when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund has not yet commenced operations as of the date of this Prospectus, no portfolio turnover rate information is available.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund invests, under normal circumstances, at least 80 percent of its net assets (plus the amounts of any borrowings) in equity securities issued by companies that are economically tied to emerging market countries.
The equity securities in which the Fund invests are primarily publicly traded common stocks. For the purpose of the Fund’s 80% investment policy, equity securities also include preferred stock, convertible securities (that are in the money and immediately convertible into equity at the time of investment), warrants/rights, installment receipts, trust units and equity-linked investments such as depositary receipts (including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”)), which are certificates typically issued by a bank or trust company that represent ownership interests in securities of non-U.S. companies, and participation notes (“P-Notes”), which are derivative instruments designed to replicate equity exposure in certain foreign markets where direct investment is impossible or difficult due to local investment restrictions.
The Adviser defines emerging market countries to include those countries that are included in the Morgan Stanley Capital International (“MSCI”) Emerging Markets Index and those countries that are included in the MSCI Frontier Markets Index. The index sponsor may over time change the countries included within these indices. The Fund will normally maintain investments in companies economically tied to a minimum of three emerging market countries.
The Adviser considers a company to be economically tied to emerging market countries if at least one of the following apply: a company’s securities are traded principally in an emerging market country; at least 50% of the company’s assets are located in emerging market countries; at least 50% of a company’s revenues are generated in emerging market countries; the company is organized, conducts its principal operations, or maintains its principal place of business or principal manufacturing facilities in an emerging market country; the company is classified by a major benchmark index or market data services provider as having its primary country of risk in an emerging market country.
The Adviser uses a quantitative framework to assist in determining in which countries to invest and the amount of the Fund’s assets to allocate to each country. The Adviser then uses a bottom-up investment philosophy to uncover stocks that it views as being reasonably priced relative to their growth potential. The Fund may from time-to-time focus its investments in a particular country or geographic region.
The Fund may invest in a variety of investment vehicles, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) and other mutual funds, including mutual funds and ETFs managed by AGFA or its affiliates.
The Fund may also invest in China-A shares listed and traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program or listed and traded on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange through the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect program (“Stock Connect Programs”).
The Fund may also invest up to 20 percent of its net assets in securities that are either not equity securities and/or not economically to emerging market countries. These investments may include equity securities economically tied to developed market countries, treasury bills, bonds or other evidence of indebtedness, warrants, and short-term investments such as cash or cash equivalents. The Fund is non-diversified, which means it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers than a diversified fund.
Principal Investment Risks
There can be no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. The Fund is not a bank deposit and is not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The value of your investment may fall, sometimes sharply, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund.