Debt Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in debt securities, including corporate bonds and high yield securities. In addition to the risks described elsewhere in the Fund’s prospectus (such as high yield securities risk and interest rate risk), debt securities are subject to certain additional risks, including issuer risk and reinvestment risk. Issuer risk is the risk that the value of debt securities may decline for a number of reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods and services. Reinvestment risk is the risk that income from the Fund’s portfolio will decline if the Fund invests the proceeds from matured, traded or called bonds at market interest rates that are below the Fund portfolio’s current earnings rate. A decline in income could affect the market price of the Fund’s common shares or the overall return of the Fund.
Convertible Securities Risk. The value of a convertible security is influenced by both the yield of non- convertible 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.” A convertible security’s investment value tends to decline as prevailing interest rate levels increase. Conversely, a convertible security’s investment value tends to increase as prevailing interest rate levels decline.
However, a convertible security’s market value tends to reflect the market price of the common stock of the issuing company when that stock price is greater than the convertible security’s “conversion price.” The conversion price is defined as the predetermined price at which the convertible security could be exchanged for the associated stock. As the market price of the underlying common stock declines, the price of the convertible security tends to be influenced more by the yield of the convertible security and changes in interest rates. Thus, the convertible security may not decline in price to the same extent as the underlying common stock. In the event of a liquidation of the issuing company, holders of convertible securities would be paid before the company’s common stockholders.
Non-Convertible Income Securities Risk. The Fund will also invest in non-convertible income securities. The Fund’s investments in non-convertible income securities may have fixed or variable principal payments and all types of interest rate and dividend payment and reset terms, including fixed rate, adjustable rate, zero coupon, contingent, deferred, payment in kind and auction rate features. Recent events in the fixed-income markets, including the potential impact of the Federal Reserve Board tapering its quantitative easing program, may expose the Fund to heightened interest rate risk and volatility as a result of a rise in interest rates. In addition, the Fund is subject to the risk that interest rates may exhibit increased volatility, which could cause the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) to fluctuate more. A decrease in fixed-income market maker capacity may act to decrease liquidity in the fixed-income markets and act to further increase volatility, affecting the Fund’s return.
Derivatives Risk. Generally, derivatives are financial contracts whose value depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, reference rate or index, and may relate to individual debt or equity instruments, interest rates, currencies or currency exchange rates, commodities, related indices and other assets. The Fund may utilize a variety of derivative instruments including, but not limited to, interest rate swaps, convertible securities, synthetic convertible instruments, options on individual securities, index options, long calls, covered calls, long puts, cash-secured short puts and protective puts for hedging, risk management and investment purposes.
The Fund’s use of derivative instruments involves investment risks and transaction costs to which the Fund would not be subject absent the use of these instruments and, accordingly, may result in losses greater than if they had not been used. The use of derivative instruments may have risks including, among others, leverage risk, volatility risk, duration mismatch risk, correlation risk, liquidity risk, interest rate risk, credit risk, management risk and counterparty risk. Derivatives also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with an underlying asset, interest rate or index. Suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances and there can be no assurance that the Fund will engage in these transactions to reduce exposure to other risks when that would be beneficial. Furthermore, the skills needed to employ derivatives strategies are different from those needed to select portfolio securities and, in connection with such strategies, the Fund makes predictions with respect to market conditions, liquidity, currency movements, market values, interest rates and other applicable factors, which may be inaccurate. Thus, the use of derivative investments may require the Fund to sell or purchase portfolio securities at inopportune times or for prices below or above the current market values, may limit the amount of appreciation the Fund can realize on an investment or may cause the Fund to hold a security that it might otherwise want to sell. Tax rules governing the Fund’s transactions in derivative instruments may affect whether gains and losses recognized by the Fund are treated as ordinary or capital, accelerate the recognition of income or gains to the Fund, defer losses to the Fund, and cause adjustments in the holding periods of the Fund’s securities, thereby affecting, among other things, whether capital gains and losses are treated as short-term or long-term. These rules could therefore affect the amount, timing and/or character of distributions to shareholders. In addition, there may be situations in which the Fund elects not to use derivative investments that result in losses greater than if they had been used.
Amounts paid by the Fund as premiums and cash or other assets held in margin accounts with respect to the Fund’s derivative instruments would not be available to the Fund for other investment purposes, which may result in lost opportunities for gain.