The fund invests in a diversified portfolio of bonds and other debt instruments. The fund has considerable flexibility in seeking strong returns and its portfolio is constructed with a goal of being able to respond to a wide variety of market conditions. The fund’s investments typically include, but are not limited to, debt instruments issued by the U.S. government and its agencies (such as U.S. Treasury securities), corporate bonds, bank loans (which represent an interest in amounts owed by a borrower to a syndicate of lenders), and various types of mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. The fund may invest up to 35% of its net assets in corporate bonds and other debt instruments that are rated below investment grade (below BBB, or an equivalent rating), commonly known as “high yield” or “junk” bonds, by each of the credit rating agencies that have assigned a rating to the security or, if unrated, deemed by the adviser to be below investment grade. The fund may purchase securities of any credit rating, including distressed and defaulted securities. If a holding is split rated (i.e., rated investment grade by at least one credit rating agency and below investment grade by another credit rating agency), the higher rating will be used for purposes of this requirement.

The fund may invest in securities issued by both U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including issuers in emerging market countries. Up to 20% of the fund’s net assets can be invested in non-U.S. dollar-denominated holdings, and there is no limit on the fund’s investments in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers, including issuers in emerging markets. The fund relies on a classification by an unaffiliated third-party data provider to determine which countries are emerging markets. The fund may also gain exposure to currencies through derivative instruments without holding any bonds or other securities denominated in those particular currencies.

The fund may purchase securities of any maturity and there are no overall maturity restrictions for the portfolio. The fund’s weighted average maturity and duration will generally shift in response to current interest rates and expected interest rate changes.

The fund may use a variety of derivatives, such as futures, forwards, and swaps for a number of purposes, such as for exposure or hedging. Specifically, the fund uses interest rate futures, interest rate swaps, interest rate swaptions, forward currency exchange contracts, currency options, inflation swaps, equity options, credit default swaps, credit default swaps indexes (CDX), index futures, and mortgage-backed securities on a delayed delivery or forward commitment basis through the “to-be-announced” (TBA) market as a means of adjusting the fund’s duration and gaining exposure to investment-grade bonds.

The fund buys or sells credit default swaps in order to generate returns, adjust the fund’s overall credit quality, or protect the value of certain portfolio holdings, as well as to profit from expected deterioration in the credit quality of an issuer or the widening of credit spreads. A CDX is a swap on an index of credit default swaps. CDXs allow the fund to manage credit risk or take a position on a basket of credit entities (such as credit default swaps or a reference index) rather than transacting in a single-name credit default swap. Interest rate futures and interest rate swaps are primarily used to manage the fund’s exposure to interest rate changes and limit overall volatility by adjusting the portfolio’s duration and extending or shortening the overall maturity of the fund. Equity options, which include options on single-name securities and equity indices, are primarily used to create or hedge equity exposure. Interest rate swaptions would typically be used to manage the fund’s exposure to interest rate changes or to adjust portfolio duration. Forward currency exchange contracts may be used to limit overall volatility by protecting the fund’s non-U.S. dollar-denominated holdings from adverse currency movements relative to the U.S. dollar or to generate returns by gaining long or short exposure to certain currencies expected to increase or decrease in value relative to other currencies. Currency options are primarily used in an effort to take advantage of currencies that are expected to appreciate in value. Index futures are typically used as an efficient means of gaining exposure to a particular segment of the market, as well as to serve as a cash management tool and to enhance the fund’s returns. Inflation swaps, which are tied to a designated inflation index such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI), are typically used to manage the fund’s inflation risk.

The fund may also purchase or sell mortgage-backed securities on a delayed delivery or forward commitment basis through the “to-be-announced” (TBA) market. With TBA transactions, the particular securities to be delivered are not identified at the trade date, but the delivered securities must meet specified terms and standards. The fund will generally enter into TBA transactions with the intention of taking possession of the underlying mortgage-backed securities. However, in an effort to obtain underlying mortgage-backed securities on more preferable terms or to enhance returns, the fund may extend the settlement by entering into “dollar roll” transactions in which the fund sells mortgage-backed securities to a dealer and simultaneously agrees to purchase substantially similar securities in the future at a predetermined price. The fund also expects to engage in short sales of TBA mortgages, including short sales on TBA mortgages the fund does not own, to potentially enhance returns or manage risk.

When deciding whether to adjust allocations among the various types of securities in which the fund may invest, the adviser weighs such factors as the outlook for inflation and the economy, expected interest rate movements, credit conditions, and the yield advantage that lower-rated bonds may offer over investment-grade bonds.

When there is a large yield difference between the various quality levels and the outlook warrants, the fund may move down the credit scale and purchase lower-rated bonds with higher yields, such as junk bonds and emerging market bonds. When the difference is small or the outlook warrants, the fund may concentrate investments in higher-rated issues, such as Treasury securities.