The fund seeks capital appreciation in the long term by investing in companies across any size outside the United States.

The investment process starts with a list of companies in the benchmark index and the research team utilizes quantitative techniques and fundamental analysis to identify investment opportunities.

Next, the research team invests in securities of U.S. and foreign companies exhibiting long-term growth poten More

The fund seeks capital appreciation in the long term by investing in companies across any size outside the United States.

The investment process starts with a list of companies in the benchmark index and the research team utilizes quantitative techniques and fundamental analysis to identify investment opportunities.

Next, the research team invests in securities of U.S. and foreign companies exhibiting long-term growth potential.

The fundamental investment approach combines top-down macro-economic analysis with bottom-up company and security analysis to identify attractive opportunities.

The top-down analysis begins with an assessment of macro-economic factors such as global and U.S. GDP levels and direction, interest rates, inflationary and deflationary forces, employment, fiscal and monetary policy.

Other factors in consideration would be the trade policy, currency movements, credit conditions, demographic trends, the regulatory environment, and the global competitive landscape.

Through this top-down analysis, the team seeks to identify the most attractive global investment opportunities, sector and industry trends, industry consolidation, and the sustainability of financial trends.

Next, the research process is driven by fundamental analysis of one stock at a time. In the bottom-up analysis, the research team focuses on companies that demonstrate earnings growth potential not yet recognized by the market.

The analysis also includes evaluating a company’s market share position; brand franchise, sustainability, and pricing power, scale and distribution, and fundamentals.

The analysis also considers whether a company is operated by management teams that are committed to shareholder interests, and looks for transformational catalysts such as a major new innovative product or new management team.

As part of the bottom-up analysis, the research team may communicate with a company’s management, and also prepare detailed earnings and cash flow models of certain companies.

Then the manager constructs a portfolio of stocks from a list of companies favored by the research team and allocates capital based on its conviction level.

The portfolio typically owns three types of companies, namely core growth, aggressive growth, and life cycle change.

According to the team, core growth companies are well-established seasoned companies with relatively predictable future earnings growth rates.

Aggressive growth companies are innovative companies that may produce rapidly accelerating earnings growth in excess of overall market performance.

Life cycle change companies are companies that are undergoing a positive transformational change in their business model that serve as a catalyst for substantially improved earnings growth in the future.

Also, the fund may invest in companies that are economically tied to any countries or markets throughout the world, including securities of companies economically tied to emerging markets.

Additionally, the fund will invest significantly (generally, at least 40% of its net assets) in the securities of issuers organized or located outside the U.S. or doing business outside the U.S. However, (when market conditions are not deemed favorable), the fund invests at least 30% of its net assets in such foreign securities.

The fund will invest its assets in various regions and countries, including the U.S., that encompass not less than three different countries overall.