| Investment Objective: |
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal market conditions, primarily in the equity securities (as well as American depositary receipts ("ADRs") and global depositary receipts ("GDRs")) of growth companies that are domiciled or have their primary operations outside of the United States. The Fund will invest at least 65% of its total assets in common and/or preferred stocks of issuers in at least three different countries outside of the United States. The Fund may invest 100% of its assets in securities of foreign companies. The Fund may invest in emerging markets, as well as in developed markets throughout the world. The Fund does not limit its investments to issuers of varied market capitalization range, including small- and mid-cap securities. The Fund may also invest in securities convertible into common stock and other securities having equity features. In managing the Fund, the portfolio managers consider the effect of worldwide trends on the growth of particular business sectors and look for companies that may benefit from those trends. The trends currently considered include: mass affluence, new technologies, restructuring and aging ("MANTRA") |
