As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 14, 2015
Securities Act File No. 333-[●]
Investment Company Act File No. 811-05769
United States
Securities and Exchange Commission
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-2
Registration Statement | ||||
under | ||||
x | the Securities Act of 1933 | |||
¨ | Pre-Effective Amendment No. | |||
¨ | Post-Effective Amendment No. | |||
and/or | ||||
Registration Statement | ||||
under | ||||
x | the Investment Company Act of 1940 | |||
x | Amendment No. 12 |
INVESCO HIGH INCOME TRUST II
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
1555 Peachtree Street, N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30309
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
Registrants Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (404) 439-3217
John M. Zerr, Esq.
11 Greenway Plaza
Suite 1000
Houston, Texas 77046
(713) 626-1919
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
Copies to:
Michael K. Hoffman, Esq.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Four Times Square
New York, New York 10036
Approximate date of proposed public offering: From time to time after the effective date of this Registration Statement.
If any securities being registered on this form will be offered on a delayed or continuous basis in reliance on Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, other than securities offered in connection with a dividend reinvestment plan, check the following box. x
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):
¨ | When declared effective pursuant to section 8(c). |
If appropriate, check the following box:
¨ | This [post-effective] amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed [post-effective amendment] [registration statement]. |
¨ | This form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act and the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering is . |
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
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Title of Securities Being Registered |
Amount Being Registered |
Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Share |
Aggregate Offering Price |
Amount of Registration Fee | ||||
Common Shares of Beneficial Interest, no par value |
(1) | (2) | $1,000,000(3) | $116.20(4) | ||||
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(1) | There are being registered hereunder a presently indeterminate number of common shares to be offered on an immediate, continuous or delayed basis. |
(2) | The proposed maximum offering price per share will be determined, from time to time, by the Registrant in connection with the sale by the Registrant of the securities registered under this registration statement. |
(3) | Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. |
(4) | Paid herewith. |
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until this Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion
Preliminary Prospectus dated August 14, 2015
BASE PROSPECTUS
$
Invesco High Income Trust II
Common Shares
The Fund. Invesco High Income Trust II (the Fund) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company.
Investment Objective. The Funds investment objective is to provide to its common shareholders (the Common Shareholders) high current income, while seeking to preserve shareholders capital, through investment in a professionally managed, diversified portfolio of high-income producing fixed-income securities. The Fund cannot assure investors that it will achieve its investment objective and you could lose some or all of your investment.
Investment Strategy. The Fund will invest primarily in high income producing fixed-income securities rated in the medium and lower categories by established rating agencies, or unrated securities determined by its investment adviser, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (Invesco or the Adviser), to be of comparable quality. Medium and lower grade securities are those rated BB or lower by Standard & Poors Financial Services LLC, a subsidiary of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (S&P) or Ba or lower by Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys), or securities that are not rated by either such rating agency but are believed by the Adviser to be of comparable quality. No limitation exists as to the rating category in which the Fund may invest.
(continued on following page)
Offerings. The Fund may offer, from time to time, up to $ aggregate initial offering price of common shares of beneficial interest, no par value (Common Shares), in one or more offerings in amounts, at prices and on terms set forth in one or more supplements to this Prospectus (each a Prospectus Supplement). You should read this Prospectus and any related Prospectus Supplement carefully before you decide to invest in the Common Shares.
The Fund may offer Common Shares:
(i) | in at-the-market transactions through one or more selling agents that the Fund may designate from time to time and/or through broker-dealers that have entered into a selected dealer agreement with the Funds selling agent(s); in such transactions, Common Shares will be sold at market prices, which shall be determined with reference to trades on the NYSE, subject to a minimum price to be established each day by the Fund, which minimum price will not be less than the current net asset value per Common Share plus the per Common Share amount of the commission to be paid; |
(ii) | otherwise through agents that the Fund may designate from time to time; |
(iii) | to or through underwriters or dealers; or |
(iv) | directly to one or more purchasers. |
The Prospectus Supplement relating to a particular offering of Common Shares will identify any agents, underwriters or dealers involved in the sale of Common Shares, and will set forth any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between the Fund and agents, underwriters or dealers or among underwriters or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. The Fund may not sell Common Shares through agents, underwriters or dealers without delivery of this Prospectus and a Prospectus Supplement. See Plan of Distribution.
Investing in Common Shares involves certain risks. An investment in the Fund is subject to investment risk, including the possible loss of the entire principal amount that you invest. The Fund may invest without limitation in securities of below investment grade quality (commonly referred to as junk bonds), which are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuers capacity to pay interest and repay principal when due. See Risks beginning on page 36 of this Prospectus. Certain of these risks are summarized in Prospectus SummarySpecial Risk Considerations beginning on page 6 of this Prospectus. You should carefully consider these risks together with all of the other information contained in this Prospectus before making a decision to purchase Common Shares.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this Prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
, 2015
(continued from previous page)
High income producing fixed-income securities are generally corporate fixed-income securities rated between BB/Ba and C/C by S&P and Moodys and are frequently issued by corporations in the growth stage of their development. Securities which are rated BB, B, CCC, CC and C are regarded by S&P, on balance, as predominantly speculative with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation.
In normal market conditions, at least 65% of the Funds assets will be invested in fixed-income securities. The fixed-income securities in which the Fund will invest will consist primarily of debt securities.
Fixed-income securities which may be acquired by the Fund include all types of debt obligations having varying terms with respect to security or credit support, subordination, purchase price, interest payments and maturity. Such obligations may include, for example, bonds, debentures, notes and obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States government or any of its political subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities. Most debt securities in which the Fund will invest will bear interest at fixed rates. However, the Fund reserves the right to invest without limitation in fixed-income securities that have variable rates of interest or involve equity features, such as contingent interest or participation based on revenues, sales or profits. Fixed-income securities which may be acquired also include preferred stocks that have cumulative or non-cumulative dividend rights. Fixed-income securities also include convertible securities and zero coupon securities.
The Adviser. Invesco Advisers, Inc. is the Funds investment adviser. The Adviser is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Invesco Ltd. The Adviser is located at 1555 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30309. The Adviser, a successor in interest to multiple investment advisers, has been an investment adviser since 1976. Invesco has entered into a Sub-Advisory Agreement with certain affiliates to serve as sub-advisers to the Fund, pursuant to which these affiliated sub-advisers may be appointed by Invesco from time to time to provide discretionary investment management services, investment advice, and/or order execution services to the Fund.
Financial Leverage. The Fund may use leverage in an amount of up to 33 1⁄3% of the Funds total assets after the use of such leverage in an effort to maximize its returns. The Fund currently utilizes leverage in the form of borrowings. The amount of borrowings outstanding from time to time may vary, depending on the Advisers analysis of market conditions and interest rate movements. Leverage is a speculative technique and investors should note that there are special risks and costs associated with leverage. There can be no assurance that the Funds leverage strategy will be successful. The investment advisory fees paid by the Fund will be calculated on the basis of the Funds Managed Assets (as defined in this Prospectus), which includes proceeds from leverage, so the dollar amount of the management fee paid by the Fund to the Adviser will be higher (and the Adviser will be benefited to that extent) when leverage is utilized. This may create a conflict of interest between the Funds investment adviser and holders of common shares. Holders of Common Shares effectively bear the entire investment advisory fee. As of February 28, 2015, the Fund had outstanding borrowings of approximately $50.55 million, which represented approximately 26% of the Funds total assets as of such date. See Use of Leverage.
Common Shares. The Funds currently outstanding Common Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the NYSE) under the symbol VLT and the Common Shares offered by this Prospectus, subject to notice of issuance, will also be listed on the NYSE. The net asset value per Common Share at the close of business on August 13, 2015 was $16.10, and the last reported sale price of the Common Shares on the NYSE on such date was $13.67, representing a discount to net asset value of 15.09%. See Market and Net Asset Value Information.
This Prospectus sets forth the information about the Fund that you should know before investing. You should keep it for future reference. More information about the Fund, including a Statement of Additional Information dated , 2015, and the Funds Annual and Semiannual Reports, has been filed with the SEC. This information is available upon written or oral request without charge from our web site at www.invesco.com/us. You may also get a copy of any of these materials, request other information about the Fund and make other inquiries by calling (800) 959-4246. The Funds Statement of Additional Information is incorporated herein by reference. A table of contents for the Statement of Additional Information is on page 63 of this Prospectus. The SEC maintains a web site at www.sec.gov that contains the Funds Statement of Additional Information, material incorporated by reference and other information about SEC registrants, including the Fund.
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Common Shares are not deposits or obligations of, and are not guaranteed or endorsed by, any bank or depository institution. Common Shares are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency.
Forward-Looking Statements
This Prospectus contains or incorporates by reference forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the federal securities laws, that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements describe the Funds plans, strategies, and goals and the Funds beliefs and assumptions concerning future economic and other conditions and the outlook for the Fund, based on currently available information. In this Prospectus, words such as anticipates, believes, expects, objectives, goals, future, intends, seeks, will, may, could, should, and similar expressions are used in an effort to identify forward-looking statements, although some forward-looking statements may be expressed differently. The Fund is not entitled to the safe harbor for forward-looking statements pursuant to Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
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24 | ||
33 | ||
36 | ||
44 | ||
47 | ||
48 | ||
48 | ||
50 | ||
Anti-Takeover and Other Provisions in the Funds Governing Documents |
54 | |
Closed-End Fund Structure |
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55 | ||
55 | ||
58 | ||
Custodian, Administrator, Transfer Agent and Dividend Disbursing Agent |
61 | |
61 | ||
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Table of Contents of the Statement of Additional Information |
63 |
You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this Prospectus. The Fund has not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. The Fund is not making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information in this Prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this Prospectus. The Funds business, financial condition and prospects may have changed since that date.
This is only a summary of information contained elsewhere in this Prospectus. This summary does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing in the Funds common shares (the Common Shares). You should carefully read the more detailed information contained in this Prospectus and any related Prospectus Supplements, especially the information set forth under the headings Investment Objective and Policies and Risks. You may also wish to request a copy of the Funds Statement of Additional Information, dated , 2015 (the SAI), which contains additional information about the Fund.
The Fund | Invesco High Income Trust II (the Fund) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. | |
The Offering | The Fund may offer, from time to time, up to $ aggregate initial offering price of Common Shares, on terms to be determined at the time of the offering. The Fund will offer Common Shares at prices and on terms to be set forth in one or more supplements to this Prospectus (each a Prospectus Supplement). | |
The Fund may offer Common Shares: | ||
(i) in at-the-market transactions through one or more selling agents that the Fund may designate from time to time and/or through broker-dealers that have entered into a selected dealer agreement with the Funds selling agent(s); in such transactions, Common Shares will be sold at market prices, which shall be determined with reference to trades on the NYSE, subject to a minimum price to be established each day by the Fund, which minimum price will not be less than the current net asset value per Common Share plus the per Common Share amount of the commission to be paid; | ||
(ii) otherwise through agents that the Fund may designate from time to time; | ||
(iii) to or through underwriters or dealers; or | ||
(iv) directly to one or more purchasers. | ||
The Prospectus Supplement relating to a particular offering of Common Shares will identify any agents, underwriters or dealers involved in the sale of Common Shares, and will set forth any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between the Fund and agents, underwriters or dealers or among underwriters or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated. The Fund may not sell Common Shares through agents, underwriters or dealers without delivery of this Prospectus and a Prospectus Supplement. See Plan of Distribution. | ||
Use Of Proceeds | Unless otherwise specified in a Prospectus Supplement, the Fund intends to invest the net proceeds of an offering of Common Shares in accordance with its investment objective and policies as stated herein. It is currently anticipated that the Fund will be able to invest substantially all of the net proceeds of an offering of Common Shares in accordance with its investment objective and policies within three to six months after the completion of any such offering or the receipt of such proceeds. Pending such investment, it is anticipated that the proceeds will be invested in cash, cash equivalents or other securities, including U.S. government securities or high quality, short-term debt securities. The Fund may also use the proceeds for working capital purposes, including the payment of distributions, interest and operating expenses, although the Fund currently has no intent to issue Common Shares primarily for these purposes. |
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Investment Objective | The Funds investment objective is to provide to its common shareholders (the Common Shareholders) high current income, while seeking to preserve shareholders capital, through investment in a professionally managed, diversified portfolio of high-income producing fixed-income securities. The investment objective is fundamental and may not be changed without approval of a majority of the Funds outstanding voting securities, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act). The Fund cannot assure investors that it will achieve its investment objective. | |
Investment Policies | The Fund will invest primarily in high income producing fixed-income securities rated in the medium and lower categories by established rating agencies, or unrated securities determined by Invesco Advisers, Inc. (Invesco or the Adviser) to be of comparable quality. Medium and lower grade securities are those rated BB or lower by Standard & Poors Financial Services LLC, a subsidiary of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (S&P) or Ba or lower by Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys), or securities that are not rated by either such rating agency but are believed by the Adviser to be of comparable quality. No limitation exists as to the rating category in which the Fund may invest. High income producing fixed-income securities are generally corporate fixed-income securities rated between BB/Ba and C/C by S&P and Moodys and are frequently issued by corporations in the growth stage of their development. Securities which are rated BB, B, CCC, CC and C are regarded by S&P, on balance, as predominantly speculative with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation. | |
In normal market conditions, at least 65% of the Funds assets will be invested in fixed-income securities. The fixed-income securities in which the Fund will invest will consist primarily of debt securities. Fixed-income securities which may be acquired by the Fund include all types of debt obligations having varying terms with respect to security or credit support, subordination, purchase price, interest payments and maturity. Such obligations may include, for example, bonds, debentures, notes and obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States government or any of its political subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities. Most debt securities in which the Fund will invest will bear interest at fixed rates. However, the Fund reserves the right to invest without limitation in fixed-income securities that have variable rates of interest or involve equity features, such as contingent interest or participation based on revenues, sales or profits. Fixed-income securities which may be acquired also include preferred stocks that have cumulative or non-cumulative dividend rights. Fixed-income securities also include convertible securities and zero coupon securities. | ||
The Fund may invest up to 35% of its total assets in securities rated higher than BB by S&P or higher than Ba by Moodys or unrated securities of comparable quality and may invest a higher percentage, up to 100% of its total assets, in such higher rated securities (i) when the difference in yields between quality classifications is relatively narrow, (ii) when, consistent with seeking to maintain the dollar-weighted average maturity of the Funds portfolio of up to 12 years, high income producing fixed-income securities of appropriate maturities are unavailable or are available only at prices that the Adviser deems are unfavorable or (iii) when the Adviser determines that market conditions warrant a temporary, defensive policy. |
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The Fund will seek to preserve capital through portfolio diversification and by limiting investments to fixed-income securities which the Adviser believes entail reasonable credit risk. The Fund has a non-fundamental investment policy of maintaining a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of up to 12 years, with no limitation on the maturity of individual securities that it may be acquire. | ||
Convertible Securities. Fixed-income securities in which the Fund may invest include convertible securities. A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred stock or other security that may be converted into or exchanged for, or may otherwise entitle the holder to purchase, a prescribed amount of common stock or any equity security of the same or a different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt or the dividend paid on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. In selecting convertible securities for the Fund, the following factors, among others, will be considered by the Adviser: (1) the Advisers own evaluations of the creditworthiness of the issuers of the securities; (2) the interest or dividend income generated by the securities; (3) the potential for capital appreciation of the securities and the underlying common stock; (4) the prices of the securities relative to the underlying common stocks; (5) the prices of the securities relative to other comparable securities; (6) whether the securities are entitled to the benefits of sinking funds or other protective conditions; (7) diversification of the Funds portfolio as to issuers and industries; and (8) whether the securities are rated by Moodys and/or S&P and, if so, the ratings assigned. | ||
Zero Coupon Securities. Fixed-income securities in which the Fund may invest also include zero coupon securities issued by corporations and other private entities. The Fund is permitted to invest up to 10% of its total assets in zero coupon securities. Zero coupon securities do not entitle the holder to any periodic payments of interest prior to maturity and therefore are issued and trade at a discount from their face or par value. | ||
Loans. Consistent with the Funds strategy of investing in income securities, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in fixed and floating rate loans. Loans are typically arranged through private negotiations between the borrower and one or more lenders. Loans generally have a more senior claim in the borrowers capital structure relative to corporate bonds or other subordinated debt. The loans in which the Fund invests are generally in the form of loan assignments and participations of all or a portion of a loan from another lender. In the case of an assignment, the Fund acquires direct rights against the borrower on the loan, however, the Funds rights and obligations as the purchaser of an assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning lender. In the case of a participation, the Fund typically has the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the lender selling the participation and only upon receipt by the lender of the payments from the borrower. In the event of insolvency of the lender selling the participation, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the lender and may not benefit from any setoff between the lender and the borrower. | ||
Restricted and Illiquid Securities. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in fixed-income securities that are not readily marketable, including securities restricted as to resale. No security that is not readily marketable will be acquired unless the Adviser believes such security to be of comparable quality to publicly-traded securities in which the Fund may invest. Certain fixed- |
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income securities are somewhat liquid and may become more liquid as secondary markets for these securities continue to develop. These securities will be included in, or excluded from, the 20% limitation on a case-by-case basis by the Adviser under the supervision of the Board of Trustees, depending on the perceived liquidity of the security and market involved. | ||
Non-Dollar Denominated Securities. The Fund may invest a portion or all of its total assets in securities issued by foreign governments or foreign corporations; provided, however, that the Fund may not invest more than 30% of its total assets in non-U.S. dollar denominated securities. The same quality levels currently permitted by the Fund for all investments will apply to foreign investments. The Fund may invest in securities of issuers determined by the Adviser to be in developing or emerging market countries. The foregoing percentage and rating limitations apply at the time of acquisition of a security based on the last previous determination of the Funds net asset value. Any subsequent change in any rating by a rating service or change in percentages resulting from market fluctuations or other changes in the Funds total assets will not require elimination of any security from the Funds portfolio. The Fund may purchase and sell foreign currency on a spot (i.e., cash) basis in connection with the settlement of transactions in securities traded in such foreign currency. | ||
Derivatives. The Fund can invest in derivative instruments, including swap contracts (including credit default swaps, total return swaps, interest rate swaps and volatility swaps), options (including interest rate options, credit default swap options and swaptions), futures contracts (including interest rate futures) and forward foreign currency contracts. The Fund can use swap contracts, including interest rate swaps, to hedge or adjust its exposure to interest rates, and credit default swaps to create long or short exposure to corporate or sovereign debt securities. The Fund can further use total return swaps to gain exposure to a reference asset and volatility swaps to adjust the volatility profile of the Fund. The Fund can use options, including credit default swap options, to gain the right to enter into a credit default swap at a specified future date and swaptions (options on swaps) to manage interest rate risk. The Fund can use interest rate futures contracts to increase or reduce its exposure to rate changes. The Fund can engage in forward foreign currency contracts to mitigate the risk of foreign currency exposure. | ||
Money Market Funds. To the extent permitted by applicable law and the Funds investment objectives, policies, and restrictions, the Fund may invest all or some of its short-term cash investments in money market funds, including money market fund advised or managed by the Adviser or its affiliates. When the Fund purchases shares of another investment company, including an affiliated money market fund, the Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of the advisory fees and other operating expenses of such investment company and will be subject to the risks associated with the portfolio investments of the underlying investment company. | ||
Leverage | The Fund may use leverage in an amount of up to 33 1⁄3% of the Funds total assets after the use of such leverage in an effort to maximize its returns. The Fund currently utilizes leverage in the form of borrowings. The amount of borrowings outstanding from time to time may vary, depending on the Advisers analysis of market conditions and interest rate movements. | |
The Fund has entered into a $65 million amended and restated revolving credit agreement, dated August 27, 2012, as amended (the Credit Agreement), with State Street Bank and Trust Company, in its capacity as Agent, and other lending institutions party thereto. As of February 28, 2015, the Fund had |
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outstanding borrowings under the Credit Agreement of approximately $50.55 million, which represented approximately 26% of the Funds total assets as of such date. | ||
The costs associated with the issuance and use of leverage are borne by the holders of the Common Shares. Because the investment management fee paid to the Adviser is calculated on the basis of the Funds Managed Assets (as defined herein), which include the proceeds of leverage, the dollar amount of the management fee paid by the Fund to the Adviser will be higher (and the Adviser will be benefited to that extent) when leverage is utilized. There can be no assurance that the Funds leverage strategy will be successful. See Use of Leverage and Risks Borrowings Risk. | ||
Management Of The Fund | Invesco is the Funds investment adviser. The Adviser is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Invesco Ltd. The Adviser is located at 1555 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30309. The Adviser, a successor in interest to multiple investment advisers, has been an investment adviser since 1976. | |
Under an investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Fund (the Advisory Agreement), the Fund pays the Adviser a monthly advisory fee based on the annual rate of 0.70% of the Funds average daily Managed Assets. Managed Assets, for purposes of the advisory fee, means the Funds net assets, plus assets attributable to outstanding preferred shares and the amount of any borrowings incurred for the purpose of leverage (whether or not such borrowed amounts are reflected in the Funds financial statements for purposes of GAAP). | ||
Invesco has entered into a Sub-Advisory Agreement with certain affiliates to serve as sub-advisers to the Fund, pursuant to which these affiliated sub-advisers may be appointed by Invesco from time to time to provide discretionary investment management services, investment advice, and/or order execution services to the Fund. These affiliated sub-advisers, each of which is a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the Advisers Act) are: | ||
Invesco Asset Management Deutschland GmbH (Invesco Deutschland) | ||
Invesco Asset Management Limited (Invesco Asset Management) | ||
Invesco Asset Management (Japan) Limited (Invesco Japan) | ||
Invesco Hong Kong Limited (Invesco Hong Kong) | ||
Invesco Senior Secured Management, Inc. (Invesco Senior Secured) | ||
Invesco Canada Ltd. (Invesco Canada); | ||
(each a Sub-Adviser and collectively, the Sub-Advisers). | ||
Invesco and each Sub-Adviser are indirect wholly owned subsidiaries of Invesco Ltd. | ||
The only fees payable to the Sub-Advisers under the Sub-Advisory Agreement are for providing discretionary investment management services. For such services, Invesco will pay each Sub-Adviser a fee, computed daily and paid monthly, equal to (i) 40% of the monthly compensation that Invesco receives from the Fund, multiplied by (ii) the fraction equal to the net assets of such Fund as to which such Sub-Adviser shall have provided discretionary investment management services for that month divided by the net assets of such Fund for |
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that month. Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement, this fee is reduced to reflect contractual or voluntary fee waivers or expense limitations by Invesco, if any, in effect from time to time. In no event shall the aggregate monthly fees paid to the Sub-Advisers under the Sub-Advisory Agreement exceed 40% of the monthly compensation that Invesco receives from the Fund pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, as reduced to reflect contractual or voluntary fees waivers or expense limitations by Invesco, if any. | ||
Distributions | The Fund intends to make regular monthly distributions of all or a portion of its net investment income to Common Shareholders. The Fund expects to pay its Common Shareholders annually all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income to meet the requirements for qualification as a regulated investment company (RIC) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code). Various factors will affect the level of the Funds net investment company taxable income. The Fund may from time to time distribute less than the entire amount of income earned in a particular period. The undistributed income would be available to supplement future distributions. As a result, the distributions paid by the Fund for any particular month may be more or less than the amount of income actually earned by the Fund during that period. Undistributed income will add to the Funds net asset value and, correspondingly, distributions from undistributed income, if any, will reduce the Funds net asset value. | |
In addition, the Fund intends to distribute, on an annual basis, all or substantially all of any net capital gains to its Common Shareholders. The Fund may also declare and pay capital gains distributions more frequently, if necessary, in order to reduce or eliminate federal excise or income taxes on the Fund. | ||
The Fund reserves the right to change its distribution policy and the basis for establishing the rate of distributions at any time and may do so without prior notice to Common Shareholders. | ||
Shareholders will automatically have all dividends and distributions reinvested in Common Shares issued by the Fund or Common Shares of the Fund purchased in the open market in accordance with the Funds dividend reinvestment plan unless an election is made to receive cash. See Distributions and Dividend reinvestment plan. | ||
Listing And Symbol | The Funds currently outstanding Common Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the NYSE) under the symbol VLT and the Common Shares offered by this Prospectus, subject to notice of issuance, will also be listed on the NYSE. The net asset value per Common Share at the close of business on August 13, 2015 was $16.10, and the last reported sale price of the Common Shares on the NYSE on such date was $13.67, representing a discount to net asset value of 15.09%. See Market and Net Asset Value Information. | |
Special Risk Considerations | Investment in the Fund involves special risk considerations, which are summarized below. The Fund is designed as a long-term investment and not as a trading vehicle. The Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program. The Funds performance and the value of its investments will vary in response to changes in interest rates, inflation and other market factors. See Risks for a more complete discussion of the special risk considerations associated with an investment in the Fund. | |
Market Risk. Market risk is the possibility that the market values of securities owned by the Fund will decline. The net asset value of the Fund will change with changes in the value of its portfolio securities, and the value of the Funds |
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investments can be expected to fluctuate over time. The financial markets in general are subject to volatility and may at times experience extreme volatility and uncertainty, which may affect all investment securities, including debt securities and derivative instruments. Volatility may be greater during periods of general economic uncertainty. | ||
Credit Risk. Credit risk refers to an issuers ability to make timely payments of interest and principal when due. Fixed income securities are subject to the credit risk of nonpayment. The ability of issuers of fixed income securities to make timely payments of interest and principal may be adversely affected by, among other things, general economic downturns and economic factors affecting specific issuers. Nonpayment would result in a reduction of income to the Fund. The Adviser continuously monitors the issuers of securities held in the Fund. The Fund will rely on the Advisers judgment, analysis and experience in evaluating the creditworthiness of an issuer. In its analysis, the Adviser may consider the credit ratings of nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs) in evaluating securities, although the Adviser does not rely primarily on these ratings. Credit ratings of NRSROs evaluate only the safety of principal and interest payments, not the market risk. In addition, ratings are general and not absolute standards of quality, and the creditworthiness of an issuer may decline significantly before an NRSRO lowers the issuers rating. A rating downgrade does not require the Fund to dispose of a security. | ||
Risk of Investing in Medium and Lower-Grade Securities. Securities that are in the medium and lower-grade categories generally offer higher yields than are offered by higher-grade securities of similar maturities, but they also generally involve greater risks, such as greater credit risk, market risk, volatility and illiquidity risk. Secondary market prices of medium and lower-grade securities generally are less sensitive than higher-grade securities to changes in interest rates and are more sensitive to general adverse economic changes or specific developments with respect to the particular issuers. A significant increase in interest rates or a general economic downturn may significantly affect the ability of issuers of medium and lower-grade securities to pay interest and to repay principal, or to obtain additional financing, any of which could severely disrupt the market for medium and lower-grade securities and adversely affect the market value of such securities. Such events also could lead to a higher incidence of default by issuers of medium and lower-grade securities. In addition, changes in credit risks, interest rates, the credit markets or periods of general economic uncertainty can be expected to result in increased volatility in the price of medium and lower-grade. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on rational analysis, may affect the value, volatility and liquidity of medium and lower-grade securities. In the event that an issuer of securities held by the Fund experiences difficulties in the timely payment of principal and interest and such issuer seeks to restructure the terms of its borrowings, the Fund may incur additional expenses and may determine to invest additional assets with respect to such issuer or the project or projects to which the Funds securities relate. Further, the Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent that it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of interest or the repayment of principal on its portfolio holdings and the Fund may be unable to obtain full recovery on such amounts. Investments in debt obligations that are at risk of or in default present special tax issues for the Fund. Federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and interest and whether certain exchanges of debt |
7
obligations in a workout context are taxable. These and other issues will be addressed by the Fund, in the event it invests in or holds such securities, in order to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its status as a RIC. | ||
Interest Rate Risk. When interest rates decline, the value of a portfolio invested in fixed income securities generally can be expected to rise. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the value of a portfolio invested in fixed income securities generally can be expected to decline. The prices of longer term fixed income securities generally are more volatile with respect to changes in interest rates than the prices of shorter term fixed income securities. Current market environment because certain interest rates are near historically low levels, which may increase the Funds exposure to risks associated with rising interest rates. Rising interest rates could have unpredictable effects on the markets and may expose fixed-income and related markets to heightened volatility. For fixed-income securities, an increase in interest rates may lead to increased redemptions and increased portfolio turnover, which could reduce liquidity for certain Fund investments, adversely affect values, and increase the Funds expenses. | ||
Income Risk. The income you receive from the Fund is based primarily on prevailing interest rates, which can vary widely over the short and long term. If interest rates decrease, your income from the Fund may decrease as well. | ||
Borrowings Risk. Borrowing money to buy securities exposes the Fund to leverage because the Fund can achieve a return on a capital base larger than the assets that Common Shareholders have contributed to the Fund. Leveraging may cause the Fund to be more volatile because it may exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Funds portfolio securities. To the extent that the then current interest rate on and other costs related to the borrowings approaches the net return on the Funds investment portfolio, the benefit of leverage to the Common Shareholders will be reduced, and if the then current interest rate on and other costs related to the borrowings were to exceed the net return on the Funds portfolio, the Funds leveraged capital structure would result in a lower rate of return to the Common Shareholders than if the Fund were not so leveraged. If the Funds current investment income were not sufficient to meet interest requirements on the borrowings, the Fund might have to liquidate certain of its investments in order to meet required interest payments, thereby reducing the net asset value. These risks may be greater in the current market environment because interest rates are near historically low levels. Interest payments on the Funds outstanding borrowings are based on variable rate formulas and as a result the Funds borrowing costs will increase in a rising interest rate environment. Management of the amount of outstanding borrowings places greater reliance on the ability of the Adviser to predict trends in interest rates than if the Fund did not use leverage. Further, reduction and increase of the borrowings outstanding, and any related trading of the Funds portfolio securities, results in increased transaction costs to the Fund and its Common Shareholders. Lenders have the right to receive interest on and repayment of principal of any borrowings, which right will be senior to those of shareholders. Any such borrowings may contain provisions limiting certain activities of the Fund, including the payment of dividends to shareholders in certain circumstances. Certain types of borrowings subject the Fund to covenants in credit agreements relating to asset coverage and portfolio composition requirements. Certain borrowings issued by the Fund also may subject the Fund to certain restrictions on investments imposed by guidelines of one or more rating agencies, which may issue ratings for such borrowings. Such |
8
guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed by the 1940 Act. There can be no assurance that the Funds leverage strategy will be successful. | ||
Call Risk. If interest rates fall, it is possible that issuers of securities with high interest rates will prepay or call their securities before their maturity dates. In this event, the proceeds from the called securities would likely be reinvested by the Fund in securities bearing the new, lower interest rates, resulting in a possible decline in the Funds income and distributions to shareholders. | ||
Convertible Securities Risk. The values of convertible securities in which the Fund may invest may be affected by market interest rates. The values of convertible securities also may be affected by the risk of actual issuer default on interest or principal payments and the value of the underlying stock. Additionally, an issuer may retain the right to buy back its convertible securities at a time and price unfavorable to the Fund. | ||
Derivatives Risk. The value of a derivative instrument depends largely on (and is derived from) the value of an underlying security, currency, commodity, interest rate, index or other asset (each referred to as an underlying asset). In addition to risks relating to underlying assets, the use of derivatives may include other, possibly greater, risks, including counterparty, leverage and liquidity risks. Counterparty risk is the risk that the counterparty to the derivative contract will default on its obligation to pay the Fund the amount owed or otherwise perform under the derivative contract. Derivatives create leverage risk because they do not require payment up front equal to the economic exposure created by owning the derivative. As a result, an adverse change in the value of the underlying asset could result in the Fund sustaining a loss that is substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative, which may make the Funds returns more volatile and increase the risk of loss. Derivative instruments may also be less liquid than more traditional investments and the Fund may be unable to sell or close out its derivative positions at a desirable time or price. This risk may be more acute under adverse market conditions, during which the Fund may be most in need of liquidating its derivative positions. Derivatives may also be harder to value, less tax efficient and subject to changing government regulation that could impact the Funds ability to use certain derivatives or their cost. Also, derivatives used for hedging or to gain or limit exposure to a particular market segment may not provide the expected benefits, particularly during adverse market conditions. | ||
Foreign Securities Risk. The dollar value of the Funds foreign investments may be affected by changes in the exchange rates between the dollar and the currencies in which those investments are traded. The value of the Funds foreign investments may be adversely affected by political and social instability in their home countries, by changes in economic or taxation policies in those countries, or by the difficulty in enforcing obligations in those countries. Foreign companies generally may be subject to less stringent regulations than U.S. companies, including financial reporting requirements and auditing and accounting controls. As a result, there generally is less publicly available information about foreign companies than about U.S. companies. Trading in many foreign securities may be less liquid and more volatile than U.S. securities due to the size of the market or other factors. | ||
Emerging Markets Risk. The prices of securities issued by foreign companies and governments located in developing countries may be impacted by certain factors more than those in countries with mature economies. For example, developing countries may experience higher rates of inflation or sharply devalue |
9
their currencies against the U.S. dollar, thereby causing the value of investments issued by the government or companies located in those countries to decline. Governments in developing markets may be relatively less stable. The introduction of capital controls, withholding taxes, nationalization of private assets, expropriation, social unrest, or war may result in adverse volatility in the prices of securities or currencies. Other factors may include additional transaction costs, delays in settlement procedures, and lack of timely information. | ||
Currency/Exchange Rate Risk. The dollar value of the Funds foreign investments will be affected by changes in the exchange rates between the dollar and the currencies in which those investments are traded. The Fund may buy or sell currencies other than the U.S. dollar in order to capitalize on anticipated changes in exchange rates. There is no guarantee that these investments will be successful. | ||
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity relates to the ability of a fund to sell a security in a timely manner at a price which reflects the value of that security. To the extent the Fund owns or may acquire illiquid or restricted securities, these securities may involve special registration requirements, liabilities and costs, and liquidity and valuation difficulties. The markets for lower-grade securities may be less liquid than the markets for higher-grade securities. | ||
Risk of Investing in Loans. Loans are subject to credit risk, market risk, income risk and call risk similar to the corporate bonds in which the Fund invests. To the extent that the loans in which the Fund invests are medium- or lower-grade, such loans are subject to same type of risks generally associated with such medium- and lower-grade securities, as described above. Loans may have less credit risk than corporate bonds because loans generally have a more senior claim in the borrowers capital structure relative to corporate bonds or other subordinated debt. However, loans generally do not have as broad of a secondary market compared to corporate bonds and this may impact the market value of such loans and the Funds ability to dispose of particular loans when necessary to meet the Funds liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event such as a deterioration in the creditworthiness of the borrower. The lack of a broad secondary market for loans may also make it more difficult for the Fund to value these securities and make their market values more volatile. | ||
Risk of Investing in Bank Loans. By investing in a bank loan, the Fund becomes a member of a syndicate of lenders, who are typically represented by one or more lenders agents acting as agent for all the lenders. Certain public bank loans are illiquid, meaning the Fund may not be able to sell them quickly at a fair price, and may also be difficult to value. The secondary market for bank loans may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. Bank loans are subject to the risk of default, which will increase in the event of an economic downturn or a substantial increase in interest rates. Because public bank loans usually rank lower in priority of payment to senior loans, they present a greater degree of investment risk due to the fact that the cash flow or other property of the borrower securing the bank loan may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after meeting the payment obligations of the senior secured obligations of the borrower. Bank loans may therefore exhibit greater price volatility. Bank loans that are rated below investment grade share the same risks of other below investment grade securities. |
10
Preferred Securities Risk. There are special risks associated with investing in preferred securities. Preferred securities may include provisions that permit the issuer, in its discretion, to defer or omit distributions for a certain period of time. If the Fund owns a security that is deferring or omitting its distributions, the Fund may be required to report the distribution on its tax returns, even though it may not have received this income. Further, preferred securities may lose substantial value due to the omission or deferment of dividend payments. | ||
Unrated Securities. Many lower-grade securities are not listed for trading on any national securities exchange, and many issuers of lower-grade securities choose not to have a rating assigned to their obligations by any NRSRO. As a result, the Funds portfolio may consist of a higher portion of unlisted or unrated securities as compared with an investment company that invests solely in higher-grade, listed securities. Unrated securities are usually not as attractive to as many buyers as are rated securities, a factor which may make unrated securities less marketable. These factors may limit the ability of the Fund to sell such securities at their fair value. The Fund may be more reliant on the Advisers judgment and analysis in evaluating the creditworthiness of an issuer of unrated securities. | ||
U.S. Government Obligations Risk. Obligations issued by U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities may receive varying levels of support from the government, which could affect the Funds ability to recover should they default. | ||
Zero Coupon/PIK Bond Risk. Prices on non-cash-paying instruments may be more sensitive to changes in the issuers financial condition, fluctuations in interest rates and market demand/supply imbalances than cash-paying securities with similar credit ratings, and thus may be more speculative than are securities that pay interest periodically in cash. These securities may subject the Fund to greater market risk than a fund that does not own these types of securities. Special tax considerations are associated with investing in non-cash-paying instruments, such as zero coupon or PIK securities. The Adviser will weigh these concerns against the expected total returns from such instruments. For example, the Fund would be required to distribute the income on these instruments as it accrues, even though the Fund may be required to accrue that income before a corresponding receipt of cash from such instruments. Thus, the Fund may have to sell other investments or borrow money, including when it may not be advisable to do so, to make income distributions to the Common Shareholders. PIK securities may have unreliable valuations because their continuing accruals require judgments about the collectability of the deferred payments and the value of any associated collateral. Accruals on such instruments may create uncertainty about the source of distributions Common Shareholders. | ||
Common Stock Risk. Common stock prices fluctuate for a number of reasons, including changes in investors perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer, the general condition of the relevant stock market and broader domestic and international political and economic events. The prices of common equity securities are also sensitive to general movements in the stock market, so a drop in the stock market may depress the prices of common equity securities to which the Fund has exposure. While broad market measures of common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than debt securities, common stocks have also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns. Common equity securities in which the Fund may invest are structurally subordinated to preferred stock, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure in terms of priority to corporate income and are |
11
therefore inherently more risky than preferred stock or debt instruments of such issuers. Dividends on common equity securities which the Fund may hold are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of an issuers board of directors. There is no guarantee that the issuers of the common equity securities in which the Fund invests will declare dividends in the future or that, if declared, they will remain at current levels or increase over time. | ||
U.S. Government Securities Risk. U.S. Government securities historically have not involved the credit risks associated with investments in other types of debt securities, although, as a result, the yields available from U.S. Government debt securities are generally lower than the yields available from other securities. Like other debt securities, however, the values of U.S. Government securities change as interest rates fluctuate. On August 5, 2011, S&P lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating on the U.S. to AA+ from AAA. Any further downgrades of the U.S. credit rating could increase volatility in both stock and bond markets, result in higher interest rates and higher Treasury yields and increase the costs of all kinds of debt. These events could have significant adverse effects on the economy generally and could result in significant adverse impacts on securities issuers and the Fund. The Adviser cannot predict the effects of these or similar events in the future on the U.S. economy and securities markets or on the Funds portfolio. | ||
Recent Market Developments Risk. Global and domestic financial markets have experienced periods of severe turmoil. The debt and equity capital markets in the United States have been negatively impacted by significant write-offs in the financial services sector relating to sub-prime mortgages and the re-pricing of credit risk, among other things. These events, along with the deterioration of the housing market, the failure of major financial institutions and the resulting United States federal government actions led to worsening general economic conditions, which materially and adversely impacted the broader financial and credit markets and reduced the availability of debt and equity capital for the market as a whole and financial firms in particular. Such market conditions may increase the volatility of the value of securities owned by the Fund, may make it more difficult for the Fund to accurately value its securities or to sell its securities on a timely basis and may adversely affect the ability of the Fund to borrow for investment purposes and increase the cost of such borrowings, which would reduce returns to the holders of Common Shares. These developments adversely affected the broader economy, and may continue to do so, which in turn may adversely affect issuers of securities owned by the Fund. Such developments could, in turn, reduce the value of securities owned by the Fund and adversely affect the net asset value of the Common Shares. Recently markets have witnessed more stabilized economic activity as expectations for an economic recovery increased. However, risks to a robust resumption of growth persist. A return to unfavorable economic conditions or sustained economic slowdown could adversely impact the Funds portfolio. | ||
Eurozone Risk. The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Continuing uncertainty as to the status of the Euro and the European Monetary Union (the EMU) has created significant volatility in currency and financial markets generally. Investing in Euro-denominated securities entails risk of being exposed to a currency that may not fully reflect the strengths and weaknesses of the disparate European economies. In addition, it is possible that the Euro could be abandoned in the future by countries that have adopted its use. The effects of the collapse of the Euro, or of |
12
the exit of one or more countries from the EMU, on the United States and global economy and securities markets could have a significant adverse impact on the value and risk profile of the Funds investments. If one or more EMU countries were to stop using the Euro as its primary currency, the Funds investments in such countries may be redenominated into a different or newly adopted currency. As a result, the value of those investments could decline significantly and unpredictably. In addition, securities or other investments that are redenominated may be subject to foreign currency risk, liquidity risk and valuation risk to a greater extent than similar investments currently denominated in Euros. To the extent a currency used for redenomination purposes is not specified in respect of certain EMU-related investments, or should the Euro cease to be used entirely, the currency in which such investments are denominated may be unclear, making such investments particularly difficult to value or dispose of. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek judicial or other clarification of the denomination or value of such securities. | ||
Legislation and Regulation Risk. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act), which was signed into law in July 2010, has resulted in a significant revision of the U.S. financial regulatory framework. The Dodd-Frank Act covers a broad range of topics. The regulation of various types of derivative instruments pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act may adversely affect the Fund or its counterparties. The ultimate impact of the Dodd-Frank Act, and any resulting regulation, is not yet certain and issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may also be affected by the new legislation and regulation in ways that are currently unknown and unforeseeable. In connection with an ongoing review by the SEC and its staff of the regulation of investment companies use of derivatives, on August 31, 2011, the SEC issued a concept release to seek public comment on a wide range of issues raised by the use of derivatives by investment companies. While the nature of any such regulations is uncertain at this time, it is possible that such regulations could limit the implementation of the Funds options strategy or other uses of derivatives, which could have an adverse impact on the Fund. At any time after the date of this prospectus, legislation may be enacted that could negatively affect the assets of the Fund or the issuers of such assets. Changing approaches to regulation may have a negative impact on the Fund or entities in which the Fund invests. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund itself is regulated. There can be no assurance that future legislation, regulation or deregulation will not have a material adverse effect on the Fund or will not impair the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objectives. | ||
When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Transactions Risk. Securities purchased on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis may expose the Fund to counterparty risk of default as well as the risk that securities may experience fluctuations in value prior to their actual delivery. The Fund generally will not accrue income with respect to a when-issued or delayed delivery security prior to its stated delivery date. Purchasing securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis can involve the additional risk that the price or yield available in the market when the delivery takes place may not be as favorable as that obtained in the transaction itself. | ||
Repurchase Agreement Risk. A repurchase agreement exposes the Fund to the risk that the party that sells the security may default on its obligation to repurchase it. The Fund may lose money because it cannot sell the security at the agreed-upon time and price or the security loses value before it can be sold. In the event of the bankruptcy or other default of a seller of a repurchase |
13
agreement, the Fund could experience both delays in liquidating the underlying securities and losses. In such an event, the Fund would subject to risks associated with possible decline in the value of the underlying security during the period in which the Fund seeks to enforce its rights thereto, possible lack of access to income on the underlying security during this period, and expenses of enforcing its rights. In addition, the exercise of the Funds right to liquidate the collateral underlying the repurchase agreement could involve certain costs or delays and, to the extent that proceeds from any sale upon a default of the obligation to repurchase were less than the repurchase price, the Fund could suffer a loss. | ||
Securities Lending Risk. Securities lending is subject to the risk that loaned securities may not be available to the Fund on a timely basis and the Fund may therefore lose the opportunity to sell the securities at a desirable price. Any loss in the market price of securities loaned by the Fund that occurs during the term of the loan would be borne by the Fund and would adversely affect the Funds performance. Also, there may be delays in recovery, or no recovery, of securities loaned or even a loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially while the loan is outstanding. | ||
Risk Of Failure To Qualify As A RIC. To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to RICs, the Fund must, among other things, derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from certain prescribed sources, meet certain asset diversification tests and distribute for each taxable year at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (generally, ordinary income plus the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss). If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a RIC, all of its taxable income for that year (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and such distributions would be taxable as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Funds current and accumulated earnings and profits. | ||
Potential Conflicts Of Interest Risk. The Adviser and its affiliates provide a wide array of portfolio management and other asset management services to a mix of clients and may engage in ordinary course activities in which their interests or those of their clients may compete or conflict with those of the Fund. The Adviser and its affiliates may provide investment management services to other funds that follow investment objectives similar to those of the Fund. In certain circumstances, and subject to its fiduciary obligations under Advisers Act, the Adviser may have to allocate a limited investment opportunity among its clients. For additional information about potential conflicts of interest, and the way in which the Adviser and its affiliates address such conflicts please see Investment Advisory and Other ServicesPotential Conflicts of Interest in the SAI. | ||
Market Discount Risk. Shares of closed-end management investment companies frequently trade at a discount from their net asset value, which is a risk separate and distinct from the risk that the Funds net asset value could decrease as a result of its investment activities. Costs incurred in connection with an offering of Common Shares will be borne entirely by the Fund, which may reduce the Funds net asset value per share. The sale of Common Shares by the Fund (or the perception that such sales may occur) may have an adverse effect on prices of Common Shares in the secondary market. An increase in the number of Common Shares available may put downward pressure on the market price for Common Shares. The Fund may, from time to time, seek the consent of |
14
Common Shareholders to permit the issuance and sale by the Fund of Common Shares at a price below the Funds then current net asset value, subject to certain conditions, and such sales of Common Shares at price below net asset value, if any, may increase downward pressure on the market price for Common Shares. These sales, if any, also might make it more difficult for the Fund to sell additional Common Shares in the future at a time and price it deems appropriate. | ||
Maintenance of Leverage Risk. Issuance of additional Common Shares will result in an increase in the assets of the Fund. To the extent that the Fund desires to maintain its level of leverage, as a percentage of the assets of the Fund, the Fund will be required to increase its borrowings or utilize other forms of leverage. The Fund may incur costs in connection with issuing additional leverage, and there can be no assurance that the Fund can obtain additional leverage at favorable rates. An inability by the Fund to maintain its leverage, as a percentage of the assets of the Fund, or to do so at favorable rates, may negatively impact the Funds financial performance, including its ability to sustain current levels of distributions on Common Shares. | ||
Dilution Risk. The voting power of current Common Shareholders will be diluted to the extent that current Common Shareholders do not purchase Common Shares in any future offerings of Common Shares or do not purchase sufficient Common Shares to maintain their percentage interest. If the Fund is unable to invest the proceeds of such offering as intended, the Funds per Common Share distribution may decrease and the Fund may not participate in market advances to the same extent as if such proceeds were fully invested as planned. If the Fund sells Common Shares at a price below net asset value pursuant to the consent of Common Shareholders, shareholders will experience a dilution of the aggregate net asset value per Common Share because the sale price will be less than the Funds then-current net asset value per Common Share. Similarly, were the expenses of the offering to exceed the amount by which the sale price exceeded the Funds then current net asset value per Common Share, shareholders would experience a dilution of the aggregate net asset value per Common Share. This dilution will be experienced by all shareholders, irrespective of whether they purchase Common Shares in any such offering. | ||
Anti-Takeover Provisions | ||
In The Funds Governing | ||
Documents | The Funds Certificate of Trust, as amended, the Funds Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the Declaration of Trust) and the Funds By-Laws (collectively, the Governing Documents) include provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund or convert the Fund to an open-end fund. These provisions could have the effect of depriving the Common Shareholders of opportunities to sell their Common Shares at a premium over the then-current market price of the Common Shares. See Anti-Takeover and Other Provisions in the Funds Governing Documents and RisksAnti-Takeover Provisions in the Funds Governing Documents. | |
Administrator | The Fund has entered into a master administrative services agreement with the Adviser, pursuant to which the Adviser performs or arranges for the provision of accounting and other administrative services to the Fund that are not required to be performed by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement. | |
Custodian, Dividend | ||
Disbursing Agent and | ||
Transfer Agent | The custodian for the Fund is State Street Bank and Trust Company, 225 Franklin Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110-2801. The transfer agent and dividend paying agent for the Fund is Computershare Trust Company, N.A., P.O. Box 43078, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-3078. |
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The following table contains information about the costs and expenses that Common Shareholders will bear directly or indirectly. The table is based on the capital structure of the Fund as of February 28, 2015 (except as noted below). The purpose of the table and the example below is to help you understand the fees and expenses that you, as a holder of Common Shares, would bear directly or indirectly.
Common Shareholder Transaction Expenses
Sales load paid by you (as a percentage of offering price) |
| (1) | ||
Offering expenses borne by Common Shareholders (as a percentage of offering price) |
| (1) | ||
Dividend Reinvestment Plan fees(2) |
None |
Percentage of Net Assets Attributable to Common Shares(3) |
||||
Annual Expenses |
||||
Management fees(4) |
0.95 | % | ||
Interest payments on borrowed funds(5) |
0.38 | % | ||
Other expenses(6) |
0.20 | % | ||
|
|
|||
Total annual expenses |
1.53 | % | ||
|
|
(1) | If Common Shares to which this Prospectus relates are sold to or through underwriters, the Prospectus Supplement will set forth any applicable sales load and the estimated offering expenses borne by the Fund. |
(2) | Common Shareholders will pay service fee of $2.50 and brokerage charges if they direct the Plan Agent to sell Common Shares held in a dividend reinvestment account. See Automatic Dividend Reinvestment Plan. |
(3) | Based upon average net assets applicable to Common Shares during the period ended February 28, 2015. |
(4) | The Fund pays the Adviser an annual fee, payable monthly, in an amount equal to 0.70% of the Funds average daily Managed Assets. The fee shown above is based upon outstanding borrowings of 26% of the Funds total assets. If borrowings of more than 26% of the Funds total assets is used, the management fees shown would be higher. |
(5) | Based upon the Funds outstanding borrowings as of February 28, 2015 of approximately $50.55 million and the average daily weighted interest rate for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2015 of 0.96%. |
(6) | Other expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
Example
As required by relevant Securities and Exchange Commission regulations, the following example illustrates the expenses that you would pay on a $1,000 investment in Common Shares, assuming (1) Total annual expenses of 1.53% of net assets attributable to Common Shares and (2) a 5% annual return*:
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||||||||||||
Total Expenses paid by Common Shareholders(1) |
$ | 16 | $ | 48 | $ | 83 | $ | 182 |
* | The Example should not be considered a representation of future expenses or returns. Actual expenses may be higher or lower than those assumed. Moreover, the Funds actual rate of return may be higher or lower than the hypothetical 5% return shown in the example. The example assumes that all dividends and distributions are reinvested at net asset value. |
(1) | The example above does not include sales loads or estimated offering costs. In connection with an offering of Common Shares, the Prospectus Supplement will set forth an Example including sales load and estimated offering costs. |
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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand the Funds financial performance. For the fiscal years ended February 28, 2015, February 28, 2014, February 28, 2013, February 29, 2012, the two month period ended February 28, 2011 and the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010, the information in this table is derived from the Funds financial statements for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2015, audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund, whose report on such financial statements, together with the financial statements of the Fund, are included in the Funds annual report to shareholders for the period ended February 28, 2015, and are incorporated by reference into the SAI.
The following schedule presents financial highlights for a common share of the Trust outstanding throughout the periods indicated.
Years ended February 28, |
Years ended February 28, |
|
Year ended February 29, |
|
|
Two months ended February 28, |
|
|
Years ended December 31, |
| ||||||||||||
2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009* | ||||||||||||||||
Net asset value per common share, beginning of period |
$17.88 | $17.51 | $16.38 | $ | 16.63 | $ | 16.16 | $ | 15.38 | $ | 10.45 | |||||||||||
Net investment income(a) |
1.18 | 1.28 | 1.35 | 1.37 | 0.24 | 1.61 | 1.83 | |||||||||||||||
Net gains (losses) on securities (both realized and unrealized) |
(0.66) | 0.46 | 1.17 | (0.23) | 0.46 | 0.73 | 4.93 | |||||||||||||||
Distributions paid to preferred shareholders from net investment income |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | (0.01) | (0.42) | |||||||||||||||
Total from investment operations |
0.52 | 1.74 | 2.52 | 1.14 | 0.70 | 2.33 | 6.34 | |||||||||||||||
Less dividends paid to common shareholders from net investment income |
(1.29) | (1.37) | (1.39) | (1.39) | (0.23) | (1.55) | (1.41) | |||||||||||||||
Net asset value per common share, end of period |
$17.11 | $17.88 | $17.51 | $ | 16.38 | $ | 16.63 | $ | 16.16 | $ | 15.38 | |||||||||||
Market value per common share, end of period |
$15.29 | $16.65 | $18.03 | $ | 16.89 | $ | 16.52 | $ | 16.02 | $ | 14.48 | |||||||||||
Total return at net asset value(b) |
3.73% | 10.95% | 15.74% | 7.26 | % | 4.37 | % | 15.55 | % | | ||||||||||||
Total return at market value(c) |
(0.46)% | 0.34% | 15.57% | 11.33 | % | 4.59 | % | 21.67 | % | 83.40 | % | |||||||||||
Net assets applicable to common shares, end of period (000s omitted) |
$138,940 | $145,197 | $142,161 | $ | 61,755 | $ | 62,711 | $ | 60,916 | $ | 57,997 | |||||||||||
Portfolio turnover rate(d) |
99% | 74% | 58% | 60 | % | 18 | % | 135 | % | 58 | % | |||||||||||
Ratios/supplemental data based on average net assets applicable to common shares: |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Ratio of expenses: |
||||||||||||||||||||||
With fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements |
1.49%(e) | 1.54% | 1.67% | 2.38 | % | 2.44 | %(f) | 2.57 | %(g) | 2.31 | %(g) | |||||||||||
With fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements excluding interest, facilities and maintenance fees(h) |
1.11%(e) | 1.13% | 1.20% | 1.95 | % | 1.71 | %(f) | 1.74 | %(g) | |||||||||||||
Without fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements |
1.53%(e) | 1.63% | 1.83% | 2.38 | % | 2.44 | %(f) | 2.61 | %(g) | 2.40 | %(g) | |||||||||||
Ratio of net investment income before preferred share dividends |
6.81%(e) | 7.36% | 7.96% | 8.69 | % | 8.93 | %(f) | 10.34 | % | 14.13 | % | |||||||||||
Preferred share dividends |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | (0.03 | )% | N/A | ||||||||||||||
Ratio of net investment income after preferred share dividends |
6.81%(e) | 7.36% | 7.96% | 8.69 | % | 8.93 | %(f) | 10.31 | % | 10.90 | % | |||||||||||
Senior securities: |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Total amount of preferred shares outstanding (000s omitted) |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $ | 4,400 | (i) | |||||||||||||
Asset coverage per $1,000 unit of senior indebtedness(j) |
$3,749 | $3,872 | $3,812 | $ | 3,628 | $ | 3,412 | |||||||||||||||
Asset coverage per preferred share (k) |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $ | 354,600 | ||||||||||||||
Liquidating preference per preferred share |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | $ | 25,000 | ||||||||||||||
Total borrowings (000s omitted) |
$50,550 | $50,550 | $50,550 | $ | 23,500 | $ | 26,000 | $ | 26,000 | $ | 28,000 |
17
Years ended December 31, | ||||||||||
2008* | 2007* | 2006* | 2005 | |||||||
Net asset value per common share, beginning of period |
$20.40 | $21.45 | $21.40 | $ | 4.76 | |||||
Net investment income(a) |
2.45 | 2.55 | 2.45 | 0.52 | ||||||
Net gains (losses) on securities (both realized and unrealized) |
(9.90) | (1.00) | 0.25 | (0.45) | ||||||
Less: Distributions paid to preferred shareholders from net investment income |
(1.00) | (0.95) | (0.85) | (0.11) | ||||||
Total from investment operations |
(8.45) | 0.60 | 1.85 | (0.04) | ||||||
Less: Dividends paid to common shareholders from net investment income |
(1.50) | (1.65) | (1.80) | (0.44) | ||||||
Net asset value per common share, end of period |
$10.45 | $20.40 | $21.45 | $ | 4.28 | |||||
Market value per common share, end of period |
$8.90 | $18.15 | $20.10 | $ | 4.14 | |||||
Total return at net asset value(b) |
||||||||||
Total return at market value(c) |
(45.03)% | (1.71)% | 6.02% | (11.46 | )% | |||||
Net assets applicable to common shares, end of period (000s omitted) |
$39,414 | $76,998 | $81,081 | $ | 80,831 | |||||
Portfolio turnover rate(d) |
46% | 37% | 48% | 62 | % | |||||
Ratios/supplemental data based on average net assets applicable to common shares: |
||||||||||
Ratio of expenses: |
||||||||||
With fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements |
1.94%(e) | 1.84% | 2.00% | 2.43% | ||||||
With fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements excluding interest, facilities and maintenance fees(h) |
||||||||||
Without fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements |
2.04%(e) | 1.93% | 2.05% | 1.37% | ||||||
Ratio of net investment income before preferred share dividends |
14.65%(e) | 12.06% | 11.69% | 11.89% | ||||||
Preferred share dividends |
| |||||||||
Ratio of net investment income after preferred share dividends |
8.56%(e) | 7.61% | 7.70% | 9.24% | ||||||
Senior securities: |
||||||||||
Total amount of preferred shares outstanding (000s omitted) |
$32,400(i) | $65,400(i) | $65,400(i) | $65,400(i) | ||||||
Asset coverage per $1,000 unit of senior indebtedness(j) |
||||||||||
Asset coverage per preferred share (k) |
$55,444 | $54,487 | $56,040 | $55,933 | ||||||
Liquidating preference per preferred share |
25,000 | 25,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 | ||||||
Total borrowings (000s omitted) |
N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
18
(a) | Calculated using average shares outstanding. |
(b) | Includes adjustments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and as such, the net asset value for financial reporting purposes and the returns based upon those net asset values may differ from the net asset value and returns for shareholder transactions. Not annualized for periods less than one year, if applicable. |
(c) | Total return assumes an investment at the common share market price at the beginning of the period indicated, reinvestment of all distributions for the period in accordance with the Trusts dividend reinvestment plan, and sale of all shares at the closing common share market price at the end of the period indicated. Not annualized for periods less than one year, if applicable. |
(d) | Portfolio turnover is calculated at the fund level and is not annualized for periods less than one year, if applicable. For the year ending February 28, 2013, the portfolio turnover calculation excludes the value of securities purchases of $94,353,288 and sold of $25,036,644 in the effort to realign the Trusts portfolio holdings after the reorganization of Invesco High Yield Investments Fund, Inc. into the Trust. |
(e) | Ratios are based on average daily net assets applicable to common shares (000s omitted) of $141,229 |
(f) | Annualized. |
(g) | Ratios do not reflect the effect of dividend payments to preferred shareholders. |
(h) | For the years ended October 31, 2010 and prior, ratio does not exclude facilities and maintenance fees. |
(i) | Total shares outstanding for the year ended December 31, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively, was 176, 1,296, 2,616, 2,616 and 2,616. |
(j) | Calculated by subtracting the Trusts total liabilities (not including the preferred shares and the borrowings) from the Trusts total assets and dividing this by the total number of senior indebtedness units, where one unit equals $1,000 of senior indebtedness. |
(k) | Calculated by subtracting the Trusts total liabilities (not including preferred shares) from the Trusts total assets and dividing this by preferred shares outstanding. |
N/A | = Not Applicable |
* | Share amounts, net asset values and common share market prices have been adjusted as a result of the 1-for-5 reverse common share split on May 22, 2009. |
19
The following table sets forth information about the Funds outstanding senior securities as of the end of each of the last ten fiscal years. This information for the fiscal years ended February 28, 2015, February 28, 2014, February 28, 2013, February 29, 2012, the two month period ended February 28, 2011 and the fiscal year ended December 31, 2010 has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent registered public accounting firm for the Fund.
Class and Fiscal Year |
Total Principal Amount Outstanding |
Asset Coverage Per Preferred Share/$1,000 of Borrowings |
Involuntary Liquidating Preference Per Unit |
Average Market Value Per Unit |
||||||||||||
Auction Preferred Shares |
| |||||||||||||||
December 31, 2009 |
$ | 4,400,000 | $ | 354,600 | $ | 25,000 | N/A | |||||||||
December 31, 2008 |
$ | 32,400,000 | $ | 55,444 | $ | 25,000 | N/A | |||||||||
December 31, 2007 |
$ | 65,400,000 | $ | 54,487 | $ | 25,000 | N/A | |||||||||
December 31, 2006 |
$ | 65,400,000 | $ | 56,040 | $ | 25,000 | N/A | |||||||||
December 31, 2005 |
$ | 65,400,000 | $ | 55,933 | $ | 25,000 | N/A | |||||||||
Borrowings |
| |||||||||||||||
February 28, 2015 |
$ | 50,550,000 | $ | 3,749 | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||
February 28, 2014 |
$ | 50,550,000 | $ | 3,872 | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||
February 28, 2013 |
$ | 50,550,000 | $ | 3,812 | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||
February 29, 2012 |
$ | 23,500,000 | $ | 3,628 | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||
February 28, 2011 |
$ | 26,000,000 | $ | 3,412 | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||
December 31, 2010 |
$ | 26,000,000 | $ | 3,342 | N/A | N/A | ||||||||||
December 31, 2009 |
$ | 28,000,000 | $ | 3,229 | N/A | N/A |
20
Invesco High Income Trust II (the Fund) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act) and organized as a statutory trust under the laws of the State of Delaware. The Fund was originally organized as a Massachusetts business trust on February 15, 1989. The Fund commenced operations on April 28, 1989. Effective as of August 27, 2012, the Fund completed a redomestication to a Delaware statutory trust. The Funds principal office is located at 1555 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30309 and its phone number is (404) 439-3217.
Unless otherwise specified in a Prospectus Supplement, the Fund intends to invest the net proceeds of an offering of its common shares (the Common Shares) in accordance with its investment objective and policies as stated herein. It is currently anticipated that the Fund will be able to invest substantially all of the net proceeds of an offering of Common Shares in accordance with its investment objective and policies within three to six months after the completion of any such offering or the receipt of such proceeds. Pending such investment, it is anticipated that the proceeds will be invested in cash, cash equivalents or other securities, including U.S. government securities or high quality, short-term debt securities. The Fund may also use the proceeds for working capital purposes, including the payment of distributions, interest and operating expenses, although the Fund currently has no intent to issue Common Shares primarily for this purpose.
MARKET AND NET ASSET VALUE INFORMATION
The Funds currently outstanding Common Shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the NYSE) under the symbol VLT and the Common Shares offered by this Prospectus, subject to notice of issuance, will also be listed on the NYSE. The Funds Common Shares commenced trading on the NYSE in April 1989.
Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount from net asset value. The Common Shares have traded both at a premium and at a discount in relation to the Funds net asset value per share. Although the Common Shares recently have traded at a premium to net asset value, there can be no assurance that this will continue after the offering nor that the Common Shares will not trade at a discount in the future. Shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount to net asset value. Costs incurred in connection with an offering of Common Shares will be borne entirely by the Fund, which may reduce the Funds net asset value per share. The sale of Common Shares by the Fund (or the perception that such sales may occur) may have an adverse effect on prices of Common Shares in the secondary market. An increase in the number of Common Shares available may put downward pressure on the market price for Common Shares. See RisksRisks Associated with OfferingsMarket Discount Risk.
The following table sets forth, for each of the periods indicated, the high and low closing market prices for the Common Shares on the NYSE, the net asset value per Common Share and the premium or discount to net asset value per Common Share at which the Common Shares were trading. Net asset value is generally determined on each day that the NYSE is open for business. See Net Asset Value for information as to the determination of the Funds net asset value.
NYSE Market Price Per Share |
Net Asset Value per Common Share on Date of Market Price High and Low(1) |
Premium/(Discount) on Date of Market Price High and Low(2) |
||||||||||||||||||||||
During Quarter Ended |
High | Low | High | Low | High | Low | ||||||||||||||||||
May 31, 2015 |
$15.35 | $14.78 | $17.14 | $16.74 | (10.44 | )% | (11.71 | )% | ||||||||||||||||
February 28, 2015 |
$15.33 | $14.20 | $17.10 | $15.94 | (10.35 | )% | (10.92 | )% | ||||||||||||||||
November 30, 2014 |
$16.53 | $14.85 | $17.81 | $16.68 | (7.19 | )% | (10.97 | )% | ||||||||||||||||
August 31, 2014 |
$17.15 | $16.01 | $18.09 | $17.39 | (5.20 | )% | (7.94 | )% | ||||||||||||||||
May 31, 2014 |
$17.00 | $16.44 | $17.94 | $17.70 | (5.24 | )% | (7.12 | )% | ||||||||||||||||
February 28, 2014 |
$16.83 | $15.67 | $17.89 | $17.43 | (5.93 | )% | (10.10 | )% | ||||||||||||||||
November 30, 2013 |
$16.40 | $15.54 | $17.47 | $16.78 | (6.12 | )% | (7.39 | )% | ||||||||||||||||
August 31, 2013 |
$17.38 | $15.11 | $17.68 | $16.62 | (1.70 | )% | (9.08 | )% | ||||||||||||||||
May 31, 2013 |
$18.52 | $17.26 | $18.21 | $17.50 | 1.70 | % | (1.37 | )% |
21
(1) | Based on the Funds computations. |
(2) | Calculated based on the information presented. Percentages are rounded. |
The last reported sale price, net asset value per Common Share and percentage discount to net asset value per Common Share on August 13, 2015 was $13.67, $16.10 and 15.09%, respectively. The Fund cannot predict whether its Common Shares will trade in the future at a premium to or discount from net asset value, or the level of any premium or discount. As of June 30, 2015, 8,118,429 Common Shares of the Fund were outstanding.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICIES
Investment Objective
The Funds investment objective is to provide to its common shareholders (the Common Shareholders) high current income, while seeking to preserve shareholders capital, through investment in a professionally managed, diversified portfolio of high-income producing fixed-income securities. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective or be able to structure its investments as anticipated. The investment objective is fundamental and may not be changed without approval of a majority of the Funds outstanding voting securities, as defined in the 1940 Act. The Fund cannot assure investors that it will achieve its investment objective.
Investment Policies
The Fund will invest primarily in high income producing fixed-income securities rated in the medium and lower categories by established rating agencies, or unrated securities determined by the Adviser to be of comparable quality. Medium and lower grade securities are those rated BB or lower by Standard & Poors Financial Services LLC, a subsidiary of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (S&P) or Ba or lower by Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys), or securities that are not rated by either such rating agency but are believed by the Adviser to be of comparable quality. No limitation exists as to the rating category in which the Fund may invest. High income producing fixed-income securities are generally corporate fixed-income securities rated between BB/Ba and C/C by S&P and Moodys and are frequently issued by corporations in the growth stage of their development. Securities which are rated BB, B, CCC, CC and C are regarded by S&P, on balance, as predominantly speculative with respect to capacity to pay interest and repay principal in accordance with the terms of the obligation.
In normal market conditions, at least 65% of the Funds assets will be invested in fixed-income securities. The fixed-income securities in which the Fund will invest will consist primarily of debt securities. Fixed-income securities which may be acquired by the Fund include all types of debt obligations having varying terms with respect to security or credit support, subordination, purchase price, interest payments and maturity. Such obligations may include, for example, bonds, debentures, notes and obligations issued or guaranteed by the United States government or any of its political subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities. Most debt securities in which the Fund will invest will bear interest at fixed rates. However, the Fund reserves the right to invest without limitation in fixed-income securities that have variable rates of interest or involve equity features, such as contingent interest or participation based on revenues, sales or profits. Fixed-income securities which may be acquired also include preferred stocks that have cumulative or non-cumulative dividend rights. Fixed-income securities also include convertible securities and zero coupon securities.
The Fund may invest up to 35% of its total assets in securities rated higher than BB by S&P or higher than Ba by Moodys or unrated securities of comparable quality and may invest a higher percentage, up to 100% of its total assets, in such higher rated securities (i) when the difference in yields between quality classifications is relatively narrow, (ii) when, consistent with seeking to maintain the dollar-weighted average maturity of the Funds portfolio of up to 12 years, high income producing fixed-income securities of appropriate maturities are unavailable or are available only at prices that the Adviser deems are unfavorable or (iii) when the Adviser determines that market conditions warrant a temporary, defensive policy.
The Fund will seek to preserve capital through portfolio diversification and by limiting investments to fixed-income securities which the Adviser believes entail reasonable credit risk. The Fund has a non-fundamental investment policy of maintaining a dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of up to 12 years, with no limitation on the maturity of individual securities that it may be acquire.
22
Convertible Securities. Fixed-income securities in which the Fund may invest include convertible securities. A convertible security is a bond, debenture, note, preferred stock or other security that may be converted into or exchanged for, or may otherwise entitle the holder to purchase, a prescribed amount of common stock or any equity security of the same or a different issuer within a particular period of time at a specified price or formula. A convertible security entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt or the dividend paid on preferred stock until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. In selecting convertible securities for the Fund, the following factors, among others, will be considered by the Adviser: (1) the Advisers own evaluations of the creditworthiness of the issuers of the securities; (2) the interest or dividend income generated by the securities; (3) the potential for capital appreciation of the securities and the underlying common stock; (4) the prices of the securities relative to the underlying common stocks; (5) the prices of the securities relative to other comparable securities; (6) whether the securities are entitled to the benefits of sinking funds or other protective conditions; (7) diversification of the Funds portfolio as to issuers and industries; and (8) whether the securities are rated by Moodys and/or S&P and, if so, the ratings assigned.
Zero Coupon Securities. Fixed-income securities in which the Fund may invest also include zero coupon securities issued by corporations and other private entities. The Fund is permitted to invest up to 10% of its total assets in zero coupon securities. Zero coupon securities do not entitle the holder to any periodic payments of interest prior to maturity and therefore are issued and trade at a discount from their face or par value.
Loans. Consistent with the Funds strategy of investing in income securities, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in fixed and floating rate loans. Loans are typically arranged through private negotiations between the borrower and one or more lenders. Loans generally have a more senior claim in the borrowers capital structure relative to corporate bonds or other subordinated debt. The loans in which the Fund invests are generally in the form of loan assignments and participations of all or a portion of a loan from another lender. In the case of an assignment, the Fund acquires direct rights against the borrower on the loan, however, the Funds rights and obligations as the purchaser of an assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning lender. In the case of a participation, the Fund typically has the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the lender selling the participation and only upon receipt by the lender of the payments from the borrower. In the event of insolvency of the lender selling the participation, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the lender and may not benefit from any setoff between the lender and the borrower.
Restricted and Illiquid Securities. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in fixed-income securities that are not readily marketable, including securities restricted as to resale. No security that is not readily marketable will be acquired unless the Adviser believes such security to be of comparable quality to publicly-traded securities in which the Fund may invest. Certain fixed-income securities are somewhat liquid and may become more liquid as secondary markets for these securities continue to develop. These securities will be included in, or excluded from, the 20% limitation on a case-by-case basis by the Adviser under the supervision of the Board of Trustees, depending on the perceived liquidity of the security and market involved.
Non-Dollar Denominated Securities. The Fund may invest a portion or all of its total assets in securities issued by foreign governments or foreign corporations; provided, however, that the Fund may not invest more than 30% of its total assets in non-U.S. dollar denominated securities. The same quality levels currently permitted by the Fund for all investments will apply to foreign investments. The Fund may invest in securities of issuers determined by the Adviser to be in developing or emerging market countries. The foregoing percentage and rating limitations apply at the time of acquisition of a security based on the last previous determination of the Funds net asset value. Any subsequent change in any rating by a rating service or change in percentages resulting from market fluctuations or other changes in the Funds total assets will not require elimination of any security from the Funds portfolio. The Fund may purchase and sell foreign currency on a spot (i.e., cash) basis in connection with the settlement of transactions in securities traded in such foreign currency.
Derivatives. The Fund can invest in derivative instruments, including swap contracts (including credit default swaps, total return swaps, interest rate swaps and volatility swaps), options (including interest rate options, credit default swap options and swaptions), futures contracts (including interest rate futures) and forward foreign currency contracts. The Fund can use swap contracts, including interest rate swaps, to hedge or adjust its exposure to
23
interest rates, and credit default swaps to create long or short exposure to corporate or sovereign debt securities. The Fund can further use total return swaps to gain exposure to a reference asset and volatility swaps to adjust the volatility profile of the Fund. The Fund can use options, including credit default swap options, to gain the right to enter into a credit default swap at a specified future date and swaptions (options on swaps) to manage interest rate risk. The Fund can use interest rate futures contracts to increase or reduce its exposure to rate changes. The Fund can engage in forward foreign currency contracts to mitigate the risk of foreign currency exposure.
Money Market Funds. To the extent permitted by applicable law and the Funds investment objectives, policies, and restrictions, the Fund may invest all or some of its short-term cash investments in money market funds, including money market fund advised or managed by the Adviser or its affiliates. When the Fund purchases shares of another investment company, including an affiliated money market fund, the Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of the advisory fees and other operating expenses of such investment company and will be subject to the risks associated with the portfolio investments of the underlying investment company.
Investment Grade Debt Obligations
Debt obligations include, among others, bonds, notes, debentures and variable rate demand notes. They may be U.S. dollar-denominated debt obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. corporations or U.S. commercial banks, U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of foreign issuers and debt obligations of foreign issuers denominated in foreign currencies. In choosing corporate debt securities on behalf of the Fund, portfolio managers may consider:
(i) | general economic and financial conditions; |
(ii) | the specific issuers (a) business and management, (b) cash flow, (c) earnings coverage of interest and dividends, (d) ability to operate under adverse economic conditions, (e) fair market value of assets, and (f) in the case of foreign issuers, unique political, economic or social conditions applicable to such issuers country; and |
(iii) | other considerations deemed appropriate. |
Debt securities are subject to a variety of risks, such as interest rate risk, income risk, prepayment risk, inflation risk, credit risk, currency risk and default risk.
Non-Investment Grade Debt Obligations (Junk Bonds)
Bonds rated Ba or below by Moodys and/or BB or below by S&P or Fitch Ratings, Ltd. are typically considered non-investment grade or junk bonds. Analysis of the creditworthiness of junk bond issuers is more complex than that of investment-grade issuers and the success of the Adviser in managing these decisions is more dependent upon its own credit analysis than is the case with investment-grade bonds.
The capacity of junk bonds to pay interest and repay principal is considered speculative. While junk bonds may provide an opportunity for greater income and gains, they are subject to greater risks than higher-rated debt securities. The prices of and yields on junk bonds may fluctuate to a greater extent than those of higher-rated debt securities. Junk bonds are generally more sensitive to individual issuer developments, economic conditions and regulatory changes than higher-rated bonds. Issuers of junk bonds are often issued by smaller, less-seasoned companies or companies that are highly leveraged with more traditional methods of financing unavailable to them. Junk bonds are generally at a higher risk of default because such issues are often unsecured or otherwise subordinated to claims of the issuers other creditors. If a junk bond issuer defaults, the Fund may incur additional expenses to seek recovery. The secondary markets in which junk bonds are traded may be thin and less liquid than the market for higher-rated debt securities and the Fund may have difficulty selling certain junk bonds at the desired time and price. Less liquidity in secondary trading markets could adversely affect the price at which the Fund could sell a particular junk bond, and could cause large fluctuations in the net asset value of that Funds shares. The lack of a liquid secondary market may also make it more difficult for the Fund to obtain accurate market quotations in valuing junk bond assets and elements of judgment may play a greater role in the valuation.
24
U.S. Corporate Debt Obligations
Corporate debt obligations are debt obligations issued or guaranteed by corporations that are denominated in U.S. dollars. Such investments may include, among others, commercial paper, bonds, notes, debentures, variable rate demand notes, master notes, funding agreements and other short-term corporate instruments. Commercial Paper consists of short-term promissory notes issued by corporations. Commercial paper may be traded in the secondary market after its issuance. Variable rate demand notes are securities with a variable interest which is readjusted on pre-established dates. Variable rate demand notes are subject to payment of principal and accrued interest (usually within seven days) on the Funds demand. Master notes are negotiated notes that permit the investment of fluctuating amounts of money at varying rates of interest pursuant to arrangements with issuers who meet the credit quality criteria of the Fund. The interest rate on a master note may fluctuate based upon changes in specified interest rates or be reset periodically according to a prescribed formula or may be a set rate. Although there is no secondary market in master notes, if such notes have a demand feature, the payee may demand payment of the principal amount of the note upon relatively short notice. Funding agreements are agreements between an insurance company and the Fund covering underlying demand notes. Although there is no secondary market in funding agreements, if the underlying notes have a demand feature, the payee may demand payment of the principal amount of the note upon relatively short notice. Master notes and funding agreements are generally illiquid and therefore subject to any applicable restrictions on investment in illiquid securities.
Loans, Loan Participations and Assignments
Loans and loan participations are interests in amounts owed by a corporate, governmental or other borrowers to another party. They may represent amounts owed to lenders or lending syndicates, to suppliers of goods or services, or to other parties. The Fund will have the right to receive payments of principal, interest and any fees to which it is entitled only from the lender selling the participation and only upon receipt by the lender of the payments from the borrower. In connection with purchasing participations, the Fund generally will have no right to enforce compliance by the borrower with the terms of the loan agreement relating to the loan, nor any rights of set-off against the borrower, and the Fund may not directly benefit from any collateral supporting the loan in which it has purchased the participation. As a result, the Fund will be subject to the credit risk of both the borrower and the lender that is selling the participation. In the event of the insolvency of the lender selling a participation, the Fund may be treated as a general creditor of the lender and may not benefit from any set-off between the lender and the borrower.
When the Fund purchases assignments from lenders, it acquires direct rights against the borrower on the loan. However, because assignments are arranged through private negotiations between potential assignees and potential assignors, the rights and obligations acquired by the Fund as the purchaser of an assignment may differ from, and be more limited than, those held by the assigning lender. In addition, if the loan is foreclosed, the Fund could be part owner of any collateral and could bear the costs and liabilities of owning and disposing of the collateral.
Investments in loans, loan participations and assignments present the possibility that the Fund could be held liable as a co-lender under emerging legal theories of lender liability. The Fund anticipates that loans, loan participations and assignments could be sold only to a limited number of institutional investors. If there is no active secondary market for a loan, it may be more difficult to sell the interests in such a loan at a price that is acceptable or to even obtain pricing information. In addition, some loans, loan participations and assignments may not be rated by major rating agencies and may not be protected by the securities laws.
Convertible Securities
Convertible securities are generally bonds, debentures, notes, preferred stocks or other securities or investments that may be converted or exchanged (by the holder or by the issuer) into shares of the underlying common stock (or cash or securities of equivalent value) at a stated exchange ratio or predetermined price (the conversion price). A convertible security is designed to provide current income and also the potential for capital appreciation through the conversion feature, which enables the holder to benefit from increases in the market price of the underlying common stock. A convertible security may be called for redemption or conversion by the issuer after a particular date and under certain circumstances (including a specified price) established upon issue. If a
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convertible security held by the Fund is called for redemption or conversion, the Fund could be required to tender it for redemption, convert it into the underlying common stock, or sell it to a third party, which may have an adverse effect on the Funds ability to achieve its investment objectives. Convertible securities have general characteristics similar to both debt and equity securities.
A convertible security generally entitles the holder to receive interest paid or accrued until the convertible security matures or is redeemed, converted or exchanged. Before conversion, convertible securities have characteristics similar to non-convertible debt obligations and are designed to provide for a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than common stocks. However, there can be no assurance of current income because the issuers of the convertible securities may default on their obligations. Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in a corporations capital structure and, therefore, generally entail less risk than the corporations common stock. Convertible securities are subordinate in rank to any senior debt obligations of the issuer, and, therefore, an issuers convertible securities entail more risk than its debt obligations. Moreover, convertible securities are often rated below investment grade or not rated because they fall below debt obligations and just above common stock in order of preference or priority on an issuers balance sheet. To the extent that the Fund invests in convertible securities with credit ratings below investment grade, such securities may have a higher likelihood of default, although this may be somewhat offset by the convertibility feature.
Convertible securities generally offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible debt securities of similar credit quality because of the potential for capital appreciation. The common stock underlying convertible securities may be issued by a different entity than the issuer of the convertible securities.
The value of convertible securities is influenced by both the yield of non-convertible securities of comparable issuers and by the value of the underlying common stock. The value of a convertible security viewed without regard to its conversion feature (i.e., strictly on the basis of its yield) is sometimes referred to as its investment value. The investment value of the convertible security typically will fluctuate based on the credit quality of the issuer and will fluctuate inversely with changes in prevailing interest rates. However, at the same time, the convertible security will be influenced by its conversion value, which is the market value of the underlying common stock that would be obtained if the convertible security were converted. Conversion value fluctuates directly with the price of the underlying common stock, and will therefore be subject to risks relating to the activities of the issuer and general market and economic conditions. Depending upon the relationship of the conversion price to the market value of the underlying security, a convertible security may trade more like an equity security than a debt instrument.
If, because of a low price of the common stock, the conversion value is substantially below the investment value of the convertible security, the price of the convertible security is governed principally by its investment value. Generally, if the conversion value of a convertible security increases to a point that approximates or exceeds its investment value, the value of the security will be principally influenced by its conversion value. A convertible security will sell at a premium over its conversion value to the extent investors place value on the right to acquire the underlying common stock while holding an income-producing security.
While the Fund uses the same criteria to rate a convertible debt security that it uses to rate a more conventional debt security, a convertible preferred stock is treated like a preferred stock for the Funds financial reporting, credit rating and investment limitation purposes.
Enhanced Convertible Securities. Enhanced convertible securities are equity-linked hybrid securities that automatically convert to equity securities on a specified date. Enhanced convertibles have been designed with a variety of payoff structures, and are known by a variety of different names. Three features common to enhanced convertible securities are (i) conversion to equity securities at the maturity of the convertible (as opposed to conversion at the option of the security holder in the case of ordinary convertibles); (ii) capped or limited appreciation potential relative to the underlying common stock; and (iii) dividend yields that are typically higher than that on the underlying common stock. Thus, enhanced convertible securities offer holders the opportunity to obtain higher current income than would be available from a traditional equity security issued by the same company in return for reduced participation in the appreciation potential of the underlying common stock. Other forms of enhanced convertible securities may involve arrangements with no interest or dividend payments made until maturity of the security or an enhanced principal amount received at maturity based on the yield and value of the underlying equity security during the securitys term or at maturity.
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Preferred Stock
Preferred stock, unlike common stock, often offers a specified dividend rate payable from a companys earnings. Preferred stock also generally has a preference over common stock on the distribution of a companys assets in the event the company is liquidated or declares bankruptcy; however, the rights of preferred stockholders on the distribution of a companys assets in the event of a liquidation or bankruptcy are generally subordinate to the rights of the companys debt holders and general creditors. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may be less attractive, causing the price of preferred stocks to decline.
Some fixed rate preferred stock may have mandatory sinking fund provisions which provide for the stock to be retired or redeemed on a predetermined schedule, as well as call/redemption provisions prior to maturity, which can limit the benefit of any decline in interest rates that might positively affect the price of preferred stocks. Preferred stock dividends may be cumulative, requiring all or a portion of prior unpaid dividends to be paid before dividends are paid on the issuers common stock. Preferred stock may be participating, which means that it may be entitled to a dividend exceeding the stated dividend in certain cases. In some cases an issuer may offer auction rate preferred stock, which means that the interest to be paid is set by auction and will often be reset at stated intervals.
Common Stock
Common stock is issued by a company principally to raise cash for business purposes and represents an equity or ownership interest in the issuing company. Common stockholders are typically entitled to vote on important matters of the issuing company, including the selection of directors, and may receive dividends on their holdings. The Fund participates in the success or failure of any company in which it holds common stock. In the event a company is liquidated or declares bankruptcy, the claims of bondholders, other debt holders, owners of preferred stock and general creditors take precedence over the claims of those who own common stock.
The prices of common stocks change in response to many factors including the historical and prospective earnings of the issuing company, the value of its assets, general economic conditions, interest rates, investor perceptions and market liquidity.
Foreign Securities
Foreign securities are equity or debt securities issued by issuers outside the United States, and include securities in the form of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), European Depositary Receipts (EDRs), or other securities representing underlying securities of foreign issuers (foreign securities). ADRs are receipts, issued by U.S. banks, for the shares of foreign corporations, held by the bank issuing the receipt. ADRs are typically issued in registered form, denominated in U.S. dollars and designed for use in the U.S. securities markets. EDRs are similar to ADRs, except they are typically issued by European banks or trust companies, denominated in foreign currencies and designed for use outside the U.S. securities markets. ADRs and EDRs entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains on the underlying foreign securities, less any fees paid to the bank. Purchasing ADRs or EDRs gives the Fund the ability to purchase the functional equivalent of foreign securities without going to the foreign securities markets to do so. ADRs or EDRs that are sponsored means that the foreign corporation whose shares are represented by the ADR or EDR is actively involved in the issuance of the ADR or EDR, and generally provides material information about the corporation to the U.S. market. An unsponsored ADR or EDR program means that the foreign corporation whose shares are held by the bank is not obligated to disclose material information in the United States, and, therefore, the market value of the ADR or EDR may not reflect important facts known only to the foreign company.
Foreign debt securities include corporate debt securities of foreign issuers, certain foreign bank obligations and U.S. dollar or foreign currency denominated obligations of foreign governments or their subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities, international agencies and supranational entities.
The Fund considers various factors when determining whether a company is in a particular country, including whether: (1) it is organized under the laws of a country; (2) it has a principal office in a country; (3) it derives 50% or more of its total revenues from businesses in a country; and/or (4) its securities are traded principally on a stock exchange, or in an over-the-counter market, in a particular country.
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Foreign Government Obligations
Debt securities issued by foreign governments are often, but not always, supported by the full faith and credit of the foreign governments, or their subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities, that issue them. These securities involve the risks discussed above under Foreign Securities. Additionally, the issuer of the debt or the governmental authorities that control repayment of the debt may be unwilling or unable to pay interest or repay principal when due. Political or economic changes or the balance of trade may affect a countrys willingness or ability to service its debt obligations. Periods of economic uncertainty may result in the volatility of market prices of sovereign debt obligations, especially debt obligations issued by the governments of developing countries. Foreign government obligations of developing countries, and some structures of emerging market debt securities, both of which are generally below investment grade, are sometimes referred to as Brady Bonds.
Foreign Exchange Transactions
The Fund has the authority to purchase and sell foreign currency options, foreign currency futures contracts and related options, and may engage in foreign currency transactions either on a spot (i.e., for prompt delivery and settlement) basis at the rate prevailing in the currency exchange market at the time or through forward currency contracts. Because forward contracts are privately negotiated transactions, there can be no assurance that a counterparty will honor its obligations.
The Fund will incur any costs in converting assets from one currency to another. Foreign exchange dealers may charge a fee for conversion. In addition, dealers may realize a profit based on the difference between the prices at which they buy and sell various currencies in the spot and forward markets.
The Fund will generally engage in these transactions in order to complete a purchase or sale of foreign currency denominated securities The Fund may also use foreign currency options and forward contracts to increase or reduce exposure to a foreign currency or to shift exposure from one foreign currency to another in a cross currency hedge. Forward contracts are intended to minimize the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currencies; however, at the same time, they tend to limit any potential gain which might result should the value of such currencies increase. The Fund may also engage in foreign exchange transactions, such as forward contracts, for non-hedging purposes to enhance returns. Open positions in forward contracts used for non-hedging purposes will be covered by the segregation of a sufficient amount of liquid assets.
The Fund may purchase and sell currency futures and purchase and write currency options to increase or decrease its exposure to different foreign currencies. The Fund also may purchase and write currency options in connection with currency futures or forward contracts. Currency futures contracts are similar to forward currency exchange contracts, except that they are traded on exchanges and have standard contract sizes and delivery dates. Most currency futures contracts call for payment or delivery in U.S. dollars. The uses and risks of currency futures are similar to those of futures relating to securities or indices. Currency futures values can be expected to correlate with exchange rates but may not reflect other factors that affect the value of the Funds investments.
Whether or not any hedging strategy will be successful is highly uncertain, and use of hedging strategies may leave the Fund in a less advantageous position than if a hedge had not been established. Moreover, it is impossible to forecast with precision the market value of portfolio securities at the expiration of a foreign currency forward contract. Accordingly, the Fund may be required to buy or sell additional currency on the spot market (and bear the expense of such transaction) if Invescos or the Sub-Advisers predictions regarding the movement of foreign currency or securities markets prove inaccurate.
The Fund may hold a portion of its assets in bank deposits denominated in foreign currencies, so as to facilitate investment in foreign securities as well as protect against currency fluctuations and the need to convert such assets into U.S. dollars (thereby also reducing transaction costs). To the extent these monies are converted back into U.S. dollars, the value of the assets so maintained will be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in foreign currency exchange rates and exchange control regulations. Foreign exchange transactions may involve some of the risks of investments in foreign securities.
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Floating Rate Corporate Loans and Corporate Debt Securities of Non-U.S. Borrowers
Floating rate loans are made to and floating rate debt securities are issued by non-U.S. borrowers. Such loans and securities may be U.S. dollar-denominated or otherwise provide for payment in U.S. dollars or may be denominated in foreign currencies. The borrower will meet the credit quality standards established by Invesco and the Sub-Advisers for U.S. borrowers. The Fund similarly may invest in floating rate loans and floating rate debt securities made to U.S. borrowers with significant non-U.S. dollar-denominated revenues. In some cases where the floating rate loans or floating rate debt securities are not denominated in U.S. dollars, provisions may be made for payments to the lenders, including the Fund, in U.S. dollars pursuant to foreign currency swaps.
U.S. Government Obligations
U.S. Government obligations are obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies and instrumentalities, and include, among other obligations, bills, notes and bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury, as well as stripped or zero coupon U.S. Treasury obligations.
U.S. Government obligations may be (i) supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury, (ii) supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, (iii) supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the agencys obligations, or (iv) supported only by the credit of the instrumentality. There is a risk that the U.S. Government may choose not to provide financial support to U.S. Government-sponsored agencies or instrumentalities if it is not legally obligated to do so. In that case, if the issuer were to default, a portfolio holding securities of such issuer might not be able to recover its investment from the U.S. Government. For example, while the U.S. Government has recently provided financial support to Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), no assurance can be given that the U.S. Government will always do so, since the U.S. Government is not so obligated by law. There also is no guarantee that the government would support Federal Home Loan Banks. Accordingly, securities of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Federal Home Loan Banks, and other agencies, may involve a risk of non-payment of principal and interest.
Other Investment Companies
The Fund may purchase shares of other investment companies, including ETFs. The 1940 Act imposes the following restrictions on investments in other investment companies: (i) the Fund may not purchase more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of another investment company; (ii) the Fund may not invest more than 5% of its total assets in securities issued by another investment company; and (iii) the Fund may not invest more than 10% of its total assets in securities issued by other investment companies. The 1940 Act and related rules provide certain exemptions from these restrictions. For example, under certain conditions, a fund may acquire an unlimited amount of shares of mutual funds that are part of the same group of investment companies as the acquiring fund. In addition, these restrictions do not apply to investments by the Fund in investment companies that are money market funds, including money market funds that have Invesco or an affiliate of Invesco as an investment adviser (the Affiliated Money Market Funds).
When the Fund purchases shares of another investment company, including an Affiliated Money Market Fund, the Fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of the advisory fees and other operating expenses of such investment company and will be subject to the risks associated with the portfolio investments of the underlying investment company.
Variable or Floating Rate Instruments
Variable or floating rate instruments are securities that provide for a periodic adjustment in the interest rate paid on the obligation. The interest rates for securities with variable interest rates are readjusted on set dates (such as the last day of the month or calendar quarter) and the interest rates for securities with floating rates are reset whenever a specified interest rate change occurs. Variable or floating interest rates generally reduce changes in the market price of securities from their original purchase price because, upon readjustment, such rates approximate market rates. Accordingly, as market interest rates decrease or increase, the potential for capital appreciation or depreciation is less for variable or floating rate securities than for fixed rate obligations. Many securities with variable or floating interest rates have a demand feature allowing the Fund to demand payment of principal and
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accrued interest prior to its maturity. The terms of such demand instruments require payment of principal and accrued interest by the issuer, a guarantor, and/or a liquidity provider. All variable or floating rate instruments will meet the applicable rating standards of the Fund.
Zero Coupon and Pay-in-Kind Securities
Zero coupon securities do not pay interest or principal until final maturity unlike debt securities that traditionally provide periodic payments of interest (referred to as a coupon payment). Investors must wait until maturity to receive interest and principal, which increases the interest rate and credit risks of a zero coupon security. Pay-in-kind securities are securities that have interest payable by delivery of additional securities. Upon maturity, the holder is entitled to receive the aggregate par value of the securities. Zero coupon and pay-in-kind securities may be subject to greater fluctuation in value and less liquidity in the event of adverse market conditions than comparably rated securities paying cash interest at regular interest payment periods. Investors may purchase zero coupon and pay-in-kind securities at a price below the amount payable at maturity.
The difference between the purchase price and the amount paid at maturity represents original issue discount on the security.
Restricted and Illiquid Securities
Illiquid securities are securities that cannot be disposed of within seven days in the normal course of business at the price at which they are valued. Illiquid securities may include a wide variety of investments, such as: (1) repurchase agreements maturing in more than seven days (unless the agreements have demand/redemption features); (2) over-the-counter (OTC) options contracts and certain other derivatives (including certain swap agreements); (3) fixed time deposits that are not subject to prepayment or that provide for withdrawal penalties upon prepayment (other than overnight deposits); (4) loan interests and other direct debt instruments; (5) municipal lease obligations; (6) commercial paper issued pursuant to Section 4(2) of the 1933 Act; and (7) securities that are unregistered, that can be sold to qualified institutional buyers in accordance with Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, or that are exempt from registration under the 1933 Act or otherwise restricted under the federal securities laws.
Limitations on the resale of restricted securities may have an adverse effect on their marketability, which may prevent the Fund from disposing of them promptly at reasonable prices. The Fund may have to bear the expense of registering such securities for resale, and the risk of substantial delays in effecting such registrations. The Funds difficulty valuing and selling illiquid securities may result in a loss or be costly to the Fund.
If a substantial market develops for a restricted security or other illiquid investment held by the Fund, it may be treated as a liquid security, in accordance with procedures and guidelines approved by the Board. While Invesco monitors the liquidity of restricted securities on a daily basis, the Board oversees and retains ultimate responsibility for Invescos liquidity determinations. Invesco considers various factors when determining whether a security is liquid, including the frequency of trades, availability of quotations and number of dealers or qualified institutional buyers in the market.
Temporary Investments
The Fund may invest a portion of its assets in money market funds (including affiliated money market funds affiliated with Invesco) and in the types of money market instruments in which money market funds would invest or other short-term U.S. Government securities for cash management purposes. The Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in investments that may be inconsistent with the Funds principal investment strategies for temporary defensive purposes in anticipation of or in response to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions, or other atypical circumstances. As a result, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.
Other Investment Techniques
Forward Commitments, When-Issued and Delayed Securities. Forward commitments, when-issued or delayed delivery basis means that delivery and payment take place in the future after the date of the commitment to purchase or sell the securities at a pre-determined price and/or yield. Settlement of such transactions normally occurs a month or more after the purchase or sale commitment is made. Typically, no interest accrues to the purchaser until
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the security is delivered. Forward commitments also include To Be Announced (TBA) mortgage-backed securities, which are contracts for the purchase or sale of mortgage-backed securities to be delivered at a future agreed upon date, whereby the specific mortgage pool numbers or the number of pools that will be delivered to fulfill the trade obligation or terms of the contract are unknown at the time of the trade. The Fund may also enter into buy/sell back transactions (a form of delayed delivery agreement). In a buy/sell back transaction, the Fund enters a trade to sell securities at one price and simultaneously enters a trade to buy the same securities at another price for settlement at a future date. Although the Fund generally intends to acquire or dispose of securities on a forward commitment, when-issued or delayed delivery basis, the Fund may sell these securities or its commitment before the settlement date if deemed advisable.
When purchasing a security on a forward commitment, when-issued or delayed delivery basis, the Fund assumes the rights and risks of ownership of the security, including the risk of price and yield fluctuation, and takes such fluctuations into account when determining its net asset value. Securities purchased on a forward commitment, when-issued or delayed delivery basis are subject to changes in value based upon the publics perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and changes, real or anticipated, in the level of interest rates. Accordingly, securities acquired on such a basis may expose the Fund to risks because they may experience such fluctuations prior to actual delivery. Purchasing securities on a forward commitment, when-issued or delayed delivery basis may involve the additional risk that the yield available in the market when the delivery takes place actually may be higher than that obtained in the transaction itself.
Investment in these types of securities may increase the possibility that the Fund will incur short-term gains subject to federal taxation or short-term losses if the Fund must engage in portfolio transactions in order to honor its commitment. Until the settlement date, the Fund will segregate liquid assets of a dollar value sufficient at all times to make payment for the forward commitment, when-issued or delayed delivery transactions. Such segregated liquid assets will be marked-to-market daily, and the amount segregated will be increased if necessary to maintain adequate coverage of the delayed delivery commitments. The delayed delivery securities, which will not begin to accrue interest or dividends until the settlement date, will be recorded as an asset of the Fund and will be subject to the risk of market fluctuation. The purchase price of the delayed delivery securities is a liability of the Fund until settlement.
Lending Portfolio Securities. The Fund may lend its portfolio securities (principally to broker-dealers) to generate additional income. Such loans are callable at any time and are continuously secured by segregated collateral equal to no less than the market value, determined daily, of the loaned securities. Such collateral will be cash, letters of credit, or debt securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies. The Fund will loan its securities only to parties that Invesco has determined are in good standing and when, in Invescos judgment, the income earned would justify the risks.
The Fund will not have the right to vote securities while they are on loan, but it can call a loan in anticipation of an important vote. The Fund would receive income in lieu of dividends on loaned securities and may, at the same time, generate income on the loan collateral or on the investment of any cash collateral.
If the borrower defaults on its obligation to return the securities loaned because of insolvency or other reasons, the Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering securities loaned or gaining access to the collateral. If the Fund is not able to recover the securities loaned, the Fund may sell the collateral and purchase a replacement security in the market. Lending securities entails a risk of loss to the Fund if and to the extent that the market value of the loaned securities increases and the collateral is not increased accordingly.
Any cash received as collateral for loaned securities will be invested, in accordance with the Funds investment guidelines, in short-term money market instruments or funds. Investing this cash subjects that investment to market appreciation or depreciation. For purposes of determining whether the Fund is complying with its investment policies, strategies and restrictions, the Fund will consider the loaned securities as assets of the Fund, but will not consider any collateral received as the Fund asset. The Fund will bear any loss on the investment of cash collateral.
Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may engage in repurchase agreement transactions involving the types of securities in which it is permitted to invest. Repurchase agreements are agreements under which the Fund acquires ownership of a security from a broker-dealer or bank that agrees to repurchase the security at a mutually agreed
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upon time and price (which is higher than the purchase price), thereby determining the yield during the Funds holding period. The Fund may enter into a continuing contract or open repurchase agreement under which the seller is under a continuing obligation to repurchase the underlying securities from the Fund on demand and the effective interest rate is negotiated on a daily basis. Repurchase agreements may be viewed as loans made by the Fund which are collateralized by the securities subject to repurchase.
If the seller of a repurchase agreement fails to repurchase the security in accordance with the terms of the agreement, the Fund might incur expenses in enforcing its rights, and could experience a loss on the sale of the underlying security to the extent that the proceeds of the sale including accrued interest are less than the resale price provided in the agreement, including interest. In addition, although the Bankruptcy Code and other insolvency laws may provide certain protections for some types of repurchase agreements, if the seller of a repurchase agreement should be involved in bankruptcy or insolvency proceedings, the Fund may incur delay and costs in selling the underlying security or may suffer a loss of principal and interest if the value of the underlying security declines. The securities underlying a repurchase agreement will be marked-to-market every business day so that the value of such securities is at least equal to the investment value of the repurchase agreement, including any accrued interest thereon.
The Fund may invest its cash balances in joint accounts with other Invesco funds for the purpose of investing in repurchase agreements with maturities not to exceed 60 days, and in certain other money market instruments with remaining maturities not to exceed 90 days. Repurchase agreements are considered loans by the Fund under the 1940 Act.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements. Borrowings may be made by the Fund through reverse repurchase agreements under which the Fund sells portfolio securities to financial institutions such as banks and broker-dealers and agrees to repurchase them at a particular date and price. Such agreements are considered to be borrowings under the 1940 Act. The Fund may utilize reverse repurchase agreements when it is anticipated that the interest income to be earned from the investment of the proceeds of the transaction is greater than the interest expense of the transaction.
Borrowings may be made by the Fund through dollar roll transactions. A dollar roll transaction involves a sale by the Fund of a mortgage-backed or other security concurrently with an agreement by the Fund to repurchase a similar security at a later date at an agreed-upon price. The securities that are repurchased will bear the same interest rate and stated maturity as those sold, but pools of mortgages collateralizing those securities may have different prepayment histories than those sold. During the period between the sale and repurchase, the Fund will not be entitled to receive interest and principal payments on the securities sold. Proceeds of the sale will be invested in additional instruments for the Fund, and the income from these investments will generate income for the Fund. If such income does not exceed the income, capital appreciation and gain or loss that would have been realized on the securities sold as part of the dollar roll, the use of this technique will diminish the investment performance of the Fund compared with what the performance would have been without the use of dollar rolls.
With respect to any reverse repurchase agreement, dollar roll or similar transaction, the Funds Managed Assets shall include any proceeds from the sale of an asset of the Fund to a counterparty in such a transaction, in addition to the value of the underlying asset as of the relevant measuring date.
With respect to leverage incurred through investments in reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and economically similar transactions, the Fund intends to earmark or segregate cash or liquid securities in accordance with applicable interpretations of the staff of the SEC. As a result of such segregation, the Funds obligations under such transactions will not be considered senior securities representing indebtedness for purposes of the 1940 Act and the Funds use of leverage through reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and economically similar transactions will not be limited by the 1940 Act. However, the Funds use of leverage through reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and economically similar transactions will be included when calculating the Funds leverage and therefore will be limited by the Funds maximum overall leverage levels and may be further limited by the availability of cash or liquid securities to earmark or segregate in connection with such transactions.
Standby Commitments. The Fund may acquire securities that are subject to standby commitments from banks or other municipal securities dealers. Under a standby commitment, a bank or dealer would agree to purchase, at the Funds option, specified securities at a specified price. Standby commitments generally increase the cost of the
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acquisition of the underlying security, thereby reducing the yield. Standby commitments depend upon the issuers ability to fulfill its obligation upon demand. Although no definitive creditworthiness criteria are used for this purpose, Invesco reviews the creditworthiness of the banks and other municipal securities dealers from which the Fund obtains standby commitments in order to evaluate those risks.
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund will buy and sell securities to seek to accomplish its investment objective. Portfolio turnover generally involves some expense to the Fund, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestment in other securities. The Funds portfolio turnover rate may vary greatly from year to year. For the past two fiscal years, the Funds portfolio turnover rate was as follows.
Fiscal Year Ended |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | |||
February 28, 2015 |
99 | % | ||
February 28, 2014 |
74 | % |
Investment Restrictions
The Fund has adopted certain other investment limitations designed to limit investment risk. These limitations are fundamental and may not be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding Common Shares, as defined in the 1940 Act (and preferred shares, if any, voting together as a single class), which is defined by the 1940 Act as the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the Funds voting securities present at a meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the Funds outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy; or (ii) more than 50% of the Funds outstanding voting securities. See Investment Restrictions in the SAI for a complete list of the fundamental investment policies of the Fund.
The Fund may use leverage in an amount of up to 331/3% of the Funds total assets after the use of such leverage in an effort to maximize its returns. The Fund currently utilizes leverage in the form of borrowings. The amount of borrowings outstanding from time to time may vary, depending on the Advisers analysis of market conditions and interest rate movements. There can be no assurance that the Funds leverage strategy will be successful.
Use of financial leverage creates an opportunity for increased income but, at the same time, creates special risks. There can be no assurance that a leveraging strategy will be successful. The costs associated with the issuance and use of leverage are borne by the holders of the Common Shares. The investment advisory fees paid by the Fund will be calculated on the basis of the Funds Managed Assets (as defined in this Prospectus), which includes proceeds from leverage, so the dollar amount of the management fee paid by the Fund to the Adviser will be higher (and the Adviser will be benefited to that extent) when leverage is utilized. This may create a conflict of interest between the Funds investment adviser and holders of common shares. Holders of common shares effectively bear the entire investment advisory fee. Common Shareholders bear the portion of the investment advisory fee attributable to the assets purchased with the proceeds of leverage, which means that Common Shareholders effectively bear the entire advisory fee.
Borrowings
The Fund utilizes borrowings for leverage purposes in an effort to maximize its returns. Borrowings may also be utilized: (i) for temporary or emergency purposes; (ii) in anticipation of or in response to adverse market conditions; or (iii) for cash management purposes.
Under the 1940 Act, the Fund generally is not permitted to engage in borrowings unless, immediately after the borrowing, the Fund would have asset coverage (as defined in the 1940 Act) of less than 300% (i.e., the value of the Funds total assets less liabilities other than the principal amount represented by the borrowings( is at least 300% of such principal amount. In addition, other than with respect to privately arranged borrowings, the Fund is not permitted to declare any cash dividend or other distribution on the Common Shares unless, at the time of such
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declaration, the value of the Funds total assets, less liabilities other than the principal amount represented by borrowings, is at least 300% of such principal amount after deducting the amount of such dividend or other distribution. If the Fund borrows, the Fund intends, to the extent possible, to prepay all or a portion of the principal amount of any outstanding commercial paper, notes or other borrowings to the extent necessary to maintain the required asset coverage.
The terms of any such borrowings may require the Fund to pay a fee to maintain a line of credit, such as a commitment fee, or to maintain minimum average balances with a lender. Any such requirements would increase the cost of such borrowings over the stated interest rate. Such lenders would have the right to receive interest on and repayment of principal of any such borrowings, which right will be senior to those of the Common Shareholders. Any such borrowings may contain provisions limiting certain activities of the Fund, including the payment of dividends to Common Shareholders in certain circumstances.
Certain types of borrowings subject the Fund to covenants in credit agreements relating to asset coverage and portfolio composition requirements. Certain borrowings issued by the Fund also may subject the Fund to certain restrictions on investments imposed by guidelines of one or more rating agencies, which may issue ratings for such borrowings. Such guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed by the 1940 Act. It is not anticipated that these covenants or guidelines will impede Invesco from managing the Funds portfolio in accordance with the Funds investment objective and policies.
The 1940 Act grants to the holders of senior securities representing indebtedness issued by the Fund, other than with respect to privately arranged borrowings, certain voting rights in the event of default in the payment of interest on or repayment of principal. Failure to maintain certain asset coverage requirements under the 1940 Act could result in an event of default and entitle the debt holders to elect a majority of the Board of Trustees.
Credit Facility. The Fund has entered into a $65 million amended and restated revolving credit agreement, dated August 27, 2012, as amended (the Credit Agreement), with State Street Bank and Trust Company, in its capacity as Agent, and other lending institutions party thereto. The Credit Agreement, which expires on August 25, 2015, is secured by the assets of the Fund. For certain commitment amounts under the Credit Agreement, the Fund pays monthly interest charges based on a LIBOR and Federal Funds Rate-based variable rate formula, while certain other commitment amounts under the Credit Agreement are subject to periodic interest charges based on a LIBOR-based variable rate (as set forth under the Credit Agreement). The Fund pays quarterly commitment fees to the Agent for the account of each lending institution under the Credit Agreement (on a pro rata basis) equal to eleven basis points times the actual daily amount by which the aggregate commitment amount exceeds the aggregate principal amount of all loans outstanding (in other words, the undrawn portion of the aggregate commitment amount as of such date). If the Fund fails to satisfy certain requirements or maintain certain covenants required under the Credit Agreement, the Agent may terminate the commitments and the Fund may be required to immediately repay the loan balance outstanding (together with any accrued interest thereon). As of February 28, 2015, the Fund had outstanding borrowings under the Credit Agreement of approximately $50.55 million, which represented approximately 26% of the Funds total assets as of such date. The average daily weighted interest rate for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2015 was 0.96%.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements
Borrowings may be made by the Fund through reverse repurchase agreements under which the Fund sells portfolio securities to financial institutions such as banks and broker-dealers and agrees to repurchase them at a particular date and price. Such agreements are considered to be borrowings under the 1940 Act. The Fund may utilize reverse repurchase agreements when it is anticipated that the interest income to be earned from the investment of the proceeds of the transaction is greater than the interest expense of the transaction.
Borrowings may be made by the Fund through dollar roll transactions. A dollar roll transaction involves a sale by the Fund of a mortgage-backed or other security concurrently with an agreement by the Fund to repurchase a similar security at a later date at an agreed-upon price. The securities that are repurchased will bear the same interest rate and stated maturity as those sold, but pools of mortgages collateralizing those securities may have different prepayment histories than those sold. During the period between the sale and repurchase, the Fund will not be entitled to receive interest and principal payments on the securities sold. Proceeds of the sale will be invested in additional instruments for the Fund, and the income from these investments will generate income for the Fund. If
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such income does not exceed the income, capital appreciation and gain or loss that would have been realized on the securities sold as part of the dollar roll, the use of this technique will diminish the investment performance of the Fund compared with what the performance would have been without the use of dollar rolls.
With respect to any reverse repurchase agreement, dollar roll or similar transaction, the Funds Managed Assets shall include any proceeds from the sale of an asset of the Fund to a counterparty in such a transaction, in addition to the value of the underlying asset as of the relevant measuring date.
With respect to leverage incurred through investments in reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and economically similar transactions, the Fund intends to earmark or segregate cash or liquid securities in accordance with applicable interpretations of the staff of the SEC. As a result of such segregation, the Funds obligations under such transactions will not be considered senior securities representing indebtedness for purposes of the 1940 Act and the Funds use of leverage through reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and economically similar transactions will not be limited by the 1940 Act. However, the Funds use of leverage through reverse repurchase agreements, dollar rolls and economically similar transactions will be included when calculating the Funds leverage and therefore will be limited by the Funds maximum overall leverage levels and may be further limited by the availability of cash or liquid securities to earmark or segregate in connection with such transactions.
Preferred Shares
The Fund may authorize and issue preferred Shares with rights as determined by the Board of Trustees, by action of the Board of Trustees without prior approval of the holders of the Common Shares. Common Shareholders have no preemptive right to purchase any preferred shares that might be issued. Any such preferred share offering would be subject to the limits imposed by the 1940 Act. Although the Fund has no present intention to issue preferred shares. Under the 1940 Act, the Fund may not issue preferred shares if, immediately after issuance, the Fund would have asset coverage (as defined in the 1940 Act) of less than 200% (i.e., for every dollar of Preferred Shares outstanding, the Fund is required to have at least two dollars of assets). See Description of Capital StructurePreferred Shares.
Effects Of Leverage
Assuming (i) the use by the Fund of leverage representing approximately 26% of the Funds total assets (including the proceeds of such leverage) and (ii) interest costs to the Fund at an average annual rate of % with respect to such leverage, then the incremental income generated by the Funds portfolio (net of estimated expenses related to the leverage) must exceed approximately % to cover such interest expense. Of course, these numbers are merely estimates used for illustration. The amount of leverage used by the Fund as well as actual interest expenses on such leverage may vary frequently and may be significantly higher or lower than the rate estimated above.
The following table is furnished pursuant to requirements of the SEC. It is designed to illustrate the effect of leverage on Common Share total return, assuming investment portfolio total returns (comprised of income, net expenses and changes in the value of investments held in the Funds portfolio) of -10%, -5%, 0%, 5% and 10%. These assumed investment portfolio returns are hypothetical figures and are not necessarily indicative of what the Funds investment portfolio returns will be. The table further reflects the issuance of leverage representing approximately 26% of the Funds total assets (including the proceeds of such leverage), based on the Funds outstanding borrowings as of February 28, 2015 and annual interest rate of 0.96% with respect to such leverage (based on the average daily weighted interest rate for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2015). The table does not reflect any offering costs of Common Shares or leverage.
Assumed portfolio total return (net of expenses) |
(10.00) | % | (5.00) | % | 0.00 | % | 5.00 | % | 10.00 | % | ||||||||||
Common Share total return |
% | % | % | % | % |
Common Share total return is composed of two elementsthe Common Share dividends paid by the Fund (the amount of which is largely determined by the Funds net investment income after paying the carrying cost of leverage) and realized and unrealized gains or losses on the value of the securities the Fund owns. As required by SEC rules, the table assumes that the Fund is more likely to suffer capital loss than to enjoy capital appreciation. For example, to assume a total return of 0%, the Fund must assume that the net investment income it receives on its
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investments is entirely offset by losses on the value of those investments. This table reflects the hypothetical performance of the Funds portfolio and not the performance of the Funds Common Shares, the value of which will be determined by market and other factors.
Risks Associated with an Investment in the Fund
Investment in the Fund involves special risk considerations, which are summarized below. The Fund is designed as a long-term investment and not as a trading vehicle. The Fund is not intended to be a complete investment program. The Funds performance and the value of its investments will vary in response to changes in interest rates, inflation and other market factors.
Market Risk. Market risk is the possibility that the market values of securities owned by the Fund will decline. The net asset value of the Fund will change with changes in the value of its portfolio securities, and the value of the Funds investments can be expected to fluctuate over time. The financial markets in general are subject to volatility and may at times experience extreme volatility and uncertainty, which may affect all investment securities, including debt securities and derivative instruments. Volatility may be greater during periods of general economic uncertainty.
Credit Risk. Credit risk refers to an issuers ability to make timely payments of interest and principal when due. Fixed income securities are subject to the credit risk of nonpayment. The ability of issuers of fixed income securities to make timely payments of interest and principal may be adversely affected by, among other things, general economic downturns and economic factors affecting specific issuers. Nonpayment would result in a reduction of income to the Fund. The Adviser continuously monitors the issuers of securities held in the Fund. The Fund will rely on the Advisers judgment, analysis and experience in evaluating the creditworthiness of an issuer. In its analysis, the Adviser may consider the credit ratings of nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (NRSROs) in evaluating securities, although the Adviser does not rely primarily on these ratings. Credit ratings of NRSROs evaluate only the safety of principal and interest payments, not the market risk. In addition, ratings are general and not absolute standards of quality, and the creditworthiness of an issuer may decline significantly before an NRSRO lowers the issuers rating. A rating downgrade does not require the Fund to dispose of a security.
Risk of Investing in Medium and Lower-Grade Securities. Securities that are in the medium and lower-grade categories generally offer higher yields than are offered by higher-grade securities of similar maturities, but they also generally involve greater risks, such as greater credit risk, market risk, volatility and illiquidity risk. Secondary market prices of medium and lower-grade securities generally are less sensitive than higher-grade securities to changes in interest rates and are more sensitive to general adverse economic changes or specific developments with respect to the particular issuers. A significant increase in interest rates or a general economic downturn may significantly affect the ability of issuers of medium and lower-grade securities to pay interest and to repay principal, or to obtain additional financing, any of which could severely disrupt the market for medium and lower-grade securities and adversely affect the market value of such securities. Such events also could lead to a higher incidence of default by issuers of medium and lower-grade securities. In addition, changes in credit risks, interest rates, the credit markets or periods of general economic uncertainty can be expected to result in increased volatility in the price of medium and lower-grade. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on rational analysis, may affect the value, volatility and liquidity of medium and lower-grade securities. In the event that an issuer of securities held by the Fund experiences difficulties in the timely payment of principal and interest and such issuer seeks to restructure the terms of its borrowings, the Fund may incur additional expenses and may determine to invest additional assets with respect to such issuer or the project or projects to which the Funds securities relate. Further, the Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent that it is required to seek recovery upon a default in the payment of interest or the repayment of principal on its portfolio holdings and the Fund may be unable to obtain full recovery on such amounts. Investments in debt obligations that are at risk of or in default present special tax issues for the Fund. Federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and interest and whether certain exchanges of debt obligations in a workout context are taxable. These and other issues will be addressed by the Fund, in the event it invests in or holds such securities, in order to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income to preserve its status as a regulated investment company (RIC).
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Interest Rate Risk. When interest rates decline, the value of a portfolio invested in fixed income securities generally can be expected to rise. Conversely, when interest rates rise, the value of a portfolio invested in fixed income securities generally can be expected to decline. The prices of longer term fixed income securities generally are more volatile with respect to changes in interest rates than the prices of shorter term fixed income securities. Current market environment because certain interest rates are near historically low levels, which may increase the Funds exposure to risks associated with rising interest rates. Rising interest rates could have unpredictable effects on the markets and may expose fixed-income and related markets to heightened volatility. For fixed-income securities, an increase in interest rates may lead to increased redemptions and increased portfolio turnover, which could reduce liquidity for certain Fund investments, adversely affect values, and increase the Funds expenses.
Income Risk. The income you receive from the Fund is based primarily on prevailing interest rates, which can vary widely over the short and long term. If interest rates decrease, your income from the Fund may decrease as well.
Borrowings Risk. Borrowing money to buy securities exposes the Fund to leverage because the Fund can achieve a return on a capital base larger than the assets that Common Shareholders have contributed to the Fund. Leveraging may cause the Fund to be more volatile because it may exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Funds portfolio securities. To the extent that the then current interest rate on and other costs related to the borrowings approaches the net return on the Funds investment portfolio, the benefit of leverage to the Common Shareholders will be reduced, and if the then current interest rate on and other costs related to the borrowings were to exceed the net return on the Funds portfolio, the Funds leveraged capital structure would result in a lower rate of return to the Common Shareholders than if the Fund were not so leveraged. If the Funds current investment income were not sufficient to meet interest requirements on the borrowings, the Fund might have to liquidate certain of its investments in order to meet required interest payments, thereby reducing the net asset value. These risks may be greater in the current market environment because interest rates are near historically low levels. Interest payments on the Funds outstanding borrowings are based on variable rate formulas and as a result the Funds borrowing costs will increase in a rising interest rate environment. Management of the amount of outstanding borrowings places greater reliance on the ability of the Adviser to predict trends in interest rates than if the Fund did not use leverage. Further, reduction and increase of the borrowings outstanding, and any related trading of the Funds portfolio securities, results in increased transaction costs to the Fund and its Common Shareholders. Lenders have the right to receive interest on and repayment of principal of any borrowings, which right will be senior to those of shareholders. Any such borrowings may contain provisions limiting certain activities of the Fund, including the payment of dividends to shareholders in certain circumstances. Certain types of borrowings subject the Fund to covenants in credit agreements relating to asset coverage and portfolio composition requirements. Certain borrowings issued by the Fund also may subject the Fund to certain restrictions on investments imposed by guidelines of one or more rating agencies, which may issue ratings for such borrowings. Such guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed by the 1940 Act. There can be no assurance that the Funds leverage strategy will be successful.
Call Risk. If interest rates fall, it is possible that issuers of securities with high interest rates will prepay or call their securities before their maturity dates. In this event, the proceeds from the called securities would likely be reinvested by the Fund in securities bearing the new, lower interest rates, resulting in a possible decline in the Funds income and distributions to shareholders.
Convertible Securities Risk. The values of convertible securities in which the Fund may invest may be affected by market interest rates. The values of convertible securities also may be affected by the risk of actual issuer default on interest or principal payments and the value of the underlying stock. Additionally, an issuer may retain the right to buy back its convertible securities at a time and price unfavorable to the Fund.
Derivatives Risk. The value of a derivative instrument depends largely on (and is derived from) the value of an underlying security, currency, commodity, interest rate, index or other asset (each referred to as an underlying asset). In addition to risks relating to underlying assets, the use of derivatives may include other, possibly greater, risks, including counterparty, leverage and liquidity risks. Counterparty risk is the risk that the counterparty to the
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derivative contract will default on its obligation to pay the Fund the amount owed or otherwise perform under the derivative contract. Derivatives create leverage risk because they do not require payment up front equal to the economic exposure created by owning the derivative. As a result, an adverse change in the value of the underlying asset could result in the Fund sustaining a loss that is substantially greater than the amount invested in the derivative, which may make the Funds returns more volatile and increase the risk of loss. Derivative instruments may also be less liquid than more traditional investments and the Fund may be unable to sell or close out its derivative positions at a desirable time or price. This risk may be more acute under adverse market conditions, during which the Fund may be most in need of liquidating its derivative positions. Derivatives may also be harder to value, less tax efficient and subject to changing government regulation that could impact the Funds ability to use certain derivatives or their cost. Also, derivatives used for hedging or to gain or limit exposure to a particular market segment may not provide the expected benefits, particularly during adverse market conditions.
Foreign Securities Risk. The dollar value of the Funds foreign investments may be affected by changes in the exchange rates between the dollar and the currencies in which those investments are traded. The value of the Funds foreign investments may be adversely affected by political and social instability in their home countries, by changes in economic or taxation policies in those countries, or by the difficulty in enforcing obligations in those countries. Foreign companies generally may be subject to less stringent regulations than U.S. companies, including financial reporting requirements and auditing and accounting controls. As a result, there generally is less publicly available information about foreign companies than about U.S. companies. Trading in many foreign securities may be less liquid and more volatile than U.S. securities due to the size of the market or other factors.
Investments by the Fund in foreign securities whether denominated in U.S. dollars or foreign currencies, may entail all of the risks set forth below in addition to those accompanying an investment in issuers in the United States.
Currency Risk. The value in U.S. dollars of any non-dollar-denominated foreign investments will be affected by changes in currency exchange rates. The U.S. dollar value of a foreign security decreases when the value of the U.S. dollar rises against the foreign currency in which the security is denominated and increases when the value of the U.S. dollar falls against such currency.
Political and Economic Risk. The economies of many countries in which the Fund may invest may not be as developed as the United States economy and may be subject to significantly different forces. Political, economic or social instability and development, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, and limitations on the removal of funds or other assets could also adversely affect the value of the Funds investments.
Regulatory Risk. Foreign companies are generally not subject to the regulatory controls imposed on U.S. issuers and, as a consequence, there is generally less publicly available information about foreign securities than is available about domestic securities. Foreign companies may not be subject to uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, corporate governance practices and requirements comparable to those applicable to domestic companies. Therefore, financial information about foreign companies may be incomplete, or may not be comparable to the information available on U.S. companies. Income from foreign securities owned by the Fund may be reduced by a withholding tax at the source, which tax would reduce dividend income payable to the Funds shareholders.
There is generally less government supervision and regulation of securities exchanges, brokers, dealers, and listed companies in foreign countries than in the United States, thus increasing the risk of delayed settlements of portfolio transactions or loss of certificates for portfolio securities. Foreign markets may also have different clearance and settlement procedures. If the Fund experiences settlement problems it may result in temporary periods when a portion of the Funds assets are uninvested and could cause the Fund to miss attractive investment opportunities or a potential liability to the Fund arising out of the Funds inability to fulfill a contract to sell such securities.
Market Risk. Investing in foreign markets generally involves certain risks not typically associated with investing in the United States. The securities markets in many foreign countries will have substantially less trading volume than the U.S. markets. As a result, the securities of some foreign companies may be less liquid and experience more price volatility than comparable domestic securities. Obtaining and/or enforcing judgments in foreign countries may be more difficult, which may make it more difficult to enforce contractual obligations.
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Increased custodian costs as well as administrative costs (such as the need to use foreign custodians) may also be associated with the maintenance of assets in foreign jurisdictions. In addition, transaction costs in foreign securities markets are likely to be higher, since brokerage commission rates in foreign countries are likely to be higher than in the United States.
Emerging Markets Risk. The prices of securities issued by foreign companies and governments located in developing countries may be impacted by certain factors more than those in countries with mature economies. For example, developing countries may experience higher rates of inflation or sharply devalue their currencies against the U.S. dollar, thereby causing the value of investments issued by the government or companies located in those countries to decline. Governments in developing markets may be relatively less stable. The introduction of capital controls, withholding taxes, nationalization of private assets, expropriation, social unrest, or war may result in adverse volatility in the prices of securities or currencies. Other factors may include additional transaction costs, delays in settlement procedures, and lack of timely information.
Investments in developing and emerging market countries present risks in addition to, or greater than, those presented by investments in foreign issuers generally, and may include the following risks: i) restriction, to varying degrees, on foreign investment in stocks; ii) repatriation of investment income, capital, and the proceeds of sales in foreign countries may require foreign governmental registration and/or approval; iii) greater risk of fluctuation in value of foreign investments due to changes in currency exchange rates, currency control regulations or currency devaluation; iv) inflation and rapid fluctuations in inflation rates may have negative effects on the economies and securities markets of certain developing and emerging market countries; v) many of the developing and emerging market countries securities markets are relatively small or less diverse, have low trading volumes, suffer periods of relative illiquidity, and are characterized by significant price volatility; and vi) there is a risk in developing and emerging market countries that a future economic or political crisis could lead to price controls, forced mergers of companies, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, seizure, nationalization, or creation of government monopolies.
Currency/Exchange Rate Risk. The dollar value of the Funds foreign investments will be affected by changes in the exchange rates between the dollar and the currencies in which those investments are traded. The Fund may buy or sell currencies other than the U.S. dollar in order to capitalize on anticipated changes in exchange rates. There is no guarantee that these investments will be successful.
Liquidity Risk. Liquidity relates to the ability of a fund to sell a security in a timely manner at a price which reflects the value of that security. To the extent the Fund owns or may acquire illiquid or restricted securities, these securities may involve special registration requirements, liabilities and costs, and liquidity and valuation difficulties. The markets for lower-grade securities may be less liquid than the markets for higher-grade securities.
Risk of Investing in Loans. Loans are subject to credit risk, market risk, income risk and call risk similar to the corporate bonds in which the Fund invests. To the extent that the loans in which the Fund invests are medium- or lower-grade, such loans are subject to same type of risks generally associated with such medium- and lower-grade securities, as described above. Loans may have less credit risk than corporate bonds because loans generally have a more senior claim in the borrowers capital structure relative to corporate bonds or other subordinated debt. However, loans generally do not have as broad of a secondary market compared to corporate bonds and this may impact the market value of such loans and the Funds ability to dispose of particular loans when necessary to meet the Funds liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event such as a deterioration in the creditworthiness of the borrower. The lack of a broad secondary market for loans may also make it more difficult for the Fund to value these securities and make their market values more volatile.
Risk of Investing in Bank Loans. By investing in a bank loan, the Fund becomes a member of a syndicate of lenders, who are typically represented by one or more lenders agents acting as agent for all the lenders. Certain public bank loans are illiquid, meaning the Fund may not be able to sell them quickly at a fair price, and may also be difficult to value. The secondary market for bank loans may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods. Bank loans are subject to the risk of default, which will increase in the event of an economic downturn or a substantial increase in interest rates. Because public bank loans usually rank lower in priority of payment to senior loans, they present a greater degree of investment risk due to the fact that the cash flow or other property of the borrower securing the bank loan may be insufficient to meet scheduled payments after meeting the payment obligations of the senior secured obligations of the borrower. Bank loans may therefore exhibit greater price volatility. Bank loans that are rated below investment grade share the same risks of other below investment grade securities.
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Preferred Securities Risk. There are special risks associated with investing in preferred securities. Preferred securities may include provisions that permit the issuer, in its discretion, to defer or omit distributions for a certain period of time. If the Fund owns a security that is deferring or omitting its distributions, the Fund may be required to report the distribution on its tax returns, even though it may not have received this income. Further, preferred securities may lose substantial value due to the omission or deferment of dividend payments.
Unrated Securities. Many lower-grade securities are not listed for trading on any national securities exchange, and many issuers of lower-grade securities choose not to have a rating assigned to their obligations by any NRSRO. As a result, the Funds portfolio may consist of a higher portion of unlisted or unrated securities as compared with an investment company that invests solely in higher-grade, listed securities. Unrated securities are usually not as attractive to as many buyers as are rated securities, a factor which may make unrated securities less marketable. These factors may limit the ability of the Fund to sell such securities at their fair value. The Fund may be more reliant on the Advisers judgment and analysis in evaluating the creditworthiness of an issuer of unrated securities.
U.S. Government Obligations Risk. Obligations issued by U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities may receive varying levels of support from the government, which could affect the Funds ability to recover should they default.
Zero Coupon/PIK Bond Risk. Prices on non-cash-paying instruments may be more sensitive to changes in the issuers financial condition, fluctuations in interest rates and market demand/supply imbalances than cash-paying securities with similar credit ratings, and thus may be more speculative than are securities that pay interest periodically in cash. These securities may subject the Fund to greater market risk than a fund that does not own these types of securities. Special tax considerations are associated with investing in non-cash-paying instruments, such as zero coupon or PIK securities. The Adviser will weigh these concerns against the expected total returns from such instruments. For example, the Fund would be required to distribute the income on these instruments as it accrues, even though the Fund may be required to accrue that income before a corresponding receipt of cash from such instruments. Thus, the Fund may have to sell other investments or borrow money, including when it may not be advisable to do so, to make income distributions to the Common Shareholders. PIK securities may have unreliable valuations because their continuing accruals require judgments about the collectability of the deferred payments and the value of any associated collateral. Accruals on such instruments may create uncertainty about the source of distributions Common Shareholders.
Common Stock Risk. Common stock prices fluctuate for a number of reasons, including changes in investors perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer, the general condition of the relevant stock market and broader domestic and international political and economic events. They may also decline due to factors which affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. The value of a particular common stock held by the Fund may decline for a number of other reasons which directly relate to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage, the issuers historical and prospective earnings, the value of its assets and reduced demand for its goods and services. In addition, common stock prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of capital rises and borrowing costs increase. The prices of common equity securities are also sensitive to general movements in the stock market, so a drop in the stock market may depress the prices of common stocks and other equity securities to which the Fund has exposure. While broad market measures of common stocks have historically generated higher average returns than debt securities, common stocks have also experienced significantly more volatility in those returns. Common equity securities in which the Fund may invest are structurally subordinated to preferred stock, bonds and other debt instruments in a companys capital structure in terms of priority to corporate income and are therefore inherently more risky than preferred stock or debt instruments of such issuers. Dividends on common equity securities which the Fund may hold are not fixed but are declared at the discretion of an issuers board of directors. There is no guarantee that the issuers of the common equity securities in which the Fund invests will declare dividends in the future or that, if declared, they will remain at current levels or increase over time.
U.S. Government Securities Risk. U.S. Government securities historically have not involved the credit risks associated with investments in other types of debt securities, although, as a result, the yields available from U.S.
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Government debt securities are generally lower than the yields available from other securities. Like other debt securities, however, the values of U.S. Government securities change as interest rates fluctuate. On August 5, 2011, S&P lowered its long-term sovereign credit rating on the U.S. to AA+ from AAA. Any further downgrades of the U.S. credit rating could increase volatility in both stock and bond markets, result in higher interest rates and higher Treasury yields and increase the costs of all kinds of debt. These events could have significant adverse effects on the economy generally and could result in significant adverse impacts on securities issuers and the Fund. The Adviser cannot predict the effects of these or similar events in the future on the U.S. economy and securities markets or on the Funds portfolio.
Recent Market Developments Risk. Global and domestic financial markets have experienced periods of severe turmoil. The debt and equity capital markets in the United States have been negatively impacted by significant write-offs in the financial services sector relating to sub-prime mortgages and the re-pricing of credit risk, among other things. These events, along with the deterioration of the housing market, the failure of major financial institutions and the resulting United States federal government actions led to worsening general economic conditions, which materially and adversely impacted the broader financial and credit markets and reduced the availability of debt and equity capital for the market as a whole and financial firms in particular. Such market conditions may increase the volatility of the value of securities owned by the Fund, may make it more difficult for the Fund to accurately value its securities or to sell its securities on a timely basis and may adversely affect the ability of the Fund to borrow for investment purposes and increase the cost of such borrowings, which would reduce returns to the holders of Common Shares. These developments adversely affected the broader economy, and may continue to do so, which in turn may adversely affect issuers of securities owned by the Fund. Such developments could, in turn, reduce the value of securities owned by the Fund and adversely affect the net asset value of the Common Shares.
Instability in the financial markets led the U.S. Government and other governments around the world to take a number of actions designed to support certain financial institutions and segments of the financial markets that experienced extreme volatility, and in some cases a lack of liquidity. The long-term implications of government ownership and disposition of distressed assets and interests in financial institutions are unclear.
Recently markets have witnessed more stabilized economic activity as expectations for an economic recovery increased. However, risks to a robust resumption of growth persist. A return to unfavorable economic conditions or sustained economic slowdown could adversely impact the Funds portfolio. Financial market conditions, as well as various social and political tensions in the United States and around the world, have contributed to increased market volatility and may have long-term effects on the U.S. and worldwide financial markets and cause further economic uncertainties or deterioration in the United States and worldwide. The Adviser does not know how long the financial markets will continue to be affected by these events and cannot predict the effects of these or similar events in the future on the U.S. and global economies and securities markets in the Funds portfolio. The Adviser intends to monitor developments and seek to manage the Funds portfolio in a manner consistent with achieving the Funds investment objectives, but there can be no assurance that they will be successful in doing so.
Eurozone Risk. The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Continuing uncertainty as to the status of the Euro and the European Monetary Union (the EMU) has created significant volatility in currency and financial markets generally. Investing in Euro-denominated securities entails risk of being exposed to a currency that may not fully reflect the strengths and weaknesses of the disparate European economies. In addition, it is possible that the Euro could be abandoned in the future by countries that have adopted its use. The effects of the collapse of the Euro, or of the exit of one or more countries from the EMU, on the United States and global economy and securities markets could have a significant adverse impact on the value and risk profile of the Funds investments. If one or more EMU countries were to stop using the Euro as its primary currency, the Funds investments in such countries may be redenominated into a different or newly adopted currency. As a result, the value of those investments could decline significantly and unpredictably. In addition, securities or other investments that are redenominated may be subject to foreign currency risk, liquidity risk and valuation risk to a greater extent than similar investments currently denominated in Euros. To the extent a currency used for redenomination purposes is not specified in respect of certain EMU-related investments, or should the Euro cease to be used entirely, the currency in which such investments are denominated
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may be unclear, making such investments particularly difficult to value or dispose of. The Fund may incur additional expenses to the extent it is required to seek judicial or other clarification of the denomination or value of such securities.
Legislation and Regulation Risk. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act), which was signed into law in July 2010, has resulted in a significant revision of the U.S. financial regulatory framework. The Dodd-Frank Act covers a broad range of topics, including, among many others: a reorganization of federal financial regulators; the creation of a process designed to ensure financial system stability and the resolution of potentially insolvent financial firms; the enactment of new rules for derivatives trading; the creation of a consumer financial protection watchdog; the registration and regulation of managers of private funds; the regulation of rating agencies; and the enactment of new federal requirements for residential mortgage loans. The regulation of various types of derivative instruments pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act may adversely affect the Fund or its counterparties. The ultimate impact of the Dodd-Frank Act, and any resulting regulation, is not yet certain and issuers of securities in which the Fund invests may also be affected by the new legislation and regulation in ways that are currently unknown and unforeseeable.
In connection with an ongoing review by the SEC and its staff of the regulation of investment companies use of derivatives, on August 31, 2011, the SEC issued a concept release to seek public comment on a wide range of issues raised by the use of derivatives by investment companies. The SEC noted that it intends to consider the comments to help determine whether regulatory initiatives or guidance are needed to improve the current regulatory regime for investment companies and, if so, the nature of any such initiatives or guidance. While the nature of any such regulations is uncertain at this time, it is possible that such regulations could limit the implementation of the Funds options strategy or other uses of derivatives, which could have an adverse impact on the Fund. The Adviser cannot predict the effects of these regulations on the Funds portfolio. The Adviser intends to monitor developments and seek to manage the Funds portfolio in a manner consistent with achieving the Funds investment objectives, but there can be no assurance that they will be successful in doing so.
According to various reports, certain financial institutions, commencing as early as 2005 and throughout the global financial crisis, routinely made artificially low submissions in the LIBOR rate setting process. In June 2012, one such financial institution was fined a significant amount by various financial regulators in connection with allegations of manipulation of LIBOR rates. Other financial institutions in various countries are being investigated for similar actions. These developments may have adversely affected the interest rates on securities whose interest payments were determined by reference to LIBOR. Any future similar developments could, in turn, reduce the value of such securities owned by the Fund.
At any time after the date of this prospectus, legislation may be enacted that could negatively affect the assets of the Fund or the issuers of such assets. Changing approaches to regulation may have a negative impact on the Fund or entities in which the Fund invests. Legislation or regulation may also change the way in which the Fund itself is regulated. There can be no assurance that future legislation, regulation or deregulation will not have a material adverse effect on the Fund or will not impair the ability of the Fund to achieve its investment objectives.
Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Funds annual portfolio turnover rate may vary greatly from year to year. Portfolio turnover rate is not considered a limiting factor in the execution of investment decisions for the Fund. A higher portfolio turnover rate results in correspondingly greater brokerage commissions and other transactional expenses that are borne by the Fund. High portfolio turnover may result in an increased realization of net short-term capital gains by the Fund which, when distributed to Common Shareholders, will be taxable as ordinary income. Additionally, in a declining market, portfolio turnover may result in realized capital losses.
When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Transactions Risk. Securities purchased on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis may expose the Fund to counterparty risk of default as well as the risk that securities may experience fluctuations in value prior to their actual delivery. The Fund generally will not accrue income with respect to a when-issued or delayed delivery security prior to its stated delivery date. Purchasing securities on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis can involve the additional risk that the price or yield available in the market when the delivery takes place may not be as favorable as that obtained in the transaction itself.
Repurchase Agreement Risk. A repurchase agreement exposes the Fund to the risk that the party that sells the security may default on its obligation to repurchase it. The Fund may lose money because it cannot sell the
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security at the agreed-upon time and price or the security loses value before it can be sold. In the event of the bankruptcy or other default of a seller of a repurchase agreement, the Fund could experience both delays in liquidating the underlying securities and losses. In such an event, the Fund would subject to risks associated with possible decline in the value of the underlying security during the period in which the Fund seeks to enforce its rights thereto, possible lack of access to income on the underlying security during this period, and expenses of enforcing its rights. In addition, the exercise of the Funds right to liquidate the collateral underlying the repurchase agreement could involve certain costs or delays and, to the extent that proceeds from any sale upon a default of the obligation to repurchase were less than the repurchase price, the Fund could suffer a loss.
Securities Lending Risk. Securities lending is subject to the risk that loaned securities may not be available to the Fund on a timely basis and the Fund may therefore lose the opportunity to sell the securities at a desirable price. Any loss in the market price of securities loaned by the Fund that occurs during the term of the loan would be borne by the Fund and would adversely affect the Funds performance. Also, there may be delays in recovery, or no recovery, of securities loaned or even a loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially while the loan is outstanding.
Risk of Failure to Qualify as a RIC. To qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally accorded to RICs, the Fund must, among other things, derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from certain prescribed sources, meet certain asset diversification tests and distribute for each taxable year at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (generally, ordinary income plus the excess, if any, of net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss). If for any taxable year the Fund does not qualify as a RIC, all of its taxable income for that year (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and such distributions would be taxable as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Funds current and accumulated earnings and profits. If the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC for any reason and becomes subject to corporate-level tax, the resulting corporate-level income taxes could substantially reduce the Funds net asset value , the amount of income available for distribution and the amount of the Funds distributions.
Certain of the Funds investments will cause the Fund to take into account taxable income in a taxable year in excess of the cash generated on those investments during that year. In particular, the Fund expects to invest in loans and other debt obligations that will be treated as having market discount and/or original issue discount (OID) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Because the Fund may be allocated taxable income in respect of these investments before, or without receiving, cash representing such income, the Fund may have difficulty satisfying the annual distribution requirements applicable to RICs and avoiding Fund-level U.S. federal income and/or excise taxes. Accordingly, the Fund may be required to sell assets, including at potentially disadvantageous times or prices, raise additional debt or equity capital or reduce new investments, to obtain the cash needed to make these income distributions. If the Fund liquidates assets to raise cash, the Fund may realize gain or loss on such liquidations. In the event the Fund realizes gains from such liquidation transactions, the Fund and, ultimately, its Common Shareholders, may receive larger taxable distributions than it or they would in the absence of such transactions.
The Fund may invest a portion of its net assets in below investment grade instruments. Investments in these types of instruments may present special tax issues for the Fund. U.S. federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless instruments, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income and whether exchanges of debt obligations in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. These and other issues will be addressed by the Fund to the extent necessary in order to seek to ensure that it distributes sufficient income that it does not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.
Potential Conflicts of Interest Risk. The Adviser and its affiliates provide a wide array of portfolio management and other asset management services to a mix of clients and may engage in ordinary course activities in which their interests or those of their clients may compete or conflict with those of the Fund. The Adviser and its affiliates may provide investment management services to other funds that follow investment objectives similar to that of the Fund. In certain circumstances, and subject to its fiduciary obligations under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the Advisers Act), the Adviser may have to allocate a limited investment opportunity among its clients. For additional information about potential conflicts of interest, and the way in which the Adviser and its affiliates address such conflicts please see Investment Advisory and Other ServicesPotential Conflicts of Interest in the SAI.
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Anti-Takeover Provisions in the Funds Governing Documents Risk. The Funds Certificate of Trust, as amended, the Funds Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the Declaration of Trust) and the Funds By-Laws (collectively, the Governing Documents) include provisions that could limit the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund or convert the Fund to an open-end management investment company. See Anti-Takeover and Other Provisions in the Funds Governing Documents.
Risks Associated with Offerings
Market Discount Risk. Costs incurred in connection with an offering of Common Shares will be borne entirely by the Fund, which may reduce the Funds net asset value per share. The sale of Common Shares by the Fund (or the perception that such sales may occur) may have an adverse effect on prices of Common Shares in the secondary market. An increase in the number of Common Shares available may put downward pressure on the market price for Common Shares. The Fund may, from time to time, seek the consent of Common Shareholders to permit the issuance and sale by the Fund of Common Shares at a price below the Funds then current net asset value, subject to certain conditions, and such sales of Common Shares at price below net asset value, if any, may increase downward pressure on the market price for Common Shares. These sales, if any, also might make it more difficult for the Fund to sell additional Common Shares in the future at a time and price it deems appropriate. Common Shares of the Fund are designed primarily for long-term investors; investors in Common Shares should not view the Fund as a vehicle for trading purposes.
Maintenance of Leverage Risk. Issuance of additional Common Shares will result in an increase in the assets of the Fund. To the extent that the Fund desires to maintain its level of leverage, as a percentage of the assets of the Fund, the Fund will be required to increase its borrowings or utilize other forms of leverage. The Fund may incur costs in connection with issuing additional leverage, and there can be no assurance that the Fund can obtain additional leverage at favorable rates. An inability by the Fund to maintain its leverage, as a percentage of the assets of the Fund, or to do so at favorable rates, may negatively impact the Funds financial performance, including its ability to sustain current levels of distributions on Common Shares. There is no guarantee that the Fund will maintain leverage at the current rate, and the Board reserves the right to raise, decrease, or eliminate the Funds leverage exposure.
Dilution Risk. The voting power of current Common Shareholders will be diluted to the extent that current Common Shareholders do not purchase Common Shares in any future offerings of Common Shares or do not purchase sufficient Common Shares to maintain their percentage interest. If the Fund is unable to invest the proceeds of such offering as intended, the Funds per Common Share distribution may decrease and the Fund may not participate in market advances to the same extent as if such proceeds were fully invested as planned. If the Fund sells Common Shares at a price below net asset value pursuant to the consent of Common Shareholders, shareholders will experience a dilution of the aggregate net asset value per Common Share because the sale price will be less than the Funds then-current net asset value per Common Share. Similarly, were the expenses of the offering to exceed the amount by which the sale price exceeded the Funds then current net asset value per Common Share, shareholders would experience a dilution of the aggregate net asset value per Common Share. This dilution will be experienced by all shareholders, irrespective of whether they purchase Common Shares in any such offering. See Description of Capital StructureIssuance of Additional Common Shares.
Board of Trustees
The management of the Fund, including general supervision of the duties performed by the Adviser, is the responsibility of the Funds Board of Trustees.
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Adviser
Invesco Advisers, Inc. (Invesco or the Adviser) is the Funds investment adviser. The Adviser is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Invesco Ltd. The Adviser is located at 1555 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30309. The Adviser, a successor in interest to multiple investment advisers, has been an investment adviser since 1976.
Investment Advisory Agreement
The Fund retains the Adviser to manage the investment of its assets and to place orders for the purchase and sale of its portfolio securities. Under an investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Fund (the Advisory Agreement), the Fund pays the Adviser a monthly advisory fee computed based on the annual rate of 0.70% of the Funds average daily Managed Assets. Managed Assets, for purposes of the advisory fee, means the Funds net assets, plus assets attributable to outstanding preferred shares and the amount of any borrowings incurred for the purpose of leverage (whether or not such borrowed amounts are reflected in the Funds financial statements for purposes of GAAP).
Such fee is payable for each calendar month as soon as practicable after the end of that month. The Adviser has contractually agreed, through at least June 30, 2016, to waive the advisory fee payable by the Fund in an amount equal to 100% of the net advisory fees the Adviser receives from the affiliated money market funds on investments by the Fund of uninvested cash in such affiliated money market funds. For the fiscal year ended February 28, 2015, the Adviser waived advisory fees of $59,148.
The Adviser furnishes offices, necessary facilities and equipment. The Fund pays all charges and expenses of its day-to-day operations, including service fees, distribution fees, custodian fees, legal and independent registered public accounting firm fees, the costs of reports and proxies to shareholders, compensation of trustees of the Fund (other than those who are affiliated persons of the Adviser or Invesco Distributors) and all other ordinary business expenses not specifically assumed by the Adviser.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees approval of the Advisory Agreement and Sub-Advisory Agreement was available in the Funds Semiannual Report dated August 31, 2014.
Sub-Adviser
Invesco has entered into a Sub-Advisory Agreement with certain affiliates to serve as sub-advisers to the Fund, pursuant to which these affiliated sub-advisers may be appointed by Invesco from time to time to provide discretionary investment management services, investment advice, and/or order execution services to the Fund. These affiliated sub-advisers, each of which is a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 are:
Invesco Asset Management Deutschland GmbH (Invesco Deutschland)
Invesco Asset Management Limited (Invesco Asset Management)
Invesco Asset Management (Japan) Limited (Invesco Japan)
Invesco Hong Kong Limited (Invesco Hong Kong)
Invesco Senior Secured Management, Inc. (Invesco Senior Secured)
Invesco Canada Ltd. (Invesco Canada);
(each a Sub-Adviser and collectively, the Sub-Advisers).
Invesco and each Sub-Adviser are indirect wholly owned subsidiaries of Invesco Ltd.
The only fees payable to the Sub-Advisers under the Sub-Advisory Agreement are for providing discretionary investment management services. For such services, Invesco will pay each Sub-Adviser a fee,
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computed daily and paid monthly, equal to (i) 40% of the monthly compensation that Invesco receives from the Fund, multiplied by (ii) the fraction equal to the net assets of such Fund as to which such Sub-Adviser shall have provided discretionary investment management services for that month divided by the net assets of such Fund for that month. Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement, this fee is reduced to reflect contractual or voluntary fee waivers or expense limitations by Invesco, if any, in effect from time to time. In no event shall the aggregate monthly fees paid to the Sub-Advisers under the Sub-Advisory Agreement exceed 40% of the monthly compensation that Invesco receives from the Fund pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, as reduced to reflect contractual or voluntary fees waivers or expense limitations by Invesco, if any.
Portfolio Management
Investment decisions for the Fund are made by the Funds investment management team. The following individuals are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.
| Darren Hughes, Portfolio Manager. Mr. Hughes is co-head of the High Yield team for Invesco Fixed Income. He is also a Senior Portfolio Manager on the team and has analytical responsibilities for media/cable and entertainment companies. Mr. Hughes joined Invesco in 1992 as an internal wholesaler and then moved into marketing research for the fixed income funds. He joined the Invesco Fixed Income High Yield team as a trader in 1995 and was named a Portfolio Manager in 2005 and Senior Portfolio Manager in 2009. Prior to joining Invesco, he worked in the retail brokerage industry. Mr. Hughes earned a BBA in finance and economics from Baylor University. He is a CFA charterholder |
| Scott Roberts, Portfolio Manager. Mr. Roberts is Co-Head of the High Yield team for Invesco Fixed Income. He is also a Senior Portfolio Manager on the team and has analytical responsibilities for the chemicals, energy and utility areas. Mr. Roberts joined Invesco in 2000 as a high-yield analyst and was named Portfolio Manager in 2009. Previously, he was a high-yield analyst and trader with Van Kampen Investment Advisory Corp. He entered the industry in 1995. Mr. Roberts earned a BBA degree in finance from the University of Houston. He is a CFA charterholder and a member of the CFA Institute, and he holds the Series 7 and 63 registrations. |
More information on the portfolio managers may be found at www.invesco.com/us. The web site is not part of the Prospectus.
The Funds SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers investments in the Fund, a description of the compensation structure and information regarding other accounts managed.
Administrator
Invesco Advisers, Inc., the Funds investment adviser, also serves as the Funds Administrator. Pursuant to the administration agreement between the Fund and the Administrator (the Administration Agreement), the Administrator (i) arranges for the printing and dissemination of reports to shareholders; (ii) arranges for dissemination of the Funds proxy and any repurchase offer materials to shareholders, and oversees the tabulation of proxies by the Funds transfer agent; (iii) negotiates the terms and conditions under which custodian services are provided to the Fund and the fees to be paid by the Fund in connection therewith; (iv) negotiates the terms and conditions under which dividend disbursing services are provided to the Fund, and the fees to be paid by the Fund in connection therewith, and reviews the provision of such services to the Fund; (v) provides the Funds dividend disbursing agent and custodian with such information as is required for them to effect payment of dividends and distributions and to implement the Funds dividend reinvestment plan; (vi) makes such reports and recommendations to the Board of Trustees as the Trustees reasonably request; and (vii) provides shareholder services to holders or potential holders of the Funds securities.
For the services rendered to the Fund and related expenses borne by the Administrator, the Fund pays the Administrator a fee, accrued daily and paid monthly, at the annualized rate of 0.25% of the Funds average daily net assets.
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The net asset value per share of the Funds Common Shares is determined as of the close of business on each business day by calculating the total value of the Funds assets, deducting its total liabilities, and dividing the result by the number of common shares outstanding.
Securities, including restricted securities, are valued according to the following policy. A security listed or traded on an exchange (except convertible securities) is valued at its last sales price as of the close of the customary trading session on the exchange where the security is principally traded, or lacking any sales on a particular day, the security may be valued at the closing bid price on that day. Securities traded in the over-the-counter market (but not securities reported on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange) are valued based on the prices furnished by independent pricing services, in which case the securities may be considered fair valued, or by market makers. Each security reported on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange is valued at the NASDAQ Official Closing Price (NOCP) as of the close of the customary trading session on the valuation date or absent a NOCP, at the closing bid price.
Futures contracts are valued at the final settlement price set by an exchange on which they are principally traded. Listed options are valued at the mean between the last bid and the ask prices from the exchange on which they are principally traded. Options not listed on an exchange are valued by an independent source at the mean between the last bid and ask prices. For purposes of determining net asset value per share, futures and option contracts generally are valued 15 minutes after the close of the customary trading session of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
Investments in open-end and closed-end registered investment companies that do not trade on an exchange are valued at the end of day net asset value per share. Investments in open-end and closed-end registered investment companies that trade on an exchange are valued at the last sales price or official closing price as of the close of the customary trading session on the exchange where the security is principally traded.
Debt obligations (including convertible securities) and unlisted equities are fair valued using an evaluated quote provided by an independent pricing service. Evaluated quotes provided by the pricing service may be determined without exclusive reliance on quoted prices, and may reflect appropriate factors such as institution-size trading in similar groups of securities, developments related to specific securities, dividend rate (for unlisted equities), yield (for debt obligations), quality, type of issue, coupon rate (for debt obligations), maturity (for debt obligations), individual trading characteristics and other market data.
Swap agreements are fair valued using an evaluated quote provided by an independent pricing service. Evaluated quotes provided by the pricing service are valued based on a model which may include end of day net present values, spreads, ratings, industry, and company performance.
Foreign securities (including foreign exchange contracts) prices are converted into U.S. dollar amounts using the applicable exchange rates as of the close of the NYSE. If market quotations are available and reliable for foreign exchange-traded equity securities, the securities will be valued at the market quotations. Because trading hours for certain foreign securities end before the close of the NYSE, closing market quotations may become unreliable. If between the time trading ends on a particular security and the close of the customary trading session on the NYSE, events occur that the Adviser determines are significant and make the closing price unreliable, the Fund may fair value the security. If the event is likely to have affected the closing price of the security, the security will be valued at fair value in good faith using procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. Adjustments to closing prices to reflect fair value may also be based on a screening process of an independent pricing service to indicate the degree of certainty, based on historical data, that the closing price in the principal market where a foreign security trades is not the current value as of the close of the NYSE. Foreign securities prices meeting the approved degree of certainty that the price is not reflective of current value will be priced at the indication of fair value from the independent pricing service. Multiple factors may be considered by the independent pricing service in determining adjustments to reflect fair value and may include information relating to sector indices, American Depositary Receipts and domestic and foreign index futures. Foreign securities may have additional risks including exchange rate changes, potential for sharply devalued currencies and high inflation, political and economic upheaval, the relative lack of issuer information, relatively low market liquidity and the potential lack of strict financial and accounting controls and standards.
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Securities for which market prices are not provided by any of the above methods may be valued based upon quotes furnished by independent sources. The last bid price may be used to value equity securities. The mean between the last bid and ask prices is used to value debt obligations, including corporate loans.
Securities for which market quotations are not readily available or became unreliable are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by or under the supervision of the Trusts officers following procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. Issuer specific events, market trends, bid/ask quotes of brokers and information providers and other market data may be reviewed in the course of making a good faith determination of a securitys fair value.
The Fund intends to make regular monthly distributions of all or a portion of its net investment income to Common Shareholders. The Fund expects to pay its Common Shareholders annually all or substantially all of its investment company taxable income to meet the requirements for qualification as a RIC under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code). The investment taxable income of the Fund will generally consist of all interest and other ordinary income accrued on portfolio investments, short-term capital gain (including short-term gains on options, futures and forward positions and gains on the sale of portfolio investments held for one year or less) in excess of long-term capital loss and income from certain hedging transactions, less all expenses of the Fund. Expenses of the Fund will be accrued each day. Various factors will affect the level of the Funds net investment company taxable income.
The Fund may from time to time distribute less than the entire amount of income earned in a particular period. The undistributed income would be available to supplement future distributions. As a result, the distributions paid by the Fund for any particular month may be more or less than the amount of income actually earned by the Fund during that period. Undistributed income will add to the Funds net asset value and, correspondingly, distributions from undistributed income, if any, will reduce the Funds net asset value.
In addition, the Fund intends to distribute, on an annual basis, all or substantially all of any net capital gains (which is the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss) to its Common Shareholders. The Fund may also declare and pay capital gains distributions more frequently, if necessary, in order to reduce or eliminate federal excise or income taxes on the Fund. To the extent that the Funds net investment income and net capital gain for any year exceed the total distributions paid during the year, the Fund will make a special distribution at or near year-end of such excess amount as may be required. Under the 1940 Act, for any distribution that includes amounts from sources other than net income, the Fund is required to provide Common Shareholders a written statement regarding the components of such distribution. Such a statement will be provided at the time of any distribution believed to include any such amounts.
If, for any calendar year, the total distributions made exceed the Funds current and accumulated earnings and profit, the excess will, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, be treated as a tax-free return of capital to each Common Shareholder up to the amount of the Common Shareholders basis in his or her Common Shares, and thereafter as gain from the sale of Common Shares. The amount treated as a tax-free return of capital will reduce the Common Shareholders adjusted basis in his or her Common Shares, thereby increasing his or her potential gain or reducing his or her potential loss on the subsequent sale of his or her Common Shares. To the extent the Funds distribution policy results in distributions in excess of its net invest income and net capital gain, such distributions will decrease its total assets and increase its expense ratio to a greater extent than would have been the case if distributions were limited to these amounts. Distributions in any year may or may not include a substantial return of capital component.
The Fund reserves the right to change its distribution policy and the basis for establishing the rate of distributions at any time and may do so without prior notice to Common Shareholders.
Shareholders will automatically have all dividends and distributions reinvested in Common Shares issued by the Fund or Common Shares of the Fund purchased in the open market in accordance with the Funds dividend reinvestment plan (the Plan) unless an election is made to receive cash. Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (the Agent) administers the Plan.
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If you own Common Shares in your own name, your purchase will automatically enroll you in the Plan. If your Common Shares are held in street name in the name of your brokerage firm, bank, or other financial institution you must instruct that entity to participate on your behalf. If they are unable to participate on your behalf, you may request that they reregister your Common Shares in your own name so that you may enroll in the Plan.
If you havent participated in the Plan in the past or chose to opt out, you are still eligible to participate. Enroll by visiting invesco.com/us, by calling toll-free 800 341 2929 or by notifying us in writing at Invesco Closed-End Funds, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., P.O. Box 30170, College Station, TX 77842-3170. If you are writing to us, please include the Fund name and account number and ensure that all Common Shareholders listed on the account sign these written instructions. Your participation in the Plan will begin with the next distribution payable after the Agent receives your authorization, as long as they receive it before the record date, which is generally 10 business days before the distribution is paid. If your authorization arrives after such record date, your participation in the Plan will begin with the following distribution.
If you choose to participate in the Plan, your distributions will be promptly reinvested for you, automatically increasing your Common Shares. If the Common Shares are trading at a price that is equal to net asset value per share, youll pay that amount for your reinvested shares. However, if the Common Shares are trading above or below net asset value, the price is determined by one of two ways:
1. | Premium: If the Common Shares are trading at a premium a market price that is higher than net asset value youll pay either the net asset value or 95 percent of the market price, whichever is greater. When the Common Shares trade at a premium, you may pay less for your reinvested Common Shares than an investor purchasing Common Shares on the stock exchange. Keep in mind, a portion of your price reduction may be taxable because you are receiving Common Shares at less than market price. |
2. | Discount: If the Common Shares trading at a discount a market price that is lower than net asset value youll pay the market price for your reinvested Common Shares. |
There is no direct charge to you for reinvesting Distributions because the Plans fees are paid by the Fund. If the Common Shares are trading at or above net asset value, your new Common Shares are issued directly by the Fund and there are no brokerage charges or fees. However, if the Common Shares are trading at a discount, the Common Shares are purchased on the open market, and you will pay your portion of any per share fees. These per share fees are typically less than the standard brokerage charges for individual transactions because Common Shares are purchased for all participants in blocks, resulting in lower fees for each individual participant. Any service or per share fees are added to the purchase price. Per share fees include any applicable brokerage commissions the Agent is required to pay.
The automatic reinvestment of distributions does not relieve you of any income tax that may be due on distributions. You will receive tax information annually to help you prepare your federal income tax return.
You may withdraw from the Plan at any time by calling (800) 341-2929, by visiting invesco.com/us or by writing to Invesco Closed-End Funds, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., P.O. Box 30170, College Station, TX 77842-3170. Simply indicate that you would like to withdraw from the Plan, and be sure to include your Fund name and account number. Also, ensure that all shareholders listed on the account sign these written instructions. If you withdraw, you have three options with regard to the shares held in the Plan:
1. | If you opt to continue to hold your non-certificated whole Common Shares, they will be held by the Agent electronically as Direct Registration Book-Shares and fractional Common Shares will be sold at the then-current market price. Proceeds will be sent via check to your address of record after deducting applicable fees, including per share fees such as any applicable brokerage commissions the Agent is required to pay. |
2. | If you opt to sell your shares through the Agent, the Agent will sell all full and fractional Common Shares and send the proceeds via check to your address of record after deducting a $2.50 service fee and per share fees. Per share fees include any applicable brokerage commissions the Agent is required to pay. |
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3. | You may sell your Common Shares through your financial adviser through the Direct Registration System (DRS). DRS is a service within the securities industry that allows Common Shares to be held in your name in electronic format. You retain full ownership of your Common Shares, without having to hold a share certificate. You should contact your financial adviser to learn more about any restrictions or fees that may apply. |
The Fund and the Agent may amend or terminate the Plan at any time. Participants will receive at least 30 days written notice before the effective date of any amendment. In the case of termination, participants will receive at least 30 days written notice before the record date for the payment of any such distributions by the Fund. In the case of amendment or termination necessary or appropriate to comply with applicable law or the rules and policies of the SEC or any other regulatory authority, such written notice will not be required.
To obtain a complete copy of the current Plan, please call our Client Services department at (800) 341-2929 or visit invesco.com/us.
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STRUCTURE
The Fund is a statutory trust organized under the laws of Delaware pursuant to a Certificate of Trust, dated as of April 2, 2012. The following is a brief description of the terms of the Common Shares, Borrowings and Preferred Shares which may be issued by the Fund. This description does not purport to be complete and is qualified by reference to the Funds Governing Documents.
Common Shares
The Declaration of Trust permits the Fund to issue an unlimited number of full and fractional common shares of beneficial interest, no par value. Each Common Share represents an equal proportionate interest in the assets of the Fund with each other Common Share in the Fund. Holders of Common Shares will be entitled to the payment of distributions when, as and if declared by the Board. The 1940 Act or the terms of any borrowings or preferred shares may limit the payment of distributions to the holders of Common Shares. Each whole Common Share shall be entitled to one vote as to matters on which it is entitled to vote pursuant to the terms of the Declaration of Trust on file with the SEC. Upon liquidation of the Fund, after paying or adequately providing for the payment of all liabilities of the Fund and the liquidation preference with respect to any outstanding preferred shares, the Trustees may distribute the remaining assets of the Fund among the holders of the Common Shares.
While there are any borrowings or preferred shares outstanding, the Fund may not be permitted to declare any cash distribution on its Common Shares, unless at the time of such declaration, (i) all accrued distributions on preferred shares or accrued interest on borrowings have been paid and (ii) the value of the Funds total assets (determined after deducting the amount of such distribution), less all liabilities and indebtedness of the Fund not represented by senior securities, is at least 300% of the aggregate amount of such securities representing indebtedness and at least 200% of the aggregate amount of securities representing indebtedness plus the aggregate liquidation value of the outstanding preferred shares (expected to equal the aggregate original purchase price of the outstanding preferred shares plus the applicable redemption premium, if any, together with any accrued and unpaid distributions thereon, whether or not earned or declared and on a cumulative basis). In addition to the requirements of the 1940 Act, the Fund may be required to comply with other asset coverage requirements as a condition of the Fund obtaining a rating of the preferred shares from a rating agency. These requirements may include an asset coverage test more stringent than under the 1940 Act. This limitation on the Funds ability to make distributions on its Common Shares could in certain circumstances impair the ability of the Fund to maintain its qualification for taxation as a RIC for federal income tax purposes. The Fund intends, however, to the extent possible to purchase or redeem preferred shares or reduce borrowings from time to time to maintain compliance with such asset coverage requirements and may pay special distributions to the holders of the preferred shares in certain circumstances in connection with any such impairment of the Funds status as a RIC. Depending on the timing of any such redemption or repayment, the Fund may be required to pay a premium in addition to the liquidation preference of the preferred shares to the holders thereof.
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The Common Shares have no preemptive rights.
The Fund will not issue certificates for the Common Shares.
Issuance of Additional Common Shares
Any additional offerings of Common Shares will require approval by the Board of Trustees.
Any additional offering of Common Shares will be subject to the requirements of the 1940 Act. The provisions of the 1940 Act generally require that the public offering price (less underwriting commissions and discounts) of common shares sold by a closed-end investment company must equal or exceed the net asset value of such companys common shares (calculated within 48 hours of the pricing of such offering), unless such sale is made with the consent of a majority of its common shareholders. The Fund may, from time to time, seek the consent of Common Shareholders to permit the issuance and sale by the Fund of Common Shares at a price below the Funds then-current net asset value, subject to certain conditions. If such consent is obtained, the Fund may, contemporaneous with and in no event more than one year following the receipt of such consent, sell Common Shares at price below net asset value in accordance with any conditions adopted in connection with the giving of such consent. Additional information regarding any consent of Common Shareholders obtained by the Fund and the applicable conditions imposed on the issuance and sale by the Fund of Common Shares at a price below net asset value will be disclosed in the Prospectus Supplement relating to any such offering of Common Shares at a price below net asset value. Until such consent of Common Shareholders, if any, is obtained, the Fund may not sell Common Shares at a price below net asset value. Because the Funds advisory fee is based upon average Managed Assets, the Advisers interests in recommending the issuance and sale of Common Shares at a price below net asset value may conflict with the interests of the Fund and its Common Shareholders.
Repurchase of Common Shares
Because shares of closed-end funds frequently trade at a discount to their net asset values, the Board has determined that from time to time it may be in the interest of holders of Common Shares for the Fund to take corrective actions. The Board, in consultation with the Adviser, will review at least annually the possibility of open market repurchases and/or tender offers for the Common Shares and will consider such factors as the market price of the Common Shares, the net asset value of the Common Shares, the liquidity of the assets of the Fund, effect on the Funds expenses, whether such transactions would impair the Funds status as a RIC or result in a failure to comply with applicable asset coverage requirements, general economic conditions and such other events or conditions which may have a material effect on the Funds ability to consummate such transactions. There are no assurances that the Board will, in fact, decide to undertake either of these actions or if undertaken, that such actions will result in the Funds Common Shares trading at a price which is equal to or approximates their net asset value. In recognition of the possibility that the Common Shares might trade at a discount to net asset value and that any such discount may not be in the interest of holders of Common Shares, the Board, in consultation with the Adviser, from time to time may review possible actions to reduce any such discount.
Preferred Shares
The Declaration of Trust authorizes the issuance of an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest with preference rights, including preferred shares, no par value, in one or more series, with rights as determined by the Board, by action of the Board without the approval of the holders of Common Shares.
Under the requirements of the 1940 Act, the Fund must, immediately after the issuance of any preferred shares, have an asset coverage of at least 200%. Asset coverage means the ratio which the value of the total assets of the Fund, less all liability and indebtedness not represented by senior securities (as defined in the 1940 Act), bears to the aggregate amount of senior securities representing indebtedness of the Fund, if any, plus the aggregate liquidation preference of the preferred shares. If the Fund seeks a rating of the preferred shares, asset coverage requirements, in addition to those set forth in the 1940 Act, may be imposed. The liquidation value of the preferred shares is expected to equal their aggregate original purchase price plus the applicable redemption premium, if any, together with any accrued and unpaid distributions thereon (on a cumulative basis), whether or not earned or declared. The terms of the preferred shares, including their distribution rate, voting rights, liquidation preference and redemption provisions, will be determined by the Board (subject to applicable law and the Funds Declaration of
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Trust) if and when it authorizes the preferred shares. The Fund may issue preferred shares that provide for the periodic redetermination of the distribution rate at relatively short intervals through an auction or remarketing procedure, although the terms of the preferred shares may also enable the Fund to lengthen such intervals. At times, the distribution rate on the Funds preferred shares may exceed the Funds return after expenses on the investment of proceeds from the preferred shares, resulting in a lower rate of return to Common Shareholders than if the preferred shares were not outstanding.
In the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Fund, the terms of any preferred shares may entitle the holders of preferred shares to receive a preferential liquidating distribution (expected to equal the original purchase price per share plus the applicable redemption premium, if any, together with accrued and unpaid distributions, whether or not earned or declared and on a cumulative basis) before any distribution of assets is made to holders of Common Shares. After payment of the full amount of the liquidating distribution to which they are entitled, the preferred shareholders would not be entitled to any further participation in any distribution of assets by the Fund.
Holders of preferred shares, voting as a class, shall be entitled to elect two of the Funds Trustees. Under the 1940 Act, if at any time distributions on the preferred shares are unpaid in an amount equal to two full years distributions thereon, the holders of all outstanding preferred shares, voting as a class, will be allowed to elect a majority of the Funds Trustees until all distributions in arrears have been paid or declared and set apart for payment.
In addition, if required by a rating agency rating the preferred shares or if the Board determines it to be in the best interests of the Common Shareholders, issuance of the preferred shares may result in more restrictive provisions than required by the 1940 Act being imposed. In this regard, holders of the preferred shares may be entitled to elect a majority of the Funds Board in other circumstances, for example, if one payment on the preferred shares is in arrears. The Fund intends that, as long as preferred shares are outstanding, the composition of its portfolio will reflect guidelines established by such rating agency. Although, as of the date hereof, no rating agency has established guidelines relating to the Funds preferred shares, based on previous guidelines established by Rating Agencies for the securities of other issuers, the Fund anticipates that the guidelines with respect to the preferred shares will establish a set of tests for portfolio composition and asset coverage that supplement (and in some cases are more restrictive than) the applicable requirements under the 1940 Act. Although, at this time, no assurance can be given as to the nature or extent of the guidelines which may be imposed in connection with obtaining a rating of the preferred shares, the Fund currently anticipates that such guidelines will include asset coverage requirements which are more restrictive than those under the 1940 Act, restrictions on certain portfolio investments and investment practices, requirements that the Fund maintain a portion of its assets in short-term, high-quality investments and certain mandatory redemption requirements relating to the preferred shares. No assurance can be given that the guidelines actually imposed with respect to the preferred shares by a rating agency will be more or less restrictive than anticipated.
Borrowings
The Fund may utilize leverage through borrowings, including through a credit facility, commercial paper program or other borrowing program. Under the 1940 Act, the Fund is not permitted to incur indebtedness, including through the issuance of debt securities, unless immediately thereafter the total asset value of the Funds portfolio is at least 300% of the liquidation value of the outstanding indebtedness (i.e., such liquidation value may not exceed 33 1/3% of the Funds total assets). In addition, the Fund is not permitted to declare any cash distribution on its Common Shares unless, at the time of such declaration, the net asset value of the Funds portfolio (determined after deducting the amount of such distribution) is at least 300% of such liquidation value. If the Fund borrows money, the Fund intends, to the extent possible, to retire outstanding debt, from time to time, to maintain coverage of any outstanding indebtedness of at least 300%.
The Fund may negotiate with commercial banks to arrange a borrowing facility pursuant to which the Fund may borrow an amount equal to approximately one-third of the Funds total assets (inclusive of the amount borrowed). Any such borrowings would constitute leverage. Such a borrowing facility is not expected to be convertible into any other securities of the Fund, outstanding amounts are expected to be prepayable by the Fund prior to final maturity without significant penalty and there are not expected to be any sinking fund or mandatory retirement provisions. Outstanding amounts would be payable at maturity or such earlier times as required by the
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agreement. The Fund may be required to prepay outstanding amounts under the borrowing facility or incur a penalty rate of interest upon the occurrence of certain events of default. The Fund would be expected to indemnify the lenders against liabilities they may incur in connection with the borrowing facility.
The terms of any such borrowings may require the Fund to pay a fee to maintain a line of credit, such as a commitment fee, or to maintain minimum average balances with a lender. Any such requirements would increase the cost of such borrowings over the stated interest rate. Such lenders would have the right to receive interest on and repayment of principal of any such borrowings, which right will be senior to those of the Common Shareholders. Any such borrowings may contain provisions limiting certain activities of the Fund, including the payment of dividends to Common Shareholders in certain circumstances.
Certain types of borrowings subject the Fund to covenants in credit agreements relating to asset coverage and portfolio composition requirements. Certain borrowings issued by the Fund also may subject the Fund to certain restrictions on investments imposed by guidelines of one or more rating agencies, which may issue ratings for such borrowings. Such guidelines may impose asset coverage or portfolio composition requirements that are more stringent than those imposed by the 1940 Act. It is not anticipated that these covenants or guidelines will impede Invesco from managing the Funds portfolio in accordance with the Funds investment objective and policies.
The 1940 Act grants to the holders of senior securities representing indebtedness issued by the Fund, other than with respect to privately arranged borrowings, certain voting rights in the event of default in the payment of interest on or repayment of principal. Failure to maintain certain asset coverage requirements under the 1940 Act could result in an event of default and entitle the debt holders to elect a majority of the Board of Trustees.
Credit Facility. The Fund has entered into a $65 million amended and restated revolving Credit Agreement, dated August 27, 2012, as amended, with State Street Bank and Trust Company, in its capacity as Agent, and other lending institutions party thereto. The Credit Agreement, which expires on August 25, 2015, is secured by the assets of the Fund. For certain commitment amounts under the Credit Agreement, the Fund pays monthly interest charges based on a LIBOR and Federal Funds Rate-based variable rate formula, while certain other commitment amounts under the Credit Agreement are subject to periodic interest charges based on a LIBOR-based variable rate (as set forth under the Credit Agreement). The Fund pays quarterly commitment fees to the Agent for the account of each lending institution under the Credit Agreement (on a pro rata basis) equal to eleven basis points times the actual daily amount by which the aggregate commitment amount exceeds the aggregate principal amount of all loans outstanding (in other words, the undrawn portion of the aggregate commitment amount as of such date). If the Fund fails to satisfy certain requirements or maintain certain covenants required under the Credit Agreement, the Agent may terminate the commitments and the Fund may be required to immediately repay the loan balance outstanding (together with any accrued interest thereon). As of February 28, 2015, the Fund had outstanding borrowings under the Credit Agreement of approximately $50.55 million, which represented approximately 26% of the Funds total assets as of such date. The average daily weighted interest rate for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2015 was 0.96%.
Capitalization
The following table provides information about the outstanding securities of the Fund as of June 30, 2015:
Title of Class |
Amount Authorized |
Amount Held by the Fund or for its Account |
Amount Outstanding |
|||||||||
Common Shares of Beneficial Interest, no par value |
Unlimited | | 8,118,429 | |||||||||
Preferred Shares of Beneficial Interest, no par value |
Unlimited | | |
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ANTI-TAKEOVER AND OTHER PROVISIONS IN THE FUNDS GOVERNING DOCUMENTS
The Fund presently has provisions in its Governing Documents which could have the effect of limiting, in each case, (i) the ability of other entities or persons to acquire control of the Fund, (ii) the Funds freedom to engage in certain transactions or (iii) the ability of the Funds Board of Trustees or shareholders to amend the Governing Documents or effectuate changes in the Funds management. These provisions of the Governing Documents of the Fund may be regarded as anti-takeover provisions.
The Board of Trustees is divided into three classes, with the terms of one class expiring at each annual meeting of shareholders. At each annual meeting, one class of Trustees is elected to a three-year term. This provision could delay for up to two years the replacement of a majority of the Board of Trustees. Any amendment to declassify the Board of Trustees requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the Board of Trustees followed by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of the outstanding shares of the Fund, unless the transaction has been approved by at least 66 2/3% of the Board of Trustees, in which case a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund shall be required.
A Trustee may be removed from office, with or without cause, by written instrument signed by at least 75% of the number of Trustees prior to such removal.
In addition, the Declaration of Trust requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the Board of Trustees followed by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of the outstanding shares of the Fund, to approve, adopt or authorize certain transactions, unless the transaction has been approved by at least 66 2/3% of the Board of Trustees, in which case the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund shall be required. Transactions subject to this voting requirement include:
| The dissolution of the Fund; provided that if the affirmative vote of at least seventy-five percent (75%) of the Board approves the dissolution, no vote of shareholders shall be required to dissolve the Fund |
| A merger or consolidation of the Fund with one or more other entities. |
| The sale, conveyance and transfer of all or substantially all of the assets of the another entity. |
| The reclassification of the Fund from a closed-end company to an open-end company (as defined in the 1940 Act). |
| The following transactions with any person or group (a Principal Shareholder) that is the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of five percent (5%) or more of the shares of the Fund. For purposes of these provisions, a Principal Shareholder shall be deemed to be the beneficial owner of any Shares which the Principal Shareholder owns directly, has the right to acquire pursuant to any agreement or which are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly by any affiliate or associate or any other person with which the Principal Shareholder has any agreement, arrangement, or understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting, or disposing of shares. |
| The issuance of any securities to any Principal Shareholder for cash (other than pursuant to the Plan. |
| The sale, lease or exchange of all or any substantial part of the assets of the Fund or any subsidiary of the Fund to any Principal Shareholder (except assets having an aggregate fair market value of less than two percent (2%) of the total assets of the Fund or any subsidiary of the Fund, aggregating for the purpose of such computation all assets sold, leased or exchanged in any series of similar transactions within a twelve-month period). |
| The sale, lease, or exchange to the Fund or any subsidiary of the Fund, in exchange for securities of the Fund or any of its subsidiary of the Fund, of any assets of any Principal Shareholder (except assets having an aggregate fair market value of less than two percent |
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(2%) of the total assets of the Fund or any of subsidiary of the Fund, aggregating for the purpose of such computation, all assets sold, leased or exchanged in any series of similar transactions within a twelve-month period). |
In addition, any additional matter for which the Declaration of Trust or the 1940 Act does not expressly require a vote of shareholders, but with respect to which the Trustees determine the shareholders shall have power to vote, shall require the affirmative vote or consent of holders of at least 75% of the outstanding shares of the Fund, unless such matter has been previously approved, adopted or authorized by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the Board of Trustees, in which case the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund shall be required.
The Board of Trustees has determined that provisions with respect to the Board of Trustees and the shareholder voting requirements described above, which voting requirements are greater than the minimum requirements under Delaware law or the 1940 Act, are in the best interest of shareholders generally. Reference should be made to the Declaration of Trust on file with the SEC for the full text of these provisions. See Additional Information.
The Fund may be converted to an open-end management investment company if approved by an affirmative vote of a majority of the Board of Trustees followed by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of the outstanding shares of the Fund, unless the conversion has been approved by at least 66 2/3% of the Board of Trustees, in which case the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund shall be required. If approved in the foregoing manner, conversion of the Fund could not occur until 90 days after the shareholders meeting at which such conversion was approved and would also require at least 30 days prior notice to all shareholders. The composition of the Funds portfolio and/or its investment policies could prohibit the Fund from complying with regulations of the SEC applicable to open-end management investment companies unless significant changes in portfolio holdings and investment policies are made. Conversion of the Fund to an open-end management investment company also would require the redemption of any outstanding preferred shares and could require the repayment of borrowings, which would reduce the leveraged capital structure of the Fund with respect to the Common Shares. In the event of conversion, the Common Shares would cease to be listed on the NYSE or other national securities exchange or market system. The Board believes, however, that the closed-end structure is desirable, given the Funds investment objectives and policies. Investors should assume, therefore, that it is unlikely that the Board would vote to convert the Fund to an open-end management investment company. Common Shareholders of an open-end management investment company can require the company to redeem their shares at any time (except in certain circumstances as authorized by or under the 1940 Act) at their net asset value, less such redemption charge, if any, as might be in effect at the time of a redemption. If converted to an open-end fund, the Fund expects to pay all redemption requests in cash, but intends to reserve the right to pay redemption requests in a combination of cash or securities. If such partial payment in securities were made, investors may incur brokerage costs in converting such securities to cash. If the Fund were converted to an open-end fund, it is likely that new Common Shares would be sold at net asset value plus a sales load.
The following discussion is a brief summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations affecting the Fund and the purchase, ownership and disposition of the Funds Common Shares. A more detailed discussion of the tax rules applicable to the Fund and its Common Shareholders can be found in the SAI that is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. Except as otherwise noted, this discussion assumes you are a taxable U.S. person (as defined for U.S. federal income tax purposes) and that you hold your Common Shares as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes (generally, assets held for investment). This discussion is based upon current provisions of the Code, the regulations promulgated thereunder and judicial and administrative authorities, all of which are subject to change or differing interpretations by the courts or the Internal Revenue Service (the IRS), possibly with retroactive effect. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of all U.S. federal tax concerns affecting the Fund and its Common Shareholders (including Common Shareholders subject to special treatment under U.S. federal income tax law).
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The discussion set forth herein does not constitute tax advice and potential investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers to determine the specific U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences to them of investing in the Fund.
Taxation Of The Fund
The Fund intends to elect to be treated and to qualify annually as a RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. Accordingly, the Fund must, among other things, meet certain income, asset diversification and distribution requirements:
(i) | The Fund must derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from the following sources: (a) dividends, interest (including tax-exempt interest), payments with respect to certain securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including gain from options, futures and forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or foreign currencies; and (b) net income derived from interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships (as defined in the Code). Generally, a qualified publicly traded partnership includes a partnership the interests of which are traded on an established securities market or readily tradable on a secondary market (or the substantial equivalent thereof) and that derives less than 90% of its gross income from the items described in (a) above. |
(ii) | The Fund must diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of each taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of the Funds total assets is represented by cash and cash items, including receivables, U.S. Government securities, the securities of other RICs and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Funds total assets and not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer and (b) not more than 25% of the market value of the Funds total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. Government securities and the securities of other RICs) of (I) any one issuer, (II) any two or more issuers that the Fund controls and that are determined to be engaged in the same business or similar or related trades or businesses or (III) any one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships (as defined in the Code). |
As long as the Fund qualifies as a RIC, the Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on income and gains that the Fund distributes to its shareholders, provided that it distributes each taxable year at least 90% of the sum of (i) the Funds investment company taxable income (which includes, among other items, dividends, interest, the excess of any net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss, and other taxable income, other than any net capital gain (defined below), reduced by deductible expenses) determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and (ii) the Funds net tax-exempt interest (the excess of its gross tax-exempt interest over certain disallowed deductions). The Fund intends to distribute substantially all of such income each year. The Fund will be subject to income tax at regular corporate rates on any taxable income or gains that it does not distribute to its shareholders.
The Fund will either distribute or retain for reinvestment all or part of its net capital gain (which consists of the excess of its net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss). If any such gain is retained, the Fund will be subject to a corporate income tax on such retained amount. In that event, the Fund expects to report the retained amount as undistributed capital gain in a notice to its shareholders, each of whom, if subject to U.S. federal income tax on long-term capital gains, (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes as long-term capital gain its share of such undistributed amounts, (ii) will be entitled to credit its proportionate share of the tax paid by the Fund against its U.S. federal income tax liability and to claim refunds to the extent that the credit exceeds such liability and (iii) will increase its basis in its shares by the amount of undistributed capital gain included in such shareholders gross income net of the tax deemed paid the shareholder under clause (ii).
The Code imposes a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the Fund to the extent the Fund does not distribute by the end of any calendar year at least the sum of (i) 98% of its ordinary income (not taking into account any capital gain or loss) for the calendar year and (ii) 98.2% of its capital gain in excess of its capital loss (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for a one-year period generally ending on October 31 of the calendar year (unless an election is
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made to use the Funds fiscal year). In addition, the minimum amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any under-distribution or over- distribution, as the case may be, from the previous year. For purposes of the excise tax, the Fund will be deemed to have distributed any income on which it paid federal income tax. While the Fund intends to distribute any income and capital gain in the manner necessary to minimize imposition of the 4% nondeductible excise tax, there can be no assurance that sufficient amounts of the Funds taxable income and capital gain will be distributed to entirely avoid the imposition of the excise tax. In that event, the Fund will be liable for the excise tax only on the amount by which it does not meet the foregoing distribution requirement.
Certain of the Funds investment practices are subject to special and complex U.S. federal income tax provisions that may, among other things, (i) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions, (ii) convert lower taxed long-term capital gains or qualified dividend income into higher taxed short-term capital gains or ordinary income, (iii) convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited), (iv) cause the Fund to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash, (v) adversely affect the time as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur, (vi) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions and (vii) produce income that will not be qualified income for purposes of the 90% gross income requirement described above. These U.S. federal income tax provisions could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to Common Shareholders. The Fund intends to structure and monitor its transactions and may make certain tax elections and may be required to dispose of securities to mitigate the effect of these provisions and prevent disqualification of the Fund as a RIC (which may adversely affect the net after-tax return to the Fund).
If for any taxable year the Fund were to fail to qualify as a RIC, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain) would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to its shareholders, and such distributions would be taxable to the Common Shareholders as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Funds current or accumulated earnings and profits. Such dividends, however, would be eligible (provided that certain holding period and other requirements are met) (i) to be treated as qualified dividend income in the case of U.S. Common Shareholders taxed as individuals and (ii) for the dividends-received deduction in the case of U.S. Common Shareholders taxed as corporations. The Fund could be required to recognize unrealized gains, pay taxes and make distributions (which could be subject to interest charges) before requalifying for taxation as a RIC.
Taxation Of Common Shareholders
Distributions. Distributions paid to you by the Fund from its net capital gain, which is the excess of net long-term capital gain over net short-term capital loss, if any, that the Fund properly reports as capital gain dividends (capital gain dividends) are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held your Common Shares. All other dividends paid to you by the Fund (including dividends from short-term capital gains) from its current or accumulated earnings and profits (ordinary income dividends) are generally subject to tax as ordinary income. Provided that certain holding period and other requirements are met, ordinary income dividends (if properly reported by the Fund) may qualify (i) for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders to the extent that the Funds income consists of dividend income from U.S. corporations, and (ii) in the case of individual shareholders, as qualified dividend income eligible to be taxed at long-term capital gains rates to the extent that the Fund receives qualified dividend income. Qualified dividend income is, in general, dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations (e.g., generally, foreign corporations incorporated in a possession of the United States or in certain countries with a qualifying comprehensive tax treaty with the United States, or whose stock with respect to which such dividend is paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States). There can be no assurance as to what portion, if any, of the Funds distributions will constitute qualified dividend income.
Any distributions you receive that are in excess of the Funds current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of your adjusted tax basis in your Common Shares, and thereafter as capital gain from the sale of Common Shares. The amount of any Fund distribution that is treated as a tax-free return of capital will reduce your adjusted tax basis in your Common Shares, thereby increasing your potential gain, or reducing your potential loss, on any subsequent sale or other disposition of your Common Shares.
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Dividends and other taxable distributions are taxable to you even if they are reinvested in additional Common Shares of the Fund. Dividends and other distributions paid by the Fund are generally treated as received by you at the time the dividend or distribution is made. If, however, the Fund pays you a dividend in January that was declared in the previous October, November or December to shareholders of record on a specified date in one of such months, then such dividend will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as being paid by the Fund and received by you on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared.
The Fund will send you information after the end of each year setting forth the amount and tax status of any distributions paid to you by the Fund.
Sale of Common Shares. The sale or other disposition of Common Shares of the Fund will generally result in capital gain or loss to you and will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held such Common Shares for more than one year. Any loss upon the sale or other disposition of Common Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any capital gain dividends received (including amounts credited as an undistributed capital gain) by you with respect to such Common Shares. Any loss you recognize on a sale or other disposition of Common Shares will be disallowed if you acquire other Common Shares (whether through the automatic reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after your sale or exchange of the Common Shares. In such case, your tax basis in the Common Shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
Current U.S. federal income tax law taxes both long-term and short-term capital gain of corporations at the rates applicable to ordinary income. For non-corporate taxpayers, short-term capital gain is currently taxed at rates applicable to ordinary income, while long-term capital gain generally is taxed at reduced maximum rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations under the Code.
The foregoing is a general and abbreviated summary of the certain of the Code and the Treasury regulations currently in effect as they directly govern the taxation of the Fund and its Common Shareholders. These provisions are subject to change by legislative or administrative action, and any such change may be retroactive. A more detailed discussion of the tax rules applicable to the Fund and its Common Shareholders can be found in the SAI that is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. Common Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding specific questions as to U.S. federal, state, local and foreign income or other taxes.
The Fund may offer, from time to time, up to $ aggregate initial offering price of Common Shares, on terms to be determined at the time of the offering. The Fund will offer Common Shares at prices and on terms to be set forth in one or more supplements to this Prospectus (each a Prospectus Supplement).
The Fund may offer Common Shares:
(i) in at-the-market transactions through one or more selling agents that the Fund may designate from time to time and/or through broker-dealers that have entered into a selected dealer agreement with the Funds selling agent(s);
(ii) otherwise through agents that the Fund may designate from time to time;
(iii) to or through underwriters or dealers; or
(iv) directly to one or more purchasers.
The Prospectus Supplement relating to a particular offering of Common Shares will state the terms of the offering, including:
| the names of any agents, underwriters or dealers; |
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| any sales loads or other items constituting underwriters compensation or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated; |
| any discounts, commissions, or fees allowed or paid to dealers or agents or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated; |
| the public offering or purchase price of the offered Common Shares, or the basis upon which such amount may be calculated, and the net proceeds the Fund will receive from the sale; and |
| any securities exchange on which the offered Common Shares may be listed. |
The Fund may not sell Common Shares through agents, underwriters or dealers without delivery of this Prospectus and a Prospectus Supplement. See Plan of Distribution.
At-The-Market Transactions
The Fund may offer Common Shares in in transactions that are deemed to be at the market as defined in Rule 415 under the 1933 Act, including sales made directly on the NYSE or sales made to or through a market maker other than on an exchange, through one or more selling agents that the Fund may designate from time to time and/or through broker-dealers that have entered into a selected dealer agreement with the Funds selling agent(s) in such transactions. Common Shares will only be sold on such days as shall be agreed to by the Fund and the selling agent(s) and will be sold at market prices, which shall be determined with reference to trades on the NYSE, subject to a minimum price to be established each day by the Fund. The minimum price on any day will not be less than the current net asset value per Common Share plus the per share amount of the commission to be paid. The Fund will suspend the sale of Common Shares if the per share price of the shares is less than the minimum price. Settlements of sales of Common Shares will occur on the third business day following the date on which any such sales are made.
The Fund will compensate the selling agent(s) with respect to sales of the Common Shares and the selling agent(s) may compensate broker-dealers participating in the offering in connection with the sale of Common Shares sold by that broker-dealer.
Unless otherwise indicated in the Prospectus Supplement, the selling agents will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of their appointment.
By Agents
The Fund may offer Common Shares through agents that the Fund may designate. The Fund will name any agent involved in the offer and sale and describe any commissions payable by the Fund in the Prospectus Supplement. Unless otherwise indicated in the Prospectus Supplement, the agents will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of their appointment.
By Underwriters
The Fund may offer and sell Common Shares from time to time to one or more underwriters who would purchase the Common Shares as principal for resale to the public, either on a firm commitment or best efforts basis. If the Fund sells Common Shares to underwriters, the Fund will execute an underwriting agreement with them at the time of the sale and will name them in the Prospectus Supplement. In connection with these sales, the underwriters may be deemed to have received compensation from the Fund in the form of underwriting discounts and commissions. The underwriters also may receive commissions from purchasers of Common Shares for whom they may act as agent. Unless otherwise stated in the Prospectus Supplement, the underwriters will not be obligated to purchase the Common Shares unless the conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement are satisfied, and if the underwriters purchase any of the Common Shares, they will be required to purchase all of the offered Common Shares. The underwriters may sell the offered Common Shares to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters as well as from the purchasers for whom they may act as agent. Any public offering price and any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to time.
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If a Prospectus Supplement so indicates, the Fund may grant the underwriters an option to purchase additional Common Shares at the public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions, within 45 days from the date of the Prospectus Supplement, to cover any overallotments.
By Dealers
The Fund may offer and sell Common Shares from time to time to one or more dealers who would purchase the securities as principal. The dealers then may resell the offered Common Shares to the public at fixed or varying prices to be determined by those dealers at the time of resale. The Fund will set forth the names of the dealers and the terms of the transaction in the Prospectus Supplement.
Direct Sales
The Fund may sell Common Shares directly to, and solicit offers from, institutional investors or others who may be deemed to be underwriters as defined in the 1933 Act for any resales of the securities. In this case, no underwriters or agents would be involved. The Fund may use electronic media, including the internet, to sell offered securities directly. The terms of such direct sale transactions will be subject to the discretion of the management of the Fund. In determining whether to sell Common Shares through a direct sale transaction, the Fund will consider relevant factors including, but not limited to, the attractiveness of obtaining additional funds through the sale of Common Shares, the purchase price to apply to any such sale of Common Shares and the investor seeking to purchase the Common Shares. The Fund will describe the terms of any of those sales in a Prospectus Supplement.
General Information
Agents, underwriters, or dealers participating in an offering of Common Shares may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts and commission received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the offered Common Shares for whom they act as agent, may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the 1933 Act.
The Fund may offer to sell securities either at a fixed price or at prices that may vary, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices.
To facilitate an offering of Common Shares in an underwritten transaction and in accordance with industry practice, the underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain, or otherwise affect the market price of the Common Shares or any other security. Those transactions may include overallotment, entering stabilizing bids, effecting syndicate covering transactions, and reclaiming selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer.
| An overallotment in connection with an offering creates a short position in the common stock for the underwriters own account. |
| An underwriter may place a stabilizing bid to purchase the Common Shares for the purpose of pegging, fixing, or maintaining the price of the Common Shares. |
| Underwriters may engage in syndicate covering transactions to cover overallotments or to stabilize the price of the Common Shares by bidding for, and purchasing, the Common Shares or any other securities in the open market in order to reduce a short position created in connection with the offering. |
| The managing underwriter may impose a penalty bid on a syndicate member to reclaim a selling concession in connection with an offering when the Common Shares originally sold by the syndicate member is purchased in syndicate covering transactions or otherwise. |
Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the Common Shares above independent market levels. The underwriters are not required to engage in these activities, and may end any of these activities at any time.
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Any underwriters to whom the offered Common Shares are sold for offering and sale may make a market in the offered Common Shares, but the underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market-making at any time without notice. There can be no assurance that there will be a liquid trading market for the offered Common Shares.
Under agreements entered into with the Fund, underwriters and agents may be entitled to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the 1933 Act, or to contribution for payments the underwriters or agents may be required to make.
The underwriters, agents, and their affiliates may engage in financial or other business transactions with the Fund in the ordinary course of business.
Pursuant to a requirement of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, the maximum compensation to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker-dealer may not be greater than eight percent (8%) of the gross proceeds received by the Fund for the sale of any securities being registered pursuant to SEC Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
The aggregate offering price specified on the cover of this Prospectus relates to the offering of the Common Shares not yet issued as of the date of this Prospectus.
Agents, underwriters or dealers through which the Fund may offer Common Shares may include affiliated persons of the Fund or the Adviser.
To the extent permitted under the 1940 Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, the underwriters may from time to time act as a broker or dealer and receive fees in connection with the execution of portfolio transactions on behalf of the Fund after the underwriters have ceased to be underwriters and, subject to certain restrictions, each may act as a broker while it is an underwriter.
A Prospectus and accompanying Prospectus Supplement in electronic form may be made available on the websites maintained by underwriters. The underwriters may agree to allocate a number of Common Shares for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Such allocations of Common Shares for internet distributions will be made on the same basis as other allocations. In addition, Common Shares may be sold by the underwriters to securities dealers who resell Common Shares to online brokerage account holders.
CUSTODIAN, DIVIDEND DISBURSING AGENT AND TRANSFER AGENT
Custodian
State Street Bank and Trust Company will serve as custodian for the Fund. The Custodian will hold cash, securities, and other assets of the Fund as required by the 1940 Act. Custody fees are payable monthly based on assets held in custody, investment purchases and sales activity and account maintenance fees, plus reimbursement for certain out-of-pocket expenses. The principal business address of the Custodian is 225 Franklin Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110-2801.
Dividend Disbursing Agent and Transfer Agent
Computershare Trust Company, N.A. will act as the Funds dividend paying agent, transfer agent and the registrar for the Funds Common Shares. Computershare is located at P.O. Box 43078, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-3078.
Certain legal matters will be passed on for the Fund by Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, New York, New York, in connection with the offering of the Common Shares.
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INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 1000 Louisiana Street, Suite 5800, Houston, Texas 77002, is the independent registered public accounting firm of the Fund.
This Prospectus constitutes part of a Registration Statement filed by the Fund with the SEC under the Securities Act, and the 1940 Act. This Prospectus omits certain of the information contained in the Registration Statement, and reference is hereby made to the Registration Statement and related exhibits for further information with respect to the Fund and the Common Shares offered hereby. Any statements contained herein concerning the provisions of any document are not necessarily complete, and, in each instance, reference is made to the copy of such document filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement or otherwise filed with the SEC. Each such statement is qualified in its entirety by such reference. The complete Registration Statement may be obtained from the SEC upon payment of the fee prescribed by its rules and regulations or free of charge through the SECs website (www.sec.gov).
You share personal and financial information with us that is necessary for your transactions and your account records. We take very seriously the obligation to keep that information confidential and private.
Invesco collects nonpublic personal information about you from account applications or other forms you complete and from your transactions with us or our affiliates. We do not disclose information about you or our former customers to service providers or other third parties except to the extent necessary to service your account and in other limited circumstances as permitted by law. For example, we use this information to facilitate the delivery of transaction confirmations, financial reports, prospectuses and tax forms.
Even within Invesco. only people involved in the servicing of your accounts and compliance monitoring have access to your information. To ensure the highest level of confidentiality and security, Invesco maintains physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that meet or exceed federal standards. Special measures, such as data encryption and authentication, apply to your communications with us on our website. More detail is available to you at invesco.com/privacy.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THE STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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$
Invesco High Income Trust II
Common Shares
PROSPECTUS
, 2015
Preliminary Statement of Additional Information, dated August 14, 2015
The information in this Statement of Additional Information is not complete and may be changed. The Fund may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This Statement of Additional Information is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Invesco High Income Trust II
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Invesco High Income Trust II (the Fund) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Funds investment objective is to provide to its common shareholders high current income, while seeking to preserve shareholders capital, through investment in a professionally managed, diversified portfolio of high-income producing fixed-income securities. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you could lose some or all of your investment.
This Statement of Additional Information relates to the offering, from time to time, of up to $ aggregate initial offering price of the Funds common shares of beneficial interest, no par value (Common Shares) in one or more offerings. This Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a prospectus, but should be read in conjunction with the prospectus for the Fund, dated , 2015 (the Prospectus), and any related supplement to the Prospectus (each a Prospectus Supplement). Investors should obtain and read the Prospectus and any related Prospectus Supplement prior to purchasing Common Shares. A copy of the Prospectus and any related Prospectus Supplement may be obtained without charge, by calling the Fund at (800) 345-7999.
The Prospectus and this SAI omit certain of the information contained in the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). The registration statement may be obtained from the SEC upon payment of the fee prescribed, or inspected at the SECs office or via its website (www.sec.gov) at no charge. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein have the meanings ascribed to them in the Prospectus.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company organized as a statutory trust under the laws of the State of Delaware. The Fund was originally organized as a Massachusetts business trust on February 15, 1989. The Fund commenced operations on April 28, 1989. Effective as of August 27, 2012, the Fund completed a redomestication to a Delaware statutory trust. Effective June 1, 2010, the Funds name was changed from Van Kampen High Income Trust II to Invesco Van Kampen High Income Trust II. Effective December 3, 2012, the Funds name was changed from Invesco Van Kampen High Income Trust II to Invesco High Income Trust II. The Funds currently outstanding common shares of beneficial interest, no par value (the Common Shares) are listed on the New York Stock Exchange (the NYSE) under the symbol VLT and the Common Shares offered by this Prospectus, subject to notice of issuance, will also be listed on the NYSE.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE AND POLICIES
Additional Investment Policies and Portfolio Contents
The following information supplements the discussion of the Funds investment objective, policies and techniques that are described in the Prospectus. The Fund may make the following investments, among others, some of which are part of its principal investment strategies and some of which are not. The principal risks of the Funds principal investment strategies are discussed in the Prospectus.
Swap Agreements
Generally, swap agreements are contracts between the Fund and a brokerage firm, bank, or other financial institution (the counterparty) for periods ranging from a few days to multiple years. In a basic swap transaction, the Fund agrees with its counterparty to exchange the returns (or differentials in returns) earned or realized on a particular asset such as an equity or debt security, commodity, currency or interest rate, calculated with respect to a notional amount. The notional amount is the set amount selected by the parties to use as the basis on which to calculate the obligations that the parties to a swap agreement have agreed to exchange. The parties typically do not exchange the notional amount. Instead, they agree to exchange the returns that would be earned or realized if the notional amount were invested in given investments or at given interest rates. Examples of returns that may be exchanged in a swap agreement are those of a particular security, a particular fixed or variable interest rate, a particular foreign currency, or a basket of securities representing a particular index. In some cases, such as cross currency swaps, the swap agreement may require delivery (exchange) of the entire notional value of one designated currency for another designated currency.
Numerous proposals have been made by various regulatory entities and rulemaking bodies to regulate the OTC derivatives markets, including, specifically, credit default swaps. The Fund cannot predict the outcome or final form of any of these proposals or if or when any of them would become effective. However, any additional regulation or limitation on the OTC markets for derivatives could materially and adversely impact the ability of the Fund to buy or sell OTC derivatives, including credit default swaps.
Commonly used swap agreements include:
Credit Default Swaps (CDS). An agreement between two parties where the first party agrees to make one or more payments to the second party, while the second party assumes the risk of certain defaults, generally a failure to pay or bankruptcy of the issuer on a referenced debt obligation. CDS transactions are typically individually negotiated and structured. The Fund may enter into CDS to create long or short exposure to domestic or foreign corporate debt securities, sovereign debt securities or municipal securities.
The Fund may buy a CDS (buy credit protection). In this transaction the Fund makes a stream of payments based on a fixed interest rate (the premium) over the life of the swap in exchange for a counterparty (the seller) taking on the risk of default of a referenced debt obligation (the Reference Obligation). If a credit event occurs for the Reference Obligation, the Fund would cease making premium payments and it would deliver defaulted bonds to the seller. In return, the seller would pay the notional value of the Reference Obligation to the Fund. Alternatively, the two counterparties may agree to cash settlement in which the seller delivers to the Fund (buyer) the difference between the market value and the notional value of the Reference Obligation. If no event of default occurs, the Fund pays the fixed premium to the seller for the life of the contract, and no other exchange occurs.
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Alternatively, the Fund may sell a CDS (sell credit protection). In this transaction the Fund will receive premium payments from the buyer in exchange for taking the risk of default of the Reference Obligation. If a credit event occurs for the Reference Obligation, the buyer would cease to make premium payments to the Fund and deliver the Reference Obligation to the Fund. In return, the Fund would pay the notional value of the Reference Obligation to the buyer. Alternatively, the two counterparties may agree to cash settlement in which the Fund would pay the buyer the difference between the market value and the notional value of the Reference Obligation. If no event of default occurs, the Fund receives the premium payments over the life of the contract, and no other exchange occurs.
Credit Default Index (CDX). A CDX is an index of CDS. CDX allow an investor to manage credit risk or to take a position on a basket of credit entities (such as CDS or commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS)) in a more efficient manner than transacting in single name CDS. If a credit event occurs in one of the underlying companies, the protection is paid out via the delivery of the defaulted bond by the buyer of protection in return for payment of the notional value of the defaulted bond by the seller of protection or it may be settled through a cash settlement between the two parties. The underlying company is then removed from the index. New series of CDX are issued on a regular basis. A Commercial Mortgage-Backed Index (CMBX) is a type of CDX made up of 25 tranches of commercial mortgage-backed securities rather than CDS. Unlike other CDX contracts where credit events are intended to capture an event of default CMBX involves a pay-as-you-go (PAUG) settlement process designed to capture non-default events that affect the cash flow of the reference obligation. PAUG involves ongoing, two-way payments over the life of a contract between the buyer and the seller of protection and is designed to closely mirror the cash flow of a portfolio of cash commercial mortgage-backed securities.
Currency Swap. An agreement between two parties pursuant to which the parties exchange a U.S. dollar-denominated payment for a payment denominated in a different currency.
Interest Rate Swap. An agreement between two parties pursuant to which the parties exchange a floating rate payment for a fixed rate payment based on a specified principal or notional amount. In other words, Party A agrees to pay Party B a fixed interest rate and in return Party B agrees to pay Party A a variable interest rate.
Total Return Swap. An agreement in which one party makes payments based on a set rate, either fixed or variable, while the other party makes payments based on the return of an underlying asset, which includes both the income it generates and any capital gains.
Inflation Swaps. Inflation swap agreements are contracts in which one party agrees to pay the cumulative percentage increase in a price index, such as the Consumer Price Index, over the term of the swap (with some lag on the referenced inflation index), and the other party pays a compounded fixed rate. Inflation swap agreements may be used to protect the net asset value of the Fund against an unexpected change in the rate of inflation measured by an inflation index. The value of inflation swap agreements is expected to change in response to changes in real interest rates. Real interest rates are tied to the relationship between nominal interest rates and the rate of inflation.
Interest Rate Locks. An interest rate lock is a hedging agreement in which the parties lock in an interest rate at a future maturity date. A cash settlement payment on that date that reflects changes in agreed upon interest rates. This settlement payment is designed to offset changes in the cost of borrowing for the hedged bond transaction. An interest rate lock may be terminated prior to its stated maturity date by calculating the payment due as of the termination date.
Options
An option is a contract that gives the purchaser of the option, in return for the premium paid, the right to buy from (in the case of a call) or sell to (in the case of a put) the writer of the option at the exercise price during the term of the option (for American style options or on a specified date for European style options), the security, currency or other instrument underlying the option (or in the case of an index option the cash value of the index). Options on a CDS or a Futures Contract (defined below) give the purchaser the right to enter into a CDS or assume a position in a Futures Contract.
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The Fund may engage in certain strategies involving options to attempt to manage the risk of their investments or, in certain circumstances, for investment (i.e., as a substitute for investing in securities). Option transactions present the possibility of large amounts of exposure (or leverage), which may result in the Funds net asset value being more sensitive to changes in the value of the option.
The value of an option position will reflect, among other things, the current market value of the underlying investment, the time remaining until expiration, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price of the underlying investment, the price volatility of the underlying investment and general market and interest rate conditions.
The Fund may effectively terminate its right or obligation under an option by entering into an offsetting closing transaction. For example, the Fund may terminate its obligation under a call or put option that it had written by purchasing an identical call or put option, which is known as a closing purchase transaction. Conversely, the Fund may terminate a position in a put or call option it had purchased by writing an identical put or call option, which is known as a closing sale transaction. Closing transactions permit the Fund to realize profits or limit losses on an option position prior to its exercise or expiration.
Options may be either listed on an exchange or traded in OTC markets. Listed options are tri-party contracts (i.e., performance of the obligations of the purchaser and seller are guaranteed by the exchange or clearing corporation) and have standardized strike prices and expiration dates. OTC options are two-party contracts with negotiated strike prices and expiration dates and differ from exchange-traded options in that OTC options are transacted with dealers directly and not through a clearing corporation (which guarantees performance). In the case of OTC options, there can be no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular option at any specific time; therefore the Fund may be required to treat some or all OTC options as illiquid securities. Although the Fund will enter into OTC options only with dealers that are expected to be capable of entering into closing transactions with it , there is no assurance that the Fund will in fact be able to close out an OTC option position at a favorable price prior to exercise or expiration. In the event of insolvency of the dealer, the Fund might be unable to close out an OTC option position at any time prior to its expiration.
Types of Options include:
Put Options on Securities. A put option gives the purchaser the right to sell, to the writer, the underlying security, contract or foreign currency at the stated exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option for American style options or on a specified date for European style options, regardless of the market price or exchange rate of the security, contract or foreign currency, as the case may be, at the time of exercise. If the purchaser exercises the put option, the writer of a put option is obligated to buy the underlying security, contract or foreign currency for the exercise price.
Call Options on Securities. A call option gives the purchaser the right to buy, from the writer, the underlying security, contract or foreign currency at the stated exercise price at any time prior to the expiration of the option (for American style options) or on a specified date (for European style options), regardless of the market price or exchange rate of the security, contract or foreign currency, as the case may be, at the time of exercise. If the purchaser exercises the call option, the writer of a call option is obligated to sell to and deliver the underlying security, contract or foreign currency to the purchaser of the call option for the exercise price.
Index Options. Index options (or options on securities indices) give the holder the right to receive, upon exercise, cash instead of securities, if the closing level of the securities index upon which the option is based is greater than, in the case of a call, or less than, in the case of a put, the exercise price of the option. The amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the call or put times a specified multiple (the multiplier), which determines the total dollar value for each point of such difference.
The risks of investment in index options may be greater than options on securities. Because index options are settled in cash, when the Fund writes a call on an index it cannot provide in advance for its potential settlement obligations by acquiring and holding the underlying securities. The Fund can offset some of the risk of writing a call index option by holding a diversified portfolio of securities similar to those on which the underlying index is based. However, the Fund cannot, as a practical matter, acquire and hold a portfolio containing exactly the same securities that underlie the index and, as a result, bears the risk that the value of the securities held will not be perfectly correlated with the value of the index.
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CDS Option. A CDS option transaction gives the holder the right to enter into a CDS at a specified future date and under specified terms in exchange for a purchase price or premium. The writer of the option bears the risk of any unfavorable move in the value of the CDS relative to the market value on the exercise date, while the purchaser may allow the option to expire unexercised.
Options on Futures Contracts. Options on Futures Contracts give the holder the right to assume a position in a Futures Contract (to buy the Futures Contract if the option is a call and to sell the Futures Contract if the option is a put) at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option.
Swaptions. An option on a swap agreement, also called a swaption, is an option that gives the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to enter into a swap on a future date in exchange for paying a market based premium. A receiver swaption gives the owner the right to receive the total return of a specified asset, reference rate, or index. A payer swaption gives the owner the right to pay the total return of a specified asset, reference rate, or index. Swaptions also include options that allow an existing swap to be terminated or extended by one of the counterparties.
Option Techniques include:
Writing Options. The Fund may write options to generate additional income and to seek to hedge its portfolio against market or exchange rate movements. As the writer of an option, the Fund may have no control over when the underlying instruments must be sold (in the case of a call option) or purchased (in the case of a put option) because the option purchaser may notify the Fund of exercise at any time prior to the expiration of the option (for American style options). In general, options are rarely exercised prior to expiration. Whether or not an option expires unexercised, the writer retains the amount of the premium.
The Fund would write a put option at an exercise price that, reduced by the premium received on the option, reflects the price it is willing to pay for the underlying security, contract or currency. In return for the premium received for writing a put option, the Fund assumes the risk that the price of the underlying security, contract, or foreign currency will decline below the exercise price, in which case the put would be exercised and the Fund would suffer a loss.
In return for the premium received for writing a call option on a security the Fund holds, the Fund foregoes the opportunity for profit from a price increase in the underlying security, contract, or foreign currency above the exercise price so long as the option remains open, but retains the risk of loss should the price of the security, contract, or foreign currency decline.
If an option that the Fund has written expires, the Fund will realize a gain in the amount of the premium; however, such gain may be offset by a decline in the market value of the underlying security, contract or currency, held by the Fund during the option period. If a call option is exercised, the Fund will realize a gain or loss from the sale of the underlying security, contract or currency, which will be increased or offset by the premium received. The obligation imposed upon the writer of an option is terminated upon the expiration of the option, or such earlier time at which the Fund effects a closing purchase transaction by purchasing an option (put or call as the case may be) identical to that previously sold.
Purchasing Options. The Fund may only purchase a put option on an underlying security, contract or currency owned by the Fund in order to protect against an anticipated decline in the value of the security, contract or currency held by the Fund; or purchase put options on underlying securities, contracts or currencies against which it has written other put options. The premium paid for the put option and any transaction costs would reduce any profit realized when the security, contract or currency is delivered upon the exercise of the put option. Conversely, if the underlying security, contract or currency does not decline in value, the option may expire worthless and the premium paid for the protective put would be lost.
The Fund may purchase a call option for the purpose of acquiring the underlying security, contract or currency for its portfolio, or on underlying securities, contracts or currencies against which it has written other call
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options. The Fund is not required to own the underlying security in order to purchase a call option. If the Fund does not own the underlying position, the purchase of a call option would enable the Fund to acquire the security, contract or currency at the exercise price of the call option plus the premium paid. So long as it holds a call option, rather than the underlying security, contract or currency itself, the Fund is partially protected from any unexpected increase in the market price of the underlying security, contract or currency. If the market price does not exceed the exercise price, the Fund could purchase the security on the open market and could allow the call option to expire, incurring a loss only to the extent of the premium paid for the option.
Straddles/Spreads/Collars. Spread and straddle options transactions. In spread transactions, the Fund buys and writes a put or buys and writes a call on the same underlying instrument with the options having different exercise prices, expiration dates, or both. In straddles, the Fund purchases a put option and a call option or writes a put option and a call option on the same instrument with the same expiration date and typically the same exercise price. When the Fund engages in spread and straddle transactions, it seeks to profit from differences in the option premiums paid and received and in the market prices of the related options positions when they are closed out or sold. Because these transactions require the Fund to buy and/or write more than one option simultaneously, the Funds ability to enter into such transactions and to liquidate its positions when necessary or deemed advisable may be more limited than if the Fund were to buy or sell a single option. Similarly, costs incurred by the Fund in connection with these transactions will in many cases be greater than if the Fund were to buy or sell a single option.
Option Collars. The Fund also may use option collars. A collar position combines a put option purchased by the Fund (the right of the Fund to sell a specific security within a specified period) with a call option that is written by the Fund (the right of the counterparty to buy the same security) in a single instrument. The Funds right to sell the security is typically set at a price that is below the counterpartys right to buy the security. Thus, the combined position collars the performance of the underlying security, providing protection from depreciation below the price specified in the put option, and allowing for participation in any appreciation up to the price specified by the call option.
Futures Contracts
A Futures Contract is a two-party agreement to buy or sell a specified amount of a specified security or currency (or delivery of a cash settlement price, in the case of certain futures such as an index future or Eurodollar Future) for a specified price at a designated date, time and place (collectively, Futures Contracts). A sale of a Futures Contract means the acquisition of a contractual obligation to deliver the underlying instrument or asset called for by the contract at a specified price on a specified date. A purchase of a Futures Contract means the acquisition of a contractual obligation to acquire the underlying instrument or asset called for by the contract at a specified price on a specified date.
The Fund will only enter into Futures Contracts that are traded (either domestically or internationally) on futures exchanges and are standardized as to maturity date and underlying financial instrument. Futures exchanges and trading thereon in the United States are regulated under the Commodity Exchange Act and by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Foreign futures exchanges and trading thereon are not regulated by the CFTC and are not subject to the same regulatory controls. Each Fund has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term commodity pool operator under the Commodity Exchange Act and, therefore, is not subject to registration or regulation as a pool operator under the act.
Brokerage fees are incurred when a Futures Contract is bought or sold, and margin deposits must be maintained at all times when a Futures Contract is outstanding. Margin for a Futures Contracts is the amount of funds that must be deposited by the Fund in order to initiate Futures Contracts trading and maintain its open positions in Futures Contracts. A margin deposit made when the Futures Contract is entered (initial margin) is intended to ensure the Funds performance under the Futures Contract. The margin required for a particular Futures Contract is set by the exchange on which the Futures Contract is traded and may be significantly modified from time to time by the exchange during the term of the Futures Contract.
Subsequent payments, called variation margin, received from or paid to the futures commission merchant through which the Fund enters into the Futures Contract will be made on a daily basis as the futures price fluctuates making the Futures Contract more or less valuable, a process known as marking-to-market. When the Futures Contract is closed out, if the Fund has a loss equal to or greater than the margin amount, the margin amount is paid
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to the futures commission merchant along with any amount in excess of the margin amount; if the Fund has a loss of less than the margin amount, the difference is returned to the Fund; or if the Fund has a gain, the margin amount is paid to the Fund and the futures commission merchant pays the Fund any excess gain over the margin amount.
Closing out an open Futures Contract is affected by entering into an offsetting Futures Contract for the same aggregate amount of the identical financial instrument or currency and the same delivery date. There can be no assurance, however, that the Fund will be able to enter into an offsetting transaction with respect to a particular Futures Contract at a particular time. If the Fund is not able to enter into an offsetting transaction, it will continue to be required to maintain the margin deposits on the Futures Contract.
In addition, if the Fund were unable to liquidate a Futures Contract or an option on a Futures Contract position due to the absence of a liquid secondary market or the imposition of price limits, it could incur substantial losses. The Fund would continue to be subject to market risk with respect to the position. In addition, except in the case of purchased options, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily variation margin payments.
Types of Futures Contracts include:
Currency Futures. A currency Futures Contract is a standardized, exchange-traded contract to buy or sell a particular currency at a specified price at a future date (commonly three months or more). Currency Futures Contracts may be highly volatile and thus result in substantial gains or losses to the Fund.
Index Futures. A stock index Futures Contract is an exchange-traded contract that provides for the delivery, at a designated date, time and place, of an amount of cash equal to a specified dollar amount times the difference between the stock index value at the close of trading on the date specified in the contract and the price agreed upon in the Futures Contract; no physical delivery of stocks comprising the index is made.
Interest Rate Futures. An interest-rate Futures Contract is an exchange-traded contact in which the specified underlying security is either an interest-bearing fixed income security or an inter-bank deposit. Two examples of common interest rate Futures Contracts are U.S. Treasury futures and Eurodollar Futures Contracts. The specified security for U.S. Treasury futures is a U.S. Treasury security. The specified security for Eurodollar futures is the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) which is a daily reference rate based on the interest rates at which banks offer to lend unsecured funds to other banks in the London wholesale money market.
Security Futures. A security Futures Contract is an exchange-traded contract to purchase or sell, in the future, a specified quantity of a security (other than a Treasury security, or a narrow-based securities index) at a certain price.
Forward Currency Contracts
A forward currency contract is an over-the-counter contract between two parties to buy or sell a particular currency at a specified price at a future date. The parties may exchange currency at the maturity of the forward currency contract, or if the parties agree prior to maturity, enter into a closing transaction involving the purchase or sale of an offsetting amount of currency. Forward currency contracts are traded over-the-counter, and not on organized commodities or securities exchanges.
The Fund may enter into forward currency contracts with respect to a specific purchase or sale of a security, or with respect to its portfolio positions generally.
The cost to the Fund of engaging in forward currency contracts varies with factors such as the currencies involved, the length of the contract period, interest rate differentials and the prevailing market conditions. Because forward currency contracts are usually entered into on a principal basis, no fees or commissions are involved. The use of forward currency contracts does not eliminate fluctuations in the prices of the underlying securities the Fund owns or intends to acquire, but it does establish a rate of exchange in advance. While forward currency contract sales limit the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currencies, they also limit any potential gain that might result should the value of the currencies increase.
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Other Investment Practices
In connection with the Funds investment objective and policies, the Fund may purchase and sell options on fixed-income securities and on indices based on fixed-income securities to the extent a market in any such indices exists or develops and engage in interest rate and other hedging transactions. These investment practices entail risks. The Adviser may use some or all of the following hedging and risk management practices when their use appears appropriate. Although the Adviser believes that these investment practices may further the Funds investment objective, no assurance can be given that these investment practices will achieve this result. If the Fund issues senior securities and seeks to obtain a rating of the senior securities, the rating service issuing such rating may, as a condition thereof, impose asset coverage or other requirements compliance with which may restrict the Funds ability to engage in these investment practices. The Fund cannot predict what, if any, additional requirements may be imposed by such rating service in connection with its rating of any senior securities.
Securities Options Transactions. The Fund may invest in options on fixed-income securities. Such options may be traded over-the-counter or on a national securities exchange. In general, the Fund may purchase and sell (write) options on up to 25% of its net assets. The SEC requires that obligations of investment companies such as the Fund, in connection with option sale positions, must comply with certain segregation or coverage requirements which are more fully described below. No limitation exists on the amount of the Funds assets which can be used to comply with such segregation or cover requirements.
A call option gives the purchaser the right to buy, and obligates the writer to sell, the underlying security at the agreed upon exercise (or strike) price during the option period. A put option gives the purchaser the right to sell, and obligates the writer to buy, the underlying security at the strike price during the option period. Purchasers of options pay an amount, known as a premium, to the option writer in exchange for the right under the option contract. Option contracts may be written with terms which would permit the holder of the option to purchase or sell the underlying security only upon the expiration date of the option.
The Fund may purchase put and call options in hedging transactions to protect against a decline in the market value of the securities in the Funds portfolio (e.g., by the purchase of a put option) and to protect against an increase in the cost of fixed-income securities that the Fund may seek to purchase in the future (e.g., by the purchase of a call option). In the event the Fund purchases put and call options, paying premiums therefor, and price movements in the underlying securities are such that exercise of the options would not be profitable for the Fund, then to the extent such underlying securities correlate in value to the Funds portfolio securities, losses of the premiums paid may be offset by an increase in the value of the Funds portfolio securities (in the case of a purchase of put options) or by a decrease in the cost of acquisition of securities by the Fund (in the case of a purchase of call options).
The Fund may also sell put and call options as a means of increasing the yield on the Funds portfolio and as a means of providing limited protection against decreases in market value of the Funds portfolio. When the Fund sells an option, if the underlying securities do not increase (in the case of a call option) or decrease (in the case of a put option) to a price level that would make the exercise of the option profitable to the holder of the option, the option generally will expire without being exercised and the Fund will realize as profit the premium received for such option. When a call option of which the Fund is the writer is exercised, the Fund will be required to sell the underlying securities to the option holder at the strike price; therefore the Fund will not participate in any increase in the price of such securities above the strike price. When a put option of which the Fund is the writer is exercised, the Fund will be required to purchase the underlying securities at the strike price, which may be in excess of the market value of such securities.
Over-the-counter options (OTC options) differ from exchange-traded options in several respects. They are transacted directly with dealers and not with a clearing corporation, and a risk exists of non-performance by the dealer. OTC options are available for a greater variety of securities and for a wider range of expiration dates and exercise prices than are available for exchange-traded options. Because OTC options are not traded on an exchange, pricing is normally done by reference to information from a market maker, which information is monitored carefully by the Adviser and verified in appropriate cases.
Generally, the Funds policy, in order to avoid the exercise of an option sold by it, will be to cancel its obligation under the option by entering into a closing purchase transaction, if available, unless selling (in the case of
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a call option) or purchasing (in the case of a put option) the underlying securities is determined to be in the Funds interest. A closing purchase transaction consists of the Fund purchasing an option having the same terms as the option sold by the Fund and has the effect of cancelling the Funds position as a seller. The premium which the Fund will pay in executing a closing purchase transaction may be higher (or lower) than the premium received when the option was sold, depending in large part upon the relative price of the underlying security at the time of each transaction. To the extent options sold by the Fund are exercised and the Fund either delivers portfolio securities to the holder of a call option or liquidates securities in its portfolio as a source of funds to purchase securities put to the Fund, the Funds portfolio turnover rate will increase, which would cause the Fund to incur additional brokerage expenses.
During the option period the Fund, as a covered call writer, gives up the potential appreciation above the exercise price should the underlying security rise in value, and the Fund, as a secured put writer, retains the risk of loss should the underlying security decline in value. For the covered call writer, substantial appreciation in the value of the underlying security would result in the security being called away at the strike price of the option which may be substantially below the fair market value of such security. For the secured put writer, substantial depreciation in the value of the underlying security would result in the security being put to the writer at the strike price of the option which may be substantially in excess of the fair market value of such security. If a covered call option or a secured put option expires unexercised, the writer realizes a gain, and the buyer a loss, in the amount of the premium.
To the extent that an active market exists or develops, whether on a national securities exchange or over-the-counter, in options on indices based upon fixed-income securities, the Fund may purchase and sell options on such indices, subject to the limitation that the Fund may purchase and sell options on up to 25% of its net assets. Through the writing or purchase of index options, the Fund can achieve many of the same objectives as through the use of options on individual securities. Options on securities indices are similar to options on securities except that, rather than the right to take or make delivery of a security at a specified price, an option on a securities index gives the holder the right to receive, upon exercise of the option, an amount of cash if the closing level of the securities index upon which the option is based is greater than, in the case of a call, or less than, in the case of a put, the strike price of the option.
Price movements in securities which the Fund owns or intends to purchase will not correlate perfectly with movements in the level of an index and, therefore, the Fund bears the risk of a loss on an index option which is not offset completely by movements in the price of such securities. Because index options are settled in cash, a call writer cannot determine the amount of its settlement obligations in advance and, unlike call writing on specific securities, cannot provide in advance for, or cover, its potential settlement obligations by acquiring and holding the underlying securities.
Interest Rate and Other Hedging Transactions. In order to seek to protect the value of its portfolio securities against declines resulting from changes in interest rates or other market changes, the Fund may enter into various hedging transactions, such as financial futures contracts and related options contracts.
The Fund may enter into various interest rate hedging transactions using financial instruments with a high degree of correlation to the securities which the Fund may purchase for its portfolio, including interest rate futures contracts in such financial instruments and interest rate related indices, and put and call options on such futures contracts and on such financial instruments. The Fund expects to enter into these transactions to lock in a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of its portfolio, to protect against any increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date, or for other risk management strategies. Financial futures and options contracts and the risks attendant to the Funds use thereof are described more completely below.
The Fund will not engage in the foregoing transactions for speculative purposes, but only as a means to hedge risks associated with management of the Funds portfolio. Typically, investment in these contracts requires the Fund to deposit with the applicable exchange or other specified financial intermediary as a good faith deposit for its obligations, known as initial margin, an amount of cash or specified debt securities which initially is 1%-15% of the face amount of the contract and which thereafter fluctuates on a periodic basis as the value of the contract fluctuates. Thereafter, the Fund must make additional deposits equal to any net losses due to unfavorable price movements of the contract and will be credited with an amount equal to any net gains due to favorable price movements. These additional deposits or credits are calculated and required daily and are known as variation margin.
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The SEC generally requires that when an investment company, such as the Fund, effects transactions of the foregoing nature, such a fund either must segregate cash or high quality, readily marketable portfolio securities with its custodian in the amount of its obligations under the foregoing transactions or must cover such obligations by maintaining positions in portfolio securities, futures contracts or options that would serve to satisfy or offset the risk of such obligations. When effecting transactions of the foregoing nature, the Fund will comply with such segregation or cover requirements. No limitation exists as to the percentage of the Funds assets which may be segregated in connection with such transactions.
The Fund will not enter into a futures contract or related option if, immediately after such investment, the sum of the amount of its initial margin deposits and premiums on open contracts and options would exceed 5% of the Funds total assets at current value. The Fund, however, may invest more than such amount in the future if it obtains authority to do so from the appropriate regulatory agencies without rendering the Fund a commodity pool operator or adversely affecting its status as an investment company for federal securities law or income tax purposes.
All of the foregoing transactions present certain risks. In particular, the variable degree of correlation between price movements of futures contracts and price movements in the security being hedged creates the possibility that losses on the hedge may be greater than gains in the value of the Funds securities. In addition, these instruments may not be liquid in all circumstances and are closed out generally by entering into offsetting transactions rather than by disposing of the obligations. As a result, in volatile markets, the Fund may not be able to close out a transaction without incurring losses. Although the contemplated use of those contracts should tend to reduce the risk of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged security, at the same time the use of these contracts could tend to limit any potential gain which might result from an increase in the value of such security. Finally, the daily deposit requirements for futures contracts create an ongoing greater potential financial risk than do option purchase transactions, where the exposure is limited to the cost of the premium for the option.
Successful use of futures contracts and options thereon by the Fund is subject to the ability of the Adviser to correctly predict movements in the direction of interest rates and other factors affecting markets for securities. If the Advisers expectations are not met, the Fund would be in a worse position than if a hedging strategy had not been pursued. For example, if the Fund has hedged against the possibility of an increase in interest rates which would adversely affect the price of securities in its portfolio and the price of such securities increases instead, the Fund will lose part or all of the benefit of the increased value of its securities because it will have offsetting losses in its futures positions. In addition, in such situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash to meet daily variation margin requirements, it may have to sell securities to meet such requirements. Such sales of securities may, but will not necessarily, be at increased prices which reflect the rising market. The Fund may have to sell securities at a time when it is disadvantageous to do so.
In addition to engaging in transactions utilizing options on futures contracts, the Fund may purchase put and call options on securities and, as developed from time to time, on interest indices and other instruments. Purchasing options may increase investment flexibility and improve total return, but also risks loss of the option premium if an asset the Fund has the option to buy declines in value or if an asset the Fund has the option to sell increases in value.
The Fund also may enter into various other hedging transactions, such as interest rate swaps and the purchase or sale of interest rate caps and floors. The Fund expects to enter into these transactions primarily to preserve a return or spread on a particular investment or portion of its portfolio or to protect against any increase in the price of securities the Fund anticipates purchasing at a later date. The Fund intends to use these transactions as a hedge and not as a speculative investment. The Fund will not sell interest rate caps or floors that it does not own. Interest rate swaps involve the exchange by the Fund with another party of their respective commitments to pay or receive interest (e.g., an exchange of floating rate payments for fixed rate payments). The purchase of an interest rate cap entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index exceeds a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate cap. The purchase of an interest rate floor entitles the purchaser, to the extent that a specified index falls below a predetermined interest rate, to receive payments of interest on a notional principal amount from the party selling such interest rate floor.
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The Fund may enter into interest rate swaps, caps and floors on either an asset-based or liability-based basis, depending on whether it is hedging its assets or its liabilities, and will usually enter into interest rate swaps on a net basis (i.e., the two payment streams are netted out), with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Insomuch as these hedging transactions are entered into for good faith risk management purposes, the Adviser and the Fund believe such obligations do not constitute senior securities and, accordingly, will not treat them as being subject to its investment restrictions on borrowing. The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Funds obligations over its entitlements with respect to each interest rate swap will be accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash or liquid securities having an aggregate net asset value at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained in a segregated account by the Funds custodian. The creditworthiness of firms with which the Fund enters into interest rate swaps, caps or floors will be monitored on an ongoing basis by the Adviser pursuant to procedures adopted and reviewed, on an ongoing basis, by the Board of Trustees of the Fund. If a default occurs by the other party to such transaction, the Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction.
New options and futures contracts and other financial products, and various combinations thereof, continue to be developed and the Fund may invest in any such options, contracts and products as may be developed to the extent consistent with its investment objective and the regulatory requirements applicable to investment companies.
Options and Futures. The Fund may engage in futures and options transactions in accordance with its investment objective and policies. The Fund intends to engage in such transactions if it appears advantageous to the Adviser to do so in order to pursue its investment objective, to hedge against the effects of market conditions and to stabilize the value of its assets. The use of futures and options, and the possible benefits and attendant risks are discussed below, along with information concerning certain other investment policies and techniques.
Financial Futures Contracts. The Fund may enter into financial futures contracts for the future delivery of a financial instrument, such as a security, or the cash value of a securities index. This investment technique is designed primarily to hedge (i.e., protect) against anticipated future changes in market conditions which otherwise might adversely affect the value of securities which the Fund holds or intends to purchase. A sale of a futures contract means the undertaking of a contractual obligation to deliver the securities, or the cash value of an index, called for by the contract at a specified price during a specified delivery period. A purchase of a futures contract means the undertaking of a contractual obligation to acquire the securities, or cash value of an index, at a specified price during a specified delivery period. At the time of delivery in the case of fixed income securities pursuant to the contract, adjustments are made to recognize differences in value arising from the delivery of securities with a different interest rate than that specified in the contract. In some cases, securities called for by a futures contract may not have been issued at the time the contract was written.
Although some financial futures contracts by their terms call for the actual delivery or acquisition of securities, in most cases the contractual commitment is closed out before delivery without having to make or take delivery of the security. The offsetting of a contractual obligation is accomplished by purchasing (or selling, as the case may be) on a commodities exchange an identical futures contract calling for delivery in the same period. Such a transaction cancels the obligation to make or take delivery of the securities. All transactions in the futures market are made, offset or fulfilled through a clearing house associated with the exchange on which the contracts are traded. The Fund will incur brokerage fees when it purchases or sells contracts, and will be required to maintain margin deposits. Futures contracts entail risks. If the Advisers judgment about the general direction of securities markets or interest rates is wrong, the Funds overall performance may be poorer than if the Fund had not entered into such contracts.
There may be an imperfect correlation between movements in prices of futures contracts and portfolio securities being hedged. In addition, the market prices of futures contracts may be affected by certain factors. If participants in the futures market elect to close out their contracts through offsetting transactions rather than meet margin requirements, distortions in the normal relationship between the securities and futures markets could result. Price distortions could also result if investors in futures contracts decide to make or take delivery of underlying securities rather than engage in closing transactions due to the resultant reduction in the liquidity of the futures market. In addition, because from the point of view of speculators, the margin requirements in the futures market may be less onerous than margin requirements in the cash market, increased participation by speculators in the futures market could cause temporary price distortions. Due to the possibility of price distortions in the futures
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market and because of the imperfect correlation between movements in the prices of securities and movements in the prices of futures contracts, a correct forecast of market trends by the Adviser may still not result in a successful hedging transaction. If this should occur, the Fund could lose money on the financial futures contracts and also on the value of its portfolio securities.
Options on Financial Futures Contracts. The Fund may purchase and write call and put options on financial futures contracts. An option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in a futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time during the period of the option. Upon exercise, the writer of the option delivers the futures contract to the holder at the exercise price. The Fund would be required to deposit with its custodian initial margin and maintenance margin with respect to put and call options on futures contracts written by it. Options on futures contracts involve risks similar to those risks relating to transactions in financial futures contracts described above. Also, an option purchased by the Fund may expire worthless, in which case the Fund would lose the premium paid therefor.
Options on Securities. The Fund may write covered call options so long as it owns securities which are acceptable for escrow purposes and may write secured put options, which means that so long as the Fund is obligated as a writer of a put option, it will invest an amount, not less than the exercise price of the put option, in eligible securities. A call option gives the purchaser the right to buy, and the writer the obligation to sell, the underlying security at the exercise price during the option period. A put option gives the purchaser the right to sell, and the writer the obligation to buy, the underlying security at the exercise price during the option period. The premium received for writing an option will reflect, among other things, the current market price of the underlying security, the relationship of the exercise price to the market price, the price volatility of the underlying security, the option period, supply and demand and interest rates. The Fund may write or purchase spread options, which are options for which the exercise price may be a fixed dollar spread or yield spread between the security underlying the option and another security that is used as a benchmark. The exercise price of an option may be below, equal to or above the current market value of the underlying security at the time the option is written. The buyer of a put who also owns the related security is protected by ownership of a put option against any decline in that securitys price below the exercise price, less the amount paid for the option. At times the Fund may wish to establish a position in a security upon which call options are available. By purchasing a call option on such security the Fund would be able to fix the cost of acquiring the security, this being the cost of the call plus the exercise price of the option. This procedure also provides some protection from an unexpected downturn in the market, because the Fund is only at risk for the amount of the premium paid for the call option which it can, if it chooses, permit to expire.
Options on Securities Indices. The Fund also may purchase and write call and put options on securities indices. Through the writing or purchase of index options, the Fund can achieve many of the same objectives as through the use of options on individual securities. Options on securities indices are similar to options on a security except that, rather than the right to take or make delivery of a security at a specified price, an option on a securities index gives the holder the right to receive, upon exercise of the option, an amount of cash if the closing level of the securities index upon which the option is based is greater than, in the case of a call, or less than, in the case of a put, the exercise price of the option. This amount of cash is equal to the difference between the closing price of the index and the exercise price of the option. The writer of the option is obligated, in return for the premium received, to make delivery of this amount. Unlike options on securities (which require, upon exercise, delivery of the underlying security), all settlements of options on securities indices, upon exercise thereof, are in cash, and the gain or loss on an option on an index depends on price movements in the market generally (or in a particular industry or segment of the market on which the underlying index base) rather than price movements in individual securities, as is the case with respect to options on securities.
When the Fund writes an option on a securities index, it will be required to deposit with its custodian eligible securities equal in value to 100% of the exercise price in the case of a put, or the contracts value in the case of a call. In addition, where the Fund writes a call option on a securities index at a time when the contract value exceeds the exercise price, the Fund will segregate, until the option expires or is closed out, cash or cash equivalents equal in value to such excess.
Options on futures contracts and index options involve risks similar to those risks relating to transactions in financial futures described above. Also, an option purchased by the Fund may expire worthless, in which case the Fund would lose the premium paid therefor.
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Over-the-Counter Options. As previously indicated in this Prospectus (see The Funds InvestmentsOther Investment PracticesSecurities Options Transactions), the Fund may deal in OTC options. As also indicated in this Prospectus, the Fund has adopted procedures for engaging in OTC options for the purpose of reducing any potential adverse impact of such transactions upon the liquidity of the Funds portfolio.
As part of these procedures the Fund will only engage in OTC options transactions with primary dealers that have been specifically approved by the Board of Trustees of the Fund. The Fund and its Adviser believe that the approved dealers should be agreeable and able to enter into closing transactions if necessary and, therefore, present minimal credit risks to the Fund. The Fund anticipates entering into written agreements with those dealers to whom the Fund may sell OTC options, pursuant to which the Fund would have the absolute right to repurchase the OTC options from such dealers at any time at a price determined pursuant to a formula set forth in certain no action letters published by the SEC staff. The Fund will not engage in OTC options transactions if the amount invested by the Fund in OTC options plus, with respect to OTC options written by the Fund, the amounts required to be treated as illiquid pursuant to the terms of such letters (and the value of the assets used as cover with respect to OTC option sales which are not within the scope of such letters), plus the amount invested by the Fund in illiquid securities, would exceed 20% of the Funds total assets.
Regulatory Restrictions. To the extent required to comply with applicable SEC releases and staff positions, when purchasing a futures contract or writing a put option, the Fund will maintain, in a segregated account, cash or liquid high-grade securities equal to the value of such contracts.
To the extent required to comply with Commodity Futures Trading Commission Regulations and avoid commodity pool operator status, the Fund will not enter into a futures contract or purchase an option thereon if immediately thereafter the initial margin deposits for futures contracts held by the Fund plus premiums paid by it for open options on futures would exceed 5% of the Funds total assets. The Fund will not engage in transactions in financial futures contracts or options thereon for speculation, but only to attempt to hedge against changes in market conditions affecting the values of securities which the Fund holds or intends to purchase. When futures contracts or options thereon are purchased to protect against a price increase on securities intended to be purchased later, it is anticipated that at least 75% of such intended purchases will be completed. When other futures contracts or options thereon are purchased, the underlying value of such contracts will at all times not exceed the sum of: (1) accrued profit on such contracts held by the broker; (2) cash or high quality money market instruments set aside in an identifiable manner; and (3) cash proceeds from investments due in 30 days.
General Risks Associated With Derivatives
The use by the Fund of derivatives may involve certain risks, as described below.
Counterparty Risk. OTC derivatives are generally governed by a single master agreement for each counterparty. Counterparty risk refers to the risk that the counterparty under the agreement will not live up to its obligations. An agreement may not contemplate delivery of collateral to support fully a counterpartys contractual obligation; therefore, the Fund might need to rely on contractual remedies to satisfy the counterpartys full obligation. As with any contractual remedy, there is no guarantee that the Fund will be successful in pursuing such remedies, particularly in the event of the counterpartys bankruptcy. The agreement may allow for netting of the counterpartys obligations on specific transactions, in which case the Funds obligation or right will be the net amount owed to or by the counterparty. The Fund will not enter into a derivative transaction with any counterparty that Invesco and/or the Sub-Advisers believe does not have the financial resources to honor its obligations under the transaction. Invesco monitors the financial stability of counterparties. Where the obligations of the counterparty are guaranteed, Invesco monitors the financial stability of the guarantor instead of the counterparty.
The Fund will not enter into a transaction with any single counterparty if the net amount owed or to be received under existing transactions under the agreements with that counterparty would exceed 5% of the Funds net assets determined on the date the transaction is entered into.
Leverage Risk. Leverage exists when the Fund can lose more than it originally invests because it purchases or sells an instrument or enters into a transaction without investing an amount equal to the full economic exposure of the instrument or transaction. The Fund mitigates leverage by segregating or earmarking assets or otherwise covers transactions that may give rise to leverage.
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Liquidity Risk. The risk that a particular derivative is difficult to sell or liquidate. If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid, it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses to the Fund.
Pricing Risk. The risk that the value of a particular derivative does not move in tandem or as otherwise expected relative to the corresponding underlying instruments.
Regulatory Risk. The risk that a change in laws or regulations will materially impact a security or market.
Amended Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Rule 4.5 permits investment advisers to registered investment companies to claim an exclusion from the definition of commodity pool operator under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) with respect to a fund, provided certain requirements are met. In order to permit the Investment Adviser to claim this exclusion with respect to the Fund, the Fund will limit its transactions in futures, options on futures and swaps (excluding transactions entered into for bona fide hedging purposes, as defined under CFTC regulations) such that either: (i) the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish its futures, options on futures and swaps do not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of the Funds portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and losses on such positions; or (ii) the aggregate net notional value of its futures, options on futures and swaps does not exceed 100% of the liquidation value of the Funds portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and losses on such positions. Accordingly, the Fund is not subject to regulation under the CEA or otherwise regulated by the CFTC. If the Adviser was unable to claim the exclusion with respect to the Fund, the Adviser would become subject to registration and regulation as a commodity pool operator, which would subject the Adviser and the Fund to additional registration and regulatory requirements and increased operating expenses.
Failure of Futures Commission Merchants and Clearing Organizations. The Fund may deposit funds required to open margin positions in cleared derivative instruments with a clearing broker registered under the U.S. Commodity Exchange Act of 1936 (CEA) as a futures commission merchant (FCM). The CEA requires an FCM to segregate all funds received from customers with respect to any orders for the purchase or sale of U.S. domestic futures contracts and cleared swaps from the FCMs proprietary assets. Similarly, the CEA requires each FCM to hold in a separate secure account all funds received from customers with respect to any orders for the purchase or sale of foreign futures contracts and segregate any such funds from the funds received with respect to domestic futures contracts. However, all funds and other property received by a clearing broker from its customers are held by the clearing broker on a commingled basis in an omnibus account and may be freely accessed by the clearing broker, which may also invest any such funds in certain instruments permitted under the applicable regulation. There is a risk that assets deposited by the Fund with any swaps or futures clearing broker as margin for futures contracts or cleared swaps may, in certain circumstances, be used to satisfy losses of other clients of the Funds clearing broker. In addition, the assets of the Fund may not be fully protected in the event of the clearing brokers bankruptcy, as the Fund would be limited to recovering only a pro rata share of all available funds segregated on behalf of the clearing brokers combined domestic customer accounts.
Similarly, the CEA requires a clearing organization approved by the CFTC as a derivatives clearing organization to segregate all funds and other property received from a clearing members clients in connection with domestic futures, swaps and options contracts from any funds held at the clearing organization to support the clearing members proprietary trading. Nevertheless, with respect to futures and options contracts, a clearing organization may use assets of a non-defaulting customer held in an omnibus account at the clearing organization to satisfy payment obligations of a defaulting customer of the clearing member to the clearing organization. As a result, in the event of a default or the clearing brokers other clients or the clearing brokers failure to extend funds in connection with any such default, the Fund would not be able to recover the full amount of assets deposited by the clearing broker on its behalf with the clearing organization.
Risks Of Hedging Strategies Using Derivatives. The use by the Fund of hedging strategies involves special considerations and risks, as described below. Successful use of hedging transactions depends upon Invescos and the Sub-Advisers ability to predict correctly the direction of changes in the value of the applicable markets and
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securities, contracts and/or currencies. While Invesco and the Sub-Advisers are experienced in the use of derivatives for hedging, there can be no assurance that any particular hedging strategy will succeed. In a hedging transaction, there might be imperfect correlation, or even no correlation, between the price movements of an instrument used for hedging and the price movements of the investments being hedged. Such a lack of correlation might occur due to factors unrelated to the value of the investments being hedged, such as changing interest rates, market liquidity, and speculative or other pressures on the markets in which the hedging instrument is traded. Hedging strategies, if successful, can reduce risk of loss by wholly or partially offsetting the negative effect of unfavorable price movements in the investments being hedged. However, hedging strategies can also reduce opportunity for gain by offsetting the positive effect of favorable price movements in the hedged investments.
The following are fundamental investment restrictions of the Fund and may not be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Funds outstanding voting securities (which for this purpose and under the 1940 Act means the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the Funds voting securities present at a meeting at which more than 50% of the Funds outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy or (ii) more than 50% of the Funds outstanding voting securities). Except as otherwise noted, all percentage limitations set forth below apply immediately after a purchase and any subsequent change in any applicable percentage resulting from market fluctuations does not require any action. With respect to the limitations on the issuance of senior securities and in the case of borrowings, the percentage limitations apply at the time of issuance and on an ongoing basis. The Fund may not:
1. | With respect to 75% of its total assets, purchase any securities (other than obligations guaranteed by the United States Government or by its agencies or instrumentalities), if as a result more than 5% of the Funds total assets would then be invested in securities of a single issuer or if as a result the Fund would hold more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any single issuer, except that the Fund may purchase securities of other investment companies to the extent permitted by (i) the 1940 Act, as amended from time to time, (ii) the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC under the 1940 Act, as amended from time to time, or (iii) an exemption or other relief from the provisions of the 1940 Act. |
2. | Invest more than 25% of its total assets in securities of issuers conducting their principal business activities in the same industry; provided, that this limitation shall not apply with respect to investments in U.S. Government securities. |
3. | Issue senior securities, (including borrowing money or entering into reverse repurchase agreements) in excess of 33 1/3% of its total assets (including the amount of senior securities issued but excluding any liabilities and indebtedness not constituting senior securities) except that the Fund may issue senior securities which are stocks (including preferred shares of beneficial interest) subject to the limitations set forth in Section 18 of the 1940 Act and except that the Fund may borrow up to an additional 5% of its total assets for temporary purposes; or pledge its assets other than to secure such issuance or in connection with hedging transactions, when-issued and delayed delivery transactions and similar investment strategies. The Funds obligations under interest rate swaps are not treated as senior securities. |
4. | Make loans of money or property to any person, except (i) to the extent the securities the Fund may invest are considered to be loans; (ii) through loans of portfolio securities, (iii) through the acquisition of securities subject to repurchase agreements and (iv) that the Fund may lend money or property in connection with maintenance of the value of, or the Funds interest with respect to, the securities owned by the Fund. |
5. | Buy any securities on margin. Neither the deposit of initial or variation margin in connection with hedging transactions nor short-term credits as may be necessary for the clearance of transactions is considered the purchase of a security on margin. |
6. | Sell any securities short, write, purchase or sell puts, calls or combinations thereof, or purchase or sell financial futures or options, except as described in the Funds Prospectus. |
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7. | Act as an underwriter of securities, except to the extent the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriter in connection with the sale of securities held in its portfolio. |
8. | Make investments for the purpose of exercising control or participation in management, except to the extent that exercise by the Fund of its rights under agreements related to securities owned by the Fund would be deemed to constitute such control or participation except that the Fund may purchase securities of other investment companies to the extent permitted by (i) the 1940 Act, as amended from time to time, (ii) the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC under the 1940 Act, as amended from time to time, or (iii) an exemption or other relief from the provisions of the 1940 Act. |
9. | Invest in securities issued by other investment companies except as part of a merger, reorganization or other acquisition and except to the extent permitted by (i) the 1940 Act, as amended from time to time, (ii) the rules and regulations promulgated by the SEC under the 1940 Act, as amended from time to time, or (iii) an exemption or other relief from the provisions of the 1940 Act. |
10. | Buy or sell oil, gas or other mineral leases, rights or royalty contracts, although the Fund may purchase securities of issuers which deal in, represent interests in or are secured by interests in such leases, rights or contracts, except to the extent that the Fund may invest in equity interests generally, as described in the Funds Prospectus. |
11. | Purchase or sell real estate, commodities or commodity contracts, except to the extent the securities the Fund may invest in are considered to be interests in real estate, commodities or commodity contracts or to the extent the Fund exercises its rights under agreements relating to such securities (in which case the Fund may liquidate real estate acquired as a result of a default on a mortgage), and except to the extent the hedging and risk management transactions the Fund may engage in are considered to be commodities or commodities contracts. |
The business and affairs of the Fund are managed under the direction of the Funds Board of Trustees (the Board) and the Funds officers appointed by the Board. The tables below list the trustees and the executive officers of the Fund and their principal occupations, other directorships held by the trustees and their affiliations, if any, with the Adviser or its affiliates. The Fund Complex includes each of the investment companies advised by the Adviser as of June 30, 2015. Trustees serve until their successors are duly elected and qualified. Officers are annually elected by the Board. The principal business address of each Trustee and Officer is c/o Invesco Senior Loan Fund, 1555 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30309.
Name, year of Birth and Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Trustee and/or Officer Since |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 years |
Number of Funds in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee |
Other Trusteeship(s)/ Directorship Held by Trustee/Director During Past 5 Years | ||||
Interested Trustees: | ||||||||
Martin L. Flanagan1 1960 Trustee |
2014 | Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer and President, Invesco Ltd. (ultimate parent of Invesco and a global investment management firm); Advisor to the Board, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Institutional (N.A.), Inc.); Trustee, The Invesco Funds; Vice Chair, Investment Company Institute; and Member of Executive Board, SMU Cox School of Business
Formerly: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (registered investment adviser); Director, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, IVZ Inc. (holding company), INVESCO Group Services, Inc. (service provider) and Invesco North American Holdings, Inc. (holding company); Director, Chief Executive Officer and |
144 | None |
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Name, year of Birth and Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Trustee and/or Officer Since |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 years |
Number of Funds in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee |
Other Trusteeship(s)/ Directorship Held by Trustee/Director During Past 5 Years | ||||
President, Invesco Holding Company Limited (parent of Invesco and a global investment management firm); Director, Invesco Ltd.; Chairman, Investment Company Institute and President, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Co-President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, Franklin Resources, Inc. (global investment management organization). | ||||||||
Philip A. Taylor2 1954 Trustee, President and Principal Executive Officer |
2014 | Head of North American Retail and Senior Managing Director, Invesco Ltd.; Director, Co-Chairman, Co-President and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Institutional (N.A.), Inc.) (registered investment adviser); Director, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, Invesco Management Group, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Aim Management Group, Inc.) (financial services holding company); Director and President, INVESCO Funds Group, Inc. (registered investment adviser and registered transfer agent); Director and Chairman, Invesco Investment Services, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Aim Investment Services, Inc.) (registered transfer agent) and IVZ Distributors, Inc. (formerly known as INVESCO Distributors, Inc.) (registered broker dealer); Director, President and Chairman, Invesco Inc. (holding company) and Invesco Canada Holdings Inc. (holding company); Chief Executive Officer, Invesco Corporate Class Inc. (corporate mutual fund company) and Invesco Canada Fund Inc. (corporate mutual fund company); Director, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Invesco Canada Ltd. (formerly known as Invesco Trimark Ltd./Invesco Trimark Ltèe) (registered investment adviser and registered transfer agent); Trustee, President and Principal Executive Officer, The Invesco Funds (other than AIM Treasurers Series Trust (Invesco Treasurers Series Trust) and Short-Term Investments Trust); Trustee and Executive Vice President, The Invesco Funds (AIM Treasurers Series Trust (Invesco Treasurers Series Trust) and Short-Term Investments Trust only); Director, Invesco Investment Advisers LLC (formerly known as Van Kampen Asset Management); Director, Chief Executive Officer and President, Van Kampen Exchange Corp.
Formerly: Director and Chairman, Van Kampen Investor Services Inc.; Director, Chief Executive Officer and President, 1371 Preferred Inc. (holding company) and Van Kampen Investments Inc.; Director and President, AIM GP Canada Inc. (general partner for limited partnerships) and Van Kampen Advisors, Inc.; Director and Chief Executive Officer, Invesco Trimark Dealer Inc. (registered broker dealer); Director, Invesco Distributors, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Aim Distributors, Inc.) (registered broker dealer); Manager, Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC; Director, Chief Executive Officer and President, Invesco Advisers, Inc.; Director, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, Invesco Aim Capital Management, Inc.; President, Invesco Trimark Dealer Inc. and Invesco Trimark Ltd./Invesco Trimark Ltèe; Director and President, AIM Trimark Corporate Class Inc. and AIM Trimark Canada Fund Inc.; Senior Managing Director, Invesco Holding Company Limited; Trustee and Executive Vice President, Tax-Free Investments Trust; Director and Chairman, Fund Management Company (former registered broker dealer); President and Principal Executive Officer, The Invesco Funds (AIM Treasurers Series Trust (Invesco Treasurers |
144 | None |
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Name, year of Birth and Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Trustee and/or Officer Since |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 years |
Number of Funds in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee |
Other Trusteeship(s)/ Directorship Held by Trustee/Director During Past 5 Years | ||||
Series Trust), and Short-Term Investments Trust only); President, AIM Trimark Global Fund Inc. and AIM Trimark Canada Fund Inc. | ||||||||
Independent Trustees | ||||||||
Bruce L. Crockett 1944 Trustee and Chair |
2014 | Chairman, Crockett Technologies Associates (technology consulting company)
Formerly: Director, Captaris (unified messaging provider); Director, President and Chief Executive Officer, COMSAT Corporation; Chairman, Board of Governors of INTELSAT (international communications company); ACE Limited (insurance company); Independent Directors Council and Investment Company Institute |
144 | ALPS (Attorneys Liability Protection Society) (insurance company) | ||||
David C. Arch 1945 Trustee |
1989 | Chairman of Blistex Inc., a consumer health care products manufacturer | 144 | Board member of the Illinois Manufacturers Association; Member of the Board of Visitors, Institute for the Humanities, University of Michigan; Member of the Audit Committee of the Edward-Elmhurst Hospital | ||||
James T. Bunch 1942 Trustee |
2014 | Managing Member, Grumman Hill Group LLC (family office private equity investments)
Formerly: Founder, Green Manning & Bunch Ltd. (investment banking firm) (1988-2010); Executive Committee, United States Golf Association; and Director, Policy Studies, Inc. and Van Gilder Insurance Corporation |
144 | Chairman, Board of Governors, Western Golf Association; Chairman, Evans Scholars Foundation; and Director, Denver Film Society | ||||
Rodney F. Dammeyer 1940 Trustee |
2014 | Chairman of CAC, LLC, (private company offering capital investment and management advisory services)
Formerly: Prior to 2001, Managing Partner at Equity Group Corporate Investments; Prior to 1995, Chief Executive Officer of Itel Corporation (formerly Anixter International); Prior to 1985, experience includes Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Household International, Inc., Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Northwest Industries, Inc. and Partner of Arthur Andersen & Co.; From 1987 to 2010, Director/Trustee of investment companies in the Van Kampen Funds complex. |
144 | Director of Quidel Corporation and Stericycle, Inc. | ||||
Albert R. Dowden 1941 Trustee |
2014 | Director of a number of public and private business corporations, including the Boss Group, Ltd. (private investment and management); Natures Sunshine Products, Inc. and Reich & Tang Funds (5 portfolios) (registered investment company)
Formerly: Director, Homeowners of America Holding Corporation/Homeowners of America Insurance Company (property casualty company); Director, Continental Energy Services, LLC (oil and gas pipeline service); Director, CompuDyne Corporation (provider of product and services to the public security market) and Director, Annuity and Life Re (Holdings), Ltd. (reinsurance company); Director, President and Chief Executive Officer, Volvo Group North America, Inc.; Senior Vice President, AB Volvo; Director of various public and private corporations; Chairman, DHJ Media, Inc.; Director, Magellan Insurance Company; and Director, The Hertz Corporation, Genmar Corporation (boat manufacturer), National Media Corporation; Advisory Board |
144 | Director of: Natures Sunshine Products, Inc., Reich & Tang Funds, Homeowners of America Holding Corporation/ Homeowners of America Insurance Company, the Boss Group |
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Name, year of Birth and Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Trustee and/or Officer Since |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 years |
Number of Funds in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee |
Other Trusteeship(s)/ Directorship Held by Trustee/Director During Past 5 Years | ||||
of Rotary Power International (designer, manufacturer, and seller of rotary power engines); and Chairman, Cortland Trust, Inc. (registered investment company) | ||||||||
Jack M. Fields 1952 Trustee |
2014 | Chief Executive Officer, Twenty First Century Group, Inc. (government affairs company); Owner and Chief Executive Officer, Dos Angeles Ranch, L.P. (cattle, hunting, corporate entertainment); and Discovery Global Education Fund (non-profit)
Formerly: Chief Executive Officer, Texana Timber LP (sustainable forestry company); Director of Cross Timbers Quail Research Ranch (non-profit); and member of the U.S. House of Representatives |
144 | Insperity, Inc. (formerly known as Administaff) | ||||
Prema Mathai-Davis 1950 Trustee |
2014 | Retired. Formerly: Chief Executive Officer, YWCA of the U.S.A. | 144 | None | ||||
Larry Soll 1942 Trustee |
2014 | Retired. Formerly: Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, Synergen Corp. (a biotechnology company) | 144 | None | ||||
Hugo F. Sonnenschein 1940 | 1994 | President Emeritus and Honorary Trustee of the University of Chicago and the Adam Smith Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Chicago. Prior to 2000, President of the University of Chicago | 144 | Trustee of the University of Rochester and a member of its investment committee; Member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society; Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences | ||||
Raymond Stickel, Jr. 1944 Trustee |
2014 | Retired. Formerly: Director, Mainstay VP Series Funds, Inc. (25 portfolios) and Partner, Deloitte & Touche | 144 | None | ||||
Suzanne H. Woolsey 1941 Trustee |
2003 | Chief Executive Officer of Woolsey Partners LLC. | 144 | Emeritus Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Institute for Defense Analyses; Trustee of Colorado College; Trustee of California Institute of Technology., Director of Fluor Corp.; Prior to 2010, Trustee of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Prior to, 2010, Trustee of the Rocky Mountain Institute. | ||||
Officers | ||||||||
Russell C. Burk 1958 Senior Vice President and Senior Officer |
2014 | Senior Vice President and Senior Officer, The Invesco Funds | N/A | N/A | ||||
John M. Zerr 1962 Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary |
2010 | Director, Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel, Invesco Management Group, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Aim Management Group, Inc.) and Van Kampen Exchange Corp.; Senior Vice President, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Institutional (N.A.), Inc.) (registered investment adviser); Senior Vice President and Secretary, Invesco Distributors, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Aim Distributors, Inc.); Director, Vice President and Secretary, Invesco Investment Services, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Aim Investment Services, Inc.) and IVZ Distributors, Inc. (formerly known as INVESCO Distributors, Inc.); Director and Vice President, INVESCO Funds Group, Inc.; Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary, The Invesco Funds; Manager, Invesco | N/A | N/A |
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Name, year of Birth and Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Trustee and/or Officer Since |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 years |
Number of Funds in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee |
Other Trusteeship(s)/ Directorship Held by Trustee/Director During Past 5 Years | ||||
PowerShares Capital Management LLC; Director, Secretary and General Counsel, Invesco Investment Advisers LLC (formerly known as Van Kampen Asset Management); Secretary and General Counsel, Invesco Capital Markets, Inc. (formerly known as Van Kampen Funds Inc.) and Chief Legal Officer, PowerShares Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, PowerShares Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, PowerShares India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust and PowerShares Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust
Formerly: Director and Vice President, Van Kampen Advisors Inc.; Director, Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel, Van Kampen Investor Services Inc.; Director, Invesco Distributors, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Aim Distributors, Inc.); Director, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Invesco Aim Advisers, Inc. and Van Kampen Investments Inc.; Director, Vice President and Secretary, Fund Management Company; Director, Senior Vice President, Secretary, General Counsel and Vice President, Invesco Aim Capital Management, Inc.; Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, Liberty Ridge Capital, Inc. (an investment adviser); Vice President and Secretary, PBHG Funds (an investment company) and PBHG Insurance Series Fund (an investment company); Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel and Secretary, Old Mutual Investment Partners (a broker-dealer); General Counsel and Secretary, Old Mutual Fund Services (an administrator) and Old Mutual Shareholder Services (a shareholder servicing center); Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Old Mutual Capital, Inc. (an investment adviser); and Vice President and Secretary, Old Mutual Advisors Funds (an investment company) |
||||||||
Sheri Morris 1964 Vice President, Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer |
2010 | Vice President, Treasurer and Principal Financial Officer, The Invesco Funds; Vice President, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Institutional (N.A.), Inc.) (registered investment adviser); and Vice President, PowerShares Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, PowerShares Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, PowerShares India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust and PowerShares Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust
Formerly: Vice President, Invesco Aim Advisers, Inc., Invesco Aim Capital Management, Inc. and Invesco Aim Private Asset Management, Inc.; Assistant Vice President and Assistant Treasurer, The Invesco Funds and Assistant Vice President, Invesco Advisers, Inc., Invesco Aim Capital Management, Inc. and Invesco Aim Private Asset Management, Inc.; and Treasurer, PowerShares Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, PowerShares Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, PowerShares India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust and PowerShares Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust |
N/A | N/A | ||||
Karen Dunn Kelley 1960 Vice President |
2010 | Senior Managing Director, Investments; Director, Co-President, Co-Chief Executive Officer, and Co-Chairman, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Institutional (N.A.), Inc.) (registered investment adviser); Chairman, Invesco Senior Secured Management, Inc.; Senior Vice President, Invesco Management Group, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Aim Management Group, Inc.); Executive Vice President, Invesco Distributors, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Aim Distributors, Inc.); | N/A | N/A |
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Name, year of Birth and Position(s) Held with the Trust |
Trustee and/or Officer Since |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 years |
Number of Funds in Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee |
Other Trusteeship(s)/ Directorship Held by Trustee/Director During Past 5 Years | ||||
Director, Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc. and Invesco Management Company Limited; Director and President, INVESCO Asset Management (Bermuda) Ltd., Vice President, The Invesco Funds (other than AIM Treasurers Series Trust (Invesco Treasurers Series Trust) and Short-Term Investments Trust); and President and Principal Executive Officer, The Invesco Funds (AIM Treasurers Series Trust (Invesco Treasurers Series Trust) and Short-Term Investments Trust only)
Formerly: Director, INVESCO Global Asset Management Limited and INVESCO Management S.A.; Senior Vice President, Van Kampen Investments Inc. and Invesco Advisers, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Institutional (N.A.), Inc.) (registered investment adviser); Vice President, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Institutional (N.A.), Inc.); Director of Cash Management and Senior Vice President, Invesco Advisers, Inc. and Invesco Aim Capital Management, Inc.; Director and President, Fund Management Company; Chief Cash Management Officer, Director of Cash Management, Senior Vice President, and Managing Director, Invesco Aim Capital Management, Inc.; Director of Cash Management, Senior Vice President, and Vice President, Invesco Advisers, Inc. and The Invesco Funds (AIM Treasurers Series Trust (Invesco Treasurers Series Trust), and Short-Term Investments Trust only) |
||||||||
Crissie M. Wisdom 1969 Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer |
2013 | Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer, Invesco Advisers, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Institutional (N.A.), Inc.) (registered investment adviser), Invesco Capital Markets, Inc. (formerly known as Van Kampen Funds Inc.), Invesco Distributors, Inc., Invesco Investment Services, Inc., Invesco Management Group, Inc., Van Kampen Exchange Corp., The Invesco Funds, Invesco Funds (Chicago), and PowerShares Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, PowerShares Exchange-Traded Fund Trust II, PowerShares India Exchange-Traded Fund Trust, and PowerShares Actively Managed Exchange-Traded Fund Trust; and Fraud Prevention Manager and Controls and Risk Analysis Manager for Invesco Investment Services, Inc. | N/A | N/A | ||||
Lisa O. Brinkley 1959 Chief Compliance Officer |
2014 | Global Assurance Officer, Invesco Ltd. and Vice President, The Invesco Funds
Formerly: Chief Compliance Officer, Invesco Distributors, Inc. (formerly known as Invesco Aim Distributors, Inc.), Invesco Investment Services, Inc.(formerly known as Invesco Aim Investment Services, Inc.) and Van Kampen Investor Services Inc.; Senior Vice President, Invesco Management Group, Inc.; Senior Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, Invesco Advisers, Inc. and The Invesco Funds; Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, Invesco Aim Capital Management, Inc. and Invesco Distributors, Inc.; Vice President, Invesco Investment Services, Inc. and Fund Management Company |
N/A | N/A |
1 | Mr. Flanagan is considered an interested person (within the meaning of Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act) of the Trust because he is an officer of the adviser to the Trust, and an officer and a director of Invesco Ltd., ultimate parent of the Adviser. |
2 | Mr. Taylor is considered an interested person (within the meaning of Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act) of the Trust because he is an officer and a director of the Adviser. |
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Additional Information about the Trustees
Independent Trustees
David C. Arch, Trustee. Mr. Arch has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the other Invesco Funds since 2010. Mr. Arch is the Chairman of Blistex Inc., a consumer health care products manufacturer. Mr. Arch is a member of the Board of the Illinois Manufacturers Association, the Board of Visitors, Institute for the Humanities, University of Michigan and the Audit Committee of Edward Elmhurst Hospital. From 1984 to 2010, Mr. Arch served as Director or Trustee of investment companies in the Van Kampen Funds complex.
The Board believes that Mr. Archs experience as the CEO of a public company and his experience with investment companies benefits the Funds.
James T. Bunch, Trustee. Mr. Bunch has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the other Invesco Funds since 2000. From 1988 to 2010, Mr. Bunch was Founding Partner of Green Manning & Bunch, Ltd., a leading investment banking firm located in Denver, Colorado. Green Manning & Bunch is an investment bank registered with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. (FINRA) specializing in mergers and acquisitions, private financing of middle-market companies and corporate finance advisory services. Immediately prior to forming Green Manning & Bunch, Mr. Bunch was Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and a Director of Boettcher & Company, then the leading investment banking firm in the Rocky Mountain region. Mr. Bunch began his professional career as a practicing attorney. He joined the prominent Denver-based law firm of Davis Graham & Stubbs in 1970 and later rose to the position of Chairman and Managing Partner of the firm. At various other times during his career, Mr. Bunch has served as Chair of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD) Business District Conduct Committee, and Chair of the Colorado Bar Association Ethics Committee. In June 2010, Mr. Bunch became the Managing Member of Grumman Hill Group LLC, a family office private equity investment manager.
The Board believes that Mr. Bunchs experience as an investment banker and investment management lawyer benefits the Funds.
Rodney F. Dammeyer, Trustee. Mr. Dammeyer has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the other Invesco Funds since 2010. From 1987 to 2010, Mr. Dammeyer served as Director or Trustee of investment companies in the predecessor Van Kampen Funds complex. Mr. Dammeyer is Chairman of CAC, LLC, a private company offering capital investment and management advisory services. Prior to this, Mr. Dammeyer was responsible for managing all of Sam Zells non-real estate investment activity as managing partner of Equity Group Corporate Investments. From 1985 to 1995, Mr. Dammeyer was chief executive officer of Itel Corporation, which later changed its name to Anixter International. From 1983 to 1985, Mr. Dammeyer was senior vice president and chief financial officer of Household International, Inc. He was executive vice president and chief financial officer of Northwest Industries, Inc. from 1979 to 1983. After graduating from Kent State University in 1962, Mr. Dammeyer began his business career with Arthur Andersen & Co. and was admitted to partnership in 1970. He served as chairman of the firms advisory council and a member of the board of directors nominating committee. Mr. Dammeyer is a member of the boards of directors of Stericycle, Inc. and Quidel Corporation, in addition to several private companies. He also serves on the School of Leadership and Education Sciences (SOLES) Advisory Board of the University of San Diego, the board of directors of High Tech charter schools, and the California Charter Schools Association.
The Board believes that Mr. Dammeyers experience in executive positions at a number of public companies, his accounting experience and his experience serving as a director of investment companies benefits the Funds.
Albert R. Dowden, Trustee. Mr. Dowden has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the other Invesco Funds since 2000. Mr. Dowden retired at the end of 1998 after a 24year career with Volvo Group North America, Inc. and Volvo Cars of North America, Inc. Mr. Dowden joined Volvo as general counsel in 1974 and was promoted to increasingly senior positions until 1991 when he was appointed president, chief executive officer and director of Volvo Group North America and senior vice president of Swedish parent company AB Volvo. Since retiring,
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Mr. Dowden continues to serve on the boards of the Reich & Tang Funds, Natures Sunshine Products, Inc. and The Boss Group. Mr. Dowdens charitable endeavors currently focus on Boys & Girls Clubs, where he has been active for many years, as well as several other not-for-profit organizations. Mr. Dowden began his career as an attorney with a major international law firm, Rogers & Wells (1967-1976), which is now Clifford Chance.
The Board believes that Mr. Dowdens extensive experience as a corporate executive benefits the Funds.
Jack M. Fields, Trustee. Mr. Fields has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the other Invesco Funds since 1997. Mr. Fields served as a member of Congress, representing the 8th Congressional District of Texas from 1980 to 1997. As a member of Congress, Mr. Fields served as Chairman of the House Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction and oversight of the Federal Communications Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Mr. Fields co-sponsored the National Securities Markets Improvements Act of 1996, and played a leadership role in enactment of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. Mr. Fields currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of the Twenty-First Century Group, Inc. in Washington, D.C., a bipartisan Washington consulting firm specializing in Federal government affairs. Mr. Fields also serves as a Director of Insperity, Inc. (formerly known as Administaff), a premier professional employer organization with clients nationwide. In addition, Mr. Fields sits on the Board of the Discovery Channel Global Education Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing educational resources to people in need around the world through the use of technology.
The Board believes that Mr. Fields experience in the House of Representatives, especially concerning regulation of the securities markets, benefits the Funds.
Dr. Prema Mathai-Davis, Trustee. Dr. Mathai-Davis has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the other Invesco Funds since 1998. Prior to her retirement in 2000, Dr. Mathai-Davis served as Chief Executive Officer of the YWCA of the USA. Prior to joining the YWCA, Dr. Mathai-Davis served as the Commissioner of the New York City Department for the Aging. She was a Commissioner of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York, the largest regional transportation network in the U.S. Dr. Mathai-Davis also serves as a Trustee of the YWCA Retirement Fund, the first and oldest pension fund for women, and on the advisory board of the Johns Hopkins Bioethics Institute. Dr. Mathai-Davis was the president and chief executive officer of the Community Agency for Senior Citizens, a non-profit social service agency that she established in 1981. She also directed the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine-Hunter College Long-Term Care Gerontology Center, one of the first of its kind.
The Board believes that Dr. Mathai-Davis extensive experience in running public and charitable institutions benefits the Funds.
Dr. Larry Soll, Trustee. Dr. Soll has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the other Invesco Funds since 1997. Formerly, Dr. Soll was Chairman of the Board (1987 to 1994), Chief Executive Officer (1982 to 1989; 1993 to 1994) and President (1982 to 1989) of Synergen Corp., a public company, and in such capacities supervised the activities of the Chief Financial Officer. Dr. Soll also has served as a director of three other public companies and as a treasurer of a non-profit corporation. Dr. Soll currently serves as a trustee and a member of the Audit Committee of each of the funds within the Invesco Funds.
The Board believes that Dr. Solls experience as a chairman of a public company and in academia benefits the Funds.
Hugo F. Sonnenschein, Trustee. Mr. Sonnenschein has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the other Invesco Funds since 2010. Mr. Sonnenschein is the President Emeritus and an Honorary Trustee of the University of Chicago and the Adam Smith Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Chicago. Prior to July 2000, Mr. Sonnenschein served as President of the University of Chicago. Mr. Sonnenschein is a Trustee of the University of Rochester and a member of its investment committee. He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. From 1994 to 2010, Mr. Sonnenschein served as Director or Trustee of investment companies in the Van Kampen Funds complex.
The Board believes that Mr. Sonnenscheins experience in academia and in running a university, and his experience as a director of investment companies benefits the Funds.
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Raymond Stickel, Jr., Trustee. Mr. Stickel, Jr. has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the other Invesco Funds since 2005. Mr. Stickel retired after a 35-year career with Deloitte & Touche (the Firm). For the last five years of his career, he was the managing partner of the investment management practice for the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut region. In addition to his management role, he directed audit and tax services for several mutual fund clients. Mr. Stickel began his career with Touche Ross & Co. in Dayton, Ohio, became a partner in 1976 and managing partner of the office in 1985. He also started and developed an investment management practice in the Dayton office that grew to become a significant source of investment management talent for the Firm. In Ohio, he served as the audit partner on numerous mutual funds and on public and privately held companies in other industries. Mr. Stickel has also served on the Firms Accounting and Auditing Executive Committee.
The Board believes that Mr. Stickels experience as a partner in a large accounting firm working with investment managers and investment companies, and his status as an Audit Committee Financial Expert, benefits the Funds.
Suzanne H. Woolsey, Trustee. Ms. Woolsey has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the other Invesco Funds since 2014. Ms. Woolsey is the Chief Executive Officer of Woolsey Partners LLC. She was formerly the chief operating officer and chief communications officer at the National Academy of Sciences and Engineering and Institute of Medicine/National Research Council from 1993 to 2003. Ms. Woolsey served as trustee to the former Van Kampen investment companies from 2003 to 2010. She continued to serve as trustee or managing general partner to certain Invesco closed-end funds, Invesco Senior Loan Fund, and Invesco Exchange Fund following the acquisition of the Van Kampen family of funds in 2010. Ms. Woolsey also served as an independent director to the Fluor Corporation, a multi-billion dollar global engineering, construction, and management company from 2004 to 2014. Additionally, she served as independent director to the Neurogen Corporation, which is a publicly traded small molecule drug design company, from 1998 to 2006.
The Board believes that Ms. Woolseys experience as an independent director of numerous organizations benefits the Funds.
Interested Trustees
Martin L. Flanagan, Trustee. Mr. Flanagan has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the other Invesco Funds since 2007. Mr. Flanagan is president and chief executive officer of Invesco Ltd., a position he has held since August 2005. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Invesco Ltd. Mr. Flanagan joined Invesco Ltd. from Franklin Resources, Inc., where he was president and co-chief executive officer from January 2004 to July 2005. Previously he had been Franklins co-president from May 2003 to January 2004, chief operating officer and chief financial officer from November 1999 to May 2003, and senior vice president and chief financial officer from 1993 until November 1999. Mr. Flanagan served as director, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Templeton, Galbraith & Hansberger, Ltd. before its acquisition by Franklin in 1992. Before joining Templeton in 1983, he worked with Arthur Andersen & Co. Mr. Flanagan is a chartered financial analyst and a certified public accountant. He serves as vice chairman of the Investment Company Institute and is a member of the executive board at the SMU Cox School of Business.
The Board believes that Mr. Flanagans long experience as an executive in the investment management area benefits the Funds.
Philip A. Taylor, Trustee. Mr. Taylor has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the other Invesco Funds since 2006. Mr. Taylor has headed Invescos North American retail business as Senior Managing Director of Invesco Ltd. since April 2006. He previously served as chief executive officer of Invesco Trimark Investments since January 2002. Mr. Taylor joined Invesco in 1999 as senior vice president of operations and client services and later became executive vice president and chief operating officer. Mr. Taylor was president of Canadian retail broker Investors Group Securities from 1994 to 1997 and managing partner of Meridian Securities, an execution and clearing broker, from 1989 to 1994. He held various management positions with Royal Trust, now part of Royal Bank of Canada, from 1982 to 1989. He began his career in consumer brand management in the U.S. and Canada with Richardson-Vicks, now part of Procter & Gamble.
The Board believes that Mr. Taylors long experience in the investment management business benefits the Funds.
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Committee Structure
The Trustees have the authority to take all actions necessary in connection with the business affairs of the Trust, including, among other things, approving the investment objectives, policies and procedures for the Fund. The Trust enters into agreements with various entities to manage the day-to-day operations of the Fund, including the Funds investment advisers, administrator, transfer agent, distributor and custodians. The Trustees are responsible for selecting these service providers and approving the terms of their contracts with the Fund, and exercising general oversight of these service providers on an ongoing basis.
Certain trustees and officers of the Trust are affiliated with Invesco and Invesco Ltd., the parent corporation of Invesco. All of the Trusts executive officers hold similar offices with some or all of the other funds in the Fund Complex.
Leadership Structure and the Board of Trustees. The Board is currently composed of fifteen Trustees, including twelve Trustees who are not interested persons of the Fund, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act (collectively, the Independent Trustees and each an Independent Trustee). In addition to regularly scheduled meetings per year, the Board holds special meetings or informal conference calls to discuss specific matters that may require action prior to the next regular meeting. As discussed below, the Board has established five committees to assist the Board in performing its oversight responsibilities.
The Board has appointed an Independent Trustee to serve in the role of Chairman. The Chairmans primary role is to participate in the preparation of the agenda for meetings of the Board and the identification of information to be presented to the Board and matters to be acted upon by the Board. The Chairman also presides at all meetings of the Board and acts as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys, and other Trustees generally between meetings. The Chairman may perform such other functions as may be requested by the Board from time to time. Except for any duties specified herein or pursuant to the Trusts Declaration of Trust or By-laws, the designation of Chairman does not impose on such Independent Trustee any duties, obligations or liability that is greater than the duties, obligations or liability imposed on such person as a member of the Board, generally. The Fund has substantially the same leadership structure as the Trust.
The Board believes that its leadership structure, which includes an Independent Trustee as Chairman, allows for effective communication between the Trustees and Fund management, among the Boards Trustees and among its Independent Trustees. The existing Board structure, including its committee structure, provides the Independent Trustees with effective control over Board governance while also providing insight from the three interested Trustees who are active officers of the Funds investment adviser. The Boards leadership structure promotes dialogue and debate, which the Board believes will allow for the proper consideration of matters deemed important to the Fund and its shareholders and result in effective decision-making.
Risk Oversight. The Board considers risk management issues as part of its general oversight responsibilities throughout the year at regular meetings of the Investments, Audit, Compliance and Valuation, Distribution and Proxy Oversight Committees (as defined and further described below). These Committees in turn report to the full Board and recommend actions and approvals for the full Board to take.
Invesco prepares regular reports that address certain investment, valuation and compliance matters, and the Board as a whole or the Committees may also receive special written reports or presentations on a variety of risk issues at the request of the Board, a Committee or the Senior Officer. In addition, the Audit Committee of the Board meets regularly with Invesco Ltd.s internal audit group to review reports on their examinations of functions and processes within Invesco that affect the Fund.
The Investments Committee and its sub-committees receive regular written reports describing and analyzing the investment performance of the Fund. In addition, the portfolio managers of the Fund meet regularly with the sub-committees of the Investment Committee to discuss portfolio performance, including investment risk, such as the impact on the Fund of the investment in particular securities or instruments, such as derivatives. To the extent that the Fund changes a particular investment strategy that could have a material impact on the Funds risk profile, the Board generally is consulted in advance with respect to such change.
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Invesco provides regular written reports to the Valuation, Distribution and Proxy Oversight Committee that enable the Committee to monitor the number of fair valued securities in a particular portfolio, the reasons for the fair valuation and the methodology used to arrive at the fair value. Such reports also include information concerning illiquid securities within the Funds portfolio. In addition, the Audit Committee reviews valuation procedures and pricing results with the Funds independent auditors in connection with such Committees review of the results of the audit of the Funds year-end financial statement.
The Compliance Committee receives regular compliance reports prepared by Invescos compliance group and meets regularly with the Funds Chief Compliance Officer to discuss compliance issues, including compliance risks. The Compliance Committee recommends and the Board adopts compliance policies and procedures for the Fund and approves such procedures for the Funds service providers. The compliance policies and procedures are specifically designed to detect, prevent and correct violations of the federal securities laws.
Committee Structure. The standing committees of the Board are the Audit Committee, the Compliance Committee, the Governance Committee, the Investments Committee and the Valuation, Distribution and Proxy Oversight Committee (the Committees).
The members of the Audit Committee are Messrs. David C. Arch, James T. Bunch, Bruce L. Crockett, Rodney F. Dammeyer (Vice-Chair), Raymond Stickel, Jr. (Chair), Dr. Larry Soll and Ms. Suzanne H. Woolsey. The Audit Committees primary purposes are to: (i) oversee qualifications, independence and performance of the independent registered public accountants; (ii) appoint independent registered public accountants for the Fund; (iii) pre-approve all permissible audit and non-audit services that are provided to the Fund by its independent registered public accountants to the extent required by Section 10A(h) and (i) of the Exchange Act; (iv) pre-approve, in accordance with Rule 2-01(c)(7)(ii) of Regulation S-X, certain non-audit services provided by the Funds independent registered public accountants to Invesco and certain other affiliated entities; (v) review the audit and tax plans prepared by the independent registered public accountants; (vi) review the Funds audited financial statements; (vii) review the process that management uses to evaluate and certify disclosure controls and procedures in Form N-CSR; (viii) review the process for preparation and review of the Funds shareholder reports; (ix) review certain tax procedures maintained by the Fund; (x) review modified or omitted officer certifications and disclosures; (xi) review any internal audits of the Fund; (xii) establish procedures regarding questionable accounting or auditing matters and other alleged violations; (xiii) set hiring policies for employees and proposed employees of the Fund who are employees or former employees of the independent registered public accountants; and (xiv) remain informed of (a) the Funds accounting systems and controls, (b) regulatory changes and new accounting pronouncements that affect the Funds net asset value calculations and financial statement reporting requirements, and (c) communications with regulators regarding accounting and financial reporting matters that pertain to the Fund. During the fiscal year ended February 28, 2015, the Audit Committee held seven meetings.
The members of the Compliance Committee are Messrs. Bunch, Dammeyer (Vice-Chair), Dr. Soll (Chair) and Stickel. The Compliance Committee is responsible for: (i) recommending to the Board and the independent trustees the appointment, compensation and removal of the Funds Chief Compliance Officer; (ii) recommending to the independent trustees the appointment, compensation and removal of the Funds Senior Officer appointed pursuant to the terms of the Assurances of Discontinuance entered into by the New York Attorney General, Invesco and INVESCO Funds Group, Inc.; (iii) reviewing any report prepared by a third party who is not an interested person of Invesco, upon the conclusion by such third party of a compliance review of Invesco; (iv) reviewing all reports on compliance matters from the Funds Chief Compliance Officer, (v) reviewing all recommendations made by the Senior Officer regarding Invescos compliance procedures, (vi) reviewing all reports from the Senior Officer of any violations of state and federal securities laws, the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, or breaches of Invescos fiduciary duties to Fund shareholders and of Invescos Code of Ethics; (vii) overseeing all of the compliance policies and procedures of the Fund and their service providers adopted pursuant to Rule 38a-1 of the 1940 Act; (viii) reviewing all reports made by Invescos Chief Compliance Officer; (ix) reviewing and recommending to the independent trustees whether to approve procedures to investigate matters brought to the attention of Invescos ombudsman; (x) risk management oversight with respect to the Fund and, in connection therewith, receiving and overseeing risk management reports from Invesco Ltd. that are applicable to the Fund or its service providers; and (xi) overseeing potential conflicts of interest that are reported to the Compliance Committee by Invesco, the Chief Compliance Officer, the Senior Officer and/or the Compliance Consultant. During the fiscal year ended February 28, 2015, the Compliance Committee held five meetings.
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The members of the Governance Committee are Messrs. Arch, Crockett, Albert R. Dowden (Chair), Jack M. Fields (Vice-Chair), Hugo F. Sonnenschein, Dr. Prema Mathai-Davis and Ms. Woolsey. The Governance Committee is responsible for: (i) nominating persons who will qualify as independent trustees for (a) election as trustees in connection with meetings of shareholders of the Fund that are called to vote on the election of trustees, (b) appointment by the Board as trustees in connection with filling vacancies that arise in between meetings of shareholders; (ii) reviewing the size of the Board, and recommending to the Board whether the size of the Board shall be increased or decreased; (iii) nominating the Chair of the Board; (iv) monitoring the composition of the Board and each committee of the Board, and monitoring the qualifications of all trustees; (v) recommending persons to serve as members of each committee of the Board (other than the Compliance Committee), as well as persons who shall serve as the chair and vice chair of each such committee; (vi) reviewing and recommending the amount of compensation payable to the independent trustees; (vii) overseeing the selection of independent legal counsel to the independent trustees; (viii) reviewing and approving the compensation paid to independent legal counsel to the independent trustees; (ix) reviewing and approving the compensation paid to counsel and other advisers, if any, to the Committees of the Board; and (x) reviewing as they deem appropriate administrative and/or logistical matters pertaining to the operations of the Board. During the fiscal year ended February 28, 2014, the Governance Committee held six meetings.
The Governance Committee will consider nominees recommended by a shareholder to serve as trustees, provided: (i) that such person is a shareholder of record at the time he or she submits such names and is entitled to vote at the meeting of shareholders at which trustees will be elected; and (ii) that the Governance Committee or the Board, as applicable, shall make the final determination of persons to be nominated. Notice procedures set forth in the Trusts bylaws require that any shareholder of the Fund desiring to nominate a trustee for election at a shareholder meeting must submit to the Trusts Secretary the nomination in writing not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such shareholder meeting or the tenth day following the day on which public announcement is made of the shareholder meeting and not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to the shareholder meeting.
The members of the Investments Committee are Messrs. Arch, Bunch (Chair), Crockett, Dammeyer (Vice-Chair), Dowden, Fields (Vice-Chair), Martin L. Flanagan, Sonnenschein (Vice- Chair), Stickel, Philip A. Taylor, Ms. Woolsey and Drs. Mathai-Davis and Soll. The Investments Committees primary purposes are to: (i) assist the Board in its oversight of the investment management services provided by Invesco Ltd. and the Sub-Advisers; and (ii) review all proposed and existing advisory and sub-advisory arrangements for the Fund, and to recommend what action the full Boards and the independent trustees take regarding the approval of all such proposed arrangements and the continuance of all such existing arrangements. During the fiscal year ended February 28, 2015, the Investments Committee held six meetings.
The Investments Committee has established three Sub-Committees. The Sub-Committees are responsible for: (i) reviewing the performance, fees and expenses of the funds in the Fund Complex that have been assigned to a particular Sub-Committee (for each Sub-Committee, the Designated Funds), unless the Investments Committee takes such action directly; (ii) reviewing with the applicable portfolio managers from time to time the investment objective(s), policies, strategies and limitations of the Designated Funds; (iii) evaluating the investment advisory, sub-advisory and distribution arrangements in effect or proposed for the Designated Funds, unless the Investments Committee takes such action directly; (iv) being familiar with the registration statements and periodic shareholder reports applicable to their Designated Funds; and (v) such other investment-related matters as the Investments Committee may delegate to the Sub-Committee from time to time.
The members of the Valuation, Distribution and Proxy Oversight Committee are Messrs. Dowden, Fields, Dr. Mathai-Davis (Chair) and Sonnenschein (Vice-Chair). The primary purposes of the Valuation, Distribution and Proxy Oversight Committee are: (a) to address issues requiring action or oversight by the Board of the Invesco Funds (i) in the valuation of the Invesco Funds portfolio securities consistent with the Pricing Procedures, (ii) in oversight of the creation and maintenance by the principal underwriters of the Invesco Funds of an effective distribution and marketing system to build and maintain an adequate asset base and to create and maintain economies of scale for the Invesco Funds, (iii) in the review of existing distribution arrangements for the Invesco Funds under Rule 12b-1 and Section 15 of the 1940 Act, and (iv) in the oversight of proxy voting on portfolio securities of the Fund; and (b) to make regular reports to the full Board of the Invesco Funds.
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The Valuation, Distribution and Proxy Oversight Committee is responsible for: (a) with regard to valuation, (i) developing an understanding of the valuation process and the Pricing Procedures, (ii) reviewing the Pricing Procedures and making recommendations to the full Board with respect thereto, (iii) reviewing the reports described in the Pricing Procedures and other information from Invesco Ltd. regarding fair value determinations made pursuant to the Pricing Procedures by Invescos internal valuation committee and making reports and recommendations to the full Board with respect thereto, (iv) receiving the reports of Invescos internal valuation committee requesting approval of any changes to pricing vendors or pricing methodologies as required by the Pricing Procedures and the annual report of Invesco Ltd. evaluating the pricing vendors, approving changes to pricing vendors and pricing methodologies as provided in the Pricing Procedures, and recommending annually the pricing vendors for approval by the full Board; (v) upon request of Invesco, assisting Invescos internal valuation committee or the full Board in resolving particular fair valuation issues; (vi) reviewing the reports described in the Procedures for Determining the Liquidity of Securities (the Liquidity Procedures) and other information from Invesco Ltd. regarding liquidity determinations made pursuant to the Liquidity Procedures by Invesco Ltd. and making reports and recommendations to the full Board with respect thereto, and (vii) overseeing actual or potential conflicts of interest by investment personnel or others that could affect their input or recommendations regarding pricing or liquidity issues; (b) with regard to distribution and marketing, (i) developing an understanding of mutual fund distribution and marketing channels and legal, regulatory and market developments regarding distribution, (ii) reviewing periodic distribution and marketing determinations and annual approval of distribution arrangements and making reports and recommendations to the full Board with respect thereto, and (iii) reviewing other information from the principal underwriters to the Invesco Funds regarding distribution and marketing of the Invesco Funds and making recommendations to the full Board with respect thereto; (c) with regard to proxy voting, (i) overseeing the implementation of the Proxy Voting Guidelines (the Guidelines) and the Proxy Policies and Procedures (the Proxy Procedures) by Invesco Ltd. and the Sub-Advisers, reviewing the Quarterly Proxy Voting Report and making recommendations to the full Board with respect thereto, (ii) reviewing the Guidelines and the Proxy Procedures and information provided by Invesco Ltd. and the Sub-Advisers regarding industry developments and best practices in connection with proxy voting and making recommendations to the full Board with respect thereto, and (iii) in implementing its responsibilities in this area, assisting Invesco Ltd. in resolving particular proxy voting issues. The Valuation, Distribution and Proxy Oversight Committee was formed effective January 1, 2008. It succeeded the Valuation Committee which existed prior to 2008. During the fiscal year ended February 28, 2015, the Valuation, Distribution and Proxy Oversight Committee held six meetings.
Compensation
Each trustee who is not affiliated with Invesco is compensated for his or her services according to a fee schedule that recognizes the fact that such trustee also serves as a trustee of other Invesco Funds. Each such trustee receives a fee, allocated among the Invesco Funds for which he or she serves as a trustee, that consists of an annual retainer component and a meeting fee component. The Chair of the Board and Chairs and Vice Chairs of certain committees receive additional compensation for their services.
Information regarding compensation paid or accrued for each trustee of the Trust who was not affiliated with Invesco during the year ended December 31, 2014, are as follows:
Name |
Aggregate Compensation from the Fund(1)(2) |
Total Compensation from the Fund Complex(3) |
||||||
Independent Trustees |
||||||||
Arch |
$ | 1,745 | $ | 384,500 | ||||
Bunch |
699 | 356,800 | ||||||
Crockett |
1,238 | 661,000 | ||||||
Dammeyer |
648 | 332,100 | ||||||
Dowden |
690 | 372,900 | ||||||
Fields |
648 | 345,700 | ||||||
Mathai-Davis |
699 | 372,900 | ||||||
Soll |
699 | 372,900 | ||||||
Sonnenschein |
1,887 | 411,700 | ||||||
Stickel |
750 | 400,100 | ||||||
Woolsey |
4,092 | 253,500 | ||||||
Interested Trustees |
||||||||
Flanagan |
0 | 0 | ||||||
Taylor |
0 | 0 |
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(1) | The amounts shown in this column represent the aggregate compensation from the Fund to each Trustee for the Funds fiscal ended February 28, 2015. |
(2) | The Fund does not accrue or pay retirement or pension benefits to the Trustees. Pursuant to the retirement plan of certain funds in the Fund Complex, which was amended as of December 31, 2013 to convert to a defined contribution plan, estimated annual benefits upon retirement payable by such funds to Trustees is as follows: David C. Arch: $205,000; James T. Bunch: $205,000; Bruce L. Crockett: $205,000; Rodney F. Dammeyer: $205,000; Albert R. Dowden: $205,000; Jack M. Fields: $205,000; Prema Mathai-Davis: $205,000; Larry Soll: $226,779; Hugo F. Sonnenschein: $205,000; and Raymond Stickel, Jr.: $205,000. Such amounts represent the estimated annual benefits payable by such funds upon the Trustees retirement and assumes each Trustee will serve until his or her normal retirement date. These amounts are payable by other funds in the Fund Complex and not by the Funds. |
(3) | The amounts shown in this column represent the aggregate compensation paid by all of the funds in the Fund Complex as of December 31, 2014. Because the funds in the Fund Complex have different fiscal year ends, the amounts shown in this column are presented on a calendar year basis. |
Trustee Beneficial Ownership of Securities
The dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Trustee (i) in the Fund and (ii) on an aggregate basis, in all registered investment companies overseen by the Trustee within the Invesco Funds complex, as of December 31, 2014, are as follows:
Name |
Fund | Aggregate dollar range of equity securities in all registered investment companies overseen by trustee in the Fund Complex(1) | ||
Independent Trustees |
||||
Arch |
$1-10,000 | Over $100,000 | ||
Bunch |
| Over $100,000 | ||
Crockett |
| Over $100,000 | ||
Dammeyer |
| Over $100,000 | ||
Dowden |
| Over $100,000 | ||
Fields |
| Over $100,000 | ||
Mathai-Davis |
| Over $100,000 | ||
Soll |
| Over $100,000 | ||
Sonnenschein |
| Over $100,000 | ||
Stickel |
| Over $100,000 | ||
Woolsey |
$1-$10,000 | Over $100,000 | ||
Interested Trustees |
||||
Flanagan |
| Over $100,000 | ||
Taylor |
| $1-$10,000 |
(1) | Includes total amount of compensation deferred by the trustee at his or her election pursuant to a deferred compensation plan. Such deferred compensation is placed in a deferral account and deemed to be invested in one or more of the Invesco Funds. |
Pre-Amendment Retirement Plan for Trustees
The Trustees have adopted a retirement plan for the Trustees who are not affiliated with the Adviser. The Trustees also have adopted a retirement policy that permits each non-Invesco-affiliated Trustee to serve until December 31 of the year in which the Trustee turns 75. A majority of the Trustees may extend from time to time the retirement date of a Trustee.
Annual retirement benefits are available from the Fund and/or the other Invesco Funds for which a Trustee serves (each, a Covered Fund), for each Trustee who is not an employee or officer of the Adviser, who either (a) became a Trustee prior to December 1, 2008, and who has at least five years of credited service as a Trustee (including service to a predecessor fund) of a Covered Fund, or (b) was a member of the Board of Trustees of a Van Kampen Fund immediately prior to June 1, 2010 (Former Van Kampen Trustee), and has at least one year of credited service as a Trustee of a Covered Fund after June 1, 2010.
For Trustees other than Former Van Kampen Trustees, effective January 1, 2006, for retirements after December 31, 2005, the retirement benefits will equal 75% of the Trustees annual retainer paid to or accrued by any
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Covered Fund with respect to such Trustee during the twelve-month period prior to retirement, including the amount of any retainer deferred under a separate deferred compensation agreement between the Covered Fund and the Trustee. The amount of the annual retirement benefit does not include additional compensation paid for Board meeting fees or compensation paid to the Chair of the Board and the Chairs and Vice Chairs of certain Board committees, whether such amounts are paid directly to the Trustee or deferred. The annual retirement benefit is payable in quarterly installments for a number of years equal to the lesser of (i) sixteen years or (ii) the number of such Trustees credited years of service. If a Trustee dies prior to receiving the full amount of retirement benefits, the remaining payments will be made to the deceased Trustees designated beneficiary for the same length of time that the Trustee would have received the payments based on his or her service or, if the Trustee has elected, in a discounted lump sum payment. A Trustee must have attained the age of 65 (60 in the event of disability) to receive any retirement benefit. A Trustee may make an irrevocable election to commence payment of retirement benefits upon retirement from the Board before age 72; in such a case, the annual retirement benefit is subject to a reduction for early payment.
If the Former Van Kampen Trustee completes at least 10 years of credited service after June 1, 2010, the retirement benefit will equal 75% of the Former Van Kampen Trustees annual retainer paid to or accrued by any Covered Fund with respect to such Trustee during the twelve-month period prior to retirement, including the amount of any retainer deferred under a separate deferred compensation agreement between the Covered Fund and such Trustee. The amount of the annual retirement benefit does not include additional compensation paid for Board meeting fees or compensation paid to the Chair of the Board and the Chairs and Vice Chairs of certain Board committees, whether such amounts are paid directly to the Trustee or deferred. The annual retirement benefit is payable in quarterly installments for 10 years beginning after the later of the Former Van Kampen Trustees termination of service or attainment of age 72 (or age 60 in the event of disability or immediately in the event of death). If a Former Van Kampen Trustee dies prior to receiving the full amount of retirement benefits, the remaining payments will be made to the deceased Trustees designated beneficiary or, if the Trustee has elected, in a discounted lump sum payment.
If the Former Van Kampen Trustee completes less than 10 years of credited service after June 1, 2010, the retirement benefit will be payable at the applicable time described in the preceding paragraph, but will be paid in two components successively. For the period of time equal to the Former Van Kampen Trustees years of credited service after June 1, 2010, the first component of the annual retirement benefit will equal 75% of the compensation amount described in the preceding paragraph. Thereafter, for the period of time equal to the Former Van Kampen Trustees years of credited service after June 1, 2010, the second component of the annual retirement benefit will equal the excess of (x) 75% of the compensation amount described in the preceding paragraph, over (y) $68,041 plus an interest factor of 4% per year compounded annually measured from June 1, 2010 through the first day of each year for which payments under this second component are to be made. In no event, however, will the retirement benefits under the two components be made for a period of time greater than 10 years. For example, if the Former Van Kampen Trustee completes 7 years of credited service after June 1, 2010, he or she will receive 7 years of payments under the first component and thereafter 3 years of payments under the second component, and if the Former Van Kampen Trustee completes 4 years of credited service after June 1, 2010, he or she will receive 4 years of payments under the first component and thereafter 4 years of payments under the second component.
Amendment of Retirement Plan and Conversion to Defined Contribution Plan
The Trustees approved an amendment to the Retirement Plan to convert it to a defined contribution benefit plan for active Trustees (the Amended Plan). Under the Amended Plan, the benefit amount was amended for each active Trustee to the present value of the Trustees existing retirement plan benefit as of December 31, 2013 (the Existing Plan Benefit) plus the present value of retirement benefits expected to be earned under the Retirement Plan through the end of the calendar year in which the Trustee attained age 75 (the Expected Future Benefit and, together with the Existing Plan Benefit, the Accrued Benefit). On the conversion date, the Covered Funds established bookkeeping accounts of their pro rata share of the Accrued Benefit, which is deemed to be invested in one or more Invesco Funds selected by the participating Trustees. Each Trustees Accrued Benefit is not funded and, with respect to the payments of amounts held in the accounts, the participating Trustees have the status of unsecured creditors of the Covered Funds. Trustees will be paid the adjusted account balance under the Amended Plan in quarterly installments for the same period as described above.
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Deferred Compensation Agreements
Edward K. Dunn and Carl Frischling (former Trustees of funds in the Invesco Funds complex), Messrs. Bunch, Crockett and Fields and Drs. Mathai-Davis and Soll (for purposes of this paragraph only, the Deferring Trustees) have each executed a Deferred Compensation Agreement (collectively, the Compensation Agreements). Pursuant to the Compensation Agreements, the Deferring Trustees have the option to elect to defer receipt of up to 100% of their compensation payable by the Funds, and such amounts are placed into a deferral account and deemed to be invested in one or more Invesco Funds selected by the Deferring Trustees.
Distributions from these deferral accounts will be paid in cash, generally in equal quarterly installments over a period of up to ten (10) years (depending on the Compensation Agreement) beginning on the date selected under the Compensation Agreement. If a Deferring Trustee dies prior to the distribution of amounts in his or her deferral account, the balance of the deferral account will be distributed to his or her designated beneficiary. The Compensation Agreements are not funded and, with respect to the payments of amounts held in the deferral accounts, the Deferring Trustees have the status of unsecured creditors of the Fund and of each other Invesco Fund from which they are deferring compensation.
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND OTHER SERVICES
Investment Adviser
Invesco serves as the Funds investment adviser. The Adviser manages the investment operations of the Fund as well as other investment portfolios that encompass a broad range of investment objectives, and has agreed to perform or arrange for the performance of the Funds day-to-day management. The Adviser, as successor in interest to multiple investment advisers, has been an investment adviser since 1976. Invesco is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Invesco Ltd. Invesco Ltd. and its subsidiaries are an independent global investment management group. Certain of the directors and officers of Invesco are also executive officers of the Fund and their affiliations are shown in this Statement of Additional Information
As investment adviser, Invesco supervises all aspects of the Funds operations and provides investment advisory services to the Fund. Invesco obtains and evaluates economic, statistical and financial information to formulate and implement investment programs for the Fund. The Funds Investment Advisory Agreement (the Advisory Agreement) provides that, in fulfilling its responsibilities, Invesco may engage the services of other investment managers with respect to the Fund. The investment advisory services of Invesco are not exclusive and Invesco is free to render investment advisory services to others, including other investment companies.
Pursuant to an administrative services agreement with the Fund, the Adviser is also responsible for furnishing to the Fund the services of persons believed to be competent to perform supervisory and administrative services required by the Fund and that, in the judgment of the Trustees, are necessary to conduct the business of the Fund effectively, as well as the offices, equipment and other facilities necessary for their operations. Such functions include the maintenance of the Funds accounts and records, and the preparation of all requisite corporate documents such as tax returns and reports to the SEC and shareholders.
The Advisory Agreement provides that the Fund will pay or cause to be paid all expenses of such Fund not assumed by Invesco, including, without limitation: brokerage commissions, taxes, legal, accounting, auditing, or governmental fees, the cost of preparing share certificates, custodian, transfer and shareholder service agent costs, expenses of issue, sale, redemption and repurchase of shares, expenses of registering and qualifying shares for sale, expenses relating to trustees and shareholder meetings, the cost of preparing and distributing reports and notices to shareholders, the fees and other expenses incurred by the Fund in connection with membership in investment company organizations and the cost of printing copies of prospectuses and statements of additional information distributed to the Funds shareholders.
Invesco, at its own expense, furnishes to the Fund office space and facilities. Invesco furnishes to the Fund all personnel for managing the affairs of the Fund.
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Advisory fees paid for the last three fiscal years of the Fund are as follows:
Fiscal Year Ended |
Advisory Fees Paid | |||
February 28, 2015 |
$ | 1,342,445 | ||
February 28, 2014 |
$ | 1,342,299 | ||
February 28, 2013 |
$ | 969,980 |
Investment Sub-Advisers
Invesco has entered into a Sub-Advisory Agreement with certain affiliates to serve as sub-advisers to the Fund pursuant to which these affiliated sub-advisers may be appointed by Invesco from time to time to provide discretionary investment management services, investment advice, and/or order execution services to the Fund.
These affiliated sub-advisers, each of which is a registered investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, are:
Invesco Asset Management Deutschland GmbH (Invesco Deutschland)
Invesco Asset Management Limited (Invesco Asset Management)
Invesco Asset Management (Japan) Limited (Invesco Japan)
Invesco Hong Kong Limited (Invesco Hong Kong)
Invesco Senior Secured Management, Inc. (Invesco Senior Secured)
Invesco Canada Ltd. (Invesco Canada); (each a Sub-Adviser and collectively, the Sub-Advisers).
Invesco and each Sub-Adviser are indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries of Invesco Ltd.
The only fees payable to the Sub-Advisers under the Sub-Advisory Agreement are for providing discretionary investment management services. For such services, Invesco (and not the Fund) pays each Sub-Adviser a fee, computed daily and paid monthly, equal to (i) 40% of the monthly compensation that Invesco receives from the Fund, multiplied by (ii) the fraction equal to the net assets of such Fund as to which such Sub-Adviser shall have provided discretionary investment management services for that month divided by the net assets of such Fund for that month. Pursuant to the Sub-Advisory Agreement, this fee is reduced to reflect contractual or voluntary fee waivers or expense limitations by Invesco, if any, in effect from time to time. In no event shall the aggregate monthly fees paid to the Sub-Advisers under the Sub-Advisory Agreement exceed 40% of the monthly compensation that Invesco receives from the Fund pursuant to its advisory agreement with the Fund, as reduced to reflect contractual or voluntary fees waivers or expense limitations by Invesco, if any.
Invesco did not pay the Sub-Advisers any sub-advisory fees during the last three fiscal years of the Fund.
Securities Lending Arrangements
If the Fund engages in securities lending, Invesco will provide the Fund related investment advisory and administrative services. The Advisory Agreement describes the administrative services to be rendered by Invesco if the Fund engages in securities lending activities, as well as the compensation Invesco may receive for such administrative services. Services to be provided include: (a) overseeing participation in the securities lending program to ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory and investment guidelines; (b) assisting the securities lending agent or principal (the agent) in determining which specific securities are available for loan; (c) monitoring the agent to ensure that securities loans are effected in accordance with Invescos instructions and with procedures adopted by the Board; (d) preparing appropriate periodic reports for, and seeking appropriate approvals from, the Board with respect to securities lending activities; (e) responding to agent inquiries; and (f) performing such other duties as may be necessary.
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Invescos compensation for advisory services rendered in connection with securities lending is included in the advisory fee schedule. As compensation for the related administrative services Invesco will provide, a lending Fund will pay Invesco a fee equal to 25% of the net monthly interest or fee income retained or paid to the Fund from such activities. Invesco currently waives such fee, and has agreed to seek Board approval prior to its receipt of all or a portion of such fee.
Service Agreements
Administrative Services Agreement. Invesco and the Fund have entered into a Master Administrative Services Agreement (Administrative Services Agreement) pursuant to which Invesco may perform or arrange for the provision of certain accounting and other administrative services to the Fund which are not required to be performed by Invesco under the Advisory Agreement. The Administrative Services Agreement provides that it will remain in effect and continue from year to year only if such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by the Board, including the independent trustees, by votes cast in person at a meeting called for such purpose. Under the Administrative Services Agreement, Invesco is entitled to receive from the Fund reimbursement of its costs or such reasonable compensation as may be approved by the Board. Currently, Invesco is reimbursed for the services of the Funds principal financial officer and her staff and any expenses related to fund accounting services.
Administrative services fees paid for the last three fiscal years of the Fund are as follows:
Fiscal Year Ended |
Administrative Fees Paid | |||
February 28, 2015 |
$ | 50,000 | ||
February 28, 2014 |
$ | 50,000 | ||
February 28, 2013 |
$ | 50,000 |
OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS
Transfer Agent
Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (Computershare), P.O. Box 43078, Providence, RI 02940-3078 is the transfer agent for the Fund.
The Transfer Agency and Service Agreement (the TA Agreement) between the Fund and Computershare provides that Computershare will perform certain services related to the servicing of shareholders of the Fund. Other such services may be delegated or subcontracted to third party intermediaries.
Custodian
State Street Bank and Trust Company (the Custodian), 225 Franklin Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02110, is custodian of all securities and cash of the Fund. The Bank of New York Mellon, 2 Hanson Place, Brooklyn, New York 11217-1431, also serves as sub-custodian to facilitate cash management.
The Custodian is authorized to establish separate accounts in foreign countries and to cause foreign securities owned by the Fund to be held outside the United States in branches of U.S. banks and, to the extent permitted by applicable regulations, in certain foreign banks and securities depositories. Invesco is responsible for selecting eligible foreign securities depositories and for assessing the risks associated with investing in foreign countries, including the risk of using eligible foreign securities depositories in a country. The Custodian is responsible for monitoring eligible foreign securities depositories.
Under its contract with the Fund, the Custodian maintains the portfolio securities of the Fund, administers the purchases and sales of portfolio securities, collects interest and dividends and other distributions made on the securities held in the portfolio of the Fund and performs other ministerial duties. These services do not include any supervisory function over management or provide any protection against any possible depreciation of assets.
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Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Funds independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing the financial statements of the Fund. The Audit Committee of the Funds Board has appointed, and the Board has ratified and approved, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, 1000 Louisiana Street, Suite 5800, Houston, Texas 77002, as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit the financial statements of the Fund. The Funds audited financial statements incorporated by reference in this SAI and the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP thereon, have been incorporated by reference in this SAI in reliance upon the report of such firm given upon their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
PORTFOLIO MANAGERS
Portfolio Manager Fund Holdings and Information on Other Managed Accounts
Invescos portfolio managers develop investment models which are used in connection with the management of certain Invesco funds as well as other mutual funds for which Invesco or an affiliate acts as sub-adviser, other pooled investment vehicles that are not registered mutual funds, and other accounts managed for organizations and individuals. The Investments chart reflects the portfolio managers investments in the Fund. Accounts are grouped into three categories: (i) investments made directly in the Fund, (ii) investments made in an Invesco pooled investment vehicle with the same or similar objectives and strategies as the Fund, and (iii) any investments made in any Invesco fund or Invesco pooled investment vehicle. The Assets Managed chart reflects information regarding accounts other than the Fund for which each portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities. Accounts are grouped into three categories: (i) other registered investment companies, (ii) other pooled investment vehicles and (iii) other accounts. To the extent that any of these accounts pay advisory fees that are based on account performance (performance-based fees), information on those accounts is specifically broken out. In addition, any assets denominated in foreign currencies have been converted into U.S. Dollars using the exchange rates as of the applicable date.
Investments
The following information is as of February 28, 2015:
Portfolio Manager |
Dollar Range of Investments in the Fund(1) |
Dollar Range of Investments in Invesco pooled investment vehicles(2) |
Dollar Range of all Investments in the Fund and Invesco pooled investment vehicles(3) |
|||||||||
Darren Hughes |
None | N/A | Over $1,000,000 | |||||||||
Scott Robert |
$ | 100,001-$500,000 | N/A | Over $1,000,000 |
(1) | This column reflects investments in the Funds shares beneficially owned by a portfolio manager (as determined in accordance with Rule 16a-1(a) (2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended). Beneficial ownership includes ownership by a portfolio managers immediate family members sharing the same household. |
(2) | This column reflects portfolio managers investments made either directly or through a deferred compensation or a similar plan in Invesco pooled investment vehicles with the same or similar objectives and strategies as the Fund as of the most recent fiscal year end of the Fund. |
(3) | This column reflects the combined holdings from both the Dollar Range of all Investments in Fund and Invesco pooled investment vehicles and the Dollar Range of Investments in the Fund columns. |
Assets Managed
The following information is as of February 28, 2015:
Other Registered Investment Companies Managed (assets in millions) |
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles Managed (assets in millions) |
Other Accounts Managed (assets in millions)(4) |
||||||||||||||||||||||
Portfolio Manager |
Number of Accounts |
Assets | Number of Accounts |
Assets | Number of Accounts |
Assets | ||||||||||||||||||
Darren Hughes |
8 | $ | 2,071.6 | 4 | $ | 946.2 | None | $ | 0 | |||||||||||||||
Scott Robert |
7 | $ | 2,055.3 | 4 | $ | 946.2 | None | $ | 0 |
(4) | These are accounts of individual investors for which Invesco provides investment advice. Invesco offers separately managed accounts that are managed according to the investment models developed by its portfolio managers and used in connection with the management of certain Invesco funds. These accounts may be invested in accordance with one or more of those investment models and investments held in those accounts are traded in accordance with the applicable models. |
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None of the foregoing accounts paid an advisory fee based on the performance of the account.
Potential Conflicts of Interest
Actual or apparent conflicts of interest may arise when a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities with respect to more than one Fund or other account. More specifically, portfolio managers who manage multiple funds and/or other accounts may be presented with one or more of the following potential conflicts:
| The management of multiple funds and/or other accounts may result in a portfolio manager devoting unequal time and attention to the management of the Fund and/or other account. The Adviser and each Sub-Adviser seek to manage such competing interests for the time and attention of portfolio managers by having portfolio managers focus on a particular investment discipline. Most other accounts managed by a portfolio manager are managed using the same investment models that are used in connection with the management of the funds. |
| If a portfolio manager identifies a limited investment opportunity which may be suitable for more than one Fund or other account, the Fund may not be able to take full advantage of that opportunity due to an allocation of filled purchase or sale orders across all eligible funds and other accounts. To deal with these situations, the Adviser, each Sub-Adviser and the funds have adopted procedures for allocating portfolio transactions across multiple accounts. |
| The Adviser and each Sub-Adviser determine which broker to use to execute each order for securities transactions for the funds, consistent with its duty to seek best execution of the transaction. However, for certain other accounts (such as mutual funds for which Invesco or an affiliate acts as sub-adviser, other pooled investment vehicles that are not registered mutual funds, and other accounts managed for organizations and individuals), the Adviser and each Sub-Adviser may be limited by the client with respect to the selection of brokers or may be instructed to direct trades through a particular broker. In these cases, trades for the Fund in a particular security may be placed separately from, rather than aggregated with, such other accounts. Having separate transactions with respect to a security may temporarily affect the market price of the security or the execution of the transaction, or both, to the possible detriment of the Fund or other account(s) involved. |
| Finally, the appearance of a conflict of interest may arise where the Adviser or Sub-Adviser has an incentive, such as a performance-based management fee, which relates to the management of one Fund or account but not all funds and accounts for which a portfolio manager has day-to-day management responsibilities. |
The Adviser, each Sub-Adviser, and the Fund have adopted certain compliance procedures which are designed to address these types of conflicts. However, there is no guarantee that such procedures will detect each and every situation in which a conflict arises.
Description of Compensation Structure
The Adviser and each Sub-Adviser seek to maintain a compensation program that is competitively positioned to attract and retain high-caliber investment professionals. Portfolio managers receive a base salary, an incentive bonus opportunity and an equity compensation opportunity. Portfolio manager compensation is reviewed and may be modified each year as appropriate to reflect changes in the market, as well as to adjust the factors used to determine bonuses to promote competitive Fund performance. The Adviser and each Sub-Adviser evaluate competitive market compensation by reviewing compensation survey results conducted by an independent third party of investment industry compensation. Each portfolio managers compensation consists of the following three elements:
Base Salary. Each portfolio manager is paid a base salary. In setting the base salary, the Adviser and each Sub-Advisers intention is to be competitive in light of the particular portfolio managers experience and responsibilities.
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Annual Bonus. The portfolio managers are eligible, along with other employees of the Adviser and each Sub-Adviser, to participate in a discretionary year-end bonus pool. The Compensation Committee of Invesco Ltd. reviews and approves the amount of the bonus pool available considering investment performance and financial results in its review. In addition, while having no direct impact on individual bonuses, assets under management are considered when determining the starting bonus funding levels. Each portfolio manager is eligible to receive an annual cash bonus which is based on quantitative (i.e. investment performance) and non-quantitative factors (which may include, but are not limited to, individual performance, risk management and teamwork).
Each portfolio managers compensation is linked to the pre-tax investment performance of the Fund/accounts managed by the portfolio manager as described in the table below.
Sub-Adviser |
Performance time period(5) | |
Invesco(6) Invesco Deutschland Invesco Hong Kong(6) Invesco Asset Management |
One-, Three- and Five-year performance against Fund peer group. | |
Invesco- Invesco Real Estate(6),(7) Invesco Senior Secured(6),(8) |
Not applicable | |
Invesco Canada(6) |
One-year performance against Fund peer group. Three- and Five-year performance against entire universe of Canadian funds. | |
Invesco Japan(9) |
One-, Three- and Five-year performance |
(5) | Rolling time periods based on calendar year-end. |
(6) | Portfolio Managers may be granted an annual deferral award that vests on a pro-rata basis over a four year period and final payments are based on the performance of eligible Funds selected by the portfolio manager at the time the award is granted. |
(7) | Portfolio Managers for Invesco Global Real Estate Fund, Invesco Real Estate Fund, Invesco Global Real Estate Income Fund and Invesco V.I. Global Real Estate Fund base their bonus on new operating profits of the U.S. Real Estate Division of Invesco. |
(8) | Invesco Senior Secureds bonus is based on annual measures of equity return and standard tests of collateralization performance. |
(9) | Portfolio Managers for Invesco Pacific Growth Funds compensation is based on the one-, three- and five-year performance against the appropriate Micropol benchmark. |
High investment performance (against applicable peer group and/or benchmarks) would deliver compensation generally associated with top pay in the industry (determined by reference to the third-party provided compensation survey information) and poor investment performance (versus applicable peer group) would result in low bonus compared to the applicable peer group or no bonus at all. These decisions are reviewed and approved collectively by senior leadership which has responsibility for executing the compensation approach across the organization.
Deferred/Long-Term Compensation. Portfolio managers may be granted an annual deferral award that allows them to select receipt of shares of certain Invesco funds with a vesting period as well as common shares and/or restricted shares of Invesco Ltd. stock from pools determined from time to time by the Compensation Committee of Invesco Ltd.s Board of Directors. Awards of deferred / long-term compensation typically vest over time, so as to create incentives to retain key talent.
Portfolio managers also participate in benefit plans and programs available generally to all employees.
PORTFOLIO TRANSACTIONS AND BROKERAGE ALLOCATION
Invesco has adopted compliance procedures that cover, among other items, brokerage allocation and other trading practices.
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Brokerage Transactions
Placing trades generally involves acting on portfolio manager instructions to buy or sell a specified amount of portfolio securities, including selecting one or more third-party broker-dealers to execute the trades, and negotiating commissions and spreads. Various Invesco Ltd. subsidiaries have created a global equity trading desk. The global equity trading desk has assigned local traders in six primary trading centers to place equity securities trades in their regions. Invesco Advisers Americas desk, located in Atlanta, Houston and Toronto (the Americas Desk), generally places trades of equity securities trading in North America, Canada and Latin America; the Hong Kong desk of Invesco Hong Kong (the Hong Kong Desk) generally places trades of equity securities in the Asia-Pacific markets, except Japan; the Japan trading desk of Invesco Japan generally places trades of equity securities in the Japanese markets; the London trading desk of Invesco Global Investment Funds Limited (the London Desk) generally places trades of equity securities in European, Middle Eastern and African countries; the Australia desk, located in Sydney and Melbourne, for the execution of orders of equity securities trading in the Australian and New Zealand markets and the Taipei desk, located in Taipei, for the execution of orders of securities trading in the Chinese market. Invesco, Invesco Canada, Invesco Japan, Invesco Deutschland, Invesco Hong Kong and Invesco Asset Management use the global equity trading desk to place equity trades. Other Sub-Advisers may use the global equity trading desk in the future. The trading procedures for the global trading desks are similar in all material respects.
References in the language below to actions by Invesco or a Sub-Adviser (other than Invesco Canada or Invesco Japan) making determinations or taking actions related to equity trading include these entities delegation of these determinations/actions to the Americas Desk, the Hong Kong Desk, and the London Desk. Even when trading is delegated by Invesco or the Sub-Advisers to the various arms of the global equity trading desk, Invesco or a Sub-Adviser that delegates trading is responsible for oversight of this trading activity.
Invesco or a Sub-Adviser makes decisions to buy and sell securities for the Fund, selects broker-dealers (each, a Broker), effects the Funds investment portfolio transactions, allocates brokerage fees in such transactions and, where applicable, negotiates commissions and spreads on transactions. Invescos and the Sub-Advisers primary consideration in effecting a security transaction is to obtain best execution, which is defined as prompt and efficient execution of the transaction at the best obtainable price with payment of commissions, mark-ups or mark-downs which are reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided by the Broker. While Invesco or the Sub-Advisers seeks reasonably competitive commission rates, the Fund may not pay the lowest commission or spread available. See Broker Selection below.
Some of the securities in which the Fund invests are traded in over-the-counter markets. Portfolio transactions in such markets may be effected on a principal basis at net prices without commissions, but which include compensation to the Broker in the form of a mark-up or mark-down, or on an agency basis, which involves the payment of negotiated brokerage commissions to the Broker, including electronic communication networks. Purchases of underwritten issues, which include initial public offerings and secondary offerings, include a commission or concession paid by the issuer (not the Fund) to the underwriter. Purchases of money market instruments may be made directly from issuers without the payment of commissions.
Historically, Invesco and the Sub-Advisers did not negotiate commission rates on stock markets outside the United States. In recent years many overseas stock markets have adopted a system of negotiated rates; however, a number of markets maintain an established schedule of minimum commission rates.
In some cases, Invesco may decide to place trades on a blind principal bid basis, which involves combining all trades for one or more portfolios into a single basket, and generating a description of the characteristics of the basket for provision to potential executing brokers. Based on the trade characteristics information provided by Invesco, these brokers submit bids for executing all of the required trades at the market close price for a specific commission. Invesco generally selects the broker with the lowest bid to execute these trades.
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Commissions
Substantially all of the Funds trades are effected on a principal basis. Brokerage commissions during the Funds last three fiscal years are as follows:
Fiscal Year Ended |
Brokerage Commissions | |||
February 28, 2015 |
| |||
February 28, 2014 |
| |||
February 28, 2013 |
|
The Fund does not and will not pay brokerage commissions to Brokers affiliated with the Fund, Invesco, the Sub-Advisers or any affiliates of such entities.
The Fund may purchase or sell a security from or to certain other Invesco funds or other accounts (and may invest in the Affiliated Money Market Funds) provided the Fund follows procedures adopted by the Boards of the various Invesco funds, including the Fund. These inter-fund transactions do not generate brokerage commissions but may result in custodial fees or taxes or other related expenses.
Broker Selection
Invescos or the Sub-Advisers primary consideration in selecting Brokers to execute portfolio transactions for an Invesco fund is to obtain best execution. In selecting a Broker to execute a portfolio transaction in equity securities for the Fund, Invesco or the Sub-Advisers consider the full range and quality of a Brokers services, including the value of research and/or brokerage services provided, execution capability, commission rate, and willingness to commit capital, anonymity and responsiveness. Invescos and the Sub-Advisers primary consideration when selecting a Broker to execute a portfolio transaction in fixed income securities for the Fund is the Brokers ability to deliver or sell the relevant fixed income securities; however, Invesco and the Sub-Advisers will also consider the various factors listed above. In each case, the determinative factor is not the lowest commission or spread available but whether the transaction represents the best qualitative execution for the Fund. Invesco and the Sub-Advisers will not select Brokers based upon their promotion or sale of shares of funds advised by Invesco and/or the Sub-Advisers.
In choosing Brokers to execute portfolio transactions for the Fund, Invesco or the Sub-Advisers may select Brokers that provide brokerage and/or research services (Soft Dollar Products) to the Fund and/or the other accounts over which Invesco and its affiliates have investment discretion. Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, provides that Invesco or the Sub-Advisers, under certain circumstances, lawfully may cause an account to pay a higher commission than the lowest available. Under Section 28(e)(1), Invesco or the Sub-Advisers must make a good faith determination that the commissions paid are reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided. . viewed in terms of either that particular transaction or [Invescos or the Sub-Advisers] overall responsibilities with respect to the accounts as to which [it] exercises investment discretion. The services provided by the Broker also must lawfully and appropriately assist Invesco or the Sub-Adviser in the performance of its investment decision-making responsibilities. Accordingly, the Fund may pay a Broker commissions higher than those available from another Broker in recognition of the Brokers provision of Soft Dollar Products to Invesco or the Sub-Advisers.
Invesco and the Sub-Advisers face a potential conflict of interest when they use client trades to obtain Soft Dollar Products. This conflict exists because Invesco and the Sub-Advisers are able to use the Soft Dollar Products to manage client accounts without paying cash for the Soft Dollar Products, which reduces Invescos or the Sub-Advisers expenses to the extent that Invesco or the Sub-Advisers would have purchased such products had they not been provided by Brokers. Section 28(e) permits Invesco or the Sub-Advisers to use Soft Dollar Products for the benefit of any account it manages. Certain Invesco-managed accounts (or accounts managed by the Sub-Advisers) may generate soft dollars used to purchase Soft Dollar Products that ultimately benefit other Invesco Advisers, Inc.-managed accounts (or Sub-Adviser-managed accounts), effectively cross subsidizing the other Invesco-managed accounts (or the other Sub-Adviser-managed accounts) that benefit directly from the product. Invesco or the Sub-Advisers may not use all of the Soft Dollar Products provided by Brokers through which the Fund effects securities transactions in connection with managing the Fund whose trades generated the soft dollars used to purchase such products.
Invesco presently engages in the following instances of cross-subsidization:
Smaller funds that do not generate significant soft dollar commissions may be cross-subsidized by the larger equity Invesco funds in that the smaller equity funds receive the benefit of Soft Dollar Products for which they do not pay. Certain other accounts managed by Invesco or certain of its affiliates may benefit from Soft Dollar Products services for which they do not pay.
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Invesco and the Sub-Advisers attempt to reduce or eliminate the potential conflicts of interest concerning the use of Soft Dollar Products by directing client trades for Soft Dollar Products only if Invesco or the Sub-Adviser concludes that the Broker supplying the product is capable of providing best execution.
Certain Soft Dollar Products may be available directly from a vendor on a hard dollar basis; other Soft Dollar Products are available only through Brokers in exchange for soft dollars. Invesco and the Sub-Adviser use soft dollars to purchase two types of Soft Dollar Products:
| proprietary research created by the Broker executing the trade, and |
| other products created by third parties that are supplied to Invesco or the Sub-Adviser through the Broker executing the trade. |
Proprietary research consists primarily of traditional research reports, recommendations and similar materials produced by the in-house research staffs of broker-dealer firms. This research includes evaluations and recommendations of specific companies or industry groups, as well as analyses of general economic and market conditions and trends, market data, contacts and other related information and assistance. Invesco periodically rates the quality of proprietary research produced by various Brokers. Based on the evaluation of the quality of information that Invesco receives from each Broker, Invesco develops an estimate of each Brokers share of Invesco clients commission dollars and attempts to direct trades to these firms to meet these estimates.
Invesco and the Sub-Advisers also use soft dollars to acquire products from third parties that are supplied to Invesco or the Sub-Advisers through Brokers executing the trades or other Brokers who step in to a transaction and receive a portion of the brokerage commission for the trade. Invesco or the Sub-Advisers may from time to time instruct the executing Broker to allocate or step out a portion of a transaction to another Broker. The Broker to which Invesco or the Sub-Advisers have stepped out would then settle and complete the designated portion of the transaction, and the executing Broker would settle and complete the remaining portion of the transaction that has not been stepped out. Each Broker may receive a commission or brokerage fee with respect to that portion of the transaction that it settles and completes.
Soft Dollar Products received from Brokers supplement Invescos and or the Sub-Advisers own research (and the research of certain of its affiliates), and may include the following types of products and services:
| Database Services comprehensive databases containing current and/or historical information on companies and industries and indices. Examples include historical securities prices, earnings estimates and financial data. These services may include software tools that allow the user to search the database or to prepare value-added analyses related to the investment process (such as forecasts and models used in the portfolio management process). |
| Quotation/Trading/News Systems products that provide real time market data information, such as pricing of individual securities and information on current trading, as well as a variety of news services. |
| Economic Data/Forecasting Tools various macro-economic forecasting tools, such as economic data or currency and political forecasts for various countries or regions. |
| Quantitative/Technical Analysis software tools that assist in quantitative and technical analysis of investment data. |
| Fundamental/Industry Analysis industry specific fundamental investment research. |
| Other Specialized Tools other specialized products, such as consulting analyses, access to industry experts, and distinct investment expertise such as forensic accounting or custom built investment-analysis software. |
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If Invesco or the Sub-Advisers determines that any service or product has a mixed use (i.e., it also serves functions that do not assist the investment decision-making or trading process), Invesco or the Sub-Advisers will allocate the costs of such service or product accordingly in its reasonable discretion. Invesco or the Sub-Advisers will allocate brokerage commissions to Brokers only for the portion of the service or product that Invesco or the Sub-Advisers determines assists it in the investment decision-making or trading process and will pay for the remaining value of the product or service in cash.
Outside research assistance is useful to Invesco or the Sub-Advisers because the Brokers used by Invesco or the Sub-Advisers tend to provide more in-depth analysis of a broader universe of securities and other matters than Invescos or the Sub-Advisers staff follows. In addition, such services provide Invesco or the Sub-Advisers with a diverse perspective on financial markets. Some Brokers may indicate that the provision of research services is dependent upon the generation of certain specified levels of commissions and underwriting concessions by Invescos or the Sub-Advisers clients, including the Fund. However, the Fund is not under any obligation to deal with any Broker in the execution of transactions in portfolio securities. In some cases, Soft Dollar Products are available only from the Broker providing them. In other cases, Soft Dollar Products may be obtainable from alternative sources in return for cash payments. Invesco and the Sub-Advisers believe that because Broker research supplements rather than replaces Invescos or the Sub-Advisers research, the receipt of such research tends to improve the quality of Invescos or the Sub-Advisers investment advice. The advisory fee paid by the Fund is not reduced because Invesco or the Sub-Advisers receives such services. To the extent the Funds portfolio transactions are used to obtain Soft Dollar Products, the brokerage commissions obtained by the Fund might exceed those that might otherwise have been paid.
Invesco or the Sub-Advisers may determine target levels of brokerage business with various Brokers on behalf of its clients (including the Fund) over a certain time period. Invesco determines target levels based upon the following factors, among others: (1) the execution services provided by the Broker; and (2) the research services provided by the Broker. Portfolio transactions may be effected through Brokers that recommend the Fund to their clients, or that act as agent in the purchase of the Funds shares for their clients, provided that Invesco or the Sub-Advisers believes such Brokers provide best execution and such transactions are executed in compliance with Invescos policy against using directed brokerage to compensate Brokers for promoting or selling Invesco fund shares. Invesco and the Sub-Advisers will not enter into a binding commitment with Brokers to place trades with such Brokers involving brokerage commissions in precise amounts.
Directed Brokerage (Research Services)
The Fund did not pay any directed brokerage (research services) during its most recently completed fiscal year.
Regular Brokers
During its last fiscal year, the Fund did not acquire any securities of regular brokers or dealers, as defined in Rule 10b-1 under the 1940 Act.
Allocation of Portfolio Transactions
Invesco and the Sub-Advisers manage numerous Invesco funds and other accounts. Some of these accounts may have investment objectives similar to the Fund. Occasionally, identical securities will be appropriate for investment by one the Fund and by another fund or one or more other accounts. However, the position of each account in the same security and the length of time that each account may hold its investment in the same security may vary. Invesco and the Sub-Adviser will also determine the timing and amount of purchases for an account based on its cash position. If the purchase or sale of securities is consistent with the investment policies of the Fund(s) and one or more other accounts, and is considered at or about the same time, Invesco or the Sub-Adviser will allocate transactions in such securities among the Fund(s) and these accounts on a pro rata basis based on order size or in such other manner believed by Invesco to be fair and equitable. Invesco or the Sub-Adviser may combine transactions in accordance with applicable laws and regulations to obtain the most favorable execution. Simultaneous transactions could, however, adversely affect the Funds ability to obtain or dispose of the full amount of a security which it seeks to purchase or sell.
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The following discussion is a brief summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations affecting the Fund and the purchase, ownership and disposition of the Funds Common Shares. Except as otherwise noted, this discussion assumes you are a taxable U.S. person (as defined for U.S. federal income tax purposes) and that you hold your Common Shares as capital assets for U.S. federal income tax purposes (generally, assets held for investment). This discussion is based upon current provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), the regulations promulgated thereunder and judicial and administrative authorities, all of which are subject to change or differing interpretations by the courts or the Internal Revenue Service (the IRS), possibly with retroactive effect. No attempt is made to present a detailed explanation of all U.S. federalconcerns affecting the Fund and its Common Shareholders (including Common Shareholders subject to special treatment under U.S. federal income tax law). No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain, a position contrary to those set forth below. This summary does not discuss any aspects of foreign, state or local tax. The discussions set forth herein and in the Prospectus do not constitute tax advice and potential investors are urged to consult their own tax advisers to determine the specific U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax consequences to them of investing in the Fund.
Taxation of the Fund
The Fund intends to elect to be treated and to qualify each year as a regulated investment company (RIC) under Subchapter M of the Code. Accordingly, the Fund must, among other things, (i) derive in each taxable year at least 90% of its gross income from (a) dividends, interest (including tax-exempt interest), payments with respect to certain securities loans, and gains from the sale or other disposition of stock, securities or foreign currencies, or other income (including gain from options, futures and forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or foreign currencies and (b) net income derived from interests in qualified publicly traded partnerships (as defined in the Code); and (ii) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each quarter of each taxable year (a) at least 50% of the market value of the Funds total assets is represented by cash and cash items, U.S. Government securities, the securities of other RICs and other securities, with such other securities limited, in respect of any one issuer, to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Funds total assets and not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer and (b) not more than 25% of the market value of the Funds total assets is invested in the securities (other than U.S. Government securities and the securities of other RICs) of (I) any one issuer, (II) any two or more issuers that the Fund controls and that are determined to be engaged in the same business or similar or related trades or businesses or (III) any one or more qualified publicly traded partnerships. Generally, a qualified publicly traded partnership includes a partnership the interests of which are traded on an established securities market or readily tradable on a secondary market (or the substantial equivalent thereof) and that derives less than 90% of its gross income from the items described in (i)(a) above.
As long as the Fund qualifies as a RIC, the Fund generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on income and gains that the Fund distributes to its Common Shareholders, provided that it distributes each taxable year at least 90% of the sum of (i) the Funds investment company taxable income (which includes, among other items, dividends, interest, the excess of any net short-term capital gain over net long-term capital loss, and other taxable income, other than any net capital gain (defined below), reduced by deductible expenses) determined without regard to the deduction for dividends paid and (ii) the Funds net tax-exempt interest (the excess of its gross tax-exempt interest over certain disallowed deductions). The Fund intends to distribute substantially all of such income each year. The Fund will be subject to income tax at regular corporate rates on any taxable income or gains that it does not distribute to its Common Shareholders.
The Code imposes a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the Fund to the extent the Fund does not distribute by the end of any calendar year at least the sum of (i) 98% of its ordinary income (not taking into account any capital gain or loss) for the calendar year and (ii) 98.2% of its capital gain in excess of its capital loss (adjusted for certain ordinary losses) for a one-year period generally ending on October 31 of the calendar year (unless an election is made to use the Funds taxable year). In addition, the minimum amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any under-distribution or over-distribution, as the case may be, from the previous year. For purposes of the excise tax, the Fund will be deemed to have distributed any income on which it paid U.S. federal income tax. While the Fund intends to distribute any income and capital gain in the manner necessary to minimize imposition of the 4% nondeductible excise tax, there can be no assurance that sufficient amounts of the Funds taxable income and capital gain will be distributed to avoid entirely the imposition of the excise tax. In that event, the Fund will be liable for the excise tax only on the amount by which it does not meet the foregoing distribution requirement.
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If for any taxable year the Fund were to fail to qualify as a RIC, all of its taxable income (including its net capital gain, which consists of the excess of its net long-term capital gain over its net short-term capital loss) would be subject to tax at regular corporate rates without any deduction for distributions to Common Shareholders, and such distributions would be taxable to the Common Shareholders as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Funds current or accumulated earnings and profits. Such dividends, however, would be eligible (i) to be treated as qualified dividend income in the case of Common Shareholders taxed as individuals and (ii) for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate Common Shareholders, subject, in each case, to certain holding period and other requirements. To qualify again to be taxed as a RIC in a subsequent year, the Fund would generally be required to distribute to its Common Shareholders its earnings and profits attributable to non-RIC years. In addition, if the Fund failed to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, the Fund would be required to recognize and pay tax on any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets (i.e., the excess of the aggregate gains, including items of income, over aggregate losses that would have been realized with respect to such assets if the Fund had been liquidated) or, alternatively, to elect to be subject to taxation on such built-in gain recognized for a period of ten years, in order to qualify as a RIC in a subsequent year.
The remainder of this discussion assumes that the Trust qualifies for taxation as a RIC.
The Funds Investments
Certain of the Funds investment practices are subject to special and complex U.S. federal income tax provisions (including mark-to-market, constructive sale, straddle, wash sale, short sale and other rules) that may, among other things, (i) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions, including the dividends received deduction, (ii) convert lower taxed long-term capital gains or qualified dividend income into higher taxed short-term capital gains or ordinary income, (iii) convert ordinary loss or a deduction into capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited), (iv) cause the Fund to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash, (v) adversely affect the time as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur, (vi) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions and (vii) produce income that will not be qualified income for purposes of the 90% annual gross income requirement described above. These U.S. federal income tax provisions could therefore affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to Common Shareholders. The Fund intends to monitor its transactions and may make certain tax elections and may be required to dispose of securities to mitigate the effect of these provisions and prevent disqualification of the Fund as a RIC. Additionally, the Fund may be required to limit its activities in derivative instruments in order to enable it to maintain its RIC status.
The Fund may invest a portion of its net assets in below investment grade securities, commonly known as junk securities. Investments in these types of securities may present special tax issues for the Fund. U.S. federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, original issue discount or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless securities, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income and whether modifications or exchanges of debt obligations in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. These and other issues could affect the Funds ability to distribute sufficient income to preserve its status as a RIC or to avoid the imposition of U.S. federal income or excise tax.
Certain debt securities acquired by the Fund may be treated as debt securities that were originally issued at a discount. Generally, the amount of the original issue discount is treated as interest income and is included in taxable income (and required to be distributed by the Fund in order to qualify as a RIC or avoid corporate level income or excise taxes) over the term of the security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. If the Fund purchases a debt security on a secondary market at a price lower than its adjusted issue price, the excess of the adjusted issue price over the purchase price is market discount. Unless the Fund makes an election to accrue market discount on a current basis, any gain realized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt security having market discount is generally treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the accrued market discount on the debt security. Market discount generally accrues in equal daily installments. If the Fund ultimately collects less on the debt instrument than its purchase price plus the market discount previously included in income, the Fund may not be able to benefit from any offsetting loss deductions.
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The Fund may invest in preferred securities or other securities the U.S. federal income tax treatment of which may not be clear or may be subject to recharacterization by the IRS. To the extent the tax treatment of such securities or the income from such securities differs from the tax treatment expected by the Fund, it could affect the timing or character of income recognized by the Fund, requiring the Fund to purchase or sell securities, or otherwise change its portfolio, in order to comply with the tax rules applicable to RICs under the Code.
Gain or loss on the sale of securities by the Fund will generally be long-term capital gain or loss if the securities have been held by the Fund for more than one year. Gain or loss on the sale of securities held for one year or less will be short-term capital gain or loss.
Because the Fund may invest in foreign securities, its income from such securities may be subject to non-U.S. taxes. The Fund will not be eligible to elect to pass through to Common Shareholders of the Fund the ability to use the foreign tax deduction or foreign tax credit for foreign taxes paid by the Fund with respect to qualifying taxes.
Income from options on individual securities written by the Fund will not be recognized by the Fund for tax purposes until an option is exercised, lapses or is subject to a closing transaction (as defined by applicable regulations) pursuant to which the Funds obligations with respect to the option are otherwise terminated. If the option lapses without exercise, the premiums received by the Fund from the writing of such options will generally be characterized as short-term capital gain. If the Fund enters into a closing transaction, the difference between the premiums received and the amount paid by the Fund to close out its position will generally be treated as short-term capital gain or loss. If an option written by the Fund is exercised, thereby requiring the Fund to sell the underlying security, the premium will increase the amount realized upon the sale of the security, and the character of any gain on such sale of the underlying security as short-term or long-term capital gain will depend on the holding period of the Fund in the underlying security. Because the Fund will not have control over the exercise of the options it writes, such exercises or other required sales of the underlying securities may cause the Fund to realize gains or losses at inopportune times.
Options on indices of securities and sectors of securities that qualify as section 1256 contracts will generally be marked-to-market for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a result, the Fund will generally recognize gain or loss on the last day of each taxable year equal to the difference between the value of the option on that date and the adjusted basis of the option. The adjusted basis of the option will consequently be increased by such gain or decreased by such loss. Any gain or loss with respect to options on indices and sectors that qualify as section 1256 contracts will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss to the extent of 40% of such gain or loss and long-term capital gain or loss to the extent of 60% of such gain or loss. Because the mark-to-market rules may cause the Fund to recognize gain in advance of the receipt of cash, the Fund may be required to dispose of investments in order to meet its distribution requirements. Mark-to-market losses may be suspended or otherwise limited if such losses are part of a straddle or similar transaction.
Taxation of Common Shareholders
The Fund will either distribute or retain for reinvestment all or part of its net capital gain. If any such gain is retained, the Fund will be subject to a corporate income tax on such retained amount. In that event, the Fund expects to report the retained amount as undistributed capital gain in a notice to its Common Shareholders, each of whom, if subject to U.S. federal income tax on long-term capital gains, (i) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes as long-term capital gain its share of such undistributed amounts, (ii) will be entitled to credit its proportionate share of the tax paid by the Fund against its U.S. federal income tax liability and to claim refunds to the extent that the credit exceeds such liability and (iii) will increase its basis in its Common Shares by the amount of undistributed capital gain included in such Common Shareholders gross income net of the tax deemed paid the shareholder under clause (ii).
Distributions paid to you by the Fund from its net capital gain, if any, that the Fund properly reports as capital gain dividends (capital gain dividends) are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held your Common Shares. All other dividends paid to you by the Fund (including dividends from net short-
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term capital gains) from its current or accumulated earnings and profits (ordinary income dividends) are generally subject to tax as ordinary income. Provided that certain holding period and other requirements are met, ordinary income dividends (if properly reported by the Fund) may qualify (i) for the dividends received deduction in the case of corporate shareholders to the extent that the Funds income consists of dividend income from U.S. corporations, and (ii) in the case of individual shareholders, as qualified dividend income eligible to be taxed at long-term capital gains rates to the extent that the Fund receives qualified dividend income. Qualified dividend income is, in general, dividend income from taxable domestic corporations and certain qualified foreign corporations (e.g., generally, foreign corporations incorporated in a possession of the United States or in certain countries with a qualifying comprehensive tax treaty with the United States, or whose stock with respect to which such dividend is paid is readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States). Capital gain dividends are not eligible for the dividends received deduction or for the reduced rates applicable to qualified dividend income. There can be no assurance as to what portion, if any, of the Funds distributions will constitute qualified dividend income.
Any distributions you receive that are in excess of the Funds current and accumulated earnings and profits will be treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of your adjusted tax basis in your Common Shares, and thereafter as capital gain from the sale of Common Shares (assuming the Common Shares are held as a capital asset). The amount of any Fund distribution that is treated as a tax-free return of capital will reduce your adjusted tax basis in your Common Shares, thereby increasing your potential gain or reducing your potential loss on any subsequent sale or other disposition of your Common Shares.
Common Shareholders may be entitled to offset their capital gain dividends with capital losses. The Code contains a number of statutory provisions affecting when capital losses may be offset against capital gain, and limiting the use of losses from certain investments and activities. Accordingly, Common Shareholders that have capital losses are urged to consult their tax advisers.
Dividends and other taxable distributions are taxable to you even though they are reinvested in additional Common Shares of the Fund. Dividends and other distributions paid by the Fund are generally treated under the Code as received by you at the time the dividend or distribution is made. If, however, the Fund pays you a dividend in January that was declared in the previous October, November or December to common shareholders of record on a specified date in one of such months, then such dividend will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as being paid by the Fund and received by you on December 31 of the year in which the dividend was declared. In addition, certain other distributions made after the close of the Funds taxable year may be spilled back and treated as paid by the Fund (except for purposes of the 4% nondeductible excise tax) during such taxable year. In such case, you will be treated as having received such dividends in the taxable year in which the distributions were actually made.
The price of Common Shares purchased at any time may reflect the amount of a forthcoming distribution. Those purchasing Common Shares just prior to the record date of a distribution will receive a distribution which will be taxable to them even though it represents, economically, a return of invested capital.
The Fund will send you information after the end of each year setting forth the amount and tax status of any distributions paid to you by the Fund.
The sale or other disposition of Common Shares will generally result in capital gain or loss to you and will be long-term capital gain or loss if you have held such Common Shares for more than one year at the time of sale. Any loss upon the sale or other disposition of Common Shares held for six months or less will be treated as long-term capital loss to the extent of any capital gain dividends received (including amounts credited as an undistributed capital gain dividend) by you with respect to such Common Shares. Any loss you recognize on a sale or other disposition of Common Shares will be disallowed if you acquire other Common Shares (whether through the automatic reinvestment of dividends or otherwise) within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after your sale or exchange of the Common Shares. In such case, your tax basis in the Common Shares acquired will be adjusted to reflect the disallowed loss.
Current U.S. federal income tax law taxes both long-term and short-term capital gain of corporations at the rates applicable to ordinary income. For non-corporate taxpayers, short-term capital gain is currently taxed at rates applicable to ordinary income while long-term capital gain generally is taxed at reduced maximum rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations under the Code.
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Certain U.S. shareholders who are individuals, estates or trusts and whose income exceeds certain thresholds will be required to pay a 3.8% Medicare tax on all or a portion of their net investment income, which includes dividends received from the Fund and capital gains from the sale or other disposition of the Funds shares.
A Common Shareholder that is a nonresident alien individual or a foreign corporation (a foreign investor) generally will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at the rate of 30% (or possibly a lower rate provided by an applicable tax treaty) on ordinary income dividends (except as discussed below). In general, U.S. federal withholding tax and U.S. federal income tax will not apply to any gain or income realized by a foreign investor in respect of any distribution of net capital gain (including amounts credited as an undistributed capital gain dividend) or upon the sale or other disposition of Common Shares of the Fund. Different tax consequences may result if the foreign investor is engaged in a trade or business in the United States or, in the case of an individual, is present in the United States for 183 days or more during a taxable year and certain other conditions are met.
Foreign investors should consult their tax advisers regarding the tax consequences of investing in the Funds Common Shares.
For taxable years of a RIC beginning before January 1, 2015 (and, if extended as has happened in the past, for taxable years covered by such extension), ordinary income dividends properly reported by the RIC are generally exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax where they (i) are paid in respect of the RICs qualified net interest income (generally, its U.S.-source interest income, other than certain contingent interest and interest from obligations of a corporation or partnership in which the RIC is at least a 10% shareholder, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income) or (ii) are paid in respect of the RICs qualified short-term capital gains (generally, the excess of the RICs net short-term capital gain over its long-term capital loss for such taxable year). There can be no assurance as to whether this provision will be extended. In addition, even if this provision were extended, depending on its circumstances, the Fund may report all, some or none of its potentially eligible dividends as such qualified net interest income or as qualified short-term capital gains, and/or treat such dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for this exemption from withholding. In order to qualify for this exemption from withholding, a foreign investor needs to comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E or substitute Form). In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if the Fund reports the payment as qualified net interest income or qualified short-term capital gain. Foreign investors should contact their intermediaries with respect to the application of these rules to their accounts. There can be no assurance as to what portion of the Funds distributions will qualify for favorable treatment as qualified net interest income or qualified short-term capital gains if this provision is extended.
Legislation enacted in 2010 and existing guidance issued thereunder require withholding at a rate of 30% on dividends in respect of, and, after December 31, 2016, gross proceeds from the sale of, shares of the Fund held by or through certain foreign financial institutions (including investment funds), unless such institution enters into an agreement with the Treasury to report, on an annual basis, information with respect to shares in, and accounts maintained by, the institution to the extent such shares or accounts are held by certain U.S. persons and by certain non-U.S. entities that are wholly or partially owned by U.S. persons and to withhold on certain payments. Accordingly, the entity through which stock of the Fund is held will affect the determination of whether such withholding is required. Similarly, dividends in respect of, and, after December 31, 2016, gross proceeds from the sale of, shares of the Fund held by an investor that is a non-financial foreign entity that does not qualify under certain exemptions will be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%, unless such entity either (i) certifies that such entity does not have any substantial United States owners or (ii) provides certain information regarding the entitys substantial United States owners, which the Fund will in turn provide to the Secretary of the Treasury. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country, or future Treasury regulations or other guidance, may modify these requirements. The Fund will not pay any additional amounts to stockholders in respect of any amounts withheld. Foreign investors are encouraged to consult with their tax advisers regarding the possible implications of these rules on their investment in the Funds shares.
The Fund may be required to withhold (currently at a rate of 28%), for U.S. federal backup withholding tax purposes, a portion of the dividends, distributions and redemption proceeds payable to certain non-exempt Common Shareholders who fail to provide the Fund (or its agent) with their correct taxpayer identification number (in the case of individuals, generally, their social security number) or to make required certifications, or who are otherwise subject to backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be refunded or credited against your U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, provided that you timely furnish the required information to the IRS.
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Ordinary income dividends, capital gain dividends, and gain from the sale or other disposition of Common Shares of the Fund also may be subject to state, local, and/or foreign taxes. Common Shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisers regarding specific questions about U.S. federal, state, local or foreign tax consequences to them of investing in the Fund.
***
The foregoing is a general and abbreviated summary of certain provisions of the Code and the Treasury Regulations presently in effect as they directly govern the taxation of the Fund and its shareholders. For complete provisions, reference should be made to the pertinent Code sections and Treasury Regulations. The Code and the Treasury Regulations are subject to change by legislative or administrative action, and any such change may be retroactive with respect to Fund transactions. Prospective shareholders are advised to consult their own tax advisers for more detailed information concerning the tax consequences of an investment in the Fund.
Principal Shareholders
As of the date of this Statement of Additional Information, to the knowledge of the Fund, no person beneficially owned more than 5% of the voting securities of any class of equity securities of the Fund, except as provided below
Title of Class | Name and Address of Beneficial Owner | Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership |
Percent of Class | |||||||
Common Shares |
First Trust Portfolios L.P.(1) First Trust Advisors L.P. The Charger Corporation 120 East Liberty Drive, Suite 400 Wheaton, Illinois 60187 |
1,279,597 | 15.76 | % |
(1) | Based on Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 6, 2015. |
Proxy Voting Policy and Proxy Voting Record
The Board of the Fund has delegated responsibility for decisions regarding proxy voting for securities held by the Fund to Invesco. Invesco will vote such proxies in accordance with its proxy policies and procedures, which have been reviewed and approved by the Board. Invescos proxy policies and procedures are attached hereto as Appendix B. The Proxy Voting Policy is subject to change over time and investors seeking the most current copy of the Proxy Voting Policy should go to our web site at www.invesco.com/us.
Any material changes to the proxy policies and procedures will be submitted to the Board for approval. The Board will be supplied with a summary quarterly report of the Funds proxy voting record. Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies related to their portfolio securities during the twelve-months period ended June 30 is available without charge at our Web site, http://www.invesco.com/us. This information is also available at the SEC Web site, http://www.sec.gov.
Code of Ethics
Invesco, the Fund and the Sub-Advisers each have adopted a Code of Ethics under Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act that applies to all Invesco fund trustees and officers, and employees of Invesco, the Sub-Advisers and their affiliates, and governs, among other things, the personal trading activities of all such persons. Unless specifically noted, each Sub-Advisers Code of Ethics does not materially differ from Invesco Code of Ethics discussed below. The Code of Ethics is intended to address conflicts of interest with the Fund that may arise from personal trading, including personal trading in most of the Invesco funds. Personal trading, including personal trading involving securities that may be purchased or held by an Invesco fund, is permitted under the Code of Ethics subject to certain restrictions; however, employees are required to pre-clear security transactions with the Compliance Officer or a designee and to report transactions on a regular basis.
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These Codes of Ethics can be reviewed and copied at the SECs Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. Copies of the Codes of Ethics may alternatively be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by sending an electronic request to publicinfo@sec.gov or by writing the SECs Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102. The Codes of Ethics are also available, free of charge, on the EDGAR Database on the SECs Web site at http://www.sec.gov.
The audited financial statements of the Fund are incorporated herein by reference to the Annual Report to shareholders of the Fund dated February 28, 2015. The Annual Report is included as part of the Funds filing on Form N-CSR as filed with the SEC on May 8, 2015. The Annual Report may be obtained by following the instructions on the cover of this SAI. The Annual and Semi-Annual Reports may be reviewed and copied at the SECs Public Reference Room in Washington, DC or on the EDGAR database on the SECs internet site (www.sec.gov). Information on the operation of the SECs Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at (202) 551-8090. You can also request copies of these materials, upon payment of a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the SECs e-mail address (publicinfo@sec.gov) or by writing the Public Reference Section of the SEC, Washington, DC 20549-0102.
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Appendix A
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES RATINGS
Standard & Poors
A brief description of the applicable Standard & Poors rating symbols and their meanings (as published by Standard & Poors) follows:
Issue Credit Ratings Definitions
A Standard & Poors issue credit rating is a forward-looking opinion about the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to a specific financial obligation, a specific class of financial obligations, or a specific financial program (including ratings on medium-term note programs and commercial paper programs). It takes into consideration the creditworthiness of guarantors, insurers, or other forms of credit enhancement on the obligation and takes into account the currency in which the obligation is denominated. The opinion reflects Standard & Poors view of the obligors capacity and willingness to meet its financial commitments as they come due, and may assess terms, such as collateral security and subordination, which could affect ultimate payment in the event of default.
Issue credit ratings can be either long term or short term. Short-term ratings are generally assigned to those obligations considered short-term in the relevant market. In the U.S., for example, that means obligations with an original maturity of no more than 365 daysincluding commercial paper. Short-term ratings are also used to indicate the creditworthiness of an obligor with respect to put features on long-term obligations. Medium-term notes are assigned long-term ratings.
Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings
Issue credit ratings are based, in varying degrees, on Standard & Poors analysis of the following considerations:
| Likelihood of payment capacity and willingness of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on an obligation in accordance with the terms of the obligation; |
| Nature of and provisions of the obligation, and the promise we impute. |
| Protection afforded by, and relative position of, the obligation in the event of bankruptcy, reorganization, or other arrangement under the laws of bankruptcy and other laws affecting creditors rights. |
Issue ratings are an assessment of default risk, but may incorporate an assessment of relative seniority or ultimate recovery in the event of default. Junior obligations are typically rated lower than senior obligations, to reflect the lower priority in bankruptcy, as noted above. (Such differentiation may apply when an entity has both senior and subordinated obligations, secured and unsecured obligations, or operating company and holding company obligations.)
AAA | An obligation rated AAA has the highest rating assigned by Standard & Poors. The obligors capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is extremely strong. |
AA | An obligation rated AA differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligors capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is very strong. |
A | An obligation rated A is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligors capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is still strong. |
A-1
BBB | An obligation rated BBB exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
BB, B, CCC, CC, and C
Obligations rated BB, B, CCC, CC, and C are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. BB indicates the least degree of speculation and C the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposures to adverse conditions.
BB | An obligation rated BB is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions which could lead to the obligors inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
B | An obligation rated B is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated BB, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligors capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
CCC | An obligation rated CCC is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
CC | An obligation rated CC is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The CC rating is used when a default has not yet occurred, but Standard & Poors expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default. |
C | An obligation rated C is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared to obligations that are rated higher. |
D | An obligation rated D is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless Standard & Poors believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligations rating is lowered to D if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer. |
Plus (+) or minus (-)
The ratings from AA to CCC may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the major rating categories.
NR | This indicates that no rating has been requested, that there is insufficient information on which to base a rating, or that Standard & Poors does not rate a particular obligation as a matter of policy. |
Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings
A-1 | A short-term obligation rated A-1 is rated in the highest category by Standard & Poors. The obligors capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligors capacity to meet its financial commitment on these obligations is extremely strong. |
A-2 | A short-term obligation rated A-2 is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligors capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation is satisfactory. |
A-2
A-3 | A short-term obligation rated A-3 exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity of the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
B | A short-term obligation rated B is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties which could lead to the obligors inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments. |
C | A short-term obligation rated C is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. |
D | A short-term obligation rated D is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the D rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless Standard & Poors believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The D rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. An obligations rating is lowered to D if it is subject to a distressed exchange offer. |
Dual Ratings
Dual ratings may be assigned to debt issues that have a put option or demand feature. The first component of the rating addresses the likelihood of repayment of principal and interest as due, and the second component of the rating addresses only the demand feature. The first component of the rating can relate to either a short-term or long-term transaction and accordingly use either short-term or long-term rating symbols. The second component of the rating relates to the put option and is assigned a short-term rating symbol (for example, AAA/A-1+ or A-1+/A-1). With U.S. municipal short-term demand debt, the U.S. municipal short-term note rating symbols are used for the first component of the rating (for example, SP-1+/A-1+).
Moodys Investors Service Inc.
A brief description of the applicable Moodys Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys) rating symbols and their meanings (as published by Moodys) follows:
Moodys long-term obligation ratings are opinions of the relative credit risk of fixed-income obligations with an original maturity of one year or more. They address the possibility that a financial obligation will not be honored as promised. Such ratings use Moodys Global Scale and reflect both the likelihood of default and any financial loss suffered in the event of default.
Aaa | Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, with minimal credit risk. |
Aa | Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk. |
A | Obligations rated A are considered upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk. |
Baa | Obligations rated Baa are subject to moderate credit risk. They are considered medium- grade and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics. |
Ba | Obligations rated Ba are judged to have speculative elements and are subject to substantial credit risk. |
B | Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk. |
Caa | Obligations rated Caa are judged to be of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk. |
A-3
Ca | Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest. |
C | Obligations rated C are the lowest rated class of bonds and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest. |
Note: | Moodys appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. |
Medium-Term Note Ratings
Moodys assigns long-term ratings to individual debt securities issued from medium-term note (MTN) programs, in addition to indicating ratings to MTN programs themselves. These long-term ratings are expressed on Moodys general long-term scale. Notes issued under MTN programs with such indicated ratings are rated at issuance at the rating applicable to all pari passu notes issued under the same program, at the programs relevant indicated rating, provided such notes do not exhibit any of the characteristics listed below:
| Notes containing features that link interest or principal to the credit performance of any third party or parties (i.e., credit-linked notes); |
| Notes allowing for negative coupons, or negative principal; |
| Notes containing any provision that could obligate the investor to make any additional payments; |
| Notes containing provisions that subordinate the claim. |
For notes with any of these characteristics, the rating of the individual note may differ from the indicated rating of the program.
For credit-linked securities, Moodys policy is to look through to the credit risk of the underlying obligor. Moodys policy with respect to non-credit linked obligations is to rate the issuers ability to meet the contract as stated, regardless of potential losses to investors as a result of non-credit developments. In other words, as long as the obligation has debt standing in the event of bankruptcy, we will assign the appropriate debt class level rating to the instrument.
Market participants must determine whether any particular note is rated, and if so, at what rating level. Moodys encourages market participants to contact Moodys Ratings Desks or visit www.moodys.com directly if they have questions regarding ratings for specific notes issued under a medium-term note program. Unrated notes issued under an MTN program may be assigned an NR (not rated) symbol.
Short-Term Ratings
Moodys short-term ratings are opinions of the ability of issuers to honor short-term financial obligations. Ratings may be assigned to issuers, short-term programs or to individual short-term debt instruments. Such obligations generally have an original maturity not exceeding thirteen months, unless explicitly noted.
Moodys employs the following designations to indicate the relative repayment ability of rated issuers:
P-1 | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-1 have a superior ability to repay short-term debt obligations. |
P-2 | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-2 have a strong ability to repay short-term debt obligations. |
P-3 | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Prime-3 have an acceptable ability to repay short- term obligations. |
A-4
NP | Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories. |
Note: | Canadian issuers rated P-1 or P-2 have their short-term ratings enhanced by the senior most long-term rating of the issuer, its guarantor or support-provider |
Fitch Ratings, Inc.
A brief description of the applicable Fitch Ratings, Inc. (Fitch) rating symbols and their meanings (as published by Fitch) follows:
Long-Term Ratings Scales Issuer Credit Rating Scales
Rated entities in a number of sectors, including financial and non-financial corporations, sovereigns and insurance companies, are generally assigned Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs). IDRs opine on an entitys relative vulnerability to default on financial obligations. The threshold default risk addressed by the IDR is generally that of the financial obligations whose non-payment would best reflect the uncured failure of that entity. As such, IDRs also address relative vulnerability to bankruptcy, administrative receivership or similar concepts, although the agency recognizes that issuers may also make pre-emptive and therefore voluntary use of such mechanisms.
In aggregate, IDRs provide an ordinal ranking of issuers based on the agencys view of their relative vulnerability to default, rather than a prediction of a specific percentage likelihood of default. For historical information on the default experience of Fitch-rated issuers, please consult the transition and default performance studies available from the Fitch Ratings website.
AAA: Highest credit quality.
AAA ratings denote the lowest expectation of default risk. They are assigned only in cases of exceptionally strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is highly unlikely to be adversely affected by foreseeable events.
AA: Very high credit quality.
AA ratings denote expectations of very low default risk. They indicate very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments. This capacity is not significantly vulnerable to foreseeable events.
A: High credit quality.
A ratings denote expectations of low default risk. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered strong. This capacity may, nevertheless, be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic conditions than is the case for higher ratings.
BBB: Good credit quality.
BBB ratings indicate that expectations of default risk are currently low. The capacity for payment of financial commitments is considered adequate but adverse business or economic conditions are more likely to impair this capacity.
BB: Speculative.
BB ratings indicate an elevated vulnerability to default risk, particularly in the event of adverse changes in business or economic conditions over time; however, business or financial flexibility exists which supports the servicing of financial commitments.
B: Highly speculative.
B ratings indicate that material default risk is present, but a limited margin of safety remains. Financial commitments are currently being met; however, capacity for continued payment is vulnerable to deterioration in the business and economic environment.
A-5
CCC: Substantial credit risk.
Default is a real possibility.
CC: Very high levels of credit risk.
Default of some kind appears probable.
C: Exceptionally high levels of credit risk.
Default is imminent or inevitable, or the issuer is in standstill. Conditions that are indicative of a C category rating for an issuer include:
| the issuer has entered into a grace or cure period following non-payment of a material financial obligation; |
| the issuer has entered into a temporary negotiated waiver or standstill agreement following a payment default on a material financial obligation; or |
| Fitch Ratings otherwise believes a condition of RD or D to be imminent or inevitable, including through the formal announcement of a distressed debt exchange. |
RD: Restricted default.
RD ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch Ratings opinion has experienced an uncured payment default on a bond, loan or other material financial obligation but which has not entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure, and which has not otherwise ceased operating. This would include:
| the selective payment default on a specific class or currency of debt; |
| the uncured expiry of any applicable grace period, cure period or default forbearance period following a payment default on a bank loan, capital markets security or other material financial obligation; |
| the extension of multiple waivers or forbearance periods upon a payment default on one or more material financial obligations, either in series or in parallel; or |
| execution of a distressed debt exchange on one or more material financial obligations. |
D: Default.
D ratings indicate an issuer that in Fitch Ratings opinion has entered into bankruptcy filings, administration, receivership, liquidation or other formal winding-up procedure, or which has otherwise ceased business.
Default ratings are not assigned prospectively to entities or their obligations; within this context, non-payment on an instrument that contains a deferral feature or grace period will generally not be considered a default until after the expiration of the deferral or grace period, unless a default is otherwise driven by bankruptcy or other similar circumstance, or by a distressed debt exchange.
Imminent default typically refers to the occasion where a payment default has been intimated by the issuer, and is all but inevitable. This may, for example, be where an issuer has missed a scheduled payment, but (as is typical) has a grace period during which it may cure the payment default. Another alternative would be where an issuer has formally announced a distressed debt exchange, but the date of the exchange still lies several days or weeks in the immediate future.
In all cases, the assignment of a default rating reflects the agencys opinion as to the most appropriate rating category consistent with the rest of its universe of ratings, and may differ from the definition of default under the terms of an issuers financial obligations or local commercial practice.
Note:
The modifiers + or - may be appended to a rating to denote relative status within major rating categories. Such suffixes are not added to the AAA Long-Term IDR category, or to Long-Term IDR categories below B.
A-6
Short-Term Ratings
A short-term issuer or obligation rating is based in all cases on the short-term vulnerability to default of the rated entity or security stream and relates to the capacity to meet financial obligations in accordance with the documentation governing the relevant obligation. Short-Term Ratings are assigned to obligations whose initial maturity is viewed as short term based on market convention. Typically, this means up to 13 months for corporate, sovereign, and structured obligations, and up to 36 months for obligations in U.S. public finance markets.
F1: Highest short-term credit quality.
Indicates the strongest intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments; may have an added + to denote any exceptionally strong credit feature.
F2: Good short-term credit quality.
Good intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments.
F3: Fair short-term credit quality.
The intrinsic capacity for timely payment of financial commitments is adequate.
B: Speculative short-term credit quality.
Minimal capacity for timely payment of financial commitments, plus heightened vulnerability to near term adverse changes in financial and economic conditions.
C: High short-term default risk.
Default is a real possibility.
RD: Restricted default.
Indicates an entity that has defaulted on one or more of its financial commitments, although it continues to meet other financial obligations. Typically applicable to entity ratings only.
D: Default
Indicates a broad-based default event for an entity, or the default of a short-term obligation.
A-7
Appendix B
PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
B-1
I.1. PROXY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES INVESCO ADVISERS
Applicable to | All Advisory Clients, including the Invesco Funds | |
Risk Addressed by Policy | Breach of fiduciary duty to client under Investment Advisers Act of 1940 by placing Invesco personal interests ahead of clients best interests in voting proxies | |
Relevant Law and Other Sources | Investment Advisers Act of 1940 | |
Last ¨ Reviewed þ Revised by Compliance for Accuracy |
October 21, 2014 | |
Policy/Procedure Owner | Advisory Compliance | |
Policy Approver | Invesco Advisers, Inc., Invesco Funds Board | |
Approved/Adopted Date | October 21, 2014 |
The following policies and procedures apply to all institutional and retail funds and accounts that have explicitly authorized Invesco Advisers, Inc. to vote proxies associated with securities held on their behalf (collectively, Clients).
A. GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Public companies hold meetings for shareholders, during which important issues, such as appointments to the companys board of directors, executive compensation, and the selection of auditors, are addressed and, where applicable, voted on by shareholders. Proxy voting gives shareholders the opportunity to vote on issues that impact a companys operations and policies without attending the meetings.
Invesco views proxy voting as an integral part of its investment management responsibilities and believes that the right to vote proxies should be managed with the same high standards of care and fiduciary duty to its Clients as all other elements of the investment process. Invescos proxy voting philosophy, governance structure and process are designed to ensure that proxy votes are cast in accordance with Clients best interests, which Invesco interprets to mean Clients best economic interests, and Invescos established proxy voting policies and procedures.
The primary aim of Invescos proxy policies is to encourage a culture of performance among the companies in which Invesco invests on behalf of Clients, rather than one of mere conformance with a prescriptive set of rules and constraints. Rigid adherence to a checklist approach to corporate governance issues is, in itself, unlikely to maximize shareholder value.
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The proxy voting process at Invesco, which is driven by investment professionals, focuses on the following
| maximizing long-term value for Clients and protecting Clients rights and promoting governance structures and practices that reinforce the accountability of corporate management and boards of directors to shareholders; |
| reflecting Invescos belief that environmental, social and corporate governance proposals can influence long-term shareholder value and should be voted in a manner where such long-term shareholder value is maximized; and |
| addressing potential conflicts of interest that may arise from time to time in the proxy voting process. |
B. OPERATING PROCEDURES AND RESPONSIBLE PARTIES
Proxy Administration In General
Guided by its philosophy that proxy voting is an asset that is to be managed by each investment team, consistent with that teams view as to the best economic interest of Clients, Invesco has created the Invesco US Proxy Advisory Committee (IUPAC). The IUPAC is an investments -driven committee comprised of representatives from each investment management team and Invescos Head of Proxy Administration. IUPAC provides a forum for investment teams to monitor, understand and discuss key proxy issues and voting trends within the Invesco complex, and to vote proxies where Invesco as a firm has a conflict of interest with an issuer or an investment professional has a personal conflict of interest with an issuer whose proxy he or she is charged with voting. Absent a conflict of interest, the IUPAC representative for each investment team, in consultation with his or her team, is responsible for voting proxies for the securities the team manages. In addition to IUPAC, the Invesco mutual fund board of trustees provides oversight of the proxy process through quarterly reporting and an annual in-person presentation by the Head of Proxy Administration. IUPAC and Invescos proxy administration, compliance and legal teams regularly communicate and review Invescos proxy policies and procedures to ensure that they remain consistent with Clients best interests, regulatory requirements and industry best practices.
Use of Third Party Proxy Advisory Services
Representatives of the IUPAC have direct access to third party proxy advisory analyses and recommendations (currently provided by Glass Lewis (GL) and Institutional Shareholder Services, Inc. (ISS)), among other research tools, and use the information gleaned from those sources to make independent voting decisions.
Invescos proxy administration group performs extensive initial and ongoing due diligence on the proxy advisory firms that it engages. When deemed appropriate, representatives from the firms are asked to deliver updates directly to the mutual fund board of trustees. IUPAC conducts semi-annual, in-person policy roundtables with key heads of research from ISS and GL to ensure transparency, dialogue and engagement with the firms. These meetings provide Invesco with an opportunity to assess the firms capabilities, conflicts of interest and service levels, as well as provide investment professionals with direct insight into the advisory firms stances on key governance and proxy topics and their policy framework/methodologies. Invescos proxy administration team also reviews the annual SSAE 16 reports for, and the periodic proxy guideline updates published by, each proxy advisory firm to ensure that their guidelines remain consistent with Invescos policies and procedures.
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If Invesco becomes aware of any material inaccuracies in the information provided by ISS or GL, Invescos proxy administration team will investigate the matter to determine the cause, evaluate the adequacy of the proxy advisory firms control structure and assess the efficacy of the measures instituted to prevent further errors.
ISS and GL provide updates to previously issued proxy reports when necessary to incorporate newly available information or to correct factual errors. ISS also has a Feedback Review Board, which provides a mechanism for stakeholders to communicate with ISS about issues related to proxy voting and policy formulation, research, and the accuracy of data contained in ISS reports.
Proxy Voting Platform and Administration
Invesco maintains a proprietary global proxy administration platform, supported by the Head of Proxy Administration and a dedicated team of internal proxy specialists. The platform streamlines the proxy voting and ballot reconciliation processes, as well as related functions such as share blocking and issuer/shareholder engagement. Invesco believes that managing these processes internally, as opposed to relying on third parties, gives Invesco greater quality control, oversight and independence in the proxy administration process.
The platform also includes advanced global reporting and record-keeping capabilities regarding proxy matters (including reporting by business unit, issuer or issue) that enable Invesco to satisfy client, regulatory and management requirements. Historical proxy voting information, including commentary by investment professionals regarding the votes they cast, is stored in order to build institutional knowledge over time across the Invesco complex with respect to individual companies and proxy issues. Investment professionals also use the platform to access third-party proxy research.
C. Proxy Voting Guidelines (the Guidelines)
The following guidelines describe Invescos general positions with regard to various common proxy issues. The guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive or prescriptive. As noted above, Invescos proxy process is investor-driven, and each investment team retains ultimate discretion to vote proxies in the manner they deem to be the most appropriate, consistent with the proxy voting principles and philosophy discussed above. Individual proxy votes therefore will differ from these guidelines from time to time.
I. | Corporate Governance |
Management teams of companies are accountable to the boards of directors and directors of publicly held companies are accountable to shareholders. Invesco endeavors to vote the proxies of companies in a manner that will reinforce the notion of a boards accountability. Consequently, Invesco generally votes against any actions that would impair the rights of shareholders or would reduce shareholders influence over the board.
The following are specific voting issues that illustrate how Invesco applies this principle of accountability.
| Elections of directors In uncontested director elections for companies that do not have a controlling shareholder, Invesco generally votes in favor of slates if they are comprised of at least a majority of independent directors and if the boards key committees are fully independent. Key committees include the audit, compensation and governance or |
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nominating Committees. Invescos standard of independence excludes directors who, in addition to the directorship, have any material business or family relationships with the companies they serve. Contested director elections are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. |
| Director performance Invesco generally withholds votes from directors who exhibit a lack of accountability to shareholders, either through their level of attendance at meetings or by adopting or approving egregious corporate-governance or other policies. In cases of material financial restatements, accounting fraud, habitually late filings, adopting shareholder rights plan (poison pills) without shareholder approval, or other areas of poor performance, Invesco may withhold votes from some or all of a companys directors. In situations where directors performance is a concern, Invesco may also support shareholder proposals to take corrective actions, such as so-called clawback provisions. |
| Auditors and Audit Committee members Invesco believes a companys audit committee has a high degree of responsibility to shareholders in matters of financial disclosure, integrity of the financial statements and effectiveness of a companys internal controls. Independence, experience and financial expertise are critical elements of a well-functioning audit committee. When electing directors who are members of a companys audit committee, or when ratifying a companys auditors, Invesco considers the past performance of the committee and holds its members accountable for the quality of the companys financial statements and reports. |
| Majority standard in director elections The right to elect directors is the single most important mechanism shareholders have to promote accountability. Invesco supports the nascent effort to reform the U.S. convention of electing directors, and generally votes in favor of proposals to elect directors by a majority vote. |
| Staggered Boards/Annual Election of Directors Invesco generally supports proposals to elect each director annually rather than electing directors to staggered multi-year terms because annual elections increase a boards level of accountability to its shareholders. |
| Supermajority voting requirements Unless required by law in the state of incorporation, Invesco generally votes against actions that would impose any supermajority voting requirement, and generally supports actions to dismantle existing supermajority requirements. |
| Responsiveness of Directors Invesco generally withholds votes for directors who do not adequately respond to shareholder proposals that were approved by a majority of votes cast the prior year. |
| Cumulative voting The practice of cumulative voting can enable minority shareholders to have representation on a companys board. Invesco generally supports proposals to institute the practice of cumulative voting at companies whose overall corporate-governance standards indicate a particular need to protect the interests of minority shareholders. |
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| Shareholder access On business matters with potential financial consequences, Invesco generally votes in favor of proposals that would increase shareholders opportunities to express their views to boards of directors, proposals that would lower barriers to shareholder action and proposals to promote the adoption of generally accepted best practices in corporate governance. Furthermore, Invesco generally votes for shareholder proposals that are designed to protect shareholder rights if a companys corporate governance standards indicate that such additional protections are warranted. |
II. | Compensation and Incentives |
Invesco believes properly constructed compensation plans that include equity ownership are effective in creating incentives that induce management and employees of companies to create greater shareholder wealth. Invesco generally supports equity compensation plans that promote the proper alignment of incentives with shareholders long-term interests, and generally votes against plans that are overly dilutive to existing shareholders, plans that contain objectionable structural features, and plans that appear likely to reduce the value of the Clients investment.
Following are specific voting issues that illustrate how Invesco evaluates incentive plans.
| Executive compensation Invesco evaluates executive compensation plans within the context of the companys performance under the executives tenure. Invesco believes independent compensation committees are best positioned to craft executive-compensation plans that are suitable for their company-specific circumstances. Invesco views the election of independent compensation committee members as the appropriate mechanism for shareholders to express their approval or disapproval of a companys compensation practices. Therefore, Invesco generally does not support shareholder proposals to limit or eliminate certain forms of executive compensation. In the interest of reinforcing the notion of a compensation committees accountability to shareholders, Invesco generally supports proposals requesting that companies subject each years compensation record to an advisory shareholder vote, or so-called say on pay proposals. |
| Equity-based compensation plans Invesco generally votes against plans that contain structural features that would impair the alignment of incentives between shareholders and management. Such features include the ability to reprice or reload options without shareholder approval, the ability to issue options below the stocks current market price, or the ability automatically to replenish shares without shareholder approval. |
| Employee stock-purchase plans Invesco generally supports employee stock-purchase plans that are reasonably designed to provide proper incentives to a broad base of employees, provided that the price at which employees may acquire stock is at most a 15 percent discount from the market price. |
| Severance agreements Invesco generally votes in favor of proposals requiring advisory shareholder ratification of executives severance agreements. However, Invesco generally opposes proposals requiring such agreements to be ratified by shareholders in advance of their adoption. Given the vast differences that may occur in these agreements, some severance agreements are evaluated on an individual basis. |
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III. | Capitalization |
Examples of management proposals related to a companys capital structure include authorizing or issuing additional equity capital, repurchasing outstanding stock, or enacting a stock split or reverse stock split. On requests for additional capital stock, Invesco analyzes the companys stated reasons for the request. Except where the request could adversely affect the Clients ownership stake or voting rights, Invesco generally supports a boards decisions on its needs for additional capital stock. Some capitalization proposals require a case-by-case analysis. Examples of such proposals include authorizing common or preferred stock with special voting rights, or issuing additional stock in connection with an acquisition.
IV. | Mergers, Acquisitions and Other Corporate Actions |
Issuers occasionally require shareholder approval to engage in certain corporate actions such as mergers, acquisitions, name changes, dissolutions, reorganizations, divestitures and reincorporations and the votes for these types of corporate actions are generally determined on a case-by-case basis.
V. | Anti-Takeover Measures |
Practices designed to protect a company from unsolicited bids can adversely affect shareholder value and voting rights, and they potentially create conflicts of interests among directors, management and shareholders. Except under special issuer-specific circumstances, Invesco generally votes to reduce or eliminate such measures. These measures include adopting or renewing poison pills, requiring supermajority voting on certain corporate actions, classifying the election of directors instead of electing each director to an annual term, or creating separate classes of common or preferred stock with special voting rights. Invesco generally votes against management proposals to impose these types of measures, and generally votes for shareholder proposals designed to reduce such measures. Invesco generally supports shareholder proposals directing companies to subject their anti-takeover provisions to a shareholder vote.
VI. | Environmental, Social and Corporate Responsibility Issues |
Invesco believes that a companys response to environmental, social and corporate responsibility issues and the risks attendant to them can have a significant effect on its long-term shareholder value. Invesco recognizes that to manage a corporation effectively, directors and management must consider not only the interest of shareholders, but also the interests of employees, customers, suppliers and creditors, among others. While Invesco generally affords management discretion with respect to the operation of a companys business, Invesco will evaluate such proposals on a case-by-case basis and will vote proposals relating to these issues in a manner intended to maximize long-term shareholder value.
VII. | Routine Business Matters |
Routine business matters rarely have the potential to have a material effect on the economic prospects of Clients holdings, so Invesco generally supports a boards discretion on these items. However, Invesco generally votes against proposals where there is insufficient information to make a decision about the nature of the proposal. Similarly, Invesco generally votes against proposals to conduct other unidentified business at shareholder meetings.
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D. | EXCEPTIONS |
Client Maintains Right to Vote Proxies
In the case of institutional or sub-advised Clients, Invesco will vote the proxies in accordance with these Guidelines unless the Client retains, in writing, the right to vote or the named fiduciary of a Client (e.g., the plan sponsor of an ERISA Client) retains in writing the right to direct the plan trustee or a third party to vote proxies.
Voting for Certain Investment Strategies
For proxies held by certain Client accounts managed in accordance with fixed income, money market and index strategies, Invesco will typically vote in line with the majority of the rest of the shares voted by Invesco outside of those strategies (Majority Voting). In this manner Invesco seeks to leverage the expertise and comprehensive proxy voting reviews conducted by teams employing active equity strategies, which typically incorporate analysis of proxy issues as a core component of the investment process. Portfolio managers for accounts employing Majority Voting still retain full discretion to override Majority Voting and to vote the shares as they determine to be in the best interest of Clients, absent certain types of conflicts of interest, which are discussed elsewhere in these policies and procedures.
Proxy Constraints
In certain circumstances, Invesco may refrain from voting where the economic or other opportunity cost of voting a companys proxy exceeds any anticipated benefits of that proxy proposal. In addition, there may be instances in which Invesco is unable to vote all of its Clients proxies despite using commercially reasonable efforts to do so. Particular examples of such instances include, but are not limited to, the following:
| When securities are participating in an Invesco securities lending program, Invesco determines whether to terminate the loan by weighing the benefit to the Client of voting a particular proxy versus the revenue lost by terminating the loan and recalling the securities. |
| In some countries the exercise of voting rights requires the Client to submit to share-blocking. Invesco generally refrains from voting proxies in share-blocking countries unless the portfolio manager determines that the benefit to the Client(s) of voting a specific proxy outweighs the Clients temporary inability to sell the security. |
| An inability to receive proxy materials from our Clients custodians with sufficient time and information to make an informed voting decision. |
| Some non-U.S. companies require a representative to attend meetings in person in order to vote a proxy. In such cases, Invesco may determine that the costs of sending a representative or signing a power-of-attorney outweigh the benefit of voting a particular proxy. |
In the great majority of instances Invesco is able to vote U.S. and non-U.S. proxies successfully. It is important to note that Invesco makes voting decisions for non-U.S. issuers using these Guidelines as its framework, but also takes into account the corporate
October 2014
I.1 - 7
governance standards, regulatory environment and generally reasonable and governance-minded practices of the local market.
E. | Resolving potential conflicts of interest |
Firm Level Conflicts of Interest
A potential conflict of interest arises when Invesco votes a proxy for an issuer with which it also maintains a material business relationship. Examples could include issuers that are distributors of Invescos products, or issuers that employ Invesco to manage portions of their retirement plans or treasury accounts.
Invesco generally resolves such potential conflicts in one of the following ways: (1) if the proposal that gives rise to the potential conflict is specifically addressed by the Guidelines, Invesco may vote the proxy in accordance with the predetermined Guidelines; (2) Invesco may engage an independent third party to determine how the proxy should be voted; or (3) Invesco may establish an ethical wall or other informational barrier between the persons involved in the potential conflict and the persons making the proxy-voting decision in order to insulate the potential conflict from the decision makers.
Because the Guidelines are pre-determined and crafted to be in the best economic interest of Clients, applying the Guidelines to vote Client proxies should, in most instances, adequately resolve any potential conflict of interest. As an additional safeguard against potential conflicts, persons from Invescos marketing, distribution and other customer-facing functions are not members of IUPAC.
Voting of Proxies Related to Invesco Ltd. In order to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest, Invesco will not vote proxies issued by, or related to matters involving, Invesco Ltd. that may be held by Clients from time to time.
Personal Conflicts of Interest If any member of IUPAC has a personal conflict of interest with respect to a company or an issue presented for voting, that IUPAC member will inform IUPAC of such conflict and will abstain from voting on that company or issue. All IUPAC members shall sign an annual conflicts of interest memorandum.
Funds of Funds Some Invesco Funds offering diversified asset allocation within one investment vehicle own shares in other Invesco Funds. A potential conflict of interest could arise if an underlying Invesco Fund has a shareholder meeting with any proxy issues to be voted on, because Invescos asset-allocation funds or target-maturity funds may be large shareholders of the underlying fund. In order to avoid any potential for a conflict, the asset-allocation funds and target maturity funds vote their shares in the same proportion as the votes of the external shareholders of the underlying fund.
F. RECORDKEEPING
The Investments Administration team will be responsible for all Proxy Voting record keeping.
G. | Policies and Vote Disclosure |
October 2014
I.1 - 8
A copy of these Guidelines and the voting record of each Invesco Retail Fund are available on Invescos web site, www.invesco.com. In accordance with Securities and Exchange Commission regulations, all Invesco Funds file a record of all proxy-voting activity for the prior 12 months ending June 30th. That filing is made on or before August 31st of each year. In the case of institutional and sub-advised Clients, Clients may obtain information about how Invesco voted proxies on their behalf by contacting their client services representative.
October 2014
I.1 - 9
PART C
OTHER INFORMATION
Item 25. Financial Statements And Exhibits
(1) | Financial Statements | |||||||
Incorporated by reference into Part B of the Registration Statement, as described in the Statement of Additional Information, are the Registrants audited financial statements, notes to such financial statements and the report of independent registered public accounting firm thereon, by reference to the Registrants Annual Report for the period ended February 28, 2015, as contained in the Registrants Form N-CSR filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) on May 8, 2015. | ||||||||
(2) | Exhibits | |||||||
(a) | (i) | Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust of Registrant, dated May 15, 2012 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 77Q1(a) to Registrants report on Form N SAR-A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 30, 2012) | ||||||
(ii) | Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust, dated December 3, 2012 (filed herewith) | |||||||
(iii) | Amendment No. 2 to Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust, dated August 29, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 77Q1(a) to Registrants report on Form N-SAR-A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 30, 2014) | |||||||
(b) | (i) | Amended and Restated By-Laws of Registrant, effective as of August 29, 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 77Q1(a) to Registrants report on Form N-SAR-A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 30, 2014) | ||||||
(c) | Not applicable | |||||||
(d) | Not applicable | |||||||
(e) | Dividend Reinvestment Plan of Registrant (filed herewith) | |||||||
(f) | Not applicable | |||||||
(g) | (i) | (1) | Master Investment Advisory Agreement, dated as of August 27, 2012, between the Registrant and Invesco Advisers, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 77Q1(e) to Registrants report on Form N-SAR-A/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 30, 2012) | |||||
(2) | Amendment No. 1 to Master Investment Advisory Agreement, dated December 3, 2012 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 77Q1(e) to Registrants report on Form N-SAR-A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 30, 2013) | |||||||
(iii) | (1) | Master Intergroup Sub-Advisory Contract, dated August 27, 2012, between Invesco Advisers, Inc. and each of Invesco Asset Management Deutschland GmbH, Invesco Asset Management Ltd., Invesco Asset Management (Japan) Limited, Invesco Hong Kong Limited, Invesco Senior Secured Management, Inc. and Invesco Trimark Ltd. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 77Q1(e) to Registrants report on Form N-SAR-A/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 30, 2012) |
(2) | Amendment No. 1 to Master Intergroup Sub-Advisory Contract, dated December 3, 2012 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 77Q1(e) to Registrants report on Form N-SAR-B filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 29, 2014) | |||||||
(h) | Form of Underwriting Agreement/Sales Agreement (to be filed by post-effective amendment) | |||||||
(i) | (i) | Form of AIM Funds Retirement Plan for Eligible Directors/Trustees, as approved by the Board of Directors/Trustees on December 31, 2010 (incorporated into this filing by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 116 to AIM Investment Funds (Invesco Investment Funds)s registration statement filed on September 23, 2011) | ||||||
(ii) | Form of Invesco Funds Trustee Deferred Compensation Agreement as approved by the Board of Directors/Trustees on December 31, 2010 (incorporated into this filing by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 116 to AIM Investment Funds (Invesco Investment Funds)s registration statement filed on September 23, 2011) | |||||||
(j) | Amended and Restated Master Custodian Contract, dated June 1, 2010, between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (filed herewith) | |||||||
(k) | (i) | Memorandum of Agreement (Advisory Fee Waivers), effective May 15, 2012, between Registrant and Invesco Advisers, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 77Q1(e) to Registrants report on Form N-SAR-B filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 29, 2015) | ||||||
(ii) | (1) | Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, dated January 1, 2002, between Registrant and Computershare EquiServe Trust Company, N.A. and EquiServe, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to Registrants Registration Statement on N-14, filed with the SEC on June 8, 2012 (File No. 333-180591)) | ||||||
(2) | Amendment No. 1 to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, dated January 20, 2009 (filed herewith) | |||||||
(3) | Letter Amendment to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, dated June 1, 2010 (incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2 to Registrants Registration Statement on N-14, filed with the SEC on June 8, 2012 (File No. 333-180591)) | |||||||
(4) | Amendment No. 2 to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, dated January 23, 2012 (filed herewith) | |||||||
(5) | Notice of Assignment of Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, dated July 24, 2012 (filed herewith) | |||||||
(6) | Amendment No. 3 to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, dated December 3, 2012 (filed herewith) | |||||||
(iii) | (1) | Master Administrative Services Agreement, dated June 1, 2010, between Registrant and Invesco Advisers, Inc. (filed herewith) | ||||||
(2) | Amendment No. 1 to Master Administrative Services Agreement, dated July 1, 2012 (filed herewith) | |||||||
(3) | Amendment No. 2 to Master Administrative Services Agreement, dated August 17, 2012 (filed herewith) | |||||||
(4) | Amendment No. 3 to Master Administrative Services Agreement, dated December 3, 2012 (filed herewith) |
(iv) | (1) | Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of August 27, 2012 (filed herewith) | ||||||
(2) | Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Security Agreement, dated December 6, 2012 (filed herewith) | |||||||
(3) | Amendment No. 2 to Amended and Restated Security Agreement, dated August 29, 2013 (filed herewith) | |||||||
(4) | Amendment No. 3 to Amended and Restated Security Agreement, dated August 27, 2014 (filed herewith) | |||||||
(l) | Opinion and Consent of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (to be filed by pre-effective amendment) | |||||||
(m) | Not applicable | |||||||
(n) | (i) | Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (filed herewith) | ||||||
(o) | Not applicable | |||||||
(p) | Not applicable | |||||||
(q) | Not applicable | |||||||
(r) | (i) | Invesco Advisers, Inc. Code of Ethics, amended January 1, 2015, relating to Invesco Advisers, Inc. and any of its subsidiaries (filed herewith) | ||||||
(ii) | Invesco Asset Management Limited Code of Ethics, dated 2014, relating to Invesco UK (filed herewith) | |||||||
(iii) | Invesco Ltd. Code of Conduct, dated October 2014, relating to Invesco Asset Management (Japan) Limited (filed herewith) | |||||||
(iv) | Invesco Staff Ethics and Personal Share Dealing, Invesco Hong Kong Limited Code of Ethics and Hong Kong Limited Policy on Gifts and Entertainment, dated February 2014, relating to Invesco Hong Kong Limited (filed herewith) | |||||||
(v) | Invesco Ltd. Code of Conduct, revised October 2014, relating to Invesco Canada Ltd.; Invesco Canada Ltd. Policy No. D-6 Gifts and Entertainment, revised May 2014, and Policy No. D-7 Invesco Canada Ltd. Personal Trading Policy, revised July 2014, together the Code of Ethics relating to Invesco Canada Ltd (filed herewith) | |||||||
(vi) | Invesco Continental Europe Code of Ethics dated 2014, relating to Invesco Asset Management Deutschland GmbH. (filed herewith) | |||||||
(vii) | Invesco Senior Secured Management Code of Ethics Policy, revised March 4, 2014 and Invesco Advisers, Inc. Code of Ethics, amended January 1, 2015 (filed herewith) | |||||||
(s) | Powers of Attorney (filed herewith) |
Item 26. Marketing Arrangements
Reference is made to Exhibit (h) to this Registration Statement to be filed by further amendment.
Item 27. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution
The following table sets forth the estimated expenses to be incurred in connection with the offering described in this Registration Statement:
NYSE Listing Fees |
$ | |||
SEC Registration Fees |
$ | |||
Printing/Engraving Expenses |
$ | |||
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Fees |
$ | |||
Legal Fees |
$ | |||
FINRA Fees |
$ | |||
Miscellaneous |
$ | |||
|
|
|||
Total |
$ |
Item 28. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with Registrant
None
Item 29. Number of Holders of Securities
Title of Class | Number of Record Shareholders as of , 2015 |
Item 30. Indemnification
Indemnification provisions for officers, trustees and employees of the Registrant are set forth in Article VIII of the Registrants Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust, dated May 15, 2012, and Article VIII of its Amended and Restated Bylaws, and are hereby incorporated by reference. See Item 25(2)(a) and 25(2)(b) above. Under the Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust:
A Trustee or officer of the Trust, when acting in such capacity, shall not be personally liable to any person for any act, omission or obligation of the Trust or any Trustee or officer of the Trust; provided, however, that nothing contained herein shall protect any Trustee or officer against any liability to the Trust or to Shareholders to which the Trustee would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office with the Trust.
Every Covered Person shall be indemnified by the Trust to the fullest extent permitted by the Delaware Act, the Bylaws and other applicable law.
In case any Shareholder or former Shareholder of the Trust shall be held to be personally liable solely by reason of his being or having been a Shareholder of the Trust and not because of his acts or omissions or for some other reason, the Shareholder or former Shareholder (or his heirs, executors, administrators or other legal representatives, or, in the case of a corporation or other entity, its corporate or general successor) shall be entitled, out of the Trusts assets, to be held harmless from and indemnified against all loss and expense arising from such liability in accordance with the Bylaws and applicable law. The Trust, on its own behalf, shall upon request by the Shareholder, assume the defense of any such claim made against the Shareholder for any act or obligation of the Trust.
The Registrant and other investment companies and their respective officers and trustees are insured under a joint Mutual Fund Directors and Officers Liability Policy, issued by ICI Mutual Insurance Company and certain other domestic insurers, with limits up to $80,000,000 (plus an additional $20,000,000 limit that applies to independent directors/trustees only).
Section 16 of the Master Investment Advisory Agreement between the Registrant and Invesco Advisers, Inc. (Invesco) provides that:
In the absence of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of obligations or duties hereunder on the part of the Adviser or any of its officers, directors or employees, the Adviser shall not be subject to liability to the Trust or to the Funds or to any shareholder of the Trust for any act or omission in the course of, or connected with, rendering services hereunder or for any losses that may be sustained in the purchase, holding or sale of any security.
Section 10 of the Master Intergroup Sub-Advisory Contract (the Sub-Advisory Contract) between Invesco, on behalf of Registrant, and each of Invesco Asset Management Deutschland GmbH, Invesco Asset Management Limited, Invesco Asset Management (Japan) Limited, Invesco Hong Kong Limited, Invesco Senior Secured Management, Inc. and Invesco Canada Ltd. (each a Sub-Adviser, collectively the Sub-Advisers) provides that:
No Sub-Adviser shall be liable for any costs or liabilities arising from any error of judgment or mistake of law or any loss suffered by the Trust in connection with the matters to which this Contract relates except a loss resulting from willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on the part of such Sub-Adviser in the performance by such Sub-Adviser of its duties or from reckless disregard by such Sub-Adviser of its obligations and duties under this Contract. Any person, even though also an officer, partner, employee, or agent of a Sub-Adviser, who may be or become a Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust, shall be deemed, when rendering services to the Trust or acting with respect to any business of the Trust, to be rendering such service to or acting solely for the the Trust and not as an officer, partner, employee, or agent or one under the control or direction of such Sub-Adviser even though paid by it.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 (the Act) may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a trustee, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
Item 31. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser
The only employment of a substantial nature of Invesco Advisers directors and officers is with the Advisers and its affiliated companies. For information as to the business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature of each of the officers and directors of Invesco Asset Management Deutschland GmbH, Invesco Asset Management Limited, Invesco Asset Management (Japan) Limited, Invesco Hong Kong Limited, Invesco Senior Secured Management, Inc. and Invesco Canada Ltd. (each a Sub-Adviser, collectively the Sub-Advisers) reference is made to Form ADV filed under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 by each Sub-Adviser herein incorporated by reference. Reference is also made to the caption Fund Management The Advisers in the Prospectuses which comprises Part A of this Registration Statement, and to the caption Investment Advisory and Other Services of the Statement of Additional Information which comprises Part B of this Registration Statement.
Item 32. Location of Accounts and Records
Invesco Advisers, Inc., 1555 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, maintains physical possession of each such account, book or other document of the Registrant at the Registrants principal executive offices, 1555 Peachtree Street, N.E., Atlanta, GA 30309, except for those maintained at its Houston offices, 11 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1000, Houston, Texas 77046-1173, or at its Louisville, Kentucky offices, 400 West Market Street, Suite 3300, Louisville, KY 40202, or at the offices of Invesco Senior Secured Management, Inc., 1166 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036, and except for those relating to certain transactions in portfolio securities that are maintained by the Registrants Custodian, State Street Bank and Trust Company, 225 Franklin Street, Boston, Massachusetts, 02110 and the Registrants Transfer Agent and Dividend Paying Agent, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., 250 Royall Street, Canton, MA, 02021.
Records may also be maintained at the offices of:
Invesco Asset Management Deutschland GmbH
An der Welle 5
1st Floor
Frankfurt, Germany 60322
Invesco Asset Management Ltd.
Perpetual Park
Perpetual Park Drive
Henley-on-Thames
Oxfordshire RG91HH
United Kingdom
Invesco Asset Management (Japan) Limited
Roppongi Hills Mori Tower 14F
6-10-1 Roppongi
Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-6114
Invesco Hong Kong Limited
41/F Citibank Tower
3 Garden Road, Central
Hong Kong
Invesco Senior Secured Management, Inc.
1166 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
Invesco Canada Ltd.
5140 Yonge Street
Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M2N 6X7
Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC
3500 Lacey Road
Suite 700
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Item 33. Management Services
Not applicable.
Item 34. Undertakings
1. | Registrant undertakes to suspend the offering of Common Shares until the prospectus is amended, if subsequent to the effective date of this registration statement, its net asset value declines more than ten percent from its net asset value, as of the effective date of the registration statement or its net asset value increases to an amount greater than its net proceeds as stated in the prospectus. |
2. | Not applicable. |
3. | Not applicable. |
4. | Registrant undertakes: |
(a) | to file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement: |
(1) | to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933; |
(2) | to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement; and |
(3) | to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement. |
(b) | that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the 1933 Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of those securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; and |
(c) | to remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering; |
(d) | that, for the purpose of determining liability under the 1933 Act to any purchaser, if the Registrant is subject to Rule 430C: Each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 497(b), (c), (d) or (e) under the 1933 Act as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A under the 1933 Act, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use. |
(e) | that for the purpose of determining liability of the Registrant under the 1933 Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of securities: The undersigned Registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned Registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned Registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to the purchaser: |
(1) | any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 497 under the 1933 Act; |
(2) | the portion of any advertisement pursuant to Rule 482 under the 1933 Act relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned Registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned Registrant; and |
(3) | any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned Registrant to the purchaser. |
5. | Registrant undertakes that: |
(a) | for the purpose of determining any liability under the 1933 Act, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the Registrant under Rule 497(h) under the 1933 Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective; and |
(b) | for the purpose of determining any liability under the 1933 Act, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of the securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. |
6. | Registrant undertakes to send by first class mail or other means designed to ensure equally prompt delivery, within two business days of receipt of a written or oral request, any Statement of Additional Information. |
SIGNATURES
As required by the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed on behalf of the Registrant, in the City of Atlanta, State of Georgia, on the 14th day of August, 2015.
INVESCO HIGH INCOME TRUST II | ||
By: | /s/ Philip A. Taylor | |
Philip A. Taylor | ||
Trustee, President and Principal Executive | ||
Officer |
As required by the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities set forth below on the 14th day of August, 2015.
Signatures |
Title | |
Principal Executive Officer: | ||
/s/ Philip A. Taylor |
||
Philip A. Taylor | Trustee, President and Principal Executive Officer | |
Principal Financial Officer:
/s/ Sheri Morris |
||
Sheri Morris | Chief Financial Officer, Chief Accounting Officer and Treasurer | |
Trustees: | ||
/s/ Martin L. Flanagan* |
||
Martin L. Flanagan | Trustee | |
/s/ Bruce L. Crockett* |
||
Bruce L. Crockett | Trustee | |
/s/ David C. Arch* |
||
David C. Arch | Trustee | |
/s/ James T. Bunch* |
||
James T. Bunch | Trustee | |
/s/ Rodney F. Dammeyer* |
||
Rodney F. Dammeyer | Trustee | |
/s/ Albert R. Dowden* |
||
Albert R. Dowden | Trustee | |
/s/ Jack M. Fields* |
||
Jack M. Fields | Trustee | |
/s/ Prema Mathai-Davis* |
||
Prema Mathai-Davis | Trustee | |
/s/ Larry Soll* |
||
Larry Soll | Trustee | |
/s/ Hugo F. Sonnenschein* |
||
Hugo F. Sonnenschein | Trustee |
/s/ Raymond Stickel, Jr. * |
||
Raymond Stickel, Jr. | Trustee | |
/s/ Suzanne H. Woolsey* |
||
Suzanne H. Woolsey | Trustee |
* | Signed by John M. Zerr, pursuant to a power of attorney dated May 20, 2015, and filed herewith. |
By: | /s/ John M. Zerr | |
John M. Zerr | ||
Attorney-In-Fact | ||
August 14, 2015 |
EXHIBITS TO FORM N-2
INVESCO HIGH INCOME TRUST II
Exhibit |
||
(a)(ii) | Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust, dated December 3, 2012 | |
(e) | Dividend Reinvestment Plan of Registrant | |
(j) | Amended and Restated Master Custodian Contract, dated June 1, 2010, between Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company | |
(k)(ii)(2) | Amendment No. 1 to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, dated January 20, 2009 | |
(k)(ii)(4) | Amendment No. 2 to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, dated January 23, 2012 | |
(k)(ii)(5) | Notice of Assignment of Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, dated July 24, 2012 | |
(k)(ii)(6) | Amendment No. 3 to Transfer Agency and Service Agreement, dated December 3, 2012 | |
(k)(iii)(1) | Master Administrative Services Agreement, dated June 1, 2010, between Registrant and Invesco Advisers, Inc. | |
(k)(iii)(2) | Amendment No. 1 to Master Administrative Services Agreement, dated July 1, 2012 | |
(k)(iii)(3) | Amendment No. 2 to Master Administrative Services Agreement, dated August 17, 2012 | |
(k)(iii)(4) | Amendment No. 3 to Master Administrative Services Agreement, dated December 3, 2012 | |
(k)(iv)(1) | Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of August 27, 2012 | |
(k)(iv)(2) | Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Security Agreement, dated December 6, 2012 | |
(k)(iv)(3) | Amendment No. 2 to Amended and Restated Security Agreement, dated August 29, 2013 | |
(k)(iv)(4) | Amendment No. 3 to Amended and Restated Security Agreement, dated August 27, 2014 | |
(n)(i) | Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | |
(r)(i) | Invesco Advisers, Inc. Code of Ethics, amended January 1, 2015, relating to Invesco Advisers, Inc. and any of its subsidiaries | |
(r)(ii) | Invesco UK Code of Ethics, dated 2014, relating to Invesco Asset Management Limited | |
(r)(iii) | Invesco Ltd. Code of Conduct, dated October 2014, relating to Invesco Asset Management (Japan) Limited | |
(r)(iv) | Invesco Staff Ethics and Personal Share Dealing and Hong Kong Limited Policy on Gifts and Entertainment, dated February 2014, and Invesco Hong Kong Limited Code of Ethics dated January 1, 2015, relating to Invesco Hong Kong Limited | |
(r)(v) | Invesco Ltd. Code of Conduct, revised October 2014, Policy No. D-6 Gifts and Entertainment, revised May 2014, and Policy No. D-7 Personal Trading Policy, revised July 2014, together the Code of Ethics relating to Invesco Canada Ltd | |
(r)(vi) | Invesco EMEA - EX UK Employee Code of Ethics Policy, dated 2014, relating to Invesco Asset Management Deutschland GmbH |
(r)(vii) | Invesco Senior Secured Management Code of Ethics Policy, revised March 4, 2014 and Invesco Advisers, Inc. Code of Ethics, amended January 1, 2015 | |
(s) | Powers of Attorney |