Class A: GARDX Class C: GAREX Institutional: GARFX Class IR: GARMX Class R: GARRX Class R6: GARNX
Before you invest, you may want to review the Goldman Sachs Absolute Return Multi-Asset 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 and Class R6 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 February 26, 2016, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.
| INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE |
The Fund seeks to achieve long-term absolute 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 $50,000 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 42 of the Prospectus and “Other Information Regarding Maximum Sales Charge, Purchases, Redemptions, Exchanges and Dividends” beginning on page B-96 of the Fund’s SAI.
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
| Class A | Class C | Institutional | Class IR | Class R | Class R6 | |||||||||||
| Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on |
5.50 | % | None | None | None | None | None | |||||||||
| Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a |
None | 1.00 | % | None | None | None | None | |||||||||
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
| Class A | Class C | Institutional | Class IR | Class R | Class R6 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Management Fees |
0.85 | % | 0.85 | % | 0.85 | % | 0.85 | % | 0.85 | % | 0.85 | % | ||||||||||||
| Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
0.25 | % | 0.75 | % | None | None | 0.50 | % | None | |||||||||||||||
| Other Expenses2 |
1.84 | % | 2.09 | % | 1.69 | % | 1.84 | % | 1.84 | % | 1.67 | % | ||||||||||||
| Service Fees |
None | 0.25 | % | None | None | None | None | |||||||||||||||||
| All Other Expenses |
1.84 | % | 1.84 | % | 1.69 | % | 1.84 | % | 1.84 | % | 1.67 | % | ||||||||||||
| Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses3 |
0.94 | % | 0.94 | % | 0.94 | % | 0.94 | % | 0.94 | % | 0.94 | % | ||||||||||||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses4 |
3.88 | % | 4.63 | % | 3.48 | % | 3.63 | % | 4.13 | % | 3.46 | % | ||||||||||||
| Fee Waivers and Expense Limitation5 |
(2.40 | )% | (2.40 | )% | (2.40 | )% | (2.40 | )% | (2.40 | )% | (2.40 | )% | ||||||||||||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and Expense Limitation4 |
1.48 | % | 2.23 | % | 1.08 | % | 1.23 | % | 1.73 | % | 1.06 | % | ||||||||||||
| 1 | A contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% 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 | Acquired (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses reflect the expenses (including the management fee) borne by the Fund as the sole shareholder of the 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 (Underlying) Fund Fees and Expenses. |
| 5 | The Investment Adviser has agreed to (i) 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 0.104% of the Fund’s average daily net assets; (ii) waive a portion of its management fee payable by the Fund in an amount equal to any management fees it earns as an investment adviser to any of the affiliated funds in which the Fund invests; and (iii) waive a portion of its management fee in an amount equal to the management fee paid to the Investment Adviser by the Subsidiary at an annual rate of 0.42% of the Subsidiary’s average daily net assets. The management fee waiver arrangement with respect to the Subsidiary may not be discontinued by the Investment Adviser as long as its contract with the Subsidiary is in place. The other management fee waiver and expense limitation arrangements will remain in effect through at least February 26, 2017, and prior to such date the Investment Adviser may not terminate the arrangement without the approval of the Board of Trustees. |
2 SUMMARY PROSPECTUS — GOLDMAN SACHS ABSOLUTE RETURN MULTI-ASSET 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.
This Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in Class A, Class C, Institutional, Class IR, Class R and/or Class R6 Shares of the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your Class A, Class C, Institutional, Class IR, Class R and/or Class R6 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 | |||||||
| Class A Shares |
$ | 692 | $ | 1,460 | ||||
| Class C Shares |
||||||||
| – Assuming complete redemption at end of period |
$ | 326 | $ | 1,181 | ||||
| – Assuming no redemption |
$ | 226 | $ | 1,181 | ||||
| Institutional Shares |
$ | 110 | $ | 844 | ||||
| Class IR Shares |
$ | 125 | $ | 889 | ||||
| Class R Shares |
$ | 176 | $ | 1,036 | ||||
| Class R6 Shares |
$ | 108 | $ | 838 | ||||
| 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 the 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 period since the commencement of operations on September 2, 2015 through the period ended October 31, 2015 was 1% of the average value of its portfolio.
| PRINCIPAL STRATEGY |
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective through investment in different asset classes, geographic regions, and security selection strategies. The Fund invests primarily in a portfolio of equity, fixed income, commodities, and currency asset classes, including derivatives that provide exposure to those asset classes. The Fund currently intends to gain exposure to the asset classes listed below principally through the following investments:
| Asset Class | Principal Investments | |
| Equities |
Equity securities, exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), master limited partnerships (“MLPs”), derivatives and pooled investment vehicles including other investment companies | |
| Government Bond Fixed Income |
Government bonds, debt securities, derivatives, other investment companies | |
| Credit Fixed Income |
Fixed rate and floating rate corporate bonds, debt securities, derivatives, asset-backed securities and other investment companies | |
| Commodities | Publicly-traded partnerships (“PTPs”), ETFs, other investment companies and derivatives | |
| Currency | Developed and emerging currencies |
The Investment Adviser seeks to allocate the Fund’s risk across a range of exposures, which may vary depending on the market environment. The Investment Adviser employs global macro investment views in order to dynamically reallocate across asset classes, regions and strategies in response to changing market conditions. The percentage of the Fund’s portfolio exposed to any asset class or geographic region will vary from time to time, and the Fund may not be invested in each asset class at all times. At times the Fund may be heavily invested in certain asset classes or geographic regions, depending on the asset allocation of the strategy.
The Fund invests in at least three countries, including the United States, and may invest in securities of issuers in countries with emerging markets or economies (“emerging countries”) and securities denominated in a currency other than the U.S. dollar. The Fund’s investments may be publicly traded or privately issued or negotiated. The Fund may invest without restriction as to issuer capitalization, country, currency, maturity or credit rating.
The Investment Adviser expects that the Fund will invest in the Goldman Sachs Long Short Fund, the Goldman Sachs High Yield Fund, and the Goldman Sachs Fixed Income Macro Strategies Fund and other Goldman Sachs funds (collectively, the “Underlying Funds”) as may be determined by the Investment Adviser from time to time without considering or canvassing the universe of unaffiliated investment companies available.
The Fund may also invest in derivatives for both hedging and non-hedging purposes. The Fund’s derivative investments may
3 SUMMARY PROSPECTUS — GOLDMAN SACHS ABSOLUTE RETURN MULTI-ASSET FUND
include (i) futures contracts, including futures based on equity or fixed income securities and/or equity or fixed income indices, interest rate futures, currency futures and swap futures; (ii) swaps, including equity, currency, interest rate, total return, variance and credit default swaps, and swaps on futures contracts; (iii) options, including long and short positions in call options and put options on indices, individual securities or currencies, swaptions and options on futures contracts; (iv) forward contracts, including forwards based on equity or fixed income securities and/or equity or fixed income indices, currency forwards, interest rate forwards, swap forwards and non-deliverable forwards; and (v) other instruments, including structured securities, credit linked notes, exchange-traded notes, and contracts for differences (“CFDs”).
The Fund may take long and/or short positions in a wide range of asset classes, including equities, fixed income, commodities and currencies, among others. Long positions benefit from an increase in the price of the underlying instrument or asset class, while short positions benefit from a decrease in that price. The Fund may implement short positions through short sales of any instrument (including ETFs) that the Fund may purchase for investment or by using options, swaps, futures, forwards and other derivatives. For example, the Fund may enter into a futures contract pursuant to which it agrees to sell an asset that it does not currently own at a specified price and time in the future. This gives the Fund a short position with respect to that asset.
The Fund may gain 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 “Subsidiary”). The Subsidiary is advised by the Investment Adviser and seeks to gain commodities exposure. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in the Subsidiary. The Subsidiary primarily obtains its commodity exposure by investing in commodity-linked derivative instruments, which may include but are not limited to total return swaps, commodity (U.S. or foreign) futures and commodity-linked notes. 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. Commodity futures contracts are standardized, exchange-traded contracts that provide for the sale or purchase of, or economic exposure to the price of, a commodity or a specified basket of commodities at a future time. The value of these commodity-linked derivatives will rise and fall in response to changes in the underlying commodity or commodity index. Commodity-linked derivatives expose the Subsidiary and the Fund economically to movements in commodity prices. Such instruments may be leveraged so that small changes in the underlying commodity prices would result in disproportionate changes in the value of the instrument. Neither the Fund nor the Subsidiary invests directly in physical commodities. The Subsidiary may also invest in other instruments, including fixed income securities, either as investments or to serve as margin or collateral for its swap positions, and foreign currency transactions (including forward contracts).
The Fund’s benchmark index is the Bank of America Merrill Lynch U.S. Dollar Three-Month LIBOR Constant Maturity Index.
| 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 alternative investment techniques not employed by traditional mutual funds. The Fund should not be relied upon as a complete investment program. The Fund’s investment techniques (if they do not perform as designed) may increase the volatility of performance and the risk of investment loss, including the loss of the entire amount that is invested, and there can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved. Moreover, certain investment techniques which the Fund may employ in its investment program can substantially increase the adverse impact to which the Fund’s investments may be subject. 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.
Asset Allocation Risk. The Fund’s allocations to the various asset classes may cause the Fund to underperform other funds with a similar investment objective.
Call/Prepayment Risk. An issuer could exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation held by the Fund (such as a mortgage-backed security) earlier than expected. This may happen when there is a decline in interest rates, when credit spreads change, or when an issuer’s credit quality improves. Under these circumstances, the Fund may be unable to recoup all of its initial investment and will also suffer from having to reinvest in lower-yielding securities.
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. Some of the commodity-linked investments in which the Fund may enter into may be issued by companies in the financial services sector, and events affecting the financial services sector may cause the Fund’s share value to fluctuate.
Counterparty Risk. Many of the protections afforded to cleared transactions, such as the security afforded by transacting through a clearing house, might not be available in connection with over
4 SUMMARY PROSPECTUS — GOLDMAN SACHS ABSOLUTE RETURN MULTI-ASSET FUND
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 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 net asset value (“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 options, futures, swaps, forwards, structured securities and other derivative instruments. These instruments may be illiquid, difficult to price and 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 obligations. In December 2015, the SEC proposed new regulations relating to a mutual fund’s use of derivatives and related instruments. If these or other regulations are adopted, they could significantly limit or impact a Fund’s ability to invest in derivatives and other instruments and adversely affect such Fund’s performance and ability to pursue its investment objectives.
Expenses Risk. By investing in pooled investment vehicles (including investment companies and ETFs), partnerships and REITs indirectly through the Fund, the investor will incur not only a proportionate share of the expenses of the other pooled investment vehicles, partnerships and REITs held by the Fund (including operating costs and investment management fees), but also expenses of the Fund.
Floating and Variable Rate Obligations Risk. For floating and variable rate obligations, there may be a lag between an actual change in the underlying interest rate benchmark and the reset time for an interest payment of such an obligation, which could harm or benefit the Fund, depending on the interest rate environment or other circumstances. In a rising interest rate environment, for example, a floating or variable rate obligation that does not reset immediately would prevent the Fund from taking full advantage of rising interest rates in a timely manner. However, in a declining interest rate environment, the Fund may benefit from a lag due to an obligation’s interest rate payment not being immediately impacted by a decline in interest rates. Certain floating and variable rate obligations have an interest rate floor feature, which prevents the interest rate payable by the security from dropping below a specified level as compared to a reference interest rate (the “reference rate”), such as LIBOR. Such a floor protects the Fund from losses resulting from a decrease in the reference rate below the specified level. However, if the reference rate is below the floor, there will be a lag between a rise in the reference rate and a rise in the interest rate payable by the obligation, and the Fund may not benefit from increasing interest rates for a significant amount of time.
Foreign and Emerging Countries 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, sanctions, confiscations and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments, 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. These risks may be more pronounced in connection with the Fund’s investments in securities of issuers located in emerging countries.
Geographic Risk. Concentration of the investments of the Fund in securities of issuers located in a particular country or region will subject the Fund, to a greater extent than if investments were less concentrated, to the risks of volatile economic cycles and/or conditions and developments that may be particular to that country or region, such as: adverse securities markets; adverse exchange rates; social, political, regulatory, economic or environmental developments; or natural disasters.
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.
Investing in the Underlying Funds. The investments of the Fund may be concentrated in one or more Underlying Funds, and the Fund’s investment performance is directly related to the investment performance of the Underlying Funds it holds. The Fund is subject to the risk factors associated with the investments of the Underlying Funds in direct proportion to the amount of assets allocated to each. A Fund that has a relative concentration of its portfolio in a single Underlying Fund may be more susceptible to adverse developments affecting that Underlying Fund, and may be more susceptible to losses because of these developments. In selecting actively managed Underlying Funds, the Investment Adviser generally expects to select affiliated investment companies without considering or canvassing the universe of unaffiliated investment companies available even though there may (or may not) be one or more unaffiliated investment companies that may be a more appropriate addition to the Fund. To the extent that an investment in an affiliated investment company is not available, including as the result of capacity constraints, only then will the Investment Adviser consider unaffiliated investment companies.
Investment Style Risk. Different investment styles (e.g., “growth”, “value” or “quantitative”) tend to shift in and out of favor depending upon market and economic conditions and investor sentiment. The Fund may outperform or underperform other funds that employ a different investment style.
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
5 SUMMARY PROSPECTUS — GOLDMAN SACHS ABSOLUTE RETURN MULTI-ASSET FUND
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. Borrowing and 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.
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 investments. 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. The market for loan obligations may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. Because transactions in many loans are subject to extended trade settlement periods, the Fund may not receive the proceeds from the sale of a loan for a period after the sale. As a result, sale proceeds related to the sale of loans may not be available to make additional investments or to meet the Fund’s redemption obligations for a period after the sale of the loans, and, as a result, the Fund may have to sell other investments or engage in borrowing transactions, such as borrowing from its credit facility, if necessary to raise cash to meet its obligations.
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 implemented by the Investment Adviser may fail to produce the intended results.
Market Risk. The market 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. Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future.
Mid-Cap and Small-Cap Risk. Investments in mid-capitalization and small-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies. These securities may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity, and these issuers often face greater business risks.
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-Hedging Foreign Currency Trading Risk. The Fund may engage in forward foreign currency transactions for both hedging and non-hedging purposes. The Investment Adviser may
6 SUMMARY PROSPECTUS — GOLDMAN SACHS ABSOLUTE RETURN MULTI-ASSET FUND
purchase or sell foreign currencies through the use of forward contracts based on the Investment Adviser’s 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 that anticipated by the Investment Adviser may produce significant losses to the Fund. Some of the transactions may also be subject to interest rate risk.
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 issuer’s inability to meet principal and interest payment obligations. These securities may be subject to greater price volatility due to such factors as specific issuer developments, interest rate sensitivity, negative perceptions of the junk bond markets generally and less liquidity.
Real Estate Industry Risk. Risks associated with investments in the real estate industry include, among others: possible declines in the value of real estate; risks related to general and local economic conditions; possible lack of availability of mortgage financing, variations in rental income, neighborhood values or the appeal of property to tenants; interest rates; overbuilding; extended vacancies of properties; increases in competition, property taxes and operating expenses; and changes in zoning laws. The real estate industry is particularly sensitive to economic downturns. The values of securities of companies in the real estate industry may go through cycles of relative under-performance and out-performance in comparison to equity securities markets in general.
REIT Risk. REITs whose underlying properties are concentrated in a particular industry or geographic region are subject to risks affecting such industries and regions. The securities of REITs involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements because of interest rate changes, economic conditions and other factors. Securities of such issuers may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable the Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price.
Short Selling/Position Risk. The Fund may enter into a short position through a futures contract, an option or swap agreement or through short sales of any instrument that the Fund may purchase for investment. Taking short positions involves leverage of the Fund’s assets and presents various risks. If the value of the underlying instrument or market in which the Fund has taken a short position increases, then the Fund will incur a loss equal to the increase in value 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, may exceed the amount invested and may be unlimited.
Sovereign Default Risk. An issuer of sovereign debt 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 or levels of foreign debt or foreign currency exchange rates.
Stock Risk. Stock prices have historically risen and fallen in periodic cycles. U.S. and foreign stock markets have experienced periods of substantial price volatility in the past and may do so again in the future.
Subsidiary Risk. The Subsidiary is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (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 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 Fund 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 Subsidiary. 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 Subsidiary may be adversely affected by future legislation, court decisions, 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 Subsidiary, 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
7 SUMMARY PROSPECTUS — GOLDMAN SACHS ABSOLUTE RETURN MULTI-ASSET FUND
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 losses 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 chartered or sponsored by Acts of Congress 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 the Prospectus, there is no performance information quoted for the Fund. Updated performance information is available at no additional cost at www.gsamfunds.com/performance or by calling the phone number on the back of the Prospectus.
| PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT |
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. is the investment adviser for the Fund (the “Investment Adviser” or “GSAM”).
Portfolio Managers: Neill Nuttall, Managing Director and Co-Chief Investment Officer, has managed the Fund since 2015; Raymond Chan, CFA, Managing Director, has managed the Fund since 2015; and Christopher Lvoff, CFA, Vice President, has managed the Fund since 2015.
| 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, Class R and Class R6 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 R, Class IR or Class R6 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.
8 SUMMARY PROSPECTUS — GOLDMAN SACHS ABSOLUTE RETURN MULTI-ASSET FUND
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