Futures contracts are valued
at their quoted daily settlement prices. Fluctuations in the value of the contracts are recorded as an asset (liability).
| D.
| Forward Currency Contracts: The fund enters into forward currency contracts to protect the value of securities and related receivables and payables against changes in future foreign exchange rates. Risks
associated with these types of forward currency contracts include movement in the values of the foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar and the ability of the counterparties to fulfill their obligations under
the contracts. The fund mitigates its counterparty risk by entering into forward currency contracts only with a diverse group of prequalified counterparties, monitoring their financial strength, entering into master
netting arrangements with its counterparties, and requiring its counterparties to transfer collateral as security for their performance. In the absence of a default, the collateral pledged or received by the fund
cannot be repledged, resold, or rehypothecated. The master netting arrangements provide that, in the event of a counterparty’s default (including bankruptcy), the fund may terminate the forward currency
contracts, determine the net amount owed by either party in accordance with its master netting arrangements, and sell or retain any collateral held up to the net amount owed to the fund under the master netting
arrangements. The forward currency contracts contain provisions whereby a counterparty may terminate open contracts if the fund’s net assets decline below a certain level, triggering a payment by the fund if the
fund is in a net liability position at the time of the termination. The payment amount would be reduced by any collateral the fund has pledged. Any securities pledged as collateral for open contracts are noted in the
Schedule of Investments. The value of collateral received or pledged is compared daily to the value of the forward currency contracts exposure with each counterparty, and any difference, if in excess of a specified
minimum transfer amount, is adjusted and settled within two business days.
|
Forward currency contracts are
valued at their quoted daily prices obtained from an independent third party, adjusted for currency risk based on the expiration date of each contract. Fluctuations in the value of the contracts are recorded as an
asset (liability).
| E.
| Swap Contracts: The fund has entered into equity swap contracts to earn the total return on selected reference stocks or indexes in the fund’s target index. Under the terms of the swaps, the fund receives the
total return on the referenced stock (i.e., receiving the increase or paying the decrease in value of the selected reference stock and receiving the equivalent of any dividends in respect of the selected referenced
stock) over a specified period of time, applied to a notional amount that represents the value of a designated number of shares of the selected reference stock at the beginning of the equity swap contract. The fund
also pays a floating rate that is based on short-term interest rates, applied to the notional amount. At the same time, the fund generally invests an amount approximating the notional amount of the swap in
high-quality temporary cash investments.
|
A risk associated with all
types of swaps is the possibility that a counterparty may default on its obligation to pay net amounts due to the fund. The fund’s maximum amount subject to counterparty risk is the unrealized appreciation on
the swap contract. The fund mitigates its counterparty risk by entering into swaps only with a diverse group of prequalified counterparties, monitoring their financial strength, entering into master netting
arrangements with its counterparties, and requiring its counterparties to transfer collateral as security for their performance. In the absence of a default, the collateral pledged or received by the fund cannot be
repledged, resold, or rehypothecated. In the event of a counterparty’s default (including bankruptcy), the fund may terminate any swap contracts with that counterparty, determine the net amount owed by either
party in accordance with its master netting arrangements, and sell or retain any collateral held up to the net amount owed to the fund under the master netting arrangements. The swap contracts contain provisions
whereby a counterparty may terminate open contracts if the fund’s net assets decline below a certain level, triggering a payment by the fund if the fund is in a net liability position at the time of the
termination. The payment amount would be reduced by any collateral the fund has pledged. Any securities pledged as collateral for open contracts are noted in the Schedule of Investments. The value of collateral
received or pledged is compared daily to the value of the swap contracts exposure with each counterparty, and any difference, if in excess of a specified minimum transfer amount, is adjusted and settled within two
business days.
Swaps are valued daily based
on market quotations received from independent pricing services or recognized dealers and the change in value is recorded as an asset (liability) and as unrealized appreciation (depreciation) until periodic payments
are made or the termination of the swap, at which time realized gain (loss) is recorded.
| F.
| Various inputs may be used to determine the value of the fund’s investments and derivatives. These inputs are summarized in three broad levels for financial statement purposes. The inputs or methodologies used
to value securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.
|
Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical securities.
Level 2—Other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.).
Level 3—Significant unobservable inputs (including the fund’s own assumptions used to determine the fair value of investments). Any investments and derivatives valued with significant
unobservable inputs are noted on the Schedule of Investments.
