NEUBERGER & BERMAN EQUITY FUNDS
Supplement dated September 9, 1997 to
Statement of Additional Information dated December 6, 1996
INVESTMENT INFORMATION
The sections regarding the investment programs and managers of the Portfolios
(pages 11-23) are revised to read as follows:
NEUBERGER & BERMAN MANHATTAN PORTFOLIO
Neuberger & Berman Manhattan Portfolio's objective is capital
appreciation without regard for income. The Portfolio differs from other
Neuberger & Berman Funds(Registered Trademark) because its style is growth. This
means investing in sectors which have been growing faster than the overall
economy and in companies which have been growing faster than their overall
industries. The Portfolio managers seek to find stocks of companies reporting
surprisingly good earnings compared with consensus expectations yet stocks the
managers believe trade at reasonable valuations relative to their projected
growth rates. The stocks in the Portfolio will have a higher historic price
earnings ratio versus the overall market but the portfolio managers believe that
the stocks will trade at a more reasonable valuation relative to projected
earnings.
NEUBERGER & BERMAN GENESIS PORTFOLIO
The predecessor of Neuberger & Berman Genesis Fund was established in
1988. A fund dedicated primarily to small-capitalization stocks (companies with
total market value of outstanding common stock of up to $1.5 billion at the time
the Portfolio invests), Neuberger & Berman Genesis Portfolio is devoted to the
same value principles as most of the other equity funds managed by N&B
Management. The Portfolio is comprised of what the portfolio co-managers believe
are small-cap stocks with solid earnings today, not just promises for tomorrow.
Many people think that small-capitalization stock funds are
predominantly invested in high-risk companies. That is not necessarily the case.
Neuberger & Berman Genesis Portfolio looks for the same fundamentals in
small-capitalization stocks as other Portfolios look for in stocks of larger
companies. The portfolio co-managers stick to the areas they understand. They
look for the most persistent earnings growth at the lowest multiple, as well as
for well-established companies with entrepreneurial management and sound
finances. Also considered are catalysts to exposing value, such as management
changes and new product lines. Often, these are firms that have suffered
temporary setbacks or undergone a restructuring.
Neuberger & Berman Genesis Portfolio's motto is "boring is beautiful."
Instead of investing in trendy, high-priced stocks that tend to hurt
shareholders on the downside, the Portfolio looks for little-known, solid,
growing companies whose stocks the managers believe are wonderful bargains.
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE PORTFOLIO CO-MANAGER
Q: If I already own a large-cap stock fund, why should I consider
investing in a small-cap fund as well?
<PAGE>
A: Look at how fast a sapling grows compared to, say, a mature tree.
Much of the same can be true about companies. It's possible for a smaller
company to grow 50% faster than an IBM or a Coca-Cola.
So, many small-cap stocks offer superior growth potential. Consider the
cereal you eat, the detergent you use, the coffee you drink -- and imagine if
you had invested in these products BEFORE they became household names. If you
had invested only in the blue-chip companies of the day, you would have missed
out on these opportunities.
Of course, we're not advocating investing in a portfolio consisting
only of small-cap stock funds. It pays to diversify. Let's look back about 25
years. While past performance cannot indicate future performance, small-cap
stocks outperformed larger-cap stocks 16 out of the 25 years from 1971 to 1996,
which means larger-cap stocks did better the rest of the time.1/
Q: Neuberger & Berman Genesis Fund is classified as a "small-cap value
fund." To many people, "small-cap value" is an oxymoron. Can you clarify the
Portfolio's investment approach?
A: We understand the confusion. After all, a lot of people equate
"small-cap" with "growth." They also equate "value" with "cheap." At Neuberger &
Berman Genesis Portfolio, we're 100% behind finding GROWING small-cap companies
- -- what we believe are highly profitable companies with solid records and
promising futures. So where do we part company with managers who follow a
"small-cap growth" style? It comes down to how much growth and at what price.
Small-cap growth investors seem willing to pay a premium for vastly superior
growth. This results in two problems: a) growth tends to be discounted by the
premium valuations, and b) the growth expectations are so high as to be
unsustainable. We believe superior yet more stable returns can be purchased at
significant discounts. They may be found in mundane, perhaps even boring,
industries. Remember, the same glamorous appeal that attracts so many growth
investors also attracts competitors.
In that respect, we're "value" managers. Yet we'd like to make this
point clear: Low price-to-earnings multiples, in and of themselves, cannot
justify a "buy" decision. When we search for growing, high-quality small-cap
companies selling at what we feel are bargain prices, we ask ourselves: Is the
company cheap for a good reason? Or, does it have the financial muscle and the
management talent to make it into the big leagues?
Q: Let's turn to specifics. What criteria are used to decide which
small-cap companies make the cut -- and which ones don't?
- -----------------------
1/ Results are on a total return basis and include reinvestment of all dividends
and capital gain distributions. Small-cap stocks are represented by the fifth
capitalization quintile of stocks on the NYSE from 1971 to 1981 and performance
of the Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) Small Company Fund from 1982 to 1996.
Larger-cap stocks are represented by the S&P "500" Index, an unmanaged group of
stocks. Please note that indices do not take into account any fees or expenses
of investing in the individual securities that they track. Data about these
indices are prepared or obtained by N&B Management. The Portfolio may invest in
many securities not included in the above-described indices. Source: STOCKS,
BONDS, BILL AND INFLATION 1996 YEARBOOKTM, Ibbotson Associates, Chicago
(annually updates work by Roger G. Ibbotson and Rex A. Sinquefield). Used with
permission. All rights reserved.
<PAGE>
A: Over the years, we've seen hundreds of small-cap companies that
flourished and just as many that failed to deliver on their early promises. What
made the difference? While every case is unique, here are a few important traits
of the winners.
First of all, a successful small-cap company normally produces high
returns. In practice, this means the business has a number of barriers to entry.
Perhaps the company has a technology that's hard to duplicate. Or maybe it can
make a product at a substantially lower cost than anyone else. Unlike most
businesses, it has an advantage that allows it to continue earning above-market
returns.
In addition to having a competitive edge, a successful small-cap
company should generate healthy cash flow. With excess cash, a company has the
ability to finance its own growth without diluting the ownership stake of
existing stockholders by issuing more shares.
No small-cap company can grow without having the right people on board.
That's why we spend so much time meeting the CEOs and CFOs of small-cap
companies. While we question the managers about future plans and strategies, we
spend as much time evaluating them as people. Do they seem honest and capable?
Or do they puff up their case? Making portfolio decisions is a lot about making
character judgments -- who has the stuff to manage a growing company, and who
doesn't.
THE RISKS INVOLVED IN SEEKING CAPITAL APPRECIATION FROM INVESTMENTS
PRIMARILY IN COMPANIES WITH SMALL MARKET CAPITALIZATION ARE SET FORTH IN THE
PROSPECTUS.
NEUBERGER & BERMAN FOCUS AND NEUBERGER & BERMAN GUARDIAN PORTFOLIOS
Neuberger & Berman Focus Portfolio's investment objective is long-term
capital appreciation. Like the other Portfolios that use a value-oriented
investment approach, it seeks to buy undervalued securities that offer
opportunities for growth, but then it focuses its assets in those sectors where
undervalued stocks are clustered. The portfolio co-managers begin by looking for
stocks that are selling for less than the managers think they're worth, a
"bottom-up approach." More often than not, such stocks are in a few economic
sectors that are out of favor and are undervalued as a group. The portfolio
co-managers think 90% of cheap stocks deserve to be cheap and their job is to
find the 10% that don't.
The portfolio co-managers don't pick sectors for Neuberger & Berman
Focus Portfolio based on their perception of how the economy is going to do. Nor
do they engage in making economic or currency predictions. They look for stocks
with either low relative or low absolute valuations. Often, these stocks will be
found in a particular sector, but the managers didn't start out being bullish on
that sector. It's just where they happened to find the values. They find that if
one company comes under a cloud, it tends to happen to its whole industry. If an
investment manager rotates the sectors in a portfolio by buying sectors when
they are undervalued and selling them when they become fully valued, the manager
would be able to achieve above-average performance.
Neuberger & Berman Guardian Portfolio subscribes to the same
stock-picking philosophy followed since Roy R. Neuberger founded Neuberger &
Berman Guardian Fund's predecessor in 1950.
It's no great trick for a mutual fund to make money when the market is
rising. The tide that lifts stock values will carry most funds along. The true
test of management is its ability to make money even when the market is flat or
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declining. By that measure, Neuberger & Berman Guardian Fund and its predecessor
have served shareholders well and have paid a dividend every quarter and a
capital gain distribution EVERY YEAR since 1950. Of course, there can be no
assurance that this trend will continue.
The portfolio co-managers place a high premium on being knowledgeable
about the companies whose stocks they buy. That knowledge is important, because
sometimes it takes courage to buy stocks that the rest of the market has
forsaken. The Portfolio is usually early in and early out. The managers would
rather buy an undervalued stock because they expect it to become fairly valued
than buy one fairly valued and hope it becomes overvalued. The managers like a
stock "under a rock" or with a cloud over it; they believe an investor is not
going to get great companies at great valuations when the market perception is
great.
Investors who switch around a lot are not going to benefit from
Neuberger & Berman Guardian Portfolio's approach. They're following the market
- -- the Portfolio is looking at fundamentals.
NEUBERGER & BERMAN PARTNERS PORTFOLIO
Neuberger & Berman Partners Portfolio's objective is capital growth. It
seeks to make money in good markets and not give up those gains during rough
times.
Investors in the Portfolio typically seek consistent performance and
have a moderate risk tolerance. They do know, however, that stock investments
can provide the long-term upside potential essential to meeting their long-term
investment goals, particularly a comfortable retirement and planning for a
college education.
The portfolio co-managers look for stocks that are undervalued in the
marketplace either in relation to strong current fundamentals, such as a low
price-to-earnings ratio, consistent cash flow, and support from asset values, or
in relation to their projection of the growth of the company's future earnings.
If the market goes down, those stocks the Portfolio elects to hold,
historically, have gone down less.
The portfolio co-managers monitor stocks of medium- to large-sized
companies that often are not closely scrutinized by other investors. The
managers research these companies in order to determine if they are likely to
produce a new product, become an acquisition target, or undergo a financial
restructuring.
What else catches the portfolio co-managers' eyes? Companies whose
managements own their own stock. These companies usually seek to build
shareholder wealth by buying back shares or making acquisitions that have a
swift and positive impact on the bottom line.
To increase the upside potential, the managers zero in on companies
that dominate their industries or their specialized niches. The managers'
reasoning? Market leaders tend to earn higher levels of profits.
Neuberger & Berman Partners Portfolio invests in a wide array of
stocks, and no single stock makes up more than a small fraction of the
Portfolio's total assets. Of course, the Portfolio's holdings are subject to
change.
<PAGE>
NEUBERGER & BERMAN SOCIALLY RESPONSIVE PORTFOLIO
Securities for this Portfolio are selected through a two-phase process.
The first is financial. The portfolio manager analyzes a universe of companies
according to N&B Management's value-oriented philosophy and looks for stocks
which are undervalued for any number of reasons. The manager focuses on
financial fundamentals, including balance sheet ratios and cash flow analysis,
and meets with company management in an effort to understand how those
unrecognized values might be realized in the market.
The second part of the process is social screening. N&B Management's
social research is based on the same kind of philosophy that governs its
financial approach: N&B Management believes that first-hand knowledge and
experience are its most important tools. Utilizing a database, the portfolio
manager does careful, in-depth tracking and analyzes a large number of companies
on some eighty issues in six broad social categories. The manager uses a wide
variety of sources to determine company practices and policies in these areas.
Performance is analyzed in light of knowledge of the issues and of the best
practices in each industry.
The portfolio manager understands that, for many issues and in many
industries, absolute standards are elusive and often counterproductive. Thus, in
addition to quantitative measurements, the manager places value on such
indicators as management commitment, progress, direction, and industry
leadership.
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE PORTFOLIO MANAGER
Q: First things first. How do you begin your stock selection process?
A: Our first question is always: On financial grounds alone, is a
company a smart investment? For a company's stock to meet our financial test, it
must pass a number of hurdles.
We look for bargains, just like the portfolio managers of the other
Portfolios. More specifically, we search for companies that we believe have
terrific products, excellent customer service, and solid balance sheets -- but
because they may have missed quarterly earnings expectations by a few pennies,
because their sectors are currently out of favor, because Wall Street
overreacted to a temporary setback, or because the company's merits aren't
widely known, their stocks are selling at a discount.
While we look at the stock's fundamentals carefully, that's not all we
examine. We meet an awful lot of CEOs and CFOs. Top officers of over 400
companies visit Neuberger & Berman each year, and we're also frequently on the
road visiting dozens of corporations. From Neuberger & Berman Socially
Responsive Fund's inception, we've met with representatives of every company we
own.
When we're face to face with a CEO, we're searching for answers to two
crucial questions: "Does the company have a vision of where it wants to go?" and
"Can the management team make it happen?" We've analyzed companies for over
three decades, and we always look for companies that have both clear strategies
and management talent.
Q: When you evaluate a company's balance sheet, what matters the most
to you?
A: Definitely a company's "free cash flow." Compare it to your
household's discretionary income -- the money you have left over each month
<PAGE>
after you pay off your monthly debt and other expenses. With ample free cash
flow, a company can do any number of things. It can buy back its stock. Make
important acquisitions. Expand its research and development spending. Or
increase its dividend payments.
When a company generates lots of excess cash flow, it has growth
capital at its disposal. It can invest for higher profits down the line and
improve shareholder value. Determining exactly HOW a company intends to spend
its excess cash is an entirely different matter -- and that's where the
information learned in our company meetings comes in. Still, you've got to have
the extra cash in the first place. Which is why we pay so much attention to it.
Q: So you take a hard look at a company's balance sheet and its
management. After a company passes your financial test, what do you do next?
A: After we're convinced of a company's merits on financial grounds
alone, we review its record as a corporate citizen. In particular, we look for
evidence of leadership in three key areas: concern for the environment,
workplace diversity, and enlightened employment practices.
It should be clear that our social screening always takes place after
we search far and wide for what we believe are the best investment opportunities
available. This is a crucial point, and an analogy can be used to explain it.
Let's assume you're looking to fill a vital position in your company. What you'd
pay attention to first is the candidate's competence: Can he or she do the job?
So after interviewing a number of candidates, you'd narrow your list to those
that are highly qualified. To choose from this smaller group, you might look at
the candidate's personality: Can he or she get along with everyone in your
group?
Obviously, you wouldn't hire an unqualified person simply because he or
she is likable. What you'd probably do is give the job to a highly qualified
person who is ALSO compatible with your group.
Now, let's turn to the companies that do make our financial cuts. How
do we decide whether they meet our social criteria? Once again, our regular
meetings with CEOs are key. We look for top management's support of programs
that put more women and minorities in the pipeline to be future officers and
board members; that minimize emissions, reduce waste, conserve energy, and
protect natural resources; and that enable employees to balance work and family
life with benefits such as flextime and generous maternal AND paternal leave.
We realize that companies are not all good or all bad. Instead of
looking for ethical perfection, we analyze how a company responds to troublesome
problems. If a company is cited for breaking a pollution law, we evaluate its
reaction. We also ask: Is it the first time? Do its top executives have a plan
for making sure it doesn't happen again -- and how committed are they?
If we're satisfied with the answers, a company makes it into our
portfolio. When all is said and done, we invest in companies that have diverse
work forces, strong CEOs, tough environmental standards, AND terrific balance
sheets. In our judgment, financially strong companies that are also good
corporate citizens are more likely to enjoy a competitive advantage. These days,
more and more people won't buy a product unless they know it's environmentally
friendly. In a similar vein, companies that treat their workers well may be more
productive and profitable.
Q: Why have investors been attracted to Neuberger & Berman Socially
Responsive Fund?
<PAGE>
A: Our shareholders are looking to invest for the future in more ways
than one. While they care deeply about their own financial futures, they're
equally passionate about the world they leave to later generations. They want to
be able to meet their college bills and leave a world where the air is a little
cleaner and where the doors to the executive suite are a little more open.
NEUBERGER & BERMAN INTERNATIONAL PORTFOLIO
Equity portfolios consisting solely of domestic investments generally
have not enjoyed the higher returns foreign opportunities can offer. Over the
past thirty years, for example, the average growth rates of many foreign
economies have outpaced that of the United States. While the United States
accounted for almost 66% of the world's total securities market capitalization
in 1970, it accounted for less than 30% of that total at the end of 1996 -- or
less than a third of the dollar value of the world's available stocks and
bonds.2/
Over time, a number of international equity markets have outperformed
their U.S. counterpart. Although there are no guarantees, foreign markets could
continue to provide attractive investment opportunities.
In addition, according to Morgan Stanley Capital International, the
leading companies in any given sector are not always U.S.-based. For example,
all ten of the largest construction companies, nine of the ten largest banks and
seven of the ten largest automobile companies are based outside of the United
States.
A principal advantage of investing overseas is diversification. A
diversified portfolio gives investors the opportunity to pursue increased
overall return while reducing risk. It is prudent to diversify by taking
advantage of investment opportunities in more than one country's stock or bond
market. By investing in several countries through a worldwide portfolio,
investors can lower their exposure and vulnerability to weakness in any one
market. Investors should be aware, however, that international investing is not
a guarantee against market risk and may be affected by the economic and other
factors described in the Prospectus. These include the prospects of individual
companies and other risks such as currency fluctuations or controls,
expropriation, nationalization and confiscatory taxation.
Furthermore, buying foreign stocks and bonds can be difficult for the
individual investor and involves many decisions. Accessing international markets
is complicated; few individuals have the time or resources to evaluate
thoroughly foreign companies and markets or the ability to incur the high
transaction costs of direct investment in such markets. A mutual fund investing
in foreign securities offers an investor broad diversification at a relatively
low cost.
The Portfolio invests primarily in equity securities of companies
located in developed foreign economies, as well as in "emerging markets." In all
cases, N&B Management's investment process includes a combination of "top-down
country allocation" and "bottom-up security selection."
The portfolio manager searches the world for investment opportunities
wherever and whenever they arise -- in both developed and emerging markets.
First, the portfolio manager selects countries with strong potential for growth.
N&B Management believes that the majority of the total return in a global equity
portfolio can be attributed to country allocation. The Portfolio's stock
- ------------------
2/ Source: Morgan Stanley Capital International.
<PAGE>
selection process leads to diversification across more than 20 countries that
the manager believes offer the best value.
Then, the portfolio manager focuses on individual companies. The
portfolio manager looks at the fundamentals. Does the company lead its market
niche? How strong is its management? If the company is small, has it shown
sustained growth? In general, the Portfolio's selection process leads to
investments in mid-sized companies in developed countries and larger, more
established firms in emerging markets such as Hungary and Singapore.
Top-down approach to regional and country diversification
N&B Management uses extensive economic research to identify countries
that offer attractive investment opportunities, by analyzing factors such as
growth rates of gross domestic product, interest rate trends, and currency
exchange rates. Market valuations, combined with correlation and volatility
comparisons, provide N&B Management with a target allocation across twenty or
more countries.
Bottom-up approach to security selection
N&B Management's value-oriented approach seeks out attractively priced
issues, by concentrating on criteria such as a low price-to-earnings ratio
relative to earnings growth rate, balance sheet strength, low price to cash
flow, and management quality. Typically, the Portfolio's investment portfolio is
comprised of over 100 different securities issues, primarily of medium- to
large-capitalization companies (determined in relation to the principal market
in which a company's securities are traded).
Currency risk management
Exchange rate movements and volatility are important factors in
international investing. The portfolio manager believes in actively managing the
Portfolio's currency exposure, in an effort to capitalize on foreign currency
trends and to reduce overall portfolio volatility. Currency risk management is
performed separately from equity analysis. The portfolio manager uses a
combination of economic analysis to guide the Portfolio's longer-term posture
and quantitative trend analysis to assist in timing decisions with respect to
whether (or when) to invest in instruments denominated in a particular foreign
currency, or whether (or when) to hedge particular foreign currencies in which
liquid foreign exchange markets exist.
For much of the past two decades, international stocks, on average,
have outperformed U.S. stocks. If you had invested $10,000 in the international
stocks that comprise the EAFE(R) Index and the U.S. stocks that make up the S&P
"500" Index twenty years ago, here's what your investments would have been worth
as of December 31, 1996 and June 30, 1997:
<PAGE>
Value of investment Avg. annual total return3/
12/31/96 6/30/97 12/31/96 6/30/97
-------- ------- -------- -------
International stocks (EAFE
(Registered Trademark)) $171,996 $179,213 15.29% 15.52%
Domestic stocks (S&P "500") $150,282 $189,557 14.51% 15.85%
Of course, these historical results may not continue in the future.
Investors should keep in mind the greater risks inherent in foreign markets,
such as currency exchange fluctuations, interest rates, and potentially adverse
economic and political conditions.
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE PORTFOLIO MANAGER
Q: Why should investors allocate a portion of their assets to
international markets?
A: First, an investor who does not invest internationally misses out on
about two-thirds of the world's potential investment opportunities. The U.S.
stock market today represents less than one-third of the world's stock market
capitalization, and the U.S. portion continues to shrink as other countries
around the world introduce or expand the size of their equity markets.
Privatizations of government-owned corporations, initial public offerings, and
the occasional creation of official stock exchanges in emerging economies
continuously present new opportunities for capital in an expanding global
market.
Second, many foreign economies are in earlier stages of development
than ours and are growing fast. Economic growth can often mean potential for
investment growth.
Finally, international investing helps an investor increase
diversification, which can reduce risk. Domestic and foreign markets generally
do not all move in the same direction, so gains in one market may offset losses
in another.
Q: Does international investing involve special risks?
A: Currency risk is one important risk presented by international
investing. Fluctuations in exchange rates can either add to or reduce an
investor's returns. Anyone who invests in foreign markets should keep that fact
in mind.
Other risks include, but are not limited to, greater market volatility,
less government supervision and availability of public information, and the
possibility of adverse economic or political developments. Additional special
risks of foreign investing are discussed in the Prospectus.
Q: What are some of the advantages of investing in an international
fund?
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3/ Total return assumes reinvestment of all dividends and other distributions.
The EAFE(R) Index, also known as the Morgan Stanley Capital International
Europe, Australia, Far East Index, is an unmanaged index of over 1,000 foreign
stock prices and is translated into U.S. dollars. The S&P "500" Index is an
unmanaged index generally considered to be representative of U.S. stock market
activity. Indices do not take into account brokerage commissions or other fees
and expenses of investing in the individual securities that they track. Data
about the performance of these indices are prepared or obtained by N&B
Management.
<PAGE>
A: An international mutual fund can be a convenient way to invest
internationally and diversify assets among several markets to reduce risk.
Additionally, the considerable burden of obtaining timely, accurate, and
comprehensive information about foreign economies and securities is left to
professional managers.
Q: What is your investment approach?
A: We seek to capitalize on investments in countries where we believe
that positive economic and political factors are likely to produce above-average
returns. Studies have shown that the allocation of assets among countries is
typically the most important factor contributing to portfolio performance. We
believe that, in the long term, a nation's economic growth and the performance
of its equity market are highly correlated. Therefore, we continuously evaluate
the global economic outlook as well as individual country data to guide country
allocation. Our process also leads to diversification across many countries,
typically twenty or more, in an effort to limit total portfolio risk.
We strive to invest in companies within the selected countries that are
in the best position to capitalize on such positive developments or companies
that are most attractively valued. We usually include in the Portfolio's
investments the securities of large-capitalization companies, determined in
relation to the appropriate national market, as well as securities of
faster-growing, medium-sized companies that offer potentially higher returns but
are often associated with higher risk.
The criteria for security selection focus on companies with leadership
in specific markets or with niches in specific industries, which appear to
exhibit positive fundamentals and seem undervalued relative to their earnings
potential or the worth of their assets. Typically, in emerging markets, we
invest in relatively large, established companies that we believe possess the
managerial, financial, and marketing strength to exploit successfully the growth
of a dynamic economy. In more developed markets, such as Europe and Japan, the
Portfolio may invest to a higher degree in medium-sized companies. Medium-sized
companies can often provide above-average growth and are less followed by market
analysts, which sometimes leads to inefficient valuation.
Finally, we strive to limit total portfolio volatility and protect the
value of portfolio securities by selectively hedging the Portfolio's foreign
currency exposure in times when we expect the U.S. dollar to strengthen.
Q: How do you perceive the current outlook?
A: There is still an abundance of exciting investment opportunities
around the world. Many equity markets still have not reached the maturity stage
of the U.S. market and have much more room to grow. There are new markets
opening up to foreign investment and many changes are occurring in markets where
equity investments have traditionally commanded less attention than fixed income
securities.
In addition, it appears to us that both Europe and Japan recently
passed the bottom of their economic cycles. In many economies, the current
recession has been the most severe of all recessions in the last five decades.
With global inflation still in check, many economies should continue to have
lower interest rates, which, coupled with a forecast of recovery in profits,
could positively impact stock market returns.
Q: Compared to the stock market in the United States, are there more
anomalies in security pricing abroad?
<PAGE>
A: Well, the rest of the world is not as well followed as the United
States. So you'll find more anomalies. At the same time, though, the level of
analysis of companies around the world is improving every day, and the gap in
coverage is narrowing.
What never changes is the psychology of the investor -- you regularly
see either despair or euphoria in different sectors of every international
market. That, in our opinion, creates opportunities to find undiscovered gems at
extraordinarily cheap prices.
These opportunities can come from, say, uncertainty over an election
going one way or another. Investors may see the outcome as totally disastrous
for a country -- or as totally euphoric. Then, reality sets in, and things are
never as bleak or as wonderful as they had been painted.
Q: Do you integrate ideas from Neuberger & Berman's research and the
domestic portfolio managers?
A: Oh, sure. As everyone knows, the world is becoming smaller, and
certain industries are becoming global (or have become global). Whether one
thinks about technology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, or the automobile
industry, it's really become one world market. So it's crucial to have good
knowledge about BOTH the United States and the areas outside the United States
where these companies dominate.
This Supplement supersedes the Supplements dated July 31, 1997 and
April 1, 1997.
