Risk Factors
This section describes the material risks relating to the securities. For further discussion of these and other risks, you should read the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the accompanying product supplement and prospectus. We also urge you to consult with your investment, legal, tax, accounting and other advisers in connection with your investment in the securities.
Risks Relating to an Investment in the Securities
■The securities do not guarantee the return of any principal. The terms of the securities differ from those of ordinary debt securities in that they do not guarantee the repayment of any principal. If the securities have not been automatically redeemed prior to maturity and if the final share price is less than the downside threshold level of 55% of the initial share price, you will be exposed to the decline in the closing price of the underlying stock, as compared to the initial share price, on a 1-to-1 basis, and you will receive for each security that you hold at maturity an amount equal to the stated principal amount multiplied by the share performance factor. In this case, the payment at maturity will be less than 55% of the stated principal amount and could be zero.
■The securities do not provide for the regular payment of interest. The terms of the securities differ from those of ordinary debt securities in that they do not provide for the regular payment of interest. Instead, the securities will pay a contingent quarterly coupon but only if the determination closing price of the underlying stock is at or above 55% of the initial share price, which we refer to as the downside threshold level, on the related observation date. If, on the other hand, the determination closing price is lower than the downside threshold level on the relevant observation date for any interest period, we will pay no coupon on the applicable coupon payment date. It is possible that the determination closing price will remain below the downside threshold level for extended periods of time or even throughout the entire 3-year term of the securities so that you will receive few or no contingent quarterly coupons. If you do not earn sufficient contingent quarterly coupons over the term of the securities, the overall return on the securities may be less than the amount that would be paid on a conventional debt security of ours of comparable maturity.
■The contingent quarterly coupon, if any, is based on the determination closing price of the underlying stock on only the related quarterly observation date at the end of the related interest period. Whether the contingent quarterly coupon will be paid on any coupon payment date will be determined at the end of the relevant interest period based on the determination closing price of the underlying stock on the relevant quarterly observation date. As a result, you will not know whether you will receive the contingent quarterly coupon on any coupon payment date until near the end of the relevant interest period. Moreover, because the contingent quarterly coupon is based solely on the value of the underlying stock on quarterly observation dates, if the determination closing price of the underlying stock on any observation date is below the downside threshold level, you will receive no coupon for the related interest period, even if the level of the underlying stock was at or above the downside threshold level on other days during that interest period.
■Investors will not participate in any appreciation in the price of the underlying stock. Investors will not participate in any appreciation in the price of the underlying stock from the initial share price, and the return on the securities will be limited to the contingent quarterly coupons, if any, that are paid with respect to each observation date on which the determination closing price is greater than or equal to the downside threshold level.
■The market price will be influenced by many unpredictable factors. Several factors, many of which are beyond our control, will influence the value of the securities in the secondary market and the price at which MS & Co. may be willing to purchase or sell the securities in the secondary market. We expect that generally the level of interest rates available in the market and the value of the underlying stock on any day, including in relation to the downside threshold level, will affect the value of the securities more than any other factors. Other factors that may influence the value of the securities include:
othe trading price and volatility (frequency and magnitude of changes in value) of the underlying stock,
owhether the determination closing price of the underlying stock has been below the downside threshold level on any observation date,
odividend rates on the underlying stock,
ogeopolitical conditions and economic, financial, political, regulatory or judicial events that affect the underlying stock and which may affect the final share price of the underlying stock,
othe time remaining until the securities mature,
ointerest and yield rates in the market,
othe occurrence of certain events affecting the underlying stock that may or may not require an adjustment to the adjustment factor, and
oany actual or anticipated changes in our credit ratings or credit spreads.
Some or all of these factors will influence the price that you will receive if you sell your securities prior to maturity. For example, you may have to sell your securities at a substantial discount from the stated principal amount of $1,000 per security if the price of the underlying stock at the time of sale is near or below the downside threshold level, or if market interest rates rise.