The fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks of small companies. Any derivatives that provide exposure to the investment focus suggested by the fund’s name, or to one or more market risk factors associated with the investment focus suggested by the fund’s name, are counted (as applicable) toward compliance with the fund’s 80% investment policy.

The fund defines a small-cap company as a company whose market capitalization falls below the maximum market capitalization in the Russell 2000® Index, MSCI USA Small Cap Index, or MSCI World Small Cap Index (after systematically removing any companies that cannot reasonably be considered a small-cap company from the high end of the range of each index). The market capitalizations of the companies in the indexes change over time and the indexes are periodically reconstituted to ensure that they continue to accurately reflect the small-cap equity market. As of December 31, 2025, the largest market capitalization represented across these indexes (after removing any outlier companies) was $30 billion.

When choosing stocks, the adviser generally looks for one or more of the following characteristics:

Holdings will be widely diversified by industry and issuer, and stock selection may reflect either a growth or value investment approach. For example, the adviser may look for a company whose price/earnings ratio is attractive relative to the underlying earnings growth rate. A value stock would be one where the stock price appears undervalued in relation to earnings, projected cash flow, or asset value per share.

At times, the fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in the same economic sector.

While most assets are typically invested in U.S. common stocks, the fund may invest in foreign stocks in keeping with its objective(s).

The fund’s investments may include holdings in privately held companies and companies that only recently began to trade publicly.