SUPPLEMENT TO THE FIDELITY ADVISOR FUNDS:
CLASS A, CLASS T, CLASS B, CLASS C, INSTITUTIONAL CLASS, AND INITIAL
CLASS
FEBRUARY 28, 1998
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION SUPPLEMENTS THE INFORMATION FOUND IN THE
SAI.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
The Russian Federation is the largest republic of the Commonwealth of
Independent States with a 1995 population of 147,500,000. It is about
one and four fifths of the land area of the United States and occupies
most of eastern Europe and north Asia.
Russia has had a long history of political and economic turbulence.
The U.S.S.R. lasted 69 years and for more than half that time it
ranked as a nuclear superpower. In the 1930's tens of millions of its
citizens were collectivized under state agricultural and industrial
enterprises and millions died in political purges and the vast penal
and labor system or in state-created famines. During World War II, as
many as 20 million Soviet citizens died. After decades of communist
rule the Soviet Union was dissolved on December 8, 1991 following a
failed coup attempt against the government of Mikhail Gorbachev. On
the day that the leaders declared that the Soviet Union ceased to
exist, the Soviet republics were invited to join with Russia in the
Commonwealth of Independent states (CIS). At one time or another those
that have agreed to join have included the Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova,
Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan,
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, but a number have dropped out since or have
only observer status. Each of the republics is a sovereign state that
controls its own economy and natural resources and collects its own
taxes, providing only minimal support to the CIS.
Boris Yeltsin, President of Russia, inherited the mantle of economic
and political chaos. With the freeing of most prices he staked his
political life on the rapid creation of a free market economy. Since
1991 Yeltsin and his Russian reformers have been faced with the
daunting task of stabilizing the Russian economy while transforming it
into a modern and efficient structure able to compete in international
markets and respond to the needs of the Russian people. To date, their
efforts have yielded widely mixed results. On the one hand, they have
made some impressive progress. Since 1992, they have abolished central
planning, decontrolled prices, unified the foreign exchange market,
made the ruble convertible, and privatized two thirds of the economy.
They have accomplished this in spite of the crushing burdens inherited
from the communist system: huge industrial enterprises that are
unprofitable; an obsolete capital stock; a crumbling energy sector,
huge external debt; and armies that had to be repatriated and
resettled at home.
Russia remains a paradox among the major economies of the world in
that it is a country marked by stagnation in production levels, but
has few constraints on growth. Labor supply is adequate and savings
are high. In addition, there is almost unlimited scope for increasing
productivity through the introduction of improved technologies,
production process and market-oriented managerial development. There
are 147 million consumers who are slowly increasing their buying power
and education standards are high. Russia is also rich in natural
resources. It has 40% of the world's natural gas reserves, 6% of its
oil, 25% of coal, diamonds, gold and nickel, and 30% of timber and
bauxite. Approximately ten million people are engaged in agriculture
and they produce half of the region's grain, meat, milk, and other
dairy products.
The main reason for the continued poor performance of the Russian
economy is the country's failure to mobilize the resources that are
available. While the official unemployment rate was at 10.6% in 1996,
up to half of the working population is, in effect, unemployed or, to
a significant degree, underemployed in inefficient and unproductive
industries. Much of the country's savings have been siphoned off
through capital flight. Russia's technological potential for
assimilating both domestic and foreign technologies is not being
exploited. Industry privatization and restructuring initiatives have
generally failed to mobilize the available factors of production as
the country's privatization program virtually ensures the predominance
of the old management teams that are largely non market-oriented in
their management approach. Approximately 80% of Russian privatized
companies continue to be majority-owned by insiders and only 10% are
owned by investors with large enough stakes to influence the running
of the company.
In July 1996, Boris Yeltsin was re-elected for a second term and it
was hoped that the election would mark the start of a more stable
period of economic growth. However, macroeconomic indicators in 1996
proved contradictory. On the one hand, the Russian government
continued its strict credit policies, and the annual inflation rate
for 1996 dropped to 23%, down from 131% in 1995. Inflation has since
remained below 3% a month through the first half of 1997. In addition,
expenditure cuts trimmed the budget deficit to 7% of GDP for the first
nine months of 1996. On the other hand, however, GDP fell by 6%
following 1995's 4% fall, while industrial production was down by 5%
and real investment dropped by approximately 19%. Non-payment
continues to rep[resent a serious problem for the economy,
particularly in the energy sector.
While Russia is widely believed to be one of the most risky markets in
eastern Europe, it is also recognized for its potential for positive
returns. In 1996 the Russian market delivered the world's best stock
market performance and was among the top performing markets in the
first half of 1997. However, the market has been essentially liquidity
driven and concentrated in a very few of the country's largest
companies. At just $65 billion, the total capitalization of the stock
market accounts for just 12 percent of GDP. The majority of investors
in Russian equities are small and medium-sized US hedge funds. In
addition, several country specific funds have been established to make
direct and portfolio investments in Russian companies. To facilitate
foreign investment, a number of the larger Russian companies have
issued equity in the form of American depositary receipts while six
big firms have issued securities in the form of Russian depositary
certificates. These certificates are issued and marketed by the Bank
of New York. Any investment in Russia is risky and deciding which
companies will perform well at this stage of the country's
transformation is far from easy. A combination of poor accounting
standards, inept management, limited shareholder rights and the
criminalization of large sectors of the economy pose a significant
risk, particularly to foreign investors.
EFFECTIVE AUGUST 24, 1998, THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION REPLACES SIMILAR
INFORMATION FOUND UNDER "ADDITIONAL PURCHASE, EXCHANGE AND REDEMPTION
INFORMATION" ON PAGE 111.
CLASS A SHARES ONLY
5. to shares purchased for (i) an employee benefit plan having $25
million or more in plan assets or (ii) an employee benefit plan that
is part of an investment professional sponsored program that requires
the participating employee benefit plan to initially invest in Class C
or Class B shares and, upon meeting certain criteria, subsequently
requires the plan to invest in Class A shares; or
EFFECTIVE AUGUST 24, 1998, THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION REPLACES THE
FIRST TWO PARAGRAPHS FOUND UNDER THE HEADING "FINDER'S FEE" IN THE
"ADDITIONAL PURCHASE, EXCHANGE AND REDEMPTION INFORMATION" SECTION
BEGINNING ON PAGE 113.
FOR CLASS A AND CLASS T SHARES ONLY
FINDER'S FEE. For all funds except the Short-Term Bond Funds, on
eligible purchases of (i) Class A shares in amounts of $1 million or
more that qualify for a Class A load waiver, (ii) Class A shares in
amounts of $25 million or more, or (iii) Class T shares in amounts of
$1 million or more, investment professionals will be compensated with
a fee at the rate of 0.25% of the purchase amount. Except as provided
below, Class A eligible purchases are the following purchases made
through broker-dealers and banks: an individual trade of $25 million
or more; an individual trade of $1 million or more that is load
waived; a trade which brings the value of the accumulated account(s)
of an investor (including an employee benefit plan) past $25 million;
a load waived trade that brings the value of the accumulated
account(s) of an investor (including an employee benefit plan) past $1
million; a trade for an investor with an accumulated account value of
$25 million or more; a load waived trade for an investor with an
accumulated account value of $1 million or more; an incremental trade
toward an investor's $25 million "Letter of Intent"; and an
incremental load waived trade toward an investor's $1 million "Letter
of Intent". Except as provided below, Class T eligible purchases are
the following purchases made through broker-dealers and banks: an
individual trade of $1 million or more; a trade which brings the value
of the accumulated account(s) of an investor (including an employee
benefit plan) past $1 million; a trade for an investor with an
accumulated account value of $1 million or more; and an incremental
trade toward an investor's $1 million "Letter of Intent."
For the Short-Term Bond Funds, on eligible purchases of (i) Class A
shares in amounts of $1 million or more, or (ii) Class T shares in
amounts of $1 million or more, investment professionals will be
compensated with a fee at the rate of 0.25% of the purchase amount.
Except as provided below, Class A eligible purchases are the following
purchases made through broker-dealers and banks: an individual trade
of $1 million or more; a trade which brings the value of the
accumulated account(s) of an investor (including an employee benefit
plan) past $1 million; a trade for an investor with an accumulated
account value of $1 million or more; and an incremental trade toward
an investor's $1 million "Letter of Intent." Except as provided below,
Class T eligible purchases are the following purchases made through
broker-dealers and banks: an individual trade of $1 million or more; a
trade which brings the value of the accumulated account(s) of an
investor (including an employee benefit plan) past $1 million; a trade
for an investor with an accumulated account value of $1 million or
more; and an incremental trade toward an investor's $1 million "Letter
of Intent."
For the purpose of determining the availability of Class A or Class T
finder's fees, purchases of Class A or Class T shares made with the
proceeds from the redemption of shares of any Fidelity fund will not
be considered "eligible purchases."
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION REPLACES THE SECOND PARAGRAPH FOUND UNDER
"DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICE PLANS" BEGINNING ON PAGE 137.
Pursuant to the Class A Plans, FDC is paid a distribution fee as a
percentage of Class A's average net assets at an annual rate of up to
0.75% for each of TechnoQuant Growth, International Capital
Appreciation, Overseas, Mid Cap, Equity Growth, Growth Opportunities,
Strategic Opportunities, Large Cap, Growth & Income, Equity Income,
and Balanced (the Equity Funds); and up to 0.40% for each of Emerging
Markets Income, High Yield, Strategic Income, Government Investment,
Mortgage Securities, and Municipal Income (the Bond Funds),
Intermediate Bond and Intermediate Municipal Income (the
Intermediate-Term Bond Funds), and Short-Intermediate Municipal Income
and Short Fixed-Income (the Short-Term Bond Funds). Pursuant to the
Class T Plans, FDC is paid a distribution fee as a percentage of Class
T's average net assets at an annual rate of up to 0.75% for each of
TechnoQuant Growth, International Capital Appreciation, Equity Growth,
Mid Cap, Large Cap, Growth & Income, and Equity Income; up to 0.65%
for each of Overseas, Growth Opportunities, Strategic Opportunities,
and Balanced; up to 0.40% for each of Emerging Markets Income, High
Yield, Strategic Income, Intermediate Bond, Mortgage Securities,
Government Investment, Municipal Income, Short-Intermediate Municipal
Income, and Intermediate Municipal Income; and up to 0.15% for Short
Fixed-Income. Pursuant to the Class B Plans, FDC is paid a
distribution fee as a percentage of Class B's average net assets at an
annual rate of up to 0.75% for each fund with Class B shares. Pursuant
to the Class C Plans, FDC is paid a distribution fee as a percentage
of Class C's average net assets at an annual rate of up to 0.75% for
each fund with Class C shares. For the purpose of calculating the
distribution fees, average net assets are determined at the close of
business on each day throughout the month, but excluding assets
attributable to Class T shares of Equity Income purchased more than
144 months prior to such day and to Class B shares of Equity Income
purchased more than 144 months prior to such day.
EFFECTIVE AUGUST 24, 1998, THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION REPLACES THE
SIXTH PARAGRAPH FOUND UNDER "DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICE PLANS" ON PAGE
138.
Currently and except as provided below, for the first year of
investment, the full amount of distribution fees paid by Class C is
retained by FDC as compensation for its services and expenses in
connection with the distribution of Class C shares, and the full
amount of service fees paid by Class C is retained by FDC for
providing personal service to and/or maintenance of Class C
shareholder accounts. Normally, after the first year of investment,
the full amount of distribution fees paid by Class C is reallowed to
investment professionals (including FDC) as compensation for their
services in connection with the distribution of Class C shares, and
the full amount of service fees paid by Class C is reallowed to
investment professionals (including FDC) for providing personal
service to and/or maintenance of Class C shareholder accounts. For
purchases of Class C shares made for an employee benefit plan, during
the first year of investment and thereafter, the full amount of
distribution fees and service fees paid by such Class C shares is
reallowed to investment professionals (including FDC) as compensation
for their services in connection with the distribution of Class C
shares and for providing personal service to and/or maintenance of
Class C shareholder accounts.
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION REPLACES THE SEVENTH PARAGRAPH FOUND UNDER
"CONTRACTS WITH FMR AFFILIATES" ON PAGE 144.
Each of the taxable funds has entered into a service agent agreement
with FSC. Under the terms of the agreements, FSC calculates the NAV
and dividends for each class of each fund, maintains each fund's
portfolio and general accounting records, and administers each fund's
securities lending program.
