Disclosure
EU Shareholder Rights Directive
Under Rule 2.2B.5R of the Conduct of Business Sourcebook in the FCA Rules, Brigade Capital UK LLP (the “Sub-Adviser”), a wholly controlled affiliate of Brigade Capital Management, LP (the "Adviser”, and together with the Sub-Adviser, the “Firm”), is required either to develop and publicly disclose an engagement policy as described in the revised Shareholder Rights Directive (“SRD II”) or publicly disclose a clear and reasoned explanation of why it has chosen not to develop and adopt a shareholder engagement policy.
The Firm provides investment advisory services that focus on credit strategies, primarily high yield credit strategies and structured credit strategies. As such, the principal asset classes in which the Firm invests on behalf of its clients are bonds, bank debt and other credit instruments (including credit indices and derivatives). The Firm may also invest from time to time in publicly listed equity securities, generally in issuers which have significant levels of debt. Such listed equity investments are not a core part of the Firm’s investment activities and the Firm and does not seek to take an activist shareholder approach. In addition, from time to time the Firm may hold equity securities, typically unlisted, in companies as a result of debt-to-equity swaps in corporate restructurings.
As such, while the Firm is generally supportive of the objectives that underlie SRD II, the Firm does not consider a shareholder engagement policy (as described by SRD II) to be appropriate in the context of the Firm’s investment strategies. If the Firm’s investment strategies change in such a manner that a shareholder engagement policy becomes relevant, the Firm will amend this disclosure accordingly.
Principal Risks of the Fund
As with any mutual fund, there are risks to investing. There is no guarantee that Brigade High Income Fund (the “Fund”) will meet its investment objective. The following is a description of the principal risks of the Fund, which may adversely affect its net asset value and total return. There are other circumstances (including additional risks that are not described herein) which could prevent the Fund from achieving its investment objective.
Below-Investment Grade Risk. The Fund will invest in high yield securities rated below BBB by S&P or Baa by Moody’s. High yield securities generally offer a higher current yield than that available from higher grade issues, but typically involve greater risk and are described as speculative by both S&P and Moody’s. Securities rated below investment grade are commonly referred to as “junk bonds”. The ability of issuers of high yield securities to make timely payments of interest and principal may be adversely impacted by adverse changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial condition of the issuers and price fluctuations in response to changes in interest rates. High yield securities are less liquid than investment grade securities and may be difficult to price or sell, particularly in times of negative sentiment toward high yield securities.
Bank Debt Risk. The Fund’s investment in secured and unsecured assignments of (or participations in) bank debt may create substantial risk. Bank debt includes interests in loans to companies or their affiliates undertaken to finance a capital restructuring or in connection with recapitalizations, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, refinancings or other financially leveraged transactions and may include loans which are designed to provide temporary or bridge financing to a borrower pending the sale of identified assets, the arrangement of longer-term loans or the issuance and sale of debt obligations. The Fund may also invest in collateral on financial instruments, including interests on whole commercial, consumer and other loans and lease contracts. These loans, which may bear fixed or floating rates, have generally been arranged through private negotiations between a corporate borrower and one or more financial institutions, including banks. The Fund’s investment may be in the form of participations or assignments.
Credit Risk. There is a risk that issuers and counterparties will not make payments on securities and other investments held by the Fund, resulting in losses to the Fund. In addition, the credit quality of fixed income securities held by the Fund may be lowered if an issuer’s financial condition changes. High yield or junk bonds as well as other debt securities issued by below investment grade issuers are typically more susceptible to these risks than debt of higher quality issuers. Furthermore, a significant amount of the Fund’s net asset value is expected to be invested in the lower- rated segment of the high yield market (rated B and below), which investments generally involve greater credit risk than high yield securities that are rated BB and above.
Convertible Security Risk. Convertible securities are hybrid securities that have characteristics of both bonds and common stocks and are therefore subject to both debt security risks and equity risk. Convertible securities are subject to equity risk especially when their conversion value is greater than the interest and principal value of the security. A convertible security may be subject to redemption at the option of the issuer at a price established in the convertible security’s governing instrument. If a convertible security held by the Fund is called for redemption, the Fund will be required to permit the issuer to redeem the security, convert it into the underlying common stock or sell it to a third party. Any of these actions could have an adverse impact on the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.
Counterparty and Settlement Risk. To the extent the Fund invests in participations, assignments, swaps, repurchase agreements, reverse-repurchase agreements, structured products, derivative or synthetic instruments, or other over-the-counter transactions or, in certain circumstances, in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may take a credit risk with regard to parties with whom it trades and may also bear the risk of settlement default. These risks may differ materially from those entailed in exchange-traded transactions which generally are backed by clearing organization guarantees, daily marking-to-market and settlement, and segregation and minimum capital requirements applicable to intermediaries. Transactions entered directly between two counterparties generally do not benefit from such protections and expose the parties to the risk of counterparty default.
Covenant-Lite Loan Risk. The Fund may invest in loans that are “covenant lite.” Covenant lite loans may lack financial maintenance covenants that in certain situations can allow lenders to claim a default on the loan to seek to protect the interests of the lenders. The absence of financial maintenance covenants in a covenant lite loan might result in a lower recovery in the event of a default by the borrower. The Fund may experience losses or delays in enforcing its rights on its holdings of covenant lite loans.
Currency Risk. The Fund’s investments that are denominated in a non-U.S. currency are subject to the risk that the value of a particular currency will change in relation to one or more other currencies. Among the factors that may affect currency values are trade balances, the level of short-term interest rates, differences in relative values of similar assets in different currencies, long- term opportunities for investment and capital appreciation and political developments.
Debt Securities Risk. Debt securities in which the Fund invests are subject to several types of investment risk, including market or interest rate risk (i.e., the risk that their value will be inversely affected by fluctuations in the prevailing interest rates), credit risk (i.e., the risk that the issuer may be unable to make timely interest payments and repay the principal upon maturity), call or income risk, (i.e., the risk that certain debt securities with high interest rates will be prepaid or “called” by the issuer before they mature), and event risk (i.e., the risk that certain debt securities may suffer a substantial decline in credit quality and market value if the issuer restructures). Fixed income markets have recently experienced a period of relatively high volatility. If the Federal Reserve continues to increase interest rates, fixed income markets (and the high yield market in particular) could experience continuing high volatility, which could negatively impact the Fund’s performance.
Distressed Investments Risk. The Fund’s investments in distressed companies may result in returns to the Fund, but which involve a substantial degree of risk. The Fund may lose its entire investment in a troubled company, may be required to accept cash or securities with a value less than the Fund’s investment and may be prohibited from exercising certain rights with respect to such investment. Troubled company investments may not show any returns for a considerable period of time.
The Fund’s investments in companies involved in (or the target of) acquisition attempts or tender offers or companies involved in work-outs, liquidations, spin-offs, reorganizations, bankruptcies and similar transactions come with the risk that the transaction either will be unsuccessful, take considerable time or result in a distribution of cash or a new security, the value of which will be less than the purchase price to the Fund of the security, or other financial instrument in respect of which such distribution is received. Similarly, if an anticipated transaction does not in fact occur, the Fund may be required to sell its investment at a loss.
Derivatives Risk. The Fund may invest in derivative securities for bona fide hedging purposes. A derivative security is a financial contract whose value is based on (or “derived from”) a traditional security (such as a bond) or a market index. The use of futures, options, repurchase agreements and other derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments, and include leverage, volatility, liquidity, credit and tracking risks. Long options positions may expire worthless.
Exchange-Traded Funds Risk. The Fund may invest in ETFs. ETFs may be based on underlying equity or fixed income securities, as well as commodities or currencies. Because an ETF incurs its own fees and expenses, shareholders of the fund investing in an ETF will indirectly bear those costs. Such fund will also incur brokerage commissions and related charges when purchasing or selling shares of an ETF. Unlike typical investment company shares, which are valued once daily, shares in an ETF may be purchased or sold on a securities exchange throughout the trading day at market prices that are generally close to the NAV of the ETF.
Equity Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in equity securities, including equities of stressed issuers or companies emerging from a financial restructuring or corporate reorganization. Equity securities represent ownership in a company. Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities will fluctuate and can decline and reduce the value of a portfolio investing in equity securities. The value of equity securities purchased or otherwise acquired by the Fund could decline if the financial condition of the companies the Fund invests in declines or if overall market and economic conditions deteriorate. The value of equity securities may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages, supply-chain disruptions or an increase in production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.
Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of changes in interest rates. As nominal interest rates rise, the value of fixed income securities held by the Fund are likely to decrease. Securities with longer durations tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates and are usually more volatile than securities with shorter durations. In certain interest rate environments, such as when real interest rates are rising faster than nominal interest rates, inflation-indexed securities may experience greater losses than other fixed income securities with similar durations.
Leveraged Loan Risk. Leveraged loans (also known as bank loans) are subject to the risks typically associated with debt securities. In addition, leveraged loans, which typically hold a senior position in the capital structure of a borrower, are subject to the risk that a court could subordinate such loans to presently existing or future indebtedness or take other action detrimental to the holders of leveraged loans. Leveraged loans are also subject to the risk that the value of the collateral, if any, securing a loan may decline, be insufficient to meet the obligations of the borrower, or be difficult to liquidate. Some leveraged loans are not as easily purchased or sold as publicly-traded securities and others are illiquid, which may make it more difficult for the Fund to value them or dispose of them at an acceptable price. In the event of fraud or misrepresentation, the Fund may not be protected under federal securities laws with respect to leveraged loans that may not be in the form of “securities.” The settlement period for some leveraged loans may be more than seven days. To the extent the extended loan settlement process gives rise to short- term liquidity needs, such as the need to satisfy redemption requests, the Fund may sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks or other lenders.
Leverage Risk. The use of leverage by the Fund, such as borrowing money to purchase securities or the use of options, will cause the Fund to incur additional expenses and magnify the Fund’s gains or losses. The Fund intends to generally use leverage, if any, to meet Fund redemptions.
Liquidity Risk. Low or lack of trading volume in the high yield market may make it difficult to sell securities held by the Fund at quoted market prices. In addition, with respect to certain fixed income investments (bank loans in particular), settlement occurs on an extended basis, further decreasing their liquidity profile.
Management and Strategy Risk. The Fund is an actively managed portfolio. Investment strategies employed by the Adviser on behalf of the Fund may not result in an increase in the value of your investment or in overall performance equal to other investments. In addition, the Fund’s tactical asset allocation strategy may be unsuccessful and may cause the Fund to incur losses.
Money Market Instruments/Securities. In seeking to provide downside protection, during periods of high market volatility, the Fund may hold money market instruments, including commercial paper, banker’s acceptances, certificates of deposit and other short-term debt securities.
Market Risk. The market price of a security or instrument may decline, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic or political conditions throughout the world, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. The market value of a security or instrument also may decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages, supply-chain disruptions or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry.
New Fund Risk. The Fund has been newly formed and therefore has limited performance history for investors to evaluate.
Non-U.S. Securities Risk. Investing in securities of non- U.S. companies and governments which are generally denominated in non-U.S. currencies and utilization of currency forward contracts and options on currencies involve certain considerations comprising both risks and opportunities not typically associated with investing in securities of U.S. issuers. These considerations include changes in exchange rates and exchange control regulations, political and social instability, expropriation, imposition of non-U.S. taxes, less liquid markets and less available information than are generally the case in the U.S., higher transaction costs, less government supervision of exchanges, brokers and issuers, difficulty in enforcing contractual obligations, lack of uniform accounting and auditing standards and greater price volatility.
Prepayment and Extension Risk. When interest rates fall, issuers of high interest debt obligations may pay off the debts earlier than expected (prepayment risk), and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields. When interest rates rise, issuers of lower interest debt obligations may pay off the debts later than expected (extension risk), thus keeping the Fund’s assets tied up in lower interest debt obligations. Ultimately, any unexpected behavior in interest rates could increase the volatility of the Fund’s share price and yield and could hurt Fund performance. Prepayments could also create capital gains tax liability in some instances.
Rule 144A Securities Risk. The market for certain Rule 144A securities can be less active than the market for publicly-traded securities. Certain Rule 144A securities carry a heightened risk that the liquidity of these securities may become impaired, making it more difficult for the Fund to sell these bonds at reasonable prices.
Shareholder Concentration Risk. When a small number of shareholders account for a disproportionate share of the Fund’s assets, redemptions by large shareholders can harm remaining shareholders. If a large shareholder is an omnibus account that represents investments by multiple smaller accounts or if an adviser acts on behalf of multiple accounts, when the underlying accounts tend to act in tandem, shareholder concentration risk will be present. Risk is minimized when the underlying accounts tend to act independently of one another.
It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Fund. Investments in the Fund are not deposits or obligations of any bank, are not endorsed or guaranteed by any bank and are not insured or guaranteed by the U.S. government, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board or any other government agency.
