497K 1 d151123d497k.htm GOLDMAN SACHS TRUST Goldman Sachs Trust

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Class A:    GDCAX    Class C:    GDCCX    Institutional:    GDCIX    Class IR:    GDRIX    Class R:    GDCRX

Before you invest, you may want to review the Goldman Sachs Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund’s (the “Fund”) Prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s Prospectus and other information about the Fund, including the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) and most recent annual reports to shareholders, online at www.gsamfunds.com/summaries. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800-621-2550 for Institutional shareholders, 800-526-7384 for all other shareholders or by sending an e-mail request to gs-funds-document-requests@gs.com. The Fund’s Prospectus and SAI, both dated July 31, 2015, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE    

The Goldman Sachs Dynamic Commodity Strategy Fund (the “Fund”) seeks long-term total return.

 

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND    

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on purchases of Class A Shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in Goldman Sachs Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in “Shareholder Guide—Common Questions Applicable to the Purchase of Class A Shares” beginning on page 76 of the Prospectus and “Other Information Regarding Maximum Sales Charge, Purchases, Redemptions, Exchanges and Dividends” beginning on page B-127 of the Fund’s SAI.

SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)

 

     Class A       Class C       Institutional       Class IR       Class R  

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
(as a percentage of offering price)

    4.50   None   None   None   None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a
percentage of the lower of original purchase
price or sale proceeds)
1

    None      1.00%   None   None   None

ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

     Class A     Class C     Institutional     Class IR     Class R  

Management Fees

    0.80     0.80     0.80     0.80     0.80

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

    0.25     0.75     None        None        0.50

Other Expenses2

    1.19     1.45     1.10     1.20     1.20

Service Fees

    None        0.25     None        None        None   

All Other Expenses

    1.19     1.20     1.10     1.20     1.20

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses3

    0.22     0.22     0.22     0.22     0.22

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses4

    2.46     3.22     2.12     2.22     2.72

Fee Waiver and Expense Limitation5

    (1.23 )%      (1.20 )%      (1.21 )%      (1.21 )%      (1.21 )% 

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Limitation4

    1.23     2.02     0.91     1.01     1.51

 

1 

A contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1% is imposed on Class C Shares redeemed within 12 months of purchase.

 

2 

The Fund’s “Other Expenses” have been restated to reflect expenses expected to be incurred during the current fiscal year.

 

3

The Fund’s “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” reflect the expenses (including the management fee) borne by the Fund as a shareholder of the DCS Subsidiary (as defined below) and other investment companies in which the Fund invests.

 

4 

The “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses” do not correlate to the ratios of net and total expenses to average net assets provided in the Financial Highlights, which reflect the operating expenses of the Fund and do not include “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses”.

 

5 

The Investment Adviser has agreed to (i) waive a portion of the management fee in an amount equal to the management fee paid to the Investment Adviser by the DCS Subsidiary at an annual rate of 0.42% of the DCS Subsidiary’s average daily net assets, and (ii) reduce or limit “Other Expenses” (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, transfer agency fees and expenses, service fees, taxes, interest, brokerage fees, shareholder meeting, litigation, indemnification and extraordinary expenses) to 0.014% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. The management fee waiver arrangement may not be discontinued by the Investment Adviser as long as its contract with the DCS Subsidiary is in place. The expense limitation arrangement will remain in effect through at least July 31, 2016, and prior to such date the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees.

 

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2        SUMMARY PROSPECTUS — GOLDMAN SACHS DYNAMIC COMMODITY STRATEGY FUND

 

EXPENSE EXAMPLE    

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in Class A, Class C, Institutional, Class IR and/or Class R Shares of the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Class A, Class C, Institutional, Class IR and/or Class R Shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the Example incorporates the fee waiver and expense limitation arrangements for only the first year). Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

                                       
     1 Year     3 Years     5 Years     10 Years  

Class A Shares

  $ 570      $ 1,071      $ 1,597      $ 3,035   

Class C Shares

       

— Assuming complete redemption at end of period

  $ 305      $ 882      $ 1,582      $ 3,445   

— Assuming no redemption

  $ 205      $ 882      $ 1,582      $ 3,445   

Institutional Shares

  $ 93      $ 549      $ 1,031      $ 2,363   

Class IR Shares

  $ 103      $ 579      $ 1,081      $ 2,463   

Class R Shares

  $ 154      $ 730      $ 1,333      $ 2,964   

 

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER    

The Fund pays 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, including brokerage commissions, which must be borne by the 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 Fund’s performance. The Fund’s portfolio turnover rate for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 was 0% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

PRINCIPAL STRATEGY    

The Fund seeks to maintain substantial economic exposure to the performance of the commodities markets. The Fund primarily gains exposure to the commodities markets by investing in a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Fund organized as a company under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “DCS Subsidiary”) and in commodity index-linked structured notes. The DCS Subsidiary is advised by the Investment Adviser, and has the same investment objective as the Fund.

The Fund seeks to provide exposure to various commodities and commodity sectors by investing, through the DCS Subsidiary, in commodity-linked investments. The Investment Adviser will tactically shift the Fund’s commodities and commodity sector weightings relative to the Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return (the “Index”) both to take advantage of changing market opportunities for greater capital appreciation and in response to changing market risk conditions. At any given time, the Fund may establish overweight positions in those commodities or commodity sectors that the Investment Adviser believes will outperform and hold underweight positions in those commodities or commodity sectors that the Investment Adviser believes will underperform the broader index. The Fund will also seek to add incremental returns through the use of “roll-timing” or similar strategies as described further below.

Investment in the Subsidiary. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in the DCS Subsidiary. The DCS Subsidiary primarily obtains its commodity exposure by investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments (which may include total return swaps). Commodity-linked swaps are derivative instruments whereby the cash flows agreed upon between counterparties are dependent upon the price of the underlying commodity or commodity index over the life of the swap. The value of the swap will rise and fall in response to changes in the underlying commodity or commodity index. Commodity-linked swaps expose the DCS Subsidiary and the Fund economically to movements in commodity prices. Such instruments may be leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses to the Fund. Neither the Fund nor the DCS Subsidiary purchases or holds physical commodities directly. The DCS Subsidiary will also invest in other instruments, including fixed income securities, either as investments or to serve as margin or collateral for its swap positions.

Roll-Timing Strategies. The Fund employs commodity roll-timing strategies. “Rolling” futures exposure is the process by which the holder of a particular futures contract or other instrument providing futures exposure (e.g., swaps) will sell such contract or instrument on or before the expiration date and simultaneously purchase a new contract or instrument with similar or identical terms except for a later expiration date. This process allows a holder of the instrument to extend its current position through the original instrument’s expiration without delivering the underlying asset. The Fund’s rolling may differ from that of the Index to the extent necessary to enable the Fund to seek excess returns over the Index. The Fund’s “roll-timing” strategies may include, for example, rolling the Fund’s commodity exposure earlier or later versus the Index, or holding and rolling positions with longer or different expiration dates than the Index.

Fixed Income Investments. As a result of the Fund’s use of derivatives, the Fund may hold as collateral significant amounts of U.S. Treasury and other developed sovereign and/or agency-guaranteed debt in addition to short-term investments, money market funds. In managing the collateral portion of the Fund’s investment strategy, the Investment Adviser generally seeks capital preservation. The Fund may also invest in corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities, asset-backed securities, and municipal securities. The Fund invests in investment grade fixed income securities, and may invest up to 10% of its assets in non-investment grade fixed income securities (commonly known as “junk bonds”). The average duration of this portion of the Fund’s portfolio will vary. The Investment Adviser uses derivatives, including futures and swaps, to manage the duration of the Fund’s fixed income investment portfolio.


 

3        SUMMARY PROSPECTUS — GOLDMAN SACHS DYNAMIC COMMODITY STRATEGY FUND

 

Other. The Fund may also invest in options, forwards, futures, and swaps. The Fund invests in forwards, futures and interest rate swaps to seek to increase total return and/or for hedging purposes.

The Fund’s benchmark index is the Bloomberg Commodity Index Total Return.

THE FUND IS NON-DIVERSIFIED UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940, AS AMENDED (“INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT”), AND MAY INVEST MORE OF ITS ASSETS IN FEWER ISSUERS THAN DIVERSIFIED MUTUAL FUNDS.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS OF THE FUND    

Loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund. The investment program of the Fund is speculative, entails substantial risks and includes asset classes and investment techniques not employed by more traditional mutual funds. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved. Moreover, there is no assurance that the investment processes of the Fund will be successful, that the techniques utilized therein will be implemented successfully or that they are adequate for their intended uses, or that the discretionary element of the investment processes of the Fund will be exercised in a manner that is successful or that is not adverse to the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any government agency. Investors should carefully consider these risks before investing.

Absence of Regulation. The Fund engages in over-the-counter (“OTC”) transactions, which trade in a dealer network, rather than on an exchange. In general, there is less governmental regulation and supervision of transactions in the OTC markets than of transactions entered into on organized exchanges.

Commodity Sector Risk. Exposure to the commodities markets may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in more traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked investments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. The prices of energy, industrial metals, precious metals, agriculture and livestock sector commodities may fluctuate widely due to factors such as changes in value, supply and demand and governmental regulatory policies. The commodity-linked investments in which the DCS Subsidiary enters into may involve counterparties in the financial services sector, and events affecting the financial services sector may cause the DCS Subsidiary’s, and therefore the Fund’s, share value to fluctuate.

Credit/Default Risk. An issuer or guarantor of fixed income securities 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 Fund’s liquidity and cause significant deterioration in NAV. These risks are more pronounced in connection with the Fund’s investments in non-investment grade fixed income securities.

Derivatives Risk. Loss may result from the Fund’s investments in forwards, futures, swaps, and other derivative instruments. These instruments may be leveraged so that small changes in the value of the 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 obligation.

Large Shareholder Transactions Risk. The Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders purchase or redeem large amounts of shares of the Fund. Such large shareholder redemptions may cause the Fund to sell portfolio securities at times when it would not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Fund’s NAV and liquidity. Similarly, large Fund share purchases may adversely affect the Fund’s performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also accelerate the realization of taxable income to shareholders if such sales of investments resulted in gains, and may also increase transaction costs. In addition, a large redemption could result in the Fund’s current expenses being allocated over a smaller asset base, leading to an increase in the Fund’s expense ratio.

Leverage Risk. The use of derivatives may result in leverage and may make the Fund more volatile. The use of leverage may cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions to satisfy its obligations or to meet asset segregation requirements when it may not be advantageous to do so. The use of leverage by the Fund can substantially increase the adverse impact to which the Fund’s investment portfolio may be subject.

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. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities or the lack of an active market. The potential for liquidity risk may be magnified by a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds may be higher than normal, potentially causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity.

Market Risk. The value of the securities 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.


 

4        SUMMARY PROSPECTUS — GOLDMAN SACHS DYNAMIC COMMODITY STRATEGY FUND

 

Mortgage-Backed and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk. Mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities are subject to certain additional risks, including “extension risk” (i.e., in periods of rising interest rates, issuers may pay principal later than expected) and “prepayment risk” (i.e., in periods of declining interest rates, issuers may pay principal more quickly than expected, causing the Fund to reinvest proceeds at lower prevailing interest rates). Mortgage-backed securities offered by non-governmental issuers are subject to other risks as well, including failures of private insurers to meet their obligations and unexpectedly high rates of default on the mortgages backing the securities. Other asset-backed securities are subject to risks similar to those associated with mortgage-backed securities, as well as risks associated with the nature and servicing of the assets backing the securities. Asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of a security interest in collateral comparable to that of mortgage assets, resulting in additional credit risk.

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.

Subsidiary Risk. The DCS Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act and is not subject to all the investor protections of the Investment Company Act. Changes in the laws of the United States and/or the Cayman Islands could result in the inability of the Fund and/or the DCS Subsidiary to operate as described in this Prospectus and the SAI and could adversely affect the Fund.

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 counterparty’s 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 Subsidiary to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.

Tax Risk. The Fund will seek to gain exposure to the commodity markets primarily through investments in the DCS Subsidiary and commodity index-linked structured notes. Historically, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) issued private letter rulings in which the IRS specifically concluded that income and gains from investments in commodity index-linked structured notes or a wholly-owned foreign subsidiary that invests in commodity-linked instruments are “qualifying income” for purposes of compliance with Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). However, the Fund has not received such a private letter ruling, and is not able to rely on private letter rulings issued to other taxpayers. Additionally, the IRS has suspended the granting of such private letter rulings, pending review of its position on this matter. The tax treatment of the Fund’s investments in the DCS Subsidiary or commodity index-linked structured notes may be adversely affected by future legislation, Treasury Regulations and/or guidance issued by the IRS (which may be retroactive) that could affect whether income derived from such investments is “qualifying income” under Subchapter M of Code, or otherwise affect the character, timing and/or amount of the Fund’s taxable income or any gains and distributions made by the Fund. In connection with investments in the DCS Subsidiary and commodity index-linked structured notes, the Fund has obtained an opinion of counsel that its income from such investments should constitute “qualifying income.” However, no assurances can be provided that the IRS would not be able to successfully assert that the Fund’s income from such investments was not “qualifying income”, in which case the Fund would fail to qualify as a regulated investment company (“RIC”) under Subchapter M of the Code if over 10% of its gross income was derived from these investments. If the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC, it would be subject to federal and state income tax on all of its taxable income at regular corporate tax rates with no deduction for any distributions paid to shareholders, which would significantly adversely affect the returns to, and could cause substantial loss for, Fund shareholders.

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 their 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.

 

PERFORMANCE    

As the Fund had not operated for a full calendar year as of the date of this Prospectus, there is no performance information quoted for the Fund. Updated performance information is available at no cost at www.gsamfunds.com/performance or by calling the appropriate phone number on the back cover of this Prospectus.


 

5        SUMMARY PROSPECTUS — GOLDMAN SACHS DYNAMIC COMMODITY STRATEGY FUND

 

PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT    

Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund (the “Investment Adviser” or “GSAM”).

Portfolio Managers: Samuel Finkelstein, Managing Director, Global Head of Macro Strategies, has managed the Fund since 2014; Michael Johnson, Managing Director, has managed the Fund since 2014; and John Calvaruso, CFA, Vice President, has managed the Fund since 2014.

 

BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES    

The minimum initial investment for Class A and Class C Shares is, generally, $1,000. The minimum initial investment for Institutional Shares is, generally, $1,000,000 for individual or certain institutional investors, alone or in combination with other assets under the management of the Investment Adviser and its affiliates. There is no minimum for initial purchases of Class IR and Class R Shares. Those share classes with a minimum initial investment requirement do not impose it on certain employee benefit plans, and Institutional Shares do not impose it on certain investment advisers investing on behalf of other accounts.

The minimum subsequent investment for Class A and Class C shareholders is $50, except for certain employee benefit plans, for which there is no minimum. There is no minimum subsequent investment for Institutional, Class IR or Class R shareholders. You may purchase and redeem (sell) shares of the Fund on any business day through certain banks, trust companies, brokers, dealers, investment advisers and other financial institutions (“Authorized Institutions”).

 

TAX INFORMATION    

The Fund’s distributions are taxable, and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Investments through tax-deferred arrangements may become taxable upon withdrawal from such arrangements.

 

PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL  INTERMEDIARIES    

If you purchase the 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 Institution’s website for more information.


 

6        SUMMARY PROSPECTUS — GOLDMAN SACHS DYNAMIC COMMODITY STRATEGY FUND

 

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