Investment involves risks. The Sub-Fund’s investment portfolio may fall in value due to any of the key risk factors below and therefore your investment in the Sub-Fund may suffer losses. Please refer to the Prospectus for details including the risk factors.
1. Investment Risk/General Market Risk
The Sub-Fund is an investment fund. There is no guarantee of the repayment of principal. The instruments invested by the Sub-Fund may fall in value.
The Sub-Fund invests directly or indirectly in securities, and is exposed to various general trends and tendencies in the economic and political situations as well as securities markets and investment sentiment, which are partially attributable to irrational factors. Such factors could lead to substantial and longer-lasting drops in prices affecting the entire market. Securities from top-rated issuers are subject to essentially the same general market risk as other securities and assets. All these factors may adversely impact the net asset value of the Sub-Fund.
2. Country and Region Risk
The Sub-Fund’s investments focus on Japan, which may increase the concentration risk. Consequently, the Sub-Fund is particularly susceptible to adverse economic, political, policy, foreign exchange, liquidity, tax, legal or regulatory events and risks of Japan, or of companies based and/or operating in Japan. The net asset value of the Sub-Fund may be more volatile than a diversified fund.
Economic or political instability in countries in which a Sub-Fund is invested may lead to a situation in which the SubFund does not receive part or all of the monies owed to it in spite of the solvency of the issuer of the respective security or other assets. Currency or transfer restrictions or other legal changes, for example, may be significant in this regard.
3. Company-specific Risk
The Sub-Fund may invest in equities which may be affected by company-specific factors, such as the issuer’s business situation. If a company-specific factor deteriorates, the price of the respective asset may drop significantly and for an extended period of time, possibly even without regard to an otherwise generally positive market trend. All these factors may adversely impact the net asset value of the Sub-Fund.
4. Currency Risk
The Sub-Fund may hold assets denominated in foreign currencies other than its base currency. The Sub-Fund may also launch a class of shares that may be designated in a foreign currency other than the base currency of the Sub-Fund. Accordingly, the Sub-Fund and investors of such class of shares are exposed to a currency risk that if these foreign currency positions have not been hedged or if there is any change in the relevant exchange control regulations, the net asset value of the Sub-Fund may be affected unfavorably. Any devaluation of the foreign currency against the base currency of the Sub-Fund would cause the value of the assets denominated in the foreign currency to fall and adversely impact the investor.
5. Derivatives Risk
The Sub-Fund may invest in derivatives, which may expose the Sub-Fund to higher leverage, counterparty, liquidity, valuation, volatility, market and over the counter transaction risks, all of which may adversely impact the net asset value of the Sub-Fund. The leverage component of an FDI can result in a loss significantly greater than the amount invested in the FDI by the Sub-Fund.
The Sub-Fund’s use of FDI in hedging and/or efficient portfolio management may become ineffective and/or cause the Sub-Fund to suffer significant losses.
6. Emerging Market Risk
The Sub-Fund invests in emerging markets which involve increased risks and special considerations not typically associated with investment in more developed economies or markets, such as greater political, tax, legal, economic, foreign exchange/control, liquidity, regulatory risks, settlement risks, custody risk and the likelihood of a high degree of volatility. The accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards may deviate substantially to the Sub-Fund’s detriment. All these factors may adversely impact the net asset value of the Sub-Fund.
7. Risk related to Distribution out of Capital and Distribution effectively out of Capital
The payment of distributions out of capital/distributions effectively out of capital represents a return or withdrawal of part of the amount investors originally invested and/or capital gains attributable to the original investment. Any distributions involving payment of distributions out of the Sub-Fund’s capital/distributions effectively out of the Sub-Fund’s capital may result in an immediate decrease in the net asset value per Share and may reduce the capital available for the Sub-Fund for future investment and capital growth.
The distribution amount and net asset value of any hedged share classes of the Sub-Fund may be adversely affected by differences in the interest rates of the reference currency of the hedged share class and the base currency of the Sub-Fund, resulting in an increase in the amount of distribution that is paid out of capital and hence a greater erosion of capital than other non-hedged share classes.