Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in municipal obligations, the interest on which is exempt from regular federal income tax. This policy is fundamental and may not be changed without shareholder approval. Municipal obligations are debt obligations issued by or on behalf of states, territories and possessions of the United States, and the District of Columbia and their political subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities. The Fund may invest without limit in obligations the income from which is subject to the federal alternative minimum tax. At least 65% of the Fund’s net assets normally will be invested in municipal obligations rated at least investment grade at the time of investment (which are those rated Baa3 or higher by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or BBB- or higher by either S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”) or Fitch Ratings (“Fitch”)) or, if unrated, determined by the Adviser to be of at least investment grade quality. The balance of net assets may be invested in obligations rated below investment grade and in unrated obligations considered to be of comparable quality by the Adviser (“junk bonds”). The Fund will not invest more than 10% of its net assets in obligations rated below B3 by Moody’s or lower than B- by S&P or Fitch or in unrated obligations considered to be of comparable quality by the Adviser. For purposes of rating restrictions, if securities are rated differently by two or more rating agencies, the highest rating is used. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in other debt obligations, including (but not limited to) taxable municipal
obligations, U.S. Treasury securities and obligations of the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities (“Agency Securities”).
Although the Fund invests in obligations to seek to maintain, under normal circumstances, a dollar-weighted average portfolio duration between three and eight years, the Fund may invest in individual municipal obligations of any maturity. Duration represents the dollar-weighted average maturity of expected cash flows (i.e., interest and principal payments) on one or more municipal obligations, discounted to their present values. The Fund may use various techniques to shorten or lengthen its dollar-weighted average duration, including the acquisition of municipal obligations at a premium or discount, and transactions in futures contracts and options on futures. The Fund may invest 25% or more of its total assets in certain types of municipal obligations (such as general obligations, municipal leases, principal only municipal investments, revenue bonds and industrial development bonds) and in one or more states, territories and economic sectors (such as housing, hospitals, healthcare facilities or utilities). The Fund may invest in pooled investment vehicles, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), to seek exposure to the municipal markets or municipal market sectors. The Fund may invest in restricted securities, including securities that are subject to resale restrictions.
The Adviser’s process for selecting obligations for purchase and sale emphasizes the creditworthiness of the issuer or other person obligated to repay the obligation and the relative value of the obligation in the market. In evaluating creditworthiness, the Adviser considers ratings assigned by rating agencies and generally performs additional credit and investment analysis. When deemed by the Adviser to be relevant to its evaluation of creditworthiness and when applicable information is available, the Adviser considers environmental, social and/or governance issues (referred to as ESG) which may impact the prospects of an issuer (or obligor) or financial performance of an obligation. When considered, one or more ESG issues are taken into account alongside other factors in the investment decision-making process and are not the sole determinant of whether an investment can be made or will remain in the Fund’s portfolio.
The Fund may engage in relative value trading to take advantage of price appreciation opportunities or to realize capital losses. The portfolio managers also may trade securities to minimize taxable capital gains to shareholders. A portion of the Fund’s distributions generally will be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax. The Fund may not be suitable for investors subject to the federal alternative minimum tax.
