vary by investment type and may include market or investment specific event. The frequency with which these procedures are used cannot be predicted and they may be utilized to a significant extent. The Committee oversees the Fund’s valuation policies and procedures and reports to the Board on the Committee’s activities and fair value determinations. The Board monitors the appropriateness of the procedures used in valuing the Fund’s investments and ratifies the fair value determinations of the Committee.
The inputs to valuation techniques used to value investments are categorized into a disclosure hierarchy consisting of three levels as shown below:
Level 1 – unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical investments
Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, etc.)
Level 3 – unobservable inputs (including the Fund's own assumptions based on the best information available)
Valuation techniques used to value investments by major category are as follows:
Equity securities, including restricted securities, for which market quotations are readily available, are valued at the last reported sale price or official closing price as reported by a third party pricing service on the primary market or exchange on which they are traded and are categorized as Level 1 in the hierarchy. In the event there were no sales during the day or closing prices are not available, securities are valued at the last quoted bid price or may be valued using the last available price and are generally categorized as Level 2 in the hierarchy. For any foreign equity securities, when market or security specific events arise, comparisons to the valuation of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), futures contracts, Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) and certain indexes as well as quoted prices for similar securities may be used and would be categorized as Level 2 in the hierarchy. For equity securities, including restricted securities, where observable inputs are limited, assumptions about market activity and risk are used and these securities may be categorized as Level 3 in the hierarchy.
Futures contracts are valued at the settlement price established each day by the board of trade or exchange on which they are traded and are categorized as Level 1 in the hierarchy. Investments in any open-end mutual funds are valued at their closing net asset value (NAV) each business day and are categorized as Level 1 in the hierarchy. If an unaffiliated open-end mutual fund’s NAV is unavailable, shares of that fund may be valued by another method that the Board believes reflects fair value in accordance with the Board’s fair value pricing policies and is categorized as Level 2 in the hierarchy.
Changes in valuation techniques may result in transfers in or out of an assigned level within the disclosure hierarchy.
Derivative Instruments
Risk Exposures and the Use of Derivative Instruments: The Fund's investment objectives allow the Fund to enter into various types of derivative contracts. Derivatives are investments whose value is primarily derived from underlying assets, indices or reference rates and may be transacted on an exchange or over-the-counter (OTC). Derivatives may involve a future commitment to buy or sell a specified asset based on specified terms, to exchange future cash flows at periodic intervals based on a notional principal amount, or for one party to make one or more payments upon the occurrence of specified events in exchange for periodic payments from the other party.
The Fund used derivatives to increase returns, to gain exposure to certain types of assets and/or to manage exposure to certain risks as defined below. The success of any strategy involving derivatives depends on analysis of numerous economic factors, and if the strategies for investment do not work as intended, the Fund may not achieve its objectives.
The Fund's use of derivatives increased or decreased its exposure to the following risk(s):
Equity Risk - Equity risk relates to the fluctuations in the value of financial instruments as a result of changes in market prices (other than those arising from interest rate risk or foreign exchange risk), whether caused by factors specific to an individual investment, its issuer, or all factors affecting all instruments traded in a market or market segment.
Investing in derivatives may involve greater risks than investing in the underlying assets directly and, to varying degrees, may involve risk of loss in excess of any initial investment and collateral received. In addition, there may be the risk that the change in value of the derivative contract does not correspond to the change in value of the underlying instrument.
Futures Contracts: A futures contract is an agreement between two parties to buy or sell a specified underlying instrument for a specified price at a specified future date.
The Fund used futures contracts to manage its exposure to the stock market.
Open futures contracts at period end are presented in the Schedule of Investments under the caption "Futures Contracts". The underlying face amount at value reflects each contract's exposure to the underlying instrument or index at period end. Any securities and/or cash deposited to meet initial margin requirements are identified in the Schedule of Investments.
For additional information on the Fund’s significant accounting policies, please refer to the Fund’s most recent semiannual or annual shareholder report.
