduled auction date into account for the purpose of determining the auction rate securities duration.
Dividends on auction rate preferred securities issued by a closed-end fund may be designated as exempt from federal income tax to the extent they are attributable to exempt income earned by the fund on the securities in its portfolio and distributed to holders of the preferred securities, provided that the preferred securities are treated as equity securities for federal income tax purposes and the closed-end fund complies with certain tests under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code).
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The Funds investments in auction rate securities of closed-end funds are subject to the limitations prescribed by the Act and certain state securities regulations. The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management and other fees paid by such closed-end funds in addition to the advisory fees payable directly by the Fund.
Insurance. The Fund may invest in insured tax exempt Municipal Securities. Insured Municipal Securities are securities for which scheduled payments of interest and principal are guaranteed by a private (non-governmental) insurance company. The insurance only entitles the Fund to receive the face or par value of the securities held by the Fund. The insurance does not guarantee the market value of the Municipal Securities or the value of the Shares of the Fund.
The Fund may utilize new issue or secondary market insurance. A new issue insurance policy is purchased by a bond issuer who wishes to increase the credit rating of a security. By paying a premium and meeting the insurers underwriting standards, the bond issuer is able to obtain a high credit rating (usually, Aaa from Moodys or AAA from Standard & Poors) for the issued security. Such insurance is likely to increase the purchase price and resale value of the security. New issue insurance policies generally are non-cancelable and continue in force as long as the bonds are outstanding.
A secondary market insurance policy is purchased by an investor (such as the Fund) subsequent to a bonds original issuance and generally insures a particular bond for the remainder of its term. The Fund may purchase bonds which have already been insured under a secondary market insurance policy by a prior investor, or the Fund may directly purchase such a policy from insurers for bonds which are currently uninsured.
An insured Municipal Security acquired by the Fund will typically be covered by only one of the above types of policies.
Standby Commitments. In order to enhance the liquidity of Municipal Securities, the Fund may acquire the right to sell a security to another party at a guaranteed price and date. Such a right to resell may be referred to as a standby commitment or liquidity put, depending on its characteristics. The aggregate price which the Fund pays for securities with standby commitments may be higher than the price which otherwise would be paid for the securities. Standby commitments may not be available or may not be available on satisfactory terms.
Standby commitments may involve letters of credit issued by domestic or foreign banks supporting the other partys ability to purchase the security from the Fund. The right to sell may be exercisable on demand or at specified intervals, and may form part of a security or be acquired separately by the Fund. In considering whether a security meets the Funds quality standards, the Fund will look to the creditworthiness of the party providing the Fund with the right to sell as well as the quality of the security itself.
The Fund values Municipal Securities which are subject to standby commitments at amortized cost. The exercise price of the standby commitments is expected to approximate such amortized cost. No value is assigned to the standby commitments for purposes of determining the Funds net asset value. The cost of a standby commitment is carried as unrealized depreciation from the time of purchase until it is exercised or expires. Since the value of a standby commitment is dependent on the ability of the standby commitment writer to meet its obligation to repurchase, the Funds policy is to enter into standby commitment transactions only with banks, brokers or dealers which present a minimal risk of default.
The Investment Adviser understands that the IRS has issued a favorable revenue ruling to the effect that, under specified circumstances, a registered investment company will be the owner of tax exempt municipal obligations acquired subject to a put option. The IRS has subsequently announced that it will not ordinarily issue advance ruling letters as to the identity of the true owner of property in cases involving the sale of securities or participation interests therein if the purchaser has the right to cause the security, or the participation interest therein, to be purchased by either the seller or a third party. The Fund intends to take the position that it is the owner of any Municipal Securities acquired subject to a standby commitment or acquired or held with certain other types of put rights and that tax exempt interest earned with respect to such Municipal Securities will be tax exempt in its hands. There is no assurance that standby commitments will be available to the Fund nor has the Fund assumed that such commitments would continue to be available under all market conditions.
Call Risk and Reinvestment Risk. Municipal Securities may include call provisions which permit the issuers of such securities, at any time or after a specified period, to redeem the securities prior to their stated maturity. In the event that Municipal Securities held in the Funds portfolio are called prior to the maturity, the Fund will be required to reinvest the proceeds on such securities at an earlier date and may be able to do so only at lower yields, thereby reducing the Funds return on its portfolio securities.
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Tobacco Settlement Revenue Bonds. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in tobacco settlement revenue bonds. Tobacco settlement revenue bonds are municipal obligations that are backed entirely by expected revenues to be derived from lawsuits involving tobacco related deaths and illnesses which were settled between certain states and American tobacco companies. Tobacco settlement revenue bonds are secured by an issuing states proportionate share in the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA). The MSA is an agreement, reached out of court in November 1998 between 46 states and nearly all of the U.S. tobacco manufacturers. The MSA provides for annual payments in perpetuity by the manufacturers to the states in exchange for releasing all claims against the manufacturers and a pledge of no further litigation. Tobacco manufacturers pay into a master escrow trust based on their market share, and each state receives a fixed percentage of the payment as set forth in the MSA. A number of states have securitized the future flow of those payments by selling bonds pursuant to indentures or through distinct governmental entities created for such purpose. The principal and interest payments on the bonds are backed by the future revenue flow related to the MSA. Annual payments on the bonds, and thus risk to the Fund, are highly dependent on the receipt of future settlement payments to the state or its governmental entity.
The actual amount of future settlement payments is further dependent on many factors, including, but not limited to, annual domestic cigarette shipments, reduced cigarette consumption, increased taxes on cigarettes, inflation, financial capability of tobacco companies, continuing litigation and the possibility of tobacco manufacturer bankruptcy. The initial and annual payments made by the tobacco companies will be adjusted based on a number of factors, the most important of which is domestic cigarette consumption. If the volume of cigarettes shipped in the U.S. by manufacturers participating in the settlement decreases significantly, payments due from them will also decrease. Demand for cigarettes in the U.S. could continue to decline due to price increases needed to recoup the cost of payments by tobacco companies. Demand could also be affected by: anti-smoking campaigns, tax increases, reduced advertising, enforcement of laws prohibiting sales to minors; elimination of certain sales venues such as vending machines; and the spread of local ordinances restricting smoking in public places. As a result, payments made by tobacco manufacturers could be negatively impacted if the decrease in tobacco consumption is significantly greater than the forecasted decline. A market share loss by the MSA companies to non-MSA participating tobacco manufacturers would cause a downward adjustment in the payment amounts. A participating manufacturer filing for bankruptcy also could cause delays or reductions in bond payments. The MSA itself has been subject to legal challenges and has, to date, withstood those challenges.
High Yield Municipal Securities
High yield municipal bonds can deliver higher yields and total return than either investment grade corporate bonds, investment grade municipal bonds, or U.S. Treasury bonds. However, because these non-investment grade securities involve higher risks in return for higher income, they are best suited to long-term investors who are financially secure enough to withstand volatility and the risks associated with such investments. See Description of Investment Securities and PracticesHigh Yield Securities. Different types of fixed income securities may react differently to changes in the economy. High yield municipal bonds, like stocks, tend to perform best when the economy is strong, inflation is low and companies experience healthy profits, which can lead to higher stock prices and higher credit ratings. Government bonds are likely to appreciate more in a weaker economy when interest rates are declining. In certain types of markets, adding some diversification in the high yield asset class may help to increase returns and decrease overall portfolio risk.
For high yield municipal securities, as for most investments, there is a direct relationship between risk and return. Along with their potential to deliver higher yields and greater capital appreciation than most other types of fixed income securities, high yield municipal securities are subject to higher risk of loss, greater volatility and are considered speculative by traditional investment standards. The most significant risk associated with high yield municipal securities is credit risk: the risk that the issuer of a high yield municipal security may have difficulty in meeting its principal and/or interest payments on a timely basis. As a result, extensive credit research and diversification are essential factors in managing risk in the high yield municipal arena. To a lesser extent, high yield municipal bonds are also subject to interest rate risk: when interest rates increase, the value of fixed income securities tends to decline.
Foreign Investments
The Fund may invest in fixed or floating income securities quoted or denominated in a currency other than U.S. dollars. Investments in foreign securities may offer potential benefits not available from investments solely in U.S. dollar-denominated or quoted securities of domestic issuers. Such benefits may include the opportunity to invest in foreign issuers that appear, in the opinion of the Investment Adviser, to offer the potential for better long term growth of capital and income than investments in U.S. securities, the opportunity to invest in foreign countries with economic policies or business cycles different from those of the United States and the opportunity to reduce fluctuations in portfolio value by taking advantage of foreign securities markets that do not necessarily move in a manner parallel to U.S. markets. Investing in the securities of foreign issuers also involves, however, certain special risks, including those discussed in the Funds Prospectus and those set forth below, which are not typically associated with investing in U.S. dollar-denominated securities or quoted securities of U.S. issuers. Many of these risks are more pronounced for investments in emerging countries.
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With respect to investments in certain foreign countries, there exist certain economic, political and social risks, including the risk of adverse political developments, nationalization, military unrest, social instability, war and terrorism, confiscation without fair compensation, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, limitations on the movement of funds and other assets between different countries, or diplomatic developments, any of which could adversely affect the Funds investments in those countries. Governments in certain foreign countries continue to participate to a significant degree, through ownership interest or regulation, in their respective economies. Action by these governments could have a significant effect on market prices of securities and dividend payments. Many countries throughout the world are dependent on a healthy U.S. economy and are adversely affected when the U.S. economy weakens or its markets decline. Additionally, many foreign country economies are heavily dependent on international trade and are adversely affected by protective trade barriers and economic conditions of their trading partners. Protectionist trade legislation enacted by those trading partners could have a significant adverse affect on the securities markets of those countries. Individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross national product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments position.
Investments in foreign securities often involve currencies of foreign countries. Accordingly, the Fund may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency rates and in exchange control regulations and may incur costs in connection with conversions between various currencies. The Fund may be subject to currency exposure independent of its securities positions. To the extent that the Fund is fully invested in foreign securities while also maintaining net currency positions, it may be exposed to greater combined risk.
Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by the forces of supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or anticipated changes in interest rates and other complex factors, as seen from an international perspective. Currency exchange rates also can be affected unpredictably by intervention (or failure to intervene) by U.S. or foreign governments or central banks or by currency controls or political developments in the United States or abroad. To the extent that a portion of the Funds total assets, adjusted to reflect the Funds net position after giving effect to currency transactions, is denominated or quoted in the currencies of foreign countries, the Fund will be more susceptible to the risk of adverse economic and political developments within those countries. The Funds net currency positions may expose it to risks independent of its securities positions.
Because foreign issuers generally are not subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies, there may be less publicly available information about a foreign company than about a comparable U.S. company. Volume and liquidity in most foreign securities markets are less than in the United States markets and securities of many foreign companies are less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. companies. The securities of foreign issuers may be listed on foreign securities exchanges or traded in foreign over-the-counter markets. Fixed commissions on foreign securities exchanges are generally higher than negotiated commissions on U.S. exchanges, although the Fund endeavors to achieve the most favorable net results on its portfolio transactions. There is generally less government supervision and regulation of foreign securities markets and exchanges, brokers, dealers and listed and unlisted companies than in the United States, and the legal remedies for investors may be more limited than the remedies available in the United States. For example, there may be no comparable provisions under certain foreign laws to insider trading and similar investor protections that apply with respect to securities transactions consummated in the United States. Mail service between the United States and foreign countries may be slower or less reliable than within the United States, thus increasing the risk of delayed settlement of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates for portfolio securities.
Foreign markets also have different clearance and settlement procedures, and in certain markets there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such transactions. Such delays in settlement could result in temporary periods when some of the Funds assets are uninvested and no return is earned on such assets. The inability of the Fund to make intended security purchases due to settlement problems could cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities. Inability to dispose of portfolio securities due to settlement problems could result either in losses to the Fund due to subsequent declines in value of the portfolio securities or, if the Fund has entered into a contract to sell the securities, in possible liability to the purchaser.
The Fund may invest in markets where custodial and/or settlement systems are not fully developed. The assets of the Fund that are traded in such markets and which have been entrusted to such sub-custodians may be exposed to risk in circumstances where the sub-custodian will have no liability.
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The Fund may invest in foreign securities which take the form of sponsored and unsponsored American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) and Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) and may also invest in European Depositary Receipts (EDRs) or other similar instruments representing securities of foreign issuers (together, Depositary Receipts).
ADRs represent the right to receive securities of foreign issuers deposited in a domestic bank or a correspondent bank. ADRs are traded on domestic exchanges or in the U.S. over-the-counter market and, generally, are in registered form. EDRs and GDRs are receipts evidencing an arrangement with a non-U.S. bank similar to that for ADRs and are designed for use in the non-U.S. securities markets. EDRs and GDRs are not necessarily quoted in the same currency as the underlying security.
To the extent the Fund acquires Depositary Receipts through banks which do not have a contractual relationship with the foreign issuer of the security underlying the Depositary Receipts to issue and service such unsponsored Depositary Receipts, there may be an increased possibility that the Fund would not become aware of and be able to respond to corporate actions such as stock splits or rights offerings involving the foreign issuer in a timely manner. In addition, the lack of information may result in inefficiencies in the valuation of such instruments. Investment in Depositary Receipts does not eliminate all the risks inherent in investing in securities of non-U.S. issuers. The market value of Depositary Receipts is dependent upon the market value of the underlying securities and fluctuations in the relative value of the currencies in which the Depositary Receipts and the underlying securities are quoted. However, by investing in Depositary Receipts, such as ADRs, which are quoted in U.S. dollars, the Fund may avoid currency risks during the settlement period for purchases and sales.
Foreign Government Obligations. Foreign government obligations include securities, instruments and obligations issued or guaranteed by a foreign government, its agencies, instrumentalities or sponsored enterprises. Investment in foreign government obligations can involve a high degree of risk. The governmental entity that controls the repayment of foreign government obligations may not be able or willing to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt. A governmental entitys willingness or ability to repay principal and interest due in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the governmental entitys policy towards the International Monetary Fund and the political constraints to which a governmental entity may be subject. Governmental entities may also be dependent on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and others abroad to reduce principal and interest on their debt. The commitment on the part of these governments, agencies and others to make such disbursements may be conditioned on a governmental entitys implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of such debtors obligations. Failure to implement such reforms, achieve such levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of such third parties commitments to lend funds to the governmental entity, which may further impair such debtors ability or willingness to services its debts in a timely manner. Consequently, governmental entities may default on their debt. Holders of foreign government obligations (including the Fund) may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental agencies.
Investing in Emerging Countries
Market Characteristics. Investment in debt securities of emerging country issuers involves special risks. The development of a market for such securities is a relatively recent phenomenon and debt securities of most emerging country issuers are less liquid and are generally subject to greater price volatility than securities of issuers in the United States and other developed countries. In certain countries, there may be fewer publicly traded securities, and the market may be dominated by a few issuers or sectors. The markets for securities of emerging countries may have substantially less volume than the market for similar securities in the United States and may not be able to absorb, without price disruptions, a significant increase in trading volume or trade size. Additionally, market making and arbitrage activities are generally less extensive in such markets, which may contribute to increased volatility and reduced liquidity of such markets. The less liquid the market, the more difficult it may be for the Fund to price accurately its portfolio securities or to dispose of such securities at the times determined to be appropriate. The risks associated with reduced liquidity may be particularly acute to the extent that the Fund needs cash to meet redemption requests, to pay dividends and other distributions or to pay its expenses.
The Funds purchase and sale of portfolio securities in certain emerging 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. Such limitations may be computed based on the aggregate trading volume by or holdings of the Fund, the Investment Adviser, 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.
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Securities markets of emerging countries may also have less efficient clearance and settlement procedures than U.S. markets, making it difficult to conduct and complete transactions. Delays in the settlement could result in temporary periods when a portion of the Funds assets is uninvested and no return is earned thereon. Inability to make intended security purchases could cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities. Inability to dispose of portfolio securities could result either in losses to the Fund due to subsequent declines in value of the portfolio security or, if the Fund has entered into a contract to sell the security, could result in possible liability of the Fund to the purchaser.
Transaction costs, including brokerage commissions and dealer mark-ups, in emerging countries may be higher than in the U.S. and other developed securities markets. As legal systems in emerging countries develop, foreign investors may be adversely affected by new or amended laws and regulations. In circumstances where adequate laws exist, it may not be possible to obtain swift and equitable enforcement of the law.
With respect to investments in certain emerging countries, antiquated legal systems may have an adverse impact on the Fund. For example, while the potential liability of a shareholder of a U.S. corporation with respect to acts of the corporation is generally limited to the amount of the shareholders investment, the notion of limited liability is less clear in certain emerging market countries. Similarly, the rights of investors in emerging market companies may be more limited than those of investors of U.S. corporations.
Economic, Political and Social Factors. Emerging countries may be subject to a greater degree of economic, political and social instability than the United States, Japan and most Western European countries, and unanticipated political and social developments may affect the value of the Funds investments in emerging countries and the availability to the Fund of additional investments in such countries. Moreover, political and economic structures in many emerging countries may be undergoing significant evolution and rapid development. Instability may result from, among other things: (i) authoritarian governments or military involvement in political and economic decision-making, including changes or attempted changes in government through extra-constitutional means; (ii) popular unrest associated with demands for improved economic, political and social conditions; (iii) internal insurgencies; (iv) hostile relations with neighboring countries; (v) ethnic, religious and racial disaffection and conflict; and (vi) the absence of developed legal structures governing foreign private property. Many emerging countries have experienced in the past, and continue to experience, high rates of inflation. In certain countries, inflation has at times accelerated rapidly to hyperinflationary levels, creating a negative interest rate environment and sharply eroding the value of outstanding financial assets in those countries. The economies of many emerging countries are heavily dependent upon international trade and are accordingly affected by protective trade barriers and the economic conditions of their trading partners. In addition, the economies of some emerging countries may differ unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resources, self-sufficiency and balance of payments position.
Restrictions on Investment and Repatriation. Certain emerging countries require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons or limit investments by foreign persons to only a specified percentage of an issuers outstanding securities or a specific class of securities which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of the issuer available for purchase by nationals. Repatriation of investment income and capital from certain emerging countries is subject to certain governmental consents. Even where there is no outright restriction on repatriation of capital, the mechanics of repatriation may affect the operation of the Fund.
Emerging Country Government Obligations. Emerging country governmental entities are among the largest debtors to commercial banks, foreign governments, international financial organizations and other financial institutions. Certain emerging country governmental entities have not been able to make payments of interest on or principal of debt obligations as those payments have come due. Obligations arising from past restructuring agreements may affect the economic performance and political and social stability of those entities.
The ability of emerging country governmental entities to make timely payments on their obligations is likely to be influenced strongly by the entitys balance of payments, including export performance, and its access to international credits and investments. An emerging country whose exports are concentrated in a few commodities could be vulnerable to a decline in the international prices of one or more of those commodities. Increased protectionism on the part of an emerging countrys trading partners could also adversely affect the countrys exports and tarnish its trade account surplus, if any. To the extent that emerging countries receive payment for their exports in currencies other than dollars or non-emerging country currencies, the emerging country governmental entitys ability to make debt payments denominated in dollars or non-emerging market currencies could be affected.
To the extent that an emerging country cannot generate a trade surplus, it must depend on continuing loans from foreign governments, multilateral organizations or private commercial banks, aid payments from foreign governments and on inflows of
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foreign investment. The access of emerging countries to these forms of external funding may not be certain, and a withdrawal of external funding could adversely affect the capacity of emerging country governmental entities to make payments on their obligations. In addition, the cost of servicing emerging country debt obligations can be affected by a change in international interest rates because the majority of these obligations carry interest rates that are adjusted periodically based upon international rates.
Another factor bearing on the ability of emerging countries to repay debt obligations is the level of international reserves of a country. Fluctuations in the level of these reserves affect the amount of foreign exchange readily available for external debt payments and thus could have a bearing on the capacity of emerging countries to make payments on these debt obligations.
As a result of the foregoing or other factors, a governmental obligor, especially in an emerging country, may default on its obligations. If such an event occurs, the Fund may have limited legal recourse against the issuer and/or guarantor. Remedies must, in some cases, be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party itself, and the ability of the holder of foreign government obligations to obtain recourse may be subject to the political climate in the relevant country. In addition, no assurance can be given that the holders of commercial bank debt will not contest payments to the holders of other foreign government obligations in the event of default under the commercial bank loan agreements.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts.
The Fund may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts for hedging purposes, to seek to protect against anticipated changes in future foreign currency exchange rates, and to seek to increase total return. A forward foreign currency exchange contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts are traded in the interbank market and are conducted directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. A forward contract generally has no deposit requirement, and no commissions are generally charged at any stage for trades.
At the maturity of a forward contract the Fund may either accept or make delivery of the currency specified in the contract or, at or prior to maturity, enter into a closing purchase transaction involving the purchase or sale of an offsetting contract. Closing purchase transactions with respect to forward contracts are often, but not always, effected with the currency trader who is a party to the original forward contract.
The Fund may enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts in several circumstances. First, when the Fund enters into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated or quoted in a foreign currency, or when the Fund anticipates the receipt in a foreign currency of dividend or interest payments on such a security which it holds, the Fund may desire to lock in the U.S. dollar price of the security or the U.S. dollar equivalent of such dividend or interest payment, as the case may be. By entering into a forward contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars, of the amount of foreign currency involved in the underlying transactions, the Fund will attempt to protect itself against an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and the subject foreign currency during the period between the date on which the security is purchased or sold, or on which the dividend or interest payment is declared, and the date on which such payments are made or received.
Additionally, when the Investment Adviser believes that the currency of a particular foreign country may suffer a substantial decline against the U.S. dollar, it may enter into a forward contract to sell, for a fixed amount of U.S. dollars, the amount of foreign currency approximating the value of some or all of the Funds portfolio securities quoted or denominated in such foreign currency. The precise matching of the forward contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date on which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. Using forward contracts to protect the value of the Funds portfolio securities against a decline in the value of a currency does not eliminate fluctuations in the underlying prices of the securities. It simply establishes a rate of exchange, which the Fund can achieve at some future point in time. The precise projection of short-term currency market movements is not possible, and short-term hedging provides a means of fixing the U.S. dollar value of only a portion of the Funds foreign assets.
The Fund may engage in cross-hedging by using forward contracts in one currency to hedge against fluctuations in the value of securities quoted or denominated in a different currency if the Investment Adviser determines that there is a pattern of correlation between the two currencies. In addition, the Fund may enter into foreign currency transactions to seek a closer correlation between the Funds overall currency exposure and the currency exposure of the Funds performance benchmark.
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The Fund is not required to post cash collateral with its non-U.S. counterparties in certain foreign currency transactions. Accordingly, the Fund may remain more fully invested (and more of the Funds assets may be subject to investment and market risk) than if it were required to post collateral with its counterparties (which is the case with U.S. counterparties). Because the Funds non-U.S. counterparties are not required to post cash collateral with the Fund, the Fund will be subject to additional counterparty risk.
As an investment company registered with the SEC, the Fund must identify on its books liquid assets, or engage in other appropriate measures, to cover open positions with respect to its transactions in forward contracts. In the case of forward contracts that do not cash settle, for example, the Fund must identify on its books liquid assets equal to the full notional amount of the forward contracts while the positions are open. With respect to forward contracts that do cash settle, however, the Fund is permitted to identify liquid assets in an amount equal to the Funds daily marked-to-market net obligations (i.e., the Funds daily net liability) under the forward contracts, if any, rather than their full notional amount. The Fund reserves the right to modify its asset segregation policies in the future in its discretion. By identifying assets equal to only its net obligations under cash-settled forward contracts, the Fund will have the ability to employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to identify assets equal to the full notional amount of the forward contracts.
While the Fund may enter into forward contracts to seek to reduce currency exchange rate risks, transactions in such contracts involve certain other risks. Thus, while the Fund may benefit from such transactions, unanticipated changes in currency prices may result in a poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not engaged in any such transactions. Moreover, there may be imperfect correlation between the Funds portfolio holdings of securities quoted or denominated in a particular currency and forward contracts entered into by the Fund. Such imperfect correlation may cause the Fund to sustain losses which will prevent the Fund from achieving a complete hedge or expose the Fund to risk of foreign exchange loss.
Markets for trading foreign forward currency contracts offer less protection against defaults than is available when trading in currency instruments on an exchange. Forward contracts are subject to the risk that the counterparty to such contract will default on its obligations. Because a forward foreign currency exchange contract is not guaranteed by an exchange or clearinghouse, a default on the contract would deprive the Fund of unrealized profits, transaction costs or the benefits of a currency hedge or force the Fund to cover its purchase or sale commitments, if any, at the current market price. In addition, the institutions that deal in forward currency contracts are not required to continue to make markets in the currencies they trade and these markets can experience periods of illiquidity. The Fund will not enter into forward foreign currency exchange contracts, currency swaps or other privately negotiated currency instruments unless the credit quality of the unsecured senior debt or the claims-paying ability of the counterparty is considered to be investment grade by the Investment Adviser. To the extent that a substantial portion of the Funds total assets, adjusted to reflect the Funds net position after giving effect to currency transactions, is denominated or quoted in the currencies of foreign countries, the Fund will be more susceptible to the risk of adverse economic and political developments within those countries.
Interest Rate Swaps, Mortgage Swaps, Credit Swaps, Currency Swaps, Total Return Swaps, Options on Swaps and Interest Rate Caps, Floors and Collars
The Fund may enter into interest rate, credit and total return swaps. The Fund may also enter into interest rate caps, floors and collars. In addition, the Fund may enter into currency swaps. The Fund may also purchase and write (sell) options contracts on swaps, commonly referred to as swaptions.
The Fund may enter into swap transactions for hedging purposes or to seek to increase total return. As examples, the Fund may enter into swap transactions for the purpose of attempting to obtain or preserve a particular return or spread at a lower cost than obtaining a return or spread through purchases and/or sales of instruments in other markets, to protect against currency fluctuations, as a duration management technique, to protect against any increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date, or to gain exposure to certain markets in an economical way.
In a standard swap transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns, differentials in rates of return or some other amount earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. The gross returns to be exchanged or swapped between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a notional amount, i.e., the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate, in a particular foreign currency or security, or in a basket of securities representing a particular index. Bilateral swap agreements are two party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors. As examples, interest rate swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest, such as an exchange of fixed-rate payments for floating rate payments. Mortgage swaps are similar to interest rate swaps in that they represent commitments to pay and receive interest. The notional principal amount, however, is tied to a reference pool or pools of mortgages. Credit swaps involve the exchange of a floating or fixed rate payment in
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return for assuming potential credit losses of an underlying security or pool of securities. Loan credit default swaps are similar to credit default swaps on bonds, except that the underlying protection is sold on secured loans of a reference entity rather than a broader category of bonds or loans. Loan credit default swaps may be on single names or on baskets of loans, both tranched and untranched. Currency swaps involve the exchange of the parties respective rights to make or receive payments in specified currencies. Total return swaps are contracts that obligate a party to pay or receive interest in exchange for payment by the other party of the total return generated by a security, a basket of securities, an index, or an index component.
A swaption is an option to enter into a swap agreement. Like other types of options, the buyer of a swaption pays a non-refundable premium for the option and obtains the right, but not the obligation, to enter into an underlying swap or to modify the terms of an existing swap on agreed-upon terms. The seller of a swaption, in exchange for the premium, becomes obligated (if the option is exercised) to enter into or modify an underlying swap on agreed-upon terms, which generally entails a greater risk of loss than incurred in buying a swaption. The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate, to receive payment of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling the interest rate floor. An interest rate collar is the combination of a cap and a floor that preserves a certain return within a predetermined range of interest rates.
A great deal of flexibility may be possible in the way swap transactions are structured. However, generally the Fund will enter into interest rate, total return, credit and mortgage swaps on a net basis, which means that the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Interest rate, total return, credit and mortgage swaps do not normally involve the delivery of securities, other underlying assets or principal. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to interest rate, total return, credit and mortgage swaps is normally limited to the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the other party to an interest rate, total return, credit or mortgage swap defaults, the Funds risk of loss consists of the net amount of interest payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive. In contrast, currency swaps usually involve the delivery of a gross payment stream in one designated currency in exchange for a gross payment stream in another designated currency. Therefore, the entire payment stream under a currency swap is subject to the risk that the other party to the swap will default on its contractual delivery obligations.
As a result of new rules adopted in 2012, certain standardized swaps are currently subject to mandatory central clearing. Central clearing is expected to decrease counterparty risk and increase liquidity compared to bilateral swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterparty to each participants swap. However, central clearing does not eliminate counterparty risk or illiquidity risk entirely. In addition, depending on the size of the Fund and other factors, the margin required under the rules of a clearinghouse and by a clearing member may be in excess of the collateral required to be posted by the Fund to support its obligations under a similar bilateral swap. However, regulators are expected to adopt rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on uncleared swaps in the near future, which could change this comparison.
A credit swap may have as reference obligations one or more securities that may, or may not, be currently held by the Fund. The protection buyer in a credit swap is generally obligated to pay the protection seller an upfront or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the swap provided that no credit event, such as a default, on a reference obligation has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the par value (full notional amount) of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity described in the swap, or the seller may be required to deliver the related net cash amount, if the swap is cash settled. The Fund may be either the protection buyer or seller in the transaction. If the Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund may recover nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer generally may elect to receive the full notional amount of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity whose value may have significantly decreased. As a seller, the Fund generally receives an upfront payment or a rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. As the seller, the Fund would effectively add leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. If a credit event occurs, the value of any deliverable obligation received by the Fund as seller, coupled with the upfront or periodic payments previously received, may be less than the full notional amount it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss of value to the Fund.
The Fund may obtain exposure to Senior Loans through the use of derivative instruments including loan credit default swaps. The Fund may invest in a derivative instrument known as a Select Aggregate Market Index (SAMI), which consists of a basket of credit default swaps whose underlying reference securities are a basket of Senior Loans. Investments in loan credit default swaps including a SAMI involve many of the risks associated with investments in derivatives more generally.
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To the extent that the Funds exposure in a transaction involving a swap, swaption or an interest rate floor, cap or collar is covered by identifying on its books cash or liquid assets, or is covered by other means in accordance with SEC guidance, the Fund and the Investment Adviser believe that the transactions do not constitute senior securities under the Act and, accordingly, will not treat them as being subject to the Funds borrowing restrictions.
The Fund will not enter into bilateral transactions involving swaps, caps, floors or collars unless the unsecured commercial paper, senior debt or claims paying ability of the other party thereto is considered to be investment grade by the Investment Adviser. If there is a default by the other party to such a transaction, the fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction.
The use of interest rate, mortgage, credit, total return and currency swaps, as well as interest rate caps, floors and collars, is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of a swap requires an understanding not only of the referenced asset, reference rate, or index but also of the swap itself, without the benefit of observing the performance of the swap under all possible market conditions. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its forecasts of market values, credit quality, interest rates and currency exchange rates, the investment performance of the Fund would be less favorable than it would have been if these investment instruments were not used.
In addition, these transactions can involve greater risks than if the Fund had invested in the reference obligation directly because, in addition to general market risks, swaps are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk, credit risk and pricing risk. Regulators also may impose limits on an entitys or group of entities positions in certain swaps. However, certain risks are reduced (but not eliminated) if the Fund invests in cleared swaps. Because bilateral swap agreements are two party contracts and because they may have terms of greater than seven days, these swaps may be considered to be illiquid. 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 counterparty. Many swaps are complex and often valued subjectively. Swaps and other derivatives may also be subject to pricing or basis risk, which exists when the price of a particular derivative diverges from the price of corresponding cash market instruments. Under certain market conditions it may not be economically feasible to imitate a transaction or liquidate a position in time to avoid a loss or take advantage of an opportunity. If a swap transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid, 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 swap market has grown substantially in recent years with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents utilizing standardized swap documentation. As a result, the swap market has become relatively liquid in comparison with the markets for other similar instruments which are traded in the interbank market. The Investment Adviser, under the supervision of the Board of Trustees (the Board), is responsible for determining and monitoring the liquidity of the Funds transactions in swaps, swaptions, caps, floors and collars.
Regulators are in the process of developing rules that would require trading and execution of most liquid swaps on trading facilities. Moving trading to an exchange-type system may increase market transparency and liquidity but may require the Fund to incur increased expenses to access the same types of swaps.
Rules adopted in 2012 also require centralized reporting of detailed information about many types of cleared and uncleared swaps. This information is available to regulators and, to a more limited extent and on an anonymous basis, to the public. Reporting of swap data may result in greater market transparency, which may be beneficial to funds that use swaps to implement trading strategies. However, these rules place potential additional administrative obligations on these funds, and the safeguards established to protect anonymity may not function as expected.
Options on Securities, Securities Indices and Foreign Currencies
Writing Covered Options. The Fund may write (sell) covered call and put options on any securities in which it may invest or on any securities index consisting of securities in which it may invest. The Fund may write such options on securities that are listed on national domestic securities exchanges or foreign securities exchanges or traded in the over-the-counter market. A call option written by the Fund obligates it to sell specified securities to the holder of the option at a specified price if the option is exercised on or before the expiration date. Depending upon the type of call option, the purchaser of a call option either (i) has the right to any appreciation in the value of the security over a fixed price (the exercise price) on a certain date in the future (the expiration date) or (ii) has the right to any appreciation in the value of the security over the exercise price at any time prior to the expiration of the option. If the purchaser does not exercise the option, the Fund pays the purchaser the difference between the price of the security and the exercise price of the option. The premium, the exercise price and the market value of the security determine the gain or loss realized by the
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Fund as the seller of the call option. The Fund can also repurchase the call option prior to the expiration date, ending its obligation. In this case, the cost of entering into closing purchase transactions will determine the gain or loss realized by the Fund. All call options written by the Fund are covered, which means that the Fund will own the securities subject to the option so long as the option is outstanding or the Fund will use the other methods described below. The Funds purpose in writing covered call options is to realize greater income than would be realized on portfolio securities transactions alone. However, the Fund may forego the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market price of the underlying security.
A put option written by the Fund obligates it to purchase specified securities from the option holder at a specified price if the option is exercised before the expiration date. All put options written by the Fund would be covered, which means that the Fund will identify on its books cash or liquid assets with a value at least equal to the exercise price of the put option (less any margin on deposit) or will use the other methods described below. The purpose of writing such options is to generate additional income for the Fund. However, in return for the option premium, the Fund accepts the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying securities at a price in excess of the securities market value at the time of purchase.
In the case of a call option, the option is covered if the Fund owns the instrument underlying the call or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that instrument without additional cash consideration (or, if additional cash consideration is required, liquid assets in such amount are identified on its books) upon conversion or exchange of other instruments held by it. A call option is also covered if the Fund holds a call on the same instrument as the option written where the exercise price of the option held is (i) equal to or less than the exercise price of the option written, or (ii) greater than the exercise price of the option written provided the Fund identifies liquid assets in the amount of the difference. A put option is also covered if the Fund holds a put on the same security as the option written where the exercise price of the option held is (i) equal to or higher than the exercise price of the option written, or (ii) less than the exercise price of the option written provided the Fund identifies on its books liquid assets in the amount of the difference. The Fund may also cover call options on securities by identifying cash or liquid assets, as permitted by applicable law, with a value when added to any margin on deposit that is equal to the market value of the securities in the case of a call option. Identified cash or liquid assets may be quoted or denominated in any currency.
The Fund may terminate its obligations under an exchange-traded call or put option by purchasing an option identical to the one it has written. Obligations under over-the-counter options may be terminated only by entering into an offsetting transaction with the counterparty to such option. Such purchases are referred to as closing purchase transactions.
The Fund may also write (sell) covered call and put options on any securities index consisting of securities in which it may invest. Options on securities indices are similar to options on securities, except that the exercise of securities index options requires cash settlement payments and does not involve the actual purchase or sale of securities. In addition, securities index options are designed to reflect price fluctuations in a group of securities or segment of the securities market rather than price fluctuations in a single security.
The Fund may cover call options on a securities index by owning securities whose price changes are expected to be similar to those of the underlying index or by having an absolute and immediate right to acquire such securities without additional cash consideration (or if additional cash consideration is required, liquid assets in such amount are identified on its books) upon conversion or exchange of other securities held by it. The Fund may also cover call and put options on a securities index by identifying cash or liquid assets, as permitted by applicable law, with a value, when added to any margin on deposit, that is equal to the market value of the underlying securities in the case of a call option or the exercise price in the case of a put option or by owning offsetting options as described above.
The writing of options is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of options to seek to increase total return involves the risk of loss if the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of fluctuations in securities prices or interest rates. The successful use of options for hedging purposes also depends in part on the ability of the Investment Adviser to predict future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities markets. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of changes in securities prices or determination of the correlation between the securities indices on which options are written and purchased and the securities in the Funds investment portfolio, the investment performance of the Fund will be less favorable than it would have been in the absence of such options transactions. The writing of options could increase the Funds portfolio turnover rate and, therefore, associated brokerage commissions or spreads.
Purchasing Options. The Fund may purchase put and call options on any securities in which it may invest or any securities index consisting of securities in which it may invest. The Fund may also, to the extent that it invests in foreign securities, purchase put and call options on foreign currencies. In addition, the Fund may enter into closing sale transactions in order to realize gains or minimize losses on options it had purchased.
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The Fund may purchase call options in anticipation of an increase, or put options in anticipation of a decrease (protective puts), in the market value of securities or other instruments of the type in which it may invest. The purchase of a call option would entitle the Fund, in return for the premium paid, to purchase specified securities or other instruments at a specified price during the option period. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain on the purchase of a call option if, during the option period, the value of such securities exceeded the sum of the exercise price, the premium paid and transaction costs; otherwise the Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the call option. The purchase of a put option would entitle the Fund, in exchange for the premium paid, to sell specified securities at a specified price during the option period. The purchase of protective puts is designed to offset or hedge against a decline in the market value of the Funds securities. Put options may also be purchased by the Fund for the purpose of affirmatively benefiting from a decline in the price of securities which it does not own. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying securities decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to cover the premium and transaction costs; otherwise the Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the put option. Gains and losses on the purchase of put options may be offset by countervailing changes in the value of the underlying portfolio securities.
The Fund may purchase put and call options on securities indices for the same purposes as it may purchase options on securities. Options on securities indices are similar to options on securities, except that the exercise of securities index options requires cash payments and does not involve the actual purchase or sale of securities. In addition, securities index options are designed to reflect price fluctuations in a group of securities or segment of the securities market rather than price fluctuations in a single security.
Writing and Purchasing Currency Call and Put Options. The Fund may write and purchase put and call options on foreign currencies in an attempt to protect against declines in the U.S. dollar value of foreign portfolio securities and against increases in the U.S. dollar cost of foreign securities to be acquired. As with other kinds of option transactions, however, the writing of an option on foreign currency will constitute only a partial hedge, up to the amount of the premium received. If an option that the Fund has written is exercised, the Fund could be required to purchase or sell foreign currencies at disadvantageous exchange rates, thereby incurring losses. The purchase of an option on foreign currency may constitute an effective hedge against exchange rate fluctuations; however, in the event of exchange rate movements adverse to the Funds position, the Fund may forfeit the entire amount of the premium plus related transaction costs. Options on foreign currencies may be traded on U.S. and foreign exchanges or over-the-counter.
Options on currency may also be used for cross-hedging purposes, which involves writing or purchasing options on one currency to seek to hedge against changes in exchange rates for a different currency with a pattern of correlation, or to seek to increase total return when the Investment Adviser anticipates that the currency will appreciate or depreciate in value, but the securities quoted or denominated in that currency do not present attractive investment opportunities and are not included in the Funds portfolio.
A currency call option written by the Fund obligates the Fund to sell a specified currency to the holder of the option at a specified price if the option is exercised at any time before the expiration date. A currency put option written by the Fund obligates the Fund to purchase a specified currency from the option holder at a specified price if the option is exercised at any time before the expiration date. The writing of currency options involves a risk that the Fund will, upon exercise of the option, be required to sell currency subject to a call at a price that is less than the currencys market value or be required to purchase currency subject to a put at a price that exceeds the currencys market value. Written put and call options on foreign currencies may be covered in a manner similar to written put and call options on securities and securities indices described under Options on Securities and Securities IndicesWriting Covered Options above.
The Fund may terminate its obligations under a written call or put option by purchasing an option identical to the one it has written. Such purchases are referred to as closing purchase transactions. The Fund may enter into closing sale transactions in order to realize gains or minimize losses on options purchased by the Fund.
The Fund may purchase call options on foreign currency in anticipation of an increase in the U.S. dollar value of currency in which securities to be acquired by the Fund are quoted or denominated. The purchase of a call option would entitle the Fund, in return for the premium paid, to purchase specified currency at a specified price during the option period. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of such currency exceeded the sum of the exercise price, the premium paid and transaction costs; otherwise the Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the call option.
The Fund may purchase put options in anticipation of a decline in the U.S. dollar value of currency in which securities in its portfolio are quoted or denominated (protective puts). The purchase of a put option would entitle the Fund, in exchange for the
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premium paid, to sell specified currency at a specified price during the option period. The purchase of protective puts is usually designed to offset or hedge against a decline in the dollar value of the Funds portfolio securities due to currency exchange rate fluctuations. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying currency decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to more than cover the premium and transaction costs; otherwise the Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the put option. Gains and losses on the purchase of protective put options would tend to be offset by countervailing changes in the value of the underlying currency.
In addition to using options for the hedging purposes described above, the Fund may use options on currency to seek to increase total return. The Fund may write (sell) covered put and call options on any currency in an attempt to realize greater income than would be realized on portfolio securities transactions alone. However, in writing covered call options for additional income, the Fund may forego the opportunity to profit from an increase in the market value of the underlying currency. Also, when writing put options, the Fund accepts in return for the option premium, the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying currency at a price in excess of the currencys market value at the time of purchase.
The Fund may purchase call options to seek to increase total return in anticipation of an increase in the market value of a currency. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of such currency exceeded the sum of the exercise price, the premium paid and transaction costs. Otherwise the Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the call option. Put options may be purchased by the Fund for the purpose of benefiting from a decline in the value of currencies which they do not own. The Fund would ordinarily realize a gain if, during the option period, the value of the underlying currency decreased below the exercise price sufficiently to more than cover the premium and transaction costs. Otherwise, the Fund would realize either no gain or a loss on the purchase of the put option.
Special Risks Associated With Options on Currency. An exchange-traded option position may be closed out only on an options exchange that provides a secondary market for an option of the same series. Although the Fund will generally purchase or write only those options for which there appears to be an active secondary market, there is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on an exchange will exist for any particular option or at any particular time. For some options no secondary market on an exchange may exist. In such event, it might not be possible to effect closing transactions in particular options, with the result that the Fund would have to exercise its options in order to realize any profit and would incur transaction costs upon the sale of underlying securities pursuant to the exercise of its options. If the Fund as a covered call option writer is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction in a secondary market, it will not be able to sell the underlying currency (or security quoted or denominated in that currency), or dispose of the identified assets, until the option expires or it delivers the underlying currency upon exercise.
There is no assurance that higher-than-anticipated trading activity or other unforeseen events will not, at times, render certain of the facilities of the Options Clearing Corporation inadequate, and thereby result in the institution by an exchange of special procedures which may interfere with the timely execution of customers orders.
The Fund may purchase and write over-the-counter options to the extent consistent with its limitation on investments in illiquid securities. Trading in over-the-counter options is subject to the risk that the other party will be unable or unwilling to close out options purchased or written by the Fund.
The amount of the premiums that the Fund may pay or receive may be adversely affected as new or existing institutions, including other investment companies, engage in or increase their option purchasing and writing activities.
Yield Curve Options. The Fund may enter into options on the yield spread or differential between two securities. Such transactions are referred to as yield curve options. In contrast to other types of options, a yield curve option is based on the difference between the yields of designated securities, rather than the prices of the individual securities, and is settled through cash payments. Accordingly, a yield curve option is profitable to the holder if this differential widens (in the case of a call) or narrows (in the case of a put), regardless of whether the yields of the underlying securities increase or decrease.
The Fund may purchase or write yield curve options for the same purposes as other options on securities. For example, the Fund may purchase a call option on the yield spread between two securities if the Fund owns one of the securities and anticipates purchasing the other security and wants to hedge against an adverse change in the yield spread between the two securities. The Fund may also purchase or write yield curve options in an effort to increase current income if, in the judgment of the Investment Adviser, the Fund will be able to profit from movements in the spread between the yields of the underlying securities. The trading of yield curve options is subject to all of the risks associated with the trading of other types of options. In addition, however, such options present a risk of loss even if the yield of one of the underlying securities remains constant, or if the spread moves in a direction or to an extent which was not anticipated.
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Yield curve options written by the Fund will be covered. A call (or put) option is covered if the Fund holds another call (or put) option on the spread between the same two securities and identifies on its books cash or liquid assets sufficient to cover the Funds net liability under the two options. Therefore, the Funds liability for such a covered option is generally limited to the difference between the amount of the Funds liability under the option written by the Fund less the value of the option held by the Fund. Yield curve options may also be covered in such other manner as may be in accordance with the requirements of the counterparty with which the option is traded and applicable laws and regulations. Yield curve options are traded over-the-counter, and established trading markets for these options may not exist.
Risks Associated with Options Transactions. There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market on a domestic or foreign options exchange will exist for any particular exchange-traded option or at any particular time. If the Fund is unable to effect a closing purchase transaction with respect to covered options it has written, the Fund will not be able to sell the underlying securities or dispose of the assets identified on its books to cover the position until the options expire or are exercised. Similarly, if the Fund is unable to effect a closing sale transaction with respect to options it has purchased, it will have to exercise the options in order to realize any profit and will incur transaction costs upon the purchase or sale of underlying securities.
Reasons for the absence of a liquid secondary market on an exchange include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) there may be insufficient trading interest in certain options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on opening or closing transactions or both; (iii) trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed with respect to particular classes or series of options; (iv) unusual or unforeseen circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v) the facilities of an exchange or the Options Clearing Corporation 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.
There can be no assurance that higher trading activity, order flow or other unforeseen events will not, at times, render certain of the facilities of the Options Clearing Corporation or various exchanges inadequate. Such events have, in the past, resulted in the institution by an exchange of special procedures, such as trading rotations, restrictions on certain types of order or trading halts or suspensions with respect to one or more options. These special procedures may limit liquidity.
The Fund may purchase and sell both options that are traded on U.S. and foreign exchanges and options traded over-the-counter with broker-dealers and other types of institutions that make markets in these options. The ability to terminate over-the-counter options is more limited than with exchange-traded options and may involve the risk that the broker-dealers or financial institutions participating in such transactions will not fulfill their obligations.
Transactions by the Fund in options will be subject to limitations established by each of the exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities on which such options are traded governing the maximum number of options in each class which may be written or purchased by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert regardless of whether the options are written or purchased on the same or different exchanges, boards of trade or other trading facilities or are held in one or more accounts or through one or more brokers. Thus, the number of options which the Fund may write or purchase may be affected by options written or purchased by other investment advisory clients of the Funds Investment Adviser. An exchange, board of trade or other trading facility may order the liquidation of positions found to be in excess of these limits, and it may impose certain other sanctions.
The writing and purchase of options is a highly specialized activity which involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The use of options to seek to increase total return involves the risk of loss if the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of fluctuations in securities prices or interest rates. The successful use of options for hedging purposes also depends in part on the ability of the Investment Adviser to manage future price fluctuations and the degree of correlation between the options and securities (or currency) markets. If the Investment Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of changes in securities prices or determination of the correlation between the securities or securities indices on which options are written and purchased and the securities in the Funds investment portfolio, the Fund may incur losses that it would not otherwise incur. The writing of options could increase the Funds portfolio turnover rate and, therefore, associated brokerage commissions or spreads.
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Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts
The Fund may purchase and sell various kinds of futures contracts, and purchase and write call and put options on any of such futures contracts. The Fund may also enter into closing purchase and sale transactions with respect to any of such contracts and options. The futures contracts may be based on various securities (such as U.S. Government Securities), securities indices, foreign currencies and any other financial instruments and indices. Financial futures contracts used by the Fund include interest rate futures contracts including, among others, Eurodollar futures contracts. Eurodollar futures contracts are U.S. dollar-denominated futures contracts that are based on the implied forward LIBOR of a three-month deposit.
The Fund may engage in futures and related options transactions in order to seek to increase total return or to hedge against changes in interest rates, securities prices, currency exchange rates, or to otherwise manage its term structure, sector selection and duration of its fixed income securities holdings in accordance with its investment objective and policies. The Fund may also enter into closing purchase and sale transactions with respect to such contracts and options.
Futures contracts utilized by mutual funds have historically been traded on U.S. exchanges or boards of trade that are licensed and regulated by the CFTC or on foreign exchanges. More recently, certain futures may also be traded either over-the-counter or on trading facilities such as derivatives transaction execution facilities, exempt boards of trade or electronic trading facilities that are licensed and/or regulated to varying degrees by the CFTC. Also, certain single stock futures and narrow based security index futures may be traded either over-the-counter or on trading facilities such as contract markets, derivatives transaction execution facilities and electronic trading facilities that are licensed and/or regulated to varying degrees by both the CFTC and the SEC or on foreign exchanges.
Neither the CFTC, NFA, SEC nor any domestic exchange regulates activities of any foreign exchange or boards of trade, including the execution, delivery and clearing of transactions, or has the power to compel enforcement of the rules of a foreign exchange or board of trade or any applicable foreign law. This is true even if the exchange is formally linked to a domestic market so that a position taken on the market may be liquidated by a transaction on another market. Moreover, such laws or regulations will vary depending on the foreign country in which the foreign futures or foreign options transaction occurs. For these reasons, the Funds investments in foreign futures or foreign options transactions may not be provided the same protections in respect of transactions on United States exchanges. In particular, persons who trade foreign futures or foreign options contracts may not be afforded certain of the protective measures provided by the CEA, the CFTCs regulations and the rules of the NFA and any domestic exchange, including the right to use reparations proceedings before the CFTC and arbitration proceedings provided by the NFA or any domestic futures exchange. Similarly, these persons may not have the protection of the U.S. securities laws.
Futures Contracts. A futures contract may generally be described as an agreement between two parties to buy and sell particular financial instruments or currencies for an agreed price during a designated month (or to deliver the final cash settlement price, in the case of a contract relating to an index or otherwise not calling for physical delivery at the end of trading in the contract).
When interest rates are rising or securities prices are falling, the Fund can seek to offset a decline in the value of its current portfolio securities through the sale of futures contracts. When interest rates are falling or securities prices are rising, the Fund, through the purchase of futures contracts, can attempt to secure better rates or prices than might later be available in the market when it effects anticipated purchases. The Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts on a specified currency in order to seek to increase total return or to protect against changes in currency exchange rates. For example, the Fund may seek to offset anticipated changes in the value of a currency in which its portfolio securities, or securities that it intends to purchase, are quoted or denominated by purchasing and selling futures contracts on such currencies. In addition, the Fund may enter into futures transactions to seek a closer correlation between the Funds overall currency exposures and the currency exposures of the Funds performance benchmark.
Positions taken in the futures markets are not normally held to maturity but are instead liquidated through offsetting transactions which may result in a profit or a loss. While futures contracts on securities or currency will usually be liquidated in this manner, the Fund may instead make, or take, delivery of the underlying securities or currency whenever it appears economically advantageous to do so. A clearing corporation associated with the exchange on which futures on securities or currency are traded guarantees that, if still open, the sale or purchase will be performed on the settlement date.
Hedging Strategies Using Futures Contracts. When the Fund uses futures for hedging purposes, the Fund often seeks to establish with more certainty than would otherwise be possible the effective price or rate of return on portfolio securities (or securities that the Fund proposes to acquire) or the exchange rate of currencies in which portfolio securities are quoted or denominated. The Fund may, for example, take a short position in the futures market by selling futures contracts to seek to hedge against an
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anticipated rise in interest rates or a decline in market prices or foreign currency rates that would adversely affect the U.S. dollar value of the Funds portfolio securities. Such futures contracts may include contracts for the future delivery of securities held by the Fund or securities with characteristics similar to those of the Funds portfolio securities. Such futures contracts may include contracts for the future delivery of securities held by the Fund or securities with characteristics similar to those of the Funds portfolio securities. Similarly, the Fund may sell futures contracts on any currencies in which its portfolio securities are quoted or denominated or sell futures contracts on one currency to seek to hedge against fluctuations in the value of securities quoted or denominated in a different currency if there is an established historical pattern of correlation between the two currencies. If, in the opinion of the Investment Adviser, there is a sufficient degree of correlation between price trends for the Funds portfolio securities and futures contracts based on other financial instruments, securities indices or other indices, the Fund may also enter into such futures contracts as part of a hedging strategy. Although under some circumstances prices of securities in the Funds portfolio may be more or less volatile than prices of such futures contracts, the Investment Adviser will attempt to estimate the extent of this volatility difference based on historical patterns and compensate for any such differential by having the Fund enter into a greater or lesser number of futures contracts or by attempting to achieve only a partial hedge against price changes affecting the Funds portfolio securities. When hedging of this character is successful, any depreciation in the value of portfolio securities will be substantially offset by appreciation in the value of the futures position. On the other hand, any unanticipated appreciation in the value of the Funds portfolio securities would be substantially offset by a decline in the value of the futures position.
On other occasions, the Fund may take a long position by purchasing futures contracts. This may be done, for example, when the Fund anticipates the subsequent purchase of particular securities when it has the necessary cash, but expects the prices or currency exchange rates then available in the applicable market to be less favorable than prices or rates that are currently available.
Options on Futures Contracts. The acquisition of put and call options on futures contracts will give the Fund the right (but not the obligation) for a specified price to sell or to purchase, respectively, the underlying futures contract at any time during the option period. As the purchaser of an option on a futures contract, the Fund obtains the benefit of the futures position if prices move in a favorable direction but limits its risk of loss in the event of an unfavorable price movement to the loss of the premium and transaction costs.
The writing of a call option on a futures contract generates a premium which may partially offset a decline in the value of the Funds assets. By writing a call option, the Fund becomes obligated, in exchange for the premium, to sell a futures contract if the option is exercised, which may have a value higher than the exercise price. The writing of a put option on a futures contract generates a premium which may partially offset an increase in the price of securities that the Fund intends to purchase. However, the Fund becomes obligated (upon exercise of the option) to purchase a futures contract if the option is exercised, which may have a value lower than the exercise price. Thus, the loss incurred by the Fund in writing options on futures is potentially unlimited and may exceed the amount of the premium received. The Fund will incur transaction costs in connection with the writing of options on futures.
The holder or writer of an option on a futures contract may terminate its position by selling or purchasing an offsetting option on the same financial instrument. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be effected. The Funds ability to establish and close out positions on such options will be subject to the development and maintenance of a liquid market.
Other Considerations. The Fund will engage in transactions in futures contracts and related options transactions only to the extent such transactions are consistent with the requirements of the Code for maintaining their qualifications as regulated investment companies for federal income tax purposes. Transactions in futures contracts and options on futures involve brokerage costs, require margin deposits and, in certain cases, require the Fund to identify on its books cash or liquid assets. The Fund may cover its transactions in futures contracts and related options by identifying on its books cash or liquid assets or by other means, in any manner permitted by applicable law.
While transactions in futures contracts and options on futures may reduce certain risks, such transactions themselves entail certain other risks. Thus, unanticipated changes in interest rates, securities prices or currency exchange rates may result in a poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not entered into any futures contracts or options transactions. When futures contracts and options are used for hedging purposes, perfect correlation between the Funds futures positions and portfolio positions may be impossible to achieve, particularly where futures contracts based on individual equity or corporate fixed income securities are currently not available. In the event of an imperfect correlation between a futures position and a portfolio position which is intended to be protected, the desired protection may not be obtained and the Fund may be exposed to risk of loss.
In addition, it is not possible for the Fund to hedge fully or perfectly against currency fluctuations affecting the value of securities quoted or denominated in foreign currencies because the value of such securities is likely to fluctuate as a result of independent factors unrelated to currency fluctuations. The profitability of the Funds trading in futures depends upon the ability of the Investment Adviser to analyze correctly the futures markets.
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Combined Transactions
The Fund may enter into multiple transactions, including multiple options transactions, multiple futures transactions, multiple currency transactions (including forward currency contracts) and multiple interest rate and other swap transactions and any combination of futures, options, currency and swap transactions (component transactions) as part of a single or combined strategy when, in the opinion of the Investment Adviser, it is in the best interests of the Fund to do so. A combined transaction will usually contain elements of risk that are present in each of its component transactions. Although combined transactions are normally entered into based on the Investment Advisers judgment that the combined strategies will reduce risk or otherwise more effectively achieve the desired portfolio management goal, it is possible that the combination will instead increase such risks or hinder achievement of the portfolio management objective.
Short Sales
The Fund may engage in short sales. Short sales are transactions in which the Fund sells a security it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of that security. To complete such a transaction, the Fund must borrow the security to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund then is obligated to replace the security borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the security was sold by the Fund. Until the security is replaced, the Fund is required to pay to the lender amounts equal to any dividend which accrues during the period of the loan. To borrow the security, the Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the security sold. There will also be other costs associated with short sales.
The Fund will incur a loss as a result of the short sale if the price of the security increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the borrowed security. The Fund will realize a gain if the security declines in price between those dates. This result is the opposite of what one would expect from a cash purchase of a long position in a security. The amount of any gain will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of any premium or amounts in lieu of interest the Fund may be required to pay in connection with a short sale, and will be also decreased by any transaction or other costs.
Until the Fund replaces a borrowed security in connection with a short sale, the Fund will (a) identify on its books cash or liquid assets at such a level that the identified assets plus any amount deposited as collateral will equal the current value of the security sold short or (b) otherwise cover its short position in accordance with applicable law.
There is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to close out a short position at any particular time or at an acceptable price. During the time that the Fund is short a security, it is subject to the risk that the lender of the security will terminate the loan at a time when the Fund is unable to borrow the same security from another lender. If that occurs, the Fund may be bought in at the price required to purchase the security needed to close out the short position, which may be a disadvantageous price.
Short Sales Against-the-Box. The Fund may engage in short sales against the box. As noted above, a short sale is made by selling a security the seller does not own. A short sale is against the box to the extent that the seller contemporaneously owns or has the right to obtain, at no added cost, securities identical to those sold short. The Fund may enter into a short sale against the box, for example, to lock in a sales price for a security the Fund does not wish to sell immediately. If the Fund sells securities short against the box, it may protect itself from loss if the price of the securities declines in the future, but will lose the opportunity to profit on such securities if the price rises. If the Fund effects a short sale of securities at a time when it has an unrealized gain on the securities, it may be required to recognize that gain as if it had actually sold the securities (as a constructive sale) on the date it effects the short sale. However, such constructive sale treatment may not apply if the Fund closes out the short sale with securities other than the appreciated securities held at the time of the short sale and if certain other conditions are satisfied. Uncertainty regarding the tax consequences of effecting short sales may limit the extent to which the Fund may effect short sales.
Mortgage Dollar Rolls
The Fund may enter into mortgage dollar rolls in which the Fund sells securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts with the same counterparty to repurchase similar, but not identical securities on a specified future date. During the roll period, the Fund loses the right to receive principal and interest paid on the securities sold. However, the Fund would benefit to the extent of any difference between the price received for the securities sold and the lower forward price for the future purchase or fee income plus the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the securities sold until the settlement date of the forward purchase. All cash proceeds will be invested in instruments that are permissible investments for the Fund. The Fund will identify on its books until the settlement date cash or liquid assets, as permitted by applicable law, in an amount equal to its forward purchase price.
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For financial reporting and tax purposes, the Fund treats mortgage dollar rolls as two separate transactions; one involving the purchase of a security and a separate transaction involving a sale. The Fund does not currently intend to enter into mortgage dollar rolls for financing and does not treat them as borrowings.
Mortgage dollar rolls involve certain risks including the following: if the broker-dealer to whom the Fund sells the security becomes insolvent, the Funds right to purchase or repurchase the mortgage-related securities subject to the mortgage dollar roll may be restricted. Also, the instrument which the Fund is required to repurchase may be worth less than an instrument which the Fund originally held. Successful use of mortgage dollar rolls will depend upon the Investment Advisers ability to manage the Funds interest rate and mortgage prepayments exposure. For these reasons, there is no assurance that mortgage dollar rolls can be successfully employed. The use of this technique may diminish the investment performance of the Fund compared with what such performance would have been without the use of mortgage dollar rolls.
Convertible Securities
The Fund may invest in convertible securities. Convertible securities are bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks or other securities that may be converted into or exchanged for a specified amount of common stock (or other securities) of the same or different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest that is generally paid or accrued on debt or a dividend that is paid or accrued on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Convertible securities have unique investment characteristics, in that they generally (i) have higher yields than common stocks, but lower yields than comparable non-convertible securities, (ii) are less subject to fluctuation in value than the underlying common stock due to their fixed income characteristics and (iii) provide the potential for capital appreciation if the market price of the underlying common stock increases.
The value of a convertible security is a function of its investment value (determined by its yield in comparison with the yields of other securities of comparable maturity and quality that do not have a conversion privilege) and its conversion value (the securitys worth, at market value, if converted into the underlying common stock). The investment value of a convertible security is influenced by changes in interest rates, with investment value normally declining as interest rates increase and increasing as interest rates decline. The credit standing of the issuer and other factors may also have an effect on the convertible securitys investment value. The conversion value of a convertible security is determined by the market price of the underlying common stock. If the conversion value is low relative to the investment value, the price of the convertible security is governed principally by its investment value. To the extent the market price of the underlying common stock approaches or exceeds the conversion price, the price of the convertible security will be increasingly influenced by its conversion value. A convertible security generally will sell at a premium over its conversion value by the extent to which investors place value on the right to acquire the underlying common stock while holding a fixed income security.
A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible securitys governing instrument. If a convertible security held by the Fund is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to convert the security into the underlying common stock, sell it to a third party or permit the issuer to redeem the security. Any of these actions could have an adverse effect on the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective, which, in turn, could result in losses to the Fund. To the extent that the Fund holds a convertible security, or a security that is otherwise converted or exchanged for common stock (e.g., as a result of a restructuring), the Fund may, consistent with its investment objective, hold such common stock in its portfolio.
Restricted and Illiquid Securities
The Fund may purchase securities that are not registered or that are offered in an exempt non-public offering (Restricted Securities) under the 1933 Act, including securities eligible for resale to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act. To the extent consistent with the Funds share repurchase policies discussed in the Prospectus, the Fund may invest without limitation in securities that are illiquid (i.e., securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the ordinary course of business. Illiquid securities include: repurchase agreements with a notice or demand period of more than seven days, certain SMBS, certain municipal leases, certain over-the-counter options, securities and other financial instruments that are not readily marketable, certain Senior Loans and Second Lien Loans, certain CDOs, CLOs, CBOs, bank obligations, non-investment grade securities and other credit instruments and Restricted Securities unless, based upon a review of the trading markets for specific securities, those securities are determined to be liquid. Those investment practices could have the effect of increasing the level of illiquidity in the Fund
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to the extent that market demand for securities held by the Fund decreases such that previously liquid securities become illiquid. The Trustees have adopted guidelines and delegated to the Investment Adviser the function of determining and monitoring the liquidity of the Funds portfolio securities.
The purchase price and subsequent valuation of Restricted Securities may reflect a discount from the price at which such securities trade when they are not restricted, because the restriction makes them less liquid. The amount of the discount from the prevailing market price is expected to vary depending upon the type of security, the character of the issuer, the party who will bear the expenses of registering the Restricted Securities and prevailing supply and demand conditions.
When-Issued Securities and Forward Commitments
The Fund may purchase securities on a when-issued basis or purchase or sell securities on a forward commitment basis beyond the customary settlement time. These transactions involve a commitment by the Fund to purchase or sell securities at a future date. The price of the underlying securities (usually expressed in terms of yield) and the date when the securities will be delivered and paid for (the settlement date) are fixed at the time the transaction is negotiated. When-issued purchases and forward commitment transactions are negotiated directly with the other party, and such commitments are not traded on exchanges. The Fund will generally purchase securities on a when-issued basis or purchase or sell securities on a forward commitment basis only with the intention of completing the transaction and actually purchasing or selling the securities. If deemed advisable as a matter of investment strategy, however, the Fund may dispose of or negotiate a commitment after entering into it. The Fund may also sell securities it has committed to purchase before those securities are delivered to the Fund on the settlement date. The Fund may realize capital gains or losses in connection with these transactions. For purposes of determining the Funds duration, the maturity of when-issued or forward commitment securities for fixed-rate obligations will be calculated from the commitment date. The Fund is generally required to identify on its books, until three days prior to settlement date, cash and liquid assets in an amount sufficient to meet the purchase price unless the Funds obligations are otherwise covered. Alternatively, the Fund may enter into offsetting contracts for the forward sale of other securities that it owns. Securities purchased or sold on a when-issued or forward commitment basis involve a risk of loss if the value of the security to be purchased declines prior to the settlement date or if the value of the security to be sold increases prior to the settlement date.
Pooled Investment Vehicles
The Fund may invest in securities of pooled investment vehicles, other investment companies and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees and other expenses paid by investment companies in which it invests, in addition to the management fees (and other expenses) paid by the Fund. The Funds investments in other investment companies are subject to statutory limitations prescribed by the Act, including in certain circumstances a prohibition on the Fund acquiring more that 3% of the voting shares of any other investment company, and a prohibition on investing more than 5% of the Funds total assets in securities of any one investment company or more than 10% of its total assets in the securities of all investment companies. Many ETFs, however, have obtained exemptive relief from the SEC to permit unaffiliated funds (such as the Fund) to invest in their shares beyond these statutory limits, subject to certain conditions and pursuant to contractual arrangements between the ETFs and the investing funds. The Fund may rely on these exemptive orders in investing in ETFs. Moreover, pursuant to an exemptive order obtained from the SEC or under an exemptive rule adopted by the SEC, the Fund may invest in investment companies and money market funds for which the Investment Adviser, or any of its affiliates, serves as investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor. However, to the extent that the Fund invests in a money market fund for which the Investment Adviser or any of its affiliates acts as investment adviser, the management fees payable by the Fund to the Investment Adviser will, to the extent required by the SEC, be reduced by an amount equal to the Funds proportionate share of the management fees paid by such money market fund to its investment adviser. Although the Fund does not expect to do so in the foreseeable future, the Fund is authorized to invest substantially all of its assets in a single open-end investment company or series thereof that has substantially the same investment objective, policies and fundamental restrictions as the Fund. Additionally, if any Fund serves as an underlying Fund to another Goldman Sachs Fund, that underlying Fund may invest in a percentage of its assets in other investment companies if those investments are consistent with applicable law and/or exemptive orders obtained from the SEC.
The Fund may purchase shares of investment companies investing primarily in foreign securities, including country funds. Country funds have portfolios consisting primarily of securities of issuers located in specified foreign countries or regions.
ETFs are pooled investment vehicles issuing shares which are traded like traditional equity securities on a stock exchange. An ETF represents a portfolio of securities or other assets, which is often designed to track a particular market segment or index. An investment in an ETF, like one in any pooled vehicle, carries risks of its underlying securities. An ETF may fail to accurately track the returns of the market segment or index that it is designed to track, and the price of an ETFs shares may fluctuate or lose money. In
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addition, because they, unlike other pooled investment vehicles, are traded on an exchange, ETFs are subject to the following risks: (i) the market price of the ETFs shares may trade at a premium or discount to the ETFs net asset value; (ii) an active trading market for an ETF may not develop or be maintained; and (iii) there is no assurance that the requirements of the exchange necessary to maintain the listing of the ETF will continue to be met or remain unchanged. In the event substantial market or other disruptions affecting ETFs should occur in the future, the liquidity and value of the Funds shares could also be substantially and adversely affected.
Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may enter into repurchase agreements with banks, brokers, and dealers which furnish collateral at least equal in value or market price to the amount of their repurchase obligation. These repurchase agreements may involve foreign government securities. A repurchase agreement is an arrangement under which the Fund purchases securities and the seller agrees to repurchase the securities within a particular time and at a specified price for the duration of the agreement. Custody of the securities is maintained by the Funds custodian (or sub-custodian). The repurchase price may be higher than the purchase price, the difference being income to the Fund, or the purchase and repurchase prices may be the same, with interest at a stated rate due to the Fund together with the repurchase price on repurchase. In either case, the income to the Fund is unrelated to the interest rate on the security subject to the repurchase agreement.
For purposes of the Act, and generally for tax purposes, a repurchase agreement is deemed to be a loan from the Fund to the seller of the security. For other purposes, it is not always clear whether a court would consider the security purchased by the Fund subject to a repurchase agreement as being owned by the Fund or as being collateral for a loan by the Fund to the seller. In the event of commencement of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings with respect to the seller of the security before repurchase of the security under a repurchase agreement, the Fund may encounter delay and incur costs before being able to sell the security. Such a delay may involve loss of interest or a decline in value of the security. If the court characterizes the transaction as a loan and the Fund has not perfected a security interest in the security, the Fund may be required to return the security to the sellers estate and be treated as an unsecured creditor of the seller. As an unsecured creditor, the Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and interest involved in the transaction.
Apart from the risk of bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, there is also the risk that the seller may fail to repurchase the security. However, if the market value of the security subject to the repurchase agreement becomes less than the repurchase price (including accrued interest), the Fund will direct the seller of the security to deliver additional securities so that the market value of all securities subject to the repurchase agreement equals or exceeds the repurchase price. Certain repurchase agreements which provide for settlement in more than seven days can be liquidated before the nominal fixed term on seven days or less notice. Such repurchase agreements will be regarded as liquid instruments.
The Fund, together with other registered investment companies having management agreements with the Investment Adviser or its affiliates, may transfer uninvested cash balances into a single joint account, the daily aggregate balance of which will be invested in one or more repurchase agreements.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
The Fund may borrow money by entering into transactions called reverse repurchase agreements. These reverse repurchase agreements may involve foreign government securities. Under these arrangements, the Fund will sell portfolio securities to dealers in U.S. Government Securities or members of the Federal Reserve System, with an agreement to repurchase the security on an agreed date, price and interest payment. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the possible risk that the value of portfolio securities the Fund relinquishes may decline below the price the Fund must pay when the transaction closes. Borrowings may magnify the potential for gain or loss on amounts invested resulting in an increase in the speculative character of the Funds outstanding Shares.
When the Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it identifies on its books cash or liquid assets that have a value equal to or greater than the repurchase price. The identified amount is then continuously monitored by the Investment Adviser to make sure that an appropriate value is maintained. Reverse repurchase agreements are considered to be borrowings under the Act.
Portfolio Maturity
Dollar-weighted average maturity is derived by multiplying the value of each investment by the time remaining to its maturity, adding these calculations, and then dividing the total by the value of the Funds portfolio. An obligations maturity is typically determined on a stated final maturity basis, although there are some exceptions. For example, if an issuer of an instrument takes advantage of a maturity-shortening device, such as a call, refunding, or redemption provision, the date on which the instrument
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is expected to be called, refunded, or redeemed may be considered to be its maturity date. There is no guarantee that the expected call, refund or redemption will occur and the Funds average maturity may lengthen beyond the Investment Advisers expectations should the expected call refund or redemption not occur. Similarly, in calculating its dollar-weighted average maturity, the Fund may determine the maturity of a variable or floating rate obligation according to the interest rate reset date, or the date principal can be recovered on demand, rather than the date of ultimate maturity.
Temporary Investments
The Fund may, for temporary defensive purposes (and to the extent it is permitted to invest in the following), invest a certain percentage of its total assets in: U.S. Government Securities; commercial paper rated at least A-2 by Standard & Poors, P-2 by Moodys or having a comparable rating by another NRSRO (or if unrated, determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable quality); certificates of deposit; bankers acceptances; repurchase agreements; non-convertible preferred stocks and non-convertible corporate bonds with a remaining maturity of less than one year; ETFs and other investment companies; cash items; and other investments perceived by the Investment Adviser to avoid or lessen the Funds exposure to market or other risks. When the Funds assets are invested in such instruments, the Fund may not be achieving its investment objective.
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund may engage in active short-term trading to benefit from yield disparities among different issues of securities or among the markets for fixed income securities, or for other reasons. As a result of active management, it is anticipated that the portfolio turnover rate of the Fund will vary from year to year, and may be affected by changes in the holdings of specific issuers, changes in country and currency weightings, cash requirements for repurchases of Shares and by requirements which enable the Fund to receive favorable tax treatment. The Fund is not restricted by policy with regard to portfolio turnover and will make changes in its investment portfolio from time to time as business and economic conditions as well as market prices may dictate.
Special Note Regarding Market Events
Events in the financial sector over the past several years have resulted in reduced liquidity in credit and fixed income markets and in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestically and internationally. While entire markets have been impacted, issuers that have exposure to the real estate, mortgage and credit markets have been particularly affected. These events and the potential for continuing market turbulence may have an adverse effect on the Funds investments. It is uncertain how long these conditions will continue.
The instability in the financial markets led the U.S. government to take a number of unprecedented actions designed to support certain financial institutions and certain segments of the financial markets. Federal, state, and foreign governments, regulatory agencies, and self -regulatory organizations may take actions that affect the regulation of the instruments in which the Fund invests, or the issuers of such instruments, in ways that are unforeseeable. Such legislation or regulation could limit or preclude the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective.
Governments or their agencies may also acquire distressed assets from financial institutions and acquire ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear, and such ownership or disposition may have positive or negative effects on the liquidity, valuation and performance of the Funds portfolio holdings.
Non-Diversified Status
Because the Fund is non-diversified under the Act, it is subject only to certain federal tax diversification requirements. Pursuant to such requirements, the Fund must diversify its holdings so that, in general, at the close of each quarter of its taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the fair market value of the Funds total (gross) assets is comprised of cash, cash items, U.S. Government Securities, securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the value of the Funds total assets and not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total (gross) assets is invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government securities and securities of other regulated investment companies), two or more issuers controlled by the Fund and engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or certain publicly traded partnerships.
The investment restrictions set forth below have been adopted by the Fund as fundamental policies that cannot be changed without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the Act) of the Fund.
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The investment objective of the Fund and all other investment policies or practices of the Fund are considered not to be fundamental and accordingly may be changed without shareholder approval. As defined in the Act, a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund means the vote of (i) 67% or more of the Shares of the Fund present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding Shares of the Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the Shares of the Fund.
For the purposes of the limitations (except for the asset coverage requirement with respect to borrowings), any limitation which involves a maximum percentage shall not be considered violated unless an excess over the percentage occurs immediately after, and is caused by, an acquisition or encumbrance of securities or assets of, or borrowings by, the Fund.
As a matter of fundamental policy, the Fund may not:
(1) | Invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of one or more issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry (excluding the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities). For the purposes of this restriction, state and municipal governments and their agencies, authorities and instrumentalities are not deemed to be industries; telephone companies are considered to be a separate industry from water, gas or electric utilities; personal credit finance companies and business credit finance companies are deemed to be separate industries; wholly-owned finance companies are considered to be in the industry of their parents if their activities are primarily related to financing the activities of their parents, and residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities are deemed to be separate industries; |
(2) | Issue senior securities other than (a) as permitted by applicable law; (b) preferred shares that immediately after issuance will have asset coverage of at least 200%; (c) indebtedness that immediately after issuance will have asset coverage of at least 300%; or (d) borrowing permitted by investment restriction (3) below; |
(3) | Borrow money, except (a) the Fund, to the extent permitted by applicable law, may borrow in amounts up to 33-1/3% of its total assets (including the amount borrowed); (b) the Fund may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, borrow up to an additional 5% of its total assets for temporary purposes; (c) the Fund may obtain such short-term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of purchases and sales of portfolio securities; (d) the Fund may purchase securities on margin to the extent permitted by applicable law; and (e) the Fund may engage in transactions in mortgage dollar rolls which are accounted for as financings. The Fund is not permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on Shares, or repurchase fund shares unless, at the time of such declaration, the value of the Funds total assets, less liabilities other than borrowing, is at least 300% of such principal amount. |
The following interpretation applies to, but is not part of, this fundamental policy: In determining whether a particular investment in portfolio instruments or participation in portfolio transactions is subject to this borrowing policy, the accounting treatment of such instrument or participation shall be considered, but shall not by itself be determinative. Whether a particular instrument or transaction constitutes a borrowing shall be determined by the Board, after consideration of all of the relevant circumstances.
(4) | Make loans, except through (a) the purchase of debt obligations, loan interests and other interests or obligations in accordance with the Funds investment objective and policies; (b) repurchase agreements with banks, brokers, dealers and other financial institutions; or (c) loans as permitted by applicable law or pursuant to an exemptive order granted under the Act; |
(5) | Underwrite securities issued by others, except to the extent that the sale of portfolio securities by the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriting; |
(6) | Purchase, hold or deal in real estate, although the Fund may purchase and sell securities that are secured by real estate or interests therein, securities of issuers which invest or deal in real estate, securities of real estate investment trusts and mortgage-related securities and may hold and sell real estate it has acquired as a result of the ownership of securities; |
(7) | Invest in physical commodities or commodity contracts for the purchase or sale of physical commodities, except that the Fund may invest in currency and financial instruments and contracts that are commodities or commodity contracts; and |
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The Fund has also adopted the following fundamental policies in order to repurchase its Shares:
| On a quarterly basis, in the months of March, June, September and December, the Fund will make an offer to repurchase a designated percentage of the outstanding Shares from shareholders (a Repurchase Offer), pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the Act, as it may be amended from time to time. |
| The Fund will repurchase Shares that are tendered by a specific date (the Repurchase Request Deadline). The Funds Board will establish the Repurchase Request Deadline for each Repurchase Offer. The Repurchase Request Deadline will ordinarily be on the third Friday of the month in which the repurchase occurs but such date may be revised by the Funds investment adviser, in its sole discretion, based on factors such as market conditions, the level of the Funds assets and shareholder servicing considerations provided that the Board is notified of this change and the reasons for it. |
| There will be a maximum 14 calendar day period (or the next business day if the 14th calendar day is not a business day) between the Repurchase Request Deadline and the date on which the Funds net asset value applicable to the Repurchase Offer is determined. |
Notwithstanding any other fundamental investment restriction or policy, the Fund may invest some or all of its assets in a single open-end investment company or series thereof with substantially the same fundamental investment objective, restrictions and policies as the Fund.
In addition to the fundamental policies mentioned above, the Trustees have adopted the following non-fundamental policies which can be changed or amended by action of the Trustees without approval of shareholders. Again, for purposes of the following limitations, any limitation which involves a maximum percentage shall not be considered violated unless an excess over the percentage occurs immediately after, and is caused by, an acquisition of securities by the Fund.
The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental policy to invest under normal market conditions at least 80% of its Net Assets in any one or in any combination of the following categories of instruments: (i) investment grade fixed rate and floating rate income securities that are rated at the time of purchase at least BBB- by Standard & Poors or at least Baa3 by Moodys, or have a comparable rating by another NRSRO, or, if unrated are determined by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable quality; (ii) credit securities that are rated at the time of purchase below investment grade (BB, Ba or below) by an NRSRO or unrated credit securities that are deemed by the Investment Adviser to be of comparable quality, which securities are commonly referred to as junk bonds and are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuers capacity to pay interest and repay principal and which may include distressed and defaulted securities; (iii) loans and loan participations including: (a) Senior Loans, (b) Second Lien Loans and (c) other types of secured or unsecured loans with fixed, floating, or variable interest rates; (iv) convertible securities; (v) collateralized debt, bond and loan obligations; (vi) corporate debt obligations; (vii) bank obligations; (viii) U.S. Government Securities, and debt issued by or on behalf of states, territories and possessions of the United States (including the District of Columbia); (ix) preferred securities and trust preferred securities; (x) structured securities; and/or (xi) listed and unlisted, public and private, rated and unrated debt instruments and other obligations, including those of financially troubled companies (sometimes known as distressed securities). The Fund may invest up to 100% of its Net Assets in any one of the categories of instruments included in the preceding list. To the extent required by SEC regulations, shareholders will be provided with sixty days notice in the manner prescribed by the SEC before any change in the Funds policy to invest at least 80% of its Net Assets in the particular type of investment suggested by its name. The Fund may invest in the foregoing instruments and obligations directly, or indirectly by investing in derivative or synthetic instruments, including credit default swaps and loan credit default swaps.
The Funds Leadership Structure
The business and affairs of the Fund are managed under the direction of the Board subject to the laws of the State of Delaware and the Funds Declaration of Trust. The Trustees are responsible for deciding matters of overall policy and reviewing the actions of the Funds service providers. The officers of the Fund conduct and supervise the Funds daily business operations. Trustees who are not deemed to be interested persons of the Fund as defined in the Act are referred to as Independent Trustees. Trustees who are deemed to be interested persons of the Fund are referred to as Interested Trustees. The Board is currently composed of seven Independent Trustees and two Interested Trustees. The Board has selected an Independent Trustee to act as Chairman, whose duties include presiding at meetings of the Board and acting as a focal point to address significant issues that may arise between regularly scheduled Board and Committee meetings. In the performance of the Chairmans duties, the Chairman will consult with the other Independent Trustees and the Funds officers and legal counsel, as appropriate. The Chairman may perform other functions as requested by the Board from time to time.
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The Board meets as often as necessary to discharge its responsibilities. Currently, the Board conducts regular, in-person meetings at least six times a year, and holds special in-person or telephonic meetings as necessary to address specific issues that require attention prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting. In addition, the Independent Trustees meet at least annually to review, among other things, investment management agreements, service plans and related agreements, transfer agency agreements and certain other agreements providing for the compensation of Goldman Sachs and/or its affiliates by the Fund, and to consider such other matters as they deem appropriate.
The Board has established six standing committees Audit, Governance and Nominating, Compliance, Valuation, Dividend and Contract Review Committees. The Board may establish other committees, or nominate one or more Trustees to examine particular issues related to the Boards oversight responsibilities, from time to time. Each Committee meets periodically to perform its delegated oversight functions and reports its findings and recommendations to the Board. For more information on the Committees, see the section STANDING BOARD COMMITTEES, below.
The Trustees have determined that the Funds leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Trustees to effectively perform their oversight responsibilities.
Trustees of the Fund
Information pertaining to the Trustees of the Fund and Members of the Advisory Board as of July 29, 2013 is set forth below.
Independent Trustees
Name, Address and Age1 |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served2 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee3 |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee4 | |||||
Ashok N. Bakhru Age: 71 |
Chairman of the Board of Trustees | Since 2009 | Mr. Bakhru is retired. He was formerly Director, Apollo Investment Corporation (a business development company) (2008 2013); President, ABN Associates (a management and financial consulting firm) (1994 1996 and 1998 2012); Trustee, Scholarship America (19982005); Trustee, Institute for Higher Education Policy (20032008); Director, Private Equity InvestorsIII and IV (19982007), and Equity-Linked Investors II (April 20022007).
Chairman of the Board of TrusteesGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.
|
105 | Apollo Investment Corporation (a business development company) | |||||
Donald C. Burke Age: 53 |
Trustee | Since 2010 | Mr. Burke is retired. He is Director, Avista Corp. (2011-Present) and was formerly a Director, BlackRock Luxembourg and Cayman Funds (20062010); President and Chief Executive Officer, BlackRock U.S. Funds (20072009); Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (20062009).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.
|
103 | Avista Corp. (an energy company) | |||||
John P. Coblentz, Jr. Age: 72 |
Trustee | Since 2009 | Mr. Coblentz is retired. Formerly, he was Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP (19752003); Director, Emerging Markets Group, Ltd. (20042006); and Director, Elderhostel, Inc. (2006 2012).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
105 | None |
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Diana M. Daniels Age: 64 |
Trustee | Since 2009 | Ms. Daniels is retired. Formerly, she was Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, The Washington Post Company (19912006). Ms. Daniels serves as a Presidential Councillor of Cornell University (2013Present); Member, Advisory Board, Psychology Without Borders (international humanitarian aid organization) (2007 Present), and former Member of the Legal Advisory Board, New York Stock Exchange (20032006) and of the Corporate Advisory Board, Standish Mellon Management Advisors (20062007).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.
|
103 | None | |||||
Joseph P. LoRusso Age: 56 |
Trustee | Since 2010 | Mr. LoRusso is retired. Formerly, he was President, Fidelity Investments Institutional Services Co. (FIIS) (20022008); Director, FIIS (20022008); Director, Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company (20032007); Executive Officer, Fidelity Distributors Corporation (20072008).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.
|
103 | None | |||||
Jessica Palmer Age: 64 |
Trustee | Since 2009 | Ms. Palmer is retired. She is Director, Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture (2011Present); and was formerly a Consultant, Citigroup Human Resources Department (2007-2008); Managing Director, Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking (previously, Salomon Smith Barney/Salomon Brothers) (19842006). Ms. Palmer was a Member of the Board of Trustees of Indian Mountain School (private elementary and secondary school) (20042009).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex.
|
103 | None | |||||
Richard P. Strubel Age: 73 |
Trustee | Since 2009 | Mr. Strubel is retired. Formerly, he was Director, Cardean Learning Group (provider of educational services via the internet) (20032008); Trustee Emeritus, The University of Chicago (1987-Present).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
105 | The Northern Trust Mutual Fund Complex (64 Portfolios) (Chairman of the Board of Trustees); Gildan Activewear Inc. (a clothing marketing and manufacturing company)
| |||||
Interested Trustees
|
||||||||||
James A. McNamara* Age: 50 |
President and Trustee | Since 2009 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993April 1998).
PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2007 Present); Senior Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (May 2007November 2007); and Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (20012007).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2007 and December 2002May 2004). |
105 | None |
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Alan A. Shuch* Age: 63 | Trustee | Since 2009 | Advisory DirectorGSAM (May 1999 Present); Consultant to GSAM (December 1994May 1999); and Limited Partner, Goldman Sachs (December 1994May 1999).
TrusteeGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
103 | None | |||||
Advisory Board Members
| ||||||||||
Name, Address and Age1 |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office and Length of Time Served2 |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Advisory Board |
Other Directorships Held by Advisory Board Member4 | |||||
Herbert J. Markley Age: 63 |
Advisory Board Member | Since 2013 | Mr. Markley is retired. Formerly, he was Executive Vice President, Deere & Company (an agricultural and construction equipment manufacturer) (2007-2009), and President, Agricultural Division, Deere & Company (2001-2007).
|
103 | None | |||||
Roy W. Templin Age: 52 |
Advisory Board Member | Since 2013 | Mr. Templin is retired. He is Director, Con-Way Incorporated (2012Present); and was formerly Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Whirlpool Corporation (an appliance manufacturer and marketer) (20042012). | 103 | Con-Way Incorporated (a transportation, supply-chain management and logistics services company) |
* | These persons are considered to be Interested Trustees because they hold positions with Goldman Sachs and own securities issued by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Each Interested Trustee holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor. |
1 | Each Trustee may
be contacted by writing to the Trustee, c/o Goldman Sachs, 200 West Street, New York, New York, 10282, |
2 | Each Trustee holds office for an indefinite term until the earliest of: (a) the election of his or her successor; (b) the date the Trustee resigns or is removed by the Board of Trustees or shareholders, in accordance with the Funds Declaration of Trust; (c) the conclusion of the first Board meeting held subsequent to the day the Trustee attains the age of 74 years, subject to waiver by a majority of the Trustees (in accordance with the current resolutions of the Board of Trustees, which may be changed by the Trustees without shareholder vote); or (d) the termination of the Fund. |
3 | The Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex consists of the Fund, Goldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust. As of July 29, 2013, the Fund consisted of one portfolio, Goldman Sachs Trust consisted of 90 portfolios (82 of which offered shares to the public) and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust consisted of 12 portfolios. The Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex also includes, with respect to Messrs. Bakhru, Coblentz, Strubel and McNamara, Goldman Sachs Trust II and Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc. Goldman Sachs Trust II and Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc. each consisted of one portfolio. Goldman Sachs BDC, Inc. did not offer shares to the public. |
4 | This column includes only directorships of companies required to report to the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (i.e., public companies) or other investment companies registered under the Act. |
The significance or relevance of an Advisory Board Members or Trustees particular experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills is considered by the Board on an individual basis. Experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills common to all Advisory Board Members and Trustees include the ability to critically review, evaluate and discuss information provided to them and to interact effectively with the other Trustees and with representatives of the Investment Adviser and its affiliates, other service providers, legal counsel and the Funds independent registered public accounting firm, the capacity to address financial and legal issues and exercise reasonable business judgment, and a commitment to the representation of the interests of the Fund and its Shareholders. The Governance and Nominating Committees charter contains certain other factors that are considered by the Governance and Nominating Committee in identifying and evaluating potential nominees to serve as Independent Trustees. Based on each Advisory Board Members or Trustees experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills, considered individually and with respect to the experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills of other Advisory Board Members and Trustees, the Board has concluded that each Advisory Board Member and Trustee should serve as an Advisory Board Member or Trustee. Below is a brief discussion of the experience, qualifications, attributes and/or skills of each individual Advisory Board Member or Trustee as of July 29, 2013 that led the Board to conclude that such individual should serve as an Advisory Board Member or Trustee.
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Ashok N. Bakhru. Mr. Bakhru has served as a Trustee since 2009 and Chairman of the Board since 2009. Previously, Mr. Bakhru served as Director, Apollo Investment Corporation (a business development company) (2008-2013), and President of ABN Associates, a management and consulting firm, and was the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Coty Inc., a multinational cosmetics, fragrance and personal care company. In addition, Mr. Bakhru formerly held several senior management positions at Scott Paper Company, a major manufacturer of paper products, including Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Bakhru also serves on the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council and the Board of Governors of the Investment Company Institute. He also serves on the Advisory Board of BoardIQ, an investment publication. In addition, Mr. Bakhru has served as Director of Equity-Linked Investments II and Private Equity Investors III and IV, which are private equity partnerships based in New York City. Mr. Bakhru was also a Director of Arkwright Mutual Insurance Company. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Bakhru is experienced with financial and investment matters.
Donald C. Burke. Mr. Burke has served as Trustee since 2010. Mr. Burke serves as a Director of Avista Corp., an energy company. Mr. Burke was a Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc., where he was President and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRocks U.S. funds and a director and chairman of several offshore funds advised by BlackRock. As President and Chief Executive Officer of BlackRocks U.S. funds, he was responsible for all accounting, tax and regulatory reporting requirements for over 300 open-end and closed-end BlackRock funds. Previously, he was a Managing Director, First Vice President and Vice President of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, L.P. (MLIM), where he worked for 16 years prior to MLIMs merger with BlackRock, and was instrumental in the integration of BlackRocks and MLIMs operating infrastructure following the merger. While at MLIM, he was Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of MLIMs U.S. funds and Head of Global Operations and Client Services, where he was responsible for the development and maintenance of MLIMs operating infrastructure across the Americas, Europe and the Pacific Rim. He also developed controls for the MLIM U.S. funds financial statement certification process to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, worked with fund auditors in connection with the funds annual audits and established the department responsible for all tax issues impacting the MLIM U.S. funds. Previously, Mr. Burke was Tax Manager at Deloitte & Touche, where he was designated as one of the firms lead specialists in the investment company industry, and advised multinational corporations, partnerships, universities and high net worth individuals in tax matters. Mr. Burke is a certified public accountant. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Burke is experienced with accounting, financial and investment matters.
John P. Coblentz, Jr. Mr. Coblentz has served as Trustee since 2009. Mr. Coblentz has been designated as the Boards audit committee financial expert given his extensive accounting and finance experience. Mr. Coblentz was a partner with Deloitte & Touche LLP for 28 years. While at Deloitte & Touche LLP, Mr. Coblentz was lead partner responsible for all auditing and accounting services to a variety of large, global companies, a significant portion of which operated in the financial services industry. Mr. Coblentz was also the national managing partner for the firms risk management function, a member of the firms Management Committee and the first managing partner of the firms Financial Advisory Services practice, which brought together the firms mergers and acquisition services, forensic and dispute services, corporate finance, asset valuation and reorganization businesses under one management structure. He served as a member of the firms Board of Directors. Mr. Coblentz is a certified public accountant. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Coblentz is experienced with accounting, financial and investment matters.
Diana M. Daniels. Ms. Daniels has served as Trustee since 2009. Ms. Daniels also serves as a Trustee Emeritus and Presidential Councillor of Cornell University. Ms. Daniels held several senior management positions at The Washington Post Company and its subsidiaries, where she worked for 29 years. While at The Washington Post Company, Ms. Daniels served as Vice President, General Counsel, Secretary to the Board of Directors and Secretary to the Audit Committee. Previously, Ms. Daniels served as Vice President and General Counsel of Newsweek, Inc. Ms. Daniels also serves on the Executive Committee of the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Council of the Investment Companies Institute. Ms. Daniels has also served as Vice Chair and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of Cornell University and as a member of the Corporate Advisory Board of Standish Mellon Management Advisors and of the Legal Advisory Board of New York Stock Exchange. Ms. Daniels is also a member of the American Law Institute and of the Advisory Council of the Inter-American Press Association. Based on the foregoing, Ms. Daniels is experienced with legal, financial and investment matters.
Joseph P. LoRusso. Mr. LoRusso has served as Trustee since 2010. Mr. LoRusso held a number of senior management positions at Fidelity Investments for over 15 years, where he was most recently President of Fidelity Investments Institutional Services Co. (FIIS). As President of FIIS, Mr. LoRusso oversaw the development, distribution and servicing of Fidelitys investment and retirement products through various financial intermediaries. Previously, he served as President, Executive Vice President and Senior Vice President of Fidelity Institutional Retirement Services Co., where he helped establish Fidelitys 401(k) business and built it into the largest in the U.S. In these positions, he oversaw sales, marketing, implementation, client services, operations and technology. Mr. LoRusso also served on Fidelitys Executive Management Committee. Prior to his experience with Fidelity, he was Second Vice President in the Investment and Pension Group of John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance, where he had responsibility for developing
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and running the companys 401(k) business. Previously, he worked at The Equitable (now a subsidiary of AXA Financial), where he was Product Manager of the companys then-nascent 401(k) business, and at Arthur Andersen & Co. (now Accenture), as a Senior Consultant within the firms consulting practice. Based on the foregoing, Mr. LoRusso is experienced with financial and investment matters.
Jessica Palmer. Ms. Palmer has served as Trustee since 2009. Ms. Palmer serves as a Director of Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture, a not-for-profit organization. Ms. Palmer worked at Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking (previously, Salomon Smith Barney/Salomon Brothers) for over 20 years, where she was a Managing Director. While at Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking, Ms. Palmer was Head of Global Risk Management, Chair of the Global Commitment Committee, Co-Chair of International Investment Banking (New York) and Head of Fixed Income Capital Markets. Ms. Palmer was also a member of the Management Committee and Risk Management Operating Committee of Citigroup, Inc. Prior to that, Ms. Palmer was a Vice President at Goldman Sachs in its international corporate finance department. Ms. Palmer was also Assistant Vice President of the International Division at Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Ms. Palmer was also a member of the Board of Trustees of a private elementary and secondary school. Based on the foregoing, Ms. Palmer is experienced with financial and investment matters.
Richard P. Strubel. Mr. Strubel has served as Trustee since 2009. Mr. Strubel also serves as Chairman of the Northern Funds, a family of retail and institutional mutual funds managed by The Northern Trust Company. He also serves on the board of Gildan Activewear Inc., which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Mr. Strubel was Vice-Chairman of the Board of Cardean Learning Group (formerly known as Unext), and previously served as Unexts President and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Strubel was Managing Director of Tandem Partners, Inc., a privately-held management services firm, and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Microdot, Inc. Previously, Mr. Strubel served as President of Northwest Industries, then a NYSE-listed company, a conglomerate with various operating entities located around the country. Before joining Northwest, Mr. Strubel was an associate and later managing principal of Fry Consultants, a management consulting firm based in Chicago. Mr. Strubel is also a Trustee Emeritus of the University of Chicago and is an adjunct professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Strubel is experienced with financial and investment matters.
James A. McNamara. Mr. McNamara has served as Trustee and President of the Trust since 2009 and has served as an officer of the Trust since 2009. Mr. McNamara is a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs. Mr. McNamara is currently head of Global Third Party Distribution at GSAM, where he was previously head of U.S. Third Party Distribution. Prior to that role, Mr. McNamara served as Director of Institutional Fund Sales. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Mr. McNamara was Vice President and Manager at Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation. Based on the foregoing, Mr. McNamara is experienced with financial and investment matters.
Alan A. Shuch. Mr. Shuch has served as a Trustee since 2009. Mr. Shuch is an Advisory Director to Goldman Sachs. Mr. Shuch serves on the Board of Trustees of a number of offshore funds managed by GSAM. He serves on GSAMs Valuation Committee. Prior to retiring as a general partner of Goldman Sachs in 1994, Mr. Shuch was president and chief operating officer of GSAM which he founded in 1988. Mr. Shuch joined the Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Division in 1976. He was instrumental in building Goldman Sachs Corporate Bond Department and served as co-head of the Global Fixed Income Sales and the High Yield Bond and Preferred Stock Departments. He headed the Portfolio Restructuring and Fixed Income Quantitative and Credit Research Departments. Mr. Shuch also served on a variety of firm-wide committees including the International Executive, New Product and Strategic Planning Committees and was a member of the Stone Street/Bridge Street Private Equity Board. Mr. Shuch serves on Whartons Graduate Executive Board. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Shuch is experienced with financial and investment matters.
Advisory Board Members
Herbert J. (H.J.) Markley. Mr. Markley held several senior management positions at Deere & Company, where he worked for 35 years, including Executive Vice President of Worldwide Parts Service, Global Supply Management and Logistics, Enterprise Information Technology and Corporate Communications. Mr. Markleys experience at Deere included managing manufacturing and engineering facilities, including the two largest manufacturing facilities and a joint venture with Hitachi. He later served as Senior Vice President of Worldwide Human Resources where he helped to lay the foundation for a new human resources system, and as a President of the Agricultural Division, Deeres largest business unit. In addition to his work with Deere, Mr. Markley has served on the Boards of Directors of the Dubuque Chamber of Commerce, the First National Bank of Dubuque, the University of Dubuque and the Iowa Public Television Foundation as well as the Board of Overseers of the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Mr. Markley currently serves on the Trusts Advisory Board. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Markley is experienced with financial and investment matters.
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Roy W. Templin. Mr. Templin is a Director of Con-Way Incorporated, a transportation, supply-chain management and logistics services company, and serves on its Finance and Audit Committees (he is the Chair of the Finance Committee). Mr. Templin held a number of senior management positions at Whirlpool Corporation, an appliance manufacturer and marketer, including Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Vice President and Corporate Controller there. At Whirlpool, Mr. Templin served as the Executive Committee and was responsible for all aspects of finance globally, including treasury, accounting, risk management, investor relations, internal auditing, tax and facilities. Prior to joining Whirlpool, Mr. Templin served in several roles at Kimball International, a furniture and electronic assemblies manufacturer, including Vice President of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer. Mr. Templin was also a Director of Corporate Finance for Cummins, Inc., a diesel engine manufacturer, a Director of Financial Development at NCR Corporation, a computer hardware and electronics company, and a member of the audit staff of Price Waterhouse (now PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP). Mr. Templin is a certified public accountant. Mr. Templin currently serves on the Trusts Advisory Board. Based on the foregoing, Mr. Templin is experienced with accounting, financial and investment matters.
Officers of the Fund
Information pertaining to the officers of the Fund as of July 29, 2013 is set forth below.
Officers of the Fund
Name, Age And Address |
Position(s) Held With the Fund |
Term of |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | |||
James A. McNamara 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 50 |
Trustee and President | Since 2009 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998-Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993 April 1998).
PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2007 Present); Senior Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (May 2007 November 2007); and Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (2001 2007).
Trustee Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2007-Present and December 2002 May 2004). | |||
Scott McHugh 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 41 |
Treasurer and Senior Vice President | Since 2009 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (February 2007Present); Assistant Treasurer of certain mutual funds administered by DWS Scudder (20052007); and Director (20052007), Vice President (20002005), Assistant Vice President (19982000), Deutsche Asset Management or its predecessor (19982007).
TreasurerGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (October 2009-Present); Senior Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2009-Present); and Assistant TreasurerGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (May 2007-October 2009). | |||
George F. Travers 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: 45 |
Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer | Since 2009 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (2007-Present); Managing Director, UBS Ag (2005-2007); and Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP (1990-2005, partner from 2000-2005).
Senior Vice President and Principal Financial OfficerGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Philip V. Giuca, Jr. 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: 51 |
Assistant Treasurer | Since 2009 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (May 1992Present).
Assistant Treasurer Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
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Peter Fortner 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: 55 |
Assistant Treasurer | Since 2009 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (July 2000Present); Principal Financial Officer, Commerce Bank Mutual Fund Complex (2008-Present); Associate, Prudential Insurance Company of America (November 1985June 2000); and Assistant Treasurer, certain closed-end funds administered by Prudential (19992000).
Assistant Treasurer Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Kenneth G. Curran 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: 49 |
Assistant Treasurer | Since 2009 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (November 1998Present); and Senior Tax Manager, KPMG Peat Marwick (accountants) (August 1995October 1998).
Assistant TreasurerGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Sarah Walton 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: 41 |
Assistant Treasurer | Since 2012 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (December 2002 Present); and Associate, Goldman Sachs (February 2000 December 2002).
Assistant Treasurer Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Jesse Cole 71 South Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 Age: 50 |
Vice President | Since 2009 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 2006Present); Vice President, GSAM (June 1998Present); and Vice President, AIM Management Group, Inc. (investment adviser) (April 1996June 1998).
Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Kerry K. Daniels 71 South Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 Age: 50 |
Vice President | Since 2009 | Manager, Financial Control Shareholder Services, Goldman Sachs (1986 Present).
Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Carlos W. Samuels 6011 Connection Drive Irving, TX 75039 Age: 38 |
Vice President | Since 2009 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (December 2007Present); Associate, Goldman Sachs (December 2005December 2007); Analyst, Goldman Sachs (January 2004December 2005).
Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Miriam Cytryn 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 55 |
Vice President | Since 2009 | Vice President, GSAM (2008-Present); Vice President of Divisional Management, Investment Management Division (2007-2008); Vice President and Chief of Staff, GSAM US Distribution (2003-2007); and Vice President of Employee Relations, Goldman Sachs (1996-2003).
Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Glen Casey 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 48 |
Vice President | Since 2009 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (2007-Present); and Vice President, Goldman Sachs (1997-2007).
Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Mark Heaney Christchurch Court 10-15 Newgate Street London, EC1A 7HD, UK Age: 45 |
Vice President | Since 2010 | Executive Director, GSAM (May 2005-Present); Director of Operations (UK and Ireland), Invesco Asset Management (May 2004-March 2005); Global Head of Investment Administration, Invesco Asset Management (September 2001-May 2004); Managing Director (Ireland), Invesco Asset Management (March 2000-September 2001); Director of Investment Administration, Invesco Asset Management (December 1998-March 2000).
Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Michael Magee 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: 36 |
Vice President | Since 2012 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (December 2007-Present); Associate (December 2004-December 2007); and Analyst (December 2002-December 2004).
Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Robert McCormack 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: 39 |
Vice President | Since 2012 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (December 2008 Present); and Associate, Goldman Sachs (September 2005 December 2008).
Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
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Greg R. Wilson 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 40 |
Vice President | Since 2013 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (January 2011 Present); Head of the North American Sub-Advisory & Platform Distribution Group, GSAM (April 2010 Present); and Business Development and Relationship Management Sub-Advisory & Platform Distribution Group, GSAM (May 2003 April 2010).
Vice PresidentGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Jonathan Lamm 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 39 |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2009 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (2002Present). | |||
Salvatore Lentini 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 40 |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2009 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (2006-Present); Managing Director, Amaranth Advisors (2003-2006). | |||
Matthew Wolfe 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 30 |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2012 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (July 2012Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (July 2012Present); Associate, Dechert LLP (2007-2012).
Assistant SecretaryGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Deborah Farrell 30 Hudson Street Jersey City, NJ 07302 Age: 42 |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2009 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (2005-Present); Associate, Goldman Sachs (2001-2005); and Analyst, Goldman Sachs (1994-2005).
Assistant SecretaryGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Patrick T. OCallaghan 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 41 |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2009 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (2000-Present); Associate, Goldman Sachs (1998-2000); Analyst, Goldman Sachs (1995-1998).
Assistant SecretaryGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
James A. McCarthy 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 49 |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2009 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (2003-Present); Vice President, Goldman Sachs (1996-2003); Portfolio Manager, Goldman Sachs (1995-1996).
Assistant SecretaryGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Andrew Murphy 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 40 |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2010 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (April 2009-Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (April 2009-Present); Attorney, Axiom Legal (2007-2009); Vice President and Counsel, AllianceBernstein, L.P. (2001-2007).
Assistant SecretaryGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Robert Griffith 200 West Street New York, NY 10282 Age: 38 |
Assistant Secretary | Since 2011 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (August 2011Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (August 2011Present); Vice President and Counsel, Nomura Holding America, Inc. (20102011); Associate, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP (20052010).
Assistant SecretaryGoldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
1 | Officers hold office at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Each officer holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor. |
Standing Board Committees
The Audit Committee oversees the audit process and provides assistance to the Board with respect to fund accounting, tax compliance and financial statement matters. In performing its responsibilities, the Audit Committee selects and recommends annually to the Board an independent registered public accounting firm to audit the books and records of the Fund for the ensuing year, and reviews with the firm the scope and results of each audit. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee held five meetings during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013.
The Governance and Nominating Committee has been established to: (i) assist the Board in matters involving mutual fund governance, which includes making recommendations to the Board with respect to the effectiveness of the Board in carrying out its
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responsibilities in governing the Fund and overseeing its management; (ii) select and nominate candidates for appointment or election to serve as Independent Trustees; and (iii) advise the Board on ways to improve its effectiveness. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Governance and Nominating Committee. The Governance and Nominating Committee held two meetings during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. As stated above, each Trustee holds office for an indefinite term until the occurrence of certain events. In filling Board vacancies, the Governance and Nominating Committee will consider nominees recommended by shareholders. Nominee recommendations should be submitted to the Fund at its mailing address stated in the Funds Prospectus and should be directed to the attention of the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund Governance and Nominating Committee.
The Compliance Committee has been established for the purpose of overseeing the compliance processes: (i) of the Fund; and (ii) insofar as they relate to services provided to the Fund, of the Funds investment advisers, distributor, administrator (if any), and transfer agent, except that compliance processes relating to the accounting and financial reporting processes, and certain related matters, are overseen by the Audit Committee. In addition, the Compliance Committee provides assistance to the full Board with respect to compliance matters. The Compliance Committee met three times during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Compliance Committee.
The Valuation Committee is authorized to act for the Board in connection with the valuation of portfolio securities held by the Fund in accordance with the Funds Valuation Procedures. Messrs. McNamara and Shuch serve on the Valuation Committee together with certain employees of GSAM who are not Trustees. The Valuation Committee met twelve times during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. The Valuation Committee reports periodically to the Board.
The Dividend Committee is authorized, subject to the ratification of Trustees who are not members of the committee, to declare dividends and capital gain distributions consistent with the Funds Prospectus. Messrs. McNamara and McHugh serve on the Dividend Committee. The Dividend Committee met twelve times during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013.
The Contract Review Committee has been established for the purpose of overseeing the processes of the Board for reviewing and monitoring performance under the Funds investment management, distribution, transfer agency and certain other agreements with the Funds Investment Adviser and its affiliates. The Contract Review Committee is also responsible for overseeing the Boards processes for considering and reviewing performance under the operation of the Funds distribution, service, shareholder administration and other plans, and any agreements related to the plans. The Contract Review Committee also provides appropriate assistance to the Board in connection with the Boards approval, oversight and review of the Funds other service providers including, without limitation, the Funds custodian/accounting agent, sub-transfer agents, professional (legal and accounting) firms and printing firms. The Contract Review Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. All of the Independent Trustees serve on the Contract Review Committee.
Risk Oversight
The Board is responsible for the oversight of the activities of the Fund, including oversight of risk management. Day-to-day risk management with respect to the Fund is the responsibility of GSAM or other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk), subject to supervision by GSAM. The risks of the Fund include, but are not limited to, investment risk, compliance risk, operational risk, reputational risk, credit risk and counterparty risk. Each of GSAM and the other service providers have their own independent interest in risk management and their policies and methods of risk management may differ from the Fund and each others in the setting of priorities, the resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. As a result, the Board recognizes that it is not possible to identify all of the risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects, and that some risks are simply beyond the control of the Fund or GSAM, its affiliates or other service providers.
The Board effectuates its oversight role primarily through regular and special meetings of the Board and Board committees. In certain cases, risk management issues are specifically addressed in presentations and discussions. For example, GSAM has an independent dedicated Market Risk Group that assists GSAM in managing investment risk. Representatives from the Market Risk Group regularly meet with the Board to discuss their analysis and methodologies. In addition, investment risk is discussed in the context of regular presentations to the Board on Fund strategy and performance. Other types of risk are addressed as part of presentations on related topics (e.g. compliance policies) or in the context of presentations focused specifically on one or more risks. The Board also receives reports from GSAM management on operational risks, reputational risks and counterparty risks relating to the Fund.
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Board oversight of risk management is also performed by various Board committees. For example, the Audit Committee meets with both the Funds independent registered public accounting firm and GSAMs internal audit group to review risk controls in place that support the Fund as well as test results, and the Compliance Committee meets with the CCO and representatives of GSAMs compliance group to review testing results of the Funds compliance policies and procedures and other compliance issues. Board oversight of risk is also performed as needed between meetings through communications between the GSAM and the Board. The Board may, at any time and in its discretion, change the manner in which it conducts risk oversight. The Boards oversight role does not make the Board a guarantor of the Funds investments or activities.
Trustee Ownership of Fund Shares
The following table shows the dollar range of shares beneficially owned by each Trustee in the Fund and portfolios of the Goldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust as of December 31, 2012.
Name of Trustee |
Dollar Range of Equity Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity Securities in All Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen By Trustee | ||
Ashok N. Bakhru |
$50,001 - $100,000 | Over $100,000 | ||
Donald C. Burke |
$1 - $10,000 | Over $100,000 | ||
John P. Coblentz, Jr. |
$10,001 - $50,000 | Over $100,000 | ||
Diana M. Daniels |
$1 - $10,000 | Over $100,000 | ||
Joseph P. LoRusso |
None | Over $100,000 | ||
James A. McNamara |
Over $100,000 | Over $100,000 | ||
Jessica Palmer |
$10,001 - $50,000 | Over $100,000 | ||
Alan A. Shuch |
None | Over $100,000 | ||
Richard P. Strubel |
$1 - $10,000 | Over $100,000 |
As of June 28, 2013, the Trustees and Officers of the Fund as a group owned less than 1% of the outstanding Shares of beneficial interest of the Fund.
Board and Advisory
Each Independent Trustee and Advisory Board Member is compensated with a unitary annual fee for his or her services as a Trustee or Advisory Board Member, as applicable, of the Trust and as a member of the Governance and Nominating Committee, Compliance Committee, Contract Review Committee, and Audit Committee. The Chairman and audit committee financial expert receive additional compensation for their services. The Independent Trustees and Advisory Board Members are also reimbursed for travel expenses incurred in connection with attending meetings. The Trust may also pay the incidental costs of a Trustee or Advisory Board Member to attend training or other types of conferences relating to the investment company industry.
The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the compensation of each Trustee of the Fund for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013:
Name of Trustee |
Credit Strategies Fund |
Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued as Part of the Funds Expenses |
Total Compensation From the Fund Complex (including the Fund)4 |
|||||||
Ashok N. Bakhru 1 |
$ | 3,371 | None | $ | 402,500 | |||||
Donald C. Burke |
2,178 | None | 260,000 | |||||||
John P. Coblentz 2 |
2,523 | None | 301,250 | |||||||
Diana M. Daniels |
2,178 | None | 260,000 | |||||||
Joseph P. LoRusso |
2,178 | None | 260,000 | |||||||
James A. McNamara 3 |
None | None | None | |||||||
Jessica Palmer |
2,178 | None | 260,000 | |||||||
Alan A. Shuch 3 |
None | None | None | |||||||
Richard P. Strubel |
2,178 | None | 260,000 |
1 | Includes compensation as Board Chairman. |
2 | Includes compensation as audit committee financial expert as defined in Item 3 of Form N-CSR. |
3 | Messrs. McNamara and Shuch are Interested Trustees and, as such, receive no compensation from the Fund or the Fund Complex. |
4 | Represents fees paid to each Trustee during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 from the Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. As of the most recent fiscal year end, neither the Fund nor the Fund Complex paid any fees to either of the Advisory Board Members. |
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Miscellaneous
Shares of the Fund may be sold at NAV without payment of any sales charge to Goldman Sachs, its affiliates and their respective officers, partners, directors or employees (including retired employees and former partners), any partnership of which Goldman Sachs is a general partner, any Trustee or officer of the Trust and designated family members of any of the above individuals. These sales load waivers are due to the nature of the investors and/or the reduced sales effort and expense that are needed to obtain such investments.
The Fund, its Investment Adviser and principal underwriter have adopted codes of ethics under Rule 17j-1 of the Act that permit personnel subject to their particular codes of ethics to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund.
As stated in the Funds Prospectus, GSAM, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282, serves as the Investment Adviser to the Fund pursuant to a Management Agreement. GSAM is a subsidiary of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. and an affiliate of Goldman Sachs. See Service Providers in the Funds Prospectus for a description of the Investment Advisers duties to the Fund.
Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. is a financial holding company and a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm. Goldman Sachs is a leader in developing portfolio strategies and in many fields of investing and financing, participating in financial markets worldwide and serving individuals, institutions, corporations and governments. Goldman Sachs is also among the principal market sources for current and thorough information on companies, industrial sectors, markets, economies and currencies, and trades and makes markets in a wide range of equity and debt securities 24 hours a day. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in countries throughout the world. It has trading professionals throughout the United States, as well as in London, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Seoul, Sao Paulo and other major financial centers around the world. The active participation of Goldman Sachs in the worlds financial markets enhances its ability to identify attractive investments. Goldman Sachs has agreed to permit the Fund to use the name Goldman Sachs or a derivative thereof as part of the Funds name for as long as the Funds Management Agreement is in effect.
The Investment Adviser is able to draw on the substantial research and market expertise of Goldman Sachs, whose investment research effort is one of the largest in the industry. The Global Investment Research division provides original fundamental insights and analysis for clients in the equity, fixed income and currency and commodities markets. The group covers areas such as economics, portfolio strategy, derivatives and equity and credit securities in more than 25 stock markets and 50 economies and regions around the world. The in-depth information and analyses generated by Goldman Sachs research analysts are available to the Investment Adviser subject to Chinese Wall restrictions.
In addition, many of Goldman Sachs economists, securities analysts, portfolio strategists and credit analysts have consistently been highly ranked in respected industry surveys conducted in the United States and abroad. Goldman Sachs is also among the leading investment firms using quantitative analytics (now used by a growing number of investors) to structure and evaluate portfolios. For example, Goldman Sachs options evaluation model analyzes a securitys term, coupon and call option, providing an overall analysis of the securitys value relative to its interest risk.
The Management Agreement provides that GSAM, in its capacity as Investment Adviser, may render similar services to others so long as the services under the Management Agreement are not impaired thereby. The Management Agreement was most recently approved by the Trustees of the Fund, including a majority of the Trustees of the Fund who are not parties to such agreements or interested persons (as such term is defined in the Act) of any party thereto (the non-interested Trustees), on June 13, 2013. A discussion regarding the Trustees basis for approving the Management Agreement for the Fund in 2012 is available in the Funds semi-annual report for the period ended September 30, 2012, and a discussion of regarding the Trustees basis for approving the Management Agreement for the Fund in 2013 will be available in the Funds semi-annual report for the period ended September 30, 2013.
The fixed income research capabilities of Goldman Sachs available to the Investment Adviser include the Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Research Department and the Credit Department. The Fixed Income Research Department monitors developments in U.S. and foreign fixed income markets, assesses the outlooks for various sectors of the markets and provides relative value comparisons, as well as analyzes trading opportunities within and across market sectors. The Fixed Income Research Department is at the forefront in developing and using computer-based tools for analyzing fixed income securities and markets, developing new fixed income products and structuring portfolio strategies for investment policy and tactical asset allocation decisions. The Credit Department tracks specific governments, regions and industries and from time to time may review the credit quality of the Funds investments.
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The Management Agreement will remain in effect until June 30, 2014 and will continue in effect with respect to the Fund from year to year thereafter provided such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by (i) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund or a majority of the Trustees of the Fund, and (ii) the vote of a majority of the non-interested Trustees of the Fund cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
The Management Agreement will terminate automatically if assigned (as defined in the Act). The Management Agreement is also terminable at any time without penalty by the Trustees of the Fund or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund on 60 days written notice to the applicable Investment Adviser and by the Investment Adviser on 60 days written notice to the Fund.
Pursuant to the Management Agreement, the Investment Adviser is entitled to receive the fees set forth below, payable monthly based on the Funds average daily net assets, thus excluding borrowings for investment purposes. Also included below is the actual management fee rate paid by the Fund for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013:
Fund |
Contractual Rate |
Actual Rate for the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2013 | ||
Credit Strategies Fund |
1.00% on the first $1 billion | 1.00% | ||
0.90% on the next $1 billion | ||||
0.86% on the next $3 billion | ||||
0.84% on the next $3 billion | ||||
0.82% over $8 billion |
For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2013, March 31, 2012 and March 31, 2011, the amount of the fees incurred by the Fund under the Management Agreement were:
Fund |
Fiscal Year ended March 31, 2013 |
Fiscal Year ended March 31, 2012 |
Fiscal Year ended March 31, 2011 |
|||||||||
Credit Strategies Fund |
$ | 5,536,928 | $ | 5,081,674 | $ | 4,874,062 |
The Investment Adviser performs administrative services for the Fund under the Management Agreement. Such administrative services include, subject to the general supervision of the Trustees of the Fund, (i) providing supervision of all aspects of the Funds non-investment operations (other than certain operations performed by others pursuant to agreements with the Fund); (ii) providing the Fund, to the extent not provided pursuant to the agreement with the Funds custodian, transfer and dividend disbursing agent or agreements with other institutions, with personnel to perform such executive, administrative and clerical services as are reasonably necessary to provide effective administration of the Fund; (iii) arranging, to the extent not provided pursuant to such agreements, for the preparation, at the Funds expense, of the Funds tax returns, reports to shareholders, periodic updating of the Funds prospectuses and statements of additional information, and reports filed with the SEC and other regulatory authorities; (iv) providing the Fund, to the extent not provided pursuant to such agreements, with adequate office space and certain related office equipment and services; and (v) maintaining all of the Funds records other than those maintained pursuant to such agreements.
Portfolio Managers Other Accounts Managed by the Portfolio Managers
The following tables disclose other accounts within each type of category listed below for which the portfolio managers are jointly and primarily responsible for day to day portfolio management (unless otherwise noted, the information below is provided as of March 31, 2013).
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Number of Other Accounts Managed and Total Assets by Account Type |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Registered Investment Companies |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | Other Accounts | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Name of Portfolio Manager |
Number of Accounts | Assets Managed (mm) |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed (mm) |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed (mm) |
||||||||||||||||||
Credit Strategies Fund Liberty Harbor Team |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salvatore Lentini |
1 | 505.7 | 5 | 3,811.8 | 4 | 947.1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Brendan McGovern |
1 | 505.7 | 5 | 3,811.8 | 4 | 947.1 | ||||||||||||||||||
Number of Accounts and Total Assets for Which Advisory Fee is Performance Based |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Registered Investment Companies |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles |
Other Accounts | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Name of Portfolio Manager |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed (mm) |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed (mm) |
Number of Accounts |
Assets Managed (mm) |
||||||||||||||||||
Credit Strategies Fund Liberty Harbor Team |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salvatore Lentini |
0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1,528.7 | 3 | 662.8 | ||||||||||||||||||
Brendan McGovern |
0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1,528.7 | 3 | 662.8 |
Conflicts of Interest. The Investment Advisers portfolio managers are often responsible for managing the Fund as well as other accounts, including proprietary accounts, separate accounts and other pooled investment vehicles, such as unregistered hedge funds. A portfolio manager may manage a separate account or other pooled investment vehicle which may have materially higher fee arrangements than the Fund and may also have a performance-based fee. The side-by-side management of these funds may raise potential conflicts of interest relating to cross trading, the allocation of investment opportunities and the aggregation and allocation of trades.
The Investment Adviser has a fiduciary responsibility to manage all client accounts in a fair and equitable manner. The Investment Adviser seeks to provide best execution of all securities transactions and aggregate and then allocate securities to client accounts in a fair and timely manner. To this end, the Investment Adviser has developed policies and procedures designed to mitigate and manage the potential conflicts of interest that may arise from side-by-side management. In addition, the Investment Adviser and the Fund have adopted policies limiting the circumstances under which cross-trades may be effected between the Fund and another client account. The Investment Adviser conducts periodic reviews of trades for consistency with these policies. For more information about conflicts of interests that may arise in connection with the portfolio managers management of the Funds investments and the investments of other accounts, see Potential Conflicts of Interest Potential Conflicts Relating to the Allocation of Investment Opportunities Among the Fund and Other Goldman Sachs Accounts and Potential Conflicts Relating to Goldman Sachs and the Investment Advisers Proprietary Activities and Activities on Behalf of Other Accounts.
Portfolio Managers Compensation
Compensation for GSAM portfolio managers is comprised of a base salary and discretionary variable compensation. The base salary is fixed from year to year. Year-end discretionary variable compensation is primarily a function of each portfolio managers individual performance and his or her contribution to overall team performance; the performance of GSAM and Goldman Sachs; the teams net revenues for the past year which in part is derived from advisory fees, and for certain accounts, performance based fees; and anticipated compensation levels among competitor firms. Portfolio managers are rewarded, in part, for their delivery of investment performance, measured on a pre-tax basis, which is reasonably expected to meet or exceed the expectations of clients and fund shareholders in terms of: excess return over an applicable benchmark, peer group ranking, risk management and factors specific to certain funds such as yield or regional focus. Performance is judged over 1-3- and 5-year time horizons.
The benchmark for measuring performance of the Fund is the Bank of America Merrill Lynch USD LIBOR One-Month Constant Maturity Index.
The discretionary variable compensation for portfolio managers is also significantly influenced by: (1) effective participation in team research discussions and process; and (2) management of risk in alignment with the targeted risk parameter and investment objective of the fund. Other factors may also be considered including: (1) general client/shareholder orientation and (2) teamwork and leadership. Portfolio managers may receive equity-based awards as part of their discretionary variable compensation.
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Other Compensation. In addition to base salary and discretionary variable compensation, the Investment Adviser has a number of additional benefits in place including (1) a 401k program that enables employees to direct a percentage of their pretax salary and bonus income into a tax-qualified retirement plan; and (2) investment opportunity programs in which certain professionals may participate subject to certain eligibility requirements.
Portfolio Managers Portfolio Managers Ownership of Shares of the Fund
The following table shows the portfolio managers ownership of Shares of the Fund as of May 31, 2013 (unless otherwise noted).
Name of Portfolio Manager | Dollar Range of Equity Securities Beneficially Owned by Portfolio Manager | |
Salvatore Lentini |
$100,001$500,000 | |
Brendan McGovern |
$0 |
Distributor and Transfer Agent
Distributor. Goldman Sachs, 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282 serves as the exclusive distributor of Shares of the Fund pursuant to a best efforts arrangement as provided by a distribution agreement with the Fund. Shares of the Fund are offered and sold on a continuous basis by Goldman Sachs, acting as agent. Pursuant to the distribution agreement, after the Funds Prospectus and periodic reports have been prepared, set in type and mailed to shareholders, Goldman Sachs will pay for the printing and distribution of copies thereof used in connection with the offering to prospective investors. Goldman Sachs will also pay for other supplementary sales literature and advertising costs. Goldman Sachs may enter into sales agreements with certain Authorized Institutions to solicit subscriptions for Shares of the Fund. Goldman Sachs receives a portion of the sales load imposed on the sale or redemption of Fund shares. Goldman Sachs retained approximately the following commissions on sales of Shares during the following periods.
Fund |
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 |
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2012 |
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 |
|||||||||
Credit Strategies Fund |
$ | 0 | $ | 148 | $ | 506 |
Dealer Reallowances. Shares of the Fund are sold subject to a front-end sales charge, as described in the prospectus and in this SAI. Goldman Sachs pays commissions to certain Intermediaries who sell Shares of the Fund in the form of a reallowance of all or a portion of the sales charge paid on the purchase of those Shares. Goldman Sachs currently reallows 2.54% of the front-end sales charge of the Funds offering price with respect to purchases under $150,000 for the Fund.
Dealer allowances may be changed periodically. During special promotions, the entire sales charge may be reallowed to Authorized Institutions. Authorized Institutions to whom substantially the entire sales charge is reallowed may be deemed to be underwriters under the 1933 Act.
Transfer Agent. Goldman Sachs, 71 South Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606 serves as the Funds transfer and dividend disbursing agent. Under its transfer agency agreement with the Fund, Goldman Sachs has undertaken with the Fund to: (i) record the issuance, transfer and repurchase of Shares; (ii) provide purchase and repurchase confirmations and quarterly statements, as well as certain other statements; (iii) provide certain information to the Funds custodian and the relevant sub-custodian in connection with repurchases; (iv) provide dividend crediting and certain disbursing agent services; (v) maintain shareholder accounts; (vi) provide certain state Blue Sky and other information; (vii) provide shareholders and certain regulatory authorities with tax-related information; (viii) respond to shareholder inquiries; and (ix) render certain other miscellaneous services. For its transfer agency and dividend disbursing agent services, Goldman Sachs is entitled to receive a fee equal to 0.15% of the average daily net assets of the Funds Shares. Goldman Sachs may pay to certain Intermediaries who perform transfer agent services to shareholders a networking or sub-transfer agent fee. These payments will be made from the transfer agency fee noted above and in the Funds Prospectus.
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As compensation for the services rendered to the Fund by Goldman Sachs as transfer and dividend disbursing agent and the assumption by Goldman Sachs of the expenses related thereto, Goldman Sachs received fees for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2013, March 31, 2012 and March 31, 2011 from the Fund as follows under the fee schedule then in effect:
Fund |
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 |
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2012 |
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 |
|||||||||
Credit Strategies Fund |
$ | 830,539 | $ | 762,251 | $ | 731,109 |
The foregoing distribution and transfer agency agreements each provide that Goldman Sachs may render similar services to others so long as the services each provides thereunder to the Fund are not impaired thereby. Each such agreement also provides that the Fund will indemnify Goldman Sachs against certain liabilities.
Expenses
The Fund is responsible for the payment of the Funds respective expenses. The expenses include, without limitation, the fees payable to the Investment Adviser, service fees, account service fees, the fees and expenses of the Funds custodian and sub-custodians, transfer agent fees and expenses, brokerage fees and commissions, filing fees for the registration or qualification of the Funds Shares under federal or state securities laws, fees and expenses incurred by the Fund in connection with membership in investment company organizations, including, but not limited to, the Investment Company Institute, taxes, interest, costs of liability insurance, fidelity bonds or indemnification, any costs, expenses or losses arising out of any liability of, or claim for damages or other relief asserted against, the Fund for violation of any law, legal, tax and auditing fees and expenses (including the cost of legal and certain accounting services rendered by employees of Goldman Sachs or its affiliates, with respect to the Fund), expenses of preparing and setting in type Prospectuses, SAIs, proxy material, reports and notices and the printing and distributing of the same to the Funds shareholders and regulatory authorities, shareholder expenses, any expenses assumed by the Fund pursuant to its service plans, the compensation and expenses of its Independent Trustees, the fees and expenses of pricing services and extraordinary expenses, if any, incurred by the Fund. Except for fees and expenses under any service plan, account service plan, administration plan or shareholder administration plan applicable to the Shares and transfer agency fees and expenses.
Fees and expenses of legal counsel, registering Shares of the Fund, holding meetings and communicating with shareholders may include an allocable portion of the cost of maintaining an internal legal and compliance department. The Fund may also bear an allocable portion of the costs incurred by the Investment Adviser in performing certain accounting services not being provided by the Funds custodian.
The imposition of the Investment Advisers fees, as well as other operating expenses, will have the effect of reducing the total return to investors. From time to time, the Investment Adviser may waive receipt of fees and/or assume certain expenses of the Fund, which would have the effect of lowering the Funds overall expense ratio and increasing total return to investors at the time such amounts are waived or assumed, as the case may be.
As of July 29, 2013, the Investment Adviser has agreed to reduce or limit certain Other Expenses of the Fund (excluding management fees, transfer agency fees and expenses, service fees, taxes, interest, brokerage fees, litigation, indemnification, shareholder meeting costs and other extraordinary expenses) to the extent that such expenses exceed, on an annual basis, 0.204% of the average daily net assets of the Funds Shares. The Funds Other Expenses may be further reduced by any custody and transfer agency fee credits received by the Fund.
Such reductions or limits are calculated monthly on a cumulative basis during the Funds fiscal year. The Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement prior to June 30, 2014 without the approval of the Board.
Reimbursements
For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2013, March 31, 2012 and March 31, 2011, Other Expenses of the Fund were reduced by the Investment Adviser in the following amounts under expense limitations that were then in effect:
Fund |
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2013 |
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2012 |
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 |
|||||||||
Credit Strategies Fund |
$ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 |
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Custodian and Sub-Custodians
State Street, 225 Franklin Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, serves as the custodian of the Funds portfolio securities and cash. State Street also maintains the Funds accounting records. State Street may appoint domestic and foreign sub-custodians and use depositories from time to time to hold certain securities and other instruments purchased by the Fund in foreign countries and to hold cash and currencies for the Fund.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 125 High Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, has been appointed the Funds independent registered public accounting firm. In addition to audit services, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP prepares the Funds federal and state tax returns and provides assistance on certain non-audit matters.
POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
General Categories of Conflicts Associated with the Funds
Goldman Sachs (which, for purposes of this POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST section, shall mean, collectively, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., the Investment Adviser and their affiliates, directors, partners, trustees, managers, members, officers and employees) is a worldwide, full-service investment banking, broker-dealer, asset management and financial services organization and a major participant in global financial markets. As such, Goldman Sachs provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base. In those and other capacities, Goldman Sachs advises clients in all markets and transactions and purchases, sells, holds and recommends a broad array of investments for its own accounts and for the accounts of clients and of its personnel, through client accounts and the relationships and products it sponsors, manages and advises (such Goldman Sachs or other client accounts (including the Funds), relationships and products collectively, the Accounts). Goldman Sachs has direct and indirect interests in the global fixed income, currency, commodity, equities, bank loan and other markets, and the securities and issuers, in which the Fund may directly and indirectly invest. As a result, Goldman Sachs activities and dealings may affect the Fund in ways that may disadvantage or restrict the Fund and/or benefit Goldman Sachs or other Accounts. For purposes of this POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST section, Funds shall mean, collectively, the Fund and any of the other Goldman Sachs Funds.
The following are descriptions of certain conflicts of interest and potential conflicts of interest that may be associated with the financial or other interests that the Investment Adviser and Goldman Sachs may have in transactions effected by, with, and on behalf of the Funds. They are not, and are not intended to be, a complete enumeration or explanation of all of the potential conflicts of interest that may arise. Additional information about potential conflicts of interest regarding the Investment Adviser and Goldman Sachs is set forth in the Investment Advisers Form ADV, which prospective shareholders should review prior to purchasing Fund shares. A copy of Part 1 and Part 2 of the Investment Advisers Form ADV is available on the SECs website (www.adviserinfo.sec.gov). A copy of Part 2 of the Investment Advisers Form ADV will be provided to shareholders or prospective shareholders upon request.
The Sale of Fund Shares and the Allocation of Investment Opportunities
Sales Incentives and Related Conflicts Arising from Goldman Sachs Financial and Other Relationships with Intermediaries
Goldman Sachs and its personnel, including employees of the Investment Adviser, may have relationships (both involving and not involving the Funds, and including without limitation placement, brokerage, advisory and board relationships) with distributors, consultants and others who recommend, or engage in transactions with or for, the Funds. Such distributors, consultants and other parties may receive compensation from Goldman Sachs or the Funds in connection with such relationships. As a result of these relationships, distributors, consultants and other parties may have conflicts that create incentives for them to promote the Funds.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, Goldman Sachs and the Funds may make payments to authorized dealers and other financial intermediaries and to salespersons to promote the Funds. These payments may be made out of Goldman Sachs assets or amounts payable to Goldman Sachs. These payments may create an incentive for such persons to highlight, feature or recommend the Funds.
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Allocation of Investment Opportunities Among the Funds and Other Accounts
The Investment Adviser may manage or advise multiple Accounts (including Accounts in which Goldman Sachs and its personnel have an interest) that have investment objectives that are similar to the Funds and that may seek to make investments or sell investments in the same securities or other instruments, sectors or strategies as the Funds. This may create potential conflicts, particularly in circumstances where the availability of such investment opportunities is limited (e.g., in local and emerging markets, high yield securities, fixed income securities, regulated industries, small capitalization and initial public offerings/new issues) or where the liquidity of such investment opportunities is limited.
The Investment Adviser does not receive performance-based compensation in respect of its investment management activities on behalf of the Funds, but may simultaneously manage Accounts for which the Investment Adviser receives greater fees or other compensation (including performance-based fees or allocations) than it receives in respect of the Funds. The simultaneous management of Accounts that pay greater fees or other compensation and the Funds may create a conflict of interest as the Investment Adviser may have an incentive to favor Accounts with the potential to receive greater fees. For instance, the Investment Adviser may be faced with a conflict of interest when allocating scarce investment opportunities given the possibly greater fees from Accounts that pay performance-based fees. To address these types of conflicts, the Investment Adviser has adopted policies and procedures under which it will allocate investment opportunities in a manner that it believes is consistent with its obligations as an investment adviser. However, the amount, timing, structuring or terms of an investment by the Funds may differ from, and performance may be lower than, the investments and performance of other Accounts.
To address these potential conflicts, the Investment Adviser has developed allocation policies and procedures that provide that Goldman Sachs personnel making portfolio decisions for Accounts will make purchase and sale decisions for, and allocate investment opportunities among, Accounts consistent with the Investment Advisers fiduciary obligations. These policies and procedures may result in the pro rata allocation (on a basis determined by the Investment Adviser) of limited opportunities across eligible Accounts managed by a particular portfolio management team, but in many other cases the allocations reflect numerous other factors as described below. Accounts managed by different portfolio management teams may be viewed separately for allocation purposes. There will be cases where certain Accounts (including Accounts in which Goldman Sachs and Goldman Sachs personnel have an interest) receive an allocation of an investment opportunity when the Funds do not.
Allocation-related decisions for the Funds and other Accounts may be made by reference to one or more factors, including without limitation: the Accounts portfolio and its investment horizons, objectives, guidelines and restrictions (including legal and regulatory restrictions affecting certain Accounts or affecting holdings across Accounts); strategic fit and other portfolio management considerations, including different desired levels of exposure to certain strategies; the expected future capacity of the applicable Accounts; limits on the Investment Advisers brokerage discretion; cash and liquidity considerations; and the availability of other appropriate investment opportunities. Suitability considerations, reputational matters and other considerations may also be considered. The application of these considerations may cause differences in the performance of Accounts that have strategies similar to those of the Fund. In addition, in some cases the Investment Adviser may make investment recommendations to Accounts where the Accounts make investments independently of the Investment Adviser. In circumstances in which there is limited availability of an investment opportunity, if such Accounts invest in the investment opportunity prior to a Fund, the availability of the investment opportunity for the Fund will be reduced irrespective of the Investment Advisers policies regarding allocation of investments. Additional information about the Investment Advisers allocation policies is set forth in Item 6 (PERFORMANCE-BASED FEES AND SIDE-BY-SIDE MANAGEMENTSide-by-Side Management) of the Investment Advisers Form ADV.
The Investment Adviser may, from time to time, develop and implement new trading strategies or seek to participate in new trading strategies and investment opportunities. These strategies and opportunities may not be employed in all Accounts or employed pro rata among Accounts where they are employed, even if the strategy or opportunity is consistent with the objectives of such Accounts.
During periods of unusual market conditions, the Investment Adviser may deviate from its normal trade allocation practices. For example, this may occur with respect to the management of unlevered and/or long-only Accounts that are typically managed on a side-by-side basis with levered and/or long-short Accounts.
The Investment Adviser and the Funds may receive notice of, or offers to participate in, investment opportunities. The Investment Adviser in its sole discretion will determine whether a Fund will participate in any such investment opportunities and investors should not expect that the Fund will participate in any such investment opportunities. Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing, the Funds may or may not receive, but in any event will have no rights with respect to, opportunities sourced by Goldman Sachs businesses and affiliates other than the Investment Adviser. Opportunities or any portion thereof that the Funds do not participate in may be offered to other Accounts, Goldman Sachs (including the Investment Adviser), all or certain investors in the Funds, or such other persons or entities as determined by Goldman Sachs in its sole discretion, and the Funds will not receive any compensation related to such opportunities.
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Goldman Sachs Financial and Other Interests May Incentivize Goldman Sachs to Promote the Sale of Fund Shares
Goldman Sachs and its personnel have interests in promoting sales of Fund shares, and the compensation from such sales may be greater than the compensation relating to sales of interests in other Accounts. Therefore, Goldman Sachs and its personnel may have a financial interest in promoting Fund shares over interests in other Accounts.
Management of the Funds by the Investment Adviser
Potential Restrictions and Issues Relating to Information Held by Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs has established certain information barriers and other policies to address the sharing of information between different businesses within Goldman Sachs. As a result of information barriers, the Investment Adviser generally will not have access, or will have limited access, to information and personnel in other areas of Goldman Sachs, and generally will not be able to manage the Funds with the benefit of information held by such other areas. Such other areas, including without limitation, Goldman Sachs prime brokerage and administration businesses, will have broad access to detailed information that is not available to the Investment Adviser, including information in respect of markets and investments, which, if known to the Investment Adviser, might cause the Investment Adviser to seek to dispose of, retain or increase interests in investments held by the Funds or acquire certain positions on behalf of the Funds, or take other actions. Goldman Sachs will be under no obligation or fiduciary or other duty to make any such information available to the Investment Adviser or personnel of the Investment Adviser involved in decision-making for the Funds. In addition, Goldman Sachs will not have any obligation to make available any information regarding its trading activities, strategies or views, or the activities, strategies or views used for other Accounts, for the benefit of the Funds. Different portfolio management teams within the Investment Adviser may make decisions based on information or take (or refrain from taking) actions with respect to Accounts they advise in a manner that may be adverse to the Funds. Such teams may not share information with the Funds portfolio management teams, including as a result of certain information barriers and other policies, and will not have any obligation to do so.
Valuation of the Funds Investments
The Investment Adviser, while not the primary valuation agent of the Funds, performs certain valuation services related to securities and assets in the Funds. The Investment Adviser values securities and assets in the Funds according to its valuation policies. The Investment Adviser may value an identical asset differently than another division or unit within Goldman Sachs values the asset, including because such other division or unit has information regarding valuation techniques and models or other information that it does not share with the Investment Adviser. This is particularly the case in respect of difficult-to-value assets. The Investment Adviser may also value an identical asset differently in different Accounts (e.g., because different Accounts are subject to different valuation guidelines pursuant to their respective governing agreements, different third party vendors are hired to perform valuation functions for the Accounts or the Accounts are managed or advised by different portfolio management teams within the Investment Adviser). The Investment Adviser may face a conflict with respect to such valuations as they affect the Investment Advisers compensation.
Goldman Sachs and the Investment Advisers Activities on Behalf of Other Accounts
Goldman Sachs engages in various activities in the global financial markets. Goldman Sachs, acting in various capacities (including investment banker, market maker, investor, broker, advisor and research provider), may take actions or advise on transactions in respect of Accounts (including the Funds) or companies or affiliated or unaffiliated investment funds in which one or more Funds have an interest that may have potential adverse effects on the Funds.
The Investment Adviser provides advisory services to the Funds. The Investment Advisers decisions and actions on behalf of the Funds may differ from those on behalf of other Accounts. Advice given to, or investment or voting decisions made for, one or more Accounts may compete with, affect, differ from, conflict with, or involve timing different from, advice given to or investment decisions made for the Funds.
Goldman Sachs (including the Investment Adviser), the clients it advises, and its personnel have interests in and advise Accounts that have investment objectives or portfolios similar to or opposed to those of the Funds, and/or which engage in and
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compete for transactions in the same types of securities and other instruments as the Funds. Transactions by such Accounts may involve the same or related securities or other instruments as those in which the Funds invest, and may negatively affect the Funds or the prices or terms at which the Funds transactions may be effected. For example, Accounts may engage in a strategy while the Funds are undertaking the same or a differing strategy, any of which could directly or indirectly disadvantage the Funds. The Funds on one hand and Goldman Sachs or Accounts on the other hand may also vote differently on or take or refrain from taking different actions with respect to the same security, which may be disadvantageous to the Funds. Goldman Sachs or Accounts, on the one hand, and a Fund, on the other hand, may also invest in or extend credit to different classes of securities or different parts of the capital structure of the same issuer and as a result Goldman Sachs or Accounts may take actions that adversely affect the Fund. In addition, Goldman Sachs (including the Investment Adviser) may advise Accounts with respect to different parts of the capital structure of the same issuer, or classes of securities that are subordinate or senior to securities, in which a Fund invests. As a result, Goldman Sachs may pursue or enforce rights or activities, or refrain from pursuing or enforcing rights or activities, on behalf of Accounts with respect to a particular issuer in which one or more Funds have invested. The Funds could sustain losses during periods in which Goldman Sachs and other Accounts achieve profits. The negative effects described above may be more pronounced in connection with transactions in, or the Funds use of, small capitalization, emerging market, distressed or less liquid strategies.
Goldman Sachs (including the Investment Adviser) and its personnel may advise on transactions, make investment decisions or recommendations, provide differing investment views or have views with respect to research or valuations that are inconsistent with, or adverse to, the interests and activities of the Funds. Similarly, the Investment Advisers investment teams may have differing investment views in respect of an issuer or a security, and the positions a Funds investment team takes in respect of the Fund may be inconsistent with, or adversely affected by, the interests and activities of the Accounts advised by other investment teams of the Investment Adviser. Research, analyses or viewpoints may be available to clients or potential clients at different times. Goldman Sachs will not have any obligation to make available to the Funds any research or analysis prior to its public dissemination. The Investment Adviser is responsible for making investment decisions on behalf of the Funds and such investment decisions can differ from investment decisions or recommendations by Goldman Sachs on behalf of other Accounts. Goldman Sachs, on behalf of one or more Accounts and in accordance with its management of such Accounts, may implement an investment decision or strategy ahead of, or contemporaneously with, or behind similar investment decisions or strategies made for the Funds. The relative timing for the implementation of investment decisions or strategies for Accounts, on the one hand, and the Funds, on the other hand, may disadvantage the Funds. Certain factors, for example, market impact, liquidity constraints, or other circumstances, could result in the Funds receiving less favorable trading results or incurring increased costs associated with implementing such investment decisions or strategies, or being otherwise disadvantaged.
Subject to applicable law, the Investment Adviser may cause the Funds to invest in securities, bank loans or other obligations of companies affiliated with or advised by Goldman Sachs or in which Goldman Sachs or Accounts have an equity, debt or other interest, or to engage in investment transactions that may result in other Accounts being relieved of obligations or otherwise divested of investments, which may enhance the profitability of Goldman Sachs or other Accounts investment in and activities with respect to such companies.
When the Investment Adviser wishes to place an order for different types of Accounts (including the Funds) for which aggregation is not practicable, the Investment Adviser may use a trade sequencing and rotation policy to determine which type of Account is to be traded first. Under this policy, each portfolio management team may determine the length of its trade rotation period and the sequencing schedule for different categories of clients within this period provided that the trading periods and these sequencing schedules are designed to be fair and equitable over time. The portfolio management teams currently base their trading periods and rotation schedules on the relative amounts of assets managed for different client categories (e.g., unconstrained client accounts, wrap program accounts, etc.) and, as a result, the Funds may trade behind other Accounts. Within a given trading period, the sequencing schedule establishes when and how frequently a given client category will trade first in the order of rotation. The Investment Adviser may deviate from the predetermined sequencing schedule under certain circumstances, and the Investment Advisers trade sequencing and rotation policy may be amended, modified or supplemented at any time without prior notice to clients.
Investments in Goldman Sachs Funds
To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Funds may invest in money market and other funds sponsored, managed or advised by Goldman Sachs. In connection with any such investments, a Fund, to the extent permitted by the Act, will pay all advisory, administrative or Rule 12b-1 fees applicable to the investment, and fees to the Investment Adviser in its capacity as manager of the Funds will not be reduced thereby (i.e., there could be double fees involved in making any such investment because Goldman Sachs could receive fees with respect to both the management of the Funds and such money market fund). In such circumstances, as well as in all other circumstances in which Goldman Sachs receives any fees or other compensation in any form relating to the provision of services, no accounting or repayment to the Funds will be required.
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Goldman Sachs May In-Source or Outsource
Subject to applicable law, Goldman Sachs, including the Investment Adviser, may from time to time and without notice to investors in-source or outsource certain processes or functions in connection with a variety of services that it provides to the Funds in its administrative or other capacities. Such in-sourcing or outsourcing may give rise to additional conflicts of interest.
Distributions of Assets Other Than Cash
With respect to redemptions from the Funds, the Funds may, in certain circumstances, have discretion to decide whether to permit or limit redemptions and whether to make distributions in connection with redemptions in the form of securities or other assets, and in such case, the composition of such distributions. In making such decisions, the Investment Adviser may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities with respect to redeeming investors and remaining investors.
Goldman Sachs May Act in a Capacity Other Than Investment Adviser to the Funds
Principal and Cross Transactions
When permitted by applicable law and the Investment Advisers policies, the Investment Adviser, acting on behalf of the Funds, may enter into transactions in securities and other instruments with or through Goldman Sachs or in Accounts managed by the Investment Adviser, and may cause the Funds to engage in transactions in which the Investment Adviser acts as principal on its own behalf (principal transactions), advises both sides of a transaction (cross transactions) and acts as broker for, and receives a commission from, the Funds on one side of a transaction and a brokerage account on the other side of the transaction (agency cross transactions). There may be potential conflicts of interest or regulatory issues relating to these transactions which could limit the Investment Advisers decision to engage in these transactions for the Funds. Goldman Sachs may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities to the parties in such transactions, and has developed policies and procedures in relation to such transactions and conflicts. Any principal, cross or agency cross transactions will be effected in accordance with fiduciary requirements and applicable law.
Goldman Sachs May Act in Multiple Commercial Capacities
To the extent permitted by applicable law, Goldman Sachs may act as broker, dealer, agent, lender or advisor or in other commercial capacities for the Funds or issuers of securities held by the Funds. Goldman Sachs may be entitled to compensation in connection with the provision of such services, and the Funds will not be entitled to any such compensation. Goldman Sachs will have an interest in obtaining fees and other compensation in connection with such services that are favorable to Goldman Sachs, and in connection with providing such services may take commercial steps in its own interests, or may advise the parties to which it is providing services to take actions or engage in transactions, that negatively affect the Funds. For example, Goldman Sachs may advise a company to make changes to its capital structure the result of which would be a reduction in the value or priority of a security held by one or more Funds. Actions taken or advised to be taken by Goldman Sachs in connection with other types of transactions may also result in adverse consequences for the Fund. In addition, due to its access to and knowledge of funds, markets and securities based on its other businesses, Goldman Sachs may make decisions based on information or take (or refrain from taking) actions with respect to interests in investments of the kind held directly or indirectly by the Funds in a manner that may be adverse to the Funds. Goldman Sachs may also provide various services to the Funds or to issuers of securities in which the Funds invest, which may result in fees, compensation and remuneration as well as other benefits to Goldman Sachs, enhance Goldman Sachs relationships with various parties, facilitate additional business development and enable Goldman Sachs to obtain additional business and generate additional revenue.
To the extent permitted by applicable law, Goldman Sachs (including the Investment Adviser) may create, write, sell, issue, invest in or act as placement agent or distributor of derivative instruments related to the Funds, or with respect to underlying securities or assets of the Funds, or which may be otherwise based on or seek to replicate or hedge the performance of the Funds. Such derivative transactions, and any associated hedging activity, may differ from and be adverse to the interests of the Funds.
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Goldman Sachs may make loans to shareholders or enter into similar transactions that are secured by a pledge of, or mortgage over, a shareholders Fund shares, which would provide Goldman Sachs with the right to redeem such Fund shares in the event that such shareholder defaults on its obligations. These transactions and related redemptions may be significant and may be made without notice to the shareholders.
Goldman Sachs may make loans to clients or enter into asset-based or other credit facilities or similar transactions with clients that are secured by a clients assets or interests other than Fund shares. In connection with its rights as lender, Goldman Sachs may take actions that adversely affect the borrower. The borrowers actions may in turn adversely affect the Funds (e.g., if the borrower rapidly liquidates a large position in a security that is held by one or more Funds, the value of such security may decline and the value of the Funds may in turn decline in value or may be unable to liquidate their positions in such security at an advantageous price).
Code of Ethics and Personal Trading
Each of the Funds and Goldman Sachs, as each Funds Investment Adviser and distributor, has adopted a Code of Ethics (the Code of Ethics) in compliance with Section 17(j) of the Act designed to provide that personnel of the Investment Adviser, and certain additional Goldman Sachs personnel who support the Investment Adviser, comply with applicable federal securities laws and place the interests of clients first in conducting personal securities transactions. The Code of Ethics imposes certain restrictions on securities transactions in the personal accounts of covered persons to help avoid conflicts of interest. Subject to the limitations of the Code of Ethics, covered persons may buy and sell securities or other investments for their personal accounts, including investments in the Funds, and may also take positions that are the same as, different from, or made at different times than, positions taken by the Funds. The Codes of Ethics can be reviewed and copied at the SECs Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-942-8090. The Codes of Ethics are also available on the EDGAR Database on the SECs Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. Copies may also be obtained after paying a duplicating fee by writing the SECs Public Reference Section, Washington, DC 20549-0102, or by electronic request to publicinfo@sec.gov. Additionally, all Goldman Sachs personnel, including personnel of the Investment Adviser, are subject to firm-wide policies and procedures regarding confidential and proprietary information, information barriers, private investments, outside business activities and personal trading.
Proxy Voting by the Investment Adviser
The Investment Adviser has adopted policies and procedures designed to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing proxy voting decisions that it makes on behalf of advisory clients, including the Funds, and to help ensure that such decisions are made in accordance with its fiduciary obligations to its clients. Notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, proxy voting decisions made by the Investment Adviser in respect of securities held by the Funds may benefit the interests of Goldman Sachs and/or Accounts other than the Funds. For a more detailed discussion of these policies and procedures, see the section of this SAI entitled PROXY VOTING.
Potential Limitations and Restrictions on Investment Opportunities and Activities of Goldman Sachs and the Funds
The Investment Adviser may restrict its investment decisions and activities on behalf of the Funds in various circumstances, including as a result of applicable regulatory requirements, information held by Goldman Sachs, Goldman Sachs internal policies and/or potential reputational risk in connection with Accounts (including the Funds). As a result, the Investment Adviser might not engage in transactions for one or more Funds in consideration of Goldman Sachs activities outside the Funds (e.g., the Investment Adviser may refrain from making investments for the Funds that would cause Goldman Sachs to exceed position limits or cause Goldman Sachs to have additional disclosure obligations and may limit purchases or sales of securities in respect of which Goldman Sachs is engaged in an underwriting or other distribution). The Investment Adviser may also reduce a Funds interest in an investment opportunity that has limited availability so that other Accounts that pursue similar investment strategies may be able to acquire an interest in the investment opportunity. In addition, the Investment Adviser is not permitted to obtain or use material non-public information in effecting purchases and sales in public securities transactions for the Funds. The Investment Adviser may also limit an activity or transaction engaged in by the Funds, and may limit its exercise of rights on behalf of the Funds for reputational or other reasons, including where Goldman Sachs is providing (or may provide) advice or services to an entity involved in such activity or transaction, where Goldman Sachs or an Account is or may be engaged in the same or a related transaction to that being considered on behalf of the Funds, where Goldman Sachs or an Account has an interest in an entity involved in such activity or transaction, or where such activity or transaction or the exercise of such rights on behalf of or in respect of the Funds could affect Goldman Sachs, the Investment Adviser or their activities. The Investment Adviser may restrict its investment decisions and activities on behalf of one or more Funds and not on behalf of other Accounts.
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Brokerage Transactions
The Investment Adviser may select broker-dealers (including affiliates of the Investment Adviser) that furnish the Investment Adviser, the Funds, their affiliates and other Goldman Sachs personnel with proprietary or third party brokerage and research services (collectively, brokerage and research services) that provide, in the Investment Advisers view, appropriate assistance to the Investment Adviser in the investment decision-making process. As a result, the Investment Adviser may pay for such brokerage and research services with soft or commission dollars.
Brokerage and research services may be used to service the Funds and any or all other Accounts, including Accounts that do not pay commissions to the broker-dealer relating to the brokerage and research service arrangements. As a result, brokerage and research services (including soft dollar benefits) may disproportionately benefit other Accounts relative to the Funds based on the relative amount of commissions paid by the Funds. The Investment Adviser does not attempt to allocate soft dollar benefits proportionately among clients or to track the benefits of brokerage and research services to the commissions associated with a particular Account or group of Accounts.
Aggregation of Trades by the Investment Adviser
The Investment Adviser follows policies and procedures pursuant to which it may combine or aggregate purchase or sale orders for the same security for multiple Accounts (including Accounts in which Goldman Sachs has an interest) (sometimes called bunching), so that the orders can be executed at the same time. The Investment Adviser aggregates orders when the Investment Adviser considers doing so appropriate and in the interests of its clients generally. In addition, under certain circumstances trades for the Funds may be aggregated with Accounts that contain Goldman Sachs assets.
When a bunched order is completely filled, the Investment Adviser generally will allocate the securities purchased or proceeds of sale pro rata among the participating Accounts, based on the purchase or sale order. If an order is filled at several different prices, through multiple trades (whether at a particular broker-dealer or among multiple broker-dealers), generally all participating Accounts will receive the average price and pay the average commission, however, this may not always be the case (due to, e.g., odd lots, rounding, market practice or constraints applicable to particular Accounts).
Although it may do so in certain circumstances, the Investment Adviser generally does not bunch or aggregate orders for different Funds, or net buy and sell orders for the same Fund, if portfolio management decisions relating to the orders are made by separate portfolio management teams, if bunching, aggregating or netting is not appropriate or practicable from the Investment Advisers operational or other perspective, or if doing so would not be appropriate in light of applicable regulatory considerations. The Investment Adviser may be able to negotiate a better price and lower commission rate on aggregated trades than on trades for Funds that are not aggregated, and incur lower transaction costs on netted trades than trades that are not netted. Where transactions for a Fund are not aggregated with other orders, or not netted against orders for the Fund, the Fund may not benefit from a better price and lower commission rate or lower transaction cost.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE
The portfolio transactions for the Fund are generally effected at a net price without a brokers commission (i.e., a dealer is dealing with the Fund as principal and receives compensation equal to the spread between the dealers cost for a given security and the resale price of such security). In certain foreign countries, debt securities are traded on exchanges at fixed commission rates. In connection with portfolio transactions, the Management Agreement provides that the Investment Adviser shall attempt to obtain the most favorable execution and net price available. The Management Agreement provide that, on occasions when the Investment Adviser deems the purchase or sale of a security to be in the best interests of the Fund as well as its other customers (including any other fund or other investment company or advisory account for which the Investment Adviser or an affiliate acts as Investment Adviser), the Fund, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may aggregate the securities to be sold or purchased for the Fund with those to be sold or purchased for such other customers in order to obtain the best net price and most favorable execution. In such event, allocation of the securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the applicable Investment Adviser in the manner it considers to be most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Fund and such other customers. In some instances, this procedure may adversely affect the size and price of the position obtainable for the Fund. The Management Agreement permits the Investment Adviser, in its discretion, to purchase and sell portfolio securities to and
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from dealers who provide the Fund with brokerage or research services in which dealers may execute brokerage transactions at a higher cost to the Fund. Brokerage and research services furnished by firms through which the Fund effect their securities transactions may be used by the Investment Adviser in servicing other accounts and not all of these services may be used by the Investment Adviser in connection with the Fund generating the brokerage credits. Such research or other services may include research reports on companies, industries and securities; economic and financial data; financial publications; computer data bases; quotation equipment and services; and research-oriented computer hardware, software and other services. The fees received under the Management Agreement are not reduced by reason of the Investment Adviser receiving such brokerage and research services.
Such services are used by the Investment Adviser in connection with all of its investment activities, and some of such services obtained in connection with the execution of transactions of the Fund may be used in managing other investment accounts. Conversely, brokers furnishing such services may be selected for the execution of transactions of such other accounts, whose aggregate assets may be larger than those of the Fund, and the services furnished by such brokers may be used by the Investment Adviser in providing management services for the Fund. An Investment Adviser may also participate in so-called commission sharing arrangements and client commission arrangements under which the Investment Adviser may execute transactions through a broker-dealer and request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions or commission credits to another firm that provides research to the Investment Adviser. The Investment Adviser excludes from use under these arrangements those products and services that are not fully eligible under applicable law and regulatory interpretations- even as to the portion that would be eligible if accounted for separately.
The research services received as part of
commission sharing and client commission arrangements will comply with
Section 28(e) and may be subject to different legal requirements in the jurisdictions in which the Investment Adviser does business. Participating in commission sharing
and client commission arrangements may enable the Investment Adviser to consolidate payments for research through one or more channels using accumulated client commissions or credits from transactions executed through a particular broker-dealer to
obtain research provided by other firms. Such arrangements also help to ensure the continued receipt of research services while facilitating best execution in the trading process. The Investment Adviser believes such research services are useful in
its investment decision-making process by, among other things, ensuring access to a variety of high quality research, access to individual analysts and availability of resources that the Investment Adviser might not be provided access to absent such
arrangements.
The Fund participates in a Fund commission recapture program. Under the program, participating broker-dealers rebate a percentage of commissions earned on the Fund portfolio transactions. The rebated commissions are expected to be treated as realized capital gains of the Fund.
Subject to the above considerations, the Investment Adviser may use Goldman Sachs or an affiliate as a broker for the Fund. In order for Goldman Sachs or an affiliate, acting as agent, to effect securities or futures transactions for the Fund, the commissions, fees or other remuneration received by Goldman Sachs or an affiliate must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions, fees or other remuneration received by other brokers in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities or futures contracts. Furthermore, the Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not interested Trustees, have adopted procedures which are reasonably designed to provide that any commissions, fees or other remuneration paid to Goldman Sachs are consistent with the foregoing standard. Brokerage transactions with Goldman Sachs are also subject to such fiduciary standards as may be imposed upon Goldman Sachs by applicable law. The amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund may vary substantially from year to year because of differences in shareholder purchase and repurchase activity, portfolio turnover rates and other factors.
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, the Fund paid $647.44 in brokerage commissions. For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2012 and March 31, 2011, the Fund did not pay any brokerage commissions.
During the fiscal years ended March 31, 2013, March 31, 2012, and March 31, 2011 the Fund did not acquire any securities of its regular brokers or dealers (as defined in Rule 10b-1 under the Act) or their parents.
In accordance with procedures adopted by the Trustees of the Fund, the net asset value per Share of the Fund is calculated by determining the value of the net assets attributed to the Fund and dividing by the number of outstanding Shares. All securities are valued on each Business Day as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (normally, but not always, 4:00 p.m. Eastern Ttime) or such other time as the New York Stock Exchange or National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations System (NASDAQ) market may officially close. The term Business Day means any day the New York Stock
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Exchange is open for trading, which is Monday through Friday except for holidays. The New York Stock Exchange is closed on the following holidays: New Years Day (observed), Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Washingtons Birthday (observed), Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas.
The time at which transactions and Shares are priced and the time by which orders may be received may be changed in case of an emergency or if regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange is stopped at a time other than 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The Fund reserves the right to reprocess purchase transactions that were initially processed at a net asset value other than the Funds official closing net asset value (as the same may be subsequently adjusted), and to recover amounts from (or distribute amounts to) shareholders based on the official closing net asset value. The Fund reserves the right to advance the time by which purchase orders must be received for same business day credit as otherwise permitted by the SEC. In addition, the Fund may compute its net asset value as of any time permitted pursuant to any exemption, order or statement of the SEC or its staff.
For the purpose of calculating the net asset value of the Fund, investments are valued under valuation procedures established by the Trustees. Portfolio securities, for which accurate market quotations are readily available, other than money market instruments, are valued via electronic feeds to the custodian bank containing dealer-supplied bid quotations or bid quotations from a recognized pricing service. Securities for which a pricing service either does not supply a quotation or supplies a quotation that is believed by the Investment Adviser to be inaccurate, will be valued based on bid-side broker quotations. Although not required, quotations from a pricing service or broker-dealer are typically verified via a second pricing source. However, second source pricing may not be available with respect to certain credit instruments in which the Fund invests. Securities for which the custodian bank is unable to obtain an external price as provided above or with respect to which the Investment Adviser believes an external price does not reflect accurate market values, will be valued by the Investment Adviser in good faith based on yield equivalents, a pricing matrix or other sources, under valuation procedures established by the Trustees. The pricing services may use valuation models or matrix pricing, which considers yield or price with respect to comparable bonds, quotations from bond dealers or by reference to other securities that are considered comparable in such characteristics as rating, interest rate and maturity date, to determine current value. Other securities are valued as follows: (i) overnight repurchase agreements will be valued at cost; (ii) term repurchase agreements (i.e., those whose maturity exceeds seven days) and swaps, caps, collars and floors will be valued at the average of the bid quotations obtained daily from at least one dealer; (iii) debt securities with a remaining maturity of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, which the Trustees have determined to approximate fair value; (iv) spot and forward foreign currency exchange contracts will be valued using a pricing service such as Reuters (if quotations are unavailable from a pricing service or, if the quotations by the Investment Adviser are believed to be inaccurate, the contracts will be valued by calculating the mean between the last bid and asked quotations supplied by at least one independent dealers in such contracts); (v) exchange-traded options and futures contracts will be valued by the custodian bank at the last sale price on the exchange where such contracts and options are principally traded if accurate quotations are readily available; and (vi) over-the-counter options will be valued by a broker identified by the portfolio manager/trader.
Other securities, including those for which a pricing service supplies no exchange quotation or a quotation that is believed by the portfolio manager/trader to be inaccurate, will be valued at fair value as stated in the valuation procedures which were approved by the Board.
The value of all assets and liabilities expressed in foreign currencies will be converted into U.S. dollar values at current exchange rates of such currencies against U.S. dollars last quoted by any major bank. If such quotations are not available, the rate of exchange will be determined in good faith by or under procedures established by the Board.
Generally, trading in securities on European, Asian and Far Eastern securities exchanges and on over-the-counter markets in these regions is substantially completed at various times prior to the close of business on each Business Day in New York (i.e., a day on which the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading). In addition, European, Asian or Far Eastern securities trading generally or in a particular country or countries may not take place on all Business Days in New York. Furthermore, trading takes place in various foreign markets on days which are not Business Days in New York and days on which the Funds net asset values are not calculated. Such calculation does not take place contemporaneously with the determination of the prices of the majority of the portfolio securities used in such calculation. The Funds investments are valued based on market quotations which may be furnished by a pricing service or provided by securities dealers. If accurate market quotations are not readily available, or if the Investment Adviser believes that such quotations or prices do not accurately reflect fair value, the fair value of the Funds investments may be determined based on yield equivalents, a pricing matrix or other sources, under valuation procedures established by the Trustees.
The Investment Adviser, consistent with its procedures and applicable regulatory guidance, may (but need not) determine to make an adjustment to the previous closing prices of either domestic or foreign securities in light of significant events, to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities at the time of determining the Funds NAV. Significant events that could affect a large
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number of securities in a particular market may include, but are not limited to: situations relating to one or more single issuers in a market sector; significant fluctuations in U.S. or foreign markets; market dislocations; market disruptions or unscheduled market closings; equipment failures; natural or man-made disasters or acts of God; armed conflicts; governmental actions or other developments; as well as the same or similar events which may affect specific issuers or the securities markets even though not tied directly to the securities markets. Other significant events that could relate to a single issuer may include, but are not limited to: corporate actions such as reorganizations, mergers and buy-outs; corporate announcements, including those relating to earnings, products and regulatory news; significant litigation; ratings downgrades; bankruptcies, and trading suspensions.
In general, fair value represents a good faith approximation of the current value of an asset and may be used when there is no public market or possibly no market at all for an asset. A security that is fair valued may be valued at a price higher or lower than actual market quotations or the value determined by other funds using their own fair valuation procedures. The fair value of an asset may not be the price at which that asset is ultimately sold.
Errors and Corrective Actions
The Investment Adviser will report to the Board any material breaches of investment objective, policies or restrictions and any material errors in the calculation of the NAV of the Fund or the processing of purchases and repurchases. Depending on the nature and size of an error, corrective action may or may not be required. Corrective action may involve a prospective correction of the NAV only, correction of any erroneous NAV and compensation to the Fund, or correction of any erroneous NAV, compensation to the Fund and reprocessing of individual shareholder transactions. The Funds policies on errors and corrective action limit or restrict when corrective action will be taken or when compensation to the Fund or its shareholders will be paid, and not all mistakes will result in compensable errors. As a result, neither the Fund nor its shareholders who purchase Shares or tender Shares pursuant to a repurchase during periods in which errors accrue or occur may be compensated in connection with the resolution of an error. Shareholders will generally not be notified of the occurrence of a compensable error or the resolution thereof absent unusual circumstances. As discussed in more detail under Net Asset Value, the Funds portfolio securities may be priced based on quotations for those securities provided by pricing services. There can be no guarantee that a quotation provided by a pricing service will be accurate.
The Fund was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on February 24, 2009 and is governed by the Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust dated March 12, 2009, as amended February 10, 2011. The Funds fiscal year end is March 31. The Trustees of the Fund have authority under the Declaration of Trust to create and classify shares of beneficial interest in separate series, without further action by shareholders. The Trustees also have authority to classify and reclassify any series of shares into one or more classes of shares. As of July 29, 2013, the Trustees have authorized one class of common Shares. The Trustees of the Fund may designate additional series and classes in the future from time to time.
The Shares will be issued with a par value of $0.001 per share. All Shares of the Fund have equal rights as to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets upon liquidation of the Fund. The Shares are fully paid and non-assessable by the Fund, except to the extent provided in the Declaration of Trust, and have no pre-emptive or conversion rights to cumulative voting.
Net asset value will be reduced immediately following the offering of Shares after payment of the sales load and payment or reimbursement of offering expenses. Net asset value fluctuations are expected to be greater if the Fund has a leveraged capital structure.
The Shares are designed primarily for long-term investors, and investors in the Shares should not view the Fund as a vehicle for trading purposes.
Unlike most closed-end funds, the Fund continuously offers its Shares. The Funds Shares are not listed on any securities exchange and are not publicly traded. Thus, there is no secondary market for the Funds Shares and the Fund expects that no secondary market will develop. In order to provide some liquidity to shareholders, the Fund has determined that on a quarterly basis, it will make offers to repurchase between 5% and 25% of its outstanding Shares at net asset value. In connection with any given Repurchase Offer, it is possible that the Fund may offer to repurchase only the minimum amount of 5% of its outstanding Shares. It is also possible that a Repurchase Offer may be oversubscribed, with the result that shareholders may only be able to have a portion of their Shares repurchased. See Shareholder Guide How to Sell Shares in the Prospectus. The Fund offers the Shares in a continuous offering of its common shares at net asset value, plus the applicable sales charge. There can be no assurance that the Fund will continue to offer its Shares on a continuous basis, or if so offered, that it will do so indefinitely.
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Shareholder and Trustee Liability. Under Delaware law, the shareholders of the Fund are not generally subject to liability for the debts or obligations of the Fund. Similarly, Delaware law provides that a series of the Fund will not be liable for the debts or obligations of any other series of the Fund. However, no similar statutory or other authority limiting statutory trust shareholder liability exists in other states. As a result, to the extent that a Delaware statutory trust or a shareholder is subject to the jurisdiction of courts of such other states, the courts may not apply Delaware law and may thereby subject the Delaware statutory trust shareholders to liability. To guard against this risk, the Declaration of Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Fund or a series of the Fund. Notice of such disclaimer will normally be given in each agreement, obligation or instrument entered into or executed by the Fund or a series of the Fund. The Declaration of Trust provides for indemnification by the relevant series for all loss suffered by a shareholder as a result of an obligation of the series. The Declaration of Trust also provides that a series shall, upon request, assume the defense of any claim made against any shareholder for any act or obligation of the series and satisfy any judgment thereon. In view of the above, the risk of personal liability of shareholders of a Delaware statutory trust is remote.
In addition to the requirements under Delaware law, the Declaration of Trust provides that shareholders of the Fund or any series may bring a derivative action on behalf of the series only if the following conditions are met: (a) shareholders eligible to bring such derivative action under Delaware law who hold at least 10% of the outstanding shares of the series, or 10% of the outstanding shares of the class to which such action relates, shall join in the request for the Trustees to commence such action; and (b) the Trustees must be afforded a reasonable amount of time to consider such shareholder request and to investigate the basis of such claim. The Trustees will be entitled to retain counsel or other advisers in considering the merits of the request and may require an undertaking by the shareholders making such request to reimburse the Fund for the expense of any such advisers in the event that the Trustees determine not to bring such action.
The Declaration of Trust further provides that the Trustees will not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law, but nothing in the Declaration of Trust protects a Trustee against liability to which 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.
Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities. As of June 28, 2013, the following shareholders of record were shown in the Funds records as owning 5% or more of the Funds shares. Except as listed below, the Fund does not know of any other person who owns of record or beneficially 5% or more of the Funds shares:
| Goldman Sachs & Co., 295 Chipeta Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108-1285 (97.33%). |
The following is a summary of the principal U.S. federal income, and certain state and local, tax considerations affecting the Fund and its shareholders that are not described in the Prospectus. This summary does not address special tax rules applicable to certain classes of investors, such as tax exempt entities, insurance companies and financial institutions. Each prospective shareholder is urged to consult his or her own tax adviser with respect to the specific federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences of investing in the Fund. The summary is based on the laws in effect as of July 29, 2013, which are subject to change.
General
The Fund is a separate taxable entity. The Fund has elected to be treated and intends to qualify for each taxable year as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of Subtitle A, Chapter 1, of the Code. To qualify as such, the Fund must satisfy certain requirements relating to the sources of its income, diversification of its assets and distribution of its income to shareholders. As a regulated investment company, the Fund will not be subject to federal income or excise tax on any net investment income and net realized capital gains that are distributed to its shareholders in accordance with certain timing requirements of the Code.
There are certain tax requirements that the Fund must follow in order to avoid federal taxation. In its efforts to adhere to these requirements, the Fund may have to limit its investment activities in some types of instruments. Qualification as a regulated investment company under the Code requires, among other things, that (i) the Fund derive at least 90% of its gross income (including tax exempt interest) for its taxable year from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans and gains from the sale or other disposition of stocks or securities, or foreign currencies, income from certain publicly traded partnerships or other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures and forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies (the 90% gross income test); and (ii) the Fund diversify its holdings so that, at the close of each quarter of its taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of its total (gross) assets is comprised of cash, cash items, U.S.
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Government Securities, securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater in value than 5% of the value of the Funds total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of its total (gross) assets is invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government Securities and securities of other regulated investment companies) or two or more issuers controlled by the Fund and engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses, or in the securities of certain publicly traded partnerships.
Future Treasury regulations could provide that qualifying income under the 90% gross income test will not include gains from foreign currency transactions that are not directly related to the principal business of the Fund in investing in stock or securities or options and futures with respect to stock or securities. Using foreign currency positions or entering into foreign currency options, futures and forward contracts for purposes other than hedging currency risk with respect to securities in the Fund, or anticipated to be acquired may not qualify as directly related under these tests.
As a regulated investment company, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its income and capital gains that it distributes to its shareholders in any taxable year for which it distributes, in compliance with the Codes timing and other requirements, an amount at least equal to the sum of 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes dividends, taxable interest, taxable original issue discount income, market discount income, net short-term capital gain in excess of net long-term capital loss, certain net realized foreign exchange gains, and any other taxable income other than net capital gain as defined below and is reduced by deductible expenses) plus 90% of the excess of its gross tax exempt interest income, if any, over certain disallowed deductions (net tax exempt interest). The Fund may retain for investment its net capital gain (which consists of the excess of its net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss). However, if the Fund retains any investment company taxable income or net capital gain, it will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates on the amount retained.
The Fund generally intends to distribute for each taxable year to its shareholders all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income (if any), net capital gain and any net tax exempt interest. Exchange control or other foreign laws, regulations or practices may restrict repatriation of investment income, capital or the proceeds of securities sales by foreign investors such as the Fund, and may therefore make it more difficult for the Fund to satisfy the distribution requirements described above, as well as the excise tax distribution requirements described below. However, the Fund generally expects to be able to obtain sufficient cash to satisfy such requirements from new investors, the sale of securities or other sources. If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, it will be taxed on all of its investment company taxable income and net capital gain at corporate rates, without any deduction for dividends paid, its net tax exempt interest (if any) may be subject to the alternative minimum tax, and its distributions to shareholders will be taxable as ordinary dividends to the extent of its current and accumulated earnings and profits.
If the Fund retains any net capital gain, the Fund may designate the retained amount as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (1) if subject to U.S. federal income tax on long-term capital gains, will be required to include in income for federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gain, their shares of that undistributed amount, and (2) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent the credit exceeds those liabilities. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the tax basis of Shares owned by a shareholder of the Fund will be increased by the amount of any such undistributed net capital gain included in the shareholders gross income and decreased by the federal income tax paid by the Fund on that amount of net capital gain.
For federal income tax purposes, the Fund is generally permitted to carry forward a net capital loss in any taxable year to offset its own capital gains, if any, during the eight taxable years following the year of the loss. Capital loss carryforwards arising in taxable years of the Fund beginning after December 22, 2010 will generally be able to be carried forward indefinitely. These amounts are available to be carried forward to offset future capital gains to the extent permitted by the Code and applicable tax regulations. As of March 31, 2013 the Fund did not have any capital loss carryforwards.
In order to avoid a 4% federal excise tax, the Fund must distribute or be deemed to have distributed by December 31 of each calendar year at least 98% of its taxable ordinary income for such year, at least 98.2% of the excess of its capital gains over its capital losses (generally computed on the basis of the one-year period ending on October 31 of such year) and 100% of any taxable ordinary income and the excess of capital gains over capital losses for the prior year that were not distributed during such year and on which the Fund did not pay federal income tax. The Fund anticipates that they will generally make timely distributions of income and capital gains in compliance with these requirements so that it will generally not be required to pay the excise tax.
Gains and losses on the sale, lapse, or other termination of options and futures contracts, options thereon and certain forward contracts (except certain foreign currency options, forward contracts and futures contracts) will generally be treated as capital gains and losses. Certain of the futures contracts, forward contracts and options held by the Fund will be required to be marked-to-market
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for federal income tax purposes, that is, treated as having been sold at their fair market value on the last day of the Funds taxable year. These provisions may require the Fund to recognize income or gains without a concurrent receipt of cash. Any gain or loss recognized on actual or deemed sales of these futures contracts, forward contracts or options will (except for certain foreign currency options, forward contracts, and futures contracts) be treated as 60% long-term capital gain or loss and 40% short-term capital gain or loss. As a result of certain hedging transactions entered into by the Fund, that Fund may be required to defer the recognition of losses on futures or forward contracts and options or underlying securities or foreign currencies to the extent of any unrecognized gains on related positions held by the Fund and the characterization of gains or losses as long-term or short-term may be changed. The tax provisions described above applicable to options, futures and forward contracts may affect the amount, timing, and character of the Funds distributions to shareholders. Certain tax elections may be available to the Fund to mitigate some of the unfavorable consequences described in this paragraph.
Section 988 of the Code contains special tax rules applicable to certain foreign currency transactions and instruments that may affect the amount, timing and character of income, gain or loss recognized by the Fund. Under these rules, foreign exchange gain or loss realized by the Fund with respect to foreign currencies and certain futures and options thereon, foreign currency-denominated debt instruments, foreign currency forward contracts, and foreign currency-denominated payables and receivables will generally be treated as ordinary income or loss, although in some cases elections may be available that would alter this treatment. If a net foreign exchange loss treated as ordinary loss under Section 988 of the Code were to exceed the Funds investment company taxable income (computed without regard to such loss) for a taxable year, the resulting loss would not be deductible by the Fund or its shareholders in future years. Net loss, if any, from certain foreign currency transactions or instruments could exceed net investment income otherwise calculated for accounting purposes with the result being either no dividends being paid or a portion of the Funds dividends being treated as a return of capital for tax purposes, nontaxable to the extent of a shareholders tax basis in his or her Shares and, once such basis is exhausted, generally giving rise to capital gains.
The Fund may be subject to foreign taxes on income (possibly including, in some cases, capital gains) from foreign securities. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes in some cases. If more than 50% of the Funds total assets at the close of any taxable year consist of stock or securities of foreign corporations and it meets the distribution requirements described above, the Fund will generally qualify to file an election with the IRS pursuant to which shareholders of the Fund would be required to (i) include in ordinary gross income (in addition to taxable dividends actually received) their pro rata shares of foreign income taxes paid by the Fund that are treated as income taxes under U.S. tax regulations (which excludes, for example, stamp taxes, securities transaction taxes, and similar taxes) even though not actually received by such shareholders; and (ii) treat such respective pro rata portions as foreign income taxes paid by them. Eligible Funds may or may not make this election for any particular taxable year. The Fund will not satisfy the 50% requirement described above and, therefore, will not be permitted to make this election. The Fund will, however, be entitled to deduct such taxes in computing the amounts they are required to distribute.
If the Fund acquires stock (including, under proposed regulations, an option to acquire stock such as is inherent in a convertible bond) in certain foreign corporations (passive foreign investment companies) that receive at least 75% of their annual gross income from passive sources (such as interest, dividends, rents, royalties or capital gain) or hold at least 50% of their assets in investments producing such passive income, the Fund could be subject to federal income tax and additional interest charges on excess distributions received from such companies or gain from the sale of such stock in such companies, even if all income or gain actually received by the Fund is timely distributed to its shareholders. The Fund would not be able to pass through to its shareholders any credit or deduction for such a tax. Certain elections may, if available, ameliorate these adverse tax consequences, but any such election would require the Fund to recognize taxable income or gain without the concurrent receipt of cash. The Fund may limit and/or manage its holdings in passive foreign investment companies to minimize their tax liability or maximize their return from these investments.
The Funds investment in zero coupon securities, deferred interest securities, capital appreciation bonds or other securities bearing original issue discount or, if the Fund elects to include market discount in income currently, market discount, as well as any mark-to-market gain from certain options, futures or forward contracts, as described above, will generally cause it to realize income or gain prior to the receipt of cash payments with respect to these securities or contracts. In order to obtain cash to enable it to distribute this income or gain, maintain its qualification as a regulated investment company and avoid federal income or excise taxes, the Fund may be required to liquidate portfolio securities earlier than it might otherwise have done.
Investment in lower-rated securities may present special tax issues for the Fund to the extent actual or anticipated defaults may be more likely with respect to such securities. Tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount, or market discount; when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or
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worthless securities; how payment received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income; and whether exchanges of debt obligations in a workout context are taxable. These and other issues will be addressed by the Fund, if it invests in such securities, in order to seek to eliminate or minimize any adverse tax consequences.
The application of certain requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company and the application of certain other tax rules may be unclear in some respects in connection with certain investment practices such as dollar rolls, or investments in certain derivatives, including interest rate swaps, floors, cap and collars, currency swaps, total return swaps, mortgage swaps, index swaps, forward contracts and structured notes. As a result, the Fund may therefore be required to limit its investments in such transactions and it is also possible that the IRS may not agree with the Funds tax treatment of such transactions. In addition, the tax treatment of derivatives, and certain other investments, may be affected by future legislation, Treasury Regulations and guidance issued by the IRS that could affect the timing, character and amount of the Funds income and gains and distributions to shareholders.
Taxable U.S. Shareholders Distributions
Distributions from investment company taxable income, whether reinvested in additional Shares of the Fund or Class A shares of certain mutual funds sponsored by Goldman Sachs (Goldman Sachs Funds) or paid in cash, as defined above, are generally taxable to shareholders who are subject to tax as ordinary income. However, distributions to non-corporate shareholders attributable to qualified dividends received by the Fund from U.S. and certain foreign corporations will generally be taxed at the long-term capital gain rate (described below), as long as certain other requirements are met. For these lower rates to apply, the non-corporate shareholders must have owned their Fund Shares for at least 61 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the Funds ex-dividend date. It is not expected that the Fund will make distributions attributable to qualified dividends. Taxable distributions include distributions from the Fund that are attributable to (i) taxable income, including but not limited to dividends, taxable bond interest, recognized market discount income, original issue discount income accrued with respect to taxable bonds, income from repurchase agreements, income from dollar rolls, income from interest rate, currency, total return swaps, options on swaps, caps, floors and collars, and a portion of the discount from certain stripped tax exempt obligations or their coupons; or (ii) capital gains from the sale of securities or other investments (including from the disposition of rights to when-issued securities prior to issuance) or from options, futures or certain forward contracts. Any portion of such taxable distributions that is attributable to the Funds net capital gain, as defined above, may be reported by the Fund as a capital gain dividend, taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gain whether received in cash or additional Shares of the Fund or Class A shares of certain Goldman Sachs Funds, and regardless of the length of time their Shares of the Fund have been held. The maximum individual rate applicable to long-term capital gains is generally either 15% or 20%, depending on whether the individuals income exceeds certain threshold amounts.
It is expected that distributions made by the Fund will ordinarily not qualify for the dividends-received deduction for corporations because qualifying distributions may be made only from the Funds dividend income that it receives from stock in U.S. domestic corporations. The Fund does not intend to purchase stock of domestic corporations other than in limited instances, distributions from which may in rare cases qualify as dividends for this purpose. The dividends-received deduction, if available, is reduced to the extent the Shares with respect to which the dividends are received are treated as debt-financed under the federal income tax law and is eliminated if the Shares are deemed to have been held for less than a minimum period, generally 46 days. Receipt of certain distributions qualifying for the deduction may result in reduction of the tax basis of the corporate shareholders Shares and may give rise to or increase its liability for federal corporate alternative minimum tax.
It is expected that distributions made by the Fund will ordinarily not qualify for the dividends-received deduction for corporations because qualifying distributions may be made only from the Funds dividend income that it receives from stock in U.S. domestic corporations. The Fund does not intend to purchase stock of domestic corporations other than in limited instances, distributions from which may in rare cases qualify as dividends for this purpose. The dividends-received deduction, if available, is reduced to the extent the Shares with respect to which the dividends are received are treated as debt-financed under the federal income tax law and is eliminated if the Shares are deemed to have been held for less than a minimum period, generally 46 days. Receipt of certain distributions qualifying for the deduction may result in reduction of the tax basis of the corporate shareholders Shares and may give rise to or increase its liability for federal corporate alternative minimum tax.
Distributions in excess of the Funds current and accumulated earnings and profits, as computed for federal income tax purposes, will first reduce a shareholders basis in his or her Shares and, after the shareholders basis is reduced to zero, will generally constitute capital gains to a shareholder who holds his or her Shares as capital assets.
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Shareholders receiving a distribution in the form of newly issued Shares will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the amount of cash that they would have received had they elected to receive cash and will have a cost basis in the Shares received equal to such amount.
After the close of each calendar year, the Fund will inform shareholders of the federal income tax status of its dividends and distributions for such year, including the portion of such dividends, if any, that qualifies as tax exempt or as capital gain, the portion, if any, that should be treated as a tax preference item for purposes of the federal alternative minimum tax and the foreign tax credits, if any, associated with such dividends.
All distributions, whether received in Shares of the Fund or Class A shares of certain Goldman Sachs Funds, or in cash, as well as repurchases and exchanges, must be reported by each shareholder who is required to file a U.S. federal income tax return.
Different tax treatment, including penalties on certain excess contributions and deferrals, certain pre-retirement and post-retirement distributions, and certain prohibited transactions is accorded to accounts maintained as qualified retirement plans. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers for more information.
Taxable U.S. Shareholders Sale of Shares
When a shareholders shares are sold, redeemed or otherwise disposed of in a transaction that is treated as a sale for tax purposes, the shareholder will generally recognize gain or loss equal to the difference between the shareholders adjusted tax basis in the shares and the cash, or fair market value of any property, received. (To aid in computing that tax basis, a shareholder should generally retain its account statements for the period that it holds shares.) If the shareholder holds the shares as a capital asset at the time of sale, the character of the gain or loss should be capital, and treated as long-term if the shareholders holding period is more than one year and short-term otherwise, subject to the rules below. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers with reference to their particular circumstances to determine whether a redemption (including an exchange) or other disposition of Fund shares is properly treated as a sale for tax purposes, as is assumed in this discussion.
Certain special tax rules may apply to a shareholders capital gains or losses on Fund shares. If a shareholder receives a capital gain dividend with respect to shares and such shares have a tax holding period of six months or less at the time of a sale or redemption of such shares, then any loss the shareholder realizes on the sale or redemption will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of such capital gain dividend. All or a portion of any sales load paid upon the purchase of shares of the Fund will generally not be taken into account in determining gain or loss on the redemption or exchange of such shares within 90 days after their purchase to the extent the redemption proceeds are reinvested, or the exchange is effected, on or before January 31 of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the original stock is disposed of without payment of an additional sales load pursuant to the reinvestment or exchange privilege. The load not taken into account will be added to the tax basis of the newly acquired shares. Additionally, any loss realized on a sale or redemption of shares of the Fund may be disallowed under wash sale rules to the extent the shares disposed of are replaced with other shares of the Fund within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the shares are disposed of, such as pursuant to a dividend reinvestment in shares of the Fund. If disallowed, the loss will be reflected in an adjustment to the basis of the shares acquired.
Medicare Tax
For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012, an additional 3.8% Medicare tax will be imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of US individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such persons modified adjusted gross income (in the case of an individual) or adjusted gross income (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
The Fund will be required to report to the IRS all taxable distributions, as well as gross proceeds from the repurchase or exchange of Fund Shares, except in the case of certain exempt recipients, i.e., certain corporations and certain other investors distributions to which are exempt from the information reporting provisions of the Code. Under the backup withholding provisions of Code Section 3406 and applicable Treasury regulations, all such reportable distributions and proceeds may be subject to backup withholding of federal income tax at the current specified rate of 28% in the case of exempt recipients that fail to certify to the Fund that they are not subject to withholding, non-exempt shareholders who fail to furnish the Fund with their correct taxpayer
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identification number (TIN) and with certain required certifications or if the IRS or a broker notifies the Fund that the number furnished by the shareholder is incorrect or that the shareholder is subject to backup withholding as a result of failure to report interest or dividend income. The Fund may refuse to accept an application that does not contain any required taxpayer identification number or certification that the number provided is correct. If the backup withholding provisions are applicable, any such distributions and proceeds, whether taken in cash or reinvested in Shares of the Fund or Class A shares of certain Goldman Sachs Funds, will be reduced by the amounts required to be withheld. Any amounts withheld may be credited against a shareholders U.S. federal income tax liability. If a shareholder does not have a TIN, it should apply for one immediately by contacting the local office of the Social Security Administration or the IRS. Backup withholding could apply to payments relating to a shareholders account while it is awaiting receipt of a TIN. Special rules apply for certain entities and type of accounts. For example, for an account established under a Uniform Gifts or Transfers to Minors Act, the TIN of the minor should be furnished. Investors should consult their tax advisers about the applicability of the backup withholding provisions.
Non-U.S. Shareholders
The discussion above relates solely to U.S. federal income tax law as it applies to U.S. persons subject to tax under such law.
Except as discussed below, distributions attributable to shareholders who, as to the United States, are not U.S. persons, (i.e., are nonresident aliens, foreign corporations, fiduciaries of foreign trusts or estates, foreign partnerships or other non-U.S. investors) generally will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at the rate of 30% on distributions treated as ordinary income unless the tax is reduced or eliminated pursuant to a tax treaty or the distributions are effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business of the shareholder; but distributions of net capital gain (the excess of any net long-term capital gains over any net short-term capital losses) including amounts retained by the Fund which are designated as undistributed capital gains, to such a non-U.S. shareholder will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax unless the distributions are effectively connected with the shareholders trade or business in the United States or, in the case of a shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual, the shareholder is present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year and certain other conditions are met.
Under a temporary provision, which is scheduled to expire for taxable years of the Fund beginning after December 31, 2013, non-U.S. shareholders generally are not subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding on certain distributions of interest income and/or short-term capital gains that are designated by the Fund. It is expected that the Fund will generally make designations of short-term gains, to the extent permitted, but the Fund does not intend to make designations of any distributions attributable to interest income. As a result, U.S. tax withholding would apply to distributions attributable to interest income, dividends and other investment income earned by the Fund and, would also apply to distributions of short-term gains for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2013, unless Congress extends the above provision.
Any capital gain realized by a non-U.S. shareholder upon a sale or repurchase of Shares of the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax unless the gain is effectively connected with the shareholders trade or business in the U.S., or in the case of a shareholder who is a nonresident alien individual, the shareholder is present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year and certain other conditions are met.
Non-U.S. persons who fail to furnish the Fund with the proper IRS Form W-8 (i.e., W-8BEN, W-8ECI, W-8IMY or W-8EXP), or an acceptable substitute, may be subject to backup withholding at a 28% rate on dividends (including capital gain dividends) and on the proceeds of repurchases and exchanges. Also, non-U.S. shareholders of the Fund may be subject to U.S. estate tax with respect to their Fund Shares.
Effective July 1, 2014, the Fund will be required to withhold U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) on payments of dividends and (effective January 1, 2017) redemption proceeds made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive new reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the Fund to determine whether withholding is required.
Each shareholder who is not a U.S. person should consult his or her tax adviser regarding the U.S. and non-U.S. tax consequences of ownership of Shares of, and receipt of distributions from, the Fund.
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State and Local Taxes
The Fund may be subject to state or local taxes in certain jurisdictions in which the Fund may be deemed to be doing business. A state income (and possibly local income and/or intangible property) tax exemption is generally available to the extent (if any) the Funds distributions are derived from interest on (or, in the case of intangible property taxes, the value of its assets is attributable to) certain U.S. Government obligations and/or tax exempt municipal obligations issued by or on behalf of the particular state or a political subdivision thereof, provided in some states that certain thresholds for holdings of such obligations and/or reporting requirements are satisfied. In addition, in those states or localities which have income tax laws, the treatment of the Fund and its shareholders under such laws may differ from their treatment under federal income tax laws, and investment in the Fund may have tax consequences for shareholders different from those of a direct investment in the Funds portfolio securities. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers concerning these matters.
The Fund has delegated the voting of portfolio securities to the Investment Adviser. For client accounts for which the Investment Adviser has voting discretion, the Investment Adviser has adopted policies and procedures (the Proxy Voting Policy) for the voting of proxies. Under the Proxy Voting Policy, the Investment Advisers guiding principles in performing proxy voting are to make decisions that favor proposals that in the Investment Advisers view tend to maximize a companys shareholder value and are not influenced by conflicts of interest. To implement these guiding principles for investments in publicly-traded equities, the Investment Adviser has developed customized proxy voting guidelines (the Guidelines) that it generally applies when voting on behalf of client accounts. Attached as Appendix B is a summary of the Guidelines. These Guidelines address a wide variety of individual topics, including, among other matters, shareholder voting rights, anti-takeover defenses, board structures, the election of directors, executive and director compensation, reorganizations, mergers, issues of corporate social responsibility and various shareholder proposals. The Guidelines embody the positions and factors the Investment Adviser generally considers important in casting proxy votes.
The Proxy Voting Policy, including the Guidelines, is reviewed periodically to ensure that it continues to be consistent with the Investment Advisers guiding principles.
The Investment Adviser has retained a third-party proxy voting service (Proxy Service), currently Institutional Shareholder Services, to assist in the implementation and administration of certain proxy voting-related functions including, without limitation, operational, recordkeeping, and reporting services. The Proxy Service also prepares a written analysis and recommendation (a Recommendation) of each proxy vote that reflects the Proxy Services application of the Guidelines to particular proxy issues. While it is the Investment Advisers policy generally to follow the Guidelines and Recommendations from the Proxy Service, the Investment Advisers portfolio management teams (Portfolio Management Teams) may on certain proxy votes seek approval to diverge from the Guidelines or a Recommendation by following an override process. Such decisions are subject to a review and approval process, including a determination that the decision is not influenced by any conflict of interest. A Portfolio Management Team that receives approval through the override process to cast a proxy vote that diverges from the Guidelines and/or a Recommendation may vote differently than other Portfolio Management Teams that did not seek to override the vote. In forming their views on particular matters, the Portfolio Management Teams are also permitted to consider applicable regional rules and practices, including codes of conduct and other guides, regarding proxy voting, in addition to the Guidelines and Recommendations. The Investment Adviser may hire other service providers to replace or supplement the Proxy Service with respect to any of the services the Investment Adviser currently receives from the Proxy Service.
GSAM conducts periodic due diligence meetings with the Proxy Service which include, but are not limited to, a review of the Proxy Services general organizational structure, new developments with respect to research and technology, work flow improvements and internal due diligence with respect to conflicts of interest.
From time to time, the Investment Adviser may face regulatory, compliance, legal or logistical limits with respect to voting securities that it may purchase or hold for client accounts which can affect the Investment Advisers ability to vote such proxies, as well as the desirability of voting such proxies. Among other limits, federal, state and foreign regulatory restrictions or company specific ownership limits, as well as legal matters related to consolidated groups, may restrict the total percentage of an issuers voting securities that the Investment Adviser can hold for clients and the nature of the Investment Advisers voting in such securities. The Investment Advisers ability to vote proxies may also be affected by, among other things: (i) late receipt of meeting notices; (ii) requirements to vote proxies in person: (iii) restrictions on a foreigners ability to exercise votes; (iv) potential difficulties in translating the proxy; (v) requirements to provide local agents with unrestricted powers of attorney to facilitate voting instructions; and (vi) requirements that investors who exercise their voting rights surrender the right to dispose of their holdings for some specified period in proximity to the shareholder meeting.
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The Investment Adviser has adopted policies and procedures designed to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing its proxy voting decisions that the Investment Adviser makes on behalf of a client account. These policies and procedures include the Investment Advisers use of the Guidelines and Recommendations from the Proxy Service, the override approval process previously discussed, and the establishment of information barriers between the Investment Adviser and other businesses within The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, actual proxy voting decisions of the Investment Adviser may have the effect of benefitting the interests of other clients or businesses of other divisions or units of Goldman Sachs and/or its affiliates.
Voting decisions with respect to fixed income securities and the securities of privately held issuers generally will be made by the Funds managers based on their assessment of the particular transactions or other matters at issue.
Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 will be available on or through the Funds website at http://www.goldmansachsfunds.com and on the SECs website at http://www.sec.gov.
The Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may make payments to Intermediaries from time to time to promote the sale, distribution and/or servicing of shares of the Fund. These payments (Additional Payments) are made out of the Investment Advisers, Distributors and/or their affiliates own assets (which may come directly or indirectly from fees paid by the Fund), are not an additional charge to the Fund or its shareholders, and do not change the price paid by investors for the purchase of the Funds shares or the amount the Fund receives as proceeds from such purchases. Although paid by the Investment Adviser, Distributor, and/or their affiliates, the Additional Payments are in addition to the distribution and service fees paid by the Fund to the Intermediaries as described in the Funds Prospectus and this SAI. For purposes of this Payments to Intermediaries section, Funds shall mean, collectively, the Fund and any of the other Goldman Sachs Funds.
The Additional Payments are intended to compensate Intermediaries for, among other things: marketing shares of the Funds, which may consist of payments relating to funds included on preferred or recommended fund lists or in certain sales programs from time to time sponsored by the Intermediaries; due diligence examination and/or review of the Funds from time to time; access to the Intermediaries registered representatives or salespersons, including at conferences and other meetings; assistance in training and education of personnel; finders or referral fees for directing investors to the Funds; marketing support fees for providing assistance in promoting the sale of Fund shares (which may include promotions in communications with the Intermediaries customers, registered representatives and salespersons); and/or other specified services intended to assist in the distribution and marketing of the Funds. In addition, the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may make Additional Payments (including through sub-transfer agency and networking agreements) for sub-accounting, administrative and/or shareholder processing services that are in addition to the transfer agent, shareholder administration, servicing and processing fees paid by the Funds. These Additional Payments may exceed amounts earned on these assets by the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates for the performance of these or similar services. The Additional Payments may be a fixed dollar amount; may be based on the number of customer accounts maintained by an Intermediary; may be based on a percentage of the value of shares sold to, or held by, customers of the Intermediary involved; or may be calculated on another basis. The Additional Payments are negotiated with each Intermediary based on a range of factors, including but not limited to the Intermediarys ability to attract and retain assets (including particular classes of Fund shares), target markets, customer relationships, quality of service and industry reputation. Although the individual components may be higher or lower and the total amount of Additional Payments made to any Intermediary in any given year will vary, the amount of these Additional Payments (excluding payments made through sub-transfer agency and networking agreements), on average, is normally not expected to exceed 0.50% (annualized) of the amount sold or invested through an Intermediary.
These Additional Payments may be significant to certain Intermediaries, and may be an important factor in an Intermediarys willingness to support the sale of the Funds through its distribution system.
The Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may be motivated to make Additional Payments since they promote the sale of Fund shares to clients of Intermediaries and the retention of those investments by those clients. To the extent Intermediaries sell more shares of the Funds or retain shares of the Funds in their clients accounts, the Investment Adviser and Distributor benefit from the incremental management and other fees paid by the Funds with respect to those assets.
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In addition, certain Intermediaries may have access to certain research and investment services from the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates. Such research and investment services (Additional Services) may include research reports, economic analysis, portfolio analysis tools, business planning services, certain marketing and investor education materials and strategic asset allocation modeling. The Intermediary may not pay for these products or services. The cost of the Additional Services and the particular services provided may vary from Intermediary to Intermediary.
The Additional Payments made by the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates or the Additional Services received by an Intermediary may vary with respect to the type of fund (e.g., equity, fund, fixed income fund, specialty fund, asset allocation portfolio or money market fund) sold by the Intermediary. In addition, the Additional Payment arrangements may include breakpoints in compensation which provide that the percentage rate of compensation varies as the dollar value of the amount sold or invested through an Intermediary increases.
The presence of these Additional Payments or Additional Services, the varying fee structure and the basis on which an Intermediary compensates its registered representatives or salespersons may create an incentive for a particular Intermediary, registered representative or salesperson to highlight, feature or recommend funds, including the Fund, or other investments based, at least in part, on the level of compensation paid. Additionally, if one mutual fund sponsor makes greater distribution payments than another, an Intermediary may have an incentive to recommend one fund complex over another. Similarly, if an Intermediary receives more distribution assistance for one share class versus another, that Intermediary may have an incentive to recommend that share class. Because Intermediaries may be paid varying amounts per class for sub-transfer agency and related recordkeeping services, the service requirements of which also may vary by class, this may create an additional incentive for financial firms and their financial advisors to favor one fund complex over another, or one fund class over another. You should consider whether such incentives exist when evaluating any recommendations from an Intermediary to purchase or sell Shares of the Fund and when considering which share class is most appropriate for you.
For the year ended December 31, 2012, the Investment Adviser, Distributor and their affiliates made Additional Payments out of their own assets to approximately 152 Intermediaries, totaling approximately $99.8 million (excluding payments made through sub-transfer agency and networking agreements and certain other types of payments described below), with respect to the Fund, Goldman Sachs Trust, all of the funds in an affiliated investment company and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust. During the year ended December 31, 2012, the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates had contractual arrangements to make Additional Payments to the Intermediaries of the Fund, Goldman Sachs Trust and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust listed below (or their affiliates or successors), among others. This list will change over time, and any additions, modifications or deletions thereto that have occurred since December 31, 2012 are not reflected. Additional Intermediaries may receive payments in 2013 and in future years. Certain arrangements are still being negotiated, and there is a possibility that payments will be made retroactively to Intermediaries not listed below.
ADP Broker Dealer, Inc.
American Enterprise Investment Services Inc.; Riversource Life Insurance Company; Riversource Life Insurance Company of New York
Allstate Life Insurance Company
Allstate Life Insurance Company of New York
Amalga Trust Company
Amalgamated Bank of Chicago
American National Trust and Investment Management Company (dba Old National Trust Company)
American United Life Insurance Company
Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
Ascensus, Inc.
Associated Trust Company, National Association; Associated Investment Services Inc.
AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company
Banc of America Securities, LLC
Bancorp South
Bank Hapoalim B.M.
Bank of New York
Bankers Trust
Barclays Capital Inc.
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BB&T Capital Markets
BMO Nesbitt Burns (Harris)
BOSC, Inc.
Branch Banking & Trust Company
Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.
C.M. Life Insurance Company
Financial Network Investment Corporation
Multi Financial Securities Corporation
PrimeVest Financial Services
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Inc.; CME Shareholder Servicing, LLC
Citibank N.A.
Citibank N.A. Agency and Trust Department
Citigroup Private Bank at Citibank N.A.
Citizens Bank Wealth Management N.A.
Comerica Bank
Comerica Securities, Inc.
Commerce Bank
Commerce Bank N.A.
Commerce Trust Co.
Companion Life Insurance Company
Compass Bank
Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
Connecticut General Life Insurance Company
Daily Access Corporation
Dain Rauscher Inc.
Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas
Diversified Investment Advisors
Dubuque Bank & Trust
Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P.
Farmers New World Life Insurance Co.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc
Fifth Third Bank; Fifth Third Securities
First National Bank of Omaha
First Trust Corporation
Fulton Bank N.A.
Fulton Financial Advisors, National Association
GE Life and Annuity Assurance Company
Genworth Financial Securities Corporation
Genworth Financial Trust Company
Greatbanc Trust Co.
Guardian Insurance and Annuity Company, Inc
GW Capital Management, LLC
GWFS Equities, Inc.
Harris Trust & Savings Bank
Hartford Life Insurance Company
Hartford Securities Distribution Company Inc.
Hewitt Associates LLC
Horace Mann Life Insurance Company
HSBC Bank USA
Hunt Dupree & Rhine
ICMA-RC Services, LLC
ING Institutional Plan Services, LLC; ING Investment Advisors, LLC
ING Life Insurance & Annuity Company; ING Financial Advisers, LLC; ING Institutional Plan Services, LLC Invesmart, Inc.
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J.P. Morgan Chase Bank
J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A.
Jefferson Pilot Financial Insurance Company
J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services, LLC
J.P. Morgan Securities, Inc.
Kemper Investors Life Insurance Company
Key Bank Capital Markets
LaSalle Bank N.A.
Law Debenture Trust Company of New York
Lincoln Benefit Life Company
Lincoln National Life Insurance Company; Lincoln Life & Annuity Company of New York
Lincoln Retirement Services Company, LLC
LPL Financial Corporation
M&T Securities, Inc.
Marshall & Ilsley Trust Company N.A.
Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
McCready and Keen, Inc.
Mellon Bank N.A.
Mercer HR Services, LLC
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated
Midland National Life Insurance Company
Minnesota Life Insurance Company
Morgan Keegan and Company, Inc.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC
MSCS Financial Services
National Financial Services LLC; Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC
National Security Life and Annuity Company
Nationwide Financial Services, Inc.
Newport Retirement Services, Inc.
NYLife Distributors, Inc.
Pershing, LLC
PNC Bank, N.A.
PNC Bank, National Organization
PNC Capital Markets LLC
Principal Life Insurance Company
Protective Life Insurance Company
PruCo Life Insurance Company; PruCo Life Insurance Company of New Jersey
Prudential Financial, Inc.
Prudential Insurance Company of America
Prudential Life Insurance Company of America
Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and Raymond James Financial Services
Regions Bank
Reliance Trust Company
Robert W. Baird & Co., Inc.
Scott & Stringfellow Inc.
Security Benefit Life Insurance Company; Security Distributors, Inc.
Signature Bank
Standard Insurance Company
State Street Global Markets, LLC and State Street Bank and Trust Company
Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (US)
Sungard Institutional Brokerage, Inc.
SunTrust Bank
SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc.
SVB Securities
Synovus Securities
TD Ameritrade Clearing, Inc.
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Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America
T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc.
The Ohio National Life Insurance Company
The Prudential Insurance Company of America
The Travelers Insurance Company; The Travelers Life and Annuity Company
The Vanguard Group, Inc.
Transamerica Life Insurance Company; Transamerica Financial Life Insurance Company
Treasury Curve, LLC
Trustmark National Bank
UBS Financial Services, Inc.
Union Bank, N.A.
United of Omaha Life Insurance Company
US Bank National Association
Valic Retirement Services Company
Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC
Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC; Wells Fargo Investments, LLC
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.; Wells Fargo Corporate Trust Services
Wells Fargo Bank National Association
Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
Wilmington Trust Company
Xerox HR Solutions, LLC
Zions First National Bank
Your Authorized Institution or other Intermediary may charge you additional fees or commissions other than those disclosed in the Prospectus. Shareholders should contact their Authorized Institution or other Intermediary for more information about the Additional Payments or Additional Services they receive and any potential conflicts of interest, as well as for information regarding any fees and/or commissions it charges. For additional questions, please contact Goldman Sachs Funds at 1-800-621-2550.
Not included on the list above are other subsidiaries of Goldman Sachs who may receive revenue from the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates through intra-company compensation arrangements and for financial, distribution, administrative and operational services.
Furthermore, the Investment Adviser, Distributor and/or their affiliates may, to the extent permitted by applicable regulations, contribute to various non-cash and cash incentive arrangements to promote the sale of Fund shares, as well as sponsor various educational programs, sales contests and/or promotions. The Investment Adviser, Distributor and their affiliates may also pay for the travel expenses, meals, lodging and entertainment of Intermediaries and their salespersons and guests in connection with educational, sales and promotional programs subject to applicable FINRA regulations. Other compensation may also be offered from time to time to the extent not prohibited by applicable federal or state laws or FINRA regulations. This compensation is not included in, and is made in addition to, the Additional Payments described above.
Miscellaneous
As stated in the Prospectus, the Fund may authorize Authorized Institutions and other Intermediaries that provide recordkeeping, reporting and processing services to their customers to accept on the Funds behalf purchase, repurchase and exchange orders placed by or on behalf of their customers and, if approved by the Fund, to designate other intermediaries to accept such orders. These institutions may receive payments from the Fund or Goldman Sachs for their services. Certain Authorized Institutions or other Intermediaries may enter into sub-transfer agency agreements with the Fund or Goldman Sachs with respect to their services.
In the interest of economy and convenience, the Fund does not issue certificates representing the Funds Shares. Instead, the Transfer Agent maintains a record of each shareholders ownership. Each shareholder receives confirmation of purchase and repurchase orders from the Transfer Agent. Fund Shares and any dividends and distributions paid by the Fund are reflected in account statements from the Transfer Agent.
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The Prospectus and this SAI do not contain all the information included in the Registration Statement filed with the SEC under the 1933 Act with respect to the securities offered by the Prospectus. Certain portions of the Registration Statement have been omitted from the Prospectus and this SAI pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. The Registration Statement including the exhibits filed therewith may be examined at the office of the SEC in Washington, D.C.
Statements contained in the Prospectuses or in this SAI as to the contents of any contract or other document referred to are not necessarily complete, and, in each instance, reference is made to the copy of such contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement of which the Prospectuses and this SAI form a part, each such statement being qualified in all respects by such reference.
Large Trade Notifications
The Transfer Agent may from time to time receive notice that an Authorized Institution or other Intermediary has received an order for a large trade in the Funds Shares. The Fund may determine to enter into portfolio transactions in anticipation of that order, even though the order will not be processed until the following business day. This practice provides for a closer correlation between the time shareholders place trade orders and the time the Fund enters into portfolio transactions based on those orders, and permits the Fund to be more fully invested in investment securities. On the other hand, the Authorized Institution or other Intermediary may not ultimately process the order. In this case, the Fund may be required to borrow assets to settle the portfolio transactions entered into in anticipation of that order, and would therefore incur borrowing costs. The Fund may also suffer investment losses on those portfolio transactions. Conversely, the Fund would benefit from any earnings and investment gains resulting from such portfolio transactions.
Line of Credit
As of March 31, 2013, the Fund participated in a $630,000,000 committed, unsecured revolving line of credit facility (the facility) together with other registered investment companies having management or investment advisory agreements with GSAM or its affiliates. Pursuant to the terms of this facility, the Fund and other borrowers may increase the credit amount by an additional $340,000,000 for a total of up to $970,000,000. This facility is to be used for temporary or emergency purposes. The interest rate on borrowings is based on the federal funds rate. The facility also requires a fee to be paid by the Fund based on the amount of the commitment that has not been utilized. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, the Fund did not have any borrowings under the facility. Effective May 8, 2013, the committed amount available through the facility increased to $780,000,000.
Corporate Actions
From time to time, the issuer of a security held in the Funds portfolio may initiate a corporate action relating to that security. Corporate actions relating to equity securities may include, among others, an offer to purchase new Shares, or to tender existing Shares, of that security at a certain price. Corporate actions relating to debt securities may include, among others, an offer for early redemption of the debt security, or an offer to convert the debt security into stock. Certain corporate actions are voluntary, meaning that the Fund may only participate in the corporate action if it elects to do so in a timely fashion. Participation in certain corporate actions may enhance the value of the Funds investment portfolio.
In cases where the Fund or its Investment Adviser receives sufficient advance notice of a voluntary corporate action, the Investment Adviser will exercise its discretion, in good faith, to determine whether the Fund will participate in that corporate action. If the Fund or its Investment Adviser does not receive sufficient advance notice of a voluntary corporate action, the Fund may not be able to timely elect to participate in that corporate action. Participation or lack of participation in a voluntary corporate action may result in a negative impact on the value of the Funds investment portfolio.
OTHER INFORMATION REGARDING PURCHASES, REPURCHASES, EXCHANGES AND DIVIDENDS
The following information supplements the information in the Prospectus under the captions Shareholder Guide and Dividends. Please see the Prospectus for more complete information.
Other Purchase Information/Sales Charge Waivers
The sales charge waivers on the Funds Shares are due to the nature of the investors involved and/or the reduced sales effort that is needed to obtain such investments.
If Shares of the Fund are held in an account with an Authorized Institution, all recordkeeping, transaction processing and payments of distributions relating to the beneficial owners account will be performed by the Authorized Institution, and not by the
B-88
Fund and its Transfer Agent. Since the Fund will have no record of the beneficial owners transactions, a beneficial owner should contact the Authorized Institution in connection with orders for purchases, repurchases or exchanges of Shares, to make changes in or give instructions concerning the account or to obtain information about the account. The transfer of Shares in a street name account to an account with another dealer or to an account directly with the Fund involves special procedures and will require the beneficial owner to obtain historical purchase information about the shares in the account from the Authorized Institution.
Right of Accumulation
A shareholder qualifies for cumulative quantity discounts if the current purchase price of the new investment plus the shareholders current holdings of existing Shares (acquired by purchase or exchange) of the Fund and Class A, Class B and/or Class C Shares of any other Goldman Sachs Fund total the requisite amount for receiving a discount. For example, if a shareholder owns Shares with a current market value of $65,000 and purchases additional Shares of the Fund with a purchase price of $45,000, the sales charge for the $45,000 purchase would be 1.75% (the rate applicable to a single purchase of $150,000 or more). Shares of the Fund and Class A, Class B and/or Class C Shares of any other Goldman Sachs Fund purchased (i) by an individual, his spouse, his parents and his children; and (ii) by a trustee, guardian or other fiduciary of a single trust estate or a single fiduciary account, will be combined for the purpose of determining whether a purchase will qualify for such right of accumulation and, if qualifying, the applicable sales charge level. For purposes of applying the right of accumulation, Shares of the Fund and any other Goldman Sachs Fund purchased by an existing client of Goldman Sachs Wealth Management or GS Ayco Holding LLC will be combined with Shares of the Fund and Class A, Class B and/or Class C Shares of any other Goldman Sachs Fund and other assets held by all other Goldman Sachs Wealth Management accounts or accounts of GS Ayco Holding LLC, respectively. In addition, Shares of the Fund and Class A, Class B and/or Class C Shares of any other Goldman Sachs Fund purchased by partners, directors, officers or employees of the same business organization or by groups of individuals represented by and investing on the recommendation of the same accounting firm, certain affinity groups or other similar organizations (collectively, eligible persons) may be combined for the purpose of determining whether a purchase will qualify for the right of accumulation and, if qualifying, the applicable sales charge level. This right of accumulation is subject to the following conditions: (i) the business organizations, groups or firms agreement to cooperate in the offering of the Funds Shares to eligible persons; and (ii) notification to the Fund at the time of purchase that the investor is eligible for this right of accumulation. In addition, in connection with SIMPLE IRA accounts, cumulative quantity discounts are available on a per plan basis if (i) your employee has been assigned a cumulative discount number by Goldman Sachs; and (ii) your account, alone or in combination with the accounts of other plan participants also invested in Shares of the Fund or Class A, Class B and/or Class C shares of the Goldman Sachs Funds totals the requisite aggregate amount as described in the Prospectuses.
Statement of Intention
If a shareholder anticipates purchasing at least $150,000, not counting reinvestments of dividends and distributions, of Shares of the Fund alone or in combination with Class A Shares of any other Goldman Sachs Fund within a 13-month period, the shareholder may purchase Shares of the Fund at a reduced sales charge by submitting a Statement of Intention (the Statement). Shares purchased pursuant to a Statement will be eligible for the same sales charge discount that would have been available if all of the purchases had been made at the same time. The shareholder or his Authorized Institution must inform Goldman Sachs that the Statement is in effect each time Shares are purchased. There is no obligation to purchase the full amount of Shares indicated in the Statement. A shareholder may include the value of all Shares of the Fund or Class A Shares of any other Goldman Sachs Fund on which a sales charge has previously been paid as an accumulation credit toward the completion of the Statement, but a price readjustment will be made only on Shares of the Fund or Class A Shares of any other Goldman Sachs Fund purchased within 90 days before submitting the Statement. The Statement authorizes the Transfer Agent to hold in escrow a sufficient number of Shares which can be repurchased to make up any difference in the sales charge on the amount actually invested. For purposes of satisfying the amount specified on the Statement, the gross amount of each investment, exclusive of any appreciation on Shares previously purchased, will be taken into account.
The provisions applicable to the Statement, and the terms of the related escrow agreement, are set forth in Appendix C to this SAI.
Cross-Reinvestment of Dividends and Distributions
Shareholders may receive dividends and distributions in additional Shares of the Fund or they may elect to receive them in cash or Class A shares of certain other Goldman Sachs Funds.
A Fund shareholder should obtain and read the prospectus relating to the other Goldman Sachs Fund and its shares and consider its investment objective, policies and applicable fees before electing cross-reinvestment into that Fund. The election to cross-reinvest dividends and capital gain distributions will not affect the tax treatment of such dividends and distributions, which will be treated as received by the shareholder and then used to purchase shares of the acquired fund. Such reinvestment of dividends and distributions in shares of other Goldman Sachs Funds is available only in states where such reinvestment may legally be made.
B-89
Cash Dividend Omnibus Processing
In addition, dividends from net investment income are declared daily and paid monthly, and distributions from net capital gains are declared and paid annually. For operational purposes, in order to be able to pay cash dividends and distributions to certain investors whose accounts are traded within an omnibus account, the Transfer Agent may process dividends and distributions paid in cash by the Fund as a reinvestment in the Fund with a corresponding repurchase equal to the amount of the cash distribution. This is done purely to address the operational nature of omnibus dividend and distribution processing and the systems limitations of certain dealers and is not a redemption or repurchase for legal purposes.
Service Plan. As described in the Prospectus, the Fund has adopted, on behalf of the Shares of the Fund, a service plan (the Plan). See Shareholder Guide What Should I Know When I Purchase Shares Through An Authorized Institution? in the Prospectus.
The Plan for the Funds Shares was most recently approved on June 13, 2013 by a majority vote of the Trustees of the Fund, including a majority of the non-interested Trustees of the Fund who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of approving the Plan.
Under the Plan, Goldman Sachs is entitled to receive a separate fee for personal and account maintenance services equal to an annual basis of 0.25% of the Funds average daily net assets attributable to the Shares.
The Plan is a compensation plan which provides for the payment of a specified fee without regard to the expenses actually incurred by Goldman Sachs. If such fee exceeds Goldman Sachs expenses, Goldman Sachs may realize a profit from these arrangements.
The Plan will remain in effect until June 30, 2014 and from year to year thereafter, provided that such continuance is approved annually by a majority vote of the Trustees of the Fund, including a majority of the non-interested Trustees of the Fund who have no direct or indirect financial interest in the Plan. All material amendments of a Plan must also be approved by the Trustees of the Fund in the manner described above. A Plan may be terminated at any time as to any Fund without payment of any penalty by a vote of a majority of the non-interested Trustees of the Fund or by vote of a majority of the Shares of the Fund. If the Plan was terminated by the Trustees of the Fund and no successor plan was adopted, the Fund would cease to make payments to Goldman Sachs under the Plan and Goldman Sachs would be unable to recover the amount of any of its unreimbursed expenditures. So long as a Plan is in effect, the selection and nomination of non-interested Trustees of the Fund will be committed to the discretion of the non-interested Trustees of the Fund. The Board of the Fund has determined that in its judgment there is a reasonable likelihood that the Plan will benefit the Fund and its shareholders.
For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2013, March 31, 2012 and March 31, 2011 the Fund paid Goldman Sachs the following service fees under the Plan:
Fund |
Fiscal
year ended March 31, 2013 |
Fiscal
year ended March 31, 2012 |
Fiscal
year ended March 31, 2011 |
|||||||||
Credit Strategies Fund |
||||||||||||
With fee waivers |
$ | 1,298,336 | $ | 1,178,039 | $ | 1,143,139 | ||||||
Without fee waivers |
$ | 1,298,336 | $ | 1,178,039 | $ | 1,143,139 |
The audited financial statements and related report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, contained in the Funds Annual Report are hereby incorporated herein by reference. The audited financial statements in the Funds 2013 Annual Report have been incorporated by reference in reliance upon such report given upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing. A copy of the 2013 Annual Report may be obtained upon request and without charge by writing Goldman, Sachs & Co., P.O. Box 06050, Chicago, Illinois 60606 or by calling Goldman, Sachs & Co., at the telephone number on the back cover of the Funds Prospectus. No other portions of the Funds Annual Report are incorporated herein by reference.
B-90
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS
Short-Term Credit Ratings
A Standard & Poors short-term issue credit rating is a current opinion of the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation having an original maturity of no more than 365 days. The following summarizes the rating categories used by Standard & Poors for short-term issues:
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 having significant speculative characteristics. Ratings of B-1, B-2, and B-3 may be assigned to indicate finer distinctions within the B category. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligors inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B-1 A short-term obligation rated B-1 is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, but the obligor has a relatively stronger capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.
B-2 A short-term obligation rated B-2 is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has an average speculative-grade capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.
B-3 A short-term obligation rated B-3 is regarded as having significant speculative characteristics, and the obligor has a relatively weaker capacity to meet its financial commitments over the short-term compared to other speculative-grade obligors.
C A short-term obligation rated C is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
D A short-term obligation rated D is in payment default. The D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poors believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.
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.
Moodys Investors Service (Moodys) short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.
1-A
Moodys employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:
P-1 Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-2 Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations.
P-3 Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.
NP Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.
Fitch, Inc. / Fitch Ratings Ltd. (Fitch) short-term ratings scale applies to foreign currency and local currency ratings. A short-term rating has a time horizon of less than 13 months for most obligations, or up to three years for U.S. public finance, in line with industry standards, to reflect unique risk characteristics of bond, tax, and revenue anticipation notes that are commonly issued with terms up to three years. Short-term ratings thus place greater emphasis on the liquidity necessary to meet financial commitments in a timely manner. The following summarizes the rating categories used by Fitch for short-term obligations:
F1 Securities possess the highest credit quality. This designation indicates the strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added + to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
F2 Securities possess good credit quality. This designation indicates a satisfactory capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, but the margin of safety is not as great as in the case of the higher ratings.
F3 Securities possess fair credit quality. This designation indicates that the capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate; however, near term adverse changes could result in a reduction to non investment grade.
B Securities possess speculative credit quality. This designation indicates minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
C Securities possess high default risk. Default is a real possibility. This designation indicates a capacity for meeting financial commitments which is solely reliant upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.
D Indicates an entity or sovereign that has defaulted on all of its financial obligations.
NR This designation indicates that Fitch does not publicly rate the associated issuer or issue.
WD This designation indicates that the rating has been withdrawn and is no longer maintained by Fitch.
The following summarizes the ratings used by Dominion Bond Rating Service Limited (DBRS) for commercial paper and short-term debt:
R-1 (high) Short-term debt rated R-1 (high) is of the highest credit quality, and indicates an entity possessing unquestioned ability to repay current liabilities as they fall due. Entities rated in this category normally maintain strong liquidity positions, conservative debt levels, and profitability that is both stable and above average. Companies achieving an R-1 (high) rating are normally leaders in structurally sound industry segments with proven track records, sustainable positive future results, and no substantial qualifying negative factors. Given the extremely tough definition DBRS has established for an R-1 (high), few entities are strong enough to achieve this rating.
R-1 (middle) Short-term debt rated R-1 (middle) is of superior credit quality and, in most cases, ratings in this category differ from R-1 (high) credits by only a small degree. Given the extremely tough definition DBRS has established for the R-1 (high) category, entities rated R-1 (middle) are also considered strong credits, and typically exemplify above average strength in key areas of consideration for the timely repayment of short-term liabilities.
R-1 (low) Short-term debt rated R-1 (low) is of satisfactory credit quality. The overall strength and outlook for key liquidity, debt and profitability ratios are not normally as favorable as with higher rating categories, but these considerations are still respectable. Any qualifying negative factors that exist are considered manageable, and the entity is normally of sufficient size to have some influence in its industry.
2-A
R-2 (high) Short-term debt rated R-2 (high) is considered to be at the upper end of adequate credit quality. The ability to repay obligations as they mature remains acceptable, although the overall strength and outlook for key liquidity, debt, and profitability ratios is not as strong as credits rated in the R-1 (low) category. Relative to the latter category, other shortcomings often include areas such as stability, financial flexibility, and the relative size and market position of the entity within its industry.
R-2 (middle) Short-term debt rated R-2 (middle) is considered to be of adequate credit quality. Relative to the R-2 (high) category, entities rated R-2 (middle) typically have some combination of higher volatility, weaker debt or liquidity positions, lower future cash flow capabilities, or are negatively impacted by a weaker industry. Ratings in this category would be more vulnerable to adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
R-2 (low) Short-term debt rated R-2 (low) is considered to be at the lower end of adequate credit quality, typically having some combination of challenges that are not acceptable for an R-2 (middle) credit. However, R-2 (low) ratings still display a level of credit strength that allows for a higher rating than the R-3 category, with this distinction often reflecting the issuers liquidity profile.
R-3 Short-term debt rated R-3 is considered to be at the lowest end of adequate credit quality, one step up from being speculative. While not yet defined as speculative, the R-3 category signifies that although repayment is still expected, the certainty of repayment could be impacted by a variety of possible adverse developments, many of which would be outside the issuers control. Entities in this area often have limited access to capital markets and may also have limitations in securing alternative sources of liquidity, particularly during periods of weak economic conditions.
R-4 Short-term debt rated R-4 is speculative. R-4 credits tend to have weak liquidity and debt ratios, and the future trend of these ratios is also unclear. Due to its speculative nature, companies with R-4 ratings would normally have very limited access to alternative sources of liquidity. Earnings and cash flow would typically be very unstable, and the level of overall profitability of the entity is also likely to be low. The industry environment may be weak, and strong negative qualifying factors are also likely to be present.
R-5 Short-term debt rated R-5 is highly speculative. There is a reasonably high level of uncertainty as to the ability of the entity to repay the obligations on a continuing basis in the future, especially in periods of economic recession or industry adversity. In some cases, short term debt rated R-5 may have challenges that if not corrected, could lead to default.
D A security rated D implies the issuer has either not met a scheduled payment or the issuer has made it clear that it will be missing such a payment in the near future. In some cases, DBRS may not assign a D rating under a bankruptcy announcement scenario, as allowances for grace periods may exist in the underlying legal documentation. Once assigned, the D rating will continue as long as the missed payment continues to be in arrears, and until such time as the rating is discontinued or reinstated by DBRS.
Long-Term Credit Ratings
The following summarizes the ratings used by Standard & Poors for long-term issues:
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 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.
3-A
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.
C A C rating is assigned to obligations that are currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, obligations that have payment arrearages allowed by the terms of the documents, or obligations of an issuer that is the subject of a bankruptcy petition or similar action which have not experienced a payment default. Among others, the C rating may be assigned to subordinated debt, preferred stock or other obligations on which cash payments have been suspended in accordance with the instruments terms.
D An obligation rated D is in payment default. The D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due even if the applicable grace period has not expired, unless Standard & Poors believes that such payments will be made during such grace period. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action if payments on an obligation are jeopardized.
Plus (+) or minus (-) The ratings from AA to CCC may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
NR This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poors does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy.
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.
The following summarizes the ratings used by Moodys for long-term debt:
Aaa Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal credit risk.
Aa Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.
A Obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.
Baa Obligations rated Baa are subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium-grade and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.
Ba Obligations rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements and are subject to substantial credit risk.
B Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.
4-A
Caa Obligations rated Caa are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.
Ca Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.
C Obligations rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.
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.
The following summarizes long-term ratings used by Fitch:
AAA Securities considered to be of the highest credit quality. AAA ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.
AA Securities considered to be of very high credit quality. AA ratings denote expectations of very low credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A Securities considered to be of high credit quality. A ratings denote expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to changes in circumstances or in economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.
BBB Securities considered to be of good credit quality. BBB ratings indicate that there is currently expectations of low credit risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate but adverse changes in circumstances and economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity. This is the lowest investment grade category.
BB Securities considered to be speculative. BB ratings indicate that there is a possibility of credit risk developing, particularly as the result of adverse economic change over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met. Securities rated in this category are not investment grade.
B Securities considered to be highly speculative. For issuers and performing obligations, B ratings indicate that significant credit risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is contingent upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment. For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for extremely high recoveries. Such obligations would possess a Recovery Rating of RR1 (outstanding).
CCC For issuers and performing obligations, default is a real possibility. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon sustained, favorable business or economic conditions. For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for average to superior levels of recovery. Differences in credit quality may be denoted by plus/minus distinctions. Such obligations typically would possess a Recovery Rating of RR2 (superior), or RR3 (good) or RR4 (average).
CC For issuers and performing obligations, default of some kind appears probable. For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with a Recovery Rating of RR4 (average) or RR5 (below average).
C For issuers and performing obligations, default is imminent. For individual obligations, may indicate distressed or defaulted obligations with potential for below-average to poor recoveries. Such obligations would possess a Recovery Rating of RR6 (poor).
RD Indicates an entity that has failed to make due payments (within the applicable grace period) on some but not all material financial obligations, but continues to honor other classes of obligations.
D Indicates an entity or sovereign that has defaulted on all of its financial obligations.
5-A
Plus (+) or minus (-) may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the AAA category or to categories below CCC.
NR Denotes that Fitch does not publicly rate the associated issue or issuer.
WD Indicates that the rating has been withdrawn and is no longer maintained by Fitch.
The following summarizes the ratings used by DBRS for long-term debt:
AAA Long-term debt rated AAA is of the highest credit quality, with exceptionally strong protection for the timely repayment of principal and interest. Earnings are considered stable, the structure of the industry in which the entity operates is strong, and the outlook for future profitability is favorable. There are few qualifying factors present that would detract from the performance of the entity. The strength of liquidity and coverage ratios is unquestioned and the entity has established a credible track record of superior performance. Given the extremely high standard that DBRS has set for this category, few entities are able to achieve a AAA rating.
AA Long-term debt rated AA is of superior credit quality, and protection of interest and principal is considered high. In many cases they differ from long-term debt rated AAA only to a small degree. Given the extremely restrictive definition DBRS has for the AAA category, entities rated AA are also considered to be strong credits, typically exemplifying above-average strength in key areas of consideration and unlikely to be significantly affected by reasonably foreseeable events.
A Long-term debt rated A is of satisfactory credit quality. Protection of interest and principal is still substantial, but the degree of strength is less than that of AA rated entities. While A is a respectable rating, entities in this category are considered to be more susceptible to adverse economic conditions and have greater cyclical tendencies than higher rated securities.
BBB Long-term debt rated BBB is of adequate credit quality. Protection of interest and principal is considered acceptable, but the entity is fairly susceptible to adverse changes in financial and economic conditions, or there may be other adverse conditions present which reduce the strength of the entity and its rated securities.
BB Long-term debt rated BB is defined to be speculative and non-investment grade, where the degree of protection afforded interest and principal is uncertain, particularly during periods of economic recession. Entities in the BB range typically have limited access to capital markets and additional liquidity support. In many cases, deficiencies in critical mass, diversification, and competitive strength are additional negative considerations.
B Long-term debt rated B is considered highly speculative and there is a reasonably high level of uncertainty as to the ability of the entity to pay interest and principal on a continuing basis in the future, especially in periods of economic recession or industry adversity.
CCC, CC and C Long-term debt rated in any of these categories is very highly speculative and is in danger of default of interest and principal. The degree of adverse elements present is more severe than long-term debt rated B. Long-term debt rated below B often have features which, if not remedied, may lead to default. In practice, there is little difference between these three categories, with CC and C normally used for lower ranking debt of companies for which the senior debt is rated in the CCC to B range.
D A security rated D implies the issuer has either not met a scheduled payment of interest or principal or that the issuer has made it clear that it will miss such a payment in the near future. In some cases, DBRS may not assign a D rating under a bankruptcy announcement scenario, as allowances for grace periods may exist in the underlying legal documentation. Once assigned, the D rating will continue as long as the missed payment continues to be in arrears, and until such time as the rating is discontinued or reinstated by DBRS.
(high, low) Each rating category is denoted by the subcategories high and low. The absence of either a high or low designation indicates the rating is in the middle of the category. The AAA and D categories do not utilize high, middle, and low as differential grades.
6-A
Municipal Note Ratings
A Standard & Poors U.S. municipal note rating reflects the liquidity factors and market access risks unique to notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a note rating. Notes maturing beyond three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. The following criteria will be used in making that assessment:
| Amortization schedule-the larger the final maturity relative to other maturities, the more likely it will be treated as a note; and |
| Source of payment-the 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 The issuers of these municipal notes exhibit a strong capacity to pay principal and interest. Those issues determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service are given a plus (+) designation.
SP-2 The issuers of these municipal notes exhibit a satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.
SP-3 The issuers of these municipal notes exhibit speculative capacity to pay principal and interest.
Moodys uses three rating categories for short-term municipal obligations that are considered investment grade. These ratings are designated as Municipal Investment Grade (MIG) and are divided into three levels MIG-1 through MIG-3. In addition, those short-term obligations that are of speculative quality are designated SG, or speculative grade. MIG ratings expire at the maturity of the obligation. The following summarizes the ratings used by Moodys for these short-term obligations:
MIG-1 This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by established cash flows, highly reliable liquidity support, or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.
MIG-2 This designation denotes strong credit quality. Margins of protection are ample, although not as large as in the preceding group.
MIG-3 This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Liquidity and cash-flow protection may be narrow, and market access for refinancing is likely to be less well-established.
SG This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Debt instruments in this category may lack sufficient margins of protection.
In the case of variable rate demand obligations (VRDOs), a two-component rating is assigned; a long- or short-term debt rating and a demand obligation rating. The first element represents Moodys evaluation of the degree of risk associated with scheduled principal and interest payments. The second element represents Moodys evaluation of the degree of risk associated with the ability to receive purchase price upon demand (demand feature), using a variation of the MIG rating scale, the Variable Municipal Investment Grade or VMIG rating.
When either the long- or short-term aspect of a VRDO is not rated, that piece is designated NR, e.g., Aaa/NR or NR/VMIG-1.
VMIG rating expirations are a function of each issues specific structural or credit features.
VMIG-1 This designation denotes superior credit quality. Excellent protection is afforded by the superior short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
VMIG-2 This designation denotes strong credit quality. Good protection is afforded by the strong short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
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VMIG-3 This designation denotes acceptable credit quality. Adequate protection is afforded by the satisfactory short-term credit strength of the liquidity provider and structural and legal protections that ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
SG This designation denotes speculative-grade credit quality. Demand features rated in this category may be supported by a liquidity provider that does not have an investment grade short-term rating or may lack the structural and/or legal protections necessary to ensure the timely payment of purchase price upon demand.
Fitch uses the same ratings for municipal securities as described above for other short-term credit ratings.
About Credit Ratings
A Standard & Poors issue credit rating is a current opinion of 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 issue credit rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell, or hold a financial obligation, inasmuch as it does not comment as to market price or suitability for a particular investor.
Moodys credit ratings must be construed solely as statements of opinion and not as statements of fact or recommendations to purchase, sell or hold any securities.
Fitchs 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. Fitch credit ratings are used by investors as indications of the likelihood of receiving their money back in accordance with the terms on which they invested. Fitchs 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.
DBRS credit ratings are not buy, hold or sell recommendations, but rather the result of qualitative and quantitative analysis focusing solely on the credit quality of the issuer and its underlying obligations.
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GSAM PROXY VOTING GUIDELINES SUMMARY
Effective: March 2013
The following is a summary of the material GSAM Proxy Voting Guidelines (the Guidelines), which form the substantive basis of GSAMs Policy on Proxy Voting for Client Accounts (Policy). As described in the main body of the Policy, one or more GSAM portfolio management teams may diverge from the Guidelines and a related Recommendation on any particular proxy vote or in connection with any individual investment decision in accordance with the Policy.
A. | US proxy items: | |||
1. | Operational Items | page 1-B | ||
2. | Board of Directors | page 2-B | ||
3. | Executive Compensation | page 4-B | ||
4. | Proxy Contests and Access | page 6-B | ||
5. | Shareholder Rights and Defenses | page 7-B | ||
6. | Mergers and Corporate Restructurings | page 8-B | ||
7. | State of Incorporation | page 8-B | ||
8. | Capital Structure | page 8-B | ||
9. | Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Issues | page 9-B | ||
B. | Non-U.S. proxy items: | |||
1. | Operational Items | page 11-B | ||
2. | Board of Directors | page 12-B | ||
3. | Compensation | page 14-B | ||
4. | Board Structure | page 14-B | ||
5. | Capital Structure | page 15-B | ||
6. | Mergers and Corporate Restructurings & Other | page 16-B | ||
7. | Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Issues | page 17-B |
U.S. Proxy Items
The following section is a summary of the Guidelines, which form the substantive basis of the Policy with respect to U.S. public equity investments.
1. | Operational Items |
Auditor Ratification
Vote FOR proposals to ratify auditors, unless any of the following apply within the last year:
| An auditor has a financial interest in or association with the company, and is therefore not independent; |
| There is reason to believe that the independent auditor has rendered an opinion which is neither accurate nor indicative of the companys financial position; |
| Poor accounting practices are identified that rise to a serious level of concern, such as: fraud; misapplication of GAAP; or material weaknesses identified in Section 404 disclosures; or |
| Fees for non-audit services are excessive. |
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Non-audit fees are excessive if:
| Non-audit fees exceed audit fees + audit-related fees + tax compliance/preparation fees. |
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on shareholder proposals asking companies to prohibit or limit their auditors from engaging in non-audit services or asking for audit firm rotation.
2. | Board of Directors |
The Board of Directors should promote the interests of shareholders by acting in an oversight and/or advisory role; the board should consist of a majority of independent directors and should be held accountable for actions and results related to their responsibilities. When evaluating board composition, GSAM believes a diversity of ethnicity, gender and experience is an important consideration.
Classification of Directors
Where applicable, the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ Listing Standards definition is to be used to classify directors as insiders or affiliated outsiders. General definitions are as follows:
| Inside Director |
| Employee of the company or one of its affiliates |
| Among the five most highly paid individuals (excluding interim CEO) |
| Listed as an officer as defined under Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 |
| Current interim CEO |
| Beneficial owner of more than 50 percent of the companys voting power (this may be aggregated if voting power is distributed among more than one member of a defined group) |
| Affiliated Outside Director |
| Board attestation that an outside director is not independent |
| Former CEO or other executive of the company within the last 3 years |
| Former CEO or other executive of an acquired company within the past three years |
| Independent Outside Director |
| No material connection to the company other than a board seat |
Additionally, GSAM will consider compensation committee interlocking directors to be affiliated (defined as CEOs who sit on each others compensation committees).
Voting on Director Nominees in Uncontested Elections
Vote on director nominees should be determined on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from individual directors who:
| Attend less than 75 percent of the board and committee meetings without a disclosed valid excuse for each of the last two years; |
| Sit on more than six public company boards; |
| Are CEOs of public companies who sit on the boards of more than two public companies besides their ownwithhold only at their outside boards. |
Other items considered for an AGAINST vote include specific concerns about the individual or the company, such as criminal wrongdoing or breach of fiduciary responsibilities, sanctions from government or authority, violations of laws and regulations, or other issues related to improper business practice.
Vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from Inside Directors and Affiliated Outside Directors (per the Classification of Directors above) when:
| The inside or affiliated outside director serves on the audit, compensation, or nominating (vote against affiliated directors only for nominating) committees; |
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| The company lacks an audit compensation, or nominating (vote against affiliated directors only for nominating) committee so that the full board functions as that committee and insiders are participating in voting on matters that independent committees should be voting on; |
| The full board is less than majority independent (in this case withhold from affiliated outside directors); at controlled companies, GSAM will vote against the election of affiliated outsiders and nominees affiliated with the parent and will not vote against the executives of the issuer. |
Vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from members of the appropriate committee for the following reasons (or independent Chairman or lead director in cases of a classified board and members of appropriate committee are not up for reelection). Extreme cases may warrant a vote against the entire board.
| Material failures of governance, stewardship, or fiduciary responsibilities at the company; |
| Egregious actions related to the director(s) service on other boards that raise substantial doubt about his or her ability to effectively oversee management and serve the best interests of shareholders at any company; |
| At the previous board election, any director received more than 50 percent withhold/against votes of the shares cast and the company has failed to address the underlying issue(s) that caused the high withhold/against vote (members of the Nominating or Governance Committees); |
| The board failed to act on a shareholder proposal that received approval of the majority of shares cast for the previous two consecutive years (a management proposal with other than a FOR recommendation by management will not be considered as sufficient action taken); an adopted proposal that is substantially similar to the original shareholder proposal will be deemed sufficient; (vote against members of the committee of the board that is responsible for the issue under consideration). If GSAM did not support the shareholder proposal in both years, GSAM will still vote against the committee member (s). |
Vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from the members of the Audit Committee if:
| The non-audit fees paid to the auditor are excessive; |
| The company receives an adverse opinion on the companys financial statements from its auditor; or |
| There is persuasive evidence that the audit committee entered into an inappropriate indemnification agreement with its auditor that limits the ability of the company, or its shareholders, to pursue legitimate legal recourse against the audit firm. |
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on members of the Audit Committee and/or the full board if poor accounting practices, which rise to a level of serious concern are identified, such as: fraud; misapplication of GAAP; and material weaknesses identified in Section 404 disclosures.
Examine the severity, breadth, chronological sequence and duration, as well as the companys efforts at remediation or corrective actions in determining whether negative vote recommendations are warranted against the members of the Audit Committee who are responsible for the poor accounting practices, or the entire board.
See section 3 on executive and director compensation for reasons to withhold from members of the Compensation Committee.
In limited circumstances, GSAM may vote AGAINST or WITHHOLD from all nominees of the board of directors (except from new nominees who should be considered on a CASE-BY-CASE basis and except as discussed below) if:
| The companys poison pill has a dead-hand or modified dead-hand feature for two or more years. Vote against/withhold every year until this feature is removed; however, vote against the poison pill if there is one on the ballot with this feature rather than the director; |
| The board adopts or renews a poison pill without shareholder approval, does not commit to putting it to shareholder vote within 12 months of adoption (or in the case of an newly public company, does not commit to put the pill to a shareholder vote within 12 months following the IPO), or reneges on a commitment to put the pill to a vote, and has not yet received a withhold/against recommendation for this issue; |
| The board failed to act on takeover offers where the majority of the shareholders tendered their shares; |
| If in an extreme situation the board lacks accountability and oversight, coupled with sustained poor performance relative to peers. |
3-B
Shareholder proposal regarding Independent Chair (Separate Chair/CEO)
Vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
GSAM will generally recommend a vote AGAINST shareholder proposals requiring that the chairmans position be filled by an independent director, if the company satisfies 3 of the 4 following criteria:
| Designated lead director, elected by and from the independent board members with clearly delineated and comprehensive duties; |
| Two-thirds independent board; |
| All independent key committees; or |
| Established, disclosed governance guidelines. |
Shareholder proposal regarding board declassification
GSAM will generally vote FOR proposals requesting that the board adopt a declassified structure in the case of operating and holding companies.
Majority Vote Shareholder Proposals
GSAM will vote FOR proposals requesting that the board adopt majority voting in the election of directors provided it does not conflict with the state law where the company is incorporated.
GSAM also looks for companies to adopt a post-election policy outlining how the company will address the situation of a holdover director.
Cumulative Vote Shareholder Proposals
GSAM will generally support shareholder proposals to restore or provide cumulative voting unless:
| The company has adopted majority vote standard with a carve-out for plurality voting in situations where there are more nominees than seats, and a director resignation policy to address failed elections. |
3. | Executive Compensation |
Pay Practices
Good pay practices should align managements interests with long-term shareholder value creation. Detailed disclosure of compensation criteria is preferred; proof that companies follow the criteria should be evident and retroactive performance target changes without proper disclosure is not viewed favorably. Compensation practices should allow a company to attract and retain proven talent. Some examples of poor pay practices include: abnormally large bonus payouts without justifiable performance linkage or proper disclosure, egregious employment contracts, excessive severance and/or change in control provisions, repricing or replacing of underwater stock options/stock appreciation rights without prior shareholder approval, and excessive perquisites. A company should also have an appropriate balance of short-term vs. long-term metrics and the metrics should be aligned with business goals and objectives.
If the company maintains problematic or poor pay practices, generally vote first:
| AGAINST Management Say on Pay (MSOP) Proposals or; |
| AGAINST an equity-based incentive plan proposal if excessive non-performance-based equity awards are the major contributor to a pay-for-performance misalignment, then; |
| If no MSOP or equity-based incentive plan proposal item is on the ballot, AGAINST/WITHHOLD from compensation committee members. |
4-B
Equity Compensation Plans
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on equity-based compensation plans. Reasons to vote AGAINST the equity plan could include the following factors:
| The plan is a vehicle for poor pay practices; or |
| The plan permits the repricing of stock options/stock appreciation rights (SARs) without prior shareholder approval; or |
| The companys three year burn rate and Shareholder Value Transfer (SVT) calculations both materially exceed industry group metrics. |
Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (Say-on-Pay, MSOP) Management Proposals
Vote FOR annual frequency and AGAINST shareholder or management proposals asking for any frequency less than annual.
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on management proposals for an advisory vote on executive compensation. For U.S. companies, consider the following factors in the context of each companys specific circumstances and the boards disclosed rationale for its practices. In general more than one factor will need to be present in order to warrant a vote AGAINST.
Pay-for-Performance Disconnect:
| GSAM will consider there to be a disconnect based on a quantitative assessment of the following: CEO pay vs. TSR and peers, CEO pay as a percentage of the median peer group or CEO pay vs. shareholder return over time. |
Additional Factors Considered Include:
| Boards responsiveness if company received 70% or less shareholder support in the previous years MSOP vote; |
| Abnormally large bonus payouts without justifiable performance linkage or proper disclosure; |
| Egregious employment contracts; |
| Excessive perquisites or excessive severance and/or change in control provisions; |
| Repricing or replacing of underwater stock options without prior shareholder approval; |
| Excessive executive pledging or hedging of stock by executives; |
| Egregious pension/SERP (supplemental executive retirement plan) payouts; |
| Extraordinary relocation benefits; |
| Internal pay disparity; |
| Depth of disclosure of compensation philosophy and goals and targets, including details on short-term and long-term performance incentives; and |
| Long-term equity based compensation is 100% time-based. |
Other Compensation Proposals and Policies
Employee Stock Purchase Plans Non-Qualified Plans
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on nonqualified employee stock purchase plans taking into account the following factors:
| Broad-based participation; |
| Limits on employee contribution; |
| Company matching contribution; and |
| Presence of a discount on the stock price on the date of purchase. |
5-B
Option Exchange Programs/Repricing Options
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on management proposals seeking approval to exchange/reprice options, taking into consideration:
| Historic trading patternsthe stock price should not be so volatile that the options are likely to be back in-the-money over the near term; |
| Rationale for the re-pricing; |
| If it is a value-for-value exchange; |
| If surrendered stock options are added back to the plan reserve; |
| Option vesting; |
| Term of the optionthe term should remain the same as that of the replaced option; |
| Exercise priceshould be set at fair market or a premium to market; |
| Participantsexecutive officers and directors should be excluded. |
Vote FOR shareholder proposals to put option repricings to a shareholder vote.
Other Shareholder Proposals on Compensation
Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation (Frequency on Pay)
Vote FOR annual frequency.
Stock retention holding period
Vote FOR Shareholder proposals asking for a policy requiring that senior executives retain a significant percentage of shares acquired through equity compensation programs if the policy allows retention for two years or less following the termination of their employment (through retirement or otherwise) and a holding threshold percentage of 50% or less.
Also consider:
| Whether the company has any holding period, retention ratio, or officer ownership requirements in place. |
Elimination of accelerated vesting in the event of a change in control
Vote AGAINST shareholder proposals seeking a policy eliminating the accelerated vesting of time-based equity awards in the event of a change in control.
Performance-based equity awards and pay-for-superior-performance proposals
Generally support unless there is sufficient evidence that the current compensation structure is already substantially performance-based. GSAM considers performance-based awards to include awards that are tied to shareholder return or other metrics that are relevant to the business.
Say on Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans (SERP)
Generally vote AGAINST proposals asking for shareholder votes on SERP.
4. | Proxy Contests and Access |
Voting for Director Nominees in Contested Elections
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on the election of directors in contested elections, considering the following factors:
| Long-term financial performance of the target company relative to its industry; |
| Managements track record; |
| Background to the proxy contest; |
| Qualifications of director nominees (both slates); |
| Strategic plan of dissident slate and quality of critique against management; |
| Likelihood that the proposed goals and objectives can be achieved (both slates); |
| Stock ownership positions. |
6-B
Proxy Access
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on shareholder or management proposals asking for open proxy access.
GSAM may support proxy access as an important right for shareholders and as an alternative to costly proxy contests and as a method for GSAM to vote for directors on an individual basis, as appropriate, rather than voting on one slate or the other. While this could be an important shareholder right, the following will be taken into account when evaluating the shareholder proposals:
| The ownership thresholds, percentage and duration proposed (GSAM will not support if the ownership threshold is less than 3%); |
| The maximum proportion of directors that shareholders may nominate each year (GSAM will not support if the proportion of directors is greater than 25%); and |
| The method of determining which nominations should appear on the ballot if multiple shareholders submit nominations. |
Reimbursing Proxy Solicitation Expenses
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on proposals to reimburse proxy solicitation expenses. When voting in conjunction with support of a dissident slate, vote FOR the reimbursement of all appropriate proxy solicitation expenses associated with the election.
5. | Shareholders Rights & Defenses |
Shareholder Ability to Act by Written Consent
Generally vote FOR shareholder proposals that provide shareholders with the ability to act by written consent, unless:
| The company already gives shareholders the right to call special meetings at a threshold of 25% or lower; and |
| The company has a history of strong governance practices. |
Shareholder Ability to Call Special Meetings
Generally vote FOR management proposals that provide shareholders with the ability to call special meetings.
Generally vote FOR shareholder proposals that provide shareholders with the ability to call special meetings at a threshold of 25% or lower if the company currently does not give shareholders the right to call special meetings. However, if a company already gives shareholders the right to call special meetings at a threshold of at least 25%, do not support shareholder proposals to further reduce the threshold.
Advance Notice Requirements for Shareholder Proposals/Nominations
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on advance notice proposals, giving support to proposals that allow shareholders to submit proposals/nominations reasonably close to the meeting date and within the broadest window possible, recognizing the need to allow sufficient notice for company, regulatory and shareholder review.
Poison Pills
Vote FOR shareholder proposals requesting that the company submit its poison pill to a shareholder vote or redeem it UNLESS the company has: (1) A shareholder-approved poison pill in place; or (2) the company has adopted a policy concerning the adoption of a pill in the future specifying certain shareholder friendly provisions.
Vote FOR shareholder proposals calling for poison pills to be put to a vote within a time period of less than one year after adoption.
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on management proposals on poison pill ratification, focusing on the features of the shareholder rights plan.
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In addition, the rationale for adopting the pill should be thoroughly explained by the company. In examining the request for the pill, take into consideration the companys existing governance structure, including: board independence, existing takeover defenses, and any problematic governance concerns.
6. | Mergers and Corporate Restructurings |
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on mergers and acquisitions taking into account the following based on publicly available information:
| Valuation; |
| Market reaction; |
| Strategic rationale; |
| Managements track record of successful integration of historical acquisitions; |
| Presence of conflicts of interest; and |
| Governance profile of the combined company. |
7. | State of Incorporation |
Reincorporation Proposals
GSAM may support management proposals to reincorporate as long as the reincorporation would not substantially diminish shareholder rights. GSAM may not support shareholder proposals for reincorporation unless the current state of incorporation is substantially less shareholder friendly than the proposed reincorporation, there is a strong economic case to reincorporate or the company has a history of making decisions that are not shareholder friendly.
Exclusive venue for shareholder lawsuits
Generally vote FOR on exclusive venue proposals, taking into account:
| Whether the company has been materially harmed by shareholder litigation outside its jurisdiction of incorporation, based on disclosure in the companys proxy statement; |
| Whether the company has the following good governance features: |
| An annually elected board; |
| A majority vote standard in uncontested director elections; and |
| The absence of a poison pill, unless the pill was approved by shareholders. |
8. | Capital Structure |
Common Stock Authorization
Votes on proposals to increase the number of shares of common stock authorized for issuance are determined on a CASE-BY-CASE basis. We consider company-specific factors that include, at a minimum, the following:
| Past Board performance; |
| The companys use of authorized shares during the last three years; |
| One- and three-year total shareholder return; |
| The boards governance structure and practices; |
| The current request; |
| Disclosure in the proxy statement of specific reasons for the proposed increase; |
| The dilutive impact of the request as determined through an allowable increase, which examines the companys need for shares and total shareholder returns; and |
| Risks to shareholders of not approving the request. |
8-B
9. | Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Issues |
Overall Approach
GSAM recognizes that Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) factors can affect investment performance, expose potential investment risks and provide an indication of management excellence and leadership. When evaluating ESG proxy issues GSAM balances the purpose of a proposal with the overall benefit to shareholders.
Shareholder proposals considered under this category could include: Reports asking for details on 1) labor and safety policies, 2) impact on the environment of the companys oil sands or fracturing operations or 3) water-related risks
When evaluating social and environmental shareholder proposals the following factors should be considered:
| Whether adoption of the proposal is likely to enhance or protect shareholder value; |
| Whether the information requested concerns business issues that relate to a meaningful percentage of the companys business; |
| The degree to which the companys stated position on the issues raised in the proposal could affect its reputation or sales, or leave it vulnerable to a boycott or selective purchasing; |
| Whether the company has already responded in some appropriate manner to the request embodied in the proposal; |
| What other companies have done in response to the issue addressed in the proposal; |
| Whether the proposal itself is well framed and the cost of preparing the report is reasonable; |
| Whether the subject of the proposal is best left to the discretion of the board; |
| Whether the company has material fines or violations in the area and if so, if appropriate actions have already been taken to remedy going forward; |
| Whether the requested information is available to shareholders either from the company or from a publicly available source; and |
| Whether providing this information would reveal proprietary or confidential information that would place the company at a competitive disadvantage. |
Sustainability, climate change reporting
Generally vote FOR proposals requesting the company to report on its policies, initiatives, and oversight mechanisms related to social, economic, and environmental sustainability, or how the company may be impacted by climate change. The following factors will be considered:
| The companys current level of publicly-available disclosure including if the company already discloses similar information through existing reports or policies |
| If the company has formally committed to the implementation of a reporting program based on Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines or a similar standard within a specified time frame; |
| If the companys current level of disclosure is comparable to that of its industry peers; and |
| If there are significant controversies, fines, penalties, or litigation associated with the companys environmental performance. |
Establishing goals or targets for emissions reduction
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on proposals that call for the adoption of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction goals from products and operations, taking into account:
| Overly prescriptive requests for the reduction in GHG emissions by specific amounts or within a specific time frame; |
| Whether company disclosure lags behind industry peers; |
| Whether the company has been the subject of recent, significant violations, fines, litigation, or controversy related to GHG emissions; |
| The feasibility of reduction of GHGs given the companys product line and current technology and; |
| Whether the company already provides meaningful disclosure on GHG emissions from its products and operations. |
9-B
Political Contributions and Trade Association Spending/Lobbying Expenditures and Initiatives
Generally vote AGAINST proposals asking the company to affirm political nonpartisanship in the workplace so long as:
| There are no recent, significant controversies, fines or litigation regarding the companys political contributions or trade association spending; and |
| The company has procedures in place to ensure that employee contributions to company-sponsored political action committees (PACs) are strictly voluntary and prohibits coercion. |
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on proposals to improve the disclosure of a companys political contributions and trade association spending, considering:
| Recent significant controversy or litigation related to the companys political contributions or governmental affairs; |
| The public availability of a company policy on political contributions and trade association spending including information on the types of organizations supported, the business rationale for supporting these organizations, and the oversight and compliance procedures related to such expenditures of corporate assets. |
GSAM will not necessarily vote for the proposal merely to encourage further disclosure of trade association or lobbying spending.
Vote AGAINST proposals barring the company from making political contributions. Businesses are affected by legislation at the federal, state, and local level and barring political contributions can put the company at a competitive disadvantage.
Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
A company should have a clear, public Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) statement and/or diversity policy. Generally vote FOR proposals seeking to amend a companys EEO statement or diversity policies to additionally prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
Labor and Human Rights Standards
Generally vote FOR proposals requesting a report or implementation of a policy on company or company supplier labor and/or human rights standards and policies unless such information is already publicly disclosed considering:
| The degree to which existing relevant policies and practices are disclosed; |
| Whether or not existing relevant policies are consistent with internationally recognized standards; |
| Whether company facilities and those of its suppliers are monitored and how; |
| Company participation in fair labor organizations or other internationally recognized human rights initiatives; |
| Scope and nature of business conducted in markets known to have higher risk of workplace labor/human rights abuse; |
| Recent, significant company controversies, fines, or litigation regarding human rights at the company or its suppliers; |
| The scope of the request; and |
| Deviation from industry sector peer company standards and practices. |
Non-U.S. Proxy Items
The following section is a broad summary of the Guidelines, which form the basis of the Policy with respect to non-U.S. public equity investments. Applying these guidelines is subject to certain regional and country-specific exceptions and modifications and is not inclusive of all considerations in each market.
10-B
1. | Operational Items |
Financial Results/Director and Auditor Reports
Vote FOR approval of financial statements and director and auditor reports, unless:
| There are concerns about the accounts presented or audit procedures used; or |
| The company is not responsive to shareholder questions about specific items that should be publicly disclosed. |
Appointment of Auditors and Auditor Fees
Vote FOR the reelection of auditors and proposals authorizing the board to fix auditor fees, unless:
| There are serious concerns about the accounts presented, audit procedures used or audit opinion rendered; |
| There is reason to believe that the auditor has rendered an opinion, which is neither accurate nor indicative of the companys financial position; |
| Name of the proposed auditor has not been published; |
| The auditors are being changed without explanation; non-audit-related fees are substantial or are in excess of standard annual audit-related fees; or the appointment of external auditors if they have previously served the company in an executive capacity or can otherwise be considered affiliated with the company. |
Appointment of Statutory Auditors
Vote FOR the appointment or reelection of statutory auditors, unless:
| There are serious concerns about the statutory reports presented or the audit procedures used; |
| Questions exist concerning any of the statutory auditors being appointed; or |
| The auditors have previously served the company in an executive capacity or can otherwise be considered affiliated with the company. |
Allocation of Income
Vote FOR approval of the allocation of income, unless:
| The dividend payout ratio has been consistently low without adequate explanation; or |
| The payout is excessive given the companys financial position. |
Stock (Scrip) Dividend Alternative
Vote FOR most stock (scrip) dividend proposals.
Vote AGAINST proposals that do not allow for a cash option unless management demonstrates that the cash option is harmful to shareholder value.
Amendments to Articles of Association
Vote amendments to the articles of association on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Change in Company Fiscal Term
Vote FOR resolutions to change a companys fiscal term unless a companys motivation for the change is to postpone its AGM.
Lower Disclosure Threshold for Stock Ownership
Vote AGAINST resolutions to lower the stock ownership disclosure threshold below 5 percent unless specific reasons exist to implement a lower threshold.
11-B
Amend Quorum Requirements
Vote proposals to amend quorum requirements for shareholder meetings on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Transact Other Business
Vote AGAINST other business when it appears as a voting item.
2. | Board of Directors |
Director Elections
Vote FOR management nominees taking into consideration the following:
| Adequate disclosure has not been provided in a timely manner; or |
| There are clear concerns over questionable finances or restatements; or |
| There have been questionable transactions or conflicts of interest; or |
| There are any records of abuses against minority shareholder interests; or |
| The board fails to meet minimum corporate governance standards. or |
| There are reservations about: |
| Director terms |
| Bundling of proposals to elect directors |
| Board independence |
| Disclosure of named nominees |
| Combined Chairman/CEO |
| Election of former CEO as Chairman of the Board |
| Overboarded directors |
| Composition of committees |
| Director independence |
| Specific concerns about the individual or company, such as criminal wrongdoing or breach of fiduciary responsibilities; or |
| Repeated absences at board meetings have not been explained (in countries where this information is disclosed); or |
| Unless there are other considerations which may include sanctions from government or authority, violations of laws and regulations, or other issues related to improper business practice, failure to replace management, or egregious actions related to service on other boards. |
Vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis in contested elections of directors, e.g., the election of shareholder nominees or the dismissal of incumbent directors, determining which directors are best suited to add value for shareholders.
The analysis will generally be based on, but not limited to, the following major decision factors:
| Company performance relative to its peers; |
| Strategy of the incumbents versus the dissidents; |
| Independence of board candidates; |
| Experience and skills of board candidates; |
| Governance profile of the company; |
| Evidence of management entrenchment; |
| Responsiveness to shareholders; |
| Whether a takeover offer has been rebuffed; |
| Whether minority or majority representation is being sought. |
Vote FOR employee and/or labor representatives if they sit on either the audit or compensation committee and are required by law to be on those committees.
Vote AGAINST employee and/or labor representatives if they sit on either the audit or compensation committee, if they are not required to be on those committees.
12-B
Classification of directors
Executive Director
| Employee or executive of the company; |
| Any director who is classified as a non-executive, but receives salary, fees, bonus, and/or other benefits that are in line with the highest-paid executives of the company. |
Non-Independent Non-Executive Director (NED)
| Any director who is attested by the board to be a non-independent NED; |
| Any director specifically designated as a representative of a significant shareholder of the company; |
| Any director who is also an employee or executive of a significant shareholder of the company; |
| Beneficial owner (direct or indirect) of at least 10% of the companys stock, either in economic terms or in voting rights (this may be aggregated if voting power is distributed among more than one member of a defined group, e.g., family members who beneficially own less than 10% individually, but collectively own more than 10%), unless market best practice dictates a lower ownership and/or disclosure threshold (and in other special market-specific circumstances); |
| Government representative; |
| Currently provides (or a relative provides) professional services to the company, to an affiliate of the company, or to an individual officer of the company or of one of its affiliates in excess of $10,000 per year; |
| Represents customer, supplier, creditor, banker, or other entity with which company maintains transactional/commercial relationship (unless company discloses information to apply a materiality test); |
| Any director who has conflicting or cross-directorships with executive directors or the chairman of the company; |
| Relative of a current employee of the company or its affiliates; |
| Relative of a former executive of the company or its affiliates; |
| A new appointee elected other than by a formal process through the General Meeting (such as a contractual appointment by a substantial shareholder); |
| Founder/co-founder/member of founding family but not currently an employee; |
| Former executive (5 year cooling off period); |
| Years of service is generally not a determining factor unless it is recommended best practice in a market and/or in extreme circumstances, in which case it may be considered; and |
| Any additional relationship or principle considered to compromise independence under local corporate governance best practice guidance. |
Independent NED
| No material connection, either directly or indirectly, to the company other than a board seat. |
Employee Representative
| Represents employees or employee shareholders of the company (classified as employee representative but considered a non-independent NED). |
Discharge of Directors
Generally vote FOR the discharge of directors, including members of the management board and/or supervisory board, unless there is reliable information about significant and compelling controversies that the board is not fulfilling its fiduciary duties warranted by:
| A lack of oversight or actions by board members which invoke shareholder distrust related to malfeasance or poor supervision, such as operating in private or company interest rather than in shareholder interest; or |
| Any legal issues (e.g., civil/criminal) aiming to hold the board responsible for breach of trust in the past or related to currently alleged actions yet to be confirmed (and not only the fiscal year in question), such as price fixing, insider trading, bribery, fraud, and other illegal actions; or |
13-B
| Other egregious governance issues where shareholders may bring legal action against the company or its directors; or |
| Vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis where a vote against other agenda items are deemed inappropriate. |
3. | Compensation |
Good pay practices should align managements interests with long-term shareholder value creation. Detailed disclosure of compensation criteria is preferred; proof that companies follow the criteria should be evident and retroactive performance target changes without proper disclosure is not viewed favorably. Compensation practices should allow a company to attract and retain proven talent. Some examples of poor pay practices include: abnormally large bonus payouts without justifiable performance linkage or proper disclosure, egregious employment contracts, excessive severance and/or change in control provisions, repricing or replacing of underwater stock options/stock appreciation rights without prior shareholder approval, and excessive perquisites. A company should also have an appropriate balance of short-term vs. long-term metrics and the metrics should be aligned with business goals and objectives.
Director Compensation
Vote FOR proposals to award cash fees to non-executive directors unless the amounts are excessive relative to other companies in the country or industry.
Vote non-executive director compensation proposals that include both cash and share-based components on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Vote proposals that bundle compensation for both non-executive and executive directors into a single resolution on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Vote AGAINST proposals to introduce retirement benefits for non-executive directors.
Compensation Plans
Vote compensation plans on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Director, Officer, and Auditor Indemnification and Liability Provisions
Vote proposals seeking indemnification and liability protection for directors and officers on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Vote AGAINST proposals to indemnify auditors.
4. | Board Structure |
Vote AGAINST the introduction of classified boards and mandatory retirement ages for directors.
Vote AGAINST proposals to alter board structure or size in the context of a fight for control of the company or the board.
Chairman CEO combined role (for applicable markets)
GSAM will generally recommend a vote AGAINST shareholder proposals requiring that the chairmans position be filled by an independent director, if the company satisfies 3 of the 4 following criteria:
| 2/3 independent board, or majority in countries where employee representation is common practice; |
| A designated, or a rotating, lead director, elected by and from the independent board members with clearly delineated and comprehensive duties; |
| Fully independent key committees; and/or |
| Established, publicly disclosed, governance guidelines and director biographies/profiles. |
14-B
5. | Capital Structure |
Share Issuance Requests
General Issuances:
Vote FOR issuance requests with preemptive rights to a maximum of 100 percent over currently issued capital.
Vote FOR issuance requests without preemptive rights to a maximum of 20 percent of currently issued capital.
Specific Issuances:
Vote on a CASE-BY-CASE basis on all requests, with or without preemptive rights.
Increases in Authorized Capital
Vote FOR non-specific proposals to increase authorized capital up to 100 percent over the current authorization unless the increase would leave the company with less than 30 percent of its new authorization outstanding.
Vote FOR specific proposals to increase authorized capital to any amount, unless:
| The specific purpose of the increase (such as a share-based acquisition or merger) does not meet guidelines for the purpose being proposed; or |
| The increase would leave the company with less than 30 percent of its new authorization outstanding |
after adjusting for all proposed issuances.
Vote AGAINST proposals to adopt unlimited capital authorizations.
Reduction of Capital
Vote FOR proposals to reduce capital for routine accounting purposes unless the terms are unfavorable to shareholders.
Vote proposals to reduce capital in connection with corporate restructuring on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Capital Structures
Vote FOR resolutions that seek to maintain or convert to a one-share, one-vote capital structure.
Vote AGAINST requests for the creation or continuation of dual-class capital structures or the creation of new or additional super voting shares.
Preferred Stock
Vote FOR the creation of a new class of preferred stock or for issuances of preferred stock up to 50 percent of issued capital unless the terms of the preferred stock would adversely affect the rights of existing shareholders.
Vote FOR the creation/issuance of convertible preferred stock as long as the maximum number of common shares that could be issued upon conversion meets guidelines on equity issuance requests.
Vote AGAINST the creation of a new class of preference shares that would carry superior voting rights to the common shares.
Vote AGAINST the creation of blank check preferred stock unless the board clearly states that the authorization will not be used to thwart a takeover bid.
15-B
Vote proposals to increase blank check preferred authorizations on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Debt Issuance Requests
Vote non-convertible debt issuance requests on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, with or without preemptive rights.
Vote FOR the creation/issuance of convertible debt instruments as long as the maximum number of common shares that could be issued upon conversion meets guidelines on equity issuance requests.
Vote FOR proposals to restructure existing debt arrangements unless the terms of the restructuring would adversely affect the rights of shareholders.
Increase in Borrowing Powers
Vote proposals to approve increases in a companys borrowing powers on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Share Repurchase Plans
GSAM will generally recommend FOR share repurchase programs taking into account whether:
| The share repurchase program can be used as a takeover defense; |
| There is clear evidence of historical abuse; |
| There is no safeguard in the share repurchase program against selective buybacks; |
| Pricing provisions and safeguards in the share repurchase program are deemed to be unreasonable in light of market practice. |
Reissuance of Repurchased Shares
Vote FOR requests to reissue any repurchased shares unless there is clear evidence of abuse of this authority in the past.
Capitalization of Reserves for Bonus Issues/Increase in Par Value
Vote FOR requests to capitalize reserves for bonus issues of shares or to increase par value.
6. | Mergers and Corporate Restructuring & Other |
Reorganizations/Restructurings
Vote reorganizations and restructurings on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Mergers and Acquisitions
Vote CASE-BY-CASE on mergers and acquisitions taking into account the following based on publicly available information:
| Valuation; |
| Market reaction; |
| Strategic rationale; |
| Managements track record of successful integration of historical acquisitions; |
| Presence of conflicts of interest; and |
| Governance profile of the combined company. |
Antitakeover Mechanisms
Generally vote AGAINST all antitakeover proposals, unless they are structured in such a way that they give shareholders the ultimate decision on any proposal or offer.
16-B
Reincorporation Proposals
Vote reincorporation proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Related-Party Transactions
Vote related-party transactions on a CASE-BY-CASE basis, considering factors including, but not limited to, the following:
| The parties on either side of the transaction; |
| The nature of the asset to be transferred/service to be provided; |
| The pricing of the transaction (and any associated professional valuation); |
| The views of independent directors (where provided); |
| The views of an independent financial adviser (where appointed); |
| Whether any entities party to the transaction (including advisers) is conflicted; and |
| The stated rationale for the transaction, including discussions of timing. |
Shareholder Proposals
Vote all shareholder proposals on a CASE-BY-CASE basis.
Vote FOR proposals that would improve the companys corporate governance or business profile at a reasonable cost.
Vote AGAINST proposals that limit the companys business activities or capabilities or result in significant costs being incurred with little or not benefit.
7. | Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) Issues |
Please refer to page 9 for our current approach to these important topics.
17-B
STATEMENT OF INTENTION
If a shareholder anticipates purchasing within a 13-month period Shares of the Fund alone or in combination with Class A Shares of certain other Goldman Sachs Funds in the amount of $150,000 or more, the shareholder may obtain Shares of the Fund at the same reduced sales charge as though the total quantity were invested in one lump sum by checking and filing the Statement of Intention in the Account Application. Income dividends and capital gain distributions taken in additional shares, as well as any appreciation on shares previously purchased, will not apply toward the completion of the Statement of Intention.
To ensure that the reduced price will be received on future purchases, the investor must inform Goldman Sachs that the Statement of Intention is in effect each time Shares are purchased. Subject to the conditions mentioned below, each purchase will be made at the public offering price applicable to a single transaction of the dollar amount specified on the Account Application. The investor makes no commitment to purchase additional shares, but if the investors purchases within 13 months plus the value of Shares credited toward completion do not total the sum specified, the investor will pay the increased amount of the sales charge prescribed in the Escrow Agreement.
Escrow Agreement
Out of the initial purchase (or subsequent purchases if necessary), 5% of the dollar amount specified on the Account Application will be held in escrow by the Transfer Agent in the form of Shares registered in the investors name. All income dividends and capital gains distributions on escrowed shares will be paid to the investor or to his or her order. When the minimum investment so specified is completed (either prior to or by the end of the 13th month), the investor will be notified and the escrowed Shares will be released.
If the intended investment is not completed, the investor will be asked to remit to Goldman Sachs any difference between the sales charge on the amount specified and on the amount actually attained. If the investor does not within 20 days after written request by Goldman Sachs pay such difference in the sales charge, the Transfer Agent will repurchase, pursuant to the authority given by the investor in the Account Application, an appropriate number of the escrowed Shares in order to realize such difference, as of the next Repurchase Offer following the expiration of the 13-month period. Shares remaining after any such repurchase will be released by the Transfer Agent.
1-C
Exhibit 99.(17)(c)
Goldman Sachs Funds
Annual Report | March 31, 2013 | |||
Credit Strategies Fund |
Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund
TABLE OF CONTENTS |
||||
Principal Investment Strategies and Risks |
1 | |||
Portfolio Management Discussion and Analysis |
2 | |||
Schedule of Investments |
9 | |||
Financial Statements |
15 | |||
Financial Highlights |
18 | |||
Notes to the Financial Statements |
20 | |||
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm |
31 | |||
Other Information |
32 |
NOT FDIC-INSURED | May Lose Value | No Bank Guarantee |
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Principal Investment Strategies and Risks
This is not a complete list of risks that may affect the Fund. For additional information concerning the risks applicable to the Fund, please see the Funds Prospectus.
The Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund is a closed-end interval fund that invests opportunistically in, among other things, credit-related instruments, including debt securities, instruments and obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. governments, corporate and other non-governmental entities and issuers, preferred securities and derivative instruments. The Funds investments in credit-related instruments are subject to the risks associated with debt securities generally, including credit, liquidity and interest rate risk. The Fund may invest in non-investment grade securities, including without limitation distressed securities, special situation investments and collateralized loan obligations. High yield, lower rated investments involve greater price volatility and present greater risks than higher rated fixed income securities. The Fund may purchase the securities of issuers that are in default. The Fund may invest in loans directly or indirectly, by purchasing participations or sub-participations from financial institutions. Indirect purchases may subject the Fund to greater delays, expenses and risks than direct obligations in the case that a borrower fails to pay scheduled principal and interest. Derivative instruments may involve a high degree of financial and other risks. These risks include the risk that a small movement in the price of the underlying security or benchmark may result in a disproportionately large movement, unfavorable or favorable, in the price of the derivative instrument; risks of default by a counterparty; and liquidity risk. Foreign securities may be more volatile and less liquid than investments in U.S. securities and are subject to the risks of currency fluctuations and adverse economic or political developments. At times, the Fund may be unable to sell certain of its illiquid investments without a substantial drop in price, if at all. The Fund is non-diversified and may invest more of its assets in fewer issuers than diversified funds. Accordingly, the Fund may be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer held in its portfolio and to greater losses resulting from these developments.
As an unlisted, closed-end interval fund, shareholders of the Fund are not able to have their shares redeemed or otherwise sell their shares on a daily basis. Instead, the Fund will conduct quarterly repurchase offers for between 5% and 25% of the Funds outstanding shares at net asset value. In connection with any given repurchase offer, it is possible that the Fund may offer to repurchase only the minimum amount of 5% of its outstanding shares. It is also possible that a repurchase offer may be oversubscribed, with the result that shareholders may only be able to receive a portion of their shares repurchased. The Fund is suitable only for investors who can bear the risks associated with limited liquidity of the shares.
Changes Made to the Teams Management During the Reporting Period
Gregg Felton, head of Liberty Harbor investment strategies and a co-portfolio manager for the Credit Strategies Fund (the Fund), retired from the firm at the end of January 2013. Raanan Agus, global co-head of Goldman Sachs Investment Partners (GSIP), was appointed to provide management oversight to the Liberty Harbor team. Brendan McGovern and Salvatore Lentini now co-head the Liberty Harbor investment team, co-manage the Fund and report to Raanan.
1
PORTFOLIO RESULTS
Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks a total return comprised of income and capital appreciation.
Portfolio Management Discussion and Analysis
Below, the Goldman Sachs Global Corporate Credit Portfolio Management Team discusses the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Funds (the Fund) performance and positioning for the 12-month period ended March 31, 2013 (the Reporting Period).
Q | How did the Fund perform during the Reporting Period? |
A | During the Reporting Period, the Funds Common Shares generated an average annual total return, without sales charges, of 8.74%. These returns compare to the 0.30% average annual total return of the Funds benchmark, the Bank of America/Merrill Lynch USD LIBOR 1-Month Constant Maturity Index (the B of A/Merrill Lynch Index) during the same time period. |
Because the composition of the B of A/Merrill Lynch Index (e.g. short-term cash securities) is not comparable to the range of instruments in which the Fund may transact (e.g., various credit-related instruments), the B of A/Merrill Lynch Index is for informational purposes only. The benchmark is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund is managed nor of the Funds portfolio holdings. |
Q | What economic and market factors most influenced the corporate credit markets as a whole during the Reporting Period? |
A | The corporate credit markets performed well through much of the Reporting Period, as supported by macroeconomic factors, healthy corporate fundamentals and favorable market technicals, or supply/demand conditions. |
From a macroeconomic perspective, the extremely loose monetary policy of global central banks provided a strong tailwind to many asset classes early in the Reporting Period. As concerns regarding sovereign debt began to creep back into the market during the summer months of 2012, the aggressive actions of the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Federal Reserve (the Fed) helped risk assets continue their strong performance for the remainder of the Reporting Period. The ECB essentially established itself as a lender of last resort for Eurozone governments, significantly reducing the near-term systemic risk emanating from Europe. In the U.S., the Fed announced a third round of quantitative easing, dubbed QE3, which entails the purchase of $40 billion in agency mortgage-backed securities per month. The Fed also vowed to continue the program until it has seen a sustained improvement in labor market conditions. While few expected the Feds programs to have a material impact on the labor market, the stated criteria succeeded in increasing investor appetite for yield. |
Corporate fundamentals generally remained solid during the Reporting Period. Record-low interest rates and relatively long periods of subdued volatility encouraged significant refinancing activity whereby companies refinanced high cost debt at lower rates while also extending maturities. New issuance for 2012 shattered the 2011 level and remained strong during the first quarter of 2013. Notably, leverage began trending higher, and corporate earnings showed signs of deteriorating. Nevertheless, the high yield default rate remained well below historical averages. |
Technicals also played an important role in supporting the corporate credit markets during the Reporting Period. Regulatory requirements have caused broker-dealers to reduce their inventory levels over the past few years, limiting their ability to be a provider of liquidity. Concurrently, credit markets have increased dramatically in size. As a result, price action has been amplified on both the upside and the downside. High yield mutual funds experienced total inflows of nearly $32 billion in 2012. However, flows were strongly |
2
PORTFOLIO RESULTS
correlated to shifts in volatility, with a string of outflows in May as uncertainty in Europe re-emerged and in November/ December amid elevated concerns surrounding the then-looming U.S. fiscal cliff of automatic tax increases and spending cuts scheduled to take effect at the start of 2013. |
Q | What key factors were responsible for the Funds performance during the Reporting Period? |
A | Consistent with the cornerstone of our fundamentally-based investment process, which seeks total return comprised of income and capital appreciation through bottom-up security selection, the Funds performance during the Reporting Period is attributable to effective individual security selection across the spectrum of corporate credit. |
We entered the Reporting Period with a cautious but constructive view on the corporate credit markets. As such, we focused primarily on high yield credit securities that were of short duration and higher credit quality and/or that were secured. We maintained our long-standing belief that short-dated credit offers opportunities to earn attractive risk-adjusted returns. We also viewed this segment of the market as structurally inexpensive due to what we believe to be a persistent inefficiency in the corporate credit markets. There are fewer natural buyers of short-dated non-investment grade credit because bonds with a final maturity of less than one year are excluded from traditional high yield benchmarks, creating an incentive for benchmark-oriented portfolio managers to sell short-dated credits in order to own longer-dated credits. We believe this creates an excellent opportunity for non-benchmark-oriented investors to buy bonds in the secondary market at attractive valuations. From a fundamental perspective, the high degree of visibility on near-term cash flows and liquidity gave us a great deal of confidence in our security selection. |
Importantly, since the Funds portfolio is constructed through bottom-up, fundamental research and not relative to a benchmark, there is no requirement to hold issues from any single company. |
Q | Which segments of the corporate credit sector most significantly affected Fund performance? |
A | The greatest individual contributors to the Funds performance during the Reporting Period were Ally Financial, Plains Exploration & Production and CIT Group. |
The entire capital structure of Ally Financial, whose core business is automobile financing services in North America, performed well during the Reporting Period. The Fund owned a number of positions in the companys capital structure, including preferred securities and short-dated senior debt. The company has what we consider to be a strong liquidity profile, and its operating performance, in our view, continued to improve. The company also grew its retail bank, which helped lower its cost of capital, and shed non-core assets during the Reporting Period. We believe the company may eventually be acquired by a large money center bank looking to gain exposure to auto loans, which realized rather low default rates during the most recent credit crisis. If such an acquisition were to occur, we believe it would be highly beneficial to the Funds positions. At the end of the Reporting Period, Ally Financial remained a core holding in the Fund. |
Plains Exploration & Production is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company, which, along with several other mid-sized energy companies, was a core holding in the Funds portfolio through much of the Reporting Period. As a general theme, we believe a number of mid-sized companies in the energy sector are mispriced, as they tend to be less followed by the buy side and not well understood by the ratings agencies. Common characteristics among these companies are often attractive geographic exposures, low levels of leverage and high asset coverage ratios. While our investment theses are not predicated on the potential for acquisition, many of these companies are also potential targets of larger companies looking to expand their geographic footprint. In December 2012, Plains Exploration & Production was the beneficiary of an announced acquisition by Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold, a large mining company with an investment grade rating. |
3
PORTFOLIO RESULTS
CIT Group is a specialty finance company with a focus on lending to mid-sized companies. CIT Group was also a core holding of the Fund throughout the Reporting Period, as we owned a variety of short-dated bonds. Since the company emerged from bankruptcy in 2010, it has done an excellent job, in our view, at refinancing its high cost debt, thereby lowering its cost of capital and improving its operating performance. Similar to Ally Financial, CIT Group has also grown deposits in its retail bank, further lowering its cost of capital. Importantly, we believe the company has re-established itself as a leader in middle-market lending, which is an underserved market segment with high barriers to entry. |
There were no notable individual detractors from the Funds performance during the Reporting Period. |
Q | Did the Funds duration and yield curve positioning strategy help or hurt its results during the Reporting Period? |
A | The Fund does not use duration and yield curve positioning as active management strategies within its investment process. |
Q | How did the Fund use derivatives and similar instruments during the Reporting Period? |
A | The Fund used foreign currency exchange forward contracts to hedge the currency risk in non-U.S. dollar-denominated issues to U.S. dollars. The Fund also used interest rate swaps to hedge the interest rate risk of certain bonds, thereby limiting the Funds exposure to changes in interest rates. Lastly, the Fund used credit default swaps to efficiently implement credit views. |
Q | Were there any notable changes in the Funds weightings during the Reporting Period? |
A | During the Reporting Period, we continued to pursue investment opportunities based on two key themes, which, in our view, continued to offer compelling risk-adjusted return potential, especially when compared to other segments of the broader high yield market, which we believe are over-bought. First, we favored short-dated high yield credit securities, which, in our view, offer attractive risk-adjusted yields and some insulation from a potential increase in interest rates. Second, we sought opportunities to earn attractive risk-adjusted returns in the energy sector. Specifically, we focused on a number of mid-sized companies with what we considered to be low levels of leverage and high asset coverage ratios. We believe these positions provide an attractive yield profile. |
Q | How was the Fund positioned at the end of March 2013? |
A | As of March 31, 2013, approximately 46.2% of the Funds total net assets was invested in unsecured high yield corporate bonds, 19.8% in secured high yield corporate bonds, 8.6% in bank loans, 5.8% in investment grade corporate bonds, 2.8% in preferred equity securities, 0.4% in municipal bonds, 0.4% in equity and the remainder in cash and cash equivalents. The Fund had a total of 116 holdings from 84 issuers at March 31, 2013, with the Funds top corporate issuers, as measured by a percentage of total net assets invested, being CIT Group, Plains Exploration & Production, Ally Financial, HCA and International Lease Finance. |
Q | What is the Funds tactical view and strategy for the months ahead? |
A | Looking ahead, we remain optimistic on certain high yield corporate credits. At the same time, we believe a defensive approach, focused on bottom-up security selection, is best suited to the environment we anticipate for the months ahead. In our view, low interest rates and low economic growth provide a supportive macroeconomic backdrop for most, but not all, credits. Moreover, we believe the unprecedented levels of central bank support should translate into more muted macro-led volatility than we have witnessed in the past few years. As a result, we expect fundamentals to be the key driver of performance going forward; indeed, more so perhaps than in any other period since the financial crisis. Balance sheets are generally healthy in aggregate. However, leverage has begun to tick up, and corporate earnings have shown signs of deterioration. Additionally, we have witnessed a decline in the quality of new issuance. Issuance of payment-in-kind bonds has crept steadily higher, and issuance of CCC-rated bonds in 2012 was near 2007 levels. We have also seen the re-emergence of covenant-lite loans and dividend deals. Therefore, we are taking a very cautious approach to the new issue market. |
4
PORTFOLIO RESULTS
We believe we have identified a number of attractive idiosyncratic opportunities in corporate credit, with a focus on high yield securities that are of short duration and/or higher credit quality and/or are secured. At the end of the Reporting Period, the Fund was defensively positioned with an emphasis on companies we believe offer ample liquidity and sufficiently low levels of leverage to withstand a prolonged period of low economic growth. We continue to see single-name opportunities in the energy sector, where recent volatility in commodity prices has given rise to attractive opportunities, in our view. Within the energy sector, we are generally focused on issuers with low levels of leverage and high asset coverage ratios. In our view, many of the mid-sized issuers in this sector are fundamentally mispriced due to a bias of ratings agencies toward very large companies, a bias we believe to be unwarranted. |
In short, we continue to seek investments in what we believe are the most attractive risk-adjusted return opportunities across the corporate credit spectrum. In the months ahead, our investment team will continue to perform rigorous fundamental analysis to identify what we believe to be the most attractive investment opportunities on a risk-adjusted basis. |
5
FUND BASICS
Credit Strategies Fund
as of March 31, 2013
PERFORMANCE REVIEW | ||||||||||||||||||
April 1, 2012March 31, 2013 | Fund Total Return (based on NAV)1 |
BofA/ Merrill Lynch Index2 |
30-Day Standardized Subsidized Yield3 |
30-Day Standardized Unsubsidized Yield3 |
||||||||||||||
Common Shares | 8.74 | % | 0.30 | % | 2.78 | % | 2.78 | % |
1 | The net asset value (NAV) represents the net assets of the Fund (ex-dividend) divided by the total number of shares outstanding. The Funds performance assumes the reinvestment of dividends and other distributions. The Funds performance does not reflect the deduction of any applicable sales charges. |
2 | The BofA/Merrill Lynch Index tracks the performance of a synthetic asset paying LIBOR to a stated maturity. The BofA/Merrill Lynch Index is based on the assumed purchase at par of a synthetic instrument having exactly its stated maturity and with a coupon equal to that days fixing rate. That issue is assumed to be sold the following business day (priced at a yield equal to the current day fixing rate) and rolled into a new instrument. As such, the Fund, which invests primarily in corporate credit securities, may be expected to generate returns over various time periods with significant disparity from those of this benchmark index. |
3 | The 30-Day Standardized Subsidized Yield of the Fund is calculated by dividing the net investment income per share (as defined by the SEC) earned by the Fund over a 30-day period (ending on the stated month-end date) by the maximum public offering price (POP) per share of the Fund on the last day of the period. This number is then annualized. This yield does not necessarily reflect income actually earned and distributed by the Fund and, therefore, may not be correlated with the dividends or other distributions paid to shareholders. The 30-Day Standardized Unsubsidized Yield does not reflect any applicable expense reductions. |
STANDARDIZED TOTAL RETURNS4 | ||||||||||
For the period ended 3/31/13 | One Year | Since Inception | Inception Date | |||||||
Common Shares | 6.05 | % | 8.93% | 6/15/09 |
4 | The Standardized Total Returns are average annual total returns as of the most recent calendar quarter-end. They assume reinvestment of all distributions at NAV. These returns reflect a maximum initial sales charge of 2.5%. |
The returns set forth in the tables above represent past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Funds investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investors shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Please visit our web site at www.goldmansachsfunds.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns. Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the periods shown. In their absence, performance would be reduced. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. |
EXPENSE RATIOS5 | ||||||||||
Net Expense Ratio (Current) | Gross Expense Ratio (Before Waivers) | |||||||||
Common Shares | 1.48 | % | 1.48 | % |
5 | The expense ratios of the Fund, both current (net of applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations) and before waivers (gross of applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations), are as set forth above according to the most recent publicly available Prospectus. Waivers and expense limitations are voluntary and may be modified or terminated at any time at the option of the Investment Adviser and without shareholder approval. If this occurs, the expense ratios may change. |
6
FUND BASICS
FUND COMPOSITION6 |
Percentage of Net Assets |
6 | The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of net assets. Short-term investments represent repurchase agreements. Figures in the graph may not sum to 100% due to the exclusion of other assets and liabilities. The graph depicts the Funds investments but may not represent the Funds market exposure due to the exclusion of certain derivatives, if any, as listed in the Additional Investment Information section of the Schedule of Investments. |
TOP TEN INDUSTRY ALLOCATIONS7 | ||||||
As of March 31, 2013 | Percentage of Net Assets | |||||
Energy Exploration & Production | 20.8 | % | ||||
Finance | 17.4 | |||||
Health Care Services | 7.7 | |||||
Packaging | 4.2 | |||||
Gaming | 3.3 | |||||
Brokerage | 3.3 | |||||
Health Care Medical Products | 3.1 | |||||
Consumer Cyclical Services | 2.8 | |||||
Energy Independent | 1.7 | |||||
Automotive | 1.6 |
7 | The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of net assets. The above table depicts the Funds investments but may not represent the Funds market exposure due to the exclusion of certain derivatives, if any, as listed in the Additional Investment Information section of the Schedule of Investments. |
7
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Performance Summary
March 31, 2013
The following graph shows the value, as of March 31, 2013, of a $10,000 investment made on June 15, 2009 (commencement of operations) in Common Shares (with the maximum sales charge of 2.5%). For comparative purposes, the performance of the Funds benchmarks, the Bank of America/Merrill Lynch USD LIBOR 1-Month Constant Maturity Index, is shown. This performance data represents past performance and should not be considered indicative of future performance, which will fluctuate with changes in market conditions. These performance fluctuations will cause an investors shares, if tendered for repurchase by the Fund, to be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the periods shown and in their absence, performance would be reduced. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the repurchase of Fund shares. In addition to the investment advisers decisions regarding issuer/industry/country investment selection and allocation, other factors may affect Fund performance. These factors include, but are not limited to, Fund operating fees and expenses, portfolio turnover and subscription and repurchase cash flows affecting the Fund.
Credit Strategies Funds Lifetime Performance |
Performance of a $10,000 Investment, with distributions reinvested, from June 15, 2009 through March 31, 2013.
Average Annual Total Return through March 31, 2013 | One Year | Since Inception | ||||||
Common (Commenced June 15, 2009) |
||||||||
Excluding sales charges |
8.74% | 9.67% | ||||||
Including sales charges |
6.05% | 8.93% | ||||||
|
8
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Schedule of Investments
March 31, 2013
Principal Amount |
Interest Rate |
Maturity Date |
Value | |||||||||||
Secured Debt Obligations 28.4% | ||||||||||||||
Senior Term Loans(a) 8.6% | ||||||||||||||
Aerospace/Defense 0.8% | ||||||||||||||
|
Flying Fortress, Inc. (BBB-/Ba2) |
| ||||||||||||
$ | 4,050,000 | 5.000 | % | 06/30/17 | $ | 4,078,674 | ||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Automotive 0.3% | ||||||||||||||
|
TI Group Automotive Systems LLC (NR/NR) |
| ||||||||||||
1,406,000 | 5.500 | 03/14/19 | 1,416,545 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Consumer Cyclical Services 2.0% | ||||||||||||||
|
Cunningham Lindsey U.S., Inc. (B/Ba3) |
| ||||||||||||
1,745,625 | 5.000 | 12/10/19 | 1,775,091 | |||||||||||
|
First Data Corp. (B+/B1) |
| ||||||||||||
4,679,000 | 5.204 | 09/24/18 | 4,709,554 | |||||||||||
|
STG-Fairway Acquisitions (B/NR) |
| ||||||||||||
3,750,000 | 6.250 | 02/28/19 | 3,742,988 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
10,227,633 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Consumer Products 0.1% | ||||||||||||||
|
ACCO Brands Corp. (BB+/Ba1) |
| ||||||||||||
727,465 | 4.250 | 04/30/19 | 735,198 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Finance 1.4% | ||||||||||||||
|
Springleaf Finance Corp. (CCC+/B3) |
| ||||||||||||
7,034,000 | 5.500 | 05/10/17 | 7,070,647 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Health Care Services 0.6% | ||||||||||||||
|
HCA, Inc. (BB/Ba3) |
| ||||||||||||
2,995,000 | 3.534 | 03/31/17 | 3,019,529 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Media Non Cable 1.0% | ||||||||||||||
|
Univision Communications, Inc. (B+/B3) |
| ||||||||||||
5,148,000 | 4.750 | 02/21/20 | 5,172,453 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Real Estate Investment Trust 0.6% | ||||||||||||||
|
iStar Financial, Inc. (B+/B2) |
| ||||||||||||
2,896,748 | 4.500 | 09/28/17 | 2,919,372 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Retailers 1.3% | ||||||||||||||
|
AI Chem & Cy SCA (B+/Ba3) |
| ||||||||||||
582,677 | 4.500 | 08/30/19 | 589,232 | |||||||||||
302,323 | 4.500 | 10/01/19 | 300,808 | |||||||||||
|
Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp. (B+/B1) |
| ||||||||||||
3,239,650 | 5.500 | 02/23/17 | 3,279,627 | |||||||||||
|
National Vision, Inc. (BB-/B1) |
| ||||||||||||
2,300,875 | 7.000 | 08/02/18 | 2,318,132 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
6,487,799 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Technology Hardware 0.5% | ||||||||||||||
|
Magic NewCo. LLC (B+/Ba3) |
| ||||||||||||
2,328,300 | 7.250 | 12/12/18 | 2,359,336 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
TOTAL SENIOR TERM LOANS | ||||||||||||||
(Cost $42,521,381) | $ | 43,487,186 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Other Secured Debt Obligations 19.8% | ||||||||||||||
Airlines(b)(c) 0.2% | ||||||||||||||
|
Air Canada (B+/B2) |
| ||||||||||||
934,000 | 9.250 | 08/01/15 | 994,523 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Chemicals(b)(c) 0.5% | ||||||||||||||
|
Taminco Global Chemical Corp. (B-/Caa1) |
| ||||||||||||
2,128,000 | 9.750 | 03/31/20 | 2,367,400 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Secured Debt Obligations (continued) | ||||||||||||||
Electric(b)(c) 0.7% | ||||||||||||||
|
Infinis PLC (B+/Ba3) |
| ||||||||||||
GBP | 2,354,000 | 7.000 | % | 02/15/19 | $ | 3,576,785 | ||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Entertainment(b)(c) 1.3% | ||||||||||||||
|
MU Finance PLC (NR/NR) |
| ||||||||||||
$ | 6,270,087 | 8.375 | 02/01/17 | 6,865,745 | ||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Gaming(c) 3.3% | ||||||||||||||
|
Caesars Entertainment Operating Co., Inc. (B/B3) |
| ||||||||||||
12,104,000 | 11.250 | 06/01/17 | 12,860,500 | |||||||||||
|
Yonkers Racing Corp. (B+/B1)(b) |
| ||||||||||||
3,706,000 | 11.375 | 07/15/16 | 3,983,950 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
16,844,450 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Health Care Medical Products(c) 1.1% | ||||||||||||||
|
DJO Finance LLC/DJO Finance Corp. (B-/B3) |
| ||||||||||||
5,001,000 | 8.750 | 03/15/18 | 5,576,115 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Health Care Services 4.8% | ||||||||||||||
|
HCA, Inc. (BB/Ba3)(c) |
| ||||||||||||
14,993,000 | 7.875 | 02/15/20 | 16,567,265 | |||||||||||
|
STHI Holding Corp. (B/B2)(b)(c) |
| ||||||||||||
2,504,000 | 8.000 | 03/15/18 | 2,723,100 | |||||||||||
|
Tenet Healthcare Corp. (B+/Ba3)(c) |
| ||||||||||||
4,031,000 | 8.875 | 07/01/19 | 4,534,875 | |||||||||||
421,000 | 4.500 | (b) | 04/01/21 | 413,106 | ||||||||||
|
US Oncology, Inc. (NR/NR) |
| ||||||||||||
5,876,000 | 9.125 | 08/15/17 | 117,520 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
24,355,866 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Lodging(c) 0.7% | ||||||||||||||
|
Felcor Lodging LP (B+/B2) |
| ||||||||||||
3,106,000 | 10.000 | 10/01/14 | 3,478,720 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Media Cable(b)(c) 0.5% | ||||||||||||||
|
LBI Media, Inc. (CCC/Caa1) |
| ||||||||||||
2,665,000 | 9.250 | 04/15/19 | 2,465,125 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Media Non Cable(b)(c) 0.8% | ||||||||||||||
|
Univision Communications, Inc. (B+/B2) |
| ||||||||||||
3,848,000 | 6.875 | 05/15/19 | 4,112,550 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Metals & Mining(c) 0.6% | ||||||||||||||
|
Molycorp, Inc. (CCC+/B3) |
| ||||||||||||
2,966,000 | 10.000 | 06/01/20 | 2,914,095 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Packaging(c) 2.6% | ||||||||||||||
|
Albea Beauty Holdings SA (B+/B2) |
| ||||||||||||
4,059,000 | 8.375 | (b) | 11/01/19 | 4,301,011 | ||||||||||
EUR | 2,644,000 | 8.750 | 11/01/19 | 3,575,620 | ||||||||||
|
Ardagh Packaging Finance PLC (B+/Ba3)(b) |
| ||||||||||||
$ | 1,882,000 | 4.875 | 11/15/22 | 1,863,180 | ||||||||||
|
Ardagh Packaging Finance PLC/Ardagh MP Holdings USA,
Inc. |
| ||||||||||||
EUR | 1,212,000 | 5.000 | 11/15/22 | 1,534,183 | ||||||||||
|
Reynolds Group Issuer, Inc. (B+/B1) |
| ||||||||||||
$ | 2,084,000 | 5.750 | 10/15/20 | 2,120,470 | ||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
13,394,464 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. | 9 |
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Schedule of Investments (continued)
March 31, 2013
Principal Amount |
Interest Rate |
Maturity Date |
Value | |||||||||||
Secured Debt Obligations (continued) | ||||||||||||||
Paper(c) 0.5% | ||||||||||||||
|
Resolute Forest Products, Inc. (BB/Ba3) |
| ||||||||||||
$ | 2,137,000 | 10.250 | % | 10/15/18 | $ | 2,468,235 | ||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Retailers(b)(c) 0.2% | ||||||||||||||
|
Toys R US Delaware, Inc. (B+/B1) |
| ||||||||||||
1,181,000 | 7.375 | 09/01/16 | 1,209,049 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Services Cyclical Rental Equipment(c) 1.3% | ||||||||||||||
|
Hertz Holdings Netherlands BV (B+/B1) |
| ||||||||||||
EUR | 4,880,000 | 8.500 | 07/31/15 | 6,599,480 | ||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Tobacco(b)(c) 0.7% | ||||||||||||||
|
Vector Group Ltd. (B+/Ba3) |
| ||||||||||||
$ | 3,309,000 | 7.750 | 02/15/21 | 3,474,450 | ||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
TOTAL OTHER SECURED DEBT OBLIGATIONS | ||||||||||||||
(Cost $99,003,571) | $ | 100,697,052 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
TOTAL SECURED DEBT OBLIGATIONS | ||||||||||||||
(Cost $141,524,952) | $ | 144,184,238 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Unsecured Debt Obligations 52.0% | ||||||||||||||
Automotive(c) 1.3% | ||||||||||||||
|
Allison Transmission, Inc. (B-/B3)(b) |
| ||||||||||||
$ | 877,000 | 7.125 | % | 05/15/19 | $ | 942,775 | ||||||||
|
Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC (BB-/Ba3)(b) |
| ||||||||||||
728,000 | 7.750 | 05/15/18 | 795,146 | |||||||||||
2,523,000 | 5.625 | 02/01/23 | 2,624,092 | |||||||||||
|
Visteon Corp. (B+/B2) |
| ||||||||||||
2,157,000 | 6.750 | 04/15/19 | 2,307,990 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
6,670,003 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Brokerage(c) 3.3% | ||||||||||||||
|
E*Trade Financial Corp. (B-/B2) |
| ||||||||||||
6,344,000 | 6.750 | 06/01/16 | 6,851,520 | |||||||||||
9,261,000 | 6.000 | 11/15/17 | 9,677,745 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
16,529,265 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Capital Goods(c) 1.0% | ||||||||||||||
|
Mueller Water Products, Inc. (CCC+/Caa2) |
| ||||||||||||
4,953,000 | 7.375 | 06/01/17 | 5,095,399 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Chemicals(b)(c) 0.1% | ||||||||||||||
|
PetroLogistics LP (B/B2) |
| ||||||||||||
355,000 | 6.250 | 04/01/20 | 359,438 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Consumer Cyclical Services(c) 0.8% | ||||||||||||||
|
Heckmann Corp. (B/B3) |
| ||||||||||||
1,646,000 | 9.875 | 04/15/18 | 1,759,163 | |||||||||||
1,095,000 | 9.875 | (b) | 04/15/18 | 1,170,281 | ||||||||||
|
iPayment, Inc. (CCC+/B3) |
| ||||||||||||
1,315,000 | 10.250 | 05/15/18 | 1,216,375 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
4,145,819 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Consumer Products(b)(c) 0.2% | ||||||||||||||
|
ADS Waste Holdings, Inc. (CCC+/Caa1) |
| ||||||||||||
1,055,000 | 8.250 | 10/01/20 | 1,136,763 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Unsecured Debt Obligations (continued) | ||||||||||||||
Distributor(c) 0.3% | ||||||||||||||
|
AmeriGas Finance LLC/AmeriGas Finance Corp. (NR/Ba2) |
| ||||||||||||
$ | 1,444,000 | 6.750 | % | 05/20/20 | $ | 1,566,740 | ||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Electric(c)(d) 0.7% | ||||||||||||||
|
Midwest Generation LLC (D/NR) |
| ||||||||||||
3,564,140 | 8.560 | 01/02/16 | 3,492,857 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Energy Exploration & Production(c) 20.8% | ||||||||||||||
|
Aurora USA Oil & Gas, Inc. (CCC+/Caa1)(b) |
| ||||||||||||
3,847,000 | 9.875 | 02/15/17 | 4,222,082 | |||||||||||
2,421,000 | 7.500 | 04/01/20 | 2,451,262 | |||||||||||
|
BreitBurn Energy Partners LP (B/B3) |
| ||||||||||||
3,298,000 | 7.875 | 04/15/22 | 3,528,860 | |||||||||||
|
Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc. (B-/B3) |
| ||||||||||||
4,907,000 | 8.625 | 10/15/18 | 5,397,700 | |||||||||||
|
Chesapeake Energy Corp. (BB-/Ba3) |
| ||||||||||||
9,179,000 | 9.500 | 02/15/15 | 10,349,322 | |||||||||||
5,164,000 | 3.250 | 03/15/16 | 5,222,095 | |||||||||||
|
Comstock Resources, Inc. (B-/B3) |
| ||||||||||||
1,001,000 | 8.375 | 10/15/17 | 1,063,563 | |||||||||||
|
EV Energy Partners LP (B-/B3) |
| ||||||||||||
3,520,000 | 8.000 | 04/15/19 | 3,718,000 | |||||||||||
|
Legacy Reserves LP/Finance Corp. (B-/Caa1)(b) |
| ||||||||||||
2,345,000 | 8.000 | 12/01/20 | 2,421,212 | |||||||||||
|
Lone Pine Resources Canada, Ltd. (CCC/Caa2) |
| ||||||||||||
2,488,000 | 10.375 | 02/15/17 | 2,226,760 | |||||||||||
|
Magnum Hunter Resources Corp. (CCC/Caa1)(b) |
| ||||||||||||
4,223,000 | 9.750 | 05/15/20 | 4,434,150 | |||||||||||
|
Magnum Hunter Resources Corp. (NR/Caa1)(b) |
| ||||||||||||
121,000 | 9.750 | 05/15/20 | 127,050 | |||||||||||
|
Oasis Petroleum, Inc. (B/B3) |
| ||||||||||||
898,000 | 6.500 | 11/01/21 | 975,453 | |||||||||||
|
PetroBakken Energy Ltd. (CCC+/Caa1)(b) |
| ||||||||||||
14,346,000 | 8.625 | 02/01/20 | 14,632,920 | |||||||||||
|
Plains Exploration & Production Co. (B/B1) |
| ||||||||||||
4,011,000 | 8.625 | 10/15/19 | 4,552,485 | |||||||||||
9,262,000 | 6.500 | 11/15/20 | 10,211,355 | |||||||||||
5,499,000 | 6.625 | 05/01/21 | 6,035,152 | |||||||||||
|
Quicksilver Resources, Inc. (CCC/Caa1) |
| ||||||||||||
843,000 | 7.125 | 04/01/16 | 712,335 | |||||||||||
|
Resolute Energy Corp. (B-/B3)(b) |
| ||||||||||||
3,143,000 | 8.500 | 05/01/20 | 3,237,290 | |||||||||||
|
Samson Investment Co. (B-/B3) |
| ||||||||||||
4,028,000 | 9.750 | (b) | 02/15/20 | 4,279,750 | ||||||||||
325,000 | 9.750 | 02/15/20 | 345,313 | |||||||||||
|
Swift Energy Co. (B+/B3) |
| ||||||||||||
3,254,000 | 7.125 | 06/01/17 | 3,335,350 | |||||||||||
1,849,000 | 8.875 | 01/15/20 | 1,994,609 | |||||||||||
4,207,000 | 7.875 | 03/01/22 | 4,396,315 | |||||||||||
1,015,000 | 7.875 | (b) | 03/01/22 | 1,060,675 | ||||||||||
|
Trilogy Energy Corp. (B/NR)(b) |
| ||||||||||||
CAD | 2,021,000 | 7.250 | 12/13/19 | 2,069,046 | ||||||||||
|
Vanguard Natural Resourses LLC/VNR Finance Corp. (B/B3) |
| ||||||||||||
$ | 1,206,000 | 7.875 | 04/01/20 | 1,293,435 | ||||||||||
|
Venoco, Inc. (CCC+/Caa1) |
| ||||||||||||
1,141,000 | 8.875 | 02/15/19 | 1,103,918 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
105,397,457 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
10 | The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. |
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Principal Amount |
Interest Rate |
Maturity Date |
Value | |||||||||||
Unsecured Debt Obligations (continued) | ||||||||||||||
Energy Independent(c) 1.7% | ||||||||||||||
|
Atlas Energy Holdings Operating Co. LLC/Atlas Resource |
| ||||||||||||
$ | 1,948,000 | 7.750 | % | 01/15/21 | $ | 1,877,385 | ||||||||
|
Petrohawk Energy Corp. (BBB+/Baa3) |
| ||||||||||||
3,090,000 | 6.250 | 06/01/19 | 3,491,700 | |||||||||||
|
QR Energy LP/QRE Finance Corp. (B-/Caa1) |
| ||||||||||||
2,960,000 | 9.250 | 08/01/20 | 3,148,700 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
8,517,785 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Finance 13.2% | ||||||||||||||
|
Ally Financial, Inc. (B+/B1)(c)(e) |
| ||||||||||||
1,380,000 | 0.000 | 06/15/15 | 1,283,400 | |||||||||||
|
CIT Group, Inc. (BB-/Ba3)(c) |
| ||||||||||||
21,084,000 | 4.250 | 08/15/17 | 21,980,070 | |||||||||||
806,000 | 5.250 | 03/15/18 | 870,480 | |||||||||||
|
GMAC International Finance BV (B+/B1) |
| ||||||||||||
EUR | 3,071,000 | 7.500 | 04/21/15 | 4,298,728 | ||||||||||
|
International Lease Finance Corp. (BBB-/Ba3) |
| ||||||||||||
$ | 13,315,000 | 5.750 | 05/15/16 | 14,380,200 | ||||||||||
|
National Money Mart Co. (B+/B2)(c) |
| ||||||||||||
9,328,000 | 10.375 | 12/15/16 | 10,260,800 | |||||||||||
|
Nationstar Mortgage LLC (B+/B2)(b)(c) |
| ||||||||||||
2,485,000 | 6.500 | 07/01/21 | 2,590,612 | |||||||||||
|
SLM Corp. (BBB-/Ba1)(c) |
| ||||||||||||
5,600,000 | 6.250 | 01/25/16 | 6,119,903 | |||||||||||
941,000 | 6.000 | 01/25/17 | 1,024,426 | |||||||||||
975,000 | 4.625 | 09/25/17 | 1,012,976 | |||||||||||
2,534,000 | 8.000 | 03/25/20 | 2,953,017 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
66,774,612 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Health Care Medical Products(c) 2.0% | ||||||||||||||
|
Alere, Inc. (CCC+/Caa1) |
| ||||||||||||
7,022,000 | 9.000 | 05/15/16 | 7,399,432 | |||||||||||
1,324,000 | 8.625 | 10/01/18 | 1,413,370 | |||||||||||
|
Alere, Inc. (B-/B3)(b) |
| ||||||||||||
1,364,000 | 7.250 | 07/01/18 | 1,444,135 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
10,256,937 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Health Care Services(c) 2.3% | ||||||||||||||
|
DaVita HealthCare Partners, Inc. (B/B2) |
| ||||||||||||
1,500,000 | 6.375 | 11/01/18 | 1,601,250 | |||||||||||
9,311,000 | 6.625 | 11/01/20 | 10,079,157 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
11,680,407 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Media Non Cable(c) 0.4% | ||||||||||||||
|
LIN Television Corp. (B/B3) |
| ||||||||||||
426,000 | 8.375 | 04/15/18 | 462,210 | |||||||||||
884,000 | 6.375 | (b) | 01/15/21 | 941,460 | ||||||||||
|
Sinclair Television Group, Inc. (B/B1)(b) |
| ||||||||||||
777,000 | 5.375 | 04/01/21 | 775,058 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
2,178,728 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Unsecured Debt Obligations (continued) | ||||||||||||||
Packaging(c) 1.6% | ||||||||||||||
|
Reynolds Group Issuer, Inc. (CCC+/Caa2)(f) |
| ||||||||||||
$ | 6,914,000 | 8.500 | % | 05/15/18 | $ | 7,294,270 | ||||||||
|
Sealed Air Corp. (BB-/B1)(b) |
| ||||||||||||
584,000 | 5.250 | 04/01/23 | 587,650 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
7,881,920 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Pharmaceuticals(c) 0.9% | ||||||||||||||
|
Grifols, Inc. (B+/B2) |
| ||||||||||||
4,173,000 | 8.250 | 02/01/18 | 4,595,516 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Technology Software(b)(c) 0.6% | ||||||||||||||
|
IAC/InterActive Corp. (BB+/Ba1) |
| ||||||||||||
2,024,000 | 4.750 | 12/15/22 | 1,973,400 | |||||||||||
|
NeuStar, Inc. (BB-/Ba3) |
| ||||||||||||
1,147,000 | 4.500 | 01/15/23 | 1,101,120 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
3,074,520 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Telecommunications Wirelines(c) 0.8% | ||||||||||||||
|
Cincinnati Bell, Inc. (B/B1) |
| ||||||||||||
3,922,000 | 8.250 | 10/15/17 | 4,147,515 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
TOTAL UNSECURED DEBT OBLIGATIONS | ||||||||||||||
(Cost $257,875,916) | $ | 263,501,681 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
Municipal Debt Obligation 0.4% | ||||||||||||||
New Jersey 0.4% | ||||||||||||||
|
New Jersey Economic Development Authority RB for |
| ||||||||||||
$ | 1,730,000 | 4.875 | % | 09/15/19 | $ | 1,770,794 | ||||||||
(Cost $1,730,000) | ||||||||||||||
|
|
Shares | Description | Value | ||||||
Private Common Equity(g) 0.4% | ||||||||
Capital Markets 0.4% | ||||||||
97,905 | DeepOcean Group Holding (NR/NR) | $ | 1,762,290 | |||||
(Cost $2,045,096) | ||||||||
|
|
|||||||
Shares | Rate | Value | ||||||
Preferred Stock(b) 2.8% | ||||||||
Finance 2.8% | ||||||||
Ally Financial, Inc. | ||||||||
14,588 | 7.000% | $ | 14,426,620 | |||||
(Cost $13,989,618) | ||||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
TOTAL INVESTMENTS BEFORE SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT |
| ||||||
(Cost $417,165,582) | $ | 425,645,623 | ||||||
|
|
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. | 11 |
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Schedule of Investments (continued)
March 31, 2013
Principal Amount |
Interest Rate |
Maturity Date |
Value | |||||||||||
Short-term Investment(h) 12.7% | ||||||||||||||
Repurchase Agreement 12.7% | ||||||||||||||
|
Joint Repurchase Agreement Account II |
| ||||||||||||
$ | 64,500,000 | 0.223 | % | 04/01/13 | $ | 64,500,000 | ||||||||
(Cost $64,500,000) | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
TOTAL INVESTMENTS 96.7% | ||||||||||||||
(Cost $481,665,582) | $ | 490,145,623 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
OTHER ASSETS IN EXCESS OF LIABILITIES 3.3% |
|
16,850,558 | |||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||
NET ASSETS 100.0% | $ | 506,996,181 | ||||||||||||
|
|
The percentage shown for each investment category reflects the value of investments in that category as a percentage of net assets. | ||
(a) |
Senior Term Loans often require prepayments from excess cash flows or permit the borrower to repay at its election. The degree to which borrowers repay, whether as a contractual requirement or at their election, cannot be predicted with accuracy. As a result, the actual remaining maturity may be substantially less than the stated maturities shown. The stated interest rate represents the weighted average interest rate of all contracts within the senior loan facility at March 31, 2013. Senior Term Loans typically have rates of interest which are redetermined either daily, monthly, quarterly or semi-annually by reference to a base lending rate, plus a premium. These base lending rates are primarily the London-Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), and secondarily the prime rate offered by one or more major United States banks (the Prime Rate) and the certificate of deposit (CD) rate or other base lending rates used by commercial lenders. | |
(b) |
Exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. Under procedures approved by the Board of Trustees, such securities have been determined to be liquid by the investment adviser and may be resold, normally to qualified institutional buyers in transactions exempt from registration. Total market value of Rule 144A securities amounts to $111,565,529, which represents approximately 22.0% of net assets as of March 31, 2013. | |
(c) |
Security with Call features with resetting interest rates. Maturity dates disclosed are the final maturity dates. | |
(d) |
Security is currently in default and/or non-income producing. | |
(e) |
Issued with a zero coupon. Income is recognized through the accretion of discount. | |
(f) |
Coupon changes periodically based upon a predetermined schedule. Interest rate disclosed is that which is in effect at March 31, 2013. | |
(g) |
Represents a restricted security acquired on May 26, 2011 at a cost of $2,045,096. | |
(h) |
Joint repurchase agreement was entered into on March 28, 2013. Additional information appears on page 14. | |
Security ratings disclosed, if any, are obtained from Standard & Poors/Moodys Investors Service and are unaudited. A description of the ratings is available in the Funds Statement of Additional Information. |
| ||
Currency Abbreviations: | ||
CAD |
Canadian Dollar | |
EUR |
Euro | |
GBP |
British Pound | |
Investment Abbreviations: | ||
LIBOR |
London Interbank Offered Rate | |
NR |
Not Rated | |
RB |
Revenue Bond | |
WR |
Withdrawn Rating | |
|
12 | The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. |
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT INFORMATION |
FORWARD FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE CONTRACTS At March 31, 2013, the Fund had the following forward foreign currency exchange contracts:
FORWARD FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE CONTRACTS WITH UNREALIZED GAIN
Counterparty | Contracts to Buy/Sell |
Settlement Date |
Current Value |
Unrealized Gain |
||||||||||
Citibank NA |
USD/CAD | 06/12/13 | $ | 2,800,906 | $ | 78,522 | ||||||||
USD/EUR | 04/16/13 | 8,941,839 | 110,595 | |||||||||||
USD/EUR | 05/23/13 | 12,066,733 | 142,855 | |||||||||||
USD/GBP | 08/15/13 | 1,784,243 | 40,415 | |||||||||||
TOTAL | $ | 372,387 |
FORWARD FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE CONTRACTS WITH UNREALIZED LOSS
Counterparty | Contracts to Buy/Sell |
Settlement Date |
Current Value |
Unrealized Gain |
||||||||||
Citibank NA |
USD/GBP | 08/15/13 | $ | 1,556,467 | $ | (27,885 | ) |
SWAP CONTRACTS At March 31, 2013, the Fund had the following swap contracts:
INTEREST RATE SWAP CONTRACTS
Rates Exchanged | ||||||||||||||||||||
Counterparty | Notional Amount (000s) |
Termination Date |
Payments Received | Payments Made |
Unrealized Gain (Loss)* |
|||||||||||||||
Citibank NA |
$ | 55,810 | 11/02/17 | 3 month LIBOR | 0.850 | % | $ | (146,513 | ) | |||||||||||
7,815 | 11/05/17 | 3 month LIBOR | 0.830 | (11,249 | ) | |||||||||||||||
4,040 | 02/11/18 | 3 month LIBOR | 0.968 | (11,153 | ) | |||||||||||||||
5,950 | 02/27/18 | 3 month LIBOR | 0.980 | (15,345 | ) | |||||||||||||||
TOTAL | $ | (184,260 | ) |
* | There are no upfront payments on the swap contract(s), therefore the unrealized gain (loss) on the swap contracts is equal to their market value. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. | 13 |
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Schedule of Investments (continued)
March 31, 2013
ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT INFORMATION (continued) |
JOINT REPURCHASE AGREEMENT ACCOUNT II At March 31, 2013, the Fund had undivided interests in the Joint Repurchase Agreement Account II, with a maturity date of April 1, 2013, as follows:
Principal Amount | Maturity Value | Collateral Allocation Value | ||||||
$64,500,000 |
$ | 64,501,598 | $ | 66,052,207 |
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS At March 31, 2013, the Principal Amount of the Funds interest in the Joint Repurchase Agreement Account II were as follows:
Counterparty | Interest Rate | Principal Amounts | ||||||
BNP Paribas Securities Co. |
0.150 | % | $ | 3,376,492 | ||||
BNP Paribas Securities Co. |
0.230 | 25,886,439 | ||||||
Credit Suisse Securities LLC |
0.170 | 1,125,497 | ||||||
Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc. |
0.250 | 8,000,035 | ||||||
JPMorgan Securities LLC |
0.200 | 9,904,376 | ||||||
Wells Fargo Securities LLC |
0.230 | 16,207,161 | ||||||
TOTAL | $ | 64,500,000 |
At March 31, 2013, the Joint Repurchase Agreement Account II was fully collateralized by:
Issuer | Interest Rates | Maturity Dates | ||||||
Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. |
2.500 to 5.000 | % | 03/01/23 to 03/01/43 | |||||
Federal National Mortgage Association |
2.500 to 7.000 | 03/01/20 to 03/01/43 | ||||||
Government National Mortgage Association |
2.500 to 5.000 | 11/15/26 to 03/20/43 | ||||||
U.S. Treasury Notes |
1.250 to 3.000 | 02/15/14 to 09/30/16 |
14 | The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. |
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
March 31, 2013
Assets: | ||||||
Investments, at value (cost $417,165,582) |
$ | 425,645,623 | ||||
Repurchase agreement, at value which equals cost |
64,500,000 | |||||
Cash |
132,792 | |||||
Foreign currencies, at value (cost $6,058,336) |
5,998,265 | |||||
Receivables: |
||||||
Investments sold on an extended settlement basis |
10,427,153 | |||||
Investments sold |
8,333,143 | |||||
Interest |
7,805,824 | |||||
Fund shares sold |
1,678,385 | |||||
Unrealized gain on forward foreign currency exchange contracts |
372,387 | |||||
Other assets |
5,615 | |||||
Total assets | 524,899,187 | |||||
Liabilities: | ||||||
Payables: |
||||||
Investments purchased on an extended settlement basis |
12,695,174 | |||||
Investments purchased |
2,393,084 | |||||
Income distribution |
1,741,475 | |||||
Amounts owed to affiliates |
645,669 | |||||
Unrealized loss on swap contracts |
184,260 | |||||
Collateral on certain derivative contracts |
100,000 | |||||
Due to broker upfront payment |
32,364 | |||||
Unrealized loss on forward foreign currency exchange contracts |
27,885 | |||||
Accrued expenses |
83,095 | |||||
Total liabilities | 17,903,006 | |||||
Net Assets: | ||||||
Paid-in capital |
487,526,216 | |||||
Undistributed net investment income |
1,304,131 | |||||
Accumulated net realized gain |
9,595,967 | |||||
Net unrealized gain |
8,569,867 | |||||
NET ASSETS | $ | 506,996,181 | ||||
Shares Outstanding $0.001 par value (unlimited shares authorized): |
46,956,239 | |||||
Net asset value, offering and redemption price per share:(a) |
$10.80 |
(a) | Maximum public offering price per share is $11.08. |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. | 15 |
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Statement of Operations
For the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2013
Investment income: | ||||||
Interest |
$ | 31,068,865 | ||||
Dividends |
479,393 | |||||
Total investment income | 31,548,258 | |||||
Expenses: | ||||||
Management fees |
5,536,928 | |||||
Service fees |
1,298,336 | |||||
Transfer Agent fees |
830,539 | |||||
Custody, accounting and administrative services |
152,200 | |||||
Professional fees |
142,805 | |||||
Printing and mailing costs |
88,296 | |||||
Registration fees |
29,355 | |||||
Trustee fees |
16,638 | |||||
Other |
24,823 | |||||
Total expenses | 8,119,920 | |||||
Less expense reductions |
(1,604 | ) | ||||
Net expenses | 8,118,316 | |||||
NET INVESTMENT INCOME | 23,429,942 | |||||
Realized and unrealized gain (loss): | ||||||
Net realized gain (loss) from: |
||||||
Investments |
19,807,950 | |||||
Swap contracts |
2,493,532 | |||||
Forward foreign currency exchange contracts |
732,030 | |||||
Foreign currency transactions |
(1,844,291 | ) | ||||
Net change in unrealized gain (loss) on: |
||||||
Investments |
1,589,587 | |||||
Swap contracts |
(219,231 | ) | ||||
Forward foreign currency exchange contracts |
893,323 | |||||
Foreign currency transactions |
(70,595 | ) | ||||
Net realized and unrealized gain | 23,382,305 | |||||
NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS | $ | 46,812,247 |
16 | The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. |
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Statements of Changes in Net Assets
For the Fiscal Year Ended |
For the Fiscal Year Ended |
|||||||||
From operations: | ||||||||||
Net investment income |
$ | 23,429,942 | $ | 24,422,161 | ||||||
Net realized gain |
21,189,221 | 7,246,727 | ||||||||
Net change in unrealized gain |
2,193,084 | 1,290,795 | ||||||||
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations | 46,812,247 | 32,959,683 | ||||||||
Distributions to shareholders: | ||||||||||
From net investment income |
(24,133,522 | ) | (24,625,906 | ) | ||||||
From net realized gains |
(11,420,212 | ) | (13,812,892 | ) | ||||||
Total distributions to shareholders | (35,553,734 | ) | (38,438,798 | ) | ||||||
From share transactions: | ||||||||||
Proceeds from sales of shares |
105,543,331 | 127,657,712 | ||||||||
Reinvestment of distributions |
2,257,831 | 2,844,042 | ||||||||
Cost of shares redeemed |
(145,562,693 | ) | (123,320,924 | ) | ||||||
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from share transactions | (37,761,531 | ) | 7,180,830 | |||||||
TOTAL INCREASE (DECREASE) | (26,503,018 | ) | 1,701,715 | |||||||
Net assets: | ||||||||||
Beginning of year |
533,499,199 | 531,797,484 | ||||||||
End of year |
$ | 506,996,181 | $ | 533,499,199 | ||||||
Undistributed net investment income | $ | 1,304,131 | $ | 1,435,715 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. | 17 |
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Financial Highlights
Selected Data for a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Period
Income (loss) from investment operations |
Distributions to shareholders |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Year | Net asset value, beginning of period |
Net investment income(a) |
Net realized and unrealized gain |
Total from investment operations |
From net investment income |
From net realized gains |
Total distributions |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
FOR THE FISCAL YEARS ENDED MARCH 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2013 |
$ | 10.58 | $ | 0.45 | $ | 0.45 | $ | 0.90 | $ | (0.47 | ) | $ | (0.21 | ) | $ | (0.68 | ) | |||||||||||||
2012 |
10.70 | 0.51 | 0.17 | 0.68 | (0.51 | ) | (0.29 | ) | (0.80 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
2011 |
10.75 | 0.56 | 0.26 | 0.82 | (0.56 | ) | (0.31 | ) | (0.87 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
FOR THE PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010 (Commenced June 15, 2009) |
10.00 | 0.48 | 0.82 | 1.30 | (0.45 | ) | (0.10 | ) | (0.55 | ) |
(a) | Calculated based on the average shares outstanding methodology. |
(b) | Assumes investment at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions, a complete redemption of the investment at the net asset value at the end of the period and no sales or redemption charges. Total returns would be reduced if a sales or redemption charge was taken into account. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Total returns for periods less than one full year are not annualized. |
(c) | The Funds portfolio turnover rate is calculated in accordance with regulatory requirements, without regard to transactions involving short term investments and certain derivatives. If such transactions were included, the Funds portfolio turnover rate may be higher. |
(d) | Annualized. |
18 | The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. |
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Net asset value, end of period |
Total return(b) |
Net assets, end of period (in 000s) |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets |
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets |
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets |
Portfolio turnover rate(c) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
$ | 10.80 | 8.74 | % | $ | 506,996 | 1.47 | % | 1.47 | % | 4.23 | % | 204 | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10.58 | 6.69 | 533,499 | 1.48 | 1.48 | 4.81 | 215 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10.70 | 7.94 | 531,797 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 5.23 | 204 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10.75 | 13.33 | 431,676 | 1.60 | (d) | 1.67 | (d) | 5.88 | (d) | 122 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements. | 19 |
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Notes to Financial Statements
March 31, 2013
1. ORGANIZATION |
Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund (the Fund) is a continuously offered, non-diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the Act) which commenced operations on June 15, 2009. The Fund seeks a total return comprised of income and capital appreciation. The Fund is organized as a Delaware statutory trust and was established by the Declaration of Trust as amended and restated on March 12, 2009. The Fund currently offers one class of common shares (the Shares). The Fund charges a maximum sales charge of 2.50% of the Funds offering price.
The Fund is an interval fund, a type of fund which, in order to provide some liquidity to shareholders, makes quarterly offers to repurchase between 5% and 25% of its outstanding Shares at net asset value (NAV), pursuant to Rule 23c-3 under the Act.
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (GSAM), an affiliate of Goldman Sachs & Co. (Goldman Sachs or the Distributor), serves as investment adviser to the Fund pursuant to a management agreement (the Agreement) with the Fund.
2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAP) and require management to make estimates and assumptions that may affect the reported amounts and disclosures. Actual results may differ from those estimates and assumptions.
A. Investment Valuation The Funds valuation policy is to value investments at fair value.
B. Investment Income and Investments Investment income includes interest income and dividend income, net of any foreign withholding taxes, less any amounts reclaimable. Interest income is accrued daily and adjusted for amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts. Dividend income is recognized on ex-dividend date or, for certain foreign securities, as soon as such information is obtained subsequent to the ex-dividend date. Investment transactions are reflected on trade date. Realized gains and losses are calculated using identified cost. Investment transactions are recorded on the following business day for daily NAV calculations. Any foreign capital gains tax is accrued daily based upon net unrealized gains, and is payable upon sale of such investments.
For derivative contracts, realized gains and losses are recorded upon settlement of the contract. Upfront payments are made or received upon entering into a swap agreement and are reflected as a receivable from or payable to the counterparty in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Upfront payments are recognized over the contracts term/event as realized gains or losses, with the exception of forward starting interest rate swaps whose realized gains or losses are recognized from the effective start date. For securities with paydown provisions, principal payments received are treated as a proportionate reduction to the cost basis of the securities and excess or shortfall amounts are recorded as gains or losses. For treasury inflation protected securities (TIPS), adjustments to principal due to inflation/deflation are reflected as increases/decreases to interest income with a corresponding adjustment to cost.
C. Expenses Expenses incurred by the Fund, which may not specifically relate to the Fund, may be shared with other registered investment companies having management agreements with GSAM or its affiliates, as appropriate. These expenses are allocated to the Fund on a straight-line and/or pro-rata basis depending upon the nature of the expenses and are accrued daily.
D. Federal Taxes and Distributions to Shareholders It is the Funds policy to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), applicable to regulated investment companies (mutual funds) and to distribute each year substantially all of its investment company taxable income and capital gains to its shareholders. Accordingly,
20
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued) |
the Fund is not required to make any provisions for the payment of federal income tax. Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income, if any, is declared daily and paid quarterly and capital gains distributions, if any, are declared and paid annually.
Net capital losses are carried forward to future fiscal years and may be used to the extent allowed by the Code to offset any future capital gains. Utilization of capital loss carryforwards will reduce the requirement of future capital gains distributions.
Under the Regulated Investment Company Modernization Act of 2010, the Funds are permitted to carry forward capital losses incurred in taxable years beginning after December 22, 2010 for an unlimited period. However, any losses incurred during those future taxable years will be required to be utilized prior to the losses incurred in pre-enactment taxable years. As a result of this ordering rule, pre-enactment capital loss carryforwards may be more likely to expire unused. Additionally, post-enactment capital losses that are carried forward will retain their character as either short-term or long term capital losses rather than being considered all short-term as under previous law.
The characterization of distributions to shareholders for financial reporting purposes is determined in accordance with federal income tax rules, which may differ from GAAP. The source of the Funds distributions may be shown in the accompanying financial statements as either from net investment income, net realized gain or capital. Certain components of the Funds net assets on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities reflect permanent GAAP/tax differences based on the appropriate tax character.
E. Foreign Currency Translation The accounting records and reporting currency of the Fund are maintained in United States (U.S.) dollars. Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars using the current exchange rates at the close of each business day. The effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on investments is included within net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments. Changes in the value of other assets and liabilities as a result of fluctuations in foreign exchange rates are included in the Statement of Operations within net change in unrealized gain (loss) on foreign currency transactions. Transactions denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars on the date the transaction occurred, the effects of which are included within net realized gain (loss) on foreign currency transactions.
3. INVESTMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS |
The fair value of a financial instrument is the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (i.e., the exit price). GAAP establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). The levels used for classifying investments are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in these investments. The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:
Level 1 Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible at the measurement date for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities;
Level 2 Quoted prices in markets that are not active or financial instruments for which significant inputs are observable (including, but not limited to, quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, foreign exchange rates, volatility and credit spreads), either directly or indirectly;
Level 3 Prices or valuations that require significant unobservable inputs (including GSAMs assumptions in determining fair value measurement).
21
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
March 31, 2013
3. INVESTMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (continued) |
The Trustees have adopted Valuation Procedures that govern the valuation of the portfolio investments held by the Fund, including investments for which market quotations are not readily available. The Trustees have delegated to GSAM day-to-day responsibility for implementing and maintaining internal controls and procedures related to the valuation of the Funds portfolio investments. To assess the continuing appropriateness of pricing sources and methodologies, GSAM regularly performs price verification procedures and issues challenges as necessary to third party pricing vendors or brokers, and any differences are reviewed in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.
A. Level 1 and Level 2 Fair Value Investments The valuation techniques and significant inputs used in determining the fair values for investments classified as Level 1 and Level 2 are as follows:
Debt Securities Debt securities for which market quotations are readily available are valued daily on the basis of quotations supplied by dealers or an independent pricing service approved by the Trustees. The pricing services may use valuation models or matrix pricing, which consider: (i) yield or price with respect to bonds that are considered comparable in characteristics such as rating, interest rate and maturity date or (ii) quotations from securities dealers to determine current value. Short-term debt obligations that mature in sixty days or less and that do not exhibit signs of credit deterioration are valued at amortized cost, which approximates fair value. With the exception of treasury securities, which are generally classified as Level 1, these investments are generally classified as Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.
i. Senior Term Loans Senior Term Loans (Loans) are interests in amounts owed by corporate, governmental, or other borrowers to lenders or lending syndicates. Loans are arranged through private negotiations between the borrower and one or more financial institutions (Lenders). A Funds investments in Loans are in the form either participations in Loans (Participations) or assignments of all or a portion of Loans from third parties (Assignments). With respect to Participations, a Fund has the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled from the Lender selling the Participations and only upon receipt by the Lender of the payments from the borrower. A Fund generally has no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement.
Certain Loans may have commitment provision, whereby a fund commits to fund a predetermined amount of capital to the borrower over a specific time. A fund is obligated to fund these commitments at the borrowers discretion. A fund may receive a commitment fee based on the undrawn portion of the underlying line of credit of a Senior Term Loan.
Equity Securities Equity securities and investment companies traded on a U.S. securities exchange or the NASDAQ system, or those located on certain foreign exchanges, including but not limited to the Americas, are valued daily at their last sale price or official closing price on the principal exchange or system on which they are traded. If no sale occurs, equity securities and exchange traded investment companies are valued at the last bid price for long positions and at the last ask price for short positions. Investments in investment companies (other than those that are exchange traded) are valued at the NAV on the valuation date. To the extent these investments are actively traded, they are classified as Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.
Unlisted equity securities for which market quotations are available are valued at the last sale price on the valuation date, or if no sale occurs, at the last bid price. Securities traded on certain foreign securities exchanges are valued daily at fair value determined by an independent fair value service (if available) under Valuation Procedures approved by the Trustees and consistent with applicable regulatory guidance. The independent fair value service takes into account multiple factors including, but not limited to, movements in the securities markets, certain depositary receipts, futures contracts and foreign currency exchange rates that have occurred subsequent to the close of the foreign securities exchange. These investments are generally classified as Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.
22
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
3. INVESTMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (continued) |
Derivative Contracts A derivative is an instrument whose value is derived from underlying assets, indices, reference rates or a combination of these factors.
Exchange-traded derivatives, including futures contracts, typically fall within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. Over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives are valued using market transactions and other market evidence, including market-based inputs to models, calibration to market-clearing transactions, broker or dealer quotations, or other alternative pricing sources. Where models are used, the selection of a particular model to value an OTC derivative depends upon the contractual terms of, and specific risks inherent in, the instrument, as well as the availability of pricing information in the market. Valuation models require a variety of inputs, including contractual terms, market prices, yield curves, credit curves, measures of volatility, voluntary and involuntary prepayment rates, loss severity rates and correlations of such inputs. For OTC derivatives that trade in liquid markets, model inputs can generally be verified and model selection does not involve significant management judgment. OTC derivatives are classified within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy when significant inputs are corroborated by market evidence.
i. Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts In a forward foreign currency contract, the Fund agrees to receive or deliver a fixed quantity of one currency for another, at a pre-determined price at a future date. All forward foreign currency exchange contracts are marked-to-market daily at the applicable forward rate.
ii. Swap Contracts Swaps are marked-to-market daily using pricing vendor quotations, counterparty prices or model prices, and the change in value, if any, is recorded as an unrealized gain or loss.
An interest rate swap is an agreement that obligates two parties to exchange a series of cash flows at specified intervals, based upon or calculated by reference to changes in specified prices, rates or indices for a specified amount of an underlying asset or notional principal amount. The payment flows are usually netted against each other, with the difference being paid by one party to the other.
A credit default swap is an agreement that involves one party (the buyer of protection) making a stream of payments to another party (the seller of protection) in exchange for the right to receive protection on a reference security or obligation. The Fund may use credit default swaps to provide a measure of protection against defaults of the reference security or obligation or to take a short position with respect to the likelihood of default. The Funds investment in credit default swaps may involve greater risks than if the Fund had invested in the referenced obligation directly. Credit events are contract specific but may include bankruptcy, failure to pay, restructuring and obligation acceleration. If the Fund buys protection through a credit default swap and no credit event occurs, its payments are limited to the periodic payments previously made to the counterparty. Upon the occurrence of a specified credit event, the Fund, as a buyer of credit protection, is entitled to receive an amount equal to the notional amount of the swap and deliver to the seller the defaulted reference obligation in a physically settled trade. The Fund may also receive a net settlement amount in the form of cash or securities equal to the notional amount of the swap reduced by the recovery value of the reference obligation in cash settled trade.
As a seller of protection, the Fund generally receives a payment stream throughout the term of the swap, provided that there is no credit event. In addition, if the Fund sells protection through a credit default swap, the Fund could suffer a loss because the value of the referenced obligation may be less than the premium payments received. Upon the occurrence of a specified credit event, the Fund, as a seller of credit protection, may be required to take possession of the defaulted reference obligation and pay the buyer an amount equal to the notional amount of the swap in a physically settled trade. The Fund may also pay a net settlement amount in the form of cash or securities equal to the notional amount of the swap reduced by the recovery value of the reference obligation in cash settled trade. Recovery values are at times established through the credit
23
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
March 31, 2013
3. INVESTMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (continued) |
event auction process in which market participants are ensured that a transparent price has been set for the defaulted security or obligation. In addition, the Fund is entitled to a return of any assets, which have been pledged as collateral to the counterparty.
The maximum potential amount of future payments (undiscounted) that the Fund as seller of protection could be required to make under a credit default swap would be an amount equal to the notional amount of the agreement. These potential amounts would be partially offset by any recovery values of the respective referenced obligations or net amounts received from a settlement of a credit default swap for the same reference security or obligation where the Fund bought credit protection.
Short Term Investments Short-term investments having a maturity of 60 days or less are generally valued at amortized cost which approximates fair market value. These investments are classified as Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.
Repurchase Agreements Repurchase agreements involve the purchase of securities subject to the sellers agreement to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed upon date and price. During the term of a repurchase agreement, the value of the underlying securities held as collateral on behalf of the Fund, including accrued interest, is required to exceed the value of the repurchase agreement, including accrued interest. The underlying securities for all repurchase agreements are held at the Funds custodian or designated sub-custodians under tri-party repurchase agreements.
Pursuant to exemptive relief granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission and terms and conditions contained therein, the Fund, together with other funds of the Trust and registered investment companies having management agreements with GSAM or its affiliates, may transfer uninvested cash into joint accounts, the daily aggregate balance of which is invested in one or more repurchase agreements. Under these joint accounts, the Fund maintains pro rata credit exposure to the underlying repurchase agreements counterparties. With the exception of certain transaction fees, the Fund is not subject to any expenses in relation to these investments.
B. Level 3 Fair Value Investments To the extent that the aforementioned significant inputs are unobservable, or if quotations are not readily available, or if GSAM believes that such quotations do not accurately reflect fair value, the fair value of the Funds investments may be determined under Valuation Procedures approved by the Trustees. GSAM, consistent with its procedures and applicable regulatory guidance, may make an adjustment to the most recent valuation prices of either domestic or foreign securities in light of significant events to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities at the time of determining a Funds NAV. Significant events which could affect a large number of securities in a particular market may include, but are not limited to: significant fluctuations in U.S. or foreign markets; market dislocations; market disruptions; or unscheduled market closings. Significant events which could also affect a single issuer, may include, but are not limited to: corporate actions such as reorganizations, mergers and buy outs, ratings downgrades; and bankruptcies.
24
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
3. INVESTMENTS AND FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS (continued) |
C. Fair Value Hierarchy The following is a summary of the Funds investments and derivatives classified in the fair value hierarchy as of March 31, 2013:
Investment Type | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | |||||||||
Assets | ||||||||||||
Fixed Income |
||||||||||||
Secured Debt Obligations |
$ | | $ | 144,184,238 | $ | | ||||||
Unsecured Debt Obligations |
| 263,501,681 | | |||||||||
Municipal Debt Obligations |
| 1,770,794 | | |||||||||
Common Stock and/or Other Equity Investments |
| 14,426,620 | 1,762,290 | |||||||||
Short-term Investments |
| 64,500,000 | | |||||||||
Total | $ | | $ | 488,383,333 | $ | 1,762,290 | ||||||
Derivative Type | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | |||||||||
Assets(a) | ||||||||||||
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts |
$ | | $ | 372,387 | $ | | ||||||
Liabilities(a) | ||||||||||||
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts |
$ | | $ | (27,885 | ) | $ | | |||||
Interest Rate Swap Contracts |
| (184,260 | ) | | ||||||||
Total | $ | | $ | (212,145 | ) | $ | |
(a) | Amount shown represents unrealized gain (loss) at period end. |
For further information regarding Security Characteristics, see the Schedule of Investments.
4. INVESTMENTS IN DERIVATIVES |
The following table sets forth, by certain risk types, the gross value of derivative contracts as of March 31, 2013. These instruments were used to meet the Funds investment objectives and to obtain and/or manage exposure related to the risks below. The values in the table below exclude the effects of cash collateral received or posted pursuant to these derivative contracts, and therefore are not representative of the Funds net exposure.
Risk | Statement of Assets and Liabilities |
Assets | Statement of Assets and Liabilities |
Liabilities | ||||||||
Interest rate |
| $ | | Payable for unrealized loss on swap contracts | $ | (184,260) | (a) | |||||
Currency |
Receivable for unrealized gain on forward foreign currency exchange contracts | 372,387 | Payable for unrealized loss on forward foreign currency exchange contracts | (27,885) | ||||||||
Total | $ | 372,387 | $ | (212,145) |
(a) | Amount represents the payments to be made pursuant to bilateral agreements should counterparties exercise their right to terminate provisions based on, among others, the Funds performance, its failure to pay on its obligations or failure to pledge collateral. The amount does not include incremental charges directly associated with the close-out of the agreements. It also does not reflect the fair value of any assets pledged as collateral which, through the daily margining process, substantially offsets the aforementioned amounts and for which the Fund is entitled to a full return. |
25
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
March 31, 2013
4. INVESTMENTS IN DERIVATIVES (continued) |
The following table sets forth, by certain risk types, the Funds gains (losses) related to these derivatives and their indicative volumes for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. These gains (losses) should be considered in the context that these derivative contracts may have been executed to economically hedge certain investments, and accordingly, certain gains (losses) on such derivative contracts may offset certain (losses) gains attributable to investments. These gains (losses) are included in Net realized gain (loss) or Net change in unrealized gain (loss) on the Statement of Operations:
Risk | Statement of Operations | Net Realized Gain (Loss) |
Net Change in Unrealized Gain (Loss) |
Average Number of Contracts(a) |
||||||||||
Interest rate | Net realized gain (loss) from swap contracts/Net change in unrealized gain (loss) on swap contracts | $ | 58,158 | $ | (184,260 | ) | 2 | |||||||
Credit | Net realized gain (loss) from swap contracts/Net change in unrealized gain (loss) on swap contracts | 2,435,374 | (34,971 | ) | 8 | |||||||||
Currency | Net realized gain (loss) from forward foreign currency exchange contracts/Net change in unrealized gain (loss) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts | 732,030 | 893,323 | 7 | ||||||||||
Total | $ | 3,225,562 | $ | 674,092 | 17 |
(a) | Average number of contracts is based on the average of month end balances for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. |
5. AGREEMENTS AND AFFILIATED TRANSACTIONS |
A. Management Agreement Under the Agreement, GSAM manages the Fund, subject to the general supervision of the Trustees.
As compensation for the services rendered pursuant to the Agreement, the assumption of the expenses related thereto and administration of the Funds business affairs, including providing facilities, GSAM is entitled to a management fee, accrued daily and paid monthly, equal to an annual percentage rate of the Funds average daily net assets.
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, the contractual management fee with GSAM was at the following rates:
Contractual Management Fee Rate | ||||||||||
First $1 billion |
Next $1 billion |
Next $3 billion |
Next $3 billion |
Over $8 billion |
Effective Net Management Fee Rate | |||||
1.00% |
0.90% | 0.86% | 0.84% | 0.82% | 1.00% |
B. Service Plan The Fund has adopted a Service Plan (the Plan). Under the Plan, Goldman Sachs is entitled to receive a fee (Service fee) equal to, on an annual basis, up to 0.25% of the Funds average daily net assets attributed to the Shares. This fee is for personal and account maintenance services, and may be used to make payments: (i) to Goldman Sachs, or (ii) by Goldman Sachs to certain brokers, dealers and financial service firms that have entered into agreements with Goldman Sachs to provide such services.
C. Distribution Agreement Goldman Sachs also serves as Distributor of the Shares of the Fund pursuant to a Distribution Agreement. Goldman Sachs will receive no compensation for its services as Distributor.
26
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
5. AGREEMENTS AND AFFILIATED TRANSACTIONS (continued) |
D. Transfer Agency Agreement Goldman Sachs also serves as the transfer agent of the Fund for a fee pursuant to a Transfer Agency Agreement. The fee charged for such transfer agency services is accrued daily and paid monthly at annual rate of 0.15% of the Funds average daily net assets.
E. Other Expense Agreements and Affiliated Transactions GSAM has agreed to limit certain Other Expense of the Fund (excluding transfer agent fees and expenses, taxes, interest, brokerage fees, litigation, indemnification, shareholder meeting and other extraordinary expenses) to the extent such expenses exceed, on an annual basis, 0.204% of the average daily net assets of the Fund. Such Other Expense reimbursements, if any, are accrued daily and paid monthly. In addition, the Fund is not obligated to reimburse GSAM for prior fiscal year expense reimbursements, if any. These Other Expense reimbursements, if any, will remain in place through at least July 27, 2013, and prior to such date GSAM may not terminate the arrangements without the approval of the Trustees. In addition, the Fund has entered into certain offset arrangements with the custodian and the transfer agent, which may result in a reduction of the Funds expenses and are received irrespective of the application of the Other Expense limitations described above.
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, the Fund had $1,604 of Custody Fee Credits. As of March 31, 2013, the amounts owed to affiliates were $461,192, $115,298 and $69,179 for management, service, and transfer agent fees, respectively.
F. Line of Credit Facility As of March 31, 2013, the Fund participated in a $630,000,000 committed, unsecured revolving line of credit facility (the facility) together with other funds of the Trust and registered investment companies having management agreements with GSAM or its affiliates (Other Borrowers). Pursuant to the terms of the facility, the Fund and Other Borrowers could increase the credit amount by an additional $340,000,000, for a total of up to $970,000,000. This facility is to be used solely for temporary or emergency purposes which may include the funding of repurchases. The interest rate on borrowings is based on the federal funds rate. The facility also requires a fee to be paid by the Fund based on the amount of the commitment that has not been utilized. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, the Fund did not have any borrowings under the facility. Prior to May 8, 2012, the amount available through the facility was $580,000,000. Effective May 8, 2013, the committed amount available through the facility increased to $780,000,000.
6. PORTFOLIO SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS |
The cost of purchases and proceeds from sales and maturities of long-term securities for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, were $942,281,719 and $993,398,841, respectively.
7. TAX INFORMATION |
The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, in the amount of $35,553,734 was from ordinary income.
The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012, in the amount of $33,071,700 and $5,367,098, was from ordinary income and long-term capital gains, respectively.
As of March 31, 2013, the Funds components of accumulated earnings on a tax basis were as follows:
Undistributed ordinary income net |
$ | 13,256,993 | ||
Timing differences (Income Distribution Payable and Interest Income Accrual) |
(1,878,621 | ) | ||
Unrealized gains net |
8,091,593 | |||
Total accumulated earnings net |
$ | 19,469,965 |
27
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
March 31, 2013
7. TAX INFORMATION (continued) |
As of March 31, 2013, the Funds aggregate security unrealized gains and losses based on cost for U.S. federal income tax purposes were as follows:
Tax Cost |
$ | 482,000,373 | ||
Gross unrealized gain |
10,277,045 | |||
Gross unrealized loss |
(2,131,795 | ) | ||
Net unrealized security gain |
8,145,250 | |||
Net unrealized loss on other investments |
(53,657 | ) | ||
Net unrealized gain |
$ | 8,091,593 |
The difference between GAAP-basis and tax-basis unrealized gains (losses) is attributable to wash sales, net mark-to-market gains (losses) on foreign currency exchange contracts, and the differences in the tax treatment of swap transactions.
In order to present certain components of the Funds capital accounts on a tax-basis, the Fund reclassified $571,996 from accumulated net realized gain to undistributed net investment income. This reclassification has no impact on the net asset value of the Fund and results primarily from differences in the tax treatment of consent fees, foreign currency exchange transactions, swap transactions and the recognition of income and gains/losses of certain bonds.
GSAM has reviewed the Funds tax positions for all open tax years (the current and prior three years, as applicable) and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the Funds financial statements. Such open tax years remain subject to examination and adjustment by tax authorities.
8. OTHER RISKS |
The Funds risks include, but are not limited to, the following:
Foreign Custody Risk A fund that invests in foreign securities may hold such securities and foreign currency with foreign banks, agents, and securities depositories appointed by the Funds custodian (each a Foreign Custodian). In some countries, Foreign Custodians may be subject to little or no regulatory oversight or independent evaluation of their operations. Further, the laws of certain countries may place limitations on the Funds ability to recover its assets if a Foreign Custodian enters into bankruptcy. Investments in emerging markets may be subject to greater custody risks than investments in more developed markets. Custody services in emerging market countries are often undeveloped and may be less regulated than in more developed countries, and thus may not afford the same level of investor protection as would apply in developed countries.
Liquidity Risk The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or that may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions. Illiquid investments may be more difficult to value. Liquidity risk may also refer to the risk that the Fund will not be able to pay repurchase offer proceeds within the allowable time period because of unusual market
28
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
8. OTHER RISKS (continued) |
conditions, an unusually high volume of repurchase requests, or other reasons. To meet repurchase requests, the Fund may be forced to sell investments at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.
Market and Credit Risks In the normal course of business, the Fund trades financial instruments and enters into financial transactions where risk of potential loss exists due to changes in the market (market risk). Additionally, the Fund may also be exposed to credit risk in the event that an issuer fails to perform or that an institution or entity with which the Fund has unsettled or open transactions defaults.
Investing in foreign markets may involve special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in the U.S. These risks include revaluation of currencies, high rates of inflation, repatriation restrictions on income and capital, and adverse political and economic developments. Moreover, securities issued in these markets may be less liquid, be subject to government ownership controls, have delayed settlements and their prices may be more volatile than those of comparable securities in the U.S.
Non-Diversification Risk The Fund is non-diversified, meaning that it is permitted to invest a larger percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than diversified mutual funds. Thus, the Fund may be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting any single issuer held in its portfolio, and may be more susceptible to greater losses because of these developments.
Portfolio Concentration Risk As a result of the Funds ability to invest a large percentage of its assets in obligations of issuers within the same country, state, region, currency or economic sector, an adverse economic, business or political development may affect the value of the Funds investments more than if its investments were not so concentrated.
9. INDEMNIFICATIONS |
Under the Trusts organizational documents, its Trustees, officers, employees and agents are indemnified, to the extent permitted by the Act, against certain liabilities that may arise out of performance of their duties to the Fund. Additionally, in the course of business, the Fund enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnification clauses. The Funds maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet occurred. However, GSAM believes the risk of loss under these arrangements to be remote.
10. SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST |
Each quarter, the Trustees, in its sole discretion, will determine the number of Shares that the Fund will offer to repurchase (the Repurchase Offer Amount) for a particular Repurchase Offer (defined below). The Repurchase Offer Amount will be at least 5% but not more than 25% of the total number of Shares outstanding on the date by which a shareholder can tender their Shares in response to a Repurchase Offer (Repurchase Request Deadline). In connection with any given Repurchase Offer, it is possible that the Fund may offer to repurchase only the minimum amount of 5% of its outstanding Shares on the Repurchase Request Deadline. If shareholders tender more than the Repurchase Offer Amount for a particular Repurchase Offer, the Fund may repurchase up to an additional 2% of the Shares outstanding on the Repurchase Request Deadline. The Fund may not be able to repurchase the entire amount of Shares a shareholder has tendered in a Repurchase Request for a particular Repurchase Offer if the aggregate tenders exceed the Repurchase Offer Amount and, when applicable, up to the additional 2% of Shares offered to be repurchased by the Fund.
29
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Notes to Financial Statements (continued)
March 31, 2013
10. SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST (continued) |
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, the Fund extended the following Repurchase Offers:
Repurchase Request Deadline |
Percentage of Outstanding Shares the Fund Offered to be Repurchased |
Amount of Shares the Fund Offered to Repurchase |
Number of Shares Tendered | |||
6/15/2012 |
10% | 5,235,929 | 1,930,999 | |||
9/14/2012 |
10 | 5,282,287 | 1,752,310 | |||
12/21/2012 |
12 | 6,500,248 | 3,168,551 | |||
3/15/2013 |
15 | 8,010,904 | 6,702,267 |
The Fund is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares and at the date of this report has registered 125,100,000 shares, par value $0.001 each. Transactions in shares of beneficial interest were as follows:
For the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2013 |
For the Fiscal Year Ended March 31, 2012 |
|||||||||
Shares sold |
9,861,428 | 12,206,573 | ||||||||
Reinvestment of distributions |
211,300 | 274,962 | ||||||||
Shares repurchased |
(13,554,993 | ) | (11,760,161 | ) | ||||||
NET INCREASE (DECREASE) |
(3,482,265 | ) | 721,374 |
11. OTHER MATTERS |
New Accounting Pronouncement In December 2011, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-11: Disclosures about offsetting Assets and Liabilities (ASU) to enhance disclosures about financial instruments and derivative instruments that are subject to offsetting (netting) on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. This information will enable users of the Funds financial statements to evaluate the effect or potential effect of netting arrangements on the Funds financial position. The ASU is effective for financial statements with fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those fiscal years. At this time, GSAM is evaluating the implications of these changes on the financial statements.
12. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS |
Subsequent events after the Statement of Assets and Liabilities date have been evaluated through the date the financial statements were issued. GSAM has concluded that there is no impact requiring adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
30
Report of Independent Registered Public
Accounting Firm
To the Board of Trustees and Shareholders of
Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund:
In our opinion, the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the schedule of investments, and the related statements of operations and of changes in net assets and the financial highlights present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund (the Fund), at March 31, 2013, the results of its operations, the changes in its net assets and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These financial statements and financial highlights (hereafter referred to as financial statements) are the responsibility of the Funds management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits, which included confirmation of securities at March 31, 2013 by correspondence with the custodian, brokers, and the application of alternative auditing procedures where securities purchased confirmations had not been received, provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
May 22, 2013
31
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Fund Expenses For the Six Month Period Ended March 31, 2013 (Unaudited) |
As a shareholder of Common Shares of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges on purchase payments; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; service fees; and other Fund expenses. This Example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.
The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from October 1, 2012 through March 31, 2013.
Actual Expenses The first line in the table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000=8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled Expenses Paid to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.
Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes The second line in the table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Funds actual net expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the Funds actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.
Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges, redemption fees, or exchange fees. Therefore, the second line of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.
Common Shares | Beginning Account Value 10/1/12 |
Ending Account Value 3/31/13 |
Expenses Paid for the 6 months ended 3/31/13* |
|||||||||
Actual |
$ | 1,000.00 | $ | 1,041.80 | $ | 7.48 | ||||||
Hypothetical 5% return |
1,000.00 | 1,017.60 | + | 7.39 |
* | Expenses are calculated using the Funds annualized net expense ratio, which represents the ongoing expenses as a percentage of net assets for the six months ended March 31, 2013. Expenses are calculated by multiplying the annualized net expense ratio by the average account value for the period; then multiplying the result by the number of days in the most recent fiscal half year; and then dividing that result by the number of days in the fiscal year. The annualized net expense ratio for the period was 1.47%. |
+ | Hypothetical expenses are based on the Funds actual annualized net expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses. |
32
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Trustees and Officers (Unaudited) Independent Trustees
Name, Address and Age1 |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office
and |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee3 |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee4 | |||||
Ashok N. Bakhru Age: 71 |
Chairman of the Board of Trustees | Since 1996 (Trustee since 1991) | Mr. Bakhru is retired. He is Director, Apollo Investment Corporation (a business development company) (2008-Present); and Member of Cornell University Council (1992-2004 and 2006-Present); and was formerly President, ABN Associates (a management and financial consulting firm) (1994-1996 and 1998-2012); Trustee, Scholarship America (1998-2005); Trustee, Institute for Higher Education Policy (2003-2008); Director, Private Equity Investors III and IV (1998-2007), and Equity-Linked Investors II (April 2002-2007).
Chairman of the Board of Trustees Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
105 | Apollo Investment Corporation (a business development company) | |||||
Donald C. Burke Age: 52 |
Trustee | Since 2010 | Mr. Burke is retired. He is Director, Avista Corp. (2011-Present); and was formerly a Director, BlackRock Luxembourg and Cayman Funds (2006-2010); President and Chief Executive Officer, BlackRock U.S. Funds (2007-2009); Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (2006-2009); Managing Director, Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, L.P. (MLIM) (2006); First Vice President, MLIM (1997-2005); Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, MLIM U.S. Funds (1999-2006).
Trustee Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
104 | Avista Corp. (an energy company) | |||||
John P. Coblentz, Jr. Age: 71 |
Trustee | Since 2003 | Mr. Coblentz is retired. Formerly, he was Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP (1975-2003); Director, Emerging Markets Group, Ltd. (2004-2006); and Director, Elderhostel, Inc. (2006-2012).
Trustee Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
105 | None | |||||
Diana M. Daniels Age: 63 |
Trustee | Since 2007 | Ms. Daniels is retired. Formerly, she was Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, The Washington Post Company (1991-2006). Ms. Daniels is a Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Cornell University (2009-Present); Member, Advisory Board, Psychology Without Borders (international humanitarian aid organization) (2007-Present), and former Member of the Legal Advisory Board, New York Stock Exchange (2003-2006) and of the Corporate Advisory Board, Standish Mellon Management Advisors (2006-2007).
Trustee Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
104 | None | |||||
33
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Trustees and Officers (Unaudited) (continued)
Independent Trustees
Name, Address and Age1 |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office
and |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee3 |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee4 | |||||
Joseph P. LoRusso Age: 55 |
Trustee | Since 2010 | Mr. LoRusso is retired. Formerly, he was President, Fidelity Investments Institutional Services Co. (FIIS) (2002-2008); Director, FIIS (2002-2008); Director, Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company (2003-2007); Executive Officer, Fidelity Distributors Corporation (2007-2008).
Trustee Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
104 | None | |||||
Jessica Palmer Age: 64 |
Trustee | Since 2007 | Ms. Palmer is retired. She is Director, Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture (2011-Present); and was formerly a Consultant, Citigroup Human Resources Department (2007-2008); Managing Director, Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking (previously, Salomon Smith Barney/Salomon Brothers) (1984-2006). Ms. Palmer was a Member of the Board of Trustees of Indian Mountain School (private elementary and secondary school) (2004-2009).
Trustee Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
104 | None | |||||
Richard P. Strubel Age: 73 |
Trustee | Since 1987 | Mr. Strubel is retired. Formerly, he was Director, Cardean Learning Group (provider of educational services via the internet) (2003-2008); Trustee, Emeritus, The University of Chicago (1987-Present).
Trustee Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
105 | The Northern Trust Mutual Fund Complex (64 Portfolios) (Chairman of the Board of Trustees); Gildan Activewear Inc. (a clothing marketing and manufacturing company). | |||||
34
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Trustees and Officers (Unaudited) (continued)
Interested Trustees
Name, Address and Age1 |
Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Term of Office
and |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of Portfolios in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee3 |
Other Directorships Held by Trustee4 | |||||
James A. McNamara* Age: 50 |
President and Trustee | Since 2007 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998-Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998-December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993- April 1998).
President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2007-Present); Senior Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (May 2007-November 2007); and Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (2001-2007).
Trustee Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (since November 2007 and December 2002-May 2004). |
105 | None | |||||
Alan A. Shuch* Age: 63 |
Trustee | Since 1990 | Advisory Director GSAM (May 1999-Present); Consultant to GSAM (December 1994-May 1999); and Limited Partner, Goldman Sachs (December 1994-May 1999).
Trustee Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. |
104 | None | |||||
* | These persons are considered to be Interested Trustees because they hold positions with Goldman Sachs and own securities issued by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Each Interested Trustee holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor. |
1 | Each Trustee may be contacted by writing to the Trustee, c/o Goldman Sachs, 200 West Street, New York, New York, 10282, Attn: Caroline Kraus. Information is provided as of March 31, 2013. |
2 | Each Trustee holds office for an indefinite term until the earliest of: (a) the election of his or her successor; (b) the date the Trustee resigns or is removed by the Board of Trustees or shareholders, in accordance with the Trusts Declaration of Trust; (c) the conclusion of the first Board meeting held subsequent to the day the Trustee attains the age of 74 years (in accordance with the current resolutions of the Board of Trustees, which may be changed by the Trustees without shareholder vote); or (d) the termination of the Trust. |
3 | The Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex consists of the Goldman Sachs Credit Strategies Fund, Goldman Sachs Trust, Goldman Sachs Trust II, Goldman Sachs Municipal Opportunity Fund, and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust. As of March 31, 2013, the Trust consisted of 90 portfolios (81 of which offered shares to the public); Goldman Sachs Trust II consisted of 1 portfolio (which did not offer shares to the public); Goldman Sachs Municipal Opportunity Fund did not offer shares to the public; and Goldman Sachs Variable Insurance Trust consisted of 12 portfolios. |
4 | This column includes only directorships of companies required to report to the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (i.e., public companies) or other investment companies registered under the Act. |
Additional information about the Trustees is available in the Funds Statement of Additional Information, which can be obtained from Goldman Sachs free of charge by calling this toll-free number (in the United States of America): 1-800-292-4726.
35
GOLDMAN SACHS CREDIT STRATEGIES FUND
Trustees and Officers (Unaudited) (continued)
Officers of the Trust*
Name, Address and Age | Position(s) Held With the Trust |
Term of Office
and |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years | |||
James A. McNamara 200 West Street Age: 50 |
President and Trustee | Since 2007 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (December 1998-Present); Director of Institutional Fund Sales, GSAM (April 1998-December 2000); and Senior Vice President and Manager, Dreyfus Institutional Service Corporation (January 1993-April 1998). President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2007-Present); Senior Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (May 2007-November 2007); and Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (2001-2007).
Trustee Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2007-Present and December 2002-May 2004). | |||
George F. Travers 30 Hudson Street Age: 45 |
Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer | Since 2009 | Managing Director, Goldman Sachs (2007-Present); Managing Director, UBS Ag (2005-2007); and Partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP (1990-2005, partner from 2000-2005).
Senior Vice President and Principal Financial Officer Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex. | |||
Caroline Kraus 200 West Street Age: 35 |
Secretary | Since 2012 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (August 2006-Present); Associate General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (2012-Present); Assistant General Counsel, Goldman Sachs (August 2006-December 2011) and Associate, Weil, Gotshal & Manges-LLP (2002-2006).
Secretary Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (August 2012-Present) and Assistant Secretary Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (June 2012-August 2012). | |||
Scott M. McHugh 200 West Street Age: 41 |
Treasurer and Senior Vice President | Since 2009 | Vice President, Goldman Sachs (February 2007-Present); Assistant Treasurer of certain mutual funds administered by DWS Scudder (2005-2007); and Director (2005-2007), Vice President (2000-2005) and Assistant Vice President (1998-2000), Deutsche Asset Management or its predecessor (1998-2007).
Treasurer Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (October 2009-Present); Senior Vice President Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (November 2009-Present); and Assistant Treasurer Goldman Sachs Mutual Fund Complex (May 2007-October 2009). | |||
1 | Officers hold office at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees or until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Each officer holds comparable positions with certain other companies of which Goldman Sachs, GSAM or an affiliate thereof is the investment adviser, administrator and/or distributor. Information is provided as of March 31, 2013. |
* | Represents a partial list of officers of the Trust. Additional information about all the officers is available in the Funds Statement of Additional Information, which can be obtained from Goldman Sachs free of charge by calling this toll-free number (in the United States): 1-800-292-4726. |
Credit Strategies Fund Tax Information (Unaudited)
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, 1.31% of the dividends paid from net investment company taxable income by the Credit Strategies Fund qualify for the dividends received deduction available to corporations.
For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, 1.24% of the dividends paid from net investment company taxable income by the Credit Strategies Fund qualify for the reduced tax rate under the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief and Reconciliation Act of 2003.
Pursuant to Section 871(k) of the Internal Revenue Code, the Credit Strategies Fund designates $11,420,212, as short-term capital gain dividends paid during the year ended March 31, 2013.
36
FUNDS PROFILE
Goldman Sachs Funds
Goldman Sachs is a premier financial services firm, known since 1869 for creating thoughtful and customized investment solutions in complex global markets.
Today, the Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs serves a diverse set of clients worldwide, including private institutions, public entities and individuals. With approximately $748.1 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2013, Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) has portfolio management teams located around the world and our investment professionals bring firsthand knowledge of local markets to every investment decision. GSAMs assets under management includes assets managed by Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and its Investment Advisory Affiliates.
OVERVIEW OF GOLDMAN SACHS FUNDS |
Money Market1
Financial Square FundsSM
n | Financial Square Tax-Exempt Funds |
n | Financial Square Federal Fund |
n | Financial Square Government Fund |
n | Financial Square Money Market Fund |
n | Financial Square Prime Obligations Fund |
n | Financial Square Treasury Instruments Fund |
n | Financial Square Treasury Obligations Fund |
Fixed Income
Short Duration and Government
n | Enhanced Income Fund |
n | High Quality Floating Rate Fund2 |
n | Short Duration Government Fund |
n | Short Duration Income Fund |
n | Government Income Fund |
n | Inflation Protected Securities Fund |
Multi-Sector
n | Core Fixed Income Fund |
n | Core Plus Fixed Income Fund |
n | Global Income Fund |
n | Strategic Income Fund |
n | World Bond Fund |
Municipal and Tax-Free
n | High Yield Municipal Fund |
n | Municipal Income Fund |
n | Short Duration Tax-Free Fund |
Single Sector
n | Investment Grade Credit Fund |
n | U.S. Mortgages Fund |
n | High Yield Fund |
n | High Yield Floating Rate Fund |
n | Emerging Markets Debt Fund |
n | Local Emerging Markets Debt Fund |
Corporate Credit
n | Credit Strategies Fund |
Fundamental Equity
n | Growth and Income Fund |
n | Small Cap Value Fund |
n | Mid Cap Value Fund |
n | Large Cap Value Fund |
n | Capital Growth Fund |
n | Strategic Growth Fund |
n | Focused Growth Fund |
n | Small/Mid Cap Growth Fund |
n | Flexible Cap Growth Fund |
n | Concentrated Growth Fund |
n | Technology Tollkeeper Fund |
n | Growth Opportunities Fund |
n | Rising Dividend Growth Fund |
n | U.S. Equity Fund |
n | Income Builder Fund3 |
Structured Equity4
n | Structured Small Cap Equity Fund |
n | Structured U.S. Equity Fund |
n | Structured Small Cap Growth Fund |
n | Structured Large Cap Growth Fund |
n | Structured Large Cap Value Fund |
n | Structured Small Cap Value Fund |
n | Structured Tax-Managed Equity Fund |
n | Structured International Tax-Managed Equity Fund |
n | U.S. Equity Dividend and Premium Fund |
n | International Equity Dividend and Premium Fund |
n | Structured International Small Cap Fund |
n | Structured International Equity Fund |
n | Structured Emerging Markets Equity Fund |
Fundamental Equity International
n | Strategic International Equity Fund |
n | Concentrated International Equity Fund |
n | International Small Cap Fund |
n | Asia Equity Fund |
n | Emerging Markets Equity Fund |
n | BRIC Fund (Brazil, Russia, India, China) |
n | N-11 Equity Fund |
n | China Equity Fund |
Select Satellite5
n | Real Estate Securities Fund |
n | International Real Estate Securities Fund |
n | Commodity Strategy Fund |
n | Dynamic Allocation Fund |
n | Absolute Return Tracker Fund |
n | Managed Futures Strategy Fund |
n | MLP Energy Infrastructure Fund |
n | Retirement Portfolio Completion Fund |
n | Income Strategies Portfolio |
Total Portfolio Solutions5
n | Balanced Strategy Portfolio |
n | Growth and Income Strategy Portfolio |
n | Growth Strategy Portfolio |
n | Equity Growth Strategy Portfolio |
n | Satellite Strategies Portfolio |
n | Enhanced Dividend Global Equity Portfolio |
n | Tax Advantaged Global Equity Portfolio |
1 | An investment in a money market fund is neither insured nor guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. Although the Funds seek to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Funds. |
2 | Effective at the close of business on July 27, 2012, the Goldman Sachs Ultra-Short Duration Government Fund was renamed the Goldman Sachs High Quality Floating Rate Fund. |
3 | Effective at the close of business on June 29, 2012, the Goldman Sachs Balanced Fund was renamed the Goldman Sachs Income Builder Fund. |
4 | Effective at the close of business May 3, 2013, the Goldman Sachs Structured Large Cap Growth, Structured Large Cap Value, Structured Small Cap Equity, Structured Small Cap Growth, Structured Small Cap Value, Structured U.S. Equity, Structured Emerging Markets Equity, Structured International Equity and Structured International Small Cap Funds were renamed the Goldman Sachs Large Cap Growth Insights, Large Cap Value Insights, Small Cap Equity Insights, Small Cap Growth Insights, Small Cap Value Insights, U.S. Equity Insights, Emerging Markets Equity Insights, International Equity Insights and International Small Cap Insights Funds respectively. |
5 | Individual Funds within the Total Portfolio Solutions and Select Satellite categories will have various placement on the risk/return spectrum and may have greater or lesser risk than that indicated by the placement of the general Total Portfolio Solutions or Select Satellite category. |
Financial Square FundsSM is a registered service mark of Goldman, Sachs & Co.
TRUSTEES Ashok N. Bakhru, Chairman Donald C. Burke John P. Coblentz, Jr. Diana M. Daniels Joseph P. LoRusso James A. McNamara Jessica Palmer Alan A. Shuch Richard P. Strubel |
OFFICERS James A. McNamara, President George F. Travers, Principal Financial Officer Caroline Kraus, Secretary Scott M. McHugh, Treasurer | |
GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO. Distributor and Transfer Agent |
GOLDMAN SACHS ASSET MANAGEMENT, L.P. Investment Adviser |
Visit our web site at www.goldmansachsfunds.com to obtain the most recent month-end returns.
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P., 200 West Street, New York, New York 10282
The reports concerning the Fund included in this shareholder report may contain certain forward-looking statements about the factors that may affect the performance of the Fund in the future. These statements are based on Fund managements predictions and expectations concerning certain future events and their expected impact on the Fund, such as performance of the economy as a whole and of specific industry sectors, changes in the levels of interest rates, the impact of developing world events, and other factors that may influence the future performance of the Fund. Management believes these forward-looking statements to be reasonable, although they are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Actual events may cause adjustments in portfolio management strategies from those currently expected to be employed.
A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities and information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities for the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, are available (I) without charge, upon request by calling 1-800-526-7384; and (II) on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) web site at http://www.sec.gov.
The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The Funds Forms N-Q are available on the SECs web site at http://www.sec.gov within 60 days after the Funds first and third fiscal quarters. The Funds Forms N-Q may be reviewed and copied at the SECs Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may also be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330. Form N-Q may be obtained upon request and without charge by calling 1-800-526-7384 (for Retail Shareholders) or 1-800-621-2550 (for Institutional Shareholders).
Economic and market forecasts presented herein reflect our judgment as of the date of this presentation and are subject to change without notice. These forecasts do not take into account the specific investment objectives, restrictions, tax and financial situation or other needs of any specific client. Actual data will vary and may not be reflected here. These forecasts are subject to high levels of uncertainty that may affect actual performance. Accordingly, these forecasts should be viewed as merely representative of a broad range of possible outcomes. These forecasts are estimated, based on assumptions, and are subject to significant revision and may change materially as economic and market conditions change. Goldman Sachs has no obligation to provide updates or changes to these forecasts. Case studies and examples are for illustrative purposes only.
Holdings and allocations shown are as of March 31, 2013 and may not be representative of future investments. Fund holdings should not be relied on in making investment decisions and should not be construed as research or investment advice regarding particular securities. Current and future holdings are subject to risk.
This material is not authorized for distribution to prospective investors unless preceded or accompanied by a current Prospectus or summary prospectus, if applicable. Investors should consider a Funds objective, risks, and charges and expenses, and read the summary prospectus, if available, and/or the Prospectus carefully before investing or sending money. The summary prospectus, if available, and the Prospectus contain this and other information about a Fund and may be obtained from your authorized dealer or from Goldman, Sachs & Co. by calling (retail 1-800-526-7384) (institutional 1-800-621-2550).
© 2013 Goldman Sachs. All rights reserved. 100062.MF.MED.TMPL/5/2013 CRSTRATAR13/1K
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