March 2023
Pricing Supplement No. 8,478
Registration Statement Nos. 333-250103; 333-250103-01
Dated March 28, 2023
Filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2)
Morgan Stanley Finance LLC
Structured Investments
Opportunities in U.S. Equities
Auto-Callable Securities with Upside Participation Feature at Maturity Based on the Performance of the S&P 500® Index due March 31, 2028
Fully and Unconditionally Guaranteed by Morgan Stanley
Principal at Risk Securities The securities are unsecured obligations of Morgan Stanley Finance LLC (“MSFL”) and are fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Morgan Stanley. The securities will pay no interest, do not guarantee the return of any principal at maturity and have the terms described in the accompanying product supplement, index supplement and prospectus, as supplemented or modified by this document. The securities will be automatically redeemed if the index closing value on any of the first four annual determination dates is greater than or equal to the initial index value, for an early redemption payment that will increase over the term of the securities and that will correspond to a return of approximately 10.86% per annum, as described below. No further payments will be made on the securities once they have been redeemed, and the investor will not participate in any appreciation of the underlying index if the securities are redeemed early. At maturity, if the securities have not previously been redeemed and the final index value is greater than or equal to the initial index value, investors will receive the greater of a (i) fixed positive return of 25% and (ii) a return reflecting the appreciation of the underlying index over the term of the securities. If the securities are not automatically redeemed prior to maturity and the final index value is less than the initial index value but greater than or equal to 75% of the initial index value, which we refer to as the threshold level, investors will receive the stated principal amount of their investment. However, if the securities are not automatically redeemed prior to maturity and the final index value is less than the threshold level, investors will be exposed to the decline in the level of the underlying index will lose a significant portion or all of their initial investment. These long-dated securities are for investors who are willing to risk their principal and forego current income in exchange for the possibility of receiving an early redemption payment or payment at maturity greater than the stated principal amount if the underlying index closes at or above the initial index value on an annual determination date. The payment at maturity may be significantly less than the stated principal amount, and you could lose up to your entire investment in the securities. The securities are notes issued as part of MSFL’s Series A Global Medium-Term Notes program.
All payments are subject to our credit risk. If we default on our obligations, you could lose a significant portion or all of your investment. These securities are not secured obligations and you will not have any security interest in, or otherwise have any access to, any underlying reference asset or assets.
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FINAL TERMS
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Issuer:
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Morgan Stanley Finance LLC
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Guarantor:
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Morgan Stanley
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Underlying index:
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S&P 500® Index
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Aggregate principal amount:
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$650,000
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Stated principal amount:
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$1,000 per security
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Issue price:
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$1,000 per security
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Pricing date:
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March 28, 2023
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Original issue date:
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March 31, 2023 (3 business days after the pricing date)
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Maturity date:
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March 31, 2028
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Early redemption:
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If, on any of the first four annual determination dates, the index closing value of the underlying index is greater than or equal to the initial index value, the securities will be automatically redeemed for the applicable early redemption payment on the related early redemption date.
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Early redemption payment:
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The early redemption payment will be an amount in cash per stated principal amount (corresponding to a return of approximately 10.86% per annum) for each annual determination date, as follows:
●1st determination date: $1,108.60
●2nd determination date: $1,217.20
●3rd determination date: $1,325.80
●4th determination date: $1,434.40
No further payments will be made on the securities once they have been redeemed.
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Determination dates:
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1st determination date:
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April 1, 2024
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2nd determination date:
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March 28, 2025
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3rd determination date:
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March 30, 2026
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4th determination date:
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March 29, 2027
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Final determination date:
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March 28, 2028
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The determination dates are subject to postponement for non-index business days and certain market disruption events.
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Early redemption dates:
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The third business day after the relevant determination date. If any such day is not a business day, the early redemption payment, if payable, will be paid on the next business day, and no adjustment will be made to the early redemption payment.
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Initial index value:
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3,971.27, which is the index closing value on the pricing date
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Final index value:
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The index closing value on the final determination date
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Payment at maturity:
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If the securities have not previously been redeemed, you will receive at maturity a cash payment per security as follows:
●If the final index value is greater than or equal to the initial index value:
the greater of (i) $1,250 and (ii) $1,000 × index performance factor
●If the final index value is less than the initial index value but is greater than or equal to the threshold level:
$1,000
●If the final index value is less than the threshold level:
$1,000 × index performance factor
In this scenario, the payment at maturity will be significantly less than the stated principal amount, and you could lose up to your entire investment in the securities.
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Threshold level:
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2,978.453, which is equal to approximately 75% of the initial index value
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Index performance factor:
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Final index value divided by the initial index value
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CUSIP:
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61774XEQ2
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ISIN:
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US61774XEQ25
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Listing:
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The securities will not be listed on any securities exchange.
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Agent:
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Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (“MS & Co.”), an affiliate of MSFL and a wholly owned subsidiary of Morgan Stanley. See “Supplemental information regarding plan of distribution; conflicts of interest.”
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Estimated value on the pricing date:
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$964.20 per security. See “Investment Summary” beginning on page 2.
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Commissions and issue price:
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Price to public
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Agent’s commissions(1)
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Proceeds to issuer(2)
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Per security
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$1,000
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$23.50
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$976.50
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Total
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$650,000
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$15,275
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$634,725
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(1)Selected dealers and their financial advisors will collectively receive from the agent, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, a fixed sales commission of $23.50 for each security they sell. See “Supplemental information regarding plan of distribution; conflicts of interest.” For additional information, see “Plan of Distribution (Conflicts of Interest)” in the accompanying product supplement.
(2)See “Use of proceeds and hedging” on page 17.
The securities involve risks not associated with an investment in ordinary debt securities. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 9.
The Securities and Exchange Commission and state securities regulators have not approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this document or the accompanying product supplement, index supplement and prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The securities are not deposits or savings accounts and are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency or instrumentality, nor are they obligations of, or guaranteed by, a bank.
You should read this document together with the related product supplement, index supplement and prospectus, each of which can be accessed via the hyperlinks below. Please also see “Additional Terms of the Securities” and “Additional Information About the Securities” at the end of this document.
As used in this document, “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Morgan Stanley or MSFL, or Morgan Stanley and MSFL collectively, as the context requires.
Product Supplement for Auto-Callable Securities dated November 16, 2020
Index Supplement dated November 16, 2020 Prospectus dated November 16, 2020