The Barclays Intermediate U.S. Government/Credit Bond Index, an unmanaged index representative of intermediate term bonds, is not available for direct investment. Unlike a mutual fund, the performance of an index assumes no taxes, transaction costs, management fees or other expenses.
An investment in the Fund is subject to interest rate risk, which is the possibility that a Fund’s yield will decline due to falling interest rates and bond fund prices may decline as interest rates rise. High yielding, non investment grade bonds present a greater risk of loss to principal and interest than investment grade securities. The value of debt securities may be affected by the ability of issuers to make principal and interest payments and even the possibility that the issuer will default completely. Although U.S. government securities are considered to be among the safest investment, they are not guaranteed against price movements due to changing interest rates. International investments are subject to special risks not ordinarily associated with domestic investments, including currency fluctuations, economic and political change and differing accounting standards that may adversely affect portfolio securities. These risks may be heightened in emerging markets. The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in derivatives. Derivative instruments include options, futures and options on futures. A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the Fund’s performance. The Fund may be unable to terminate or sell a derivatives position. Derivative counterparties may suffer financial difficulties and may not fulfill their contractual obligations.
1 As of most recent quarter-end. The Morningstar Style Box reveals the Fund’s investment strategy. For fixed-income funds, the vertical axis shows the average credit quality of the bonds owned and the horizontal axis shows interest-rate sensitivity as measured by a bond’s duration (short, intermediate or long). Credit quality ratings are subject to change. For more complete information about how fixed income style boxes are categorized, please click here to view the Morningstar.com style box analysis.