As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 2, 2015
Securities Act Registration No. 333-95849
Investment Company Act Registration No. 811-09805
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION
STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
PRE-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO.
POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 55 (X)
and/or
REGISTRATION
STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940
POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NO. 56 (X)
Check appropriate box or boxes
Prudential Investment Portfolios 3
Exact name of registrant as specified in charter
655
Broad Street, 17th Floor
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Address of Principal Executive Offices including Zip Code
(973) 367-7521
Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code
Deborah A. Docs
655 Broad
Street, 17
th
Floor
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Name and Address of Agent for Service
It is proposed that this filing will become effective:
__
immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
(X)
on November 3, 2015 pursuant to paragraph (b)
__ 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
__ on (____) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
__ 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
__ on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485
If
appropriate, check the following box:
__ this post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.
PRUDENTIAL GLOBAL ABSOLUTE RETURN BOND FUND | ||||||||||
SHARE CLASS | A | C | Q | Z | ||||||
NASDAQ |
PAJAX
|
PAJCX
|
PAJQX
|
PAJZX |
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) | ||||
Class A | Class C | Class Q | Class Z | |
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) | 4.50% | None | None | None |
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of the lower of original purchase price or net asset value redemption) | 1% | 1% | None | None |
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on reinvested dividends and other distributions | None | None | None | None |
Redemption fee | None | None | None | None |
Exchange fee | None | None | None | None |
Maximum account fee (accounts under $10,000) | $15 | $15 | None | None |
If Shares Are Redeemed | If Shares Are Not Redeemed | ||||
Share Class | 1 Year | 3 Years | 1 Year | 3 Years | |
Class A | 567 | 1,039 | 567 | 1,039 | |
Class C | 298 | 843 | 198 | 843 | |
Class Q | 97 | 532 | 97 | 532 | |
Class Z | 97 | 540 | 97 | 540 |
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Investment Manager | Subadviser | Portfolio Managers | Title | Service Date |
Prudential Investments LLC |
Prudential Investment
Management, Inc. |
Michael J. Collins, CFA | Managing Director and Senior Investment Officer | November 2015 |
Robert Tipp, CFA | Managing Director, Chief Investment Strategist and Head of Global Bonds | November 2015 | ||
Arvind Rajan, PhD | Managing Director and Head of Global and Macro | November 2015 |
Minimum Initial Investment | Minimum Subsequent Investment | |
Fund shares (most cases) | $2,500 | $100 |
Retirement accounts and custodial accounts for minors | $1,000 | $100 |
Automatic Investment Plan (AIP) | $50 | $50 |
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Principal & Non-Principal Strategies |
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Fixed Income Instruments: At least 80% of investable assets
|
■ | Credit risk. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer, the guarantor or the insurer of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a contract, may be unable or unwilling to pay principal and interest when due or to otherwise honor its obligations. Additionally, the securities could lose value due to a loss of confidence in the ability of the issuer, guarantor, insurer or counterparty to pay back debt. Credit ratings are intended to provide a measure of credit risk. However, credit ratings are only the opinions of the credit rating agency issuing the ratings and are not guarantees as to quality. The lower the rating of a debt security held by the Fund, the greater the degree of credit risk that is perceived to exist by the credit rating agency with respect to that security. Increasing the amount of Fund assets allocated to lower-rated securities generally will increase the credit risk to which the Fund is subject. Not all securities in which the Fund invests are rated. Credit risk related to counterparties is especially important in the context of privately negotiated instruments. |
■ | Interest rate risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that the rates of interest income generated by the fixed income investments of the Fund may decline due to a decrease in market interest rates and that the market prices of the fixed income investments of the Fund may decline due to an increase in market interest rates. Generally, the longer the maturity of a fixed income security, the greater is the decline in its value when rates increase. As a result, portfolios with longer durations and longer weighted average maturities generally have more volatile share prices than portfolios with shorter durations and shorter weighted average maturities. The prices of fixed income securities generally move in the opposite direction to that of market interest rates. Certain securities acquired by the Fund may pay interest at a variable rate or the principal amount of the security periodically adjusts according to the rate of inflation or other measure. In either case, the interest rate at issuance is generally lower than the fixed interest rate of bonds of similar seniority from the same issuer; however, variable interest rate securities generally are subject to a lower risk that their value will decrease during periods of increasing interest rates and increasing inflation. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates due to the current period of historically low interest rates. The Fund may lose money if short-term or long-term interest rates rise sharply or in a manner not anticipated by the subadviser. Price volatility may result. |
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■ | Junk Bonds risk . High-yield, high-risk bonds have predominantly speculative characteristics, including particularly high credit risk. Junk bonds tend to be less liquid than higher-rated securities. The liquidity of particular issuers or industries within a particular investment category may shrink or disappear suddenly and without warning. The non-investment grade bond market can experience sudden and sharp price swings and become illiquid due to a variety of factors, including changes in economic forecasts, stock market activity, large sustained sales by major investors, a high profile default or a change in the market's psychology. |
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Expected Distribution Schedule* | |
Dividends | Declared Daily, Distributed Monthly |
Short-Term Capital Gains | Annually |
Long-Term Capital Gains | Annually |
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Share Class | Eligibility |
Class A | Individual investors |
Class C | Individual investors |
Class Q | Certain group retirement plans, institutional investors and certain other investors |
Class Z | Certain group retirement plans, institutional investors and certain other investors |
■ | Class A shares purchased in amounts of less than $1 million require you to pay a sales charge at the time of purchase, but the operating expenses of Class A shares are lower than the operating expenses of Class C shares. Investors who purchase $1 million or more of Class A shares and sell these shares within 12 months of purchase are also subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) of 1%. The CDSC is waived for certain retirement and/or benefit plans. |
■ | Class C shares do not require you to pay a sales charge at the time of purchase, but do require you to pay a sales charge if you sell your shares within 12 months of purchase. The operating expenses of Class C shares are higher than the operating expenses of Class A shares. |
■ | The amount of your investment and any previous or planned future investments, which may qualify you for reduced sales charges for Class A shares under Rights of Accumulation or a Letter of Intent. |
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■ | The length of time you expect to hold the shares and the impact of varying distribution fees. Over time, these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges. For this reason, Class C shares are generally appropriate only for investors who plan to hold their shares for no more than 3 years. |
■ | The different sales charges that apply to each share class—Class A's front-end sales charge (and, in certain instances, CDSC) vs. Class C's CDSC. |
■ | Class C shares purchased in single amounts greater than $1 million are generally less advantageous than purchasing Class A shares. Purchase orders for Class C shares above this amount generally will not be accepted. |
■ | Because Class Z and Class Q shares have lower operating expenses than Class A or Class C shares, as applicable, you should consider whether you are eligible to purchase Class Z or Class Q shares. |
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Amount of Purchase |
Sales Charge as a % of
Offering Price* |
Sales Charge as a % of
Amount Invested* |
Dealer Reallowance |
Less than $50,000 | 4.50% | 4.71% | 4.00% |
$50,000 to $99,999 | 4.00% | 4.17% | 3.50% |
$100,000 to $249,999 | 3.50% | 3.63% | 3.00% |
$250,000 to $499,999 | 2.50% | 2.56% | 2.00% |
$500,000 to $999,999 | 2.00% | 2.04% | 1.75% |
$1 million to $4,999,999** | None | None | 1.00% |
$5 million to $9,999,999** | None | None | 0.50% |
$10 million and over** | None | None | 0.25% |
■ | Use your Rights of Accumulation , which allow you or an eligible group of related investors to combine (1) the current value of Class A, Class B and Class C Prudential Investments mutual fund shares you or the group already own, (2) the value of money market shares (other than Direct Purchase money market shares) you or an eligible group of related investors have received for shares of other Prudential Investments mutual funds in an exchange transaction, and (3) the value of the shares you or an eligible group of related investors are purchasing; or |
■ | Sign a Letter of Intent , stating in writing that you or an eligible group of related investors will purchase a certain amount of shares in the Fund and other Prudential Investments mutual funds within 13 months. |
■ | All accounts held in your name (alone or with other account holders) and taxpayer identification number (TIN); |
■ | Accounts held in your spouse's name (alone or with other account holders) and TIN (see definition of spouse below); |
■ | Accounts for your children or your spouse's children, including children for whom you and/or your spouse are legal guardian(s) (e.g., UGMAs and UTMAs); |
■ | Accounts in the name and TINs of your parents; |
■ | Trusts with you, your spouse, your children, your spouse's children and/or your parents as the beneficiaries; |
■ | With limited exclusions, accounts with the same address (exclusions include, but are not limited to, addresses for brokerage firms and other intermediaries and Post Office boxes); and |
■ | Accounts held in the name of a company controlled by you (a person, entity or group that holds 25% or more of the outstanding voting securities of a company will be deemed to control the company, and a partnership will be deemed to be controlled by each of its general partners), including employee benefit plans of the company where the accounts are held in the plan's TIN. |
■ | The person to whom you are legally married. We also consider your spouse to include the following: |
■ | An individual of the same gender with whom you have been joined in a civil union, or legal contract similar to marriage; |
■ | A domestic partner, who is an individual (including one of the same gender) with whom you have shared a primary residence for at least six months, in a relationship as a couple where you, your domestic partner or both provide for the personal or financial welfare of the other without a fee, to whom you are not related by blood; or |
■ | An individual with whom you have a common law marriage, which is a marriage in a state where such marriages are recognized between a man and a woman arising from the fact that the two live together and hold themselves out as being married. |
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■ | Mutual fund “wrap” or asset allocation programs, where the sponsor places fund trades, links its clients' accounts to a master account in the sponsor's name and charges its clients a management, consulting or other fee for its services; or |
■ | Mutual fund “supermarket” programs, where the sponsor links its clients' accounts to a master account in the sponsor's name and the sponsor charges a fee for its services. |
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■ | certain directors, officers, current employees (including their spouses, children and parents) and former employees (including their spouses, children and parents) of Prudential and its affiliates, the Prudential Investments mutual funds, and the investment subadvisers of the Prudential Investments mutual funds; former employees must have an existing investment in the Fund; |
■ | persons who have retired directly from active service with Prudential or one of its subsidiaries; |
■ | registered representatives and employees of broker-dealers (including their spouses, children and parents) that have entered into dealer agreements with the Distributor; |
■ | investors in IRAs, provided that: (a) the purchase is made either from a directed rollover to such IRA or with the proceeds of a tax-free rollover of assets from a Benefit Plan for which Prudential Retirement (the institutional Benefit Plan recordkeeping entity of Prudential) provides administrative or recordkeeping services, in each case provided that such purchase is made within 60 days of receipt of the Benefit Plan distribution, and (b) the IRA is established through Prudential Retirement as part of its “Rollover IRA” program (regardless of whether or not the purchase consists of proceeds of a tax-free rollover of assets from a Benefit Plan described above); and |
■ | Clients of financial intermediaries, who (i) have entered into an agreement with the principal underwriter to offer Class A shares through a no-load network or platform, (ii) charge clients an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services, or (iii) offer self-directed brokerage accounts that may or may not charge transaction fees to customers. |
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■ | Mutual fund “wrap” or asset allocation programs where the sponsor places fund trades, links its clients' accounts to a master account in the sponsor's name and charges its clients a management, consulting or other fee for its services; or |
■ | Mutual fund “supermarket” programs where the sponsor links its clients' accounts to a master account in the sponsor's name and the sponsor charges a fee for its services. |
■ | Certain participants in the MEDLEY Program (group variable annuity contracts) sponsored by Prudential for whom Class Z shares of the Prudential mutual funds are an available option; |
■ | Current and former Directors/Trustees of mutual funds managed by PI or any other affiliate of Prudential; |
■ | Current and former employees (including their spouses, children and parents) of Prudential and its affiliates; former employees must have an existing investment in the Fund; |
■ | Prudential; |
■ | Prudential funds, including Prudential funds-of-funds; |
■ | Qualified state tuition programs (529 plans); and |
■ | Investors working with fee-based consultants for investment selection and allocations. |
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■ | You are selling more than $100,000 of shares; |
■ | You want the redemption proceeds made payable to someone that is not in our records; |
■ | You want the redemption proceeds sent to some place that is not in our records; |
■ | You are a business or a trust; or |
■ | You are redeeming due to the death of the shareholder or on behalf of the shareholder. |
■ | Amounts representing shares you purchased with reinvested dividends and distributions, |
■ | Amounts representing the increase in NAV above the total amount of payments for shares made during the past 12 months for Class A shares (in certain cases) and 12 months for Class C shares, and |
■ | Amounts representing the cost of shares held beyond the CDSC period (12 months for Class A shares (in certain cases) and 12 months for Class C shares). |
■ | After a shareholder is deceased or permanently disabled (or, in the case of a trust account, after the death or permanent disability of the grantor). This waiver applies to individual shareholders, as well as shares held in joint tenancy, provided the shares were purchased before the death or permanent disability; |
■ | To provide for certain distributions—made without IRS penalty—from a qualified or tax-deferred retirement plan, benefit plan, IRA or Section 403(b) custodial account; and |
■ | To withdraw excess contributions from a qualified or tax-deferred retirement plan, IRA or Section 403(b) custodial account. |
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■ | After a shareholder is deceased or permanently disabled (or, in the case of a trust account, after the death or permanent disability of the grantor). This waiver applies to individual shareholders, as well as shares held in joint tenancy, provided the shares were purchased before the death or permanent disability; |
■ | To provide for certain distributions—made without IRS penalty—from a qualified or tax-deferred retirement plan, benefit plan, IRA or Section 403(b) custodial account; and |
■ | To withdraw excess contributions from a qualified or tax-deferred retirement plan, IRA or Section 403(b) custodial account. |
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E-DELIVERY
To receive your mutual fund documents on-line, go to www.prudentialfunds.com/edelivery and enroll. Instead of receiving printed documents by mail, you will receive notification via email when new materials are available. You can cancel your enrollment or change your email address at any time by visiting the website address above. |
Prudential Global Absolute Bond Fund | |||||
Share Class | A | C | Q | Z | |
NASDAQ | PAJAX | PAJCX | PAJQX | PAJZX | |
CUSIP | 74440K645 | 74440K637 | 74440K629 | 74440K611 |
MF233STAT | The Fund's Investment Company Act File No. 811-09805 |
PRUDENTIAL INVESTMENTS » MUTUAL FUNDS
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION • November 3, 2015
This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) of Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund is not a prospectus and should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus of the Fund dated November 3, 2015. This SAI has been incorporated by reference into the Fund’s Prospectus.
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund is a series of Prudential Investment Portfolios 3 (PIP 3). PIP 3 has five other series: Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Fund, Prudential Jennison Select Growth Fund, Prudential Real Assets Fund, Prudential Strategic Value Fund and Prudential Unconstrained Bond Fund, each of which is currently offered pursuant to separate prospectuses and separate SAIs. The information presented in this SAI applies only to Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund.
The Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund is a new fund and therefore no audited financial statements or other financial information are available.
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund | ||||||||||
SHARE CLASS | A | C | Q | Z | ||||||
NASDAQ | PAJAX | PAJCX | PAJQX | PAJZX |
MF233B
Table of Contents
PART I
INTRODUCTION
This SAI sets forth information about Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund (the Fund), which is one of the mutual funds that together comprise Prudential Investment Portfolios 3 (PIP 3). PIP 3 is an open-ended management investment company. This SAI provides information about certain of the securities, instruments, policies and strategies that are used by the Fund in seeking to achieve its objective. This SAI also provides additional information about PIP 3’s Board of Trustees, the advisory services provided to and the management fees paid by the Fund, information about other fees paid by and services provided to the Fund, and other information.
Information about PIP 3’s other series, which are Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Fund, Prudential Jennison Select Growth Fund, Prudential Real Assets Fund, Prudential Strategic Value Fund and Prudential Unconstrained Bond Fund, are set forth in separate SAIs.
Before reading the SAI, you should consult the Glossary below, which defines certain of the terms used in the SAI:
GLOSSARY
Term | Definition |
ADR | American Depositary Receipt |
ADS | American Depositary Share |
Board | Fund’s Board of Directors or Trustees |
Board Member | A trustee or director of the Fund’s Board |
CEA | Commodity Exchange Act, as amended |
CFTC | US Commodity Futures Trading Commission |
Code | Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended |
CDO | Collateralized Debt Obligation |
CMO | Collateralized Mortgage Obligation |
ETF | Exchange-Traded Fund |
EDR | European Depositary Receipt |
Fannie Mae | Federal National Mortgage Association |
FDIC | Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation |
Fitch | Fitch, Inc. |
Freddie Mac | Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation |
GDR | Global Depositary Receipt |
Ginnie Mae | Government National Mortgage Association |
IPO | Initial Public Offering |
IRS | Internal Revenue Service |
1933 Act | Securities Act of 1933, as amended |
1934 Act | Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended |
1940 Act | Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended |
1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions | Exemptive order, SEC release, no-action letter or similar relief or interpretations, collectively |
LIBOR | London Interbank Offered Rate |
Manager or PI | Prudential Investments LLC |
Moody’s | Moody’s Investor Services, Inc. |
NASDAQ | National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations System |
NAV | Net Asset Value |
NRSRO | Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organization |
NYSE | New York Stock Exchange |
OTC | Over the Counter |
Prudential | Prudential Financial, Inc. |
3
Term | Definition |
PMFS | Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC |
REIT | Real Estate Investment Trust |
RIC | Regulated Investment Company, as the term is used in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended |
S&P | Standard & Poor’s Corporation |
SEC | US Securities & Exchange Commission |
World Bank | International Bank for Reconstruction and Development |
FUND CLASSIFICATION, INVESTMENT objective & POLICIES
The Fund is a diversified series of PIP 3. The investment objective of the Fund is to seek positive returns over the long term, regardless of market conditions. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Under normal market conditions, the Fund will invest at least 80% of its investable assets in fixed income instruments with varying maturities. The term “investable assets” refers to the Fund’s net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes. The Fund’s investments in fixed income instruments may include bonds, debentures, notes, commercial paper and other similar types of debt instruments, mortgage-related securities, asset-backed securities, municipal securities, loan assignments and participations, money market instruments, and derivatives related to or referencing these types of securities and instruments. The Fund may invest in fixed and floating rate fixed income instruments of companies or governments.
The following section discusses certain types of investments and investment strategies that the Fund may use, including explanations of these investments and investment strategies, as well as the risks and considerations associated with these investments and investment strategies. The Fund also may invest from time to time in certain types of investments and investment strategies that are not discussed or otherwise identified in this SAI.
INVESTMENT RISKS AND CONSIDERATIONS
Set forth below are descriptions of some of the types of investments and investment strategies that the Fund may use and the risks and considerations associated with those investments and investment strategies. Please also see the Prospectus of the Fund and the “Fund Classification, Investment Objectives & Policies” section of this SAI.
BORROWING AND LEVERAGE. Unless noted otherwise, the Fund may borrow up to 33 1 ⁄ 3 % of the value of its total assets (calculated at the time of the borrowing). The Fund may pledge up to 33 1 ⁄ 3 % of its total assets to secure these borrowings. If the Fund’s asset coverage for borrowings falls below 300%, the Fund will take prompt action to reduce borrowings. If the Fund borrows to invest in securities, any investment gains made on the securities in excess of interest paid on the borrowing will cause the NAV of the shares to rise faster than would otherwise be the case. On the other hand, if the investment performance of the additional securities purchased fails to cover their cost (including any interest paid on the money borrowed) to the Fund, the NAV of the Fund’s shares will decrease faster than would otherwise be the case. This is the speculative factor known as “leverage.” In addition, the Fund may use certain investment management techniques (collectively, “effective leverage”), such as certain derivatives, that may provide leverage and are not subject to the borrowing limitation noted above.
The Fund may borrow from time to time, at the discretion of the subadviser, to take advantage of investment opportunities, when yields on available investments exceed interest rates and other expenses of related borrowing, or when, in the subadviser's opinion, unusual market conditions otherwise make it advantageous for the Fund to increase its investment capacity. The Fund will only borrow when there is an expectation that it will benefit the Fund after taking into account considerations such as interest income and possible losses upon liquidation. Borrowing by the Fund creates an opportunity for increased net income but, at the same time, creates risks, including the fact that leverage may exaggerate changes in the NAV of Fund shares and in the yield on the Fund. Unless otherwise stated, the Fund may borrow through forward rolls, dollar rolls or reverse repurchase agreements.
CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in convertible securities. Convertible securities entitle the holder to receive interest payments paid on corporate debt securities or the dividend preference on a preferred stock until such time as the convertible security matures or is redeemed or until the holder elects to exercise the conversion privilege.
The characteristics of convertible securities make them appropriate investments for an investment company seeking long-term capital appreciation and/or total return. These characteristics include the potential for capital appreciation as the value of the underlying common stock increases, the relatively high yield received from dividend or interest payments as compared to common stock
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund 4
dividends and decreased risks of decline in value relative to the underlying common stock due to their fixed-income nature. As a result of the conversion feature, however, the interest rate or dividend preference on a convertible security is generally less than would be the case if the securities were issued in nonconvertible form.
In analyzing convertible securities, the subadviser will consider both the yield on the convertible security relative to its credit quality and the potential capital appreciation that is offered by the underlying common stock, among other things.
Convertible securities are issued and traded in a number of securities markets. Even in cases where a substantial portion of the convertible securities held by the Fund are denominated in US dollars, the underlying equity securities may be quoted in the currency of the country where the issuer is domiciled. With respect to convertible securities denominated in a currency different from that of the underlying equity securities, the conversion price may be based on a fixed exchange rate established at the time the security is issued. As a result, fluctuations in the exchange rate between the currency in which the debt security is denominated and the currency in which the share price is quoted will affect the value of the convertible security. As described below, the Fund is authorized to enter into foreign currency hedging transactions in which the Fund may seek to reduce the effect of such fluctuations.
Apart from currency considerations, the value of convertible securities is influenced by both the yield of nonconvertible securities of comparable issuers and by the value of the underlying common stock. The value of a convertible security viewed without regard to its conversion feature (i.e., strictly on the basis of its yield) is sometimes referred to as its “investment value.” To the extent interest rates change, the investment value of the convertible security typically will fluctuate. However, at the same time, the value of the convertible security will be influenced by its “conversion value,” which is the market value of the underlying common stock that would be obtained if the convertible security were converted. Conversion value fluctuates directly with the price of the underlying common stock. If, because of a low price of the common stock, the conversion value is substantially below the investment value of the convertible security, the price of the convertible security is governed principally by its investment value.
To the extent the conversion value of a convertible security increases to a point that approximates or exceeds its investment value, the price of the convertible security will be influenced principally by its conversion value. A convertible security will sell at a premium over the conversion value to the extent investors place value on the right to acquire the underlying common stock while holding a fixed-income security. The yield and conversion premium of convertible securities issued in Japan and the Euromarket are frequently determined at levels that cause the conversion value to affect their market value more than the securities' investment value.
Holders of convertible securities generally have a claim on the assets of the issuer prior to the common stockholders but may be subordinated to other debt securities of the same issuer. A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the charter provision, indenture or other governing instrument pursuant to which the convertible security was issued. If a convertible security held by the Fund is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to redeem the security, convert it into the underlying common stock or sell it to a third party. Certain convertible debt securities may provide a put option to the holder, which entitles the holder to cause the security to be redeemed by the issuer at a premium over the stated principal amount of the debt security under certain circumstances.
Synthetic convertible securities may be either (i) a debt security or preferred stock that may be convertible only under certain contingent circumstances or that may pay the holder a cash amount based on the value of shares of underlying common stock partly or wholly in lieu of a conversion right (a “Cash-Settled Convertible”), (ii) a combination of separate securities chosen by the subadviser in order to create the economic characteristics of a convertible security, i.e., a fixed income security paired with a security with equity conversion features, such as an option or warrant (a “Manufactured Convertible”) or (iii) a synthetic security manufactured by another party.
Synthetic convertible securities may include either Cash-Settled Convertibles or Manufactured Convertibles. Cash-Settled Convertibles are instruments that are created by the issuer and have the economic characteristics of traditional convertible securities but may not actually permit conversion into the underlying equity securities in all circumstances. As an example, a private company may issue a Cash-Settled Convertible that is convertible into common stock only if the company successfully completes a public offering of its common stock prior to maturity and otherwise pays a cash amount to reflect any equity appreciation. Manufactured Convertibles are created by the subadviser by combining separate securities that possess one of the two principal characteristics of a convertible security, i.e., fixed income (“fixed income component”) or a right to acquire equity securities (“convertibility component”). The fixed income component is achieved by investing in nonconvertible fixed income securities, such as nonconvertible bonds, preferred stocks and money market instruments. The convertibility component is achieved by investing in call options, warrants, or other securities with equity conversion features (“equity features”) granting the holder the right to purchase a specified quantity of the underlying stocks within a specified period of time at a specified price or, in the case of a stock index option, the right to receive a cash payment based on the value of the underlying stock index.
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A Manufactured Convertible differs from traditional convertible securities in several respects. Unlike a traditional convertible security, which is a single security having a unitary market value, a Manufactured Convertible is comprised of two or more separate securities, each with its own market value. Therefore, the total “market value” of such a Manufactured Convertible is the sum of the values of its fixed-income component and its convertibility component.
More flexibility is possible in the creation of a Manufactured Convertible than in the purchase of a traditional convertible security. Because many corporations have not issued convertible securities, the subadviser may combine a fixed income instrument and an equity feature with respect to the stock of the issuer of the fixed income instrument to create a synthetic convertible security otherwise unavailable in the market. The subadviser may also combine a fixed income instrument of an issuer with an equity feature with respect to the stock of a different issuer when the subadviser believes such a Manufactured Convertible would better promote the Fund’s objective(s) than alternate investments. For example, the subadviser may combine an equity feature with respect to an issuer's stock with a fixed income security of a different issuer in the same industry to diversify the Fund’s credit exposure, or with a US Treasury instrument to create a Manufactured Convertible with a higher credit profile than a traditional convertible security issued by that issuer. A Manufactured Convertible also is a more flexible investment in that its two components may be purchased separately and, upon purchasing the separate securities, “combined” to create a Manufactured Convertible. For example, the Fund may purchase a warrant for eventual inclusion in a Manufactured Convertible while postponing the purchase of a suitable bond to pair with the warrant pending development of more favorable market conditions.
The value of a Manufactured Convertible may respond differently to certain market fluctuations than would a traditional convertible security with similar characteristics. For example, in the event the Fund created a Manufactured Convertible by combining a short-term US Treasury instrument and a call option on a stock, the Manufactured Convertible would likely outperform a traditional convertible of similar maturity that is convertible into that stock during periods when Treasury instruments outperform corporate fixed income securities and underperform during periods when corporate fixed-income securities outperform Treasury instruments.
DEBT SECURITIES. Debt securities, such as bonds, involve credit risk. This is the risk that the issuer will not make timely payments of principal and interest. The degree of credit risk depends on the issuer's financial condition and on the terms of the bonds. Changes in an issuer's credit rating or the market's perception of an issuer's creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. Credit risk is reduced to the extent the Fund invests its assets in US Government securities. All debt securities, however, are subject to interest rate risk. This is the risk that the value of the security may fall when interest rates rise. In general, the market price of debt securities with longer maturities will go up or down more in response to changes in interest rates than the market price of shorter-term securities.
DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS. The Fund may invest in the securities of foreign issuers in the form of Depositary Receipts or other securities convertible into securities of foreign issuers. Depositary Receipts may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the underlying securities into which they may be converted. ADRs and ADSs are receipts or shares typically issued by an American bank or trust company that evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. EDRs are receipts issued in Europe that evidence a similar ownership arrangement. GDRs are receipts issued throughout the world that evidence a similar arrangement. Generally, ADRs and ADSs, in registered form, are designed for use in the US securities markets, and EDRs, in bearer form, are designed for use in European securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and are designed for use throughout the world.
The Fund may invest in unsponsored Depositary Receipts. The issuers of unsponsored Depositary Receipts are not obligated to disclose material information in the United States, and, therefore, there may be less information available regarding such issuers and there may not be a correlation between such information and the market value of the Depositary Receipts. Depositary Receipts are generally subject to the same risks as the foreign securities that they evidence or into which they may be converted or exchanged.
DERIVATIVES. The Fund may use instruments referred to as derivatives. Derivatives are financial instruments the value of which is derived from another security, a commodity (such as gold or oil), a currency or an index (a measure of value or rates, such as the S&P 500 Index or the prime lending rate). Derivatives allow the Fund to increase or decrease the level of risk to which the Fund is exposed more quickly and efficiently than transactions in other types of instruments. The Fund may use derivatives for hedging purposes. The Fund may also use derivatives to seek to enhance returns. The use of a derivative is speculative if the Fund is primarily seeking to achieve gains, rather than offset the risk of other positions. When the Fund invests in a derivative for speculative purposes, the Fund will be fully exposed to the risks of loss of that derivative, which may sometimes be greater than the derivative's cost. The Fund may not use any derivative to gain exposure to an asset or class of assets that the Fund would be prohibited by its investment restrictions from purchasing directly.
A discussion of the risk factors relating to derivatives is set out in the sub-section entitled “Risk Factors Involving Derivatives.”
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Based on the Fund’s current investment strategies, the Fund is deemed a “commodity pool” and the Manager is considered a “commodity pool operator” with respect to the Fund under the CEA. The Manager is therefore subject to dual regulation by the SEC and the CFTC. The Manager, its affiliates and the Fund are currently assessing what, if any, additional regulatory requirements may be imposed and additional expenses may be incurred by the Fund due to such dual regulation. The CFTC or the SEC could at any time alter the regulatory requirements governing the use of commodity futures (which include futures on broad-based securities indexes and interest rate futures and currency futures) or options on commodity futures or swaps transactions by investment companies.
EQUITY AND EQUITY-RELATED SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in or hold common stock and other equity and equity-related securities. Common stock represents an equity ownership interest in a company. Historical trends would indicate that common stock is subject to higher levels of volatility and market and issuer-specific risk than debt securities. The value of equity securities may be affected more rapidly, and to a greater extent, by company-specific developments and general market conditions. These risks may increase fluctuations in the Fund's NAV. The equity interests held by the Fund, if any, may not pay dividends or otherwise generate income or appreciate in value and, in fact, may decline in value. Accordingly, the Fund may not be able to realize gains from its equity investments, and any gains that the Fund does realize may not be sufficient to contribute materially to the Fund's investment objective. Equity securities held by the Fund may be illiquid.
EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS. The Fund may invest in ETFs. ETFs, which may be unit investment trusts or mutual funds, typically hold portfolios of securities designed to track the performance of various broad securities indexes or sectors of such indexes. ETFs provide another means, in addition to futures and options on indexes, of including exposure to global equities, global bonds, commodities and currencies markets in the Fund’s investment portfolio. The Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management fees and other expenses paid by such ETF.
SWAP AGREEMENTS. The Fund may enter into swap transactions, including, but not limited to, equity, interest rate, index, credit default, total return and, to the extent that it invests in foreign currency-denominated securities, currency exchange rate swap agreements. In addition, the Fund may enter into options on swap agreements (swap options). These swap transactions are entered into in an attempt to obtain a particular return when it is considered desirable to do so, possibly at a lower cost to the Fund than if the Fund had invested directly in an instrument that yielded that desired return. Swap transactions are a type of derivative. Derivatives are further discussed in the sub-sections entitled “Derivatives” and “Risk Factors Involving Derivatives.”
Swap agreements are two party contracts entered into primarily by institutional investors. In a standard “swap” transaction, two parties agree to exchange the returns (or differentials in rates of return) earned or realized on or calculated with respect to particular predetermined investments or instruments, which may be adjusted for an interest factor. The gross returns to be exchanged or “swapped” between the parties are generally calculated with respect to a “notional amount,” that is, the return on or increase in value of a particular dollar amount invested at a particular interest rate or in a “basket” of securities representing a particular index or other investments or instruments. Most swap agreements entered into by the Fund would calculate the obligations of the parties to the agreement on a “net basis.” Consequently the Fund’s current obligations (or rights) under a swap agreement will generally be equal only to the net amount to be paid or received under the agreement based on the relative values of the positions held by each party to the agreement (the “net amount”). The Fund’s current obligations under a swap agreement will be accrued daily (offset against any amounts owed to the Fund) and any accrued but unpaid net amounts owed to a swap counterparty will be covered by the segregation of liquid assets.
To the extent that the Fund enters into swaps on other than a net basis, the amount maintained in a segregated account will be the full amount of the Fund’s obligations, if any, with respect to such swaps, accrued on a daily basis. Inasmuch as segregated accounts are established for these hedging transactions, the subadviser and the Fund believe such obligations do not constitute senior securities and, accordingly, will not treat them as being subject to the Fund’s borrowing restrictions. If there is a default by the other party to such a transaction, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreement related to the transaction. Since swaps are individually negotiated, the Fund expects to achieve an acceptable degree of correlation between its rights to receive a return on its portfolio securities and its rights and obligations to receive and pay a return pursuant to swaps. The Fund will enter into swaps only with counterparties meeting certain creditworthiness standards (generally, such counterparties would have to be eligible counterparties under the terms of the Fund’s repurchase agreement guidelines approved by the Board).
Some swaps will be subject to mandatory or optional clearing through derivatives clearing organizations. While this is expected to better protect collateral, margin and other applicable requirements may increase the financial and operational costs for such transactions.
Recent legislation requires certain swaps to be executed through a centralized exchange or regulated facility and be cleared through a regulated clearinghouse. Although this clearing mechanism is generally expected to reduce counterparty credit risk, it may disrupt or limit the swap market and may not result in swaps being easier to trade or value. As swaps become more standardized, the Fund may
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not be able to enter into swaps that meet its investment needs. The Fund also may not be able to find a clearinghouse willing to accept a swap for clearing. In a cleared swap, a central clearing organization will be the counterparty to the transaction. The Fund will assume the risk that the clearinghouse may be unable to perform its obligations. The Fund will be required to maintain its positions with a clearing organization through one or more clearing brokers. The clearing organization will require the Fund to post margin and the broker may require the Fund to post additional margin to secure the Fund’s obligations. The amount of margin required may change from time to time. In addition, cleared transactions may be more expensive to maintain than OTC transactions and may require the Fund to deposit larger amounts of margin. The Fund may not be able to recover margin amounts if the broker has financial difficulties. Also, the broker may require the Fund to terminate a derivatives position under certain circumstances. This may cause the Fund to lose money.
SWAPS ON EQUITIES, CURRENCIES AND FUTURES. The Fund may enter into swaps with respect to a security, currency or futures contract (each, an “asset”); basket of assets; asset index; or index component (each, a “reference asset”). An equity, currency or futures swap is a two-party contract that generally obligates one party to pay the positive return and the other party to pay the negative return on a specified reference asset during the period of the swap. The payments based on the reference asset may be adjusted for transaction costs, interest payments, the amount of dividends paid on the referenced asset or other economic factors.
Equity, currency or futures swap contracts may be structured in different ways. For example, with respect to an equity swap, when the Fund takes a long position, the counterparty may agree to pay the Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the equity swap would have increased in value had it been invested in a particular stock (or group of stocks), plus the dividends that would have been received on the stock. In these cases, the Fund may agree to pay to the counterparty interest on the notional amount of the equity swap plus the amount, if any, by which that notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such stock.
Therefore, in this case the return to the Fund on the equity swap should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stock less the interest paid by the Fund on the notional amount. In other cases, when the Fund takes a short position, a counterparty may agree to pay the Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the equity swap would have decreased in value had the Fund sold a particular stock (or group of stocks) short, less the dividend expense that the Fund would have paid on the stock, as adjusted for interest payments or other economic factors. In these situations, the Fund may be obligated to pay the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the swap would have increased in value had it been invested in such stock.
Equity, currency or futures swaps normally do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to these swaps is normally limited to the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually obligated to make. If the other party to the swap defaults, the Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive, if any. Inasmuch as these transactions are offset by segregated cash or liquid assets to cover the Fund’s current obligations (or are otherwise covered as permitted by applicable law), the Fund and the manager or subadviser believe that these transactions do not constitute senior securities under the 1940 Act.
Equity, currency or futures swaps are derivatives and their value can be very volatile. To the extent that the manager or the subadviser, as applicable, does not accurately analyze and predict future market trends, the values of assets or economic factors, the Fund may suffer a loss, which may be substantial. The swap markets in which many types of swap transactions are traded have grown substantially in recent years, with a large number of banks and investment banking firms acting both as principals and as agents. As a result, the markets for certain types of swaps have become relatively liquid.
CREDIT DEFAULT SWAP AGREEMENTS AND SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS . The Fund may enter into credit default swap agreements and similar agreements. The credit default swap agreement or similar instrument may have as reference obligations one or more securities that are not currently held by the Fund. The protection “buyer” in a credit default contract may be obligated to pay the protection “seller” an up-front or a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract provided generally that no credit event on a reference obligation has occurred. If a credit event occurs, the seller generally must pay the buyer the “par value” (full notional value) of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity described in the swap, or the seller may be required to deliver the related net cash amount, if the swap is cash settled. The Fund may be either the buyer or seller in the transaction. If the Fund is a buyer and no credit event occurs, the Fund recovers nothing if the swap is held through its termination date. However, if a credit event occurs, the buyer may elect to receive the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity that may have little or no value. As a seller, the Fund generally receives an up-front payment or a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the swap provided that there is no credit event. If a credit event occurs, generally the seller must pay the buyer the full notional value of the swap in exchange for an equal face amount of deliverable obligations of the reference entity that may have little or no value.
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Credit default swaps and similar instruments involve greater risks than if the Fund had invested in the reference obligation directly, since, in addition to general market risks, they are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk and credit risk. The Fund will enter into credit default swap agreements and similar instruments only with counterparties that are rated investment grade quality by at least one credit rating agency at the time of entering into such transaction or whose creditworthiness is believed by the subadviser to be equivalent to such rating. If a credit event were to occur, the value of any deliverable obligation received by the seller, coupled with the up-front or periodic payments previously received, may be less than the full notional value it pays to the buyer, resulting in a loss of value to the Fund. When acting as a seller of a credit default swap or a similar instrument, the Fund is exposed to many of the same risks of leverage since, if a credit event occurs, the seller may be required to pay the buyer the full notional value of the contract net of any amounts owed by the buyer related to its delivery of deliverable obligations.
CREDIT-LINKED SECURITIES . Among the income producing securities in which the Fund may invest are credit-linked securities, which are issued by a limited purpose trust or other vehicle that, in turn, invests in a derivative instrument or basket of derivative instruments, such as credit default swaps, interest rate swaps and other securities, in order to provide exposure to certain fixed income markets. For instance, the Fund may invest in credit-linked securities as a cash management tool in order to gain exposure to a certain market and/or to remain fully invested when more traditional income producing securities are not available.
Like an investment in a bond, investments in these credit-linked securities represent the right to receive periodic income payments (in the form of distributions) and payment of principal at the end of the term of the security. However, these payments are conditioned on the issuer's receipt of payments from, and the issuer's potential obligations to, the counterparties to the derivative instruments and other securities in which the issuer invests. For instance, the issuer may sell one or more credit default swaps, under which the issuer would receive a stream of payments over the term of the swap agreements provided that no event of default has occurred with respect to the referenced debt obligation upon which the swap is based. If a default occurs, the stream of payments may stop and the issuer would be obligated to pay the counterparty the par (or other agreed upon value) of the referenced debt obligation. This, in turn, would reduce the amount of income and principal that the Fund would receive. The Fund’s investments in these instruments are indirectly subject to the risks associated with derivative instruments, including, among others, credit risk, default or similar event risk, counterparty risk, interest rate risk, leverage risk and management risk. It is also expected that the securities will be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Accordingly, there may be no established trading market for the securities and they may constitute illiquid investments.
TOTAL RETURN SWAP AGREEMENTS . The Fund may enter into total return swap agreements. Total return swap agreements are contracts in which one party agrees to make periodic payments based on the change in market value of the underlying assets, which may include a specified security, basket of securities or securities indices during the specified period, in return for periodic payments based on a fixed or variable interest rate or the total return from other underlying assets. Total return swap agreements may be used to obtain exposure to a security or market without owning or taking physical custody of such security or market. Total return swap agreements may effectively add leverage to the Fund’s portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund would be subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. Total return swap agreements entail the risk that a party will default on its payment obligations to the Fund thereunder. Swap agreements also bear the risk that the Fund will not be able to meet its obligation to the counterparty. Generally, the Fund will enter into total return swaps on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted out with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments). The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund’s obligations over its entitlements with respect to each total return swap will be accrued on a daily basis, and an amount of cash or liquid instruments having an aggregate NAV at least equal to the accrued excess will be segregated by the Fund. If the total return swap transaction is entered into on other than a net basis, the full amount of the Fund’s obligations will be accrued on a daily basis, and the full amount of the Fund’s obligations will be segregated by the Fund in an amount equal to or greater than the market value of the liabilities under the total return swap agreement or the amount it would have cost the Fund initially to make an equivalent direct investment, plus or minus any amount the Fund is obligated to pay or is to receive under the total return swap agreement.
Segregation and other requirements pertaining to total return swap agreements are subject to change in the event of future changes in applicable laws or regulations. It is possible that any such changes in laws or regulations could require modifications to the operation of the Fund.
OPTIONS ON SECURITIES AND SECURITIES INDEXES.
TYPES OF OPTIONS. The Fund may engage in transactions in options on individual securities, baskets of securities or securities indices, or particular measurements of value or rate (an “index”), such as an index of the price of treasury securities or an index representative of short term interest rates. Such investments may be made on exchanges and in OTC markets. In general, exchange-traded options have standardized exercise prices and expiration dates and require the parties to post margin against their obligations, and the performance of the parties' obligations in connection with such options is guaranteed by the exchange or a
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related clearing corporation. OTC options have more flexible terms negotiated between the buyer and the seller, but generally do not require the parties to post margin and are subject to greater credit risk. OTC options also involve greater liquidity risk. See “Additional Risk Factors of OTC Transactions; Limitations on the Use of OTC Derivatives.”
CALL OPTIONS. The Fund may purchase call options on any of the types of securities or instruments in which it may invest. A call option gives the Fund the right to buy, and obligates the seller to sell, the underlying security at the exercise price at any time during the option period. The Fund also may purchase and sell call options on indices. Index options are similar to options on securities except that, rather than taking or making delivery of securities underlying the option at a specified price upon exercise, an index option gives the holder the right to receive cash upon exercise of the option if the level of the index upon which the option is based is greater than the exercise price of the option.
The Fund may only write (i.e., sell) covered call options on the securities or instruments in which it may invest and enter into closing purchase transactions with respect to certain of such options. A covered call option is an option in which the Fund owns the underlying security or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that security, without additional consideration (or for additional consideration held in a segregated account by its custodian), upon conversion or exchange of other securities currently held in its portfolio or with respect to which the Fund has established cover by segregating liquid instruments on its books. The principal reason for writing call options is the attempt to realize, through the receipt of premiums, a greater return than would be realized on the securities alone. By writing covered call options, the Fund gives up the opportunity, while the option is in effect, to profit from any price increase in the underlying security above the option exercise price. In addition, the Fund’s ability to sell the underlying security will be limited while the option is in effect unless the Fund enters into a closing purchase transaction. A closing purchase transaction cancels out the Fund’s position as the writer of an option by means of an offsetting purchase of an identical option prior to the expiration of the option it has written. Covered call options also serve as a partial hedge to the extent of the premium received against a decline in the price of the underlying security. Also, with respect to call options written by the Fund that are covered only by segregated portfolio securities, the Fund is exposed to the risk of loss equal to the amount by which the price of the underlying securities rises above the exercise price.
PUT OPTIONS. The Fund may purchase put options to seek to hedge against a decline in the value of its securities or to enhance its return. By buying a put option, the Fund acquires a right to sell such underlying securities or instruments at the exercise price, thus limiting the Fund’s risk of loss through a decline in the market value of the securities or instruments until the put option expires. The amount of any appreciation in the value of the underlying securities or instruments will be partially offset by the amount of the premium paid for the put option and any related transaction costs. Prior to its expiration, a put option may be sold in a closing sale transaction and profit or loss from the sale will depend on whether the amount received is more or less than the premium paid for the put option plus the related transaction costs. A closing sale transaction cancels out the Fund’s position as the purchaser of an option by means of an offsetting sale of an identical option prior to the expiration of the option it has purchased. The Fund also may purchase uncovered put options.
The Fund may write (i.e., sell) put options on the types of securities or instruments that may be held by the Fund, provided that such put options are covered, meaning that such options are secured by segregated, liquid instruments. The Fund will receive a premium for writing a put option, which increases the Fund’s return.
FUTURES. The Fund may engage in transactions in futures and options thereon. Futures are standardized, exchange-traded contracts which obligate a purchaser to take delivery, and a seller to make delivery, of a specific amount of an asset at a specified future date at a specified price. No price is paid upon entering into a futures contract. Rather, upon purchasing or selling a futures contract the Fund is required to deposit collateral (“margin”) equal to a percentage (generally less than 10%) of the contract value. Each day thereafter until the futures position is closed, the Fund will pay additional margin representing any loss experienced as a result of the futures position the prior day or be entitled to a payment representing any profit experienced as a result of the futures position the prior day. Futures involve substantial leverage risk.
The sale of a futures contract limits the Fund’s risk of loss through a decline in the market value of portfolio holdings correlated with the futures contract prior to the futures contract's expiration date. In the event the market value of the portfolio holdings correlated with the futures contract increases rather than decreases, however, the Fund will realize a loss on the futures position and a lower return on the portfolio holdings than would have been realized without the purchase of the futures contract.
The purchase of a futures contract may protect the Fund from having to pay more for securities as a consequence of increases in the market value for such securities during a period when the Fund was attempting to identify specific securities in which to invest in a market the Fund believes to be attractive. In the event that such securities decline in value or the Fund determines not to complete an anticipatory hedge transaction relating to a futures contract, however, the Fund may realize a loss relating to the futures position.
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The Fund is also authorized to purchase or sell call and put options on futures contracts including financial futures and stock indices in connection with its hedging activities. Generally, these strategies would be used under the same market and market sector conditions (i.e., conditions relating to specific types of investments) in which the Fund entered into futures transactions. The Fund may purchase put options or write (i.e., sell) call options on futures contracts and stock indices rather than selling the underlying futures contract in anticipation of a decrease in the market value of its securities. Similarly, the Fund can purchase call options, or write put options on futures contracts and stock indices, as a substitute for the purchase of such futures to hedge against the increased cost resulting from an increase in the market value of securities which the Fund intends to purchase.
The Fund may only write “covered” put and call options on futures contracts. The Fund will be considered “covered” with respect to a call option written on a futures contract if the Fund owns the assets that are deliverable under the futures contract or an option to purchase that futures contract having a strike price equal to or less than the strike price of the “covered” option and having an expiration date not earlier than the expiration date of the “covered” option, or if it segregates for the term of the option cash or other liquid assets equal to the fluctuating value of the optioned future. The Fund will be considered “covered” with respect to a put option written on a futures contract if the Fund owns an option to sell that futures contract having a strike price equal to or greater than the strike price of the “covered” option, or if the Fund segregates for the term of the option cash or other liquid assets at all times equal in value to the exercise price of the put (less any initial margin deposited by the Fund with its futures custody manager or as otherwise permitted by applicable law with respect to such option). There is no limitation on the amount of the Fund’s assets that can be segregated.
FOREIGN EXCHANGE TRANSACTIONS . The Fund may engage in spot and forward foreign exchange transactions and currency swaps, purchase and sell options on currencies and purchase and sell currency futures and related options thereon (collectively, Currency Instruments) for purposes of hedging against the decline in the value of currencies in which its portfolio holdings are denominated against the US dollar or to seek to enhance returns. Such transactions could be effected with respect to hedges on non-US dollar denominated securities owned by the Fund, sold by the Fund but not yet delivered, or committed or anticipated to be purchased by the Fund.
As an illustration, the Fund may use such techniques to hedge the stated value in US dollars of an investment in a yen-denominated security. In such circumstances, for example, the Fund may purchase a foreign currency put option enabling the Fund to sell a specified amount of yen for dollars at a specified price by a future date. To the extent the hedge is successful, a loss in the value of the yen relative to the dollar will tend to be offset by an increase in the value of the put option. To offset, in whole or in part, the cost of acquiring such a put option, the Fund may also sell a call option which, if exercised, requires the Fund to sell a specified amount of yen for dollars at a specified price by a future date (a technique called a “straddle”). By selling such a call option in this illustration, the Fund gives up the opportunity to profit without limit from increases in the relative value of the yen to the dollar. Straddles of the type that may be used by the Fund are considered to constitute hedging transactions and are consistent with the policies described above. The Fund will not attempt to hedge all of its foreign portfolio positions.
FORWARD FOREIGN EXCHANGE TRANSACTIONS . Forward foreign exchange transactions are OTC contracts to purchase or sell a specified amount of a specified currency or multinational currency unit at a price and future date set at the time of the contract. Spot foreign exchange transactions are similar but require current, rather than future, settlement. The Fund will enter into foreign exchange transactions for purposes of hedging either a specific transaction or a portfolio position, or to seek to enhance returns. The Fund may enter into a foreign exchange transaction for purposes of hedging a specific transaction by, for example, purchasing a currency needed to settle a security transaction or selling a currency in which the Fund has received or anticipates receiving a dividend or distribution.
The Fund may enter into a foreign exchange transaction for purposes of hedging a portfolio position by selling forward a currency in which a portfolio position of the Fund is denominated or by purchasing a currency in which the Fund anticipates acquiring a portfolio position in the near future. The Fund may also hedge portfolio positions through currency swaps, which are transactions in which one currency is simultaneously bought for a second currency on a spot basis and sold for the second currency on a forward basis. Forward foreign exchange transactions involve substantial currency risk, and also involve credit and liquidity risk.
CURRENCY FUTURES . The Fund may seek to enhance returns or hedge against the decline in the value of a currency through use of currency futures or options thereon. Currency futures are similar to forward foreign exchange transactions except that futures are standardized, exchange-traded contracts. See the sub-section entitled “Futures.” Currency futures involve substantial currency risk, and also involve leverage risk.
CURRENCY OPTIONS . The Fund may seek to enhance returns or hedge against the decline in the value of a currency against the US dollar through the use of currency options. Currency options are similar to options on securities, but in consideration for an option premium the writer of a currency option is obligated to sell (in the case of a call option) or purchase (in the case of a put option) a specified amount of a specified currency on or before the expiration date for a specified amount of another currency. The Fund may
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engage in transactions in options on currencies either on exchanges or OTC markets. See “Types of Options” and “Additional Risk Factors of OTC Transactions; Limitations on the Use of OTC Derivatives” in this SAI. Currency options involve substantial currency risk, and may also involve credit, leverage or liquidity risk.
LIMITATIONS ON CURRENCY HEDGING . The Fund may use currency hedging instruments to seek to enhance returns. Accordingly, the Fund will not hedge a currency in excess of the aggregate market value of the securities that it owns (including receivables for unsettled securities sales), or has committed to or anticipates purchasing, which are denominated in such currency. This limitation does not prohibit the Fund from obtaining long or short exposure to a currency for non-hedging purposes. The Fund may, however, hedge a currency by entering into a transaction in a Currency Instrument denominated in a currency other than the currency being hedged (a “cross-hedge”). The Fund will only enter into a cross-hedge if the subadviser believes that (i) there is a demonstrable high correlation between the currency in which the cross-hedge is denominated and the currency being hedged, and (ii) executing a cross-hedge through the currency in which the cross-hedge is denominated will be significantly more cost-effective or provide substantially greater liquidity than executing a similar hedging transaction by means of the currency being hedged.
RISK FACTORS IN HEDGING FOREIGN CURRENCY. Hedging transactions involving Currency Instruments have substantial risks, including correlation risk. While the Fund’s use of Currency Instruments to effect hedging strategies is intended to reduce the volatility of the NAV of the Fund’s shares, the NAV of the Fund’s shares will fluctuate. Moreover, although Currency Instruments will be used with the intention of hedging against adverse currency movements, transactions in Currency Instruments involve the risk that anticipated currency movements will not be accurately predicted and that the Fund’s hedging strategies will be ineffective. To the extent that the Fund hedges against anticipated currency movements that do not occur, the Fund may realize losses and decrease its total return as the result of its hedging transactions. Furthermore, the Fund will only engage in hedging activities from time to time and may not be engaging in hedging activities when movements in currency exchange rates occur.
In connection with its trading in forward foreign currency contracts, the Fund will contract with a foreign or domestic bank, or a foreign or domestic securities dealer, to make or take future delivery of a specified amount of a particular currency. There are no limitations on daily price moves in such forward contracts, and banks and dealers are not required to continue to make markets in such contracts. There have been periods during which certain banks or dealers have refused to quote prices for such forward contracts or have quoted prices with an unusually wide spread between the price at which the bank or dealer is prepared to buy and that at which it is prepared to sell. Governmental imposition of credit controls might limit any such forward contract trading. With respect to its trading of forward contracts, if any, the Fund will be subject to the risk of bank or dealer failure and the inability of, or refusal by, a bank or dealer to perform with respect to such contracts. Any such default would deprive the Fund of any profit potential or force the Fund to cover its commitments for resale, if any, at the then market price and could result in a loss to the Fund.
It may not be possible for the Fund to hedge against currency exchange rate movements, even if correctly anticipated, in the event that (i) the currency exchange rate movement is so generally anticipated that the Fund is not able to enter into a hedging transaction at an effective price, or (ii) the currency exchange rate movement relates to a market with respect to which Currency Instruments are not available and it is not possible to engage in effective foreign currency hedging. The cost to the Fund of engaging in foreign currency transactions varies with such factors as the currencies involved, the length of the contract period and the market conditions then prevailing. Since transactions in foreign currency exchange usually are conducted on a principal basis, no fees or commissions are involved.
RISK FACTORS INVOLVING DERIVATIVES. Derivatives are volatile and involve significant risks, including:
Counterparty Risk —the risk that the counterparty on a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its financial obligation to the Fund.
Currency Risk —the risk that changes in the exchange rate between two currencies will adversely affect the value (in US dollar terms) of an investment.
Leverage Risk —the risk associated with certain types of investments or trading strategies (such as borrowing money to increase the amount of investments) that relatively small market movements may result in large changes in the value of an investment. Certain investments or trading strategies that involve leverage can result in losses that greatly exceed the amount originally invested.
Liquidity Risk —the risk that certain securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time that the seller would like or at the price that the seller believes the security is currently worth.
Regulatory Risk —the risk that new regulation of derivatives may make them more costly, may limit their availability, or may otherwise affect their value or performance.
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The use of derivatives for hedging purposes involves correlation risk. If the value of the derivative moves more or less than the value of the hedged instruments, the Fund will experience a gain or loss that will not be completely offset by movements in the value of the hedged instruments.
The Fund intends to enter into transactions involving derivatives only if there appears to be a liquid secondary market for such instruments or, in the case of illiquid instruments traded in OTC transactions, such instruments satisfy the criteria set forth below under “Additional Risk Factors of OTC Transactions; Limitations on the Use of OTC Derivatives.” However, there can be no assurance that, at any specific time, either a liquid secondary market will exist for a derivative or the Fund will otherwise be able to sell such instrument at an acceptable price. It may therefore not be possible to close a position in a derivative without incurring substantial losses, if at all.
Certain transactions in derivatives (such as futures transactions or sales of put options) involve substantial leverage risk and may expose the Fund to potential losses, which exceed the amount originally invested by the Fund. When the Fund engages in such a transaction, the Fund will deposit in a segregated account at its custodian liquid securities or cash and cash equivalents with a value at least equal to the Fund’s exposure, on a mark-to-market basis, to the transaction (as calculated pursuant to requirements of the SEC). Such segregation will ensure that the Fund has assets available to satisfy its obligations with respect to the transaction, but will not limit the Fund’s exposure to loss.
ADDITIONAL RISK FACTORS OF OTC TRANSACTIONS; LIMITATIONS ON THE USE OF OTC DERIVATIVES. Certain derivatives traded in OTC markets, including indexed securities, certain swaps and OTC options, involve substantial liquidity risk. The absence of liquidity may make it difficult or impossible for the Fund to sell such instruments promptly at an acceptable price. The absence of liquidity may also make it more difficult for the Fund to ascertain a market value for such instruments. The Fund will, therefore, acquire illiquid OTC instruments (i) if the agreement pursuant to which the instrument is purchased contains a formula price at which the instrument may be terminated or sold, or (ii) for which the subadviser anticipates the Fund can receive on each business day at least two independent bids or offers, unless a quotation from only one dealer is available, in which case that dealer's quotation may be used.
Because derivatives traded in OTC markets are not guaranteed by an exchange or clearing corporation and generally do not require payment of margin, to the extent that the Fund has unrealized gains in such instruments or has deposited collateral with its counterparties, the Fund is at risk that its counterparties will become bankrupt or otherwise fail to honor their obligations. The Fund will attempt to minimize the risk that a counterparty will become bankrupt or otherwise fail to honor its obligations by engaging in transactions in derivatives traded in OTC markets only with financial institutions that appear to have substantial capital or that have provided the Fund with a third-party guaranty or other credit enhancement.
HEDGING. Hedging is a strategy in which a derivative or security is used to offset the risks associated with other Fund holdings. Losses on the other investment may be substantially reduced by gains on a derivative that reacts in an opposite manner to market movements. While hedging can reduce losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains or cause losses if the market moves in a different manner than anticipated by the Fund or if the cost of the derivative outweighs the benefit of the hedge. Hedging also involves the risk that changes in the value of the derivative will not match those of the holdings being hedged as expected by the Fund, in which case any losses on the holdings being hedged may not be reduced or may be increased. The inability to close options and futures positions also could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s ability to hedge effectively its portfolio. There is also a risk of loss by the Fund of margin deposits or collateral in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom the Fund has an open position in an option, a futures contract or a related option.
There can be no assurance that the Fund’s hedging strategies will be effective or that hedging transactions will be available to the Fund. The Fund is not required to engage in hedging transactions and the Fund may choose not to do so from time to time.
FOREIGN INVESTMENTS. The Fund may invest in foreign equity and/or debt securities. Foreign debt securities include certain foreign bank obligations and US dollar or foreign currency-denominated obligations of foreign governments or their subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities, international agencies and supranational entities.
Foreign Market Risk. Foreign securities offer the potential for more diversification than if the Fund invests only in the United States because securities traded on foreign markets have often (though not always) performed differently from securities in the United States. However, such investments involve special risks not present in US investments that can increase the chances that the Fund will lose money. In particular, the Fund is subject to the risk that, because there are generally fewer investors on foreign exchanges and a smaller number of shares traded each day, it may be difficult for the Fund to buy and sell securities on those exchanges. In addition, prices of foreign securities may fluctuate more than prices of securities traded in the United States.
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Foreign Economy Risk. The economies of certain foreign markets often do not compare favorably with that of the United States with respect to such issues as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources, and balance of payments position. Certain such economies may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers, and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets, or the imposition of punitive taxes. In addition, the governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investing in their capital markets or in certain industries. Any of these actions could severely affect security prices, impair the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell foreign securities or transfer the Fund’s assets or income back into the United States, or otherwise adversely affect the Fund’s operations. Other foreign market risks include foreign exchange controls, difficulties in pricing securities, defaults on foreign government securities, difficulties in enforcing favorable legal judgments in foreign courts, and political and social instability. Legal remedies available to investors in certain foreign countries may be less extensive than those available to investors in the United States or other foreign countries.
Currency Risk and Exchange Risk. Securities in which the Fund invests may be denominated or quoted in currencies other than the US dollar. Changes in foreign currency exchange rates will affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. Generally, when the US dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency loses value because the currency is worth fewer US dollars. Conversely, when the US dollar decreases in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency gains value because the currency is worth more US dollars. This risk, generally known as “currency risk,” means that a stronger US dollar will reduce returns for US investors while a weak US dollar will increase those returns.
Governmental Supervision and Regulation/Accounting Standards. Many foreign governments supervise and regulate stock exchanges, brokers and the sale of securities less rigorously than the United States. Some countries may not have laws to protect investors comparable to the US securities laws. For example, some foreign countries may have no laws or rules against insider trading. Insider trading occurs when a person buys or sells a company's securities based on nonpublic information about that company. Accounting standards in other countries are not necessarily the same as in the United States. If the accounting standards in another country do not require as much detail as US accounting standards, it may be harder for Fund management to completely and accurately determine a company's financial condition.
Certain Risks of Holding Fund Assets Outside the United States. The Fund generally holds its foreign securities and cash in foreign banks and securities depositories. Some foreign banks and securities depositories may be recently organized or new to the foreign custody business. In addition, there may be limited or no regulatory oversight over their operations. Also, the laws of certain countries may put limits on the Fund’s ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank or depository or issuer of a security or any of their agents goes bankrupt. In addition, it is often more expensive for the Fund to buy, sell and hold securities in certain foreign markets than in the United States. The increased expense of investing in foreign markets reduces the amount the Fund can earn on its investments and typically results in a higher operating expense ratio for the Fund as compared to investment companies that invest only in the United States.
Settlement Risk. Settlement and clearance procedures in certain foreign markets differ significantly from those in the United States. Foreign settlement procedures and trade regulations also may involve certain risks (such as delays in payment for or delivery of securities) not typically generated by the settlement of US investments. Communications between the United States and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates. Settlements in certain foreign countries at times have not kept pace with the number of securities transactions; these problems may make it difficult for the Fund to carry out transactions. If the Fund cannot settle or there is a delay in settling a purchase of securities, the Fund may miss attractive investment opportunities and certain assets may be uninvested with no return earned thereon for some period. If the Fund cannot settle or there is a delay in settling a sale of securities, the Fund may lose money if the value of the security then declines or, if there is a contract to sell the security to another party, the Fund could be liable to that party for any losses incurred.
Dividends or interest on, or proceeds from the sale of, foreign securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes, thereby reducing the amount available for distribution to shareholders.
RECENT EVENTS IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES . A number of countries in Europe have experienced severe economic and financial difficulties. Many non-governmental issuers, and even certain governments, have defaulted on, or been forced to restructure, their debts; many other issuers have faced difficulties obtaining credit or refinancing existing obligations; financial institutions have in many cases required government or central bank support, have needed to raise capital, and/or have been impaired in their ability to extend credit; and financial markets in Europe and elsewhere have experienced extreme volatility and declines in asset values and liquidity. These difficulties may continue, worsen or spread within and without Europe. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not work, may result in social unrest and may
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limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and others of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro, the common currency of the European Union, and/or withdraw from the European Union. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching. Whether or not the Fund invests in securities of issuers located in Europe or with significant exposure to European issuers or countries, these events could negatively affect the value and liquidity of the Fund’s investments.
ILLIQUID OR RESTRICTED SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in securities that lack an established secondary trading market or otherwise are considered illiquid. Liquidity of a security relates to the ability to dispose easily of the security and the price to be obtained upon disposition of the security, which may be less than would be obtained for a comparable more liquid security. Illiquid securities may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments. Investment of the Fund’s assets in illiquid securities may restrict the ability of the Fund to dispose of its investments in a timely fashion and for a fair price as well as its ability to take advantage of market opportunities. The risks associated with illiquidity will be particularly acute where the Fund’s operations require cash, such as when the Fund redeems shares or pays dividends, and could result in the Fund borrowing to meet short-term cash requirements or incurring capital losses on the sale of illiquid investments. The Fund may invest in securities that are not registered (restricted securities) under the 1933 Act.
Restricted securities may be sold in private placement transactions between issuers and their purchasers and may be neither listed on an exchange nor traded in other established markets. In many cases, privately placed securities may not be freely transferable under the laws of the applicable jurisdiction or due to contractual restrictions on resale. As a result of the absence of a public trading market, privately placed securities may be less liquid and more difficult to value than publicly traded securities. To the extent that privately placed securities may be resold in privately negotiated transactions, the prices realized from the sales, due to illiquidity, could be less than those originally paid by the Fund or less than their fair market value. In addition, issuers whose securities are not publicly traded may not be subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements that may be applicable if their securities were publicly traded. If any privately placed securities held by the Fund are required to be registered under the securities laws of one or more jurisdictions before being resold, the Fund may be required to bear the expenses of registration. Certain of the Fund’s investments in private placements may consist of direct investments and may include investments in smaller, less seasoned issuers, which may involve greater risks. These issuers may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources or they may be dependent on a limited management group. In making investments in such securities, the Fund may obtain access to material nonpublic information, which may restrict the Fund’s ability to conduct portfolio transactions in such securities.
The Fund may purchase restricted securities that can be offered and sold to “qualified institutional buyers” under Rule 144A under the 1933 Act. The Board has determined to treat as liquid Rule 144A securities that are either freely tradable in their primary markets offshore or have been determined to be liquid in accordance with the policies and procedures adopted by the Board. The Board has adopted guidelines and delegated to the Manager the daily function of determining and monitoring liquidity of restricted securities. The Board, however, will retain sufficient oversight and be ultimately responsible for the determinations. Since it is not possible to predict with assurance exactly how the market for restricted securities sold and offered under Rule 144A will continue to develop, the Board will carefully monitor the Fund’s investments in these securities. This investment practice could have the effect of increasing the level of illiquidity in the Fund to the extent that qualified institutional buyers become for a time uninterested in purchasing these securities.
INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS. The Fund may invest in securities sold in IPOs. An IPO is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. IPOs are often issued by smaller, younger companies seeking capital to expand, but can also be done by large privately owned companies looking to become publicly traded.
In an IPO, the issuer obtains the assistance of an underwriting firm, which helps it determine what type of security to issue (common or preferred), best offering price and time to bring it to market. The volume of IPOs and the levels at which the newly issued stocks trade in the secondary market are affected by the performance of the stock market overall. If IPOs are brought to the market, availability may be limited and the Fund may not be able to buy any shares at the offering price, or if the Fund is able to buy shares, the Fund may not be able to buy as many shares at the offering price as the Fund would like.
Investing in IPOs entails risks. Importantly, the prices of securities involved in IPOs are often subject to greater and more unpredictable price changes than more established stocks. It is difficult to predict what the stock will do on its initial day of trading and in the near future since there is often little historical data with which to analyze the company. Also, most IPOs are of companies going through a transitory growth period, and they are therefore subject to additional uncertainty regarding their future value.
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RESTRICTIONS ON CERTAIN INVESTMENTS. A number of publicly traded closed-end investment companies have been organized to facilitate indirect foreign investment in developing countries, and certain of such countries, such as Thailand, South Korea, Chile and Brazil have specifically authorized such funds. There also are investment opportunities in certain of such countries in pooled vehicles that resemble open-end investment companies. In accordance with the 1940 Act, the Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities of other investment companies, not more than 5% of which may be invested in any one such company. In addition, under the 1940 Act, the Fund may not own more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any investment company. These restrictions on investments in securities of investment companies may limit opportunities for the Fund to invest indirectly in certain developing countries. New shares of certain investment companies may at times be acquired only at market prices representing premiums to their NAVs. If the Fund acquires shares of other investment companies, shareholders would bear both their proportionate share of expenses of the Fund (including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of such other investment companies. See also “Investment in Other Investment Companies.”
INVESTMENT IN OTHER INVESTMENT COMPANIES. The Fund may invest in other investment companies, including ETFs. In accordance with the 1940 Act, the Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities of other investment companies. In addition, under the 1940 Act, the Fund may not own more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any investment company and not more than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in securities of any single investment company.
Notwithstanding the limits discussed above, the Fund may invest in other investment companies without regard to the limits set forth above provided that the Fund complies with Rules 12d1-1, 12d1-2 and 12d1-3 promulgated by the SEC under the 1940 Act or otherwise permitted by the 1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions.
As with other investments, investments in other investment companies are subject to market and selection risk. In addition, if the Fund acquires shares in other investment companies, shareholders would bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Fund (including management and advisory fees) and, indirectly, their proportionate shares of the expenses of such investment companies (including management and advisory fees).
JUNK BONDS. Junk bonds are debt securities that are rated below investment grade by a NRSRO or are unrated securities that the subadviser believes are of comparable quality. Although junk bonds generally pay higher rates of interest than investment grade bonds, they are high risk investments that may cause income and principal losses for the Fund. The major risks of junk bond investments include the following:
■ | Junk bonds are issued by less creditworthy issuers. These securities are vulnerable to adverse changes in the issuer's economic condition and to general economic conditions. Issuers of junk bonds may be unable to meet their interest or principal payment obligations because of an economic downturn, specific issuer developments or the unavailability of additional financing. |
■ | The issuers of junk bonds may have a larger amount of outstanding debt relative to their assets than issuers of investment grade bonds. If the issuer experiences financial stress, it may be unable to meet its debt obligations. |
■ | Junk bonds are frequently ranked junior to claims by other creditors. If the issuer cannot meet its obligations, the senior obligations are generally paid off before the junior obligations. |
■ | Junk bonds frequently have redemption features that permit an issuer to repurchase the security from the Fund before it matures. If an issuer redeems the junk bonds, the Fund may have to invest the proceeds in bonds with lower yields and may lose income. |
■ | Prices of junk bonds are subject to extreme price fluctuations. Negative economic developments may have a greater impact on the prices of junk bonds than on other higher rated fixed income securities. |
■ | Junk bonds may be less liquid than higher rated fixed income securities even under normal economic conditions. There are fewer dealers in the junk bond market, and there may be significant differences in the prices quoted for junk bonds by the dealers. Because they are less liquid, judgment may play a greater role in valuing certain of the Fund’s portfolio securities than in the case of securities trading in a more liquid market. |
■ | The Fund may incur expenses to the extent necessary to seek recovery upon default or to negotiate new terms with a defaulting issuer. |
MONEY MARKET INSTRUMENTS. The Fund may invest in money market instruments. Money market instruments include cash equivalents and short-term obligations of US banks, non-US government securities, certificates of deposit and short-term obligations issued or guaranteed by the US Government or its agencies. Money market instruments also include bankers' acceptances, commercial paper, certificates of deposit and Eurodollar obligations issued or guaranteed by bank holding companies in the US, their subsidiaries and non-US branches, by non-US banking institutions, and by the World Bank and other multinational instrumentalities, as well as commercial paper and other short-term obligations of, and variable amount master demand notes, variable rate notes and funding agreements issued by, US and non-US corporations.
MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES. Investing in mortgage-backed securities involves certain unique risks in addition to those generally associated with investing in fixed-income securities and in the real estate industry in general. These unique risks include the failure of a party to meet its commitments under the related operative documents, adverse interest rate changes and the effects of
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prepayments on mortgage cash flows. Mortgage-backed securities are “pass-through” securities, meaning that principal and interest payments made by the borrower on the underlying mortgages are passed through to the Fund. The value of mortgage-backed securities, like that of traditional fixed-income securities, typically increases when interest rates fall and decreases when interest rates rise. However, mortgage-backed securities differ from traditional fixed-income securities because of their potential for prepayment without penalty. The price paid by the Fund for its mortgage-backed securities, the yield the Fund expects to receive from such securities and the average life of the securities are based on a number of factors, including the anticipated rate of prepayment of the underlying mortgages. In a period of declining interest rates, borrowers may prepay the underlying mortgages more quickly than anticipated, thereby reducing the yield to maturity and the average life of the mortgage-backed securities. Moreover, when the Fund reinvests the proceeds of a prepayment in these circumstances, the likely rate of interest received will be lower than the rate on the security that was prepaid.
Mortgage-backed securities, including CMOs, can be collateralized by either fixed-rate mortgages or adjustable rate mortgages. Fixed-rate mortgage securities are collateralized by fixed-rate mortgages and tend to have high prepayment rates when the level of prevailing interest rates declines significantly below the interest rates on the mortgages. Thus, under those circumstances, the securities are generally less sensitive to interest rate movements than lower coupon fixed-rate mortgages. CMOs may be collateralized by whole mortgage loans or private mortgage pass-through securities, but are more typically collateralized by portfolios of mortgage pass-through securities guaranteed by Ginnie Mae, Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae.
Generally, adjustable rate mortgage securities (ARMs) have a specified maturity date and amortize principal over their life. In periods of declining interest rates, there is a reasonable likelihood that ARMs will experience increased rates of prepayment of principal. However, the major difference between ARMs and fixed-rate mortgage securities (FRMs) is that the interest rate and the rate of amortization of principal of ARMs can and do change in accordance with movements in a particular, pre-specified, published interest rate index. The amount of interest on an ARM is calculated by adding a specified amount, the “margin,” to the index, subject to limitations on the maximum and minimum interest that is charged during the life of the mortgage or to maximum and minimum changes to that interest rate during a given period.
The underlying mortgages which collateralize the ARMs in which the Fund invests will frequently have caps and floors which limit the maximum amount by which the loan rate to the residential borrower may change up or down (1) per reset or adjustment interval and (2) over the life of the loan. Some residential mortgage loans restrict periodic adjustments by limiting changes in the borrower's monthly principal and interest payments rather than limiting interest rate changes. These payment caps may result in negative amortization.
To the extent that the Fund purchases mortgage-backed securities at a premium, mortgage foreclosures and principal prepayments may result in a loss to the extent of the premium paid. If the Fund buys such securities at a discount, both scheduled payments of principal and unscheduled prepayments will increase current and total returns and will accelerate the recognition of income which, when distributed to shareholders, will be taxable as ordinary income. In a period of rising interest rates, prepayments of the underlying mortgages may occur at a slower than expected rate, creating maturity extension risk. This particular risk may effectively change a security that was considered short- or intermediate-term at the time of purchase into a long-term security. Since long-term securities generally fluctuate more widely in response to changes in interest rates than shorter-term securities, maturity extension risk could increase the inherent volatility of the Fund. Under certain interest rate and prepayment scenarios, the Fund may fail to recoup fully its investment in mortgage-backed securities notwithstanding any direct or indirect governmental or agency guarantee.
Most mortgage-backed securities are issued by federal government agencies such as Ginnie Mae, or by government sponsored enterprises such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Principal and interest payments on mortgage-backed securities issued by the federal government and some federal agencies, such as Ginnie Mae, are guaranteed by the federal government and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Mortgage-backed securities issued by other government agencies or government sponsored enterprises are backed only by the credit of the government agency or enterprise and are not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are authorized to borrow from the US Treasury to meet their obligations. Private mortgage-backed securities are issued by private corporations rather than government agencies and are subject to credit risk and interest rate risk.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are stockholder-owned companies chartered by Congress. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guarantee the securities they issue as to timely payment of principal and interest, but such guarantee is not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. In September 2008, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were placed into conservatorship by their regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency. It is unclear what effect this conservatorship, which remains ongoing as of the date of this SAI, will have on the securities issued or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Although the US Government has provided financial support to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, there can be no assurance that it will support these or other government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) in the future.
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The Fund may purchase certain mortgage-backed securities, the underlying investments of which consist of loans issued and/or serviced by an affiliated entity.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. The Fund may invest in securities pursuant to repurchase agreements. The Fund will enter into repurchase agreements only with parties meeting creditworthiness standards as set forth in the Fund’s repurchase agreement procedures.
Under such agreements, the other party agrees, upon entering into the contract with the Fund, to repurchase the security at a mutually agreed-upon time and price in a specified currency, thereby determining the yield during the term of the agreement. This results in a fixed rate of return insulated from market fluctuations during such period, although such return may be affected by currency fluctuations. In the case of repurchase agreements, the prices at which the trades are conducted do not reflect accrued interest on the underlying obligation. Such agreements usually cover short periods, such as under one week. Repurchase agreements may be construed to be collateralized loans by the purchaser to the seller secured by the securities transferred to the purchaser.
In the case of a repurchase agreement, as a purchaser, the Fund will require all repurchase agreements to be fully collateralized at all times by cash or other liquid assets in an amount at least equal to the resale price. The seller is required to provide additional collateral if the market value of the securities falls below the repurchase price at any time during the term of the repurchase agreement. In the event of default by the seller under a repurchase agreement construed to be a collateralized loan, the underlying securities are not owned by the Fund but only constitute collateral for the seller's obligation to pay the repurchase price. Therefore, the Fund may suffer time delays and incur costs or possible losses in connection with disposition of the collateral.
The Fund may participate in a joint repurchase agreement account with other investment companies managed by the Manager pursuant to an order of the SEC. On a daily basis, any uninvested cash balances of the Fund may be aggregated with those of such investment companies and invested in one or more repurchase agreements. The Fund participates in the income earned or accrued in the joint account based on the percentage of its investment.
REVERSE REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS AND DOLLAR ROLLS. The Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements. A reverse repurchase agreement involves the sale of a portfolio-eligible security by the Fund, coupled with its agreement to repurchase the instrument at a specified time and price. See “Repurchase Agreements.”
The Fund may enter into dollar rolls. In a dollar roll, the Fund sells securities for delivery in the current month and simultaneously contracts to repurchase substantially similar (same type and coupon) securities on a specified future date from the same party. During the roll period, the Fund forgoes principal and interest paid on the securities. The Fund is compensated by the difference between the current sale price and the forward price for the future purchase (often referred to as the drop) as well as by the interest earned on the cash proceeds of the initial sale. The Fund will segregate cash or other liquid assets, marked to market daily, having a value equal to the obligations of the Fund in respect of dollar rolls.
Dollar rolls involve the risk that the market value of the securities retained by the Fund may decline below the price of the securities sold by the Fund but which the Fund is obligated to repurchase under the agreement. In the event the buyer of securities under a dollar roll files for bankruptcy or becomes insolvent, the Fund’s use of the proceeds of the agreement may be restricted pending a determination by the other party, or its trustee or receiver, whether to enforce the Fund’s obligation to repurchase the securities. Cash proceeds from dollar rolls may be invested in cash or other liquid assets.
SECURITIES LENDING. Unless otherwise noted, the Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions subject to applicable regulatory requirements and guidance, including the requirements that: (1) the aggregate market value of securities loaned will not at any time exceed 33 1/3% of the total assets of the Fund; (2) the borrower pledge and maintain with the Fund collateral consisting of cash, an irrevocable letter of credit, or securities issued or guaranteed by the US government having at all times a value of not less than 100% of the value of the securities lent; and (3) the loan be made subject to termination by the Fund at any time. Prudential Investment Management, Inc. (PIM), an affiliate of the Fund’s investment manager, serves as securities lending agent for the Fund, and in that role administers the Fund’s securities lending program. As compensation for these services, PIM receives a portion of any amounts earned by the Fund through lending securities.
The Fund may invest the cash collateral and/or it may receive a fee from the borrower. To the extent that cash collateral is invested, it will be invested in an affiliated money market fund and be subject to market depreciation or appreciation. The Fund will be responsible for any loss that results from this investment of collateral.
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On termination of the loan, the borrower is required to return the securities to the Fund, and any gain or loss in the market price during the loan would inure to the Fund. If the borrower defaults on its obligation to return the securities lent because of insolvency or other reasons, the Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the securities lent or in gaining access to the collateral. In such situations, the Fund may sell the collateral and purchase a replacement investment in the market. There is a risk that the value of the collateral could decrease below the value of the replacement investment by the time the replacement investment is purchased.
During the time portfolio securities are on loan, the borrower will pay the Fund an amount equivalent to any dividend or interest paid on such securities. Voting or consent rights which accompany loaned securities pass to the borrower. However, all loans may be terminated at any time to facilitate the exercise of voting or other consent rights with respect to matters considered to be material. The Fund bears the risk that there may be a delay in the return of the securities which may impair the Fund’s ability to exercise such rights.
SECURITIES OF SMALLER OR EMERGING GROWTH COMPANIES. Investment in smaller or emerging growth companies involves greater risk than is customarily associated with investments in more established companies. The securities of smaller or emerging growth companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than larger, more established companies or the market average in general. These companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, or they may be dependent on a limited management group.
While smaller or emerging growth company issuers may offer greater opportunities for capital appreciation than large cap issuers, investments in smaller or emerging growth companies may involve greater risks and thus may be considered speculative. The subadviser believes that properly selected companies of this type have the potential to increase their earnings or market valuation at a rate substantially in excess of the general growth of the economy. Full development of these companies and trends frequently takes time.
Small cap and emerging growth securities will often be traded only in the OTC market or on a regional securities exchange and may not be traded every day or in the volume typical of trading on a national securities exchange. As a result, the disposition by the Fund of portfolio securities to meet redemptions or otherwise may require the Fund to make many small sales over a lengthy period of time, or to sell these securities at a discount from market prices or during periods when, in the subadviser's judgment, such disposition is not desirable.
While the process of selection and continuous supervision by the subadviser does not, of course, guarantee successful investment results, it does provide access to an asset class not available to the average individual due to the time and cost involved. Careful initial selection is particularly important in this area as many new enterprises have promise but lack certain of the fundamental factors necessary to prosper. Investing in small cap and emerging growth companies requires specialized research and analysis. In addition, many investors cannot invest sufficient assets in such companies to provide wide diversification.
Small companies are generally little known to most individual investors although some may be dominant in their respective industries. The subadviser believes that relatively small companies will continue to have the opportunity to develop into significant business enterprises. The Fund may invest in securities of small issuers in the relatively early stages of business development that have a new technology, a unique or proprietary product or service, or a favorable market position. Such companies may not be counted upon to develop into major industrial companies, but Fund management believes that eventual recognition of their special value characteristics by the investment community can provide above-average long-term growth to the portfolio.
Equity securities of specific small cap issuers may present different opportunities for long-term capital appreciation during varying portions of economic or securities markets cycles, as well as during varying stages of their business development. The market valuation of small cap issuers tends to fluctuate during economic or market cycles, presenting attractive investment opportunities at various points during these cycles. Smaller companies, due to the size and kinds of markets that they serve, may be less susceptible than large companies to intervention from the federal government by means of price controls, regulations or litigation.
TEMPORARY DEFENSIVE STRATEGY AND SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS. The Fund may temporarily invest without limit in money market instruments, including commercial paper of US corporations, certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances and other obligations of domestic banks, and obligations issued or guaranteed by the US Government, its agencies or its instrumentalities, as part of a temporary defensive strategy.
The Fund may invest in money market instruments to maintain appropriate liquidity to meet anticipated redemptions. Money market instruments typically have a maturity of one year or less as measured from the date of purchase. The Fund also may temporarily hold cash or invest in money market instruments pending investment of proceeds from new sales of Fund shares or during periods of portfolio restructuring.
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WARRANTS AND RIGHTS. Warrants and rights are securities permitting, but not obligating, the warrant holder to subscribe for other securities. Buying a warrant does not make the Fund a shareholder of the underlying stock. The warrant holder has no right to dividends or votes on the underlying stock. A warrant does not carry any right to assets of the issuer, and for this reason investment in warrants may be more speculative than other equity-based investments.
WHEN-ISSUED SECURITIES, DELAYED DELIVERY SECURITIES AND FORWARD COMMITMENTS. The Fund may purchase or sell securities that the Fund is entitled to receive on a when-issued basis. The Fund may also purchase or sell securities on a delayed delivery basis or 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. The Fund has not established any limit on the percentage of its assets that may be committed in connection with these transactions. 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 on a when-issued basis will be issued or that a security purchased or sold through a forward commitment will be delivered. The value of securities in these transactions on the delivery date may be more or less than the Fund’s purchase price. The Fund may bear the risk of a decline in the value of the security in these transactions and may not benefit from an appreciation in the value of the security during the commitment period.
US GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in adjustable rate and fixed rate US Government securities. US Government securities are instruments issued or guaranteed by the US Treasury or by an agency or instrumentality of the US Government. US Government guarantees do not extend to the yield or value of the securities or the Fund’s shares. Not all US Government securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Some are supported only by the credit of the issuing agency.
US Treasury securities include bills, notes, bonds and other debt securities issued by the US Treasury. These instruments are direct obligations of the US Government and, as such, are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. They differ primarily in their interest rates, the lengths of their maturities and the dates of their issuances.
Securities issued by agencies of the US Government or instrumentalities of the US Government, including those which are guaranteed by Federal agencies or instrumentalities, may or may not be backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Obligations of Ginnie Mae, the Farmers Home Administration and the Small Business Administration are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. In the case of securities not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States, the Fund must look principally to the agency issuing or guaranteeing the obligation for ultimate repayment and may not be able to assert a claim against the United States if the agency or instrumentality does not meet its commitments.
The Fund may also invest in component parts of US Government securities, namely either the corpus (principal) of such obligations or one or more of the interest payments scheduled to be paid on such obligations. These obligations may take the form of (1) obligations from which the interest coupons have been stripped; (2) the interest coupons that are stripped; (3) book-entries at a Federal Reserve member bank representing ownership of obligation components; or (4) receipts evidencing the component parts (corpus or coupons) of US Government obligations that have not actually been stripped. Such receipts evidence ownership of component parts of US Government obligations (corpus or coupons) purchased by a third party (typically an investment banking firm) and held on behalf of the third party in physical or book-entry form by a major commercial bank or trust company pursuant to a custody agreement with the third party. The Fund may also invest in custodial receipts held by a third party that are not US Government securities.
INVESTMENT IN EMERGING MARKETS. The Fund may invest in the securities of issuers domiciled in various countries with emerging capital markets. Specifically, a country with an emerging capital market is any country that the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, the United Nations or its authorities has determined to have a low or middle income economy. Countries with emerging markets can be found in regions such as Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Africa.
Investments in the securities of issuers domiciled in countries with emerging capital markets involve certain additional risks not involved in investments in securities of issuers in more developed capital markets, such as (i) low or non-existent trading volume, resulting in a lack of liquidity and increased volatility in prices for such securities, as compared to securities of comparable issuers in more developed capital markets, (ii) uncertain national policies and social, political and economic instability, increasing the potential for expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxation, high rates of inflation or unfavorable diplomatic developments, (iii) possible fluctuations in exchange rates, differing legal systems and the existence or possible imposition of exchange controls, custodial restrictions or other foreign or US governmental laws or restrictions applicable to such investments, (iv) national policies that may limit the Fund’s investment opportunities such as restrictions on investment in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national
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interests, and (v) the lack or relatively early development of legal structures governing private and foreign investments and private property. In addition to withholding taxes on investment income, some countries with emerging markets may impose differential capital gains taxes on foreign investors.
Such capital markets are emerging in a dynamic political and economic environment brought about by events over recent years that have reshaped political boundaries and traditional ideologies. In such a dynamic environment, there can be no assurance that these capital markets will continue to present viable investment opportunities for the Fund. In the past, governments of such nations have expropriated substantial amounts of private property, and most claims of the property owners have never been fully settled. There is no assurance that such expropriations will not reoccur. In such an event, it is possible that the Fund could lose the entire value of its investments in the affected markets.
Also, there may be less publicly available information about issuers in emerging markets than would be available about issuers in more developed capital markets, and such issuers may not be subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those to which US companies are subject. In certain countries with emerging capital markets, reporting standards vary widely. As a result, traditional investment measurements used in the United States, such as price/earnings ratios, may not be applicable. Emerging market securities may be substantially less liquid and more volatile than those of mature markets, and companies may be held by a limited number of persons. This may adversely affect the timing and pricing of the Fund’s acquisition or disposal of securities.
Practices in relation to settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because the Fund will need to use brokers and counterparties that are less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence, undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being completely lost. The Fund would absorb any loss resulting from such registration problems and may have no successful claim for compensation.
RISKS OF INVESTING IN ASIA-PACIFIC COUNTRIES. In addition to the risks of foreign investing and the risks of investing in emerging markets, the developing market Asia-Pacific countries in which the Fund may invest are subject to certain additional or specific risks. There is a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of investors and financial intermediaries. Many of these markets also may be affected by developments with respect to more established markets in the region such as in Japan and Hong Kong. Brokers in developing market Asia-Pacific countries typically are fewer in number and less well capitalized than brokers in the United States. These factors, combined with the US regulatory requirements for open-end investment companies and the restrictions on foreign investment discussed below, result in potentially fewer investment opportunities for the Fund and may have an adverse impact on the investment performance of the Fund.
Many of the developing market Asia-Pacific countries may be subject to a greater degree of economic, political and social instability than is the case in the United States and Western European countries. Such instability may result from, among other things: (i) authoritarian governments or military involvement in political and economic decision-making, including changes in government through extra-constitutional means; (ii) popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions; (iii) internal insurgencies; (iv) hostile relations with neighboring countries; and (v) ethnic, religious and racial disaffection. In addition, the governments of many such countries, such as Indonesia, have a heavy role in regulating and supervising the economy. Another risk common to most such countries is that the economy is heavily export oriented and, accordingly, is dependent upon international trade. The existence of overburdened infrastructure and obsolete financial systems also present risks in certain countries, as do environmental problems. Certain economies also depend to a significant degree upon exports of primary commodities and, therefore, are vulnerable to changes in commodity prices that, in turn, may be affected by a variety of factors.
The legal systems in certain developing market Asia-Pacific countries also may have an adverse impact on the Fund. For example, while the potential liability of a shareholder in a US corporation with respect to acts of the corporation is generally limited to the amount of the shareholder’s investment, the notion of limited liability is less clear in certain emerging market Asia-Pacific countries. Similarly, the rights of investors in developing market Asia-Pacific companies may be more limited than those of shareholders of US corporations. It may be difficult or impossible to obtain and/or enforce a judgment in a developing market Asia-Pacific country.
Governments of many developing market Asia-Pacific countries have exercised and continue to exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In certain cases, the government owns or controls many companies, including the largest in the country. Accordingly, government actions in the future could have a significant effect on economic conditions in developing market
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Asia-Pacific countries, which could affect private sector companies and the Fund itself, as well as the value of securities in the Fund’s portfolio. In addition, economic statistics of developing market Asia-Pacific countries may be less reliable than economic statistics of more developed nations.
In addition to the relative lack of publicly available information about developing market Asia-Pacific issuers and the possibility that such issuers may not be subject to the same accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards as US companies, inflation accounting rules in some developing market Asia-Pacific countries require companies that keep accounting records in the local currency, for both tax and accounting purposes, to restate certain assets and liabilities on the company’s balance sheet in order to express items in terms of currency of constant purchasing power. Inflation accounting may indirectly generate losses or profits for certain developing market Asia-Pacific companies. Satisfactory custodial services for investment securities may not be available in some developing Asia-Pacific countries, which may result in the Fund incurring additional costs and delays in providing transportation and custody services for such securities outside such countries.
Certain developing Asia-Pacific countries, such as the Philippines, India and Turkey, are especially large debtors to commercial banks and foreign governments. Fund management may determine that, notwithstanding otherwise favorable investment criteria, it may not be practicable or appropriate to invest in a particular developing Asia-Pacific country. The Fund may invest in countries in which foreign investors, including management of the Fund, have had no or limited prior experience.
Restrictions on Foreign Investments in Asia-Pacific Countries. Some developing Asia-Pacific countries prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on investments in their capital markets, particularly their equity markets, by foreign entities such as the Fund. As illustrations, certain countries may require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons or limit the amount of investment by foreign persons in a particular company or limit the investment by foreign persons to only a specific class of securities of a company which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of the company available for purchase by nationals. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to obtain required governmental approvals in a timely manner. In addition, changes to restrictions on foreign ownership of securities subsequent to the Fund’s purchase of such securities may have an adverse effect on the value of such shares. Certain countries may restrict investment opportunities in issuers or industries deemed important to national interests.
The manner in which foreign investors may invest in companies in certain developing Asia-Pacific countries, as well as limitations on such investments, also may have an adverse impact on the operations of the Fund. For example, the Fund may be required in certain of such countries to invest initially through a local broker or other entity and then have the shares purchased re-registered in the name of the Fund. Re-registration may in some instances not be able to occur on a timely basis, resulting in a delay during which the Fund may be denied certain of its rights as an investor, including rights as to dividends or to be made aware of certain corporate actions. There also may be instances where the Fund places a purchase order but subsequently learns, at the time of re-registration, that the permissible allocation of the investment to foreign investors has been filled, depriving the Fund of the ability to make its desired investment at that time.
Substantial limitations may exist in certain countries with respect to the Fund’s ability to repatriate investment income, capital or the proceeds of sales of securities by foreign investors. The Fund could be adversely affected by delays in, or a refusal to grant, any required governmental approval for repatriation of capital, as well as by the application to the Fund of any restrictions on investments. For example, in September 1998, Malaysia imposed currency controls that limited funds’ ability to repatriate proceeds of Malaysian investments. It is possible that Malaysia, or certain other countries may impose similar restrictions or other restrictions relating to their currencies or to securities of issuers in those countries. To the extent that such restrictions have the effect of making certain investments illiquid, securities may not be available to meet redemptions. Depending on a variety of financial factors, the percentage of the Fund’s portfolio subject to currency controls may increase. In the event other countries impose similar controls, the portion of the Fund’s assets that may be used to meet redemptions may be further decreased. Even where there is no outright restriction on repatriation of capital, the mechanics of repatriation may affect certain aspects of the operations of the Fund. For example, funds may be withdrawn from the People’s Republic of China only in US or Hong Kong dollars and only at an exchange rate established by the government once each week. In certain countries, banks or other financial institutions may be among the leading companies or have actively traded securities. The 1940 Act restricts the Fund’s investments in any equity securities of an issuer that, in its most recent fiscal year, derived more than 15% of its revenues from “securities related activities,” as defined by the rules thereunder. These provisions may restrict the Fund’s investments in certain foreign banks and other financial institutions.
ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES . Asset-backed securities directly or indirectly represent a participation interest in, or are secured by and payable from, a stream of payments generated by particular assets such as motor vehicle or credit card receivables. Payments of principal and interest may be guaranteed up to certain amounts and for a certain time period by a letter of credit issued by a financial institution unaffiliated with the entities issuing the securities. Asset-backed securities may be classified as pass-through certificates or collateralized obligations.
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Pass-through certificates are asset-backed securities which represent an undivided fractional ownership interest in an underlying pool of assets. Pass-through certificates usually provide for payments of principal and interest received to be passed through to their holders, usually after deduction for certain costs and expenses incurred in administering the pool. Because pass-through certificates represent an ownership interest in the underlying assets, the holders thereof bear directly the risk of any defaults by the obligors on the underlying assets not covered by any credit support.
Asset-backed securities issued in the form of debt instruments include collateralized bond obligations (“CBOs”), collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”), other CDOs and other similarly structured securities. A CBO is a trust which is often backed by a diversified pool of high risk, below investment grade fixed income securities. The collateral can be from many different types of fixed income securities such as high yield debt, residential privately issued mortgage-related securities, commercial privately issued mortgage-related securities, trust preferred securities and emerging market debt. A CLO is a trust typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, domestic and foreign senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. Other CDOs are trusts backed by other types of assets representing obligations of various parties. CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs may charge management fees and administrative expenses.
For CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs, the cash flows from the trust are split into two or more portions, called tranches, varying in risk and yield. The riskiest portion is the “equity” tranche which bears the bulk of defaults from the bonds or loans in the trust and serves to protect the other, more senior tranches from default in all but the most severe circumstances. Since they are partially protected from defaults, senior tranches from a CBO trust, CLO trust or trust of another CDO typically have higher ratings and lower yields than their underlying securities, and can be rated investment grade. Despite the protection from the equity tranche, CBO, CLO or other CDO tranches can experience substantial losses due to actual defaults, increased sensitivity to defaults due to collateral default and disappearance of protecting tranches, market anticipation of defaults, as well as aversion to CBO, CLO or other CDO securities as a class.
The risks of an investment in a CBO, CLO or other CDO depend largely on the type of the collateral securities and the class of the instrument in which the Fund invests. Normally, CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs are privately offered and sold, and thus, are not registered under the securities laws. As a result, investments in CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs may be characterized by the Fund as illiquid securities; however, an active dealer market may exist for CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs, allowing them to qualify for Rule 144A transactions. In addition to the normal risks associated with fixed income securities discussed elsewhere in this SAI and the Fund’s Prospectus (e.g., interest rate risk and default risk), CBOs, CLOs and other CDOs carry additional risks including, but not limited to: (i) the possibility that distributions from collateral securities will not be adequate to make interest or other payments; (ii) the possibility that the quality of the collateral may decline in value or default; (iii) the risk that the Fund may invest in CBOs, CLOs or other CDOs that are subordinate to other classes; and (iv) the risk that the complex structure of the security may not be fully understood at the time of investment and may produce disputes with the issuer or unexpected investment results.
CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSIT. The FDIC, an independent agency of the US Government, provides deposit insurance on all types of deposits, including certificates of deposit, received at an FDIC-insured bank or savings association (“insured depository institutions”) up to applicable limits. The standard deposit insurance amount is $250,000 per depositor (including principal and accrued interest) for each insurable capacity of such depositor, per insured depository institution, which is backed by the full faith and credit of the US Government. All of a depositor’s deposits in the same insurable capacity at the same insured depository institution are aggregated for purposes of the $250,000 insurance limit, including deposits held directly in the depositor’s name and for the depositor’s benefit by intermediaries. Any amounts in excess of the $250,000 deposit insurance limit may be uninsured.
CORPORATE LOANS. Commercial banks and other financial institutions make loans to companies that need capital to grow or restructure (“corporate loans”). Borrowers generally pay interest on corporate loans at rates that change in response to changes in market interest rates such as the LIBOR or the prime rate of US banks. As a result, the value of corporate loan investments is generally responsive to shifts in market interest rates. Because the trading market for corporate loans is less developed than the secondary market for bonds and notes, the Fund may experience difficulties from time to time in selling its corporate loans. Borrowers frequently provide collateral to secure repayment of these obligations. Leading financial institutions often act as agent for a broader group of lenders, generally referred to as a “syndicate.” The syndicate's agent arranges the corporate loans, holds collateral and accepts payments of principal and interest. If the agent develops financial problems, the Fund may not recover its investment, or there might be a delay in the Fund’s recovery. By investing in a corporate loan, the Fund becomes a member of the syndicate.
As in the case of junk bonds, the corporate loans in which the Fund may invest can be expected to provide higher yields than higher-rated fixed income securities but may be subject to greater risk of loss of principal and interest. There are, however, some significant differences between corporate loans and junk bonds. Corporate loans are frequently secured by pledges of liens and security interests in the assets of the borrower, and the holders of corporate loans are frequently the beneficiaries of debt service
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subordination provisions imposed on the borrower's bondholders. These arrangements are designed to give corporate loan investors preferential treatment over junk bond investors in the event of a deterioration in the credit quality of the issuer. Even when these arrangements exist, however, there can be no assurance that the principal and interest owed on the corporate loans will be repaid in full. Corporate loans generally bear interest at rates set at a margin above a generally recognized base lending rate that may fluctuate on a day-to-day basis, in the case of the prime rate of a US bank, or that may be adjusted on set dates, typically 30 days but generally not more than one year, in the case of LIBOR. Consequently, the value of corporate loans held by the Fund may be expected to fluctuate significantly less than the value of fixed rate junk bond instruments as a result of changes in the interest rate environment. On the other hand, the secondary dealer market for corporate loans is not as well developed as the secondary dealer market for junk bonds, and therefore presents increased market risk relating to liquidity and pricing concerns.
The Fund may acquire interests in corporate loans by means of a novation, assignment or participation. In a novation, the Fund would succeed to all the rights and obligations of the assigning institution and become a contracting party under the credit agreement with respect to the debt obligation. As an alternative, the Fund may purchase an assignment, in which case the Fund may be required to rely on the assigning institution to demand payment and enforce its rights against the borrower but would otherwise typically be entitled to all of such assigning institution's rights under the credit agreement. Participation interests in a portion of a debt obligation typically result in a contractual relationship only with the institution selling the participation interest and not with the borrower. In purchasing a loan participation, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement, nor any rights of set-off against the borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from the collateral supporting the debt obligation in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will assume the credit risk of both the borrower and the institution selling the participation to the Fund.
CYBER SECURITY RISK. With the increasing use of technology and computer systems in general and, in particular, the Internet to conduct necessary business functions, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security and related risks. These risks, which are often collectively referred to as “cyber security” risks, may include deliberate or malicious attacks, as well as unintentional events and occurrences. Cyber security is generally defined as the technology, operations and related protocol surrounding and protecting a user’s computer hardware, network, systems and applications and the data transmitted and stored therewith. These measures ensure the reliability of a user’s systems, as well as the security, availability, integrity, and confidentiality of data assets.
Deliberate cyber attacks can include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to computer systems in order to misappropriate and/or disclose sensitive or confidential information; deleting, corrupting or modifying data; and causing operational disruptions. Cyber attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (in order to prevent access to computer networks). In addition to deliberate breaches engineered by external actors, cyber security risks can also result from the conduct of malicious, exploited or careless insiders, whose actions may result in the destruction, release or disclosure of confidential or proprietary information stored on an organization’s systems.
Cyber security failures or breaches, whether deliberate or unintentional, arising from the Fund’s third-party service providers (e.g., custodians, financial intermediaries, transfer agents), subadviser, shareholder usage of unsecure systems to access personal accounts, as well as breaches suffered by the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, may cause significant disruptions in the business operations of the Fund. Potential impacts may include, but are not limited to, potential financial losses for the Fund and the issuers’ securities, the inability of shareholders to conduct transactions with the Fund, an inability of the Fund to calculate NAV, and disclosures of personal or confidential shareholder information.
In addition to direct impacts on Fund shareholders, cyber security failures by the Fund and/or its service providers and others may result in regulatory inquiries, regulatory proceedings, regulatory and/or legal and litigation costs to the Fund, and reputational damage. The Fund may incur reimbursement and other expenses, including the costs of litigation and litigation settlements and additional compliance costs. The Fund may also incur considerable expenses in enhancing and upgrading computer systems and systems security following a cyber security failure.
The rapid proliferation of technologies, as well as the increased sophistication and activities of organized crime, hackers, terrorists, and others continue to pose new and significant cyber security threats. Although the Fund and its service providers and subadviser may have established business continuity plans and risk management systems to mitigate cyber security risks, there can be no guarantee or assurance that such plans or systems will be effective, or that all risks that exist, or may develop in the future, have been completely anticipated and identified or can be protected against. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control or assure the efficacy of the cyber security plans and systems implemented by third-party service providers, the subadviser, and the issuers in which the Fund invests.
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MUNICIPAL SECURITIES. The Fund may, from time to time, invest in municipal bonds, which may be general obligation or revenue bonds. General obligation bonds are secured by the issuer's pledge of its faith, credit and taxing power for the payment of principal and interest, whereas revenue bonds are payable only from the revenues derived from a particular facility or class of facilities or, in some cases, from the proceeds of a special excise or other specific revenue source.
The Fund may invest in municipal notes including tax, revenue and bond anticipation notes which are issued to obtain funds for various public purposes. The Fund may invest in municipal asset-backed securities, which are debt obligations, often issued through a trust or other investment vehicles that are backed by municipal debt obligations and accompanied by a liquidity facility. The Fund may invest in municipal securities with the right to resell such securities to the seller at an agreed-upon price or yield within a specified period prior to the maturity date. Such a right to resell is commonly referred to as a “put” or “tender option.”
Municipal securities include notes and bonds issued by or on behalf of states, territories and possessions of the United States and their political subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities and the District of Columbia, the interest on which is generally eligible for exclusion from federal income tax and, in certain instances, applicable state or local income and personal property taxes. Interest from municipal securities received by the Fund will not be eligible from exclusion from federal income tax when distributed to shareholders. Such securities are traded primarily in the OTC market.
The interest rates payable on certain municipal bonds and municipal notes are not fixed and may fluctuate based upon changes in market rates. Municipal bonds and notes of this type are called “variable rate” obligations. The interest rate payable on a variable rate obligation is adjusted either at pre-designated intervals or whenever there is a change in the market rate of interest on which the interest rate payable is based. Other features may include the right whereby the Fund may demand prepayment of the principal amount of the obligation prior to its stated maturity (a demand feature) and the right of the issuer to prepay the principal amount prior to maturity. The principal benefit of a variable rate obligation is that the interest rate adjustment minimizes changes in the market value of the obligation. As a result, the purchase of variable rate obligations should enhance the ability of the Fund to maintain a stable NAV per share and to sell an obligation prior to maturity at a price approximating the full principal amount of the obligation.
Variable rate securities provide for a specific periodic adjustment in the interest rate based on prevailing market rates and generally would allow the Fund to demand payment of the obligation on short notice at par plus accrued interest, which amount may, at times, be more or less than the amount the Fund paid for them.
An inverse floater is a debt instrument with a floating or variable interest rate that moves in the opposite direction of the interest rate on another security or the value of an index. Changes in the interest rate on the other security or index inversely affect the residual interest rate paid on the inverse floater, with the result that the inverse floater's price will be considerably more volatile than that of a fixed rate bond. Generally, income from inverse floating rate bonds will decrease when short-term interest rates increase, and will increase when short-term interest rates decrease. Such securities have the effect of providing investment leverage, since they may increase or decrease in value in response to changes, as an illustration, in market interest rates at a rate that is a multiple (typically two) of the rate at which fixed-rate, long-term, tax-exempt securities increase or decrease in response to such changes. As a result, the market values of such securities generally will be more volatile than the market values of fixed-rate tax-exempt securities.
SOVEREIGN DEBT. Investment in sovereign debt can involve a high degree of risk. The governmental entity that controls the repayment of sovereign debt may not be able or willing to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such debt. A governmental entity's willingness or ability to repay principal and interest due in a timely manner may be affected by, among other factors, its cash flow situation, the extent of its foreign reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the governmental entity's policy towards the International Monetary Fund and the political constraints to which a governmental entity may be subject. Governmental entities may also be dependent on expected disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and others abroad to reduce principal and interest arrearages on their debt. The commitment on the part of these governments, agencies and others to make such disbursements may be conditioned on the implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of such debtor's obligations. Failure to implement such reforms, achieve such levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of such third parties' commitments to lend funds to the governmental entity, which may further impair such debtor's ability or willingness to timely service its debts. Consequently, governmental entities may default on their sovereign debt. Holders of sovereign debt may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to governmental entities. In the event of a default by a governmental entity, there may be few or no effective legal remedies for collecting on such debt.
ZERO COUPON SECURITIES, PAY-IN-KIND SECURITIES AND DEFERRED PAYMENT SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in zero coupon securities. Zero coupon securities are securities that are sold at a discount to par value and on which interest payments are not made during the life of the security. The discount approximates the total amount of interest the security will accrue and compound
25
over the period until maturity on the particular interest payment date at a rate of interest reflecting the market rate of the security at the time of issuance. Upon maturity, the holder is entitled to receive the par value of the security. While interest payments are not made on such securities, holders of such securities are deemed to have received income (“phantom income”) annually, notwithstanding that cash may not be received currently. To the extent a distribution is paid, there may be uncertainty about the source of the distribution. The effect of owning instruments that do not make current interest payments is that a fixed yield is earned not only on the original investment but also, in effect, on all discount accretion during the life of the obligations. This implicit reinvestment of earnings at the same rate eliminates the risk of being unable to invest distributions at a rate as high as the implicit yield on the zero coupon bond, but at the same time eliminates the holder's ability to reinvest at higher rates in the future. For this reason, some of these securities may be subject to substantially greater price fluctuations during periods of changing market interest rates than are comparable securities that pay interest currently, which fluctuation increases the longer the period to maturity. These investments benefit the issuer by mitigating its need for cash to meet debt service, but also require a higher rate of return to attract investors who are willing to defer receipt of cash. Because these securities do not pay current cash income, their price can be volatile when interest rates fluctuate and an investment in these securities generally has a greater potential for complete loss of principal and/or return than an investment in debt securities that make periodic interest payments. Such investments are more vulnerable to the creditworthiness of the issuer and any other parties upon which performance relies. If the issuer defaults, the Fund may not obtain any return on its investment. These securities may be subject to less liquidity in the event of adverse market conditions than comparably rated securities that pay cash interest at regular intervals. The Fund accrues income with respect to these securities for federal income tax and accounting purposes prior to the receipt of cash payments.
Pay-in-kind securities are securities that have interest payable by delivery of additional securities. Upon maturity, the holder is entitled to receive the aggregate par value of the securities. Deferred payment securities are securities that remain a zero coupon security until a predetermined date, at which time the stated coupon rate becomes effective and interest becomes payable at regular intervals. Pay-in-kind and deferred payment securities may be subject to greater fluctuation in value and lesser liquidity in the event of adverse market conditions than comparable rated securities paying cash interest at regular intervals.
In addition to the above described risks, there are certain other risks related to investing in zero coupon, pay-in-kind and deferred payment securities. During a period of severe market conditions, the market for such securities may become even less liquid. In addition, as these securities do not pay cash interest, the Fund’s investment exposure to these securities and their risks, including credit risk, will increase during the time these securities are held in the Fund’s portfolio. Further, to maintain its qualification for pass-through treatment under the federal tax laws, the Fund is required to distribute income to its shareholders and, consequently, may have to dispose of its portfolio securities under disadvantageous circumstances to generate the cash, or may have to leverage itself by borrowing the cash to satisfy these distributions, as they relate to the distribution of phantom income and the value of the paid-in-kind interest. The required distributions will result in an increase in the Fund’s exposure to such securities.
STRUCTURED NOTES / STRUCTURED SECURITIES . The Fund may invest in structured notes and other types of structured securities, including participation notes, structured notes, low exercise price warrants and other related instruments. These securities are generally privately negotiated debt obligations where the principal and/or interest or value of the structured security is determined by reference to the performance of a specific asset, benchmark asset, market or interest rate (“reference instrument”). Issuers of structured securities include corporations and banks. The interest rate or the principal amount payable upon maturity or redemption may increase or decrease, depending upon changes in the value of the reference instrument. The terms of a structured security may provide that, in certain circumstances, no principal is due at maturity and, therefore, may result in a loss of invested capital by the Fund. Receipt of the reference instrument is also, in certain circumstances, exchanged upon maturity of the security.
A structured security may be positively, negatively, or both positively and negatively indexed; that is, its value or interest rate may increase or decrease if the value of the reference instrument increases. Similarly, its value or interest rate may increase or decrease if the value of the reference instrument decreases. Further, the change in the principal amount payable with respect to, or the interest rate of, a structured security may be calculated as a multiple of the percentage change (positive or negative) in the value of the underlying reference instrument(s); therefore, the value of such structured security may be very volatile. Additionally, caps can be placed on the amount of appreciation with regard to the reference instrument.
Structured securities may entail a greater degree of market risk than other types of debt securities because the investor bears the risk of the reference instrument. Structured securities may also be more volatile, less liquid, and more difficult to accurately price than less complex securities or more traditional debt securities. The secondary market for structured securities could be illiquid, making them difficult to sell when the Fund determines to sell them. The possible lack of a liquid secondary market for structured securities and the resulting inability of the Fund to sell a structured security could expose the Fund to losses and could make structured securities more difficult for the Fund to value accurately.
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund 26
In addition, because structured securities generally are traded over-the-counter, structured securities are subject to the creditworthiness of the counterparty of the structured security, and their values may decline substantially if the counterparty's creditworthiness deteriorates.
ADJUSTABLE AND FLOATING RATE SECURITIES . Adjustable and floating rate securities provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the obligations. The terms of such obligations provide that interest rates are adjusted periodically based upon an interest rate adjustment index as provided in the respective obligations. The adjustment intervals may be regular, and range from daily up to annually, or may be event based, such as based on a change in the prime rate.
The interest rate on a floating rate debt instrument (“floaters”) is a variable rate which is tied to another interest rate, such as a corporate bond index or Treasury bill rate. The interest rate on a floater resets periodically, typically every six months. While, because of the interest rate reset feature, floaters may provide the Fund with a certain degree of protection against rising interest rates, the Fund will participate in any declines in interest rates as well.
A floater may be considered to be leveraged to the extent that its interest rate varies by a magnitude that exceeds the magnitude of the change in the index rate of interest. The higher degree of leverage inherent in some floaters is associated with greater volatility in their market values.
Such instruments may include variable amount master demand notes that permit the indebtedness thereunder to vary in addition to providing for periodic adjustments in the interest rate. The absence of an active secondary market with respect to particular variable and floating rate instruments could make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of a variable or floating rate note if the issuer defaulted on its payment obligation or during periods that the Fund is not entitled to exercise its demand rights, and the Fund could, for these or other reasons, suffer a loss with respect to such instruments.
DISTRESSED SECURITIES. The Fund may invest in securities, including corporate loans purchased in the secondary market, which are the subject of bankruptcy proceedings or otherwise in default as to the repayment of principal and/or interest at the time of acquisition by the Fund or are rated in the lower rating categories (generally, Ca or lower by Moody's and CC or lower by S&P or Fitch) or which, if unrated, are in the judgment of the subadviser of equivalent quality (“Distressed Securities”). Investing in Distressed Securities is speculative and involves significant risks. Distressed Securities frequently do not produce income while they are outstanding and may require the Fund to bear certain extraordinary expenses in order to protect and recover its investment.
The Fund will generally make such investments only when the subadviser believes it is reasonably likely that the issuer of the Distressed Securities will make an exchange offer or will be the subject of a plan of reorganization pursuant to which the Fund will receive new securities. However, there can be no assurance that such an exchange offer will be made or that such a plan of reorganization will be adopted. In addition, a significant period of time may pass between the time at which the Fund makes its investment in Distressed Securities and the time that any such exchange offer or plan of reorganization is completed. During this period, it is unlikely that the Fund will receive any interest payments on the Distressed Securities, the Fund will be subject to significant uncertainty as to whether or not the exchange offer or plan of reorganization will be completed and the Fund may be required to bear certain extraordinary expenses to protect and recover its investment. Even if an exchange offer is made or plan of reorganization is adopted with respect to Distressed Securities held by the Fund, there can be no assurance that the securities or other assets received by the Fund in connection with such exchange offer or plan of reorganization will not have a lower value or income potential than may have been anticipated when the investment was made. Moreover, any securities received by the Fund upon completion of an exchange offer or plan of reorganization may be restricted as to resale. As a result of the Fund’s participation in negotiations with respect to any exchange offer or plan of reorganization with respect to an issuer of Distressed Securities, the Fund may be restricted from disposing of such securities.
SHORT POSITIONS AND SHORT SALES AGAINST-THE-BOX. The Fund may engage in short sales, including short sales against the box. Short sales (other than against the box) are transactions in which the Fund sells an instrument it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of that instrument. A short sale against the box is a short sale where at the time of the sale, the Fund owns or has the right to obtain instruments equivalent in kind and amounts at no additional cost. To complete a short sale transaction, the Fund must borrow the instrument to make delivery to the buyer. The Fund then is obligated to replace the instrument borrowed by purchasing it at the market price at the time of replacement. The price at such time may be more or less than the price at which the instrument was sold by the Fund. Until the instrument is replaced, the Fund is required to pay to the lender amounts equal to any interest or dividends which accrue during the period of the loan. To borrow the instrument, the Fund also may be required to pay a premium, which would increase the cost of the instrument sold. There will also be other costs associated with short sales.
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The Fund will incur a loss as a result of the short sale if the price of the instrument increases between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund replaces the borrowed instrument. Unlike taking a long position in an instrument by purchasing the instrument, where potential losses are limited to the purchase price, short sales have no cap on maximum loss. The Fund will realize a gain if the instrument declines in price between those dates. This result is the opposite of what one would expect from a cash purchase of a long position in an instrument.
Until the Fund replaces a borrowed instrument in connection with a short sale, the Fund will (a) designate on its records as collateral cash or liquid assets at such a level that the designated assets plus any amount deposited with the broker as collateral will equal the current value of the instrument sold short or (b) otherwise cover its short position in accordance with applicable law. The amount designated on the Fund’s records will be marked to market daily. This may limit the Fund’s investment flexibility, as well as its ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations.
There is no guarantee that the Fund will be able to close out a short position at any particular time or at an acceptable price. During the time that the Fund is short an instrument, it is subject to the risk that the lender of the instrument will terminate the loan at a time when the Fund is unable to borrow the same instrument from another lender. If that occurs, the Fund may be “bought in” at the price required to purchase the instrument needed to close out the short position, which may be a disadvantageous price. Thus, there is a risk that the Fund may be unable to fully implement its investment strategy due to a lack of available instruments or for some other reason. It is possible that the market value of the instruments the Fund holds in long positions will decline at the same time that the market value of the instruments the Fund has sold short increases, thereby increasing the Fund’s potential volatility. Short sales also involve other costs. The Fund must normally repay to the lender an amount equal to any dividends or interest that accrue while the loan is outstanding. In addition, to borrow the instrument, the Fund may be required to pay a premium. The Fund also will incur transaction costs in effecting short sales. The amount of any ultimate gain for the Fund resulting from a short sale will be decreased, and the amount of any ultimate loss will be increased, by the amount of premiums, dividends, interest or expenses the Fund may be required to pay in connection with the short sale.
The Fund may enter into short sales on derivative instruments with a counterparty, which will subject the Fund to counterparty risk. See “Counterparty Risk” in the Fund’s Prospectus.
In addition to the general risks related to short sales discussed above, the Fund will be subject to additional risks when it makes short sales “against the box.” In a short sale “against the box” transaction, the Fund does not immediately deliver the instruments sold and is said to have a short position in those instruments until delivery occurs. If the Fund effects a short sale of instruments against the box at a time when it has an unrealized gain on the instruments, it may be required to recognize that gain as if it had actually sold the instruments (as a “constructive sale”) on the date it effects the short sale. However, such constructive sale treatment may not apply if the Fund closes out the short sale with instruments other than the appreciated instruments held at the time of the short sale and if certain other conditions are satisfied.
INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS
The Fund has adopted the restrictions listed below as fundamental policies. Under the 1940 Act, a fundamental policy is one that cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities. A “majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities,” when used in this SAI, means the lesser of (i) 67% of the voting shares represented at a meeting at which more than 50% of the outstanding voting shares are present in person or represented by proxy or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding voting shares.
1. The Fund may not purchase the securities of any issuer if, as a result, the Fund would fail to be a diversified company within the meaning of the 1940 Act, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, as each may be amended from time to time except to the extent that the Fund may be permitted to do so by exemptive order, SEC release, no-action letter or similar relief or interpretations (collectively, the 1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions).
2. The Fund may not issue senior securities or borrow money or pledge its assets, except as permitted by the 1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions. For purposes of this restriction, the purchase or sale of securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls, short sales, derivative and hedging transactions such as interest rate swap transactions, and collateral arrangements with respect thereto, and transactions similar to any of the foregoing and collateral arrangements with respect thereto, and obligations of the Fund to its Trustees pursuant to deferred compensation arrangements are not deemed to be a pledge of assets or the issuance of a senior security.
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund 28
3. The Fund may not buy or sell real estate, except that investment in securities of issuers that invest in real estate and investments in mortgage-backed securities, mortgage participations or other instruments supported or secured by interests in real estate are not subject to this limitation, and except that the Fund may exercise rights relating to such securities, including the right to enforce security interests and to hold real estate acquired by reason of such enforcement until that real estate can be liquidated in an orderly manner.
4. The Fund may not buy or sell physical commodities or contracts involving physical commodities. The Fund may purchase and sell (i) derivative, hedging and similar instruments such as financial futures contracts and options thereon, and (ii) securities or instruments backed by, or the return from which is linked to, physical commodities or currencies, such as forward currency exchange contracts, and the Fund may exercise rights relating to such instruments, including the right to enforce security interests and to hold physical commodities and contracts involving physical commodities acquired as a result of the Fund's ownership of instruments supported or secured thereby until they can be liquidated in an orderly manner.
5. The Fund may not purchase any security if as a result 25% or more of the Fund's total assets would be invested in the securities of issuers having their principal business activities in the same industry, except for temporary defensive purposes, and except that this limitation does not apply to securities issued or guaranteed by the US government, its agencies or instrumentalities.
6. The Fund may not act as underwriter except to the extent that, in connection with the disposition of portfolio securities, it may be deemed to be an underwriter under certain federal securities laws.
For purposes of Investment Restriction 1, the Fund will currently not purchase any security (other than obligations of the US government, its agencies or instrumentalities) if as a result, with respect to 75% of the Fund's total assets, (i) more than 5% of the Fund's total assets (determined at the time of investment) would be invested in securities of a single issuer and (ii) the Fund would own more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any single issuer.
The Fund may make loans, including loans of assets of the Fund, repurchase agreements, trade claims, loan participations or similar investments, or as permitted by the 1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions. The acquisition of bonds, debentures, other debt securities or instruments, or participations or other interests therein and investments in government obligations, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, bankers' acceptances or instruments similar to any of the foregoing will not be considered the making of a loan, and is permitted if consistent with the Fund's investment objectives.
Whenever any fundamental investment policy or investment restriction states a maximum percentage of the Fund’s assets, it is intended that if the percentage limitation is met at the time the investment is made, a later change in percentage resulting from changing total or net asset values will not be considered a violation of such policy. However, if the Fund's asset coverage for borrowings falls below 300%, the Fund will within three business days reduce its borrowings to satisfy the 300% asset coverage requirement, as required by the 1940 Act Laws, Interpretations and Exemptions. If the Fund holds more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities, the Fund will take prompt action to reduce its holdings of illiquid securities.
The Fund will provide 60 days' written notice to shareholders of a change in its non-fundamental policy of investing at least 80% of its investable assets (that is, net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in the type of investments suggested by the Fund's name.
In addition, as a matter of non-fundamental policy, the Fund may not acquire securities of other investment companies or registered unit investment trusts in reliance on subparagraph (F) or (G) of Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act so long as it is a fund in which one or more affiliated Prudential mutual funds may invest. The foregoing investment policy does not restrict the Fund from (i) acquiring securities of other registered investment companies in connection with a merger, consolidation, reorganization, or acquisition of assets, or (ii) purchasing the securities of registered investment companies, to the extent otherwise permissible under Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act.
INFORMATION ABOUT BOARD MEMBERS AND OFFICERS
Information about Board Members and Officers of the Fund is set forth below. Board Members who are not deemed to be “interested persons” of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act, are referred to as “Independent Board Members.” Board Members who are deemed to be “interested persons” of the Fund are referred to as “Interested Board Members.” The Board Members are responsible for the overall supervision of the operations of the Fund and perform the various duties imposed on the directors of investment companies by the 1940 Act. The Board in turn elects the Officers, who are responsible for administering the day-to-day operations of the Fund.
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Interested Board Members (1) | ||
Name, Address, Age
Position(s) Portfolios Overseen |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | Other Directorships Held During Past Five Years |
Stuart S. Parker (53)
Board Member & President Portfolios Overseen: 66 |
President of Prudential Investments LLC (since January 2012); Executive Vice President of Prudential Investment Management Services LLC (since December 2012); Executive Vice President of Jennison Associates LLC and Head of Retail Distribution of Prudential Investments LLC (June 2005-December 2011). | None. |
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund 30
Interested Board Members (1) | ||
Name, Address, Age
Position(s) Portfolios Overseen |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years | Other Directorships Held During Past Five Years |
Scott E. Benjamin (42)
Board Member & Vice President Portfolios Overseen: 66 |
Executive Vice President (since June 2009) of Prudential Investments LLC; Executive Vice President (June 2009-June 2012) and Vice President (since June 2012) of Prudential Investment Management Services LLC; Executive Vice President (since September 2009) of AST Investment Services, Inc.; Senior Vice President of Product Development and Marketing, Prudential Investments (since February 2006); Vice President of Product Development and Product Management, Prudential Investments (2003-2006). | None. |
Grace C. Torres*
(56) Board Member Portfolios Overseen: 64 |
Retired; formerly Treasurer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer of the Prudential Investments Funds, Target Funds, Advanced Series Trust, Prudential Variable Contract Accounts and The Prudential Series Fund (1998-June 2014); Assistant Treasurer (March 1999-June 2014) and Senior Vice President (September 1999-June 2014) of Prudential Investments LLC; Assistant Treasurer (May 2003-June 2014) and Vice President (June 2005-June 2014) of AST Investment Services, Inc.; Senior Vice President and Assistant Treasurer (May 2003-June 2014) of Prudential Annuities Advisory Services, Inc. | Director (since July 2015) of Sun Bancorp, Inc. N.A. |
* Note: Prior to her retirement in 2014, Ms. Torres was employed by Prudential Investments LLC. Due to her prior employment, she is considered to be an “interested person” under the 1940 Act. Ms. Torres is a non-management Interested Board Member.
(1) The year that each Board Member joined the Board is as follows:
Ellen S. Alberding, 2013; Kevin J. Bannon, 2008; Linda W. Bynoe, 2005; Keith F. Hartstein, 2013; Michael S. Hyland, 2008; Richard A. Redeker, 2003; Stephen G. Stoneburn, 2000; Grace C. Torres, 2014; Stuart S. Parker, Board Member and President since 2012; Scott E. Benjamin, Board Member since 2010 and Vice President since 2009.
Fund Officers (a) | ||
Name, Address and Age
Position with Fund |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years |
Length of
Service as Fund Officer |
Raymond A. O’Hara (60)
Chief Legal Officer |
Vice President and Corporate Counsel (since July 2010) of Prudential Insurance Company of America (Prudential); Vice President (March 2011-Present) of Pruco Life Insurance Company and Pruco Life Insurance Company of New Jersey; Vice President and Corporate Counsel (March 2011-Present) of Prudential Annuities Life Assurance Corporation; Chief Legal Officer of Prudential Investments LLC (since June 2012); Chief Legal Officer of Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC (since June 2012) and Corporate Counsel of AST Investment Services, Inc. (since June 2012); formerly Assistant Vice President and Corporate Counsel (September 2008-July 2010) of The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.; formerly Associate (September 1980-December 1987) and Partner (January 1988–August 2008) of Blazzard & Hasenauer, P.C. (formerly, Blazzard, Grodd & Hasenauer, P.C.). | Since 2012 |
Chad A. Earnst (40)
Chief Compliance Officer |
Chief Compliance Officer (September 2014-Present) of Prudential Investments LLC; Chief Compliance Officer (September 2014-Present) of the Prudential Investments Funds, Target Funds, Advanced Series Trust, The Prudential Series Fund, Prudential's Gibraltar Fund, Inc., Prudential Global Short Duration High Yield Income Fund, Inc., Prudential Short Duration High Yield Fund, Inc. and Prudential Jennison MLP Income Fund, Inc.; formerly Assistant Director (March 2010-August 2014) of the Asset Management Unit, Division of Enforcement, US Securities & Exchange Commission; Assistant Regional Director (January 2010-August 2014), Branch Chief (June 2006–December 2009) and Senior Counsel (April 2003-May 2006) of the Miami Regional Office, Division of Enforcement, US Securities & Exchange Commission. | Since 2014 |
Deborah A. Docs (57)
Secretary |
Vice President and Corporate Counsel (since January 2001) of Prudential; Vice President (since December 1996) and Assistant Secretary (since March 1999) of Prudential Investments LLC; formerly Vice President and Assistant Secretary (May 2003-June 2005) of AST Investment Services, Inc. | Since 2004 |
Jonathan D. Shain (57)
Assistant Secretary |
Vice President and Corporate Counsel (since August 1998) of Prudential; Vice President and Assistant Secretary (since May 2001) of Prudential Investments LLC; Vice President and Assistant Secretary (since February 2001) of Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC; formerly Vice President and Assistant Secretary (May 2003-June 2005) of AST Investment Services, Inc. | Since 2005 |
Claudia DiGiacomo (41)
Assistant Secretary |
Vice President and Corporate Counsel (since January 2005) of Prudential; Vice President and Assistant Secretary of Prudential Investments LLC (since December 2005); Associate at Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP (1999-2004). | Since 2005 |
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Fund Officers (a) | ||
Name, Address and Age
Position with Fund |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past Five Years |
Length of
Service as Fund Officer |
Andrew R. French (52)
Assistant Secretary |
Vice President and Corporate Counsel (since February 2010) of Prudential; formerly Director and Corporate Counsel (2006-2010) of Prudential; Vice President and Assistant Secretary (since January 2007) of Prudential Investments LLC; Vice President and Assistant Secretary (since January 2007) of Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC. | Since 2006 |
Amanda S. Ryan (37)
Assistant Secretary |
Director and Corporate Counsel (since March 2012) of Prudential; Director and Assistant Secretary (since June 2012) of Prudential Investments LLC; Associate at Ropes & Gray LLP (2008-2012). | Since 2012 |
Theresa C. Thompson (53)
Deputy Chief Compliance Officer |
Vice President, Compliance, Prudential Investments LLC (since April 2004); and Director, Compliance, Prudential Investments LLC (2001-2004). | Since 2008 |
Richard W. Kinville (47)
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer |
Vice President, Corporate Compliance, Anti-Money Laundering Unit (since January 2005) of Prudential; committee member of the American Council of Life Insurers Anti-Money Laundering and Critical Infrastructure Committee (since January 2007); formerly Investigator and Supervisor in the Special Investigations Unit for the New York Central Mutual Fire Insurance Company (August 1994-January 1999); Investigator in AXA Financial's Internal Audit Department and Manager in AXA's Anti-Money Laundering Office (January 1999-January 2005); first chair of the American Council of Life Insurers Anti-Money Laundering and Critical Infrastructure Committee (June 2007-December 2009). | Since 2011 |
M. Sadiq Peshimam (51)
Treasurer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer |
Vice President (since 2005) of Prudential Investments LLC; formerly Assistant Treasurer of funds in the Prudential Mutual Fund Complex (2006-2014). | Since 2006 |
Peter Parrella (57)
Assistant Treasurer |
Vice President (since 2007) and Director (2004-2007) within Prudential Mutual Fund Administration; formerly Tax Manager at SSB Citi Fund Management LLC (1997-2004). | Since 2007 |
Lana Lomuti (48)
Assistant Treasurer |
Vice President (since 2007) and Director (2005-2007), within Prudential Mutual Fund Administration; formerly Assistant Treasurer (December 2007-February 2014) of The Greater China Fund, Inc. | Since 2014 |
Linda McMullin (54)
Assistant Treasurer |
Vice President (since 2011) and Director (2008-2011) within Prudential Mutual Fund Administration. | Since 2014 |
Kelly A. Coyne (47)
Assistant Treasurer |
Director, Investment Operations of Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC (since 2010). | Since 2015 |
(a) Excludes Mr. Parker and Mr. Benjamin, interested Board Members who also serve as President and Vice President, respectively.
Explanatory Notes to Tables:
■ | Board Members are deemed to be “Interested,” as defined in the 1940 Act, by reason of their affiliation with Prudential Investments LLC and/or an affiliate of Prudential Investments LLC. |
■ | Unless otherwise noted, the address of all Board Members and Officers is c/o Prudential Investments LLC, 655 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102-4410. |
■ | There is no set term of office for Board Members or Officers. The Board Members have adopted a retirement policy, which calls for the retirement of Board Members on December 31 of the year in which they reach the age of 75. |
■ | “Other Directorships Held” includes only directorships of companies required to register or file reports with the SEC under the 1934 Act (that is, “public companies”) or other investment companies registered under the 1940 Act. |
■ | “Portfolios Overseen” includes all investment companies managed by Prudential Investments LLC. The investment companies for which Prudential Investments LLC serves as manager include the Prudential Investments Mutual Funds, The Prudential Variable Contract Accounts, Target Mutual Funds, Prudential Short Duration High Yield Fund, Inc., Prudential Global Short Duration High Yield Fund, Inc., The Prudential Series Fund, Prudential's Gibraltar Fund, Inc. and the Advanced Series Trust. |
COMPENSATION OF BOARD MEMBERS AND OFFICERS. Pursuant to a management agreement with the Fund, the Manager pays all compensation of Fund Officers and employees as well as the fees and expenses of all Interested Board Members.
The Fund pays each Independent Board Member and Non-Management Interested Board Member annual compensation in addition to certain out-of-pocket expenses. Independent Board Members and Non-Management Interested Board Members who serve on Board Committees may receive additional compensation. The amount of annual compensation paid to each Independent Board Member and Non-Management Interested Board Member may change as a result of the introduction of additional funds on whose Boards the Board Member may be asked to serve.
Independent Board Members and Non-Management Interested Board Members may defer receipt of their fees pursuant to a deferred fee agreement with the Fund. Under the terms of the agreement, the Fund accrues deferred Board Members' fees daily which, in turn, accrue interest at a rate equivalent to the prevailing rate of 90-day US Treasury Bills at the beginning of each calendar quarter or at the daily rate of return of any mutual fund managed by PI chosen by the Board Member. Payment of the interest so accrued is also deferred and becomes payable at the option of the Board Member. The obligation to make payments of deferred Board Members' fees, together with interest thereon, is a general obligation of the Fund. The Fund does not have a retirement or pension plan for Board Members.
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund 32
The following table sets forth the aggregate compensation paid by the Fund for the most recently completed fiscal year to the Independent Board Members and Non-Management Interested Board Members for service on the Board, and the Board of any other investment company in the Fund Complex for the most recently completed calendar year. Board Members and officers who are “interested persons” of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act) (with the exception of Non-Management Interested Board Members) do not receive compensation from PI-managed funds and therefore are not shown in the following table.
†Mr.
Quinn resigned from the Board in July 2015.
†† Mr. McCorkindale and Ms. Smith retired from the Board effective December 31, 2014.
†††Mr. Munn resigned from the Board effective September 18, 2015.
‡Ms. Torres joined the Board in December 2014. Ms. Torres serves as a non-management Interested Board Member,
and receives compensation from the Fund for her service as a Board Member.
Explanatory Notes to Board Member Compensation Table
* Compensation relates to portfolios that were in existence for any period during 2014. Number of funds and portfolios represent those in existence as of December 31, 2014, and excludes funds that have merged or liquidated during the year. Additionally, the number of funds and portfolios includes those which are approved as of December 31, 2014, but they may commence operations after that date. No compensation is paid out from such funds/portfolios.
** Under the Fund Complex’s deferred fee agreement, certain Board Members have elected to defer all or part of their total compensation. The total amount of deferred compensation accrued during the calendar year ended December 31, 2014, including investment results during the year on cumulative deferred fees, amounted to $49,034, $7,656, $168,543, ($4,508), $514,437 and $69,495 for Ms. Bynoe, Mr. Hartstein, Mr. McCorkindale, Mr. Redeker, Ms. Smith and Mr. Stoneburn, respectively.
BOARD COMMITTEES. The Board has established three standing committees in connection with Fund governance—Audit, Nominating and Governance, and Investment. Information on the membership of each standing committee and its functions is set forth below.
Audit Committee: The Board has determined that each member of the Audit Committee is not an “interested person” as defined in the 1940 Act. The responsibilities of the Audit Committee are to assist the Board in overseeing the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm, accounting policies and procedures and other areas relating to the Fund's auditing processes. The Audit Committee is responsible for pre-approving all audit services and any permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm directly to the Fund. The Audit Committee is also responsible for pre-approving permitted services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm to (1) the Manager and (2) any entity in a control relationship with the Manager that provides ongoing services to the Fund, provided that the engagement of the independent registered public accounting firm relates directly to the operation and financial reporting of the Fund. The scope of the Audit Committee's responsibilities is oversight. It is management's responsibility to maintain appropriate systems for accounting and internal control and the independent registered public accounting firm's responsibility to plan and carry out an audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). The number of Audit Committee meetings held during the Fund's most recently completed fiscal year is set forth in the table below.
The
membership of the Audit Committee is set forth below:
Kevin J. Bannon (Chair)
Ellen S. Alberding
Linda W. Bynoe
Richard A. Redeker (ex-officio)
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Nominating and Governance Committee: The Nominating and Governance Committee of the Board is responsible for nominating Board Members and making recommendations to the Board concerning Board composition, committee structure and governance, director education, and governance practices. The Board has determined that each member of the Nominating and Governance Committee is not an “interested person” as defined in the 1940 Act. The number of Nominating and Governance Committee meetings held during the Fund's most recently completed fiscal year is set forth in the table below. The Nominating and Governance Committee Charter is available on the Fund's website.
The
membership of the Nominating and Governance Committee is set forth below:
Michael S. Hyland, CFA (Chair)
Stephen G. Stoneburn
Linda W. Bynoe
Keith F. Hartstein
Richard A. Redeker (ex-officio)
Investment Committees: The Board of each fund in the Prudential retail mutual funds complex has formed joint committees to review the performance of each Fund in the Fund Complex. The Gibraltar Investment Committee reviews the performance of each Fund that is subadvised by Jennison Associates LLC and Quantitative Management Associates LLC. The Dryden Investment Committee reviews the performance of each Fund that is subadvised by Prudential Investment Management, Inc. and Prudential Real Estate Investors (which is a business unit of Prudential Investment Management, Inc.). In addition, the Dryden Investment Committee reviews the performance of the closed-end funds. Each committee meets at least four times per year and reports the results of its review to the full Board of each Fund at each regularly scheduled Board meeting. Every Independent Board Member sits on one of the two committees. The non-management Interested Board Member sits on one of the two committees.
The number of Gibraltar Investment Committee or Dryden Investment Committee meetings, as applicable, held during the Fund's most recently completed fiscal year is set forth in the table below.
The
membership of the Gibraltar Investment Committee and the Dryden Investment Committee is set forth below:
Keith F. Hartstein (Chair)
Richard A. Redeker
Stephen G. Stoneburn
Linda W. Bynoe
Dryden
Investment Committee
Ellen S. Alberding (Chair)
Kevin J. Bannon
Michael S. Hyland, CFA
Grace C. Torres
Board Committee Meetings (for most recently completed fiscal year)* | ||
Audit Committee | Nominating & Governance Committee | Gibraltar & Dryden Investment Committees |
N/A | N/A | N/A |
*The Fund had yet to commence operations as of the date of this SAI.
LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE AND QUALIFICATIONS OF BOARD MEMBERS. The Board is responsible for oversight of the Fund. The Fund has engaged the Manager to manage the Fund on a day-to-day basis. The Board oversees the Manager and certain other principal service providers in the operations of the Fund. The Board is currently composed of ten members, seven of whom are Independent Board Members. The Board meets in-person at regularly scheduled meetings four times throughout the year. In addition, the Board Members may meet in-person or by telephone at special meetings or on an informal basis at other times. As described above, the Board has established three standing committees—Audit, Nominating and Governance, and Investment—and may establish ad hoc committees or working groups from time to time, to assist the Board in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities. The Independent Board Members have also engaged independent legal counsel to assist them in fulfilling their responsibilities.
The Board is chaired by an Independent Board Member. As Chair, this Independent Board Member leads the Board in its activities. Also, the Chair acts as a member or as an ex-officio member of each standing committee and any ad hoc committee of the Board. The Board Members have determined that the Board's leadership and committee structure is appropriate because the Board believes it sets
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund 34
the proper tone to the relationships between the Fund, on the one hand, and the Manager, the subadviser(s) and certain other principal service providers, on the other, and facilitates the exercise of the Board's independent judgment in evaluating and managing the relationships. In addition, the structure efficiently allocates responsibility among committees.
The Board has concluded that, based on each Board Member's experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Board Members, each Board Member should serve as a Board Member. Among other attributes common to all Board Members are their ability to review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to them, to interact effectively with the various service providers to the Fund, and to exercise reasonable business judgment in the performance of their duties as Board Members. In addition, the Board has taken into account the actual service and commitment of the Board Members during their tenure in concluding that each should continue to serve. A Board Member's ability to perform his or her duties effectively may have been attained through a Board Member's educational background or professional training; business, consulting, public service or academic positions; experience from service as a Board Member of the Fund, other funds in the Fund Complex, public companies, or non-profit entities or other organizations; or other experiences. Set forth below is a brief discussion of the specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills of each Board Member that led the Board to conclude that he or she should serve as a Board Member.
Messrs. Redeker and Stoneburn have each served as a Board Member of mutual funds in the Fund Complex for more than 14 years, including as members and/or Chairs of various Board committees. Mr. Stoneburn has more than 30 years of experience as senior executive officer of operating companies and/or as a director of public companies. Mr. Redeker has more than 47 years of experience as a senior executive in the mutual fund industry. Ms. Bynoe has been a Board Member of the Fund and other funds in the Fund Complex since 2005, having served on the boards of other mutual fund complexes since 1993. She has worked in the financial services industry over 11 years, has approximately 20 years experience as a management consultant and serves as a Director of financial services and other complex global corporations. Messrs. Bannon and Hyland joined the Board of the Fund and other funds in the Fund Complex in 2008. Each has held senior executive positions in the financial services industry, including serving as senior executives of asset management firms, for over 17 years. Ms. Alberding and Mr. Hartstein joined the Board of the Fund and other funds in the Fund Complex in 2013. Ms. Alberding has 30 years of experience in the non-profit sector, including over 20 years as the president of a charitable foundation, where she oversees multiple investment managers. Ms. Alberding also served as a Trustee of the Aon Funds from 2000 to 2003. Mr. Hartstein has worked in the asset management industry for almost 30 years and served as a senior executive in an asset management firm. Mr. Parker, who has served as an Interested Board Member and President of the Fund and the other funds in the Fund Complex since 2012, is President, Chief Operating Officer and Officer-in-Charge of PI and several of its affiliates that provide services to the Fund and has held senior positions in PI since 2005. Mr. Benjamin, an Interested Board Member of the Fund and other funds in the Fund Complex since 2010, has served as a Vice President of the Fund and other funds in the Fund Complex since 2009 and has held senior positions in PI since 2003. Ms. Torres, a non-management Interested Board Member of the Fund and other funds in the Fund Complex, formerly served as Treasurer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer for the Fund and other funds in the Fund Complex for 16 years and held senior positions with the Manager from 1999 to 2014. In addition, Ms. Torres is a certified public accountant (CPA). Specific details about each Board Member's professional experience appear in the professional biography tables, above.
Risk Oversight. Investing in general and the operation of a mutual fund involve a variety of risks, such as investment risk, compliance risk, and operational risk, among others. The Board oversees risk as part of its oversight of the Fund. Risk oversight is addressed as part of various regular Board and committee activities. The Board, directly or through its committees, reviews reports from among others, the Manager, subadvisers, the Fund's Chief Compliance Officer, the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm, counsel, and internal auditors of the Manager or its affiliates, as appropriate, regarding risks faced by the Fund and the risk management programs of the Manager and certain service providers. The actual day-to-day risk management with respect to the Fund resides with the Manager and other service providers to the Fund. Although the risk management policies of the Manager and the service providers are designed to be effective, those policies and their implementation vary among service providers and over time, and there is no guarantee that they will be effective. Not all risks that may affect the Fund can be identified or processes and controls developed to eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects, and some risks are simply beyond any control of the Fund or the Manager, its affiliates or other service providers.
Selection of Board Member Nominees. The Nominating and Governance Committee is responsible for considering nominees for Board Members at such times as it considers electing new members to the Board. The Nominating and Governance Committee may consider recommendations by business and personal contacts of current Board Members, and by executive search firms which the Committee may engage from time to time and will also consider shareholder recommendations. The Nominating and Governance Committee has not established specific, minimum qualifications that it believes must be met by a nominee. In evaluating nominees, the Nominating and Governance Committee considers, among other things, an individual's background, skills, and experience; whether the individual is an “interested person” as defined in the 1940 Act; and whether the individual would be deemed an “audit committee financial expert” within the meaning of applicable SEC rules. The Nominating and Governance Committee also considers
35
whether the individual's background, skills, and experience will complement the background, skills, and experience of other nominees and will contribute to the diversity of the Board. There are no differences in the manner in which the Nominating and Governance Committee evaluates nominees for the Board based on whether the nominee is recommended by a shareholder.
A shareholder who wishes to recommend a board member for nomination should submit his or her recommendation in writing to the Chair of the Board (Richard Redeker) or the Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee (Michael Hyland), in either case in care of the specified Fund(s), at 655 Broad Street, 17 th Floor, Newark, New Jersey 07102-4410. At a minimum, the recommendation should include: the name, address and business, educational and/or other pertinent background of the person being recommended; a statement concerning whether the person is an “interested person” as defined in the 1940 Act; any other information that the Fund would be required to include in a proxy statement concerning the person if he or she was nominated; and the name and address of the person submitting the recommendation, together with the number of Fund shares held by such person and the period for which the shares have been held. The recommendation also can include any additional information which the person submitting it believes would assist the Nominating and Governance Committee in evaluating the recommendation.
Shareholders should note that a person who owns securities issued by Prudential (the parent company of the Fund's Manager) would be deemed an “interested person” under the 1940 Act. In addition, certain other relationships with Prudential or its subsidiaries, with registered broker-dealers, or with the Fund's outside legal counsel may cause a person to be deemed an “interested person.” Before the Nominating and Governance Committee decides to nominate an individual to the Board, Committee members and other Board Members customarily interview the individual in person. In addition, the individual customarily is asked to complete a detailed questionnaire which is designed to elicit information which must be disclosed under SEC and stock exchange rules and to determine whether the individual is subject to any statutory disqualification from serving on the board of a registered investment company.
Share Ownership. Information relating to each Board Member's Fund share ownership and in all registered funds in the PI-advised funds that are overseen by the respective Board Member as of the most recently completed calendar year is set forth in the chart below.
Name |
Dollar Range of Equity
Securities in the Fund |
Aggregate Dollar Range of
Equity Securities in All Registered Investment Companies Overseen by Board Member in Fund Complex |
Board Member Share Ownership: Independent Board Members | ||
Ellen S. Alberding | None | Over $100,000 |
Kevin J. Bannon | None | Over $100,000 |
Linda W. Bynoe | None | Over $100,000 |
Keith F. Hartstein | None | Over $100,000 |
Michael S. Hyland | None | Over $100,000 |
Richard A. Redeker | None | Over $100,000 |
Stephen G. Stoneburn | None | Over $100,000 |
Board Member Share Ownership: Interested Board Members | ||
Stuart S. Parker | None | Over $100,000 |
Scott E. Benjamin | None | Over $100,000 |
Grace C. Torres | None | Over $100,000 |
None of the Independent Board Members, or any member of his/her immediate family, owned beneficially or of record any securities in an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund or a person (other than a registered investment company) directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by, or under common control with an investment adviser or principal underwriter of the Fund as of the most recently completed calendar year.
Shareholder Communications with Board Members. Shareholders can communicate directly with Board Members by writing to the Chair of the Board, c/o the Fund, 655 Broad Street, 17 th Floor, Newark, New Jersey 07102-4410. Shareholders can communicate directly with an individual Board Member by writing to that Board Member, c/o the Fund, 655 Broad Street, 17 th Floor, Newark, New Jersey 07102-4410. Such communications to the Board or individual Board Members are not screened before being delivered to the addressee.
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund 36
MANAGEMENT & ADVISORY ARRANGEMENTS
MANAGER. The Manager’s address is 665 Broad Street, Newark, NJ 07102-4077. The Manager serves as manager to all of the other investment companies that, together with the Fund, comprise the Prudential Investments mutual funds. See the Prospectus for more information about PI. As of September 30, 2015, the Manager served as the investment manager to all of the Prudential US and offshore open-end investment companies, and as administrator to closed-end investment companies, with aggregate assets of approximately $242.7 billion.
The Manager is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PIFM Holdco LLC, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential Asset Management Holding Company LLC, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential. PMFS, an affiliate of PI, serves as the transfer agent and dividend distribution agent for the Prudential Investments mutual funds and, in addition, provides customer service, record keeping and management and administrative services to qualified plans.
Pursuant to a management agreement with the Fund (the Management Agreement), PI, subject to the supervision of the Fund's Board and in conformity with the stated policies of the Fund, manages both the investment operations of the Fund and the composition of the Fund's portfolio, including the purchase, retention, disposition and loan of securities and other assets. In connection therewith, the Manager is obligated to keep certain books and records of the Fund. The Manager is authorized to enter into subadvisory agreements for investment advisory services in connection with the management of the Fund. The Manager will continue to have responsibility for all investment advisory services performed pursuant to any such subadvisory agreements. PI will review the performance of the investment subadviser(s) and make recommendations to the Board with respect to the retention of investment subadvisers and the renewal of contracts. The Manager also administers the Fund's corporate affairs and, in connection therewith, furnishes the Fund with office facilities, together with those ordinary clerical and bookkeeping services which are not being furnished by the Fund's custodian (the Custodian) and PMFS. The management services of PI to the Fund are not exclusive under the terms of the Management Agreement and PI is free to, and does, render management services to others.
PI may from time to time waive all or a portion of its management fee and subsidize all or a portion of the operating expenses of the Fund. Fee waivers and subsidies will increase the Fund's total return. These voluntary waivers may be terminated at any time without notice. To the extent that PI agrees to waive its fee or subsidize the Fund's expenses, it may enter into a relationship agreement with the Subadviser to share the economic impact of the fee waiver or expense subsidy.
In connection with its management of the corporate affairs of the Fund, PI bears the following expenses:
■ | the salaries and expenses of all of its and the Fund's personnel except the fees and expenses of Independent Board Members and non-management Interested Board Members; |
■ | all expenses incurred by the Manager or the Fund in connection with managing the ordinary course of a Fund's business, other than those assumed by the Fund as described below; and |
■ | the fees, costs and expenses payable to any investment subadviser pursuant to a subadvisory agreement between PI and such investment subadviser. |
Under the terms of the Management Agreement, the Fund is responsible for the payment of the following expenses:
■ | the fees and expenses incurred by the Fund in connection with the management of the investment and reinvestment of the Fund's assets payable to the Manager; |
■ | the fees and expenses of Independent Board Members and non-management Interested Board Members; |
■ | the fees and certain expenses of the Custodian and transfer and dividend disbursing agent, including the cost of providing records to the Manager in connection with its obligation of maintaining required records of the Fund and of pricing the Fund's shares; |
■ | the charges and expenses of the Fund's legal counsel and independent auditors and counsel to the Independent Board Members; |
■ | brokerage commissions and any issue or transfer taxes chargeable to the Fund in connection with its securities (and futures, if applicable) transactions; |
■ | all taxes and corporate fees payable by the Fund to governmental agencies; |
■ | the fees of any trade associations of which the Fund may be a member; |
■ | the cost of share certificates representing, and/or non-negotiable share deposit receipts evidencing, shares of the Fund; |
■ | the cost of fidelity, directors and officers and errors and omissions insurance; |
■ | the fees and expenses involved in registering and maintaining registration of the Fund and of its shares with the SEC and paying notice filing fees under state securities laws, including the preparation and printing of the Fund's registration statements and prospectuses for such purposes; allocable communications expenses with respect to investor services and all expenses of shareholders' and Board meetings and of preparing, printing and mailing reports and notices to shareholders; and |
■ | litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund's business and distribution and service (12b-1) fees. |
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The Management Agreement provides that PI will not be liable for any error of judgment by PI or for any loss suffered by the Fund in connection with the matters to which the Management Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for services (in which case any award of damages shall be limited to the period and the amount set forth in Section 36(b)(3) of the 1940 Act) or loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence or reckless disregard of duties. The Management Agreement provides that it will terminate automatically if assigned (as defined in the 1940 Act), and that it may be terminated without penalty by either PI or the Fund by the Board or vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act) upon not more than 60 days' nor less than 30 days' written notice. The Management Agreement will continue in effect for a period of more than two years from the date of execution only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act.
Fees payable under the Management Agreement are computed daily and paid monthly. The applicable fee rate under the Management Agreement is set forth below.
The management fee rate for the Fund is:
0.85%
of the Fund’s average daily net assets up to and including $2.5 billion;
0.825% on the next $2.5 billion of the Fund's average daily net assets; and
0.80% of the Fund's average daily net assets exceeding $5 billion.
SUBADVISORY ARRANGEMENTS. The Manager has entered into a subadvisory agreement (Subadvisory Agreement) with the Fund's investment subadviser. The Subadvisory Agreement provides that the subadviser will furnish investment advisory services in connection with the management of the Fund. In connection therewith, the subadviser is obligated to keep certain books and records of the Fund. Under the Subadvisory Agreement, the subadviser, subject to the supervision of PI, is responsible for managing the assets of the Fund in accordance with the Fund's investment objectives, investment program and policies. The subadviser determines what securities and other instruments are purchased and sold for the Fund and is responsible for obtaining and evaluating financial data relevant to the Fund. PI continues to have responsibility for all investment advisory services pursuant to the Management Agreement and supervises the subadviser's performance of such services.
As discussed in the Prospectus, PI employs the subadviser under a “manager of managers” structure that allows PI to replace the subadviser or amend a Subadvisory Agreement without seeking shareholder approval. The Subadvisory Agreement provides that it will terminate in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act) or upon the termination of the Management Agreement. The Subadvisory Agreement may be terminated by the Fund, PI, or the subadviser upon not more than 60 days’ nor less than 30 days’ written notice. The Subadvisory Agreement provides that it will continue in effect for a period of not more than two years from its execution only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act. Any new subadvisory agreement or amendment to the Fund’s Management Agreement or Subadvisory Agreement that directly or indirectly results in an increase in the aggregate management fee rate payable by the Fund will be submitted to the Fund’s shareholders for their approval.
The applicable fee rate payable by PI is set forth below. Subadvisory fees are based on the average daily net assets of the Fund, calculated and paid on a monthly basis, at the fee rate as set forth in the Subadvisory Agreement. Subadvisory fees are deducted out of the management fee paid by the Fund.
The
subadvisory fee rate for the Fund is:
0.50% up to $300 million;
0.45% over $300 million.
Pramerica Investment Management Limited (PIML) serves as a sub-subadviser pursuant to a sub-subadvisory agreement with Prudential Investment Management, Inc. (PIM), the Fund’s Subadviser. PIML, an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of PIM, provides investment advisory services with respect to securities in certain foreign markets. The fee for PIML’s services, if any, is paid by PIM, not the Fund or the Manager.
PIML is located at Grand Buildings, 1-3 Strand, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5HR. PIML provides investment advisory services with respect to securities in certain foreign markets.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT PORTFOLIO MANAGERS—OTHER ACCOUNTS AND OWNERSHIP OF FUND SECURITIES. Set forth below is information about other accounts managed by each portfolio manager and ownership of Fund securities. The information shows, for each portfolio manager, the number of accounts managed and the total assets in such accounts, within each of
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund 38
the indicated categories. For each category, the number of accounts and total assets in the accounts whose fees are based on performance is indicated in italics typeface. The Ownership of Fund Securities column shows the dollar range of equity securities of the Fund beneficially owned by the portfolio manager.
Information shown below is as of the most recently completed fiscal year, unless noted otherwise.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PORTFOLIO MANAGERS—COMPENSATION AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST. Set forth below, for each portfolio manager, is an explanation of the structure of, and methods used to determine, portfolio manager compensation. Also set forth below, for each portfolio manager, is an explanation of any material conflicts of interest that may arise between a portfolio manager's management of the Fund's investments and investments in other accounts.
Prudential Investment Management, Inc. (PIM).
COMPENSATION . The base salary of an investment professional in the Prudential Fixed Income unit of PIM is based on market data relative to similar positions as well as the past performance, years of experience and scope of responsibility of the individual. Incentive compensation, including the annual cash bonus, the long-term equity grant and grants under Prudential Fixed Income’s long-term incentive plan, is primarily based on such person’s contribution to Prudential Fixed Income’s goal of providing investment performance to clients consistent with portfolio objectives, guidelines and risk parameters and market-based data such as compensation trends and levels of overall compensation for similar positions in the asset management industry. In addition, an investment professional’s qualitative contributions to the organization are considered in determining incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not solely based on the performance of, or value of assets in, any single account or group of client accounts.
An investment professional’s annual cash bonus is paid from an annual incentive pool. The pool is developed as a percentage of Prudential Fixed Income’s operating income and is refined by business metrics, which may include:
■ | business development initiatives, measured primarily by growth in operating income; |
■ | the number of investment professionals receiving a bonus; and/or |
■ | investment performance of portfolios (i) relative to appropriate peer groups and/or (ii) as measured against relevant investment indices. |
Long-term compensation consists of Prudential restricted stock and grants under the long-term incentive plan. Grants under the long-term incentive plan are participation interests in notional accounts with a beginning value of a specified dollar amount. The value attributed to these notional accounts increases or decreases over a defined period of time based, in part, on the performance of investment composites representing a number of Prudential Fixed Income’s most frequently marketed investment strategies. An investment composite is an aggregation of accounts with similar investment strategies. The long-term incentive plan is designed to more closely align compensation with investment performance and the growth of Prudential Fixed Income’s business. Both the restricted stock and participation interests are subject to vesting requirements.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST . Like other investment advisers, Prudential Fixed Income is subject to various conflicts of interest in the ordinary course of its business. Prudential Fixed Income strives to identify potential risks, including conflicts of interest, that are inherent in its business, and conducts annual conflict of interest reviews. When actual or potential conflicts of interest are identified, Prudential Fixed Income seeks to address such conflicts through one or more of the following methods:
■ | elimination of the conflict; |
■ | disclosure of the conflict; or |
■ | management of the conflict through the adoption of appropriate policies and procedures. |
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Prudential Fixed Income follows the policies of Prudential on business ethics, personal securities trading by investment personnel, and information barriers. Prudential Fixed Income has adopted a code of ethics, allocation policies and conflicts of interest policies, among others, and has adopted supervisory procedures to monitor compliance with its policies. Prudential Fixed Income cannot guarantee, however, that its policies and procedures will detect and prevent, or assure disclosure of, each and every situation in which a conflict may arise.
Side-by-Side Management of Accounts and Related Conflicts of Interest. Prudential Fixed Income’s side-by-side management of multiple accounts can create conflicts of interest. Examples are detailed below, followed by a discussion of how Prudential Fixed Income addresses these conflicts.
■ | Performance Fees— Prudential Fixed Income manages accounts with asset-based fees alongside accounts with performance-based fees. This side-by-side management may be deemed to create an incentive for Prudential Fixed Income and its investment professionals to favor one account over another. Specifically, Prudential Fixed Income could be considered to have the incentive to favor accounts for which it receives performance fees, and possibly take greater investment risks in those accounts, in order to bolster performance and increase its fees. |
■ | Affiliated accounts— Prudential Fixed Income manages accounts on behalf of its affiliates as well as unaffiliated accounts. Prudential Fixed Income could be considered to have an incentive to favor accounts of affiliates over others. |
■ | Large accounts—large accounts typically generate more revenue than do smaller accounts and certain of Prudential Fixed Income’s strategies have higher fees than others. As a result, a portfolio manager could be considered to have an incentive when allocating scarce investment opportunities to favor accounts that pay a higher fee or generate more income for Prudential Fixed Income. |
■ | Long only and long/short accounts— Prudential Fixed Income manages accounts that only allow it to hold securities long as well as accounts that permit short selling. Prudential Fixed Income may, therefore, sell a security short in some client accounts while holding the same security long in other client accounts. These short sales could reduce the value of the securities held in the long only accounts. In addition, purchases for long only accounts could have a negative impact on the short positions. |
■ | Securities of the same kind or class— Prudential Fixed Income may buy or sell for one client account securities of the same kind or class that are purchased or sold for another client at prices that may be different. Prudential Fixed Income may also, at any time, execute trades of securities of the same kind or class in one direction for an account and in the opposite direction for another account due to differences in investment strategy or client direction. Different strategies trading in the same securities or types of securities may appear as inconsistencies in Prudential Fixed Income’s management of multiple accounts side-by-side. |
■ | Financial interests of investment professionals— Prudential Fixed Income investment professionals may invest in investment vehicles that it advises. Also, certain of these investment vehicles are options under the 401(k) and deferred compensation plans offered by Prudential. In addition, the value of grants under Prudential Fixed Income’s long-term incentive plan is affected by the performance of certain client accounts. As a result, Prudential Fixed Income investment professionals may have financial interests in accounts managed by Prudential Fixed Income or that are related to the performance of certain client accounts. |
■ | Non-discretionary accounts or models— Prudential Fixed Income provides non-discretionary investment advice and non-discretionary model portfolios to some clients and manages others on a discretionary basis. Trades in non-discretionary accounts could occur before, in concert with, or after Prudential Fixed Income executes similar trades in its discretionary accounts. The non-discretionary clients may be disadvantaged if Prudential Fixed Income delivers the model investment portfolio or investment advice to them after it initiates trading for the discretionary clients, or vice versa. |
How Prudential Fixed Income Addresses These Conflicts of Interest. Prudential Fixed Income has developed policies and procedures designed to address the conflicts of interest with respect to its different types of side-by-side management described above.
■ | The head of Prudential Fixed Income and its chief investment officer periodically review and compare performance and performance attribution for each client account within its various strategies. |
■ | In keeping with Prudential Fixed Income’s fiduciary obligations, its policy with respect to trade aggregation and allocation is to treat all of its accounts fairly and equitably over time. Prudential Fixed Income’s trade management oversight committee, which generally meets quarterly, is responsible for providing oversight with respect to trade aggregation and allocation. Prudential Fixed Income has compliance procedures with respect to its aggregation and allocation policy that include independent monitoring by its compliance group of the timing, allocation and aggregation of trades and the allocation of investment opportunities. In addition, its compliance group reviews a sampling of new issue allocations and related documentation each month to confirm compliance with the allocation procedures. Prudential Fixed Income’s compliance group reports the results of the monitoring processes to its trade management oversight committee. Prudential Fixed Income’s trade management oversight committee reviews forensic reports of new issue allocation throughout the year so that new issue allocation in each of its strategies is reviewed at least once during each year. This forensic analysis includes such data as: (i) the number of new issues allocated in the strategy; (ii) the size of new issue allocations to each portfolio in the strategy; and (iii) the profitability of new issue transactions. The results of these analyses are reviewed and discussed at Prudential Fixed Income’s trade management oversight committee meetings. Prudential Fixed Income’s trade management oversight committee also reviews forensic reports on the allocation of trading opportunities in the secondary market. The procedures above are designed to detect patterns and anomalies in Prudential Fixed Income’s side-by-side management and trading so that it may assess and improve its processes. |
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund 40
■ | Prudential Fixed Income has policies and procedures that specifically address its side-by-side management of long/short and long only portfolios. These policies address potential conflicts that could arise from differing positions between long/short and long only portfolios. In addition, lending opportunities with respect to securities for which the market is demanding a slight premium rate over normal market rates are allocated to long only accounts prior to allocating the opportunities to long/short accounts. |
Conflicts Related to Prudential Fixed Income’s Affiliations. As an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Prudential, Prudential Fixed Income is part of a diversified, global financial services organization. Prudential Fixed Income is affiliated with many types of US and non-US financial service providers, including insurance companies, broker-dealers, commodity trading advisors, commodity pool operators and other investment advisers. Some of its employees are officers of some of these affiliates.
■ | Conflicts Arising Out of Legal Restrictions . Prudential Fixed Income may be restricted by law, regulation or contract as to how much, if any, of a particular security it may purchase or sell on behalf of a client, and as to the timing of such purchase or sale. These restrictions may apply as a result of its relationship with Prudential and its other affiliates. For example, Prudential Fixed Income’s holdings of a security on behalf of its clients may, under some SEC rules, be aggregated with the holdings of that security by other Prudential affiliates. These holdings could, on an aggregate basis, exceed certain reporting thresholds that are monitored, and Prudential Fixed Income may restrict purchases to avoid exceeding these thresholds. In addition, Prudential Fixed Income could receive material, non-public information with respect to a particular issuer and, as a result, be unable to execute transactions in securities of that issuer for its clients. For example, Prudential Fixed Income’s bank loan team often invests in private bank loans in connection with which the borrower provides material, non-public information, resulting in restrictions on trading securities issued by those borrowers. Prudential Fixed Income has procedures in place to carefully consider whether to intentionally accept material, non-public information with respect to certain issuers. Prudential Fixed Income is generally able to avoid receiving material, non-public information from its affiliates and other units within PIM by maintaining information barriers. In some instances, it may create an isolated information barrier around a small number of its employees so that material, non-public information received by such employees is not attributed to the rest of Prudential Fixed Income. |
■ | Conflicts Related to Outside Business Activity . From time to time, certain of Prudential Fixed Income’s employees or officers may engage in outside business activity, including outside directorships. Any outside business activity is subject to prior approval pursuant to Prudential Fixed Income’s personal conflicts of interest and outside business activities policy. Actual and potential conflicts of interest are analyzed during such approval process. Prudential Fixed Income could be restricted in trading the securities of certain issuers in client portfolios in the unlikely event that an employee or officer, as a result of outside business activity, obtains material, nonpublic information regarding an issuer. The head of Prudential Fixed Income serves on the board of directors of the operator of an electronic trading platform. Prudential Fixed Income has adopted procedures to address the conflict relating to trading on this platform. The procedures include independent monitoring by Prudential Fixed Income’s chief investment officer and chief compliance officer and reporting on Prudential Fixed Income’s use of this platform to the President of PIM. |
■ | Conflicts Related to Investment of Client Assets in Affiliated Funds . Prudential Fixed Income may invest client assets in funds that it manages or subadvises for an affiliate. Prudential Fixed Income may also invest cash collateral from securities lending transactions in these funds. These investments benefit both Prudential Fixed Income and its affiliate. |
■ | PICA General Account . Because of the substantial size of the general account of The Prudential Insurance Company of America (PICA), trading by PICA’s general account, including Prudential Fixed Income’s trades on behalf of the account, may affect market prices. Although Prudential Fixed Income doesn’t expect that PICA’s general account will execute transactions that will move a market frequently, and generally only in response to unusual market or issuer events, the execution of these transactions could have an adverse effect on transactions for or positions held by other clients. |
Conflicts Related to Securities Holdings and Other Financial Interests.
■ | Securities Holdings. PIM, Prudential, PICA’s general account and accounts of other affiliates of Prudential Fixed Income (collectively, affiliated accounts) hold public and private debt and equity securities of a large number of issuers and may invest in some of the same companies as other client accounts but at different levels in the capital structure. These investments can result in conflicts between the interests of the affiliated accounts and the interests of Prudential Fixed Income’s clients. For example: (i) Affiliated accounts can hold the senior debt of an issuer whose subordinated debt is held by Prudential Fixed Income’s clients or hold secured debt of an issuer whose public unsecured debt is held in client accounts. In the event of restructuring or insolvency, the affiliated accounts as holders of senior debt may exercise remedies and take other actions that are not in the interest of, or are adverse to, other clients that are the holders of junior debt. (ii) To the extent permitted by applicable law, Prudential Fixed Income may also invest client assets in offerings of securities the proceeds of which are used to repay debt obligations held in affiliated accounts or other client accounts. Prudential Fixed Income’s interest in having the debt repaid creates a conflict of interest. Prudential Fixed Income has adopted a refinancing policy to address this conflict. Prudential Fixed Income may be unable to invest client assets in the securities of certain issuers as a result of the investments described above. |
■ | Conflicts Related to the Offer and Sale of Securities. Certain of Prudential Fixed Income’s employees may offer and sell securities of, and interests in, commingled funds that it manages or subadvises. There is an incentive for Prudential Fixed Income’s employees to offer these securities to investors regardless of whether the investment is appropriate for such investor since increased assets in these vehicles will result in increased advisory fees to it. In addition, such sales could result in increased compensation to the employee. |
■ | Conflicts Related to Long-Term Compensation. The performance of many client accounts is not reflected in the calculation of changes in the value of participation interests under Prudential Fixed Income’s long-term incentive plan. This may be because the composite representing the strategy in which the account is managed is not one of the composites included in the calculation or |
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because the account is excluded from a specified composite due to guideline restrictions or other factors. As a result of the long-term incentive plan, Prudential Fixed Income’s portfolio managers from time to time have financial interests related to the investment performance of some, but not all, of the accounts they manage. To address potential conflicts related to these financial interests, Prudential Fixed Income has procedures, including trade allocation and supervisory review procedures, designed to ensure that each of its client accounts is managed in a manner that is consistent with Prudential Fixed Income’s fiduciary obligations, as well as with the account’s investment objectives, investment strategies and restrictions. For example, Prudential Fixed Income’s chief investment officer reviews performance among similarly managed accounts with the head of Prudential Fixed Income on a quarterly basis. |
■ | Other Financial Interests. Prudential Fixed Income and its affiliates may also have financial interests or relationships with issuers whose securities it invests in for client accounts. These interests can include debt or equity financing, strategic corporate relationships or investments, and the offering of investment advice in various forms. For example, Prudential Fixed Income may invest client assets in the securities of issuers that are also its advisory clients. |
In general, conflicts related to the securities holdings and financial interests described above are addressed by the fact that Prudential Fixed Income makes investment decisions for each client independently considering the best economic interests of such client.
Conflicts Related to Valuation and Fees. When client accounts hold illiquid or difficult to value investments, Prudential Fixed Income faces a conflict of interest when making recommendations regarding the value of such investments since its management fees are generally based on the value of assets under management. Prudential Fixed Income believes that its valuation policies and procedures mitigate this conflict effectively and enable it to value client assets fairly and in a manner that is consistent with the client’s best interests.
Conflicts Related to Securities Lending Fees. When Prudential Fixed Income manages a client account and also serves as securities lending agent for the account, it could be considered to have the incentive to invest in securities that would yield higher securities lending rates. This conflict is mitigated by the fact that Prudential Fixed Income’s advisory fees are generally based on the value of assets in a client’s account. In addition, Prudential Fixed Income’s securities lending function has a separate reporting line to its chief operating officer (rather than its chief investment officer).
OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS
CUSTODIAN. The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY), One Wall Street, New York, New York 10286, serves as Custodian for the Fund's portfolio securities and cash, and in that capacity, maintains certain financial accounting books and records pursuant to an agreement with the Fund. Subcustodians provide custodial services for any non-US assets held outside the United States.
TRANSFER AGENT. PMFS, 655 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102, serves as the transfer and dividend disbursing agent of the Fund. PMFS is an affiliate of the Manager. PMFS provides customary transfer agency services to the Fund, including the handling of shareholder communications, the processing of shareholder transactions, the maintenance of shareholder account records, the payment of dividends and distributions, and related functions. For these services, PMFS receives compensation from the Fund and is reimbursed for its transfer agent expenses which include an annual fee and certain out-of-pocket expenses including, but not limited to, postage, stationery, printing, allocable communication expenses and other costs.
The Fund's Board has appointed BNY Mellon Asset Servicing (US) Inc. (BNYAS), 301 Bellevue Parkway, Wilmington, Delaware 19809, as sub-transfer agent to the Fund. PMFS has contracted with BNYAS to provide certain administrative functions to PMFS. PMFS will compensate BNYAS for such services.
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM. KPMG LLP, 345 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10154, serves as independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund, and in that capacity will audit the annual financial statements for the Fund for the next fiscal year.
SECURITIES LENDING AGENT. Prudential Investment Management, Inc. (PIM) serves as securities lending agent for the Fund, and in that role administers the Fund's securities lending program. PIM is an affiliate of PI. For its services, PIM receives a portion of the amount earned by lending securities.
DISTRIBUTION OF FUND SHARES
DISTRIBUTOR. Prudential Investment Management Services LLC (PIMS or the Distributor), 655 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102-4410, acts as the distributor of all of the shares of the Fund. The Distributor is a subsidiary of Prudential.
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The Distributor incurs the expenses of distributing each of the Fund's share classes pursuant to separate Distribution and Service Plans for each share class (collectively, the Plans) adopted by the Fund pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act and a distribution agreement (the Distribution Agreement). PIMS also incurs the expenses of distributing any share class offered by the Fund which is not subject to a Distribution and Service (12b-1) Plan, and none of the expenses incurred by PIMS in distributing such share classes are reimbursed or paid for by the Fund.
The expenses incurred under the Plans include commissions and account servicing fees paid to, or on account of, brokers or financial institutions which have entered into agreements with the Distributor, as applicable, advertising expenses, the cost of printing and mailing prospectuses to potential investors and indirect and overhead costs of the Distributor associated with the sale of Fund shares, including sales promotion expenses.
Under the Plans, the Fund is obligated to pay distribution and/or service fees to the Distributor, as applicable, as compensation for its distribution and service activities, not as reimbursement for specific expenses incurred. If the Distributor’s expenses exceed its distribution and service fees, the Fund will not be obligated to pay any additional expenses. If the Distributor’s expenses are less than such distribution and service fees, then it will retain its full fees and realize a profit.
The distribution and/or service fees may also be used by the Distributor to compensate on a continuing basis brokers in consideration for the distribution, marketing, administrative and other services and activities provided by brokers with respect to the promotion of the sale of Fund shares and the maintenance of related shareholder accounts.
Distribution expenses attributable to the sale of each share class are allocated to each such class based upon the ratio of sales of each such class to the combined sales of all classes of the Fund, other than expenses allocable to a particular class. The distribution fee and sales charge of one class will not be used to subsidize the sale of another class.
Each Plan continues in effect from year to year, provided that each such continuance is approved at least annually by a vote of the Board, including a majority vote of the Board Members who are not interested persons of the Fund and who have no direct or indirect financial interest in any of the Plans or in any agreement related to the Plans (the Rule 12b-1 Board Members), cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such continuance. A Plan may be terminated at any time, without penalty, by the vote of a majority of the Rule 12b-1 Board Members or by the vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of the applicable class of the Fund on not more than 30 days' written notice to any other party to the Plan. The Plans may not be amended to increase materially the amounts to be spent for the services described therein without approval by the shareholders of the applicable class, and all material amendments are required to be approved by the Board in the manner described above. Each Plan will automatically terminate in the event of its assignment. The Fund will not be contractually obligated to pay expenses incurred under any Plan if it is terminated or not continued.
Pursuant to each Plan, the Board will review at least quarterly a written report of the distribution expenses incurred on behalf of each class of shares of the Fund by the Distributor. The report will include an itemization of the distribution expenses and the purposes of such expenditures. In addition, as long as the Plans remain in effect, the selection and nomination of Rule 12b-1 Board Members shall be committed to the Rule 12b-1 Board Members.
Pursuant to the Distribution Agreement, the Fund has agreed to indemnify the Distributor to the extent permitted by applicable law against certain liabilities under federal securities laws. In addition to distribution and service fees paid by the Fund under the Plans, the Manager (or one of its affiliates) may make payments out of its own resources to dealers and other persons which distribute shares of the Fund. Such payments may be calculated by reference to the NAV of shares sold by such persons or otherwise.
CLASS A SALES CHARGE AND DISTRIBUTION EXPENSE INFORMATION. Under the Class A Plan, the Fund may pay the Distributor for its distribution-related activities with respect to Class A shares at an annual rate of .25% of the average daily net assets of the Class A shares. The Class A Plan provides that (1) .25% of the average daily net assets of the Class A shares may be used to pay for personal service and/or the maintenance of shareholder accounts (service fee) and (2) total distribution fees (including the service fee of .25%) may not exceed .25% of the average daily net assets of the Class A shares. The Prospectus discusses any contractual or voluntary fee waivers that may be in effect. In addition, if you purchase $1 million or more of Class A shares, you are subject to a 1% CDSC (defined below) for shares redeemed within 12 months of purchase (the CDSC is waived for purchase by certain retirement and/or benefit plans).
CLASS C SALES CHARGE AND DISTRIBUTION EXPENSE INFORMATION. Under the Class C Plan, the Fund may pay the Distributor for its distribution-related activities with respect to Class C shares at an annual rate of 1% of the average daily net assets of the Class C shares. The Class C Plan provides that (1) .25% of the average daily net assets of the shares may be paid as a service fee and (2) .75% (not including the service fee) of the average daily net assets of the shares (asset based sales charge) may be paid for
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distribution-related expenses with respect to the Class C shares. The service fee (.25% of average daily net assets) is used to pay for personal service and/or the maintenance of shareholder accounts. The Prospectus discusses any voluntary or contractual fee waivers that may be in effect. The Distributor also receives contingent deferred sales charges from certain redeeming shareholders.
FEE WAIVERS AND SUBSIDIES. PI may from time to time waive all or a portion of its management fee and subsidize all or a portion of the operating expenses of the Fund. In addition, the Distributor may from time to time waive a portion of the distribution and service (12b-1) fees as described in the Prospectus. Fee waivers and subsidies will increase the Fund's total return.
PAYMENTS TO FINANCIAL SERVICES FIRMS. As described in the Fund's Prospectus, the Manager or certain of its affiliates (but not the Distributor) have entered into revenue sharing or other similar arrangements with financial services firms, including affiliates of the Manager. These revenue sharing arrangements are intended to promote the sale of Fund shares or to compensate the financial services firms for marketing or marketing support activities in connection with the sale of Fund shares.
The list below includes the names of the firms (or their affiliated broker/dealers) that received from the Manager, and/or certain of its affiliates, revenue sharing payments of more than $10,000 in calendar year 2014 for marketing and product support of the Fund and other Prudential Investments funds as described above.
■ | Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC |
■ | Prudential Retirement |
■ | Ameriprise Financial Services Inc. |
■ | Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith Inc. |
■ | Morgan Stanley Smith Barney |
■ | UBS Financial Services Inc. |
■ | Raymond James |
■ | Fidelity |
■ | Principal Life Insurance Company |
■ | LPL Financial |
■ | GWFS Equities, Inc. |
■ | Nationwide Financial Services Inc. |
■ | ADP Broker-Dealer, Inc. |
■ | MSCS Financial Services LLC |
■ | AIG Advisor Group |
■ | Massachusetts Mutual |
■ | American United Life Insurance Company |
■ | Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. |
■ | Commonwealth Financial Network |
■ | Ascensus |
■ | Cetera |
■ | Voya Financial |
■ | NYLIFE Distributors LLC |
■ | Hartford Life |
■ | MidAtlantic Capital Corp. |
■ | TIAA Cref |
■ | T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services |
■ | Lincoln Retirement Services Company LLC |
■ | Diversified Investment Advisors |
■ | JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. |
■ | John Hancock USA |
■ | Cambridge |
■ | Security Benefit Life Insurance Company |
■ | Mercer HR Services, LLC |
■ | The Ohio National Life Insurance Company |
■ | TD Ameritrade Trust Company |
■ | RBC Capital Markets Corporation |
■ | Janney Montgomery & Scott, Inc. |
■ | Vanguard Group, Inc. |
■ | Securities America, Inc. |
■ | Hewitt Associates LLC |
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■ | Standard Insurance Company |
■ | VALIC Retirement Services Company |
■ | Reliance Trust Company |
■ | Genworth |
■ | Wilmington Trust Company |
■ | Oppenheimer & Co. |
■ | 1st Global Capital Corp. |
■ | Newport Retirement Plan Services, Inc. |
■ | CPI Qualified Plan Consultants, Inc. |
■ | ExpertPlan, Inc. |
■ | Daily Access Corporation |
■ | First Allied Securities |
■ | Sammons Retirement Solutions, Inc. |
■ | Triad Advisors Inc. |
COMPUTATION OF OFFERING PRICE PER SHARE
Because the Fund is new, this information is not available.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS & BROKERAGE
The Fund has adopted a policy pursuant to which the Fund and its Manager, subadviser and principal underwriter are prohibited from directly or indirectly compensating a broker-dealer for promoting or selling Fund shares by directing brokerage transactions to that broker. The Fund has adopted procedures for the purpose of deterring and detecting any violations of the policy. The policy permits the Fund, the Manager and the subadviser to use selling brokers to execute transactions in portfolio securities so long as the selection of such selling brokers is the result of a decision that executing such transactions is in the best interest of the Fund and is not influenced by considerations about the sale of Fund shares. For purposes of this section, the term “Manager” includes the subadviser.
The Manager is responsible for decisions to buy and sell securities, futures contracts and options on such securities and futures for the Fund, the selection of brokers, dealers and futures commission merchants to effect the transactions and the negotiation of brokerage commissions, if any. On a national securities exchange, broker-dealers may receive negotiated brokerage commissions on Fund portfolio transactions, including options, futures, and options on futures transactions and the purchase and sale of underlying securities upon the exercise of options. On a non-US securities exchange, commissions may be fixed. Orders may be directed to any broker or futures commission merchant including, to the extent and in the manner permitted by applicable laws, one of the Manager's affiliates (an affiliated broker). Brokerage commissions on US securities, options and futures exchanges or boards of trade are subject to negotiation between the Manager and the broker or futures commission merchant.
In the OTC market, securities are generally traded on a “net” basis with dealers acting as principal for their own accounts without a stated commission, although the price of the security usually includes a profit to the dealer. In underwritten offerings, securities are purchased at a fixed price which includes an amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter's concession or discount. On occasion, certain money market instruments and US Government agency securities may be purchased directly from the issuer, in which case no commissions or discounts are paid. The Fund will not deal with an affiliated broker in any transaction in which an affiliated broker acts as principal except in accordance with the rules of the SEC.
In placing orders for portfolio securities of the Fund, the Manager's overriding objective is to obtain the best possible combination of favorable price and efficient execution. The Manager seeks to effect such transaction at a price and commission that provides the most favorable total cost of proceeds reasonably attainable in the circumstances. The factors that the Manager may consider in selecting a particular broker, dealer or futures commission merchant (firms) are the Manager's knowledge of negotiated commission rates currently available and other current transaction costs; the nature of the portfolio transaction; the size of the transaction; the desired timing of the trade; the activity existing and expected in the market for the particular transaction; confidentiality; the execution, clearance and settlement capabilities of the firms; the availability of research and research-related services provided through such firms; the Manager's knowledge of the financial stability of the firms; the Manager's knowledge of actual or apparent operational problems of firms; and the amount of capital, if any, that would be contributed by firms executing the transaction. Given these factors, the Fund may pay transaction costs in excess of that which another firm might have charged for effecting the same transaction.
When the Manager selects a firm that executes orders or is a party to portfolio transactions, relevant factors taken into consideration are whether that firm has furnished research and research-related products and/or services, such as research reports, research compilations, statistical and economic data, computer databases, quotation equipment and services, research-oriented computer software and services, reports concerning the performance of accounts, valuations of securities, investment-related periodicals,
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investment seminars and other economic services and consultations. Such services are used in connection with some or all of the Manager's investment activities; some of such services, obtained in connection with the execution of transactions for one investment account, may be used in managing other accounts, and not all of these services may be used in connection with the Fund. The Manager maintains an internal allocation procedure to identify those firms who have provided it with research and research-related products and/or services, and the amount that was provided, and to endeavor to direct sufficient commissions to them to ensure the continued receipt of those services that the Manager believes provide a benefit to the Fund and its other clients. The Manager makes a good faith determination that the research and/or service is reasonable in light of the type of service provided and the price and execution of the related portfolio transactions.
When the Manager deems the purchase or sale of equities to be in the best interests of the Fund or its other clients, including Prudential, the Manager may, but is under no obligation to, aggregate the transactions in order to obtain the most favorable price or lower brokerage commissions and efficient execution. In such event, allocation of the transactions, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Manager in the manner it considers to be most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to its clients. The allocation of orders among firms and the commission rates paid are reviewed periodically by the Fund's Board. Portfolio securities may not be purchased from any underwriting or selling syndicate of which any affiliate, during the existence of the syndicate, is a principal underwriter (as defined in the 1940 Act), except in accordance with rules of the SEC. This limitation, in the opinion of the Fund, will not significantly affect the Fund's ability to pursue its present investment objectives. However, in the future in other circumstances, the Fund may be at a disadvantage because of this limitation in comparison to other funds with similar objectives but not subject to such limitations.
Subject to the above considerations, an affiliate may act as a broker or futures commission merchant for the Fund. In order for an affiliate of the Manager to effect any portfolio transactions for the Fund, the commissions, fees or other remuneration received by the affiliated broker must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions, fees or other remuneration paid to other firms in connection with comparable transactions involving similar securities or futures being purchased or sold on an exchange or board of trade during a comparable period of time. This standard would allow the affiliated broker to receive no more than the remuneration which would be expected to be received by an unaffiliated firm in a commensurate arm's-length transaction. Furthermore, the Board, including a majority of the Independent Board Members, has adopted procedures which are reasonably designed to provide that any commissions, fees or other remuneration paid to the affiliated broker (or any affiliate) are consistent with the foregoing standard. In accordance with Section 11(a) of the 1934 Act, an affiliate may not retain compensation for effecting transactions on a national securities exchange for the Fund unless the Fund has expressly authorized the retention of such compensation. The affiliate must furnish to the Fund at least annually a statement setting forth the total amount of all compensation retained by the affiliate from transactions effected for the Fund during the applicable period. Brokerage transactions with an affiliated broker are also subject to such fiduciary standards as may be imposed upon the affiliate by applicable law. Transactions in options by the Fund will be subject to limitations established by each of the exchanges governing the maximum number of options which may be written or held by a single investor or group of investors acting in concert, regardless of whether the options are written or held on the same or different exchanges or are written or held in one or more accounts or through one or more brokers. Thus, the number of options which the Fund may write or hold may be affected by options written or held by the Manager and other investment advisory clients of the Manager. An exchange may order the liquidation of positions found to be in excess of these limits, and it may impose certain other sanctions.
Because the Fund is new, it has not made payment of commissions as of the most recently completed fiscal year.
The Fund is required to disclose its holdings of securities of its regular brokers and dealers (as defined under Rule 10b-1 under the 1940 Act) and their parents as of the most recently completed fiscal year. Because the Fund is new, it held no securities of its regular brokers and dealers as of the most recently completed fiscal year.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
FUND HISTORY. Prudential Jennison Select Growth Fund and Prudential Strategic Value Fund are each series of PIP 3 (referred to below as the Trust), which was established as a Delaware statutory trust on January 28, 2000 under the name “Strategic Partners Series.” On September 4, 2001, the Trust amended its Certificate of Trust, changing its name to “Strategic Partners Opportunity Funds.” On May 29, 2008, the Trust amended its Certificate of Trust, changing its name to “JennisonDryden Opportunity Funds.”
During 2005 an additional series of the Trust known as Strategic Partners Mid Cap Value Fund was reorganized into another registered investment company. During 2007 an additional series of the Trust known as Strategic Partners New Era Growth Fund was reorganized into another registered investment company. During August 2009 a series of the Trust, the Jennison Small Cap Opportunity Fund, was liquidated in August 2009, and no longer exists.
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On February 16, 2010 the Trust amended its Certificate of Trust, changing its name to “Prudential Investment Portfolios 3.” In January 2010 a new series of the Trust, Prudential Jennison Market Neutral Fund, was established and commenced operations in April 2010. In April 2010, a new series of the Trust, Prudential Commodity Strategy Fund, was established. On September 15, 2010, the series changed its name to the Prudential Real Assets Fund and commenced operations in December 2010. In January 2015, a new series of the Trust, Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Fund, was established and it commenced operations in April 2015. In February 2015 the Prudential Jennison Market Neutral Fund, which was a series of the Trust, was liquidated and ceased investment operations. In April 2015, a new series of the Trust, Prudential Unconstrained Bond Fund, was established and it commenced operations on July 9, 2015. In June 2015, a new series of the Trust, Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund, was established and commenced operations on November 3, 2015.
DESCRIPTION OF SHARES AND ORGANIZATION. The Trust is authorized to issue an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest, $.001 par value per share, currently divided into five series with up to four classes, designated Class A, Class B, Class C, and Class Z shares (Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Fund, Prudential Jennison Select Growth Fund, Prudential Real Assets Fund and Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund also offer Class Q shares). In addition to the six Funds mentioned above, the Trust has established an additional series, the Strategic Partners Market Opportunity Fund, which currently is not being offered. Each class of shares represents an interest in the same assets of the Fund and is identical in all respects except that (1) each class is subject to different sales charges and distribution and/or service fees (except for Class Q shares and Class Z shares, which are not subject to any sales charges and distribution and/or service fees), which may affect performance, (2) each class has exclusive voting rights on any matter submitted to shareholders that relates solely to its arrangement and has separate voting rights on any matter submitted to shareholders in which the interests of one class differ from the interests of any other class, (3) each class has a different exchange privilege, (4) only Class B shares have a conversion feature and (5) Class Q shares, Class R shares and Class Z shares are offered exclusively for sale to a limited group of investors. In accordance with the Trust's Agreement and Declaration of Trust, the Board may authorize the creation of additional series and classes within such series, with such preferences, privileges, limitations and voting and dividend rights as the Board may determine.
Shares of the Fund, when issued, are fully paid, nonassessable, fully transferable and redeemable at the option of the holder. Shares are also redeemable at the option of the Fund under certain circumstances. Each share of each class is equal as to earnings, assets and voting privileges, except as noted above, and each class of shares (with the exception of Class Z shares, which are not subject to any distribution or service fees) bears the expenses related to the distribution of its shares. Except for the conversion feature applicable to the Class B shares, there are no conversion, preemptive or other subscription rights. In the event of liquidation, each share of the Fund is entitled to its portion of all of the Fund's assets after all debt and expenses of the Fund have been paid. Since Class B and Class C shares generally bear higher distribution expenses than Class A shares, the liquidation proceeds to shareholders of those classes are likely to be lower than to Class A shareholders and to Class Q shareholders and Class Z shareholders, whose shares are not subject to any distribution and/or service fees.
The Trust does not intend to hold annual meetings of shareholders unless otherwise required by law. The Trust will not be required to hold meetings of shareholders unless, for example, the election of Board Members is required to be acted on by shareholders under the 1940 Act. Shareholders have certain rights, including the right to call a meeting upon the vote of 10% of the Trust's outstanding shares entitled to vote for the purpose of voting on the removal of one or more Board Members.
Under the Agreement and Declaration of Trust, the Board may authorize the creation of additional series of shares (the proceeds of which would be invested in separate, independently managed portfolios with distinct investment objectives and policies and share purchase, redemption and net asset value procedures) with such preferences, privileges, limitations and voting and dividend rights as the Board may determine. All consideration received by the Fund for shares of any additional series, and all assets in which such consideration is invested, would belong to that series (subject only to the rights of creditors of that series) and would be subject to the liabilities related thereto. Under the 1940 Act, shareholders of any additional series of shares would normally have to approve the adoption of any advisory contract relating to such series and of any changes in the fundamental investment policies related thereto.
The Board Members have the power to alter the number and the terms of office of the Board Members, provided that (i) there is always at least one Board Member and (ii) always at least a majority of the Board Members have been elected by the shareholders of the Trust. The voting rights of shareholders in the election of Board Members are not cumulative, so that holders of more than 50 percent of the shares voting can, if they choose, elect all Board Members being selected, while the holders of the remaining shares would be unable to elect any Board Members.
PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS AND CONTROL PERSONS
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PIM Investments, Inc., an affiliate of the Manager, will own all initial seed capital shares of the Fund as of the date of this SAI and shall be deemed a control person of the Fund. Shareholders owning voting securities in excess of 25% may determine the outcome of any matter affecting and voted on by shareholders of the Fund.
As of the date of this SAI, the Board Members and Officers of the Fund, as a group, owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Because the Fund has not yet commenced operations, no financial information is available. When available, the Fund’s Annual and Semi-Annual Reports will be available upon request and without charge.
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund 48
PART II
PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF FUND SHARES
SHARE CLASSES. The Fund may offer shares of one or more classes to investors. Not every share class described in this SAI may be offered, and investors should consult their Prospectus for specific information concerning the share classes that are available to them.
Shares of the Fund may be purchased at a price equal to the next determined NAV per share plus a sales charge (if applicable) which, at the election of the investor, may be imposed either (1) at the time of purchase (Class A shares) or (2) on a deferred basis (Class B and Class C shares or Class A shares, in certain circumstances). Class Q, Class R, and Class Z shares, if offered, are offered only to a limited group of investors at NAV without any sales charges.
Additional or different classes of shares may also be offered, including Class Q and Class R. If offered, specific information with respect to these share classes is set forth in the Prospectus and SAI.
For more information, see “How to Buy, Sell and Exchange Fund Shares—How to Buy Shares” in the Prospectus.
PURCHASE BY WIRE . For an initial purchase of shares of the Fund by wire, you must complete an application and telephone PMFS at (800) 225-1852 (toll-free) to receive an account number. PMFS will request the following information: your name, address, tax identification number, Fund name, class election (if applicable), dividend distribution election, amount being wired and wiring bank. PMFS will also furnish you with instructions for wiring the funds from your bank to the Fund's Custodian.
If you arrange for receipt by the Custodian of federal funds prior to the calculation of NAV (once each business day at the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern time), on a business day, you may purchase shares of the Fund as of that day. In the event that regular trading on the NYSE closes before 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, you will receive the following day's NAV if your order to purchase is received after the close of regular trading on the NYSE.
In making a subsequent purchase order by wire, you should wire the Custodian directly and should be sure that the wire specifies the Fund name, the share class to be purchased, your name, individual account number, Direct Deposit Account (DDA) Number and the Fund's Bank Account registration. You do not need to call PMFS to make subsequent purchase orders utilizing federal funds. The minimum amount for subsequent purchase by wire is $100.
ISSUANCE OF FUND SHARES FOR SECURITIES. Transactions involving the issuance of Fund shares for securities (rather than cash) will be limited to (1) reorganizations, (2) statutory mergers, or (3) other acquisitions of portfolio securities that: (a) meet the investment objectives and policies of the Fund, (b) are liquid and not subject to restrictions on resale, (c) have a value that is readily ascertainable via listing on or trading in a recognized United States or international exchange or market, and (d) are approved by the Fund's Manager.
MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS. An institution may open a single master account by filing an application with PMFS, signed by personnel authorized to act for the institution. Individual subaccounts may be opened at the time the master account is opened by listing them, or they may be added at a later date by written advice. Procedures will be available to identify subaccounts by name and number within the master account name. The foregoing procedures would also apply to related institutional accounts (i.e., accounts of shareholders with a common institutional or corporate parent). The investment minimums as set forth in the relevant Prospectus under “How to Buy and Sell Fund Shares—How to Buy Shares” are applicable to the aggregate amounts invested by a group, and not to the amount credited to each subaccount.
REOPENING AN ACCOUNT. Subject to the minimum investment restrictions, an investor may reopen an account, without filing a new application, at any time during the calendar year the account is closed, provided that the information on that application is still applicable.
RESTRICTIONS ON SALE OF FUND SHARES. The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment may be postponed for a period of up to seven days. Suspensions or postponements may not exceed seven days except at times (1) when the NYSE is closed for other than customary weekends and holidays, (2) when trading on the NYSE is restricted, (3) when an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of Fund securities is not reasonably practicable or it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund fairly to determine the value of its net assets, or (4) during any other period when the SEC, by order, so permits; provided that applicable rules and regulations of the SEC shall govern as to whether the conditions prescribed in (2), (3) or (4) exist.
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REDEMPTION IN KIND. The Fund may pay the redemption price in whole or in part by a distribution in kind of securities from the investment portfolio of the Fund, in lieu of cash, in conformity with applicable rules of the SEC and procedures adopted by the Board. Securities will be readily marketable and will be valued in the same manner as in a regular redemption. If your shares are redeemed in kind, you would incur transaction costs in converting the assets into cash. The Fund, however, has elected to be governed by Rule 18f-1 under the 1940 Act, under which the Fund is obligated to redeem shares solely in cash up to the lesser of $250,000 or 1% of the NAV of the Fund during any 90-day period for any one shareholder.
RIGHTS OF ACCUMULATION. Reduced sales charges are also available through Rights of Accumulation, under which an investor or an eligible group of related investors, as described under “Reducing or Waiving Class A's Initial Sales Charge” in the Prospectus, may aggregate the value of their existing holdings of Class A, Class B, and Class C shares of the Fund and shares of other Prudential Investments mutual funds (excluding money market funds other than those acquired pursuant to the exchange privilege) to determine the reduced sales charge. However, the value of shares held directly with PMFS and through your broker will not be aggregated to determine the reduced sales charge. The value of existing holdings for purposes of determining the reduced sales charge is calculated using the maximum offering price (NAV plus maximum sales charge). The Distributor, your broker or PMFS must be notified at the time of purchase that the investor is entitled to a reduced sales charge. Reduced sales charges will be granted subject to confirmation of the investor's holdings. This does not apply to Prudential MoneyMart Assets, Inc.
SALE OF SHARES. You can redeem your shares at any time for cash at the NAV next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (in accordance with procedures established by PMFS in connection with investors' accounts) by PMFS or your broker or other financial intermediary. See “Net Asset Value” below. In certain cases, however, redemption proceeds will be reduced by the amount of any applicable contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC), as described in “Contingent Deferred Sales Charge” below. If you are redeeming your shares through a broker, your broker must receive your sell order before the NAV is computed for that day (at the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually, 4:00 p.m. Eastern time) in order to receive that day's NAV. In the event that regular trading on the NYSE closes before 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, you will receive the following day's NAV if your order to sell is received after the close of regular trading on the NYSE. Your broker will be responsible for furnishing all necessary documentation to the Distributor and may charge you for its services in connection with redeeming shares of the Fund.
All correspondence and documents concerning redemptions should be sent to the Fund in care of PMFS, P.O. Box 9658, Providence, Rhode Island 02940 or to your broker or other financial intermediary.
If you hold shares in non-certificate form, a written request for redemption signed by you exactly as the account is registered is required. If you hold certificates, the certificates must be received by PMFS, the Distributor or your broker in order for the redemption request to be processed. If redemption is requested by a corporation, partnership, trust or fiduciary, written evidence of authority acceptable to PMFS must be submitted before such request will be accepted. All correspondence and documents concerning redemptions should be sent to the Fund in care of PMFS, P.O. Box 9658, Providence, RI 02940, to the Distributor or to your broker.
Payment for redemption of recently purchased shares will be delayed until the Fund or PMFS has been advised that the purchase check has been honored, which may take up to 7 calendar days from the time of receipt of the purchase check by PMFS. Such delay may be avoided by purchasing shares by wire or by certified or cashier's check.
SIGNATURE GUARANTEE. If the proceeds of the redemption (1) exceed $100,000, (2) are to be paid to a person other than the record owner, (3) are to be sent to an address other than the address on PMFS’ records, (4) are to be paid to a corporation, partnership, trust or fiduciary, or (5) are to be paid due to the death of the shareholder or on behalf of the shareholder, and your shares are held directly with PMFS, the signature(s) on the redemption request or stock power must be medallion signature guaranteed. The medallion signature guarantee must be obtained from an authorized officer of a bank, broker, dealer, securities exchange or association, clearing agency, savings association, or credit union that is participating in one of the recognized medallion programs (STAMP, SEMP, or NYSE MSP). The medallion signature guarantee must be appropriate for the dollar amount of the transaction. PMFS reserves the right to reject transactions where the value of the transaction exceeds the value of the surety coverage indicated on the medallion imprint. PMFS also reserves the right to request additional information from, and make reasonable inquires of, any institution that provides a medallion signature guarantee. In the case of redemptions from a PruArray Plan, if the proceeds of the redemption are invested in another investment option of the plan in the name of the record holder and at the same address as reflected in PMFS' records, a medallion signature guarantee is not required.
Payment for shares presented for redemption will be made by check within seven days after receipt by PMFS or your broker of the written request and certificates, if issued, except as indicated below. If you hold shares through a broker, payment for shares presented for redemption will be credited to your account at your broker, unless you indicate otherwise. Such payment may be postponed or the right of redemption suspended at times (1) when the NYSE is closed for other than customary weekends and holidays, (2) when trading on the NYSE is restricted, (3) when an emergency exists as a result of which disposal by the Fund of securities owned by it is
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not reasonably practicable or it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund fairly to determine the value of its net assets, or (4) during any other period when the SEC, by order, so permits; provided that applicable rules and regulations of the SEC shall govern as to whether the conditions prescribed in (2), (3) or (4) exist.
EXPEDITED REDEMPTION PRIVILEGE. By electing the Expedited Redemption Privilege, you may arrange to have redemption proceeds sent to your bank account. The Expedited Redemption Privilege may be used to redeem shares in an amount of $100 or more, except if an account for which an expedited redemption is requested has an NAV of less than $100, the entire account will be redeemed. Redemption proceeds in the amount of $500 or more will be remitted by wire to your bank account at a domestic commercial bank which is a member of the Federal Reserve system. The money would generally be received by your bank within one business day of the redemption. Redemption proceeds of less than $500 will be sent by ACH to your bank which must be a member of the Automated Clearing House (ACH) system. The money would generally be received by your bank within three business days of the redemption. Any applicable CDSC will be deducted from the redemption proceeds. Expedited redemption requests may be made by telephone or letter, must be received by the Transfer Agent prior to 4:00 p.m. Eastern time to receive a redemption amount based on that day's NAV and are subject to the terms and conditions as set forth in the Prospectus regarding redemption of shares. In the event that regular trading on the NYSE closes before 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, you will receive the following day's NAV if your order to sell is received after the close of regular trading on the NYSE. For more information, see “How to Buy, Sell and Exchange Fund Shares-Telephone Redemptions or Exchanges” in the Prospectus. The Expedited Redemption Privilege may be modified or terminated at any time without notice. To receive further information, shareholders should contact PMFS.
INVOLUNTARY REDEMPTION. If the value of your account with PMFS is less than $500 for any reason, we may sell the rest of your shares (without charging any CDSC) and close your account. The involuntary sale provisions do not apply to: (i) an individual retirement account (IRA) or other qualified or tax-deferred retirement plan or account, (ii) Automatic Investment Plan (AIP) accounts, employee savings plan accounts or payroll deduction plan accounts, (iii) accounts under the same registration with multiple share classes in the Fund whose combined value exceeds $500, or (iv) clients with assets more than $50,000 across the Prudential Investments family of mutual funds. “Client” for this purpose has the same definition as for purposes of Rights of Accumulation, i.e., an investor and an eligible group of related investors.
We have the right to reject any purchase order (including an exchange into a Fund) or suspend or modify a Fund's sales of its shares under certain circumstances. These circumstances include, but are not limited to, failure by you to provide additional information requested, such as information required to verify the source of funds used to purchase shares, your identity or the identity of any underlying beneficial owners of your shares. Furthermore, we are required by law to close your account if you do not provide the required identifying information; this would result in the redemption of shares at the then-current day's NAV and the proceeds would be remitted to you via check. We will attempt to verify your identity within a reasonable time frame (e.g., 60 days) which may change from time to time.
ACCOUNT MAINTENANCE FEE. In order to offset the disproportionate effect (in basis points) of expenses associated with servicing lower balance accounts, if the value of your account with PMFS is less than $10,000, a $15 annual account maintenance fee (“account maintenance fee”) will be deducted from your account. The account maintenance fee will be assessed during the 4th calendar quarter of each year. Any applicable CDSC on the shares redeemed to pay the account maintenance fee will be waived. The account maintenance fee will not be charged on: (i) accounts during the first six months from inception of the account, (ii) accounts for which you have elected to receive your account statements, transaction confirmations, prospectuses, and fund shareholder reports electronically rather than by mail, (iii) omnibus accounts or other accounts for which the dealer is responsible for recordkeeping, (iv) institutional accounts, (v) group retirement plans (including SIMPLE IRA plans, profit-sharing plans, money purchase pension plans, Keogh plans, defined compensation plans, defined benefit plans and 401(k) plans), (vi) AIP accounts or employee savings plan accounts, (vii) accounts with the same registration associated with multiple share classes within the Fund, provided that the aggregate value of share classes with the same registration within the Fund is $10,000 or more, or (viii) clients with assets of $50,000 or more across the Prudential Investments family of mutual funds. “Client” for this purpose has the same definition as for purposes of Rights of Accumulation, i.e., an investor and an eligible group of related investors or other financial intermediary.
90 DAY REPURCHASE PRIVILEGE. If you redeem your shares and have not previously exercised the repurchase privilege, you may reinvest back into your account any portion or all of the proceeds of such redemption in shares of the Fund at the NAV next determined after the order is received, which must be within 90 days after the date of the redemption. Any CDSC paid in connection with such redemption in Class A, Class B or Class C shares will be credited (in shares) to your account. (If less than a full repurchase is made, the credit will be on a pro rata basis.) You must notify PMFS, either directly or through the Distributor or your broker, at the time the repurchase privilege is exercised to adjust your account for the CDSC you previously paid. Thereafter, any redemptions will be subject to the CDSC applicable at the time of the redemption. See “Contingent Deferred Sales Charge” below. Exercise of the
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repurchase privilege will generally not affect federal tax treatment of any gain realized upon redemption. However, if the redemption was made within a 30 day period of the repurchase and if the redemption resulted in a loss, some or all of the loss, depending on the amount reinvested, may not be allowed for federal income tax purposes.
CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGE (CDSC)
Class A. Investors who purchase $1 million or more of Class A shares and sell these shares within 12 months of purchase are subject to a 1% CDSC. ( Note: For Prudential Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. only, investors who purchase $1 million or more of Class A shares and then sell these shares within 18 months of purchase are subject to a 0.50% CDSC ).
Class B . Redemptions of Class B shares will be subject to a CDSC declining from 5% to zero over a six-year period ( or a four-year period in the case of Prudential Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. ).
Class C . Class C shares redeemed within 12 months of purchase will be subject to a 1% CDSC. The CDSC will be deducted from the redemption proceeds and reduce the amount paid to you.
Waiver of CDSC . The Class A, Class B, or Class C CDSC is waived if the shares are sold:
■ | After a shareholder is deceased or permanently disabled (or, in the case of a trust account, after the death or disability of the grantor). This waiver applies to individual shareholders as well as shares held in joint tenancy, provided the shares were purchased before the death or permanent disability, |
■ | To provide for certain distributions—made without IRS penalty—from a qualified or tax-deferred retirement plan, benefit plan, IRA or Section 403(b) custodial account, |
■ | To withdraw excess contributions from a qualified or tax-deferred retirement plan, IRA or Section 403(b) custodial account, and |
■ | On certain redemptions effected through a Systematic Withdrawal Plan (Class B shares only). |
If you purchase Class Z shares (see “Qualifying for Class Z Shares” in the Prospectus) within 5 days of redemption of your Class A shares that you had purchased directly through the Fund's transfer agent, we will credit your account with the appropriate number of shares to reflect any CDSC you paid on the reinvested portion of your redemption proceeds.
Calculation of CDSC . The CDSC will be imposed on any redemption that reduces the current value of your Class A, Class B or Class C shares to an amount which is lower than the amount of all payments by you for shares during the preceding 12 months in the case of Class A shares (in certain cases), 6 years in the case of Class B shares ( or four years in the case of Prudential Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. Class B shares ), and 12 months in the case of Class C shares. A CDSC will be applied on the lesser of the original purchase price or the current value of the shares being redeemed. Increases in the value of your shares or shares acquired through reinvestment of dividends or distributions are not subject to a CDSC. The amount of any CDSC will be paid to and retained by the Distributor. If you purchased or hold your shares through a broker, third party administrator or other authorized entity that maintains subaccount recordkeeping, any applicable CDSC that you will pay will be calculated and reported to PMFS by such broker, administrator or other authorized entity.
The amount of the CDSC, if any, will vary depending on the number of years from the time of payment for the purchase of shares until the time of redemption of such shares. The CDSC will be calculated from the date of the initial purchase, excluding the time shares were held in Class B or Class C shares of a money market fund. See “Shareholder Services—Exchange Privileges” below.
In determining whether a CDSC is applicable to a redemption, the calculation will be made in a manner that results in the lowest possible rate. It will be assumed that the redemption is made first of amounts representing shares acquired pursuant to the reinvestment of dividends and distributions; then of amounts representing the increase in NAV above the total amount of payments for the purchase of Class A shares made during the preceding 12 months (in certain cases), 6 years for Class B shares ( four years in the case of Prudential Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund, Inc .) and 12 months for Class C shares; then of amounts representing the cost of shares held beyond the applicable CDSC period; and finally, of amounts representing the cost of shares held for the longest period of time within the applicable CDSC period.
For example, assume you purchased 100 Class B shares at $10 per share for a cost of $1,000. Subsequently, you acquired 5 additional Class B shares through dividend reinvestment. During the second year after the purchase you decided to redeem $500 of your investment. Assuming at the time of the redemption the NAV had appreciated to $12 per share, the value of your Class B shares would be $1,260 (105 shares at $12 per share). The CDSC would not be applied to the value of the reinvested dividend shares and the amount which represent appreciation ($260). Therefore, $240 of the $500 redemption proceeds ($500 minus $260) would be charged at a rate of 4% (the applicable rate in the second year after purchase) for a total CDSC of $9.60.
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For federal income tax purposes, the amount of the CDSC will reduce the gain or increase the loss, as the case may be, on the amount recognized on the redemption of shares.
As noted above, the CDSC will be waived in the case of a redemption following the death or permanent disability of a shareholder or, in the case of a trust account, following the death or permanent disability of the grantor. The waiver is available for total or partial redemptions of shares owned by a person, either individually or in joint tenancy at the time of death or initial determination of permanent disability, provided that the shares were purchased prior to death or permanent disability.
The CDSC will be waived in the case of a total or partial redemption in connection with certain distributions under the Code from a tax-deferred retirement plan, an IRA or Section 403(b) custodial account. For distributions from an IRA or 403(b) custodial account, the shareholder must submit a copy of the distribution form from the custodial firm indicating (i) the date of birth of the shareholder and (ii) that the shareholder is over age 70 1 ⁄ 2 . The distribution form must be signed by the shareholder.
SYSTEMATIC WITHDRAWAL PLAN . The CDSC will be waived (or reduced) on certain redemptions of Class B shares effected through a Systematic Withdrawal Plan. On an annual basis, up to 12% of the total dollar amount subject to the CDSC may be redeemed without charge. PMFS will calculate the total amount available for this waiver annually on the anniversary date of your purchase. The CDSC will be waived (or reduced) on redemptions until this threshold of 12% is reached. The Systematic Withdrawal Plan is not available to participants in certain retirement plans. Please contact PMFS at (800) 225-1852 for more details.
In addition, the CDSC will be waived on redemptions of shares held by Board Members of the Funds.
You must notify PMFS either directly or through your broker, at the time of redemption that you are entitled to a waiver of the CDSC and provide PMFS or your broker with such supporting documentation as it may deem appropriate. The waiver will be granted subject to confirmation of your entitlement.
PMFS reserves the right to request such additional documents as it may deem appropriate.
AUTOMATIC CONVERSION OF CLASS B SHARES. Class B shares will automatically convert to Class A shares on a quarterly basis approximately seven years after purchase.
Note: Class B shares of Prudential Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. will automatically convert to Class A shares on a quarterly basis approximately five years after purchase.
The number of Class B shares eligible to convert to Class A shares will be the total number of shares that have completed their aging schedule (including any time spent at 0% liability), plus all shares acquired through the reinvestment of dividends for Class B shares.
Since annual distribution-related fees are lower for Class A shares than Class B shares, the per share NAV of the Class A shares may be higher than that of the Class B shares at the time of conversion. Thus, although the aggregate dollar value will be the same, you may receive fewer Class A shares than Class B shares converted.
For purposes of calculating the applicable holding period for conversions, for Class B shares previously exchanged for shares of a money market fund, the time period during which such shares were held in a money market fund will be excluded for the Class B shares. For example, Class B shares held in a money market fund for one year would not convert to Class A shares until approximately eight years. Class B shares acquired through exchange will convert to Class A shares after expiration of the conversion period applicable to the original purchaser of such shares.
The conversion feature may be subject to the continuing availability of opinions of counsel or rulings of the IRS (1) that the dividends and other distributions paid on Class A, Class B, Class C, Class Q, Class R, and Class Z shares will not constitute “preferential dividends” under the Code and (2) that the conversion of shares does not constitute a taxable event for federal income tax purposes. The conversion of Class B shares into Class A shares may be suspended if such opinions or rulings are no longer available. If conversions are suspended, Class B shares of the Fund will continue to be subject, possibly indefinitely, to their higher annual distribution and service fee. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers regarding the tax consequences of the conversion or exchange of shares.
Class A, Class Z and Class R shares may be converted to Class Q shares under certain limited circumstances. Please contact PMFS at (800) 225-1852 for more details.
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NET ASSET VALUE
The price an investor pays for a Fund share is based on the share value. The share value—known as the net asset value per share or NAV—is determined by subtracting Fund liabilities from the value of Fund assets and dividing the remainder by the number of outstanding shares. NAV is calculated separately for each class. The Fund will compute its NAV once each business day at the close of regular trading on the NYSE, usually 4:00 p.m. Eastern time. For purposes of computing NAV, the Fund will value futures contracts generally 15 minutes after the close of regular trading on the NYSE. The Fund may not compute its NAV on days on which no orders to purchase, sell or exchange shares of the Fund have been received or on days on which changes in the value of the Fund's portfolio securities do not materially affect NAV. Please see the NYSE website (www.nyse.com) for a specific list of the holidays on which the NYSE is closed.
In accordance with procedures adopted by the Board, the value of investments listed on a securities exchange and NASDAQ System securities (other than options on stock and stock indices) are valued at the last sale price on the day of valuation or, if there was no sale on such day, the mean between the last bid and asked prices on such day, or at the bid price on such day in the absence of an asked price, as provided by a pricing service or principal market marker. Securities included on the NASDAQ Market are valued at the NASDAQ Official Closing Price (NOCP) on the day of valuation, or if there was no NOCP, at the last sale price. NASDAQ Market Securities for which there was no NOCP or last sale price are valued at the mean between the last bid and asked prices on the day of valuation, or the last bid price in the absence of an asked price. Corporate bonds (other than convertible debt securities) and US Government securities that are actively traded in the OTC market, including listed securities for which the primary market is believed by the Manager in consultation with the subadviser to be over-the-counter, are valued on the basis of valuations provided by an independent pricing agent which uses information with respect to transactions in bonds, quotations from bond dealers, agency ratings, market transactions in comparable securities and various relationships between securities in determining value. Convertible debt securities that are actively traded in the over-the-counter market, including listed securities for which the primary market is believed by the Manager in consultation with the subadviser to be OTC, are valued on the day of valuation at an evaluated bid price provided by an independent pricing agent, or, in the absence of valuation provided by an independent pricing agent, at the bid price provided by a principal market maker or primary market dealer.
OTC options on stock and stock indices traded on an exchange are valued at the mean between the most recently quoted bid and asked prices on the respective exchange and futures contracts and options thereon are valued at their last sale prices as of the close of trading on the applicable commodities exchange or if there was no sale on the applicable commodities exchange on such day, at the mean between the most recently quoted bid and asked prices on such exchange or at the last bid price in the absence of an asked price. Quotations of non-US securities in a non-US currency are converted to US dollar equivalents at the current rate obtained from a recognized bank, dealer or independent service, and forward currency exchange contracts are valued at the current cost of covering or offsetting such contacts. Should an extraordinary event, which is likely to affect the value of the security, occur after the close of an exchange on which a portfolio security is traded, such security will be valued at fair value considering factors determined in good faith by the subadviser or Manager under procedures established by and under the general supervision of the Fund's Board.
Under the 1940 Act, the Board is responsible for determining in good faith the fair value of securities of the Fund. Portfolio securities for which reliable market quotations are not readily available or for which the pricing agent or principal market maker does not provide a valuation or methodology or provides a valuation or methodology that, in the judgment of the Manager or subadviser (or Valuation Committee or Board) does not represent fair value (Fair Value Securities), are valued by the Valuation Committee or Board in consultation with the subadviser or Manager, as applicable, including, as applicable, their portfolio managers, traders, research and credit analysts, and legal and compliance personnel, on the basis of the following factors: the nature of any restrictions on disposition of the securities; assessment of the general liquidity/illiquidity of the securities; the issuer's financial condition and the markets in which it does business; the cost of the investment; the size of the holding and the capitalization of issuer; the prices of any recent transactions or bids/offers for such securities or any comparable securities; any available analyst, media or other reports or information deemed reliable by the Manager or subadviser regarding the issuer or the markets or industry in which it operates; other analytical data; consistency with valuation of similar securities held by other Prudential Investments mutual funds; and such other factors as may be determined by the subadviser, Manager, Board or Valuation Committee to materially affect the value of the security. Fair Value Securities may include, but are not limited to, the following: certain private placements and restricted securities that do not have an active trading market; securities whose trading has been suspended or for which market quotes are no longer available; debt securities that have recently gone into default and for which there is no current market; securities whose prices are stale; securities affected by significant events; and securities that the subadviser or Manager believes were priced incorrectly.
A “significant event” (which includes, but is not limited to, an extraordinary political or market event) is an event that the subadviser or Manager believes with a reasonably high degree of certainty has caused the closing market prices of portfolio securities to no longer reflect their value at the time of the NAV calculation. On a day that the Manager determines that one or more portfolio securities constitute Fair Value Securities, the Manager’s Fair Valuation Committee may determine the fair value of these securities if the fair valuation of each security results in a change of less than $0.01 to the Fund's NAV and/or the fair valuation of the securities in
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the aggregate results in a change of less than one half of one percent of the Fund's daily net assets and the Fair Valuation Committee presents these valuations to the Board for its ratification. In the event that the fair valuation of a security results in a NAV change of $0.01 or more per share and/or in the aggregate results in a change of one half of one percent or more of the daily NAV, the Board shall promptly be notified, in detail, of the fair valuation, and the fair valuation will be reported on and presented for ratification at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting. Also, the Board receives, on an interim basis, reports of the meetings of the Valuation Committee that occur between regularly scheduled Board meetings.
In addition, the Fund use a service provided by a pricing vendor to fair value non-US Fair Value Securities, which are securities that are primarily traded in non-US markets and subject to a valuation adjustment upon the reaching of a valuation “trigger” determined by the Board. The fair value prices of non-US Fair Value Securities reflect an adjustment to closing market prices that is intended to reflect the causal link between movements in the US market and the non-US market on which the securities trade.
The use of fair value pricing procedures involves subjective judgments and it is possible that the fair value determined for a security may be materially different from the value that could be realized upon the sale of that security. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to a security if the security were sold at approximately the same time at which the NAV per share is determined.
Generally, we will value the Fund's futures contracts at the close of trading for those contracts (normally 15 minutes after the close of regular trading on the NYSE). If, in the judgment of the subadviser or Manager, the closing price of a contract is materially different from the contract price at the NYSE close, a fair value price for the contract will be determined.
If dividends are declared daily, the NAV of each class of shares will generally be the same. It is expected, however, that the dividends, if any, will differ by approximately the amount of the distribution and/or service fee expense accrual differential among the classes.
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
Upon the initial purchase of Fund shares, a Shareholder Investment Account is established for each investor under which a record of the shares is maintained by PMFS. Share certificates are no longer issued for shares of the Fund. The Fund furnishes to shareholders the following privileges and plans:
AUTOMATIC REINVESTMENT OF DIVIDENDS AND/OR DISTRIBUTIONS. For the convenience of investors, all dividends and distributions are automatically reinvested in full and fractional shares of the Fund at NAV per share. An investor may direct PMFS in writing not less than five full business days prior to the record date to have subsequent dividends and/or distributions sent in cash rather than reinvested. In the case of recently purchased shares for which registration instructions have not been received by the record date, cash payment will be made directly to the broker. Any shareholder who receives dividends or distributions in cash may subsequently reinvest any such dividend or distribution at NAV by returning the check or the proceeds to PMFS within 30 days after the payment date. Such reinvestment will be made at the NAV per share next determined after receipt of the check or the proceeds by PMFS. Shares purchased with reinvested dividends and/or distributions will not be subject to any CDSC upon redemption.
EXCHANGE PRIVILEGES. The Fund furnishes to shareholders the privilege of exchanging their shares of the Fund for shares of certain other Prudential Investments mutual funds, including one or more specified money market funds, subject in each case to the minimum investment requirements of such funds. Shares of such other Prudential Investments mutual funds may also be exchanged for shares of the Fund. All exchanges are made on the basis of the relative NAV next determined after receipt of an order in proper form. An exchange will be treated as a redemption and purchase for federal income tax purposes. Shares may be exchanged for shares of another fund only if shares of such fund may legally be sold under applicable state laws. For retirement and group plans having a limited menu of Prudential Investments mutual funds, the exchange privilege is available for those funds eligible for investment in the particular program.
It is contemplated that the exchange privilege may be applicable to new Prudential Investments mutual funds, the shares of which may be distributed by the Distributor.
In order to exchange shares by telephone, you must authorize telephone exchanges on your initial application form or by written notice to PMFS and hold shares in non-certificated form. Thereafter, you may call the Fund at (800) 225-1852 to execute a telephone exchange of shares, on weekdays, except holidays, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Eastern time. For your protection and to prevent fraudulent exchanges, your telephone call will be recorded and you will be asked to authenticate your account. A written confirmation of the exchange transaction will be sent to you. Neither the Fund nor its agents will be liable for any loss, liability or cost which results from acting upon instructions reasonably believed to be genuine under the foregoing procedures. All exchanges will be made on the basis of the relative NAV of the two funds next determined after the request is received in good order.
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If you hold shares through a brokerage firm, you must exchange your shares by contacting your financial adviser.
If you hold share certificates, the certificates must be returned in order for the shares to be exchanged. See “Purchase, Redemption and Pricing of Fund Shares—Sale of Shares” above.
You may also exchange shares by mail by writing to PMFS, P.O. Box 9658, Providence, RI 02940.
In periods of severe market or economic conditions the telephone exchange of shares may be difficult to implement and you should make exchanges by mail by writing to PMFS at the address noted above.
Class A shares: Shareholders of the Fund may exchange their Class A shares for Class A shares of certain other Prudential Investments mutual funds and shares of the money market funds specified below. No fee or sales load will be imposed upon the exchange. Shareholders of money market funds who acquired such shares upon exchange of Class A shares may use the exchange privilege only to acquire Class A shares of the Prudential Investments mutual funds participating in the exchange privilege.
The following money market fund participates in the Class A exchange privilege: Prudential MoneyMart Assets, Inc. (Class A shares).
Participants in certain programs sponsored by broker-dealers, investment advisers and financial planners who have agreements with Prudential, or whose programs are available through financial intermediaries that have agreements with Prudential relating to mutual fund “wrap” or asset allocation programs or mutual fund “supermarket” programs, for which the Fund is an available option, may have their Class A shares, if any, exchanged for Class Z shares of the Fund, if available as an investment option, when they elect to have those assets become a part of the program. Upon leaving the program (whether voluntarily or not), such Class Z shares (and, to the extent provided for in the program, Class Z shares acquired through participation in the program) may be exchanged for Class A shares of the Fund at NAV if Class Z shares are not available to the shareholder as an investment option outside the program. Contact your program sponsor or financial intermediary with any questions.
Class B and Class C shares: Shareholders of the Fund may exchange their Class B and Class C shares of the Fund for Class B and Class C shares, respectively, of other Prudential Investments mutual funds. No CDSC will be payable upon such exchange, but a CDSC may be payable upon the redemption of the Class B and Class C shares acquired as a result of an exchange. The applicable sales charge will be that imposed by the fund in which shares were initially purchased and the purchase date will be deemed to be the date of the initial purchase, rather than the date of the exchange, excluding any time Class B or Class C shares were held in a money market fund.
Class B and Class C shares may also be exchanged for shares of Prudential MoneyMart Assets, Inc. without imposition of any CDSC at the time of exchange. Upon subsequent redemption from such money market fund or after re-exchange into a Fund, such shares will be subject to the CDSC calculated without regard to the time such shares were held in the money market fund. For purposes of calculating the seven year holding period applicable to the Class B conversion feature, the time period during which Class B shares were held in a money market fund will be excluded.
At any time after acquiring shares of other funds participating in the Class B or Class C exchange privilege, a shareholder may again exchange those shares (and any reinvested dividends and distributions) for Class B or Class C shares of a Fund without subjecting such shares to any CDSC. Shares of any fund participating in the Class B or Class C exchange privilege that were acquired through reinvestment of dividends or distributions may be exchanged for Class B or Class C shares of other funds without being subject to any CDSC.
Class Q shares: Class Q shares may be exchanged for Class Q shares of other Prudential Investments mutual funds.
Class R shares: Class R shares may be exchanged for Class R shares of other Prudential Investments mutual funds.
Class Z shares: Class Z shares may be exchanged for Class Z shares of other Prudential Investments mutual funds.
Shareholders who qualify to purchase Class Z shares may have their Class B and Class C shares which are not subject to a CDSC and their Class A shares exchanged for Class Z shares upon notification. Eligibility for this exchange privilege will be calculated on the business day prior to the date of the exchange. Amounts representing Class B or Class C shares which are not subject to a CDSC include the following: (1) amounts representing Class B or Class C shares acquired pursuant to the automatic reinvestment of dividends and distributions, (2) amounts representing the increase in the NAV above the total amount of payments for the purchase of Class B or Class C shares and (3) amounts representing Class B or Class C shares held beyond the applicable CDSC period. Class B and Class C shareholders must notify PMFS either directly or through Wells Fargo Advisors, Pruco Securities, LLC or another broker that they are eligible for this special exchange privilege.
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Participants in any fee-based program for which the Fund is an available option may arrange with the Transfer Agent or their recordkeeper to have their Class A shares, if any, exchanged for Class Z shares when they elect to have those assets become a part of the fee-based program. Upon leaving the program (whether voluntarily or not), the participant may arrange with the Transfer Agent or their recordkeeper to have such Class Z shares acquired through participation in the program exchanged for Class A shares at NAV. Similarly, participants in Wells Fargo Advisors' 401(k) Plan for which the Fund's Class Z shares are an available option and who wish to transfer their Class Z shares out of the Wells Fargo Advisors 401(k) Plan following separation from service (i.e., voluntary or involuntary termination of employment or retirement) may arrange with the Transfer Agent or their recordkeeper to have their Class Z shares exchanged for Class A shares at NAV.
Additional details about the exchange privilege and prospectuses for each of the Prudential Investments mutual funds are available from PMFS, the Distributor or your broker. The special exchange privilege may be modified, terminated or suspended on sixty days' notice, and the Fund, or the Distributor, has the right to reject any exchange application relating to the Fund's shares.
AUTOMATIC INVESTMENT PLAN (AIP). Under AIP, an investor may arrange to have a fixed amount automatically invested in shares of the Fund by authorizing his or her bank account or brokerage account to be debited to invest specified dollar amounts in shares of the Fund. The investor's bank must be a member of the Automated Clearing House System.
Further information about this program and an application form can be obtained from PMFS, the Distributor or your broker.
SYSTEMATIC WITHDRAWAL PLAN. A Systematic Withdrawal Plan is available to shareholders through the PMFS or your broker. The Systematic Withdrawal Plan provides for monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual redemptions in any amount, except as provided below, up to the value of the shares in the shareholder's account. Systematic withdrawals of Class A (in certain instances), Class B and Class C shares may be subject to a CDSC. The Systematic Withdrawal Plan is not available to participants in certain retirement plans. Please contact PMFS at (800) 225-1852 for more details.
PMFS, the Distributor or your broker acts as an agent for the shareholder in redeeming sufficient full and fractional shares to provide the amount of the systematic withdrawal payment. The Systematic Withdrawal Plan may be terminated at any time.
Systematic withdrawals should not be considered as dividends, yield or income. If systematic withdrawals continuously exceed reinvested dividends and distributions, the shareholder's original investment will be correspondingly reduced and ultimately exhausted.
Furthermore, each withdrawal constitutes a redemption of shares, and any gain or loss realized must be recognized for federal income tax purposes. In addition, withdrawals made concurrently with purchases of additional shares are inadvisable because of the sales charges applicable to (i) the purchase of Class A shares and (ii) the redemption of Class A (in certain instances), Class B and Class C shares. Each shareholder should consult his or her own tax adviser with regard to the tax consequences of the Systematic Withdrawal Plan, particularly if used in connection with a retirement plan.
MUTUAL FUND PROGRAMS. From time to time, the Fund may be included in a mutual fund program with other Prudential Investments mutual funds. Under such a program, a group of portfolios will be selected and thereafter marketed collectively. Typically, these programs are marketed with an investment theme, such as pursuit of greater diversification, protection from interest rate movements or access to different management styles. In the event such a program is instituted, there may be a minimum investment requirement for the program as a whole. The Fund may waive or reduce the minimum initial investment requirements in connection with such a program.
The mutual funds in the program may be purchased individually or as a part of a program. Since the allocation of portfolios included in the program may not be appropriate for all investors, investors should consult their financial adviser concerning the appropriate blends of portfolios for them. If investors elect to purchase the individual mutual funds that constitute the program in an investment ratio different from that offered by the program, the standard minimum investment requirements for the individual mutual funds will apply.
TAX-DEFERRED RETIREMENT PROGRAMS. Various tax-deferred retirement plans, including a 401(k) plan, self-directed individual retirement accounts and “tax-deferred accounts” under Section 403(b)(7) of the Code are available through the Distributor. These plans are for use by both self-employed individuals and corporate employers. These plans permit either self-direction of accounts by participants or a pooled account arrangement. Information regarding the establishment of these plans, their administration, custodial fees and other details is available from the Distributor or PMFS.
Investors who are considering the adoption of such a plan should consult with their own legal counsel and/or tax adviser with respect to the establishment and maintenance of any such plan.
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TAXES, DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS
The following is a summary of certain tax considerations generally affecting each Fund and its shareholders. This section is based on the Code, published rulings and court decisions, all as currently in effect. These laws are subject to change, possibly on a retroactive basis. Please consult your own tax adviser concerning the consequences of investing in a Fund in your particular circumstances under the Code and the laws of any other taxing jurisdiction.
QUALIFICATION AS A REGULATED INVESTMENT COMPANY. Each Fund has elected to be taxed as a regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Code and intends to meet all other requirements that are necessary for it to be relieved of federal taxes on income and gains it distributes to shareholders. As a regulated investment company, a Fund is not subject to federal income tax on the portion of its net investment income (i.e., investment company taxable income, as that term is defined in the Code, without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) and net capital gain (i.e., the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) that it distributes to shareholders, provided that it distributes at least 90% of its net tax-exempt income and investment company taxable income for the year (the “Distribution Requirement”), and satisfies certain other requirements of the Code that are described below.
Net capital gains of a Fund that are available for distribution to shareholders will be computed by taking into account any applicable capital loss carryforward. If a Fund has a capital loss carryforward, the amount and duration of any such capital loss carryforward will be set forth at the end of this section.
In addition to satisfying the Distribution Requirement, each Fund must derive at least 90% of its gross income from dividends, interest, certain payments with respect to loans of stock and securities, gains from the sale or disposition of stock, securities or non-US currencies and other income (including but not limited to gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies and net income derived from an interest in a “qualified publicly traded partnership” (as such term is defined in the Code).
Each Fund must also satisfy an asset diversification test on a quarterly basis. Failure to do so may result in a Fund being subject to penalty taxes, being required to sell certain of its positions, and may cause the Fund to fail to qualify as a regulated investment company. Under this asset diversification test, at the close of each quarter of a Fund’s taxable year, (1) 50% or more of the value of the Fund’s assets must be represented by cash, United States government securities, securities of other regulated investment companies, and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund’s assets and 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer and (2) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund’s assets may be invested in securities of (x) any one issuer (other than United States government securities or securities of other regulated investment companies), or two or more issuers (other than securities of other regulated investment companies) of which the Fund owns 20% or more of the voting stock and which are engaged in the same, similar or related trades or businesses or (y) one or more “qualified publicly traded partnerships” (as such term is defined in the Code) and commonly referred to as “master limited partnerships.”
A Fund may be able to cure a failure to derive 90% of its income from the sources specified above or a failure to diversify its holdings in the manner described above by paying a tax, by disposing of certain assets, or by paying a tax and disposing of assets. If, in any taxable year, a Fund fails one of these tests and does not timely cure the failure, the Fund will be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders will not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income.
Although in general the passive loss rules of the Code do not apply to regulated investment companies, such rules do apply to a regulated investment company with respect to items attributable to an interest in a qualified publicly traded partnership. A Fund’s investments in partnerships, including in qualified publicly traded partnerships, may result in the Fund being subject to state, local or non-US income, franchise or withholding tax liabilities.
If for any year a Fund does not qualify as a regulated investment company, or fails to meet the Distribution Requirement, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) will be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders. In addition, in the event of a failure to qualify, a Fund’s distributions, to the extent derived from the Fund’s current or accumulated earnings and profits, including any distributions of net long-term capital gains, will be taxable to shareholders as dividend income. However, such dividends will be eligible (i) to be treated as qualified dividend income in the case of shareholders taxed as individuals and (ii) for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders. Moreover, if a Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company in any year, it must pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify again as a regulated investment company. If a Fund fails to qualify as a regulated investment company for a period greater than two taxable years, the Fund may be subject to taxation on any net built-in-gains (i.e., the excess of the aggregate gain, including items
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of income, over aggregate loss that would have been realized if the Fund had been liquidated) recognized for a period of ten years, or, under certain circumstances, may have to recognize and pay tax on such net built-in-gain, in order to qualify as a regulated investment company in a subsequent year.
EXCISE TAX ON REGULATED INVESTMENT COMPANIES. A 4% non-deductible excise tax is imposed on a regulated investment company to the extent that it distributes income in such a way that it is taxable to shareholders in a calendar year other than the calendar year in which a Fund earned the income. Specifically, the excise tax will be imposed if a Fund fails to distribute in each calendar year an amount equal to 98% of ordinary taxable income, including qualified dividend income, for the calendar year and 98.2% of capital gain net income for the one-year period ending on October 31 of such calendar year (or, at the election of a regulated investment company having a taxable year ending November 30 or December 31, for its taxable year). The balance of such income must be distributed during the next calendar year. For the foregoing purposes, a regulated investment company is treated as having distributed otherwise retained amounts if it is subject to income tax on those amounts for any taxable year ending in such calendar year.
Each Fund intends to make sufficient distributions or deemed distributions of its qualified dividend income, ordinary income and capital gain net income prior to the end of each calendar year to avoid liability for this excise tax. However, investors should note that a Fund may in certain circumstances be required to borrow money or liquidate portfolio investments to make sufficient distributions to avoid excise tax liability.
FUND INVESTMENTS. Each Fund may make investments or engage in transactions that affect the character, amount and timing of gains or losses realized by a Fund. A Fund may make investments that produce income that is not matched by a corresponding cash receipt by the Fund. Any such income would be treated as income earned by the Fund and therefore would be subject to the Distribution Requirement. Such investments may require a Fund to borrow money or dispose of other securities in order to comply with those requirements. Each Fund may also make investments that prevent or defer the recognition of losses or the deduction of expenses. These investments may likewise require a Fund to borrow money or dispose of other securities in order to comply with the Distribution Requirement. Additionally, a Fund may make investments that result in the recognition of ordinary income rather than capital gain, or that prevent the Fund from accruing a long-term holding period. These investments may prevent the Fund from making capital gain distributions as described below. Each Fund intends to monitor its transactions, will make the appropriate tax elections and will make the appropriate entries in its books and records when it makes any such investments in order to mitigate the effect of these rules. The foregoing concepts are explained in greater detail in the following paragraphs.
Gains or losses on sales of stock or securities by a Fund generally will be treated as long-term capital gains or losses if the stock or securities have been held by it for more than one year, except in certain cases where the Fund acquires a put or writes a call or otherwise holds an offsetting position, with respect to the stock or securities. Other gains or losses on the sale of stock or securities will be short-term capital gains or losses.
In certain situations, a Fund may, for a taxable year, defer all or a portion of its net capital loss realized after October (or if there is no net capital loss, then any net long-term or short-term capital loss) and its late-year ordinary loss (defined as the sum of the excess of post-October non-US currency and passive non-US investment company (“PFIC”) losses over post-October non-US currency and PFIC gains plus the excess of post-December ordinary losses over post-December ordinary income) until the next taxable year in computing its investment company taxable income and net capital gain, which will defer the recognition of such realized losses. Such deferrals and other rules regarding gains and losses realized after October (or December) may affect the tax character of shareholder distributions.
If an option written by a Fund on securities lapses or is terminated through a closing transaction, such as a repurchase by the Fund of the option from its holder, the Fund will generally realize short-term capital gain or loss. If securities are sold by the Fund pursuant to the exercise of a call option written by it, the Fund will include the premium received in the sale proceeds of the securities delivered in determining the amount of gain or loss on the sale. Gain or loss on the sale, lapse or other termination of options acquired by a Fund on stock or securities and on narrowly-based stock indexes will be capital gain or loss and will be long-term or short-term depending on the holding period of the option.
Certain Fund transactions may be subject to wash sale, short sale, constructive sale, conversion transaction, constructive ownership transaction and straddle provisions of the Code that may, among other things, require a Fund to defer recognition of losses or convert long-term capital gain into ordinary income or short-term capital gain taxable as ordinary income.
As a result of entering into swap contracts, a Fund may make or receive periodic net payments. A Fund may also make or receive a payment when a swap is terminated prior to maturity through an assignment of the swap or other closing transaction. Periodic net payments will generally constitute taxable ordinary income or deductions, while termination of a swap will generally result in capital
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gain or loss (which will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund has been a party to the swap for more than one year). With respect to certain types of swaps, a Fund may be required to currently recognize income or loss with respect to future payments on such swaps or may elect under certain circumstances to mark such swaps to market annually for tax purposes as ordinary income or loss. Periodic net payments that would otherwise constitute ordinary deductions but are allocable under the Code to exempt-interest dividends will not be allowed as a deduction but instead will reduce net tax-exempt income.
In general, gain or loss on a short sale is recognized when a Fund closes the sale by delivering the borrowed property to the lender, not when the borrowed property is sold. Gain or loss from a short sale is generally capital gain or loss to the extent that the property used to close the short sale constitutes a capital asset in a Fund’s hands. Except with respect to certain situations where the property used by a Fund to close a short sale has a long-term holding period on the date of the short sale, special rules would generally treat the gains on short sales as short-term capital gains. These rules may also terminate the running of the holding period of “substantially identical property” held by a Fund. Moreover, a loss on a short sale will be treated as a long-term capital loss if, on the date of the short sale, “substantially identical property” has been held by a Fund for more than one year. In general, a Fund will not be permitted to deduct payments made to reimburse the lender of securities for dividends paid on borrowed stock if the short sale is closed on or before the 45th day after the short sale is entered into.
Debt securities acquired by a Fund may be subject to original issue discount and market discount rules which, respectively, may cause the Fund to accrue income in advance of the receipt of cash with respect to interest or cause gains to be treated as ordinary income subject to the Distribution Requirement referred to above. Market discount generally is the excess, if any, of the principal amount of the security (or, in the case of a security issued at an original issue discount, the adjusted issue price of the security) over the price paid by the Fund for the security. Original issue discount that accrues in a taxable year is treated as income earned by a Fund and therefore is subject to the Distribution Requirement. Because the original issue discount income earned by a Fund in a taxable year may not be represented by cash income, the Fund may have to borrow money or dispose of other securities and use the proceeds to make distributions to satisfy the Distribution Requirement.
Certain futures contracts and certain listed options (referred to as Section 1256 contracts) held by the Funds will be required to be “marked to market” for federal income tax purposes at the end of a Fund’s taxable year, that is, treated as having been sold at the fair market value on the last business day of the Fund’s taxable year. Except with respect to certain non-US currency forward contracts, sixty percent of any gain or loss recognized on these deemed sales and on actual dispositions will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and forty percent will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. Any net mark-to-market gains may be subject to the Distribution Requirement referred to above, even though a Fund may receive no corresponding cash amounts, possibly requiring the disposition of portfolio securities or borrowing to obtain the necessary cash.
Gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates that occur between the time a Fund accrues interest or other receivables or accrues expenses or other liabilities denominated in a non-US currency and the time the Fund actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities are treated as ordinary income or loss. Similarly, gains or losses on non-US currency forward contracts or dispositions of debt securities denominated in a non-US currency that are attributable to fluctuations in the value of the non-US currency between the date of acquisition of the security or contract and the date of disposition thereof generally also are treated as ordinary income or loss. These gains or losses, referred to under the Code as “Section 988” gains or losses, increase or decrease the amount of a Fund’s investment company taxable income available to be distributed to its shareholders as ordinary income, rather than increasing or decreasing the amount of the Fund’s net capital gain. If Section 988 losses exceed other investment company taxable income during a taxable year, a Fund would not be able to make any ordinary dividend distributions from current earnings and profits, and distributions made before the losses were realized could be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders, rather than as an ordinary dividend, thereby reducing each shareholder’s basis in his or her Fund shares.
If the Fund holds (directly or indirectly) one or more “tax credit bonds” (defined below) on one or more specified dates during the Fund’s taxable year, and the Fund satisfies the minimum distribution requirement, the Fund may elect for US federal income tax purposes to pass through to shareholders tax credits otherwise allowable to the Fund for that year with respect to such bonds. A tax credit bond is defined in the Code as a “qualified tax credit bond” (which includes a qualified forestry conservation bond, a new clean renewable energy bond, a qualified energy conservation bond, a qualified zone academy bond, or a qualified school construction bond, each of which must meet certain requirements specified in the Code), a “build America bond” or certain other specified bonds. If the Fund were to make an election, a shareholder of the Fund would be required to include in gross income an amount equal to such shareholder’s proportionate share of the interest income attributable to such credits and would be entitled to claim as a tax credit an amount equal to the shareholder’s proportionate share of such credits. Certain limitations may apply on the extent to which the credit may be claimed.
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A Fund may make investments in equity securities of non-US issuers. If a Fund purchases shares in PFICs, the Fund may be subject to federal income tax on a portion of any “excess distribution” from such non-US corporation, including any gain from the disposition of such shares, even if such income is distributed by the Fund to its shareholders. In addition, certain interest charges may be imposed on the Fund as a result of such distributions. If a Fund were to invest in an eligible PFIC and elected to treat the PFIC as a qualified electing fund (a “QEF”), in lieu of the foregoing requirements, the Fund would be required to include each year in its income and distribute to shareholders in accordance with the Distribution Requirement, a pro rata portion of the QEF’s ordinary earnings and net capital gain, whether or not distributed by the QEF to the Fund. A Fund may not be able to make this election with respect to many PFICs because of certain requirements that the PFICs would have to satisfy.
Alternatively, a Fund generally will be permitted to “mark to market” any shares it holds in a PFIC. If a Fund made such an election, with such election being made separately for each PFIC owned by the Fund, the Fund would be required to include in income each year and distribute to shareholders in accordance with the Distribution Requirement, an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the PFIC stock as of the close of the taxable year over the adjusted basis of such stock at that time. A Fund would be allowed a deduction for the excess, if any, of the adjusted basis of the PFIC stock over its fair market value as of the close of the taxable year, but only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains with respect to the stock included by the Fund for prior taxable years. A Fund will make appropriate basis adjustments in the PFIC stock to take into account the mark-to-market amounts.
Notwithstanding any election made by a Fund, dividends attributable to distributions from a non-US corporation will not be eligible for the special tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income if the non-US corporation is a PFIC either in the taxable year of the distribution or the preceding taxable year, but instead will be taxable at rates applicable to ordinary income.
A Fund may invest in REITs. Such Fund’s investments in REIT equity securities may require a Fund to accrue and distribute income not yet received. In order to generate sufficient cash to make the requisite distributions, a Fund may be required to sell securities in its portfolio that it otherwise would have continued to hold (including when it is not advantageous to do so). A Fund’s investments in REIT equity securities may at other times result in the Fund’s receipt of cash in excess of the REIT’s earnings; if the Fund distributes such amounts, such distribution could constitute a return of capital to Fund shareholders for federal income tax purposes. Dividends received by the Fund from a REIT will generally not constitute qualified dividend income. REITs will generally be able to pass through the tax treatment of tax-qualified dividends they receive.
Some of the REITs in which the Funds may invest will be permitted to hold residual interests in real estate mortgage investment conduits (“REMICs”). Under Treasury regulations not yet issued, but that may apply retroactively, a portion of a Fund’s income from a REIT that is attributable to the REIT’s residual interest in a REMIC (referred to in the Code as an “excess inclusion”) will be subject to federal income tax in all events. These regulations are expected to provide that excess inclusion income of a regulated investment company, such as a Fund, will be allocated to shareholders of the regulated investment company in proportion to the dividends received by shareholders, with the same consequences as if shareholders held the related REMIC residual interest directly.
In general, excess inclusion income allocated to shareholders (i) cannot be offset by net operating losses (subject to a limited exception for certain thrift institutions), (ii) will constitute unrelated business taxable income to entities (including a qualified pension plan, an individual retirement account, a 401(k) plan, a Keogh plan or other tax-exempt entity) subject to tax on unrelated business income, thereby potentially requiring such an entity that is allocated excess inclusion income, and that otherwise might not be required to file a tax return, to file a tax return and pay tax on such income, and (iii) in the case of a non-US shareholder, will not qualify for any reduction in US federal withholding tax.
Under current law, if a charitable remainder trust (defined in Section 664 of the Code) realizes any unrelated business taxable income for a taxable year, it will be subject to an excise tax equal to 100% of such unrelated business taxable income. In addition, if at any time during any taxable year a “disqualified organization” (as defined in the Code) is a record holder of a share in a regulated investment company, then the regulated investment company will be subject to a tax equal to that portion of its excess inclusion income for the taxable year that is allocable to the disqualified organization, multiplied by the highest federal income tax rate imposed on corporations. The Funds do not intend to invest directly in residual interests in REMICs or to invest in REITs in which a substantial portion of the assets will consist of residual interests in REMICs.
FUND DISTRIBUTIONS. Each Fund anticipates distributing substantially all of its net investment income for each taxable year. Dividends of net investment income paid to a non-corporate US shareholder that are reported as qualified dividend income will generally be taxable to such shareholder at capital gain income tax rates. The amount of dividend income that may be reported by a Fund as qualified dividend income will generally be limited to the aggregate of the eligible dividends received by the Fund. In addition, a Fund must meet certain holding period requirements with respect to the shares on which the Fund received the eligible dividends, and the non-corporate US shareholder must meet certain holding period requirements with respect to the Fund shares. Dividends of net investment income that are not reported as qualified dividend income or exempt-interest dividends and dividends of
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net short-term capital gains will be taxable to shareholders at ordinary income rates. Dividends paid by a Fund with respect to a taxable year will qualify for the 70% dividends received deduction generally available to corporations to the extent of the amount of dividends received by the Fund from certain domestic corporations for the taxable year. Shareholders will be advised annually as to the US federal income tax consequences of distributions made (or deemed made) during the year, including the portion of dividends paid that qualify for the reduced tax rate.
Ordinarily, shareholders are required to take taxable distributions by a Fund into account in the year in which the distributions are made. However, for federal income tax purposes, dividends that are declared by a Fund in October, November or December as of a record date in such month and actually paid in January of the following year will be treated as if they were paid on December 31 of the year declared. Therefore, such dividends will generally be taxable to a shareholder in the year declared rather than the year paid.
Dividends paid by a Fund that are properly reported as exempt-interest dividends will not be subject to regular federal income tax. Dividends paid by a Fund will be exempt from federal income tax (though not necessarily exempt from state and local taxation) to the extent of the Fund’s tax-exempt interest income as long as 50% or more of the value of the Fund’s assets at the end of each quarter is invested in (1) state, municipal and other bonds that are excluded from gross income for federal income tax purposes or (2) interests in other regulated investment companies, and, in each case, as long as the Fund properly reports such dividends as exempt-interest dividends. Exempt-interest dividends from interest earned on municipal securities of a state, or its political subdivisions, are generally exempt from income tax in that state. However, income from municipal securities from other states generally will not qualify for tax-free treatment.
Interest on indebtedness incurred by a shareholder to purchase or carry shares of a Fund will not be deductible for US federal income tax purposes to the extent it relates to exempt-interest dividends received by a shareholder. If a shareholder receives exempt-interest dividends with respect to any share of a Fund (other than a Fund that declares income dividends daily and pays such dividends at least as frequently as monthly) and if the share is held by the shareholder for six months or less, then any loss on the sale or exchange of the share may, to the extent of the exempt-interest dividends, be disallowed. In addition, the Code may require a shareholder that receives exempt-interest dividends to treat as taxable income a portion of certain otherwise non-taxable social security and railroad retirement benefit payments. Furthermore, a portion of any exempt-interest dividend paid by a Fund that represents income derived from certain revenue or private activity bonds held by the Fund may not retain its tax-exempt status in the hands of a shareholder who is a “substantial user” of a facility financed by such bonds, or a “related person” thereof. In addition, the receipt of dividends and distributions from a Fund may affect a non-US corporate shareholder’s federal “branch profits” tax liability and the federal “excess net passive income” tax liability of a shareholder of an S corporation. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisers as to whether they are (i) “substantial users” with respect to a facility or “related” to such users within the meaning of the Code or (ii) subject to the federal “branch profits” tax, or the federal “excess net passive income” tax.
A Fund may either retain or distribute to shareholders its net capital gain (i.e., excess net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) for each taxable year. Each Fund currently intends to distribute any such amounts. If net capital gain is distributed and reported as a “capital gain dividend,” it will be taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gain, regardless of the length of time the shareholder has held its shares or whether such gain was recognized by the Fund prior to the date on which the shareholder acquired its shares. Conversely, if a Fund elects to retain its net capital gain, the Fund will be taxed thereon (except to the extent of any available capital loss carryovers) at the 35% corporate tax rate. In such a case, it is expected that the Fund also will elect to have shareholders of record on the last day of its taxable year treated as if each received a distribution of its pro rata share of such gain, with the result that each shareholder will be required to report its pro rata share of such gain on its tax return as long-term capital gain, will receive a refundable tax credit for its pro rata share of tax paid by the Fund on the gain, and will increase the tax basis for its shares by an amount equal to the deemed distribution less the tax credit.
Distributions by a Fund that exceed the Fund’s current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a return of capital to the extent of (and in reduction of) the shareholder’s tax basis in its shares; any distribution in excess of such tax basis will be treated as gain from the sale of its shares, as discussed below. Distributions in excess of a Fund’s minimum distribution requirements but not in excess of the Fund’s earnings and profits will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. A Fund’s capital loss carryforwards, if any, carried from taxable years beginning before 2011 do not reduce current earnings and profits, even if such carryforwards offset current year realized gains. In the event that the Fund were to experience an ownership change as defined under the Code, the Fund’s loss carryforwards, if any, may be subject to limitation.
Distributions by a Fund will be treated in the manner described above regardless of whether such distributions are paid in cash or reinvested in additional shares of the Fund (or of another fund). Shareholders receiving a distribution in the form of additional shares will be treated as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the amount of cash that could have been received. In addition, prospective investors in a Fund should be aware that distributions from the Fund will, all other things being equal, have the effect of reducing the NAV of the Fund’s shares by the amount of the distribution. If the NAV is reduced below a shareholder’s cost, the
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distribution will nonetheless be taxable as described above, even if the distribution effectively represents a return of invested capital. Investors should consider the tax implications of buying shares just prior to a distribution, when the price of shares may reflect the amount of the forthcoming distribution.
SALE OR REDEMPTION OF SHARES. A shareholder will generally recognize gain or loss on the sale or redemption of shares in an amount equal to the difference between the proceeds of the sale or redemption and the shareholder’s adjusted tax basis in the shares. All or a portion of any loss so recognized may be disallowed if the shareholder acquires other shares of the Fund or substantially identical stock or securities within a period of 61 days beginning 30 days before such disposition, such as pursuant to reinvestment of a dividend in shares of the Fund. Additionally, if a shareholder disposes of shares of a Fund within 90 days following their acquisition, and the shareholder subsequently re-acquires Fund shares (1) before January 31 of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the original stock was disposed of, (2) pursuant to a reinvestment right received upon the purchase of the original shares and (3) at a reduced load charge (i.e., sales or additional charge), then any load charge incurred upon the acquisition of the original shares will not be taken into account as part of the shareholder’s basis for computing gain or loss upon the sale of such shares, to the extent the original load charge does not exceed any reduction of the load charge with respect to the acquisition of the subsequent shares. To the extent the original load charge is not taken into account on the disposition of the original shares, such charge shall be treated as incurred in connection with the acquisition of the subsequent shares. In general, any gain or loss arising from (or treated as arising from) the sale or redemption of shares of a Fund will be considered capital gain or loss and will be long term capital gain or loss if the shares were held for more than one year. However, any capital loss arising from the sale or redemption of shares held for six months or less will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of the amount of long-term capital gain dividends received on (or undistributed long-term capital gains credited with respect to) such shares.
Capital gain of a non-corporate US shareholder is generally taxed at a federal income tax rate of up to 15% for individuals with incomes below approximately $400,000 ($450,000 if married filing jointly), adjusted annually for inflation, and 20% for any income above such levels that is generally net long-term capital gain or qualified dividend income, where the property is held by the shareholder for more than one year. Capital gain of a corporate shareholder is taxed at the same rate as ordinary income.
Cost Basis Reporting . Mutual funds must report cost basis information to you and the IRS when you sell or exchange shares acquired on or after January 1, 2012 in your non-retirement accounts. The cost basis regulations do not affect retirement accounts, money market funds, and shares acquired before January 1, 2012. The regulations also require mutual funds to report whether a gain or loss is short-term (shares held one year or less) or long-term (shares held more than one year) for all shares acquired on or after January 1, 2012 that are subsequently sold or exchanged. To calculate the gain or loss on shares sold, you need to know the cost basis of the shares. Cost basis is the original value of an asset for tax purposes (usually the gross purchase price), adjusted for stock splits, reinvested dividends, and return of capital distributions. This value is used to determine the capital gain (or loss), which is the difference between the cost basis of the shares and the gross proceeds when the shares are sold. The Fund’s Transfer Agent supports several different cost basis methods from which you may select a cost basis method you believe best suited to your needs. If you decide to elect the Transfer Agent’s default method, which is average cost, no action is required on your part. For shares acquired on or after January 1, 2012, if you change your cost basis method, the new method will apply to all shares in the account if you request the change prior to the first redemption. If, however, you request the change after the first redemption, the new method will apply to shares acquired on or after the date of the change. Keep in mind that the Fund’s Transfer Agent is not required to report cost basis information to you or the IRS on shares acquired before January 1, 2012. However, the Transfer Agent will provide this information to you, as a service, if its cost basis records are complete for such shares. This information will be separately identified on the Form 1099-B (Proceeds from Broker and Barter Exchange Transactions) sent to you by the Transfer Agent and not transmitted to the IRS.
BACKUP WITHHOLDING. A Fund will be required in certain cases to withhold and remit to the US Treasury 28% of all dividends and capital gain dividends, and the proceeds of redemption of shares, paid to any shareholder (1) who has provided the Fund with either an incorrect tax identification number or no number at all, (2) who is subject to backup withholding by the IRS for failure to report the receipt of interest or dividend income properly or (3) who has failed to certify to the Fund that it is not subject to backup withholding or that it is a corporation or other exempt recipient. In addition, dividends and capital gain dividends made to corporate United States holders may be subject to information reporting and backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amounts withheld may be refunded or credited against a shareholder’s federal income tax liability, provided the appropriate information is furnished to the IRS.
If a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to a Fund’s shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases exempted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a regulated investment company are not exempted. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer’s treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisers to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.
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MEDICARE CONTRIBUTION TAX. A US person that is an individual or estate, or a trust that does not fall into a special class of trusts that is exempt from such tax, is subject to a 3.8% tax on the lesser of (1) the US person’s “net investment income” for the relevant taxable year and (2) the excess of the US person’s modified adjusted gross income for the taxable year over $200,000 (or $250,000 if married filing jointly). A Fund shareholder’s net investment income will generally include, among other things, dividend income from the Fund and net gains from the disposition of Fund shares, unless such dividend income or net gains are derived in the ordinary course of the conduct of a trade or business (other than a trade or business that consists of certain passive or trading activities). If you are a US person that is an individual, estate or trust, you are urged to consult your tax advisers regarding the applicability of the Medicare contribution tax to your income and gains in respect of your investment in the Fund shares.
NON-US SHAREHOLDERS. Dividends paid to a shareholder who, as to the United States, is a nonresident alien individual, non-US trust or estate, non-US corporation, or non-US partnership (“non-US shareholder”) will be subject to US withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or lower applicable treaty rate) on the gross amount of the dividend. Such a non-US shareholder would generally be exempt from US federal income tax, including withholding tax, on gains realized on the sale of shares of a Fund, net capital gain dividends, exempt-interest dividends, and amounts retained by the Fund that are reported as undistributed capital gains.
The foregoing applies when the non-US shareholder’s income from a Fund is not effectively connected with a US trade or business. If the income from a Fund is effectively connected with a US trade or business carried on by a non-US shareholder, then ordinary income dividends, qualified dividend income, net capital gain dividends, undistributed capital gains credited to such shareholder and any gains realized upon the sale of shares of the Fund will be subject to US federal income tax at the graduated rates applicable to US citizens or domestic corporations.
For taxable years beginning before January 1, 2015, distributions that a Fund reports as “short-term capital gain dividends” or “long-term capital gain dividends” will not be treated as such to a recipient non-US shareholder if the distribution is attributable to a REIT’s distribution to a Fund of a gain from the sale or exchange of US real property or an interest in a US real property holding corporation and a Fund’s direct or indirect interests in US real property exceed certain levels. Instead, if the non-US shareholder has not owned more than 5% of the outstanding shares of a Fund at any time during the one year period ending on the date of distribution, such distributions will be subject to 30% withholding by a Fund and will be treated as ordinary dividends to the non-US shareholder; if the non-US shareholder owned more than 5% of the outstanding shares of a Fund at any time during the one-year period ending on the date of the distribution, such distribution will be treated as real property gain subject to 35% withholding tax and could subject the non-US shareholder to US filing requirements. Additionally, if a Fund’s direct or indirect interests in US real property were to exceed certain levels, a non-US shareholder realizing gains upon redemption from a Fund before January 1, 2015 could be subject to the 35% withholding tax and US filing requirements unless more than 50% of a Fund’s shares were owned by US persons at such time or unless the non-US person had not held more than 5% of a Fund’s outstanding shares throughout either such person’s holding period for the redeemed shares or, if shorter, the previous five years.
Legislation has been proposed to extend the above expiration dates but no assurance can be provided that such legislation will be enacted.
The rules laid out in the previous paragraph, other than the withholding rules, will apply notwithstanding a Fund’s participation in a wash sale transaction or its payment of a substitute dividend.
Provided that 50% or more of the value of the Fund’s stock is held by US shareholders, distributions of US real property interests (including securities in a US real property holding corporation, unless such corporation is regularly traded on an established securities market and the Fund has held 5% or less of the outstanding shares of the corporation during the five-year period ending on the date of distribution) occurring on or before December 31, 2014, in redemption of a non-US shareholder’s shares of the Fund will cause the Fund to recognize gain. If the Fund is required to recognize gain, the amount of gain recognized will be equal to the fair market value of such interests over the Fund’s adjusted bases to the extent of the greatest non-US ownership percentage of the Fund during the five-year period ending on the date of redemption.
In the case of non-US non-corporate shareholders, a Fund may be required to backup withhold US federal income tax on distributions that are otherwise exempt from withholding tax unless such shareholders furnish the Fund with proper notification of their non-US status.
A 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on US-source dividends, interest and other income items, and will be imposed on proceeds from the sale of property producing US-source dividends and interest paid after December 31, 2018, to (i) non-US financial institutions including non-US investment funds unless they agree to collect and disclose to the IRS information regarding their direct and indirect US account holders and (ii) certain other non-US entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect US owners. To avoid withholding, non-US financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that
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state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect US account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of US accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to US accounts maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant non-US financial institutions or to account holders, or (ii) in the event that an intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other non-US entities will need to either provide the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial US owner or certifications of no substantial US ownership unless certain exceptions apply.
The tax consequences to a non-US shareholder entitled to claim the benefits of an applicable tax treaty may be different from those described herein. Non-US shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisers with respect to the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in a Fund, the procedure for claiming the benefit of a lower treaty rate and the applicability of non-US taxes.
NON-US TAXES. A Fund may be subject to non-US withholding taxes or other non-US taxes with respect to income (possibly including, in some cases, capital gain) received from sources within non-US countries. So long as more than 50% by value of the total assets of the Fund at the close of the taxable year consists of (1) stock or securities of non-US issuers or (2) interests in other regulated investment companies, the Fund may elect to treat any non-US income taxes paid by it as paid directly by its shareholders.
If the Fund makes the election, each shareholder will be required to (i) include in gross income, even though not actually received, its pro rata share of the Fund’s non-US income taxes, and (ii) either deduct (in calculating US taxable income) or credit (in calculating US federal income tax) its pro rata share of the Fund’s income taxes. A non-US tax credit may not exceed the US federal income tax otherwise payable with respect to the non-US source income. For this purpose, each shareholder must treat as non-US source gross income (i) its proportionate share of non-US taxes paid by the Fund and (ii) the portion of any actual dividend paid by the Fund which represents income derived from non-US sources; the gain from the sale of securities will generally be treated as US source income and certain non-US currency gains and losses likewise will be treated as derived from US sources. This non-US tax credit limitation is, with certain exceptions, applied separately to separate categories of income; dividends from the Fund will be treated as “passive” or “general” income for this purpose. The effect of this limitation may be to prevent shareholders from claiming as a credit the full amount of their pro rata share of the Fund’s non-US income taxes. In addition, shareholders will not be eligible to claim a non-US tax credit with respect to non-US income taxes paid by the Fund unless certain holding period requirements are met at both the Fund and the shareholder levels.
A Fund will make such an election only if it deems it to be in the best interest of its shareholders. A shareholder not subject to US tax may prefer that this election not be made. The Fund will notify shareholders in writing each year if it makes the election and of the amount of non-US income taxes, if any, to be passed through to the shareholders and the amount of non-US taxes, if any, for which shareholders of the Fund will not be eligible to claim a non-US tax credit because the holding period requirements (described above) have not been satisfied.
Shares of a Fund held by a non-US shareholder at death will be considered situated within the United States and subject to the US estate tax.
STATE AND LOCAL TAX MATTERS. Depending on the residence of the shareholders for tax purposes, distributions may also be subject to state and local taxes. Rules of state and local taxation regarding qualified dividend income, ordinary income dividends and capital gains distributions from regulated investment companies and other items may differ from federal income tax rules. Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisers as to the consequences of these and other state and local tax rules affecting investment in a Fund.
DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The Board of each Fund in the Prudential mutual fund complex has adopted policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of portfolio securities owned by each Fund (“portfolio holdings”), and to authorize certain arrangements to make available information about portfolio holdings. These policies and procedures are designed to ensure that disclosures of a Fund’s portfolio holdings are made consistently with the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws and the fiduciary duties of each Fund and each Fund adviser. The policy is designed to ensure that disclosures of nonpublic portfolio holdings to selected third parties are made only when the Fund has legitimate business purposes for doing so and the recipients are subject to a duty of confidentiality, including a duty not to trade on the nonpublic information.
The Board has authorized PI, as the investment manager of each Fund, to administer these policies and procedures and to enter into confidentiality agreements on behalf of the Funds that provide that all information disclosed shall be treated as confidential and that the recipient will not trade on the nonpublic information. No material, non-public information, including but not limited to portfolio holdings, may be disseminated to third parties except in compliance with these policies and procedures.
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The Custodian Banks (State Street Bank and Bank of New York Mellon) are authorized to facilitate, under the supervision of PI, the release of portfolio holdings.
Regulatory Filings. Portfolio holdings for each Fund as of the second and fourth fiscal quarters are made public, as required by law, in a Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports. These reports are filed with the SEC on Form N-CSR and mailed to shareholders within 60 days after the end of the second and fourth fiscal quarters. Annual and semi-annual shareholder reports for a Fund may be accessed at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and at the website for the Prudential Investments mutual funds (www.prudentialfunds.com).
Portfolio holdings for each Fund as of the first and third fiscal quarters are made public, as required by law, in a Fund’s filings on Form N-Q, which are filed with the SEC within 60 days after the end of the first and third fiscal quarters. Filings on Form N-Q may be accessed at www.sec.gov.
Website Disclosure. A Fund may post on the Prudential Investments mutual funds website a detailed list of its portfolio holdings as of the end of each calendar month no sooner than approximately three business days prior to the end of the following month, unless noted otherwise herein. A Fund also may release, at a sleeve level and/or the composite level, its top ten holdings (or in the case of a Fund of Funds the complete list of portfolio Funds and/or the top ten holdings of the portfolio Funds), and summary statistics regarding sectors, countries and/or industries and other characteristics, as of each month end, with all such information posted to the website approximately 15 days after the end of the month, unless noted otherwise herein. ( Note: The Prudential Core Short-Term Bond Fund does not post portfolio holdings as of the end of each calendar month.)
A Fund that has recently commenced operations or adopted significant changes to its investment policies (a “repositioning”) may publicly release one or more of the items described above before the time periods described above, but in any event no earlier than 15 days from the date of the commencement of the Fund’s operations or the date of the repositioning (the “Effective Date”). The Fund may release this information prior to the time periods described in these procedures until the first fiscal quarter end or the first month end following the Effective Date, as applicable.
Additional Disclosures. Portfolio holdings information which appears on the Prudential Investments mutual funds website may also be made available in printed form. When authorized by the Chief Compliance Officer and another officer of the Prudential Investments mutual funds, portfolio holdings information may be publicly disseminated more frequently or at different periods than as described above.
Ongoing Disclosure Arrangements. Each Fund has entered into ongoing arrangements to make available nonpublic information about its portfolio holdings, subject to the conditions, restrictions and requirements set forth below. Parties receiving this information may include intermediaries that distribute Fund shares, third-party providers of auditing, custody, proxy voting and other services for the Funds, rating and ranking organizations, and certain affiliated persons of each Fund, as described below. The procedures utilized to determine eligibility are set forth below:
All requests from third parties for portfolio holdings shall require the following steps:
■ | A request for release of portfolio holdings shall be prepared setting forth a legitimate business purpose for such release which shall specify the Fund(s), the terms of such release, and frequency (e.g., level of detail, staleness). Such request shall address whether there are any conflicts of interest between the Fund and the investment adviser, subadviser, principal underwriter or any affiliated person thereof and how such conflicts shall be dealt with to demonstrate that the disclosure is in the best interest of the shareholders of the Fund(s). |
■ | The request shall be forwarded to PI’s Product Development Group and to the Chief Compliance Officer or his delegate for review and approval. |
■ | A confidentiality agreement in the form approved by a Fund officer must be executed by the recipient of the portfolio holdings. |
■ | A Fund officer shall approve the release and the agreement. Copies of the release and agreement shall be sent to PI’s Law Department. |
■ | Written notification of the approval shall be sent by such officer to PI’s Fund Administration Group to arrange the release of portfolio holdings. |
■ | PI’s Fund Administration Group shall arrange the release by the Custodian Banks. |
Requests for disclosure to PI or its employees shall follow the procedures noted above other than the execution of a confidentiality agreement.
Set forth below are the authorized ongoing arrangements as of the date of this SAI:
1. Traditional External Recipients/Vendors
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■ | Full holdings on a daily basis to Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), Broadridge and Glass, Lewis & Co. (proxy voting administrator/agents) at the end of each day; |
■ | Full holdings on a daily basis to ISS (securities class action claims administrator) at the end of each day; |
■ | Full holdings on a daily basis to a Fund's Subadviser(s), Custodian Bank, sub-custodian (if any) and accounting agents (which includes the Custodian Bank and any other accounting agent that may be appointed) at the end of each day. When a Fund has more than one Subadviser, each Subadviser receives holdings information only with respect to the “sleeve” or segment of the Fund for which the Subadviser has responsibility; |
■ | Full holdings to a Fund's independent registered public accounting firm as soon as practicable following the Fund's fiscal year-end or on an as-needed basis; and |
■ | Full holdings to financial printers as soon as practicable following the end of a Fund's quarterly, semi-annual and annual period-ends. |
2. Analytical Service Providers
■ | Fund trades on a quarterly basis to Abel/Noser Corp. (an agency-only broker and transaction cost analysis company) as soon as practicable following a Fund's fiscal quarter-end; |
■ | Full holdings on a daily basis to FT Interactive Data (a fair value information service) at the end of each day; |
■ | Full holdings on a daily basis to FactSet Research Systems Inc. and Lipper, Inc. (investment research providers) at the end of each day; |
■ | Full holdings on a daily basis to Performance Explorer Limited (investment research provider for Funds engaged in securities lending) at the end of each day, for certain Funds; |
■ | Full holdings on a daily basis to Vestek (for preparation of fact sheets) at the end of each day (Target Portfolio Trust, and selected Prudential Investments mutual Funds only); |
■ | Full holdings to Frank Russell Company (investment research provider) at the end of each month (Prudential Jennison Small Company Fund, Prudential Variable Contract Accounts -2 and -10 only); |
■ | Full holdings on a monthly basis to Fidelity Advisors (wrap program provider) approximately five days after the end of each month (Prudential Jennison Growth Fund and certain other selected Prudential Investments Funds only); |
■ | Full holdings on a daily basis to Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (operations support) (Prudential Financial Services Fund only); |
■ | Full holdings on a daily basis to Markit WSO Corporation (certain operational functions)(Prudential Financial Services Fund only); |
■ | Full holdings on a daily basis to Investment Technology Group, Inc. (analytical service provider) (Prudential Financial Services Fund only); |
■ | Full holdings on a daily basis to State Street Bank and Trust Company (operations service provider) (Prudential Financial Services Fund only); and |
■ | Full holdings on a quarterly basis to Prudential Retirement Services / Watson Wyatt Investment Retirement Services (401(k) plan recordkeeping) approximately 30 days after the close of the Fund's fiscal quarter-end (Prudential Jennison Growth Fund only). |
In each case, the information disclosed must be for a legitimate business purpose and is subject to a confidentiality agreement intended to prohibit the recipient from trading on or further disseminating such information (except for legitimate business purposes).
In addition, certain authorized employees of PI receive portfolio holdings information on a quarterly, monthly or daily basis or upon request, in order to perform their business functions. All PI employees are subject to the requirements of the personal securities trading policy of Prudential, which prohibits employees from trading on or further disseminating confidential information, including portfolio holdings information.
Also, affiliated shareholders may, subject to execution of a non-disclosure agreement, receive current portfolio holdings for the sole purpose of enabling a Fund to effect the payment of the redemption price to such shareholder in whole or in part by a distribution in kind of securities from the investment portfolio of the Fund, in lieu of cash, in conformity with the rules of the SEC and procedures adopted by the Board. For more information regarding the payment of the redemption price by a distribution in kind of securities from the investment portfolio of the Fund, see “Purchase, Redemption and Pricing of Fund Shares—Redemption in Kind.”
PI’s Law Department and the Chief Compliance Officer shall review the arrangements with each recipient on an annual basis. The Board shall, on a quarterly basis be advised of any revisions to the list of recipients of portfolio holdings and the reason for such disclosure. These policies and procedures will be reviewed for adequacy and effectiveness in connection with the Funds’ compliance program under Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act.
A listing of the parties who will receive portfolio holdings pursuant to these procedures is maintained by PI Compliance.
There can be no assurance that the policies and procedures on portfolio holdings information will protect a Fund from the potential misuse of such information by individuals or entities that come into possession of the information.
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PROXY VOTING
The Board has delegated to the Manager the responsibility for voting any proxies and maintaining proxy recordkeeping with respect to the Fund. The Manager is authorized by the Fund to delegate, in whole or in part, its proxy voting authority to the investment subadviser(s) or third party vendors consistent with the policies set forth below. The proxy voting process shall remain subject to the supervision of the Board, including any committee thereof established for that purpose.
The Manager and the Board view the proxy voting process as a component of the investment process and, as such, seek to ensure that all proxy proposals are voted with the primary goal of seeking the optimal benefit for the Fund. Consistent with this goal, the Board views the proxy voting process as a means to encourage strong corporate governance practices and ethical conduct by corporate management. The Manager and the Board maintain a policy of seeking to protect the best interests of the Fund should a proxy issue potentially implicate a conflict of interest between the Fund and the Manager or its affiliates.
The Manager delegates to the Fund's Subadviser(s) the responsibility for voting proxies. The Subadviser is expected to identify and seek to obtain the optimal benefit for the Fund, and to adopt written policies that meet certain minimum standards, including that the policies be reasonably designed to protect the best interests of the Fund and delineate procedures to be followed when a proxy vote presents a conflict between the interests of the Fund and the interests of the Subadviser or its affiliates. The Manager and the Board expect that the Subadviser will notify the Manager and Board at least annually of any such conflicts identified and confirm how the issue was resolved. In addition, the Manager expects that the Subadviser will deliver to the Manager, or its appointed vendor, information required for filing the Form N-PX with the SEC. Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to its portfolio securities during the most recent twelve-month period ending June 30 is available without charge on the Fund's website and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.
A summary of the proxy voting policies of the Subadviser(s) is set forth in its respective Appendix to this SAI.
CODES OF ETHICS
The Board has adopted a Code of Ethics. In addition, the Manager, investment subadviser(s) and Distributor have each adopted a Code of Ethics. The Codes of Ethics apply to access persons (generally, persons who have access to information about the Fund's investment program) and permit personnel subject to the Codes of Ethics to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. However, the protective provisions of the Codes of Ethics prohibit certain investments and limit such personnel from making investments during periods when the Fund is making such investments. The Codes of Ethics are on public file with, and are available from, the SEC.
APPENDIX I: PROXY VOTING POLICIES OF THE SUBADVISERS
PRUDENTIAL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, INC.
The policy of each of PIM’s asset management units is to vote proxies in the best interests of their respective clients based on the clients’ priorities. Client interests are placed ahead of any potential interest of PIM or its asset management units.
Because the various asset management units manage distinct classes of assets with differing management styles, some units will consider each proxy on its individual merits while other units may adopt a pre-determined set of voting guidelines. The specific voting approach of each unit is noted below.
Relevant members of management and regulatory personnel oversee the proxy voting process and monitor potential conflicts of interest. In addition, should the need arise, senior members of management, as advised by Compliance and Law, are authorized to address any proxy matter involving an actual or apparent conflict of interest that cannot be resolved at the level of an individual asset management business unit.
VOTING APPROACH OF PIM ASSET MANAGEMENT UNITS
Prudential Fixed Income. Prudential Fixed Income is a business unit of PIM. Prudential Fixed Income’s policy is to vote proxies in the best economic interest of its clients. In the case of pooled accounts, the policy is to vote proxies in the best economic interest of the pooled account. The proxy voting policy contains detailed voting guidelines on a wide variety of issues commonly voted upon by shareholders. These guidelines reflect Prudential Fixed Income’s judgment of how to further the best economic interest of its clients through the shareholder or debt-holder voting process.
Prudential Fixed Income invests primarily in debt securities, thus there are few traditional proxies voted by it. Prudential Fixed Income generally votes with management on routine matters such as the appointment of accountants or the election of directors. From time to time, ballot issues arise that are not addressed by the policy or circumstances may suggest a vote not in accordance with the established guidelines. In these cases, voting decisions are made on a case-by-case basis by the applicable portfolio manager taking
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into consideration the potential economic impact of the proposal. If a security is held in multiple accounts and two or more portfolio managers are not in agreement with respect to a particular vote, Prudential Fixed Income’s proxy voting committee will determine the vote. Not all ballots are received by Prudential Fixed Income in advance of voting deadlines, but when ballots are received in a timely fashion, Prudential Fixed Income strives to meet its voting obligations. It cannot, however, guarantee that every proxy will be voted prior to its deadline.
With respect to non-US holdings, Prudential Fixed Income takes into account additional restrictions in some countries that might impair its ability to trade those securities or have other potentially adverse economic consequences. Prudential Fixed Income generally votes non-US securities on a best efforts basis if it determines that voting is in the best economic interest of its clients.
Occasionally, a conflict of interest may arise in connection with proxy voting. For example, the issuer of the securities being voted may also be a client of Prudential Fixed Income. When Prudential Fixed Income identifies an actual or potential conflict of interest between the firm and its clients with respect to proxy voting, the matter is presented to senior management who will resolve such issue in consultation with the compliance and legal departments.
Any client may obtain a copy of Prudential Fixed Income’s proxy voting policy, guidelines and procedures, as well as the proxy voting records for that client’s securities, by contacting the client service representative responsible for the client’s account.
Prudential Real Estate Investors. Prudential Real Estate Investors (PREI ® ) is a business unit of PIM. PREI's proxy voting policy contains detailed voting guidelines on a wide variety of issues commonly voted upon by shareholders. These guidelines reflect PREI's judgment of how to further the best long-range economic interest of our clients (i.e. the mutual interest of clients in seeing the appreciation in value of a common investment over time) through the shareholder voting process. PREI's policy is generally to vote proxies on social or political issues on a case by case basis. Additionally, where issues are not addressed by our policy, or when circumstances suggest a vote not in accordance with our established guidelines, voting decisions are made on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration the potential economic impact of the proposal. With respect to international holdings, we take into account additional restrictions in some countries that might impair our ability to trade those securities or have other potentially adverse economic consequences, and generally vote foreign securities on a best efforts basis in accordance with the recommendations of the issuer's management if we determine that voting is in the best economic interest of our clients.
PREI utilizes the services of a third party proxy voting facilitator, and upon receipt of proxies will direct the voting facilitator to vote in a manner consistent with PREI's established proxy voting guidelines described above (assuming timely receipt of proxy materials from issuers and custodians). In accordance with its obligations under the Advisers Act, PREI provides full disclosure of its proxy voting policy, guidelines and procedures to its clients upon their request, and will also provide to any client, upon request, the proxy voting records for that client's securities.
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APPENDIX II: DESCRIPTIONS OF SECURITY RATINGS
MOODY'S INVESTORS SERVICE, INC. (MOODY'S)
Debt Ratings
Aaa: Bonds which are rated Aaa are judged to be of the best quality. They carry the smallest degree of investment risk and are generally referred to as “gilt edged.” Interest payments are protected by a large or by an exceptionally stable margin and principal is secure. While the various protective elements are likely to change, such changes as can be visualized are most unlikely to impair the fundamentally strong position of such issues.
Aa: Bonds which are rated Aa are judged to be of high quality by all standards. Together with the Aaa group they comprise what are generally known as high-grade bonds. They are rated lower than the best bonds because margins of protection may not be as large as in Aaa securities or fluctuation of protective elements may be of greater amplitude or there may be other elements present which make the long-term risks appear somewhat larger than the Aaa securities.
A: Bonds which are rated A possess many favorable investment attributes and are to be considered as upper-medium-grade obligations. Factors giving security to principal and interest are considered adequate, but elements may be present which suggest a susceptibility to impairment some time in the future.
Baa: Bonds which are rated Baa are considered as medium-grade obligations, i.e., they are neither highly protected nor poorly secured. Interest payments and principal security appear adequate for the present but certain protective elements may be lacking or may be characteristically unreliable over any great length of time. Such bonds lack outstanding investment characteristics and in fact have speculative characteristics as well.
Ba: Bonds which are rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements; their future cannot be considered as well assured. Often the protection of interest and principal payments may be very moderate and thereby not well safeguarded during both good and bad times over the future. Uncertainty of position characterizes bonds in this class.
B: Bonds which are rated B generally lack characteristics of the desirable investment. Assurance of interest and principal payments or of maintenance of other terms of the contract over any long period of time may be small.
Caa: Bonds which are rated Caa are of poor standing. Such issues may be in default or there may be present elements of danger with respect to principal or interest.
Ca: Bonds which are rated Ca represent obligations which are speculative in a high degree. Such issues are often in default or have other marked shortcomings.
C: Bonds which are rated C are the lowest-rated class of bonds, and issues so rated can be regarded as having extremely poor prospects of ever attaining any real investment standing.
Moody's applies numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 in each generic rating category from Aa to Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the issuer is in the higher end of its letter rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; the modifier 3 indicates that the issuer is in the lower end of the letter ranking category.
Short-Term Ratings
Moody's short-term debt ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor senior financial obligations and contracts. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding one year, unless explicitly noted.
PRIME-1: Issuers rated Prime-1 (or supporting institutions) have a superior ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. Prime-1 repayment ability will often be evidenced by many of the following characteristics:
■ | Leading market positions in well-established industries. |
■ | High rates of return on funds employed. |
■ | Conservative capitalization structure with moderate reliance on debt and ample asset protection. |
■ | Broad margins in earnings coverage of fixed financial charges and high internal cash generation. |
■ | Well-established access to a range of financial markets and assured sources of alternate liquidity. |
PRIME-2: Issuers rated Prime-2 (or supporting institutions) have a strong ability for repayment of senior short-term debt obligations. This normally will be evidenced by many of the characteristics cited above but to a lesser degree. Earnings trends and coverage ratios, while sound, may be more subject to variation. Capitalization characteristics, while still appropriate, may be more affected by external conditions. Ample alternate liquidity is maintained.
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MIG 1: This designation denotes best quality. There is strong protection by established cash flows, superior liquidity support or demonstrated broad-based access to the market for refinancing.
MIG 2: This designation denotes high quality. Margins of protection are ample although not so large as in the preceding group.
STANDARD & POOR'S RATINGS SERVICES (S&P)
Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
AAA: An obligation rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong.
AA: An obligation rated AA differs from the highest rated obligations only in small degree. The obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong.
A: An obligation rated A is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor's capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong.
BBB: An obligation rated BBB exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
BB: An obligation rated BB is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligor's inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
B: An obligation rated B is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated BB, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor's capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CCC: An obligation rated CCC is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
CC: An obligation rated CC is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment.
C: The C rating may be used to cover a situation where a bankruptcy petition has been filed or similar action has been taken, but payments on this obligation are being continued.
Plus (+) or Minus (–): The ratings from AA to CCC may be modified by the addition of a plus or minus sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
Commercial Paper Ratings
A-1: This designation indicates that the degree of safety regarding timely payment is strong. Those issues determined to possess extremely strong safety characteristics are denoted with a plus sign (+) designation.
A-2: Capacity for timely payment on issues with this designation is satisfactory. However, the relative degree of safety is not as high as for issues designated A-1.
Notes Ratings
An S&P notes rating reflects the liquidity factors and market risks unique to notes. Notes due in three years or less will likely receive a notes rating. Notes maturing beyond three years will most likely receive a long-term debt rating. The following criteria will be used in making that assessment.
■ | Amortization schedule-the longer the final maturity relative to other maturities the more likely it will be treated as a note. |
■ | Source of payment-the more dependent the issue is on the market for its refinancing, the more likely it will be treated as a note. |
Note rating symbols are as follows:
SP-1: Strong capacity to pay principal and interest. An issue determined to possess a very strong capacity to pay debt service is given a plus (+) designation.
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SP-2: Satisfactory capacity to pay principal and interest, with some vulnerability to adverse financial and economic changes over the term of the notes.
FITCH RATINGS LTD.
International Long-Term Credit Ratings
AAA: Highest Credit Quality. AAA ratings denote the lowest expectation of credit risk. They are assigned only in case of exceptionally strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.
AA: Very High Credit Quality. AA ratings denote a very low expectation of credit risk. They indicate very strong capacity for timely payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A: High Credit Quality. A ratings denote a low expectation of credit risk. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to changes in circumstances or in economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.
BBB: Good Credit Quality. BBB ratings indicate that there is currently a low expectation of credit risk. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is considered adequate, but adverse changes in circumstances and in economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity. This is the lowest investment-grade category.
BB: Speculative. BB ratings indicate that there is a possibility of credit risk developing, particularly as the result of adverse economic change over time; however, business or financial alternatives may be available to allow financial commitments to be met. Securities rated in this category are not investment grade.
B: Highly Speculative. B ratings indicate that significant credit risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is contingent upon a sustained, favorable business and economic environment.
CCC, CC, C: High Default Risk. Default is a real possibility. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon sustained, favorable business or economic developments. A CC rating indicates that default of some kind appears probable. C ratings signal imminent default.
International Short-Term Credit Ratings
F1: Highest Credit Quality. Indicates the strongest capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added “+” to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
F2: Good Credit Quality. A satisfactory capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, but the margin of safety is not as great as in the case of the higher ratings.
F3: Fair Credit Quality. The capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate; however, near-term adverse changes could result in a reduction to non-investment grade.
B: Speculative. Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus vulnerability to near-term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
C: High Default Risk. Default is a real possibility. Capacity for meeting financial commitments is solely reliant upon a sustained, favorable business and economic investment.
Plus (+) or Minus (–): Plus or minus signs may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the AAA long-term rating category, to categories below CCC, or to short-term ratings other than F1.
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PART C
OTHER INFORMATION
Item 28. Exhibits.
(a)(1) Agreement and Declaration of Trust. Incorporated by reference to registration statement of JennisonDryden Opportunity Funds (the Registrant) on Form N-1A filed on February 1, 2000 (File No. 333-95849).
(2) Certificate of Trust. Incorporated by reference to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on February 1, 2000 (File No. 333-95849).
(3) Amendment to Certificate of Trust dated September 4, 2001. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 7 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on February 20, 2002 (file No. 333-95849).
(4) Amendment to Certificate of Trust dated May 29, 2008. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 18 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on May 29, 2008 (file no. 333-95849).
(5) Amendment to Certificate of Trust dated February 3, 2010. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 21 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 23, 2010 (file no. 333-95849).
(6) Articles of Association of Prudential Real Assets Subsidiary Ltd. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 22 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on September 27, 2010 (file no. 333-95849).
(7) Articles of Association of Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Subsidiary Ltd. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 48 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 20, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(b) By-laws. Incorporated by reference to pre-effective amendment no. 1 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on March 27, 2000 (File No. 333-95849).
(c) In response to this item, Registrant incorporates by reference the following provisions of its Agreement and Declaration of Trust and By-Laws, Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 48 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 20, 2015 (file no. 333-95849) as Exhibit (a)(3) and Exhibit (b), respectively, defining the rights of Registrant’s shareholders: Articles III and V of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust and Article III of the By-Laws.
(d)(1) Management Agreement between Registrant and Prudential Investments, LLC (PI) with respect to Strategic Partners Focused Growth Fund (now known as Prudential Jennison Select Growth Fund). Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment No. 10 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed April 30, 2004 (File No. 333-95849).
(2) Sub-Management Agreement between PI and Prudential Investment Management, Inc. (PIM) with respect to the Prudential Jennison Select Growth Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 1 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on July 21, 2000 (File No. 333-95849).
(3) Subadvisory Agreement between PIM and Jennison Associates LLC (Jennison) with respect to the Prudential Jennison Select Growth Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 6 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 27, 2001 (File No. 333-95849).
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(4) Management Agreement between Registrant and PI with respect to Dryden Strategic Value Fund (now known as Prudential Strategic Value Fund) dated September 19, 2005. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 14 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed May 31, 2006 (File No. 333-95849).
(5) Subadvisory Agreement between PI and Quantitative Management Associates (QMA) with respect to the Prudential Strategic Value Fund dated September 14, 2005. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 14 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed May 31, 2006 (File No. 333-95849).
(6) Amendment to Sub-Management Agreement between PI and PIM with respect to the Prudential Jennison Select Growth Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 16 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed June 4, 2007 (File No. 333-95849).
(7) Management Agreement between Registrant and PI with respect to Prudential Real Assets Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 22 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on September 27, 2010 (file no. 333-95849).
(8) Subadvisory Agreement between PI and QMA with respect to the Prudential Real Assets Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 22 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on September 27, 2010 (file no. 333-95849).
(9) Subadvisory Agreement between PI and PIM with respect to the Prudential Real Assets Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 22 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on September 27, 2010 (file no. 333-95849).
(10) Subadvisory Agreement between PI and Jefferies Asset Management, LLC (now known as CoreCommodity Management, LLC), with respect to the Prudential Real Assets Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 32 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 30, 2012 (file no. 333-95849).
(11) Management Agreement between PI and the Prudential Real Assets Subsidiary, Ltd. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 22 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on September 27, 2010 (file no. 333-95849).
(12) Subadvisory Agreement between PI and QMA with respect to the Prudential Real Assets Subsidiary Ltd. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 22 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on September 27, 2010 (file no. 333-95849).
(13) Subadvisory Agreement between PI and Jefferies Asset Management, LLC (now known as CoreCommodity Management, LLC) with respect to the Prudential Real Assets Subsidiary Ltd. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 32 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 30, 2012 (file no. 333-95849).
(14) Management Agreement between Registrant and PI with respect to the Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 48 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 20, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(15) Subadvisory Agreement between PI and QMA with respect to the Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 48 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 20, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(16) Management Agreement between PI and the Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Subsidiary, Ltd. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 48 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 20, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
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(17) Subadvisory Agreement between PI and QMA with respect to the Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Subsidiary Ltd. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 48 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 20, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(18) Management Agreement between Registrant and PI with respect to the Prudential Unconstrained Bond Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 52 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on July 9, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(19) Subadvisory Agreement between PI and PIM with respect to the Prudential Unconstrained Bond Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 52 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on July 9, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(20) Form of Sub-Subadvisory Agreement between PIM and Pramerica Investment Management Ltd. (PIML) with respect to the Prudential Unconstrained Bond Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 52 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on July 9, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(21) Management Agreement between Registrant and PI with respect to the Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund. Filed herewith.
(22) Subadvisory Agreement between PI and PIM with respect to the Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund. Filed herewith.
(23) Sub-Subadvisory Agreement between PIM and Pramerica Investment Management Ltd. (PIML) with respect to the Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund. Filed herewith.
(e)(1) Amended and Restated Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and Prudential Investment Management Services LLC dated September 16, 2010. Incorporated by reference to Prudential Jennison Small Company Fund, Inc. Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 2-68723) filed via EDGAR on September 16, 2010.
(1)(i) Amended Exhibit A for Distribution Agreement dated September 16, 2010. Incorporated by reference to Prudential World Fund, Inc. Post-Effective Amendment No. 56 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 2-89725) filed via EDGAR on January 11, 2011.
(2) Dealer Agreement. Incorporated by reference to pre-effective amendment no. 1 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on March 27, 2000 (File No. 333-95849).
(f) Not applicable.
(g)(1) Custodian Contract between Registrant and The Bank of New York (BNY) dated November 7, 2002. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 9 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed April 30, 2003 (File No. 333-95849).
(2) Amendment dated June 6, 2005 to Custodian Agreement between the Registrant and BNY. Incorporated by reference to the Dryden Tax-Managed Funds Post-Effective Amendment No. 18 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-66895) filed on December 30, 2005.
(3) Amendment dated June 30, 2009 to Custodian Agreement dated November 7, 2002 between the Registrant and BNY. Incorporated by reference to the Prudential Investment Portfolios 4 Post-Effective Amendment No. 32 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed via EDGAR on April 12, 2010 (File No. 33-10649).
(4) Amendment dated December 21, 2010 to Custodian Agreement between the Registrant and BNY dated November 7, 2002. Incorporated by reference to Prudential World Fund, Inc. Post-Effective Amendment No. 56 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 2-89725) filed via EDGAR on January 11, 2011.
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(5) Amendment to Custodian Agreement between the Registrant and BNY, relating to the Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 48 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 20, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(6) Accounting Services Agreement dated July 1, 2005 between the Registrant and PFPC Inc. Incorporated (PFPC) by reference to Exhibit (g)(4) to post-effective amendment no. 14 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed May 31, 2006 (File No. 333-95849).
(7) Fund Addition to Accounting Services Agreement between the Registrant and PFPC, relating to Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Bond Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 48 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 20, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(8) Amendment to Custodian Agreement between the Registrant and BNY, relating to the Prudential Unconstrained Bond Fund. Incorporated by reference to the Prudential Investment Portfolios 9 Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-66895), filed via EDGAR on June 2, 2015.
(9) Fund Addition to Accounting Services Agreement between the Registrant and PFPC. Incorporated by reference to the Prudential Investment Portfolios 9 Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-66895), filed via EDGAR on June 2, 2015.
(10) Amendment to Custodian Agreement between the Registrant and BNY, relating to the Prudential Global Absolute Bond Fund. Filed herewith.
(11) Fund Addition to Accounting Services Agreement between the Registrant and PFPC, relating to the Prudential Global Absolute Bond Fund. Filed herewith.
(h)(1) Amended and Restated Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Registrant and Prudential Mutual Fund Services, Inc., dated May 29, 2007. Incorporated by reference to the Dryden Municipal Bond Fund Post-Effective Amendment No. 29 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed via EDGAR on June 29, 2007 (File No. 33-10649).
(2) Amendment dated September 2, 2008 to Amended and Restated Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated May 29, 2007. Incorporated by reference to the Target Portfolio Trust Post-Effective Amendment No. 27 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A as filed with the Commission on January 30, 2009 (File No. 33-50476).
(3) Amendment dated December 21, 2010 to Amended and Restated Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated May 29, 2007 relating to the Prudential Real Assets Fund and the Prudential Real Assets Subsidiary Ltd. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 24 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on December 30, 2010 (file no. 333-95849).
(4) Expense waivers for the Prudential Real Assets Fund and the Prudential Real Assets Subsidiary Fund, Ltd. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 50 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 28, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(5) Expense waiver for Prudential Jennison Select Growth Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 50 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 28, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(6) Expense waiver for Prudential Strategic Value Fund. Incorporated by reference to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-14 filed on January 16, 2015 (file no. 333- 201587).
(7) Amendment dated April 1, 2015 to Amended and Restated Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated May 29, 2007 relating to the Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Fund and the Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Subsidiary Ltd. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 48 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 20, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
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(8) Expense waivers for the Prudential Global Tactical Asset Allocation Fund and the Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Subsidiary Fund, Ltd. Incorporated. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 48 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 20, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(9) Amendment dated June 1, 2015, to Amended and Restated Transfer Agency and Service Agreement dated May 29, 2007 relating to the Prudential Unconstrained Bond Fund. Incorporated by reference to the Prudential Investment Portfolios 9 Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 333-66895), filed via EDGAR on June 2, 2015.
(10) Expense waiver for the Prudential Unconstrained Bond Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 52 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on July 9, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(11) Expense waiver for the Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund. Filed herewith.
(i)(1) Opinion of counsel. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 8 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed April 24, 2002 (File No. 333-95849).
(2) Opinion of Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell dated February 9, 2007. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 15 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed February 9, 2007 (File No. 333-95849).
(3) Opinion of Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell for Prudential Real Assets Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 22 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on September 27, 2010 (file no. 333-95849).
(4) Opinion of Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell for Class Q shares for Prudential Jennison Select Growth Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 32 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 30, 2012 (file no. 333-95849).
(5) Opinion of Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell for Class Q shares for Prudential Real Assets Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 43 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on January 26, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(6) Opinion of Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell as to the legality of the securities being registered for Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 48 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 20, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(7) Opinion of Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell as to the legality of the securities being registered for Prudential Unconstrained Bond Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 52 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on July 9, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(8) Opinion of Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell for Class R shares for Prudential Strategic Value Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 50 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 28, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(9) Opinion of Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell as to the legality of the securities being registered for Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund. Filed herewith.
(j) Not applicable.
(k) Not applicable.
(l) Not applicable.
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(m)(1) Amended and Restated Distribution and Service Plan for Class A shares of the Registrant. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 22 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on September 27, 2010 (file no. 333-95849).
(2) Amended and Restated Distribution and Service Plan for Class B shares of the Registrant. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 22 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on September 27, 2010 (file no. 333-95849).
(3) Amended and Restated Distribution and Service Plan for Class C shares of the Registrant.
(4) Amended and Restated Distribution and Service Plan for Class A shares of the Prudential Investments fixed income funds, including Prudential Unconstrained Bond Fund. Incorporated by reference to the Prudential Investment Portfolios, Inc. 14 Post-Effective Amendment No. 55 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 002-82976), filed via EDGAR on April 27, 2015.
(5) Rule 12b-1 fee waiver for Class A shares of Prudential Strategic Value Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 50 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 28, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(6) Rule 12b-1 fee waiver for Class A shares of Prudential Jennison Select Growth Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 50 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 28, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(7) Rule 12b-1 fee waiver for Class A shares of Prudential Real Assets Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 50 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 28, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(8) Rule 12b-1 fee waiver for Class R shares of Prudential Strategic Value Fund. Incorporated by reference to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-14 filed on January 16, 2015 (file no. 333- ).
(9) Rule 12b-1 fee waiver for Class A shares of Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Fund. Incorporated by reference to post-effective amendment no. 48 to Registrant’s registration statement on Form N-1A filed on April 20, 2015 (file no. 333-95849).
(n) Amended and Restated Rule 18f-3 Plan dated September 15, 2010. Incorporated by reference to the Prudential Jennison Small Company Fund, Inc. Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed via EDGAR on September 16, 2010 (File No.2-68723.
(o) Not applicable.
(p)(1) Code of Ethics of the Registrant. Incorporated by reference to Exhibit (r)(1) to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form N-2 for Prudential Global Short Duration High Yield Fund, Inc., filed via EDGAR on October 5, 2012 (File No. 333-182826).
(2) Code of Ethics and Personal Securities Trading Policy of Prudential, including the Manager and Distributor, dated January 10, 2011, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 21 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of Prudential Investment Portfolios 12, filed via EDGAR on June 1, 2011 (File No. 333-42705).
(3) Jennison Associates LLC's Code of Ethics dated October 5, 2005. Incorporated by reference to corresponding exhibit to Post-Effective Amendment No. 12 to the Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed via EDGAR on April 3, 2006 (File No. 333-43491).
6
Item 29. Persons Controlled by or under Common Control with the Registrant.
The Prudential Real Assets Fund wholly owns and controls the Prudential Real Assets Subsidiary, Ltd. (the “Subsidiary”), a company organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Subsidiary’s financial statements will be included in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders, as indicated in Item 30.
Item 30. Indemnification.
As permitted by Sections 17(h) and (i) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), and pursuant to Del. Code Ann. title 12 sec. 3817, a Delaware business trust may provide in its governing instrument for the indemnification of its officers and trustees from and against any and all claims and demands whatsoever. Article VII, Section 2 of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust (Exhibit a(1) to this registration statement) states that (1) Registrant shall indemnify any present trustee or officer to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability, and all expenses reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he or she is involved by virtue of his or her service as a trustee, officer or both, and against any amount incurred in settlement thereof and (2) all persons extending credit to, contracting with or having any claim against Registrant shall look only to the assets of the appropriate Series (or if no Series has yet been established, only to the assets of Registrant). Indemnification will not be provided to a person adjudged by a court or other adjudicatory body to be liable to Registrant or its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or her duties (collectively “disabling conduct”). In the event of a settlement, no indemnification may be provided unless there has been a determination, as specified in the Agreement and Declaration of Trust, that the officer or trustee did not engage in disabling conduct. In addition, Article XI of Registrant’s By-Laws (Exhibit b to this registration statement) provides that any trustee, officer, employee or other agent of Registrant shall be indemnified by Registrant against all liabilities and expenses subject to certain limitations and exceptions contained in Article XI of the By-Laws. As permitted by Section 17(i) of the 1940 Act, pursuant to Section 10 of the Distribution Agreements (Exhibit e(1) and (3) to this registration statement), the Distributors of Registrant may be indemnified against liabilities which it may incur, except liabilities arising from bad faith, gross negligence, willful misfeasance or reckless disregard of duties.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), may be permitted to Trustees, officers and controlling persons of Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions or otherwise, Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the 1940 Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a Trustee, officer, or controlling person of Registrant in connection with the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted against Registrant by such Trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the shares being registered, Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the 1940 Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
Registrant will purchase an insurance policy insuring its officers and Trustees against liabilities, and certain costs of defending claims against such officers and Trustees, to the extent such officers and Trustees are not found to have committed conduct constituting willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard in the performance of their duties. The insurance policy also insures Registrant against the cost of indemnification payments to officers and Trustees under certain circumstances.
Section 8 of each Management Agreement (Exhibits d(1) and (d)(4) to this registration statement), Section 4 of the Sub-Management Agreement (Exhibit d(2) to this registration statement) and Section 4 of each Subadvisory Agreement (Exhibits d(3) and d(5) to this registration statement) limit the liability of PI, PIM, Jennison, TCW, Calamos, respectively, to liabilities arising from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of their respective duties or from reckless disregard by them of their respective obligations and duties under the agreements.
7
Registrant hereby undertakes that it will apply the indemnification provisions of its By-Laws and the Distribution Agreement in a manner consistent with Release No. 11330 of the SEC under the 1940 Act so long as the interpretation of Section 17(h) and 17(i) of such Act remain in effect and are consistently applied.
Under Section 17(h) of the 1940 Act, it is the position of the staff of the SEC that if there is neither a court determination on the merits that the defendant is not liable nor a court determination that the defendant was not guilty of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of one’s office, no indemnification will be permitted unless an independent legal counsel (not including a counsel who does work for either Registrant, its investment adviser, its principal underwriter or persons affiliated with these persons) determines, based upon a review of the facts, that the person in question was not guilty of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.
Under its Agreement and Declaration of Trust, Registrant may advance funds to provide for indemnification. Pursuant to the SEC staff’s position on Section 17(h), advances will be limited in the following respect:
(1) Any advances must be limited to amounts used, or to be used, for the preparation and/or presentation of a defense to the action (including cost connected with preparation of a settlement);
(2) Any advances must be accompanied by a written promise by, or on behalf of, the recipient to repay that amount of the advance which exceeds the amount to which it is ultimately determined that he is entitled to receive from Registrant by reason of indemnification;
(3) Such promise must be secured by a surety bond or other suitable insurance; and
(4) Such surety bond or other insurance must be paid for by the recipient of such advance.
Item 31. Business and other Connections of the Investment Adviser.
Prudential Investments LLC (PI)
See the Prospectus constituting Part A of this Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement and “Management and Advisory Arrangements” in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI) constituting Part B of this Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement.
The business and other connections of the officers of PI are listed in Schedules A and D of Form ADV of PI as currently on file with the Commission, the text of which is hereby incorporated by reference (File No. 801-31104).
Jennison Associates LLC (Jennison)
See the Prospectus constituting a portion of Part A of this Registration Statement and “Management and Advisory Arrangements” in the SAI.
Information as to Jennison’s directors and executive officers is included in its Form ADV filed with the Commission (801-5608), as most recently amended, the relevant text of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Pramerica Investment Management Ltd. (PIML)
See the Prospectus constituting Part A of this Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement and “Management and Advisory Arrangements” in the SAI.
Information as to PIML’s directors and executive officers is included in its Form ADV as currently on file with the Commission (File No. 801-73882), the relevant text of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Prudential Investment Management, Inc. (PIM)
8
See the Prospectus constituting Part A of the Registration Statement and “Management and Advisory Arrangements” in the SAI constituting Part B of this Registration Statement.
The business and other connections of the directors and executive officers of Prudential Investment Management, Inc. are included in Schedule A and D of Form ADV filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (File No. 801-22808), as most recently amended, the text of which is hereby incorporated reference.
Quantitative Management Associates LLC (QMA)
See the Prospectus constituting Part A of this Registration Statement and “Management and Advisory Arrangements” in the SAI.
Information as to QMA’s directors and executive officers is included in its Form ADV as currently on file with the Commission (File No. 801-62692), the relevant text of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 32. Principal Underwriters.
(a) Prudential Investment Management Services LLC (PIMS)
PIMS is distributor for The Prudential Investment Portfolios, Inc., Prudential Investment Portfolios 2, Prudential Investment Portfolios 3, Prudential Investment Portfolios Inc. 14, Prudential Investment Portfolios 4, Prudential Investment Portfolios 5, Prudential MoneyMart Assets, Inc., Prudential Investment Portfolios 6, Prudential National Muni Fund, Inc., Prudential Jennison Blend Fund, Inc., Prudential Jennison Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Inc., Prudential Investment Portfolios 7, Prudential Investment Portfolios 8, Prudential Jennison Small Company Fund, Inc., Prudential Investment Portfolios 9, Prudential World Fund, Inc., Prudential Investment Portfolios, Inc. 10, Prudential Jennison Natural Resources Fund, Inc., Prudential Global Total Return Fund, Inc., Prudential Investment Portfolios 12, Prudential Investment Portfolios, Inc. 15, Prudential Investment Portfolios 16, Prudential Investment Portfolios, Inc. 17, Prudential Investment Portfolios 18, Prudential Sector Funds, Inc. Prudential Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund, Inc., The Target Portfolio Trust, and The Prudential Series Fund.
PIMS is also distributor of the following other investment companies: Separate Accounts: Prudential’s Gibraltar Fund, Inc., The Prudential Variable Contract Account-2, The Prudential Variable Contract Account-10, The Prudential Variable Contract Account-11, The Prudential Variable Contract Account-24, The Prudential Variable Contract GI-2, The Prudential Discovery Select Group Variable Contract Account, The Pruco Life Flexible Premium Variable Annuity Account, The Pruco Life of New Jersey Flexible Premium Variable Annuity Account, The Prudential Individual Variable Contract Account, The Prudential Qualified Individual Variable Contract Account and PRIAC Variable Contract Account A.
(b) The following table sets forth information regarding certain officers of PIMS. As a limited liability company, PIMS has no directors.
Name and Principal Business Address | Positions and Offices with Underwriter | |
David Hunt (1) | President and Chief Executive Officer | |
Christine C. Marcks (3) | Executive Vice President | |
Gary F. Neubeck (1) | Executive Vice President | |
Stuart S. Parker (1) | Executive Vice President | |
Scott E. Benjamin (1) | Vice President | |
Joanne M. Accurso-Soto (1) | Senior Vice President | |
Michael J. King (2) | Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary | |
Peter J. Boland (1) | Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer | |
John N. Christolini (3) | Senior Vice President | |
Mark R. Hastings (1) | Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer | |
Michael J. McQuade (1) | Senior Vice President, Comptroller and Chief Financial Officer | |
John L. Bronson (2) | Vice President and Deputy Chief Legal Officer | |
Richard W. Kinville (2) | Vice President and Anti-Money Laundering Officer |
9
Principal Business Addresses:
(1) | 655 Broad Street, Newark, NJ 07102 |
(2) | 751 Broad Street, Newark NJ, 07102 |
(3) | 280 Trumbull Street, Hartford, CT 06103 |
(c) Registrant has no principal underwriter who is not an affiliated person of the Registrant.
Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records.
All accounts, books and other documents required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the 1940 Act and the Rules thereunder are maintained at the offices of Bank of New York Mellon, 1 Wall Street, NY NY 10011, Jennison Associates LLC, 744 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017, Quantitative Management Associates LLC, Gateway Center Two, 100 Mulberry Street, Newark, NJ 07102, Prudential Investment Management, Inc., Gateway Center Two, 100 Mulberry Street, Newark, NJ 07102, Pramerica Investment Management Limited, Grand Buildings, 1-3 Strand, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5HR. , the Registrant, 655 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102, and Prudential Mutual Fund Services LLC (PMFS), 655 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102.
Documents required by Rules 31a-1(b) (4), (5), (6), (7), (9), (10) and (11) and 31a-1 (d) and (f) will be kept at 655 Broad Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102, and the remaining accounts, books and other documents required by such other pertinent provisions of Section 31(a) and the Rules promulgated thereunder will be kept by BNY and PMFS.
Item 34. Management Services.
Other than as set forth under the captions “How the Fund is Managed-Manager” and “How the Fund is Managed-Distributor” in the Prospectus and the caption “Management and Advisory Arrangements” in the SAI, constituting Parts A and B, respectively, of this Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement, Registrant is not a party to any management-related service contract.
Item 35. Undertakings.
Not applicable.
10
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement under Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Newark, and State of New Jersey, on the 2nd day of November, 2015.
Prudential Investment Portfolios 3 |
* |
Stuart S. Parker, President |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.
Signature | Title | Date | ||
*
Ellen S. Alberding |
Trustee | |||
*
Kevin J. Bannon |
Trustee | |||
*
Scott E. Benjamin |
Trustee | |||
*
Linda W. Bynoe |
Trustee | |||
*
Keith F. Hartstein |
Trustee | |||
*
Michael S. Hyland |
Trustee | |||
*
Stuart S. Parker |
Trustee and President, Principal Executive Officer | |||
*
Richard A. Redeker |
Trustee | |||
*
Stephen Stoneburn |
Trustee | |||
*
Grace C. Torres |
Trustee | |||
*
M. Sadiq Peshimam |
Treasurer, Principal Financial and Accounting Officer | |||
*By: /s/ Claudia DiGiacomo
Claudia DiGiacomo |
Attorney-in-Fact | November 2, 2015 |
11
POWER OF ATTORNEY
The undersigned Directors, Trustees and Officers of the Prudential Investments Mutual Funds, the Target Funds and The Prudential Variable Contract Accounts 2, 10 and 11 (collectively, the “Funds”), hereby constitute, appoint and authorize each of, Andrew French, Claudia DiGiacomo, Deborah A. Docs, Raymond A. O’Hara, Amanda S. Ryan, and Jonathan D. Shain, as true and lawful agents and attorneys-in-fact, to sign, execute and deliver on his or her behalf in the appropriate capacities indicated, any Registration Statements of the Funds on the appropriate forms, any and all amendments thereto (including pre- and post-effective amendments), and any and all supplements or other instruments in connection therewith, including Form N-PX, Forms 3, 4 and 5, as appropriate, to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and the securities regulators of appropriate states and territories, and generally to do all such things in his or her name and behalf in connection therewith as said attorney-in-fact deems necessary or appropriate to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, all related requirements of the SEC and all requirements of appropriate states and territories. The undersigned do hereby give to said agents and attorneys-in-fact full power and authority to act in these premises, including, but not limited to, the power to appoint a substitute or substitutes to act hereunder with the same power and authority as said agents and attorneys-in-fact would have if personally acting. The undersigned do hereby approve, ratify and confirm all that said agents and attorneys-in-fact, or any substitute or substitutes, may do by virtue hereof.
/s/ Ellen S. Alberding
Ellen S. Alberding |
/s/ Stuart S. Parker
Stuart S. Parker |
|
/s/ Kevin J. Bannon
Kevin J. Bannon |
/s/ M. Sadiq Peshimam
M. Sadiq Peshimam |
|
/s/ Scott E. Benjamin
Scott E. Benjamin |
/s/ Richard A. Redeker
Richard A. Redeker |
|
/s/ Linda W. Bynoe
Linda W. Bynoe |
/s/ Stephen Stoneburn
Stephen Stoneburn |
|
/s/ Keith F. Hartstein
Keith F. Hartstein |
/s/ Grace C. Torres
Grace C. Torres |
|
/s/ Michael S. Hyland
Michael S. Hyland |
||
Dated: September 16, 2015 | ||
12
Prudential Investment Portfolios 3
Exhibit Index
Item 28
Exhibit No. |
Description | |
(d)(21) | Management Agreement between Registrant and PI with respect to the Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund. | |
(d)(22) | Subadvisory Agreement between PI and PIM with respect to the Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund | |
(d)(23) | Sub-Subadvisory Agreement between PIM and Pramerica Investment Management Ltd. (PIML) with respect to the Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund | |
(g)(10) | Amendment to Custodian Agreement between the Registrant and BNY, relating to the Prudential Global Absolute Bond Fund. | |
(g)(11) | Fund Addition to Accounting Services Agreement between the Registrant and PFPC, relating to the Prudential Global Absolute Bond Fund. | |
(h)(11) | Expense waiver for the Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund. | |
(i)(9) | Opinion of Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell as to the legality of the securities being registered for Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund. |
13
PRUDENTIAL INVESTMENT PORTFOLIOS
3
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund
MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
Agreement made the 1st day of October, 2015, between Prudential Investment Portfolios 3, a Delaware business trust (the Trust), on behalf of its series, the Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund, and Prudential Investments LLC, a New York limited liability company (the Manager).
W I T N E S S E T H
WHEREAS, the Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act); and
WHEREAS, the Trust desires to retain the Manager to render or contract to obtain as hereinafter provided investment advisory services to the Trust and its series, Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund and the Trust also desires to avail itself of the facilities available to the Manager with respect to the administration of its day-to-day business affairs, and the Manager is willing to render such investment advisory and administrative services;
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows:
1. The Trust hereby appoints the Manager to act as manager of the Trust and each series thereof, if any (each, a Portfolio) and as administrator of its business affairs for the period and on the terms set forth in this Agreement. The Manager accepts such appointment and agrees to render the services herein described, for the compensation herein provided. Subject to the approval of the Board of Directors of the Trust, the Manager is authorized to enter into a subadvisory agreement with Prudential Investment Management Inc., or any other subadviser, whether or not affiliated with the Manager (each, a Subadviser), pursuant to which such Subadviser shall furnish to the Trust the investment advisory services in connection with the management of the Trust (each, a Subadvisory Agreement). Subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees of the Trust, the Manager is authorized to retain more than one Subadviser for the Trust, and if the Trust has more than one Subadviser, the Manager is authorized to allocate the Trust’s assets among the Subadvisers. The Manager will continue to have responsibility for all investment advisory services furnished pursuant to any Subadvisory Agreement. The Trust and Manager understand and agree that the Manager may manage the Trust in a “manager-of-managers” style with either a single or multiple subadvisers, which contemplates that the Manager will, among other things and pursuant to an Order issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC): (i) continually evaluate the performance of each Subadviser to the Trust, if applicable, through quantitative and qualitative analysis and consultations with such Subadviser; (ii) periodically make recommendations to the Board as to whether the contract with one or more Subadvisers should be renewed, modified, or terminated; and (iii) periodically report to the Board regarding the results of its evaluation and monitoring functions. The Trust recognizes that a Subadviser’s services may be terminated or modified pursuant to the “manager-of-managers” process, and that the Manager may appoint a new Subadviser for a Subadviser that is so removed.
2. Subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees, the Manager shall administer the Trust’s business affairs and, in connection therewith, shall furnish the Trust with office facilities and with clerical, bookkeeping and recordkeeping services at such office facilities and, subject to Section 1 hereof and any Subadvisory Agreement, the Manager shall manage the investment operations of the Trust and the composition of the Trust’s portfolio, including the purchase, retention and disposition thereof, in accordance with the Trust’s investment objectives, policies and restrictions as stated in the Trust’s SEC registration statement, and subject to the following understandings:
(a) The Manager (or a Subadviser under the Manager’s supervision) shall provide supervision of the Trust’s investments, and shall determine from time to time what investments or securities will be purchased, retained, sold or loaned by the Trust, and what portion of the assets will be invested or held uninvested as cash.
(b) The Manager, in the performance of its duties and obligations under this Agreement, shall act in conformity with the Articles of Incorporation of the Trust as may be amended from time to time and the Trust’s SEC registration statement and with the instructions and directions of the Board of Directors, and will conform to and comply with the requirements of the 1940 Act and all other applicable federal and state laws and regulations. In connection therewith, the Manager shall, among other things, prepare and file (or cause to be prepared and filed) such reports as are, or may in the future be, required by the SEC.
(c) The Manager (or the Subadviser under the Manager’s supervision) shall determine the securities and futures contracts to be purchased or sold by the Trust and will place orders pursuant to its determinations with or through such persons, brokers, dealers or futures commission merchants in conformity with the policy with respect to brokerage as set forth in the Trust’s registration statement or as the Board of Directors may direct from time to time. In providing the Trust with investment supervision, it is recognized that the Manager (or the Subadviser under the Manager’s supervision) will give primary consideration to securing the most favorable price and efficient execution. Consistent with this policy, the Manager (or Subadviser under the Manager’s supervision) may consider the financial responsibility, research and investment information and other services provided by brokers, dealers or futures commission merchants who may effect or be a party to any such transaction or other transactions to which other clients of the Manager (or
Subadviser) may be a party, the size and difficulty in executing an order, and the value of the expected contribution of the broker-dealer to the investment performance of the Trust on a continuing basis. The Manager (or Subadviser) to the Trust each shall have discretion to effect investment transactions for the Trust through broker-dealers (including, to the extent legally permissible, broker-dealers affiliated with the Subadviser(s)) qualified to obtain best execution of such transactions who provide brokerage and/or research services, as such services are defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act, as amended (the “1934 Act”), and to cause the Trust to pay any such broker-dealers an amount of commission for effecting a portfolio transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker-dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction, if the brokerage or research services provided by such broker-dealer, viewed in light of either that particular investment transaction or the overall responsibilities of the Manager (or the Subadviser) with respect to the Trust and other accounts as to which they or it may exercise investment discretion (as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(35) of the 1934 Act), are reasonable in relation to the amount of commission.
On occasions when the Manager (or a Subadviser under the Manager’s supervision) deems the purchase or sale of a security or a futures contract to be in the best interest of the Trust as well as other clients of the Manager (or the Subadviser), the Manager (or Subadviser), to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may, but shall be under no obligation to, aggregate the securities or futures contracts to be so sold or purchased in order to obtain the most favorable price or lower brokerage commissions and efficient execution. In such event, allocation of the securities or futures contracts so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Manager (or the Subadviser) in the manner it considers to be the most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Trust and to such other clients.
(d) The Manager (or the Subadviser under the Manager’s supervision) shall maintain all books and records with respect to the Trust’s portfolio transactions and shall render to the Trust’s Board of Directors such periodic and special reports as the Board may reasonably request.
(e) The Manager (or the Subadviser under the Manager’s supervision) shall be responsible for the financial and accounting records to be maintained by the Trust (including those being maintained by the Trust’s Custodian).
(f) The Manager (or the Subadviser under the Manager’s supervision) shall provide the Trust’s Custodian on each business day information relating to all transactions concerning the Trust’s assets.
(g) The investment management services of the Manager to the Trust under this Agreement are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Manager shall be free to render similar services to others.
(h) The Manager shall make reasonably available its employees and officers for consultation with any of the Directors or officers or employees of the Trust with respect to any matter discussed herein, including, without limitation, the valuation of the Trust’s securities.
3. The Trust has delivered to the Manager copies of each of the following documents and will deliver to it all future amendments and supplements, if any:
(a) Articles of Incorporation or Declaration of Trust;
(b) By-Laws of the Trust (such By-Laws, as in effect on the date hereof and as amended from time to time, are herein called the “By-Laws”);
(c) Certified resolutions of the Board of Trustees of the Trust authorizing the appointment of the Manager and approving the form of this agreement;
(d) Registration Statement under the 1940 Act and the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, on Form N-1A (the Registration Statement), as filed with the SEC relating to the Trust and its shares of beneficial interest, and all amendments thereto; and
(e) Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information of the Trust.
4. The Manager shall authorize and permit any of its officers and employees who may be elected as Directors or officers of the Trust to serve in the capacities in which they are elected. All services to be furnished by the Manager under this Agreement may be furnished through the medium of any such officers or employees of the Manager.
5. The Manager shall keep the Trust’s books and records required to be maintained by it pursuant to Paragraph 2 hereof. The Manager agrees that all records that it maintains for the Trust are the property of the Trust, and it will surrender promptly to the Trust any such records upon the Trust’s request, provided however that the Manager may retain a copy of such records. The Manager further agrees to preserve for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2 under the 1940 Act any such records as are required to be maintained by the Manager pursuant to Paragraph 2 hereof.
6. During the term of this Agreement, the Manager shall pay the following expenses:
(i) the salaries and expenses of all employees of the Trust and the Manager, except the fees and expenses of Directors who are not affiliated persons of the Manager or any Subadviser,
(ii) all expenses incurred by the Manager in connection with managing the ordinary course of the Trust’s business, other than those assumed by the Trust herein, and
(iii) the fees, costs and expenses payable to a Subadviser pursuant to a Subadvisory Agreement.
The Trust assumes and will pay the expenses described below:
(a) the fees and expenses incurred by the Trust in connection with the management of the investment and reinvestment of the Trust’s assets,
(b) the fees and expenses of Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust within the meaning of the 1940 Act,
(c) the fees and expenses of the Custodian that relate to (i) the custodial function and the recordkeeping connected therewith, (ii) preparing and maintaining the general accounting records of the Trust and the provision of any such records to the Manager useful to the Manager in connection with the Manager’s responsibility for the accounting records of the Trust pursuant to Section 31 of the 1940 Act and the rules promulgated thereunder, (iii) the pricing or valuation of the shares of the Trust, including the cost of any pricing or valuation service or services which may be retained pursuant to the authorization of the Board of Directors, and (iv) for both mail and wire orders, the cashiering function in connection with the issuance and redemption of the Trust’s securities,
(d) the fees and expenses of the Trust’s Transfer and Dividend Disbursing Agent that relate to the maintenance of each shareholder account,
(e) the charges and expenses of legal counsel and independent accountants for the Trust,
(f) brokers’ commissions and any issue or transfer taxes chargeable to the Trust in connection with its securities and futures transactions,
(g) all taxes and corporate fees payable by the Trust to federal, state or other governmental agencies,
(h) the fees of any trade associations of which the Trust may be a member,
(i) the cost of share certificates representing, and/or non-negotiable share deposit receipts evidencing, shares of the Trust,
(j) the cost of fidelity, directors’ and officers’ and errors and omissions insurance,
(k) the fees and expenses involved in registering and maintaining registration of the Trust and of its shares with the SEC, and paying notice filing fees under state securities laws, including the preparation and printing of the Trust’s registration statement and the Trust’s prospectuses and statements of additional information for filing under federal and state securities laws for such purposes,
(l) allocable communications expenses with respect to investor services and all expenses of shareholders’ and Directors’ meetings and of preparing, printing and mailing reports and notices to shareholders in the amount necessary for distribution to the shareholders,
(m) litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Trust’s business, and
(n) any expenses assumed by the Trust pursuant to a Distribution and Service Plan adopted in a manner that is consistent with Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.
7. For the services provided and the expenses assumed pursuant to this Agreement, the Trust will pay to the Manager as full compensation therefor a fee at the annual rate(s) as described on the attached Schedule A with respect to the average daily net assets of the Trust. This fee will be computed daily, and will be paid to the Manager monthly. The Trust shall not pay any fee or other compensation to the Manager for the services provided and the expenses assumed pursuant to this Agreement.
8. The Manager shall not be liable for any error of judgment or for any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from a breach of fiduciary duty with respect to the receipt of compensation for services (in which case any award of damages shall be limited to the period and the amount set forth in Section 36(b)(3) of the 1940 Act) or loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on its part in the performance of its duties or from reckless disregard by it of its obligations and duties under this Agreement.
The Trust shall indemnify the Manager and hold it harmless from and against all damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and amounts reasonably paid in settlements) incurred by the Manager in or by reason of any pending, threatened or completed action, suit, investigation or other proceeding (including an action or suit by or in the right of the Trust or its security holders) arising out of or otherwise based upon any action actually or allegedly taken or omitted to be taken by the Manager in connection with the performance of any of its duties or obligations under this Agreement; provided, however, that nothing contained herein shall protect or be deemed to protect the Manager against or entitle or be deemed to entitle the Manager to indemnification in respect of any liability to the Trust or its security holders to which the Manager would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its duties, by reason of its reckless disregard of their duties and obligations under this Agreement.
9. This Agreement shall continue in effect for a period of more than two years from the date hereof only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually in conformity with the requirements of the 1940 Act; provided, however, that this Agreement may be terminated with respect to the Trust at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Board of Directors of the Trust or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust, or by the Manager at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on not more than 60 days’ nor less than 30 days’ written notice to the Trust. This Agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
10. Nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict the right of any officer or employee of the Manager who may also be a Directors, officer or employee of the Trust to engage in any other business or to devote his or her time and attention in part to the management or other aspects of any business, whether of a similar or dissimilar nature, nor limit or restrict the right of the Manager to engage in any other business or to render services of any kind to any other corporation, firm, individual or association.
11. Except as otherwise provided herein or authorized by the Board of Directors of the Trust from time to time, the Manager shall for all purposes herein be deemed to be an independent contractor, and shall have no authority to act for or represent the Trust in any way or otherwise be deemed an agent of the Trust.
12. During the term of this Agreement, the Trust agrees to furnish the Manager at its principal office all prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, sales literature, or other material prepared for distribution to shareholders of the Trust or the public, which refer in any way to the Manager, prior to use thereof and not to use such material if the Manager reasonably objects in writing within five business days (or such other time as may be mutually agreed) after receipt thereof. In the event of termination of this Agreement, the Trust will continue to furnish to the Manager copies of any of the above-mentioned materials which refer in any way to the Manager. Sales literature may be furnished to the Manager hereunder by first-class or overnight mail, facsimile transmission equipment or hand delivery. The Trust shall furnish or otherwise make available to the Manager such other information relating to the business affairs of the Trust as the Manager at any time, or from time to time, reasonably requests in order to discharge its obligations hereunder.
13. This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent, but the consent of the Trust must be obtained in conformity with the requirements of the 1940 Act.
14. Any notice or other communication required to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed duly given if delivered or mailed by registered mail, postage prepaid, (1) to the Manager at Gateway Center Three, 100 Mulberry Street, 4th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102-4077, Attention: Secretary; or (2) to the Trust at Gateway Center Three, 100 Mulberry Street, Newark, NJ 07102-4077, Attention: President.
15. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
16. The Trust may use the name “Prudential Investment Portfolios 3 - Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund” or any name including the words “Prudential” only for so long as this Agreement or any extension, renewal or amendment hereof remains in effect, including any similar agreement with any organization which shall have succeeded to the Manager’s business as Manager or any extension, renewal or amendment thereof remain in effect. At such time as such an agreement shall no longer be in effect, the Trust will (to the extent that it lawfully can) cease to use such a name or any other name indicating that it is advised by, managed by or otherwise connected with the Manager, or any organization which shall have so succeeded to such businesses. In no event shall the Trust use the name “Prudential Investment Portfolios 3 – Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund” or any name including the words “Prudential” if the Manager’s function is transferred or assigned to a company of which Prudential Financial, Inc. and/or the The Prudential Insurance Company of America does not have control.
17. A copy of the Declaration of Trust is on file with the Secretary of State of Delaware.
18. Any question of interpretation of any term or provision of this Agreement having a counterpart in or otherwise derived from a term or provision of the 1940 Act, shall be resolved by reference to such term or provision of the 1940 Act and to interpretations thereof, if any, by the United States courts or, in the absence of any controlling decision of any such court, by rules, regulations or orders of the Securities and Exchange Commission issued pursuant to the 1940 Act. In addition, where the effect of a requirement of the 1940 Act, reflected in any provision of this Agreement, is related by rules, regulation or order of the Securities and Exchange Commission, such provision shall be deemed to incorporate the effect of such rule, regulation or order.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this instrument to be executed by their officers designated below as of the day and year above written.
PRUDENTIAL INVESTMENT PORTFOLIOS 3
On behalf of its series, Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund
By:
/s/ Stuart Parker
Name: Stuart Parker
Title: President
PRUDENTIAL INVESTMENTS LLC
By: /s/ Scott E. Benjamin
Name: Scott E. Benjamin
Title: Executive Vice President
SCHEDULE A
Fund | Annual Fee Rate |
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund |
0.850% on average daily net assets up to and including $2.5 billion; 0.825% on the next $2.5 billion of average daily net assets; 0.800% on average daily net assets exceeding $5 billion |
Schedule dated: October 1, 2015.
PRUDENTIAL INVESTMENT PORTFOLIOS 3
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund
SUBADVISORY AGREEMENT
Agreement made as of this 1st day of October 2015 between Prudential Investments LLC (PI or the Manager), a New York limited liability company, and Prudential Investment Management, Inc. (PIM), a New Jersey corporation.
WHEREAS, the Manager has entered into a Management Agreement (the Management Agreement) dated October 1, 2015 with Prudential Investment Portfolios 3, a Delaware business trust (the Trust) and an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), pursuant to which PI acts as Manager of the Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund (the Fund), a series of the Trust; and
WHEREAS, the Manager, acting pursuant to the Management Agreement, desires to retain Prudential Fixed Income, which is a business unit of PIM (Subadviser) to provide investment advisory services to the Fund and to manage such portion of the Fund as the Manager shall from time to time direct, and the Subadviser is willing to render such investment advisory services; and
NOW, THEREFORE, the Parties agree as follows:
1. (a) Subject to the supervision of the Manager and the Board of Trustees of the Trust, the Subadviser shall manage such portion of the Fund's portfolio as delegated to the Subadviser by the Manager, including the purchase, retention and disposition thereof, in accordance with the Fund's investment objectives, policies and restrictions as stated in its then current prospectus and statement of additional information (such Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information as currently in effect and as amended or supplemented from time to time, being herein called the Prospectus), and subject to the following understandings:
(i) The Subadviser shall provide supervision of such portion of the Fund's investments as the Manager shall direct, and shall determine from time to time what investments and securities will be purchased, retained, sold or loaned by the Fund, and what portion of the assets will be invested or held uninvested as cash.
(ii) In the performance of its duties and obligations under this Agreement, the Subadviser shall act in conformity with the copies of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the Trust, as amended, the By-laws of the Trust, the Prospectus of the Fund, and the Fund's valuation procedures and any other procedures adopted by the Board applicable to the Fund (and any amendments thereto) as provided to it by the Manager (the Fund Documents) and with the instructions and directions of the Manager and of the Board of Trustees of the Fund, co-operate with the Manager' (or their designees') personnel responsible for monitoring the Fund's compliance and will conform to, and comply with, the requirements of the 1940 Act, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and all other applicable federal and state laws and regulations. In connection therewith, the Subadviser shall, among other things, prepare and file such reports as are, or may in the future be, required by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission). The Manager shall provide Subadviser timely with copies of any updated Fund Documents.
(iii) The Subadviser shall determine the securities and futures contracts to be purchased or sold by such portion of the Fund's portfolio, as applicable, and may place orders with or through such persons, brokers, dealers or futures commission merchants (including but not limited to any broker, dealer or futures commission merchants affiliated with the Manager or the Subadviser) to carry out the policy with respect to brokerage as set forth in the Fund's Prospectus or as the Board of Trustees may direct in writing from time to time. In providing the Fund with investment supervision, it is recognized that the Subadviser will give primary consideration to securing the most favorable price and efficient execution. Within the framework of this policy, the Subadviser may consider the financial responsibility, research and investment information and other services provided by brokers, dealers or futures commission merchants who may effect or be a party to any such transaction or other transactions to which the Subadviser's other clients may be a party. The Manager (or Subadviser) to the Fund each shall have discretion to effect investment transactions for the Fund through broker-dealers (including, to the extent legally permissible, broker-dealers affiliated with the Subadviser(s)) qualified to obtain best execution of such transactions who provide brokerage and/or research services, as such services are defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the 1934 Act), and to cause the Fund to pay any such broker-dealers an amount of commission for effecting a portfolio transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker-dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction, if the brokerage or research services provided by such broker-dealer, viewed in light of either that particular investment transaction or the overall responsibilities of the Manager (or the Subadviser) with respect to the Fund and other accounts as to which they or it may exercise investment discretion (as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(35) of
the 1934 Act), are reasonable in relation to the amount of commission. Pursuant to the rules promulgated under Section 326 of the USA Patriot Act, broker-dealers are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who opens an account with them. In accordance therewith, broker-dealers whom the Subadviser selects to execute transactions in the Fund's account may seek identifying information about the Fund.
On occasions when the Subadviser deems the purchase or sale of a security or futures contract to be in the best interest of the Fund as well as other clients of the Subadviser, the Subadviser, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may, but shall be under no obligation to, aggregate the securities or futures contracts to be sold or purchased. In such event, allocation of the securities or futures contracts so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by the Subadviser in the manner the Subadviser considers to be the most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Fund and to such other clients.
(iv) The Subadviser shall maintain all books and records with respect to the Fund's portfolio transactions effected by it as required by subparagraphs (b)(5), (6), (7), (9), (10) and (11) and paragraph (f) of Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act, and shall render to the Board of Trustees such periodic and special reports as the Trustees may reasonably request. The Subadviser shall make reasonably available its employees and officers for consultation with any of the Trustees or officers or employees of the Fund with respect to any matter discussed herein, including, without limitation, the valuation of the Fund's securities.
(v) The Subadviser or an affiliate shall provide the Fund's custodian (the Custodian) on each business day with information relating to all transactions concerning the portion of the Fund's assets it manages, and shall provide the Manager with such information upon request of the Manager.
(vi) The investment management services provided by the Subadviser hereunder are not to be deemed exclusive, and the Subadviser shall be free to render similar services to others. Conversely, the Subadviser and Manager understand and agree that if the Manager manages the Fund in a "manager-of-managers" style, the Manager will, among other things, (i) continually evaluate the performance of the Subadviser through quantitative and qualitative analysis and consultations with the Subadviser, (ii) periodically make recommendations to the Fund's Board as to whether the contract with one or more subadvisers should be renewed, modified, or terminated, and (iii) periodically report to the Fund's Board regarding the results of its evaluation and monitoring functions. The Subadviser recognizes that its services may be terminated or modified pursuant to this process.
(vii) The Subadviser acknowledges that the Manager and the Fund intend to rely on Rule 17a-10, Rule 10f-3, Rule 12d3-1 and Rule 17 e-1 under the 1940 Act, and the Subadviser hereby agrees that it shall not consult with any other subadviser to the Fund with respect to transactions in securities for the Fund's portfolio or any other transactions of Fund assets.
(b) The Subadviser shall authorize and permit any of its directors, officers and employees who may be elected as Trustees or officers of the Fund to serve in the capacities in which they are elected. Services to be furnished by the Subadviser under this Agreement may be furnished through the medium of any of such directors, officers or employees.
(c) The Subadviser shall keep the Fund's books and records required to be maintained by the Subadviser pursuant to paragraph l(a) hereof and shall timely furnish to the Manager all information relating to the Subadviser's services hereunder needed by the Manager to keep the other books and records of the Fund required by Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act or any successor regulation. The Subadviser agrees that all records which it maintains for the Fund are the property of the Fund, and the Subadviser will surrender promptly to the Fund any of such records upon the Fund's request, provided, however, that the Subadviser may retain a copy of such records. The Subadviser further agrees to preserve for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2 of the Commission under the 1940 Act or any successor regulation any such records as are required to be maintained by it pursuant to paragraph l(a) hereof.
(d) In connection with its duties under this Agreement, the Subadviser agrees to maintain adequate compliance procedures to ensure its compliance with the 1940 Act, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and other applicable state and federal regulations.
(e) The Subadviser shall maintain a written code of ethics (the Code of Ethics) that it reasonably believes complies with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act and Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act, a copy of which shall be provided to the Manager and the Fund, and shall institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent any Access Person (as defined in Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act and Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act) from violating its Code of Ethics. The Subadviser shall follow such Code of Ethics in performing its services under this Agreement. Further, the Subadviser represents that it maintains adequate compliance procedures to ensure its compliance with the 1940 Act, the Advisers Act, and other applicable federal and state laws and regulations. In particular, the Subadviser represents that it has policies and procedures regarding
the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, non public information by the Subadviser and its employees as required by the applicable federal securities laws.
(f)The Subadviser shall furnish to the Manager copies of all records prepared in connection with (i) the performance of this Agreement and (ii) the maintenance of compliance procedures pursuant to paragraph l(d) hereof as the Manager may reasonably request.
(g) The Subadviser shall be responsible for the voting of all shareholder proxies with respect to the investments and securities held in the Fund's portfolio, subject to such reasonable reporting and other requirements as shall be established by the Manager.
(h) The Subadviser acknowledges that it is responsible for evaluating whether market quotations are readily available for the Fund's portfolio securities, evaluating whether those market quotations are reliable for purposes of valuing the Fund's portfolio securities, evaluating whether those market quotations are reliable for determining the Fund's net asset value per share and promptly notifying the Manager upon the occurrence of any significant event with respect to any of the Fund's portfolio securities in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act and any related written guidance from the Commission and the Commission staff. Upon reasonable request from the Manager, the Subadviser (through a qualified person) will assist the valuation committee of the Fund or the Manager in valuing securities of the Fund as may be required from time to time, including making available information of which the Subadviser has knowledge related to the securities being valued.
(i) The Subadviser shall provide the Manager with any information reasonably requested regarding its management of the Fund's portfolio required for any shareholder report, amended registration statement, or prospectus supplement to be filed by the Fund with the Commission. The Subadviser shall provide the Manager with any reasonable certification, documentation or other information reasonably requested or required by the Manager for purposes of the certifications of shareholder reports by the Fund's principal financial officer and principal executive officer pursuant to the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 or other law or regulation. The Subadviser shall promptly inform the Fund and the Manager if the Subadviser becomes aware of any information in the Prospectus that is (or will become) materially inaccurate or incomplete.
(j) The Subadviser shall comply with the Fund Documents provided to the Subadviser by the Manager or the Fund. The Subadviser shall notify the Manager as soon as reasonably practicable upon detection of any material breach of such Fund Documents.
(k) The Subadviser shall keep the Fund and the Manager informed of developments relating to its duties as Subadviser of which the Subadviser has, or should have, knowledge that would materially affect the Fund. In this regard, the Subadviser shall provide the Trust, the Manager, and their respective officers with such periodic reports concerning the obligations the Subadviser has assumed under this Agreement as the Fund and the Manager may from time to time reasonably request. Additionally, prior to each Board meeting, the Subadviser shall provide the Manager and the Board with reports regarding the Subadviser's management of the Fund's portfolio during the most recently completed quarter, in such form as may be mutually agreed upon by the Subadviser and the Manager. The Subadviser shall certify quarterly to the Fund and the Manager that it and its "Advisory Persons" (as defined in Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act) have complied materially with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act during the previous quarter or, if not, explain what the Subadviser has done to seek to ensure such compliance in the future. Annually, the Subadviser shall furnish a written report, which complies with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 and Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act, concerning the Subadviser's Code of Ethics and compliance program, respectively, to the Fund and the Manager. Upon written request of the Fund or the Manager with respect to material violations of the Code of Ethics directly affecting the Fund, the Subadviser shall permit representatives of the Fund or the Manager to examine reports (or summaries of the reports) required to be made by Rule 17j-l(d)(1) relating to enforcement of the Code of Ethics.
2. The Manager shall continue to have responsibility for all services to be provided to the Fund pursuant to the Management Agreement and, as more particularly discussed above, shall oversee and review the Subadviser's performance of its duties under this Agreement. The Manager shall provide (or cause the Custodian to provide) timely information to the Subadviser regarding such matters as the composition of assets in the portion of the Fund managed by the Subadviser, cash requirements and cash available for investment in such portion of the Fund, and all other information as may be reasonably necessary for the Subadviser to perform its duties hereunder (including any excerpts of minutes of meetings of the Board of Trustees of the Fund that affect the duties of the Subadviser).
3. For the services provided pursuant to this Agreement, the Manager shall pay the Subadviser as full compensation therefor, a fee equal to the percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets of the portion of the Fund managed by the Subadviser as
described in the attached Schedule A. Expense caps or fee waivers for the Fund that may be agreed to by the Manager, but not agreed to by the Subadviser, shall not cause a reduction in the amount of the payment to the Subadviser by the Manager.
4. The Subadviser shall not be liable for any error of judgment or for any loss suffered by the Fund or the Manager in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the Subadviser's part in the performance of its duties or from its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement, provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to waive any rights the Manager or the Fund may have against the Subadviser under federal or state securities laws. The Manager shall indemnify the Subadviser, its affiliated persons, its officers, directors and employees, for any liability and expenses, including attorneys' fees, which may be sustained as a result of the Manager's willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, reckless disregard of its duties hereunder or violation of applicable law, including, without limitation, the 1940 Act and federal and state securities laws. The Subadviser shall indemnify the Manager, their affiliated persons, their officers, directors and employees, for any liability and expenses, including attorneys' fees, which may be sustained as a result of the Subadviser's willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of its duties hereunder or violation of applicable law, including, without limitation, the 1940 Act and federal and state securities laws.
5. This Agreement shall continue in effect for a period of more than two years from the date hereof only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually in conformity with the requirements of the 1940 Act; provided, however, that this Agreement may be terminated by the Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Board or by vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, or by the Manager or the Subadviser at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on not more than 60 days' nor less than 30 days' written notice to the other party. This Agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act) or upon the termination of the Management Agreement. The Subadviser agrees that it will promptly notify the Fund and the Manager of the occurrence of any event that would result in the assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act) of this Agreement, including, but not limited to, a change of control (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Subadviser. Any notice or other communication required to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed duly given if delivered or mailed by registered mail, postage prepaid, (1) to the Manager at Gateway Center Three, 100 Mulberry Street, 4th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102- 4077, Attention: Secretary; (2) to the Fund at Gateway Center Three, 100 Mulberry Street, 4th Floor, Newark, NJ 07102-4077, Attention: Secretary; or (3) to the Subadviser at Gateway Center Two, 100 Mulberry Street, Newark, NJ 07102, Attention: Chief Legal Officer.
6. Nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict the right of any of the Subadviser's directors, officers or employees who may also be a Trustee, officer or employee of the Fund to engage in any other business or to devote his or her time and attention in part to the management or other aspects of any business, whether of a similar or a dissimilar nature, nor limit or restrict the Subadviser's right to engage in any other business or to render services of any kind to any other corporation, firm, individual or association.
7. During the term of this Agreement, the Manager agrees to furnish the Subadviser at its principal office all prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, sales literature or other material prepared for distribution to shareholders of the Fund or the public, which refer to the Subadviser in any way, prior to use thereof and not to use material if the Subadviser reasonably objects in writing five business days (or such other time as may be mutually agreed) after receipt thereof. Sales literature may be furnished to the Subadviser hereunder by first-class or overnight mail, facsimile transmission equipment or hand delivery.
8. This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent, but the consent of the Fund must be obtained in conformity with the requirements of the 1940 Act.
9. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York.
10. Any question of interpretation of any term or provision of this Agreement having a counterpart in or otherwise derived from a term or provision of the 1940 Act, shall be resolved by reference to such term or provision of the 1940 Act and to interpretations thereof, if any, by the United States courts or, in the absence of any controlling decision of any such court, by rules, regulations or orders of the Commission issued pursuant to the 1940 Act. In addition, where the effect of a requirement of the 1940 Act, reflected in any provision of this Agreement, is related by rules, regulation or order of the Commission, such provision shall be deemed to incorporate the effect of such rule, regulation or order.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have caused this instrument to be executed by their officers designated below as of the day and year first above written.
PRUDENTIAL INVESTMENTS LLC
By: /s/ Scott E. Benjamin
Name: Scott E. Benjamin
Title: Executive Vice President
PRUDENTIAL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, INC.
By: /s/ Steven B. Saperstein
Name: Steven B. Saperstein
Title: Vice President
SCHEDULE A
PRUDENTIAL INVESTMENT PORTFOLIOS 3
As compensation for services provided by Prudential Fixed Income (PFI or the Subadviser) a business unit of Prudential Investment Management, Inc. (PIM), Prudential Investments will pay PIM on behalf of the Subadviser an advisory fee on the net asset value of the portion of the Fund’s portfolio that is managed by the Subadviser that is equal, on an annualized basis, to the following:
Portfolio Name | Advisory Fee |
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund |
0.50% of the Fund’s average daily net assets up to $300 million; and 0.45% of the Fund’s daily net assets over $300 million. |
Dated as of October 1, 2015.
SUB-SUBADVISORY AGREEMENT
This Sub-Subadvisory Agreement is made and effective as of this 21 st day of October, 2015 (the Effective Date) between Prudential Investment Management, Inc. (PIM or the Subadviser), a New Jersey corporation, and Pramerica Investment Management Limited (PIML), a U.K. limited company.
WHEREAS, Prudential Investments, LLC (PI or the Manager) has entered into a Management Agreement (the Management Agreement) dated October 1, 2015, with the Prudential Investment Portfolios 3 (PIP 3), on behalf of its series, the Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund (together with PIP 3, the Funds or the Fund), pursuant to which PI acts as manager of the Fund; and
WHEREAS, the Manager, acting pursuant to the Management Agreement, has appointed the Subadviser under a Subadvisory Agreement dated October 1, 2015, (the Subadvisory Agreement) to provide investment advisory and related services to the Fund and to manage such portion of the Fund as the Manager shall from time to time direct, and the Subadviser has agreed to provide such investment advisory services; and
WHEREAS, the Subadviser, now desires to delegate to PIML the investment management of such portion of the Fund as the Subadviser shall direct from time to time; and
WHEREAS, PIML, which is authorized and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority and also registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (as amended) (the 1940 Act), is willing to render such investment management services;
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows:
1. (a) For the purposes of this Agreement and for regulatory purposes, PIML shall treat PIM as its client. PIML has categorised PIM as a Professional Client as defined in the rules of the FCA (the FCA Rules). As a consequence of being treated as a Professional Client, PIM will not have the benefit of certain FCA Rules that protect Retail Clients (as defined in the FCA Rules). PIM c onfirms that it has considered the implications of the loss of these protections. PIM und erstands that it has the right to request to be treated as a Retail Client (and benefit from the higher level of protection under FCA Rules available to Retail Clients). If PIM requests to be categorised as a Retail Client, PIML may not be able to provide the services hereunder. PIM agrees that it is responsible for keeping PIML informed about any change that could affect its categorisation as a Professional Client.
(b) Subject to the supervision of the Subadviser, PIML shall manage such portion of the Fund’s portfolio as delegated to PIML by the Subadviser, including the purchase, retention and disposition thereof, in accordance with the Fund’s investment objectives, policies and restrictions as stated in its then current prospectus and statement of additional information (such Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information as currently in effect and as amended or supplemented from time to time, being herein called the Prospectus), and subject to the following understandings:
(i) PIML shall provide supervision of such portion of the Fund's investments as PIM shall direct, and shall determine from time to time what investments and securities will be purchased, retained, sold or loaned by the Fund, and what portion of the assets will be invested or held uninvested as cash.
(ii) In the performance of its duties and obligations under this Agreement, PIML shall act in conformity with the copies of the Agreement and Articles of Incorporation of the Fund, as amended, the By-laws of the Fund, the Prospectus of the Fund, and the Fund’s valuation procedures and any other procedures adopted by the Board of Directors applicable to the Fund (and any amendments thereto) as provided to PIML by PIM (the Fund Documents) and with the instructions and directions of the Manager, PIM and of the Board of Directors of the Fund, co-operate with the Manager's and PIM’s (or their designees') personnel responsible for monitoring the Fund’s compliance and will conform to, and comply with, the requirements of the 1940 Act, the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and all other applicable federal and state laws and regulations. In connection therewith, PIML shall, among other things, prepare and file such reports as are, or may in the future be, required by the Commission. PIM shall provide PIML timely with copies of any updated Fund Documents received from the Manager.
(iii) PIML shall determine the securities, futures contracts and other investments to be purchased or sold by such portion of the Fund's portfolio, as applicable, and may place orders with or through such persons, brokers, dealers or futures commission merchants (including but not limited to any broker, dealer or futures commission merchants affiliated with the Manager, PIM or PIML) to carry out the policy with respect to brokerage as set forth in the Fund's Prospectus or as the Board of Directors may direct in writing from time to time. In providing the Fund with investment supervision, it is recognized that PIML will give primary consideration to securing the most favorable price and efficient execution. Within the framework of this policy, PIML may consider the financial responsibility, research and investment information and other services provided by brokers, dealers or futures commission merchants who may effect or be a party to any such transaction or other transactions to which PIML’s other clients may be a party. PIML shall use its best efforts to obtain best execution of orders at the most favourable prices reasonably obtainable. PIM confirms that it has received and consents to PIML’s Best Execution Policy (the Best Execution Policy). Appropriate information on the Best Execution Policy is set out in PIML’s ADV Part 2B brochure supplements. PIM expressly agrees that PIML may effect trades outside of a regulated market or a Multilateral Trading Facility (as defined in the FCA Rules). PIML will at all times comply with the Best Execution Policy. PIM acknowledges that specific instructions in relation to the execution of orders may prevent PIML from following its Best Execution Policy.
The Manager, PIM and PIML shall each have discretion to effect investment transactions for the Fund through broker-dealers (including, to the extent legally permissible, broker-dealers affiliated with the Manager, PIM, or PIML) qualified to obtain best execution of such transactions who provide brokerage and/or research services, as such services are defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the 1934 Act), and to cause the Fund to pay any such broker-dealers an amount of commission for effecting a portfolio transaction in excess of the amount of commission another broker-dealer would have charged for effecting that transaction, if the brokerage or research services provided by such broker-dealer, viewed in light of either that particular investment transaction or the overall responsibilities of the Manager, PIM or PIML with respect to the Fund and other accounts as to which they or it may exercise investment discretion (as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(35) of the 1934 Act), are reasonable in relation to the amount of commission. Pursuant to the rules promulgated under Section 326 of the USA Patriot Act, broker-dealers are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who opens an account with them. In accordance therewith, broker-dealers whom the Subadviser selects to execute transactions in the Fund’s account may seek identifying information about the Fund.
On occasions when PIML deems the purchase or sale of a security, futures contract or other investment to be in the best interest of the Fund as well as other clients of PIML, PIML, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, may, but shall be under no obligation to, aggregate the securities or futures contracts to be sold or purchased. In such event, allocation of
the securities or futures contracts so purchased or sold, as well as the expenses incurred in the transaction, will be made by PIML in the manner PIML considers to be the most equitable and consistent with its fiduciary obligations to the Fund and to such other clients. PIML will allocate orders on a fair and reasonable basis in accordance with the FCA Rules. PIM acknowledges and agrees that aggregation may operate to the advantage or disadvantage of PIM or any underlying clients.
(iv) PIML shall maintain all books and records with respect to the Fund’s portfolio transactions effected by it as required by subparagraphs (b)(5), (6), (7), (9), (10) and (11) and paragraph (f) of Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act, and shall render to the Board of Directors such periodic and special reports as the Directors may reasonably request. PIML shall make reasonably available its employees and officers for consultation with any of the Directors or officers or employees of the Fund with respect to any matter discussed herein, including, without limitation, the valuation of the Fund’s securities.
(v) PIML or an affiliate shall provide the Fund's custodian (the Custodian) on each business day with information relating to all transactions concerning the portion of the Fund’s assets it manages, and shall provide the Manager with such information upon request of the Manager.
(vi) The investment management services provided by PIML hereunder are not to be deemed exclusive, and PIML shall be free to render similar services to others. Conversely, PIML understands and agrees that if the Manager manages the Fund in a “manager-of-managers” style, the Manager will, among other things, (i) continually evaluate the performance of PIM, including PIML, through quantitative and qualitative analysis and consultations with PIM, (ii) periodically make recommendations to the Fund’s Board as to whether the contract with one or more subadvisers should be renewed, modified, or terminated, and (iii) periodically report to the Fund’s Board regarding the results of its evaluation and monitoring functions. PIML recognizes that its services may be terminated or modified pursuant to this process. This Agreement will automatically terminate upon the termination of the Management Agreement or the Subadvisory Agreement.
(vii) PIML acknowledges that the Manager and the Fund intend to rely on Rule 17a-10, Rule 10f-3, Rule 12d3-1 and Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act, and PIML hereby agrees that it shall not consult with any other subadviser to the Fund other than PIM with respect to transactions in securities for the Fund’s portfolio or any other transactions of Fund assets.
(c) PIML shall authorize and permit any of its directors, officers and employees who may be elected as Directors or officers of the Fund to serve in the capacities in which they are elected. Services to be furnished by PIML under this Agreement may be furnished through the medium of any of such directors, officers or employees.
(d) PIML shall keep the Fund’s books and records required to be maintained by PIML pursuant to paragraph 1(a) hereof and shall timely furnish to the Manager all information relating to the PIML’s services hereunder needed by the Manager to keep the other books and records of the Fund required by Rule 31a-1 under the 1940 Act or any successor regulation. PIML agrees that all records which it maintains for the Fund are the property of the Fund, and PIML will surrender promptly to the Fund any of such records upon the Fund’s request, provided, however, that PIML may retain a copy of such records. PIML further agrees to preserve for the periods prescribed by Rule 31a-2 of the Commission under the 1940 Act or any successor regulation any such records as are required to be maintained by it pursuant to paragraph 1(a) hereof.
(e) In connection with its duties under this Agreement, PIML agrees to maintain adequate compliance procedures to ensure its compliance with the 1940 Act and other applicable state and federal regulations.
(f) PIML shall maintain a written code of ethics (the Code of Ethics) that it reasonably believes complies with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act and Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act, a copy of which shall be provided to the Manager and the Fund, and shall institute procedures reasonably necessary to prevent any Access Person (as defined in Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act and Rule 204A-1 under the Advisers Act) from violating its Code of Ethics. PIML shall follow such Code of Ethics in performing its services under this Agreement. Further, PIML represents that it maintains adequate compliance procedures to ensure its compliance with the 1940 Act, the Advisers Act, and other applicable federal and state laws and regulations. In particular, PIML represents that it has policies and procedures regarding the detection and prevention of the misuse of material, nonpublic information by PIML and its employees as required by the Insider Trading and Securities Fraud Enforcement Act of 1988, a copy of which it shall provide to the Manager and the Fund upon reasonable request. PIML shall assure that its employees comply in all material respects with the provisions of Section 16 of the 1934 Act, and to cooperate reasonably with the Manager for purposes of filing any required reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) or such other regulator having appropriate jurisdiction.
(g) PIML shall furnish to the Manager copies of all records prepared in connection with (i) the performance of this Agreement and (ii) the maintenance of compliance procedures pursuant to paragraph 1(d) hereof as the Manager may reasonably request.
(h) PIML shall be responsible for the voting of all shareholder proxies with respect to the investments and securities held in the Fund’s portfolio, subject to such reasonable reporting and other requirements as shall be established by the Manager.
(i) PIML acknowledges that it is responsible for evaluating whether market quotations are readily available for the Fund’s portfolio securities, evaluating whether those market quotations are reliable for purposes of valuing the Fund’s portfolio securities, evaluating whether those market quotations are reliable for determining the Fund’s net asset value per share and promptly notifying the Manager upon the occurrence of any significant event with respect to any of the Fund’s portfolio securities in accordance with the requirements of the 1940 Act and any related written guidance from the Commission and the Commission staff. Upon reasonable request from the Manager, PIML (through a qualified person) will assist the valuation committee of the Fund or the Manager in valuing securities of the Fund as may be required from time to time, including making available information of which PIML has knowledge related to the securities being valued.
(j) PIML shall provide the Manager with any information reasonably requested regarding its management of the Fund’s portfolio required for any shareholder report, amended registration statement, or prospectus supplement to be filed by the Fund with the Commission. PIML shall provide the Manager with any reasonable certification, documentation or other information reasonably requested or required by the Manager for purposes of the certifications of shareholder reports by the Fund’s principal financial officer and principal executive officer pursuant to the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 or other law or regulation. PIML shall promptly inform PIM, the Fund and the Manager if PIML becomes aware of any information in the Prospectus thatis (or will become) materially inaccurate or incomplete.
(k) PIML shall comply with the Fund Documents provided to PIML by PIM, the Manager or the Fund. PIML shall notify PIM and the Manager as soon as reasonably practicable upon detection of any material breach of such Fund Documents.
(l) PIML shall keep the Fund, the Manager and PIM informed of developments relating to its duties as investment subadviser of which PIML has, or should have, knowledge that would materially affect the Fund. In this regard, PIML shall provide each applicable Fund, the Manager,
and their respective officers with such periodic reports concerning the obligations PIML has assumed under this Agreement as the Fund and the Manager may from time to time reasonably request. Additionally, prior to each Board meeting, PIML shall provide the Manager and the Board with reports regarding PIML’s management of the Fund’s portfolio during the most recently completed quarter, in such form as may be mutually agreed upon by PIML, PIM and the Manager. PIML shall certify quarterly to the Fund and the Manager that it and its “Advisory Persons” (as defined in Rule 17j-under the 1940 Act) have complied materially with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act during the previous quarter or, if not, explain what PIML has done to seek to ensure such compliance in the future. Annually, PIML shall furnish a written report, which complies with the requirements of Rule 17j-1 and Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act, concerning PIML’s Code of Ethics and compliance program, respectively, to the Fund and the Manager. Upon written request of the Fund or the Manager with respect to material violations of the Code of Ethics directly affecting the Fund, PIML shall permit representatives of the Fund or the Manager to examine reports (or summaries of the reports) required to be made by Rule 17j-1(d)(1) relating to enforcement of the Code of Ethics.
2. The Manager shall continue to have responsibility for all services to be provided to the Fund pursuant to the Management Agreement and, as more particularly discussed above, shall oversee and review the Subadviser’s performance of its duties under this Agreement. The Manager shall provide (or cause the Custodian to provide) timely information to PIML regarding such matters as the composition of assets in the portion of the Fund managed by PIML, cash requirements and cash available for investment in such portion of the Fund, and all other information as may be reasonably necessary for PIML to perform its duties hereunder (including any excerpts of minutes of meetings of the Board of Directors of the Fund that affect the duties of PIML).
3. For the services provided and the expenses assumed by PIML pursuant to this Agreement, PIM shall from the Effective Date pay PIML as full compensation therefor, a fee, if any, equal to the percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets of the portion of the Fund managed by the Subadviser as agreed upon by PIM and PIML from time to time. Liability for payment of compensation by PIM to PIML under this Agreement is contingent upon PIM’s receipt of payment from the Manager for investment management services described under the Subadvisory Agreement.
4. PIML shall not be liable for any error of judgment or for any loss suffered by the Fund, PIM or the Manager in connection with the matters to which this Agreement relates, except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on PIML’s part in the performance of its duties or from its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement, provided, however, that nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to waive any rights the Manager, PIM or the Fund may have against PIML under federal or state securities laws. PIM shall indemnify PIML, its affiliated persons, its officers, directors and employees, for any liability and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, which may be sustained as a result of PIM’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, reckless disregard of its duties hereunder or violation of applicable law, including, without limitation, the 1940 Act and federal and state securities laws. PIML shall indemnify PIM, the Manager, their affiliated persons, their officers, directors and employees, for any liability and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, which may be sustained as a result of the Subadviser’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence, or reckless disregard of its duties hereunder or violation of applicable law, including, without limitation, the 1940 Act and federal and state securities laws.
5. This Agreement shall continue in effect for a period of more than two years from the date hereof only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually in conformity with the requirements of the 1940 Act; provided, however, that this Agreement may be terminated by the Fund at any time, without the payment of any penalty, by the Board or by vote
of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, or by the Manager or PIM or PIML at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on not more than 60 days’ nor less than 30 days’ written notice to the other party. This Agreement shall terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act) or upon the termination of the Management Agreement or the Subadvisory Agreement. PIML agrees that it will promptly notify the Fund, PIM and the Manager of the occurrence of any event that would result in the assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act) of this Agreement, including, but not limited to, a change of control (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Subadviser.
Any notice or other communication required to be given pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed duly given if delivered or mailed by registered mail, postage prepaid, (1) PIM, at Gateway Center Two, 100 Mulberry Street, Newark, NJ 07102, Attention: Chief Legal Officer; and (2) PIML, at Grand Buildings 1-3 Strand Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5HR, Attention: Chief Legal Officer.
6. Nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict the right of any of PIML’s directors, officers or employees who may also be a Director, officer or employee of the Fund to engage in any other business or to devote his or her time and attention in part to the management or other aspects of any business, whether of a similar or a dissimilar nature, nor limit or restrict the Subadviser’s right to engage in any other business or to render services of any kind to any other corporation, firm, individual or association.
7. During the term of this Agreement, PIM agrees to furnish PIML at its principal office all prospectuses, proxy statements, reports to shareholders, sales literature or other material prepared for distribution to shareholders of the Fund or the public, which refer to the Subadviser in any way, prior to use thereof and not to use material if the Subadviser reasonably objects in writing five business days (or such other time as may be mutually agreed) after receipt thereof. Sales literature may be furnished to the Subadviser hereunder by first-class or overnight mail, facsimile transmission equipment or hand delivery.
8. This Agreement may be amended by mutual consent, but the consent of the Fund must be obtained in conformity with the requirements of the 1940 Act.
9. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York.
10. Any question of interpretation of any term or provision of this Agreement having a counterpart in or otherwise derived from a term or provision of the 1940 Act, shall be resolved by reference to such term or provision of the 1940 Act and to interpretations thereof, if any, by the United States courts or, in the absence of any controlling decision of any such court, by rules, regulations or orders of the Commission issued pursuant to the 1940 Act. In addition, where the effect of a requirement of the 1940 Act, reflected in any provision of this Agreement, is related by rules, regulation or order of the Commission, such provision shall be deemed to incorporate the effect of such rule, regulation or order.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have caused this instrument to be executed by their officers designated below as of the day and year first above written.
PRAMERICA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED
By: /s/ D.L. Chatterton
Name: D.L. Chatterton
Title: Director
PRUDENTIAL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, INC.
By: /s/ Steven B. Saperstein
Name: Steven B. Saperstein | ||
Title: |
AMENDMENT
Amendment made as of October 1, 2015 to that certain Custody Agreement dated as of November 7, 2002, as amended from time to time, between each Fund listed on the attached Schedule A thereto, including any series thereof (the “Fund”) and The Bank of New York Mellon (formerly, The Bank of New York) (“Custodian”) (such Custody Agreement hereinafter referred to as the “Custody Agreement”). Capitalized terms not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning assigned to them pursuant to the Custody Agreement.
WHEREAS, the parties wish to amend the Custody Agreement to add Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund, a series of Prudential Investment Portfolios 3, as parties to the Custody Agreement;
NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the mutual promises hereinafter set forth, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Schedule A of the Custody Agreement shall be amended as set forth in Exhibit I to this Amendment, attached hereto and made a part hereof.
2. Each party represents to the other that this Amendment has been duly executed.
3. This Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but such counterparts, shall, together, constitute only one amendment.
4. This Amendment shall become effective for each Fund as of the date of first service as listed in Exhibit I hereto upon execution by the parties hereto. From and after the execution hereof, any reference to the Custody Agreement shall be a reference to the Custody Agreement as amended hereby. Except as amended hereby, the Custody Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF , each Fund and Custodian have caused this Amendment to be executed by their duly authorized representatives, as of the day and year first above written.
EACH FUND LISTED ON
EXHIBIT I HERETO
By: /s/ Peter Parrella
Name: Peter Parrella
Title: Assistant Treasurer
THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON
By: /s/ Shalini O’Suilleabhain
Name: Shalini O’Suilleabhain
Title: Vice President
Exhibit I
SCHEDULE A TO THE CUSTODY AGREEMENT
INSURANCE FUNDS
RIC/Fund Name | Former Name | Date of First Service |
Advanced Series Trust | ||
AST AB Global Bond Portfolio | 7/8/15 | |
AST AQR Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio | 2/25/13 | |
AST AQR Large-Cap Portfolio | 4/29/13 | |
AST BlackRock Global Strategies Portfolio | 5/1/11 | |
AST BlackRock iShares ETF Portfolio | 4/29/13 | |
AST BlackRock Multi-Asset Income Portfolio | 4/15/14 | |
AST Bond Portfolio 2015 | 1/28/08 | |
AST Bond Portfolio 2016 | 1/1/09 | |
AST Bond Portfolio 2017 | 12/31/09 | |
AST Bond Portfolio 2018 | 1/28/08 | |
AST Bond Portfolio 2019 | 1/28/08 | |
AST Bond Portfolio 2020 | 1/1/09 | |
AST Bond Portfolio 2021 | 12/31/09 | |
AST Bond Portfolio 2022 | 12/31/10 | |
AST Bond Portfolio 2023 | 12/28/11 | |
AST Bond Portfolio 2024 | 11/14/12 | |
AST Bond Portfolio 2025 | 12/5/13 | |
AST Bond Portfolio 2026 | 1/2/15 | |
AST Boston Partners Large-Cap Value Portfolio | AST Jennison Large Cap Value Portfolio | 9/25/09 |
AST Clearbridge Dividend Growth Portfolio | 2/25/13 | |
AST Columbia Adaptive Risk Allocation Portfolio | 7/8/15 | |
AST Defensive Asset Allocation Portfolio | 4/29/13 | |
AST Emerging Managers Diversified Portfolio | 7/8/15 | |
AST FQ Absolute Return Currency Portfolio | 4/15/14 | |
AST Franklin Templeton Founding Funds Allocation Portfolio | 3/25/12 | |
AST Franklin Templeton Founding Funds Plus Portfolio | 4/29/13 | |
AST Franklin Templeton K2 Global Absolute Return Portfolio | 4/15/14 | |
AST Goldman Sachs Global Growth Allocation Portfolio | 4/15/14 | |
AST Goldman Sachs Global Income Portfolio | 7/8/15 | |
AST Goldman Sachs Strategic Income Portfolio | 4/15/14 | |
AST Investment Grade Bond Portfolio | 1/28/08 | |
AST Ivy Asset Strategy Portfolio | 7/8/15 | |
AST Jennison Global Infrastructure Portfolio | 4/15/14 | |
AST Jennison Large Cap Growth Portfolio | 9/25/09 | |
AST Legg Mason Diversified Growth Portfolio | 7/1/14 | |
AST Managed Alternatives Portfolio | 7/8/15 |
AST Managed Equity Portfolio | 4/15/14 | |
AST Managed Fixed Income Portfolio | 4/15/14 | |
AST MFS Large-Cap Value Portfolio | 8/20/12 | |
AST Morgan Stanley Multi-Asset Portfolio | 7/8/15 | |
AST Multi-Sector Fixed-Income Portfolio | AST Long Duration Bond Portfolio | 2/25/13 |
AST Neuberger Berman Core Bond Portfolio | 10/5/11 | |
AST Neuberger Berman Long/Short Portfolio | 7/8/15 | |
AST New Discovery Asset Allocation Portfolio | 3/25/12 | |
AST Prudential Core Bond Portfolio | 10/5/11 | |
AST Prudential Flexible Multi-Strategy Portfolio | 4/15/14 | |
AST QMA Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio | 2/25/13 | |
AST QMA International Core Equity Portfolio | 1/5/15 | |
AST QMA Large-Cap Portfolio | 4/29/13 | |
AST Quantitative Modeling Portfolio | 5/1/11 | |
AST T. Rowe Price Diversified Real Growth Portfolio | 4/15/14 | |
AST T. Rowe Price Growth Opportunities Portfolio | 12/5/13 | |
AST Wellington Management Global Bond Portfolio | 7/8/15 | |
AST Wellington Management Hedged Equity Portfolio | AST Aggressive Asset Allocation Portfolio | 5/1/11 |
AST Wellington Management Real Total Return Portfolio | 7/8/15 | |
AST Western Asset Emerging Markets Debt Portfolio | 8/20/12 | |
Prudential Series Fund | ||
Conservative Balanced Portfolio | 7/25/05 | |
Diversified Bond Portfolio | 7/25/05 | |
Flexible Managed Portfolio | 7/25/05 | |
Global Portfolio | 7/25/05 | |
Government Income Portfolio | 7/25/05 | |
High Yield Bond Portfolio | 7/25/05 | |
Jennison Portfolio | 7/25/05 | |
Jennison 20/20 Focus Portfolio | 7/25/05 | |
Money Market Portfolio | 9/12/05 | |
Natural Resources Portfolio | 7/25/05 | |
Small Capitalization Stock Portfolio | 7/25/05 | |
Stock Index Portfolio | 7/25/05 | |
Value Portfolio | 7/25/05 | |
SP Prudential U.S. Emerging Growth Portfolio | 7/25/05 | |
Prudential Gibraltar Fund | 7/25/05 |
RETAIL FUNDS
RIC/Fund Name | Former Name | Date of First Service |
Prudential Global Total Return Fund, Inc. | Dryden Global Total Return Fund, Inc. | 6/6/05 |
Prudential Investment Portfolios, Inc. | ||
Prudential Balanced Fund | Prudential Asset Allocation Fund, Dryden Asset Allocation Fund, Dryden Active Allocation Fund | 6/6/05 |
Prudential Jennison Equity Opportunity Fund | Jennison Equity Opportunity Fund | 6/27/05 |
Prudential Jennison Growth Fund | Jennison Growth Fund | 6/27/05 |
Prudential Conservative Allocation Fund | JennisonDryden Conservative Allocation Fund | 7/25/05 |
Prudential Growth Allocation Fund | JennisonDryden Growth Allocation Fund | 7/25/05 |
Prudential Moderate Allocation Fund | JennisonDryden Allocation Fund | 7/25/05 |
Prudential Investment Portfolios 2 | Dryden Core Investment Fund | |
Prudential Core Short Term Bond Fund | Short Term Bond Series | 6/6/05 |
Prudential Core Taxable Money Market Fund | Taxable Money Market Series | 6/6/05 |
Prudential Investment Portfolios 3 | Jennison Dryden Opportunity Funds, Strategic Partners Opportunity Funds | |
Prudential Jennison Market Neutral Fund | 4/23/10 | |
Prudential Jennison Select Growth Fund | Jennison Select Growth Fund, Strategic Partners Focused Growth Fund | 12/9/02 |
Prudential Real Assets Fund | 12/30/10 | |
Prudential Real Assets Subsidiary, Ltd. | 12/30/10 | |
Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Fund | 4/1/15 | |
Prudential Global Tactical Allocation Subsidiary, Ltd. | 4/1/15 | |
Prudential Unconstrained Bond Fund | 6/1/15 | |
Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund | 10/1/15 | |
Prudential Investment Portfolios 4 | Dryden Municipal Bond Fund | |
Prudential Muni High Income Fund | High Income Series | 6/6/05 |
Prudential Investment Portfolios 5 | Strategic Partners Style Specific Funds | |
Prudential Jennison Conservative Growth Fund | 11/18/02 | |
Prudential Jennison Rising Dividend Fund | 3/5/14 | |
Prudential Investment Portfolios 6 | Dryden California Municipal Fund | |
Prudential California Muni Income Fund | 9/12/05 | |
Prudential Investment Portfolios 7 | JennisonDryden Portfolios | |
Prudential Jennison Value Fund | 6/27/05 | |
Prudential Investment Portfolios 8 | Dryden Index Series Fund | |
Prudential Stock Index Fund | 6/27/05 | |
Prudential Investment Portfolios 9 | Dryden Tax-Managed Funds | |
Prudential Absolute Return Bond Fund | 3/30/11 | |
Prudential International Real Estate Fund | 12/21/10 | |
Prudential Large-Cap Core Equity Fund | Dryden Large-Cap Core Equity Fund | 6/27/05 |
Prudential Select Real Estate Fund | 7/7/14 | |
Prudential Real Estate Income Fund | 6/1/15 | |
Prudential Investment Portfolios 12 | Prudential Global Real Estate Fund | |
Prudential Long-Short Equity Fund | 5/28/14 | |
Prudential Short Duration Muni High Income Fund | 5/28/14 | |
Prudential US Real Estate Fund | 12/21/10 | |
Prudential Investment Portfolios, Inc. 14 | Prudential Government Income Fund, Inc. | |
Prudential Government Income Fund | Dryden Government Income Fund, Inc. | 7/25/05 |
Prudential Floating Rate Income Fund | 3/30/11 | |
Prudential Investment Portfolios, Inc. 15 | Prudential High Yield Fund, Inc., Dryden High Yield Fund, Inc. | |
Prudential Short Duration High Yield Income Fund | 9/24/12 |
Prudential High Yield Fund | 7/25/05 | |
Prudential Investment Portfolios, Inc. 17 | Prudential Total Return Bond Fund, Inc., Dryden Total Return Bond Fund, Inc. | |
Prudential Total Return Bond Fund | 7/25/05 | |
Prudential Short Duration Multi-Sector Bond Fund | 12/5/13 | |
Prudential Investment Portfolios 18 | Prudential Jennison 20/20 Focus Fund, Jennison 20/20 Focus Fund | 6/27/05 |
Prudential Jennison 20/20 Focus Fund | 6/27/05 | |
Prudential Jennison MLP Fund | 12/5/13 | |
Prudential Jennison Blend Fund, Inc | Jennison Blend Fund, Inc., Strategic Partners Equity Fund, Inc. | 9/12/05 |
Prudential Jennison Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Inc. | Jennison Mid-Cap Growth Fund, Inc., Jennison U.S. Emerging Growth Fund, Inc. | 6/27/05 |
Prudential Jennison Natural Resources Fund, Inc. | Jennison Natural Resources Fund, Inc. | 6/27/05 |
Prudential Jennison Small Company Fund, Inc. | Jennison Small Company Fund, Inc. | 6/27/05 |
Prudential MoneyMart Assets, Inc. | MoneyMart Assets, Inc. | 6/6/05 |
Prudential National Muni Fund, Inc. | Dryden National Municipals Fund, Inc. | 9/12/05 |
Prudential Sector Funds | Jennison Sector Funds, Inc. | |
Prudential Financial Services Fund | Jennison Financial Services | 6/27/05 |
Prudential Health Sciences Fund d/b/a Prudential Jennison Health Sciences Fund | Jennison Health Sciences Fund | 6/27/05 |
Prudential Utility Fund d/b/a Prudential Jennison Utility Fund | Jennison Utility Fund | 6/27/05 |
Prudential Short-Term Corporate Bond Fund, Inc. | Dryden Short-Term Bond Fund, Inc. | 6/6/05 |
Prudential World Fund, Inc. | ||
Prudential Emerging Markets Debt Local Currency Fund | 3/30/11 | |
Prudential International Equity Fund | 6/6/05 | |
Prudential Jennison Emerging Markets Equity Fund | 9/3/14 | |
Prudential Jennison Global Infrastructure Fund | 8/12/13 | |
Prudential Jennison Global Opportunities Fund | 3/14/12 | |
Prudential Jennison International Opportunities Fund | 6/5/12 |
CLOSED END FUNDS
RIC/Fund Name | Former Name | Date of First Service |
The Asia Pacific Fund | 10/17/05 | |
Prudential Short Duration High Yield Fund, Inc. | 3/8/12 | |
Prudential Global Short Duration High Yield Fund, Inc. | 9/24/12 | |
Prudential Real Estate Income Fund, Inc. | 8/12/13 |
ADDITION OF PORTFOLIOS TO ACCOUNTING SERVICES AGREEMENT
This document relates to the addition by each registered investment company listed on Attachment A to this document (each an “Additional Fund”) to the Agreement (as defined below) of its investment portfolios listed on Attachment A to this document.
WHEREAS, each Additional Fund wishes to retain BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. (f/k/a PFPC Inc.) (“BNY Mellon”) to provide the services set forth in the Agreement (as defined below) to its investment portfolios listed on Attachment A to this document (each an “Additional Portfolio”), and BNY Mellon wishes to furnish such services;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants herein contained, and intending to be legally bound hereby, each Additional Fund and BNY Mellon agree as follows:
1. | For purposes of this document: |
A. | “Agreement” means the Accounting Services Agreement initially made as of July 1, 2005 separately by and between each of Advanced Series Trust (f/k/a American Skandia Trust) and Prudential Investment Portfolios, Inc. 10 (f/k/a Strategic Partners Mutual Funds, Inc.) (each of which is a “Fund” under such Accounting Services Agreement) and BNY Mellon, as such Accounting Services Agreement may be amended or amended and restated from time to time. |
B. | “Effective Date” means, with respect to a particular Additional Portfolio, the effective date listed for such Additional Portfolio on Attachment A to this document (or such other date as agreed in writing between BNY Mellon and the Additional Fund to which such Additional Portfolio relates). |
2. | Each Additional Fund hereby appoints BNY Mellon to provide the services set forth in the Agreement, in accordance with the terms set forth in the Agreement, to each of its Additional Portfolios as of the Effective Date for each such respective Additional Portfolio. BNY Mellon accepts such appointment and agrees to furnish such services as of the relevant Effective Date. |
3. | [Reserved]. |
4. | An Additional Portfolio shall be deemed to be listed on Exhibit A attached to the Agreement as of the Effective Date for such Additional Portfolio, and as of the Effective Date for a particular Additional Portfolio (but not before such Effective Date) such Additional Portfolio shall be a “Portfolio” for all purposes under the Agreement. |
5. | For clarity and notwithstanding the provisions of the first sentence of Section 22(c) of the Agreement, this document embodies a portion of the agreement and understanding between each Additional Fund and BNY Mellon relating to the subject matter of the Agreement and the Agreement shall not supersede the terms and provisions of this document. |
6. | BNY Mellon is entering into this document with each of the Additional Funds separately, and any duty, obligation or liability owed or incurred by BNY Mellon with respect to a particular Additional Fund shall be owed or incurred solely with respect to that Additional Fund, and shall not in any way create any duty, obligation or liability with respect to any other Additional Fund. This document shall be interpreted to carry out the intent of the parties hereto that |
BNY Mellon is entering into a separate arrangement with each separate Additional Fund.
Agreed:
BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. |
Each Registered Investment Company set Forth on Attachment A attached hereto |
By: /s/ Shalini O’Suilleabhain Name: Shalini O’Suilleabhain Title: Vice President |
By: /s/ Peter Parrella Name: Peter Parrella Title: Assistant Treasurer |
Dated: October 1, 2015
ATTACHMENT A
additional fund | additional portfolio | effective date |
Prudential Investment Portfolios 3 | Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund | 10/1/15 |
Prudential Investments, LLC
Gateway Center Three, 4th floor
100 Mulberry Street
Newark, New Jersey 07102
October 1, 2015
The Board of Trustees
Prudential Investment Portfolios 3
Gateway Center Three, 4
th
floor
100 Mulberry Street
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Re: | Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund (the Fund) |
To the Board of Trustees:
Prudential Investments LLC has contractually agreed through June 30, 2017 to limit net annual Fund operating expenses (exclusive of distribution and service (12b-1) fees, dividend and other expenses related to short sales, interest, brokerage, extraordinary and certain other expenses) of each class of shares to 0.95% of the Fund’s average daily net assets. This waiver may not be terminated prior to June 30, 2017 without the prior approval of the Fund’s Board of Trustees.
Very truly yours,
PRUDENTIAL INVESTMENTS LLC | |
By: | /s/ Scott E. Benjamin |
Name: | Scott E. Benjamin |
Title: | Executive Vice President |
[Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP Letterhead]
November 3, 2015
Prudential Investment Portfolios 3
655 Broad Street -- 17th floor
Newark, New Jersey 01702
Re: Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as special Delaware counsel to Prudential Investment Portfolios 3, a Delaware statutory trust (formerly known as Strategic Partners Series, Strategic Partners Opportunity Funds and JennisonDryden Opportunity Funds) (the “Trust”), in connection with certain matters relating to the formation of the Trust and the issuance of Classes A, C, Q and Z (the “New Classes”) shares (the “Shares”) of the Prudential Global Absolute Return Bond Fund Series of the Trust (the “Fund”). Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise herein defined are used as defined in the Governing Instrument (as defined below).
In rendering this opinion, we have examined and relied on copies of the following documents, each in the form provided to us: Post-Effective Amendment No. 56 (the “Post-Effective Amendment”) to Registration Statement No. 333-95849 under the Securities Act of 1933 on Form N-1A of the Trust to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or about the date hereof (the “Registration Statement”); the Certificate of Trust of the Trust as filed in the Office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware (the “State Office”) on January 28, 2000 (the “Certificate”); the Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Trust of the Trust as filed in the State Office on September 4, 2001 reflecting the change in the name of the Trust from Strategic Partners Series to Strategic Partners Opportunity Funds (the “First Certificate of Amendment”); the Certificate of Correction of the First Certificate of Amendment as filed in the State Office on May 14, 2002; the Certificate of Amendment to Certificate of Trust of the Trust as filed in the State Office on May 29, 2008 reflecting the change in the name of the Trust from Strategic Partners Opportunity Funds to JennisonDryden Opportunity Funds; the Certificate of Amendment to the Certificate of Trust of the Trust as filed in the State Office on February 4, 2010 reflecting the change in the name of the Trust from JennisonDryden Opportunity Funds to Prudential Investment Portfolios 3; the Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the Trust dated January 26, 2000 (the “Original Governing Instrument”, as amended by the April Resolutions (as defined below), the “Intermediate Governing Instrument” and, as amended by the Amendment Resolutions (as defined below), the “Governing Instrument”); the By-laws of the Trust (the “By-laws” and, as amended by the Amendment Resolutions, the “Amended By-laws”); Unanimous Written Consents of the Board of Trustees of the Trust dated as of January 26, 2000 and January 28, 2000 relating to the organization of the Trust; resolutions prepared for adoption at meetings
of the Trustees of the Trust held on March 1, 2000 and May 24, 2000 relating to the organization of the Trust; resolutions prepared for adoption at a meeting of the Trustees of the Trust held on May 22, 2001 relating to the change in name of the Trust from Strategic Partners Series to Strategic Partners Opportunity Funds; resolutions prepared for adoption at a meeting of the Trustees of the Trust held on April 11, 2003 relating to certain amendments to the Original Governing Instrument and the By-laws (the “April Resolutions”); resolutions prepared for adoption at a meeting of the Trustees of the Trust held on May 27, 2003 relating to certain amendments to the Intermediate Governing Instrument and the By-laws (collectively with the April Resolutions, the “Amendment Resolutions”); resolutions prepared for adoption at a meeting of the Trustees of the Trust held on March 12, 2008 and March 13, 2008 relating to the change in the name of the Trust from Strategic Partners Opportunity Funds to JennisonDryden Opportunity Funds; resolutions prepared for adoption at a meeting of the Trustees of the Trust held on January 25, 2010 relating to the change in the name of the Trust from JennisonDryden Opportunity Funds to Prudential Investment Portfolios 3 (the “January 2010 Resolutions”); resolutions prepared for adoption at a meeting of the Trustees of the Trust held on July 21, 2015 relating to the designation of the Fund as a Series of the Trust, the creation of the New Classes, the filing of the Registration Statement and the issuance of the Shares (the “July 2015 Resolutions” and collectively with the Registration Statement, the Governing Instrument, the Amended By-laws and all of the foregoing actions by the Trustees of the Trust, the “Governing Documents”); and a certification of good standing of the Trust obtained as of a recent date from the State Office. In such examinations, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies or drafts of documents to be executed, and the legal capacity of natural persons to complete the execution of documents. We have further assumed for purposes of this opinion: (i) the due formation or organization, valid existence and good standing of each entity (other than the Trust) that is a party to any of the documents reviewed by us under the laws of the jurisdiction of its respective formation or organization; (ii) the due adoption, authorization, execution and delivery by, or on behalf of, each of the parties thereto of the above-referenced agreements, instruments, certificates and other documents (including, without limitation, the due adoption by the Trustees of the Amendment Resolutions together with the other resolutions of the Trustees referenced above and the due adoption of the July 2015 Resolutions by the Trustees prior to the first issuance of Shares pursuant thereto) and of all documents contemplated by the Governing Documents to be executed by investors desiring to become Shareholders; (iii) the payment of consideration for Shares, and the application of such consideration, as provided in the Original Governing Instrument, the Intermediate Governing Instrument and the Governing Documents, as applicable, the satisfaction of all conditions precedent to the issuance of Shares and compliance with all other terms, conditions and restrictions set forth in the Governing Documents in connection with the issuance of Shares (including, without limitation, the taking of all appropriate action by the Trustees to designate the Fund as a Series of the Trust and to designate the New Classes as Classes of shares of the Fund and the rights and preferences attributable thereto prior to the issuance thereof); (iv) that the amendments to the Original Governing Instrument and the By-laws as adopted by the Trustees pursuant to the April Resolutions were duly approved by the requisite vote of the Shareholders of the Trust; (v) that appropriate notation
of the names and addresses of, the number of Shares held by, and the consideration paid by, Shareholders will be maintained in the appropriate registers and other books and records of the Trust in connection with the issuance, redemption or transfer of Shares; (vi) that, subsequent to the filing of the Certificate, no event has occurred, or prior to the issuance of the Shares will occur, that would cause a termination, dissolution or reorganization of the Trust under Sections 2 or 3 of Article VIII of the Governing Instrument, Sections 2 or 3 of Article VIII of the Intermediate Governing Instrument or Sections 2 or 3 of Article VIII of the Original Governing Instrument, as applicable; (vii) that, subsequent to the filing of the Certificate, no event has occurred, or prior to the issuance of the Shares will occur, that would cause a termination, dissolution or reorganization of the Fund under Section 6 of Article III or Sections 2 or 3 of Article VIII of the Governing Instrument, Section 6 of Article III or Sections 2 or 3 of Article VIII of the Intermediate Governing Instrument or Section 6 of Article III or Sections 2 or 3 of Article VIII of the Original Governing Instrument, as applicable; (viii) that the Trust became, prior to or within 180 days following the first issuance of beneficial interests therein, a registered investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; (ix) that the activities of the Trust have been and will be conducted in accordance with the terms of the Governing Instrument, the Intermediate Governing Instrument or the Original Governing Instrument, as applicable, and the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, 12 Del. C. §§ 3801 et seq. ; (x) that the Trustees of the Trust duly authorized the change of name of the Trust from JennisonDryden Opportunity Funds to Prudential Investment Portfolios 3 pursuant to the January 2010 Resolutions; and (xi) that each of the documents examined by us is in full force and effect, expresses the entire understanding of the parties thereto with respect to the subject matter thereof and has not been amended, supplemented or otherwise modified, except as herein referenced. We have not reviewed any documents other than those identified above in connection with this opinion, and we have assumed that there are no other documents that are contrary to or inconsistent with the opinions expressed herein. No opinion is expressed herein with respect to the requirements of, or compliance with, federal or state securities or blue sky laws. Further, we express no opinion on the sufficiency or accuracy of the Registration Statement, or any other registration or offering documentation relating to the Trust, the Fund or the Shares. As to any facts material to our opinion, other than those assumed, we have relied without independent investigation on the above-referenced documents and on the accuracy, as of the date hereof, of the matters therein contained.
Based on and subject to the foregoing, and limited in all respects to matters of Delaware law, it is our opinion that:
1. The Trust is a duly formed and validly existing statutory trust in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware.
2. The Shares to be issued and delivered to Shareholders of the Fund, upon issuance, will be legally issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
We hereby consent to the filing of a copy of this opinion with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Post-Effective Amendment. In giving this consent,
we do not thereby admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder. This opinion speaks only as of the date hereof and is based on our understandings and assumptions as to present facts and our review of the above-referenced documents and on the application of Delaware law as the same exist on the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to update or supplement this opinion after the date hereof for the benefit of any person or entity (including any Shareholder) with respect to any facts or circumstances that may hereafter come to our attention or any changes in facts or law that may hereafter occur or take effect. This opinion is intended solely for the benefit of the Trust and the Shareholders in connection with the matters contemplated hereby and may not be relied on by any other person or entity or for any other purpose without our prior written consent.
Sincerely,
MORRIS, NICHOLS, ARSHT & TUNNELL LLP
/s/ Louis G. Hering
Louis G. Hering