2016, the capitalization of companies in the Russell Midcap® Index ranged from $642 million to $38.1 billion.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund will provide
exposure to investments that are economically tied to at least three different countries, including the U.S. The Fund may also invest up to 35% of its net assets in securities of issuers located in emerging markets countries, i.e., those that are in
the early stages of their industrial cycles.
The Fund can invest in derivative instruments,
including forward foreign currency contracts and futures contracts.
The Fund can use forward foreign currency contracts
to hedge against adverse movements in the foreign currencies in which portfolio securities are denominated. Historically the Fund has not hedged the currency exposure created by its investments in foreign securities but has the ability to do so if
deemed appropriate by the Fund’s portfolio managers.
The Fund can use futures contracts to gain exposure
to the broad market in connection with managing cash balances or to hedge against downside risk.
The portfolio managers employ a disciplined
investment strategy that emphasizes fundamental research. The fundamental research primarily focuses on identifying quality growth companies and is supported by quantitative analysis, portfolio construction and risk management. Investments for the
portfolio are selected bottom-up on a security-by-security basis. The focus is on the strengths of individual issuers, rather than sector or country trends. The portfolio managers’ strategy primarily focuses on identifying issuers that they
believe have sustainable earnings growth, efficient capital allocation, and attractive prices.
The Fund’s portfolio managers may consider
selling a security for several reasons, including when (1) its price changes such that they believe it has become too expensive, (2) the original investment thesis for the company is no longer valid, or (3) a more compelling investment opportunity
is identified.
Principal Risks of Investing in the
Fund
As with any mutual fund investment, loss of money is a risk
of investing. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. The risks associated with an investment in the Fund can increase
during times of significant market volatility. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are:
Depositary Receipts Risk. Investing in depositary receipts involves the same risks as direct investments in foreign securities. In addition, the underlying issuers of certain depositary receipts are under no obligation to distribute shareholder
communications or pass through any voting rights with respect to the deposited securities to the holders of such receipts. The Fund may therefore receive less timely information or have less control than if it invested directly in the foreign
issuer.
Derivatives Risk. The value of a derivative instrument depends largely on (and is derived from) the value of an underlying security, currency, commodity, interest rate, index or other asset (each referred to as an underlying asset). In
addition to risks relating to the underlying assets, the use of derivatives may include other, possibly greater, risks, including counterparty, leverage and liquidity risks. Counterparty risk is the risk that the counterparty to the derivative
contract will default on its obligation to pay the Fund the amount owed or otherwise perform under the derivative contract. Derivatives create leverage risk because they do not require payment up front equal to the economic exposure created by
owning the derivative. As a result, an adverse change in the value of the underlying asset could result in the Fund sustaining a loss that is substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative, which may make the Fund’s returns
more volatile and increase the risk of loss. Derivative instruments may also be less liquid than more traditional investments and the Fund may be unable to sell or close out its derivative positions at a desirable time or price. This risk may be
more acute under adverse market conditions, during
which the Fund may be most in need of liquidating its derivative
positions. Derivatives may also be harder to value, less tax efficient and subject to changing government regulation that could impact the Fund’s ability to use certain derivatives or their cost. Also, derivatives used for hedging or to gain
or limit exposure to a particular market segment may not provide the expected benefits, particularly during adverse market conditions.
Emerging Markets Securities Risk. Emerging markets (also referred to as developing markets) are generally subject to greater market volatility, political, social and economic instability, uncertain trading markets and more governmental limitations on
foreign investment than more developed markets. In addition, companies operating in emerging markets may be subject to lower trading volume and greater price fluctuations than companies in more developed markets. Securities law and the enforcement
of systems of taxation in many emerging market countries may change quickly and unpredictably. In addition, investments in emerging markets securities may also be subject to additional transaction costs, delays in settlement procedures, and lack of
timely information.
Foreign Securities
Risk. The Fund's foreign investments may be adversely affected by political and social instability, changes in economic or taxation policies, difficulty in enforcing obligations, decreased liquidity or increased
volatility. Foreign investments also involve the risk of the possible seizure, nationalization or expropriation of the issuer or foreign deposits (in which the Fund could lose its entire investments in a certain market) and the possible adoption of
foreign governmental restrictions such as exchange controls. Unless the Fund has hedged its foreign securities risk, foreign securities risk also involves the risk of negative foreign currency rate fluctuations, which may cause the value of
securities denominated in such foreign currency (or other instruments through which the Fund has exposure to foreign currencies) to decline in value. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. Currency hedging
strategies, if used, are not always successful.
Geographic Focus Risk. The Fund may from time to time invest a substantial amount of its assets in securities of issuers located in a single country or a limited number of countries. Adverse economic, political or social conditions in those
countries may therefore have a significant negative impact on the Fund’s investment performance.
Growth Investing Risk. Growth stocks tend to be more expensive relative to the issuing company’s earnings or assets compared with other types of stock. As a result, they tend to be more sensitive to changes in, or investors’
expectations of, the issuing company’s earnings and can be more volatile.
Investing in the European Union Risk. Investments in certain countries in the European Union are susceptible to high economic risks associated with high levels of debt, such as investments in sovereign debt of Greece, Italy and Spain. Efforts of the member
states to further unify their economic and monetary policies may increase the potential for the downward movement of one member state’s market to cause a similar effect on other member states’ markets. Separately, the European Union
faces issues involving its membership, structure, procedures and policies. The exit of one or more member states from the European Union, such as the United Kingdom (UK) which has announced its intention to exit, would place its currency and banking
system in jeopardy. The exit by the UK or other member states will likely result in increased volatility, illiquidity and potentially lower economic growth in the affected markets, which will adversely affect the Fund’s
investments.
Management Risk. The Fund is actively managed and depends heavily on the Adviser’s judgment about markets, interest rates or the attractiveness, relative values, liquidity, or potential appreciation of particular investments made
for the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund could experience losses if these judgments prove to be incorrect. Additionally, legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may adversely affect management of the Fund and, therefore, the ability of the Fund
to achieve its investment objective.
Market Risk. The
market values of the Fund’s investments, and therefore the value of the Fund’s shares, will go up and down, sometimes