Investment involves risks. Please refer to the Hong Kong Prospectus for details including the risk factors.
1.Investment Risk
The fund is an investment fund. The fund’s investment portfolio may fall in value and therefore your investment in the fund may suffer losses. There is no assurance that the strategy employed by the fund will be successful and therefore the investment objectives of the fund may not be achieved.
2.Bonds, Debt Instruments & Fixed Income and Credit Risk
The value of bonds, debt instruments and other fixed income instruments will fluctuate depending on market interest rates, the credit quality of the issuer and liquidity considerations. Increase in market interest rates, decline in the credit quality of the issuer and decrease in liquidity will adversely impact the value of these instruments.
Investments may be adversely affected if any of the institutions with which money is deposited suffers insolvency or other financial difficulties (default). Credit risk arises from the uncertainty about the ultimate repayment of principal and interest of bond or other debt instrument investments. In both cases the entire deposit or purchase price of the debt instrument is at risk of loss if there is no recovery after default.
Valuation of the fund’s investments may involve uncertainties and judgmental determinations. If such valuation turns out to be incorrect, this may affect the Net Asset Value calculation of the fund.
3.Equities
The value of stocks may fluctuate, sometimes dramatically, in response to the activities and results of individual companies or because of general market and economic conditions or other events.
4.Below Investment Grade/Unrated Securities & High Yielding Debt Instruments
The fund may invest in below investment grade and unrated securities. Below investment grade and unrated securities may be subject to wider fluctuations in yield, wider bid-offer spreads, greater liquidity premium (i.e. lower liquidity) and consequently greater fluctuations in market values and greater credit / default risk than higher rated securities. These fluctuations may affect the value of the fund’s share price to a greater extent than a fund that invests in higher rated securities.
The fund may also invest in high yielding debt instruments where the level of income may be relatively high (compared to investment grade debt securities); however the risk of depreciation and realisation of capital losses on such debt instruments held will be significantly higher than on lower yielding debt instruments. Further, as these instruments are typically rated below investment grade or are unrated, they are often subject to a higher risk of issuer default. The vulnerability to economic cycles is also higher as during economic downturns, these instruments are more volatile than investment grade bonds as investors become more risk averse and default risk rises.
5.Foreign Currency Risk
The fund’s total return and balance sheet can be significantly affected by foreign exchange rate movements where the fund’s assets and income are denominated in currencies other than the base currency of the fund. Also, a class of shares may be designated in a currency other than the base currency of the fund. This means that currency movements and changes in exchange rate controls may significantly affect the value of the fund’s share price.
6.European Risk
The fund’s performance will be closely tied to the economic, political, regulatory, geopolitical, market, currency or other conditions in the European Economic Area and could be more volatile than the performance of more geographically diversified funds. In light of the concerns on sovereign credit risk of certain European countries and in particular these countries' fiscal conditions, the fund may be subject to increased liquidity, price, and foreign exchange risk. If there are adverse credit events in certain European countries e.g. downgrade of the sovereign credit rating of a European country or a European financial institution, the performance of the fund could decline significantly and will possibly result in significant loss. Measures taken by the governments of the European countries, central banks and other authorities to address their economic and financial problems may not be effective and such failure may result in further deterioration of these countries’ fiscal conditions.
7.Risks associated with distribution out of capital
For certain Classes of Shares, dividends may be 1) paid out of gross income while fees/charges may be charged to capital of the fund. This will result in an increase in distributable income for the payment of dividends, and therefore the fund may pay dividend effectively out of capital; and / or 2) paid directly out of capital of the fund. Investors should note that the payment of dividends directly out of capital and/or effectively out of capital represents a return or withdrawal of part of the amount they originally invested or from any capital gains attributable to the original investment. Such distributions may result in an immediate decrease in the net asset value per Share of the fund. If there is a change to this policy, prior approval will be sought from the SFC and affected investors will receive at least one month’s prior written notification.
8.Financial Derivative Instruments
Although the fund will not make extensive use of financial derivative instruments for investment purposes or use complex derivative instruments or strategies to meet the investment objectives of the fund, the use of financial derivative instruments may give rise to leverage, liquidity, counterparty and valuations risks at times. In adverse situations, the fund’s use of derivative instruments may become ineffective and the fund may suffer significant losses.