such lower rated or unrated securities, under these circumstances, may be less than the prices used in calculating the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”).
Non-Convertible Income Securities Risk. The Fund will also invest in non-convertible income securities. The Fund’s investments in non-convertible income securities may have fixed or variable principal payments and all types of interest rate and dividend payment and reset terms, including fixed rate, adjustable rate, zero coupon, contingent, deferred, payment in kind and auction rate features. Recent events in the fixed-income market may expose the Fund to heightened interest rate risk and volatility.
Market Disruption Risk. Certain events have a disruptive effect on the securities markets, such as terrorist attacks, war and other geopolitical events, earthquakes, storms and other disasters. The Fund cannot predict the effects of similar events in the future on the US economy or any foreign economy.
Recent Market Events. Since the 2008 financial crisis, financial markets throughout the world have experienced periods of increased volatility, depressed valuations, decreased liquidity and heightened uncertainty and turmoil. This turmoil resulted in unusual and extreme volatility in the equity and debt markets, in the prices of individual securities and in the world economy. Events that have contributed to these market conditions include, but are not limited to, major cybersecurity events, geopolitical events (including wars, terror attacks and public health emergencies), measures to address budget deficits, downgrading of sovereign debt, declines in oil and commodity prices, dramatic changes in currency exchange rates, and public sentiment. In addition, many governments and quasi-governmental entities throughout the world have responded to the turmoil with a variety of significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, including, but not limited to, direct capital infusions into companies, new monetary programs and dramatically lower interest rates.
The recent spread of an infectious respiratory illness caused by a novel strain of coronavirus (“COVID-19”) has caused volatility, severe market dislocations and liquidity constraints in many markets, including markets for the securities the Fund holds, and may adversely affect the Fund’s investments and operations. The transmission of this coronavirus and efforts to contain its spread have resulted in travel restrictions and disruptions, closed international borders, enhanced health screenings at ports of entry and elsewhere, disruption of and delays in healthcare service preparation and delivery, quarantines, event and service cancellations or interruptions, disruptions to business operations (including staff furloughs and reductions) and supply chains, and a reduction in consumer and business spending, as well as general concern and uncertainty that has negatively affected the economy. These disruptions have led to instability in the market place, including equity and debt market losses and overall volatility, and the jobs market. The impact of this coronavirus, and other epidemics and pandemics that may arise in the future, could affect the economies of many nations, individual companies and the market in general in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. In addition, the impact of infectious diseases in developing or emerging market countries may be greater due to less established health care systems. Health crises caused by the recent coronavirus outbreak may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries. The impact of the outbreak may be short term or may last for an extended period of time.
While the extreme volatility and disruption that US and global markets experienced for an extended period of time beginning in 2007 and 2008 had, until the coronavirus outbreak, generally subsided, uncertainty and periods of volatility still remained, and risks to a robust resumption of growth persist. Federal Reserve policy, including with respect to certain interest rates may adversely affect the value, volatility and liquidity of dividend and interest paying securities. Market volatility, dramatic changes to interest rates and/or a return to unfavorable economic conditions may lower the Fund’s performance or impair the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.
In June 2016, the United Kingdom approved a referendum to leave the European Union (“EU”) (“Brexit”). On March 29, 2017, the United Kingdom formally notified the European Council of its intention to leave the EU and commenced the formal process of withdrawing from the EU. The withdrawal agreement entered into between the United Kingdom and the EU entered into force on January 31, 2020, at which time the United Kingdom ceased to be a member of the EU. Following the withdrawal, there was an eleven-month transition period, ending December 31, 2020, during which the United Kingdom negotiated its future relationship with the EU. On January 1, 2021, the EU UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, a bilateral trade and cooperation deal governing the future relationship between the UK and the EU, provisionally went into effect. The UK Parliament has already ratified the agreement, but the agreement will continue to be applied provisionally until it is formally ratified by the EU Parliament. Brexit has resulted in volatility in European and global markets and could have negative long-term impacts on financial markets in the United Kingdom and throughout Europe. There is considerable uncertainty about the potential consequences for Brexit, how it will be conducted, how the EU UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement will proceed, how future negotiations of trade relations will proceed, and how the financial markets will react to all of the preceding, and as this process unfolds, markets may be further disrupted. Given the size and importance of the United Kingdom’s economy, uncertainty about its legal, political, and economic relationship with the remaining member states of