Messrs. Paul Belica, Hans W. Kertess, William B. Ogden, IV, and R. Peter Sullivan III continue to serve as Trustees of the Fund. Mr. Dalessandro served as a Class II Trustee of the Fund until his death on September 14, 2008.
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Nicholas-Applegate International & Premium Strategy Fund
Privacy Policy/Proxy Voting Policies & Procedures (unaudited) |
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Privacy Policy:
Our Commitment to You
We consider customer privacy to be a fundamental aspect of our relationship with clients. We are committed to maintaining the confidentiality, integrity, and security of our current, prospective and former clients’ personal information. To ensure clients’ privacy, we have developed policies designed to protect this confidentiality, while allowing client needs to be served.
Obtaining Personal Information
In the course of providing you with products and services, we and certain service providers to the Fund, such as the Fund’s investment adviser, may obtain non-public personal information about you. This information may come from sources such as account applications and other forms, from other written, electronic or verbal correspondence, from your transactions, from your brokerage or financial advisory firm, financial adviser or consultant, and/or from information captured on our internet web sites.
Respecting Your Privacy
As a matter of policy, we do not disclose any personal or account information provided by you or gathered by us to non-affiliated third parties, except as required or permitted by law or as necessary for such third parties to perform their agreements with respect to the Fund. As is common in the industry, non-affiliated companies may from time to time be used to provide certain services, such as preparing and mailing prospectuses, reports, account statements and other information, conducting research on client satisfaction, and gathering shareholder proxies. We may also retain non-affiliated companies to market our products and enter in joint marketing agreements with other companies. These companies may have access to your personal and account information, but are permitted to use the information solely to provide the specific service or as otherwise permitted by law. In most cases you will be clients of a third party, but we may also provide your personal and account information to your respective brokerage or financial advisory firm and/or to your financial adviser or consultant.
Sharing Information with Third Parties
We do reserve the right to disclose or report personal information to non-affiliated third parties in limited circumstances where we believe in good faith that disclosure is required under law, to cooperate with regulators or law enforcement authorities, to protect our rights or property, or upon reasonable request by any mutual fund in which you have chosen to invest. In addition, we may disclose information about a shareholder’s accounts to a non-affiliated third party with the consent or upon the request of the shareholder.
Sharing Information with Affiliates
We may share client information with our affiliates in connection with servicing your account or to provide you with information about products and services that we or our affiliates believe may be of interest to you. The information we share may include, for example, your participation in our mutual funds or other investment programs sponsored by us or our affiliates, your ownership of certain types of accounts (such as IRAs), or other data about your accounts. Our affiliates, in turn, are not permitted to share your information with non-affiliated entities, except as required or permitted by law.
Procedures to Safeguard Private Information
We take seriously the obligation to safeguard shareholder non-public personal information. In addition to this policy, we have also implemented procedures that are designed to restrict access to your non-public personal information only to internal personnel who need to know that information in order to provide products or services to you. In order to guard your non-public personal information, physical, electronic and procedural safeguards are in place.
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Proxy Voting Policies & Procedures: |
A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund has adopted to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities and information about how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities held during the most recent twelve month period ended June 30 is available (i) without charge, upon request, by calling the Fund’s shareholder servicing agent at (800) 331-1710; (ii) on the Fund’s website at www.allianzinvestors.com/closedendfunds; and (iii) on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov.
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| 8.31.08 | Nicholas-Applegate International & Premium Strategy Fund Semi-Annual Report | 21 |
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Nicholas-Applegate International & Premium Strategy Fund
Matters Relating to the Trustees’ Consideration of the Investment
Management and Portfolio Management Agreements (unaudited) |
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The Investment Company Act of 1940 requires that both the full Board of Trustees (the “Trustees”) and a majority of the non-interested (“Independent”) Trustees, voting separately, approve the Fund’s Investment Management Agreement (the “Advisory Agreement”) with the Investment Manager and Portfolio Management Agreements (the “Sub-Advisory Agreements”, and together with the Advisory Agreements, the “Agreements”) between the Investment Manager and the Sub-Advisers. The Trustees met on June 10-11, 2008 (the “contract review meeting”) for the specific purpose of considering whether to approve the Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreements (together, the “Agreements”). The Independent Trustees were assisted in their evaluation of the Agreements by independent legal counsel, from whom they received separate legal advice and with whom they met separately from Fund management during the contract review meeting.
Based on their evaluation of factors that they deemed to be material, including those factors described below, the Board of Trustees, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, concluded that the continuation of the Fund’s Advisory Agreement and the Sub-Advisory Agreements should be approved for a one-year period commencing July 1, 2008.
In connection with their deliberations regarding the continuation of the Agreements, the Trustees, including the Independent Trustees, considered such information and factors as they believed, in light of the legal advice furnished to them and their own business judgment, to be relevant. As described below, the Trustees considered the nature, quality, and extent of the various investment management, administrative and other services performed by the Investment Manager or the Sub-Advisers under the applicable Agreements.
In connection with their contract review meeting, the Trustees received and relied upon materials provided by the Investment Manager which included, among other items: (i) information provided by Lipper Inc. (“Lipper”) on the total return investment performance (based on net assets) of the Fund for various time periods and the investment performance of a group of funds with substantially similar investment classifications/objectives as the Fund identified by Lipper and the performance of applicable benchmark indexes, (ii) information provided by Lipper on the Fund’s management fees and other expenses and the management fees and other expenses of comparable funds identified by Lipper, (iii) information regarding the investment performance and management fees of comparable portfolios of other clients of the Sub-Advisers, (iv) the profitability to the Investment Manager and the Sub-Advisers from their relationships with the Fund for the twelve months ended March 31, 2008, (v) descriptions of various functions performed by the Investment Manager and the Sub-Advisers for the Fund, such as portfolio management, compliance monitoring and portfolio trading practices, and (vi) information regarding the overall organization of the Investment Manager and the Sub-Advisers, including information regarding senior management, portfolio managers and other personnel providing investment management, administrative and other services to the Fund.
The Trustees’ conclusions as to the continuation of the Agreements were based on a comprehensive consideration of all information provided to the Trustees and not the result of any single factor. Some of the factors that figured particularly in the Trustees’ deliberations are described below, although individual Trustees may have evaluated the information presented differently from one another, giving different weights to various factors.
As part of their review, the Trustees examined the Investment Manager’s and the Sub-Advisers’ ability to provide high quality investment management and other services to the Fund. The Trustees considered the investment philosophy and research and decision-making processes of the Sub-Advisers; the experience of key advisory personnel of the Sub-Advisers responsible for portfolio management of the Fund; the ability of the Investment Manager and the Sub-Advisers to attract and retain capable personnel; the capability and integrity of the senior management and staff of the Investment Manager and the Sub-Advisers; and the level of skill required to manage the Fund. In addition, the Trustees reviewed the quality of the Investment Manager’s and the Sub-Advisers’ services with respect to regulatory compliance and compliance with the investment policies of the Fund; the nature and quality of certain administrative services the Investment Manager is responsible for providing to the Fund; and conditions that might affect the Investment Manager’s or the Sub-Advisers’ ability to provide high quality services to the Fund in the future under the Agreements, including each organization’s respective business reputation, financial condition and operational stability. Based on the foregoing, the Trustees concluded that the Sub-Advisers’ investment process, research capabilities and philosophy were well suited to the Fund given its investment objectives and policies, and that the Investment Manager and the Sub-Advisers would be able to continue to meet any reasonably foreseeable obligations under the Agreements.
Based on information provided by Lipper, the Trustees also reviewed the Fund’s total return investment performance as well as the performance of comparable funds identified by Lipper. In the course of their deliberations, the Trustees took into account information provided by the Investment Manager in connection with the contract review meeting, as well
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22 | Nicholas-Applegate International & Premium Strategy Fund Semi-Annual Report | 8.31.08 | |
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Nicholas-Applegate International & Premium Strategy Fund
Matters Relating to the Trustees’ Consideration of the Investment
Management and Portfolio Management Agreements (unaudited) (continued) |
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as during investment review meetings conducted with portfolio management personnel during the course of the year regarding the Fund’s performance.
In assessing the reasonableness of the Fund’s fees under the Agreements, the Trustees considered, among other information, the Fund’s management fee and the total expense ratio as a percentage of average net assets attributable to common shares and the management fee and total expense ratios of comparable funds identified by Lipper.
The Trustees specifically took note of how the Fund compared to its Lipper peers as to performance, management fee expenses and total expenses. The Trustees noted that the Investment Manager had provided a memorandum containing comparative information on the performance and expenses information of the Fund compared to its Lipper peer categories. The Trustees noted that while the Fund is not charged a separate administration fee, it was not clear whether the peer funds in the Lipper categories were charged such a fee by its investment manager.
The Trustees noted that the Fund had underperformed the median for its peer group (in the fifth quintile) for the one-year period ended March 31, 2008. The Trustees considered that the Fund did not have three years of investment performance for the period ended March 31, 2008 to compare to its peer group’s returns. The Trustees also noted that the Fund’s expense ratio was worse than the median for its peer group.
After reviewing these and related factors, the Trustees concluded, within the context of their overall conclusions regarding the Agreements, that they were satisfied with the Investment Manager’s and the Sub-Advisers’ responses and efforts relating to investment performance and the comparative positioning of the Fund with respect to the management fee paid to the Investment Manager.
The Trustees also considered the management fees charged by the Sub-Advisers to other clients, including institutional separate accounts with investment strategies similar to those of the Fund. Regarding the institutional separate accounts, they noted that the management fees paid by the Fund is generally higher than the fees paid by these clients of the Sub-Advisers, but were advised that the administrative burden for the Investment Manager and the Sub-Advisers with respect to the Fund is also relatively higher, due in part to the more extensive regulatory regime to which the Fund is subject in comparison to institutional separate accounts. The Trustees noted that the management fees paid by the Fund were generally higher than the fees paid by the open-end funds offered for comparison but were advised that there are additional portfolio management challenges in managing the Fund, such as meeting a regular dividend.
Based on a profitability analysis provided by the Investment Manager, the Trustees also considered the profitability of the Investment Manager and the Sub-Advisers from their relationships with the Fund and determined that such profitability was not excessive.
The Trustees also took into account that, as a closed-end investment company, the Fund does not currently intend to raise additional assets, so the assets of the Fund will grow (if at all) only through the investment performance of the Fund. Therefore, the Trustees did not consider potential economies of scale as a principal factor in assessing the fee rates payable under the Agreements.
Additionally, the Trustees considered so-called “fall-out benefits” to the Investment Manager and the Sub-Advisers, such as reputational value derived from serving as Investment Manager and Sub-Advisers to the Fund.
After reviewing these and other factors described herein, the Trustees concluded with respect to the Fund, within the context of their overall conclusions regarding the Agreements, that the fees payable under the Agreements represent reasonable compensation in light of the nature and quality of the services being provided by the Investment Manager and the Sub-Advisers to the Fund.
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| 8.31.08 | Nicholas-Applegate International & Premium Strategy Fund Semi-Annual Report | 23 |
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Trustees and Principal Officers | |
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Hans W. Kertess | Brian S. Shlissel |
Trustee, Chairman of the Board of Trustees | President & Chief Executive Officer |
Paul Belica | Lawrence G. Altadonna |
Trustee | Treasurer, Principal Financial & Accounting Officer |
Robert E. Connor | Thomas J. Fuccillo |
Trustee | Vice President, Secretary & Chief Legal Officer |
John C. Maney | Scott Whisten |
Trustee | Assistant Treasurer |
William B. Ogden, IV | Richard J. Cochran |
Trustee | Assistant Treasurer |
R. Peter Sullivan III | Youse E. Guia |
Trustee | Chief Compliance Officer |
Diana L. Taylor | William V. Healey |
Trustee | Assistant Secretary |
| Richard H. Kirk |
| Assistant Secretary |
| Kathleen A. Chapman |
| Assistant Secretary |
| Lagan Srivastava |
| Assistant Secretary |
Investment Manager
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Allianz Global Investors Fund Management LLC | |
1345 Avenue of the Americas, | |
New York, NY 10105 | |
Sub-Advisers | |
Nicholas-Applegate Capital Management LLC | |
600 West Broadway, 30th Floor | |
San Diego, CA 92101 | |
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Oppenheimer Capital LLC | |
1345 Avenue of the Americas | |
New York, NY 10105 | |
Custodian & Accounting Agent | |
State Street Bank & Trust Co. | |
225 Franklin Street | |
Boston, MA 02110 | |
Transfer Agent, Dividend Paying Agent and Registrar |
PNC Global Investment Servicing | |
P.O. Box 43027 | |
Providence, RI 02940-3027 | |
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm |
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP | |
300 Madison Avenue | |
New York, NY 10017 | |
Legal Counsel | |
Ropes & Gray LLP | |
One International Place | |
Boston, MA 02110-2624 | |
This report, including the financial information herein, is transmitted to the shareholders of Nicholas-Applegate International & Premium Strategy Fund for their information. It is not a prospectus, circular or representation intended for use in the purchase of shares of the Fund or any securities mentioned in this report.
The financial information included herein is taken from the records of the Fund without examination by an independent registered accounting firm, who did not express an opinion thereon.
Notice is hereby given in accordance with Section 23(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, that from time to time the Fund may purchase shares of its common stock in the open market.
The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for the first and third quarters of its fiscal year on Form N-Q. The Fund’s Form N-Q is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling (800) SEC-0330. The information on Form N-Q is also available on the Fund’s website at www.allianzinvestors.com/closedendfunds.
On July 31, 2008, the Fund submitted a CEO annual certification to the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) on which the Fund’s principal executive officer certified that he was not aware, as of the date, of any violation by the Fund of the NYSE’s Corporate Governance listing standards. In addition, as required by Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related SEC rules, the Fund’s principal executive and principal financial officer made quarterly certifications, included in filings with the SEC on Forms N-CSR and N-Q relating to, among other things, the Fund’s disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, as applicable.
Information on the Fund is available at www.allianzinvestors.com/closedendfunds or by calling the Fund’s shareholder servicing agent at (800) 331-1710.
ITEM 2. CODE OF ETHICS
Not required in this filing.
ITEM 3. AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT
Not required in this filing.
ITEM 4. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES
Not required in this filing.
ITEM 5. AUDIT COMMITTEE OF LISTED REGISTRANT
Not required in this filing.
ITEM 6. SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS
Schedule of Investments is included as part of the Report to Shareholders filed under Item 1 of this form.
ITEM 7. DISCLOSURE OF PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES
Not required in this filing.
ITEM 8. PORTFOLIO MANAGERS OF CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES
Not required in this filing.
ITEM 9. PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY AND AFFILIATED COMPANIES.
None.
ITEM 10. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS
There have been no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the Fund’s Board of Trustees since the Fund last provided disclosure in response to this item.
ITEM 11. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
(a) The registrant’s President & Chief Executive Officer and Treasurer, Principal Financial & Accounting Officer have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Act (17 CFR 270-30a-3(c))), as amended are effective based on their evaluation of these controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this document.
(b) There were no significant changes in the registrant’s internal controls over financial reporting (as defined in rule 30a-3(d) under the Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(d))) that occurred during the registrant’s second fiscal quarter of the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
ITEM 12. EXHIBITS
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(a) | (1) | Exhibit 99.302 CERT – Certification pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
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(b) | | Exhibit 99.906 Cert. - Certification pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 |
Signature
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
(Registrant) Nicholas-Applegate International & Premium Strategy Fund
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By /s/ Brian S. Shlissel | |
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Brian S. Shlissel, President and Chief Executive Officer |
Date: October 30, 2008
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By /s/ Lawrence G. Altadonna | |
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Lawrence G. Altadonna, Treasurer, Principal Financial & Accounting Officer |
Date: October 30, 2008
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
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By /s/ Brian S. Shlissel | |
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Brian S. Shlissel, President and Chief Executive Officer |
Date: October 30, 2008
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By /s/ Lawrence G. Altadonna | |
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Lawrence G. Altadonna, Treasurer, Principal Financial & Accounting Officer |
Date: October 30, 2008
