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PROSPECTUS |
December 30, 2010 |
Prudential Real Assets Fund
Prudential Real Assets Fund |
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Class A: PUDAX |
Class Z: PUDZX |
Class B: PUDBX |
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Class C: PUDCX |
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FUND TYPE
Real Assets
OBJECTIVE
Long-term real return
As with all mutual funds, the Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved the Fund's shares, nor has the SEC determined that this prospectus is complete or accurate. It is a criminal offense to state otherwise.
Prudential Investments, Prudential, the Prudential logo, and the Rock symbol are service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc. and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide.
Table of Contents |
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47 |
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61 |
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64 |
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69 |
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69 |
The investment objective of the Fund is to seek long-term real return.
The tables below describe the sales charges, fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.
You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and an eligible group of investors purchase, or agree to purchase in the future, more than $25,000 in shares of the Fund or other funds in the Prudential Investments family of funds. More information about these discounts is available from your financial professional and is explained in
Reducing or Waiving Class A's Initial Sales Charge
on page 50 of the Fund's Prospectus and in the Fund's Statement of Additional Information
(SAI), in
Rights of Accumulation
on page 59.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) |
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Class A |
Class B |
Class C |
Class Z |
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) |
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5.50% |
None |
None |
None |
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the lower of original purchase price or sale proceeds) |
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1% |
5% |
1% |
None |
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions |
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None |
None |
None |
None |
Redemption fee |
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None |
None |
None |
None |
Exchange fee |
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None |
None |
None |
None |
Maximum account fee (accounts under $2,500) |
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$15 |
$15 |
$15 |
None |
Annual Fund Operating Expenses % (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
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Class A |
Class B |
Class C |
Class Z |
Management fees |
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0.60 |
0.60 |
0.60 |
0.60 |
+ Distribution and Service (12b-1) fees |
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0.30 |
1.00 |
1.00 |
None |
+ Other expenses |
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1.12 |
1.12 |
1.12 |
1.12 |
+ Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses |
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0.61 |
0.61 |
0.61 |
0.61 |
= Total annual Fund operating expenses |
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2.63 |
3.33 |
3.33 |
2.33 |
- Fee waiver or expense reimbursement |
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0.88 |
0.83 |
0.83 |
0.83 |
= Net annual Fund operating expenses |
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1.75 |
2.50 |
2.50 |
1.50 |
° The distributor of the Fund has contractually agreed until December 31, 2011 to reduce its distribution and service (12b-1) fees for Class A shares to .25 of 1% of the average daily net assets of the Class A shares.
° "Other expenses" are estimated for the Fund's first fiscal year of operations.
° The manager has contractually agreed through December 31, 2011 to limit net annual Fund operating expenses (exclusive of distribution and service (12b-1) fees, interest, dividend and interest expense on short sales (including Acquired Fund dividend and interest expense on short sales), brokerage, taxes (including Acquired Fund taxes), extraordinary and certain other expenses) of each class of shares to 1.50% of the Fund's average daily net assets. This waiver may not be terminated
prior to December 31, 2011. The decision on whether to renew, modify or terminate the waiver is subject to review by the distributor, the manager and the Fund's Board of Trustees.
Separately, the manager has contractually agreed to waive any management fees it receives from the Fund in an amount equal to the management fees paid by Prudential Real Assets Subsidiary, Ltd., the Fund's wholly-owned Cayman Islands subsidiary (the Cayman Subsidiary). This waiver will remain in effect for as long as the Fund remains invested or intends to invest in the Cayman Subsidiary.
Example. The following hypothetical example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. It assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then, except as indicated, redeem all your shares at the end of those periods. It assumes a 5% return on your investment each year, that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same and that all dividends and distributions are reinvested. Your actual costs may be higher or lower.
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If Shares Are Redeemed |
If Shares Are Not Redeemed |
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Share Class |
1 Year |
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3 Years |
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1 Year |
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3 Years |
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Class A |
$718 |
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$1,244 |
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$718 |
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$1,244 |
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Class B |
753 |
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1,247 |
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253 |
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947 |
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Class C |
353 |
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947 |
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253 |
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947 |
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Class Z |
153 |
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648 |
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153 |
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648 |
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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 Fund 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.
INVESTMENTS, RISKS AND PERFORMANCE
Principal Investment Strategies
. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in real assets that may perform well in periods of high inflation. Real return is the rate of return after adjusting for inflation. The Fund invests in real assets through its investments within the following asset classes: commodities; domestic and international real estate; utilities/infrastructure; natural resources; inflation-indexed bonds issued by the U.S. government,
its agencies and instrumentalities, consisting principally of U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (referred to herein collectively as TIPS); and gold/defensive.
The Fund gains exposure to the real asset classes by investing in varying combinations of other Prudential mutual funds (the Underlying Prudential Funds); the Cayman Subsidiary; and direct investments in securities (such as equity and equity-related securities, including common stock, convertible securities, nonconvertible preferred stock, American Depositary Receipts, warrants and other rights that can be exercised to obtain stock, preferred stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), notes
and bonds and certain financial and derivative instruments. The Fund is non-diversified, which means it may invest in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.
The Fund's asset allocation strategy is determined by Quantitative Management Associates LLC (QMA), one of the Fund's subadvisers. QMA utilizes a dynamic asset allocation strategy among the real asset classes to seek to provide attractive risk adjusted real return. By using proprietary models, QMA has identified three regimes of marketplace risk appetite. QMA will strategically allocate the Fund's assets among the asset classes based upon the marketplace risk regimes. The table below
includes the approximate strategic asset allocation ranges for the marketplace risk regimes and the expected approximate initial asset allocations as of the date of this prospectus. The strategic asset allocation guidelines noted in the table are expected ranges and do not represent any actual allocations. Actual allocations may vary at any time depending on market conditions and portfolio management judgment, including any tactical allocations, QMA's regime assessment, and
macroeconomic, market, financial, security valuation and other factors.
In addition to the asset allocation ranges noted in the table below, QMA may also tactically adjust the asset allocation ranges among the real asset classes within the following approximate ranges: commodities (0% to 50%), real estate (0% to 50%), utilities/infrastructure (0% to 40%), natural resources (0% to 40%), TIPS (0% to 60%) and gold/defensive (0% to 40%). Additionally, the Fund's investments in the Underlying Prudential Funds may range from 0% to 100% of the Fund's assets.
Commodity Asset Class.
The Fund gains exposure to the commodities asset class through direct investment of the Fund's assets or through the Cayman Subsidiary. The Manager has retained Prudential Bache Asset Management, Inc. (PBAM) to manage the portion of the Fund's assets that are allocated to the commodity asset class. PBAM
will seek to track the performance of either the Bache Commodity Index
SM
(the BCI
SM
) or the Bache Commodity Select Index (BCSI). The BCI and BCSI are each unmanaged proprietary indices of PBAM. The BCI and BCSI are dynamic, long-only measures of the price behavior of various commodities traded in major exchanges worldwide. The primary objective of the BCI and BCSI is to provide broad-based exposure to global commodity markets. The BCSI provides exposure to
approximately 10 commodities across the energy, metals and agricultural sectors, while the BCI provides exposure to approximately 19 commodities across the energy, metals and agricultural sectors. The strategies have been designed to exhibit a high correlation to each other.
The Fund gains exposure to the commodity markets primarily through exchange-traded futures on commodities held by the Cayman Subsidiary. The Fund may invest up to 25% of the Fund's total assets in the Cayman Subsidiary. The Cayman Subsidiary may invest in commodity investments without limit. The Fund invests in the Cayman Subsidiary in order to gain exposure to commodities within the limitations of the federal tax law requirements applicable to regulated investment companies such as the
Fund. If QMA, as asset allocator, directs more than approximately 25% of the Fund's total assets to the commodity asset class, then PBAM intends to directly invest the Fund's assets. The Fund may invest directly in commodity-linked structured notes (CLNs) and in ETFs whose returns are linked to commodities or commodity indices within the limits of applicable tax law.
Real Estate, Utilities/Infrastructure and Natural Resources Asset Classes. The Fund invests in the shares of the named Underlying Prudential Funds to obtain exposure to the real asset classes as noted: domestic real estate (Prudential US Real Estate Fund), international real estate (Prudential International Real Estate Fund), utilities/infrastructure (Prudential Jennison Utility Fund) and natural resources (Prudential Jennison Natural Resources Fund, Inc.). Each Underlying Prudential Fund invests primarily in securities and or debt suggested by each Underlying Prudential Fund's name. Each Underlying Fund is managed by Prudential Investments LLC. The Prudential US Real Estate Fund and the Prudential International Real Estate Fund are each subadvised by Prudential Real Estate Investors, a business unit of Prudential Investment Management. The Prudential Jennison Utility Fund and the Prudential Jennison Natural Resources Fund, Inc. are each subadvised by Jennison Associaties LLC. More detailed information appears under How the Fund Invests .
The Fund invests in the Class Q shares of the named Underlying Prudential Funds. If any Underlying Purdential Fund does not offer Class Q shares, the the Fund will invest in Class Z shares of the Underlying Prudential Funds.
TIPS Asset Class. The Fund invests directly in TIPS. Prudential Investment Management Inc. (PIM) manages the Fund's assets that are allocated to this asset class. PIM utilizes a conservative, quantitatively-driven strategy that seeks minimal risk versus the Barclays Capital US Treasury Inflation Protected Index, while attempting to capture excess return through security selection. The TIPS asset class may also gain indirect exposure to TIPS through derivative transactions and may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis. This asset class will invest in bonds with varying maturities and maintain an average duration between 3 to 12 years. The TIPS asset class will purchase only those bonds rated at least investment grade (bonds rated Baa and higher by Moody's Investors Service or BBB and higher by Standard & Poor's Ratings Service or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by PIM).
Gold/Defensive Asset Class . The Fund gains exposure to the gold/defensive asset class through investment of the Fund's assets directly or in the Cayman Subsidiary. QMA manages the Fund's assets that are allocated to the gold/defensive asset class. The objective of the gold/defensive asset class is to provide exposure to gold-related securities and other defensive assets. To obtain the desired gold exposure, QMA may invest the Fund's assets that are allocated to this asset class in a portfolio of relatively large, liquid gold mining stocks, most of which are included in the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index. To reduce the equity exposure associated with these stocks, the gold/defensive asset class may obtain exposure to the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (VIX) and cash or cash equivalents. The Fund may also invest in ETFs, swaps, futures contracts and other derivatives and/or exchange traded notes (ETNs). QMA also may invest through the Cayman Subsidiary in gold-related derivatives that would otherwise generate non-qualifying income for purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code) (e.g., gold futures).
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund. All investments have risks to some degree. Please remember that an investment in the Fund is not guaranteed to achieve its investment objective; is not a deposit with a bank; is not insured, endorsed or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency; and is subject to investment risks, including possible loss of your original investment.
Set forth below is a description of the principal risks associated with an investment in the Fund either through direct investments or indirectly through the Fund's investments in the Underlying Prudential Funds.
Recent Market Events . The equity and debt capital markets in the United States and internationally have experienced unprecedented volatility. This financial crisis has caused a significant decline in the value and liquidity of many securities. This environment could make identifying investment risks and opportunities especially difficult for the subadviser(s). These market conditions may continue or get worse. In response to the crisis, the U.S. and other governments and the Federal Reserve and certain foreign central banks have taken steps to support financial markets. The withdrawal of this support could negatively affect the value and liquidity of certain securities. Legislation recently enacted in the United States calls for changes in many aspects of financial regulation. The impact of the legislation on the markets, and the practical implications for market participants, may not be known for some time.
Risk of Increase in Expenses . Your actual cost of investing in the Fund may be higher than the expenses shown in the expense table for a variety of reasons. For example, expense ratios may be higher than those shown if average net assets are lower than estimated. Net assets are more likely to decrease and Fund expense ratios are more likely to increase when markets are volatile.
Market Risk . Your investment in Fund shares represents an indirect investment in the securities owned by the Fund. The value of these securities, like other investments, may move up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. Securities markets are volatile. Your Fund shares at any point in time may be worth less than what you invested, even after taking into account the reinvestment of Fund dividends and distributions. Regardless of how well an individual investment performs, if financial markets go down, you could lose money.
Asset Allocation Risk . Asset allocation risk is the risk that the Fund's assets may be allocated to an asset class that underperforms other asset classes. For example, fixed income securities may underperform equities.
The Fund may invest 25% or more of its total assets in one or more Underlying Prudential Funds that themselves may invest 25% or more of their total assets in a particular industry or group of industries (e.g., domestic REITs, international REITs, natural resources or utilities/infrastructure). As a result, the Fund may have exposure to the extent of 25% or more of its assets to the risks of the industry or group of industries in which an Underlying Prudential Fund invests, and the value of the Fund's shares may fluctuate more than the value of shares of a fund that invests in a broader range of industries.
Fund of Funds Risk . The value of an investment in the Fund will be related in large part to the investment performance of the Underlying Prudential Funds in which it invests. Therefore, the principal risks of investing in the Fund are closely related to the principal risks associated with these Underlying Prudential Funds and their investments. Because the Fund's allocation among different Underlying Prudential Funds and direct investments in securities and derivatives will vary, an investment in the Fund may be subject to any and all of these risks at different times and to different degrees. Investing in an Underlying Prudential Fund will also expose the Fund to a pro rata portion of the Underlying Prudential Fund's fees and expenses. In addition, one Underlying Prudential Fund may buy the same securities that another Underlying Prudential Fund sells. Therefore, the Fund would indirectly bear the costs of these trades without accomplishing the investment purpose.
Affiliated Funds Risk . The Fund's manager serves as the manager of the Underlying Prudential Funds. It is possible that a conflict of interest among the Fund and the Underlying Prudential Funds could affect how the manager and subadvisers fulfill their fiduciary duties to the Fund and the Underlying Prudential Funds. Because the amount of the investment management fees to be retained by the manager and the subadvisers may differ depending upon the Underlying Prudential Funds in which the Fund invests, there is a conflict of interest for the Manager and the subadvisers in selecting the Underlying Prudential Funds. In addition, the manager and the subadvisers may have an incentive to take into account the effect on an Underlying Prudential Fund in which the Fund may invest in determining whether, and under what circumstances, to purchase or sell shares in that Underlying Prudential Fund. Although the manager and the subadvisers take steps to address the conflicts of interest, it is possible that the conflicts could impact the Fund. In addition, the subadvisers may invest in Underlying Prudential Funds that have a limited or no performance history.
Asset Class Variation Risk . The Underlying Prudential Funds invest principally in the securities constituting their asset class ( i.e. , domestic or international real estate, utilities, infrastructure or natural resources). However, under normal market conditions, an Underlying Prudential Fund may vary the percentage of its assets in these securities (subject to any applicable regulatory requirements). Depending upon the percentage of securities in a particular asset class held by the Underlying Prudential Funds at any given time and the percentage of the Fund's assets invested in the Underlying Prudential Funds, the Fund's actual exposure to the securities in a particular asset class may vary substantially from its allocation to that asset class.
Management Risk . Actively managed mutual funds are subject to management risk. The subadvisers will apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these techniques will produce the desired results. Additionally, the securities or Underlying Prudential Funds selected by the manager and/or subadvisers may underperform the markets in general, the Fund's benchmark and other mutual funds with similar investment objectives.
Deflation Risk . During periods of deflation, prices throughout the economy may decline over time, which may have an adverse effect on the creditworthiness of issuers in whose securities the Fund invests. Additionally, since the Fund makes investments that may perform well in periods of rising inflation, during periods of no inflation or deflation an investment in the Fund may underperform broad market measures and may lose value.
Credit Risk/Counterparty Risk . The ability, or perceived ability, of the issuer or guarantor of a debt security, or the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) to a derivatives contract or other financial contract, to meet its financial obligations will affect the value of the security or derivative. Counterparty risk is especially important in the context of privately negotiated instruments.
Interest Rate Risk . Interest rate increases can cause the price of a debt security to decrease. In addition, if a security that the Fund holds is prepaid during a period of falling interest rates, the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds in lower-yielding investments. Interest rate risk is generally greater in the case of securities with longer durations and in the case of portfolios of securities with longer average durations.
Inflation-indexed bonds, such as TIPS, generally decline in value when real interest rates rise. In certain interest rate environments, such as when real interest rates are rising faster than nominal interest rates, TIPS may experience greater losses than other fixed income securities with similar durations. In addition, any increase in principal value of an inflation-indexed bond caused by an increase in the price index is taxable in the year the increase occurs, even though the Fund generally will not receive cash representing the increase at that time. As a result, the Fund could be required at times to liquidate other investments, including when it is not advantageous to do so, in order to satisfy its distribution requirements as a regulated investment company under the Code. Also, to the extent that the Fund invests in inflation-indexed bonds, income distributions are more likely to fluctuate.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to sell. The Fund may not be able to sell illiquid investments at competitive prices. Investments in certain commodities, derivatives, non-U.S. investments, restricted securities, and securities having substantial market and/or credit risk tend to involve greater liquidity risk.
Commodity Risk . The values of commodities and commodity-linked investments are affected by events that might have less impact on the value of stocks and bonds. Such investments may be speculative. Prices of commodities and related contracts may fluctuate significantly over short periods for a variety of reasons, including weather, crop or livestock disease, investment speculation, resource availability, fluctuations in industrial and commercial supply and demand, U.S. agricultural, fiscal, monetary and exchange control programs, embargoes, tariffs, and international political, economic, military and regulatory developments. These risks may subject the Fund to greater volatility than investments in traditional instruments or securities. In addition, the commodities markets are subject to temporary distortions or other disruptions due to a variety of factors, including participation of speculators, government intervention and regulation, and certain lack of liquidity in the markets.
Real Estate Risk . An investment in the Fund will be closely linked to the performance of the real estate markets. The value of real estate securities in general, and REITs in particular, are subject to the same risks as direct investments in real estate and mortgages, and their value will depend on the value of the underlying properties or the underlying loans or interests. The underlying loans may be subject to the risks of default or of prepayments that occur earlier or later than expected, and such loans may also include so-called "subprime" mortgages. The value of these securities will rise and fall in response to many factors, including economic conditions, the demand for rental property interest rates and, with respect to REITs, the management skill and creditworthiness of the issuer. In particular, the value of these securities may decline when interest rates rise and will also be affected by the real estate market and by the management of the underlying properties. REITs may be more volatile and/or more illiquid than other types of equity securities.
Real Estate Investment Trust Risk . The fund's investment in certain Underlying Prudential Funds will expose the Fund to the risk of REITs. An investment in a REIT may be subject to risks similar to those associated with direct ownership of real estate, including losses from casualty or condemnation, and changes in local and general economic conditions, supply and demand, interest rates, zoning laws, regulatory limitations on rents, property taxes and operating expenses. In addition, an investment in a REIT is subject to additional risks, such as poor performance by the manager of the REIT, adverse changes to the tax laws or failure by the REIT to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income under the Code, and to the effect of general declines in stock prices. In addition, some REITs have limited diversification because they invest in a limited number of properties, a narrow geographic area, or a single type of property. Also, the organizational documents of a REIT may contain provisions that make changes in control of the REIT difficult and time-consuming. As a shareholder in a REIT, the Fund and its shareholders could bear its ratable share of the REIT's expenses and would at the same time continue to pay its own fees and expenses.
Utilities/Infrastructure Investment Risk . The Fund's investments in certain Underlying Prudential Funds will expose the Fund to potential adverse economic, regulatory, political and other changes affecting infrastructure investments, particularly investments in the utilities sector. In most countries and localities, the utilities industry is regulated by governmental entities, which can increase costs and delays for new projects and make it difficult to pass increased costs on to consumers. In certain areas, deregulation of utilities has resulted in increased competition and reduced profitability for certain companies, and increased the risk that a particular company will become bankrupt or fail completely. Reduced profitability, as well as new uses for or additional need of funds (such as for expansion, operations or stock buybacks), could result in reduced dividend payout rates for utilities companies. In addition, utilities companies face the risk of increases in the cost and reduced availability of fuel (such as oil, coal, natural gas or nuclear energy) and potentially high interest costs for borrowing to finance new projects. Issuers in other types of infrastructure-related businesses also are subject to a variety of factors that may adversely affect their business or operations, including high interest costs in connection with capital construction programs, costs associated with environmental and other regulations, the effects of economic slowdown and surplus capacity, increased competition from other providers of services, uncertainties concerning the availability of fuel at reasonable prices, the effects of energy conservation policies, and other factors.
Natural Resources Investment Risk. The Fund's investments in certain Underlying Prudential Funds will expose the Fund to the risk of investment in natural resource companies. The market value of securities of natural resource companies may be affected by numerous factors, including events occurring in nature, inflationary pressures and international politics. For example, events occurring in nature (such as earthquakes or fires in prime natural resource areas) and political events (such as coups, military confrontations or acts of terrorism) can affect the overall supply of a natural resource and the value of companies involved in such natural resource. Political risks and the other risks to which foreign securities are subject may affect domestic companies if they have significant operations or investments in foreign countries. In addition, rising interest rates and general economic conditions may affect the demand for natural resources.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk . Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers, including emerging markets issuers (including those denominated in U.S. dollars) involve certain risks not typically associated with investments in domestic issuers. The values of non-U.S. securities are subject to economic and political developments in the countries and regions where the issuers operate or are domiciled, or where the securities are traded, such as changes in economic or monetary policies, and to changes in exchange rates. Values may also be affected by restrictions on receiving the investment proceeds from a non-U.S. country. We do not consider American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") and other similar receipts or shares traded in U.S. markets in which the Fund may invest to be foreign securities.
In general, less information is
publicly available about non-U.S. companies than about U.S. companies. Non-U.S. companies generally are not subject to the same accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards as are U.S. companies.
In addition, the Fund's investments in non-U.S. securities may be subject to the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets, imposition of currency exchange controls or restrictions on the repatriation of non-U.S. currency, confiscatory taxation, political or financial instability and adverse diplomatic developments. Dividends or interest on, or proceeds from the sale of, non-U.S. securities may be subject to non-U.S. withholding taxes, and special U.S. tax considerations may
apply.
Emerging Markets Risk . The risks of non-U.S. investments are greater for investments in emerging markets. Emerging market countries typically have economic and political systems that are less fully developed, and can be expected to be less stable than those of more developed countries. For example, the economies of such countries can be subject to rapid and unpredictable rates of inflation or deflation. Low trading volumes may result in a lack of liquidity and in price volatility. Emerging market countries may have policies that restrict investment by foreigners, or that prevent foreign investors from withdrawing their money at will.
Cayman Subsidiary Risk . The Fund invests in its wholly-owned Cayman Subsidiary. By investing in the Cayman Subsidiary, the Fund is indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the Cayman Subsidiary's investments. The derivatives and other investments held by the Cayman Subsidiary are generally similar to those that are permitted to be held by the Fund's commodity and gold/defensive asset classes and are subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the Fund. These risks are described elsewhere in this Prospectus. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Cayman Subsidiary will be achieved.
The Cayman Subsidiary is not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), and, unless otherwise noted in this Prospectus, is not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act. However, the Fund wholly owns and controls the Cayman Subsidiary, and the Fund and the Cayman Subsidiary are both managed by the manager, QMA and PBAM, making it unlikely that the Cayman Subsidiary will take action contrary to the interests of the Fund and its shareholders. The Fund's Board of Trustees has oversight responsibility for the investment activities of the Fund, including its investment in the Cayman Subsidiary, and the Fund's role as sole shareholder of the Cayman Subsidiary. The Cayman Subsidiary will be subject to the same investment restrictions and limitations, and follow the same compliance policies and procedures, as the Fund.
Changes in the laws of the Cayman Islands, under which the Cayman Subsidiary is incorporated, could result in the inability of the Fund to effect its desired commodity investment strategy. In addition, changes in the tax laws in either the U.S. or the Cayman Islands might negatively impact the Fund and its investors. For example, the Cayman Islands currently does not impose any income, corporate or capital gains tax, or withholding tax, on the Cayman Subsidiary. If the laws of the Cayman Islands were changed and the Cayman Subsidiary were required to pay Cayman Islands taxes, this may impact the Fund's returns based upon the percentage of assets allocated to commodities at that time.
Commodity-Linked Notes Risk . The Fund may invest in leveraged or unleveraged CLNs to gain exposure to the commodities markets. CLNs are subject to counterparty risk. The value of the CLNs may fluctuate significantly because the values of the investments to which they are linked are volatile. In addition, the terms of a CLN may create economic leverage by requiring payment by the issuer of an amount that is a multiple of the price increase or decrease of the underlying commodity, commodity index or other economic variable. Economic leverage increases the volatility of CLNs and their value may increase or decrease more quickly than the value of the underlying commodity, commodity index or other economic variable.
Non-Diversified Investment Company Risk . Funds that are "non-diversified" for purposes of the 1940 Act, such as the Fund and the Underlying Prudential Funds, may invest a greater percentage of their assets in securities of a single issuer. The risk of investing in a smaller number of issuers includes the risk of being more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory event than a diversified fund might be.
Derivatives Risk
. The Fund and the Underlying Prudential Funds may engage in a variety of transactions using "derivatives," such as futures, options, forwards and swaps. Derivatives are financial instruments whose value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of something else, such as one or more underlying investments, indexes or currencies. Derivatives may be traded on organized exchanges, or in individually
negotiated transactions with other parties (these are known as "over-the-counter" derivatives). The Fund and the Underlying Prudential Funds may use derivatives both for hedging purposes (to seek to reduce risk) and for non-hedging purposes (to seek to increase return consistent with the Fund's investment objective). Although the Fund and the Underlying Prudential Funds have the flexibility to make use of derivatives, they may choose not to for a variety of reasons, even under very
volatile market conditions.
Derivatives involve special risks and costs and may result in losses to the Fund. The successful use of derivatives requires sophisticated management, and, to the extent that derivatives are used, the Fund will depend on the subadvisers' ability to analyze and manage derivatives transactions. The prices of derivatives may move in unexpected ways, especially in abnormal market conditions. Some derivatives are "leveraged" and therefore may magnify or otherwise increase investment losses
to the Fund. The Fund's use of derivatives may also increase the amount of taxes payable by shareholders.
Other risks arise from the potential inability to terminate or sell derivatives positions. A liquid secondary market may not always exist for the Fund's derivatives positions at any time. In fact, many over-the-counter derivative instruments will not have liquidity beyond the counterparty to the instrument. Over-the-counter derivative instruments also involve the risk that the other party will not meet its obligations to the Fund.
Leverage Risk . Certain transactions in which the Fund or an Underlying Prudential Fund may engage may give rise to leverage. The use of leverage exaggerates the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund's holdings, and make any change in the Fund's net asset value (NAV) greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of investment returns.
Currency Risk. A portion of assets of the Fund or the Underlying Prudential Funds may be invested in securities that are denominated in non-U.S. currencies. Such investments are subject to the risk that the value of a particular currency will change in relation to the U.S. dollar or other currencies. The weakening of a country's currency relative to the U.S. dollar will negatively affect the dollar value of the Fund's assets. Among the factors that may affect currency values are trade balances, levels of short term interest rates, differences in relative values of similar assets in different currencies, long term opportunities for investment and capital appreciation, central bank policy, and political developments. The Fund may attempt to hedge such risks by selling or buying currencies in the forward market, selling or buying currency futures contracts, options or other securities thereon, borrowing funds denominated in particular currencies, or any combination thereof, depending on the availability of liquidity in the hedging instruments and their relative costs. There can be no assurance that such strategies will be implemented or, if implemented, will be effective and the Fund will incur additional costs from hedging.
Hedging Risk . The decision as to whether and to what extent the Fund or an Underlying Prudential Fund will engage in hedging transactions to hedge against certain risks, such as market risk and issuer risk, will depend on a number of factors, including prevailing market conditions, the composition of the Fund's portfolio, and the availability of suitable transactions. Hedging transactions involve costs and may result in losses. There is no guarantee that any of these hedging instruments would work as anticipated, and in certain cases the Fund might be better off had it not used a hedging instrument. There can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in hedging transactions at any given time or from time to time, even under volatile market environments, or that any such strategies, if used, will be successful.
Portfolio Turnover Risk . The length of time the Fund or an Underlying Prudential Fund has held a particular security is not generally a consideration in investment decisions. Under certain market conditions, the Fund's turnover rate may be higher than that of other mutual funds. Portfolio turnover generally involves some expense to the Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestment in other securities. These transactions may result in realization of taxable capital gains. The trading costs and tax effects associated with portfolio turnover may adversely affect the Fund's investment performance.
Tax Risk . In order to qualify as a regulated investment company (a RIC) under the Code, the Fund must meet certain requirements regarding the source of its income, the diversification of its assets and the distribution of its income. If the Fund were to fail to qualify as a RIC, the Fund could be subject to federal income tax on its net income at regular corporate rates (without reduction for distributions to shareholders). When distributed, that income would also be taxable to shareholders as an ordinary dividend to the extent attributable to the Fund's earnings and profits. If the Fund were to fail to qualify as a RIC and become subject to federal income tax, shareholders of the Fund would be subject to diminished returns.
The Fund has received a private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (the IRS) confirming that income derived from the Fund's investment in the Cayman Subsidiary will constitute qualifying income to the Fund. The Fund has also applied to the IRS for a private letter ruling confirming that the income produced by a certain type of CLNs constitutes "qualifying income" under the Code.
Multi-Manager Risk . While the manager monitors the investments of each subadviser and monitors the overall management of the Fund, each subadviser makes investment decisions for the real asset classes it manages independently from one another. It is possible that the investment styles used by a subadviser in an asset class will not always be complementary to those used by others, which could adversely affect the performance of the Fund.
For more information on the risks of investing in this Fund, please see How the Fund Invests - Investment Risks in the Prospectus and Investment Risks and Considerations in the SAI.
The Fund's Past Performance. The Fund has not been in operation for a full calendar year, and hence has no past performance data to present. A number of factors - including risk - can affect how the Fund will perform in the future.
Investment Manager |
Subadviser |
Portfolio Managers |
Title |
Service Date |
Prudential Investments LLC |
Quantitative Management Associates LLC |
Ted Lockwood |
Managing Director |
December 2010 |
|
|
Edward F. Keon, Jr. |
Managing Director |
December 2010 |
|
|
Edward L. Campbell, CFA |
Vice President |
December 2010 |
|
|
Joel M. Kallman, CFA |
Investment Associate |
December 2010 |
|
Prudential Bache Asset Management, Inc. |
Rupert Allan |
President |
December 2010 |
|
|
Ronald Ivans |
Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager |
December 2010 |
|
Prudential Investment Management Inc. |
Robert Tipp, CFA |
Managing Director and Chief Investment Strategist |
December 2010 |
|
|
Craig Dewling |
Managing Director |
December 2010 |
|
|
Douglas Fitzgerald, CFA |
Principal |
December 2010 |
BUYING AND SELLING FUND SHARES
|
Minimum Initial Investment |
Subsequent Investments |
Fund shares (most cases) |
$2,500 |
$100 |
Retirement accounts and custodial accounts for minors |
$1,000 |
$100 |
Automatic Investment Plan (AIP) |
$50 |
$50 |
You can purchase or redeem shares through the Fund's transfer agent or through servicing agents, including brokers, dealers and other financial intermediaries appointed by the distributor to receive purchase and redemption orders. Current shareholders may also purchase or redeem shares through the Fund's website or by calling (800) 225-1852. Redemption proceeds may be sent by mail, by Federal funds wire or deposited directly into your bank account if you have established the link.
Dividends, Capital Gains and Taxes . The Fund's dividends and distributions are taxable and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Such tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.
FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARY COMPENSATION
Potential Conflicts of Interest . If you purchase Fund shares through a financial services firm, the Fund, the Manager, or their related companies may pay the financial services firm for the sale of Fund shares and/or for services to shareholders. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the financial services firm or the firm's representatives to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial services firm or representative for more information or visit your financial services firm's website.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICIES
The Fund's investment objective is to seek long-term real return. Real return is the rate of return after adjusting for inflation. The Fund's investment objective is not a fundamental policy, and therefore may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval. The Board can change investment policies that are not fundamental without shareholder approval.
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in real assets that may perform well during periods of high inflation. The Fund invests in real assets through its investments in the following asset classes: commodities; domestic and international real estate; utilities/infrastructure; natural resources; TIPS; and gold/defensive. The Fund gains exposure to the real return asset classes by investing in varying combinations of: Underlying Prudential Funds; the Cayman Subsidiary; and securities (such as equity and equity related securities, preferred stocks, ETFs, convertible securities, notes and bonds) and certain financial and derivative instruments. The Fund is non-diversified, which means it may invest in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.
Asset Allocation . The asset allocation strategy for the Fund is determined by QMA. QMA utilizes a dynamic allocation strategy among the real asset classes to seek to provide attractive risk adjusted real return. By using proprietary models, QMA has identified three regimes of marketplace risk appetite. QMA will strategically allocate the Fund's assets among the asset classes based upon the marketplace risk regimes. The table below includes approximate strategic allocation ranges for the marketplace risk regimes and the expected initial approximate asset allocations as of the date of this prospectus. The strategic asset allocation guidelines noted in the table are expected ranges and do not represent any actual allocations. Actual allocations may vary at any time depending on market conditions and portfolio management judgment, including any tactical allocations, QMA's regime assessment, and macroeconomic, market, financial, security valuation and other factors.
In addition to the asset allocation ranges noted in the table below, QMA may also tactically adjust the asset allocation ranges among the real asset classes within the following approximate ranges: commodities (0% to 50%), real estate (0% to 50%), utilities/infrastructure (0% to 40%), natural resources (0% to 40%), TIPS (0% to 60%) and gold/defensive (0% to 40%). additionally, the Fund's investments in the Underlying Prudential Funds may range from 0% to 100% of the Fund's assets.
The Fund will not concentrate in any one industry, provided that investment companies are not considered an industry for purposes of this policy, and provided further that the Fund's investment in an investment company that concentrates its investments in a particular industry or group of industries will not be considered an investment by the Fund in that particular industry or group of industries. The Fund will consider the individual commodities that comprise the BCI and BCSI to be separate industries for purposes of the concentration policy.
Commodity Asset Class. The Fund gains exposure to the commodities asset class through investment of the Fund's assets directly or in the Cayman Subsidiary. The Manager has retained PBAM to serve as subadviser for the commodity asset class. PBAM will seek to track the performance of either the BCI or the BCSI. The BCI and BCSI are each unmanaged proprietary indices of PBAM. The BCI and BCSI are dynamic, long-only measures of the price behavior of various commodities traded in major exchanges worldwide. The BCSI provides exposure to approximately 10 commodities across the energy, metals and agricultural sectors, while the BCI provides exposure to approximately 19 commodities across the energy, metals and agricultural sectors. The strategies have been designed to exhibit a high correlation to each other.
The primary objective of the BCI and BCSI is to provide broad-based exposure to global commodity markets. There are additional objectives of the BCI's and BCSI dynamic asset allocation methodology. The first of these additional objectives is to provide broad, long-term diversified exposure to individual commodities within each major commodity sector (i.e., energy, metals, and agriculture) consistent with their overall importance to that sector as well as their market liquidity. The second additional objective is to ensure that the BCI and BCSI do not become dominated by a single commodity sector or by several commodities within a commodity sector. This is accomplished by employing upper and lower bounds on the market and commodity weights, and by frequent rebalancings of the weights of the individual commodities that comprise the BCI and BCSI. The third objective is to moderate the volatility inherent in the major commodity market sectors. This is accomplished by systematically: (i) reducing near-term exposure to commodity markets that are experiencing price declines and increasing allocations to cash and cash equivalents and (ii) and rolling, on a daily basis when required, the commodity exposure in the nearby contract to the deferred contract. Lastly, given the dynamic nature of commodity markets, overall construction of the BCI and BCSI is monitored by an advisory committee. The advisory committee, which meets annually (and otherwise as necessary), may recommend changes in BCI and BCSI components as well as its methodology. The methodology of, and intellectual property rights in, the BCI and BCSI are proprietary to, and owned by, PFDS Holdings, LLC, a Prudential Financial company.
The Fund expects that most of its investments in the commodity asset class will be through exchange-traded futures on commodities held
by its Cayman Subsidiary. The Fund may also invest directly in CLNs linked to commodity indices and in ETFs whose returns are linked to commodities or commodity indices, within the limits of applicable tax law. The Fund has requested a private letter ruling from the IRS that income and gains earned from investments in structured notes linked to a commodity index constitute qualifying income under the Code. The Fund will not invest in such CLNs until it receives such a private letter
ruling and there can be no assurance that the private letter ruling will be issued by the IRS.
Cayman Subsidiary
. The Fund gains exposure to commodity markets by investing up to 25% of its total assets in the Cayman Subsidiary. The Cayman Subsidiary invests primarily in exchange traded futures on commodities in order to track the performance of the BCI or BCSI, as determined by PBAM, among other assets and investments. The Cayman Subsidiary will also invest in high quality, short-term instruments, which may include positions in U.S. Treasury securities, government agency
debt and money market funds, which are intended to serve as margin or collateral for the Cayman Subsidiary's futures positions. To the extent that the Fund invests in the Cayman Subsidiary, the Fund may be subject to the risks associated with those futures positions and other securities, which are discussed elsewhere in this prospectus.
The Cayman Subsidiary is managed pursuant to compliance policies and procedures that are the same, in all material respects, as the policies and procedures adopted by the Fund. As a result, the manager and subadvisers, in managing the Cayman Subsidiary's portfolio, are subject to the same investment policies and restrictions that apply to the management of the Fund, and, in particular, to the requirements relating to portfolio leverage, liquidity, brokerage, and the timing and method of the valuation of the Cayman Subsidiary's portfolio investments and shares of the Cayman Subsidiary. These policies and restrictions are described in detail in the Fund's Statement of Additional Information. The Fund's Chief Compliance Officer oversees implementation of the Cayman Subsidiary's policies and procedures, and makes periodic reports to the Fund's Board of Trustees regarding the Cayman Subsidiary's compliance with its policies and procedures. The Fund and the Cayman Subsidiary will test for compliance with certain investment restrictions on a consolidated basis. The Cayman Subsidiary will segregate cash or liquid securities equal to 100% of the notional exposure of the futures that it holds.
The Cayman Subsidiary has entered into separate contracts with the manager, PBAM and QMA whereby the manager and subadvisers provide investment advisory and other services to the Cayman Subsidiary. The Cayman Subsidiary has also entered into separate contracts for the provision of custody, transfer agency, and audit services with the same or with affiliates of the same service providers that provide those services to the Fund.
The Fund has has received a private letter ruling from the IRS confirming that income earned by the Cayman Subsidiary will constitute qualifying income when deemed distributed to the Fund.
The financial statements of the Subsidiary will be consolidated with those of the Fund, which will appear in the Fund's Annual and Semiannual Reports to shareholders. The Fund's Annual and Semiannual Reports will be distributed to shareholders, and copies of the reports will be provided without charge upon request as indicated on the back cover of this prospectus. Please refer to the Statement of Additional Information for additional information about the organization and management of the Cayman Subsidiary.
Real Estate, Utilities/Infrastructure and Natural Resources Asset Classes. The Fund invests in shares of certain Underlying Prudential Funds to obtain exposure to the following asset classes:
Underlying Prudential Funds |
|
|
Asset Class |
Name of Underlying Prudential Fund |
Investment Objective, Investment Strategies and Expense Ratio of Underlying Prudential Fund |
Real Estate (domestic) |
Prudential US Real Estate Fund |
The Fund seeks capital appreciation and income. The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its investable assets (net assets plus any borrowings made for investment purposes) in equity-related securities of real estate companies operating in the United States, principally REITs and other real estate securities. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its investable assets in securities and other instruments of real estate companies operating outside the United States and issuers that are not real estate companies. The Fund is non-diversified. Estimated expense ratio: 1.35% for first fiscal year.
|
Real Estate (international) |
Prudential International Real Estate Fund |
The Fund seeks capital appreciation and income. The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its investable assets in equity-related securities of real estate companies, principally REITs and other real estate securities. The Fund invests primarily in issuers located in various countries outside the United States, including issuers located in emerging markets. Under normal circumstances, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its investable assets in securities and other instruments of issuers not in the real estate industry. The Fund is non-diversified. Estimated expense ratio: 1.35% for first fiscal year of operations.
|
Utilities/Infrastructure |
Prudential Jennison Utility Fund |
The Fund seeks total return through a combination of capital appreciation and current income. The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its investable assets in equity and equity-related and investment-grade debt securities of utility companies. Utility companies include electric utilities, gas utilities, water utilities, multi-utilities,
independent power producers, diversified telecommunication services, wireless telecommunication services, transportation infrastructure, energy equipment and services and oil, gas and consumable fuels. Some of these securities are issued by foreign companies. The Fund follows a value investment style.
Expense ratio: 0.62% as of last fiscal year.
|
Natural Resources |
Prudential Jennison Natural Resources Fund, Inc. |
The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital. It seeks to achieve this objective by investing primarily in equity and equity-related securities of foreign and domestic companies that own, explore, mine, process or otherwise develop, or provide goods and services with respect to, natural resources and in asset-based securities. Natural resource companies are U.S. and foreign companies that own, explore, mine, process or otherwise develop, or provide goods and services with respect to, natural resources. Asset-based securities are securities, the values of which are related to the market value of a natural resource. The Fund is non-diversified. Expense ratio: 0.91% as of last fiscal year.
|
Note:
(1)
Prudential US Real Estate Fund and Prudential International Real Estate Fund commenced operations on December 21, 2010. Each Fund is subadvised by Prudential Real Estate Investors, a business unit of Prudential Investment Management.
(2)
Jennison Associates LLC is the subadviser for the Prudential Jennison Utility Fund and the Prudential Jenniosn Natural Resources Fund, Inc.
The Fund purchases Class Q shares of the Underlying Prudential Funds. If an Underlying Prudential Fund does not offer Class Q shares, then the Fund will invest in Class Z shares of the Underlying Prudential Funds. Class Q and Class Z shares are sold without a sales load or distribution fee to a limited group of investors and have lower operating expenses than other classes of shares.
Consistent with the Fund's investment objective and policies, from time to time the Manager and QMA may add other Underlying Prudential Funds to, or remove current Underlying Prudential Funds from, the list of Underlying Prudential Funds in which the Fund may invest, subject to Board approval.
TIPS Asset Class. The Fund invests directly in TIPS. PIM manages the Fund's assets that are allocated to this asset class. PIM utilizes a conservative, quantitatively-driven strategy that seeks minimal risk versus the Barclays Capital US Treasury Inflation Protected Index, while attempting to capture excess return through security selection. The Barclays Capital US Treasury Inflation Protected Index measures the performance of the US TIPS market and includes TIPS with one or more years' remaining maturity with total outstanding issue size of $500 million or more. The TIPS asset class may also gain indirect exposure to TIPS through derivative transactions and may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis. This asset class will invest in bonds with varying maturities and maintain an average duration between 3 to 12 years. The TIPS asset class will purchase only those bonds rated at least investment grade (bonds rated Baa and higher by Moody's Investors Service or BBB and higher by Standard & Poor's Ratings Service or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by PIM).
Gold/Defensive Asset Class. The Fund gains exposure to the gold/defensive asset class through investment of the Fund's assets directly or in the Cayman Subsidiary. QMA manages the gold/defensive asset class. The objective of the gold/defensive asset class is to provide exposure to gold-related securities and other defensive assets. To obtain the desired gold exposure, QMA invests the Fund's assets allocated to this asset class in a portfolio of relatively large, liquid gold mining stocks, most of which are included in the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index, a modified market capitalization weighted index comprised of publicly traded companies involved primarily in the mining for gold and silver. To reduce the equity exposure associated with these stocks, the Fund may obtain exposure to the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index ("VIX") by investing in ETFs, swaps, futures contracts and other derivatives and/or exchange traded notes ("ETNs"). The VIX measures the implied volatility (i.e., estimated future volatility) of the S&P 500 Index options. The VIX tends to be negatively correlated with shorter-term movements in the stock market.
QMA may invest through the Cayman Subsidiary in gold-related derivatives (e.g., futures contracts on gold) that would otherwise generate non-qualifying income for purposes of the Code. QMA may only invest in the Cayman Subsidiary to the extent that QMA, as asset allocator, has allocated less than 25% of the Fund's assets to the commodity asset class. As noted above, the Fund is seeking a private letter ruling from the IRS that income and gains earned from the Fund's investments in CLNs linked to a commodity index constitute qualifying income under the Code. The Fund will not purchase such CLNs until it receives a private letter ruling from the IRS.
The Fund and the Underlying Prudential Funds engage in the principal investment strategies outlined below. References to the Fund also include the Underlying Prudential Funds, as appropriate.
Derivative Strategies . We may use various derivative strategies to try to improve the Fund's returns. We may also use hedging techniques to try to protect the Fund's assets. We cannot guarantee that these strategies and techniques will work, that the instruments necessary to implement these strategies and techniques will be available, or that the Fund will not lose money. The use of derivatives — such as futures, options, foreign currency forward contracts, and various types of swaps — involves costs and can be volatile. With derivatives, we try to predict if the underlying investment – a security, market index, currency, interest rate or some other benchmark - will go up or down at some future date. We may use derivatives to try to reduce risk or to increase return consistent with the Fund's overall investment objectives. We will consider other factors (such as cost) in deciding whether to employ any particular strategy or technique, or use any particular instrument. Any derivatives we may use may not match or offset the Fund's underlying positions and this could result in losses to the Fund that would not otherwise have occurred. Derivatives that involve leverage could magnify losses. When the Fund uses derivative strategies, the Fund designates certain assets as segregated or otherwise covers its exposure, as required by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Futures Contracts and Related Options. The Fund may purchase and sell financial futures contracts and related options on financial futures. A futures contract is an agreement to buy or sell a set quantity of an underlying asset at a future date, or to make or receive a cash payment based on the value of a securities index, or some other asset, at a stipulated future date. The terms of futures contracts are standardized. In the case of a financial futures contract based upon a broad index, there is no delivery of the securities comprising the underlying index, margin is uniform, a clearing corporation or an exchange is the counterparty and the Fund makes daily margin payments based on price movements in the index. An option gives the purchaser the right to buy or sell securities or currencies, or in the case of an option on a futures contract or an option on a swap, the right to buy or sell a futures contract or swap, respectively, in exchange for a premium.
Foreign Currency Forward Contracts. The Fund may enter into foreign currency forward contracts to protect the value of its assets against future changes in the level of foreign exchange rates. A foreign currency forward contract is an obligation to buy or sell a given currency on a future date and at a set price or to make or receive a cash payment based on the value of a given currency at a future date. Delivery of the underlying currency is expected, the terms are individually negotiated, the counterparty is not a clearing corporation or an exchange, and payment on the contract is made upon delivery, rather than daily.
Swap Transactions. The Fund may enter into swap transactions . Swap agreements are two-party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors for periods typically ranging from a few weeks to more than one year. In a standard "swap" transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on particular predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. There are various types of swaps in which the Fund may invest, including but not limited to equity swaps, total return swaps, index swaps and interest rate swaps.
Swap Options . The Fund may enter into swap options . A swap option is a contract that gives a counterparty the right (but not the obligation) to enter into a new swap agreement or to shorten, extend, cancel or otherwise modify an existing swap agreement, at some designated future time on specified terms. For more information about these strategies, see the SAI.
Options on Securities and Financial Indexes . The Fund may purchase and sell put and call options on securities and financial indexes traded on U.S. or foreign securities exchanges, on the NASDAQ Stock Market or in the over-the-counter market. An option gives the purchaser the right to buy or sell securities in exchange for a premium. The Fund will sell only covered options. For more information about the Fund's use of options, see the SAI.
Foreign Securities. The Fund may invest in securities of non-U.S. issuers, which we refer to as foreign securities , including stocks and other equity-related securities, money market instruments and other fixed-income securities of foreign issuers. Foreign securities may include securities from emerging markets. We do not consider American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), American Depositary Shares (ADSs) and other similar receipts or shares traded in U.S. markets to be foreign securities.
Commodity-Linked Notes . Commodity-linked notes have characteristics of both a debt security and a commodity-linked derivative. Typically, commodity-linked notes are issued by a bank or other financial institution or a commodity producer at a specified face value. They usually pay interest at a fixed or floating rate until they mature, which is normally in 12 to 18 months. At maturity, the Fund receives a payment that is calculated based on the price increase or decrease of an underlying commodity-related variable and may be based on a multiple of the price movement of that variable. The underlying commodity-related variable may be a physical commodity (such as heating oil, livestock, or agricultural products), a commodity futures or option contract, a broad-based or narrow-based commodity index, or some other readily measurable variable that reflects changes in the value of particular commodities or the commodities markets.
The Fund typically has the right to "put" (or sell) a commodity-linked note to the issuer at any time, at a price that is calculated based on the price movement of the underlying variable. A typical commodity-linked note also provides that the issuer will automatically repurchase the note from the Fund if the value of the note decreases to a specified level based on the price of the underlying variable.
Real Estate Investment Trusts . REITs are like corporations, except that they do not pay income taxes if they meet certain IRS requirements. However, while REITs themselves do not pay income taxes, the distributions they make to investors are taxable. REITs invest primarily in real estate (offices, hotels, shopping centers, apartments, malls, factories, etc.) or real estate mortgages and distribute almost all of their income -- most of which comes from rents, mortgages and gains on sales of property -- to shareholders. REITs depend generally on their ability to generate cash flow to make distributions to investors.
REITs can generally be classified as equity REITs, mortgage REITs and hybrid REITs. Equity REITs, which invest the majority of their assets directly in real property, derive their income primarily from rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs, which invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages, derive their income primarily from interest payments. Hybrid REITs combine the characteristics of both equity REITs and mortgage REITs.
For more information, see Investment Risks and Investment Risks and Considerations in the SAI, which contains additional information about the Fund. To obtain a copy, see the back cover of this prospectus.
OTHER INVESTMENTS AND STRATEGIES
In addition to the principal investment strategies, the Fund and the Underlying Prudential Funds also may use the following non-principal investment strategies to try to increase their returns or protect their assets if market conditions warrant.
Forward Commitments . The Fund may purchase or sell securities through a forward commitment. These transactions involve the purchase or sale of securities by the Fund at an established price with payment and delivery taking place in the future. The Fund enters into these transactions to obtain what is considered an advantageous price to the Fund at the time of entering into the transaction. When the Fund purchases securities in these transactions, the Fund segregates liquid securities in an amount equal to the amount of its purchase commitments.
There can be no assurance that a security purchased or sold through a forward commitment will be delivered. If the dealer through which the trade is made fails to consummate the transaction, the Fund may lose an advantageous yield or price. Securities purchased on a forward commitment basis also involve a risk that the value of the security to be purchased may decline prior to the settlement date. The Fund does not accrue income prior to delivery of the securities in the case of forward commitment purchases.
Short Sales. The Fund may make short sales of a security. This means that the Fund may sell a security that it does not own, which it may do, for example, when the investment subadviser thinks the value of the security will decline. The Fund generally borrows the security to deliver to the buyers in a short sale. The Fund must then replace the borrowed security by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement. Short sales involve costs and risk. The Fund must pay the lender any dividends or interest that accrues on the security it borrows, and the Fund will lose money if the price of the security increases between the time of the short sale and the date when the Fund replaces the borrowed security. The Fund may make short sales "against the box." In a short sale against the box, at the time of sale, the Fund owns or has the right to acquire the identical security at no additional cost. When selling short against the box, the Fund gives up the opportunity for capital appreciation in the security.
Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may use repurchase agreements, where a party agrees to sell a security to the Fund and then repurchases it at an agreed-upon price at a stated time. This creates a fixed return for the Fund, and is, in effect, a loan by the Fund. Repurchase agreements are used for cash management purposes only.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements and Dollar Rolls. The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of a portfolio security by the Fund coupled with an agreement to repurchase the security, as well as dollar rolls in which the Fund sells securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously agrees to repurchase a substantially similar security at a future date. Either strategy may magnify underlying investment gains or losses.
When-Issued and Delayed-Delivery Securities . The Fund may purchase securities, including money market obligations, on a when-issued, delayed-delivery or forward commitment basis. When the Fund makes this type of purchase, the price and interest rate are fixed at the time of purchase, but delivery and payment for the obligations take place at a later time. The Fund does not earn interest income until the date the obligations are expected to be delivered.
Money Market Instruments. The Fund may invest in money market instruments, including commercial paper of a U.S. or foreign company, foreign government securities, certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances, time deposits of domestic and foreign banks, and obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities. These obligations may be U.S. dollar-denominated or denominated in a foreign currency. Money market instruments typically have a maturity of one year or less as measured from the date of purchase.
U.S. Government Securities . The Fund may invest in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or by an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. government. Some U.S. government securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, which means that payment of principal and interest is guaranteed but market value is not. Some are supported only by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality and depend entirely on the agency or instrumentality's own resources to repay their debt and are subject to the risk of default like private issuers.
Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) and Exchange-Traded Notes (ETNs) . The Fund may invest in securities of ETFs, subject to certain limits on investment in securities of non-affiliated investment companies. Securities of ETFs represent shares of ownership in either a mutual fund or unit investment trust that generally holds a portfolio of securities that may include bonds, common stocks, other instruments or a combination of all three and which is designed to provide exposure to the market represented by the portfolio of those securities. Such holdings are subject to any management fees of the mutual fund or unit investment trust. In addition, the Fund may invest in ETNs. ETNs, like ETFs, are traded on major exchanges. ETN returns are based on the performance of a market index, although the credit rating of the issuer may affect the value of the ETN.
Temporary Defensive Investments. In response to adverse market, economic or political conditions, the Fund may take a temporary defensive position and invest up to 100% of its assets in money market instruments, including short-term obligations of, or securities guaranteed by, the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities or in high-quality obligations of domestic or foreign banks and corporations, and may hold up to 100% of its assets in cash or cash equivalents. Investing heavily in these securities limits the Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective, but can help to preserve the Fund's assets.
Additional Strategies. The Fund follows certain policies when it borrows money (the Fund can borrow up to 33 1/3% of the value of its total assets); lends its securities to others (the Fund can lend up to 33 1�3% of the value of its total assets); and holds illiquid securities (the Fund may hold up to 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities, including securities with legal or contractual restrictions on resale, those without a readily available market and repurchase agreements with maturities longer than seven days). The Fund is subject to certain other investment restrictions that are fundamental policies, which means they cannot be changed without shareholder approval. For more information about these restrictions, see the SAI.
Portfolio Turnover. Although it is not a principal strategy of the Fund, the Fund may actively and frequently trade its portfolio securities to achieve its investment objective. Portfolio turnover is generally the percentage found by dividing the lesser of portfolio purchases or sales by the monthly average value of the portfolio. High portfolio turnover may occur due to active portfolio management. High portfolio turnover (100% or more) results in higher brokerage commissions and other costs and can affect the Fund's performance. It also can result in a greater amount of distributions constituting ordinary income rather than long-term capital gains.
All investments involve risk, and investing in the Fund is no exception. Since the Fund's holdings can vary significantly from broad-based securities market indexes, performance of the Fund can deviate from performance of the indexes. The charts below outline the key risks and potential rewards of the Fund's principal strategies and certain other non-principal strategies that the Fund and the Underlying Prudential Funds may use. Following the charts is a table which sets forth the investment limits applicable to each of the types of investments discussed in the charts. Unless otherwise noted, a percentage stated as a limit on the Fund's ability to engage in a particular type of investment is a percentage of investable assets. For more information, see the SAI.
Principal Investment Strategies
Equity-related Securities |
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Risks |
Potential Rewards |
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Fixed-income securities |
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Risks |
Potential Rewards |
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Foreign Securities |
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Risks |
Potential Rewards |
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Commodities and Commodity-linked Investments |
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Risks |
Potential Rewards |
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Derivatives |
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Risks |
Potential Rewards |
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Securities of Real Estate Investment Trust (REITs) |
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Risks |
Potential Rewards |
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Non-Principal Investment Strategies
U.S. Government and agency securities |
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Risks |
Potential Rewards |
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Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) |
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Risks |
Potential Rewards |
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Illiquid Securities |
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Risks |
Potential Rewards |
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When Issued and Delayed Delivery Securities |
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Risks |
Potential Rewards |
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Money market instruments |
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Risks |
Potential Rewards |
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Exchange-traded notes (ETNs) |
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Risks |
Potential Rewards |
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Principal & Non-Principal Strategies: Investment Limits |
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The Fund is overseen by a Board of Directors or Trustees (hereafter referred to as Directors, or the Board). The Board oversees the actions of the Manager, investment subadviser(s) and distributor and decides on general policies. The Board also oversees the Fund's officers, who conduct and supervise the daily business operations of the Fund.
Prudential Investments LLC (PI)
Gateway Center Three, 100 Mulberry Street
Newark, NJ 07102-4077
Under a Management Agreement with the Fund, PI manages the Fund's investment operations and administers its business affairs and is responsible for supervising the Fund's investment subadviser. The Fund pays PI a management fee at the rate of 0.60% of the Fund's average daily net assets for all share classes.
PI and its predecessors have served as a manager or administrator to investment companies since 1987. As of October 31, 2010, PI, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential, served as the investment manager to all of the Prudential U.S. and offshore open-end investment companies, and as the manager or administrator to closed-end investment companies, with aggregate assets of approximately $139.2 billion.
Subject to the supervision of the Board, PI is responsible for conducting the initial review of prospective investment subadvisers for the Fund. In evaluating a prospective investment subadviser, PI considers many factors, including the firm's experience, investment philosophy and historical performance. PI is also responsible for monitoring the performance of the Fund's investment subadviser(s).
PI and the Fund operate under an exemptive order (the Order) from the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) that generally permits PI to enter into or amend agreements with non-affiliated investment subadvisers without obtaining shareholder approval each time. This authority is subject to certain conditions, including the requirement that the Board must approve any new or amended agreements with an investment subadviser. Shareholders of the Fund still have the right to terminate these agreements at any time by a vote of the majority of outstanding shares of the Fund. The Fund will notify shareholders of any new investment subadvisers engaged or material amendments to subadvisory agreements made pursuant to the Order.
A discussion of the basis for the Board's approvals of the Fund's management and subadvisory agreements is available in the Fund's semi-annual report to shareholders, which is issued at the end of October each year.
Quantitative Management Associates LLC (QMA) , Prudential Investment Management Inc. (PIM) and Prudential Bache Asset Management, Inc. (PBAM) , are the subadvisers for the Fund (each, a Subadviser and together, the Subadvisers). QMA provides asset allocation services to the Fund and the day-to-day investment management for the gold/defensive asset class. PIM handles the day-to-day investment management for the Fund's direct investments in the TIPS asset class. PBAM handles the day-to-day investment management services for the Fund's investments in the commodity asset class.
Quantitative Management Associates LLC (QMA) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential Investment Management, Inc. QMA manages equity and balanced portfolios for institutional and retail clients. As of October 31, 2010, QMA managed approximately $73 billion in assets, including approximately $21.4 billion that QMA, as a balanced manager, allocated to investment vehicles advised by affiliated and unaffiliated managers. The address of QMA is Gateway Center Two, 100 Mulberry Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102.
Prudential Investment Management, Inc. (PIM) has served as an investment adviser to Prudential Financial, Inc. (Prudential Financial) since 1984. Its address is Gateway Center Two, 100 Mulberry Street, Newark, NJ 07102. PI has responsibility for all investment advisory services, supervises PIM and pays PIM for its services. As of September 30, 2010, PIM managed approximately $518 billion in assets.
Prudential Bache Asset Management (PBAM). PBAM is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc. (PFI) and an operating company of PFI's Global Commodities Group. It is registered with the US Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser and with the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission as a commodity trading advisor and a commodity pool operator. PBAM is also a member of the National Futures Association. As of September 30, 2010 PBAM had assets under management of approximately $355 million. PBAM's principal place of business is One New York Plaza, 13th Floor, New York, NY 10292.
Ted Lockwood is a Managing Director for Quantitative Management Associates (QMA) and head of QMA's asset allocation team and investment committee. He is also responsible for managing asset allocation and equity portfolios, investment research, and new product development. Previously, Ted was an AT&T Bell Laboratories Fellow and member of the technical staff at AT&T. Ted graduated summa cum laude with a BE in Engineering from Stony Brook University and earned an MS in Engineering and an MBA in Finance from Columbia University.
Edward F. Keon, Jr. , is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager for Quantitative Management Associates (QMA), as well as a member of the asset allocation team and the investment committee. In addition to portfolio management, Ed contributes to investment strategy, research and portfolio construction. Ed has also served as Chief Investment Strategist and Director of Quantitative Research at Prudential Equity Group, LLC, where he was a member of the firm's investment policy committee and research recommendation committee. Ed's prior experience was as Senior Vice President at I/B/E/S International Inc. Ed is a member of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Quantitative Alliance and sits on the Membership Committee of the Institute of Quantitative Research in Finance (Q-Group). He holds a BS in industrial management from the University of Massachusetts/Lowell and an MS in Finance and Marketing from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Edward L. Campbell, CFA , is a Vice President and Portfolio Manager for Quantitative Management Associates (QMA) and a member of the asset allocation team and investment committee. In addition to portfolio management, Ed is a specialist in global macroeconomic and investment strategy research. He has also served as a Portfolio Manager with Prudential Investments (PI) and spent several years as a Senior Analyst with PI's Strategic Investment Research Group (SIRG). Prior to joining PI, Ed was a Partner and Vice President at Trilogy Advisors LLC. He earned a BS in Economics and International Business from The City University of New York and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Joel M. Kallman, CFA , is an Investment Associate for Quantitative Management Associates (QMA). Joel is a portfolio manager and a member of the asset allocation team's investment committee. He also conducts economic and market valuation research. Joel has also held various positions within Prudential's fixed-income group, in areas such as high-yield credit analysis and performance reporting. He earned a BS and MBA in Finance from Rutgers University. He is also a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Robert Tipp, CFA , is Managing Director and Chief Investment Strategist for Prudential Fixed Income, responsible for Investment Strategy and Macroeconomic Research. Mr. Tipp is also responsible for Liability-Driven Investing (LDI) strategies, as well as duration and foreign exchange positioning for Core Plus and other portfolios. Earlier, Mr. Tipp served as co-head of Prudential Financial's institutional fixed income business. Before joining Prudential Financial in 1991, he was a Director in the Portfolio Strategies Group at the First Boston Corporation, where he developed, marketed, and implemented strategic portfolio products for money managers. Prior to that, Mr. Tipp was a senior staff analyst at the Allstate Research & Planning Center, and managed fixed income and equity derivative strategies at Wells Fargo Investment Advisors. He received both a BS in Business Administration and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. Mr. Tipp holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Craig Dewling is Managing Director and Head of the Global Rates and Securitized Products Team at Prudential Fixed Income. In this role, Mr. Dewling has portfolio management and trading oversight for US Treasuries and government agency securities, mortgage-backed securities, structured product securities, and interest rate derivative transactions, for all strategies, products, and distribution channels. He is also a senior portfolio manager for US Government, mortgage-backed securities, and insurance strategies, and is a sector portfolio manager for multi-sector fixed income portfolios. He has specialized in mortgage-backed securities since 1991. Earlier, he was a taxable bond generalist for Prudential's proprietary accounts, specializing in US Treasuries and agencies. Mr. Dewling joined Prudential Financial in 1987 in the Securities Systems Group. Mr. Dewling received a BS in Quantitative Business Analysis from The Pennsylvania State University and an MBA in Finance from Rutgers University.
Douglas Fitzgerald, CFA , is a Principal and US government portfolio manager for Prudential Fixed Income's Global Rates and Securitized Products Team. He is responsible for managing interest rate swaps and US Government securities, including Treasuries, Agencies, and TIPS. Prior to joining Prudential Fixed Income, Mr. Fitzgerald was Senior Vice President for Prudential Global Funding, where he managed interest rate swaps and traded fixed income relative value portfolios, using swaps, government agency, and US Treasury securities. Mr. Fitzgerald started his career at Prudential in 1988 in the Portfolio Management Group. Mr. Fitzgerald received a BA in Business from James Madison University. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Rupert Allan is President and Head of Commodity Asset Management for PBAM. Mr. Allan is responsible for developing and implementing the strategic business plan for the Global Commodities Group as well as taking responsibility for product development, marketing and distribution, supervision of the sales and support teams, and governance and controls. Prior to joining PBAM, Mr Allan was employed by Tremont Group Holdings, a fully owned subsidiary of OppenheimerFunds and MassMutual Financial Group, as President and CEO with responsibility for managing and developing their Hedge Funds of Funds business. Mr. Allan also worked at Societe Generale in the Equity Derivatives division where he was a member of the investment committee and was responsible for establishing and building the hedge fund managed account platform. Before joining Societe Generale in 1996 Mr Allan started his career in finance at Mercantile House in London where he created and managed a number of hedge fund of fund products. Mr. Allan holds a BA in Politics and International Studies from Warwick University.
Ronald Ivans is Portfolio Manager and Senior Vice President of PBAM. Mr Ivans is also a senior executive with responsibilities for finance, operations and control for various legal entities within Prudential Financial, Inc.'s Global Commodities Group. Throughout his career, Mr. Ivans has been involved with the structuring, implementation and management of a myriad financial products for high net worth and institutional clients, including managed commodity pools. Mr. Ivans' duties include managing the Global Commodities Group's segregated funds, which are in excess of $2 billion. Mr. Ivans received a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Hofstra University and a MBA in International Business from Adelphi University. Mr. Ivans is also a Certified Public Accountant.
The SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers' compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio managers, and the portfolio managers' ownership of securities in the Fund.
CAYMAN SUBSIDIARY
As discussed above, the Fund may pursue its investment objective though investment in the Cayman Subsidiary. The Cayman Subsidiary has a Board of Directors consisting of two directors. The Cayman Subsidiary has entered into a separate management agreement with the Manager whereby the Manager provides advisory and other services to the Cayman Subsidiary. In consideration of these services, the Cayman Subsidiary will pay the Manager a monthly fee at the annual rate of 0.60% of the
average daily net assets of Cayman Subsidiary. The Manager also has entered into two separate subadvisory agreements with QMA and PBAM relating to the Cayman Subsidiary. QMA provides asset allocation services to the Cayman Subsidiary and handles the day-to-day investment management for any of the Cayman Subsidiary's assets allocated to the gold/defensive asset class. PBAM handles the day-to-day investment management services for the Cayman Subsidiary's investments in the commodity asset
class.
The Cayman Subsidiary is not registered under the 1940 Act and, unless otherwise noted in the Fund's prospectus or Statement of Additional Information, is not subject to all the investor protections of the 1940 Act.
Prudential Investment Management Services LLC (PIMS or the Distributor) distributes the Fund's shares under a Distribution Agreement with the Fund. The Fund also has a Distribution and Service Plan (the Plan) under Rule 12b-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (1940 Act) with respect to each of the Class A, Class B and Class C shares. Under the Plan and the Distribution Agreement, PIMS pays the expenses of distributing the Fund's Class A, B and C shares and provides certain shareholder support services. The Fund pays distribution and other fees to PIMS as compensation for its services for each class of shares other than Class Z. These fees - known as 12b-1 fees - are shown in the "Annual Fund Operating Expenses" table.
Because the fees are paid from the Fund's assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges.
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
A description of the Fund's policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund's portfolio securities is described in the Fund's SAI and on the Fund's website.
FUND DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAX ISSUES
Investors who buy shares of the Fund should be aware of some important tax issues. For example, the Fund distributes dividends of net investment income and realized net capital gains, if any, to shareholders. These distributions are subject to federal income taxes, unless you hold your shares in a 401(k) plan, an individual retirement account (IRA) or some other qualified or
tax-deferred plan or account. Dividends and distributions from the Fund also may be subject to state and local income tax in the state where you live.
Also, if you sell shares of the Fund for a profit, you may have to pay capital gains taxes on the amount of your profit, unless you hold your shares in a qualified or tax-deferred plan or account.
The following briefly discusses some of the important income tax issues you should be aware of, but is not meant to be tax advice. For tax advice, please speak with your tax adviser.
The Fund distributes dividends of any net investment income to shareholders. For example, if the Fund owns ACME Corp. stock and the stock pays a dividend, the Fund will pay out a portion of this dividend to its shareholders, assuming the Fund's income is more than its costs and expenses. The dividends you receive from the Fund will be subject to taxation whether or not they are reinvested in the Fund.
The Fund also distributes any realized net capital gains to shareholders. Capital gains are generated when the Fund sells its assets for a profit. For example, if the Fund bought 100 shares of ACME Corp. stock for a total of $1,000 and more than one year later sold the shares for a total of $1,500, the Fund has net long-term capital gains of $500, which it will pass on to shareholders (assuming the Fund's remaining total gains are greater than any losses it may have). Capital gains are taxed differently depending on how long the Fund holds the security - if the Fund holds a security for more than one year before selling it, any gain is treated as long-term capital gain which, if recognized in a taxable year beginning before January 1, 2013, is generally taxed at rates of up to 15%, provided that the Fund distributes the net capital gain to non-corporate U.S. shareholders, and up to 20% thereafter. If the Fund holds the security for one year or less, any gain is treated as short-term capital gain, which is taxed at rates applicable to ordinary income. Different rates apply to corporate shareholders.
Dividends of net investment income paid to a non-corporate U.S. shareholder in a taxable year beginning before January 1, 2013, that are designated as qualified dividend income will generally be taxable to such shareholder at a maximum rate of 15%. Dividends of net investment income that are not designated as qualified dividend income will be taxable to shareholders at ordinary income rates. Also, a portion of the dividends paid to corporate shareholders of the Fund will be eligible for the 70% dividends received deduction to the extent the Fund's income is derived from certain dividends received from U.S. corporations.
For taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012, a U.S. shareholder that is an individual, estate, or certain type of trust will be subject to a 3.8% Medicare tax on the lesser of (1) the U.S. shareholder's "net investment income," including Fund distributions and net gains from the disposition of Fund shares, and (2) the excess of the U.S. shareholder's modified gross income for the taxable year over a certain threshold.
For your convenience, a Fund's distributions of dividends and net capital gains are automatically reinvested in the Fund without any sales charge. If you ask us to pay the distributions in cash, we will send you a check if your account is with Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC (the Transfer Agent). Otherwise, if your account is with a broker, you will receive a credit to your account. Either way, the distributions may be subject to income taxes, unless your shares are held in a qualified or tax-deferred plan or account. If your dividend and/or capital gains distribution check(s) remains uncashed for more than six months, your check(s) may be invested in additional shares of the Fund at the next Net Asset Value (NAV) calculated on the day of the investment. For more information about automatic reinvestment and other shareholder services, see Additional Shareholder Services in the next section.
The chart below sets forth the expected minimum frequency of dividend and capital gains distributions to shareholders. Various factors may impact the frequency of dividend distributions to shareholders, including but not limited to adverse market conditions or portfolio holding-specific events.
Fund Distribution Schedule |
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Dividends |
Annually |
Short-Term Capital Gains |
Annually |
Long-Term Capital Gains |
Annually |
IF YOU SELL OR EXCHANGE YOUR SHARES
If you sell any shares of the Fund for a profit, you have realized a capital gain , which is subject to tax unless the shares are held in a qualified or tax-deferred plan or account. For individuals, the maximum capital gains tax rate is generally 15%, if the gain is recognized in a taxable year beginning before January 1, 2013, and 20% thereafter, for shares held for more than one year.
If you sell shares of the Fund for a loss, you may have a capital loss, which you may use to offset capital gains you have, plus, in the case of noncorporate taxpayers, ordinary income of up to $3,000. If you sell shares and realize a loss, you will not be permitted to use the loss to the extent you replace the shares (including pursuant to the reinvestment of a dividend) within a 61-day period (beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the sale of the shares). Under certain circumstances, if you acquire shares of the Fund and sell or exchange your shares within 90 days, you may not be allowed to include certain charges incurred in acquiring the shares for purposes of calculating gain or loss realized upon the sale of the shares.
If you exchange your Fund shares for shares of another class of the Fund, this is generally not a taxable event and should not result in realization of a capital gain or loss by you. If you exchange your shares of the Fund for shares of another Prudential Investments mutual fund, this is considered a sale for tax purposes. In other words, it's a taxable event. Therefore, if the shares you exchanged have increased in value since you purchased them, you have capital gains, which are subject to the taxes described above. Any gain or loss you may have from selling or exchanging Fund shares will not be reported on Form 1099; however, proceeds from the sale or exchange will be reported on Form 1099-B. Therefore, unless you hold your shares in a qualified or tax-deferred plan or account, you or your financial adviser should keep track of the dates on which you buy and sell - or exchange - Fund shares, as well as the amount of any gain or loss on each transaction. For tax advice, please see your tax adviser.
Automatic Conversion of Class B Shares
The conversion of Class B shares of the Fund – which happens automatically approximately every seven years – is not a taxable event for federal income tax purposes. For more information about the automatic conversion of Class B shares, see "Class B Shares Automatically Convert to Class A Shares" in the "How to Buy, Sell and Exchange Shares of the Fund" section.
Form 1099
Every year you will receive a
Form 1099
which reports the amount of ordinary income distributions and long-term capital gains we distributed to you during the prior year unless you own shares of the Fund as part of a qualified or tax-deferred plan or account. If you do own shares of the Fund as part of a qualified or tax-deferred plan or account, your taxes are deferred, so you will not receive a Form 1099 annually, but instead you will receive a Form 1099 when you take any
distribution from your qualified or tax-deferred plan or account.
Fund distributions are generally taxable to you in the calendar year in which they are received, except when we declare certain dividends and distributions in the fourth quarter, with a record date in such quarter, and actually pay them in January of the following year. In such cases, the dividends and distributions are treated as if they were paid on December 31st of the prior year.
Withholding Taxes
If federal tax law requires you to provide the Fund with your taxpayer identification number and certifications as to your tax status and you fail to do this, or if you are otherwise subject to backup withholding, we will withhold and pay to the U.S. Treasury a portion of your distributions and sale proceeds.
Taxation of Foreign Shareholders
For a discussion regarding the taxation of foreign shareholders, please see the SAI.
If You Purchase on or Before a Record Date
If you buy shares of the Fund on or before the record date for a distribution (the date that determines who receives the distribution), we will pay that distribution to you. As explained above, the distribution may be subject to taxes. You may think you've done well since you bought shares one day and soon thereafter received a distribution. That is not so, because when dividends are paid out, the value of each share of the Fund decreases by the amount of the dividend to reflect the
payout, although this may not be apparent because the value of each share of the Fund also will be affected by market changes, if any. However, the timing of your purchase does mean that part of your investment may have come back to you as taxable income.
Qualified and Tax-Deferred Retirement Plans
Retirement plans and accounts allow you to defer paying taxes on investment income and capital gains. Contributions to these plans may also be tax deductible, although distributions from these plans generally are taxable. In the case of Roth IRA accounts, contributions are not tax deductible, but distributions from the plan may be tax free. Please contact your financial adviser for information on a variety of Prudential Investments mutual funds that are suitable for retirement plans
offered by Prudential.
In order to buy Fund shares, simply follow the steps described below.
Opening an Account
If you don't have an account with us or a financial services firm that is permitted to buy or sell shares of the Fund for you, contact the Transfer Agent, Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC (PMFS or the Transfer Agent) at (800) 225-1852 or write to:
Prudential Mutual Fund
Services LLC
P.O. Box 9658
Providence, RI 02940
You may purchase shares by check or wire. We do not accept cash, money orders or travelers checks. To purchase by wire, call the number above to obtain an application. After PMFS receives your completed application, you will receive an account number. For additional information, see the back cover page of this Prospectus. We have the right to reject any purchase order (including an exchange into a Fund) or suspend or modify a Fund's sale of its shares, including due to failure by you to provide additional information requested, such as information needed to verify the source of funds used to purchase shares, your identity or the identity of any underlying beneficial owners of your shares.
With certain limited exceptions, Fund shares are only available to be sold in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam.
Choosing a Share Class
Individual investors can choose among Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class Z shares of the Fund, although Class Z shares are available only to a limited group of investors.
Multiple share classes let you choose a cost structure that meets your needs:
When choosing a share class, you should consider the following factors:
See "How to Sell Your Shares" for a description of the impact of CDSCs.
Some investors purchase or sell shares of the Fund through financial intermediaries and omnibus accounts maintained by brokers that aggregate the orders of multiple investors and forward the aggregate orders to the Fund. If your shares are held through a broker-dealer, financial adviser, financial planner or other financial intermediary, you should discuss with your financial intermediary which share classes of the Fund are available to you and which share class may best meet your needs. The Fund has advised the financial intermediaries and broker-dealers who maintain such accounts of the share class features and guidelines, per the Prospectus, and it is their responsibility to monitor and enforce these guidelines with respect to shareholders purchasing shares through financial intermediaries or omnibus accounts.