Risk Factors
This section describes the material risks relating to the securities. For further discussion of these and other risks, you should read the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the accompanying product supplement, index supplement and prospectus. We also urge you to consult with your investment, legal, tax, accounting and other advisers in connection with your investment in the securities.
Risks Relating to an Investment in the Securities
■The securities do not pay interest or guarantee any return of principal. The terms of the securities differ from those of ordinary debt securities in that the securities do not pay interest or guarantee payment of any of the principal amount at maturity. At maturity, you will receive for each $10 stated principal amount of securities that you hold an amount in cash based upon the final index value. If the final index value is less than the initial index value but greater than or equal to the downside threshold level, you will receive only the principal amount of $10 per security. However, if the final index value is less than the downside threshold level, you will receive an amount in cash that is significantly less than the $10 stated principal amount of each security by an amount proportionate to the full decline in the value of the underlying index, and you will lose a significant portion or all of your investment. There is no minimum payment at maturity on the securities, and, accordingly, you could lose your entire investment. See “How the Trigger Jump Securities Work” above.
■The appreciation potential is fixed and limited. Where the final index value is greater than or equal to the initial index value, the appreciation potential of the securities is limited to the upside payment of $1.69 per security (16.90% of the stated principal amount), even if the final index value is significantly greater than the initial index value.
■The market price of the securities may be influenced by many unpredictable factors. Several factors, many of which are beyond our control, will influence the value of the securities in the secondary market and the price at which MS & Co. may be willing to purchase or sell the securities in the secondary market, including:
■the value of the underlying index at any time (including in relation to the downside threshold level),
■the volatility (frequency and magnitude of changes in value) of the underlying index,
■dividend rates on the securities underlying the underlying index,
■interest and yield rates in the market,
■geopolitical conditions and economic, financial, political, regulatory or judicial events that affect the component stocks of the underlying index or securities markets generally and which may affect the value of the underlying index,
■the time remaining until the maturity of the securities,
■the composition of the underlying index and changes in the constituent stocks of the underlying index, and
■any actual or anticipated changes in our credit ratings or credit spreads.
Some or all of these factors will influence the price you will receive if you sell your securities prior to maturity. For example, you may have to sell your securities at a substantial discount from the stated principal amount if at the time of sale the value of the underlying index is at or below the initial index value and especially if it is near or below the downside threshold level.
You cannot predict the future performance of the underlying index based on its historical performance. If the final index value is less than the downside threshold level, you will be exposed on a 1-to-1 basis to the full decline in the final index value from the initial index value. There can be no assurance that the final index value will be greater than or equal to the initial index value so that you will receive at maturity an amount that is greater than the $10 stated principal amount for each security you hold, or that you will not lose a significant portion or all of your investment.