Registration Nos. 033-29697/811-5833
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 /X/
Post-Effective Amendment No. 86 /X/
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 /X/
Amendment No. 82 /X/
T. ROWE PRICE INSTITUTIONAL INTERNATIONAL FUNDS, INC.
Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter
100
East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202
Address of Principal Executive Offices
410-345-2000
Registrant’s
Telephone Number, Including Area Code
David Oestreicher
100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland
21202
Name and Address of Agent for Service
Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering March 1, 2020
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):
// Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
/X/ On March 1, 2020 pursuant to paragraph (b)
// 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
// On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
// 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
// On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485
If appropriate, check the following box:
// This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.
PROSPECTUS March 1, 2020 | ||||
T. ROWE PRICE | ||||
TRIAX | Institutional Africa & Middle East Fund | |||
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by SEC regulations, paper copies of the T. Rowe Price funds’ annual and semiannual shareholder reports will no longer be mailed, unless you specifically request them. Instead, shareholder reports will be made available on the funds’ website (troweprice.com/prospectus), and you will be notified by mail with a website link to access the reports each time a report is posted to the site. If you already elected to receive reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and need not take any action. At any time, shareholders who invest directly in T. Rowe Price funds may generally elect to receive reports or other communications electronically by enrolling at troweprice.com/paperless or, if you are a retirement plan sponsor or invest in the funds through a financial intermediary (such as an investment advisor, broker-dealer, insurance company, or bank), by contacting your representative or your financial intermediary. You may elect to continue receiving paper copies of future shareholder reports free of charge. To do so, if you invest directly with T. Rowe Price, please call T. Rowe Price as follows: IRA, nonretirement account holders, and institutional investors, 1-800-225-5132; small business retirement accounts, 1-800-492-7670. If you are a retirement plan sponsor or invest in the T. Rowe Price funds through a financial intermediary, please contact your representative or financial intermediary, or follow additional instructions if included with this document. Your election to receive paper copies of reports will apply to all funds held in your account with your financial intermediary or, if you invest directly in the T. Rowe Price funds, with T. Rowe Price. Your election can be changed at any time in the future. | ||||
Table of Contents
1 | SUMMARY | ||
2 | MORE ABOUT THE FUND | ||
More Information About the Fund’s | |||
3 | INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS | ||
Investing with T. Rowe Price 26 Payments to Financial Intermediaries 27 Policies for Opening an Account 29 Pricing of Shares and Transactions 30 General Policies and Requirements 35 |
SUMMARY | 1 | |
The fund seeks long-term growth of capital by investing primarily in the common stocks of companies located (or with primary operations) in Africa and the Middle East.
Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the fund. You may also incur brokerage commissions and other charges when buying or selling shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the table.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
Annual
fund operating expenses | ||
Management fees | 1.00 | % |
Other expenses | 0.31 | |
Total annual fund operating expenses | 1.31 |
Example This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods, that your investment has a 5% return each year, and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. 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 |
$133 | $415 | $718 | $1,579 |
Portfolio Turnover The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when the fund’s shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 39.6% of the average value of its portfolio.
Investments, Risks, and Performance
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets (including any borrowings for investment purposes) in African and Middle Eastern companies. For purposes of determining whether the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in African and Middle Eastern companies, the fund relies on the country assigned to a security by MSCI Inc. or another unaffiliated data provider. The fund expects to primarily invest in common stocks and participation notes (P-notes) linked to common stocks of companies located (or with primary operations) in
T. ROWE PRICE | 2 |
Africa and the Middle East. The countries in which the fund normally invests include, but are not limited to, the following:
· Primary Emphasis: Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and United Arab Emirates.
· Others: Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger Republic, Rwanda, Senegal, Syria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The fund is “nondiversified,” meaning it may invest a greater portion of its assets in a single company and own more of the company’s voting securities than is permissible for a “diversified” fund. While most assets will be invested directly in common stocks, the fund may gain exposure to common stocks by purchasing P-notes that offer a return linked to a particular underlying common stock. P-notes are primarily used to invest indirectly in certain stocks that trade in a market that restricts foreign investors, such as the fund, from investing directly in that market. The fund may make substantial investments in banks and financial companies in various African and Middle Eastern countries.
While the adviser invests with an awareness of the outlook for certain industry sectors and individual countries within the region, the adviser’s decision-making process focuses on bottom-up stock selection. Country allocation is driven largely by stock selection, though the adviser may limit investments in markets or industries that appear to have poor overall prospects.
Security selection reflects a growth style. The adviser relies on a global team of investment analysts dedicated to in-depth fundamental research in an effort to identify companies capable of achieving and sustaining above-average, long-term earnings growth. The adviser seeks to purchase stocks of companies at reasonable prices in relation to present or anticipated earnings, cash flow, or book value.
In selecting investments, the adviser generally favors companies with one or more of the following characteristics:
· leading or improving market position;
· attractive business niche;
· attractive or improving franchise or industry position;
· seasoned management;
· stable or improving earnings and/or cash flow; and
· sound or improving balance sheet.
The fund may sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into more promising opportunities.
Principal Risks
As with any fund, there is no guarantee that the fund will achieve its objective(s). The fund’s share price fluctuates, which means you could lose money by investing in the fund. The principal risks of investing in this fund, which may be even greater during periods of market disruption or volatility, are summarized as follows.
SUMMARY | 3 |
Investing in Africa and the Middle East Many African and Middle Eastern countries have histories of dictatorships, political and military unrest, and financial troubles, and their markets should be considered extremely volatile even when compared to those of other emerging market countries. Many of these countries tend to be highly reliant on exporting oil and other commodities so their economies can be significantly impacted by fluctuations in commodity prices and the global demand for certain commodities.
Geographic concentration Because the fund focuses its investments on a particular geographic area, the fund’s performance is closely tied to the social, political, and economic conditions of that area. Political developments and changes in regulatory, tax, or economic policy could significantly affect the markets in which the fund invests. As a result, the fund is likely to be more volatile than more geographically diverse international funds.
Banks and financial companies Because the fund may invest significantly in banks and financial companies, the fund is more susceptible to adverse developments affecting such companies and may perform poorly during a downturn that impacts the financials sector. Banks and other financial services companies can be adversely affected by, among other things, regulatory changes, interest rate movements, the availability of capital and cost to borrow, and the rate of debt defaults.
Investing in South Africa Investing in securities of South African issuers involves significant risks, including legal, political, and economic risks specific to South Africa. South Africa has a history of social unrest and governmental interference, which could lead to increased volatility. In addition, South Africa’s economy is heavily dependent on agriculture and mining and is therefore more susceptible to market events and regulatory developments impacting the commodity markets.
Investing in Saudi Arabia Because the ability of foreign investors (such as the fund) to invest in Saudi Arabian issuers is still relatively new and untested, such ability could be restricted or revoked by the Saudi Arabian government at any time, and unforeseen risks could materialize due to foreign ownership in such securities. The economy of Saudi Arabia is dominated by petroleum exports. As a result, a sustained decrease in petroleum prices would have a negative impact on all aspects of the Saudi Arabian economy. Political instability in Saudi Arabia, or even the broader Middle East region, could adversely impact the economy of Saudi Arabia.
Emerging markets Investments in emerging market countries are subject to greater risk and overall volatility than investments in the U.S. and developed markets. Emerging market countries tend to have economic structures that are less diverse and mature, and political systems that are less stable, than those of developed countries. In addition to the risks associated with investing outside the U.S., emerging markets are more susceptible to governmental interference, political and economic uncertainty, local taxes and restrictions on the fund’s investments, less efficient trading markets with lower overall liquidity, and more volatile currency exchange rates.
Frontier markets Frontier markets generally have smaller economies and less mature capital markets than emerging markets. As a result, the risks associated with investing in emerging
T. ROWE PRICE | 4 |
market countries are magnified in frontier market countries. Frontier markets are more susceptible to abrupt changes in currency values, have less mature markets and settlement practices, and can have lower trading volumes that could lead to greater price volatility and illiquidity. Investor protections in frontier market countries may be limited and settlement procedures and custody services may prove inadequate in certain markets.
International investing Investing in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involves special risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. Non-U.S. securities tend to be more volatile and have lower overall liquidity than investments in U.S. securities and may lose value because of adverse local, political, social, or economic developments overseas, or due to changes in the exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. In addition, investments outside the U.S. are subject to settlement practices and regulatory and financial reporting standards that differ from those of the U.S. The risks of investing outside the U.S. are heightened for any investments in emerging markets, which are susceptible to greater volatility than investments in developed markets.
Liquidity A particular investment or an entire market segment may become less liquid or even illiquid, sometimes abruptly, which could limit the fund’s ability to purchase or sell holdings in a timely manner at a desired price. An inability to sell a portfolio holding can adversely affect the fund’s overall value or prevent the fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities. Liquidity risk may be magnified during periods of substantial market volatility and unexpected episodes of illiquidity may limit the fund’s ability to pay redemption proceeds without selling holdings at an unfavorable time or at a suitable price. Large redemptions may also have a negative impact on the fund’s overall liquidity.
Nondiversification As a nondiversified fund, the fund has the ability to invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. As a result, poor performance by a single issuer could adversely affect fund performance more than if the fund were invested in a larger number of issuers. The fund’s share price can be expected to fluctuate more than that of a similar fund that is more broadly diversified.
Growth investing The fund’s growth approach to investing could cause it to underperform other stock funds that employ a different investment style. Growth stocks tend to be more volatile than certain other types of stocks and their prices may fluctuate more dramatically than the overall stock market. A stock with growth characteristics can have sharp price declines due to decreases in current or expected earnings and may lack dividends that can help cushion its share price in a declining market.
Stock investing Stocks generally fluctuate in value more than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. The value of stocks held by the fund may decline due to general weakness or volatility in the stock markets in which the fund invests or because of factors that affect a particular company or industry.
SUMMARY | 5 |
Active management The fund’s overall investment program and holdings selected by the fund’s investment adviser may underperform the broad markets, relevant indices, or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.
P-notes Investments in P-notes are subject to certain risks in addition to the risks normally associated with a direct investment in the underlying foreign securities or market the P-note seeks to replicate. As the purchaser of a P-note, the fund is relying on the creditworthiness of the counterparty issuing the P-note and does not have the same rights under a P-note as it would as a shareholder of the underlying issuer. Therefore, if a counterparty becomes insolvent, the fund could lose the total value of its investment in the P-note. In addition, there is no assurance that there will be a trading market for a P-note or that the trading price of a P-note will equal the value of the underlying security.
Performance
The following performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The fund’s performance information represents only past performance (before and after taxes) and is not necessarily an indication of future results.
The following bar chart illustrates how much returns can differ from year to year by showing calendar year returns and the best and worst calendar quarter returns during those years for the fund.
The following table shows the average annual total returns for the fund, and also compares the returns with the returns of a relevant broad-based market index, as well as with the returns of one or more comparative indexes that have investment characteristics similar to those of the fund, if applicable.
T. ROWE PRICE | 6 |
In addition, the table shows hypothetical after-tax returns to demonstrate how taxes paid by a shareholder may influence returns. 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 investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as a 401(k) account or an IRA.
Average Annual Total Returns |
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| Institutional Africa & Middle East Fund |
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| 04/30/2008 |
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| Returns before taxes | 6.17 | % |
| 0.68 | % |
| 5.40 | % |
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| Returns after taxes on distributions | -3.70 |
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| -2.08 |
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| 3.44 |
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| Returns after taxes on distributions |
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| and sale of fund shares | 5.29 |
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| 3.83 |
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| MSCI Arabian Markets & Africa 10/40 Investable Market Index Net (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) |
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| 10.83 |
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| 1.32 |
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| 3.13 | a |
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S&P Emerging/Frontier ME & Africa BMI ex IL (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) | |||||||||||||
11.72 |
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| 1.89 |
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| 4.64 |
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| Combined Index Portfolio Net (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses)b |
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| 10.83 |
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| 1.64 |
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| 4.51 |
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| Lipper Emerging Markets Funds Average |
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| 20.54 |
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| 5.02 |
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| 3.89 |
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a Return since 11/30/10.
b Combined Index Portfolio Net is an unmanaged linked performance portfolio composed of: 100% S&P IFCG Africa & Middle East Index Net (excluding Saudi Arabia and Israel) through 6/30/09 (prior to 9/1/08, the index excluded Kuwait); 100% MSCI Arabian Markets & Africa Index Net from 7/1/09 through 9/29/10; 100% S&P Emerging/Frontier ME & Africa BMI ex IL Net from 9/30/10 through 12/31/17; and 100% MSCI Arabian Markets & Africa 10/40 Investable Market Index Net from 1/1/18 forward.
Updated performance information is available through troweprice.com.
Management
Investment Adviser T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (T. Rowe Price or Price Associates)
Investment Subadviser T. Rowe Price International Ltd (T. Rowe Price International)
Portfolio Manager | Title | Managed | Joined |
Oliver D.M. Bell | Chairman of Investment Advisory Committee | 2011 | 2011 |
SUMMARY | 7 |
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The fund generally requires a $1 million minimum initial investment and there is no minimum for additional purchases, although the initial investment minimum may be waived for certain types of accounts held through a retirement plan, financial advisor, or other financial intermediary.
For investors holding shares of the fund directly with T. Rowe Price, you may purchase, redeem, or exchange fund shares by mail or by telephone (1-800-638-8790).
If you hold shares through a financial intermediary or retirement plan, you must purchase, redeem, and exchange shares of the fund through your intermediary or retirement plan. You should check with your intermediary or retirement plan to determine the investment minimums that apply to your account.
Tax Information
Any dividends or capital gains are declared and paid annually, usually in December. Redemptions or exchanges of fund shares and distributions by the fund, whether or not you reinvest these amounts in additional fund shares, generally may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains unless you invest through a tax-deferred account (in which case you will be taxed upon withdrawal from such account).
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other
financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
MORE ABOUT THE FUND | 2 | |
Investment Adviser(s)
T. Rowe Price is the fund’s investment adviser and oversees the selection of the fund’s investments and management of the fund’s portfolio pursuant to an investment management agreement between the investment adviser and the fund. T. Rowe Price is an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides investment management services to individual and institutional investors, and sponsors and serves as adviser and subadviser to registered investment companies, institutional separate accounts, and common trust funds. The address for T. Rowe Price is 100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. As of December 31, 2019, T. Rowe Price and its affiliates (the “Firm”) had approximately $1.21 trillion in assets under management and provided investment management services for more than 7 million individual and institutional investor accounts.
T. Rowe Price has entered into a subadvisory agreement with T. Rowe Price International under which T. Rowe Price International is authorized to trade securities and make discretionary investment decisions on behalf of the fund. T. Rowe Price International is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser, and is authorized or licensed by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority and other global regulators. T. Rowe Price International sponsors and serves as adviser to foreign collective investment schemes and provides investment management services to registered investment companies and other institutional investors. T. Rowe Price International is headquartered in London and has several branch offices around the world. T. Rowe Price International is a direct subsidiary of T. Rowe Price and its address is 60 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4N 4TZ, United Kingdom.
Portfolio Management
T. Rowe Price has established an Investment Advisory Committee with respect to the fund. The committee chairman is ultimately responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund’s portfolio and works with the committee in developing and executing the fund’s investment program. The members of the committee are as follows: Oliver D.M. Bell, Chairman, Roy H. Adkins, Malik Asif, Tala Boulos, Iona Dent, Mark J. Lawrence, Johannes Loefstrand, Oluwaseun A. Oyegunle, and Gonzalo Pangaro. The following information provides the year that the chairman (portfolio manager) first joined the Firm and the chairman’s specific business experience during the past five years (although the chairman may have had portfolio management responsibilities for a longer period). Mr. Bell has been chairman of the committee since 2011. He joined the Firm in 2011 and his investment experience dates from 1997. He has served as a portfolio manager with the Firm throughout the past five years. The Statement of Additional Information provides additional information about the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager, and the portfolio manager’s ownership of the fund’s shares.
MORE ABOUT THE FUND | 9 |
The Management Fee
The fund pays the investment adviser an annual investment management fee based on 1.00% of the fund’s average daily net assets. The fund calculates and accrues the fee daily.
A discussion about the factors considered by the fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) and its conclusions in approving the fund’s investment management agreement (and any subadvisory agreement, if applicable) appear in the fund’s semiannual report to shareholders for the period ended April 30.
Investment Objective(s)
The fund seeks long-term growth of capital by investing primarily in the common stocks of companies located (or with primary operations) in Africa and the Middle East.
The investment objective is a fundamental policy and shareholder approval is required to substantially change it. As with any fund, there is no guarantee the fund will achieve its objective.
Principal Investment Strategies
Consider your investment goals, your time horizon for achieving them, and your tolerance for risk. The fund may be appropriate for you if you are seeking diversification for your equity investments and can accept the risks that accompany foreign investments. Your decision should take into account whether you have any other foreign stock investments. If you do not, you may want to consider investing in a more widely diversified fund to gain the broadest exposure to global opportunities. The fund may be an appropriate part of your overall portfolio if you are supplementing existing holdings primarily in the U.S. and developed international markets and are comfortable with the potentially significant volatility associated with investing in the African and Middle Eastern region.
The market may reward growth stocks with price increases when earnings expectations are met or exceeded. Funds that employ a growth-oriented approach to stock selection rely on the premise that by investing in companies that increase their earnings faster than both inflation and the overall economy, the market will eventually reward those companies with a higher stock price. The fund’s successful implementation of a growth-oriented strategy may lead to long-term growth of capital over time.
Investing a portion of your overall portfolio in stock funds with foreign holdings can enhance your diversification and increase your available investment opportunities.
The fund invests primarily in companies in African and Middle Eastern countries. Focusing on African and Middle Eastern countries provides the fund with the opportunity to seek strong growth in the areas the fund views as most promising, but with commensurately higher risks.
T. ROWE PRICE | 10 |
Portfolio managers closely monitor the fund’s investments as well as political and economic trends in the countries and regions in which the fund invests. Holdings are adjusted according to the portfolio manager’s analysis and outlook. The impact of unfavorable developments in a particular country may be reduced when investments are spread among many countries. However, the economies and financial markets of countries in a certain region may be heavily influenced by one another.
The Firm integrates environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) factors into its investment research process. We focus on the ESG factors we consider most likely to have a material impact on the performance of the holdings in the fund’s portfolio.
Principal Risks
Some of the principal tools the adviser uses to try to reduce overall risk include intensive research when evaluating a company’s prospects and limiting exposure to certain industries, asset classes, or investment styles when appropriate.
The principal risks associated with the fund’s principal investment strategies include the following:
Investing in Africa and the Middle East The economies of certain African and Middle Eastern countries are in the earliest stages of economic development, which may result in a high concentration of trading volume and market capitalization in a small number of issuers or a limited number of industries. There are typically fewer brokers in African and Middle Eastern countries, and they are typically less well capitalized than brokers in the U.S. or other developed markets. Many African nations have a history of military intervention, dictatorship, civil war, and corruption, which all limit the effectiveness of markets in those countries. Many Middle Eastern countries are facing political and economic uncertainty, with little or no democratic tradition or free market history, which could result in significant economic downturn.
During periods of instability or upheaval, a country’s government may act in a detrimental or hostile manner toward private enterprise or foreign investment. In addition, at certain times, the fund may have to “fair value”—or assign a value on the basis of factors other than market quotations—certain securities. Portfolio holdings that are valued using techniques other than market quotations, including “fair valued” securities, may be subject to greater fluctuation than if market quotations had been used, and there is no assurance that the fund could sell or close out a portfolio position for the value established for it at any time. Further, the economies of many Middle Eastern and African countries are largely dependent on, and linked together by, certain commodities (such as gold, silver, copper, diamonds, and oil). As a result, African and Middle Eastern economies are vulnerable to changes in commodity prices, and fluctuations in demand for these commodities could significantly impact economies in these regions. A downturn in one country’s economy could have a disproportionally large effect on others in the region.
Geographic concentration Funds that are less diversified across geographic regions, countries, industries, or individual companies are generally riskier than more diversified funds.
MORE ABOUT THE FUND | 11 |
The performance of a fund that is less diversified will be closely tied to market, currency, economic, political, environmental, or regulatory conditions and developments in the countries, regions, or industries in which the fund invests and may be more volatile than the performance of a more diversified fund. The economies and financial markets of certain regions—such as Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa—can be interdependent and may all decline at the same time.
Banking and financial companies To the extent the fund has significant investments in financial companies, it is more susceptible to adverse developments affecting such companies and may perform poorly during a downturn in the banking industry. Banks can be adversely affected by, among other things, regulatory changes, interest rate movements, the availability of capital and the cost to borrow, and the rate of debt defaults. Banks and other financial services institutions are often subject to extensive governmental regulation and intervention, and the potential for additional regulation could reduce profit margins and adversely affect the scope of their activities, increase the amount of capital they must maintain, and limit the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make. In addition, companies in the financials sector may also be adversely affected by decreases in the availability of money or asset valuations, credit rating downgrades, increased competition, and adverse conditions in other related markets.
The oversight of, and regulations applicable to, banks in emerging markets may be ineffective when compared with the regulatory frameworks for banks in developed markets. Banks in emerging markets may have significantly less access to capital than banks in more developed markets, leading them to be more likely to fail under adverse economic conditions. In addition, the impact of future regulation on any individual bank, or on the financial services sector as a whole, can be very difficult to predict.
Investing in South Africa South Africa’s two-tiered economy, which exhibits characteristics of both developed and emerging economies, is characterized by an uneven distribution of wealth and relatively high unemployment. This could lead to civil or social unrest, which, combined with the possibility of ethnic conflict in the country, could result in the rejection of South Africa’s free market reforms. South Africa’s insufficient reserves leave it vulnerable to currency devaluation in the future. The South African government controls a large share of the economy; heavy regulation of labor and product markets could stifle growth. A large portion of South Africa’s export market is dependent on agriculture and mining, leaving the country’s economy susceptible to droughts and other natural disasters, as well as fluctuations in the overall market for these commodities.
Investing in Saudi Arabia Foreign investors have historically been restricted from investing directly in the Saudi Arabian stock exchange and have gained indirect exposure to Saudi Arabian stocks through instruments such as P-notes. Qualified foreign institutional investors (such as the fund) may now invest directly in the Saudi Arabian stock exchange, although this ability is relatively new and untested and investments in a particular Saudi Arabian company are subject to various aggregate foreign ownership limits. The ability of foreign investors to invest directly could be restricted or revoked by the Saudi Arabian government at any time and
T. ROWE PRICE | 12 |
unforeseen risks could materialize due to foreign ownership in such securities. The economy of Saudi Arabia is highly reliant on exporting oil and a sustained decrease in oil prices could have a negative impact on all aspects of the Saudi Arabian economy. Like many Middle Eastern governments, the government of Saudi Arabia exercises substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector and heightened risks relating to investing in Saudi Arabia may include, among others, expropriation of assets and confiscatory taxation, restrictions on foreign ownership, government intervention in international trade, and political instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socioeconomic unrest. Although efforts for liberalization in the broader Saudi Arabian economy are underway, in many areas it has lagged significantly and change has been impeded by the fact that Saudi Arabia is governed by an absolute monarchy. In addition, Saudi Arabia’s economy tends to rely heavily on cheap, foreign labor and changes in the availability of this labor supply could have an adverse effect on the economy.
Emerging markets Investments in emerging markets are subject to the risk of abrupt and severe price declines. The economic and political structures of emerging market countries, in most cases, do not compare favorably with the U.S. or other developed countries in terms of wealth and stability, and their financial markets often lack liquidity. These economies are less developed, can be overly reliant on particular industries, and are more vulnerable to the ebb and flow of international trade, trade barriers, and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Governments in many emerging market countries participate to a significant degree in their economies and securities markets. As a result, foreign investments may be restricted and subject to greater government control, including repatriation of sales proceeds. Emerging market securities exchanges are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades, as well as the custody of holdings by local banks, agents, and depositories. In addition, the accounting standards in emerging market countries may be unreliable and could present an inaccurate picture of a company’s finances. Some countries have histories of instability and upheaval that could cause their governments to act in a detrimental or hostile manner toward private enterprise or foreign investment. Investments in countries or regions that have recently begun moving away from central planning and state-owned industries toward free markets should be regarded as speculative.
While some countries have made progress in economic growth, liberalization, fiscal discipline, and political and social stability, there is no assurance these trends will continue. Significant risks, such as war and terrorism, currently affect some emerging market countries. The fund’s performance will likely be hurt by exposure to nations in the midst of hyperinflation, currency devaluation, trade disagreements, sudden political upheaval, or interventionist government policies. The volatility of emerging markets may be heightened by the actions (such as significant buying or selling) of a few major investors. For example, substantial increases or decreases in cash flows of mutual funds investing in these markets could significantly affect local securities prices and, therefore, could cause fund share prices to decline.
Frontier markets Frontier market countries tend to have economic structures that are less diverse and mature, and political systems that are less stable, than those of emerging market or developed market countries. In addition to the risks of investing in international emerging
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markets, frontier markets tend to have less efficient trading markets with lower overall liquidity and are more susceptible to governmental interference, local taxes being imposed on international investments, and restrictions on gaining access to sales proceeds. The possibility of a securities exchange closing unexpectedly for a long period of time is much greater in a frontier market. Frontier markets generally have smaller economies or less mature capital markets than emerging markets and, as a result, the risks typically associated with investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier countries. Certain frontier market countries may impose restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of investment income and capital.
Adverse changes in currency values of frontier market countries may be severe and settlement procedures and custody services may prove inadequate in certain markets. The markets of frontier countries typically have low trading volumes and the potential for extreme price volatility and illiquidity. This volatility may be further increased by the actions of a few major investors. For example, a substantial increase or decrease in cash flows of mutual funds investing in these markets could significantly affect local stock prices and, therefore, the net asset value of the fund. In addition, frontier market securities may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Custody services in many frontier market countries remain undeveloped and, although the fund’s custodian will seek to establish control mechanisms, including the selection of appropriate sub-custodians to hold securities on behalf of the fund, there is greater transaction and custody risk in dealing in securities of frontier market countries. Overall, the laws and market practices of frontier market countries carry fewer safeguards than more mature markets, including, for example, the protection against claims from general creditors in the event of the insolvency of an agent selected to hold securities on behalf of the fund.
International investing Investments outside the U.S. may lose value because of declining foreign currencies or adverse political or economic events overseas, among other things. Securities of non-U.S. issuers (including depositary receipts and other instruments that represent interests in a non-U.S. issuer) tend to be more volatile than U.S. securities and are subject to trading markets with lower overall liquidity, governmental interference, and regulatory and accounting standards and settlement practices that differ from the U.S. The fund could experience losses based solely on the weakness of foreign currencies in which the fund’s holdings are denominated versus the U.S. dollar, and changes in the exchange rates between such currencies and the U.S. dollar. Risks can result from differing regulatory environments, less stringent investor protections, uncertain tax laws, and higher transaction costs compared to U.S. markets. Investments outside the U.S. could be subject to governmental actions such as capital or currency controls, nationalization of a company or industry, expropriation of assets, or imposition of high taxes.
A trading market may close for national holidays or without warning for extended time periods, preventing the fund from buying or selling securities in that market. Trading securities in which the fund invests may take place in various foreign markets on certain days when the fund is not open for business and does not calculate its net asset value. For example, the fund
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may invest in securities that trade in various foreign markets that are open on weekends. As the securities trade, their value may substantially change. As a result, the fund’s net asset value may be significantly affected on days when shareholders cannot make transactions. In addition, market volatility may significantly limit the liquidity of securities of certain issuers in a particular country or geographic region, or of all companies in the country or region. The fund may be unable to liquidate its positions in such securities at any time, or at a favorable price, in order to meet the fund’s obligations.
Liquidity A particular investment or an entire market segment may become less liquid or even illiquid, sometimes abruptly, which can adversely affect the fund’s overall value and its ability to limit losses. Less liquid or illiquid investments can be more difficult to purchase or sell at an advantageous price or time, and there is an increased risk that the investment may not be sold for the price at which the fund is valuing it. Market prices of holdings with reduced liquidity may be volatile and an inability to sell a portfolio holding can adversely affect the fund’s value or prevent the fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities. Liquidity risk may be magnified during periods of substantial market volatility due to higher than normal redemption rates. Unexpected episodes of illiquidity may limit the fund’s ability to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period. Large redemptions by one or more shareholders owning a significant percentage of the fund’s assets may also have a negative impact on the fund’s overall liquidity. To meet redemption requests during periods of illiquidity, the fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.
Nondiversification Because the fund is nondiversified and thus can invest more of its assets in a smaller number of issuers, it is more exposed to the risks associated with an individual issuer than a fund that invests more broadly across many issuers. For example, poor performance by a single large holding of the fund would adversely affect the fund’s performance more than if the fund were invested in a larger number of issuers.
Growth investing Different investment styles tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market conditions and investor sentiment. Growth stocks can be more volatile than other types of stocks and their prices tend to fluctuate more dramatically than the overall stock markets. Growth stocks are typically priced higher than other stocks because investors believe they have more growth potential, which may or may not be realized. Since these companies usually invest a high portion of earnings in their businesses, they may lack the dividends that can cushion stock prices in a falling market. In addition, earnings disappointments often lead to sharply falling prices for growth stocks.
Stock investing The fund’s share price can fall because of weakness in the overall stock markets, a particular industry, or specific holdings. Stock markets as a whole can be volatile and decline for many reasons, such as adverse local, political, regulatory, or economic developments; changes in investor psychology; or heavy institutional selling at the same time by major institutional investors in the market, such as mutual funds, pension funds, and banks. The prospects for an industry or company may deteriorate because of a variety of factors, including disappointing earnings or changes in the competitive environment. In addition, the
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adviser’s assessment of companies whose stocks are held by the fund may prove incorrect, resulting in losses or poor performance, even in rising markets. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of the issuer’s bonds and preferred stock take precedence over the claims of those who own common stock.
Active management The investment adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. The fund could underperform other funds with a similar benchmark or similar investment program if the fund’s investment selections or overall strategies fail to produce the intended results.
P-notes Although P-notes may serve as an efficient means to gain exposure to foreign securities markets or foreign securities that might otherwise be difficult or costly to access or purchase because of foreign regulatory restrictions or foreign tax laws, such investments carry additional risks beyond the risks associated with a direct investment in their underlying reference asset. P-Notes involve transaction costs, which may be higher than those applicable to the underlying securities. Any dividends or capital gains collected from the underlying securities are passed through to the foreign investors; however, the holder of a P-Note is not entitled to the same rights (e.g., dividends, voting rights) as an owner of the underlying security. The fund must rely on the creditworthiness of a counterparty and would have no rights against the issuer of an underlying security. Other risks include the risk that a P-Note may be illiquid and that the fund may not be able to terminate or offset its positions at the time it wishes to do so or at a favorable price and that, as a result of the failure of a counterparty or legal or operational issues, the fund may not receive payments required to be made to them under the terms of a P-Note.
Additional Strategies and Risks
In addition to the principal investment strategies and principal risks previously described, the fund may employ other, non-principal investment strategies and may be subject to other risks, which are described in the following paragraphs.
The fund may, to a limited extent, use derivatives such as futures contracts and forward currency exchange contracts. Any investments in futures would typically serve as an efficient means of gaining exposure to certain markets or as a cash management tool to maintain liquidity while being invested in the market. Forward currency exchange contracts would primarily be used to settle trades in a foreign currency or to help protect the fund’s holdings from unfavorable changes in foreign currency exchange rates, although other currency hedging techniques may be used from time to time. To the extent the fund uses futures and forward currency exchange contracts, it is exposed to potential volatility and losses greater than direct investments in the contracts’ underlying assets, and the risk that anticipated currency movements will not be accurately predicted.
Derivatives Derivatives typically involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the assets on which the derivative is based. Certain derivatives can be highly volatile, lack liquidity, and be difficult to value. Changes in the value of a derivative may not properly correlate with changes in the value of the underlying asset,
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reference rate, or index. The fund could be exposed to significant losses if it is unable to close a derivative position due to the lack of a liquid trading market. Derivatives involve the risk that a counterparty to the derivatives agreement will fail to make required payments or comply with the terms of the agreement. There is also the possibility that limitations or trading restrictions may be imposed by an exchange or government regulation, which could adversely impact the value and liquidity of a derivatives contract subject to such regulation.
Recent regulations have changed the requirements related to the use of certain derivatives. Some of these new regulations have limited the availability of certain derivatives and made their use by funds more costly. It is expected that additional changes to the regulatory framework will occur, but the extent and impact of additional new regulations are not certain at this time.
Cybersecurity breaches The fund may be subject to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cybersecurity. Cybersecurity breaches may involve deliberate attacks and unauthorized access to the digital information systems (for example, through “hacking” or malicious software coding) used by the fund or its third-party service providers but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks. These breaches may, among other things, result in financial losses to the fund and its shareholders, cause the fund to lose proprietary information, disrupt business operations, or result in the unauthorized release of confidential information. Further, cybersecurity breaches involving the fund’s third-party service providers, trading counterparties, or issuers in which the fund invests could subject the fund to many of the same risks associated with direct breaches.
This section provides a more detailed description of the various types of portfolio holdings and investment practices that may be used by the fund to execute its overall investment program. Some of these holdings and investment practices are considered to be principal investment strategies of the fund and have already been described earlier in this prospectus while others are considered non-principal. Any of the following holdings and investment practices that were not already described in Section 1 of this prospectus are considered non-principal investment practices, but they may be used by the fund from time-to-time to help achieve its investment objective. The fund’s investments may be subject to further restrictions and risks described in the Statement of Additional Information. Shareholders will receive at least 60 days’ prior notice of a change in the fund’s policy requiring it to normally invest at least 80% of its net assets in African and Middle Eastern companies.
The fund’s holdings in certain kinds of investments cannot exceed maximum percentages as set forth in this prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information. For instance, there are limitations regarding the fund’s investments in certain types of derivatives. While these restrictions provide a useful level of detail about the fund’s investments, investors should not view them as an accurate gauge of the potential risk of such investments. For example, in a given period, a 5% investment in derivatives could have a significantly greater impact on the
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fund’s share price than its weighting in the portfolio. The net effect of a particular investment depends on its volatility and the size of its overall return in relation to the performance of all of the fund’s investments.
Certain investment restrictions, such as a required minimum or maximum investment in a particular type of security, are measured at the time the fund purchases a security. The status, market value, maturity, duration, credit quality, or other characteristics of the fund’s securities may change after they are purchased, and this may cause the amount of the fund’s assets invested in such securities to exceed the stated maximum restriction or fall below the stated minimum restriction. If any of these changes occur, it would not be considered a violation of the investment restriction and will not require the sale of an investment if it was proper at the time the investment was made (this exception does not apply to the fund’s borrowing policy). However, certain changes will require holdings to be sold or purchased by the fund during the time it is above or below the stated percentage restriction in order for the fund to be in compliance with applicable restrictions.
The fund relies on the country assigned to a security by MSCI Inc., a third-party provider of benchmark indexes and data services, or another unaffiliated data provider. The fund also relies on MSCI Inc. or another unaffiliated data provider to determine which countries are considered emerging markets. The data providers use various criteria to determine the country to which a security is economically tied. Examples include the following: (1) the country under which the issuer is organized; (2) the location of the issuer’s principal place of business or principal office; (3) where the issuer’s securities are listed or traded principally on an exchange or over-the-counter market; and (4) where the issuer conducts the predominant part of its business activities or derives a significant portion (e.g., at least 50%) of its revenues or profits.
Changes in the fund’s holdings, the fund’s performance, and the contribution of various investments to the fund’s performance are discussed in the shareholder reports.
Portfolio managers have considerable discretion in choosing investment strategies and selecting securities they believe will help achieve the fund’s objective.
Types of Portfolio Securities
In seeking to meet its investment objective, the fund may invest in any type of security or instrument (including certain potentially high-risk derivatives described in this section) whose investment characteristics are consistent with its investment program. The following pages describe various types of the fund’s holdings and investment management practices, some of which are also described as part of the fund’s principal investment strategies.
The fund’s investments are primarily in common stocks and, to a lesser degree, other types of securities as follows:
Common and Preferred Stocks
Stocks represent shares of ownership in a company. Generally, preferred stocks have a specified dividend rate and rank after bonds and before common stocks in their claim on income for dividend payments and on assets should the company be liquidated. After other claims are
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satisfied, common stockholders participate in company profits on a pro-rata basis and profits may be paid out in dividends or reinvested in the company to help it grow. Increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company’s stock price, so common stocks generally have the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities. Unlike common stock, preferred stock does not ordinarily carry voting rights. While most preferred stocks pay a dividend, the fund may decide to purchase preferred stock where the issuer has suspended, or is in danger of suspending, payment of its dividend. The fund may purchase American Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts, which are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of a foreign issuer. American Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts trade on established markets and are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their local markets and currencies. Such investments are subject to many of the same risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities. For purposes of the fund’s investment policies, investments in depositary receipts are deemed to be investments in the underlying securities. For example, a depositary receipt representing ownership of common stock will be treated as common stock.
Convertible Securities and Warrants
The fund may invest in debt instruments or preferred equity securities that are convertible into, or exchangeable for, equity securities at specified times in the future and according to a certain exchange ratio. Convertible bonds are typically callable by the issuer, which could in effect force conversion before the holder would otherwise choose. Traditionally, convertible securities have paid dividends or interest at rates higher than common stocks but lower than nonconvertible securities. They generally participate in the appreciation or depreciation of the underlying stock into which they are convertible, but to a lesser degree than common stock. Some convertible securities combine higher or lower current income with options and other features. Warrants are options to buy, directly from the issuer, a stated number of shares of common stock at a specified price anytime during the life of the warrants (generally, two or more years). Warrants have no voting rights, pay no dividends, and can be highly volatile. In some cases, the redemption value of a warrant could be zero.
Participation Notes (P-notes)
The fund may gain exposure to securities traded in foreign markets through investments in P-notes. P-notes are generally issued by banks or broker-dealers and are designed to offer a return linked to an underlying common stock or other security. An investment in a P-note involves additional risks beyond the risks normally associated with a direct investment in the underlying security. While the holder of a P-note is entitled to receive from the broker-dealer or bank any dividends paid by the underlying security, the holder is not entitled to the same rights (e.g., voting rights) as a direct owner of the underlying security. P-notes are considered general unsecured contractual obligations of the banks or broker-dealers that issue them as the counterparty. As such, the fund must rely on the creditworthiness of the counterparty for its investment returns on the P-notes, and could lose the entire value of its investment in the event of default by a counterparty. Additionally, there is no assurance that there will be a secondary trading market for a P-note or that the trading price of a P-note will equal the value of the underlying security.
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Fixed Income Securities
From time to time, the fund may invest in corporate and government fixed income securities as well as below investment-grade bonds, commonly referred to as “junk” bonds. Corporate fixed income securities would be purchased in companies that meet the fund’s investment criteria. The price of a fixed income security fluctuates with changes in interest rates, generally rising when interest rates fall and falling when interest rates rise. Below investment-grade bonds, or “junk” bonds, can be more volatile and have greater risk of default than investment-grade bonds, and should be considered speculative.
Futures and Options
Futures are often used to establish exposures or manage or hedge risk because they enable the investor to buy or sell an asset in the future at an agreed-upon price. Options may be used to generate additional income, to enhance returns, or as a defensive technique to protect against anticipated declines in the value of an asset. Call options give the investor the right to purchase (when the investor purchases the option), or the obligation to sell (when the investor “writes” or sells the option), an asset at a predetermined price in the future. Put options give the purchaser of the option the right to sell, or the seller (or “writer”) of the option the obligation to buy, an asset at a predetermined price in the future. Futures and options contracts may be bought or sold for any number of reasons, including to manage exposure to changes in interest rates, bond prices, foreign currencies, and credit quality; as an efficient means of increasing or decreasing the fund’s exposure to certain markets; in an effort to enhance income; to improve risk-adjusted returns; to protect the value of portfolio securities; and to serve as a cash management tool. Call or put options may be purchased or sold on securities, futures, financial indexes, and foreign currencies. The fund may choose to continue a futures contract by “rolling over” an expiring futures contract into an identical contract with a later maturity date. This could increase the fund’s transaction costs and portfolio turnover rate.
Futures and options contracts may not always be successful investments or hedges; their prices can be highly volatile; using them could lower the fund’s total return; the potential loss from the use of futures can exceed the fund’s initial investment in such contracts; and the losses from certain options written by the fund could be unlimited.
Currency Derivatives
The fund will normally conduct any foreign currency exchange transactions either on a spot (i.e., cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in the foreign currency exchange market, or through entering into forward contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies. The fund will generally not enter into a forward contract with a term greater than one year. The fund may enter into forward currency exchange contracts to “lock in” the U.S. dollar price of a security when it enters into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency, and when the fund believes that the currency of a particular foreign country may move substantially against another currency, it may enter into a forward contract to sell or buy the former foreign currency.
A fund that invests in foreign securities may attempt to hedge its exposure to potentially unfavorable currency changes. The primary means of doing this is through the use of forward
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currency exchange contracts, which are contracts between two counterparties to exchange one currency for another on a future date at a specified exchange rate. The fund may also use these instruments to create a synthetic bond, which is issued in one currency with the currency component transformed into another currency. However, futures, swaps, and options on foreign currencies may also be used. In certain circumstances, the fund may use currency derivatives to substitute a different currency for the currency in which the investment is denominated, a strategy known as proxy hedging. If the fund were to engage in any of these foreign currency transactions, it could serve to protect its foreign securities from adverse currency movements relative to the U.S. dollar, although the fund may also use currency derivatives in an effort to gain exposure to a currency expected to appreciate in value versus other currencies. As a result, the fund could be invested in a currency without holding any securities denominated in that currency. Such transactions involve, among other risks, the risk that anticipated currency movements will not occur, which could reduce the fund’s total return. There are certain markets, including many emerging markets, where it is not possible to engage in effective foreign currency hedging.
Hedging may result in the application of the mark-to-market and straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. These provisions could result in an increase (or decrease) in the amount of taxable dividends paid by the fund and could affect whether dividends paid by the fund are classified as capital gains or ordinary income.
Investments in Other Investment Companies
The fund may invest in other investment companies, including open-end funds, closed-end funds, and exchange-traded funds.
The fund may purchase the securities of another investment company to temporarily gain exposure to a portion of the market while awaiting the purchase of securities or as an efficient means of gaining exposure to a particular asset class. The fund might also purchase shares of another investment company, including shares of other mutual funds sponsored and managed by T. Rowe Price (“T. Rowe Price Funds”), to gain exposure to the securities in the investment company’s portfolio at times when the fund may not be able to buy those securities directly, or as a means of gaining efficient and cost-effective exposure to certain asset classes. Any investment in another investment company would be consistent with the fund’s objective and investment program.
The risks of owning another investment company are generally similar to the risks of investing directly in the securities in which that investment company invests. However, an investment company may not achieve its investment objective or execute its investment strategy effectively, which may adversely affect the fund’s performance. In addition, because closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds trade on a secondary market, their shares may trade at a premium or discount to the actual net asset value of their portfolio securities and their shares may have greater volatility if an active trading market does not exist.
As a shareholder of another investment company, the fund must pay its pro-rata share of that investment company’s fees and expenses. The fund’s investments in non-T. Rowe Price
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investment companies are subject to the limits that apply to investments in other funds under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or under any applicable exemptive order.
Investments in other investment companies could allow the fund to obtain the benefits of a more diversified portfolio than might otherwise be available through direct investments in a particular asset class, and will subject the fund to the risks associated with the particular asset class or asset classes in which an underlying fund invests. Examples of asset classes in which other mutual funds (including T. Rowe Price Funds) focus their investments include high yield bonds, inflation-linked securities, floating rate loans, international bonds, emerging market bonds, stocks of companies involved in activities related to real assets, stocks of companies that focus on a particular industry or sector, and emerging market stocks. If the fund invests in another T. Rowe Price Fund, the management fee paid by the fund will be reduced to ensure that the fund does not incur duplicate management fees as a result of its investment.
Illiquid Investments
Some of the fund’s holdings may be considered illiquid because they are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale or because they cannot reasonably be expected to be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. The determination of liquidity involves a variety of factors. Illiquid investments may include private placements that are sold directly to a small number of investors, usually institutions. Unlike public offerings, such securities are not registered with the SEC. Although certain of these securities may be readily sold (for example, pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933) and therefore deemed liquid, others may have resale restrictions and be considered illiquid. The sale of illiquid investments may involve substantial delays and additional costs, and the fund may only be able to sell such investments at prices substantially lower than what it believes they are worth. In addition, the fund’s investments in illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the fund because it may be unable to sell such investments at an advantageous time, which could prevent the fund from taking advantage of other investment opportunities.
Types of Investment Management Practices
Reserve Position
A certain portion of the fund’s assets may be held in reserves. The fund’s reserve positions will primarily consist of: (1) shares of a T. Rowe Price internal money market fund or short-term bond fund (which do not charge any management fees); (2) short-term, high-quality U.S. and foreign dollar-denominated money market securities, including repurchase agreements; and (3) U.S. dollar or non-U.S. dollar currencies. In order to respond to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions, the fund may assume a temporary defensive position that is inconsistent with its principal investment objective(s) and/or strategies and may invest, without limitation, in reserves. If the fund has significant holdings in reserves, it could compromise its ability to achieve its objective(s). The reserve position provides flexibility in meeting redemptions, paying expenses, and managing cash flows into the fund and can serve as a short-term defense during periods of unusual market volatility. Non-U.S. dollar reserves are subject to currency risk.
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Borrowing Money and Transferring Assets
The fund may borrow from banks, other persons, and other T. Rowe Price Funds for temporary or emergency purposes, to facilitate redemption requests, or for other purposes consistent with the fund’s policies as set forth in this prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information. Such borrowings may be collateralized with the fund’s assets, subject to certain restrictions.
Borrowings may not exceed 33⅓% of the fund’s total assets. This limitation includes any borrowings for temporary or emergency purposes, applies at the time of the transaction, and continues to the extent required by the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Meeting Redemption Requests
We expect that the fund will hold cash or cash equivalents to meet redemption requests. The fund may also use the proceeds from the sale of portfolio securities to meet redemption requests if consistent with the management of the fund. These redemption methods will be used regularly and may also be used in deteriorating or stressed market conditions. The fund reserves the right to pay redemption proceeds with securities from the fund’s portfolio rather than in cash (redemptions in-kind), as described under “Large Redemptions.” Redemptions in-kind are typically used to meet redemption requests that represent a large percentage of the fund’s net assets in order to minimize the effect of large redemptions on the fund and its remaining shareholders. In general, any redemptions in-kind will represent a pro-rata distribution of the fund’s securities, subject to certain limited exceptions. Redemptions in-kind may be used regularly in circumstances as described above and may also be used in stressed market conditions.
The fund, along with other T. Rowe Price Funds, is a party to an interfund lending exemptive order received from the SEC that permits the T. Rowe Price Funds to borrow money from and/or lend money to other T. Rowe Price Funds to help the funds meet short-term redemptions and liquidity needs.
During periods of deteriorating or stressed market conditions, when an increased portion of the fund’s portfolio may be composed of holdings with reduced liquidity or lengthy settlement periods, or during extraordinary or emergency circumstances, the fund may be more likely to pay redemption proceeds with cash obtained through interfund lending or short-term borrowing arrangements (if available), or by redeeming a large redemption request in-kind.
Lending of Portfolio Securities
The fund may lend its securities to broker-dealers, other institutions, or other persons to earn additional income. Risks include the potential insolvency of the broker-dealer or other borrower that could result in delays in recovering securities and capital losses. Additionally, losses could result from the reinvestment of collateral received on loaned securities in investments that decline in value, default, or do not perform as well as expected. Cash collateral from securities lending is invested in the T. Rowe Price Short-Term Fund.
The Statement of Additional Information contains more detailed information about the fund and its investments, operations, and expenses.
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Portfolio Turnover
Turnover is an indication of frequency of trading. Each time the fund purchases or sells a security, it incurs a cost. This cost is reflected in the fund’s net asset value but not in its operating expenses. The higher the turnover rate, the higher the transaction costs and the greater the impact on the fund’s total return. Higher turnover can also increase the possibility of taxable capital gain distributions. The fund’s portfolio turnover rates are shown in the Financial Highlights table.
The Financial Highlights table, which provides information about the fund’s financial history, is based on a single share outstanding throughout the periods shown. The table is part of the fund’s financial statements, which are included in its annual report and are incorporated by reference into the Statement of Additional Information (available upon request). The financial statements in the annual report were audited by the fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS | For a share outstanding throughout each period |
Year | 10/31/18 | 10/31/17 | 10/31/16 | 10/31/15 | ||||||||||||||||
NET ASSET VALUE |
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||
Beginning of period | $ | 5.92 | $ | 6.03 | $ | 5.42 | $ | 6.04 | $ | 8.12 | ||||||||||
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Investment activities | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income(1) | 0.20 | 0.13 | 0.11 | 0.15 | 0.12 | |||||||||||||||
Net realized
and unrealized | (0.06 | ) (2) | (0.15 | ) | 0.62 | (0.40 | ) | (1.54 | ) | |||||||||||
Total from investment activities | 0.14 | (0.02 | ) | 0.73 | (0.25 | ) | (1.42 | ) | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Distributions | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income | (0.17 | ) | (0.09 | ) | (0.12 | ) | (0.14 | ) | (0.12 | ) | ||||||||||
Net realized gain | (0.23 | ) | – | – | (0.23 | ) | (0.54 | ) | ||||||||||||
Total distributions | (0.40 | ) | (0.09 | ) | (0.12 | ) | (0.37 | ) | (0.66 | ) | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
NET ASSET VALUE | $ | 5.66 | $ | 5.92 | $ | 6.03 | $ | 5.42 | $ | 6.04 | ||||||||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total return(3) (4) | 2.33 | % | (0.46 | )% | 13.77 | % | (3.82 | )% | (18.02 | )% | ||||||||||
Ratios to average net assets:(4) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gross expenses before | 1.31 | % | 1.18 | % | 1.21 | % | 1.21 | % | 1.19 | % | ||||||||||
Net expenses after | 1.31 | % | 1.18 | % | 1.21 | % | 1.21 | % | 1.19 | % | ||||||||||
Net investment income | 3.37 | % | 1.99 | % | 1.88 | % | 2.78 | % | 1.67 | % | ||||||||||
Portfolio turnover rate | 39.6 | % | 49.6 | % | 55.7 | % | 74.9 | % | 60.3 | % | ||||||||||
Net
assets, end of period (in | $ | 44,394 | $ | 164,339 | $ | 174,744 | $ | 173,583 | $ | 158,868 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using average shares outstanding method.
(2) The amount presented is inconsistent with the fund's aggregate gains and losses because of the timing of sales and redemptions of fund shares in relation to fluctuating market values for the investment portfolio.
(3) Total return reflects the rate that an investor would have earned on an investment in the fund during each period, assuming reinvestment of all distributions, and payment of no redemption or account fees, if applicable.
(4) Includes the impact of expense-related arrangements with Price Associates.
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Most T. Rowe Price Funds disclose their calendar quarter-end portfolio holdings on troweprice.com 15 calendar days after each quarter. At the discretion of the investment adviser, these holdings reports may exclude the issuer name and other information relating to a holding in order to protect the fund’s interests and prevent harm to the fund or its shareholders. In addition, most T. Rowe Price Funds disclose their 10 largest holdings, along with the percentage of the relevant fund’s total assets that each of the 10 holdings represents, on troweprice.com on the seventh business day after each month-end. These holdings are listed in numerical order based on such percentages of the fund’s assets. A description of T. Rowe Price’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of portfolio information is available in the Statement of Additional Information.
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The following policies and procedures apply to the Institutional Funds within the T. Rowe Price Funds.
This section of the prospectus describes the policies and procedures that generally apply to investments in the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds (except for the T. Rowe Price Institutional Cash Reserves Fund). The T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds may be purchased directly from T. Rowe Price or through a financial intermediary, such as a bank, broker, retirement plan recordkeeper, or financial advisor.
Most of the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds are available only in a single share class (referred to as the “Institutional Class”). However, the Institutional High Yield Fund is also offered in a Z Class and the Institutional Floating Rate Fund is also offered in an F Class and a Z Class. Each class of a fund’s shares represents an interest in the same fund with the same investment program and investment policies. While the Institutional Class may be held directly with T. Rowe Price or through a financial intermediary, the F Class is designed to be purchased only through financial advisors and certain financial intermediaries and has a different cost structure due to a shareholder servicing arrangement that applies only to that class. The Z Class is only available to funds advised by T. Rowe Price and other advisory clients of T. Rowe Price or its affiliates that are subject to a contractual fee for investment management services.
This section generally describes investing only in the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds, other than the T. Rowe Price Institutional Cash Reserves Fund, which has unique policies relating to its operation as an institutional money market fund. This section does not describe the policies that apply to other T. Rowe Price Funds. Policies for other T. Rowe Price Funds are described in their respective prospectuses, and all types of funds and available share classes for the T. Rowe Price Funds are described more fully in the funds’ Statement of Additional Information.
Institutional Class
The Institutional Class may be purchased directly through T. Rowe Price or through a financial intermediary. The Institutional Class does not make any payments to financial intermediaries for distribution of the fund’s shares (commonly referred to as 12b-1 fee payments) and does not make any payments to financial intermediaries for administrative services they provide (commonly referred to as administrative fee payments). However, you may incur brokerage commissions and other charges when buying or selling Institutional Class shares.
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The Institutional Class is designed to be sold only to institutional investors, which include, but are not limited to: corporations, endowments and foundations, charitable trusts, investment companies and other pooled vehicles, defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans, broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks and bank trust programs, and Section 529 college savings plans. The Institutional Class generally requires a $1 million initial investment minimum, although the minimum may be waived for retirement plans, financial intermediaries maintaining omnibus accounts, and certain other accounts.
F Class
The F Class must be purchased through a financial intermediary. The F Class does not make any 12b-1 fee payments to financial intermediaries but may make administrative fee payments at an annual rate of up to 0.15% of the class’ average daily net assets.
The F Class is designed to be sold only through financial advisors and certain financial intermediaries, including brokers, banks, insurance companies, retirement plan recordkeepers, and other financial intermediaries. F Class shares are generally not available to financial intermediaries that would make the fund available to their customers through a mutual fund “supermarket” platform. There is a $2,500 minimum initial investment requirement, but the minimum is waived for certain types of accounts.
Z Class
The Z Class is only available to funds advised by T. Rowe Price and other advisory clients of T. Rowe Price or its affiliates that are subject to a contractual fee for investment management services. There is no minimum initial investment and no minimum for additional purchases. The Z Class does not impose sales charges and does not make any administrative fee payments or 12b-1 fee payments to financial intermediaries.
Administrative Fee Payments (F Class)
Certain financial intermediaries perform recordkeeping and administrative services for their clients that would otherwise be performed by the funds’ transfer agent. The F Class may make administrative fee payments to retirement plan recordkeepers, broker-dealers, and other financial intermediaries (at an annual rate of up to 0.15% of the class’ average daily net assets) for transfer agency, recordkeeping, and other administrative services they provide on behalf of the funds. These administrative services may include maintaining account records for each customer; transmitting purchase and redemption orders; delivering shareholder confirmations, statements, and tax forms; and providing support to respond to customers’ questions regarding their accounts. These separate administrative fee payments are reflected in the “Other expenses” line that appears in the fee table in Section 1 with respect to the fund’s F Class.
Some broker-dealers or other financial intermediaries that are eligible to purchase F Class shares of T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds may also be eligible to purchase the Institutional
T. ROWE PRICE | 28 |
Class. The Institutional Class shares require a much higher initial investment but have lower expenses than F Class shares because the Institutional Class does not participate in the administrative fee payment program. The payment of the administrative fee by the F Class creates a potential conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary to purchase F Class shares instead of Institutional Class shares. If this happens, you will incur higher expenses than if your financial intermediary had purchased Institutional Class shares on your behalf (assuming your financial intermediary would qualify to purchase Institutional Class shares). You should ask your salesperson for more information regarding the eligibility of your financial intermediary to purchase Institutional Class shares.
Additional Payments to Financial Intermediaries
In addition to the AFP payments made by the F Class of the Institutional Floating Rate Fund. T. Rowe Price or the fund’s distributor will, at their own expense, provide compensation to certain financial intermediaries that have sold shares of or provide shareholder or other services to the T. Rowe Price Funds, commonly referred to as revenue sharing. These payments may be in the form of asset-based, transaction-based, or flat payments. These payments are used to compensate third parties for distribution and shareholder servicing activities, including sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, or other services. Some of these payments may include expense reimbursements and meeting and marketing support payments (out of T. Rowe Price’s or the fund’s distributor’s own resources and not as an expense of the funds) to financial intermediaries, such as broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks, insurance companies, and retirement plan recordkeepers, in connection with the sale, distribution, marketing, and/or servicing of the T. Rowe Price Funds. The Statement of Additional Information provides more information about these payment arrangements.
The receipt of, or the prospect of receiving, these payments and expense reimbursements from T. Rowe Price or the fund’s distributor may influence intermediaries, plan sponsors, and other third parties to offer or recommend T. Rowe Price Funds over other investment options for which an intermediary does not receive additional compensation (or receives lower levels of additional compensation). In addition, financial intermediaries that receive these payments and/or expense reimbursements may elevate the prominence of the T. Rowe Price Funds by, for example, placing the T. Rowe Price Funds on a list of preferred or recommended funds and/or provide preferential or enhanced opportunities to promote the T. Rowe Price Funds in various ways. Since these additional payments are not paid by a fund directly, these arrangements do not increase fund expenses and will not change the price that an investor pays for shares of the T. Rowe Price Funds or the amount that is invested in a T. Rowe Price Fund on behalf of an investor. You may ask your financial intermediary for more information about any payments they receive from T. Rowe Price or the fund’s distributor.
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If you are opening an account through an employer-sponsored retirement plan or other financial intermediary, you should contact the retirement plan or financial intermediary for information regarding its policies on opening an account, including the policies relating to purchasing, exchanging, and redeeming shares, and the applicable initial and subsequent investment minimums.
Tax Identification Number
Institutional investors must provide T. Rowe Price with a valid taxpayer identification number (and valid Social Security numbers for individuals opening the account on behalf of the institution) on a signed new account form or Form W-9. Otherwise, federal law requires the funds to withhold a percentage of dividends, capital gain distributions, and redemptions and may subject the investor to an Internal Revenue Service fine. If this information is not received within 60 days after the account is established, the account may be redeemed at the fund’s then-current net asset value. Financial intermediaries opening an account in a fund must also enter into a separate agreement with the fund or its agent.
Important Information Required to Open a New Account
Pursuant to federal law, all financial institutions must obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person or entity that opens an account. This information is needed not only for the account owner and any other person who opens the account, but also for any person who has authority to act on behalf of the account. When you open an account for an entity, you will be required to provide the entity’s name, U.S. street address (post office boxes are not acceptable), and taxpayer identification number, as well as your name, U.S. street address (post office boxes are not acceptable), date of birth, and Social Security number as the person opening the account on behalf of the entity. Corporate and other institutional accounts require documents showing the existence of the entity (such as articles of incorporation or partnership agreements) to open an account. Certain other fiduciary accounts (such as trusts or power of attorney arrangements) require documentation, which may include an original or certified copy of the trust agreement or power of attorney, to open an account.
T. Rowe Price will use this information to verify the identity of the entity and person opening the account. An account cannot be opened until all of this information is received. If the identity of the entity or person opening the account on behalf of the entity cannot be verified, T. Rowe Price is authorized to take any action permitted by law. (See “Rights Reserved by the Funds” later in this section.)
Call Financial Institution Services at 1-800-638-8790 for more information on these requirements.
The Institutional Funds are generally available only to institutional investors with a U.S. address. T. Rowe Price will generally not authorize the transfer of ownership of an account in an Institutional Fund for an institutional investor to an account for a noninstitutional investor.
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Shares held directly with T. Rowe Price by noninstitutional investors are subject to involuntary redemption at any time, which could result in a taxable gain to the investor.
Opening an Account
Call Financial Institution Services at 1-800-638-8790 for an account number and wire transfer instructions. All initial purchases are typically made by bank wire, but checks or other forms of payment may be accepted in certain cases. In order to obtain an account number, you must supply the name, taxpayer identification number, and business street address for the account. Complete a new account form and mail it, along with proper documentation identifying your firm and any other necessary documentation, to one of the following addresses:
via U.S. mail T. Rowe Price Financial Institution Services | via private carriers/overnight services T. Rowe Price Financial Institution Services |
Note: Although the purchase will be made, services may not be established and an Internal Revenue Service penalty withholding may occur until we receive a signed new account form.
How and When Shares Are Priced
The trade date for your transaction request depends on the day and time that T. Rowe Price receives your request and will normally be executed using the next share price calculated after your order is received in correct form by T. Rowe Price or its agent (or by your financial intermediary if it has the authority to accept transaction orders on behalf of the fund). The share price, also called the net asset value, for each share class of a fund is calculated at the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which is normally 4 p.m. ET, each day that the NYSE is open for business. Net asset values are not calculated for the funds on days when the NYSE is scheduled to be closed for trading (for example, weekends and certain U.S. national holidays). If the NYSE is unexpectedly closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, or if the NYSE has an unscheduled early closing on a day it has opened for business, the funds reserve the right to treat such day as a business day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate their share price as of the normally scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE for that day.
To calculate the net asset value, a fund’s assets are valued and totaled, liabilities are subtracted, and each class’ proportionate share of the balance, called net assets, is divided by the number of shares outstanding of that class. Market values are used to price portfolio holdings for which market quotations are readily available. Market values generally reflect the prices at which securities actually trade or represent prices that have been adjusted based on evaluations and information provided by the fund’s pricing services. Investments in other mutual funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share of the mutual fund on the day of valuation. If a
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market value for a portfolio holding is not available or normal valuation procedures are deemed to be inappropriate, the fund will make a good faith effort to assign a fair value to the holding by taking into account various factors and methodologies that have been approved by the fund’s Board. This value may differ from the value the fund receives upon sale of the securities. Amortized cost is used to price securities held by money market funds and certain short-term debt securities held by a fund.
The funds use various pricing services to provide closing market prices, as well as information used to adjust those prices and to value most fixed income securities. A fund cannot predict how often it will use closing prices and how often it will adjust those prices. As a means of evaluating its fair value process, the fund routinely compares closing market prices, the next day’s opening prices in the same markets, and adjusted prices.
Non-U.S. equity securities are valued on the basis of their most recent closing market prices at 4 p.m. ET, except under the following circumstances. Most foreign markets close before 4 p.m. ET. For example, the most recent closing prices for securities traded in certain Asian markets may be as much as 15 hours old at 4 p.m. ET. If a fund determines that developments between the close of a foreign market and the close of the NYSE will affect the value of some or all of the fund’s securities, the fund will adjust the previous closing prices to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities as of 4 p.m. ET. In deciding whether to make these adjustments, the fund reviews a variety of factors, including developments in foreign markets, the performance of U.S. securities markets, and the performance of instruments trading in U.S. markets that represent foreign securities and baskets of foreign securities.
A fund may also fair value certain securities or a group of securities in other situations—for example, when a particular foreign market is closed but the fund is open. For a fund that has investments in securities that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges that trade on weekends or other days when the fund does not price its shares, the fund’s net asset value may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem the fund’s shares. If an event occurs that affects the value of a security after the close of the market, such as a default of a commercial paper issuer or a significant move in short-term interest rates, a fund may make a price adjustment depending on the nature and significance of the event. The funds also evaluate a variety of factors when assigning fair values to private placements and other restricted securities. Other mutual funds may adjust the prices of their securities by different amounts or assign different fair values than the fair value that the fund assigns to the same security.
How the Trade Date Is Determined
If you invest directly with T. Rowe Price and your request to purchase, sell, or exchange shares is received by T. Rowe Price or its agent in correct form by the close of the NYSE (normally 4 p.m. ET), your transaction will be priced at that business day’s net asset value. If your request is received by T. Rowe Price or its agent in correct form after the close of the NYSE, your transaction will be priced at the next business day’s net asset value unless the fund has an agreement with your financial intermediary for orders to be priced at the net asset value next computed after receipt by the financial intermediary.
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The funds have authorized certain financial intermediaries or their designees to accept orders to buy or sell fund shares on their behalf. When authorized financial intermediaries receive an order in correct form, the order is considered as being placed with the fund and shares will be bought or sold at the net asset value next calculated after the order is received by the authorized financial intermediary. The financial intermediary must transmit the order to T. Rowe Price and pay for such shares in accordance with the agreement with T. Rowe Price, or the order may be canceled and the financial intermediary could be held liable for the losses. If the fund does not have such an agreement in place with your financial intermediary, T. Rowe Price or its agent must receive the request in correct form from your financial intermediary by the close of the NYSE in order for your transaction to be priced at that business day’s net asset value. Contact your financial intermediary for trade deadlines and the applicable policies for purchasing, selling, or exchanging your shares, as well as initial and subsequent investment minimums. The financial intermediary may charge a fee, such as transaction fees or brokerage commissions, for its services.
Note: There may be times when you are unable to contact us or access your account due to extreme market activity or other circumstances. Should this occur, your order must still be placed and received in correct form by T. Rowe Price (or by the financial intermediary in accordance with its agreement with T. Rowe Price) prior to the time the NYSE closes to be priced at that business day’s net asset value. The time at which transactions and shares are priced and the time until which orders are accepted may be changed in case of an emergency or if the NYSE closes at a time other than 4 p.m. ET. The funds reserve the right to not treat an unscheduled intraday disruption or closure in NYSE trading as a closure of the NYSE and still accept transactions and calculate their net asset value as of 4 p.m. ET.
Transaction Confirmations
T. Rowe Price sends immediate confirmations for most of your fund transactions. However, certain transactions, such as dividend reinvestments, do not receive an immediate transaction confirmation but are reported on your account statement. Please review transaction confirmations and account statements as soon as you receive them and promptly report any discrepancies to Financial Institution Services.
Preventing Unauthorized Transactions
The T. Rowe Price Funds and their agents use reasonably designed procedures to verify that telephone, electronic, and other instructions are genuine. These procedures include, among other things, recording telephone calls; requiring personalized security codes or other information online and certain identifying information for telephone calls; requiring Medallion signature guarantees for certain transactions and account changes; and promptly sending confirmations of transactions and address changes. For transactions conducted online, we recommend the use of a secure Internet browser.
T. Rowe Price Account Protection Program Shareholders who invest in the T. Rowe Price Funds directly are eligible for the Account Protection Program. The Account Protection Program restores eligible losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent activity, provided that you follow all security best practices when you access and maintain your account(s). T. Rowe Price
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reserves the right to modify or withdraw the Account Protection Program at any time. The Account Protection Program security best practices and additional information may be accessed online at https://www.troweprice.com/personal-investing/help/policies-and-security/account-protection-program.html.
If our verification procedures are followed, and the losses are not eligible to be restored under the Account Protection Program, the funds and their agents are not liable for any losses that may occur from acting on unauthorized instructions.
If you suspect any unauthorized account activity, notice errors or discrepancies in your T. Rowe Price account, or are not receiving your T. Rowe Price account statements, please contact T. Rowe Price immediately. Telephone conversations are recorded.
Purchasing Shares
Purchases may be initiated through the National Securities Clearing Corporation or by calling Financial Institution Services. All initial and subsequent investments are typically made by bank wire, although checks or other forms of payment may be accepted in certain cases. There is no assurance that the share price for a purchase will be the same day a wire was initiated.
The funds generally do not accept orders that request a particular day or price for a transaction or any other special conditions. However, when authorized by the fund, certain institutions, financial intermediaries, or retirement plans purchasing fund shares directly with T. Rowe Price may place a purchase order unaccompanied by payment. Payment for these shares must be received by the time designated by the fund (not to exceed the period established for settlement under applicable regulations). If payment is not received by this time, the order may be canceled. The institution, financial intermediary, or retirement plan is responsible for any costs or losses incurred by the fund or T. Rowe Price if payment is delayed or not received.
U.S. Dollars All purchases must be paid for in U.S. dollars; checks must be drawn on U.S. banks and should be payable to the T. Rowe Price Funds.
Nonpayment Purchases of a fund may be canceled if payment is not received in a timely manner, and the shareholder may be responsible for any losses or expenses incurred by the fund or its transfer agent. The funds and their agents have the right to reject or cancel any purchase, exchange, or redemption due to nonpayment.
Investment Minimums
The Institutional Class generally requires a $1 million minimum initial investment and the F Class generally requires a $2,500 minimum initial investment, although the minimums may be waived for financial intermediaries, retirement plans, and certain other institutional investors. In addition, we request that you give us at least three business days’ notice (seven business days’ notice for the Institutional Floating Rate Fund) for any purchase of $5 million or more. There is generally no minimum required for additional purchases.
You should check with your financial advisor, retirement plan, or financial intermediary to determine what minimum applies to your initial and additional investments.
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Exchanging and Redeeming Shares
Exchanges You can move money from one account to an existing, identically registered account or open a new identically registered account. An exchange from one fund to another will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service as a sale for tax purposes.
Redemptions Redemptions are typically initiated through the National Securities Clearing Corporation or by calling Financial Institution Services. Please note that certain redemption requests initiated through the National Securities Clearing Corporation may be rejected, and in such instances, the transaction must be placed by contacting a Financial Institution Services representative.
If for some reason we cannot accept your request to exchange or redeem shares, we will attempt to contact you.
If you request to redeem a specific dollar amount and the market value of your account is less than the amount of your request and we are unable to contact you, your redemption will not be processed and you will need to submit a new redemption request in correct form.
Receiving Redemption Proceeds Unless otherwise indicated, redemption proceeds will be sent via bank wire to the designated bank on file for the account. If a request is received in correct form by T. Rowe Price or its agent on a business day prior to the close of the NYSE, proceeds are usually sent on the next business day. Proceeds sent by bank wire are usually credited to an account the next business day after the sale. Redemption proceeds can be mailed to the account address by check if specifically requested. Normally, the fund transmits proceeds to financial intermediaries for redemption orders received in correct form on either the next business day or second business day after receipt of the order, depending on the arrangement with the financial intermediary. You must contact your financial intermediary about procedures for receiving your redemption proceeds.
Large Redemptions Large redemptions (for example, $250,000 or more) can adversely affect a portfolio manager’s ability to implement a fund’s investment strategy by causing the premature sale of securities that would otherwise be held longer. Therefore, the fund reserves the right (without prior notice) to redeem in kind. In general, any redemptions in-kind will represent a pro-rata distribution of a fund’s securities, subject to certain limited exceptions. The redeeming shareholder will be responsible for disposing of the securities, and the shareholder will be subject to the risks that the value of the securities could decline prior to their sale, the securities could be difficult to sell, and brokerage fees could be incurred. If you continue to hold the securities, you may be subject to any ownership restrictions imposed by the issuers. For example, real estate investment trusts often impose ownership restrictions on their equity securities.
Delays in Sending Redemption Proceeds
The T. Rowe Price Funds typically expect that it will take one to two days following the receipt of a redemption request that is in correct form to send redemption proceeds, regardless of the method the fund uses to make such payment (for example, check, wire, or Automated Clearing
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House transfer). Checks are typically mailed on the business day after the redemption, proceeds sent by wire are typically credited to your financial institution the business day after the redemption, and proceeds sent by Automated Clearing House are typically credited to your financial institution on the second business day after the redemption. However, under certain circumstances, and when deemed to be in a fund’s best interests, proceeds may not be sent for up to seven calendar days after receipt of a valid redemption order (for example, during periods of deteriorating or stressed market conditions or during extraordinary or emergency circumstances).
In addition, if shares are sold that were just purchased and paid for by check or Automated Clearing House transfer, the fund will process your redemption but will generally delay sending the proceeds for up to seven calendar days to allow the check or Automated Clearing House transfer to clear. If, during the clearing period, we receive a check drawn against your newly purchased shares, it will be returned and marked “uncollected.” (The seven-day hold does not apply to purchases paid for by bank wire or automatic purchases through payroll deduction.)
The Board of a retail or institutional money market fund may temporarily suspend redemptions from the fund for up to 10 business days during any 90-day period (i.e., a “redemption gate”) and elect to temporarily suspend redemptions for up to 10 business days in a 90-day period if the fund’s weekly liquid assets fall below 30% of its total assets and the fund’s Board determines that imposing a redemption gate is in the fund’s best interests. In addition, under certain limited circumstances, the Board of a retail or institutional money market fund may elect to permanently suspend redemptions in order to facilitate an orderly liquidation of the fund (subject to any additional liquidation requirements).
You may initiate transactions involving the Institutional Funds by telephone, by mail, or through the National Securities Clearing Corporation. The T. Rowe Price Funds and their agents use reasonable procedures to verify the identity of the person contacting T. Rowe Price and to ensure that the person is authorized to act on behalf of the account. If these procedures are followed, the funds and their agents are not liable for any losses that may occur from acting on unauthorized instructions. Please review the transaction confirmation carefully, and contact Financial Institution Services immediately about any transaction you believe to be unauthorized. Telephone conversations are recorded.
To place a transaction or make any inquiries regarding the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds, please call Financial Institution Services at 1-800-638-8790. To mail any information to T. Rowe Price regarding the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds, please use the following addresses:
T. ROWE PRICE | 36 |
via U.S. mail T. Rowe Price Financial Institution Services | via private carriers/overnight services T. Rowe Price Financial Institution Services |
Note: If sending a check for a purchase, your transaction will receive the share price for the business day that the check is received by T. Rowe Price or its agent prior to the close of the NYSE (normally 4 p.m. ET), which could differ from the day that the check is received at the post office box.
If you hold shares of a T. Rowe Price Institutional Fund through a retirement plan or financial intermediary, you must contact your retirement plan or financial intermediary with any inquiries.
Involuntary Redemptions and Share Class Conversions
Shares held by any investors that no longer meet the definition of an institutional investor or fail to meet or maintain their account(s) at the investment minimum are subject to involuntary redemption at any time.
For all accounts in Institutional Funds (except for F Class accounts), to help keep operating expenses lower, we ask that you maintain an account balance of at least $1 million. If your investment falls below $1 million (even if due to market depreciation), we have the right to redeem your account at the then-current net asset value after giving you 60 days to increase your balance.
The redemption of your account could result in a taxable gain or loss.
For any F Class accounts that are no longer held through an eligible financial intermediary, we have the right to convert your account to the Institutional Class following notice to the financial intermediary or shareholder.
Excessive and Short-Term Trading Policy
Excessive transactions and short-term trading can be harmful to fund shareholders in various ways, such as disrupting a fund’s portfolio management strategies, increasing a fund’s trading and other costs, and negatively affecting its performance. Short-term traders in funds that invest in foreign securities may seek to take advantage of developments overseas that could lead to an anticipated difference between the price of the funds’ shares and price movements in foreign markets. While there is no assurance that T. Rowe Price can prevent all excessive and short-term trading, the Boards of the T. Rowe Price Funds have adopted the following trading limits that are designed to deter such activity and protect the funds’ shareholders. The funds may revise their trading limits and procedures at any time as the Boards deem necessary or appropriate to better detect short-term trading that may adversely affect the funds, to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, or to impose additional or alternative restrictions.
Subject to certain exceptions, each T. Rowe Price Fund restricts a shareholder’s purchases (including through exchanges) into a fund account for a period of 30 calendar days after the
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shareholder has redeemed or exchanged out of that same fund account (the “30-Day Purchase Block”). The calendar day after the date of redemption is considered Day 1 for purposes of computing the period before another purchase may be made.
General Exceptions As of the date of this prospectus, the following types of transactions generally are not subject to the funds’ excessive and short-term trading policy:
· Shares purchased or redeemed in money market funds and ultra short-term bond funds;
· Shares purchased or redeemed through a systematic purchase or withdrawal plan;
· Checkwriting redemptions from bond and money market funds;
· Shares purchased through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gain distributions;
· Shares redeemed automatically by a fund to pay fund fees or shareholder account fees;
· Transfers and changes of account registration within the same fund;
· Shares purchased by asset transfer or direct rollover;
· Shares purchased or redeemed through IRA conversions and recharacterizations;
· Shares redeemed to return an excess contribution from a retirement account;
· Transactions in Section 529 college savings plans;
· Certain transactions in defined benefit and nonqualified plans, subject to prior approval by T. Rowe Price;
· Shares converted from one share class to another share class in the same fund;
· Shares of T. Rowe Price Funds that are purchased by another T. Rowe Price Fund, including shares purchased by T. Rowe Price fund-of-funds products, and shares purchased by discretionary accounts managed by T. Rowe Price or one of its affiliates (please note that shareholders of the investing T. Rowe Price Fund are still subject to the policy);
· Transactions initiated by the trustee or adviser to a donor-advised charitable gift fund as approved by T. Rowe Price; and
· Transactions having a value of $5,000 or less (retirement plans, including those for which T. Rowe Price serves as recordkeeper, and other financial intermediaries may apply the excessive and short-term trading policy to transactions of any amount).
Transactions in certain rebalancing, asset allocation, wrap programs, and other advisory programs, as well as non-T. Rowe Price fund-of-funds products, may also be exempt from the 30-Day Purchase Block, subject to prior written approval by T. Rowe Price.
In addition to restricting transactions in accordance with the 30-Day Purchase Block, T. Rowe Price may, in its discretion, reject (or instruct a financial intermediary to reject) any purchase or exchange into a fund from a person (which includes individuals and entities) whose trading activity could disrupt the management of the fund or dilute the value of the fund’s shares, including trading by persons acting collectively (for example, following the advice of a newsletter). Such persons may be barred, without prior notice, from further purchases of T. Rowe Price Funds for a period longer than 30 calendar days, or permanently.
Financial Intermediary Accounts If you invest in T. Rowe Price Funds through a financial intermediary, including a retirement plan, you should review the financial intermediary’s or retirement plan’s materials carefully or consult with the financial intermediary or plan sponsor directly to determine the trading policy that will apply to your trades in the T. Rowe Price
T. ROWE PRICE | 38 |
Funds as well as any other rules or conditions on transactions that may apply. If T. Rowe Price is unable to identify a transaction placed through a financial intermediary as exempt from the excessive trading policy, the 30-Day Purchase Block may apply.
Financial intermediaries may maintain their underlying accounts directly with the fund, although they often establish an omnibus account (one account with the fund that represents multiple underlying shareholder accounts) on behalf of their customers. When financial intermediaries establish omnibus accounts in the T. Rowe Price Funds, T. Rowe Price is not able to monitor the trading activity of the underlying shareholders. However, T. Rowe Price monitors aggregate trading activity at the financial intermediary (omnibus account) level in an attempt to identify activity that indicates potential excessive or short-term trading. If it detects such trading activity, T. Rowe Price may contact the financial intermediary to request personal identifying information and transaction histories for some or all underlying shareholders (including plan participants, if applicable) pursuant to a written agreement that T. Rowe Price has entered into with each financial intermediary. Any nonpublic personal information provided to the fund (for example, a shareholder’s taxpayer identification number or transaction records) is subject to the fund’s privacy policy. If T. Rowe Price believes that excessive or short-term trading has occurred and there is no exception for such trades under the funds’ Excessive and Short-Term Trading Policy as previously described, it will instruct the financial intermediary to impose restrictions to discourage such practices and take appropriate action with respect to the underlying shareholder, including restricting purchases for 30 calendar days or longer. Each financial intermediary has agreed to execute such instructions pursuant to a written agreement. There is no assurance that T. Rowe Price will be able to properly enforce its excessive trading policies for omnibus accounts. Because T. Rowe Price generally relies on financial intermediaries to provide information and impose restrictions for omnibus accounts, its ability to monitor and deter excessive trading will be dependent upon the intermediaries’ timely performance of their responsibilities.
T. Rowe Price may allow a financial intermediary or other third party to maintain restrictions on trading in the T. Rowe Price Funds that differ from the 30-Day Purchase Block. An alternative excessive trading policy would be acceptable to T. Rowe Price if it believes that the policy would provide sufficient protection to the T. Rowe Price Funds and their shareholders that is consistent with the excessive trading policy adopted by the funds’ Boards.
Retirement Plan Accounts If shares are held in a retirement plan, generally
the
30-Day Purchase Block applies only to shares redeemed by a participant-directed exchange to another
fund. However, the 30-Day Purchase Block may apply to transactions other than exchanges depending on
how shares of the plan are held at T. Rowe Price or the excessive trading policy applied by your plan’s
recordkeeper. An alternative excessive trading policy may apply to the T. Rowe Price Funds where a retirement
plan has its own policy deemed acceptable to T. Rowe Price. You should contact T. Rowe Price or your
plan recordkeeper to determine which of your transactions are subject to the funds’ 30-Day Purchase
Block or an alternative policy.
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 39 |
There is no guarantee that T. Rowe Price will be able to identify or prevent all excessive or short-term trades or trading practices.
Unclaimed Accounts and Uncashed Checks
If your account has no activity for a certain period of time and/or mail sent to you from T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) is returned by the post office, T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) may be required to transfer your account and any assets related to uncashed checks to the appropriate state under its abandoned property laws. To avoid such action, it is important to keep your account address up to date and periodically contact T. Rowe Price at least once every two years.
Delivery of Shareholder Documents
If two or more accounts own the same fund, share the same address, and T. Rowe Price reasonably believes that the two accounts are part of the same institution, we may economize on fund expenses by mailing only one shareholder report and prospectus for the fund. If you do not want your mailings to be “householded,” please call Financial Institution Services.
Signature Guarantees
A Medallion signature guarantee is designed to protect you and the T. Rowe Price Funds from fraud by verifying your signature.
A signature guarantee may be required in certain situations, such as:
· Remitting redemption proceeds to any person, address, or bank account not on file or
· Changing the account registration or broker-dealer of record for an account.
Consult Financial Institution Services for specific requirements.
The signature guarantee must be obtained from a financial institution that is a participant in a Medallion signature guarantee program. You can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from certain banks, savings institutions, broker-dealers, and other guarantors acceptable to T. Rowe Price. When obtaining a Medallion signature guarantee, please discuss with the guarantor the dollar amount of your proposed transaction. It is important that the level of coverage provided by the guarantor’s stamp covers the dollar amount of the transaction or it may be rejected. We cannot accept guarantees from notaries public or organizations that do not provide reimbursement in the case of fraud.
Fund Operations and Shareholder Services
T. Rowe Price and The Bank of New York Mellon, subject to the oversight of T. Rowe Price, each provide certain accounting services to the T. Rowe Price Funds. T. Rowe Price Services, Inc., acts as the transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent and provides shareholder and administrative services to the funds. T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc., provides recordkeeping, sub-transfer agency, and administrative services for certain types of retirement plans investing in the funds. These companies receive compensation from the funds for their services. The F Class may also pay financial intermediaries for performing shareholder and administrative services for underlying shareholders in omnibus accounts. All of the fees
T. ROWE PRICE | 40 |
discussed above are included in a fund’s financial statements and, except for funds that have an all-inclusive management fee, are also reflected in the “Other expenses” line that appears in a fund’s fee table in Section 1.
Each fund intends to qualify to be treated each year as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. In order to qualify, a fund must satisfy certain income, diversification, and distribution requirements. A regulated investment company is not subject to U.S. federal income tax at the portfolio level on income and gains from investments that are distributed to shareholders. However, if a fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company and was ineligible to or otherwise did not cure such failure, the result would be fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to the fund’s shareholders.
To the extent possible, all net investment income and realized capital gains are distributed to shareholders.
Dividends and Other Distributions
Dividend and capital gain distributions are reinvested in additional fund shares in your account unless you select another option on your new account form. Reinvesting distributions results in compounding, which allows you to receive dividends and capital gain distributions on an increasing number of shares.
Distributions not reinvested are paid by check or transmitted electronically to your bank account. If the U.S. Postal Service cannot deliver your check or if your check remains uncashed for six months, the fund reserves the right to reinvest your distribution check in your account at the net asset value on the day of the reinvestment and to reinvest all subsequent distributions in additional shares of the fund. Interest will not accrue on amounts represented by uncashed distributions or redemption checks.
The following table provides details on dividend payments:
Dividend Payment Schedule | |
Fund | Dividends |
Bond funds | · Shares normally begin to earn dividends on the business day after payment is received by T. Rowe Price. · Declared daily and paid on the first business day of each month. |
Stock funds | · Must be a shareholder on the dividend record date. · Declared and paid annually, if any, generally in December. |
Shares of bond funds will earn dividends through the date of redemption. Shares redeemed on a Friday or prior to a holiday will continue to earn dividends until the next business day.
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 41 |
Generally, if you redeem all of your bond fund shares at any time during the month, you will also receive all dividends earned through the date of redemption in the same check. When you redeem only a portion of your bond fund shares, all dividends accrued on those shares will be reinvested, or paid in cash, on the next dividend payment date. The funds do not pay dividends in fractional cents. Any dividend amount earned for a particular day on all shares held that is one-half of one cent or greater (for example, $0.016) will be rounded up to the next whole cent ($0.02), and any amount that is less than one-half of one cent (for example, $0.014) will be rounded down to the nearest whole cent ($0.01). Please note that if the dividend payable on all shares held is less than one-half of one cent for a particular day, no dividend will be earned for that day.
If you purchase and redeem your shares through a financial intermediary, consult your financial intermediary to determine when your shares begin and stop accruing dividends as the information previously described may vary.
Capital Gain Payments
A capital gain or loss is the difference between the purchase and sale price of a security. If a fund has net capital gains for the year (after subtracting any capital losses), they are usually declared and paid in December to shareholders of record on a specified date that month. If a second distribution is necessary, it is generally paid the following year. A fund may have to make additional capital gain distributions, if necessary, to comply with the applicable tax law.
Tax Information
In most cases, you will be provided information for your tax filing needs no later than mid-February.
If you invest in the fund through a tax-deferred account, such as an IRA or employer-sponsored retirement plan, you will not be subject to tax on dividends and distributions from the fund or the sale of fund shares if those amounts remain in the tax-deferred account. You may receive a Form 1099-R or other Internal Revenue Service forms, as applicable, if any portion of the account is distributed to you.
If you invest in the fund through a taxable account, you generally will be subject to tax when:
· You sell fund shares, including an exchange from one fund to another.
· The fund makes dividend or capital gain distributions.
For individual shareholders, a portion of ordinary dividends representing “qualified dividend income” received by the fund may be subject to tax at the lower rates applicable to long-term capital gains rather than ordinary income. You may report it as “qualified dividend income” in computing your taxes, provided you have held the fund shares on which the dividend was paid for more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date. Ordinary dividends that do not qualify for this lower rate are generally taxable at the investor’s marginal income tax rate. This includes the portion of ordinary dividends derived from interest, short-term capital gains, income and gains from derivatives, distributions from nonqualified foreign corporations, distributions from real estate investment trusts, and
T. ROWE PRICE | 42 |
dividends received by the fund from stocks that were on loan. Little, if any, of the ordinary dividends paid by the bond funds or money market funds is expected to qualify for this lower rate.
For corporate shareholders, a portion of ordinary dividends may be eligible for the deduction for dividends received by corporations to the extent the fund’s income consists of dividends paid by U.S. corporations. Little, if any, of the ordinary dividends paid by the international stock or bond funds is expected to qualify for this deduction.
A 3.8% net investment income tax is imposed on net investment income, including interest, dividends, and capital gains of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
If you hold your fund through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary is responsible for providing you with any necessary tax forms. You should contact your financial intermediary for the tax information that will be sent to you and reported to the Internal Revenue Service.
Taxes on Fund Redemptions
When you sell shares in any fund, you may realize a gain or loss. An exchange from one fund to another in a taxable account is also a sale for tax purposes.
All or a portion of the loss realized from a sale or exchange of your fund shares may be disallowed under the “wash sale” rule if you purchase substantially identical shares within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date on which the shares are sold or exchanged. Shares of the same fund you acquire through dividend reinvestment are shares purchased for the purpose of the wash sale rule and may trigger a disallowance of the loss for shares sold or exchanged within the 61-day period of the dividend reinvestment. Any loss disallowed under the wash sale rule is added to the cost basis of the purchased shares.
T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) will make available to you Form 1099-B, if applicable, no later than mid-February, providing certain information for each sale you made in the fund during the prior year. Unless otherwise indicated on your Form 1099-B, this information will also be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. For mutual fund shares acquired prior to 2012 in most accounts established or opened by exchange in 1984 or later, our Form 1099-B will provide you with the gain or loss on the shares you sold during the year based on the average cost single category method. This information on average cost and gain or loss from sale is not reported to the Internal Revenue Service. For these mutual fund shares acquired prior to 2012, you may calculate the cost basis using other methods acceptable to the Internal Revenue Service, such as specific identification.
For mutual fund shares acquired after 2011, federal income tax regulations require us to report the cost basis information on Form 1099-B using a cost basis method selected by the shareholder in compliance with such regulations or, in the absence of such selected method, our default method if you acquire your shares directly from T. Rowe Price. Our default method is average cost. For any fund shares acquired through a financial intermediary after 2011, you
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 43 |
should check with your financial intermediary regarding the applicable cost basis method. You should, however, note that the cost basis information reported to you may not always be the same as what you should report on your tax return because the rules applicable to the determination of cost basis on Form 1099-B may be different from the rules applicable to the determination of cost basis for reporting on your tax return. Therefore, you should save your transaction records to make sure the information reported on your tax return is accurate. T. Rowe Price and financial intermediaries are not required to issue a Form 1099-B to report sales of money market fund shares.
To help you maintain accurate records, T. Rowe Price will make available to you a confirmation promptly following each transaction you make (except for systematic purchases and systematic redemptions) and a year-end statement detailing all of your transactions in each fund account during the year. If you hold your fund through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary is responsible for providing you with transaction confirmations and statements.
Taxes on Fund Distributions
T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) will make available to you, as applicable, generally no later than mid-February, a Form 1099-DIV, or other Internal Revenue Service forms, as required, indicating the tax status of any income dividends, dividends exempt from federal income taxes, and capital gain distributions made to you. This information will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. Taxable distributions are generally taxable to you in the year in which they are paid. A dividend declared in October, November, or December and paid in the following January is generally treated as taxable to you as if you received the distribution in December. Dividends from tax-free funds are generally expected to be tax-exempt for federal income tax purposes. Your bond fund dividends for each calendar year will include dividends accrued up to the first business day of the next calendar year. Ordinary dividends and capital gain dividends may also be subject to state and local taxes. You will be sent any additional information you need to determine your taxes on fund distributions, such as the portion of your dividends, if any, that may be exempt from state and local income taxes.
Taxable distributions are subject to tax whether reinvested in additional shares or received in cash.
The tax treatment of a capital gain distribution is determined by how long the fund held the portfolio securities, not how long you held the shares in the fund. Short-term (one year or less) capital gain distributions are taxable at the same rate as ordinary income, and gains on securities held more than one year are taxed at the lower rates applicable to long-term capital gains. If you realized a loss on the sale or exchange of fund shares that you held six months or less, your short-term capital loss must be reclassified as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributions received during the period you held the shares. For funds investing in foreign instruments, distributions resulting from the sale of certain foreign currencies, currency contracts, and the foreign currency portion of gains on debt instruments are taxed as ordinary income. Net foreign currency losses may cause monthly or quarterly dividends to be reclassified as returns of capital.
T. ROWE PRICE | 44 |
A fund’s distributions that have exceeded the fund’s earnings and profits for the relevant tax year may be treated as a return of capital to its shareholders. A return of capital distribution is generally nontaxable but reduces the shareholder’s cost basis in the fund, and any return of capital in excess of the cost basis will result in a capital gain.
The tax status of certain distributions may be recharacterized on year-end tax forms, such as your Form 1099-DIV. Distributions made by a fund may later be recharacterized for federal income tax purposes—for example, from taxable ordinary income dividends to returns of capital. A recharacterization of distributions may occur for a number of reasons, including the recharacterization of income received from underlying investments, such as real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), and distributions that exceed taxable income due to losses from foreign currency transactions or other investment transactions. Certain funds, including international bond funds and funds that invest in REITs, are more likely to recharacterize a portion of their distributions as a result of their investments.
If the fund qualifies and elects to pass through nonrefundable foreign income taxes paid to foreign governments during the year, your portion of such taxes will be reported to you as taxable income. However, you may be able to claim an offsetting credit or deduction on your tax return for those amounts. There can be no assurance that a fund will meet the requirements to pass through foreign income taxes paid.
If you are subject to backup withholding, we will have to withhold a 24% backup withholding tax on distributions and, in some cases, redemption payments. You may be subject to backup withholding if we are notified by the Internal Revenue Service to withhold, you have failed one or more tax certification requirements, or our records indicate that your tax identification number is missing or incorrect. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and is generally available to credit against your federal income tax liability with any excess refunded to you by the Internal Revenue Service.
Tax Consequences of Hedging
Entering into certain transactions involving options, futures, swaps, and forward currency exchange contracts may result in the application of the mark-to-market and straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. These provisions could result in a fund being required to distribute gains on such transactions even though it did not close the contracts during the year or receive cash to pay such distributions. The fund may not be able to reduce its distributions for losses on such transactions to the extent of unrealized gains in offsetting positions.
Tax Consequences of Shareholder Turnover
If the fund’s portfolio transactions result in a net capital loss (i.e., an excess of capital losses over capital gains) for any year, the loss may be carried forward and used to offset future realized capital gains. However, its ability to carry forward such losses will be limited if the fund experiences an “ownership change” within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code. An ownership change generally results when shareholders owning 5% or more of the fund increase their aggregate holdings by more than 50 percentage points over a three-year period.
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 45 |
Because Institutional Funds may have only a few large shareholders, an ownership change can occur in the normal course of shareholder purchases and redemptions. The fund undertakes no obligation to avoid or prevent an ownership change. Moreover, because of circumstances beyond the fund’s control, there can be no assurance that the fund will not experience, or has not already experienced, an ownership change. An ownership change can reduce the fund’s ability to offset capital gains with losses, which could increase the amount of taxable gains that could be distributed to shareholders.
Tax Effect of Buying Shares Before an Income Dividend or Capital Gain Distribution
If you buy shares shortly before or on the record date—the date that establishes you as the person to receive the upcoming distribution—you may receive a portion of the money you just invested in the form of a taxable distribution. Therefore, you may wish to find out a fund’s record date before investing. In addition, a fund’s share price may, at any time, reflect undistributed capital gains or income and unrealized appreciation, which may result in future taxable distributions. Such distributions can occur even in a year when the fund has a negative return.
T. Rowe Price Funds and their agents, in their sole discretion, reserve the following rights: (1) to waive or lower investment minimums; (2) to accept initial purchases by telephone; (3) to refuse any purchase or exchange order; (4) to cancel or rescind any purchase or exchange order placed through a financial intermediary no later than the business day after the order is received by the financial intermediary (including, but not limited to, orders deemed to result in excessive trading, market timing, or 5% ownership); (5) to cease offering fund shares at any time to all or certain groups of investors; (6) to freeze any account and suspend account services when notice has been received of a dispute regarding the ownership of the account, or a legal claim against an account, upon initial notification to T. Rowe Price of a shareholder’s death until T. Rowe Price receives required documentation in correct form, or if there is reason to believe a fraudulent transaction may occur; (7) to otherwise modify the conditions of purchase and modify or terminate any services at any time; (8) to waive any wire, small account, maintenance, or fiduciary fees charged to a group of shareholders; (9) to act on instructions reasonably believed to be genuine; (10) to involuntarily redeem an account at the net asset value calculated the day the account is redeemed, in cases of threatening conduct, suspected fraudulent or illegal activity, or if the fund or its agent is unable, through its procedures, to verify the identity of the person(s) or entity opening an account; and (11) for money market funds, to suspend redemptions to facilitate an orderly liquidation.
The fund’s Statement of Additional Information, which contains a more detailed description of the fund’s operations, investment restrictions, policies and practices, has been filed with the SEC. The Statement of Additional Information is incorporated by reference into this prospectus, which means that it is legally part of this prospectus even if you do not request a copy. Further information about the fund’s investments, including a review of market conditions and the manager’s recent investment strategies and their impact on performance during the past fiscal year, is available in the annual and semiannual shareholder reports. These documents and updated performance information are available through troweprice.com. For inquiries about the fund and to obtain free copies of any of these documents, call 1-800-638-8790. If you invest in the fund through a financial intermediary, you should contact your financial intermediary for copies of these documents.
Fund reports and other fund information are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at publicinfo@sec.gov.
T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. |
1940 Act File No. 811-5833 | E171-040 3/1/20 |
PROSPECTUS March 1, 2020 | ||||
T. ROWE PRICE | ||||
IEMFX | Institutional Emerging Markets Equity Fund | |||
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by SEC regulations, paper copies of the T. Rowe Price funds’ annual and semiannual shareholder reports will no longer be mailed, unless you specifically request them. Instead, shareholder reports will be made available on the funds’ website (troweprice.com/prospectus), and you will be notified by mail with a website link to access the reports each time a report is posted to the site. If you already elected to receive reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and need not take any action. At any time, shareholders who invest directly in T. Rowe Price funds may generally elect to receive reports or other communications electronically by enrolling at troweprice.com/paperless or, if you are a retirement plan sponsor or invest in the funds through a financial intermediary (such as an investment advisor, broker-dealer, insurance company, or bank), by contacting your representative or your financial intermediary. You may elect to continue receiving paper copies of future shareholder reports free of charge. To do so, if you invest directly with T. Rowe Price, please call T. Rowe Price as follows: IRA, nonretirement account holders, and institutional investors, 1-800-225-5132; small business retirement accounts, 1-800-492-7670. If you are a retirement plan sponsor or invest in the T. Rowe Price funds through a financial intermediary, please contact your representative or financial intermediary, or follow additional instructions if included with this document. Your election to receive paper copies of reports will apply to all funds held in your account with your financial intermediary or, if you invest directly in the T. Rowe Price funds, with T. Rowe Price. Your election can be changed at any time in the future. | ||||
Table of Contents
1 | SUMMARY | ||
2 | MORE ABOUT THE FUND | ||
More Information About the Fund’s | |||
3 | INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS | ||
Investing with T. Rowe Price 25 Payments to Financial Intermediaries 26 Policies for Opening an Account 28 Pricing of Shares and Transactions 29 General Policies and Requirements 34 |
SUMMARY | 1 | |
The fund seeks long-term growth of capital through investments primarily in the common stocks of companies located (or with primary operations) in emerging markets.
Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the fund. You may also incur brokerage commissions and other charges when buying or selling shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the table.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
Annual
fund operating expenses | ||
Management fees | 1.10 | % |
Other expenses | — | |
Total annual fund operating expenses | 1.10 |
Example This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods, that your investment has a 5% return each year, and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. 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 |
$112 | $350 | $606 | $1,340 |
Portfolio Turnover The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when the fund’s shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 20.9% of the average value of its portfolio.
Investments, Risks, and Performance
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets (including any borrowings for investment purposes) in emerging market companies. For purposes of determining whether the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in emerging market companies, the fund relies on MSCI Inc. to determine which countries are considered emerging markets and relies on the country assigned to a security by MSCI Inc. or another unaffiliated data provider. The fund considers frontier markets to be a subset of emerging markets and any investments in frontier
T. ROWE PRICE | 2 |
markets will be counted toward the fund’s 80% investment policy. The fund expects to primarily invest in common stocks of companies located (or with primary operations) in emerging markets in Latin America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The countries in which the fund normally invests include, but are not limited to, the following:
· Asia: China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
· Latin America: Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
· Europe: Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
· Africa and the Middle East: Bahrain, Botswana, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Zimbabwe.
The fund may purchase the stocks of companies of any size. While the adviser invests with an awareness of the global economic backdrop and the adviser’s outlook for certain industries, sectors, and individual countries, the adviser’s decision-making process focuses on bottom-up stock selection. Country allocation is driven largely by stock selection, though the adviser may limit investments in markets or industries that appear to have poor overall prospects. The fund may at times invest significantly in China.
Security selection reflects a growth style. The adviser relies on a global team of investment analysts dedicated to in-depth fundamental research in an effort to identify companies capable of achieving and sustaining above-average, long-term earnings growth. The adviser seeks to purchase stocks of companies at reasonable prices in relation to present or anticipated earnings, cash flow, or book value.
In selecting investments, the adviser generally favors companies with one or more of the following characteristics:
· leading or improving market position;
· attractive business niche;
· attractive or improving franchise or industry position;
· seasoned management;
· stable or improving earnings and/or cash flow; and
· sound or improving balance sheet.
The fund may sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into more promising opportunities.
Principal Risks
As with any fund, there is no guarantee that the fund will achieve its objective(s). The fund’s share price fluctuates, which means you could lose money by investing in the fund. The principal risks of investing in this fund, which may be even greater during periods of market disruption or volatility, are summarized as follows.
SUMMARY | 3 |
Emerging markets Investments in emerging market countries are subject to greater risk and overall volatility than investments in the U.S. and developed markets. Emerging market countries tend to have economic structures that are less diverse and mature, and political systems that are less stable, than those of developed countries. In addition to the risks associated with investing outside the U.S., emerging markets are more susceptible to governmental interference, political and economic uncertainty, local taxes and restrictions on the fund’s investments, less efficient trading markets with lower overall liquidity, and more volatile currency exchange rates.
International investing Investing in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involves special risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. Non-U.S. securities tend to be more volatile and have lower overall liquidity than investments in U.S. securities and may lose value because of adverse local, political, social, or economic developments overseas, or due to changes in the exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. In addition, investments outside the U.S. are subject to settlement practices and regulatory and financial reporting standards that differ from those of the U.S. The risks of investing outside the U.S. are heightened for any investments in emerging markets, which are susceptible to greater volatility than investments in developed markets.
Investing in China The Chinese government has historically exercised significant control over China’s economy and its financial markets through, among other things, its monetary policies and allocation of resources, management of currency exchange rates, preferential treatment or restrictions relating to industries deemed sensitive to national interests, and limitations on foreign ownership of Chinese securities. Although economic reforms have liberalized trade policy and reduced government control, changes in these policies or increased government intervention could adversely impact affected industries or companies. China’s currency, which historically has been managed in a tight range relative to the U.S. dollar, may in the future be subject to greater uncertainty as Chinese authorities change the policies that determine the official currency exchange rate. Additionally, the Chinese economy is highly dependent on the exportation of products and services, and could experience a significant slowdown due to a reduction in global demand for Chinese exports, contraction in spending on domestic goods by Chinese consumers, trade or political disputes with China’s major trading partners, natural disasters, or public health threats. The U.S. and China have been imposing tariffs on certain goods traded between the countries. Heightened trade tensions between the U.S. and China, and the institution of additional tariffs or trade barriers between China and any of its key trading partners, including the U.S., could have a significant adverse impact on the Chinese economy.
Investing in Asia Many Asian economies have at various times been negatively affected by inflation, currency devaluations, an over-reliance on international trade and exports, political and social instability, and less developed financial systems and securities trading markets. Trade restrictions, unexpected decreases in exports, changes in government policies, or natural disasters could have a significant impact on companies doing business in Asia. The Asian region may be significantly affected by political unrest, military conflict, economic sanctions, and less demand for Asian products and services.
T. ROWE PRICE | 4 |
Sector exposure At times, the fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of issuers conducting business in a broadly related group of industries within the same economic sector. Issuers in the same economic sector may be similarly affected by economic or market events, making the fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that economic sector than funds that invest more broadly. Investments in the financials sector are susceptible to adverse developments relating to regulatory changes, interest rate movements, the availability of capital and cost to borrow, and the rate of debt defaults.
Frontier markets Frontier markets generally have smaller economies and less mature capital markets than emerging markets. As a result, the risks associated with investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries. Frontier markets are more susceptible to abrupt changes in currency values, have less mature markets and settlement practices, and can have lower trading volumes that could lead to greater price volatility and illiquidity. Investor protections in frontier market countries may be limited and settlement procedures and custody services may prove inadequate in certain markets.
Liquidity A particular investment or an entire market segment may become less liquid or even illiquid, sometimes abruptly, which could limit the fund’s ability to purchase or sell holdings in a timely manner at a desired price. An inability to sell a portfolio holding can adversely affect the fund’s overall value or prevent the fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities. Liquidity risk may be magnified during periods of substantial market volatility and unexpected episodes of illiquidity may limit the fund’s ability to pay redemption proceeds without selling holdings at an unfavorable time or at a suitable price. Large redemptions may also have a negative impact on the fund’s overall liquidity.
Growth investing The fund’s growth approach to investing could cause it to underperform other stock funds that employ a different investment style. Growth stocks tend to be more volatile than certain other types of stocks and their prices may fluctuate more dramatically than the overall stock market. A stock with growth characteristics can have sharp price declines due to decreases in current or expected earnings and may lack dividends that can help cushion its share price in a declining market.
Stock investing Stocks generally fluctuate in value more than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. The value of stocks held by the fund may decline due to general weakness or volatility in the stock markets in which the fund invests or because of factors that affect a particular company or industry.
Active management The fund’s overall investment program and holdings selected by the fund’s investment adviser may underperform the broad markets, relevant indices, or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.
SUMMARY | 5 |
Performance
The following performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The fund’s performance information represents only past performance (before and after taxes) and is not necessarily an indication of future results.
The following bar chart illustrates how much returns can differ from year to year by showing calendar year returns and the best and worst calendar quarter returns during those years for the fund.
The following table shows the average annual total returns for the fund, and also compares the returns with the returns of a relevant broad-based market index, as well as with the returns of one or more comparative indexes that have investment characteristics similar to those of the fund, if applicable.
In addition, the table shows hypothetical after-tax returns to demonstrate how taxes paid by a shareholder may influence returns. 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 investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as a 401(k) account or an IRA.
T. ROWE PRICE | 6 |
Average Annual Total Returns |
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| Institutional Emerging Markets Equity Fund |
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| 10/31/2002 |
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| Returns before taxes | 26.61 | % |
| 8.57 | % |
| 5.49 | % |
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| Returns after taxes on distributions | 26.28 |
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| 5.43 |
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| and sale of fund shares | 16.15 |
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| 6.89 |
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| MSCI Emerging Markets Index Net (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) |
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| 18.42 |
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| 3.68 |
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Updated performance information is available through troweprice.com.
Management
Investment Adviser T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (T. Rowe Price or Price Associates)
Investment Subadviser T. Rowe Price International Ltd (T. Rowe Price International)
Portfolio Manager | Title | Managed | Joined |
Gonzalo Pangaro | Chairman of Investment Advisory Committee | 2008 | 1998 |
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
Subject to certain exceptions, the fund is currently closed to new investors and new accounts. Investors who currently hold shares of the fund may continue to purchase additional shares.
The fund generally requires a $1 million minimum initial investment and there is no minimum for additional purchases, although the initial investment minimum may be waived for certain types of accounts held through a retirement plan, financial advisor, or other financial intermediary.
For investors holding shares of the fund directly with T. Rowe Price, you may purchase, redeem, or exchange fund shares by mail or by telephone (1-800-638-8790).
If you hold shares through a financial intermediary or retirement plan, you must purchase, redeem, and exchange shares of the fund through your intermediary or retirement plan. You should check with your intermediary or retirement plan to determine the investment minimums that apply to your account.
SUMMARY | 7 |
Tax Information
Any dividends or capital gains are declared and paid annually, usually in December. Redemptions or exchanges of fund shares and distributions by the fund, whether or not you reinvest these amounts in additional fund shares, generally may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains unless you invest through a tax-deferred account (in which case you will be taxed upon withdrawal from such account).
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other
financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
MORE ABOUT THE FUND | 2 | |
Investment Adviser(s)
T. Rowe Price is the fund’s investment adviser and oversees the selection of the fund’s investments and management of the fund’s portfolio pursuant to an investment management agreement between the investment adviser and the fund. T. Rowe Price is an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides investment management services to individual and institutional investors, and sponsors and serves as adviser and subadviser to registered investment companies, institutional separate accounts, and common trust funds. The address for T. Rowe Price is 100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. As of December 31, 2019, T. Rowe Price and its affiliates (the “Firm”) had approximately $1.21 trillion in assets under management and provided investment management services for more than 7 million individual and institutional investor accounts.
T. Rowe Price has entered into a subadvisory agreement with T. Rowe Price International under which T. Rowe Price International is authorized to trade securities and make discretionary investment decisions on behalf of the fund. T. Rowe Price International is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser, and is authorized or licensed by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority and other global regulators. T. Rowe Price International sponsors and serves as adviser to foreign collective investment schemes and provides investment management services to registered investment companies and other institutional investors. T. Rowe Price International is headquartered in London and has several branch offices around the world. T. Rowe Price International is a direct subsidiary of T. Rowe Price and its address is 60 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4N 4TZ, United Kingdom.
Portfolio Management
T. Rowe Price has established an Investment Advisory Committee with respect to the fund. The committee chairman is ultimately responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund’s portfolio and works with the committee in developing and executing the fund’s investment program. The members of the committee are as follows: Gonzalo Pangaro, Chairman, Ulle Adamson, Christopher D. Alderson, Malik S. Asif, Oliver D.M. Bell, Anh Lu, Eric C. Moffett, Verena E. Wachnitz, and Ernest C. Yeung. The following information provides the year that the chairman (portfolio manager) first joined the Firm and the chairman’s specific business experience during the past five years (although the chairman may have had portfolio management responsibilities for a longer period). Mr. Pangaro became cochairman in 2008 and has been sole chairman since 2009. He joined the Firm in 1998 and his investment experience dates from 1991. He has served as a portfolio manager with the Firm throughout the past five years. The Statement of Additional Information provides additional information about the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager, and the portfolio manager’s ownership of the fund’s shares.
MORE ABOUT THE FUND | 9 |
The Management Fee
The fund pays the investment adviser an annual all-inclusive management fee of 1.10% based on the fund’s average daily net assets. The management fee is calculated and accrued daily and it includes investment management services and ordinary, recurring operating expenses, but does not cover interest; expenses related to borrowings, taxes, and brokerage and other transaction costs; or nonrecurring, extraordinary expenses.
A discussion about the factors considered by the fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) and its conclusions in approving the fund’s investment management agreement (and any subadvisory agreement, if applicable) appear in the fund’s semiannual report to shareholders for the period ended April 30.
Subject to certain exceptions, the fund is currently closed to new investors and is no longer accepting new accounts.
Purchases are permitted for participants in an employer-sponsored retirement plan where the fund already serves as an investment option. Additional purchases are permitted for an investor who already holds fund shares in an account directly with T. Rowe Price; however, purchases will be limited to that account and the investor may not open another account in the fund. Additional purchases will generally be permitted if you already hold the fund through a financial intermediary; however, you should check with the financial intermediary to confirm your eligibility to continue purchasing shares of the fund.
Investors may convert from one share class of the fund to a different share class of the fund, provided the investor meets the eligibility criteria for the new share class. New T. Rowe Price IRAs in the fund may be opened only through a direct rollover from an employer-sponsored retirement plan. If permitted by T. Rowe Price, the fund may also be purchased by new investors in wrap, asset allocation, and other advisory programs when the fund is an existing investment in the program.
The fund’s closure to new investor accounts does not restrict existing shareholders from redeeming shares of the fund. However, any shareholders who redeem all fund shares in their account would generally not be permitted to re-establish the account and purchase shares until the fund is reopened to new investors. Transferring ownership to another party or changing an account registration may restrict the ability to purchase additional shares.
The fund reserves the right, when in the judgment of T. Rowe Price it is not adverse to the fund’s interests, to permit certain investors to open new accounts in the fund, to impose further restrictions, or to close the fund to any additional investments, all without prior notice.
T. ROWE PRICE | 10 |
Investment Objective(s)
The fund seeks long-term growth of capital through investments primarily in the common stocks of companies located (or with primary operations) in emerging markets.
The investment objective is a fundamental policy and shareholder approval is required to substantially change it. As with any fund, there is no guarantee the fund will achieve its objective.
Principal Investment Strategies
Consider your investment goals, your time horizon for achieving them, and your tolerance for risk. The fund may be appropriate for you if you are seeking diversification for your equity investments and can accept the risks that accompany foreign investments. Your decision should take into account whether you have any other foreign stock investments. If you do not, you may want to consider investing in a more widely diversified fund to gain the broadest exposure to global opportunities. The fund may be appropriate if you seek to supplement a diversified international portfolio with a more concentrated investment and are comfortable with the potentially significant volatility associated with investing in emerging markets.
The market may reward growth stocks with price increases when earnings expectations are met or exceeded. Funds that employ a growth-oriented approach to stock selection rely on the premise that by investing in companies that increase their earnings faster than both inflation and the overall economy, the market will eventually reward those companies with a higher stock price. The fund’s successful implementation of a growth-oriented strategy may lead to long-term growth of capital over time.
Investing a portion of your overall portfolio in stock funds with foreign holdings can enhance your diversification and increase your available investment opportunities.
The fund invests significantly in emerging market countries and typically has substantial investments in Asia and Latin America, whichprovides the fund with the opportunity to seek superior growth in the areas the fund views as most promising, but with commensurately higher risks.
Portfolio managers closely monitor the fund’s investments as well as political and economic trends in the countries and regions in which the fund invests. Holdings are adjusted according to the portfolio manager’s analysis and outlook. The impact of unfavorable developments in a particular country may be reduced when investments are spread among many countries. However, the economies and financial markets of countries in a certain region may be heavily influenced by one another.
The Firm integrates environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) factors into its investment research process. We focus on the ESG factors we consider most likely to have a material impact on the performance of the holdings in the fund’s portfolio.
MORE ABOUT THE FUND | 11 |
Principal Risks
Some of the principal tools the adviser uses to try to reduce overall risk include intensive research when evaluating a company’s prospects and limiting exposure to certain industries, asset classes, or investment styles when appropriate.
The principal risks associated with the fund’s principal investment strategies include the following:
Emerging markets Investments in emerging markets are subject to the risk of abrupt and severe price declines. The economic and political structures of emerging market countries, in most cases, do not compare favorably with the U.S. or other developed countries in terms of wealth and stability, and their financial markets often lack liquidity. These economies are less developed, can be overly reliant on particular industries, and are more vulnerable to the ebb and flow of international trade, trade barriers, and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Governments in many emerging market countries participate to a significant degree in their economies and securities markets. As a result, foreign investments may be restricted and subject to greater government control, including repatriation of sales proceeds. Emerging market securities exchanges are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades, as well as the custody of holdings by local banks, agents, and depositories. In addition, the accounting standards in emerging market countries may be unreliable and could present an inaccurate picture of a company’s finances. Some countries have histories of instability and upheaval that could cause their governments to act in a detrimental or hostile manner toward private enterprise or foreign investment. Investments in countries or regions that have recently begun moving away from central planning and state-owned industries toward free markets should be regarded as speculative.
While some countries have made progress in economic growth, liberalization, fiscal discipline, and political and social stability, there is no assurance these trends will continue. Significant risks, such as war and terrorism, currently affect some emerging market countries. The fund’s performance will likely be hurt by exposure to nations in the midst of hyperinflation, currency devaluation, trade disagreements, sudden political upheaval, or interventionist government policies. The volatility of emerging markets may be heightened by the actions (such as significant buying or selling) of a few major investors. For example, substantial increases or decreases in cash flows of mutual funds investing in these markets could significantly affect local securities prices and, therefore, could cause fund share prices to decline.
International investing Investments outside the U.S. may lose value because of declining foreign currencies or adverse political or economic events overseas, among other things. Securities of non-U.S. issuers (including depositary receipts and other instruments that represent interests in a non-U.S. issuer) tend to be more volatile than U.S. securities and are subject to trading markets with lower overall liquidity, governmental interference, and regulatory and accounting standards and settlement practices that differ from the U.S. The fund could experience losses based solely on the weakness of foreign currencies in which the fund’s holdings are denominated versus the U.S. dollar, and changes in the exchange rates between such currencies and the U.S. dollar. Risks can result from differing regulatory
T. ROWE PRICE | 12 |
environments, less stringent investor protections, uncertain tax laws, and higher transaction costs compared to U.S. markets. Investments outside the U.S. could be subject to governmental actions such as capital or currency controls, nationalization of a company or industry, expropriation of assets, or imposition of high taxes.
A trading market may close for national holidays or without warning for extended time periods, preventing the fund from buying or selling securities in that market. Trading securities in which the fund invests may take place in various foreign markets on certain days when the fund is not open for business and does not calculate its net asset value. For example, the fund may invest in securities that trade in various foreign markets that are open on weekends. As the securities trade, their value may substantially change. As a result, the fund’s net asset value may be significantly affected on days when shareholders cannot make transactions. In addition, market volatility may significantly limit the liquidity of securities of certain issuers in a particular country or geographic region, or of all companies in the country or region. The fund may be unable to liquidate its positions in such securities at any time, or at a favorable price, in order to meet the fund’s obligations.
Investing in China The Chinese economy may experience a significant slowdown as a result of the institution of additional tariffs or trade barriers, as well as a deterioration in global demand for Chinese exports or a reduction in spending on domestic goods by Chinese consumers. Under China’s political and economic system, the central government historically has exercised substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through administrative regulation and/or state ownership. The Chinese government has been, and is expected to continue, reforming its economic policies, which has resulted in less direct central and local government control over the business and production activities of Chinese enterprises and companies. Notwithstanding the economic reforms instituted by the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party, actions of the Chinese central and local government authorities continue to have a substantial effect on economic conditions in China, which could affect the public and private sector companies in which the fund invests. In the past, the Chinese government has from time to time taken actions that influence the prices at which certain goods may be sold, encourage companies to invest or concentrate in particular industries, induce mergers between companies in certain industries, and compel private companies to publicly offer their securities in an effort to increase or continue the rate of economic growth, control the rate of inflation, or otherwise regulate economic expansion. Such actions and a variety of other centrally planned activities by the Chinese government could have a significant adverse effect on economic conditions in China; the economic prospects for, and the market prices and liquidity of, the securities of Chinese companies; and the payments of dividends and interest by Chinese companies. In addition, expropriation, including nationalization; confiscatory taxation; political, economic, or social instability; environmental issues; natural disasters; public health threats and travel restrictions; or other developments could adversely affect the Chinese economy and significantly diminish the values of the Chinese companies in which the fund invests.
Investing in Asia Certain Asian economies have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and overextension of credit. Many
MORE ABOUT THE FUND | 13 |
Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization, and there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Adverse events in any one Asian country, such as a currency devaluation, may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside Asia. In addition, some Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic, and social conditions. Increased political and social unrest, economic sanctions, military conflicts, and reduced spending on products and services produced in Asia could cause significant economic uncertainty and declines in the region. The Asian region, and particularly China and South Korea, may be adversely affected by political, military, economic, and other factors related to North Korea.
Sector exposure At times, the fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of issuers conducting business in a related group of industries within the same economic sector. Issuers within the same economic sector may be similarly affected by specific market events impacting that sector. As a result, the fund is more susceptible to adverse developments affecting an economic sector in which the fund has significant investments and may perform poorly during a downturn in one or more of the industries within that economic sector. To the extent the fund has significant investments in the financials sector, it is more susceptible to adverse developments affecting banks and other financial companies, which could include, among other things, regulatory changes and government intervention, interest rate movements, the availability of capital and cost to borrow, the rate of debt defaults, and price competition.
Frontier markets Frontier market countries tend to have economic structures that are less diverse and mature, and political systems that are less stable, than those of emerging market or developed market countries. In addition to the risks of investing in international emerging markets, frontier markets tend to have less efficient trading markets with lower overall liquidity and are more susceptible to governmental interference, local taxes being imposed on international investments, and restrictions on gaining access to sales proceeds. The possibility of a securities exchange closing unexpectedly for a long period of time is much greater in a frontier market. Frontier markets generally have smaller economies or less mature capital markets than emerging markets and, as a result, the risks typically associated with investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier countries. Certain frontier market countries may impose restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of investment income and capital.
Adverse changes in currency values of frontier market countries may be severe and settlement procedures and custody services may prove inadequate in certain markets. The markets of frontier countries typically have low trading volumes and the potential for extreme price volatility and illiquidity. This volatility may be further increased by the actions of a few major investors. For example, a substantial increase or decrease in cash flows of mutual funds investing in these markets could significantly affect local stock prices and, therefore, the net asset value of the fund. In addition, frontier market securities may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Custody services in
T. ROWE PRICE | 14 |
many frontier market countries remain undeveloped and, although the fund’s custodian will seek to establish control mechanisms, including the selection of appropriate sub-custodians to hold securities on behalf of the fund, there is greater transaction and custody risk in dealing in securities of frontier market countries. Overall, the laws and market practices of frontier market countries carry fewer safeguards than more mature markets, including, for example, the protection against claims from general creditors in the event of the insolvency of an agent selected to hold securities on behalf of the fund.
Liquidity A particular investment or an entire market segment may become less liquid or even illiquid, sometimes abruptly, which can adversely affect the fund’s overall value and its ability to limit losses. Less liquid or illiquid investments can be more difficult to purchase or sell at an advantageous price or time, and there is an increased risk that the investment may not be sold for the price at which the fund is valuing it. Market prices of holdings with reduced liquidity may be volatile and an inability to sell a portfolio holding can adversely affect the fund’s value or prevent the fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities. Liquidity risk may be magnified during periods of substantial market volatility due to higher than normal redemption rates. Unexpected episodes of illiquidity may limit the fund’s ability to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period. Large redemptions by one or more shareholders owning a significant percentage of the fund’s assets may also have a negative impact on the fund’s overall liquidity. To meet redemption requests during periods of illiquidity, the fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.
Growth investing Different investment styles tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market conditions and investor sentiment. Growth stocks can be more volatile than other types of stocks and their prices tend to fluctuate more dramatically than the overall stock markets. Growth stocks are typically priced higher than other stocks because investors believe they have more growth potential, which may or may not be realized. Since these companies usually invest a high portion of earnings in their businesses, they may lack the dividends that can cushion stock prices in a falling market. In addition, earnings disappointments often lead to sharply falling prices for growth stocks.
Stock investing The fund’s share price can fall because of weakness in the overall stock markets, a particular industry, or specific holdings. Stock markets as a whole can be volatile and decline for many reasons, such as adverse local, political, regulatory, or economic developments; changes in investor psychology; or heavy institutional selling at the same time by major institutional investors in the market, such as mutual funds, pension funds, and banks. The prospects for an industry or company may deteriorate because of a variety of factors, including disappointing earnings or changes in the competitive environment. In addition, the adviser’s assessment of companies whose stocks are held by the fund may prove incorrect, resulting in losses or poor performance, even in rising markets. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of the issuer’s bonds and preferred stock take precedence over the claims of those who own common stock.
MORE ABOUT THE FUND | 15 |
Active management The investment adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. The fund could underperform other funds with a similar benchmark or similar investment program if the fund’s investment selections or overall strategies fail to produce the intended results.
Additional Strategies and Risks
In addition to the principal investment strategies and principal risks previously described, the fund may employ other, non-principal investment strategies and may be subject to other risks, which are described in the following paragraphs.
The fund may, to a limited extent, use derivatives such as futures contracts and forward currency exchange contracts. Any investments in futures would typically serve as an efficient means of gaining exposure to certain markets or as a cash management tool to maintain liquidity while being invested in the market. Forward currency exchange contracts would primarily be used to settle trades in a foreign currency or to help protect the fund’s holdings from unfavorable changes in foreign currency exchange rates, although other currency hedging techniques may be used from time to time. To the extent the fund uses futures and forward currency exchange contracts, it is exposed to potential volatility and losses greater than direct investments in the contracts’ underlying assets, and the risk that anticipated currency movements will not be accurately predicted.
Derivatives Derivatives typically involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the assets on which the derivative is based. Certain derivatives can be highly volatile, lack liquidity, and be difficult to value. Changes in the value of a derivative may not properly correlate with changes in the value of the underlying asset, reference rate, or index. The fund could be exposed to significant losses if it is unable to close a derivative position due to the lack of a liquid trading market. Derivatives involve the risk that a counterparty to the derivatives agreement will fail to make required payments or comply with the terms of the agreement. There is also the possibility that limitations or trading restrictions may be imposed by an exchange or government regulation, which could adversely impact the value and liquidity of a derivatives contract subject to such regulation. Recent regulations have changed the requirements related to the use of certain derivatives. Some of these new regulations have limited the availability of certain derivatives and made their use by funds more costly. It is expected that additional changes to the regulatory framework will occur, but the extent and impact of additional new regulations are not certain at this time.
Cybersecurity breaches The fund may be subject to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cybersecurity. Cybersecurity breaches may involve deliberate attacks and unauthorized access to the digital information systems (for example, through “hacking” or malicious software coding) used by the fund or its third-party service providers but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks. These breaches may, among other things, result in financial losses to the fund and its shareholders, cause the fund to lose proprietary information, disrupt business operations, or result in the unauthorized release of confidential information. Further, cybersecurity breaches involving the fund’s third-party
T. ROWE PRICE | 16 |
service providers, trading counterparties, or issuers in which the fund invests could subject the fund to many of the same risks associated with direct breaches.
This section provides a more detailed description of the various types of portfolio holdings and investment practices that may be used by the fund to execute its overall investment program. Some of these holdings and investment practices are considered to be principal investment strategies of the fund and have already been described earlier in this prospectus while others are considered non-principal. Any of the following holdings and investment practices that were not already described in Section 1 of this prospectus are considered non-principal investment practices, but they may be used by the fund from time-to-time to help achieve its investment objective. The fund’s investments may be subject to further restrictions and risks described in the Statement of Additional Information. Shareholders will receive at least 60 days’ prior notice of a change in the fund’s policy requiring it to normally invest at least 80% of its net assets in emerging market companies.
The fund’s holdings in certain kinds of investments cannot exceed maximum percentages as set forth in this prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information. For instance, there are limitations regarding the fund’s investments in certain types of derivatives. While these restrictions provide a useful level of detail about the fund’s investments, investors should not view them as an accurate gauge of the potential risk of such investments. For example, in a given period, a 5% investment in derivatives could have a significantly greater impact on the fund’s share price than its weighting in the portfolio. The net effect of a particular investment depends on its volatility and the size of its overall return in relation to the performance of all of the fund’s investments.
Certain investment restrictions, such as a required minimum or maximum investment in a particular type of security, are measured at the time the fund purchases a security. The status, market value, maturity, duration, credit quality, or other characteristics of the fund’s securities may change after they are purchased, and this may cause the amount of the fund’s assets invested in such securities to exceed the stated maximum restriction or fall below the stated minimum restriction. If any of these changes occur, it would not be considered a violation of the investment restriction and will not require the sale of an investment if it was proper at the time the investment was made (this exception does not apply to the fund’s borrowing policy). However, certain changes will require holdings to be sold or purchased by the fund during the time it is above or below the stated percentage restriction in order for the fund to be in compliance with applicable restrictions.
The fund relies on the country assigned to a security by MSCI Inc., a third-party provider of benchmark indexes and data services, or another unaffiliated data provider. The fund also relies on MSCI Inc. or another unaffiliated data provider to determine which countries are considered emerging markets. The data providers use various criteria to determine the country
MORE ABOUT THE FUND | 17 |
to which a security is economically tied. Examples include the following: (1) the country under which the issuer is organized; (2) the location of the issuer’s principal place of business or principal office; (3) where the issuer’s securities are listed or traded principally on an exchange or over-the-counter market; and (4) where the issuer conducts the predominant part of its business activities or derives a significant portion (e.g., at least 50%) of its revenues or profits.
Changes in the fund’s holdings, the fund’s performance, and the contribution of various investments to the fund’s performance are discussed in the shareholder reports.
Portfolio managers have considerable discretion in choosing investment strategies and selecting securities they believe will help achieve the fund’s objective.
Types of Portfolio Securities
In seeking to meet its investment objective, the fund may invest in any type of security or instrument (including certain potentially high-risk derivatives described in this section) whose investment characteristics are consistent with its investment program. The following pages describe various types of the fund’s holdings and investment management practices, some of which are also described as part of the fund’s principal investment strategies.
The fund’s investments are primarily in common stocks and, to a lesser degree, other types of securities as follows:
Common and Preferred Stocks
Stocks represent shares of ownership in a company. Generally, preferred stocks have a specified dividend rate and rank after bonds and before common stocks in their claim on income for dividend payments and on assets should the company be liquidated. After other claims are satisfied, common stockholders participate in company profits on a pro-rata basis and profits may be paid out in dividends or reinvested in the company to help it grow. Increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company’s stock price, so common stocks generally have the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities. Unlike common stock, preferred stock does not ordinarily carry voting rights. While most preferred stocks pay a dividend, the fund may decide to purchase preferred stock where the issuer has suspended, or is in danger of suspending, payment of its dividend. The fund may purchase American Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts, which are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of a foreign issuer. American Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts trade on established markets and are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their local markets and currencies. Such investments are subject to many of the same risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities. For purposes of the fund’s investment policies, investments in depositary receipts are deemed to be investments in the underlying securities. For example, a depositary receipt representing ownership of common stock will be treated as common stock.
Convertible Securities and Warrants
The fund may invest in debt instruments or preferred equity securities that are convertible into, or exchangeable for, equity securities at specified times in the future and according to a
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certain exchange ratio. Convertible bonds are typically callable by the issuer, which could in effect force conversion before the holder would otherwise choose. Traditionally, convertible securities have paid dividends or interest at rates higher than common stocks but lower than nonconvertible securities. They generally participate in the appreciation or depreciation of the underlying stock into which they are convertible, but to a lesser degree than common stock. Some convertible securities combine higher or lower current income with options and other features. Warrants are options to buy, directly from the issuer, a stated number of shares of common stock at a specified price anytime during the life of the warrants (generally, two or more years). Warrants have no voting rights, pay no dividends, and can be highly volatile. In some cases, the redemption value of a warrant could be zero.
Participation Notes (P-notes)
The fund may gain exposure to securities traded in foreign markets through investments in P-notes. P-notes are generally issued by banks or broker-dealers and are designed to offer a return linked to an underlying common stock or other security. An investment in a P-note involves additional risks beyond the risks normally associated with a direct investment in the underlying security. While the holder of a P-note is entitled to receive from the broker-dealer or bank any dividends paid by the underlying security, the holder is not entitled to the same rights (e.g., voting rights) as a direct owner of the underlying security. P-notes are considered general unsecured contractual obligations of the banks or broker-dealers that issue them as the counterparty. As such, the fund must rely on the creditworthiness of the counterparty for its investment returns on the P-notes, and could lose the entire value of its investment in the event of default by a counterparty. Additionally, there is no assurance that there will be a secondary trading market for a P-note or that the trading price of a P-note will equal the value of the underlying security.
Fixed Income Securities
From time to time, the fund may invest in corporate and government fixed income securities as well as below investment-grade bonds, commonly referred to as “junk” bonds. Corporate fixed income securities would be purchased in companies that meet the fund’s investment criteria. The price of a fixed income security fluctuates with changes in interest rates, generally rising when interest rates fall and falling when interest rates rise. Below investment-grade bonds, or “junk” bonds, can be more volatile and have greater risk of default than investment-grade bonds, and should be considered speculative.
Futures and Options
Futures are often used to establish exposures or manage or hedge risk because they enable the investor to buy or sell an asset in the future at an agreed-upon price. Options may be used to generate additional income, to enhance returns, or as a defensive technique to protect against anticipated declines in the value of an asset. Call options give the investor the right to purchase (when the investor purchases the option), or the obligation to sell (when the investor “writes” or sells the option), an asset at a predetermined price in the future. Put options give the purchaser of the option the right to sell, or the seller (or “writer”) of the option the obligation to buy, an asset at a predetermined price in the future. Futures and options contracts may be
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bought or sold for any number of reasons, including to manage exposure to changes in interest rates, bond prices, foreign currencies, and credit quality; as an efficient means of increasing or decreasing the fund’s exposure to certain markets; in an effort to enhance income; to improve risk-adjusted returns; to protect the value of portfolio securities; and to serve as a cash management tool. Call or put options may be purchased or sold on securities, futures, financial indexes, and foreign currencies. The fund may choose to continue a futures contract by “rolling over” an expiring futures contract into an identical contract with a later maturity date. This could increase the fund’s transaction costs and portfolio turnover rate.
Futures and options contracts may not always be successful investments or hedges; their prices can be highly volatile; using them could lower the fund’s total return; the potential loss from the use of futures can exceed the fund’s initial investment in such contracts; and the losses from certain options written by the fund could be unlimited.
Currency Derivatives
The fund will normally conduct any foreign currency exchange transactions either on a spot (i.e., cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in the foreign currency exchange market, or through entering into forward contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies. The fund will generally not enter into a forward contract with a term greater than one year. The fund may enter into forward currency exchange contracts to “lock in” the U.S. dollar price of a security when it enters into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency, and when the fund believes that the currency of a particular foreign country may move substantially against another currency, it may enter into a forward contract to sell or buy the former foreign currency.
A fund that invests in foreign securities may attempt to hedge its exposure to potentially unfavorable currency changes. The primary means of doing this is through the use of forward currency exchange contracts, which are contracts between two counterparties to exchange one currency for another on a future date at a specified exchange rate. The fund may also use these instruments to create a synthetic bond, which is issued in one currency with the currency component transformed into another currency. However, futures, swaps, and options on foreign currencies may also be used. In certain circumstances, the fund may use currency derivatives to substitute a different currency for the currency in which the investment is denominated, a strategy known as proxy hedging. If the fund were to engage in any of these foreign currency transactions, it could serve to protect its foreign securities from adverse currency movements relative to the U.S. dollar, although the fund may also use currency derivatives in an effort to gain exposure to a currency expected to appreciate in value versus other currencies. As a result, the fund could be invested in a currency without holding any securities denominated in that currency. Such transactions involve, among other risks, the risk that anticipated currency movements will not occur, which could reduce the fund’s total return. There are certain markets, including many emerging markets, where it is not possible to engage in effective foreign currency hedging.
Hedging may result in the application of the mark-to-market and straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. These provisions could result in an increase (or decrease) in the
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amount of taxable dividends paid by the fund and could affect whether dividends paid by the fund are classified as capital gains or ordinary income.
Investments in Other Investment Companies
The fund may invest in other investment companies, including open-end funds, closed-end funds, and exchange-traded funds.
The fund may purchase the securities of another investment company to temporarily gain exposure to a portion of the market while awaiting the purchase of securities or as an efficient means of gaining exposure to a particular asset class. The fund might also purchase shares of another investment company, including shares of other mutual funds sponsored and managed by T. Rowe Price (“T. Rowe Price Funds”), to gain exposure to the securities in the investment company’s portfolio at times when the fund may not be able to buy those securities directly, or as a means of gaining efficient and cost-effective exposure to certain asset classes. Any investment in another investment company would be consistent with the fund’s objective and investment program.
The risks of owning another investment company are generally similar to the risks of investing directly in the securities in which that investment company invests. However, an investment company may not achieve its investment objective or execute its investment strategy effectively, which may adversely affect the fund’s performance. In addition, because closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds trade on a secondary market, their shares may trade at a premium or discount to the actual net asset value of their portfolio securities and their shares may have greater volatility if an active trading market does not exist.
As a shareholder of another investment company, the fund must pay its pro-rata share of that investment company’s fees and expenses. The fund’s investments in non-T. Rowe Price investment companies are subject to the limits that apply to investments in other funds under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or under any applicable exemptive order.
Investments in other investment companies could allow the fund to obtain the benefits of a more diversified portfolio than might otherwise be available through direct investments in a particular asset class, and will subject the fund to the risks associated with the particular asset class or asset classes in which an underlying fund invests. Examples of asset classes in which other mutual funds (including T. Rowe Price Funds) focus their investments include high yield bonds, inflation-linked securities, floating rate loans, international bonds, emerging market bonds, stocks of companies involved in activities related to real assets, stocks of companies that focus on a particular industry or sector, and emerging market stocks. If the fund invests in another T. Rowe Price Fund, the management fee paid by the fund will be reduced to ensure that the fund does not incur duplicate management fees as a result of its investment.
Illiquid Investments
Some of the fund’s holdings may be considered illiquid because they are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale or because they cannot reasonably be expected to be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. The determination of
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liquidity involves a variety of factors. Illiquid investments may include private placements that are sold directly to a small number of investors, usually institutions. Unlike public offerings, such securities are not registered with the SEC. Although certain of these securities may be readily sold (for example, pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933) and therefore deemed liquid, others may have resale restrictions and be considered illiquid. The sale of illiquid investments may involve substantial delays and additional costs, and the fund may only be able to sell such investments at prices substantially lower than what it believes they are worth. In addition, the fund’s investments in illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the fund because it may be unable to sell such investments at an advantageous time, which could prevent the fund from taking advantage of other investment opportunities.
Types of Investment Management Practices
Reserve Position
A certain portion of the fund’s assets may be held in reserves. The fund’s reserve positions will primarily consist of: (1) shares of a T. Rowe Price internal money market fund or short-term bond fund (which do not charge any management fees); (2) short-term, high-quality U.S. and foreign dollar-denominated money market securities, including repurchase agreements; and (3) U.S. dollar or non-U.S. dollar currencies. In order to respond to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions, the fund may assume a temporary defensive position that is inconsistent with its principal investment objective(s) and/or strategies and may invest, without limitation, in reserves. If the fund has significant holdings in reserves, it could compromise its ability to achieve its objective(s). The reserve position provides flexibility in meeting redemptions, paying expenses, and managing cash flows into the fund and can serve as a short-term defense during periods of unusual market volatility. Non-U.S. dollar reserves are subject to currency risk.
Borrowing Money and Transferring Assets
The fund may borrow from banks, other persons, and other T. Rowe Price Funds for temporary or emergency purposes, to facilitate redemption requests, or for other purposes consistent with the fund’s policies as set forth in this prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information. Such borrowings may be collateralized with the fund’s assets, subject to certain restrictions.
Borrowings may not exceed 33⅓% of the fund’s total assets. This limitation includes any borrowings for temporary or emergency purposes, applies at the time of the transaction, and continues to the extent required by the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Meeting Redemption Requests
We expect that the fund will hold cash or cash equivalents to meet redemption requests. The fund may also use the proceeds from the sale of portfolio securities to meet redemption requests if consistent with the management of the fund. These redemption methods will be used regularly and may also be used in deteriorating or stressed market conditions. The fund reserves the right to pay redemption proceeds with securities from the fund’s portfolio rather than in cash (redemptions in-kind), as described under “Large Redemptions.” Redemptions in-kind are typically used to meet redemption requests that represent a large percentage of the
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fund’s net assets in order to minimize the effect of large redemptions on the fund and its remaining shareholders. In general, any redemptions in-kind will represent a pro-rata distribution of the fund’s securities, subject to certain limited exceptions. Redemptions in-kind may be used regularly in circumstances as described above and may also be used in stressed market conditions.
The fund, along with other T. Rowe Price Funds, is a party to an interfund lending exemptive order received from the SEC that permits the T. Rowe Price Funds to borrow money from and/or lend money to other T. Rowe Price Funds to help the funds meet short-term redemptions and liquidity needs.
During periods of deteriorating or stressed market conditions, when an increased portion of the fund’s portfolio may be composed of holdings with reduced liquidity or lengthy settlement periods, or during extraordinary or emergency circumstances, the fund may be more likely to pay redemption proceeds with cash obtained through interfund lending or short-term borrowing arrangements (if available), or by redeeming a large redemption request in-kind.
Lending of Portfolio Securities
The fund may lend its securities to broker-dealers, other institutions, or other persons to earn additional income. Risks include the potential insolvency of the broker-dealer or other borrower that could result in delays in recovering securities and capital losses. Additionally, losses could result from the reinvestment of collateral received on loaned securities in investments that decline in value, default, or do not perform as well as expected. Cash collateral from securities lending is invested in the T. Rowe Price Short-Term Fund.
The Statement of Additional Information contains more detailed information about the fund and its investments, operations, and expenses.
Portfolio Turnover
Turnover is an indication of frequency of trading. Each time the fund purchases or sells a security, it incurs a cost. This cost is reflected in the fund’s net asset value but not in its operating expenses. The higher the turnover rate, the higher the transaction costs and the greater the impact on the fund’s total return. Higher turnover can also increase the possibility of taxable capital gain distributions. The fund’s portfolio turnover rates are shown in the Financial Highlights table.
The Financial Highlights table, which provides information about the fund’s financial history, is based on a single share outstanding throughout the periods shown. The table is part of the fund’s financial statements, which are included in its annual report and are incorporated by reference into the Statement of Additional Information (available upon request). The financial statements in the annual report were audited by the fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS | For a share outstanding throughout each period |
Year | 10/31/18 | 10/31/17 | 10/31/16 | 10/31/15 | ||||||||||||||||
NET ASSET VALUE |
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||
Beginning of period | $ | 34.25 | $ | 39.48 | $ | 31.09 | $ | 27.35 | $ | 31.76 | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Investment activities | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income(1) (2) | 0.59 | 0.30 | 0.23 | 0.19 | 0.19 | |||||||||||||||
Net realized
and unrealized | 5.49 | (5.31 | ) | 8.40 | 3.73 | (4.27 | ) | |||||||||||||
Total from investment activities | 6.08 | (5.01 | ) | 8.63 | 3.92 | (4.08 | ) | |||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Distributions | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income | (0.30 | ) | (0.22 | ) | (0.20 | ) | (0.18 | ) | (0.24 | ) | ||||||||||
Net realized gain | (0.09 | ) | – | (0.04 | ) | – | (0.09 | ) | ||||||||||||
Total distributions | (0.39 | ) | (0.22 | ) | (0.24 | ) | (0.18 | ) | (0.33 | ) | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
NET ASSET VALUE | $ | 39.94 | $ | 34.25 | $ | 39.48 | $ | 31.09 | $ | 27.35 | ||||||||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total return(2) (3) | 17.97 | % | (12.77 | )% | 28.06 | % | 14.46 | % | (12.89 | )% | ||||||||||
Ratios to average net assets:(2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gross expenses before | 1.10 | % | 1.10 | % | 1.10 | % | 1.10 | % | 1.10 | % | ||||||||||
Net expenses after | 1.10 | % | 1.10 | % | 1.10 | % | 1.10 | % | 1.10 | % | ||||||||||
Net investment income | 1.55 | % | 0.75 | % | 0.69 | % | 0.70 | % | 0.65 | % | ||||||||||
Portfolio turnover rate | 20.9 | % | 14.0 | % | 19.7 | % | 35.6 | % | 21.1 | % | ||||||||||
Net
assets, end of period (in | $ | 1,810 | $ | 1,726 | $ | 1,603 | $ | 974 | $ | 997 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using average shares outstanding method.
(2) Includes the impact of expense-related arrangements with Price Associates.
(3) Total return reflects the rate that an investor would have earned on an investment in the fund during each period, assuming reinvestment of all distributions, and payment of no redemption or account fees, if applicable.
Most T. Rowe Price Funds disclose their calendar quarter-end portfolio holdings on troweprice.com 15 calendar days after each quarter. At the discretion of the investment
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adviser, these holdings reports may exclude the issuer name and other information relating to a holding in order to protect the fund’s interests and prevent harm to the fund or its shareholders. In addition, most T. Rowe Price Funds disclose their 10 largest holdings, along with the percentage of the relevant fund’s total assets that each of the 10 holdings represents, on troweprice.com on the seventh business day after each month-end. These holdings are listed in numerical order based on such percentages of the fund’s assets. A description of T. Rowe Price’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of portfolio information is available in the Statement of Additional Information.
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 3 | |
The following policies and procedures apply to the Institutional Funds within the T. Rowe Price Funds.
This section of the prospectus describes the policies and procedures that generally apply to investments in the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds (except for the T. Rowe Price Institutional Cash Reserves Fund). The T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds may be purchased directly from T. Rowe Price or through a financial intermediary, such as a bank, broker, retirement plan recordkeeper, or financial advisor.
Most of the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds are available only in a single share class (referred to as the “Institutional Class”). However, the Institutional High Yield Fund is also offered in a Z Class and the Institutional Floating Rate Fund is also offered in an F Class and a Z Class. Each class of a fund’s shares represents an interest in the same fund with the same investment program and investment policies. While the Institutional Class may be held directly with T. Rowe Price or through a financial intermediary, the F Class is designed to be purchased only through financial advisors and certain financial intermediaries and has a different cost structure due to a shareholder servicing arrangement that applies only to that class. The Z Class is only available to funds advised by T. Rowe Price and other advisory clients of T. Rowe Price or its affiliates that are subject to a contractual fee for investment management services.
This section generally describes investing only in the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds, other than the T. Rowe Price Institutional Cash Reserves Fund, which has unique policies relating to its operation as an institutional money market fund. This section does not describe the policies that apply to other T. Rowe Price Funds. Policies for other T. Rowe Price Funds are described in their respective prospectuses, and all types of funds and available share classes for the T. Rowe Price Funds are described more fully in the funds’ Statement of Additional Information.
Institutional Class
The Institutional Class may be purchased directly through T. Rowe Price or through a financial intermediary. The Institutional Class does not make any payments to financial intermediaries for distribution of the fund’s shares (commonly referred to as 12b-1 fee payments) and does not make any payments to financial intermediaries for administrative services they provide (commonly referred to as administrative fee payments). However, you may incur brokerage commissions and other charges when buying or selling Institutional Class shares.
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The Institutional Class is designed to be sold only to institutional investors, which include, but are not limited to: corporations, endowments and foundations, charitable trusts, investment companies and other pooled vehicles, defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans, broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks and bank trust programs, and Section 529 college savings plans. The Institutional Class generally requires a $1 million initial investment minimum, although the minimum may be waived for retirement plans, financial intermediaries maintaining omnibus accounts, and certain other accounts.
F Class
The F Class must be purchased through a financial intermediary. The F Class does not make any 12b-1 fee payments to financial intermediaries but may make administrative fee payments at an annual rate of up to 0.15% of the class’ average daily net assets.
The F Class is designed to be sold only through financial advisors and certain financial intermediaries, including brokers, banks, insurance companies, retirement plan recordkeepers, and other financial intermediaries. F Class shares are generally not available to financial intermediaries that would make the fund available to their customers through a mutual fund “supermarket” platform. There is a $2,500 minimum initial investment requirement, but the minimum is waived for certain types of accounts.
Z Class
The Z Class is only available to funds advised by T. Rowe Price and other advisory clients of T. Rowe Price or its affiliates that are subject to a contractual fee for investment management services. There is no minimum initial investment and no minimum for additional purchases. The Z Class does not impose sales charges and does not make any administrative fee payments or 12b-1 fee payments to financial intermediaries.
Administrative Fee Payments (F Class)
Certain financial intermediaries perform recordkeeping and administrative services for their clients that would otherwise be performed by the funds’ transfer agent. The F Class may make administrative fee payments to retirement plan recordkeepers, broker-dealers, and other financial intermediaries (at an annual rate of up to 0.15% of the class’ average daily net assets) for transfer agency, recordkeeping, and other administrative services they provide on behalf of the funds. These administrative services may include maintaining account records for each customer; transmitting purchase and redemption orders; delivering shareholder confirmations, statements, and tax forms; and providing support to respond to customers’ questions regarding their accounts. These separate administrative fee payments are reflected in the “Other expenses” line that appears in the fee table in Section 1 with respect to the fund’s F Class.
Some broker-dealers or other financial intermediaries that are eligible to purchase F Class shares of T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds may also be eligible to purchase the Institutional
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 27 |
Class. The Institutional Class shares require a much higher initial investment but have lower expenses than F Class shares because the Institutional Class does not participate in the administrative fee payment program. The payment of the administrative fee by the F Class creates a potential conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary to purchase F Class shares instead of Institutional Class shares. If this happens, you will incur higher expenses than if your financial intermediary had purchased Institutional Class shares on your behalf (assuming your financial intermediary would qualify to purchase Institutional Class shares). You should ask your salesperson for more information regarding the eligibility of your financial intermediary to purchase Institutional Class shares.
Additional Payments to Financial Intermediaries
In addition to the AFP payments made by the F Class of the Institutional Floating Rate Fund. T. Rowe Price or the fund’s distributor will, at their own expense, provide compensation to certain financial intermediaries that have sold shares of or provide shareholder or other services to the T. Rowe Price Funds, commonly referred to as revenue sharing. These payments may be in the form of asset-based, transaction-based, or flat payments. These payments are used to compensate third parties for distribution and shareholder servicing activities, including sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, or other services. Some of these payments may include expense reimbursements and meeting and marketing support payments (out of T. Rowe Price’s or the fund’s distributor’s own resources and not as an expense of the funds) to financial intermediaries, such as broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks, insurance companies, and retirement plan recordkeepers, in connection with the sale, distribution, marketing, and/or servicing of the T. Rowe Price Funds. The Statement of Additional Information provides more information about these payment arrangements.
The receipt of, or the prospect of receiving, these payments and expense reimbursements from T. Rowe Price or the fund’s distributor may influence intermediaries, plan sponsors, and other third parties to offer or recommend T. Rowe Price Funds over other investment options for which an intermediary does not receive additional compensation (or receives lower levels of additional compensation). In addition, financial intermediaries that receive these payments and/or expense reimbursements may elevate the prominence of the T. Rowe Price Funds by, for example, placing the T. Rowe Price Funds on a list of preferred or recommended funds and/or provide preferential or enhanced opportunities to promote the T. Rowe Price Funds in various ways. Since these additional payments are not paid by a fund directly, these arrangements do not increase fund expenses and will not change the price that an investor pays for shares of the T. Rowe Price Funds or the amount that is invested in a T. Rowe Price Fund on behalf of an investor. You may ask your financial intermediary for more information about any payments they receive from T. Rowe Price or the fund’s distributor.
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If you are opening an account through an employer-sponsored retirement plan or other financial intermediary, you should contact the retirement plan or financial intermediary for information regarding its policies on opening an account, including the policies relating to purchasing, exchanging, and redeeming shares, and the applicable initial and subsequent investment minimums.
Tax Identification Number
Institutional investors must provide T. Rowe Price with a valid taxpayer identification number (and valid Social Security numbers for individuals opening the account on behalf of the institution) on a signed new account form or Form W-9. Otherwise, federal law requires the funds to withhold a percentage of dividends, capital gain distributions, and redemptions and may subject the investor to an Internal Revenue Service fine. If this information is not received within 60 days after the account is established, the account may be redeemed at the fund’s then-current net asset value. Financial intermediaries opening an account in a fund must also enter into a separate agreement with the fund or its agent.
Important Information Required to Open a New Account
Pursuant to federal law, all financial institutions must obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person or entity that opens an account. This information is needed not only for the account owner and any other person who opens the account, but also for any person who has authority to act on behalf of the account. When you open an account for an entity, you will be required to provide the entity’s name, U.S. street address (post office boxes are not acceptable), and taxpayer identification number, as well as your name, U.S. street address (post office boxes are not acceptable), date of birth, and Social Security number as the person opening the account on behalf of the entity. Corporate and other institutional accounts require documents showing the existence of the entity (such as articles of incorporation or partnership agreements) to open an account. Certain other fiduciary accounts (such as trusts or power of attorney arrangements) require documentation, which may include an original or certified copy of the trust agreement or power of attorney, to open an account.
T. Rowe Price will use this information to verify the identity of the entity and person opening the account. An account cannot be opened until all of this information is received. If the identity of the entity or person opening the account on behalf of the entity cannot be verified, T. Rowe Price is authorized to take any action permitted by law. (See “Rights Reserved by the Funds” later in this section.)
Call Financial Institution Services at 1-800-638-8790 for more information on these requirements.
The Institutional Funds are generally available only to institutional investors with a U.S. address. T. Rowe Price will generally not authorize the transfer of ownership of an account in an Institutional Fund for an institutional investor to an account for a noninstitutional investor.
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Shares held directly with T. Rowe Price by noninstitutional investors are subject to involuntary redemption at any time, which could result in a taxable gain to the investor.
Opening an Account
Call Financial Institution Services at 1-800-638-8790 for an account number and wire transfer instructions. All initial purchases are typically made by bank wire, but checks or other forms of payment may be accepted in certain cases. In order to obtain an account number, you must supply the name, taxpayer identification number, and business street address for the account. Complete a new account form and mail it, along with proper documentation identifying your firm and any other necessary documentation, to one of the following addresses:
via U.S. mail T. Rowe
Price Financial Institution Services | via private carriers/overnight services T. Rowe
Price Financial Institution Services |
Note: Although the purchase will be made, services may not be established and an Internal Revenue Service penalty withholding may occur until we receive a signed new account form.
How and When Shares Are Priced
The trade date for your transaction request depends on the day and time that T. Rowe Price receives your request and will normally be executed using the next share price calculated after your order is received in correct form by T. Rowe Price or its agent (or by your financial intermediary if it has the authority to accept transaction orders on behalf of the fund). The share price, also called the net asset value, for each share class of a fund is calculated at the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which is normally 4 p.m. ET, each day that the NYSE is open for business. Net asset values are not calculated for the funds on days when the NYSE is scheduled to be closed for trading (for example, weekends and certain U.S. national holidays). If the NYSE is unexpectedly closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, or if the NYSE has an unscheduled early closing on a day it has opened for business, the funds reserve the right to treat such day as a business day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate their share price as of the normally scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE for that day.
To calculate the net asset value, a fund’s assets are valued and totaled, liabilities are subtracted, and each class’ proportionate share of the balance, called net assets, is divided by the number of shares outstanding of that class. Market values are used to price portfolio holdings for which market quotations are readily available. Market values generally reflect the prices at which securities actually trade or represent prices that have been adjusted based on evaluations and information provided by the fund’s pricing services. Investments in other mutual funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share of the mutual fund on the day of valuation. If a
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market value for a portfolio holding is not available or normal valuation procedures are deemed to be inappropriate, the fund will make a good faith effort to assign a fair value to the holding by taking into account various factors and methodologies that have been approved by the fund’s Board. This value may differ from the value the fund receives upon sale of the securities. Amortized cost is used to price securities held by money market funds and certain short-term debt securities held by a fund.
The funds use various pricing services to provide closing market prices, as well as information used to adjust those prices and to value most fixed income securities. A fund cannot predict how often it will use closing prices and how often it will adjust those prices. As a means of evaluating its fair value process, the fund routinely compares closing market prices, the next day’s opening prices in the same markets, and adjusted prices.
Non-U.S. equity securities are valued on the basis of their most recent closing market prices at 4 p.m. ET, except under the following circumstances. Most foreign markets close before 4 p.m. ET. For example, the most recent closing prices for securities traded in certain Asian markets may be as much as 15 hours old at 4 p.m. ET. If a fund determines that developments between the close of a foreign market and the close of the NYSE will affect the value of some or all of the fund’s securities, the fund will adjust the previous closing prices to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities as of 4 p.m. ET. In deciding whether to make these adjustments, the fund reviews a variety of factors, including developments in foreign markets, the performance of U.S. securities markets, and the performance of instruments trading in U.S. markets that represent foreign securities and baskets of foreign securities.
A fund may also fair value certain securities or a group of securities in other situations—for example, when a particular foreign market is closed but the fund is open. For a fund that has investments in securities that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges that trade on weekends or other days when the fund does not price its shares, the fund’s net asset value may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem the fund’s shares. If an event occurs that affects the value of a security after the close of the market, such as a default of a commercial paper issuer or a significant move in short-term interest rates, a fund may make a price adjustment depending on the nature and significance of the event. The funds also evaluate a variety of factors when assigning fair values to private placements and other restricted securities. Other mutual funds may adjust the prices of their securities by different amounts or assign different fair values than the fair value that the fund assigns to the same security.
How the Trade Date Is Determined
If you invest directly with T. Rowe Price and your request to purchase, sell, or exchange shares is received by T. Rowe Price or its agent in correct form by the close of the NYSE (normally 4 p.m. ET), your transaction will be priced at that business day’s net asset value. If your request is received by T. Rowe Price or its agent in correct form after the close of the NYSE, your transaction will be priced at the next business day’s net asset value unless the fund has an agreement with your financial intermediary for orders to be priced at the net asset value next computed after receipt by the financial intermediary.
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The funds have authorized certain financial intermediaries or their designees to accept orders to buy or sell fund shares on their behalf. When authorized financial intermediaries receive an order in correct form, the order is considered as being placed with the fund and shares will be bought or sold at the net asset value next calculated after the order is received by the authorized financial intermediary. The financial intermediary must transmit the order to T. Rowe Price and pay for such shares in accordance with the agreement with T. Rowe Price, or the order may be canceled and the financial intermediary could be held liable for the losses. If the fund does not have such an agreement in place with your financial intermediary, T. Rowe Price or its agent must receive the request in correct form from your financial intermediary by the close of the NYSE in order for your transaction to be priced at that business day’s net asset value. Contact your financial intermediary for trade deadlines and the applicable policies for purchasing, selling, or exchanging your shares, as well as initial and subsequent investment minimums. The financial intermediary may charge a fee, such as transaction fees or brokerage commissions, for its services.
Note: There may be times when you are unable to contact us or access your account due to extreme market activity or other circumstances. Should this occur, your order must still be placed and received in correct form by T. Rowe Price (or by the financial intermediary in accordance with its agreement with T. Rowe Price) prior to the time the NYSE closes to be priced at that business day’s net asset value. The time at which transactions and shares are priced and the time until which orders are accepted may be changed in case of an emergency or if the NYSE closes at a time other than 4 p.m. ET. The funds reserve the right to not treat an unscheduled intraday disruption or closure in NYSE trading as a closure of the NYSE and still accept transactions and calculate their net asset value as of 4 p.m. ET.
Transaction Confirmations
T. Rowe Price sends immediate confirmations for most of your fund transactions. However, certain transactions, such as dividend reinvestments, do not receive an immediate transaction confirmation but are reported on your account statement. Please review transaction confirmations and account statements as soon as you receive them and promptly report any discrepancies to Financial Institution Services.
Preventing Unauthorized Transactions
The T. Rowe Price Funds and their agents use reasonably designed procedures to verify that telephone, electronic, and other instructions are genuine. These procedures include, among other things, recording telephone calls; requiring personalized security codes or other information online and certain identifying information for telephone calls; requiring Medallion signature guarantees for certain transactions and account changes; and promptly sending confirmations of transactions and address changes. For transactions conducted online, we recommend the use of a secure Internet browser.
T. Rowe Price Account Protection Program Shareholders who invest in the T. Rowe Price Funds directly are eligible for the Account Protection Program. The Account Protection Program restores eligible losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent activity, provided that you follow all security best practices when you access and maintain your account(s). T. Rowe Price
T. ROWE PRICE | 32 |
reserves the right to modify or withdraw the Account Protection Program at any time. The Account Protection Program security best practices and additional information may be accessed online at https://www.troweprice.com/personal-investing/help/policies-and-security/account-protection-program.html.
If our verification procedures are followed, and the losses are not eligible to be restored under the Account Protection Program, the funds and their agents are not liable for any losses that may occur from acting on unauthorized instructions.
If you suspect any unauthorized account activity, notice errors or discrepancies in your T. Rowe Price account, or are not receiving your T. Rowe Price account statements, please contact T. Rowe Price immediately. Telephone conversations are recorded.
Purchasing Shares
Purchases may be initiated through the National Securities Clearing Corporation or by calling Financial Institution Services. All initial and subsequent investments are typically made by bank wire, although checks or other forms of payment may be accepted in certain cases. There is no assurance that the share price for a purchase will be the same day a wire was initiated.
The funds generally do not accept orders that request a particular day or price for a transaction or any other special conditions. However, when authorized by the fund, certain institutions, financial intermediaries, or retirement plans purchasing fund shares directly with T. Rowe Price may place a purchase order unaccompanied by payment. Payment for these shares must be received by the time designated by the fund (not to exceed the period established for settlement under applicable regulations). If payment is not received by this time, the order may be canceled. The institution, financial intermediary, or retirement plan is responsible for any costs or losses incurred by the fund or T. Rowe Price if payment is delayed or not received.
U.S. Dollars All purchases must be paid for in U.S. dollars; checks must be drawn on U.S. banks and should be payable to the T. Rowe Price Funds.
Nonpayment Purchases of a fund may be canceled if payment is not received in a timely manner, and the shareholder may be responsible for any losses or expenses incurred by the fund or its transfer agent. The funds and their agents have the right to reject or cancel any purchase, exchange, or redemption due to nonpayment.
Investment Minimums
The Institutional Class generally requires a $1 million minimum initial investment and the F Class generally requires a $2,500 minimum initial investment, although the minimums may be waived for financial intermediaries, retirement plans, and certain other institutional investors. In addition, we request that you give us at least three business days’ notice (seven business days’ notice for the Institutional Floating Rate Fund) for any purchase of $5 million or more. There is generally no minimum required for additional purchases.
You should check with your financial advisor, retirement plan, or financial intermediary to determine what minimum applies to your initial and additional investments.
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Exchanging and Redeeming Shares
Exchanges You can move money from one account to an existing, identically registered account or open a new identically registered account. An exchange from one fund to another will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service as a sale for tax purposes.
Redemptions Redemptions are typically initiated through the National Securities Clearing Corporation or by calling Financial Institution Services. Please note that certain redemption requests initiated through the National Securities Clearing Corporation may be rejected, and in such instances, the transaction must be placed by contacting a Financial Institution Services representative.
If for some reason we cannot accept your request to exchange or redeem shares, we will attempt to contact you.
If you request to redeem a specific dollar amount and the market value of your account is less than the amount of your request and we are unable to contact you, your redemption will not be processed and you will need to submit a new redemption request in correct form.
Receiving Redemption Proceeds Unless otherwise indicated, redemption proceeds will be sent via bank wire to the designated bank on file for the account. If a request is received in correct form by T. Rowe Price or its agent on a business day prior to the close of the NYSE, proceeds are usually sent on the next business day. Proceeds sent by bank wire are usually credited to an account the next business day after the sale. Redemption proceeds can be mailed to the account address by check if specifically requested. Normally, the fund transmits proceeds to financial intermediaries for redemption orders received in correct form on either the next business day or second business day after receipt of the order, depending on the arrangement with the financial intermediary. You must contact your financial intermediary about procedures for receiving your redemption proceeds.
Large Redemptions Large redemptions (for example, $250,000 or more) can adversely affect a portfolio manager’s ability to implement a fund’s investment strategy by causing the premature sale of securities that would otherwise be held longer. Therefore, the fund reserves the right (without prior notice) to redeem in kind. In general, any redemptions in-kind will represent a pro-rata distribution of a fund’s securities, subject to certain limited exceptions. The redeeming shareholder will be responsible for disposing of the securities, and the shareholder will be subject to the risks that the value of the securities could decline prior to their sale, the securities could be difficult to sell, and brokerage fees could be incurred. If you continue to hold the securities, you may be subject to any ownership restrictions imposed by the issuers. For example, real estate investment trusts often impose ownership restrictions on their equity securities.
Delays in Sending Redemption Proceeds
The T. Rowe Price Funds typically expect that it will take one to two days following the receipt of a redemption request that is in correct form to send redemption proceeds, regardless of the method the fund uses to make such payment (for example, check, wire, or Automated Clearing
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House transfer). Checks are typically mailed on the business day after the redemption, proceeds sent by wire are typically credited to your financial institution the business day after the redemption, and proceeds sent by Automated Clearing House are typically credited to your financial institution on the second business day after the redemption. However, under certain circumstances, and when deemed to be in a fund’s best interests, proceeds may not be sent for up to seven calendar days after receipt of a valid redemption order (for example, during periods of deteriorating or stressed market conditions or during extraordinary or emergency circumstances).
In addition, if shares are sold that were just purchased and paid for by check or Automated Clearing House transfer, the fund will process your redemption but will generally delay sending the proceeds for up to seven calendar days to allow the check or Automated Clearing House transfer to clear. If, during the clearing period, we receive a check drawn against your newly purchased shares, it will be returned and marked “uncollected.” (The seven-day hold does not apply to purchases paid for by bank wire or automatic purchases through payroll deduction.)
The Board of a retail or institutional money market fund may temporarily suspend redemptions from the fund for up to 10 business days during any 90-day period (i.e., a “redemption gate”) and elect to temporarily suspend redemptions for up to 10 business days in a 90-day period if the fund’s weekly liquid assets fall below 30% of its total assets and the fund’s Board determines that imposing a redemption gate is in the fund’s best interests. In addition, under certain limited circumstances, the Board of a retail or institutional money market fund may elect to permanently suspend redemptions in order to facilitate an orderly liquidation of the fund (subject to any additional liquidation requirements).
You may initiate transactions involving the Institutional Funds by telephone, by mail, or through the National Securities Clearing Corporation. The T. Rowe Price Funds and their agents use reasonable procedures to verify the identity of the person contacting T. Rowe Price and to ensure that the person is authorized to act on behalf of the account. If these procedures are followed, the funds and their agents are not liable for any losses that may occur from acting on unauthorized instructions. Please review the transaction confirmation carefully, and contact Financial Institution Services immediately about any transaction you believe to be unauthorized. Telephone conversations are recorded.
To place a transaction or make any inquiries regarding the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds, please call Financial Institution Services at 1-800-638-8790. To mail any information to T. Rowe Price regarding the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds, please use the following addresses:
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via U.S. mail T.
Rowe Price Financial Institution Services | via private carriers/overnight services T. Rowe
Price Financial Institution Services |
Note: If sending a check for a purchase, your transaction will receive the share price for the business day that the check is received by T. Rowe Price or its agent prior to the close of the NYSE (normally 4 p.m. ET), which could differ from the day that the check is received at the post office box.
If you hold shares of a T. Rowe Price Institutional Fund through a retirement plan or financial intermediary, you must contact your retirement plan or financial intermediary with any inquiries.
Involuntary Redemptions and Share Class Conversions
Shares held by any investors that no longer meet the definition of an institutional investor or fail to meet or maintain their account(s) at the investment minimum are subject to involuntary redemption at any time.
For all accounts in Institutional Funds (except for F Class accounts), to help keep operating expenses lower, we ask that you maintain an account balance of at least $1 million. If your investment falls below $1 million (even if due to market depreciation), we have the right to redeem your account at the then-current net asset value after giving you 60 days to increase your balance.
The redemption of your account could result in a taxable gain or loss.
For any F Class accounts that are no longer held through an eligible financial intermediary, we have the right to convert your account to the Institutional Class following notice to the financial intermediary or shareholder.
Excessive and Short-Term Trading Policy
Excessive transactions and short-term trading can be harmful to fund shareholders in various ways, such as disrupting a fund’s portfolio management strategies, increasing a fund’s trading and other costs, and negatively affecting its performance. Short-term traders in funds that invest in foreign securities may seek to take advantage of developments overseas that could lead to an anticipated difference between the price of the funds’ shares and price movements in foreign markets. While there is no assurance that T. Rowe Price can prevent all excessive and short-term trading, the Boards of the T. Rowe Price Funds have adopted the following trading limits that are designed to deter such activity and protect the funds’ shareholders. The funds may revise their trading limits and procedures at any time as the Boards deem necessary or appropriate to better detect short-term trading that may adversely affect the funds, to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, or to impose additional or alternative restrictions.
Subject to certain exceptions, each T. Rowe Price Fund restricts a shareholder’s purchases (including through exchanges) into a fund account for a period of 30 calendar days after the
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shareholder has redeemed or exchanged out of that same fund account (the “30-Day Purchase Block”). The calendar day after the date of redemption is considered Day 1 for purposes of computing the period before another purchase may be made.
General Exceptions As of the date of this prospectus, the following types of transactions generally are not subject to the funds’ excessive and short-term trading policy:
· Shares purchased or redeemed in money market funds and ultra short-term bond funds;
· Shares purchased or redeemed through a systematic purchase or withdrawal plan;
· Checkwriting redemptions from bond and money market funds;
· Shares purchased through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gain distributions;
· Shares redeemed automatically by a fund to pay fund fees or shareholder account fees;
· Transfers and changes of account registration within the same fund;
· Shares purchased by asset transfer or direct rollover;
· Shares purchased or redeemed through IRA conversions and recharacterizations;
· Shares redeemed to return an excess contribution from a retirement account;
· Transactions in Section 529 college savings plans;
· Certain transactions in defined benefit and nonqualified plans, subject to prior approval by T. Rowe Price;
· Shares converted from one share class to another share class in the same fund;
· Shares of T. Rowe Price Funds that are purchased by another T. Rowe Price Fund, including shares purchased by T. Rowe Price fund-of-funds products, and shares purchased by discretionary accounts managed by T. Rowe Price or one of its affiliates (please note that shareholders of the investing T. Rowe Price Fund are still subject to the policy);
· Transactions initiated by the trustee or adviser to a donor-advised charitable gift fund as approved by T. Rowe Price; and
· Transactions having a value of $5,000 or less (retirement plans, including those for which T. Rowe Price serves as recordkeeper, and other financial intermediaries may apply the excessive and short-term trading policy to transactions of any amount).
Transactions in certain rebalancing, asset allocation, wrap programs, and other advisory programs, as well as non-T. Rowe Price fund-of-funds products, may also be exempt from the 30-Day Purchase Block, subject to prior written approval by T. Rowe Price.
In addition to restricting transactions in accordance with the 30-Day Purchase Block, T. Rowe Price may, in its discretion, reject (or instruct a financial intermediary to reject) any purchase or exchange into a fund from a person (which includes individuals and entities) whose trading activity could disrupt the management of the fund or dilute the value of the fund’s shares, including trading by persons acting collectively (for example, following the advice of a newsletter). Such persons may be barred, without prior notice, from further purchases of T. Rowe Price Funds for a period longer than 30 calendar days, or permanently.
Financial Intermediary Accounts If you invest in T. Rowe Price Funds through a financial intermediary, including a retirement plan, you should review the financial intermediary’s or retirement plan’s materials carefully or consult with the financial intermediary or plan sponsor directly to determine the trading policy that will apply to your trades in the T. Rowe Price
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Funds as well as any other rules or conditions on transactions that may apply. If T. Rowe Price is unable to identify a transaction placed through a financial intermediary as exempt from the excessive trading policy, the 30-Day Purchase Block may apply.
Financial intermediaries may maintain their underlying accounts directly with the fund, although they often establish an omnibus account (one account with the fund that represents multiple underlying shareholder accounts) on behalf of their customers. When financial intermediaries establish omnibus accounts in the T. Rowe Price Funds, T. Rowe Price is not able to monitor the trading activity of the underlying shareholders. However, T. Rowe Price monitors aggregate trading activity at the financial intermediary (omnibus account) level in an attempt to identify activity that indicates potential excessive or short-term trading. If it detects such trading activity, T. Rowe Price may contact the financial intermediary to request personal identifying information and transaction histories for some or all underlying shareholders (including plan participants, if applicable) pursuant to a written agreement that T. Rowe Price has entered into with each financial intermediary. Any nonpublic personal information provided to the fund (for example, a shareholder’s taxpayer identification number or transaction records) is subject to the fund’s privacy policy. If T. Rowe Price believes that excessive or short-term trading has occurred and there is no exception for such trades under the funds’ Excessive and Short-Term Trading Policy as previously described, it will instruct the financial intermediary to impose restrictions to discourage such practices and take appropriate action with respect to the underlying shareholder, including restricting purchases for 30 calendar days or longer. Each financial intermediary has agreed to execute such instructions pursuant to a written agreement. There is no assurance that T. Rowe Price will be able to properly enforce its excessive trading policies for omnibus accounts. Because T. Rowe Price generally relies on financial intermediaries to provide information and impose restrictions for omnibus accounts, its ability to monitor and deter excessive trading will be dependent upon the intermediaries’ timely performance of their responsibilities.
T. Rowe Price may allow a financial intermediary or other third party to maintain restrictions on trading in the T. Rowe Price Funds that differ from the 30-Day Purchase Block. An alternative excessive trading policy would be acceptable to T. Rowe Price if it believes that the policy would provide sufficient protection to the T. Rowe Price Funds and their shareholders that is consistent with the excessive trading policy adopted by the funds’ Boards.
Retirement Plan Accounts If shares are held
in a retirement plan, generally the
30-Day Purchase Block applies only to shares redeemed by a participant-directed
exchange to another fund. However, the 30-Day Purchase Block may apply to transactions other than exchanges
depending on how shares of the plan are held at T. Rowe Price or the excessive trading policy applied
by your plan’s recordkeeper. An alternative excessive trading policy may apply to the T. Rowe Price
Funds where a retirement plan has its own policy deemed acceptable to T. Rowe Price. You should contact
T. Rowe Price or your plan recordkeeper to determine which of your transactions are subject to the funds’
30-Day Purchase Block or an alternative policy.
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There is no guarantee that T. Rowe Price will be able to identify or prevent all excessive or short-term trades or trading practices.
Unclaimed Accounts and Uncashed Checks
If your account has no activity for a certain period of time and/or mail sent to you from T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) is returned by the post office, T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) may be required to transfer your account and any assets related to uncashed checks to the appropriate state under its abandoned property laws. To avoid such action, it is important to keep your account address up to date and periodically contact T. Rowe Price at least once every two years.
Delivery of Shareholder Documents
If two or more accounts own the same fund, share the same address, and T. Rowe Price reasonably believes that the two accounts are part of the same institution, we may economize on fund expenses by mailing only one shareholder report and prospectus for the fund. If you do not want your mailings to be “householded,” please call Financial Institution Services.
Signature Guarantees
A Medallion signature guarantee is designed to protect you and the T. Rowe Price Funds from fraud by verifying your signature.
A signature guarantee may be required in certain situations, such as:
· Remitting redemption proceeds to any person, address, or bank account not on file or
· Changing the account registration or broker-dealer of record for an account.
Consult Financial Institution Services for specific requirements.
The signature guarantee must be obtained from a financial institution that is a participant in a Medallion signature guarantee program. You can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from certain banks, savings institutions, broker-dealers, and other guarantors acceptable to T. Rowe Price. When obtaining a Medallion signature guarantee, please discuss with the guarantor the dollar amount of your proposed transaction. It is important that the level of coverage provided by the guarantor’s stamp covers the dollar amount of the transaction or it may be rejected. We cannot accept guarantees from notaries public or organizations that do not provide reimbursement in the case of fraud.
Fund Operations and Shareholder Services
T. Rowe Price and The Bank of New York Mellon, subject to the oversight of T. Rowe Price, each provide certain accounting services to the T. Rowe Price Funds. T. Rowe Price Services, Inc., acts as the transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent and provides shareholder and administrative services to the funds. T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc., provides recordkeeping, sub-transfer agency, and administrative services for certain types of retirement plans investing in the funds. These companies receive compensation from the funds for their services. The F Class may also pay financial intermediaries for performing shareholder and administrative services for underlying shareholders in omnibus accounts. All of the fees
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discussed above are included in a fund’s financial statements and, except for funds that have an all-inclusive management fee, are also reflected in the “Other expenses” line that appears in a fund’s fee table in Section 1.
Each fund intends to qualify to be treated each year as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. In order to qualify, a fund must satisfy certain income, diversification, and distribution requirements. A regulated investment company is not subject to U.S. federal income tax at the portfolio level on income and gains from investments that are distributed to shareholders. However, if a fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company and was ineligible to or otherwise did not cure such failure, the result would be fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to the fund’s shareholders.
To the extent possible, all net investment income and realized capital gains are distributed to shareholders.
Dividends and Other Distributions
Dividend and capital gain distributions are reinvested in additional fund shares in your account unless you select another option on your new account form. Reinvesting distributions results in compounding, which allows you to receive dividends and capital gain distributions on an increasing number of shares.
Distributions not reinvested are paid by check or transmitted electronically to your bank account. If the U.S. Postal Service cannot deliver your check or if your check remains uncashed for six months, the fund reserves the right to reinvest your distribution check in your account at the net asset value on the day of the reinvestment and to reinvest all subsequent distributions in additional shares of the fund. Interest will not accrue on amounts represented by uncashed distributions or redemption checks.
The following table provides details on dividend payments:
Dividend Payment Schedule | |
Fund | Dividends |
Bond funds | · Shares normally begin to earn dividends on the business day after payment is received by T. Rowe Price. · Declared daily and paid on the first business day of each month. |
Stock funds | · Must be a shareholder on the dividend record date. · Declared and paid annually, if any, generally in December. |
Shares of bond funds will earn dividends through the date of redemption. Shares redeemed on a Friday or prior to a holiday will continue to earn dividends until the next business day.
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Generally, if you redeem all of your bond fund shares at any time during the month, you will also receive all dividends earned through the date of redemption in the same check. When you redeem only a portion of your bond fund shares, all dividends accrued on those shares will be reinvested, or paid in cash, on the next dividend payment date. The funds do not pay dividends in fractional cents. Any dividend amount earned for a particular day on all shares held that is one-half of one cent or greater (for example, $0.016) will be rounded up to the next whole cent ($0.02), and any amount that is less than one-half of one cent (for example, $0.014) will be rounded down to the nearest whole cent ($0.01). Please note that if the dividend payable on all shares held is less than one-half of one cent for a particular day, no dividend will be earned for that day.
If you purchase and redeem your shares through a financial intermediary, consult your financial intermediary to determine when your shares begin and stop accruing dividends as the information previously described may vary.
Capital Gain Payments
A capital gain or loss is the difference between the purchase and sale price of a security. If a fund has net capital gains for the year (after subtracting any capital losses), they are usually declared and paid in December to shareholders of record on a specified date that month. If a second distribution is necessary, it is generally paid the following year. A fund may have to make additional capital gain distributions, if necessary, to comply with the applicable tax law.
Tax Information
In most cases, you will be provided information for your tax filing needs no later than mid-February.
If you invest in the fund through a tax-deferred account, such as an IRA or employer-sponsored retirement plan, you will not be subject to tax on dividends and distributions from the fund or the sale of fund shares if those amounts remain in the tax-deferred account. You may receive a Form 1099-R or other Internal Revenue Service forms, as applicable, if any portion of the account is distributed to you.
If you invest in the fund through a taxable account, you generally will be subject to tax when:
· You sell fund shares, including an exchange from one fund to another.
· The fund makes dividend or capital gain distributions.
For individual shareholders, a portion of ordinary dividends representing “qualified dividend income” received by the fund may be subject to tax at the lower rates applicable to long-term capital gains rather than ordinary income. You may report it as “qualified dividend income” in computing your taxes, provided you have held the fund shares on which the dividend was paid for more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date. Ordinary dividends that do not qualify for this lower rate are generally taxable at the investor’s marginal income tax rate. This includes the portion of ordinary dividends derived from interest, short-term capital gains, income and gains from derivatives, distributions from nonqualified foreign corporations, distributions from real estate investment trusts, and
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dividends received by the fund from stocks that were on loan. Little, if any, of the ordinary dividends paid by the bond funds or money market funds is expected to qualify for this lower rate.
For corporate shareholders, a portion of ordinary dividends may be eligible for the deduction for dividends received by corporations to the extent the fund’s income consists of dividends paid by U.S. corporations. Little, if any, of the ordinary dividends paid by the international stock or bond funds is expected to qualify for this deduction.
A 3.8% net investment income tax is imposed on net investment income, including interest, dividends, and capital gains of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
If you hold your fund through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary is responsible for providing you with any necessary tax forms. You should contact your financial intermediary for the tax information that will be sent to you and reported to the Internal Revenue Service.
Taxes on Fund Redemptions
When you sell shares in any fund, you may realize a gain or loss. An exchange from one fund to another in a taxable account is also a sale for tax purposes.
All or a portion of the loss realized from a sale or exchange of your fund shares may be disallowed under the “wash sale” rule if you purchase substantially identical shares within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date on which the shares are sold or exchanged. Shares of the same fund you acquire through dividend reinvestment are shares purchased for the purpose of the wash sale rule and may trigger a disallowance of the loss for shares sold or exchanged within the 61-day period of the dividend reinvestment. Any loss disallowed under the wash sale rule is added to the cost basis of the purchased shares.
T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) will make available to you Form 1099-B, if applicable, no later than mid-February, providing certain information for each sale you made in the fund during the prior year. Unless otherwise indicated on your Form 1099-B, this information will also be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. For mutual fund shares acquired prior to 2012 in most accounts established or opened by exchange in 1984 or later, our Form 1099-B will provide you with the gain or loss on the shares you sold during the year based on the average cost single category method. This information on average cost and gain or loss from sale is not reported to the Internal Revenue Service. For these mutual fund shares acquired prior to 2012, you may calculate the cost basis using other methods acceptable to the Internal Revenue Service, such as specific identification.
For mutual fund shares acquired after 2011, federal income tax regulations require us to report the cost basis information on Form 1099-B using a cost basis method selected by the shareholder in compliance with such regulations or, in the absence of such selected method, our default method if you acquire your shares directly from T. Rowe Price. Our default method is average cost. For any fund shares acquired through a financial intermediary after 2011, you
T. ROWE PRICE | 42 |
should check with your financial intermediary regarding the applicable cost basis method. You should, however, note that the cost basis information reported to you may not always be the same as what you should report on your tax return because the rules applicable to the determination of cost basis on Form 1099-B may be different from the rules applicable to the determination of cost basis for reporting on your tax return. Therefore, you should save your transaction records to make sure the information reported on your tax return is accurate. T. Rowe Price and financial intermediaries are not required to issue a Form 1099-B to report sales of money market fund shares.
To help you maintain accurate records, T. Rowe Price will make available to you a confirmation promptly following each transaction you make (except for systematic purchases and systematic redemptions) and a year-end statement detailing all of your transactions in each fund account during the year. If you hold your fund through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary is responsible for providing you with transaction confirmations and statements.
Taxes on Fund Distributions
T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) will make available to you, as applicable, generally no later than mid-February, a Form 1099-DIV, or other Internal Revenue Service forms, as required, indicating the tax status of any income dividends, dividends exempt from federal income taxes, and capital gain distributions made to you. This information will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. Taxable distributions are generally taxable to you in the year in which they are paid. A dividend declared in October, November, or December and paid in the following January is generally treated as taxable to you as if you received the distribution in December. Dividends from tax-free funds are generally expected to be tax-exempt for federal income tax purposes. Your bond fund dividends for each calendar year will include dividends accrued up to the first business day of the next calendar year. Ordinary dividends and capital gain dividends may also be subject to state and local taxes. You will be sent any additional information you need to determine your taxes on fund distributions, such as the portion of your dividends, if any, that may be exempt from state and local income taxes.
Taxable distributions are subject to tax whether reinvested in additional shares or received in cash.
The tax treatment of a capital gain distribution is determined by how long the fund held the portfolio securities, not how long you held the shares in the fund. Short-term (one year or less) capital gain distributions are taxable at the same rate as ordinary income, and gains on securities held more than one year are taxed at the lower rates applicable to long-term capital gains. If you realized a loss on the sale or exchange of fund shares that you held six months or less, your short-term capital loss must be reclassified as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributions received during the period you held the shares. For funds investing in foreign instruments, distributions resulting from the sale of certain foreign currencies, currency contracts, and the foreign currency portion of gains on debt instruments are taxed as ordinary income. Net foreign currency losses may cause monthly or quarterly dividends to be reclassified as returns of capital.
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 43 |
A fund’s distributions that have exceeded the fund’s earnings and profits for the relevant tax year may be treated as a return of capital to its shareholders. A return of capital distribution is generally nontaxable but reduces the shareholder’s cost basis in the fund, and any return of capital in excess of the cost basis will result in a capital gain.
The tax status of certain distributions may be recharacterized on year-end tax forms, such as your Form 1099-DIV. Distributions made by a fund may later be recharacterized for federal income tax purposes—for example, from taxable ordinary income dividends to returns of capital. A recharacterization of distributions may occur for a number of reasons, including the recharacterization of income received from underlying investments, such as real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), and distributions that exceed taxable income due to losses from foreign currency transactions or other investment transactions. Certain funds, including international bond funds and funds that invest in REITs, are more likely to recharacterize a portion of their distributions as a result of their investments.
If the fund qualifies and elects to pass through nonrefundable foreign income taxes paid to foreign governments during the year, your portion of such taxes will be reported to you as taxable income. However, you may be able to claim an offsetting credit or deduction on your tax return for those amounts. There can be no assurance that a fund will meet the requirements to pass through foreign income taxes paid.
If you are subject to backup withholding, we will have to withhold a 24% backup withholding tax on distributions and, in some cases, redemption payments. You may be subject to backup withholding if we are notified by the Internal Revenue Service to withhold, you have failed one or more tax certification requirements, or our records indicate that your tax identification number is missing or incorrect. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and is generally available to credit against your federal income tax liability with any excess refunded to you by the Internal Revenue Service.
Tax Consequences of Hedging
Entering into certain transactions involving options, futures, swaps, and forward currency exchange contracts may result in the application of the mark-to-market and straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. These provisions could result in a fund being required to distribute gains on such transactions even though it did not close the contracts during the year or receive cash to pay such distributions. The fund may not be able to reduce its distributions for losses on such transactions to the extent of unrealized gains in offsetting positions.
Tax Consequences of Shareholder Turnover
If the fund’s portfolio transactions result in a net capital loss (i.e., an excess of capital losses over capital gains) for any year, the loss may be carried forward and used to offset future realized capital gains. However, its ability to carry forward such losses will be limited if the fund experiences an “ownership change” within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code. An ownership change generally results when shareholders owning 5% or more of the fund increase their aggregate holdings by more than 50 percentage points over a three-year period.
T. ROWE PRICE | 44 |
Because Institutional Funds may have only a few large shareholders, an ownership change can occur in the normal course of shareholder purchases and redemptions. The fund undertakes no obligation to avoid or prevent an ownership change. Moreover, because of circumstances beyond the fund’s control, there can be no assurance that the fund will not experience, or has not already experienced, an ownership change. An ownership change can reduce the fund’s ability to offset capital gains with losses, which could increase the amount of taxable gains that could be distributed to shareholders.
Tax Effect of Buying Shares Before an Income Dividend or Capital Gain Distribution
If you buy shares shortly before or on the record date—the date that establishes you as the person to receive the upcoming distribution—you may receive a portion of the money you just invested in the form of a taxable distribution. Therefore, you may wish to find out a fund’s record date before investing. In addition, a fund’s share price may, at any time, reflect undistributed capital gains or income and unrealized appreciation, which may result in future taxable distributions. Such distributions can occur even in a year when the fund has a negative return.
T. Rowe Price Funds and their agents, in their sole discretion, reserve the following rights: (1) to waive or lower investment minimums; (2) to accept initial purchases by telephone; (3) to refuse any purchase or exchange order; (4) to cancel or rescind any purchase or exchange order placed through a financial intermediary no later than the business day after the order is received by the financial intermediary (including, but not limited to, orders deemed to result in excessive trading, market timing, or 5% ownership); (5) to cease offering fund shares at any time to all or certain groups of investors; (6) to freeze any account and suspend account services when notice has been received of a dispute regarding the ownership of the account, or a legal claim against an account, upon initial notification to T. Rowe Price of a shareholder’s death until T. Rowe Price receives required documentation in correct form, or if there is reason to believe a fraudulent transaction may occur; (7) to otherwise modify the conditions of purchase and modify or terminate any services at any time; (8) to waive any wire, small account, maintenance, or fiduciary fees charged to a group of shareholders; (9) to act on instructions reasonably believed to be genuine; (10) to involuntarily redeem an account at the net asset value calculated the day the account is redeemed, in cases of threatening conduct, suspected fraudulent or illegal activity, or if the fund or its agent is unable, through its procedures, to verify the identity of the person(s) or entity opening an account; and (11) for money market funds, to suspend redemptions to facilitate an orderly liquidation.
The fund’s Statement of Additional Information, which contains a more detailed description of the fund’s operations, investment restrictions, policies and practices, has been filed with the SEC. The Statement of Additional Information is incorporated by reference into this prospectus, which means that it is legally part of this prospectus even if you do not request a copy. Further information about the fund’s investments, including a review of market conditions and the manager’s recent investment strategies and their impact on performance during the past fiscal year, is available in the annual and semiannual shareholder reports. These documents and updated performance information are available through troweprice.com. For inquiries about the fund and to obtain free copies of any of these documents, call 1-800-638-8790. If you invest in the fund through a financial intermediary, you should contact your financial intermediary for copies of these documents.
Fund reports and other fund information are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at publicinfo@sec.gov.
T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. |
1940 Act File No. 811-5833 | E146-040 3/1/20 |
PROSPECTUS March 1, 2020 | ||||
T. ROWE PRICE | ||||
PRFFX | Institutional Frontier Markets Equity Fund | |||
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by SEC regulations, paper copies of the T. Rowe Price funds’ annual and semiannual shareholder reports will no longer be mailed, unless you specifically request them. Instead, shareholder reports will be made available on the funds’ website (troweprice.com/prospectus), and you will be notified by mail with a website link to access the reports each time a report is posted to the site. If you already elected to receive reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and need not take any action. At any time, shareholders who invest directly in T. Rowe Price funds may generally elect to receive reports or other communications electronically by enrolling at troweprice.com/paperless or, if you are a retirement plan sponsor or invest in the funds through a financial intermediary (such as an investment advisor, broker-dealer, insurance company, or bank), by contacting your representative or your financial intermediary. You may elect to continue receiving paper copies of future shareholder reports free of charge. To do so, if you invest directly with T. Rowe Price, please call T. Rowe Price as follows: IRA, nonretirement account holders, and institutional investors, 1-800-225-5132; small business retirement accounts, 1-800-492-7670. If you are a retirement plan sponsor or invest in the T. Rowe Price funds through a financial intermediary, please contact your representative or financial intermediary, or follow additional instructions if included with this document. Your election to receive paper copies of reports will apply to all funds held in your account with your financial intermediary or, if you invest directly in the T. Rowe Price funds, with T. Rowe Price. Your election can be changed at any time in the future. | ||||
Table of Contents
1 | SUMMARY | ||
2 | MORE ABOUT THE FUND | ||
More Information About the Fund’s | |||
3 | INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS | ||
Investing with T. Rowe Price 26 Payments to Financial Intermediaries 27 Policies for Opening an Account 29 Pricing of Shares and Transactions 30 General Policies and Requirements 35 |
SUMMARY | 1 | |
The fund seeks long-term growth of capital.
Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the fund. You may also incur brokerage commissions and other charges when buying or selling shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the table.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
Annual
fund operating expenses | ||
Management fees | 1.10 | % |
Other expenses | 0.63 | |
Total annual fund operating expenses | 1.73 | |
Fee waiver/expense reimbursement | (0.37 | )a |
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver/expense reimbursement | 1.36 | a |
a T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., has contractually agreed (through February 28, 2021) to waive its fees and/or bear any expenses (excluding interest; expenses related to borrowings, taxes, and brokerage; nonrecurring, extraordinary expenses; and acquired fund fees and expenses) that would cause the fund’s ratio of expenses to exceed 1.35% of the class’ average daily net assets. The agreement may only be terminated at any time after February 28, 2021, with approval by the fund’s Board of Directors. Fees waived and expenses paid under this agreement (and a previous limitation of 1.35%) are subject to reimbursement to T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., by the fund whenever the fund’s expense ratio is below 1.35%. However, no reimbursement will be made more than three years from the date such amounts were initially waived or reimbursed. The fund may only make repayments to T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., if such repayment does not cause the fund’s expense ratio (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed the lesser of: (1) the expense limitation in place at the time such amounts were waived; or (2) the fund’s current expense limitation.
Example This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods, that your investment has a 5% return each year, and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example also assumes that any current expense limitation arrangement remains in place for the period noted in the table above; therefore, the figures have been adjusted to reflect fee waivers or expense reimbursements only in the periods for which the expense limitation arrangement is expected to continue. 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 |
$138 | $509 | $904 | $2,010 |
T. ROWE PRICE | 2 |
Portfolio Turnover The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when the fund’s shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 55.4% of the average value of its portfolio.
Investments, Risks, and Performance
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets (including any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities and equity-related investments of companies that are located in, or that have economic ties to, countries considered to be frontier markets. For purposes of determining whether the fund invests at least 80% in frontier markets, the fund relies on the country assigned to a security by MSCI Inc. or another unaffiliated data provider. The fund may purchase securities issued by companies of any size, but typically seeks larger companies to the extent opportunities are available within frontier markets. The fund expects to make most of its investments in companies in frontier markets in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Latin America.
Frontier markets are those markets which are not as developed as emerging markets. The fund considers a country to be a frontier market if it is included in the MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets Index or if it is not included in the MSCI All Country World Index, which contains all of the countries that MSCI Inc. has classified as either a developed market or emerging market. The countries that are considered frontier markets may change over time based on how they are classified by MSCI Inc. The fund expects to typically seek investments in the frontier markets listed below (other countries may be added or listed countries may be removed):
· Africa and Middle East: Bahrain, Botswana, Egypt, Ghana, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Oman, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
· Asia: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.
· Europe: Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
· Latin America: Argentina, Colombia, Jamaica, Panama, Peru, and Trinidad & Tobago.
The fund is “nondiversified,” meaning it may invest a greater portion of its assets in a single company and own more of the company’s voting securities than is permissible for a “diversified” fund. Most of the fund’s assets will be invested directly in common stocks. The fund may also gain exposure to common stocks by purchasing participation notes (“P-notes”) that offer a return linked to a particular common stock. P-notes are primarily used to invest indirectly in certain stocks that trade in a market that restricts foreign investors, such as the fund, from investing directly in that market.
While the adviser invests with an awareness of the global economic backdrop and the adviser’s outlook for certain industries, sectors, and individual countries, the adviser’s decision-making
SUMMARY | 3 |
process focuses on bottom-up stock selection. Country allocation is driven largely by stock selection, though the adviser may limit investments in markets or industries that appear to have poor overall prospects. The growth of certain frontier market countries relies heavily on the success of the banking industry. As a result, the fund expects to concentrate its investments (i.e., invest more than 25% of its net assets) in securities issued by banks and other financial services companies. The fund may at times invest significantly in certain countries or geographical regions.
The adviser relies on a global team of investment analysts dedicated to in-depth fundamental research in an effort to identify quality companies with strong cash flows and sustainable growth potential, and does not emphasize either a growth or value bias when identifying potential investments. The fund’s investments may at times include securities of companies that are in the process of being privatized by a government, securities of companies that trade in unregulated over-the-counter markets or other types of unlisted securities markets, and unregistered securities issued in private placements. In managing the fund’s portfolio, the adviser principally employs a bottom-up approach to identify particular securities for investment. Research analysts conduct proprietary industry and company analysis to assess companies’ prospects while also considering macroeconomic factors that could limit opportunities in certain regions or frontier markets overall. The fund generally looks for companies with an attractive industry structure, compelling fundamentals, proven management team, and/or strong valuation upside.
The fund may sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into more promising opportunities.
Principal Risks
As with any fund, there is no guarantee that the fund will achieve its objective(s). The fund’s share price fluctuates, which means you could lose money by investing in the fund. The principal risks of investing in this fund, which may be even greater during periods of market disruption or volatility, are summarized as follows.
Frontier markets Frontier market countries tend to have economic structures that are less diverse and mature, and political systems that are less stable, than those of emerging market or developed market countries. In addition to the risks of investing in international emerging markets, frontier markets tend to have less efficient trading markets with lower overall liquidity and are more susceptible to governmental interference, local taxes being imposed on international investments, and restrictions on gaining access to sales proceeds. Frontier markets generally have smaller economies or less mature capital markets than emerging markets and, as a result, the risks typically associated with investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier countries. Adverse changes in currency values of frontier market countries may be severe and settlement procedures and custody services may prove inadequate in certain markets. The markets of frontier countries typically have low trading volumes and the potential for extreme price volatility and illiquidity. This volatility may be further increased by the actions of a few major investors. For example, a substantial increase or
T. ROWE PRICE | 4 |
decrease in cash flows of mutual funds investing in these markets could significantly affect local stock prices and, therefore, the net asset value of the fund.
Investing in Africa and the Middle East Many African and Middle Eastern countries have histories of dictatorships, political and military unrest, and financial troubles, and their markets should be considered extremely volatile even when compared to those of other emerging market countries. Many of these countries tend to be highly reliant on exporting oil and other commodities so their economies can be significantly impacted by fluctuations in commodity prices and the global demand for certain commodities.
Industry concentration Because the fund invests significantly in banking and financial services companies, the fund is more susceptible to adverse developments affecting such companies and may perform poorly during a downturn in the banking industry. Banks and other financial services companies can be adversely affected by, among other things, regulatory changes, interest rate movements, the availability of capital and cost to borrow, and the rate of debt defaults. The oversight of banks in frontier markets may be ineffective and underdeveloped relative to more mature markets. In particular for frontier markets, the impact of future regulation on any individual bank, or on the financial services sector as a whole, can be very difficult to predict.
Investing in Asia Many Asian economies have at various times been negatively affected by inflation, currency devaluations, an over-reliance on international trade and exports, political and social instability, and less developed financial systems and securities trading markets. Trade restrictions, unexpected decreases in exports, changes in government policies, or natural disasters could have a significant impact on companies doing business in Asia. The Asian region may be significantly affected by political unrest, military conflict, economic sanctions, and less demand for Asian products and services.
International investing Investing in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involves special risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. Non-U.S. securities tend to be more volatile and have lower overall liquidity than investments in U.S. securities and may lose value because of adverse local, political, social, or economic developments overseas, or due to changes in the exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. In addition, investments outside the U.S. are subject to settlement practices and regulatory and financial reporting standards that differ from those of the U.S. The risks of investing outside the U.S. are heightened for any investments in emerging markets, which are susceptible to greater volatility than investments in developed markets.
Nondiversification As a nondiversified fund, the fund has the ability to invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. As a result, poor performance by a single issuer could adversely affect fund performance more than if the fund were invested in a larger number of issuers. The fund’s share price can be expected to fluctuate more than that of a similar fund that is more broadly diversified.
Liquidity A particular investment or an entire market segment may become less liquid or even illiquid, sometimes abruptly, which could limit the fund’s ability to purchase or sell holdings in
SUMMARY | 5 |
a timely manner at a desired price. An inability to sell a portfolio holding can adversely affect the fund’s overall value or prevent the fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities. Liquidity risk may be magnified during periods of substantial market volatility and unexpected episodes of illiquidity may limit the fund’s ability to pay redemption proceeds without selling holdings at an unfavorable time or at a suitable price. Large redemptions may also have a negative impact on the fund’s overall liquidity.
Large-cap stocks Securities issued by large-cap companies tend to be less volatile than securities issued by smaller companies. However, larger companies may not be able to attain the high growth rates of successful smaller companies, especially during strong economic periods, and may be unable to respond as quickly to competitive challenges.
Stock investing Stocks generally fluctuate in value more than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. The value of stocks held by the fund may decline due to general weakness or volatility in the stock markets in which the fund invests or because of factors that affect a particular company or industry.
Active management The fund’s overall investment program and holdings selected by the fund’s investment adviser may underperform the broad markets, relevant indices, or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.
P-notes Although P-notes may serve as an efficient means to gain exposure to foreign securities markets or foreign securities that might otherwise be difficult or costly to access or purchase because of foreign regulatory restrictions or foreign tax laws, such investments carry additional risks beyond the risks associated with a direct investment in their underlying reference asset. P-Notes involve transaction costs, which may be higher than those applicable to the underlying securities. Any dividends or capital gains collected from the underlying securities are passed through to the foreign investors; however, the holder of a P-Note is not entitled to the same rights (e.g., dividends, voting rights) as an owner of the underlying security. The fund must rely on the creditworthiness of a counterparty and would have no rights against the issuer of an underlying security. Other risks include the risk that a P-Note may be illiquid and that the fund may not be able to terminate or offset its positions at the time it wishes to do so or at a favorable price and that, as a result of the failure of a counterparty or legal or operational issues, the fund may not receive payments required to be made to them under the terms of a P-Note.
Performance
The following performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The fund’s performance information represents only past performance (before and after taxes) and is not necessarily an indication of future results.
The following bar chart illustrates how much returns can differ from year to year by showing calendar year returns and the best and worst calendar quarter returns during those years for the fund.
T. ROWE PRICE | 6 |
The following table shows the average annual total returns for the fund, and also compares the returns with the returns of a relevant broad-based market index, as well as with the returns of one or more comparative indexes that have investment characteristics similar to those of the fund, if applicable.
In addition, the table shows hypothetical after-tax returns to demonstrate how taxes paid by a shareholder may influence returns. 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 investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as a 401(k) account or an IRA.
SUMMARY | 7 |
Average Annual Total Returns |
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| Returns before taxes | 14.60 | % |
| 3.09 | % |
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| Returns after taxes on distributions | 14.24 |
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| and sale of fund shares | 8.86 |
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| MSCI Frontier Markets Index Net (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) |
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Lipper Frontier Markets Funds Average | ||||||||||||||
12.47 | 0.36 | -2.36 | b |
a Return since 9/22/14.
b Return since 9/30/14.
Updated performance information is available through troweprice.com.
Management
Investment Adviser T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (T. Rowe Price or Price Associates)
Investment Subadviser T. Rowe Price International Ltd (T. Rowe Price International)
Portfolio Manager | Title | Managed | Joined |
Oliver D.M. Bell | Chairman of Investment Advisory Committee | 2014 | 2011 |
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
At a Board meeting held on February 5, 2020, the fund’s Board of Directors approved the closure and liquidation of the fund. The closure and liquidation are expected to occur on April 17, 2020 (“Liquidation Date”). Prior to the Liquidation Date, the assets of the fund will be liquidated at the discretion of the fund’s portfolio management and the fund will cease to pursue its investment objective. In anticipation of the closure and liquidation, effective April 6, 2020, the fund will be closed to new investors or existing shareholders to purchase Fund shares. At any time prior to the termination, we welcome you to exchange your shares of the fund for the same class of shares of another T. Rowe Price fund. After the fund is closed and liquidated, the fund will no longer be offered to shareholders for purchase.
The fund generally requires a $1 million minimum initial investment and there is no minimum for additional purchases, although the initial investment minimum may be waived for certain
T. ROWE PRICE | 8 |
types of accounts held through a retirement plan, financial advisor, or other financial intermediary.
For investors holding shares of the fund directly with T. Rowe Price, you may purchase, redeem, or exchange fund shares by mail or by telephone (1-800-638-8790).
If you hold shares through a financial intermediary or retirement plan, you must purchase, redeem, and exchange shares of the fund through your intermediary or retirement plan. You should check with your intermediary or retirement plan to determine the investment minimums that apply to your account.
Tax Information
Any dividends or capital gains are declared and paid annually, usually in December. Redemptions or exchanges of fund shares and distributions by the fund, whether or not you reinvest these amounts in additional fund shares, generally may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains unless you invest through a tax-deferred account (in which case you will be taxed upon withdrawal from such account).
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other
financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
MORE ABOUT THE FUND | 2 | |
Investment Adviser(s)
T. Rowe Price is the fund’s investment adviser and oversees the selection of the fund’s investments and management of the fund’s portfolio pursuant to an investment management agreement between the investment adviser and the fund. T. Rowe Price is an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides investment management services to individual and institutional investors, and sponsors and serves as adviser and subadviser to registered investment companies, institutional separate accounts, and common trust funds. The address for T. Rowe Price is 100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. As of December 31, 2019, T. Rowe Price and its affiliates (the “Firm”) had approximately $1.21 trillion in assets under management and provided investment management services for more than 7 million individual and institutional investor accounts.
T. Rowe Price has entered into a subadvisory agreement with T. Rowe Price International under which T. Rowe Price International is authorized to trade securities and make discretionary investment decisions on behalf of the fund. T. Rowe Price International is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser, and is authorized or licensed by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority and other global regulators. T. Rowe Price International sponsors and serves as adviser to foreign collective investment schemes and provides investment management services to registered investment companies and other institutional investors. T. Rowe Price International is headquartered in London and has several branch offices around the world. T. Rowe Price International is a direct subsidiary of T. Rowe Price and its address is 60 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4N 4TZ, United Kingdom.
Portfolio Management
T. Rowe Price has established an Investment Advisory Committee with respect to the fund. The committee chairman has ultimately responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund’s portfolio and works with the committee in developing and executing the fund’s investment program. The members of the committee are as follows: Oliver D.M. Bell, Chairman, Ulle Adamson, Roy H. Adkins, Malik S. Asif, Peter I. Botoucharov, Tala Boulos, Michael J. Conelius, Iona Dent, Richard L. Hall, Christopher J. Kushlis, Mark J. Lawrence, Johannes Loefstrand, Oluwaseun A. Oyegunle, Verena E. Wachnitz, and Ernest C. Yeung. The following information provides the year that the chairman (portfolio manager) first joined the Firm and the chairman’s specific business experience during the past five years (although the chairman may have had portfolio management responsibilities for a longer period). Mr. Bell has been chairman of the committee since the fund’s inception in 2014. He joined the Firm in 2011 and his investment experience dates from 1997. He has served as a portfolio manager with the Firm throughout the past five years. The Statement of Additional Information provides
T. ROWE PRICE | 10 |
additional information about the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager, and the portfolio manager’s ownership of the fund’s shares.
The Management Fee
The fund pays the investment adviser an annual investment management fee based on 1.10% of the fund’s average daily net assets. The fund calculates and accrues the fee daily.
A discussion about the factors considered by the fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) and its conclusions in approving the fund’s investment management agreement (and any subadvisory agreement, if applicable) appear in the fund’s semiannual report to shareholders for the period ended April 30.
Investment objective
The fund seeks long-term growth of capital.
The investment objective is a fundamental policy and shareholder approval is required to substantially change it. As with any fund, there is no guarantee the fund will achieve its objective.
Principal Investment Strategies
Consider your investment goals, your time horizon for achieving them, and your tolerance for risk. The fund may be appropriate for you if you are seeking diversification for your equity investments and can accept the risks that accompany foreign investments. Your decision should take into account whether you have any other foreign stock investments. If you do not, you may want to consider investing in a more widely diversified fund to gain the broadest exposure to global opportunities. The fund may be an appropriate part of your overall portfolio if you are supplementing existing holdings primarily in developed foreign markets and are comfortable with the potentially significant volatility associated with investing in frontier markets.
The fund invests significantly in frontier markets and may invest in companies of any market capitalization but typically seeks larger companies, to the extent opportunities are available, in those markets. The fund’s investments may at times include securities of companies that are in the process of being privatized by a government, securities of companies that trade in unregulated over-the-counter markets or other types of unlisted securities markets, and unregistered securities issued in private placements. In managing the fund’s portfolio, we principally employ a bottom-up approach to identify particular securities for investment. Research analysts conduct proprietary industry and company analysis to assess companies’ prospects while considering macroeconomic factors that could limit opportunities in certain regions or frontier markets overall. The fund generally looks for companies with an attractive
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industry structure, compelling fundamentals, proven management team, and/or strong valuation upside.
The growth of certain frontier market countries relies heavily on the success of the commercial banking industry. The fund considers a country to be a frontier market if it is included in the MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets Index or if it is not included in the MSCI All Country World Index, which contains all of the countries that MSCI Inc. has classified as either a developed market or emerging market. The classification of a country by MSCI Inc. may change over time.
Investing a portion of your overall portfolio in stock funds with foreign holdings can enhance your diversification and increase your available investment opportunities.
Portfolio managers closely monitor the fund’s investments as well as political and economic trends in the countries and regions in which the fund invests. Holdings are adjusted according to the portfolio manager’s analysis and outlook. The impact of unfavorable developments in a particular country may be reduced when investments are spread among many countries. However, the economies and financial markets of countries in a certain region may be heavily influenced by one another.
The Firm integrates environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) factors into its investment research process. We focus on the ESG factors we consider most likely to have a material impact on the performance of the holdings in the fund’s portfolio.
Principal Risks
Some of the principal tools the adviser uses to try to reduce overall risk include intensive research when evaluating a company’s prospects and limiting exposure to certain industries, asset classes, or investment styles when appropriate.
The principal risks associated with the fund’s principal investment strategies include the following:
Frontier markets Investing in frontier market companies entails all of the risks of international and emerging market investing, but to a heightened degree. The possibility of a securities exchange closing unexpectedly for a long period of time is much greater in a frontier market. Compared with developed and emerging markets, investing in frontier markets may involve heightened volatility; greater political, regulatory, legal, and economic uncertainties; less liquidity; over-reliance on the commercial banking industry; dependence on particular commodities or international aid; high levels of inflation; and greater custody risk. Additional risks may include greater political instability (including the risk of war or natural disaster); increased risk of nationalization, expropriation, or other confiscation of assets of issuers to which the fund is exposed; greater risk of default (by both government and private issuers); more substantial governmental involvement in the economy; less governmental supervision and regulation; differences in, or lack of, auditing and financial reporting standards, which may result in unavailability of material information about issuers; less developed legal systems; inability to purchase and sell investments or otherwise settle securities (i.e., a market freeze);
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unavailability of currency hedging techniques; slower clearance and settlement; and difficulties in obtaining and/or enforcing legal judgments.
Certain frontier market countries may impose restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of investment income and capital. In addition, foreign investors such as the fund may be required to register the proceeds of sales, and future economic or political crises could lead to price controls, forced mergers, nationalization, or the creation of government monopolies. The currencies of frontier market countries may experience significant declines against the U.S. dollar, and devaluation may occur subsequent to investments in these currencies by the fund. Inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates have had, and may continue to have, negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain frontier market countries. Frontier market securities may trade in more limited volume than comparable securities in foreign developed and emerging markets.
In addition, frontier market securities may have different clearance and settlement procedures, which may be unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions or otherwise make it difficult to engage in such transactions. Settlement problems could cause the fund to miss attractive investment opportunities, hold a portion of its assets in cash pending investment, or be delayed in disposing of a portfolio security, all of which would negatively affect the fund’s performance. Custody services in many frontier market countries remain undeveloped and, although the fund’s custodian will seek to establish control mechanisms, including the selection of appropriate sub-custodians to hold securities on behalf of the fund, there is greater transaction and custody risk in dealing in securities of frontier market countries. Overall, the laws and market practices of frontier market countries carry fewer safeguards than more mature markets, including, for example, the protection against claims from general creditors in the event of the insolvency of an agent selected to hold securities on behalf of the fund.
Investing in Africa and the Middle East The economies of certain African and Middle Eastern countries are in the earliest stages of economic development, which may result in a high concentration of trading volume and market capitalization in a small number of issuers or a limited number of industries. There are typically fewer brokers in African and Middle Eastern countries, and they are typically less well capitalized than brokers in the U.S. or other developed markets. Many African nations have a history of military intervention, dictatorship, civil war, and corruption, which all limit the effectiveness of markets in those countries. Many Middle Eastern countries are facing political and economic uncertainty, with little or no democratic tradition or free market history, which could result in significant economic downturn.
During periods of instability or upheaval, a country’s government may act in a detrimental or hostile manner toward private enterprise or foreign investment. In addition, at certain times, the fund may have to “fair value”—or assign a value on the basis of factors other than market quotations—certain securities. Portfolio holdings that are valued using techniques other than market quotations, including “fair valued” securities, may be subject to greater fluctuation than if market quotations had been used, and there is no assurance that the fund could sell or close out a portfolio position for the value established for it at any time. Further, the economies of
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many Middle Eastern and African countries are largely dependent on, and linked together by, certain commodities (such as gold, silver, copper, diamonds, and oil). As a result, African and Middle Eastern economies are vulnerable to changes in commodity prices, and fluctuations in demand for these commodities could significantly impact economies in these regions. A downturn in one country’s economy could have a disproportionally large effect on others in the region.
Industry concentration Investments in banking industry stocks, as compared with other industries in general, may be considered to be more volatile or risky due to a number of factors, including more extensive government regulation that may reduce profit potential for banks compared with other entities. Financial services institutions are often subject to extensive governmental regulation, and the potential for additional regulation may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge, and the amount of capital they must maintain. The oversight of, and regulations applicable to, companies in the banking industry in frontier markets may be ineffective and are less developed when compared with the regulatory frameworks for banks in more developed markets. Banks and financial services companies in frontier markets may have significantly less access to capital than banks in more developed markets, leading them to be more likely to fail under adverse economic conditions. As a result, investing in banks of frontier markets should be considered much riskier than investing in banks elsewhere across the globe.
Investing in Asia Certain Asian economies have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and overextension of credit. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization, and there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Adverse events in any one Asian country, such as a currency devaluation, may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside Asia. In addition, some Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic, and social conditions. Increased political and social unrest, economic sanctions, military conflicts, and reduced spending on products and services produced in Asia could cause significant economic uncertainty and declines in the region. The Asian region, and particularly China and South Korea, may be adversely affected by political, military, economic, and other factors related to North Korea.
International investing Investments outside the U.S. may lose value because of declining foreign currencies or adverse political or economic events overseas, among other things. Securities of non-U.S. issuers (including depositary receipts and other instruments that represent interests in a non-U.S. issuer) tend to be more volatile than U.S. securities and are subject to trading markets with lower overall liquidity, governmental interference, and regulatory and accounting standards and settlement practices that differ from the U.S. The fund could experience losses based solely on the weakness of foreign currencies in which the fund’s holdings are denominated versus the U.S. dollar, and changes in the exchange rates between such currencies and the U.S. dollar. Risks can result from differing regulatory environments, less stringent investor protections, uncertain tax laws, and higher transaction costs compared to U.S. markets. Investments outside the U.S. could be subject to governmental
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actions such as capital or currency controls, nationalization of a company or industry, expropriation of assets, or imposition of high taxes.
A trading market may close for national holidays or without warning for extended time periods, preventing the fund from buying or selling securities in that market. Trading securities in which the fund invests may take place in various foreign markets on certain days when the fund is not open for business and does not calculate its net asset value. For example, the fund may invest in securities that trade in various foreign markets that are open on weekends. As the securities trade, their value may substantially change. As a result, the fund’s net asset value may be significantly affected on days when shareholders cannot make transactions. In addition, market volatility may significantly limit the liquidity of securities of certain issuers in a particular country or geographic region, or of all companies in the country or region. The fund may be unable to liquidate its positions in such securities at any time, or at a favorable price, in order to meet the fund’s obligations.
Nondiversification Because the fund is nondiversified and thus can invest more of its assets in a smaller number of issuers, it is more exposed to the risks associated with an individual issuer than a fund that invests more broadly across many issuers. For example, poor performance by a single large holding of the fund would adversely affect the fund’s performance more than if the fund were invested in a larger number of issuers.
Liquidity A particular investment or an entire market segment may become less liquid or even illiquid, sometimes abruptly, which can adversely affect the fund’s overall value and its ability to limit losses. Less liquid or illiquid investments can be more difficult to purchase or sell at an advantageous price or time, and there is an increased risk that the investment may not be sold for the price at which the fund is valuing it. Market prices of holdings with reduced liquidity may be volatile and an inability to sell a portfolio holding can adversely affect the fund’s value or prevent the fund from being able to take advantage of other investment opportunities. Liquidity risk may be magnified during periods of substantial market volatility due to higher than normal redemption rates. Unexpected episodes of illiquidity may limit the fund’s ability to pay redemption proceeds within the allowable time period. Large redemptions by one or more shareholders owning a significant percentage of the fund’s assets may also have a negative impact on the fund’s overall liquidity. To meet redemption requests during periods of illiquidity, the fund may be forced to sell securities at an unfavorable time and/or under unfavorable conditions.
Large-cap stocks Although stocks issued by larger companies tend to have less overall volatility than stocks issued by smaller companies, larger companies may not be able to attain the high growth rates of successful smaller companies, especially during strong economic periods. In addition, larger companies may be less capable of responding quickly to competitive challenges and industry changes, and may suffer sharper price declines as a result of earnings disappointments.
Stock investing The fund’s share price can fall because of weakness in the overall stock markets, a particular industry, or specific holdings. Stock markets as a whole can be volatile and decline for many reasons, such as adverse local, political, regulatory, or economic
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developments; changes in investor psychology; or heavy institutional selling at the same time by major institutional investors in the market, such as mutual funds, pension funds, and banks. The prospects for an industry or company may deteriorate because of a variety of factors, including disappointing earnings or changes in the competitive environment. In addition, the adviser’s assessment of companies whose stocks are held by the fund may prove incorrect, resulting in losses or poor performance, even in rising markets. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of the issuer’s bonds and preferred stock take precedence over the claims of those who own common stock.
Active management The investment adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. The fund could underperform other funds with a similar benchmark or similar investment program if the fund’s investment selections or overall strategies fail to produce the intended results.
P-notes Although P-notes may serve as an efficient means to gain exposure to foreign securities markets or foreign securities that might otherwise be difficult or costly to access or purchase because of foreign regulatory restrictions or foreign tax laws, such investments carry additional risks beyond the risks associated with a direct investment in their underlying reference asset. P-Notes involve transaction costs, which may be higher than those applicable to the underlying securities. Any dividends or capital gains collected from the underlying securities are passed through to the foreign investors; however, the holder of a P-Note is not entitled to the same rights (e.g., dividends, voting rights) as an owner of the underlying security. The fund must rely on the creditworthiness of a counterparty and would have no rights against the issuer of an underlying security. Other risks include the risk that a P-Note may be illiquid and that the fund may not be able to terminate or offset its positions at the time it wishes to do so or at a favorable price and that, as a result of the failure of a counterparty or legal or operational issues, the fund may not receive payments required to be made to them under the terms of a P-Note.
Additional Strategies and Risks
In addition to the principal investment strategies and principal risks previously described, the fund may employ other, non-principal investment strategies and may be subject to other risks, which are described in the following paragraphs.
The fund may, to a limited extent, use derivatives such as futures contracts and forward currency exchange contracts. Any investments in futures would typically serve as an efficient means of gaining exposure to certain markets or as a cash management tool to maintain liquidity while being invested in the market. Forward currency exchange contracts would primarily be used to settle trades in a foreign currency or to help protect the fund’s holdings from unfavorable changes in foreign currency exchange rates, although other currency hedging techniques may be used from time to time. To the extent the fund uses futures and forward currency exchange contracts, it is exposed to potential volatility and losses greater than direct investments in the contracts’ underlying assets, and the risk that anticipated currency movements will not be accurately predicted.
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Cybersecurity breaches The fund may be subject to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cybersecurity. Cybersecurity breaches may involve deliberate attacks and unauthorized access to the digital information systems (for example, through “hacking” or malicious software coding) used by the fund or its third-party service providers but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks. These breaches may, among other things, result in financial losses to the fund and its shareholders, cause the fund to lose proprietary information, disrupt business operations, or result in the unauthorized release of confidential information. Further, cybersecurity breaches involving the fund’s third-party service providers, trading counterparties, or issuers in which the fund invests could subject the fund to many of the same risks associated with direct breaches.
This section provides a more detailed description of the various types of portfolio holdings and investment practices that may be used by the fund to execute its overall investment program. Some of these holdings and investment practices are considered to be principal investment strategies of the fund and have already been described earlier in this prospectus while others are considered non-principal. Any of the following holdings and investment practices that were not already described in Section 1 of this prospectus are considered non-principal investment practices, but they may be used by the fund from time-to-time to help achieve its investment objective. The fund’s investments may be subject to further restrictions and risks described in the Statement of Additional Information. Shareholders will receive at least 60 days’ prior notice of a change in the fund’s policy requiring it to normally invest at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities and equity-related investments of companies that are located in, or that have economic ties to, countries considered to be frontier markets.
The fund’s holdings in certain kinds of investments cannot exceed maximum percentages as set forth in this prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information. For instance, there are limitations regarding the fund’s investments in certain types of derivatives. While these restrictions provide a useful level of detail about the fund’s investments, investors should not view them as an accurate gauge of the potential risk of such investments. For example, in a given period, a 5% investment in derivatives could have a significantly greater impact on the fund’s share price than its weighting in the portfolio. The net effect of a particular investment depends on its volatility and the size of its overall return in relation to the performance of all of the fund’s investments.
Certain investment restrictions, such as a required minimum or maximum investment in a particular type of security, are measured at the time the fund purchases a security. The status, market value, maturity, duration, credit quality, or other characteristics of the fund’s securities may change after they are purchased, and this may cause the amount of the fund’s assets invested in such securities to exceed the stated maximum restriction or fall below the stated minimum restriction. If any of these changes occur, it would not be considered a violation of
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the investment restriction and will not require the sale of an investment if it was proper at the time the investment was made (this exception does not apply to the fund’s borrowing policy). However, certain changes will require holdings to be sold or purchased by the fund during the time it is above or below the stated percentage restriction in order for the fund to be in compliance with applicable restrictions.
The fund relies on the country assigned to a security by MSCI Inc., a third-party provider of benchmark indexes and data services, or other unaffiliated data provider. The fund also relies on MSCI Inc. or another unaffiliated data provider to determine which countries are considered emerging markets. The data providers use various criteria to determine the country to which a security is economically tied. Examples include the following: (1) the country under which the issuer is organized; (2) the location of the issuer’s principal place of business or principal office; (3) where the issuer’s securities are listed or traded principally on an exchange or over-the-counter market; and (4) where the issuer conducts the predominant part of its business activities or derives a significant portion (e.g., at least 50%) of its revenues or profits.
Changes in the fund’s holdings, the fund’s performance, and the contribution of various investments to the fund’s performance are discussed in the shareholder reports.
Portfolio managers have considerable discretion in choosing investment strategies and selecting securities they believe will help achieve the fund’s objective.
Nondiversified Status
The fund is a nondiversified mutual fund. This means that the fund may invest a greater portion of its assets in, and own a greater amount of the voting securities of, a single issuer than a diversified fund, which may subject the fund to greater credit or other risks with respect to its portfolio securities and greater volatility with respect to its share price.
The fund, however, intends to qualify as a “regulated investment company” under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. As a result, the fund must invest so that, at the end of each fiscal quarter, with respect to 50% of its total assets, no more than 5% of its total assets is invested in the securities of a single issuer and not more than 10% of the voting securities of any issuer are held by the fund. With respect to the remaining 50% of the fund’s assets, no more than 25% may be invested in a single issuer.
Types of Portfolio Securities
In seeking to meet its investment objective, the fund may invest in any type of security or instrument (including certain potentially high-risk derivatives described in this section) whose investment characteristics are consistent with its investment program. The following pages describe various types of the fund’s holdings and investment management practices, some of which are also described as part of the fund’s principal investment strategies.
Industry Concentration As a matter of fundamental policy, the fund may concentrate its investments in the banking industry, which allows the fund to invest more than 25% of its net assets in the securities of issuers having their principal business activities in the banking industry.
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The fund’s investments are primarily in common stocks and, to a lesser degree, other types of securities as follows:
Common and Preferred Stocks
Stocks represent shares of ownership in a company. Generally, preferred stocks have a specified dividend rate and rank after bonds and before common stocks in their claim on income for dividend payments and on assets should the company be liquidated. After other claims are satisfied, common stockholders participate in company profits on a pro-rata basis and profits may be paid out in dividends or reinvested in the company to help it grow. Increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company’s stock price, so common stocks generally have the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities. Unlike common stock, preferred stock does not ordinarily carry voting rights. While most preferred stocks pay a dividend, the fund may decide to purchase preferred stock where the issuer has suspended, or is in danger of suspending, payment of its dividend. The fund may purchase American Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts, which are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of a foreign issuer. American Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts trade on established markets and are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their local markets and currencies. Such investments are subject to many of the same risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities. For purposes of the fund’s investment policies, investments in depositary receipts are deemed to be investments in the underlying securities. For example, a depositary receipt representing ownership of common stock will be treated as common stock.
Convertible Securities and Warrants
The fund may invest in debt instruments or preferred equity securities that are convertible into, or exchangeable for, equity securities at specified times in the future and according to a certain exchange ratio. Convertible bonds are typically callable by the issuer, which could in effect force conversion before the holder would otherwise choose. Traditionally, convertible securities have paid dividends or interest at rates higher than common stocks but lower than nonconvertible securities. They generally participate in the appreciation or depreciation of the underlying stock into which they are convertible, but to a lesser degree than common stock. Some convertible securities combine higher or lower current income with options and other features. Warrants are options to buy, directly from the issuer, a stated number of shares of common stock at a specified price anytime during the life of the warrants (generally, two or more years). Warrants have no voting rights, pay no dividends, and can be highly volatile. In some cases, the redemption value of a warrant could be zero.
Participation Notes (P-notes)
The fund may gain exposure to securities traded in foreign markets through investments in P-notes. P-notes are generally issued by banks or broker-dealers and are designed to offer a return linked to an underlying common stock or other security. An investment in a P-note involves additional risks beyond the risks normally associated with a direct investment in the underlying security. While the holder of a P-note is entitled to receive from the broker-dealer or bank any dividends paid by the underlying security, the holder is not entitled to the same
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rights (e.g., voting rights) as a direct owner of the underlying security. P-notes are considered general unsecured contractual obligations of the banks or broker-dealers that issue them as the counterparty. As such, the fund must rely on the creditworthiness of the counterparty for its investment returns on the P-notes, and could lose the entire value of its investment in the event of default by a counterparty. Additionally, there is no assurance that there will be a secondary trading market for a P-note or that the trading price of a P-note will equal the value of the underlying security.
Fixed Income Securities
From time to time, the fund may invest in corporate and government fixed income securities as well as below investment-grade bonds, commonly referred to as “junk” bonds. Corporate fixed income securities would be purchased in companies that meet the fund’s investment criteria. The price of a fixed income security fluctuates with changes in interest rates, generally rising when interest rates fall and falling when interest rates rise. Below investment-grade bonds, or “junk” bonds, can be more volatile and have greater risk of default than investment-grade bonds, and should be considered speculative.
Futures and Options
Futures are often used to establish exposures or manage or hedge risk because they enable the investor to buy or sell an asset in the future at an agreed-upon price. Options may be used to generate additional income, to enhance returns, or as a defensive technique to protect against anticipated declines in the value of an asset. Call options give the investor the right to purchase (when the investor purchases the option), or the obligation to sell (when the investor “writes” or sells the option), an asset at a predetermined price in the future. Put options give the purchaser of the option the right to sell, or the seller (or “writer”) of the option the obligation to buy, an asset at a predetermined price in the future. Futures and options contracts may be bought or sold for any number of reasons, including to manage exposure to changes in interest rates, bond prices, foreign currencies, and credit quality; as an efficient means of increasing or decreasing the fund’s exposure to certain markets; in an effort to enhance income; to improve risk-adjusted returns; to protect the value of portfolio securities; and to serve as a cash management tool. Call or put options may be purchased or sold on securities, futures, financial indexes, and foreign currencies. The fund may choose to continue a futures contract by “rolling over” an expiring futures contract into an identical contract with a later maturity date. This could increase the fund’s transaction costs and portfolio turnover rate.
Futures and options contracts may not always be successful investments or hedges; their prices can be highly volatile; using them could lower the fund’s total return; the potential loss from the use of futures can exceed the fund’s initial investment in such contracts; and the losses from certain options written by the fund could be unlimited.
Currency Derivatives
The fund will normally conduct any foreign currency exchange transactions either on a spot (i.e., cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in the foreign currency exchange market, or through entering into forward contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies. The fund will generally not enter into a forward contract with a term greater than one year. The fund may enter into
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forward currency exchange contracts to “lock in” the U.S. dollar price of a security when it enters into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency, and when the fund believes that the currency of a particular foreign country may move substantially against another currency, it may enter into a forward contract to sell or buy the former foreign currency.
A fund that invests in foreign securities may attempt to hedge its exposure to potentially unfavorable currency changes. The primary means of doing this is through the use of forward currency exchange contracts, which are contracts between two counterparties to exchange one currency for another on a future date at a specified exchange rate. The fund may also use these instruments to create a synthetic bond, which is issued in one currency with the currency component transformed into another currency. However, futures, swaps, and options on foreign currencies may also be used. In certain circumstances, the fund may use currency derivatives to substitute a different currency for the currency in which the investment is denominated, a strategy known as proxy hedging. If the fund were to engage in any of these foreign currency transactions, it could serve to protect its foreign securities from adverse currency movements relative to the U.S. dollar, although the fund may also use currency derivatives in an effort to gain exposure to a currency expected to appreciate in value versus other currencies. As a result, the fund could be invested in a currency without holding any securities denominated in that currency. Such transactions involve, among other risks, the risk that anticipated currency movements will not occur, which could reduce the fund’s total return. There are certain markets, including many emerging markets, where it is not possible to engage in effective foreign currency hedging.
Hedging may result in the application of the mark-to-market and straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. These provisions could result in an increase (or decrease) in the amount of taxable dividends paid by the fund and could affect whether dividends paid by the fund are classified as capital gains or ordinary income.
Investments in Other Investment Companies
The fund may invest in other investment companies, including open-end funds, closed-end funds, and exchange-traded funds.
The fund may purchase the securities of another investment company to temporarily gain exposure to a portion of the market while awaiting the purchase of securities or as an efficient means of gaining exposure to a particular asset class. The fund might also purchase shares of another investment company, including shares of other mutual funds sponsored and managed by T. Rowe Price (“T. Rowe Price Funds”), to gain exposure to the securities in the investment company’s portfolio at times when the fund may not be able to buy those securities directly, or as a means of gaining efficient and cost-effective exposure to certain asset classes. Any investment in another investment company would be consistent with the fund’s objective and investment program.
The risks of owning another investment company are generally similar to the risks of investing directly in the securities in which that investment company invests. However, an investment
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company may not achieve its investment objective or execute its investment strategy effectively, which may adversely affect the fund’s performance. In addition, because closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds trade on a secondary market, their shares may trade at a premium or discount to the actual net asset value of their portfolio securities and their shares may have greater volatility if an active trading market does not exist.
As a shareholder of another investment company, the fund must pay its pro-rata share of that investment company’s fees and expenses. The fund’s investments in non-T. Rowe Price investment companies are subject to the limits that apply to investments in other funds under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or under any applicable exemptive order.
Investments in other investment companies could allow the fund to obtain the benefits of a more diversified portfolio than might otherwise be available through direct investments in a particular asset class, and will subject the fund to the risks associated with the particular asset class or asset classes in which an underlying fund invests. Examples of asset classes in which other mutual funds (including T. Rowe Price Funds) focus their investments include high yield bonds, inflation-linked securities, floating rate loans, international bonds, emerging market bonds, stocks of companies involved in activities related to real assets, stocks of companies that focus on a particular industry or sector, and emerging market stocks. If the fund invests in another T. Rowe Price Fund, the management fee paid by the fund will be reduced to ensure that the fund does not incur duplicate management fees as a result of its investment.
Illiquid Investments
Some of the fund’s holdings may be considered illiquid because they are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale or because they cannot reasonably be expected to be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. The determination of liquidity involves a variety of factors. Illiquid investments may include private placements that are sold directly to a small number of investors, usually institutions. Unlike public offerings, such securities are not registered with the SEC. Although certain of these securities may be readily sold (for example, pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933) and therefore deemed liquid, others may have resale restrictions and be considered illiquid. The sale of illiquid investments may involve substantial delays and additional costs, and the fund may only be able to sell such investments at prices substantially lower than what it believes they are worth. In addition, the fund’s investments in illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the fund because it may be unable to sell such investments at an advantageous time, which could prevent the fund from taking advantage of other investment opportunities.
Types of Investment Management Practices
Reserve Position
A certain portion of the fund’s assets may be held in reserves. The fund’s reserve positions will primarily consist of: (1) shares of a T. Rowe Price internal money market fund or short-term bond fund (which do not charge any management fees); (2) short-term, high-quality U.S. and foreign dollar-denominated money market securities, including repurchase agreements; and (3) U.S. dollar or non-U.S. dollar currencies. In order to respond to adverse market, economic,
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political, or other conditions, the fund may assume a temporary defensive position that is inconsistent with its principal investment objective(s) and/or strategies and may invest, without limitation, in reserves. If the fund has significant holdings in reserves, it could compromise its ability to achieve its objective(s). The reserve position provides flexibility in meeting redemptions, paying expenses, and managing cash flows into the fund and can serve as a short-term defense during periods of unusual market volatility. Non-U.S. dollar reserves are subject to currency risk.
Borrowing Money and Transferring Assets
The fund may borrow from banks, other persons, and other T. Rowe Price Funds for temporary or emergency purposes, to facilitate redemption requests, or for other purposes consistent with the fund’s policies as set forth in this prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information. Such borrowings may be collateralized with the fund’s assets, subject to certain restrictions.
Borrowings may not exceed 33⅓% of the fund’s total assets. This limitation includes any borrowings for temporary or emergency purposes, applies at the time of the transaction, and continues to the extent required by the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Meeting Redemption Requests
We expect that the fund will hold cash or cash equivalents to meet redemption requests. The fund may also use the proceeds from the sale of portfolio securities to meet redemption requests if consistent with the management of the fund. These redemption methods will be used regularly and may also be used in deteriorating or stressed market conditions. The fund reserves the right to pay redemption proceeds with securities from the fund’s portfolio rather than in cash (redemptions in-kind), as described under “Large Redemptions.” Redemptions in-kind are typically used to meet redemption requests that represent a large percentage of the fund’s net assets in order to minimize the effect of large redemptions on the fund and its remaining shareholders. In general, any redemptions in-kind will represent a pro-rata distribution of the fund’s securities, subject to certain limited exceptions. Redemptions in-kind may be used regularly in circumstances as described above and may also be used in stressed market conditions.
The fund, along with other T. Rowe Price Funds, is a party to an interfund lending exemptive order received from the SEC that permits the T. Rowe Price Funds to borrow money from and/or lend money to other T. Rowe Price Funds to help the funds meet short-term redemptions and liquidity needs.
During periods of deteriorating or stressed market conditions, when an increased portion of the fund’s portfolio may be composed of holdings with reduced liquidity or lengthy settlement periods, or during extraordinary or emergency circumstances, the fund may be more likely to pay redemption proceeds with cash obtained through interfund lending or short-term borrowing arrangements (if available), or by redeeming a large redemption request in-kind.
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Lending of Portfolio Securities
The fund may lend its securities to broker-dealers, other institutions, or other persons to earn additional income. Risks include the potential insolvency of the broker-dealer or other borrower that could result in delays in recovering securities and capital losses. Additionally, losses could result from the reinvestment of collateral received on loaned securities in investments that decline in value, default, or do not perform as well as expected. Cash collateral from securities lending is invested in the T. Rowe Price Short-Term Fund.
The Statement of Additional Information contains more detailed information about the fund and its investments, operations, and expenses.
Portfolio Turnover
Turnover is an indication of frequency of trading. Each time the fund purchases or sells a security, it incurs a cost. This cost is reflected in the fund’s net asset value but not in its operating expenses. The higher the turnover rate, the higher the transaction costs and the greater the impact on the fund’s total return. Higher turnover can also increase the possibility of taxable capital gain distributions. The fund’s portfolio turnover rates are shown in the Financial Highlights table.
The Financial Highlights table, which provides information about the fund’s financial history, is based on a single share outstanding throughout the periods shown. The table is part of the fund’s financial statements, which are included in its annual report and are incorporated by reference into the Statement of Additional Information (available upon request). The financial statements in the annual report were audited by the fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS | For a share outstanding throughout each period |
Year | 10/31/18 | 10/31/17 | 10/31/16 | 10/31/15 | ||||||||||||||||
NET ASSET VALUE |
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||
Beginning of period | $ | 8.78 | $ | 10.31 | $ | 8.26 | $ | 8.01 | $ | 9.65 | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Investment activities(1) (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income | 0.13 | 0.14 | 0.12 | 0.15 | 0.15 | |||||||||||||||
Net realized
and unrealized | 0.50 | (1.64 | ) | 2.08 | 0.25 | (1.78 | ) | |||||||||||||
Total from investment activities | 0.63 | (1.50 | ) | 2.20 | 0.40 | (1.63 | ) | |||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Distributions | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income | (0.15 | ) | (0.03 | ) | (0.15 | ) | (0.14 | ) | – | |||||||||||
Net realized gain | – | – | – | (0.01 | ) | (0.01 | ) | |||||||||||||
Total distributions | (0.15 | ) | (0.03 | ) | (0.15 | ) | (0.15 | ) | (0.01 | ) | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
NET ASSET VALUE | $ | 9.26 | $ | 8.78 | $ | 10.31 | $ | 8.26 | $ | 8.01 | ||||||||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total return(2) (3) | 7.29 | % | (14.60 | )% | 27.13 | % | 5.17 | % | (16.90 | )% | ||||||||||
Ratios to average net assets:(2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gross expenses before | 1.73 | % | 1.61 | % | 1.69 | % | 1.76 | % | 1.84 | % | ||||||||||
Net expenses after | 1.36 | % | 1.38 | % | 1.39 | % | 1.38 | % | 1.35 | % | ||||||||||
Net investment income | 1.39 | % | 1.31 | % | 1.24 | % | 1.90 | % | 1.67 | % | ||||||||||
Portfolio turnover rate | 55.4 | % | 55.6 | % | 57.8 | % | 45.5 | % | 48.0 | % | ||||||||||
Net
assets, end of period (in | $ | 45,901 | $ | 48,950 | $ | 62,257 | $ | 41,714 | $ | 49,600 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using average shares outstanding method.
(2) Includes the impact of expense-related arrangements with Price Associates.
(3) Total return reflects the rate that an investor would have earned on an investment in the fund during each period, assuming reinvestment of all distributions, and payment of no redemption or account fees, if applicable.
MORE ABOUT THE FUND | 25 |
Most T. Rowe Price Funds disclose their calendar quarter-end portfolio holdings on troweprice.com 15 calendar days after each quarter. At the discretion of the investment adviser, these holdings reports may exclude the issuer name and other information relating to a holding in order to protect the fund’s interests and prevent harm to the fund or its shareholders. In addition, most T. Rowe Price Funds disclose their 10 largest holdings, along with the percentage of the relevant fund’s total assets that each of the 10 holdings represents, on troweprice.com on the seventh business day after each month-end. These holdings are listed in numerical order based on such percentages of the fund’s assets. A description of T. Rowe Price’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of portfolio information is available in the Statement of Additional Information.
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The following policies and procedures apply to the Institutional Funds within the T. Rowe Price Funds.
This section of the prospectus describes the policies and procedures that generally apply to investments in the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds (except for the T. Rowe Price Institutional Cash Reserves Fund). The T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds may be purchased directly from T. Rowe Price or through a financial intermediary, such as a bank, broker, retirement plan recordkeeper, or financial advisor.
Most of the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds are available only in a single share class (referred to as the “Institutional Class”). However, the Institutional High Yield Fund is also offered in a Z Class and the Institutional Floating Rate Fund is also offered in an F Class and a Z Class. Each class of a fund’s shares represents an interest in the same fund with the same investment program and investment policies. While the Institutional Class may be held directly with T. Rowe Price or through a financial intermediary, the F Class is designed to be purchased only through financial advisors and certain financial intermediaries and has a different cost structure due to a shareholder servicing arrangement that applies only to that class. The Z Class is only available to funds advised by T. Rowe Price and other advisory clients of T. Rowe Price or its affiliates that are subject to a contractual fee for investment management services.
This section generally describes investing only in the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds, other than the T. Rowe Price Institutional Cash Reserves Fund, which has unique policies relating to its operation as an institutional money market fund. This section does not describe the policies that apply to other T. Rowe Price Funds. Policies for other T. Rowe Price Funds are described in their respective prospectuses, and all types of funds and available share classes for the T. Rowe Price Funds are described more fully in the funds’ Statement of Additional Information.
Institutional Class
The Institutional Class may be purchased directly through T. Rowe Price or through a financial intermediary. The Institutional Class does not make any payments to financial intermediaries for distribution of the fund’s shares (commonly referred to as 12b-1 fee payments) and does not make any payments to financial intermediaries for administrative services they provide (commonly referred to as administrative fee payments). However, you may incur brokerage commissions and other charges when buying or selling Institutional Class shares.
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The Institutional Class is designed to be sold only to institutional investors, which include, but are not limited to: corporations, endowments and foundations, charitable trusts, investment companies and other pooled vehicles, defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans, broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks and bank trust programs, and Section 529 college savings plans. The Institutional Class generally requires a $1 million initial investment minimum, although the minimum may be waived for retirement plans, financial intermediaries maintaining omnibus accounts, and certain other accounts.
F Class
The F Class must be purchased through a financial intermediary. The F Class does not make any 12b-1 fee payments to financial intermediaries but may make administrative fee payments at an annual rate of up to 0.15% of the class’ average daily net assets.
The F Class is designed to be sold only through financial advisors and certain financial intermediaries, including brokers, banks, insurance companies, retirement plan recordkeepers, and other financial intermediaries. F Class shares are generally not available to financial intermediaries that would make the fund available to their customers through a mutual fund “supermarket” platform. There is a $2,500 minimum initial investment requirement, but the minimum is waived for certain types of accounts.
Z Class
The Z Class is only available to funds advised by T. Rowe Price and other advisory clients of T. Rowe Price or its affiliates that are subject to a contractual fee for investment management services. There is no minimum initial investment and no minimum for additional purchases. The Z Class does not impose sales charges and does not make any administrative fee payments or 12b-1 fee payments to financial intermediaries.
Administrative Fee Payments (F Class)
Certain financial intermediaries perform recordkeeping and administrative services for their clients that would otherwise be performed by the funds’ transfer agent. The F Class may make administrative fee payments to retirement plan recordkeepers, broker-dealers, and other financial intermediaries (at an annual rate of up to 0.15% of the class’ average daily net assets) for transfer agency, recordkeeping, and other administrative services they provide on behalf of the funds. These administrative services may include maintaining account records for each customer; transmitting purchase and redemption orders; delivering shareholder confirmations, statements, and tax forms; and providing support to respond to customers’ questions regarding their accounts. These separate administrative fee payments are reflected in the “Other expenses” line that appears in the fee table in Section 1 with respect to the fund’s F Class.
Some broker-dealers or other financial intermediaries that are eligible to purchase F Class shares of T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds may also be eligible to purchase the Institutional
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Class. The Institutional Class shares require a much higher initial investment but have lower expenses than F Class shares because the Institutional Class does not participate in the administrative fee payment program. The payment of the administrative fee by the F Class creates a potential conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary to purchase F Class shares instead of Institutional Class shares. If this happens, you will incur higher expenses than if your financial intermediary had purchased Institutional Class shares on your behalf (assuming your financial intermediary would qualify to purchase Institutional Class shares). You should ask your salesperson for more information regarding the eligibility of your financial intermediary to purchase Institutional Class shares.
Additional Payments to Financial Intermediaries
In addition to the AFP payments made by the F Class of the Institutional Floating Rate Fund. T. Rowe Price or the fund’s distributor will, at their own expense, provide compensation to certain financial intermediaries that have sold shares of or provide shareholder or other services to the T. Rowe Price Funds, commonly referred to as revenue sharing. These payments may be in the form of asset-based, transaction-based, or flat payments. These payments are used to compensate third parties for distribution and shareholder servicing activities, including sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, or other services. Some of these payments may include expense reimbursements and meeting and marketing support payments (out of T. Rowe Price’s or the fund’s distributor’s own resources and not as an expense of the funds) to financial intermediaries, such as broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks, insurance companies, and retirement plan recordkeepers, in connection with the sale, distribution, marketing, and/or servicing of the T. Rowe Price Funds. The Statement of Additional Information provides more information about these payment arrangements.
The receipt of, or the prospect of receiving, these payments and expense reimbursements from T. Rowe Price or the fund’s distributor may influence intermediaries, plan sponsors, and other third parties to offer or recommend T. Rowe Price Funds over other investment options for which an intermediary does not receive additional compensation (or receives lower levels of additional compensation). In addition, financial intermediaries that receive these payments and/or expense reimbursements may elevate the prominence of the T. Rowe Price Funds by, for example, placing the T. Rowe Price Funds on a list of preferred or recommended funds and/or provide preferential or enhanced opportunities to promote the T. Rowe Price Funds in various ways. Since these additional payments are not paid by a fund directly, these arrangements do not increase fund expenses and will not change the price that an investor pays for shares of the T. Rowe Price Funds or the amount that is invested in a T. Rowe Price Fund on behalf of an investor. You may ask your financial intermediary for more information about any payments they receive from T. Rowe Price or the fund’s distributor.
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If you are opening an account through an employer-sponsored retirement plan or other financial intermediary, you should contact the retirement plan or financial intermediary for information regarding its policies on opening an account, including the policies relating to purchasing, exchanging, and redeeming shares, and the applicable initial and subsequent investment minimums.
Tax Identification Number
Institutional investors must provide T. Rowe Price with a valid taxpayer identification number (and valid Social Security numbers for individuals opening the account on behalf of the institution) on a signed new account form or Form W-9. Otherwise, federal law requires the funds to withhold a percentage of dividends, capital gain distributions, and redemptions and may subject the investor to an Internal Revenue Service fine. If this information is not received within 60 days after the account is established, the account may be redeemed at the fund’s then-current net asset value. Financial intermediaries opening an account in a fund must also enter into a separate agreement with the fund or its agent.
Important Information Required to Open a New Account
Pursuant to federal law, all financial institutions must obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person or entity that opens an account. This information is needed not only for the account owner and any other person who opens the account, but also for any person who has authority to act on behalf of the account. When you open an account for an entity, you will be required to provide the entity’s name, U.S. street address (post office boxes are not acceptable), and taxpayer identification number, as well as your name, U.S. street address (post office boxes are not acceptable), date of birth, and Social Security number as the person opening the account on behalf of the entity. Corporate and other institutional accounts require documents showing the existence of the entity (such as articles of incorporation or partnership agreements) to open an account. Certain other fiduciary accounts (such as trusts or power of attorney arrangements) require documentation, which may include an original or certified copy of the trust agreement or power of attorney, to open an account.
T. Rowe Price will use this information to verify the identity of the entity and person opening the account. An account cannot be opened until all of this information is received. If the identity of the entity or person opening the account on behalf of the entity cannot be verified, T. Rowe Price is authorized to take any action permitted by law. (See “Rights Reserved by the Funds” later in this section.)
Call Financial Institution Services at 1-800-638-8790 for more information on these requirements.
The Institutional Funds are generally available only to institutional investors with a U.S. address. T. Rowe Price will generally not authorize the transfer of ownership of an account in an Institutional Fund for an institutional investor to an account for a noninstitutional investor.
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Shares held directly with T. Rowe Price by noninstitutional investors are subject to involuntary redemption at any time, which could result in a taxable gain to the investor.
Opening an Account
Call Financial Institution Services at 1-800-638-8790 for an account number and wire transfer instructions. All initial purchases are typically made by bank wire, but checks or other forms of payment may be accepted in certain cases. In order to obtain an account number, you must supply the name, taxpayer identification number, and business street address for the account. Complete a new account form and mail it, along with proper documentation identifying your firm and any other necessary documentation, to one of the following addresses:
via U.S. mail T. Rowe Price Financial Institution Services | via private carriers/overnight services T. Rowe Price Financial Institution Services |
Note: Although the purchase will be made, services may not be established and an Internal Revenue Service penalty withholding may occur until we receive a signed new account form.
How and When Shares Are Priced
The trade date for your transaction request depends on the day and time that T. Rowe Price receives your request and will normally be executed using the next share price calculated after your order is received in correct form by T. Rowe Price or its agent (or by your financial intermediary if it has the authority to accept transaction orders on behalf of the fund). The share price, also called the net asset value, for each share class of a fund is calculated at the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which is normally 4 p.m. ET, each day that the NYSE is open for business. Net asset values are not calculated for the funds on days when the NYSE is scheduled to be closed for trading (for example, weekends and certain U.S. national holidays). If the NYSE is unexpectedly closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, or if the NYSE has an unscheduled early closing on a day it has opened for business, the funds reserve the right to treat such day as a business day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate their share price as of the normally scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE for that day.
To calculate the net asset value, a fund’s assets are valued and totaled, liabilities are subtracted, and each class’ proportionate share of the balance, called net assets, is divided by the number of shares outstanding of that class. Market values are used to price portfolio holdings for which market quotations are readily available. Market values generally reflect the prices at which securities actually trade or represent prices that have been adjusted based on evaluations and information provided by the fund’s pricing services. Investments in other mutual funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share of the mutual fund on the day of valuation. If a
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 31 |
market value for a portfolio holding is not available or normal valuation procedures are deemed to be inappropriate, the fund will make a good faith effort to assign a fair value to the holding by taking into account various factors and methodologies that have been approved by the fund’s Board. This value may differ from the value the fund receives upon sale of the securities. Amortized cost is used to price securities held by money market funds and certain short-term debt securities held by a fund.
The funds use various pricing services to provide closing market prices, as well as information used to adjust those prices and to value most fixed income securities. A fund cannot predict how often it will use closing prices and how often it will adjust those prices. As a means of evaluating its fair value process, the fund routinely compares closing market prices, the next day’s opening prices in the same markets, and adjusted prices.
Non-U.S. equity securities are valued on the basis of their most recent closing market prices at 4 p.m. ET, except under the following circumstances. Most foreign markets close before 4 p.m. ET. For example, the most recent closing prices for securities traded in certain Asian markets may be as much as 15 hours old at 4 p.m. ET. If a fund determines that developments between the close of a foreign market and the close of the NYSE will affect the value of some or all of the fund’s securities, the fund will adjust the previous closing prices to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities as of 4 p.m. ET. In deciding whether to make these adjustments, the fund reviews a variety of factors, including developments in foreign markets, the performance of U.S. securities markets, and the performance of instruments trading in U.S. markets that represent foreign securities and baskets of foreign securities.
A fund may also fair value certain securities or a group of securities in other situations—for example, when a particular foreign market is closed but the fund is open. For a fund that has investments in securities that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges that trade on weekends or other days when the fund does not price its shares, the fund’s net asset value may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem the fund’s shares. If an event occurs that affects the value of a security after the close of the market, such as a default of a commercial paper issuer or a significant move in short-term interest rates, a fund may make a price adjustment depending on the nature and significance of the event. The funds also evaluate a variety of factors when assigning fair values to private placements and other restricted securities. Other mutual funds may adjust the prices of their securities by different amounts or assign different fair values than the fair value that the fund assigns to the same security.
How the Trade Date Is Determined
If you invest directly with T. Rowe Price and your request to purchase, sell, or exchange shares is received by T. Rowe Price or its agent in correct form by the close of the NYSE (normally 4 p.m. ET), your transaction will be priced at that business day’s net asset value. If your request is received by T. Rowe Price or its agent in correct form after the close of the NYSE, your transaction will be priced at the next business day’s net asset value unless the fund has an agreement with your financial intermediary for orders to be priced at the net asset value next computed after receipt by the financial intermediary.
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The funds have authorized certain financial intermediaries or their designees to accept orders to buy or sell fund shares on their behalf. When authorized financial intermediaries receive an order in correct form, the order is considered as being placed with the fund and shares will be bought or sold at the net asset value next calculated after the order is received by the authorized financial intermediary. The financial intermediary must transmit the order to T. Rowe Price and pay for such shares in accordance with the agreement with T. Rowe Price, or the order may be canceled and the financial intermediary could be held liable for the losses. If the fund does not have such an agreement in place with your financial intermediary, T. Rowe Price or its agent must receive the request in correct form from your financial intermediary by the close of the NYSE in order for your transaction to be priced at that business day’s net asset value. Contact your financial intermediary for trade deadlines and the applicable policies for purchasing, selling, or exchanging your shares, as well as initial and subsequent investment minimums. The financial intermediary may charge a fee, such as transaction fees or brokerage commissions, for its services.
Note: There may be times when you are unable to contact us or access your account due to extreme market activity or other circumstances. Should this occur, your order must still be placed and received in correct form by T. Rowe Price (or by the financial intermediary in accordance with its agreement with T. Rowe Price) prior to the time the NYSE closes to be priced at that business day’s net asset value. The time at which transactions and shares are priced and the time until which orders are accepted may be changed in case of an emergency or if the NYSE closes at a time other than 4 p.m. ET. The funds reserve the right to not treat an unscheduled intraday disruption or closure in NYSE trading as a closure of the NYSE and still accept transactions and calculate their net asset value as of 4 p.m. ET.
Transaction Confirmations
T. Rowe Price sends immediate confirmations for most of your fund transactions. However, certain transactions, such as dividend reinvestments, do not receive an immediate transaction confirmation but are reported on your account statement. Please review transaction confirmations and account statements as soon as you receive them and promptly report any discrepancies to Financial Institution Services.
Preventing Unauthorized Transactions
The T. Rowe Price Funds and their agents use reasonably designed procedures to verify that telephone, electronic, and other instructions are genuine. These procedures include, among other things, recording telephone calls; requiring personalized security codes or other information online and certain identifying information for telephone calls; requiring Medallion signature guarantees for certain transactions and account changes; and promptly sending confirmations of transactions and address changes. For transactions conducted online, we recommend the use of a secure Internet browser.
T. Rowe Price Account Protection Program Shareholders who invest in the T. Rowe Price Funds directly are eligible for the Account Protection Program. The Account Protection Program restores eligible losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent activity, provided that you follow all security best practices when you access and maintain your account(s). T. Rowe Price
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reserves the right to modify or withdraw the Account Protection Program at any time. The Account Protection Program security best practices and additional information may be accessed online at https://www.troweprice.com/personal-investing/help/policies-and-security/account-protection-program.html.
If our verification procedures are followed, and the losses are not eligible to be restored under the Account Protection Program, the funds and their agents are not liable for any losses that may occur from acting on unauthorized instructions.
If you suspect any unauthorized account activity, notice errors or discrepancies in your T. Rowe Price account, or are not receiving your T. Rowe Price account statements, please contact T. Rowe Price immediately. Telephone conversations are recorded.
Purchasing Shares
Purchases may be initiated through the National Securities Clearing Corporation or by calling Financial Institution Services. All initial and subsequent investments are typically made by bank wire, although checks or other forms of payment may be accepted in certain cases. There is no assurance that the share price for a purchase will be the same day a wire was initiated.
The funds generally do not accept orders that request a particular day or price for a transaction or any other special conditions. However, when authorized by the fund, certain institutions, financial intermediaries, or retirement plans purchasing fund shares directly with T. Rowe Price may place a purchase order unaccompanied by payment. Payment for these shares must be received by the time designated by the fund (not to exceed the period established for settlement under applicable regulations). If payment is not received by this time, the order may be canceled. The institution, financial intermediary, or retirement plan is responsible for any costs or losses incurred by the fund or T. Rowe Price if payment is delayed or not received.
U.S. Dollars All purchases must be paid for in U.S. dollars; checks must be drawn on U.S. banks and should be payable to the T. Rowe Price Funds.
Nonpayment Purchases of a fund may be canceled if payment is not received in a timely manner, and the shareholder may be responsible for any losses or expenses incurred by the fund or its transfer agent. The funds and their agents have the right to reject or cancel any purchase, exchange, or redemption due to nonpayment.
Investment Minimums
The Institutional Class generally requires a $1 million minimum initial investment and the F Class generally requires a $2,500 minimum initial investment, although the minimums may be waived for financial intermediaries, retirement plans, and certain other institutional investors. In addition, we request that you give us at least three business days’ notice (seven business days’ notice for the Institutional Floating Rate Fund) for any purchase of $5 million or more. There is generally no minimum required for additional purchases.
You should check with your financial advisor, retirement plan, or financial intermediary to determine what minimum applies to your initial and additional investments.
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Exchanging and Redeeming Shares
Exchanges You can move money from one account to an existing, identically registered account or open a new identically registered account. An exchange from one fund to another will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service as a sale for tax purposes.
Redemptions Redemptions are typically initiated through the National Securities Clearing Corporation or by calling Financial Institution Services. Please note that certain redemption requests initiated through the National Securities Clearing Corporation may be rejected, and in such instances, the transaction must be placed by contacting a Financial Institution Services representative.
If for some reason we cannot accept your request to exchange or redeem shares, we will attempt to contact you.
If you request to redeem a specific dollar amount and the market value of your account is less than the amount of your request and we are unable to contact you, your redemption will not be processed and you will need to submit a new redemption request in correct form.
Receiving Redemption Proceeds Unless otherwise indicated, redemption proceeds will be sent via bank wire to the designated bank on file for the account. If a request is received in correct form by T. Rowe Price or its agent on a business day prior to the close of the NYSE, proceeds are usually sent on the next business day. Proceeds sent by bank wire are usually credited to an account the next business day after the sale. Redemption proceeds can be mailed to the account address by check if specifically requested. Normally, the fund transmits proceeds to financial intermediaries for redemption orders received in correct form on either the next business day or second business day after receipt of the order, depending on the arrangement with the financial intermediary. You must contact your financial intermediary about procedures for receiving your redemption proceeds.
Large Redemptions Large redemptions (for example, $250,000 or more) can adversely affect a portfolio manager’s ability to implement a fund’s investment strategy by causing the premature sale of securities that would otherwise be held longer. Therefore, the fund reserves the right (without prior notice) to redeem in kind. In general, any redemptions in-kind will represent a pro-rata distribution of a fund’s securities, subject to certain limited exceptions. The redeeming shareholder will be responsible for disposing of the securities, and the shareholder will be subject to the risks that the value of the securities could decline prior to their sale, the securities could be difficult to sell, and brokerage fees could be incurred. If you continue to hold the securities, you may be subject to any ownership restrictions imposed by the issuers. For example, real estate investment trusts often impose ownership restrictions on their equity securities.
Delays in Sending Redemption Proceeds
The T. Rowe Price Funds typically expect that it will take one to two days following the receipt of a redemption request that is in correct form to send redemption proceeds, regardless of the method the fund uses to make such payment (for example, check, wire, or Automated Clearing
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House transfer). Checks are typically mailed on the business day after the redemption, proceeds sent by wire are typically credited to your financial institution the business day after the redemption, and proceeds sent by Automated Clearing House are typically credited to your financial institution on the second business day after the redemption. However, under certain circumstances, and when deemed to be in a fund’s best interests, proceeds may not be sent for up to seven calendar days after receipt of a valid redemption order (for example, during periods of deteriorating or stressed market conditions or during extraordinary or emergency circumstances).
In addition, if shares are sold that were just purchased and paid for by check or Automated Clearing House transfer, the fund will process your redemption but will generally delay sending the proceeds for up to seven calendar days to allow the check or Automated Clearing House transfer to clear. If, during the clearing period, we receive a check drawn against your newly purchased shares, it will be returned and marked “uncollected.” (The seven-day hold does not apply to purchases paid for by bank wire or automatic purchases through payroll deduction.)
The Board of a retail or institutional money market fund may temporarily suspend redemptions from the fund for up to 10 business days during any 90-day period (i.e., a “redemption gate”) and elect to temporarily suspend redemptions for up to 10 business days in a 90-day period if the fund’s weekly liquid assets fall below 30% of its total assets and the fund’s Board determines that imposing a redemption gate is in the fund’s best interests. In addition, under certain limited circumstances, the Board of a retail or institutional money market fund may elect to permanently suspend redemptions in order to facilitate an orderly liquidation of the fund (subject to any additional liquidation requirements).
You may initiate transactions involving the Institutional Funds by telephone, by mail, or through the National Securities Clearing Corporation. The T. Rowe Price Funds and their agents use reasonable procedures to verify the identity of the person contacting T. Rowe Price and to ensure that the person is authorized to act on behalf of the account. If these procedures are followed, the funds and their agents are not liable for any losses that may occur from acting on unauthorized instructions. Please review the transaction confirmation carefully, and contact Financial Institution Services immediately about any transaction you believe to be unauthorized. Telephone conversations are recorded.
To place a transaction or make any inquiries regarding the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds, please call Financial Institution Services at 1-800-638-8790. To mail any information to T. Rowe Price regarding the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds, please use the following addresses:
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via U.S. mail T. Rowe Price Financial Institution Services | via private carriers/overnight services T. Rowe Price Financial Institution Services |
Note: If sending a check for a purchase, your transaction will receive the share price for the business day that the check is received by T. Rowe Price or its agent prior to the close of the NYSE (normally 4 p.m. ET), which could differ from the day that the check is received at the post office box.
If you hold shares of a T. Rowe Price Institutional Fund through a retirement plan or financial intermediary, you must contact your retirement plan or financial intermediary with any inquiries.
Involuntary Redemptions and Share Class Conversions
Shares held by any investors that no longer meet the definition of an institutional investor or fail to meet or maintain their account(s) at the investment minimum are subject to involuntary redemption at any time.
For all accounts in Institutional Funds (except for F Class accounts), to help keep operating expenses lower, we ask that you maintain an account balance of at least $1 million. If your investment falls below $1 million (even if due to market depreciation), we have the right to redeem your account at the then-current net asset value after giving you 60 days to increase your balance.
The redemption of your account could result in a taxable gain or loss.
For any F Class accounts that are no longer held through an eligible financial intermediary, we have the right to convert your account to the Institutional Class following notice to the financial intermediary or shareholder.
Excessive and Short-Term Trading Policy
Excessive transactions and short-term trading can be harmful to fund shareholders in various ways, such as disrupting a fund’s portfolio management strategies, increasing a fund’s trading and other costs, and negatively affecting its performance. Short-term traders in funds that invest in foreign securities may seek to take advantage of developments overseas that could lead to an anticipated difference between the price of the funds’ shares and price movements in foreign markets. While there is no assurance that T. Rowe Price can prevent all excessive and short-term trading, the Boards of the T. Rowe Price Funds have adopted the following trading limits that are designed to deter such activity and protect the funds’ shareholders. The funds may revise their trading limits and procedures at any time as the Boards deem necessary or appropriate to better detect short-term trading that may adversely affect the funds, to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, or to impose additional or alternative restrictions.
Subject to certain exceptions, each T. Rowe Price Fund restricts a shareholder’s purchases (including through exchanges) into a fund account for a period of 30 calendar days after the
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 37 |
shareholder has redeemed or exchanged out of that same fund account (the “30-Day Purchase Block”). The calendar day after the date of redemption is considered Day 1 for purposes of computing the period before another purchase may be made.
General Exceptions As of the date of this prospectus, the following types of transactions generally are not subject to the funds’ excessive and short-term trading policy:
· Shares purchased or redeemed in money market funds and ultra short-term bond funds;
· Shares purchased or redeemed through a systematic purchase or withdrawal plan;
· Checkwriting redemptions from bond and money market funds;
· Shares purchased through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gain distributions;
· Shares redeemed automatically by a fund to pay fund fees or shareholder account fees;
· Transfers and changes of account registration within the same fund;
· Shares purchased by asset transfer or direct rollover;
· Shares purchased or redeemed through IRA conversions and recharacterizations;
· Shares redeemed to return an excess contribution from a retirement account;
· Transactions in Section 529 college savings plans;
· Certain transactions in defined benefit and nonqualified plans, subject to prior approval by T. Rowe Price;
· Shares converted from one share class to another share class in the same fund;
· Shares of T. Rowe Price Funds that are purchased by another T. Rowe Price Fund, including shares purchased by T. Rowe Price fund-of-funds products, and shares purchased by discretionary accounts managed by T. Rowe Price or one of its affiliates (please note that shareholders of the investing T. Rowe Price Fund are still subject to the policy);
· Transactions initiated by the trustee or adviser to a donor-advised charitable gift fund as approved by T. Rowe Price; and
· Transactions having a value of $5,000 or less (retirement plans, including those for which T. Rowe Price serves as recordkeeper, and other financial intermediaries may apply the excessive and short-term trading policy to transactions of any amount).
Transactions in certain rebalancing, asset allocation, wrap programs, and other advisory programs, as well as non-T. Rowe Price fund-of-funds products, may also be exempt from the 30-Day Purchase Block, subject to prior written approval by T. Rowe Price.
In addition to restricting transactions in accordance with the 30-Day Purchase Block, T. Rowe Price may, in its discretion, reject (or instruct a financial intermediary to reject) any purchase or exchange into a fund from a person (which includes individuals and entities) whose trading activity could disrupt the management of the fund or dilute the value of the fund’s shares, including trading by persons acting collectively (for example, following the advice of a newsletter). Such persons may be barred, without prior notice, from further purchases of T. Rowe Price Funds for a period longer than 30 calendar days, or permanently.
Financial Intermediary Accounts If you invest in T. Rowe Price Funds through a financial intermediary, including a retirement plan, you should review the financial intermediary’s or retirement plan’s materials carefully or consult with the financial intermediary or plan sponsor directly to determine the trading policy that will apply to your trades in the T. Rowe Price
T. ROWE PRICE | 38 |
Funds as well as any other rules or conditions on transactions that may apply. If T. Rowe Price is unable to identify a transaction placed through a financial intermediary as exempt from the excessive trading policy, the 30-Day Purchase Block may apply.
Financial intermediaries may maintain their underlying accounts directly with the fund, although they often establish an omnibus account (one account with the fund that represents multiple underlying shareholder accounts) on behalf of their customers. When financial intermediaries establish omnibus accounts in the T. Rowe Price Funds, T. Rowe Price is not able to monitor the trading activity of the underlying shareholders. However, T. Rowe Price monitors aggregate trading activity at the financial intermediary (omnibus account) level in an attempt to identify activity that indicates potential excessive or short-term trading. If it detects such trading activity, T. Rowe Price may contact the financial intermediary to request personal identifying information and transaction histories for some or all underlying shareholders (including plan participants, if applicable) pursuant to a written agreement that T. Rowe Price has entered into with each financial intermediary. Any nonpublic personal information provided to the fund (for example, a shareholder’s taxpayer identification number or transaction records) is subject to the fund’s privacy policy. If T. Rowe Price believes that excessive or short-term trading has occurred and there is no exception for such trades under the funds’ Excessive and Short-Term Trading Policy as previously described, it will instruct the financial intermediary to impose restrictions to discourage such practices and take appropriate action with respect to the underlying shareholder, including restricting purchases for 30 calendar days or longer. Each financial intermediary has agreed to execute such instructions pursuant to a written agreement. There is no assurance that T. Rowe Price will be able to properly enforce its excessive trading policies for omnibus accounts. Because T. Rowe Price generally relies on financial intermediaries to provide information and impose restrictions for omnibus accounts, its ability to monitor and deter excessive trading will be dependent upon the intermediaries’ timely performance of their responsibilities.
T. Rowe Price may allow a financial intermediary or other third party to maintain restrictions on trading in the T. Rowe Price Funds that differ from the 30-Day Purchase Block. An alternative excessive trading policy would be acceptable to T. Rowe Price if it believes that the policy would provide sufficient protection to the T. Rowe Price Funds and their shareholders that is consistent with the excessive trading policy adopted by the funds’ Boards.
Retirement Plan Accounts If shares are held in a retirement plan, generally
the
30-Day Purchase Block applies only to shares redeemed by a participant-directed exchange to another
fund. However, the 30-Day Purchase Block may apply to transactions other than exchanges depending on
how shares of the plan are held at T. Rowe Price or the excessive trading policy applied by your plan’s
recordkeeper. An alternative excessive trading policy may apply to the T. Rowe Price Funds where a retirement
plan has its own policy deemed acceptable to T. Rowe Price. You should contact T. Rowe Price or your
plan recordkeeper to determine which of your transactions are subject to the funds’ 30-Day Purchase
Block or an alternative policy.
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 39 |
There is no guarantee that T. Rowe Price will be able to identify or prevent all excessive or short-term trades or trading practices.
Unclaimed Accounts and Uncashed Checks
If your account has no activity for a certain period of time and/or mail sent to you from T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) is returned by the post office, T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) may be required to transfer your account and any assets related to uncashed checks to the appropriate state under its abandoned property laws. To avoid such action, it is important to keep your account address up to date and periodically contact T. Rowe Price at least once every two years.
Delivery of Shareholder Documents
If two or more accounts own the same fund, share the same address, and T. Rowe Price reasonably believes that the two accounts are part of the same institution, we may economize on fund expenses by mailing only one shareholder report and prospectus for the fund. If you do not want your mailings to be “householded,” please call Financial Institution Services.
Signature Guarantees
A Medallion signature guarantee is designed to protect you and the T. Rowe Price Funds from fraud by verifying your signature.
A signature guarantee may be required in certain situations, such as:
· Remitting redemption proceeds to any person, address, or bank account not on file or
· Changing the account registration or broker-dealer of record for an account.
Consult Financial Institution Services for specific requirements.
The signature guarantee must be obtained from a financial institution that is a participant in a Medallion signature guarantee program. You can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from certain banks, savings institutions, broker-dealers, and other guarantors acceptable to T. Rowe Price. When obtaining a Medallion signature guarantee, please discuss with the guarantor the dollar amount of your proposed transaction. It is important that the level of coverage provided by the guarantor’s stamp covers the dollar amount of the transaction or it may be rejected. We cannot accept guarantees from notaries public or organizations that do not provide reimbursement in the case of fraud.
Fund Operations and Shareholder Services
T. Rowe Price and The Bank of New York Mellon, subject to the oversight of T. Rowe Price, each provide certain accounting services to the T. Rowe Price Funds. T. Rowe Price Services, Inc., acts as the transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent and provides shareholder and administrative services to the funds. T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc., provides recordkeeping, sub-transfer agency, and administrative services for certain types of retirement plans investing in the funds. These companies receive compensation from the funds for their services. The F Class may also pay financial intermediaries for performing shareholder and administrative services for underlying shareholders in omnibus accounts. All of the fees
T. ROWE PRICE | 40 |
discussed above are included in a fund’s financial statements and, except for funds that have an all-inclusive management fee, are also reflected in the “Other expenses” line that appears in a fund’s fee table in Section 1.
Each fund intends to qualify to be treated each year as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. In order to qualify, a fund must satisfy certain income, diversification, and distribution requirements. A regulated investment company is not subject to U.S. federal income tax at the portfolio level on income and gains from investments that are distributed to shareholders. However, if a fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company and was ineligible to or otherwise did not cure such failure, the result would be fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to the fund’s shareholders.
To the extent possible, all net investment income and realized capital gains are distributed to shareholders.
Dividends and Other Distributions
Dividend and capital gain distributions are reinvested in additional fund shares in your account unless you select another option on your new account form. Reinvesting distributions results in compounding, which allows you to receive dividends and capital gain distributions on an increasing number of shares.
Distributions not reinvested are paid by check or transmitted electronically to your bank account. If the U.S. Postal Service cannot deliver your check or if your check remains uncashed for six months, the fund reserves the right to reinvest your distribution check in your account at the net asset value on the day of the reinvestment and to reinvest all subsequent distributions in additional shares of the fund. Interest will not accrue on amounts represented by uncashed distributions or redemption checks.
The following table provides details on dividend payments:
Dividend Payment Schedule | |
Fund | Dividends |
Bond funds | · Shares normally begin to earn dividends on the business day after payment is received by T. Rowe Price. · Declared daily and paid on the first business day of each month. |
Stock funds | · Must be a shareholder on the dividend record date. · Declared and paid annually, if any, generally in December. |
Shares of bond funds will earn dividends through the date of redemption. Shares redeemed on a Friday or prior to a holiday will continue to earn dividends until the next business day.
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 41 |
Generally, if you redeem all of your bond fund shares at any time during the month, you will also receive all dividends earned through the date of redemption in the same check. When you redeem only a portion of your bond fund shares, all dividends accrued on those shares will be reinvested, or paid in cash, on the next dividend payment date. The funds do not pay dividends in fractional cents. Any dividend amount earned for a particular day on all shares held that is one-half of one cent or greater (for example, $0.016) will be rounded up to the next whole cent ($0.02), and any amount that is less than one-half of one cent (for example, $0.014) will be rounded down to the nearest whole cent ($0.01). Please note that if the dividend payable on all shares held is less than one-half of one cent for a particular day, no dividend will be earned for that day.
If you purchase and redeem your shares through a financial intermediary, consult your financial intermediary to determine when your shares begin and stop accruing dividends as the information previously described may vary.
Capital Gain Payments
A capital gain or loss is the difference between the purchase and sale price of a security. If a fund has net capital gains for the year (after subtracting any capital losses), they are usually declared and paid in December to shareholders of record on a specified date that month. If a second distribution is necessary, it is generally paid the following year. A fund may have to make additional capital gain distributions, if necessary, to comply with the applicable tax law.
Tax Information
In most cases, you will be provided information for your tax filing needs no later than mid-February.
If you invest in the fund through a tax-deferred account, such as an IRA or employer-sponsored retirement plan, you will not be subject to tax on dividends and distributions from the fund or the sale of fund shares if those amounts remain in the tax-deferred account. You may receive a Form 1099-R or other Internal Revenue Service forms, as applicable, if any portion of the account is distributed to you.
If you invest in the fund through a taxable account, you generally will be subject to tax when:
· You sell fund shares, including an exchange from one fund to another.
· The fund makes dividend or capital gain distributions.
For individual shareholders, a portion of ordinary dividends representing “qualified dividend income” received by the fund may be subject to tax at the lower rates applicable to long-term capital gains rather than ordinary income. You may report it as “qualified dividend income” in computing your taxes, provided you have held the fund shares on which the dividend was paid for more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date. Ordinary dividends that do not qualify for this lower rate are generally taxable at the investor’s marginal income tax rate. This includes the portion of ordinary dividends derived from interest, short-term capital gains, income and gains from derivatives, distributions from nonqualified foreign corporations, distributions from real estate investment trusts, and
T. ROWE PRICE | 42 |
dividends received by the fund from stocks that were on loan. Little, if any, of the ordinary dividends paid by the bond funds or money market funds is expected to qualify for this lower rate.
For corporate shareholders, a portion of ordinary dividends may be eligible for the deduction for dividends received by corporations to the extent the fund’s income consists of dividends paid by U.S. corporations. Little, if any, of the ordinary dividends paid by the international stock or bond funds is expected to qualify for this deduction.
A 3.8% net investment income tax is imposed on net investment income, including interest, dividends, and capital gains of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
If you hold your fund through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary is responsible for providing you with any necessary tax forms. You should contact your financial intermediary for the tax information that will be sent to you and reported to the Internal Revenue Service.
Taxes on Fund Redemptions
When you sell shares in any fund, you may realize a gain or loss. An exchange from one fund to another in a taxable account is also a sale for tax purposes.
All or a portion of the loss realized from a sale or exchange of your fund shares may be disallowed under the “wash sale” rule if you purchase substantially identical shares within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date on which the shares are sold or exchanged. Shares of the same fund you acquire through dividend reinvestment are shares purchased for the purpose of the wash sale rule and may trigger a disallowance of the loss for shares sold or exchanged within the 61-day period of the dividend reinvestment. Any loss disallowed under the wash sale rule is added to the cost basis of the purchased shares.
T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) will make available to you Form 1099-B, if applicable, no later than mid-February, providing certain information for each sale you made in the fund during the prior year. Unless otherwise indicated on your Form 1099-B, this information will also be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. For mutual fund shares acquired prior to 2012 in most accounts established or opened by exchange in 1984 or later, our Form 1099-B will provide you with the gain or loss on the shares you sold during the year based on the average cost single category method. This information on average cost and gain or loss from sale is not reported to the Internal Revenue Service. For these mutual fund shares acquired prior to 2012, you may calculate the cost basis using other methods acceptable to the Internal Revenue Service, such as specific identification.
For mutual fund shares acquired after 2011, federal income tax regulations require us to report the cost basis information on Form 1099-B using a cost basis method selected by the shareholder in compliance with such regulations or, in the absence of such selected method, our default method if you acquire your shares directly from T. Rowe Price. Our default method is average cost. For any fund shares acquired through a financial intermediary after 2011, you
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 43 |
should check with your financial intermediary regarding the applicable cost basis method. You should, however, note that the cost basis information reported to you may not always be the same as what you should report on your tax return because the rules applicable to the determination of cost basis on Form 1099-B may be different from the rules applicable to the determination of cost basis for reporting on your tax return. Therefore, you should save your transaction records to make sure the information reported on your tax return is accurate. T. Rowe Price and financial intermediaries are not required to issue a Form 1099-B to report sales of money market fund shares.
To help you maintain accurate records, T. Rowe Price will make available to you a confirmation promptly following each transaction you make (except for systematic purchases and systematic redemptions) and a year-end statement detailing all of your transactions in each fund account during the year. If you hold your fund through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary is responsible for providing you with transaction confirmations and statements.
Taxes on Fund Distributions
T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) will make available to you, as applicable, generally no later than mid-February, a Form 1099-DIV, or other Internal Revenue Service forms, as required, indicating the tax status of any income dividends, dividends exempt from federal income taxes, and capital gain distributions made to you. This information will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. Taxable distributions are generally taxable to you in the year in which they are paid. A dividend declared in October, November, or December and paid in the following January is generally treated as taxable to you as if you received the distribution in December. Dividends from tax-free funds are generally expected to be tax-exempt for federal income tax purposes. Your bond fund dividends for each calendar year will include dividends accrued up to the first business day of the next calendar year. Ordinary dividends and capital gain dividends may also be subject to state and local taxes. You will be sent any additional information you need to determine your taxes on fund distributions, such as the portion of your dividends, if any, that may be exempt from state and local income taxes.
Taxable distributions are subject to tax whether reinvested in additional shares or received in cash.
The tax treatment of a capital gain distribution is determined by how long the fund held the portfolio securities, not how long you held the shares in the fund. Short-term (one year or less) capital gain distributions are taxable at the same rate as ordinary income, and gains on securities held more than one year are taxed at the lower rates applicable to long-term capital gains. If you realized a loss on the sale or exchange of fund shares that you held six months or less, your short-term capital loss must be reclassified as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributions received during the period you held the shares. For funds investing in foreign instruments, distributions resulting from the sale of certain foreign currencies, currency contracts, and the foreign currency portion of gains on debt instruments are taxed as ordinary income. Net foreign currency losses may cause monthly or quarterly dividends to be reclassified as returns of capital.
T. ROWE PRICE | 44 |
A fund’s distributions that have exceeded the fund’s earnings and profits for the relevant tax year may be treated as a return of capital to its shareholders. A return of capital distribution is generally nontaxable but reduces the shareholder’s cost basis in the fund, and any return of capital in excess of the cost basis will result in a capital gain.
The tax status of certain distributions may be recharacterized on year-end tax forms, such as your Form 1099-DIV. Distributions made by a fund may later be recharacterized for federal income tax purposes—for example, from taxable ordinary income dividends to returns of capital. A recharacterization of distributions may occur for a number of reasons, including the recharacterization of income received from underlying investments, such as real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), and distributions that exceed taxable income due to losses from foreign currency transactions or other investment transactions. Certain funds, including international bond funds and funds that invest in REITs, are more likely to recharacterize a portion of their distributions as a result of their investments.
If the fund qualifies and elects to pass through nonrefundable foreign income taxes paid to foreign governments during the year, your portion of such taxes will be reported to you as taxable income. However, you may be able to claim an offsetting credit or deduction on your tax return for those amounts. There can be no assurance that a fund will meet the requirements to pass through foreign income taxes paid.
If you are subject to backup withholding, we will have to withhold a 24% backup withholding tax on distributions and, in some cases, redemption payments. You may be subject to backup withholding if we are notified by the Internal Revenue Service to withhold, you have failed one or more tax certification requirements, or our records indicate that your tax identification number is missing or incorrect. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and is generally available to credit against your federal income tax liability with any excess refunded to you by the Internal Revenue Service.
Tax Consequences of Hedging
Entering into certain transactions involving options, futures, swaps, and forward currency exchange contracts may result in the application of the mark-to-market and straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. These provisions could result in a fund being required to distribute gains on such transactions even though it did not close the contracts during the year or receive cash to pay such distributions. The fund may not be able to reduce its distributions for losses on such transactions to the extent of unrealized gains in offsetting positions.
Tax Consequences of Shareholder Turnover
If the fund’s portfolio transactions result in a net capital loss (i.e., an excess of capital losses over capital gains) for any year, the loss may be carried forward and used to offset future realized capital gains. However, its ability to carry forward such losses will be limited if the fund experiences an “ownership change” within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code. An ownership change generally results when shareholders owning 5% or more of the fund increase their aggregate holdings by more than 50 percentage points over a three-year period.
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 45 |
Because Institutional Funds may have only a few large shareholders, an ownership change can occur in the normal course of shareholder purchases and redemptions. The fund undertakes no obligation to avoid or prevent an ownership change. Moreover, because of circumstances beyond the fund’s control, there can be no assurance that the fund will not experience, or has not already experienced, an ownership change. An ownership change can reduce the fund’s ability to offset capital gains with losses, which could increase the amount of taxable gains that could be distributed to shareholders.
Tax Effect of Buying Shares Before an Income Dividend or Capital Gain Distribution
If you buy shares shortly before or on the record date—the date that establishes you as the person to receive the upcoming distribution—you may receive a portion of the money you just invested in the form of a taxable distribution. Therefore, you may wish to find out a fund’s record date before investing. In addition, a fund’s share price may, at any time, reflect undistributed capital gains or income and unrealized appreciation, which may result in future taxable distributions. Such distributions can occur even in a year when the fund has a negative return.
T. Rowe Price Funds and their agents, in their sole discretion, reserve the following rights: (1) to waive or lower investment minimums; (2) to accept initial purchases by telephone; (3) to refuse any purchase or exchange order; (4) to cancel or rescind any purchase or exchange order placed through a financial intermediary no later than the business day after the order is received by the financial intermediary (including, but not limited to, orders deemed to result in excessive trading, market timing, or 5% ownership); (5) to cease offering fund shares at any time to all or certain groups of investors; (6) to freeze any account and suspend account services when notice has been received of a dispute regarding the ownership of the account, or a legal claim against an account, upon initial notification to T. Rowe Price of a shareholder’s death until T. Rowe Price receives required documentation in correct form, or if there is reason to believe a fraudulent transaction may occur; (7) to otherwise modify the conditions of purchase and modify or terminate any services at any time; (8) to waive any wire, small account, maintenance, or fiduciary fees charged to a group of shareholders; (9) to act on instructions reasonably believed to be genuine; (10) to involuntarily redeem an account at the net asset value calculated the day the account is redeemed, in cases of threatening conduct, suspected fraudulent or illegal activity, or if the fund or its agent is unable, through its procedures, to verify the identity of the person(s) or entity opening an account; and (11) for money market funds, to suspend redemptions to facilitate an orderly liquidation.
The fund’s Statement of Additional Information, which contains a more detailed description of the fund’s operations, investment restrictions, policies and practices, has been filed with the SEC. The Statement of Additional Information is incorporated by reference into this prospectus, which means that it is legally part of this prospectus even if you do not request a copy. Further information about the fund’s investments, including a review of market conditions and the manager’s recent investment strategies and their impact on performance during the past fiscal year, is available in the annual and semiannual shareholder reports. These documents and updated performance information are available through troweprice.com. For inquiries about the fund and to obtain free copies of any of these documents, call 1-800-638-8790. If you invest in the fund through a financial intermediary, you should contact your financial intermediary for copies of these documents.
Fund reports and other fund information are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at publicinfo@sec.gov.
T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. |
1940 Act File No. 811-5833 | E99-040 3/1/20 |
PROSPECTUS March 1, 2020 | ||||
T. ROWE PRICE | ||||
RPICX | Institutional International Disciplined Equity Fund | |||
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by SEC regulations, paper copies of the T. Rowe Price funds’ annual and semiannual shareholder reports will no longer be mailed, unless you specifically request them. Instead, shareholder reports will be made available on the funds’ website (troweprice.com/prospectus), and you will be notified by mail with a website link to access the reports each time a report is posted to the site. If you already elected to receive reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and need not take any action. At any time, shareholders who invest directly in T. Rowe Price funds may generally elect to receive reports or other communications electronically by enrolling at troweprice.com/paperless or, if you are a retirement plan sponsor or invest in the funds through a financial intermediary (such as an investment advisor, broker-dealer, insurance company, or bank), by contacting your representative or your financial intermediary. You may elect to continue receiving paper copies of future shareholder reports free of charge. To do so, if you invest directly with T. Rowe Price, please call T. Rowe Price as follows: IRA, nonretirement account holders, and institutional investors, 1-800-225-5132; small business retirement accounts, 1-800-492-7670. If you are a retirement plan sponsor or invest in the T. Rowe Price funds through a financial intermediary, please contact your representative or financial intermediary, or follow additional instructions if included with this document. Your election to receive paper copies of reports will apply to all funds held in your account with your financial intermediary or, if you invest directly in the T. Rowe Price funds, with T. Rowe Price. Your election can be changed at any time in the future. | ||||
Table of Contents
1 | SUMMARY | ||
2 | MORE ABOUT THE FUND | ||
More Information About the Fund’s | |||
3 | INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS | ||
Investing with T. Rowe Price 23 Payments to Financial Intermediaries 24 Policies for Opening an Account 26 Pricing of Shares and Transactions 27 General Policies and Requirements 32 |
SUMMARY | 1 | |
The fund seeks long-term growth of capital through investments in stocks of non-U.S. companies.
Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the fund. You may also incur brokerage commissions and other charges when buying or selling shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the table.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
Annual fund operating expenses | ||
Management fees | 0.65 | % |
Other expenses | 0.12 | |
Total annual fund operating expenses | 0.77 | |
Fee waiver/expense reimbursement | (0.02 | )a |
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver/expense reimbursement | 0.75 | a |
a T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., has contractually agreed (through February 28, 2021) to waive its fees and/or bear any expenses (excluding interest; expenses related to borrowings, taxes, and brokerage; nonrecurring, extraordinary expenses; and acquired fund fees and expenses) that would cause the fund’s ratio of expenses to exceed 0.75% of the fund’s average daily net assets. The agreement may only be terminated at any time after February 28, 2021, with approval by the fund’s Board of Directors. Fees waived and expenses paid under this agreement (and a previous limitation of 0.75%) are subject to reimbursement to T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., by the fund whenever the fund’s expense ratio is below 0.75%. However, no reimbursement will be made more than three years from the date such amounts were initially waived or reimbursed. The fund may only make repayments to T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., if such repayment does not cause the fund’s expense ratio (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed the lesser of: (1) the expense limitation in place at the time such amounts were waived; or (2) the fund’s current expense limitation.
Example This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods, that your investment has a 5% return each year, and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example also assumes that any current expense limitation arrangement remains in place for the period noted in the table above; therefore, the figures have been adjusted to reflect fee waivers or expense reimbursements only in the periods for which the expense limitation arrangement is expected to continue. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
T. ROWE PRICE | 2 |
1 year | 3 years | 5 years | 10 years |
$77 | $242 | $424 | $950 |
Portfolio Turnover The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when the fund’s shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 93.3% of the average value of its portfolio.
Investments, Risks, and Performance
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund expects to primarily invest in stocks of companies located outside the U.S. Under normal conditions, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (including any borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks of non-U.S. companies and no more than 15% of its net assets will be invested in stocks of companies in emerging markets. For purposes of determining whether the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in non-U.S. stocks, the fund relies on the country assigned to a security by MSCI Inc. or another unaffiliated data provider. Because the fund focuses on developed markets outside the U.S., it typically has significant exposure to companies in Europe.
The fund is “nondiversified,” meaning it may invest a greater portion of its assets in a single company and own more of the company’s voting securities than is permissible for a “diversified” fund.
While the adviser invests with an awareness of the global economic backdrop and the adviser’s outlook for certain industries, sectors, and individual countries, the adviser’s decision-making process focuses on bottom-up stock selection. Country allocation is driven largely by stock selection, though the adviser may limit investments in markets or industries that appear to have poor overall prospects.
The fund may purchase the stocks of companies of any size, but typically focuses on larger companies, and does not emphasize either a growth or value bias in selecting investments. The adviser generally selects securities for the fund that the adviser believes have the most favorable combination of company fundamentals, earnings potential, and relative valuation.
The fund may sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into more promising opportunities.
Principal Risks
As with any fund, there is no guarantee that the fund will achieve its objective(s). The fund’s share price fluctuates, which means you could lose money by investing in the fund. The principal risks of investing in this fund, which may be even greater during periods of market disruption or volatility, are summarized as follows.
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International investing Investing in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involves special risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. Non-U.S. securities tend to be more volatile and have lower overall liquidity than investments in U.S. securities and may lose value because of adverse local, political, social, or economic developments overseas, or due to changes in the exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. In addition, investments outside the U.S. are subject to settlement practices and regulatory and financial reporting standards that differ from those of the U.S. The risks of investing outside the U.S. are heightened for any investments in emerging markets, which are susceptible to greater volatility than investments in developed markets.
Large-cap stocks Securities issued by large-cap companies tend to be less volatile than securities issued by smaller companies. However, larger companies may not be able to attain the high growth rates of successful smaller companies, especially during strong economic periods, and may be unable to respond as quickly to competitive challenges.
Investing in Europe The European financial markets have been experiencing increased volatility due to concerns over rising government debt levels of several European countries, and these events may continue to significantly affect all of Europe. European economies could be significantly affected by, among other things, rising unemployment, the imposition or unexpected elimination of fiscal and monetary controls by member countries of the European Economic and Monetary Union, uncertainty surrounding the euro, the success of governmental actions to reduce budget deficits, and ongoing uncertainties surrounding Brexit, the formal withdrawal by the United Kingdom from the European Union.
Sector exposure At times, the fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of issuers conducting business in a broadly related group of industries within the same economic sector. Issuers in the same economic sector may be similarly affected by economic or market events, making the fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that economic sector than funds that invest more broadly.
Emerging markets Investments in emerging market countries are subject to greater risk and overall volatility than investments in the U.S. and developed markets. Emerging market countries tend to have economic structures that are less diverse and mature, and political systems that are less stable, than those of developed countries. In addition to the risks associated with investing outside the U.S., emerging markets are more susceptible to governmental interference, political and economic uncertainty, local taxes and restrictions on the fund’s investments, less efficient trading markets with lower overall liquidity, and more volatile currency exchange rates.
Stock investing Stocks generally fluctuate in value more than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. The value of stocks held by the fund may decline due to general weakness or volatility in the stock markets in which the fund invests or because of factors that affect a particular company or industry.
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Active management The fund’s overall investment program and holdings selected by the fund’s investment adviser may underperform the broad markets, relevant indices, or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.
Nondiversification As a nondiversified fund, the fund has the ability to invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. As a result, poor performance by a single issuer could adversely affect fund performance more than if the fund were invested in a larger number of issuers. The fund’s share price can be expected to fluctuate more than that of a similar fund that is more broadly diversified.
Performance
The following performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The fund’s performance information represents only past performance (before and after taxes) and is not necessarily an indication of future results.
The following bar chart illustrates how much returns can differ from year to year by showing calendar year returns and the best and worst calendar quarter returns during those years for the fund.
The following table shows the average annual total returns for the fund, and also compares the returns with the returns of a relevant broad-based market index, as well as with the returns of one or more comparative indexes that have investment characteristics similar to those of the fund, if applicable.
In addition, the table shows hypothetical after-tax returns to demonstrate how taxes paid by a shareholder may influence returns. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest
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individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as a 401(k) account or an IRA.
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| Since | Inception |
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| inception | date |
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| Institutional International Disciplined Equity Fund |
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| 07/27/2010 |
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| Returns before taxes | 23.48 | % |
| 7.26 | % |
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| 8.42 | % |
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| Returns after taxes on distributions | 22.48 |
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| 5.56 |
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| 6.56 |
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| Returns after taxes on distributions |
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| and sale of fund shares | 14.66 |
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| 5.31 |
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| 6.24 |
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| MSCI EAFE Index Net (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) |
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| 22.01 |
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| 5.67 |
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| 6.42 | a |
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| Lipper International Multi-Cap Core Funds Average |
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| 20.69 |
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| 4.99 |
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| 5.81 | b |
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a Return since 7/27/10.
b Return since 7/31/10.
Updated performance information is available through troweprice.com.
Management
Investment Adviser T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (T. Rowe Price or Price Associates)
Investment Subadviser T. Rowe Price International Ltd (T. Rowe Price International)
Portfolio Manager | Title | Managed | Joined |
Federico Santilli | Chairman of Investment Advisory Committee | 2010 | 2001 |
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The fund generally requires a $1 million minimum initial investment and there is no minimum for additional purchases, although the initial investment minimum may be waived for certain types of accounts held through a retirement plan, financial advisor, or other financial intermediary.
For investors holding shares of the fund directly with T. Rowe Price, you may purchase, redeem, or exchange fund shares by mail or by telephone (1-800-638-8790).
If you hold shares through a financial intermediary or retirement plan, you must purchase, redeem, and exchange shares of the fund through your intermediary or retirement plan. You
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should check with your intermediary or retirement plan to determine the investment minimums that apply to your account.
Tax Information
Any dividends or capital gains are declared and paid annually, usually in December. Redemptions or exchanges of fund shares and distributions by the fund, whether or not you reinvest these amounts in additional fund shares, generally may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains unless you invest through a tax-deferred account (in which case you will be taxed upon withdrawal from such account).
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other
financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
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Investment Adviser(s)
T. Rowe Price is the fund’s investment adviser and oversees the selection of the fund’s investments and management of the fund’s portfolio pursuant to an investment management agreement between the investment adviser and the fund. T. Rowe Price is an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides investment management services to individual and institutional investors, and sponsors and serves as adviser and subadviser to registered investment companies, institutional separate accounts, and common trust funds. The address for T. Rowe Price is 100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. As of December 31, 2019, T. Rowe Price and its affiliates (the “Firm”) had approximately $1.21 trillion in assets under management and provided investment management services for more than 7 million individual and institutional investor accounts.
T. Rowe Price has entered into a subadvisory agreement with T. Rowe Price International under which T. Rowe Price International is authorized to trade securities and make discretionary investment decisions on behalf of the fund. T. Rowe Price International is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser, and is authorized or licensed by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority and other global regulators. T. Rowe Price International sponsors and serves as adviser to foreign collective investment schemes and provides investment management services to registered investment companies and other institutional investors. T. Rowe Price International is headquartered in London and has several branch offices around the world. T. Rowe Price International is a direct subsidiary of T. Rowe Price and its address is 60 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4N 4TZ, United Kingdom.
Portfolio Management
T. Rowe Price has established an Investment Advisory Committee with respect to the fund. The committee chairman is ultimately responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund’s portfolio and works with the committee in developing and executing the fund’s investment program. The members of the committee are as follows: Federico Santilli, Chairman, R. Scott Berg, Steve Boothe, Anh Lu, Raymond A. Mills, Dean Tenerelli, and Ernest C. Yeung. The following information provides the year that the chairman (portfolio manager) first joined the Firm and the chairman’s specific business experience during the past five years (although the chairman may have had portfolio management responsibilities for a longer period). Mr. Santilli has been chairman of the committee since the fund’s inception in 2010. He joined the Firm in 2001 and his investment experience dates from that time. He has served as a portfolio manager with the Firm throughout the past five years. The Statement of Additional Information provides additional information about the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager, and the portfolio manager’s ownership of the fund’s shares.
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The Management Fee
The fund pays the investment adviser an annual investment management fee based on 0.65% of the fund’s average daily net assets. The fund calculates and accrues the fee daily.
A discussion about the factors considered by the fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) and its conclusions in approving the fund’s investment management agreement (and any subadvisory agreement, if applicable) appear in the fund’s semiannual report to shareholders for the period ended April 30.
Investment Objective(s)
The fund seeks long-term growth of capital through investments in stocks of non-U.S. companies.
The investment objective is a fundamental policy and shareholder approval is required to substantially change it. As with any fund, there is no guarantee the fund will achieve its objective.
Principal Investment Strategies
Consider your investment goals, your time horizon for achieving them, and your tolerance for risk. The fund may be appropriate for you if you are seeking diversification for your equity investments and can accept the risks that accompany foreign investments. Your decision should take into account whether you have any other foreign stock investments. If you do not, you may want to consider investing in a more widely diversified fund to gain the broadest exposure to global opportunities. The fund may be appropriate if you seek to supplement a diversified international portfolio with a nondiversified international fund investing in relatively small number of holdings.
The fund seeks stocks of larger companies that the adviser believes have the most favorable combination of company fundamentals, earnings potential, and relative valuation. As a result, the fund will be exposed at times to both growth- and value-oriented stocks.
The market may reward growth stocks with price increases when earnings expectations are met or exceeded. Funds that employ a growth-oriented approach to stock selection rely on the premise that by investing in companies that increase their earnings faster than both inflation and the overall economy, the market will eventually reward those companies with a higher stock price. The fund’s successful implementation of a growth-oriented strategy may lead to long-term growth of capital over time.
Funds that employ a value-oriented approach to stock selection seek to invest in companies whose stock prices are low in relation to the value of their assets or future prospects. By identifying companies whose stocks are currently out of favor or undervalued, value funds
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attempt to realize significant appreciation as other investors recognize the stock’s intrinsic value and the price rises accordingly. Generally, careful selection of stocks having value characteristics can, over time, limit the downside risk of a value-oriented portfolio compared with the broad market. In addition, stocks whose prices are below a company’s intrinsic value may offer the potential for substantial capital appreciation.
Investing a portion of your overall portfolio in stock funds with foreign holdings can enhance your diversification and increase your available investment opportunities.
The fund typically focuses its investments more on developed foreign countries than on emerging market countries. As a result, the fund may at times have significant investments in the United Kingdom and other developed European countries, as well as Japan.
Portfolio managers closely monitor the fund’s investments as well as political and economic trends in the countries and regions in which the fund invests. Holdings are adjusted according to the portfolio manager’s analysis and outlook. The impact of unfavorable developments in a particular country may be reduced when investments are spread among many countries. However, the economies and financial markets of countries in a certain region may be heavily influenced by one another.
Principal Risks
Some of the principal tools the adviser uses to try to reduce overall risk include intensive research when evaluating a company’s prospects and limiting exposure to certain industries, asset classes, or investment styles when appropriate.
The principal risks associated with the fund’s principal investment strategies include the following:
International investing Investments outside the U.S. may lose value because of declining foreign currencies or adverse political or economic events overseas, among other things. Securities of non-U.S. issuers (including depositary receipts and other instruments that represent interests in a non-U.S. issuer) tend to be more volatile than U.S. securities and are subject to trading markets with lower overall liquidity, governmental interference, and regulatory and accounting standards and settlement practices that differ from the U.S. The fund could experience losses based solely on the weakness of foreign currencies in which the fund’s holdings are denominated versus the U.S. dollar, and changes in the exchange rates between such currencies and the U.S. dollar. Risks can result from differing regulatory environments, less stringent investor protections, uncertain tax laws, and higher transaction costs compared to U.S. markets. Investments outside the U.S. could be subject to governmental actions such as capital or currency controls, nationalization of a company or industry, expropriation of assets, or imposition of high taxes.
A trading market may close for national holidays or without warning for extended time periods, preventing the fund from buying or selling securities in that market. Trading securities in which the fund invests may take place in various foreign markets on certain days when the fund is not open for business and does not calculate its net asset value. For example, the fund
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may invest in securities that trade in various foreign markets that are open on weekends. As the securities trade, their value may substantially change. As a result, the fund’s net asset value may be significantly affected on days when shareholders cannot make transactions. In addition, market volatility may significantly limit the liquidity of securities of certain issuers in a particular country or geographic region, or of all companies in the country or region. The fund may be unable to liquidate its positions in such securities at any time, or at a favorable price, in order to meet the fund’s obligations.
Large-cap stocks Although stocks issued by larger companies tend to have less overall volatility than stocks issued by smaller companies, larger companies may not be able to attain the high growth rates of successful smaller companies, especially during strong economic periods. In addition, larger companies may be less capable of responding quickly to competitive challenges and industry changes, and may suffer sharper price declines as a result of earnings disappointments.
Investing in Europe The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (EU) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels, and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have been experiencing volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect every country in Europe, including countries that do not use the euro. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks, and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest, and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets, and asset valuations around the world.
The risks of investing in Europe have been heightened as a result of Brexit. Although the United Kingdom has formally left the EU with a withdrawal deal, there is significant uncertainty as to the final terms that may be negotiated during the transition period. Among other things, the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the EU has resulted in increased volatility and illiquidity in economies throughout Europe, as well as the broader global economy. In addition, uncertainty regarding the final trade arrangements and other consequences of Brexit may lead to instability in the foreign exchange markets, including volatility in the value of the euro. If one or more additional countries chooses to withdraw from the EU and/or abandon use of the euro as a currency, the impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, could be significant and far-reaching.
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Sector exposure At times, the fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of issuers conducting business in a related group of industries within the same economic sector. Issuers within the same economic sector may be similarly affected by specific market events impacting that sector. As a result, the fund is more susceptible to adverse developments affecting an economic sector in which the fund has significant investments and may perform poorly during a downturn in one or more of the industries within that economic sector.
Emerging markets Investments in emerging markets are subject to the risk of abrupt and severe price declines. The economic and political structures of emerging market countries, in most cases, do not compare favorably with the U.S. or other developed countries in terms of wealth and stability, and their financial markets often lack liquidity. These economies are less developed, can be overly reliant on particular industries, and are more vulnerable to the ebb and flow of international trade, trade barriers, and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Governments in many emerging market countries participate to a significant degree in their economies and securities markets. As a result, foreign investments may be restricted and subject to greater government control, including repatriation of sales proceeds. Emerging market securities exchanges are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades, as well as the custody of holdings by local banks, agents, and depositories. In addition, the accounting standards in emerging market countries may be unreliable and could present an inaccurate picture of a company’s finances. Some countries have histories of instability and upheaval that could cause their governments to act in a detrimental or hostile manner toward private enterprise or foreign investment. Investments in countries or regions that have recently begun moving away from central planning and state-owned industries toward free markets should be regarded as speculative.
While some countries have made progress in economic growth, liberalization, fiscal discipline, and political and social stability, there is no assurance these trends will continue. Significant risks, such as war and terrorism, currently affect some emerging market countries. The fund’s performance will likely be hurt by exposure to nations in the midst of hyperinflation, currency devaluation, trade disagreements, sudden political upheaval, or interventionist government policies. The volatility of emerging markets may be heightened by the actions (such as significant buying or selling) of a few major investors. For example, substantial increases or decreases in cash flows of mutual funds investing in these markets could significantly affect local securities prices and, therefore, could cause fund share prices to decline.
Stock investing The fund’s share price can fall because of weakness in the overall stock markets, a particular industry, or specific holdings. Stock markets as a whole can be volatile and decline for many reasons, such as adverse local, political, regulatory, or economic developments; changes in investor psychology; or heavy institutional selling at the same time by major institutional investors in the market, such as mutual funds, pension funds, and banks. The prospects for an industry or company may deteriorate because of a variety of factors, including disappointing earnings or changes in the competitive environment. In addition, the adviser’s assessment of companies whose stocks are held by the fund may prove incorrect, resulting in losses or poor performance, even in rising markets. In the event an issuer is
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liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of the issuer’s bonds and preferred stock take precedence over the claims of those who own common stock.
Active management The investment adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. The fund could underperform other funds with a similar benchmark or similar investment program if the fund’s investment selections or overall strategies fail to produce the intended results.
Nondiversification Because the fund is nondiversified and thus can invest more of its assets in a smaller number of issuers, it is more exposed to the risks associated with an individual issuer than a fund that invests more broadly across many issuers. For example, poor performance by a single large holding of the fund would adversely affect the fund’s performance more than if the fund were invested in a larger number of issuers.
Additional Strategies and Risks
In addition to the principal investment strategies and principal risks previously described, the fund may employ other, non-principal investment strategies and may be subject to other risks, which are described in the following paragraphs.
The fund may, to a limited extent, use derivatives such as futures contracts and forward currency exchange contracts. Any investments in futures would typically serve as an efficient means of gaining exposure to certain markets or as a cash management tool to maintain liquidity while being invested in the market. Forward currency exchange contracts would primarily be used to settle trades in a foreign currency or to help protect the fund’s holdings from unfavorable changes in foreign currency exchange rates, although other currency hedging techniques may be used from time to time. To the extent the fund uses futures and forward currency exchange contracts, it is exposed to potential volatility and losses greater than direct investments in the contracts’ underlying assets, and the risk that anticipated currency movements will not be accurately predicted.
Derivatives Derivatives typically involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the assets on which the derivative is based. Certain derivatives can be highly volatile, lack liquidity, and be difficult to value. Changes in the value of a derivative may not properly correlate with changes in the value of the underlying asset, reference rate, or index. The fund could be exposed to significant losses if it is unable to close a derivative position due to the lack of a liquid trading market. Derivatives involve the risk that a counterparty to the derivatives agreement will fail to make required payments or comply with the terms of the agreement. There is also the possibility that limitations or trading restrictions may be imposed by an exchange or government regulation, which could adversely impact the value and liquidity of a derivatives contract subject to such regulation. Recent regulations have changed the requirements related to the use of certain derivatives. Some of these new regulations have limited the availability of certain derivatives and made their use by funds more costly. It is expected that additional changes to the regulatory framework will occur, but the extent and impact of additional new regulations are not certain at this time.
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Cybersecurity breaches The fund may be subject to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cybersecurity. Cybersecurity breaches may involve deliberate attacks and unauthorized access to the digital information systems (for example, through “hacking” or malicious software coding) used by the fund or its third-party service providers but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks. These breaches may, among other things, result in financial losses to the fund and its shareholders, cause the fund to lose proprietary information, disrupt business operations, or result in the unauthorized release of confidential information. Further, cybersecurity breaches involving the fund’s third-party service providers, trading counterparties, or issuers in which the fund invests could subject the fund to many of the same risks associated with direct breaches.
This section provides a more detailed description of the various types of portfolio holdings and investment practices that may be used by the fund to execute its overall investment program. Some of these holdings and investment practices are considered to be principal investment strategies of the fund and have already been described earlier in this prospectus while others are considered non-principal. Any of the following holdings and investment practices that were not already described in Section 1 of this prospectus are considered non-principal investment practices, but they may be used by the fund from time-to-time to help achieve its investment objective. The fund’s investments may be subject to further restrictions and risks described in the Statement of Additional Information. Shareholders will receive at least 60 days’ prior notice of a change in the fund’s policy requiring it to normally invest at least 80% of its net assets in stocks of non-U.S. companies.
The fund’s holdings in certain kinds of investments cannot exceed maximum percentages as set forth in this prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information. For instance, there are limitations regarding the fund’s investments in certain types of derivatives. While these restrictions provide a useful level of detail about the fund’s investments, investors should not view them as an accurate gauge of the potential risk of such investments. For example, in a given period, a 5% investment in derivatives could have a significantly greater impact on the fund’s share price than its weighting in the portfolio. The net effect of a particular investment depends on its volatility and the size of its overall return in relation to the performance of all of the fund’s investments.
Certain investment restrictions, such as a required minimum or maximum investment in a particular type of security, are measured at the time the fund purchases a security. The status, market value, maturity, duration, credit quality, or other characteristics of the fund’s securities may change after they are purchased, and this may cause the amount of the fund’s assets invested in such securities to exceed the stated maximum restriction or fall below the stated minimum restriction. If any of these changes occur, it would not be considered a violation of the investment restriction and will not require the sale of an investment if it was proper at the
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time the investment was made (this exception does not apply to the fund’s borrowing policy). However, certain changes will require holdings to be sold or purchased by the fund during the time it is above or below the stated percentage restriction in order for the fund to be in compliance with applicable restrictions.
The fund relies on the country assigned to a security by MSCI Inc., a third-party provider of benchmark indexes and data services, or another unaffiliated data provider. The fund also relies on MSCI Inc. or another unaffiliated data provider to determine which countries are considered emerging markets. The data providers use various criteria to determine the country to which a security is economically tied. Examples include the following: (1) the country under which the issuer is organized; (2) the location of the issuer’s principal place of business or principal office; (3) where the issuer’s securities are listed or traded principally on an exchange or over-the-counter market; and (4) where the issuer conducts the predominant part of its business activities or derives a significant portion (e.g., at least 50%) of its revenues or profits.
Changes in the fund’s holdings, the fund’s performance, and the contribution of various investments to the fund’s performance are discussed in the shareholder reports.
Portfolio managers have considerable discretion in choosing investment strategies and selecting securities they believe will help achieve the fund’s objective.
Nondiversified Status
The fund is a nondiversified mutual fund. This means that the fund may invest a greater portion of its assets in, and own a greater amount of the voting securities of, a single issuer than a diversified fund, which may subject the fund to greater credit or other risks with respect to its portfolio securities and greater volatility with respect to its share price.
The fund, however, intends to qualify as a “regulated investment company” under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. As a result, the fund must invest so that, at the end of each fiscal quarter, with respect to 50% of its total assets, no more than 5% of its total assets is invested in the securities of a single issuer and not more than 10% of the voting securities of any issuer are held by the fund. With respect to the remaining 50% of the fund’s assets, no more than 25% may be invested in a single issuer.
Types of Portfolio Securities
In seeking to meet its investment objective, the fund may invest in any type of security or instrument (including certain potentially high-risk derivatives described in this section) whose investment characteristics are consistent with its investment program. The following pages describe various types of the fund’s holdings and investment management practices, some of which are also described as part of the fund’s principal investment strategies.
The fund’s investments are primarily in common stocks and, to a lesser degree, other types of securities as follows:
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Common and Preferred Stocks
Stocks represent shares of ownership in a company. Generally, preferred stocks have a specified dividend rate and rank after bonds and before common stocks in their claim on income for dividend payments and on assets should the company be liquidated. After other claims are satisfied, common stockholders participate in company profits on a pro-rata basis and profits may be paid out in dividends or reinvested in the company to help it grow. Increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company’s stock price, so common stocks generally have the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities. Unlike common stock, preferred stock does not ordinarily carry voting rights. While most preferred stocks pay a dividend, the fund may decide to purchase preferred stock where the issuer has suspended, or is in danger of suspending, payment of its dividend. The fund may purchase American Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts, which are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of a foreign issuer. American Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts trade on established markets and are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their local markets and currencies. Such investments are subject to many of the same risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities. For purposes of the fund’s investment policies, investments in depositary receipts are deemed to be investments in the underlying securities. For example, a depositary receipt representing ownership of common stock will be treated as common stock.
Convertible Securities and Warrants
The fund may invest in debt instruments or preferred equity securities that are convertible into, or exchangeable for, equity securities at specified times in the future and according to a certain exchange ratio. Convertible bonds are typically callable by the issuer, which could in effect force conversion before the holder would otherwise choose. Traditionally, convertible securities have paid dividends or interest at rates higher than common stocks but lower than nonconvertible securities. They generally participate in the appreciation or depreciation of the underlying stock into which they are convertible, but to a lesser degree than common stock. Some convertible securities combine higher or lower current income with options and other features. Warrants are options to buy, directly from the issuer, a stated number of shares of common stock at a specified price anytime during the life of the warrants (generally, two or more years). Warrants have no voting rights, pay no dividends, and can be highly volatile. In some cases, the redemption value of a warrant could be zero.
Participation Notes (P-notes)
The fund may gain exposure to securities traded in foreign markets through investments in P-notes. P-notes are generally issued by banks or broker-dealers and are designed to offer a return linked to an underlying common stock or other security. An investment in a P-note involves additional risks beyond the risks normally associated with a direct investment in the underlying security. While the holder of a P-note is entitled to receive from the broker-dealer or bank any dividends paid by the underlying security, the holder is not entitled to the same rights (e.g., voting rights) as a direct owner of the underlying security. P-notes are considered general unsecured contractual obligations of the banks or broker-dealers that issue them as the counterparty. As such, the fund must rely on the creditworthiness of the counterparty for its
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investment returns on the P-notes, and could lose the entire value of its investment in the event of default by a counterparty. Additionally, there is no assurance that there will be a secondary trading market for a P-note or that the trading price of a P-note will equal the value of the underlying security.
Fixed Income Securities
From time to time, the fund may invest in corporate and government fixed income securities as well as below investment-grade bonds, commonly referred to as “junk” bonds. Corporate fixed income securities would be purchased in companies that meet the fund’s investment criteria. The price of a fixed income security fluctuates with changes in interest rates, generally rising when interest rates fall and falling when interest rates rise. Below investment-grade bonds, or “junk” bonds, can be more volatile and have greater risk of default than investment-grade bonds, and should be considered speculative.
Futures and Options
Futures are often used to establish exposures or manage or hedge risk because they enable the investor to buy or sell an asset in the future at an agreed-upon price. Options may be used to generate additional income, to enhance returns, or as a defensive technique to protect against anticipated declines in the value of an asset. Call options give the investor the right to purchase (when the investor purchases the option), or the obligation to sell (when the investor “writes” or sells the option), an asset at a predetermined price in the future. Put options give the purchaser of the option the right to sell, or the seller (or “writer”) of the option the obligation to buy, an asset at a predetermined price in the future. Futures and options contracts may be bought or sold for any number of reasons, including to manage exposure to changes in interest rates, bond prices, foreign currencies, and credit quality; as an efficient means of increasing or decreasing the fund’s exposure to certain markets; in an effort to enhance income; to improve risk-adjusted returns; to protect the value of portfolio securities; and to serve as a cash management tool. Call or put options may be purchased or sold on securities, futures, financial indexes, and foreign currencies. The fund may choose to continue a futures contract by “rolling over” an expiring futures contract into an identical contract with a later maturity date. This could increase the fund’s transaction costs and portfolio turnover rate.
Futures and options contracts may not always be successful investments or hedges; their prices can be highly volatile; using them could lower the fund’s total return; the potential loss from the use of futures can exceed the fund’s initial investment in such contracts; and the losses from certain options written by the fund could be unlimited.
Currency Derivatives
The fund will normally conduct any foreign currency exchange transactions either on a spot (i.e., cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in the foreign currency exchange market, or through entering into forward contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies. The fund will generally not enter into a forward contract with a term greater than one year. The fund may enter into forward currency exchange contracts to “lock in” the U.S. dollar price of a security when it enters into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency, and when the fund believes that the currency of a particular foreign country may move
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substantially against another currency, it may enter into a forward contract to sell or buy the former foreign currency.
A fund that invests in foreign securities may attempt to hedge its exposure to potentially unfavorable currency changes. The primary means of doing this is through the use of forward currency exchange contracts, which are contracts between two counterparties to exchange one currency for another on a future date at a specified exchange rate. The fund may also use these instruments to create a synthetic bond, which is issued in one currency with the currency component transformed into another currency. However, futures, swaps, and options on foreign currencies may also be used. In certain circumstances, the fund may use currency derivatives to substitute a different currency for the currency in which the investment is denominated, a strategy known as proxy hedging. If the fund were to engage in any of these foreign currency transactions, it could serve to protect its foreign securities from adverse currency movements relative to the U.S. dollar, although the fund may also use currency derivatives in an effort to gain exposure to a currency expected to appreciate in value versus other currencies. As a result, the fund could be invested in a currency without holding any securities denominated in that currency. Such transactions involve, among other risks, the risk that anticipated currency movements will not occur, which could reduce the fund’s total return. There are certain markets, including many emerging markets, where it is not possible to engage in effective foreign currency hedging.
Hedging may result in the application of the mark-to-market and straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. These provisions could result in an increase (or decrease) in the amount of taxable dividends paid by the fund and could affect whether dividends paid by the fund are classified as capital gains or ordinary income.
Investments in Other Investment Companies
The fund may invest in other investment companies, including open-end funds, closed-end funds, and exchange-traded funds.
The fund may purchase the securities of another investment company to temporarily gain exposure to a portion of the market while awaiting the purchase of securities or as an efficient means of gaining exposure to a particular asset class. The fund might also purchase shares of another investment company, including shares of other mutual funds sponsored and managed by T. Rowe Price (“T. Rowe Price Funds”), to gain exposure to the securities in the investment company’s portfolio at times when the fund may not be able to buy those securities directly, or as a means of gaining efficient and cost-effective exposure to certain asset classes. Any investment in another investment company would be consistent with the fund’s objective and investment program.
The risks of owning another investment company are generally similar to the risks of investing directly in the securities in which that investment company invests. However, an investment company may not achieve its investment objective or execute its investment strategy effectively, which may adversely affect the fund’s performance. In addition, because closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds trade on a secondary market, their shares may trade at a premium or
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discount to the actual net asset value of their portfolio securities and their shares may have greater volatility if an active trading market does not exist.
As a shareholder of another investment company, the fund must pay its pro-rata share of that investment company’s fees and expenses. The fund’s investments in non-T. Rowe Price investment companies are subject to the limits that apply to investments in other funds under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or under any applicable exemptive order.
Investments in other investment companies could allow the fund to obtain the benefits of a more diversified portfolio than might otherwise be available through direct investments in a particular asset class, and will subject the fund to the risks associated with the particular asset class or asset classes in which an underlying fund invests. Examples of asset classes in which other mutual funds (including T. Rowe Price Funds) focus their investments include high yield bonds, inflation-linked securities, floating rate loans, international bonds, emerging market bonds, stocks of companies involved in activities related to real assets, stocks of companies that focus on a particular industry or sector, and emerging market stocks. If the fund invests in another T. Rowe Price Fund, the management fee paid by the fund will be reduced to ensure that the fund does not incur duplicate management fees as a result of its investment.
Illiquid Investments
Some of the fund’s holdings may be considered illiquid because they are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale or because they cannot reasonably be expected to be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. The determination of liquidity involves a variety of factors. Illiquid investments may include private placements that are sold directly to a small number of investors, usually institutions. Unlike public offerings, such securities are not registered with the SEC. Although certain of these securities may be readily sold (for example, pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933) and therefore deemed liquid, others may have resale restrictions and be considered illiquid. The sale of illiquid investments may involve substantial delays and additional costs, and the fund may only be able to sell such investments at prices substantially lower than what it believes they are worth. In addition, the fund’s investments in illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the fund because it may be unable to sell such investments at an advantageous time, which could prevent the fund from taking advantage of other investment opportunities.
Types of Investment Management Practices
Reserve Position
A certain portion of the fund’s assets may be held in reserves. The fund’s reserve positions will primarily consist of: (1) shares of a T. Rowe Price internal money market fund or short-term bond fund (which do not charge any management fees); (2) short-term, high-quality U.S. and foreign dollar-denominated money market securities, including repurchase agreements; and (3) U.S. dollar or non-U.S. dollar currencies. In order to respond to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions, the fund may assume a temporary defensive position that is inconsistent with its principal investment objective(s) and/or strategies and may invest, without limitation, in reserves. If the fund has significant holdings in reserves, it could
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compromise its ability to achieve its objective(s). The reserve position provides flexibility in meeting redemptions, paying expenses, and managing cash flows into the fund and can serve as a short-term defense during periods of unusual market volatility. Non-U.S. dollar reserves are subject to currency risk.
Borrowing Money and Transferring Assets
The fund may borrow from banks, other persons, and other T. Rowe Price Funds for temporary or emergency purposes, to facilitate redemption requests, or for other purposes consistent with the fund’s policies as set forth in this prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information. Such borrowings may be collateralized with the fund’s assets, subject to certain restrictions.
Borrowings may not exceed 33⅓% of the fund’s total assets. This limitation includes any borrowings for temporary or emergency purposes, applies at the time of the transaction, and continues to the extent required by the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Meeting Redemption Requests
We expect that the fund will hold cash or cash equivalents to meet redemption requests. The fund may also use the proceeds from the sale of portfolio securities to meet redemption requests if consistent with the management of the fund. These redemption methods will be used regularly and may also be used in deteriorating or stressed market conditions. The fund reserves the right to pay redemption proceeds with securities from the fund’s portfolio rather than in cash (redemptions in-kind), as described under “Large Redemptions.” Redemptions in-kind are typically used to meet redemption requests that represent a large percentage of the fund’s net assets in order to minimize the effect of large redemptions on the fund and its remaining shareholders. In general, any redemptions in-kind will represent a pro-rata distribution of the fund’s securities, subject to certain limited exceptions. Redemptions in-kind may be used regularly in circumstances as described above and may also be used in stressed market conditions.
The fund, along with other T. Rowe Price Funds, is a party to an interfund lending exemptive order received from the SEC that permits the T. Rowe Price Funds to borrow money from and/or lend money to other T. Rowe Price Funds to help the funds meet short-term redemptions and liquidity needs.
During periods of deteriorating or stressed market conditions, when an increased portion of the fund’s portfolio may be composed of holdings with reduced liquidity or lengthy settlement periods, or during extraordinary or emergency circumstances, the fund may be more likely to pay redemption proceeds with cash obtained through interfund lending or short-term borrowing arrangements (if available), or by redeeming a large redemption request in-kind.
Lending of Portfolio Securities
The fund may lend its securities to broker-dealers, other institutions, or other persons to earn additional income. Risks include the potential insolvency of the broker-dealer or other borrower that could result in delays in recovering securities and capital losses. Additionally, losses could result from the reinvestment of collateral received on loaned securities in
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investments that decline in value, default, or do not perform as well as expected. Cash collateral from securities lending is invested in the T. Rowe Price Short-Term Fund.
The Statement of Additional Information contains more detailed information about the fund and its investments, operations, and expenses.
Portfolio Turnover
Turnover is an indication of frequency of trading. Each time the fund purchases or sells a security, it incurs a cost. This cost is reflected in the fund’s net asset value but not in its operating expenses. The higher the turnover rate, the higher the transaction costs and the greater the impact on the fund’s total return. Higher turnover can also increase the possibility of taxable capital gain distributions. The fund’s portfolio turnover rates are shown in the Financial Highlights table.
The Financial Highlights table, which provides information about the fund’s financial history, is based on a single share outstanding throughout the periods shown. The table is part of the fund’s financial statements, which are included in its annual report and are incorporated by reference into the Statement of Additional Information (available upon request). The financial statements in the annual report were audited by the fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS | For a share outstanding throughout each period |
Year | 10/31/18 | 10/31/17 | 10/31/16 | 10/31/15 | ||||||||||||||||
NET ASSET VALUE |
|
|
|
|
| |||||||||||||||
Beginning of period | $ | 12.04 | $ | 13.62 | $ | 11.57 | $ | 11.50 | $ | 11.98 | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Investment activities | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income(1) (2) | 0.24 | 0.27 | 0.24 | 0.22 | 0.22 | |||||||||||||||
Net realized
and unrealized | 1.11 | (1.06 | ) | 2.00 | 0.11 | (0.37 | ) | |||||||||||||
Total from investment activities | 1.35 | (0.79 | ) | 2.24 | 0.33 | (0.15 | ) | |||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Distributions | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income | (0.42 | ) | (0.20 | ) | (0.17 | ) | (0.22 | ) | (0.18 | ) | ||||||||||
Net realized gain | (1.45 | ) | (0.59 | ) | (0.02 | ) | (0.04 | ) | (0.15 | ) | ||||||||||
Total distributions | (1.87 | ) | (0.79 | ) | (0.19 | ) | (0.26 | ) | (0.33 | ) | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
NET ASSET VALUE | $ | 11.52 | $ | 12.04 | $ | 13.62 | $ | 11.57 | $ | 11.50 | ||||||||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total return(2) (3) | 14.09 | % | (6.17 | )% | 19.72 | % | 3.00 | % | (1.14 | )% | ||||||||||
Ratios to average net assets:(2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gross expenses before | 0.77 | % | 0.75 | % | 0.75 | % | 0.78 | % | 0.79 | % | ||||||||||
Net expenses after | 0.75 | % | 0.75 | % | 0.75 | % | 0.75 | % | 0.75 | % | ||||||||||
Net investment income | 2.22 | % | 2.07 | % | 1.86 | % | 2.00 | % | 1.90 | % | ||||||||||
Portfolio turnover rate | 93.3 | % | 147.0 | % | 112.1 | % | 120.3 | % | 184.0 | % | ||||||||||
Net
assets, end of period (in | $ | 288,289 | $ | 315,348 | $ | 525,840 | $ | 287,712 | $ | 239,917 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using average shares outstanding method.
(2) Includes the impact of expense-related arrangements with Price Associates.
(3) Total return reflects the rate that an investor would have earned on an investment in the fund during each period, assuming reinvestment of all distributions, and payment of no redemption or account fees, if applicable.
Most T. Rowe Price Funds disclose their calendar quarter-end portfolio holdings on troweprice.com 15 calendar days after each quarter. At the discretion of the investment
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adviser, these holdings reports may exclude the issuer name and other information relating to a holding in order to protect the fund’s interests and prevent harm to the fund or its shareholders. In addition, most T. Rowe Price Funds disclose their 10 largest holdings, along with the percentage of the relevant fund’s total assets that each of the 10 holdings represents, on troweprice.com on the seventh business day after each month-end. These holdings are listed in numerical order based on such percentages of the fund’s assets. A description of T. Rowe Price’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of portfolio information is available in the Statement of Additional Information.
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 3 | |
The following policies and procedures apply to the Institutional Funds within the T. Rowe Price Funds.
This section of the prospectus describes the policies and procedures that generally apply to investments in the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds (except for the T. Rowe Price Institutional Cash Reserves Fund). The T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds may be purchased directly from T. Rowe Price or through a financial intermediary, such as a bank, broker, retirement plan recordkeeper, or financial advisor.
Most of the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds are available only in a single share class (referred to as the “Institutional Class”). However, the Institutional High Yield Fund is also offered in a Z Class and the Institutional Floating Rate Fund is also offered in an F Class and a Z Class. Each class of a fund’s shares represents an interest in the same fund with the same investment program and investment policies. While the Institutional Class may be held directly with T. Rowe Price or through a financial intermediary, the F Class is designed to be purchased only through financial advisors and certain financial intermediaries and has a different cost structure due to a shareholder servicing arrangement that applies only to that class. The Z Class is only available to funds advised by T. Rowe Price and other advisory clients of T. Rowe Price or its affiliates that are subject to a contractual fee for investment management services.
This section generally describes investing only in the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds, other than the T. Rowe Price Institutional Cash Reserves Fund, which has unique policies relating to its operation as an institutional money market fund. This section does not describe the policies that apply to other T. Rowe Price Funds. Policies for other T. Rowe Price Funds are described in their respective prospectuses, and all types of funds and available share classes for the T. Rowe Price Funds are described more fully in the funds’ Statement of Additional Information.
Institutional Class
The Institutional Class may be purchased directly through T. Rowe Price or through a financial intermediary. The Institutional Class does not make any payments to financial intermediaries for distribution of the fund’s shares (commonly referred to as 12b-1 fee payments) and does not make any payments to financial intermediaries for administrative services they provide (commonly referred to as administrative fee payments). However, you may incur brokerage commissions and other charges when buying or selling Institutional Class shares.
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The Institutional Class is designed to be sold only to institutional investors, which include, but are not limited to: corporations, endowments and foundations, charitable trusts, investment companies and other pooled vehicles, defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans, broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks and bank trust programs, and Section 529 college savings plans. The Institutional Class generally requires a $1 million initial investment minimum, although the minimum may be waived for retirement plans, financial intermediaries maintaining omnibus accounts, and certain other accounts.
F Class
The F Class must be purchased through a financial intermediary. The F Class does not make any 12b-1 fee payments to financial intermediaries but may make administrative fee payments at an annual rate of up to 0.15% of the class’ average daily net assets.
The F Class is designed to be sold only through financial advisors and certain financial intermediaries, including brokers, banks, insurance companies, retirement plan recordkeepers, and other financial intermediaries. F Class shares are generally not available to financial intermediaries that would make the fund available to their customers through a mutual fund “supermarket” platform. There is a $2,500 minimum initial investment requirement, but the minimum is waived for certain types of accounts.
Z Class
The Z Class is only available to funds advised by T. Rowe Price and other advisory clients of T. Rowe Price or its affiliates that are subject to a contractual fee for investment management services. There is no minimum initial investment and no minimum for additional purchases. The Z Class does not impose sales charges and does not make any administrative fee payments or 12b-1 fee payments to financial intermediaries.
Administrative Fee Payments (F Class)
Certain financial intermediaries perform recordkeeping and administrative services for their clients that would otherwise be performed by the funds’ transfer agent. The F Class may make administrative fee payments to retirement plan recordkeepers, broker-dealers, and other financial intermediaries (at an annual rate of up to 0.15% of the class’ average daily net assets) for transfer agency, recordkeeping, and other administrative services they provide on behalf of the funds. These administrative services may include maintaining account records for each customer; transmitting purchase and redemption orders; delivering shareholder confirmations, statements, and tax forms; and providing support to respond to customers’ questions regarding their accounts. These separate administrative fee payments are reflected in the “Other expenses” line that appears in the fee table in Section 1 with respect to the fund’s F Class.
Some broker-dealers or other financial intermediaries that are eligible to purchase F Class shares of T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds may also be eligible to purchase the Institutional
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 25 |
Class. The Institutional Class shares require a much higher initial investment but have lower expenses than F Class shares because the Institutional Class does not participate in the administrative fee payment program. The payment of the administrative fee by the F Class creates a potential conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary to purchase F Class shares instead of Institutional Class shares. If this happens, you will incur higher expenses than if your financial intermediary had purchased Institutional Class shares on your behalf (assuming your financial intermediary would qualify to purchase Institutional Class shares). You should ask your salesperson for more information regarding the eligibility of your financial intermediary to purchase Institutional Class shares.
Additional Payments to Financial Intermediaries
In addition to the AFP payments made by the F Class of the Institutional Floating Rate Fund. T. Rowe Price or the fund’s distributor will, at their own expense, provide compensation to certain financial intermediaries that have sold shares of or provide shareholder or other services to the T. Rowe Price Funds, commonly referred to as revenue sharing. These payments may be in the form of asset-based, transaction-based, or flat payments. These payments are used to compensate third parties for distribution and shareholder servicing activities, including sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, or other services. Some of these payments may include expense reimbursements and meeting and marketing support payments (out of T. Rowe Price’s or the fund’s distributor’s own resources and not as an expense of the funds) to financial intermediaries, such as broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks, insurance companies, and retirement plan recordkeepers, in connection with the sale, distribution, marketing, and/or servicing of the T. Rowe Price Funds. The Statement of Additional Information provides more information about these payment arrangements.
The receipt of, or the prospect of receiving, these payments and expense reimbursements from T. Rowe Price or the fund’s distributor may influence intermediaries, plan sponsors, and other third parties to offer or recommend T. Rowe Price Funds over other investment options for which an intermediary does not receive additional compensation (or receives lower levels of additional compensation). In addition, financial intermediaries that receive these payments and/or expense reimbursements may elevate the prominence of the T. Rowe Price Funds by, for example, placing the T. Rowe Price Funds on a list of preferred or recommended funds and/or provide preferential or enhanced opportunities to promote the T. Rowe Price Funds in various ways. Since these additional payments are not paid by a fund directly, these arrangements do not increase fund expenses and will not change the price that an investor pays for shares of the T. Rowe Price Funds or the amount that is invested in a T. Rowe Price Fund on behalf of an investor. You may ask your financial intermediary for more information about any payments they receive from T. Rowe Price or the fund’s distributor.
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If you are opening an account through an employer-sponsored retirement plan or other financial intermediary, you should contact the retirement plan or financial intermediary for information regarding its policies on opening an account, including the policies relating to purchasing, exchanging, and redeeming shares, and the applicable initial and subsequent investment minimums.
Tax Identification Number
Institutional investors must provide T. Rowe Price with a valid taxpayer identification number (and valid Social Security numbers for individuals opening the account on behalf of the institution) on a signed new account form or Form W-9. Otherwise, federal law requires the funds to withhold a percentage of dividends, capital gain distributions, and redemptions and may subject the investor to an Internal Revenue Service fine. If this information is not received within 60 days after the account is established, the account may be redeemed at the fund’s then-current net asset value. Financial intermediaries opening an account in a fund must also enter into a separate agreement with the fund or its agent.
Important Information Required to Open a New Account
Pursuant to federal law, all financial institutions must obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person or entity that opens an account. This information is needed not only for the account owner and any other person who opens the account, but also for any person who has authority to act on behalf of the account. When you open an account for an entity, you will be required to provide the entity’s name, U.S. street address (post office boxes are not acceptable), and taxpayer identification number, as well as your name, U.S. street address (post office boxes are not acceptable), date of birth, and Social Security number as the person opening the account on behalf of the entity. Corporate and other institutional accounts require documents showing the existence of the entity (such as articles of incorporation or partnership agreements) to open an account. Certain other fiduciary accounts (such as trusts or power of attorney arrangements) require documentation, which may include an original or certified copy of the trust agreement or power of attorney, to open an account.
T. Rowe Price will use this information to verify the identity of the entity and person opening the account. An account cannot be opened until all of this information is received. If the identity of the entity or person opening the account on behalf of the entity cannot be verified, T. Rowe Price is authorized to take any action permitted by law. (See “Rights Reserved by the Funds” later in this section.)
Call Financial Institution Services at 1-800-638-8790 for more information on these requirements.
The Institutional Funds are generally available only to institutional investors with a U.S. address. T. Rowe Price will generally not authorize the transfer of ownership of an account in an Institutional Fund for an institutional investor to an account for a noninstitutional investor.
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Shares held directly with T. Rowe Price by noninstitutional investors are subject to involuntary redemption at any time, which could result in a taxable gain to the investor.
Opening an Account
Call Financial Institution Services at 1-800-638-8790 for an account number and wire transfer instructions. All initial purchases are typically made by bank wire, but checks or other forms of payment may be accepted in certain cases. In order to obtain an account number, you must supply the name, taxpayer identification number, and business street address for the account. Complete a new account form and mail it, along with proper documentation identifying your firm and any other necessary documentation, to one of the following addresses:
via U.S. mail T. Rowe
Price Financial Institution Services | via private carriers/overnight services T. Rowe
Price Financial Institution Services |
Note: Although the purchase will be made, services may not be established and an Internal Revenue Service penalty withholding may occur until we receive a signed new account form.
How and When Shares Are Priced
The trade date for your transaction request depends on the day and time that T. Rowe Price receives your request and will normally be executed using the next share price calculated after your order is received in correct form by T. Rowe Price or its agent (or by your financial intermediary if it has the authority to accept transaction orders on behalf of the fund). The share price, also called the net asset value, for each share class of a fund is calculated at the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which is normally 4 p.m. ET, each day that the NYSE is open for business. Net asset values are not calculated for the funds on days when the NYSE is scheduled to be closed for trading (for example, weekends and certain U.S. national holidays). If the NYSE is unexpectedly closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, or if the NYSE has an unscheduled early closing on a day it has opened for business, the funds reserve the right to treat such day as a business day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate their share price as of the normally scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE for that day.
To calculate the net asset value, a fund’s assets are valued and totaled, liabilities are subtracted, and each class’ proportionate share of the balance, called net assets, is divided by the number of shares outstanding of that class. Market values are used to price portfolio holdings for which market quotations are readily available. Market values generally reflect the prices at which securities actually trade or represent prices that have been adjusted based on evaluations and information provided by the fund’s pricing services. Investments in other mutual funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share of the mutual fund on the day of valuation. If a
T. ROWE PRICE | 28 |
market value for a portfolio holding is not available or normal valuation procedures are deemed to be inappropriate, the fund will make a good faith effort to assign a fair value to the holding by taking into account various factors and methodologies that have been approved by the fund’s Board. This value may differ from the value the fund receives upon sale of the securities. Amortized cost is used to price securities held by money market funds and certain short-term debt securities held by a fund.
The funds use various pricing services to provide closing market prices, as well as information used to adjust those prices and to value most fixed income securities. A fund cannot predict how often it will use closing prices and how often it will adjust those prices. As a means of evaluating its fair value process, the fund routinely compares closing market prices, the next day’s opening prices in the same markets, and adjusted prices.
Non-U.S. equity securities are valued on the basis of their most recent closing market prices at 4 p.m. ET, except under the following circumstances. Most foreign markets close before 4 p.m. ET. For example, the most recent closing prices for securities traded in certain Asian markets may be as much as 15 hours old at 4 p.m. ET. If a fund determines that developments between the close of a foreign market and the close of the NYSE will affect the value of some or all of the fund’s securities, the fund will adjust the previous closing prices to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities as of 4 p.m. ET. In deciding whether to make these adjustments, the fund reviews a variety of factors, including developments in foreign markets, the performance of U.S. securities markets, and the performance of instruments trading in U.S. markets that represent foreign securities and baskets of foreign securities.
A fund may also fair value certain securities or a group of securities in other situations—for example, when a particular foreign market is closed but the fund is open. For a fund that has investments in securities that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges that trade on weekends or other days when the fund does not price its shares, the fund’s net asset value may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem the fund’s shares. If an event occurs that affects the value of a security after the close of the market, such as a default of a commercial paper issuer or a significant move in short-term interest rates, a fund may make a price adjustment depending on the nature and significance of the event. The funds also evaluate a variety of factors when assigning fair values to private placements and other restricted securities. Other mutual funds may adjust the prices of their securities by different amounts or assign different fair values than the fair value that the fund assigns to the same security.
How the Trade Date Is Determined
If you invest directly with T. Rowe Price and your request to purchase, sell, or exchange shares is received by T. Rowe Price or its agent in correct form by the close of the NYSE (normally 4 p.m. ET), your transaction will be priced at that business day’s net asset value. If your request is received by T. Rowe Price or its agent in correct form after the close of the NYSE, your transaction will be priced at the next business day’s net asset value unless the fund has an agreement with your financial intermediary for orders to be priced at the net asset value next computed after receipt by the financial intermediary.
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The funds have authorized certain financial intermediaries or their designees to accept orders to buy or sell fund shares on their behalf. When authorized financial intermediaries receive an order in correct form, the order is considered as being placed with the fund and shares will be bought or sold at the net asset value next calculated after the order is received by the authorized financial intermediary. The financial intermediary must transmit the order to T. Rowe Price and pay for such shares in accordance with the agreement with T. Rowe Price, or the order may be canceled and the financial intermediary could be held liable for the losses. If the fund does not have such an agreement in place with your financial intermediary, T. Rowe Price or its agent must receive the request in correct form from your financial intermediary by the close of the NYSE in order for your transaction to be priced at that business day’s net asset value. Contact your financial intermediary for trade deadlines and the applicable policies for purchasing, selling, or exchanging your shares, as well as initial and subsequent investment minimums. The financial intermediary may charge a fee, such as transaction fees or brokerage commissions, for its services.
Note: There may be times when you are unable to contact us or access your account due to extreme market activity or other circumstances. Should this occur, your order must still be placed and received in correct form by T. Rowe Price (or by the financial intermediary in accordance with its agreement with T. Rowe Price) prior to the time the NYSE closes to be priced at that business day’s net asset value. The time at which transactions and shares are priced and the time until which orders are accepted may be changed in case of an emergency or if the NYSE closes at a time other than 4 p.m. ET. The funds reserve the right to not treat an unscheduled intraday disruption or closure in NYSE trading as a closure of the NYSE and still accept transactions and calculate their net asset value as of 4 p.m. ET.
Transaction Confirmations
T. Rowe Price sends immediate confirmations for most of your fund transactions. However, certain transactions, such as dividend reinvestments, do not receive an immediate transaction confirmation but are reported on your account statement. Please review transaction confirmations and account statements as soon as you receive them and promptly report any discrepancies to Financial Institution Services.
Preventing Unauthorized Transactions
The T. Rowe Price Funds and their agents use reasonably designed procedures to verify that telephone, electronic, and other instructions are genuine. These procedures include, among other things, recording telephone calls; requiring personalized security codes or other information online and certain identifying information for telephone calls; requiring Medallion signature guarantees for certain transactions and account changes; and promptly sending confirmations of transactions and address changes. For transactions conducted online, we recommend the use of a secure Internet browser.
T. Rowe Price Account Protection Program Shareholders who invest in the T. Rowe Price Funds directly are eligible for the Account Protection Program. The Account Protection Program restores eligible losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent activity, provided that you follow all security best practices when you access and maintain your account(s). T. Rowe Price
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reserves the right to modify or withdraw the Account Protection Program at any time. The Account Protection Program security best practices and additional information may be accessed online at https://www.troweprice.com/personal-investing/help/policies-and-security/account-protection-program.html.
If our verification procedures are followed, and the losses are not eligible to be restored under the Account Protection Program, the funds and their agents are not liable for any losses that may occur from acting on unauthorized instructions.
If you suspect any unauthorized account activity, notice errors or discrepancies in your T. Rowe Price account, or are not receiving your T. Rowe Price account statements, please contact T. Rowe Price immediately. Telephone conversations are recorded.
Purchasing Shares
Purchases may be initiated through the National Securities Clearing Corporation or by calling Financial Institution Services. All initial and subsequent investments are typically made by bank wire, although checks or other forms of payment may be accepted in certain cases. There is no assurance that the share price for a purchase will be the same day a wire was initiated.
The funds generally do not accept orders that request a particular day or price for a transaction or any other special conditions. However, when authorized by the fund, certain institutions, financial intermediaries, or retirement plans purchasing fund shares directly with T. Rowe Price may place a purchase order unaccompanied by payment. Payment for these shares must be received by the time designated by the fund (not to exceed the period established for settlement under applicable regulations). If payment is not received by this time, the order may be canceled. The institution, financial intermediary, or retirement plan is responsible for any costs or losses incurred by the fund or T. Rowe Price if payment is delayed or not received.
U.S. Dollars All purchases must be paid for in U.S. dollars; checks must be drawn on U.S. banks and should be payable to the T. Rowe Price Funds.
Nonpayment Purchases of a fund may be canceled if payment is not received in a timely manner, and the shareholder may be responsible for any losses or expenses incurred by the fund or its transfer agent. The funds and their agents have the right to reject or cancel any purchase, exchange, or redemption due to nonpayment.
Investment Minimums
The Institutional Class generally requires a $1 million minimum initial investment and the F Class generally requires a $2,500 minimum initial investment, although the minimums may be waived for financial intermediaries, retirement plans, and certain other institutional investors. In addition, we request that you give us at least three business days’ notice (seven business days’ notice for the Institutional Floating Rate Fund) for any purchase of $5 million or more. There is generally no minimum required for additional purchases.
You should check with your financial advisor, retirement plan, or financial intermediary to determine what minimum applies to your initial and additional investments.
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Exchanging and Redeeming Shares
Exchanges You can move money from one account to an existing, identically registered account or open a new identically registered account. An exchange from one fund to another will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service as a sale for tax purposes.
Redemptions Redemptions are typically initiated through the National Securities Clearing Corporation or by calling Financial Institution Services. Please note that certain redemption requests initiated through the National Securities Clearing Corporation may be rejected, and in such instances, the transaction must be placed by contacting a Financial Institution Services representative.
If for some reason we cannot accept your request to exchange or redeem shares, we will attempt to contact you.
If you request to redeem a specific dollar amount and the market value of your account is less than the amount of your request and we are unable to contact you, your redemption will not be processed and you will need to submit a new redemption request in correct form.
Receiving Redemption Proceeds Unless otherwise indicated, redemption proceeds will be sent via bank wire to the designated bank on file for the account. If a request is received in correct form by T. Rowe Price or its agent on a business day prior to the close of the NYSE, proceeds are usually sent on the next business day. Proceeds sent by bank wire are usually credited to an account the next business day after the sale. Redemption proceeds can be mailed to the account address by check if specifically requested. Normally, the fund transmits proceeds to financial intermediaries for redemption orders received in correct form on either the next business day or second business day after receipt of the order, depending on the arrangement with the financial intermediary. You must contact your financial intermediary about procedures for receiving your redemption proceeds.
Large Redemptions Large redemptions (for example, $250,000 or more) can adversely affect a portfolio manager’s ability to implement a fund’s investment strategy by causing the premature sale of securities that would otherwise be held longer. Therefore, the fund reserves the right (without prior notice) to redeem in kind. In general, any redemptions in-kind will represent a pro-rata distribution of a fund’s securities, subject to certain limited exceptions. The redeeming shareholder will be responsible for disposing of the securities, and the shareholder will be subject to the risks that the value of the securities could decline prior to their sale, the securities could be difficult to sell, and brokerage fees could be incurred. If you continue to hold the securities, you may be subject to any ownership restrictions imposed by the issuers. For example, real estate investment trusts often impose ownership restrictions on their equity securities.
Delays in Sending Redemption Proceeds
The T. Rowe Price Funds typically expect that it will take one to two days following the receipt of a redemption request that is in correct form to send redemption proceeds, regardless of the method the fund uses to make such payment (for example, check, wire, or Automated Clearing
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House transfer). Checks are typically mailed on the business day after the redemption, proceeds sent by wire are typically credited to your financial institution the business day after the redemption, and proceeds sent by Automated Clearing House are typically credited to your financial institution on the second business day after the redemption. However, under certain circumstances, and when deemed to be in a fund’s best interests, proceeds may not be sent for up to seven calendar days after receipt of a valid redemption order (for example, during periods of deteriorating or stressed market conditions or during extraordinary or emergency circumstances).
In addition, if shares are sold that were just purchased and paid for by check or Automated Clearing House transfer, the fund will process your redemption but will generally delay sending the proceeds for up to seven calendar days to allow the check or Automated Clearing House transfer to clear. If, during the clearing period, we receive a check drawn against your newly purchased shares, it will be returned and marked “uncollected.” (The seven-day hold does not apply to purchases paid for by bank wire or automatic purchases through payroll deduction.)
The Board of a retail or institutional money market fund may temporarily suspend redemptions from the fund for up to 10 business days during any 90-day period (i.e., a “redemption gate”) and elect to temporarily suspend redemptions for up to 10 business days in a 90-day period if the fund’s weekly liquid assets fall below 30% of its total assets and the fund’s Board determines that imposing a redemption gate is in the fund’s best interests. In addition, under certain limited circumstances, the Board of a retail or institutional money market fund may elect to permanently suspend redemptions in order to facilitate an orderly liquidation of the fund (subject to any additional liquidation requirements).
You may initiate transactions involving the Institutional Funds by telephone, by mail, or through the National Securities Clearing Corporation. The T. Rowe Price Funds and their agents use reasonable procedures to verify the identity of the person contacting T. Rowe Price and to ensure that the person is authorized to act on behalf of the account. If these procedures are followed, the funds and their agents are not liable for any losses that may occur from acting on unauthorized instructions. Please review the transaction confirmation carefully, and contact Financial Institution Services immediately about any transaction you believe to be unauthorized. Telephone conversations are recorded.
To place a transaction or make any inquiries regarding the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds, please call Financial Institution Services at 1-800-638-8790. To mail any information to T. Rowe Price regarding the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds, please use the following addresses:
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via U.S. mail T.
Rowe Price Financial Institution Services | via private carriers/overnight services T. Rowe
Price Financial Institution Services |
Note: If sending a check for a purchase, your transaction will receive the share price for the business day that the check is received by T. Rowe Price or its agent prior to the close of the NYSE (normally 4 p.m. ET), which could differ from the day that the check is received at the post office box.
If you hold shares of a T. Rowe Price Institutional Fund through a retirement plan or financial intermediary, you must contact your retirement plan or financial intermediary with any inquiries.
Involuntary Redemptions and Share Class Conversions
Shares held by any investors that no longer meet the definition of an institutional investor or fail to meet or maintain their account(s) at the investment minimum are subject to involuntary redemption at any time.
For all accounts in Institutional Funds (except for F Class accounts), to help keep operating expenses lower, we ask that you maintain an account balance of at least $1 million. If your investment falls below $1 million (even if due to market depreciation), we have the right to redeem your account at the then-current net asset value after giving you 60 days to increase your balance.
The redemption of your account could result in a taxable gain or loss.
For any F Class accounts that are no longer held through an eligible financial intermediary, we have the right to convert your account to the Institutional Class following notice to the financial intermediary or shareholder.
Excessive and Short-Term Trading Policy
Excessive transactions and short-term trading can be harmful to fund shareholders in various ways, such as disrupting a fund’s portfolio management strategies, increasing a fund’s trading and other costs, and negatively affecting its performance. Short-term traders in funds that invest in foreign securities may seek to take advantage of developments overseas that could lead to an anticipated difference between the price of the funds’ shares and price movements in foreign markets. While there is no assurance that T. Rowe Price can prevent all excessive and short-term trading, the Boards of the T. Rowe Price Funds have adopted the following trading limits that are designed to deter such activity and protect the funds’ shareholders. The funds may revise their trading limits and procedures at any time as the Boards deem necessary or appropriate to better detect short-term trading that may adversely affect the funds, to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, or to impose additional or alternative restrictions.
Subject to certain exceptions, each T. Rowe Price Fund restricts a shareholder’s purchases (including through exchanges) into a fund account for a period of 30 calendar days after the
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shareholder has redeemed or exchanged out of that same fund account (the “30-Day Purchase Block”). The calendar day after the date of redemption is considered Day 1 for purposes of computing the period before another purchase may be made.
General Exceptions As of the date of this prospectus, the following types of transactions generally are not subject to the funds’ excessive and short-term trading policy:
· Shares purchased or redeemed in money market funds and ultra short-term bond funds;
· Shares purchased or redeemed through a systematic purchase or withdrawal plan;
· Checkwriting redemptions from bond and money market funds;
· Shares purchased through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gain distributions;
· Shares redeemed automatically by a fund to pay fund fees or shareholder account fees;
· Transfers and changes of account registration within the same fund;
· Shares purchased by asset transfer or direct rollover;
· Shares purchased or redeemed through IRA conversions and recharacterizations;
· Shares redeemed to return an excess contribution from a retirement account;
· Transactions in Section 529 college savings plans;
· Certain transactions in defined benefit and nonqualified plans, subject to prior approval by T. Rowe Price;
· Shares converted from one share class to another share class in the same fund;
· Shares of T. Rowe Price Funds that are purchased by another T. Rowe Price Fund, including shares purchased by T. Rowe Price fund-of-funds products, and shares purchased by discretionary accounts managed by T. Rowe Price or one of its affiliates (please note that shareholders of the investing T. Rowe Price Fund are still subject to the policy);
· Transactions initiated by the trustee or adviser to a donor-advised charitable gift fund as approved by T. Rowe Price; and
· Transactions having a value of $5,000 or less (retirement plans, including those for which T. Rowe Price serves as recordkeeper, and other financial intermediaries may apply the excessive and short-term trading policy to transactions of any amount).
Transactions in certain rebalancing, asset allocation, wrap programs, and other advisory programs, as well as non-T. Rowe Price fund-of-funds products, may also be exempt from the 30-Day Purchase Block, subject to prior written approval by T. Rowe Price.
In addition to restricting transactions in accordance with the 30-Day Purchase Block, T. Rowe Price may, in its discretion, reject (or instruct a financial intermediary to reject) any purchase or exchange into a fund from a person (which includes individuals and entities) whose trading activity could disrupt the management of the fund or dilute the value of the fund’s shares, including trading by persons acting collectively (for example, following the advice of a newsletter). Such persons may be barred, without prior notice, from further purchases of T. Rowe Price Funds for a period longer than 30 calendar days, or permanently.
Financial Intermediary Accounts If you invest in T. Rowe Price Funds through a financial intermediary, including a retirement plan, you should review the financial intermediary’s or retirement plan’s materials carefully or consult with the financial intermediary or plan sponsor directly to determine the trading policy that will apply to your trades in the T. Rowe Price
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Funds as well as any other rules or conditions on transactions that may apply. If T. Rowe Price is unable to identify a transaction placed through a financial intermediary as exempt from the excessive trading policy, the 30-Day Purchase Block may apply.
Financial intermediaries may maintain their underlying accounts directly with the fund, although they often establish an omnibus account (one account with the fund that represents multiple underlying shareholder accounts) on behalf of their customers. When financial intermediaries establish omnibus accounts in the T. Rowe Price Funds, T. Rowe Price is not able to monitor the trading activity of the underlying shareholders. However, T. Rowe Price monitors aggregate trading activity at the financial intermediary (omnibus account) level in an attempt to identify activity that indicates potential excessive or short-term trading. If it detects such trading activity, T. Rowe Price may contact the financial intermediary to request personal identifying information and transaction histories for some or all underlying shareholders (including plan participants, if applicable) pursuant to a written agreement that T. Rowe Price has entered into with each financial intermediary. Any nonpublic personal information provided to the fund (for example, a shareholder’s taxpayer identification number or transaction records) is subject to the fund’s privacy policy. If T. Rowe Price believes that excessive or short-term trading has occurred and there is no exception for such trades under the funds’ Excessive and Short-Term Trading Policy as previously described, it will instruct the financial intermediary to impose restrictions to discourage such practices and take appropriate action with respect to the underlying shareholder, including restricting purchases for 30 calendar days or longer. Each financial intermediary has agreed to execute such instructions pursuant to a written agreement. There is no assurance that T. Rowe Price will be able to properly enforce its excessive trading policies for omnibus accounts. Because T. Rowe Price generally relies on financial intermediaries to provide information and impose restrictions for omnibus accounts, its ability to monitor and deter excessive trading will be dependent upon the intermediaries’ timely performance of their responsibilities.
T. Rowe Price may allow a financial intermediary or other third party to maintain restrictions on trading in the T. Rowe Price Funds that differ from the 30-Day Purchase Block. An alternative excessive trading policy would be acceptable to T. Rowe Price if it believes that the policy would provide sufficient protection to the T. Rowe Price Funds and their shareholders that is consistent with the excessive trading policy adopted by the funds’ Boards.
Retirement Plan Accounts If shares are held
in a retirement plan, generally the
30-Day Purchase Block applies only to shares redeemed by a participant-directed
exchange to another fund. However, the 30-Day Purchase Block may apply to transactions other than exchanges
depending on how shares of the plan are held at T. Rowe Price or the excessive trading policy applied
by your plan’s recordkeeper. An alternative excessive trading policy may apply to the T. Rowe Price
Funds where a retirement plan has its own policy deemed acceptable to T. Rowe Price. You should contact
T. Rowe Price or your plan recordkeeper to determine which of your transactions are subject to the funds’
30-Day Purchase Block or an alternative policy.
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There is no guarantee that T. Rowe Price will be able to identify or prevent all excessive or short-term trades or trading practices.
Unclaimed Accounts and Uncashed Checks
If your account has no activity for a certain period of time and/or mail sent to you from T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) is returned by the post office, T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) may be required to transfer your account and any assets related to uncashed checks to the appropriate state under its abandoned property laws. To avoid such action, it is important to keep your account address up to date and periodically contact T. Rowe Price at least once every two years.
Delivery of Shareholder Documents
If two or more accounts own the same fund, share the same address, and T. Rowe Price reasonably believes that the two accounts are part of the same institution, we may economize on fund expenses by mailing only one shareholder report and prospectus for the fund. If you do not want your mailings to be “householded,” please call Financial Institution Services.
Signature Guarantees
A Medallion signature guarantee is designed to protect you and the T. Rowe Price Funds from fraud by verifying your signature.
A signature guarantee may be required in certain situations, such as:
· Remitting redemption proceeds to any person, address, or bank account not on file or
· Changing the account registration or broker-dealer of record for an account.
Consult Financial Institution Services for specific requirements.
The signature guarantee must be obtained from a financial institution that is a participant in a Medallion signature guarantee program. You can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from certain banks, savings institutions, broker-dealers, and other guarantors acceptable to T. Rowe Price. When obtaining a Medallion signature guarantee, please discuss with the guarantor the dollar amount of your proposed transaction. It is important that the level of coverage provided by the guarantor’s stamp covers the dollar amount of the transaction or it may be rejected. We cannot accept guarantees from notaries public or organizations that do not provide reimbursement in the case of fraud.
Fund Operations and Shareholder Services
T. Rowe Price and The Bank of New York Mellon, subject to the oversight of T. Rowe Price, each provide certain accounting services to the T. Rowe Price Funds. T. Rowe Price Services, Inc., acts as the transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent and provides shareholder and administrative services to the funds. T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc., provides recordkeeping, sub-transfer agency, and administrative services for certain types of retirement plans investing in the funds. These companies receive compensation from the funds for their services. The F Class may also pay financial intermediaries for performing shareholder and administrative services for underlying shareholders in omnibus accounts. All of the fees
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discussed above are included in a fund’s financial statements and, except for funds that have an all-inclusive management fee, are also reflected in the “Other expenses” line that appears in a fund’s fee table in Section 1.
Each fund intends to qualify to be treated each year as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. In order to qualify, a fund must satisfy certain income, diversification, and distribution requirements. A regulated investment company is not subject to U.S. federal income tax at the portfolio level on income and gains from investments that are distributed to shareholders. However, if a fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company and was ineligible to or otherwise did not cure such failure, the result would be fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to the fund’s shareholders.
To the extent possible, all net investment income and realized capital gains are distributed to shareholders.
Dividends and Other Distributions
Dividend and capital gain distributions are reinvested in additional fund shares in your account unless you select another option on your new account form. Reinvesting distributions results in compounding, which allows you to receive dividends and capital gain distributions on an increasing number of shares.
Distributions not reinvested are paid by check or transmitted electronically to your bank account. If the U.S. Postal Service cannot deliver your check or if your check remains uncashed for six months, the fund reserves the right to reinvest your distribution check in your account at the net asset value on the day of the reinvestment and to reinvest all subsequent distributions in additional shares of the fund. Interest will not accrue on amounts represented by uncashed distributions or redemption checks.
The following table provides details on dividend payments:
Dividend Payment Schedule | |
Fund | Dividends |
Bond funds | · Shares normally begin to earn dividends on the business day after payment is received by T. Rowe Price. · Declared daily and paid on the first business day of each month. |
Stock funds | · Must be a shareholder on the dividend record date. · Declared and paid annually, if any, generally in December. |
Shares of bond funds will earn dividends through the date of redemption. Shares redeemed on a Friday or prior to a holiday will continue to earn dividends until the next business day.
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Generally, if you redeem all of your bond fund shares at any time during the month, you will also receive all dividends earned through the date of redemption in the same check. When you redeem only a portion of your bond fund shares, all dividends accrued on those shares will be reinvested, or paid in cash, on the next dividend payment date. The funds do not pay dividends in fractional cents. Any dividend amount earned for a particular day on all shares held that is one-half of one cent or greater (for example, $0.016) will be rounded up to the next whole cent ($0.02), and any amount that is less than one-half of one cent (for example, $0.014) will be rounded down to the nearest whole cent ($0.01). Please note that if the dividend payable on all shares held is less than one-half of one cent for a particular day, no dividend will be earned for that day.
If you purchase and redeem your shares through a financial intermediary, consult your financial intermediary to determine when your shares begin and stop accruing dividends as the information previously described may vary.
Capital Gain Payments
A capital gain or loss is the difference between the purchase and sale price of a security. If a fund has net capital gains for the year (after subtracting any capital losses), they are usually declared and paid in December to shareholders of record on a specified date that month. If a second distribution is necessary, it is generally paid the following year. A fund may have to make additional capital gain distributions, if necessary, to comply with the applicable tax law.
Tax Information
In most cases, you will be provided information for your tax filing needs no later than mid-February.
If you invest in the fund through a tax-deferred account, such as an IRA or employer-sponsored retirement plan, you will not be subject to tax on dividends and distributions from the fund or the sale of fund shares if those amounts remain in the tax-deferred account. You may receive a Form 1099-R or other Internal Revenue Service forms, as applicable, if any portion of the account is distributed to you.
If you invest in the fund through a taxable account, you generally will be subject to tax when:
· You sell fund shares, including an exchange from one fund to another.
· The fund makes dividend or capital gain distributions.
For individual shareholders, a portion of ordinary dividends representing “qualified dividend income” received by the fund may be subject to tax at the lower rates applicable to long-term capital gains rather than ordinary income. You may report it as “qualified dividend income” in computing your taxes, provided you have held the fund shares on which the dividend was paid for more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date. Ordinary dividends that do not qualify for this lower rate are generally taxable at the investor’s marginal income tax rate. This includes the portion of ordinary dividends derived from interest, short-term capital gains, income and gains from derivatives, distributions from nonqualified foreign corporations, distributions from real estate investment trusts, and
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dividends received by the fund from stocks that were on loan. Little, if any, of the ordinary dividends paid by the bond funds or money market funds is expected to qualify for this lower rate.
For corporate shareholders, a portion of ordinary dividends may be eligible for the deduction for dividends received by corporations to the extent the fund’s income consists of dividends paid by U.S. corporations. Little, if any, of the ordinary dividends paid by the international stock or bond funds is expected to qualify for this deduction.
A 3.8% net investment income tax is imposed on net investment income, including interest, dividends, and capital gains of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
If you hold your fund through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary is responsible for providing you with any necessary tax forms. You should contact your financial intermediary for the tax information that will be sent to you and reported to the Internal Revenue Service.
Taxes on Fund Redemptions
When you sell shares in any fund, you may realize a gain or loss. An exchange from one fund to another in a taxable account is also a sale for tax purposes.
All or a portion of the loss realized from a sale or exchange of your fund shares may be disallowed under the “wash sale” rule if you purchase substantially identical shares within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date on which the shares are sold or exchanged. Shares of the same fund you acquire through dividend reinvestment are shares purchased for the purpose of the wash sale rule and may trigger a disallowance of the loss for shares sold or exchanged within the 61-day period of the dividend reinvestment. Any loss disallowed under the wash sale rule is added to the cost basis of the purchased shares.
T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) will make available to you Form 1099-B, if applicable, no later than mid-February, providing certain information for each sale you made in the fund during the prior year. Unless otherwise indicated on your Form 1099-B, this information will also be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. For mutual fund shares acquired prior to 2012 in most accounts established or opened by exchange in 1984 or later, our Form 1099-B will provide you with the gain or loss on the shares you sold during the year based on the average cost single category method. This information on average cost and gain or loss from sale is not reported to the Internal Revenue Service. For these mutual fund shares acquired prior to 2012, you may calculate the cost basis using other methods acceptable to the Internal Revenue Service, such as specific identification.
For mutual fund shares acquired after 2011, federal income tax regulations require us to report the cost basis information on Form 1099-B using a cost basis method selected by the shareholder in compliance with such regulations or, in the absence of such selected method, our default method if you acquire your shares directly from T. Rowe Price. Our default method is average cost. For any fund shares acquired through a financial intermediary after 2011, you
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should check with your financial intermediary regarding the applicable cost basis method. You should, however, note that the cost basis information reported to you may not always be the same as what you should report on your tax return because the rules applicable to the determination of cost basis on Form 1099-B may be different from the rules applicable to the determination of cost basis for reporting on your tax return. Therefore, you should save your transaction records to make sure the information reported on your tax return is accurate. T. Rowe Price and financial intermediaries are not required to issue a Form 1099-B to report sales of money market fund shares.
To help you maintain accurate records, T. Rowe Price will make available to you a confirmation promptly following each transaction you make (except for systematic purchases and systematic redemptions) and a year-end statement detailing all of your transactions in each fund account during the year. If you hold your fund through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary is responsible for providing you with transaction confirmations and statements.
Taxes on Fund Distributions
T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) will make available to you, as applicable, generally no later than mid-February, a Form 1099-DIV, or other Internal Revenue Service forms, as required, indicating the tax status of any income dividends, dividends exempt from federal income taxes, and capital gain distributions made to you. This information will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. Taxable distributions are generally taxable to you in the year in which they are paid. A dividend declared in October, November, or December and paid in the following January is generally treated as taxable to you as if you received the distribution in December. Dividends from tax-free funds are generally expected to be tax-exempt for federal income tax purposes. Your bond fund dividends for each calendar year will include dividends accrued up to the first business day of the next calendar year. Ordinary dividends and capital gain dividends may also be subject to state and local taxes. You will be sent any additional information you need to determine your taxes on fund distributions, such as the portion of your dividends, if any, that may be exempt from state and local income taxes.
Taxable distributions are subject to tax whether reinvested in additional shares or received in cash.
The tax treatment of a capital gain distribution is determined by how long the fund held the portfolio securities, not how long you held the shares in the fund. Short-term (one year or less) capital gain distributions are taxable at the same rate as ordinary income, and gains on securities held more than one year are taxed at the lower rates applicable to long-term capital gains. If you realized a loss on the sale or exchange of fund shares that you held six months or less, your short-term capital loss must be reclassified as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributions received during the period you held the shares. For funds investing in foreign instruments, distributions resulting from the sale of certain foreign currencies, currency contracts, and the foreign currency portion of gains on debt instruments are taxed as ordinary income. Net foreign currency losses may cause monthly or quarterly dividends to be reclassified as returns of capital.
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A fund’s distributions that have exceeded the fund’s earnings and profits for the relevant tax year may be treated as a return of capital to its shareholders. A return of capital distribution is generally nontaxable but reduces the shareholder’s cost basis in the fund, and any return of capital in excess of the cost basis will result in a capital gain.
The tax status of certain distributions may be recharacterized on year-end tax forms, such as your Form 1099-DIV. Distributions made by a fund may later be recharacterized for federal income tax purposes—for example, from taxable ordinary income dividends to returns of capital. A recharacterization of distributions may occur for a number of reasons, including the recharacterization of income received from underlying investments, such as real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), and distributions that exceed taxable income due to losses from foreign currency transactions or other investment transactions. Certain funds, including international bond funds and funds that invest in REITs, are more likely to recharacterize a portion of their distributions as a result of their investments.
If the fund qualifies and elects to pass through nonrefundable foreign income taxes paid to foreign governments during the year, your portion of such taxes will be reported to you as taxable income. However, you may be able to claim an offsetting credit or deduction on your tax return for those amounts. There can be no assurance that a fund will meet the requirements to pass through foreign income taxes paid.
If you are subject to backup withholding, we will have to withhold a 24% backup withholding tax on distributions and, in some cases, redemption payments. You may be subject to backup withholding if we are notified by the Internal Revenue Service to withhold, you have failed one or more tax certification requirements, or our records indicate that your tax identification number is missing or incorrect. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and is generally available to credit against your federal income tax liability with any excess refunded to you by the Internal Revenue Service.
Tax Consequences of Hedging
Entering into certain transactions involving options, futures, swaps, and forward currency exchange contracts may result in the application of the mark-to-market and straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. These provisions could result in a fund being required to distribute gains on such transactions even though it did not close the contracts during the year or receive cash to pay such distributions. The fund may not be able to reduce its distributions for losses on such transactions to the extent of unrealized gains in offsetting positions.
Tax Consequences of Shareholder Turnover
If the fund’s portfolio transactions result in a net capital loss (i.e., an excess of capital losses over capital gains) for any year, the loss may be carried forward and used to offset future realized capital gains. However, its ability to carry forward such losses will be limited if the fund experiences an “ownership change” within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code. An ownership change generally results when shareholders owning 5% or more of the fund increase their aggregate holdings by more than 50 percentage points over a three-year period.
T. ROWE PRICE | 42 |
Because Institutional Funds may have only a few large shareholders, an ownership change can occur in the normal course of shareholder purchases and redemptions. The fund undertakes no obligation to avoid or prevent an ownership change. Moreover, because of circumstances beyond the fund’s control, there can be no assurance that the fund will not experience, or has not already experienced, an ownership change. An ownership change can reduce the fund’s ability to offset capital gains with losses, which could increase the amount of taxable gains that could be distributed to shareholders.
Tax Effect of Buying Shares Before an Income Dividend or Capital Gain Distribution
If you buy shares shortly before or on the record date—the date that establishes you as the person to receive the upcoming distribution—you may receive a portion of the money you just invested in the form of a taxable distribution. Therefore, you may wish to find out a fund’s record date before investing. In addition, a fund’s share price may, at any time, reflect undistributed capital gains or income and unrealized appreciation, which may result in future taxable distributions. Such distributions can occur even in a year when the fund has a negative return.
T. Rowe Price Funds and their agents, in their sole discretion, reserve the following rights: (1) to waive or lower investment minimums; (2) to accept initial purchases by telephone; (3) to refuse any purchase or exchange order; (4) to cancel or rescind any purchase or exchange order placed through a financial intermediary no later than the business day after the order is received by the financial intermediary (including, but not limited to, orders deemed to result in excessive trading, market timing, or 5% ownership); (5) to cease offering fund shares at any time to all or certain groups of investors; (6) to freeze any account and suspend account services when notice has been received of a dispute regarding the ownership of the account, or a legal claim against an account, upon initial notification to T. Rowe Price of a shareholder’s death until T. Rowe Price receives required documentation in correct form, or if there is reason to believe a fraudulent transaction may occur; (7) to otherwise modify the conditions of purchase and modify or terminate any services at any time; (8) to waive any wire, small account, maintenance, or fiduciary fees charged to a group of shareholders; (9) to act on instructions reasonably believed to be genuine; (10) to involuntarily redeem an account at the net asset value calculated the day the account is redeemed, in cases of threatening conduct, suspected fraudulent or illegal activity, or if the fund or its agent is unable, through its procedures, to verify the identity of the person(s) or entity opening an account; and (11) for money market funds, to suspend redemptions to facilitate an orderly liquidation.
The fund’s Statement of Additional Information, which contains a more detailed description of the fund’s operations, investment restrictions, policies and practices, has been filed with the SEC. The Statement of Additional Information is incorporated by reference into this prospectus, which means that it is legally part of this prospectus even if you do not request a copy. Further information about the fund’s investments, including a review of market conditions and the manager’s recent investment strategies and their impact on performance during the past fiscal year, is available in the annual and semiannual shareholder reports. These documents and updated performance information are available through troweprice.com. For inquiries about the fund and to obtain free copies of any of these documents, call 1-800-638-8790. If you invest in the fund through a financial intermediary, you should contact your financial intermediary for copies of these documents.
Fund reports and other fund information are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at publicinfo@sec.gov.
T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. |
1940 Act File No. 811-5833 | E177-040 3/1/20 |
PROSPECTUS March 1, 2020 | ||||
T. ROWE PRICE | ||||
TRCEX | Institutional International Core Equity Fund | |||
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by SEC regulations, paper copies of the T. Rowe Price funds’ annual and semiannual shareholder reports will no longer be mailed, unless you specifically request them. Instead, shareholder reports will be made available on the funds’ website (troweprice.com/prospectus), and you will be notified by mail with a website link to access the reports each time a report is posted to the site. If you already elected to receive reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and need not take any action. At any time, shareholders who invest directly in T. Rowe Price funds may generally elect to receive reports or other communications electronically by enrolling at troweprice.com/paperless or, if you are a retirement plan sponsor or invest in the funds through a financial intermediary (such as an investment advisor, broker-dealer, insurance company, or bank), by contacting your representative or your financial intermediary. You may elect to continue receiving paper copies of future shareholder reports free of charge. To do so, if you invest directly with T. Rowe Price, please call T. Rowe Price as follows: IRA, nonretirement account holders, and institutional investors, 1-800-225-5132; small business retirement accounts, 1-800-492-7670. If you are a retirement plan sponsor or invest in the T. Rowe Price funds through a financial intermediary, please contact your representative or financial intermediary, or follow additional instructions if included with this document. Your election to receive paper copies of reports will apply to all funds held in your account with your financial intermediary or, if you invest directly in the T. Rowe Price funds, with T. Rowe Price. Your election can be changed at any time in the future. | ||||
Table of Contents
1 | SUMMARY | ||
2 | MORE ABOUT THE FUND | ||
More Information About the Fund’s | |||
3 | INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS | ||
Investing with T. Rowe Price 22 Payments to Financial Intermediaries 23 Policies for Opening an Account 25 Pricing of Shares and Transactions 26 General Policies and Requirements 31 |
SUMMARY | 1 | |
The fund seeks long-term growth of capital through investments in the common stocks of non-U.S. companies.
Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the fund. You may also incur brokerage commissions and other charges when buying or selling shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the table.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
Annual
fund operating expenses | ||
Management fees | 0.65 | % |
Other expenses | 0.73 | |
Total annual fund operating expenses | 1.38 | |
Fee waiver/expense reimbursement | (0.63 | )a |
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver/expense reimbursement | 0.75 | a |
a T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., has contractually agreed (through February 28, 2021) to waive its fees and/or bear any expenses (excluding interest; expenses related to borrowings, taxes, and brokerage; nonrecurring, extraordinary expenses; and acquired fund fees and expenses) that would cause the ratio of expenses to exceed 0.75% of the class' average daily net assets. The agreement may only be terminated at any time after February 28, 2021, with approval by the fund’s Board of Directors. Fees waived and expenses paid under this agreement (and a previous limitation of 0.75%) are subject to reimbursement to T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., by the fund whenever the expense ratio is below 0.75%. However, no reimbursement will be made more than three years from the date such amounts were initially waived or reimbursed. The fund may only make repayments to T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., if such repayment does not cause the expense ratio (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed the lesser of: (1) the expense limitation in place at the time such amounts were waived; or (2) the current expense limitation.
Example This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods, that your investment has a 5% return each year, and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example also assumes that any current expense limitation arrangement remains in place for the period noted in the table above; therefore, the figures have been adjusted to reflect fee waivers or expense reimbursements only in the periods for which the expense limitation arrangement is expected to continue. 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 |
$77 | $375 | $695 | $1,603 |
T. ROWE PRICE | 2 |
Portfolio Turnover The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when the fund’s shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 32.9% of the average value of its portfolio.
Investments, Risks, and Performance
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund expects to invest significantly outside the U.S. and to diversify broadly among developed markets and, to a lesser extent, emerging market countries throughout the world. The fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets (including any borrowings for investment purposes) in non-U.S. stocks and at least 65% of its net assets in stocks of large-cap companies. For purposes of determining whether the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in non-U.S. stocks, the fund relies on the country assigned to a security by MSCI Inc. or another unaffiliated data provider. The fund may at times invest significantly in certain sectors, such as the financials sector.
The fund takes a core approach to investing, which provides some exposure to both growth and value styles of investing. The adviser relies on a global research team to search for particularly promising stocks. The adviser will select securities that the adviser believes have the most favorable combination of company fundamentals and valuation.
In selecting investments, the adviser generally favors companies with one or more of the following characteristics:
· attractive business niche with potential for earnings growth;
· attractive valuation relative to the company’s peers or its own historical norm;
· barriers to entry in its business;
· seasoned management;
· healthy balance sheet; and
· potential to grow dividends or conduct share repurchases.
The fund may sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into more promising opportunities.
Principal Risks
As with any fund, there is no guarantee that the fund will achieve its objective(s). The fund’s share price fluctuates, which means you could lose money by investing in the fund. The principal risks of investing in this fund, which may be even greater during periods of market disruption or volatility, are summarized as follows.
International investing Investing in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involves special risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. Non-U.S. securities tend to be more volatile and have lower overall liquidity than investments in U.S. securities and may lose value because of adverse local, political, social, or economic developments overseas, or due to
SUMMARY | 3 |
changes in the exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. In addition, investments outside the U.S. are subject to settlement practices and regulatory and financial reporting standards that differ from those of the U.S. The risks of investing outside the U.S. are heightened for any investments in emerging markets, which are susceptible to greater volatility than investments in developed markets.
Large-cap stocks Securities issued by large-cap companies tend to be less volatile than securities issued by smaller companies. However, larger companies may not be able to attain the high growth rates of successful smaller companies, especially during strong economic periods, and may be unable to respond as quickly to competitive challenges.
Investing in Europe The European financial markets have been experiencing increased volatility due to concerns over rising government debt levels of several European countries, and these events may continue to significantly affect all of Europe. European economies could be significantly affected by, among other things, rising unemployment, the imposition or unexpected elimination of fiscal and monetary controls by member countries of the European Economic and Monetary Union, uncertainty surrounding the euro, the success of governmental actions to reduce budget deficits, and ongoing uncertainties surrounding Brexit, the formal withdrawal by the United Kingdom from the European Union.
Investing in Asia Many Asian economies have at various times been negatively affected by inflation, currency devaluations, an over-reliance on international trade and exports, political and social instability, and less developed financial systems and securities trading markets. Trade restrictions, unexpected decreases in exports, changes in government policies, or natural disasters could have a significant impact on companies doing business in Asia. The Asian region may be significantly affected by political unrest, military conflict, economic sanctions, and less demand for Asian products and services.
Investing in Japan The Japanese economy has at times been negatively affected by government intervention and protectionism, excessive regulation, an unstable financial services sector, a heavy reliance on international trade, and natural disasters. Some of these factors, as well as other adverse political developments, increases in government debt, and changes in fiscal, monetary, or trade policies, may affect the Japanese economy.
Investing in United Kingdom The risks of investing in the United Kingdom have been heightened as a result of Brexit, the formal steps taken by the United Kingdom to exit the European Union, which has resulted in increased volatility and triggered political, economic, and legal uncertainty. Despite a formal withdrawal deal, negotiations are ongoing and uncertainty remains as to the final terms and consequences of Brexit. Issuers in the United Kingdom may experience lower growth until negotiations and new agreements are finalized.
Sector exposure At times, the fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of issuers conducting business in a broadly related group of industries within the same economic sector. Issuers in the same economic sector may be similarly affected by economic or market events, making the fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that economic sector than funds that invest more broadly.
T. ROWE PRICE | 4 |
Stock investing Stocks generally fluctuate in value more than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. The value of stocks held by the fund may decline due to general weakness or volatility in the stock markets in which the fund invests or because of factors that affect a particular company or industry.
Active management The fund’s overall investment program and holdings selected by the fund’s investment adviser may underperform the broad markets, relevant indices, or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.
Performance
The following performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The fund’s performance information represents only past performance (before and after taxes) and is not necessarily an indication of future results.
The following bar chart illustrates how much returns can differ from year to year by showing calendar year returns and the best and worst calendar quarter returns during those years for the fund.
The following table shows the average annual total returns for the fund, and also compares the returns with the returns of a relevant broad-based market index, as well as with the returns of one or more comparative indexes that have investment characteristics similar to those of the fund, if applicable.
SUMMARY | 5 |
In addition, the table shows hypothetical after-tax returns to demonstrate how taxes paid by a shareholder may influence returns. 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 investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as a 401(k) account or an IRA.
Average Annual Total Returns |
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| Returns before taxes | 23.14 | % |
| 5.95 | % |
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| 6.16 | % |
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| Returns after taxes on distributions | 22.66 |
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| and sale of fund shares | 14.41 |
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a Return since 10/27/10.
b Return since 10/31/10.
Updated performance information is available through troweprice.com.
Management
Investment Adviser T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (T. Rowe Price or Price Associates)
Portfolio Manager | Title | Managed | Joined |
Raymond A. Mills, Ph.D. | Chairman of Investment Advisory Committee | 2010 | 1997 |
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The fund generally requires a $1 million minimum initial investment and there is no minimum for additional purchases, although the initial investment minimum may be waived for certain types of accounts held through a retirement plan, financial advisor, or other financial intermediary.
For investors holding shares of the fund directly with T. Rowe Price, you may purchase, redeem, or exchange fund shares by mail or by telephone (1-800-638-8790). You may only
T. ROWE PRICE | 6 |
purchase and redeem shares of the fund via bank wire or through an exchange with another T. Rowe Price fund.
If you hold shares through a financial intermediary or retirement plan, you must purchase, redeem, and exchange shares of the fund through your intermediary or retirement plan. You should check with your intermediary or retirement plan to determine the investment minimums that apply to your account.
Tax Information
Any dividends or capital gains are declared and paid annually, usually in December. Redemptions or exchanges of fund shares and distributions by the fund, whether or not you reinvest these amounts in additional fund shares, generally may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains unless you invest through a tax-deferred account (in which case you will be taxed upon withdrawal from such account).
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other
financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
MORE ABOUT THE FUND | 2 | |
Investment Adviser(s)
T. Rowe Price is the fund’s investment adviser and oversees the selection of the fund’s investments and management of the fund’s portfolio pursuant to an investment management agreement between the investment adviser and the fund. T. Rowe Price is an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides investment management services to individual and institutional investors, and sponsors and serves as adviser and subadviser to registered investment companies, institutional separate accounts, and common trust funds. The address for T. Rowe Price is 100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. As of December 31, 2019, T. Rowe Price and its affiliates (the “Firm”) had approximately $1.21 trillion in assets under management and provided investment management services for more than 7 million individual and institutional investor accounts.
Portfolio Management
T. Rowe Price has established an Investment Advisory Committee with respect to the fund. The committee chairman is ultimately responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund’s portfolio and works with the committee in developing and executing the fund’s investment program. The members of the committee are as follows: Raymond A. Mills, Ph.D., Chairman, Archibald Ciganer, Richard N. Clattenburg, Jeffrey Holford, Anh Lu, Todd Reese, Sebastian Schrott, John C.A. Sherman, and Zenon Voyiatzis. The following information provides the year that the chairman (portfolio manager) first joined the Firm and the chairman’s specific business experience during the past five years (although the chairman may have had portfolio management responsibilities for a longer period). Mr. Mills has been chairman of the committee since the fund’s inception in 2010. He joined the Firm in 1997 and his investment experience dates from that time. He has served as a portfolio manager with the Firm throughout the past five years. The Statement of Additional Information provides additional information about the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager, and the portfolio manager’s ownership of the fund’s shares.
The Management Fee
The fund pays the investment adviser an annual investment management fee based on 0.65% of the fund's average daily net assets. The fund calculates and accrues the fee daily.
A discussion about the factors considered by the fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) and its conclusions in approving the fund’s investment management agreement (and any subadvisory agreement, if applicable) appear in the fund’s semiannual report to shareholders for the period ended April 30.
T. ROWE PRICE | 8 |
Investment Objective(s)
The fund seeks long-term growth of capital through investments in the common stocks of non-U.S. companies.
The investment objective is a fundamental policy and shareholder approval is required to substantially change it. As with any fund, there is no guarantee the fund will achieve its objective.
Principal Investment Strategies
Consider your investment goals, your time horizon for achieving them, and your tolerance for risk. The fund may be appropriate for you if you are seeking diversification for your equity investments and can accept the risks that accompany foreign investments. Your decision should take into account whether you have any other foreign stock investments. The fund may be appropriate if you seek to invest in a fund that is broadly diversified among developed and emerging non-U.S. markets.
The fund takes a core approach to investing, which provides some exposure to both growth and value styles of investing. The fund generally seeks stocks with the most favorable combination of fundamentals and valuation.
The market may reward growth stocks with price increases when earnings expectations are met or exceeded. Funds that employ a growth-oriented approach to stock selection rely on the premise that by investing in companies that increase their earnings faster than both inflation and the overall economy, the market will eventually reward those companies with a higher stock price. The fund’s successful implementation of a growth-oriented strategy may lead to long-term growth of capital over time.
Funds that employ a value-oriented approach to stock selection seek to invest in companies whose stock prices are low in relation to the value of their assets or future prospects. By identifying companies whose stocks are currently out of favor or undervalued, value funds attempt to realize significant appreciation as other investors recognize the stock’s intrinsic value and the price rises accordingly. Generally, careful selection of stocks having value characteristics can, over time, limit the downside risk of a value-oriented portfolio compared with the broad market. In addition, stocks whose prices are below a company’s intrinsic value may offer the potential for substantial capital appreciation.
Investing a portion of your overall portfolio in stock funds with foreign holdings can enhance your diversification and increase your available investment opportunities.
The fund typically focuses its investments more on developed foreign countries than on emerging market countries. As a result, the fund may at times have significant investments in the United Kingdom and other developed European countries, as well as Japan.
MORE ABOUT THE FUND | 9 |
Portfolio managers closely monitor the fund’s investments as well as political and economic trends in the countries and regions in which the fund invests. Holdings are adjusted according to the portfolio manager’s analysis and outlook. The impact of unfavorable developments in a particular country may be reduced when investments are spread among many countries. However, the economies and financial markets of countries in a certain region may be heavily influenced by one another.
Principal Risks
The principal risks associated with the fund’s principal investment strategies include the following:
International investing Investments outside the U.S. may lose value because of declining foreign currencies or adverse political or economic events overseas, among other things. Securities of non-U.S. issuers (including depositary receipts and other instruments that represent interests in a non-U.S. issuer) tend to be more volatile than U.S. securities and are subject to trading markets with lower overall liquidity, governmental interference, and regulatory and accounting standards and settlement practices that differ from the U.S. The fund could experience losses based solely on the weakness of foreign currencies in which the fund’s holdings are denominated versus the U.S. dollar, and changes in the exchange rates between such currencies and the U.S. dollar. Risks can result from differing regulatory environments, less stringent investor protections, uncertain tax laws, and higher transaction costs compared to U.S. markets. Investments outside the U.S. could be subject to governmental actions such as capital or currency controls, nationalization of a company or industry, expropriation of assets, or imposition of high taxes.
A trading market may close for national holidays or without warning for extended time periods, preventing the fund from buying or selling securities in that market. Trading securities in which the fund invests may take place in various foreign markets on certain days when the fund is not open for business and does not calculate its net asset value. For example, the fund may invest in securities that trade in various foreign markets that are open on weekends. As the securities trade, their value may substantially change. As a result, the fund’s net asset value may be significantly affected on days when shareholders cannot make transactions. In addition, market volatility may significantly limit the liquidity of securities of certain issuers in a particular country or geographic region, or of all companies in the country or region. The fund may be unable to liquidate its positions in such securities at any time, or at a favorable price, in order to meet the fund’s obligations.
Large-cap stocks Although stocks issued by larger companies tend to have less overall volatility than stocks issued by smaller companies, larger companies may not be able to attain the high growth rates of successful smaller companies, especially during strong economic periods. In addition, larger companies may be less capable of responding quickly to competitive challenges and industry changes, and may suffer sharper price declines as a result of earnings disappointments.
T. ROWE PRICE | 10 |
Investing in Europe The Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union (EU) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels, and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of certain EU countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have been experiencing volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect every country in Europe, including countries that do not use the euro. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks, and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest, and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets, and asset valuations around the world.
The risks of investing in Europe have been heightened as a result of Brexit. Although the United Kingdom has formally left the EU with a withdrawal deal, there is significant uncertainty as to the final terms that may be negotiated during the transition period. Among other things, the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the EU has resulted in increased volatility and illiquidity in economies throughout Europe, as well as the broader global economy. In addition, uncertainty regarding the final trade arrangements and other consequences of Brexit may lead to instability in the foreign exchange markets, including volatility in the value of the euro. If one or more additional countries chooses to withdraw from the EU and/or abandon use of the euro as a currency, the impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, could be significant and far-reaching.
Investing in Asia Certain Asian economies have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and overextension of credit. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization, and there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Adverse events in any one Asian country, such as a currency devaluation, may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside Asia. In addition, some Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic, and social conditions. Increased political and social unrest, economic sanctions, military conflicts, and reduced spending on products and services produced in Asia could cause significant economic uncertainty and declines in the region. The Asian region, and particularly China and South Korea, may be adversely affected by political, military, economic, and other factors related to North Korea.
Investing in Japan The growth of Japan’s economy historically has lagged that of its Asian neighbors and other major developed economies. The Japanese economy is heavily dependent
MORE ABOUT THE FUND | 11 |
on international trade and has been adversely affected by trade tariffs, other protectionist measures, competition from emerging economies, and the economic conditions of its trading partners. Japan’s neighbors, in particular China, have become increasingly important export markets. Despite a deepening in the economic relationship between Japan and China, the countries’ political relationship has at times been strained in recent years. Should political tension increase, it could adversely affect the economy, especially the export sector, and destabilize the entire Asian region. Japan also remains heavily dependent on oil imports, and higher commodity prices could therefore have a negative impact on the Japanese economy. The Japanese economy faces several other concerns, including a financial system with large levels of nonperforming loans, over-leveraged corporate balance sheets, extensive cross-ownership by major corporations, a changing corporate governance structure, and large government deficits. These issues may cause a slowdown of the Japanese economy. The Japanese yen has fluctuated widely at times, and any increase in its value may cause a decline in exports that could weaken the Japanese economy. Japan has, in the past, intervened in the currency markets to attempt to maintain or reduce the value of the yen. Japanese intervention in the currency markets could cause the value of the yen to fluctuate sharply and unpredictably and could cause losses to investors. In addition, Japan has an aging workforce and has experienced a significant population decline in recent years. Japan’s labor market appears to be undergoing fundamental structural changes, as a labor market traditionally accustomed to lifetime employment adjusts to meet the need for increased labor mobility, which may adversely affect Japan’s economic competitiveness.
Investing in United Kingdom The United Kingdom is one of the largest economies in Europe and is a substantial trading partner of the U.S. and mainland Europe. As a result, the United Kingdom’s economy may be impacted by changes to the economic condition of the U.S. and other European countries. Brexit will establish new economic relationships and trade agreements across Europe. Negotiations have been ongoing for several years regarding the United Kingdom’s political and economic relationship with the European Union, and a withdrawal deal was entered into January 31, 2020, with a transition period during 2020. As a result, there is still considerable uncertainty as to the final terms that may be negotiated during the transition. The political, economic, and legal consequences of the failure to negotiate adequate trade deals could be severe and companies with a significant amount of business in the United Kingdom may experience lower revenue and/or profit growth as a result.
Sector exposure At times, the fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of issuers conducting business in a related group of industries within the same economic sector. Issuers within the same economic sector may be similarly affected by specific market events impacting that sector. As a result, the fund is more susceptible to adverse developments affecting an economic sector in which the fund has significant investments and may perform poorly during a downturn in one or more of the industries within that economic sector.
Stock investing The fund’s share price can fall because of weakness in the overall stock markets, a particular industry, or specific holdings. Stock markets as a whole can be volatile and decline for many reasons, such as adverse local, political, regulatory, or economic
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developments; changes in investor psychology; or heavy institutional selling at the same time by major institutional investors in the market, such as mutual funds, pension funds, and banks. The prospects for an industry or company may deteriorate because of a variety of factors, including disappointing earnings or changes in the competitive environment. In addition, the adviser’s assessment of companies whose stocks are held by the fund may prove incorrect, resulting in losses or poor performance, even in rising markets. In the event an issuer is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of owners of the issuer’s bonds and preferred stock take precedence over the claims of those who own common stock.
Active management The investment adviser’s judgments about the attractiveness, value, or potential appreciation of the fund’s investments may prove to be incorrect. The fund could underperform other funds with a similar benchmark or similar investment program if the fund’s investment selections or overall strategies fail to produce the intended results.
Additional Strategies and Risks
In addition to the principal investment strategies and principal risks previously described, the fund may employ other, non-principal investment strategies and may be subject to other risks, which are described in the following paragraphs.
The fund may, to a limited extent, use derivatives such as futures contracts and forward currency exchange contracts. Any investments in futures would typically serve as an efficient means of gaining exposure to certain markets or as a cash management tool to maintain liquidity while being invested in the market. Forward currency exchange contracts would primarily be used to settle trades in a foreign currency or to help protect the fund’s holdings from unfavorable changes in foreign currency exchange rates, although other currency hedging techniques may be used from time to time. To the extent the fund uses futures and forward currency exchange contracts, it is exposed to potential volatility and losses greater than direct investments in the contracts’ underlying assets, and the risk that anticipated currency movements will not be accurately predicted.
Derivatives Derivatives typically involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the assets on which the derivative is based. Certain derivatives can be highly volatile, lack liquidity, and be difficult to value. Changes in the value of a derivative may not properly correlate with changes in the value of the underlying asset, reference rate, or index. The fund could be exposed to significant losses if it is unable to close a derivative position due to the lack of a liquid trading market. Derivatives involve the risk that a counterparty to the derivatives agreement will fail to make required payments or comply with the terms of the agreement. There is also the possibility that limitations or trading restrictions may be imposed by an exchange or government regulation, which could adversely impact the value and liquidity of a derivatives contract subject to such regulation. Recent regulations have changed the requirements related to the use of certain derivatives. Some of these new regulations have limited the availability of certain derivatives and made their use by funds more costly. It is expected that additional changes to the regulatory framework will occur, but the extent and impact of additional new regulations are not certain at this time.
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Cybersecurity breaches The fund may be subject to operational and information security risks resulting from breaches in cybersecurity. Cybersecurity breaches may involve deliberate attacks and unauthorized access to the digital information systems (for example, through “hacking” or malicious software coding) used by the fund or its third-party service providers but may also result from outside attacks such as denial-of-service attacks. These breaches may, among other things, result in financial losses to the fund and its shareholders, cause the fund to lose proprietary information, disrupt business operations, or result in the unauthorized release of confidential information. Further, cybersecurity breaches involving the fund’s third-party service providers, trading counterparties, or issuers in which the fund invests could subject the fund to many of the same risks associated with direct breaches.
This section provides a more detailed description of the various types of portfolio holdings and investment practices that may be used by the fund to execute its overall investment program. Some of these holdings and investment practices are considered to be principal investment strategies of the fund and have already been described earlier in this prospectus while others are considered non-principal. Any of the following holdings and investment practices that were not already described in Section 1 of this prospectus are considered non-principal investment practices, but they may be used by the fund from time-to-time to help achieve its investment objective. The fund’s investments may be subject to further restrictions and risks described in the Statement of Additional Information. Shareholders will receive at least 60 days’ prior notice of a change in the fund’s policy requiring it to normally invest at least 80% of its net assets in non-U.S. stocks.
The fund’s holdings in certain kinds of investments cannot exceed maximum percentages as set forth in this prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information. For instance, there are limitations regarding the fund’s investments in certain types of derivatives. While these restrictions provide a useful level of detail about the fund’s investments, investors should not view them as an accurate gauge of the potential risk of such investments. For example, in a given period, a 5% investment in derivatives could have a significantly greater impact on the fund’s share price than its weighting in the portfolio. The net effect of a particular investment depends on its volatility and the size of its overall return in relation to the performance of all of the fund’s investments.
Certain investment restrictions, such as a required minimum or maximum investment in a particular type of security, are measured at the time the fund purchases a security. The status, market value, maturity, duration, credit quality, or other characteristics of the fund’s securities may change after they are purchased, and this may cause the amount of the fund’s assets invested in such securities to exceed the stated maximum restriction or fall below the stated minimum restriction. If any of these changes occur, it would not be considered a violation of the investment restriction and will not require the sale of an investment if it was proper at the
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time the investment was made (this exception does not apply to the fund’s borrowing policy). However, certain changes will require holdings to be sold or purchased by the fund during the time it is above or below the stated percentage restriction in order for the fund to be in compliance with applicable restrictions.
The fund relies on the country assigned to a security by MSCI Inc., a thirty-party provider of benchmark indexes and data services, or another unaffiliated data provider. The fund also relies on MSCI Inc. or another unaffiliated data provider to determine which countries are considered emerging markets. The data providers use various criteria to determine the country to which a security is economically tied. Examples include the following: (1) the country under which the issuer is organized; (2) the location of the issuer’s principal place of business or principal office; (3) where the issuer’s securities are listed or traded principally on an exchange or over-the-counter market; and (4) where the issuer conducts the predominant part of its business activities or derives a significant portion (e.g., at least 50%) of its revenues or profits.
Changes in the fund’s holdings, the fund’s performance, and the contribution of various investments to the fund’s performance are discussed in the shareholder reports.
Portfolio managers have considerable discretion in choosing investment strategies and selecting securities they believe will help achieve the fund’s objective.
Types of Portfolio Securities
In seeking to meet its investment objective, the fund may invest in any type of security or instrument (including certain potentially high-risk derivatives described in this section) whose investment characteristics are consistent with its investment program. The following pages describe various types of the fund’s holdings and investment management practices, some of which are also described as part of the fund’s principal investment strategies.
The fund’s investments are primarily in common stocks and, to a lesser degree, other types of securities as follows:
Common and Preferred Stocks
Stocks represent shares of ownership in a company. Generally, preferred stocks have a specified dividend rate and rank after bonds and before common stocks in their claim on income for dividend payments and on assets should the company be liquidated. After other claims are satisfied, common stockholders participate in company profits on a pro-rata basis and profits may be paid out in dividends or reinvested in the company to help it grow. Increases and decreases in earnings are usually reflected in a company’s stock price, so common stocks generally have the greatest appreciation and depreciation potential of all corporate securities. Unlike common stock, preferred stock does not ordinarily carry voting rights. While most preferred stocks pay a dividend, the fund may decide to purchase preferred stock where the issuer has suspended, or is in danger of suspending, payment of its dividend. The fund may purchase American Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts, which are certificates evidencing ownership of shares of a foreign issuer. American Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts trade on established markets and are alternatives to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their local markets and currencies. Such investments are
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subject to many of the same risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities. For purposes of the fund’s investment policies, investments in depositary receipts are deemed to be investments in the underlying securities. For example, a depositary receipt representing ownership of common stock will be treated as common stock.
Convertible Securities and Warrants
The fund may invest in debt instruments or preferred equity securities that are convertible into, or exchangeable for, equity securities at specified times in the future and according to a certain exchange ratio. Convertible bonds are typically callable by the issuer, which could in effect force conversion before the holder would otherwise choose. Traditionally, convertible securities have paid dividends or interest at rates higher than common stocks but lower than nonconvertible securities. They generally participate in the appreciation or depreciation of the underlying stock into which they are convertible, but to a lesser degree than common stock. Some convertible securities combine higher or lower current income with options and other features. Warrants are options to buy, directly from the issuer, a stated number of shares of common stock at a specified price anytime during the life of the warrants (generally, two or more years). Warrants have no voting rights, pay no dividends, and can be highly volatile. In some cases, the redemption value of a warrant could be zero.
Participation Notes (P-notes)
The fund may gain exposure to securities traded in foreign markets through investments in P-notes. P-notes are generally issued by banks or broker-dealers and are designed to offer a return linked to an underlying common stock or other security. An investment in a P-note involves additional risks beyond the risks normally associated with a direct investment in the underlying security. While the holder of a P-note is entitled to receive from the broker-dealer or bank any dividends paid by the underlying security, the holder is not entitled to the same rights (e.g., voting rights) as a direct owner of the underlying security. P-notes are considered general unsecured contractual obligations of the banks or broker-dealers that issue them as the counterparty. As such, the fund must rely on the creditworthiness of the counterparty for its investment returns on the P-notes, and could lose the entire value of its investment in the event of default by a counterparty. Additionally, there is no assurance that there will be a secondary trading market for a P-note or that the trading price of a P-note will equal the value of the underlying security.
Futures and Options
Futures are often used to establish exposures or manage or hedge risk because they enable the investor to buy or sell an asset in the future at an agreed-upon price. Options may be used to generate additional income, to enhance returns, or as a defensive technique to protect against anticipated declines in the value of an asset. Call options give the investor the right to purchase (when the investor purchases the option), or the obligation to sell (when the investor “writes” or sells the option), an asset at a predetermined price in the future. Put options give the purchaser of the option the right to sell, or the seller (or “writer”) of the option the obligation to buy, an asset at a predetermined price in the future. Futures and options contracts may be bought or sold for any number of reasons, including to manage exposure to changes in interest
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rates, bond prices, foreign currencies, and credit quality; as an efficient means of increasing or decreasing the fund’s exposure to certain markets; in an effort to enhance income; to improve risk-adjusted returns; to protect the value of portfolio securities; and to serve as a cash management tool. Call or put options may be purchased or sold on securities, futures, financial indexes, and foreign currencies. The fund may choose to continue a futures contract by “rolling over” an expiring futures contract into an identical contract with a later maturity date. This could increase the fund’s transaction costs and portfolio turnover rate.
Futures and options contracts may not always be successful investments or hedges; their prices can be highly volatile; using them could lower the fund’s total return; the potential loss from the use of futures can exceed the fund’s initial investment in such contracts; and the losses from certain options written by the fund could be unlimited.
Currency Derivatives
The fund will normally conduct any foreign currency exchange transactions either on a spot (i.e., cash) basis at the spot rate prevailing in the foreign currency exchange market, or through entering into forward contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies. The fund will generally not enter into a forward contract with a term greater than one year. The fund may enter into forward currency exchange contracts to “lock in” the U.S. dollar price of a security when it enters into a contract for the purchase or sale of a security denominated in a foreign currency, and when the fund believes that the currency of a particular foreign country may move substantially against another currency, it may enter into a forward contract to sell or buy the former foreign currency.
A fund that invests in foreign securities may attempt to hedge its exposure to potentially unfavorable currency changes. The primary means of doing this is through the use of forward currency exchange contracts, which are contracts between two counterparties to exchange one currency for another on a future date at a specified exchange rate. The fund may also use these instruments to create a synthetic bond, which is issued in one currency with the currency component transformed into another currency. However, futures, swaps, and options on foreign currencies may also be used. In certain circumstances, the fund may use currency derivatives to substitute a different currency for the currency in which the investment is denominated, a strategy known as proxy hedging. If the fund were to engage in any of these foreign currency transactions, it could serve to protect its foreign securities from adverse currency movements relative to the U.S. dollar, although the fund may also use currency derivatives in an effort to gain exposure to a currency expected to appreciate in value versus other currencies. As a result, the fund could be invested in a currency without holding any securities denominated in that currency. Such transactions involve, among other risks, the risk that anticipated currency movements will not occur, which could reduce the fund’s total return. There are certain markets, including many emerging markets, where it is not possible to engage in effective foreign currency hedging.
Hedging may result in the application of the mark-to-market and straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. These provisions could result in an increase (or decrease) in the
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amount of taxable dividends paid by the fund and could affect whether dividends paid by the fund are classified as capital gains or ordinary income.
Investments in Other Investment Companies
The fund may invest in other investment companies, including open-end funds, closed-end funds, and exchange-traded funds.
The fund may purchase the securities of another investment company to temporarily gain exposure to a portion of the market while awaiting the purchase of securities or as an efficient means of gaining exposure to a particular asset class. The fund might also purchase shares of another investment company, including shares of other mutual funds sponsored and managed by T. Rowe Price (“T. Rowe Price Funds”), to gain exposure to the securities in the investment company’s portfolio at times when the fund may not be able to buy those securities directly, or as a means of gaining efficient and cost-effective exposure to certain asset classes. Any investment in another investment company would be consistent with the fund’s objective and investment program.
The risks of owning another investment company are generally similar to the risks of investing directly in the securities in which that investment company invests. However, an investment company may not achieve its investment objective or execute its investment strategy effectively, which may adversely affect the fund’s performance. In addition, because closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds trade on a secondary market, their shares may trade at a premium or discount to the actual net asset value of their portfolio securities and their shares may have greater volatility if an active trading market does not exist.
As a shareholder of another investment company, the fund must pay its pro-rata share of that investment company’s fees and expenses. The fund’s investments in non-T. Rowe Price investment companies are subject to the limits that apply to investments in other funds under the Investment Company Act of 1940 or under any applicable exemptive order.
Investments in other investment companies could allow the fund to obtain the benefits of a more diversified portfolio than might otherwise be available through direct investments in a particular asset class, and will subject the fund to the risks associated with the particular asset class or asset classes in which an underlying fund invests. Examples of asset classes in which other mutual funds (including T. Rowe Price Funds) focus their investments include high yield bonds, inflation-linked securities, floating rate loans, international bonds, emerging market bonds, stocks of companies involved in activities related to real assets, stocks of companies that focus on a particular industry or sector, and emerging market stocks. If the fund invests in another T. Rowe Price Fund, the management fee paid by the fund will be reduced to ensure that the fund does not incur duplicate management fees as a result of its investment.
Illiquid Investments
Some of the fund’s holdings may be considered illiquid because they are subject to legal or contractual restrictions on resale or because they cannot reasonably be expected to be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. The determination of
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liquidity involves a variety of factors. Illiquid investments may include private placements that are sold directly to a small number of investors, usually institutions. Unlike public offerings, such securities are not registered with the SEC. Although certain of these securities may be readily sold (for example, pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933) and therefore deemed liquid, others may have resale restrictions and be considered illiquid. The sale of illiquid investments may involve substantial delays and additional costs, and the fund may only be able to sell such investments at prices substantially lower than what it believes they are worth. In addition, the fund’s investments in illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the fund because it may be unable to sell such investments at an advantageous time, which could prevent the fund from taking advantage of other investment opportunities.
Types of Investment Management Practices
Reserve Position
A certain portion of the fund’s assets may be held in reserves. The fund’s reserve positions will primarily consist of: (1) shares of a T. Rowe Price internal money market fund or short-term bond fund (which do not charge any management fees); (2) short-term, high-quality U.S. and foreign dollar-denominated money market securities, including repurchase agreements; and (3) U.S. dollar or non-U.S. dollar currencies. In order to respond to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions, the fund may assume a temporary defensive position that is inconsistent with its principal investment objective(s) and/or strategies and may invest, without limitation, in reserves. If the fund has significant holdings in reserves, it could compromise its ability to achieve its objective(s). The reserve position provides flexibility in meeting redemptions, paying expenses, and managing cash flows into the fund and can serve as a short-term defense during periods of unusual market volatility. Non-U.S. dollar reserves are subject to currency risk.
Borrowing Money and Transferring Assets
The fund may borrow from banks, other persons, and other T. Rowe Price Funds for temporary or emergency purposes, to facilitate redemption requests, or for other purposes consistent with the fund’s policies as set forth in this prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information. Such borrowings may be collateralized with the fund’s assets, subject to certain restrictions.
Borrowings may not exceed 33⅓% of the fund’s total assets. This limitation includes any borrowings for temporary or emergency purposes, applies at the time of the transaction, and continues to the extent required by the Investment Company Act of 1940.
Meeting Redemption Requests
We expect that the fund will hold cash or cash equivalents to meet redemption requests. The fund may also use the proceeds from the sale of portfolio securities to meet redemption requests if consistent with the management of the fund. These redemption methods will be used regularly and may also be used in deteriorating or stressed market conditions. The fund reserves the right to pay redemption proceeds with securities from the fund’s portfolio rather than in cash (redemptions in-kind), as described under “Large Redemptions.” Redemptions in-kind are typically used to meet redemption requests that represent a large percentage of the
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fund’s net assets in order to minimize the effect of large redemptions on the fund and its remaining shareholders. In general, any redemptions in-kind will represent a pro-rata distribution of the fund’s securities, subject to certain limited exceptions. Redemptions in-kind may be used regularly in circumstances as described above and may also be used in stressed market conditions.
The fund, along with other T. Rowe Price Funds, is a party to an interfund lending exemptive order received from the SEC that permits the T. Rowe Price Funds to borrow money from and/or lend money to other T. Rowe Price Funds to help the funds meet short-term redemptions and liquidity needs.
During periods of deteriorating or stressed market conditions, when an increased portion of the fund’s portfolio may be composed of holdings with reduced liquidity or lengthy settlement periods, or during extraordinary or emergency circumstances, the fund may be more likely to pay redemption proceeds with cash obtained through interfund lending or short-term borrowing arrangements (if available), or by redeeming a large redemption request in-kind.
Lending of Portfolio Securities
The fund may lend its securities to broker-dealers, other institutions, or other persons to earn additional income. Risks include the potential insolvency of the broker-dealer or other borrower that could result in delays in recovering securities and capital losses. Additionally, losses could result from the reinvestment of collateral received on loaned securities in investments that decline in value, default, or do not perform as well as expected. Cash collateral from securities lending is invested in the T. Rowe Price Short-Term Fund.
The Statement of Additional Information contains more detailed information about the fund and its investments, operations, and expenses.
Portfolio Turnover
Turnover is an indication of frequency of trading. Each time the fund purchases or sells a security, it incurs a cost. This cost is reflected in the fund’s net asset value but not in its operating expenses. The higher the turnover rate, the higher the transaction costs and the greater the impact on the fund’s total return. Higher turnover can also increase the possibility of taxable capital gain distributions. The fund’s portfolio turnover rates are shown in the Financial Highlights table.
The Financial Highlights table, which provides information about the fund’s financial history, is based on a single share outstanding throughout the periods shown. The table is part of the fund’s financial statements, which are included in its annual report and are incorporated by reference into the Statement of Additional Information (available upon request). The financial statements in the annual report were audited by the fund’s independent registered public accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.
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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS | For a share outstanding throughout each period |
Year | 10/31/18 | 10/31/17 | 10/31/16 | 10/31/15 | ||||||||||||||||
NET ASSET VALUE |
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||||
Beginning of period | $ | 12.50 | $ | 13.96 | $ | 11.22 | $ | 11.71 | $ | 12.33 | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Investment activities | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income(1) (2) | 0.27 | 0.40 | 0.27 | 0.26 | 0.27 | |||||||||||||||
Net realized
and unrealized | 0.91 | (1.61 | ) | 2.73 | (0.51 | ) | (0.50 | ) | ||||||||||||
Total from investment activities | 1.18 | (1.21 | ) | 3.00 | (0.25 | ) | (0.23 | ) | ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Distributions | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income | (0.91 | ) | (0.25 | ) | (0.26 | ) | (0.23 | ) | (0.39 | ) | ||||||||||
Net realized gain | – | – | – | (0.01 | ) | – | ||||||||||||||
Total distributions | (0.91 | ) | (0.25 | ) | (0.26 | ) | (0.24 | ) | (0.39 | ) | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
NET ASSET VALUE | $ | 12.77 | $ | 12.50 | $ | 13.96 | $ | 11.22 | $ | 11.71 | ||||||||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total return(2) (3) | 10.63 | % | (8.84 | )% | 27.35 | % | (2.09 | )% | (1.79 | )% | ||||||||||
Ratios to average net assets:(2) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gross expenses before | 1.38 | % | 0.86 | % | 0.84 | % | 0.86 | % | 0.88 | % | ||||||||||
Net expenses after | 0.75 | % | 0.75 | % | 0.75 | % | 0.75 | % | 0.75 | % | ||||||||||
Net investment income | 2.25 | % | 2.85 | % | 2.13 | % | 2.37 | % | 2.20 | % | ||||||||||
Portfolio turnover rate | 32.9 | % | 32.3 | % | 11.5 | % | 22.1 | % | 18.0 | % | ||||||||||
Net
assets, end of period (in | $ | 32,574 | $ | 46,930 | $ | 182,208 | $ | 128,268 | $ | 163,071 |
(1) Per share amounts calculated using average shares outstanding method.
(2) Includes the impact of expense-related arrangements with Price Associates.
(3) Total return reflects the rate that an investor would have earned on an investment in the fund during each period, assuming reinvestment of all distributions, and payment of no redemption or account fees, if applicable.
Most T. Rowe Price Funds disclose their calendar quarter-end portfolio holdings on troweprice.com 15 calendar days after each quarter. At the discretion of the investment adviser, these holdings reports may exclude the issuer name and other information relating to a
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holding in order to protect the fund’s interests and prevent harm to the fund or its shareholders. In addition, most T. Rowe Price Funds disclose their 10 largest holdings, along with the percentage of the relevant fund’s total assets that each of the 10 holdings represents, on troweprice.com on the seventh business day after each month-end. These holdings are listed in numerical order based on such percentages of the fund’s assets. A description of T. Rowe Price’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of portfolio information is available in the Statement of Additional Information.
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 3 | |
The following policies and procedures apply to the Institutional Funds within the T. Rowe Price Funds.
This section of the prospectus describes the policies and procedures that generally apply to investments in the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds (except for the T. Rowe Price Institutional Cash Reserves Fund). The T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds may be purchased directly from T. Rowe Price or through a financial intermediary, such as a bank, broker, retirement plan recordkeeper, or financial advisor.
Most of the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds are available only in a single share class (referred to as the “Institutional Class”). However, the Institutional High Yield Fund is also offered in a Z Class and the Institutional Floating Rate Fund is also offered in an F Class and a Z Class. Each class of a fund’s shares represents an interest in the same fund with the same investment program and investment policies. While the Institutional Class may be held directly with T. Rowe Price or through a financial intermediary, the F Class is designed to be purchased only through financial advisors and certain financial intermediaries and has a different cost structure due to a shareholder servicing arrangement that applies only to that class. The Z Class is only available to funds advised by T. Rowe Price and other advisory clients of T. Rowe Price or its affiliates that are subject to a contractual fee for investment management services.
This section generally describes investing only in the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds, other than the T. Rowe Price Institutional Cash Reserves Fund, which has unique policies relating to its operation as an institutional money market fund. This section does not describe the policies that apply to other T. Rowe Price Funds. Policies for other T. Rowe Price Funds are described in their respective prospectuses, and all types of funds and available share classes for the T. Rowe Price Funds are described more fully in the funds’ Statement of Additional Information.
Institutional Class
The Institutional Class may be purchased directly through T. Rowe Price or through a financial intermediary. The Institutional Class does not make any payments to financial intermediaries for distribution of the fund’s shares (commonly referred to as 12b-1 fee payments) and does not make any payments to financial intermediaries for administrative services they provide (commonly referred to as administrative fee payments). However, you may incur brokerage commissions and other charges when buying or selling Institutional Class shares.
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 23 |
The Institutional Class is designed to be sold only to institutional investors, which include, but are not limited to: corporations, endowments and foundations, charitable trusts, investment companies and other pooled vehicles, defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans, broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks and bank trust programs, and Section 529 college savings plans. The Institutional Class generally requires a $1 million initial investment minimum, although the minimum may be waived for retirement plans, financial intermediaries maintaining omnibus accounts, and certain other accounts.
F Class
The F Class must be purchased through a financial intermediary. The F Class does not make any 12b-1 fee payments to financial intermediaries but may make administrative fee payments at an annual rate of up to 0.15% of the class’ average daily net assets.
The F Class is designed to be sold only through financial advisors and certain financial intermediaries, including brokers, banks, insurance companies, retirement plan recordkeepers, and other financial intermediaries. F Class shares are generally not available to financial intermediaries that would make the fund available to their customers through a mutual fund “supermarket” platform. There is a $2,500 minimum initial investment requirement, but the minimum is waived for certain types of accounts.
Z Class
The Z Class is only available to funds advised by T. Rowe Price and other advisory clients of T. Rowe Price or its affiliates that are subject to a contractual fee for investment management services. There is no minimum initial investment and no minimum for additional purchases. The Z Class does not impose sales charges and does not make any administrative fee payments or 12b-1 fee payments to financial intermediaries.
Administrative Fee Payments (F Class)
Certain financial intermediaries perform recordkeeping and administrative services for their clients that would otherwise be performed by the funds’ transfer agent. The F Class may make administrative fee payments to retirement plan recordkeepers, broker-dealers, and other financial intermediaries (at an annual rate of up to 0.15% of the class’ average daily net assets) for transfer agency, recordkeeping, and other administrative services they provide on behalf of the funds. These administrative services may include maintaining account records for each customer; transmitting purchase and redemption orders; delivering shareholder confirmations, statements, and tax forms; and providing support to respond to customers’ questions regarding their accounts. These separate administrative fee payments are reflected in the “Other expenses” line that appears in the fee table in Section 1 with respect to the fund’s F Class.
Some broker-dealers or other financial intermediaries that are eligible to purchase F Class shares of T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds may also be eligible to purchase the Institutional
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Class. The Institutional Class shares require a much higher initial investment but have lower expenses than F Class shares because the Institutional Class does not participate in the administrative fee payment program. The payment of the administrative fee by the F Class creates a potential conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary to purchase F Class shares instead of Institutional Class shares. If this happens, you will incur higher expenses than if your financial intermediary had purchased Institutional Class shares on your behalf (assuming your financial intermediary would qualify to purchase Institutional Class shares). You should ask your salesperson for more information regarding the eligibility of your financial intermediary to purchase Institutional Class shares.
Additional Payments to Financial Intermediaries
In addition to the AFP payments made by the F Class of the Institutional Floating Rate Fund. T. Rowe Price or the fund’s distributor will, at their own expense, provide compensation to certain financial intermediaries that have sold shares of or provide shareholder or other services to the T. Rowe Price Funds, commonly referred to as revenue sharing. These payments may be in the form of asset-based, transaction-based, or flat payments. These payments are used to compensate third parties for distribution and shareholder servicing activities, including sub-accounting, sub-transfer agency, or other services. Some of these payments may include expense reimbursements and meeting and marketing support payments (out of T. Rowe Price’s or the fund’s distributor’s own resources and not as an expense of the funds) to financial intermediaries, such as broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks, insurance companies, and retirement plan recordkeepers, in connection with the sale, distribution, marketing, and/or servicing of the T. Rowe Price Funds. The Statement of Additional Information provides more information about these payment arrangements.
The receipt of, or the prospect of receiving, these payments and expense reimbursements from T. Rowe Price or the fund’s distributor may influence intermediaries, plan sponsors, and other third parties to offer or recommend T. Rowe Price Funds over other investment options for which an intermediary does not receive additional compensation (or receives lower levels of additional compensation). In addition, financial intermediaries that receive these payments and/or expense reimbursements may elevate the prominence of the T. Rowe Price Funds by, for example, placing the T. Rowe Price Funds on a list of preferred or recommended funds and/or provide preferential or enhanced opportunities to promote the T. Rowe Price Funds in various ways. Since these additional payments are not paid by a fund directly, these arrangements do not increase fund expenses and will not change the price that an investor pays for shares of the T. Rowe Price Funds or the amount that is invested in a T. Rowe Price Fund on behalf of an investor. You may ask your financial intermediary for more information about any payments they receive from T. Rowe Price or the fund’s distributor.
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If you are opening an account through an employer-sponsored retirement plan or other financial intermediary, you should contact the retirement plan or financial intermediary for information regarding its policies on opening an account, including the policies relating to purchasing, exchanging, and redeeming shares, and the applicable initial and subsequent investment minimums.
Tax Identification Number
Institutional investors must provide T. Rowe Price with a valid taxpayer identification number (and valid Social Security numbers for individuals opening the account on behalf of the institution) on a signed new account form or Form W-9. Otherwise, federal law requires the funds to withhold a percentage of dividends, capital gain distributions, and redemptions and may subject the investor to an Internal Revenue Service fine. If this information is not received within 60 days after the account is established, the account may be redeemed at the fund’s then-current net asset value. Financial intermediaries opening an account in a fund must also enter into a separate agreement with the fund or its agent.
Important Information Required to Open a New Account
Pursuant to federal law, all financial institutions must obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person or entity that opens an account. This information is needed not only for the account owner and any other person who opens the account, but also for any person who has authority to act on behalf of the account. When you open an account for an entity, you will be required to provide the entity’s name, U.S. street address (post office boxes are not acceptable), and taxpayer identification number, as well as your name, U.S. street address (post office boxes are not acceptable), date of birth, and Social Security number as the person opening the account on behalf of the entity. Corporate and other institutional accounts require documents showing the existence of the entity (such as articles of incorporation or partnership agreements) to open an account. Certain other fiduciary accounts (such as trusts or power of attorney arrangements) require documentation, which may include an original or certified copy of the trust agreement or power of attorney, to open an account.
T. Rowe Price will use this information to verify the identity of the entity and person opening the account. An account cannot be opened until all of this information is received. If the identity of the entity or person opening the account on behalf of the entity cannot be verified, T. Rowe Price is authorized to take any action permitted by law. (See “Rights Reserved by the Funds” later in this section.)
Call Financial Institution Services at 1-800-638-8790 for more information on these requirements.
The Institutional Funds are generally available only to institutional investors with a U.S. address. T. Rowe Price will generally not authorize the transfer of ownership of an account in an Institutional Fund for an institutional investor to an account for a noninstitutional investor.
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Shares held directly with T. Rowe Price by noninstitutional investors are subject to involuntary redemption at any time, which could result in a taxable gain to the investor.
Opening an Account
Call Financial Institution Services at 1-800-638-8790 for an account number and wire transfer instructions. All initial purchases are typically made by bank wire, but checks or other forms of payment may be accepted in certain cases. In order to obtain an account number, you must supply the name, taxpayer identification number, and business street address for the account. Complete a new account form and mail it, along with proper documentation identifying your firm and any other necessary documentation, to one of the following addresses:
via U.S. mail T. Rowe Price Financial Institution Services | via private carriers/overnight services T. Rowe Price Financial Institution Services |
Note: Although the purchase will be made, services may not be established and an Internal Revenue Service penalty withholding may occur until we receive a signed new account form.
How and When Shares Are Priced
The trade date for your transaction request depends on the day and time that T. Rowe Price receives your request and will normally be executed using the next share price calculated after your order is received in correct form by T. Rowe Price or its agent (or by your financial intermediary if it has the authority to accept transaction orders on behalf of the fund). The share price, also called the net asset value, for each share class of a fund is calculated at the close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), which is normally 4 p.m. ET, each day that the NYSE is open for business. Net asset values are not calculated for the funds on days when the NYSE is scheduled to be closed for trading (for example, weekends and certain U.S. national holidays). If the NYSE is unexpectedly closed due to weather or other extenuating circumstances on a day it would typically be open for business, or if the NYSE has an unscheduled early closing on a day it has opened for business, the funds reserve the right to treat such day as a business day and accept purchase and redemption orders and calculate their share price as of the normally scheduled close of regular trading on the NYSE for that day.
To calculate the net asset value, a fund’s assets are valued and totaled, liabilities are subtracted, and each class’ proportionate share of the balance, called net assets, is divided by the number of shares outstanding of that class. Market values are used to price portfolio holdings for which market quotations are readily available. Market values generally reflect the prices at which securities actually trade or represent prices that have been adjusted based on evaluations and information provided by the fund’s pricing services. Investments in other mutual funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share of the mutual fund on the day of valuation. If a
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market value for a portfolio holding is not available or normal valuation procedures are deemed to be inappropriate, the fund will make a good faith effort to assign a fair value to the holding by taking into account various factors and methodologies that have been approved by the fund’s Board. This value may differ from the value the fund receives upon sale of the securities. Amortized cost is used to price securities held by money market funds and certain short-term debt securities held by a fund.
The funds use various pricing services to provide closing market prices, as well as information used to adjust those prices and to value most fixed income securities. A fund cannot predict how often it will use closing prices and how often it will adjust those prices. As a means of evaluating its fair value process, the fund routinely compares closing market prices, the next day’s opening prices in the same markets, and adjusted prices.
Non-U.S. equity securities are valued on the basis of their most recent closing market prices at 4 p.m. ET, except under the following circumstances. Most foreign markets close before 4 p.m. ET. For example, the most recent closing prices for securities traded in certain Asian markets may be as much as 15 hours old at 4 p.m. ET. If a fund determines that developments between the close of a foreign market and the close of the NYSE will affect the value of some or all of the fund’s securities, the fund will adjust the previous closing prices to reflect what it believes to be the fair value of the securities as of 4 p.m. ET. In deciding whether to make these adjustments, the fund reviews a variety of factors, including developments in foreign markets, the performance of U.S. securities markets, and the performance of instruments trading in U.S. markets that represent foreign securities and baskets of foreign securities.
A fund may also fair value certain securities or a group of securities in other situations—for example, when a particular foreign market is closed but the fund is open. For a fund that has investments in securities that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges that trade on weekends or other days when the fund does not price its shares, the fund’s net asset value may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem the fund’s shares. If an event occurs that affects the value of a security after the close of the market, such as a default of a commercial paper issuer or a significant move in short-term interest rates, a fund may make a price adjustment depending on the nature and significance of the event. The funds also evaluate a variety of factors when assigning fair values to private placements and other restricted securities. Other mutual funds may adjust the prices of their securities by different amounts or assign different fair values than the fair value that the fund assigns to the same security.
How the Trade Date Is Determined
If you invest directly with T. Rowe Price and your request to purchase, sell, or exchange shares is received by T. Rowe Price or its agent in correct form by the close of the NYSE (normally 4 p.m. ET), your transaction will be priced at that business day’s net asset value. If your request is received by T. Rowe Price or its agent in correct form after the close of the NYSE, your transaction will be priced at the next business day’s net asset value unless the fund has an agreement with your financial intermediary for orders to be priced at the net asset value next computed after receipt by the financial intermediary.
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The funds have authorized certain financial intermediaries or their designees to accept orders to buy or sell fund shares on their behalf. When authorized financial intermediaries receive an order in correct form, the order is considered as being placed with the fund and shares will be bought or sold at the net asset value next calculated after the order is received by the authorized financial intermediary. The financial intermediary must transmit the order to T. Rowe Price and pay for such shares in accordance with the agreement with T. Rowe Price, or the order may be canceled and the financial intermediary could be held liable for the losses. If the fund does not have such an agreement in place with your financial intermediary, T. Rowe Price or its agent must receive the request in correct form from your financial intermediary by the close of the NYSE in order for your transaction to be priced at that business day’s net asset value. Contact your financial intermediary for trade deadlines and the applicable policies for purchasing, selling, or exchanging your shares, as well as initial and subsequent investment minimums. The financial intermediary may charge a fee, such as transaction fees or brokerage commissions, for its services.
Note: There may be times when you are unable to contact us or access your account due to extreme market activity or other circumstances. Should this occur, your order must still be placed and received in correct form by T. Rowe Price (or by the financial intermediary in accordance with its agreement with T. Rowe Price) prior to the time the NYSE closes to be priced at that business day’s net asset value. The time at which transactions and shares are priced and the time until which orders are accepted may be changed in case of an emergency or if the NYSE closes at a time other than 4 p.m. ET. The funds reserve the right to not treat an unscheduled intraday disruption or closure in NYSE trading as a closure of the NYSE and still accept transactions and calculate their net asset value as of 4 p.m. ET.
Transaction Confirmations
T. Rowe Price sends immediate confirmations for most of your fund transactions. However, certain transactions, such as dividend reinvestments, do not receive an immediate transaction confirmation but are reported on your account statement. Please review transaction confirmations and account statements as soon as you receive them and promptly report any discrepancies to Financial Institution Services.
Preventing Unauthorized Transactions
The T. Rowe Price Funds and their agents use reasonably designed procedures to verify that telephone, electronic, and other instructions are genuine. These procedures include, among other things, recording telephone calls; requiring personalized security codes or other information online and certain identifying information for telephone calls; requiring Medallion signature guarantees for certain transactions and account changes; and promptly sending confirmations of transactions and address changes. For transactions conducted online, we recommend the use of a secure Internet browser.
T. Rowe Price Account Protection Program Shareholders who invest in the T. Rowe Price Funds directly are eligible for the Account Protection Program. The Account Protection Program restores eligible losses due to unauthorized or fraudulent activity, provided that you follow all security best practices when you access and maintain your account(s). T. Rowe Price
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reserves the right to modify or withdraw the Account Protection Program at any time. The Account Protection Program security best practices and additional information may be accessed online at https://www.troweprice.com/personal-investing/help/policies-and-security/account-protection-program.html.
If our verification procedures are followed, and the losses are not eligible to be restored under the Account Protection Program, the funds and their agents are not liable for any losses that may occur from acting on unauthorized instructions.
If you suspect any unauthorized account activity, notice errors or discrepancies in your T. Rowe Price account, or are not receiving your T. Rowe Price account statements, please contact T. Rowe Price immediately. Telephone conversations are recorded.
Purchasing Shares
Purchases may be initiated through the National Securities Clearing Corporation or by calling Financial Institution Services. All initial and subsequent investments are typically made by bank wire, although checks or other forms of payment may be accepted in certain cases. There is no assurance that the share price for a purchase will be the same day a wire was initiated.
The funds generally do not accept orders that request a particular day or price for a transaction or any other special conditions. However, when authorized by the fund, certain institutions, financial intermediaries, or retirement plans purchasing fund shares directly with T. Rowe Price may place a purchase order unaccompanied by payment. Payment for these shares must be received by the time designated by the fund (not to exceed the period established for settlement under applicable regulations). If payment is not received by this time, the order may be canceled. The institution, financial intermediary, or retirement plan is responsible for any costs or losses incurred by the fund or T. Rowe Price if payment is delayed or not received.
U.S. Dollars All purchases must be paid for in U.S. dollars; checks must be drawn on U.S. banks and should be payable to the T. Rowe Price Funds.
Nonpayment Purchases of a fund may be canceled if payment is not received in a timely manner, and the shareholder may be responsible for any losses or expenses incurred by the fund or its transfer agent. The funds and their agents have the right to reject or cancel any purchase, exchange, or redemption due to nonpayment.
Investment Minimums
The Institutional Class generally requires a $1 million minimum initial investment and the F Class generally requires a $2,500 minimum initial investment, although the minimums may be waived for financial intermediaries, retirement plans, and certain other institutional investors. In addition, we request that you give us at least three business days’ notice (seven business days’ notice for the Institutional Floating Rate Fund) for any purchase of $5 million or more. There is generally no minimum required for additional purchases.
You should check with your financial advisor, retirement plan, or financial intermediary to determine what minimum applies to your initial and additional investments.
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Exchanging and Redeeming Shares
Exchanges You can move money from one account to an existing, identically registered account or open a new identically registered account. An exchange from one fund to another will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service as a sale for tax purposes.
Redemptions Redemptions are typically initiated through the National Securities Clearing Corporation or by calling Financial Institution Services. Please note that certain redemption requests initiated through the National Securities Clearing Corporation may be rejected, and in such instances, the transaction must be placed by contacting a Financial Institution Services representative.
If for some reason we cannot accept your request to exchange or redeem shares, we will attempt to contact you.
If you request to redeem a specific dollar amount and the market value of your account is less than the amount of your request and we are unable to contact you, your redemption will not be processed and you will need to submit a new redemption request in correct form.
Receiving Redemption Proceeds Unless otherwise indicated, redemption proceeds will be sent via bank wire to the designated bank on file for the account. If a request is received in correct form by T. Rowe Price or its agent on a business day prior to the close of the NYSE, proceeds are usually sent on the next business day. Proceeds sent by bank wire are usually credited to an account the next business day after the sale. Redemption proceeds can be mailed to the account address by check if specifically requested. Normally, the fund transmits proceeds to financial intermediaries for redemption orders received in correct form on either the next business day or second business day after receipt of the order, depending on the arrangement with the financial intermediary. You must contact your financial intermediary about procedures for receiving your redemption proceeds.
Large Redemptions Large redemptions (for example, $250,000 or more) can adversely affect a portfolio manager’s ability to implement a fund’s investment strategy by causing the premature sale of securities that would otherwise be held longer. Therefore, the fund reserves the right (without prior notice) to redeem in kind. In general, any redemptions in-kind will represent a pro-rata distribution of a fund’s securities, subject to certain limited exceptions. The redeeming shareholder will be responsible for disposing of the securities, and the shareholder will be subject to the risks that the value of the securities could decline prior to their sale, the securities could be difficult to sell, and brokerage fees could be incurred. If you continue to hold the securities, you may be subject to any ownership restrictions imposed by the issuers. For example, real estate investment trusts often impose ownership restrictions on their equity securities.
Delays in Sending Redemption Proceeds
The T. Rowe Price Funds typically expect that it will take one to two days following the receipt of a redemption request that is in correct form to send redemption proceeds, regardless of the method the fund uses to make such payment (for example, check, wire, or Automated Clearing
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House transfer). Checks are typically mailed on the business day after the redemption, proceeds sent by wire are typically credited to your financial institution the business day after the redemption, and proceeds sent by Automated Clearing House are typically credited to your financial institution on the second business day after the redemption. However, under certain circumstances, and when deemed to be in a fund’s best interests, proceeds may not be sent for up to seven calendar days after receipt of a valid redemption order (for example, during periods of deteriorating or stressed market conditions or during extraordinary or emergency circumstances).
In addition, if shares are sold that were just purchased and paid for by check or Automated Clearing House transfer, the fund will process your redemption but will generally delay sending the proceeds for up to seven calendar days to allow the check or Automated Clearing House transfer to clear. If, during the clearing period, we receive a check drawn against your newly purchased shares, it will be returned and marked “uncollected.” (The seven-day hold does not apply to purchases paid for by bank wire or automatic purchases through payroll deduction.)
The Board of a retail or institutional money market fund may temporarily suspend redemptions from the fund for up to 10 business days during any 90-day period (i.e., a “redemption gate”) and elect to temporarily suspend redemptions for up to 10 business days in a 90-day period if the fund’s weekly liquid assets fall below 30% of its total assets and the fund’s Board determines that imposing a redemption gate is in the fund’s best interests. In addition, under certain limited circumstances, the Board of a retail or institutional money market fund may elect to permanently suspend redemptions in order to facilitate an orderly liquidation of the fund (subject to any additional liquidation requirements).
You may initiate transactions involving the Institutional Funds by telephone, by mail, or through the National Securities Clearing Corporation. The T. Rowe Price Funds and their agents use reasonable procedures to verify the identity of the person contacting T. Rowe Price and to ensure that the person is authorized to act on behalf of the account. If these procedures are followed, the funds and their agents are not liable for any losses that may occur from acting on unauthorized instructions. Please review the transaction confirmation carefully, and contact Financial Institution Services immediately about any transaction you believe to be unauthorized. Telephone conversations are recorded.
To place a transaction or make any inquiries regarding the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds, please call Financial Institution Services at 1-800-638-8790. To mail any information to T. Rowe Price regarding the T. Rowe Price Institutional Funds, please use the following addresses:
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via U.S. mail T. Rowe Price Financial Institution Services | via private carriers/overnight services T. Rowe Price Financial Institution Services |
Note: If sending a check for a purchase, your transaction will receive the share price for the business day that the check is received by T. Rowe Price or its agent prior to the close of the NYSE (normally 4 p.m. ET), which could differ from the day that the check is received at the post office box.
If you hold shares of a T. Rowe Price Institutional Fund through a retirement plan or financial intermediary, you must contact your retirement plan or financial intermediary with any inquiries.
Involuntary Redemptions and Share Class Conversions
Shares held by any investors that no longer meet the definition of an institutional investor or fail to meet or maintain their account(s) at the investment minimum are subject to involuntary redemption at any time.
For all accounts in Institutional Funds (except for F Class accounts), to help keep operating expenses lower, we ask that you maintain an account balance of at least $1 million. If your investment falls below $1 million (even if due to market depreciation), we have the right to redeem your account at the then-current net asset value after giving you 60 days to increase your balance.
The redemption of your account could result in a taxable gain or loss.
For any F Class accounts that are no longer held through an eligible financial intermediary, we have the right to convert your account to the Institutional Class following notice to the financial intermediary or shareholder.
Excessive and Short-Term Trading Policy
Excessive transactions and short-term trading can be harmful to fund shareholders in various ways, such as disrupting a fund’s portfolio management strategies, increasing a fund’s trading and other costs, and negatively affecting its performance. Short-term traders in funds that invest in foreign securities may seek to take advantage of developments overseas that could lead to an anticipated difference between the price of the funds’ shares and price movements in foreign markets. While there is no assurance that T. Rowe Price can prevent all excessive and short-term trading, the Boards of the T. Rowe Price Funds have adopted the following trading limits that are designed to deter such activity and protect the funds’ shareholders. The funds may revise their trading limits and procedures at any time as the Boards deem necessary or appropriate to better detect short-term trading that may adversely affect the funds, to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, or to impose additional or alternative restrictions.
Subject to certain exceptions, each T. Rowe Price Fund restricts a shareholder’s purchases (including through exchanges) into a fund account for a period of 30 calendar days after the
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shareholder has redeemed or exchanged out of that same fund account (the “30-Day Purchase Block”). The calendar day after the date of redemption is considered Day 1 for purposes of computing the period before another purchase may be made.
General Exceptions As of the date of this prospectus, the following types of transactions generally are not subject to the funds’ excessive and short-term trading policy:
· Shares purchased or redeemed in money market funds and ultra short-term bond funds;
· Shares purchased or redeemed through a systematic purchase or withdrawal plan;
· Checkwriting redemptions from bond and money market funds;
· Shares purchased through the reinvestment of dividends or capital gain distributions;
· Shares redeemed automatically by a fund to pay fund fees or shareholder account fees;
· Transfers and changes of account registration within the same fund;
· Shares purchased by asset transfer or direct rollover;
· Shares purchased or redeemed through IRA conversions and recharacterizations;
· Shares redeemed to return an excess contribution from a retirement account;
· Transactions in Section 529 college savings plans;
· Certain transactions in defined benefit and nonqualified plans, subject to prior approval by T. Rowe Price;
· Shares converted from one share class to another share class in the same fund;
· Shares of T. Rowe Price Funds that are purchased by another T. Rowe Price Fund, including shares purchased by T. Rowe Price fund-of-funds products, and shares purchased by discretionary accounts managed by T. Rowe Price or one of its affiliates (please note that shareholders of the investing T. Rowe Price Fund are still subject to the policy);
· Transactions initiated by the trustee or adviser to a donor-advised charitable gift fund as approved by T. Rowe Price; and
· Transactions having a value of $5,000 or less (retirement plans, including those for which T. Rowe Price serves as recordkeeper, and other financial intermediaries may apply the excessive and short-term trading policy to transactions of any amount).
Transactions in certain rebalancing, asset allocation, wrap programs, and other advisory programs, as well as non-T. Rowe Price fund-of-funds products, may also be exempt from the 30-Day Purchase Block, subject to prior written approval by T. Rowe Price.
In addition to restricting transactions in accordance with the 30-Day Purchase Block, T. Rowe Price may, in its discretion, reject (or instruct a financial intermediary to reject) any purchase or exchange into a fund from a person (which includes individuals and entities) whose trading activity could disrupt the management of the fund or dilute the value of the fund’s shares, including trading by persons acting collectively (for example, following the advice of a newsletter). Such persons may be barred, without prior notice, from further purchases of T. Rowe Price Funds for a period longer than 30 calendar days, or permanently.
Financial Intermediary Accounts If you invest in T. Rowe Price Funds through a financial intermediary, including a retirement plan, you should review the financial intermediary’s or retirement plan’s materials carefully or consult with the financial intermediary or plan sponsor directly to determine the trading policy that will apply to your trades in the T. Rowe Price
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Funds as well as any other rules or conditions on transactions that may apply. If T. Rowe Price is unable to identify a transaction placed through a financial intermediary as exempt from the excessive trading policy, the 30-Day Purchase Block may apply.
Financial intermediaries may maintain their underlying accounts directly with the fund, although they often establish an omnibus account (one account with the fund that represents multiple underlying shareholder accounts) on behalf of their customers. When financial intermediaries establish omnibus accounts in the T. Rowe Price Funds, T. Rowe Price is not able to monitor the trading activity of the underlying shareholders. However, T. Rowe Price monitors aggregate trading activity at the financial intermediary (omnibus account) level in an attempt to identify activity that indicates potential excessive or short-term trading. If it detects such trading activity, T. Rowe Price may contact the financial intermediary to request personal identifying information and transaction histories for some or all underlying shareholders (including plan participants, if applicable) pursuant to a written agreement that T. Rowe Price has entered into with each financial intermediary. Any nonpublic personal information provided to the fund (for example, a shareholder’s taxpayer identification number or transaction records) is subject to the fund’s privacy policy. If T. Rowe Price believes that excessive or short-term trading has occurred and there is no exception for such trades under the funds’ Excessive and Short-Term Trading Policy as previously described, it will instruct the financial intermediary to impose restrictions to discourage such practices and take appropriate action with respect to the underlying shareholder, including restricting purchases for 30 calendar days or longer. Each financial intermediary has agreed to execute such instructions pursuant to a written agreement. There is no assurance that T. Rowe Price will be able to properly enforce its excessive trading policies for omnibus accounts. Because T. Rowe Price generally relies on financial intermediaries to provide information and impose restrictions for omnibus accounts, its ability to monitor and deter excessive trading will be dependent upon the intermediaries’ timely performance of their responsibilities.
T. Rowe Price may allow a financial intermediary or other third party to maintain restrictions on trading in the T. Rowe Price Funds that differ from the 30-Day Purchase Block. An alternative excessive trading policy would be acceptable to T. Rowe Price if it believes that the policy would provide sufficient protection to the T. Rowe Price Funds and their shareholders that is consistent with the excessive trading policy adopted by the funds’ Boards.
Retirement Plan Accounts If shares are held in a retirement plan, generally
the
30-Day Purchase Block applies only to shares redeemed by a participant-directed exchange to another
fund. However, the 30-Day Purchase Block may apply to transactions other than exchanges depending on
how shares of the plan are held at T. Rowe Price or the excessive trading policy applied by your plan’s
recordkeeper. An alternative excessive trading policy may apply to the T. Rowe Price Funds where a retirement
plan has its own policy deemed acceptable to T. Rowe Price. You should contact T. Rowe Price or your
plan recordkeeper to determine which of your transactions are subject to the funds’ 30-Day Purchase
Block or an alternative policy.
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There is no guarantee that T. Rowe Price will be able to identify or prevent all excessive or short-term trades or trading practices.
Unclaimed Accounts and Uncashed Checks
If your account has no activity for a certain period of time and/or mail sent to you from T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) is returned by the post office, T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) may be required to transfer your account and any assets related to uncashed checks to the appropriate state under its abandoned property laws. To avoid such action, it is important to keep your account address up to date and periodically contact T. Rowe Price at least once every two years.
Delivery of Shareholder Documents
If two or more accounts own the same fund, share the same address, and T. Rowe Price reasonably believes that the two accounts are part of the same institution, we may economize on fund expenses by mailing only one shareholder report and prospectus for the fund. If you do not want your mailings to be “householded,” please call Financial Institution Services.
Signature Guarantees
A Medallion signature guarantee is designed to protect you and the T. Rowe Price Funds from fraud by verifying your signature.
A signature guarantee may be required in certain situations, such as:
· Remitting redemption proceeds to any person, address, or bank account not on file or
· Changing the account registration or broker-dealer of record for an account.
Consult Financial Institution Services for specific requirements.
The signature guarantee must be obtained from a financial institution that is a participant in a Medallion signature guarantee program. You can obtain a Medallion signature guarantee from certain banks, savings institutions, broker-dealers, and other guarantors acceptable to T. Rowe Price. When obtaining a Medallion signature guarantee, please discuss with the guarantor the dollar amount of your proposed transaction. It is important that the level of coverage provided by the guarantor’s stamp covers the dollar amount of the transaction or it may be rejected. We cannot accept guarantees from notaries public or organizations that do not provide reimbursement in the case of fraud.
Fund Operations and Shareholder Services
T. Rowe Price and The Bank of New York Mellon, subject to the oversight of T. Rowe Price, each provide certain accounting services to the T. Rowe Price Funds. T. Rowe Price Services, Inc., acts as the transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent and provides shareholder and administrative services to the funds. T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc., provides recordkeeping, sub-transfer agency, and administrative services for certain types of retirement plans investing in the funds. These companies receive compensation from the funds for their services. The F Class may also pay financial intermediaries for performing shareholder and administrative services for underlying shareholders in omnibus accounts. All of the fees
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discussed above are included in a fund’s financial statements and, except for funds that have an all-inclusive management fee, are also reflected in the “Other expenses” line that appears in a fund’s fee table in Section 1.
Each fund intends to qualify to be treated each year as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. In order to qualify, a fund must satisfy certain income, diversification, and distribution requirements. A regulated investment company is not subject to U.S. federal income tax at the portfolio level on income and gains from investments that are distributed to shareholders. However, if a fund were to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company and was ineligible to or otherwise did not cure such failure, the result would be fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for distribution to the fund’s shareholders.
To the extent possible, all net investment income and realized capital gains are distributed to shareholders.
Dividends and Other Distributions
Dividend and capital gain distributions are reinvested in additional fund shares in your account unless you select another option on your new account form. Reinvesting distributions results in compounding, which allows you to receive dividends and capital gain distributions on an increasing number of shares.
Distributions not reinvested are paid by check or transmitted electronically to your bank account. If the U.S. Postal Service cannot deliver your check or if your check remains uncashed for six months, the fund reserves the right to reinvest your distribution check in your account at the net asset value on the day of the reinvestment and to reinvest all subsequent distributions in additional shares of the fund. Interest will not accrue on amounts represented by uncashed distributions or redemption checks.
The following table provides details on dividend payments:
Dividend Payment Schedule | |
Fund | Dividends |
Bond funds | · Shares normally begin to earn dividends on the business day after payment is received by T. Rowe Price. · Declared daily and paid on the first business day of each month. |
Stock funds | · Must be a shareholder on the dividend record date. · Declared and paid annually, if any, generally in December. |
Shares of bond funds will earn dividends through the date of redemption. Shares redeemed on a Friday or prior to a holiday will continue to earn dividends until the next business day.
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 37 |
Generally, if you redeem all of your bond fund shares at any time during the month, you will also receive all dividends earned through the date of redemption in the same check. When you redeem only a portion of your bond fund shares, all dividends accrued on those shares will be reinvested, or paid in cash, on the next dividend payment date. The funds do not pay dividends in fractional cents. Any dividend amount earned for a particular day on all shares held that is one-half of one cent or greater (for example, $0.016) will be rounded up to the next whole cent ($0.02), and any amount that is less than one-half of one cent (for example, $0.014) will be rounded down to the nearest whole cent ($0.01). Please note that if the dividend payable on all shares held is less than one-half of one cent for a particular day, no dividend will be earned for that day.
If you purchase and redeem your shares through a financial intermediary, consult your financial intermediary to determine when your shares begin and stop accruing dividends as the information previously described may vary.
Capital Gain Payments
A capital gain or loss is the difference between the purchase and sale price of a security. If a fund has net capital gains for the year (after subtracting any capital losses), they are usually declared and paid in December to shareholders of record on a specified date that month. If a second distribution is necessary, it is generally paid the following year. A fund may have to make additional capital gain distributions, if necessary, to comply with the applicable tax law.
Tax Information
In most cases, you will be provided information for your tax filing needs no later than mid-February.
If you invest in the fund through a tax-deferred account, such as an IRA or employer-sponsored retirement plan, you will not be subject to tax on dividends and distributions from the fund or the sale of fund shares if those amounts remain in the tax-deferred account. You may receive a Form 1099-R or other Internal Revenue Service forms, as applicable, if any portion of the account is distributed to you.
If you invest in the fund through a taxable account, you generally will be subject to tax when:
· You sell fund shares, including an exchange from one fund to another.
· The fund makes dividend or capital gain distributions.
For individual shareholders, a portion of ordinary dividends representing “qualified dividend income” received by the fund may be subject to tax at the lower rates applicable to long-term capital gains rather than ordinary income. You may report it as “qualified dividend income” in computing your taxes, provided you have held the fund shares on which the dividend was paid for more than 60 days during the 121-day period beginning 60 days before the ex-dividend date. Ordinary dividends that do not qualify for this lower rate are generally taxable at the investor’s marginal income tax rate. This includes the portion of ordinary dividends derived from interest, short-term capital gains, income and gains from derivatives, distributions from nonqualified foreign corporations, distributions from real estate investment trusts, and
T. ROWE PRICE | 38 |
dividends received by the fund from stocks that were on loan. Little, if any, of the ordinary dividends paid by the bond funds or money market funds is expected to qualify for this lower rate.
For corporate shareholders, a portion of ordinary dividends may be eligible for the deduction for dividends received by corporations to the extent the fund’s income consists of dividends paid by U.S. corporations. Little, if any, of the ordinary dividends paid by the international stock or bond funds is expected to qualify for this deduction.
A 3.8% net investment income tax is imposed on net investment income, including interest, dividends, and capital gains of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.
If you hold your fund through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary is responsible for providing you with any necessary tax forms. You should contact your financial intermediary for the tax information that will be sent to you and reported to the Internal Revenue Service.
Taxes on Fund Redemptions
When you sell shares in any fund, you may realize a gain or loss. An exchange from one fund to another in a taxable account is also a sale for tax purposes.
All or a portion of the loss realized from a sale or exchange of your fund shares may be disallowed under the “wash sale” rule if you purchase substantially identical shares within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the date on which the shares are sold or exchanged. Shares of the same fund you acquire through dividend reinvestment are shares purchased for the purpose of the wash sale rule and may trigger a disallowance of the loss for shares sold or exchanged within the 61-day period of the dividend reinvestment. Any loss disallowed under the wash sale rule is added to the cost basis of the purchased shares.
T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) will make available to you Form 1099-B, if applicable, no later than mid-February, providing certain information for each sale you made in the fund during the prior year. Unless otherwise indicated on your Form 1099-B, this information will also be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. For mutual fund shares acquired prior to 2012 in most accounts established or opened by exchange in 1984 or later, our Form 1099-B will provide you with the gain or loss on the shares you sold during the year based on the average cost single category method. This information on average cost and gain or loss from sale is not reported to the Internal Revenue Service. For these mutual fund shares acquired prior to 2012, you may calculate the cost basis using other methods acceptable to the Internal Revenue Service, such as specific identification.
For mutual fund shares acquired after 2011, federal income tax regulations require us to report the cost basis information on Form 1099-B using a cost basis method selected by the shareholder in compliance with such regulations or, in the absence of such selected method, our default method if you acquire your shares directly from T. Rowe Price. Our default method is average cost. For any fund shares acquired through a financial intermediary after 2011, you
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 39 |
should check with your financial intermediary regarding the applicable cost basis method. You should, however, note that the cost basis information reported to you may not always be the same as what you should report on your tax return because the rules applicable to the determination of cost basis on Form 1099-B may be different from the rules applicable to the determination of cost basis for reporting on your tax return. Therefore, you should save your transaction records to make sure the information reported on your tax return is accurate. T. Rowe Price and financial intermediaries are not required to issue a Form 1099-B to report sales of money market fund shares.
To help you maintain accurate records, T. Rowe Price will make available to you a confirmation promptly following each transaction you make (except for systematic purchases and systematic redemptions) and a year-end statement detailing all of your transactions in each fund account during the year. If you hold your fund through a financial intermediary, the financial intermediary is responsible for providing you with transaction confirmations and statements.
Taxes on Fund Distributions
T. Rowe Price (or your financial intermediary) will make available to you, as applicable, generally no later than mid-February, a Form 1099-DIV, or other Internal Revenue Service forms, as required, indicating the tax status of any income dividends, dividends exempt from federal income taxes, and capital gain distributions made to you. This information will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service. Taxable distributions are generally taxable to you in the year in which they are paid. A dividend declared in October, November, or December and paid in the following January is generally treated as taxable to you as if you received the distribution in December. Dividends from tax-free funds are generally expected to be tax-exempt for federal income tax purposes. Your bond fund dividends for each calendar year will include dividends accrued up to the first business day of the next calendar year. Ordinary dividends and capital gain dividends may also be subject to state and local taxes. You will be sent any additional information you need to determine your taxes on fund distributions, such as the portion of your dividends, if any, that may be exempt from state and local income taxes.
Taxable distributions are subject to tax whether reinvested in additional shares or received in cash.
The tax treatment of a capital gain distribution is determined by how long the fund held the portfolio securities, not how long you held the shares in the fund. Short-term (one year or less) capital gain distributions are taxable at the same rate as ordinary income, and gains on securities held more than one year are taxed at the lower rates applicable to long-term capital gains. If you realized a loss on the sale or exchange of fund shares that you held six months or less, your short-term capital loss must be reclassified as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any long-term capital gain distributions received during the period you held the shares. For funds investing in foreign instruments, distributions resulting from the sale of certain foreign currencies, currency contracts, and the foreign currency portion of gains on debt instruments are taxed as ordinary income. Net foreign currency losses may cause monthly or quarterly dividends to be reclassified as returns of capital.
T. ROWE PRICE | 40 |
A fund’s distributions that have exceeded the fund’s earnings and profits for the relevant tax year may be treated as a return of capital to its shareholders. A return of capital distribution is generally nontaxable but reduces the shareholder’s cost basis in the fund, and any return of capital in excess of the cost basis will result in a capital gain.
The tax status of certain distributions may be recharacterized on year-end tax forms, such as your Form 1099-DIV. Distributions made by a fund may later be recharacterized for federal income tax purposes—for example, from taxable ordinary income dividends to returns of capital. A recharacterization of distributions may occur for a number of reasons, including the recharacterization of income received from underlying investments, such as real estate investment trusts (“REITs”), and distributions that exceed taxable income due to losses from foreign currency transactions or other investment transactions. Certain funds, including international bond funds and funds that invest in REITs, are more likely to recharacterize a portion of their distributions as a result of their investments.
If the fund qualifies and elects to pass through nonrefundable foreign income taxes paid to foreign governments during the year, your portion of such taxes will be reported to you as taxable income. However, you may be able to claim an offsetting credit or deduction on your tax return for those amounts. There can be no assurance that a fund will meet the requirements to pass through foreign income taxes paid.
If you are subject to backup withholding, we will have to withhold a 24% backup withholding tax on distributions and, in some cases, redemption payments. You may be subject to backup withholding if we are notified by the Internal Revenue Service to withhold, you have failed one or more tax certification requirements, or our records indicate that your tax identification number is missing or incorrect. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and is generally available to credit against your federal income tax liability with any excess refunded to you by the Internal Revenue Service.
Tax Consequences of Hedging
Entering into certain transactions involving options, futures, swaps, and forward currency exchange contracts may result in the application of the mark-to-market and straddle provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. These provisions could result in a fund being required to distribute gains on such transactions even though it did not close the contracts during the year or receive cash to pay such distributions. The fund may not be able to reduce its distributions for losses on such transactions to the extent of unrealized gains in offsetting positions.
Tax Consequences of Shareholder Turnover
If the fund’s portfolio transactions result in a net capital loss (i.e., an excess of capital losses over capital gains) for any year, the loss may be carried forward and used to offset future realized capital gains. However, its ability to carry forward such losses will be limited if the fund experiences an “ownership change” within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code. An ownership change generally results when shareholders owning 5% or more of the fund increase their aggregate holdings by more than 50 percentage points over a three-year period.
INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS IN T. ROWE PRICE FUNDS | 41 |
Because Institutional Funds may have only a few large shareholders, an ownership change can occur in the normal course of shareholder purchases and redemptions. The fund undertakes no obligation to avoid or prevent an ownership change. Moreover, because of circumstances beyond the fund’s control, there can be no assurance that the fund will not experience, or has not already experienced, an ownership change. An ownership change can reduce the fund’s ability to offset capital gains with losses, which could increase the amount of taxable gains that could be distributed to shareholders.
Tax Effect of Buying Shares Before an Income Dividend or Capital Gain Distribution
If you buy shares shortly before or on the record date—the date that establishes you as the person to receive the upcoming distribution—you may receive a portion of the money you just invested in the form of a taxable distribution. Therefore, you may wish to find out a fund’s record date before investing. In addition, a fund’s share price may, at any time, reflect undistributed capital gains or income and unrealized appreciation, which may result in future taxable distributions. Such distributions can occur even in a year when the fund has a negative return.
T. Rowe Price Funds and their agents, in their sole discretion, reserve the following rights: (1) to waive or lower investment minimums; (2) to accept initial purchases by telephone; (3) to refuse any purchase or exchange order; (4) to cancel or rescind any purchase or exchange order placed through a financial intermediary no later than the business day after the order is received by the financial intermediary (including, but not limited to, orders deemed to result in excessive trading, market timing, or 5% ownership); (5) to cease offering fund shares at any time to all or certain groups of investors; (6) to freeze any account and suspend account services when notice has been received of a dispute regarding the ownership of the account, or a legal claim against an account, upon initial notification to T. Rowe Price of a shareholder’s death until T. Rowe Price receives required documentation in correct form, or if there is reason to believe a fraudulent transaction may occur; (7) to otherwise modify the conditions of purchase and modify or terminate any services at any time; (8) to waive any wire, small account, maintenance, or fiduciary fees charged to a group of shareholders; (9) to act on instructions reasonably believed to be genuine; (10) to involuntarily redeem an account at the net asset value calculated the day the account is redeemed, in cases of threatening conduct, suspected fraudulent or illegal activity, or if the fund or its agent is unable, through its procedures, to verify the identity of the person(s) or entity opening an account; and (11) for money market funds, to suspend redemptions to facilitate an orderly liquidation.
The fund’s Statement of Additional Information, which contains a more detailed description of the fund’s operations, investment restrictions, policies and practices, has been filed with the SEC. The Statement of Additional Information is incorporated by reference into this prospectus, which means that it is legally part of this prospectus even if you do not request a copy. Further information about the fund’s investments, including a review of market conditions and the manager’s recent investment strategies and their impact on performance during the past fiscal year, is available in the annual and semiannual shareholder reports. These documents and updated performance information are available through troweprice.com. For inquiries about the fund and to obtain free copies of any of these documents, call 1-800-638-8790. If you invest in the fund through a financial intermediary, you should contact your financial intermediary for copies of these documents.
Fund reports and other fund information are available on the EDGAR Database on the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at publicinfo@sec.gov.
T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. |
1940 Act File No. 811-5833 | E178-040 3/1/20 |
PROSPECTUS March 1, 2020 | ||||
T. ROWE PRICE | ||||
PRFEX | Institutional International Growth Equity Fund | |||
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by SEC regulations, paper copies of the T. Rowe Price funds’ annual and semiannual shareholder reports will no longer be mailed, unless you specifically request them. Instead, shareholder reports will be made available on the funds’ website (troweprice.com/prospectus), and you will be notified by mail with a website link to access the reports each time a report is posted to the site. If you already elected to receive reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and need not take any action. At any time, shareholders who invest directly in T. Rowe Price funds may generally elect to receive reports or other communications electronically by enrolling at troweprice.com/paperless or, if you are a retirement plan sponsor or invest in the funds through a financial intermediary (such as an investment advisor, broker-dealer, insurance company, or bank), by contacting your representative or your financial intermediary. You may elect to continue receiving paper copies of future shareholder reports free of charge. To do so, if you invest directly with T. Rowe Price, please call T. Rowe Price as follows: IRA, nonretirement account holders, and institutional investors, 1-800-225-5132; small business retirement accounts, 1-800-492-7670. If you are a retirement plan sponsor or invest in the T. Rowe Price funds through a financial intermediary, please contact your representative or financial intermediary, or follow additional instructions if included with this document. Your election to receive paper copies of reports will apply to all funds held in your account with your financial intermediary or, if you invest directly in the T. Rowe Price funds, with T. Rowe Price. Your election can be changed at any time in the future. | ||||
Table of Contents
1 | SUMMARY | ||
2 | MORE ABOUT THE FUND | ||
More Information About the Fund’s | |||
3 | INFORMATION ABOUT ACCOUNTS | ||
Investing with T. Rowe Price 24 Payments to Financial Intermediaries 25 Policies for Opening an Account 27 Pricing of Shares and Transactions 28 General Policies and Requirements 33 |
SUMMARY | 1 | |
The fund seeks long-term growth of capital through investments primarily in the common stocks of established, non-U.S. companies.
Fees and Expenses
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the fund. You may also incur brokerage commissions and other charges when buying or selling shares of the fund, which are not reflected in the table.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
Annual fund operating expenses | ||
Management fees | 0.70 | % |
Other expenses | 0.53 | |
Total annual fund operating expenses | 1.23 | |
Fee waiver/expense reimbursement | (0.48 | )a |
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver/expense reimbursement | 0.75 | a |
a T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., has contractually agreed (through February 28, 2022) to waive its fees and/or bear any expenses (excluding interest; expenses related to borrowings, taxes, and brokerage; nonrecurring, extraordinary expenses; and acquired fund fees and expenses) that would cause the fund’s ratio of expenses to exceed 0.75% of the fund’s average daily net assets. The agreement may only be terminated at any time after February 28, 2022, with approval by the fund’s Board of Directors. Fees waived and expenses paid under this agreement (and a previous limitation of 0.75%) are subject to reimbursement to T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., by the fund whenever the fund’s expense ratio is below 0.75%. However, no reimbursement will be made more than three years from the date such amounts were initially waived or reimbursed. The fund may only make repayments to T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., if such repayment does not cause the fund’s expense ratio (after the repayment is taken into account) to exceed the lesser of: (1) the expense limitation in place at the time such amounts were waived; or (2) the fund’s current expense limitation.
Example This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods, that your investment has a 5% return each year, and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. The example also assumes that any current expense limitation arrangement remains in place for the period noted in the table above; therefore, the figures have been adjusted to reflect fee waivers or expense reimbursements only in the periods for which the expense limitation arrangement is expected to continue. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
T. ROWE PRICE | 2 |
1 year | 3 years | 5 years | 10 years |
$77 | $293 | $581 | $1,401 |
Portfolio Turnover The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when the fund’s shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 36.2% of the average value of its portfolio.
Investments, Risks, and Performance
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund expects to primarily invest in stocks outside the U.S. and to diversify broadly among developed and emerging countries throughout the world. The fund may purchase the stocks of companies of any size, but its focus will typically be on large companies and, to a lesser extent, medium-sized companies. Normally, at least 80% of the fund’s net assets (including any borrowings for investment purposes) will be invested in stocks.
While the adviser invests with an awareness of the global economic backdrop and the adviser’s outlook for certain industries, sectors, and individual countries, the adviser’s decision-making process focuses on bottom-up stock selection. Country allocation is driven largely by stock selection, though the adviser may limit investments in markets or industries that appear to have poor overall prospects. The fund typically focuses its investments more on developed foreign countries than on emerging market countries.
Security selection reflects a growth style. The adviser relies on a global team of investment analysts dedicated to in-depth fundamental research in an effort to identify companies capable of achieving and sustaining above-average, long-term earnings growth. The adviser seeks to purchase stocks of companies at reasonable prices in relation to present or anticipated earnings, cash flow, or book value.
In selecting investments, the adviser generally favors companies with one or more of the following characteristics:
· leading or improving market position;
· attractive business niche;
· attractive or improving franchise or industry position;
· seasoned management;
· stable or improving earnings and/or cash flow; and
· sound or improving balance sheet.
The fund may sell securities for a variety of reasons, such as to secure gains, limit losses, or redeploy assets into more promising opportunities.
SUMMARY | 3 |
Principal Risks
As with any fund, there is no guarantee that the fund will achieve its objective(s). The fund’s share price fluctuates, which means you could lose money by investing in the fund. The principal risks of investing in this fund, which may be even greater during periods of market disruption or volatility, are summarized as follows.
International investing Investing in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involves special risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. Non-U.S. securities tend to be more volatile and have lower overall liquidity than investments in U.S. securities and may lose value because of adverse local, political, social, or economic developments overseas, or due to changes in the exchange rates between foreign currencies and the U.S. dollar. In addition, investments outside the U.S. are subject to settlement practices and regulatory and financial reporting standards that differ from those of the U.S. The risks of investing outside the U.S. are heightened for any investments in emerging markets, which are susceptible to greater volatility than investments in developed markets.
Growth investing The fund’s growth approach to investing could cause it to underperform other stock funds that employ a different investment style. Growth stocks tend to be more volatile than certain other types of stocks and their prices may fluctuate more dramatically than the overall stock market. A stock with growth characteristics can have sharp price declines due to decreases in current or expected earnings and may lack dividends that can help cushion its share price in a declining market.
Large-cap stocks Securities issued by large-cap companies tend to be less volatile than securities issued by smaller companies. However, larger companies may not be able to attain the high growth rates of successful smaller companies, especially during strong economic periods, and may be unable to respond as quickly to competitive challenges.
Investing in Europe The European financial markets have been experiencing increased volatility due to concerns over rising government debt levels of several European countries, and these events may continue to significantly affect all of Europe. European economies could be significantly affected by, among other things, rising unemployment, the imposition or unexpected elimination of fiscal and monetary controls by member countries of the European Economic and Monetary Union, uncertainty surrounding the euro, the success of governmental actions to reduce budget deficits, and ongoing uncertainties surrounding Brexit, the formal withdrawal by the United Kingdom from the European Union.
Investing in Asia Many Asian economies have at various times been negatively affected by inflation, currency devaluations, an over-reliance on international trade and exports, political and social instability, and less developed financial systems and securities trading markets. Trade restrictions, unexpected decreases in exports, changes in government policies, or natural disasters could have a significant impact on companies doing business in Asia. The Asian region may be significantly affected by political unrest, military conflict, economic sanctions, and less demand for Asian products and services.
T. ROWE PRICE | 4 |
Sector exposure At times, the fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in securities of issuers conducting business in a broadly related group of industries within the same economic sector. Issuers in the same economic sector may be similarly affected by economic or market events, making the fund more vulnerable to unfavorable developments in that economic sector than funds that invest more broadly.
Emerging markets Investments in emerging market countries are subject to greater risk and overall volatility than investments in the U.S. and developed markets. Emerging market countries tend to have economic structures that are less diverse and mature, and political systems that are less stable, than those of developed countries. In addition to the risks associated with investing outside the U.S., emerging markets are more susceptible to governmental interference, political and economic uncertainty, local taxes and restrictions on the fund’s investments, less efficient trading markets with lower overall liquidity, and more volatile currency exchange rates.
Stock investing Stocks generally fluctuate in value more than bonds and may decline significantly over short time periods. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. The value of stocks held by the fund may decline due to general weakness or volatility in the stock markets in which the fund invests or because of factors that affect a particular company or industry.
Active management The fund’s overall investment program and holdings selected by the fund’s investment adviser may underperform the broad markets, relevant indices, or other funds with similar objectives and investment strategies.
Performance
The following performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The fund’s performance information represents only past performance (before and after taxes) and is not necessarily an indication of future results.
The following bar chart illustrates how much returns can differ from year to year by showing calendar year returns and the best and worst calendar quarter returns during those years for the fund.
SUMMARY | 5 |
The following table shows the average annual total returns for the fund, and also compares the returns with the returns of a relevant broad-based market index, as well as with the returns of one or more comparative indexes that have investment characteristics similar to those of the fund, if applicable.
In addition, the table shows hypothetical after-tax returns to demonstrate how taxes paid by a shareholder may influence returns. 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 investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as a 401(k) account or an IRA.
T. ROWE PRICE | 6 |
Average Annual Total Returns |
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| Inception |
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| Institutional International Growth Equity Fund |
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| 09/07/1989 |
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| Returns before taxes | 28.17 | % |
| 7.55 | % |
| 6.85 | % |
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| Returns after taxes on distributions | 26.77 |
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| 6.43 |
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| 6.19 |
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| and sale of fund shares | 17.49 |
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| 5.80 |
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| 5.51 |
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| MSCI All Country World Index ex USA Net (reflects no deduction for fees or expenses) |
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| 21.51 |
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| 5.51 |
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| 4.97 |
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| Lipper International Multi-Cap Growth Funds Average |
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| 26.59 |
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| 6.13 |
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Updated performance information is available through troweprice.com.
Management
Investment Adviser T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. (T. Rowe Price or Price Associates)
Investment Subadviser T. Rowe Price International Ltd (T. Rowe Price International)
Portfolio Manager | Title | Managed | Joined |
Richard N. Clattenburg | Chairman of Investment Advisory Committee | 2015 | 2005 |
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The fund generally requires a $1 million minimum initial investment and there is no minimum for additional purchases, although the initial investment minimum may be waived for certain types of accounts held through a retirement plan, financial advisor, or other financial intermediary.
For investors holding shares of the fund directly with T. Rowe Price, you may purchase, redeem, or exchange fund shares by mail or by telephone (1-800-638-8790).
If you hold shares through a financial intermediary or retirement plan, you must purchase, redeem, and exchange shares of the fund through your intermediary or retirement plan. You should check with your intermediary or retirement plan to determine the investment minimums that apply to your account.
SUMMARY | 7 |
Tax Information
Any dividends or capital gains are declared and paid annually, usually in December. Redemptions or exchanges of fund shares and distributions by the fund, whether or not you reinvest these amounts in additional fund shares, generally may be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains unless you invest through a tax-deferred account (in which case you will be taxed upon withdrawal from such account).
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other
financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.
MORE ABOUT THE FUND | 2 | |
Investment Adviser(s)
T. Rowe Price is the fund’s investment adviser and oversees the selection of the fund’s investments and management of the fund’s portfolio pursuant to an investment management agreement between the investment adviser and the fund. T. Rowe Price is an SEC-registered investment adviser that provides investment management services to individual and institutional investors, and sponsors and serves as adviser and subadviser to registered investment companies, institutional separate accounts, and common trust funds. The address for T. Rowe Price is 100 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202. As of December 31, 2019, T. Rowe Price and its affiliates (the “Firm”) had approximately $1.21 trillion in assets under management and provided investment management services for more than 7 million individual and institutional investor accounts.
T. Rowe Price has entered into a subadvisory agreement with T. Rowe Price International under which T. Rowe Price International is authorized to trade securities and make discretionary investment decisions on behalf of the fund. T. Rowe Price International is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser, and is authorized or licensed by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority and other global regulators. T. Rowe Price International sponsors and serves as adviser to foreign collective investment schemes and provides investment management services to registered investment companies and other institutional investors. T. Rowe Price International is headquartered in London and has several branch offices around the world. T. Rowe Price International is a direct subsidiary of T. Rowe Price and its address is 60 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4N 4TZ, United Kingdom.
Portfolio Management
T. Rowe Price has established an Investment Advisory Committee with respect to the fund. The committee chairman is ultimately responsible for the day-to-day management of the fund’s portfolio and works with the committee in developing and executing the fund’s investment program. The members of the committee are as follows: Richard N. Clattenburg, Chairman, Harishankar Balkrishna, Sheena L. Barbosa, Jai Kapadia, Tobias F. Mueller, Oluwaseun A. Oyegunle, Sebastian Schrott, Bin Shen, and Ernest C. Yeung. The following information provides the year that the chairman (portfolio manager) first joined the Firm and the chairman’s specific business experience during the past five years (although the chairman may have had portfolio management responsibilities for a longer period). Mr. Clattenburg has been chairman of the committee since 2015. He joined the Firm in 2005 and his investment experience dates from 2003. During the past five years, he has served as an equity research analyst and a portfolio manager (beginning 2015). The Statement of Additional Information provides additional information about the portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager, and the portfolio manager’s ownership of the fund’s shares.
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The Management Fee
The fund pays the investment adviser an annual investment management fee based on 0.70% of the fund’s average daily net assets. The fund calculates and accrues the fee daily.
A discussion about the factors considered by the fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) and its conclusions in approving the fund’s investment management agreement (and any subadvisory agreement, if applicable) appear in the fund’s semiannual report to shareholders for the period ended April 30.
Investment Objective(s)
The fund seeks long-term growth of capital through investments primarily in the common stocks of established, non-U.S. companies.
The investment objective is a fundamental policy and shareholder approval is required to substantially change it. As with any fund, there is no guarantee the fund will achieve its objective.
Principal Investment Strategies
Consider your investment goals, your time horizon for achieving them, and your tolerance for risk. The fund may be appropriate for you if you are seeking diversification for your equity investments and can accept the risks that accompany foreign investments. Your decision should take into account whether you have any other foreign stock investments. The fund may be appropriate if you seek to invest in a fund that is broadly diversified among developed and emerging non-U.S. markets.
The market may reward growth stocks with price increases when earnings expectations are met or exceeded. Funds that employ a growth-oriented approach to stock selection rely on the premise that by investing in companies that increase their earnings faster than both inflation and the overall economy, the market will eventually reward those companies with a higher stock price. The fund’s successful implementation of a growth-oriented strategy may lead to long-term growth of capital over time.
Investing a portion of your overall portfolio in stock funds with foreign holdings can enhance your diversification and increase your available investment opportunities.
The fund typically focuses its investments more on developed foreign countries than on emerging market countries. As a result, the fund may at times have significant investments in the United Kingdom and other developed European countries, as well as Japan.
Portfolio managers closely monitor the fund’s investments as well as political and economic trends in the countries and regions in which the fund invests. Holdings are adjusted according to the portfolio manager’s analysis and outlook. The impact of unfavorable developments in a
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particular country may be reduced when investments are spread among many countries. However, the economies and financial markets of countries in a certain region may be heavily influenced by one another.
Principal Risks
Some of the principal tools the adviser uses to try to reduce overall risk include intensive research when evaluating a company’s prospects and limiting exposure to certain industries, asset classes, or investment styles when appropriate.
The principal risks associated with the fund’s principal investment strategies include the following:
International investing Investments outside the U.S. may lose value because of declining foreign currencies or adverse political or economic events overseas, among other things. Securities of non-U.S. issuers (including depositary receipts and other instruments that represent interests in a non-U.S. issuer) tend to be more volatile than U.S. securities and are subject to trading markets with lower overall liquidity, governmental interference, and regulatory and accounting standards and settlement practices that differ from the U.S. The fund could experience losses based solely on the weakness of foreign currencies in which the fund’s holdings are denominated versus the U.S. dollar, and changes in the exchange rates between such currencies and the U.S. dollar. Risks can result from differing regulatory environments, less stringent investor protections, uncertain tax laws, and higher transaction costs compared to U.S. markets. Investments outside the U.S. could be subject to governmental actions such as capital or currency controls, nationalization of a company or industry, expropriation of assets, or imposition of high taxes.
A trading market may close for national holidays or without warning for extended time periods, preventing the fund from buying or selling securities in that market. Trading securities in which the fund invests may take place in various foreign markets on certain days when the fund is not open for business and does not calculate its net asset value. For example, the fund may invest in securities that trade in various foreign markets that are open on weekends. As the securities trade, their value may substantially change. As a result, the fund’s net asset value may be significantly affected on days when shareholders cannot make transactions. In addition, market volatility may significantly limit the liquidity of securities of certain issuers in a particular country or geographic region, or of all companies in the country or region. The fund may be unable to liquidate its positions in such securities at any time, or at a favorable price, in order to meet the fund’s obligations.
Growth investing Different investment styles tend to shift in and out of favor depending on market conditions and investor sentiment. Growth stocks can be more volatile than other types of stocks and their prices tend to fluctuate more dramatically than the overall stock markets. Growth stocks are typically priced higher than other stocks because investors believe they have more growth potential, which may or may not be realized. Since these companies usually invest a high portion of earnings in their businesses, they may lack the dividends that can cushion