Registration No. 2-33043
File No. 811-1512
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES
ACT OF 1933 [X]
Pre-Effective Amendment No. _____ [ ]
Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 [X]
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY
ACT OF 1940 [X]
Amendment No. 34 [X]
OPPENHEIMER EQUITY INCOME FUND
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(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
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6803 S. TUCSON WAY, ENGLEWOOD, CO 80112
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(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
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303-768-3200
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(Registrant's Telephone Number, including Area Code)
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Andrew J. Donohue, Esq.
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OppenheimerFunds, Inc.
Two World Trade Center, New York, New York 10048-0203
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(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):
[ ] Immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) [ ] On _______________
pursuant to paragraph (b) [ ] 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
[X] On December 22, 1998 pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) [ ] 75 days after filing
pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) [ ] On _______________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
of Rule 485
If appropriate, check the following box:
[ ] This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a
previously filed post-effective amendment.
6
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Oppenheimer Equity Income Fund
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Prospectus dated December 22, 1998
Oppenheimer Equity Income Fund is a mutual fund that seeks current
income compatible with prudent investment. As a secondary objective it tries to
conserve capital while providing an opportunity for capital appreciation. It
invests in both equity and debt securities.
This Prospectus contains important information about the Fund's
objective, its investment policies, strategies and risks. It also contains
important information about how to buy and sell shares of the Fund and other
account features. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you invest and
keep it for future reference about your account.
(OppenheimerFunds logo)
As with all mutual funds, the Securities and Exchange Commission has not
approved or disapproved the Fund's securities nor has it determined that this
Prospectus is accurate or complete. It is a criminal offense to represent
otherwise.
<PAGE>
Contents
About the Fund
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The Fund's Objective and Investment Strategies
Main Risks of Investing in the Fund
The Fund's Past Performance
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
About the Fund's Investments
How the Fund is Managed
About Your Account
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How to Buy Shares
Class A Shares
Class B Shares
Class C Shares
Special Investor Services
AccountLink
Phone Link
OppenheimerFunds Web Site
Retirement Plans
How to Sell Shares
By Mail
By Telephone
How to Exchange Shares
Shareholder Account Rules and Policies
Dividends, Capital Gains and Taxes
Financial Highlights
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<PAGE>
About the Fund
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The Fund's Objective and Investment Strategies
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What Are the Fund's Investment Objectives? The Fund's primary objective is to
seek as much current income as is compatible with prudent investment. The Fund
has a secondary objective to conserve principal while providing an opportunity
for capital appreciation.
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What Does the Fund Invest In? The Fund invests mainly in equity securities, such
as dividend-paying common stock and preferred stocks of issuers of different
capitalization levels. It also buys debt securities, such as corporate and
government bonds and debentures. The Fund may also use hedging instruments and
certain derivative investments to try to manage investment risks. These
investments are more fully explained in "About the Fund's Investments," below.
Who Is the Fund Designed For? The Fund is designed primarily for investors
seeking current income with the opportunity for some capital growth in their
investment over the long term. Those investors should have a longer investing
horizon and be willing to assume the risks of short-term share price
fluctuations that are typical for a moderately aggressive fund focusing on
equity investments. Since the Fund's income level will fluctuate, it is not
designed for investors needing an assured level of current income. Because of
its primary focus on income and long-term growth secondarily, the Fund may be
appropriate for moderately conservative investors and for retirement plans.
Main Risks of Investing in the Fund
All investments carry risks to some degree. The Fund's investments in
stocks and debt securities are subject to changes in their value from a number
of factors. They include changes in general bond and stock market movements
(this is referred to as "market risk"), or the change in value of particular
stocks or bonds because of an event affecting the issuer (this is known as
"credit risk"). Changes in interest rates can also affect stock and bond prices
(this is known as "interest rate risk"). To a limited extent, the Fund can buy
below-investment grade bonds (known as "junk bonds") which have greater credit
risks than investment grade bonds. The Fund can also buy foreign equity and debt
securities that have special risks not associated with investments in domestic
securities.
These risks collectively form the risk profile of the Fund, and can
affect the value of the Fund's investments, its investment performance and its
price per share. These risks mean that you can lose money by investing in the
Fund. When you redeem your shares, they may be worth more or less than what you
paid for them.
The Fund's investment Manager, OppenheimerFunds, Inc., tries to reduce
risks by carefully researching securities before they are purchased, and in some
cases by using hedging techniques. The Fund attempts to reduce its exposure to
market risks by diversifying its investments, that is, by not holding a
substantial amount of stock of any one company and by not investing too great a
percentage of the Fund's assets in any one company. Also, the Fund does not
concentrate its investments in any one industry or group of industries. However,
changes in the overall market prices of securities and the income they pay can
occur at any time. The share price of the Fund will change daily based on
changes in market prices of securities and market conditions, and in response to
other economic events. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its
investment objective.
n Risks of Investing in Stocks. Stocks fluctuate in price, and their
short-term volatility at times may be great. While historically stock
investments have provided great growth potential over the long term, share
prices can fall for a variety of reasons particular to an issuer or to the
overall economy. Because the Fund invests primarily in equity securities, the
value of the Fund's portfolio will be affected by current changes in the stock
markets. The Fund's net asset value per share will fluctuate as the values of
the Fund's portfolio securities change. The prices of individual stocks do not
all move in the same direction uniformly or at the same time. Different stock
markets may behave differently from each other.
Other factors can affect a particular stock's price, such as poor
earnings reports by the issuer, loss of major customers, major litigation
against the issuer, or changes in government regulations affecting the issuer or
its industry. The Fund tends to invest primarily in securities of large
companies for their dividend income but can also buy securities of small and
medium-size companies, which may have more volatile stock prices than large
companies.
|X| Credit Risk. Debt securities are subject to credit risk. Credit
risk relates to the ability of the issuer of a security to make interest and
principal payments on the security as they become due. If the issuer fails to
pay interest, the Fund's income may be reduced and if the issuer fails to repay
principal, the value of that bond and of the Fund's shares may be reduced.
o Special Risks of Lower-Grade Securities. Because the Fund
can invest as much as 25% of its assets in securities below investment grade to
seek higher income, the Fund's credit risks are greater than those of funds that
buy only investment grade bonds. Lower-grade debt securities may be subject to
greater market fluctuations and greater risks of loss of income and principal
than higher-rated debt securities. Securities that are (or that have fallen)
below investment grade entail a greater risk that the issuers of such securities
may not meet their debt obligations. However, by limiting its investments in
non-investment grade debt securities, the Fund may reduce the effect of some of
these risks on its share price and income.
|X| Interest Rate Risks. In addition to credit risks, debt securities
are subject to changes in value when prevailing interest rates change. When
interest rates fall, the values of outstanding debt securities generally rise,
and the bonds may sell for more than their face amount. When interest rates
rise, the values of outstanding debt securities generally decline, and the bonds
may sell at a discount from their face amount. The magnitude of these price
changes is generally greater for bonds with longer maturities.
The Fund focuses on longer-term debt securities to seek higher income.
When the average maturity of the Fund's debt securities portfolio is longer, its
share price may fluctuate more when interest rates change. The Fund may buy
zero-coupon or "stripped" securities, which are particularly sensitive to
interest rate changes, and have prices that may go up or down more than other
types of debt securities in response to those changes.
n Risks of Foreign Investing. The Fund may buy securities of companies
or governments in any country, developed or underdeveloped. There is no limit on
the amount of the Fund's assets that may be invested in foreign securities,
although it currently does not intend to invest more than 35% of its assets in
them. While foreign securities offer special investment opportunities, there are
also special risks.
The change in value of a foreign currency against the U.S. dollar will
result in a change in the U.S. dollar value of securities denominated in that
foreign currency. Foreign issuers are not subject to the same accounting and
disclosure requirements that U.S. companies are subject to. The value of foreign
investments may be affected by exchange control regulations, expropriation or
nationalization of a company's assets, foreign taxes, delays in settlement of
transactions, changes in governmental economic or monetary policy in the U.S. or
abroad, or other political and economic factors. Securities in emerging market
countries may be more difficult to sell and their prices may be more volatile.
Risks in Using Derivative Investments. The Fund may use derivatives to
seek increased returns or to try to hedge investment risks. In general terms, a
derivative investment is one whose value depends on (or is derived from) the
value of an underlying asset, interest rate or index. Options, futures, and
forward contracts are examples of derivatives.
If the issuer of the derivative does not pay the amount due, the Fund
can lose money on the investment. Also, the underlying security or investment on
which the derivative is based, and the derivative itself, may not perform the
way the Manager expected it to perform. If that happens, the Fund's share price
could decline or the Fund could get less income than expected. The Fund has
limits on the amount of particular types of derivatives it can hold. However,
using derivatives can cause the Fund to lose money on its investment or increase
the volatility of its share prices.
How Risky is the Fund Overall? The Fund focuses its investments on equity
securities. In the short term, the stock markets can be volatile, and the price
of the Fund's shares can go up and down. The Fund's income-oriented investments
may help cushion the Fund's total return to some degree from changes in stock
prices, but fixed-income securities have their own risks and changes in their
values can also affect the Fund's share prices. In the Oppenheimer funds
spectrum, the Fund is generally more conservative than growth stock funds, but
more aggressive than investment grade bond funds.
An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of any bank and is not
insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other
government agency.
The Fund's Past Performance
The bar chart and table below show one measure of the risks of
investing in the Fund, by showing changes in the Fund's performance (for its
Class A shares) from year to year for the past ten calendar years and by showing
how the average annual total returns of the Fund's shares compare to those of a
broad-based market index. The Fund's past investment performance is not
necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Annual Total Returns (Class A) (% as of 12/31 each year)
[See appendix to prospectus for data in bar chart showing annual total returns]
For the period from 1/1/98 through 9/30/98, the cumulative return (not
annualized) for Class A shares was ____%. Sales charges are not included in the
calculations of return in this bar chart, and if those charges were included,
the returns would be less than those shown. During the period shown in the bar
chart, the highest return (not annualized) for a calendar quarter was ___% (___)
and the lowest return for a calendar quarter was ___% (___).
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<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Average Annual Total
Returns for the periods Past 1 Year Past 5 Years Past 10 Years
ending December 31, 1997 (or life of class, if less) (or life of class, if less)
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- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ---------------------------- ----------------------------
Class A Shares % % %
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- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ---------------------------- ----------------------------
Class B Shares % %* N/A
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Class C Shares % %* N/A
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S&P 500 Index % % %*
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</TABLE>
* Inception dates of classes: Class A: 12/1/70. Class B: 8/17/93. Class C:
11/1/95. Class Y: 11/1/96. The index performance is shown from 1/1/88.
The Fund's average annual total returns in the table include the applicable
sales charge for Classes A, B and C shares: for Class A, the current maximum
initial sales charge of 5.75%; for Class B, the contingent deferred sales
charges of 5% (1-year) and 3% (life of class); and for Class C, the 1%
contingent deferred sales charge for the 1-year period.
The returns measure the performance of a hypothetical $10,000 account and assume
that all dividends and capital gains distributions have been reinvested in
additional shares. Because the Fund invests primarily in stocks, the Fund's
performance is compared to the S&P 500 Index, an unmanaged index of equity
securities that is a measure of the general domestic stock market. However, it
must be remembered that the index performance reflects the reinvestment of
dividends but does not consider the effects of capital gains or transaction
costs.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
The Fund pays a variety of expenses directly for management of its
assets, administration, distribution of its shares and other services. Those
expenses are subtracted from the Fund's assets to calculate the Fund's net asset
value per share. All shareholders therefore pay those expenses indirectly.
Shareholders pay other expenses directly, such as sales charges and account
transaction charges. The following tables are provided to help you understand
the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. The
numbers below are based on the Fund's expenses during its fiscal year ended
August 31, 1998.
Shareholder Transaction Fees (charges paid directly from your investment):
(% of amount of transaction)
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
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<S> <C> <C> <C>
Class A Shares Class B Shares Class C Shares
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Maximum Sales Charge (Load) on
purchases 5.57% None None
(as % of offering price)
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Maximum Contingent Deferred Sales
Charge (Load) (as % of the lower of
the original offering price or None1 5%2 1%3
redemption proceeds)
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</TABLE>
1. A contingent deferred sales charge may apply to redemptions of investments
of $1 million or more ($500,00 for retirement plan accounts) of Class A
shares. See "How to Buy Shares" for details.
2. Applies to redemptions in first year after purchase. The contingent
deferred sales charge declines to 1% in the sixth year and is eliminated
after that.
3. Applies to shares redeemed within 12 months of purchase.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (deducted from Fund assets):
(% of average daily net assets)
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
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<S> <C> <C> <C>
Class A Shares Class B Shares Class C Shares
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Management Fees % % %
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- -------------------------------------- ------------------------ ------------------------- --------------------------
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) % 1.00% 1.00%
Fees
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- -------------------------------------- ------------------------ ------------------------- --------------------------
Other Expenses % % %
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- -------------------------------------- ------------------------ ------------------------- --------------------------
Total Annual Operating Expenses % % %
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</TABLE>
Numbers in the chart are based on the Fund's expenses in the last fiscal year,
ended 8/31/98. Expenses may vary in future years. "Other expenses" include
transfer agent fees, custodial expenses, and accounting and legal expenses the
Fund pays.
Examples. These examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing
in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The examples
assume that you invest $10,000 in a class of shares of the Fund for the time
periods indicated and reinvest your dividends and distributions. The first
example assumes that you redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods.
The second example assumes that you keep your shares. Both examples also assume
that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the class's operating
expenses remain the same. Your actual costs may be higher or lower because
expenses will vary over time. Based on these assumptions your expenses would be
as follows:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
- ---------------------------------- --------------------- -------------------- ------------------- -------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
If shares are redeemed: 1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years1
- ---------------------------------- --------------------- -------------------- ------------------- -------------------
- ---------------------------------- --------------------- -------------------- ------------------- -------------------
Class A Shares $659 $837 $1,029 $1,586
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- ---------------------------------- --------------------- -------------------- ------------------- -------------------
Class B Shares $670 $826 $1,107 $1,567
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- ---------------------------------- --------------------- -------------------- ------------------- -------------------
Class C Shares $270 $826 $1,107 $1,976
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- ---------------------------------- --------------------- -------------------- ------------------- -------------------
If shares are not redeemed: 1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years1
- ---------------------------------- --------------------- -------------------- ------------------- -------------------
- ---------------------------------- --------------------- -------------------- ------------------- -------------------
Class A Shares $659 $837 $1,029 $1,586
- ---------------------------------- --------------------- -------------------- ------------------- -------------------
- ---------------------------------- --------------------- -------------------- ------------------- -------------------
Class B Shares $170 $526 $907 $1,567
- ---------------------------------- --------------------- -------------------- ------------------- -------------------
- ---------------------------------- --------------------- -------------------- ------------------- -------------------
Class C Shares $170 $526 $907 $1,976
- ---------------------------------- --------------------- -------------------- ------------------- -------------------
</TABLE>
In the first example, expenses include the initial sales charge for Class A and
the applicable Class B or Class C contingent deferred sales charges. In the
second example, the Class A expenses include the sales charge, but Class B and
Class C expenses do not include the contingent deferred sales charges. 1. Class
B expenses for years 7 through 10 are based on Class A expenses, since Class B
shares automatically convert to Class A after 6 years.
About the Fund's Investments
The Fund's Principal Investment Policies. The Fund's primary goal is to seek
current income prudently. Its secondary goal is to conserve capital while
seeking opportunities for growth. The composition of the Fund's portfolio among
the different types of permitted investments will vary over time based upon the
evaluation of economic and market trends by the Manager. The Statement of
Additional Information contains more detailed information about the Fund's
investment policies and risks.
n Equity Investments. The Fund invests primarily in a diversified
portfolio of equity securities, primarily common and preferred stocks and
convertible securities of issuers that have large capitalizations. They may pay
higher dividends than small or medium capitalization companies and historically
have tended to be less volatile than securities of smaller issuers. However, the
Fund can buy stocks of issuers of all sizes.
The Fund may invest in equity securities both for current income from
dividends as well as secondarily for growth opportunities. Under normal market
conditions, the Fund invests 65% of its assets in equities, but the mix of
equities and debt securities can vary depending on the Manager's judgment about
market and economic conditions.
Equity securities include common stocks, as well as "equity
equivalents" such as preferred stocks and securities convertible into common
stock. They can include securities issued by domestic or foreign companies.
Preferred stock has a set dividend rate and ranks after bonds and before common
stocks in its claim for dividends and on assets if the issuer is liquidated or
becomes bankrupt. The Manager considers convertible securities to be "equity
equivalents" because of the conversion feature and because their rating has less
impact on the investment decision than in the case of debt securities.
n Debt Securities. The Fund can also invest in debt securities, such as
U.S. government securities, foreign government securities, real estate
investment trusts, and foreign and domestic corporate bonds and debentures. They
are selected primarily for their income possibilities, and while they will
generally comprise no more than 35% of the Fund's assets, they may be emphasized
more when the stock market is volatile. The debt securities the Fund buys may be
rated by nationally recognized rating organizations or they may be unrated
securities assigned an equivalent rating by the Manager. The Fund's investments
may be above or below investment grade in credit quality.
o Special Credit Risks of Lower-Grade Securities. All
corporate debt securities (whether foreign or domestic) are subject to some
degree of credit risk. Credit risk relates to the ability of the issuer to meet
interest or principal payments on a security as they become due. The Fund can
invest up to 25% of its assets in "lower-grade" securities are commonly known as
"junk bonds." However, the Fund cannot invest more than 10% in lower-grade
securities that are not convertible.
While investment grade securities are subject to risks of non-payment
of interest and principal, generally, higher yielding lower-grade bonds, whether
rated or unrated, have greater risks than investment grade securities. They may
be subject to greater market fluctuations and risk of loss of income and
principal than investment grade securities. There may be less of a market for
them and therefore they may be harder to sell at an acceptable price. There is a
relatively greater possibility that the issuer's earnings may be insufficient to
make the payments of interest and principal due on the bonds. These risks mean
that the Fund may not achieve the expected income from lower-grade securities,
and that the Fund's net asset value per share may be affected by declines in
value of these securities.
n How Does the Manager Decide What Securities to Buy or Sell? In
selecting securities for the Fund, the portfolio manager mainly relies on a
value-oriented investing style for equity securities. Value investing focuses on
companies that may be currently out of favor in the market or in cyclical
industries, with stocks trading at lower prices relative to the market and what
is believed to be their real worth. They may offer higher-than average
dividends. Value investors hope to realize appreciation as other investors
recognize the security's intrinsic value and the stock price rises as result.
The portfolio manager generally uses a fundamental approach to
analyzing issuers (for example, price/earnings ratios and current balance sheet
information), to select stocks the manager thinks are undervalued. The portfolio
manager typically searches for:
o stocks of established issuers that have under-performed the market
for a year or more, but have begun to recover, o stocks that have high
current income and are believed to have substantial earnings
possibilities o stocks with low price/earnings ratios relative to other
securities o stocks with a low price relative to the underlying value
of the issuer's assets, earnings, cash flow or other factors.
In value investing there is always the risk that the market will not
recognize a security's intrinsic value or that the manager has not correctly
assessed the relative value of the issuer's securities or the issuer's worth.
This investment process and the inter-relationship of the factors used may
change over time and its implementation may vary in particular cases.
n Can the Fund's Investment Objective and Policies Change? The Fund's
Board of Trustees may change non-fundamental investment policies without
shareholder approval, although significant changes will be described in
amendments to this Prospectus. Fundamental policies are those that cannot be
changed without the approval of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting
shares. The Fund's objectives are fundamental policies. Investment restrictions
that are fundamental policies are listed in the Statement of Additional
Information. The Fund's investment policies and techniques are not fundamental
unless this Prospectus or the Statement of Additional Information says that a
particular policy is fundamental.
n Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may engage in some short-term trading to
try to achieve its objective. Portfolio turnover affects brokerage costs the
Fund pays. If the Fund realizes capital gains when it sells its portfolio
investments, it must generally pay those gains out to shareholders, increasing
their taxable distributions. The Fund does not expect to have a portfolio
turnover rate in excess of 100% annually. The Financial Highlights table below
shows the Fund's portfolio turnover rates during prior fiscal years.
Investment Strategies. To seek its objectives, the Fund may also use the
investment techniques and strategies described below. These techniques involve
certain risks, although some are designed to help reduce investment or market
risks.
n Zero-Coupon and "Stripped" Securities. Some of the debt securities
the Fund buys are zero-coupon bonds that pay no interest and are issued at a
substantial discount from their face value. Others are debt securities that have
been "stripped" of their interest coupons. They may be securities issued by the
U.S. government or private issuers. Zero-coupon and stripped securities are
subject to greater fluctuations in price from interest rate changes than
interest-bearing securities. The Fund may have to pay out the imputed income on
zero coupon securities without receiving the actual cash currently.
n "When-Issued" and Delayed Delivery Transactions. The Fund may
purchase securities on a "when-issued" basis and may purchase or sell securities
on a "delayed delivery" basis. These terms refer to securities that have been
created and for which a market exists, but which are not available for immediate
delivery. There may be a risk of loss to the Fund if the value of the security
declines prior to the settlement date.
n Illiquid and Restricted Securities. Investments may be illiquid
because of the absence of an active trading market, making it difficult to value
them or dispose of them promptly at an acceptable price. A restricted security
is one that has a contractual restriction on its resale or which cannot be sold
publicly until it is registered under the Securities Act of 1933. The Fund will
not invest more than 10% of its net assets in illiquid or restricted securities
(the Board may increase that limit to 15%). Certain restricted securities that
are eligible for resale to qualified institutional purchasers are not subject to
that limit. The Manager monitors holdings of illiquid securities on an ongoing
basis to determine whether to sell any holdings to maintain adequate liquidity.
n Derivative Investments. The Fund can invest in a number of different
kinds of "derivative" investments. In the broadest sense, exchange-traded
options, futures contracts, and other hedging instruments the Fund might use may
be considered "derivative investments." In addition to using hedging
instruments, the Fund may use other derivative investments because they offer
the potential for increased income and principal value, such as debt
exchangeable for common stock.
Markets underlying securities and indices may move in a direction not
anticipated by the Manager. Interest rate and stock market changes in the U.S.
and abroad may also influence the performance of derivatives. As a result of
these risks the Fund could realize less principal or income from the investment
than expected.
Certain derivative investments held by the Fund may be illiquid.
n Hedging. The Fund may buy and sell certain kinds of futures
contracts, put and call options, forward contracts, interest rate swaps and
options on futures and broadly-based securities indices. These are all referred
to as "hedging instruments." The Fund does not use hedging instruments for
speculative purposes, and limits its use of them.
The Fund may buy and sell options, futures and forward contracts for a
number of purposes. It may do so to try to manage its exposure to the
possibility that the prices of its portfolio securities may decline, or to
establish a position in the securities market as a temporary substitute for
purchasing individual securities. It may do so to try to manage its exposure to
changing interest rates.
Some of these strategies hedge the Fund's portfolio against price
fluctuations. Other hedging strategies, such as buying futures and call options,
tend to increase the Fund's exposure to the securities market. Forward contracts
are used to try to manage foreign currency risks on the Fund's foreign
investments. Foreign currency options are used to try to protect against
declines in the dollar value of foreign securities the Fund owns, or to protect
against an increase in the dollar cost of buying foreign securities. Writing
covered call options may also provide income to the Fund for liquidity purposes
or to raise cash to distribute to shareholders.
Options trading involves the payment of premiums and has special tax
effects on the Fund. There are also special risks in particular hedging
strategies. For example, if a covered call written by the Fund is exercised on
an investment that has increased in value, the Fund will be required to sell the
investment at the call price and will not be able to realize any profit if the
investment has increased in value above the call price. In writing a put, there
is a risk that the Fund may be required to buy the underlying security at a
disadvantageous price.
If the Manager uses a hedging instrument at the wrong time or judges
market conditions incorrectly, the strategy could reduce the Fund's return. The
Fund could also experience losses if the price of its futures and options
positions were not correlated with its other investments or if it could not
close out a position because of an illiquid market.
Temporary Defensive Investments. In times of adverse market or economic
conditions, the Fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in temporary defensive
investments. Generally they would be debt securities such as U.S. government
securities, commercial paper, bank obligations or repurchase agreements. The
Fund may also hold these types of securities pending the investment of proceeds
from the sale of Fund shares or portfolio securities or to meet anticipated
redemptions of Fund shares.
Year 2000 Risks. Because many computer software systems in use today cannot
distinguish the year 2000 from the year 1900, the markets for securities in
which the Fund invests could be detrimentally affected by computer failures
beginning January 1, 2000. Failure of computer systems used for securities
trading could result in settlement and liquidity problems for the Fund and other
investors. That failure could have a negative impact on handling securities
trades, pricing and accounting services. Data processing errors by government
issuers of securities could result in economic uncertainties, and those issuers
may incur substantial costs in attempting to prevent or fix such errors, all of
which could have a negative effect on the Fund's investments and returns.
The Manager, the Distributor and the Transfer Agent have been working
on necessary changes to their computer systems to deal with the year 2000 and
expect that their systems will be adapted in time for that event, although there
cannot be assurance of success. Additionally, the services they provide depend
on the interaction of their computer systems with those of brokers, information
services, the Fund's Custodian and other parties. Therefore, any failure of the
computer systems of those parties to deal with the year 2000 may also have a
negative affect on the services they provide to the Fund. The extent of that
risk cannot be ascertained at this time.
How the Fund Is Managed
The Manager. The Fund's investment adviser is the Manager, OppenheimerFunds,
Inc., which chooses the Fund's investments and handles its day-to-day business.
The Manager carries out its duties, subject to the policies established by the
Board of Trustees, under an Investment Advisory Agreement which states the
Manager's responsibilities. The Agreement sets forth the fees paid by the Fund
to the Manager and describes the expenses that the Fund is responsible to pay to
conduct its business.
The Manager has operated as an investment adviser since 1959. The
Manager (including subsidiaries) currently manages investment companies,
including other Oppenheimer funds, with assets of more than $85 billion as of
September 30, 1998, and with more than 4 million shareholder accounts. The
Manager is located at Two World Trade Center, 34th Floor, New York, New York
1048-0203.
n Portfolio Manager. The portfolio manager of the Fund is John Doney,
who is a Vice President of the Fund and of the Manager. He has been responsible
for the day-to-day management of the Fund's portfolio since June 22, 1992.
n Advisory Fees. Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Fund pays
the Manager an advisory fee at an annual rate that declines on additional assets
as the Fund grows: 0.75% of the first $100 million of net assets of the Fund,
0.70% of the next $100 million, o.65% of the next $100 million, 0.60% of the
next $100 million, 0.55% of the next $100 million and 0.50% of average annual
net assets in excess of $500 million. The Fund's management fee for its last
fiscal year ended August 31, 1998 was 0.__% of average annual net assets for
each class of shares.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About Your Account
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How to Buy Shares
How Are Shares Purchased? You can buy shares several ways -- through any dealer,
broker or financial institution that has a sales agreement with the Fund's
Distributor, directly through the Distributor, or automatically through an Asset
Builder Plan under the OppenheimerFunds AccountLink service. The Distributor may
appoint certain servicing agents to accept purchase (and redemption) orders. The
Distributor, in its sole discretion, may reject any purchase order for the
Fund's shares.
|X| Buying Shares Through Your Dealer. Your dealer will place your order
with the Distributor on your behalf.
|X| Buying Shares Through the Distributor. Complete an OppenheimerFunds
New Account Application and return it with a check payable to "OppenheimerFunds
Distributor, Inc." Mail it to P.O. Box 5270, Denver, Colorado 80217. If you
don't list a dealer on the application, the Distributor will act as your agent
in buying the shares. However, we recommend that you discuss your investment
with a financial advisor before your make a purchase to be sure that the Fund is
appropriate for you.
|X| Buying Shares by Federal Funds Wire. Shares purchased through the
Distributor may be paid for by Federal Funds wire. The minimum investment is
$2,500. Before sending a wire, call the Distributor's Wire Department at
1-800-525-7048 to notify the Distributor of the wire, and to receive further
instructions.
|X| Buying Shares Through OppenheimerFunds AccountLink. With
AccountLink, shares are purchased for your account on the regular business day
the Distributor is instructed by you to initiate the Automated Clearing House
transfer to buy the shares. You can provide those instructions automatically,
under an Asset Builder Plan, described below, or by telephone instructions using
OppenheimerFunds PhoneLink, also described below. Please refer to "AccountLink,"
below for more details.
|X| Buying Shares Through Asset Builder Plans. You may purchase shares
of the Fund (and up to four other Oppenheimer funds) automatically each month
from your account at a bank or other financial institution under an Asset
Builder Plan with AccountLink. Details are in the Asset Builder Application and
the Statement of Additional Information.
How Much Must You Invest? You can open a Fund account with a minimum initial
investment of $1,000 and make additional investments at any time with as little
as $25. There are reduced minimum investments under special investment plans.
|_| With Asset Builder Plans, 403(b) plans, Automatic Exchange Plans
and military allotment plans, you can make initial and subsequent investments
for as little as $25. Subsequent purchases of at least $25 can be made by
telephone through AccountLink.
o Under retirement plans, such as IRAs, pension and profit-sharing
plans and 401(k) plans, you can start your account with as little as $250. If
your IRA is started under an Asset Builder Plan, the $25 minimum applies.
Additional purchases may be as little as $25.
|_| The minimum investment requirement does not apply to reinvesting
dividends from the Fund or other Oppenheimer funds (a list of them appears in
the Statement of Additional Information, or you can ask your dealer or call the
Transfer Agent), or reinvesting distributions from unit investment trusts that
have made arrangements with the Distributor.
At What Price Are Shares Sold? Shares are sold at their public offering price
(the net asset value per share plus any initial sales charge that applies). The
public offering price that applies to a purchase order is based on the next
calculation of the net asset value per share that is made after the Distributor
receives the purchase order at its offices in Denver, Colorado, or after any
agent appointed by the Distributor receives the order and sends it to the
Distributor.
|_| The net asset value of each class of shares is determined as of the
close of The New York Stock Exchange, on each day the Exchange is open for
trading (referred to in this Prospectus as a "regular business day"). The
Exchange normally closes at 4:00 P.M., New York time, but may close earlier on
some days. (All references to time in this Prospectus mean "New York time").
The net asset value per share is determined by dividing the value of
the Fund's net assets attributable to a class by the number of shares of that
class that are outstanding. To determine net asset value, the Fund's Board of
Trustees has established procedures to value the Fund's securities, in general
based on market value. The Board has adopted special procedures for valuing
illiquid and restricted securities and obligations for which market values
cannot be readily obtained.
|_| To receive the offering price for a particular day, in most cases
the Distributor or its designated agent must receive your order by the time of
day The New York Stock Exchange closes that day. If your order is received on a
day when the Exchange is closed or after it has closed, the order will receive
the next offering price that is determined after your order is received.
|_| If you buy shares through a dealer, your dealer must receive the
order by the close of The New York Stock Exchange and transmit it to the
Distributor so that it is received before the Distributor's close of business on
a regular business day (normally 5:00 P.M.) to receive that day's offering
price. Otherwise, the order will receive the next offering price that is
determined.
<PAGE>
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What Classes of Shares Does the Fund Offer? The Fund offers investors three
different classes of shares. The different classes of shares represent
investments in the same portfolio of securities, but the classes are subject to
different expenses and will likely have different share prices. When you buy
shares, be sure to specify Class A, Class B or Class C shares. If you do not
choose a class, your investment will be made in Class A shares.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|X| Class A Shares. If you buy Class A shares, you pay an initial sales
charge (on investments up to $1 million for regular accounts or $500,000 for
certain retirement plans). The amount of that sales charge will vary depending
on the amount you invest. The sales charge rates are listed in "How Can I Buy
Class A Shares?" below.
|X| Class B Shares. If you buy Class B shares, you pay no sales charge at
the time of purchase, but you will pay an annual asset-based sales charge, and
if you sell your shares within six years of buying them, you will normally pay a
contingent deferred sales charge. That sales charge varies depending on how long
you own your shares, as described in "How Can I Buy Class B Shares?" below.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|X| Class C Shares. If you buy Class C shares, you pay no sales charge
at the time of purchase, but you will pay an annual asset-based sales charge,
and if you sell your shares within 12 months of buying them, you will normally
pay a contingent deferred sales charge of 1%, as described in "How Can I Buy
Class C Shares?" below.
Which Class of Shares Should You Choose? Once you decide that the Fund is an
appropriate investment for you, the decision as to which class of shares is best
suited to your needs depends on a number of factors that you should discuss with
your financial advisor. Some factors to consider are how much you plan to invest
and how long you plan to hold your investment. If your goals and objectives
change over time and you plan to purchase additional shares, you should
re-evaluate those factors to see if you should consider another class of shares.
The Fund's operating costs that apply to a class of shares and the effect of the
different types of sales charges on your investment will vary your investment
results over time.
The discussion below is not intended to be investment advice or a
recommendation, because each investor's financial considerations are different.
You should review these factors with your financial advisor. The discussion
below assumes that you will purchase only one class of shares, and not a
combination of shares of different classes.
|X| How Long Do You Expect to Hold Your Investment? While future
financial needs cannot be predicted with certainty, knowing how long you expect
to hold your investment will assist you in selecting the appropriate class of
shares. Because of the effect of class-based expenses, your choice will also
depend on how much you plan to invest. For example, the reduced sales charges
available for larger purchases of Class A shares may, over time, offset the
effect of paying an initial sales charge on your investment, compared to the
effect over time of higher class-based expenses on shares of Class B or Class C
.
|_| Investing for the Short Term. If you have a relatively short-term
investment horizon (that is, you plan to hold your shares for not more than six
years), you should probably consider purchasing Class A or Class C shares rather
than Class B shares. That is because of the effect of the Class B contingent
deferred sales charge if you redeem within six years, as well as the effect of
the Class B asset-based sales charge on the investment return for that class in
the short-term. Class C shares might be the appropriate choice (especially for
investments of less than $100,000), because there is no initial sales charge on
Class C shares, and the contingent deferred sales charge does not apply to
amounts you sell after holding them one year.
However, if you plan to invest more than $100,000 for the shorter term,
then as your investment horizon increases toward six years, Class C shares might
not be as advantageous as Class A shares. That is because the annual asset-based
sales charge on Class C shares will have a greater impact on your account over
the longer term than the reduced front-end sales charge available for larger
purchases of Class A shares.
And for investors who invest $1 million or more, in most cases Class A
shares will be the most advantageous choice, no matter how long you intend to
hold your shares. For that reason, the Distributor normally will not accept
purchase orders of $500,000 or more of Class B shares or $1 million or more of
Class C shares from a single investor.
|_| Investing for the Longer Term. If you are investing less than
$100,000 for the longer-term, for example for retirement, and do not expect to
need access to your money for seven years or more, Class B shares may be
appropriate.
Of course, these examples are based on approximations of the effect of
current sales charges and expenses projected over time, and do not detail all of
the considerations in selecting a class of shares. You should analyze your
options carefully with your financial advisor before making that choice.
|X| Are There Differences in Account Features That Matter to You? Some
account features may not be available to Class B or Class C shareholders. Other
features (such as Automatic Withdrawal Plans) may not be advisable (because of
the effect of the contingent deferred sales charge) for Class B or Class C
shareholders. Therefore, you should carefully review how you plan to use your
investment account before deciding which class of shares to buy.
Additionally, the dividends payable to Class B and Class C shareholders
will be reduced by the additional expenses borne by those classes that are not
borne by Class A shares, such as the Class B and Class C asset-based sales
charge described below and in the Statement of Additional Information. Share
certificates are not available for Class B and Class C shares, and if you are
considering using your shares as collateral for a loan, that may be a factor to
consider.
|X| How Does It Affect Payments to My Broker? A salesperson, such as a
broker, may receive different compensation for selling one class of shares than
for selling another class. It is important to remember that Class B and Class C
contingent deferred sales charges and asset-based sales charges have the same
purpose as the front-end sales charge on sales of Class A shares: to compensate
the Distributor for commissions it pays to dealers and financial institutions
for selling shares. The Distributor may pay additional compensation from its own
resources to securities dealers or financial institutions based upon the value
of shares of the Fund owned by the dealer or financial institution for its own
account or for its customers.
Special Sales Charge Arrangements and Waivers. The Statement of Additional
Information details the conditions for the waiver of sales charges that apply in
certain cases, and the special sales charge rates that apply to purchases of
shares of the Fund by certain groups, or under specified retirement plan
arrangements or in other special types of transactions.
How Can I Buy Class A Shares? Class A shares are sold at their offering price,
which is normally net asset value plus an initial sales charge. However, in some
cases, described below, purchases are not subject to an initial sales charge,
and the offering price will be the net asset value. In other cases, reduced
sales charges may be available, as described below or in the Statement of
Additional Information. Out of the amount you invest, the Fund receives the net
asset value to invest for your account.
<PAGE>
The sales charge varies depending on the amount of your purchase. A
portion of the sales charge may be retained by the Distributor or allocated to
your dealer as commission. The Distributor reserves the right to reallow the
entire commission to dealers. The current sales charge rates and commissions
paid to dealers and brokers are as follows:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Front-End Sales Charge Commission as
As a Percentage of: Percentage of
Offering Net Amount Offering
Amount of Purchase Price Invested Price
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Less than $25,000 5.75% 6.10% 4.75%
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$25,000 or more but 5.50% 5.82% 4.75%
less than $50,000
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$50,000 or more but 4.75% 4.99% 4.00%
less than $100,000
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$100,000 or more but 3.75% 3.90% 3.00%
less than $250,000
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$250,000 or more but 2.50% 2.56% 2.00%
less than $500,000
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$500,000 or more but 2.00% 2.04% 1.60%
less than $1 million
- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
|X| Class A Contingent Deferred Sales Charge. There is no initial sales
charge on purchases of Class A shares of any one or more of the Oppenheimer
funds aggregating $1 million or more or for certain purchases by particular
types of retirement plans described in the Appendix to the Statement of
Additional Information. The Distributor pays dealers of record commissions in an
amount equal to 1.0% of purchases of $1 million or more other than by those
retirement accounts. For those retirement plan accounts, the commission is 1.0%
of the first $2.5 million, plus 0.50% of the next $2.5 million, plus 0.25% of
purchases over $5 million, calculated on a calendar year basis. In either case,
the commission will be paid only on purchases that were not previously subject
to a front-end sales charge and dealer commission.1
If you redeem any of those shares within 18 months of the end of the
calendar month of their purchase, a contingent deferred sales charge (called the
"Class A contingent deferred sales charge") may be deducted from the redemption
proceeds. That sales charge will be equal to 1.0% of the lesser of (1) the
aggregate net asset value of the redeemed shares (excluding shares purchased by
reinvestment of dividends or capital gain distributions) or (2) the original
offering price (which is the original net asset value) of the redeemed shares.
However, the Class A contingent deferred sales charge will not exceed the
aggregate amount of the commissions the Distributor paid to your dealer on all
purchases of Class A shares of all Oppenheimer funds you made that were subject
to the Class A contingent deferred sales charge.
In determining whether a contingent deferred sales charge is payable
when shares are redeemed, the Fund will first redeem shares that are not subject
to the sales charge, including shares purchased by reinvestment of dividends and
capital gains. Then the Fund will redeem other shares in the order in which you
purchased them. The Class A contingent deferred sales charge is waived in
certain cases described in Appendix C to the Statement of Additional
Information.
The Class A contingent deferred sales charge is not charged on
exchanges of shares under the Fund's Exchange Privilege (described below).
However, if the shares acquired by exchange are redeemed within 18 calendar
months of the end of the calendar month in which the exchanged shares were
originally purchased, then the sales charge will apply.
How Can I Reduce Sales Charges for Class A Share Purchases? You may be eligible
to buy Class A shares at reduced sales charge rates under the Fund's "Right of
Accumulation" or a Letter of Intent, as described in "Reduced Sales Charges" in
the Statement of Additional Information:
|X| Waivers of Class A Sales Charges. The initial and contingent Class
A sales charges are not imposed in the circumstances described in "Reduced Sales
Charges" in the Statement of Additional Information. In order to receive a
waiver of the Class A contingent deferred sales charge, you must notify the
Transfer Agent when purchasing shares whether any of the special conditions
apply.
How Can I Buy Class B Shares? Class B shares are sold at net asset value per
share without an initial sales charge. However, if Class B shares are redeemed
within 6 years of their purchase, a contingent deferred sales charge will be
deducted from the redemption proceeds. The Class B contingent deferred sales
charge is paid to compensate the Distributor for its expenses of providing
distribution-related services to the Fund in connection with the sale of Class B
shares.
The contingent deferred sales charge will be based on the lesser of the net
asset value of the redeemed shares at the time of redemption or the original
offering price (which is the original net asset value). The contingent deferred
sales charge is not imposed on:
|_| the amount of your account value represented by an increase in net
asset value over the initial purchase price or |_| shares purchased by
the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions. |_|
shares redeemed in the special circumstances described in "Waivers of
Class B and Class C Sales Charges" in the Statement of Additional
Information.
To determine whether the contingent deferred sales charge applies to a
redemption, the Fund redeems shares in the following order:
1. shares acquired by reinvestment of dividends and capital gains
distributions,
2. shares held for over 6 years, and
3. shares held the longest during the 6-year period.
The amount of the contingent deferred sales charge will depend on the
number of years since you invested and the dollar amount being redeemed,
according to the following schedule:
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Years Since Beginning of Contingent Deferred Sales Charge
Month in which Purchase On Redemptions in That Year
Order Was Accepted (As % of Amount Subject to Charge)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
0-1 5.0%
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1-2 4.0%
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2-3 3.0%
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3-4 3.0%
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4-5 2.0%
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5-6 1.0%
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6 and following None
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the table, a "year" is a 12-month period. In applying the sales charge, all
purchases are considered to have been made on the first regular business day of
the month in which the purchase was made.
|X| Automatic Conversion of Class B Shares. 72 months after you
purchase Class B shares, those shares will automatically convert to Class A
shares. This conversion feature relieves Class B shareholders of the asset-based
sales charge that applies to Class B shares under the Class B Distribution and
Service Plan, described below. The conversion is based on the relative net asset
value of the two classes, and no sales load or other charge is imposed. When
Class B shares convert, any other Class B shares that were acquired by the
reinvestment of dividends and distributions on the converted shares will also
convert to Class A shares. The conversion feature is subject to the continued
availability of a tax ruling described in the Statement of Additional
Information.
How Can I Buy Class C Shares? Class C shares are sold at net asset value per
share without an initial sales charge. However, if Class C shares are redeemed
within 12 months of their purchase, a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.0%
will be deducted from the redemption proceeds. The Class C contingent deferred
sales charge is paid to compensate the Distributor for its expenses of providing
distribution-related services to the Fund in connection with the sale of Class C
shares.
The contingent deferred sales charge will be based on the lesser of the net
asset value of the redeemed shares at the time of redemption or the original
offering price (which is the original net asset value). The contingent deferred
sales charge is not imposed on:
|_| the amount of your account value represented by the increase in net
asset value over the initial purchase price, or |_| shares purchased by
the reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions.
To determine whether the contingent deferred sales charge applies to a
redemption, the Fund redeems shares in the following order:
1. shares acquired by reinvestment of dividends and capital gains
distributions,
2. shares held for over 12 months, and
3. shares held the longest during the 12-month period.
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Plans.
|X| Service Plan for Class A Shares. The Fund has adopted a Service
Plan for Class A shares. It reimburses the Distributor for a portion of its
costs incurred for services provided to accounts that hold Class A shares.
Reimbursement is made quarterly at an annual rate of up to 0.25% of the average
annual net assets of Class A shares of the Fund that were acquired on or after
April 1, 1991. The rate is 0.15% of average annual net assets represented by
shares acquired before that date. The Distributor currently uses all of those
fees to reimburse dealers, brokers, banks and other financial institutions
quarterly for providing personal service and maintenance of accounts of their
customers that hold Class A shares.
|X| Distribution and Service Plans for Class B and Class C Shares. The
Fund has adopted Distribution and Service Plans for Class B and Class C shares
to compensate the Distributor for its services and costs in distributing Class B
and Class C shares and servicing accounts. Under the plans, the Fund pays the
Distributor an annual asset-based sales charge of 0.75% per year on Class B
shares and on Class C shares. The Distributor also receives a service fee of
0.25% per year under each plan.
The asset-based sales charge and service fees increase Class B and
Class C expenses by up to 1.00% of the net assets per year of the respective
class. Because these fees are paid out of the Fund's assets on an on-going
basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may
cost you more than other types of sales charges.
The Distributor uses the service fees to compensate dealers for
providing personal services for accounts that hold Class B or Class C shares.
The Distributor pays the 0.25% service fees to dealers in advance for the first
year after the shares were sold by the dealer. After the shares have been held
for a year, the Distributor pays the service fees to dealers on a quarterly
basis.
The Distributor currently pays sales commission of 3.75% of the
purchase price of Class B shares to dealers from its own resources at the time
of sale. Including the advance of the service fee, the total amount paid by the
Distributor to the dealer at the time of sales of Class B shares is therefore
4.00% of the purchase price. The Distributor retains the Class B asset-based
sales charge.
The Distributor currently pays sales commissions of 0.75% of the
purchase price of Class C shares to dealers from its own resources at the time
of sale. Including the advance of the service fee, the total amount paid by the
Distributor to the dealer at the time of sale of Class C shares is therefore
1.00% of the purchase price. The Distributor plans to pay the asset-based sales
charge as an ongoing commission to the dealer on Class C shares that have been
outstanding for a year or more.
Special Investor Services
AccountLink. You can use our AccountLink feature to link your Fund account with
an account at a U.S. bank or other financial institution. It must be an
Automated Clearing House (ACH) member. AccountLink lets you:
|_| transmit funds electronically to purchase shares by telephone
(through a service representative or by PhoneLink) or automatically
under Asset Builder Plans, or |_| have the Transfer Agent send
redemption proceeds or to transmit dividends and distributions directly
to your bank account. Please call the Transfer Agent for more
information.
You may purchase shares by telephone only after your account has been
established. To purchase shares in amounts up to $250,000 through a telephone
representative, call the Distributor at 1-800-852-8457. The purchase payment
will be debited from your bank account.
AccountLink privileges should be requested on your Application or your
dealer's settlement instructions if you buy your shares through a dealer. After
your account is established, you can request AccountLink privileges by sending
signature-guaranteed instructions to the Transfer Agent. AccountLink privileges
will apply to each shareholder listed in the registration on your account as
well as to your dealer representative of record unless and until the Transfer
Agent receives written instructions terminating or changing those privileges.
After you establish AccountLink for your account, any change of bank account
information must be made by signature-guaranteed instructions to the Transfer
Agent signed by all shareholders who own the account.
PhoneLink. PhoneLink is the OppenheimerFunds automated telephone system that
enables shareholders to perform a number of account transactions automatically
using a touch-tone phone. PhoneLink may be used on already-established Fund
accounts after you obtain a Personal Identification Number (PIN), by calling the
special PhoneLink number, 1-800-533-3310.
|_| Purchasing Shares. You may purchase shares in amounts up to
$100,000 by phone, by calling 1-800-533-3310. You must have established
AccountLink privileges to link your bank account with the Fund to pay for these
purchases.
|_| Exchanging Shares. With the OppenheimerFunds Exchange Privilege,
described below, you can exchange shares automatically by phone from your Fund
account to another Oppenheimer funds account you have already established by
calling the special PhoneLink number.
|_| Selling Shares. You can redeem shares by telephone automatically by
calling the PhoneLink number and the Fund will send the proceeds directly to
your AccountLink bank account. Please refer to "How to Sell Shares," below for
details.
Can I Submit Transaction Requests by Fax? You may send requests for certain
types of account transactions to the Transfer Agent by fax (telecopier). Please
call 1-800-525-7048 for information about which transactions may be handled this
way. Transaction requests submitted by fax are subject to the same rules and
restrictions as written and telephone requests described in this Prospectus.
OppenheimerFunds Internet Web Site. You can obtain information about the Fund,
as well as your account balance, on the OppenheimerFunds Internet web site, at
http://www.oppenheimerfunds.com. Additionally, shareholders listed in the
account registration (and the dealer of record) may request certain account
transactions through a special section of that web site. To perform account
transactions, you must first obtain a personal identification number (PIN) by
calling the Transfer Agent at 1-800-533-3310. If you do not want to have
Internet account transaction capability for your account, please call the
Transfer Agent at 1-800-525-7048.
Automatic Withdrawal and Exchange Plans. The Fund has several plans that enable
you to sell shares automatically or exchange them to another Oppenheimer fund
account on a regular basis. Please call the Transfer Agent or consult the
Statement of Additional Information for details.
Reinvestment Privilege. If you redeem some or all of your Class A or Class B
shares of the Fund, you have up to 6 months to reinvest all or part of the
redemption proceeds in Class A shares of the Fund or other Oppenheimer funds
without paying a sales charge. This privilege applies only to Class A shares
that you purchased subject to an initial sales charge and to Class A or Class B
shares on which you paid a contingent deferred sales charge when you redeemed
them. This privilege does not apply to Class C shares. You must be sure to ask
the Distributor for this privilege when you send your payment.
Retirement Plans. You may buy shares of the Fund for your retirement plan
account. If you participate in a plan sponsored by your employer, the plan
trustee or administrator must buy the shares for your plan account. The
Distributor also offers a number of different retirement plans that can be used
by individuals and employers:
|_| Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), including regular IRAs, Roth
IRAs, rollover and Education IRAs.
|_| SEP-IRAs, which are Simplified Employee Pensions Plan IRAs for
small business owners or self-employed individuals.
|_| 403(b)(7) Custodial Plans, that are tax deferred plans for
employees of eligible tax-exempt organizations, such as schools, hospitals and
charitable organizations.
|_| 401(k) Plans, which are special retirement plans for businesses.
|_| Pension and Profit-Sharing Plans, designed for businesses and
self-employed individuals.
Please call the Distributor for OppenheimerFunds retirement plan
documents, which include applications and important plan information.
How to Sell Shares
You can sell (redeem) some or all of your shares on any regular
business day. Your shares will be sold at the next net asset value calculated
after your order is received and accepted by the Transfer Agent. The Fund lets
you sell your shares by writing a letter or by telephone. You can also set up
Automatic Withdrawal Plans to redeem shares on a regular basis. If you have
questions about any of these procedures, and especially if you are redeeming
shares in a special situation, such as due to the death of the owner or from a
retirement plan account, please call the Transfer Agent first, at
1-800-525-7048, for assistance.
|X| Certain Requests Require a Signature Guarantee. To protect you and
the Fund from fraud, the following redemption requests must be in writing and
must include a signature guarantee (although there may be other situations that
require a signature guarantee):
|_| You wish to redeem $50,000 or more and receive a check
|_| The redemption check is not payable to all shareholders listed on
the account statement |_| The redemption check is not sent to the
address of record on your account statement |_| Shares are being
transferred to a Fund account with a different owner or name |_| Shares
are being redeemed by someone (such as an Executor) other than the
owners
|X| Where Can I Have My Signature Guaranteed? The Transfer Agent will
accept a guarantee of your signature by a number of financial institutions,
including: a U.S. bank, trust company, credit union or savings association, or
by a foreign bank that has a U.S. correspondent bank, or by a U.S. registered
dealer or broker in securities, municipal securities or government securities,
or by a U.S. national securities exchange, a registered securities association
or a clearing agency. If you are signing on behalf of a corporation, partnership
or other business or as a fiduciary, you must also include your title in the
signature.
|X| Retirement Plan Accounts. There are special procedures to sell
shares in an OppenheimerFunds retirement plan account. Call the Transfer Agent
for a distribution request form. Special income tax withholding requirements
apply to distributions from retirement plans. You must submit a withholding form
with your redemption request to avoid delay in getting your money and if you do
not want tax withheld. If your employer holds your retirement plan account for
you in the name of the plan, you must ask the plan trustee or administrator to
request the sale of the Fund shares in your plan account.
|X| Sending Redemption Proceeds by Wire. While the Fund normally sends
your money by check, you can arrange to have the proceeds of the shares you sell
sent by Federal Funds wire to a bank account you designate. It must be a
commercial bank that is a member of the Federal Reserve wire system. The minimum
redemption you can have sent by wire is $2,500. There is a $10 fee for each
wire. To find out how to set up this feature on your account or to arrange a
wire, call the Transfer Agent at 1-800-852-8457.
How Do I Sell Shares by Mail? Write a letter of instructions that includes:
|_| Your name |_| The Fund's name |_| Your Fund account number (from
your account statement) |_| The dollar amount or number of shares to be
redeemed |_| Any special payment instructions |_| Any share
certificates for the shares you are selling |_| The signatures of all
registered owners exactly as the account is registered, and
|_| Any special documents requested by the Transfer Agent to assure
proper authorization of the person asking to sell the shares.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Use the following address for requests by mail:
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OppenheimerFunds Services
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
P.O. Box 5270, Denver, Colorado 80217-5270
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Send courier or express mail requests to:
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OppenheimerFunds Services
10200 E. Girard Avenue, Building D
Denver, Colorado 80231
How Do I Sell Shares by Telephone? You and your dealer representative of record
may also sell your shares by telephone. To receive the redemption price on a
regular business day, your call must be received by the Transfer Agent by the
close of The New York Stock Exchange that day, which is normally 4:00 P.M., but
may be earlier on some days. You may not redeem shares held in an
OppenheimerFunds retirement plan account or under a share certificate by
telephone.
|_| To redeem shares through a service representative, call
1-800-852-8457
|_| To redeem shares automatically on PhoneLink, call 1-800-533-3310
Whichever method you use, you may have a check sent to the address on
the account statement, or, if you have linked your Fund account to your bank
account on AccountLink, you may have the proceeds sent to that bank account.
Are There Limits on Amounts Redeemed by Telephone?
|X| Telephone Redemptions Paid by Check. Up to $50,000 may be redeemed
by telephone in any 7-day period. The check must be payable to all owners of
record of the shares and must be sent to the address on the account statement.
This service is not available within 30 days of changing the address on an
account.
|X| Telephone Redemptions Through AccountLink. There are no dollar
limits on telephone redemption proceeds sent to a bank account designated when
you establish AccountLink. Normally the ACH transfer to your bank is initiated
on the business day after the redemption. You do not receive dividends on the
proceeds of the shares you redeemed while they are waiting to be transferred.
Can I Sell Shares Through My Dealer? The Distributor has made arrangements to
repurchase Fund shares from dealers and brokers on behalf of their customers.
Brokers or dealers may charge for that service. If your shares are held in the
name of your dealer, you must redeem them through your dealer.
How to Exchange Shares
Shares of the Fund may be exchanged for shares of certain Oppenheimer
funds at net asset value per share at the time of exchange, without sales
charge. To exchange shares, you must meet several conditions:
|_| Shares of the fund selected for exchange must be available for
sale in your state of residence.
|_| The prospectuses of this Fund and the fund whose shares you want
to buy must offer the exchange privilege.
|_| You must hold the shares you buy when you establish your account
for at least 7 days before you can exchange them. After the account is open 7
days, you can exchange shares every regular business day.
|_| You must meet the minimum purchase requirements for the fund you
purchase by exchange.
|_| Before exchanging into a fund, you should obtain and read its
prospectus.
Shares of a particular class of the Fund may be exchanged only for
shares of the same class in the other Oppenheimer funds. For example, you can
exchange Class A shares of this Fund only for Class A shares of another fund. In
some cases, sales charges may be imposed on exchange transactions. For tax
purposes, exchanges of shares involve a sale of the shares of the fund you own
and a purchase of the shares of the other fund, which may result in a capital
gain or loss. Please refer to "How to Exchange Shares" in the Statement of
Additional Information for more details.
How Do I Submit Exchange Requests? Exchanges may be requested in writing or by
telephone:
|X| Written Exchange Requests. Submit an OppenheimerFunds Exchange Request
form, signed by all owners of the account. Send it to the Transfer Agent at the
address on the Back Cover.
|X| Telephone Exchange Requests. Telephone exchange requests may be made
either by calling a service representative at 1-800-852-8457, or by using
PhoneLink for automated exchanges by calling 1-800-533-3310. Telephone exchanges
may be made only between accounts that are registered with the same name(s) and
address. Shares held under certificates may not be exchanged by telephone.
You can find a list of Oppenheimer funds currently available for
exchanges in the Statement of Additional Information or obtain one by calling a
service representative at 1-800-525-7048. That list can change from time to
time.
Are There Limitations on Exchanges? There are certain exchange policies you
should be aware of:
|_| Shares are normally redeemed from one fund and purchased from the other
fund in the exchange transaction on the same regular business day on which the
Transfer Agent receives an exchange request that is in proper form. It must be
received by the close of The New York Stock Exchange that day, which is normally
4:00 P.M. but may be earlier on some days. However, either fund may delay the
purchase of shares of the fund you are exchanging into up to seven days if it
determines it would be disadvantaged by a same-day exchange.
|_| Because excessive trading can hurt fund performance and harm
shareholders, the Fund reserves the right to refuse any exchange request that it
believes will disadvantage it, or to refuse multiple exchange requests submitted
by a shareholder or dealer.
|_| The Fund may amend, suspend or terminate the exchange privilege at
any time. Although the Fund will attempt to provide you notice whenever it is
reasonably able to do so, it may impose these changes at any time.
|_| If the Transfer Agent cannot exchange all the shares you request
because of a restriction cited above, only the shares eligible for exchange will
be exchanged.
Shareholder Account Rules and Policies
|X| The offering of shares may be suspended during any period in which
the determination of net asset value is suspended, and the offering may be
suspended by the Board of Trustees at any time the Board believes it is in the
Fund's best interest to do so.
|X| Telephone Transaction Privileges for purchases, redemptions or
exchanges may be modified, suspended or terminated by the Fund at any time. If
an account has more than one owner, the Fund and the Transfer Agent may rely on
the instructions of any one owner. Telephone privileges apply to each owner of
the account and the dealer representative of record for the account unless the
Transfer Agent receives cancellation instructions from an owner of the account.
|X| The Transfer Agent will record any telephone calls to verify data
concerning transactions and has adopted other procedures to confirm that
telephone instructions are genuine, by requiring callers to provide tax
identification numbers and other account data or by using PINs, and by
confirming such transactions in writing. The Transfer Agent and the Fund will
not be liable for losses or expenses arising out of telephone instructions
reasonably believed to be genuine.
|X| Redemption or transfer requests will not be honored until the
Transfer Agent receives all required documents in proper form. From time to
time, the Transfer Agent in its discretion may waive certain of the requirements
for redemptions stated in this Prospectus.
|X| Dealers that can perform account transactions for their clients by
participating in NETWORKING through the National Securities Clearing Corporation
are responsible for obtaining their clients' permission to perform those
transactions, and are responsible to their clients who are shareholders of the
Fund if the dealer performs any transaction erroneously or improperly.
|X| The redemption price for shares will vary from day to day because
the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio fluctuates. The redemption
price, which is the net asset value per share, will normally differ for each
class of shares. The redemption value of your shares may be more or less than
their original cost.
|X| Payment for redeemed shares ordinarily is made in cash. It is
forwarded by check or through AccountLink or by Federal Funds wire (as elected
by the shareholder) within seven days after the Transfer Agent receives
redemption instructions in proper form. However, under unusual circumstances
determined by the Securities and Exchange Commission, payment may be delayed or
suspended. For accounts registered in the name of a broker-dealer, payment will
normally be forwarded within three business days after redemption.
|X| The Transfer Agent may delay forwarding a check or processing a
payment via AccountLink for recently purchased shares, but only until the
purchase payment has cleared. That delay may be as much as 10 days from the date
the shares were purchased. That delay may be avoided if you purchase shares by
federal funds wire or certified check, or arrange with your bank to provide
telephone or written assurance to the Transfer Agent that your purchase payment
has cleared.
|X| Involuntary redemptions of small accounts may be made by the Fund
if the account value has fallen below $200 for reasons other than the fact that
the market value of shares has dropped. In some cases involuntary redemptions
may be made to repay the Distributor for losses from the cancellation of share
purchase orders.
|X| Shares may be "redeemed in kind" under unusual circumstances (such
as a lack of liquidity in the Fund's portfolio to meet redemptions). This means
that the redemption proceeds will be paid with securities from the Fund's
portfolio.
|X| "Backup Withholding" of Federal income tax may be applied against
taxable dividends, distributions and redemption proceeds (including exchanges)
if you fail to furnish the Fund your correct, certified Social Security or
Employer Identification Number when you sign your application, or if you
under-report your income to the Internal Revenue Service.
|X| To avoid sending duplicate copies of materials to households, the
Fund will mail only one copy of each annual and semi-annual report to
shareholders having the same last name and address on the Fund's records.
However, each shareholder may call the Transfer Agent at 1-800-525-7048 to ask
that copies of those materials be sent personally to that shareholder.
Dividends and Tax Information
Dividends. The Fund intends to declare dividends separately for each class of
shares from net investment income on a quarterly basis. The Fund intends to pay
dividends to shareholders in March, June, September and December on a date
selected by the Board of Trustees. Dividends and distributions paid on Class A
and Class Y shares will generally be higher than dividends for Class B and Class
C shares, which normally have higher expenses than Class A and Class Y.
The Fund attempts to pay dividends on Class A shares at a constant
level, although there is no assurance that it will be able to do so. The Fund
has no fixed dividend rate and cannot guarantee that it will pay any dividends
or distributions.
Capital Gains. The Fund may realize capital gains on the sale of portfolio
securities. If it does, it may make distributions out of any net short-term or
long-term capital gains in December of each year. The Fund may make supplemental
distributions of dividends and capital gains following the end of its fiscal
year. There can be no assurance that the Fund will pay any capital gains
distributions in a particular year.
What Choices Do I Have for Receiving Distributions? When you open your account,
specify on your application how you want to receive your dividends and
distributions. You have four options:
Reinvest All Distributions in the Fund. You can elect to reinvest
all dividends and long-term capital gains distributions in
additional shares of the Fund.
|X| Reinvest Long-Term Capital Gains Only. You can elect to reinvest
long-term capital gains distributions in the Fund while receiving
dividends by check or having them sent to your bank account through
AccountLink.
|X| Receive All Distributions in Cash. You can elect to receive a check
for all dividends and long-term capital gains distributions or have
them sent to your bank through AccountLink.
|X| Reinvest Your Distributions in Another OppenheimerFunds Account.
You can reinvest all distributions in the same class of shares of
another Oppenheimer fund account you have established.
Taxes. If your shares are not held in a tax-deferred retirement account, you
should be aware of the following tax implications of investing in the Fund.
Distributions are subject to federal income tax and may be subject to state or
local taxes. Dividends paid from short-term capital gains and net investment
income are taxable as ordinary income. Long-term capital gains are taxable as
long-term capital gains when distributed to shareholders, and may be taxable at
different rates depending on how long the Fund holds the asset. It does not
matter how long you have held your shares. Whether you reinvest your
distributions in additional shares or take them in cash, the tax treatment is
the same.
Every year the Fund will send you and the IRS a statement showing the
amount of any taxable distribution you received in the previous year as well as
the amount of your tax-exempt income. Any long-term capital gains will be
separately identified in the tax information the Fund sends you after the end of
the calendar year.
|X| Avoid "Buying a Dividend". If you buy shares on or just before the
ex-dividend date or just before the Fund declares a capital gain distribution,
you will pay the full price for the shares and then receive a portion of the
price back as a taxable dividend or capital gain.
|X| Remember There May be Taxes on Transactions. Because the Fund's
share price fluctuates, you may have a capital gain or loss when you sell or
exchange your shares. A capital gain or loss is the difference between the price
you paid for the shares and the price you received when you sold them. Any
capital gain is subject to capital gains tax.
|X| What Are Returns of Capital? In certain cases, distributions made
by the Fund may be considered a non-taxable return of capital to shareholders.
If that occurs, it will be identified in notices to shareholders.
This information is only a summary of certain federal tax information
about your investment. You should consult with your tax adviser about the effect
of an investment in the Fund on your particular tax situation.
<PAGE>
Financial Highlights
The Financial Highlights Table is presented to help you understand the Fund's
financial performance for the past 5 years. Certain information reflects
financial results for a single Fund share. The total returns in the table
represent the rate that an investor would have earned [or lost] on an investment
in the Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions). This
information has been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, the Fund's independent
auditors, whose report, along with the Fund's financial statements, is included
in the Statement of Additional Information, which is available on request.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<PAGE>
Oppenheimer Equity Income Fund
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEC File No. 811-1512
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For More Information:
The following additional information about the Fund is available without charge
upon request:
Statement of Additional Information
This document includes additional information about the Fund's investment
policies, risks, and operations. It is incorporated by reference into this
Prospectus (which means it is legally part of this Prospectus).
Annual and Semi-Annual Reports
Additional information about the Fund's investments and performance is available
in the Fund's Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to shareholders. The Annual Report
includes a discussion of market conditions and investment strategies that
significantly affected the Fund's performance during its last fiscal year.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How to Get More Information:
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You can request the Statement of Additional Information, the Annual and
Semi-Annual Report, and other information about the Fund or your account:
By Telephone:
Call OppenheimerFunds Services toll-free:
1-800-525-7048
By Mail:
Write to:
OppenheimerFunds Services
P.O. Box 5270
Denver, Colorado 80217-5270
On the Internet:
You can read or down-load documents on the OppenheimerFunds web site:
http://www.oppenheimerfunds.com
You can also obtain copies of the Statement of Additional Information and other
Fund documents and reports by visiting the SEC's Public Reference Room in
Washington, D.C. (Phone 1-800-SEC-0330) or the SEC's Internet web site at
http://www.sec.gov. Copies may be obtained upon payment of a duplicating fee by
writing to the SEC's Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-6009.
No one has been authorized to provide any information about the Fund or to make
any representations about the Fund other than what is contained in this
Prospectus. This Prospectus is not an offer to sell shares of the Fund, nor a
solicitation of an offer to buy shares of the Fund, to any person in any state
or other jurisdiction where it is unlawful to make such an offer.
The Fund's shares are distributed by:
OppenheimerFunds Distributor, Inc.
PR0300.001.1298 Printed on recycled paper.
- --------
1 No commission will be paid on sales of Class A shares purchased with the
redemption proceeds of shares of another mutual fund offered as an investment
option in a retirement plan in which Oppenheimer funds are also offered as
investment options under a special arrangement with the Distributor, if the
purchase occurs more than 30 days after the Oppenheimer funds are added as an
investment option under that plan.
Appendix to Prospectus of
Oppenheimer Equity Income Fund
Graphic material included in the Prospectus of Oppenheimer Equity Income
Fund: "Annual Total Returns (Class A)(% as of 12/31 each year)":
A bar chart will be included in the Prospectus of Oppenheimer Equity
Income Fund (the "Fund") depicting the annual total returns of a hypothetical
$10,000 investment in Class A shares of the Fund for each of the eight most
recent calendar years, without deducting sales charges. Set forth below are the
relevant data points that will appear in the bar chart:
Calendar Oppenheimer
Year Equity Income Fund
Ended Class A Shares
12/31/90 -1.37%
12/31/91 17.27%
12/31/92 7.06%
12/31/93 14.57%
12/31/94 -2.79%
12/31/95 27.92%
12/31/96 20.06%
12/31/97 29.68%
Robert ZackncrwdOppenheimerFunds, INC.
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oppenheimer Equity Income Fund
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6803 South Tucson Way, Englewood, Colorado 80112
1-800-525-7048
Statement of Additional Information dated December 22, 1998
This Statement of Additional Information is not a Prospectus. This
document contains additional information about the Fund and supplements
information in the Prospectus dated December 22, 1998. It should be read
together with the Prospectus, which may be obtained by writing to the Fund's
Transfer Agent, OppenheimerFunds Services, at P.O. Box 5270, Denver, Colorado
80217, or by calling the Transfer Agent at the toll-free number shown above, or
by downloading it from the OppenheimerFunds Internet web site at
www.oppenheimerfunds.com.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C>
Contents
Page
About the Fund
Additional Information About the Fund's Investment Policies and Risks...................................
The Fund's Principal Investment Policies...........................................................
Other Investment Techniques and Strategies.........................................................
Investment Restrictions............................................................................
How the Fund is Managed ................................................................................
Organization and History...........................................................................
Trustees and Officers..............................................................................
The Manager........................................................................................
Brokerage Policies of the Fund..........................................................................
Distribution and Service Plans..........................................................................
Performance of the Fund.................................................................................
About Your Account
How To Buy Shares.......................................................................................
How To Sell Shares......................................................................................
How To Exchange Shares..................................................................................
Dividends, Capital Gains and Taxes......................................................................
Additional Information About the Fund...................................................................
Financial Information About the Fund
Independent Auditors' Report............................................................................
Financial Statements....................................................................................
Appendix A: Description of Debt Security Ratings........................................................ A-1
Appendix B: Corporate Industry Classifications.......................................................... B-1
Appendix C: Special Sales Charge Arrangements and Waivers C-1
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
<PAGE>
ABOUT THE FUND
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additional Information About the Fund's Investment Policies and Risks
The investment objective, the principal investment policies and the
main risks of the Fund are described in the Prospectus. This Statement of
Additional Information contains supplemental information about those policies
and risks and the types of securities that the Fund's investment Manager,
OppenheimerFunds, Inc., will select for the Fund. Additional information is also
provided about the strategies that the Fund may use to try to achieve its
objective.
The Fund's Principal Investment Policies.
n Investments in Equity Securities. In selecting equity investments for
the Fund's portfolio, the portfolio manager currently use a value investing
style. In using a value approach, the manager seeks stock and other securities
that appear to be temporarily undervalued, by various measures, such as
price/earnings ratios. This approach is subject to change and may not
necessarily be used in all cases. Value investing seeks stocks having prices
that are low in relation to their real worth or future prospects, in the hope
that the Fund will realize appreciation in the value of its holdings when other
investors realize the intrinsic value of the stock.
Using value investing requires research as to the issuer's underlying
financial condition and prospects. Some of the measures used to identify these
securities include, among others:
o Price/Earnings ratio, which is the stock's price divided by its
earnings per share. A stock having a price/earnings ratio lower than its
historical range, or the market as a whole or that of similar companies may
offer attractive investment opportunities.
o Price/book value ratio, which is the stock price divided by the book
value of the company per share, which measures the company's stock price in
relation to its asset value.
o Dividend Yield is measured by dividing the annual dividend by the
stock price per share. o Valuation of Assets which compares the stock
price to the value of the company's underlying assets,
including their projected value in the marketplace and liquidation value.
While the Fund currently focuses on securities of issuers having large
capitalizations, it does not limit its investments in equity securities to
issuers having a market capitalization of a specified size or range, and
therefore may invest in securities of small-, mid- and large-capitalization
issuers. At times, the Fund may focus its equity investments in securities of
one or more capitalization ranges, based upon the Manager's judgment of where
are the best market opportunities to seek the Fund's objective.
At times, the market may favor or disfavor securities of issuers of a
particular capitalization range, and securities of small capitalization issuers
may be subject to greater price volatility in general than securities of larger
companies. Therefore, if the Fund substantial investments in smaller
capitalization companies at times of market volatility, the Fund's share price
may fluctuate more than that of funds focusing on larger capitalization issuers.
o Rights and Warrants. Warrants are options to purchase stock at set
prices. They are generally valid for a limited period of time. Their prices do
not necessarily move parallel to the prices of the underlying securities. Rights
are similar to warrants and generally have a short duration. They are
distributed directly by the issuer to its shareholders.
The Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in warrants or
rights, although the Fund does not currently intend to invest more than 5% of
its total assets in warrants or rights. That limitation does not apply to
warrants and rights the Fund acquires attached to other securities or as part of
investments in units of securities that are issued with other securities. Rights
and warrants have no voting rights, receive no dividends and have no rights with
respect to the assets of the issuer.
o Preferred Stock. The Fund may in some cases invest in preferred stock
of an issuer that has omitted the dividend or may be in danger of doing so.
Those investments would be made primarily for the appreciation potential of the
stock. Some preferred stock may be convertible into common stock or exchangeable
for a set number of common shares. The prices of that type of common stock tend
to be more volatile than the prices of nonconvertible preferred stock, which
behaves more like a fixed-income security.
n Investments in Bonds, Other Debt Securities and Convertible
Securities. The Fund can invest in bonds, debentures and other debt securities
to seek current income as part of its investment objective. However, as the Fund
currently emphasizes investments in equity securities, such as stocks, normally
no more than 35% of the Fund's assets will be invested in debt securities.
However, if stock market conditions are volatile, the Manager may shift more of
the Fund's investments into debt securities as a defensive measure.
The Fund's debt investments can include investment-grade and
non-investment-grade bonds (commonly referred to as "junk bonds").
Investment-grade bonds are bonds rated at least "Baa" by Moody's Investors
Service, Inc., at least "BBB" by Standard & Poor's Corporation or Duff & Phelps,
Inc., or have comparable ratings by another nationally recognized statistical
rating organization.
In making investments in debt securities, the Manager may rely to some
extent on the ratings of ratings organizations or it may use its own research to
evaluate a security's credit-worthiness. If the securities are unrated, to be
considered part of the Fund's holdings of investment-grade securities, they must
be judged by the Manager to be of comparable quality to bonds rated as
investment grade by a rating organization.
An increase in prevailing interest rates will generally reduce the
market value of already-issued fixed-income securities. A decline in interest
rates will tend to increase their value. Debt securities having longer
maturities are subject to greater volatility in their prices from changes in
prevailing interest rates than securities having shorter maturities.
Fluctuations in the market value of a fixed-income security after the Fund buys
it will not affect the amount of interest payable on the security, and therefore
the cash income from the security is not affected by changes in interest rates.
However, the effect of the change of interest rates on the value of the security
could affect the Fund's net asset value per share.
o U.S. Government Securities. Obligations of U.S. Government
agencies or instrumentalities (including mortgage-backed securities) may or may
not be guaranteed or supported by the full faith and credit of the United
States. Some are backed by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S.
Treasury; others, by discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase
the agencies' obligations; while others are supported only by the credit of the
instrumentality. All U.S. Treasury obligations are backed by the full faith and
credit of the United States. If the securities are not backed by the full faith
and credit of the United States, the owner of the securities must look
principally to the agency issuing the obligation for repayment and may not be
able to assert a claim against the United States in the event that the agency or
instrumentality does not meet its commitment. The Fund will invest in U.S.
Government Securities of such agencies and instrumentalities only when the
Manager is satisfied that the credit risk with respect to such instrumentality
is minimal.
o Special Risks of Lower-Grade Securities. While it is not
anticipated that the Fund currently will invest a substantial portion of its
assets in debt securities, the Fund can do so to seek current income. Because
lower-rated securities tend to offer higher yields than investment grade
securities, the Fund may invest in lower grade securities if the Manager is
trying to achieve greater income (and, in some cases, the appreciation
possibilities of lower-grade securities may be a reason they are selected for
the Fund's portfolio).
The Fund may invest up to 25% of its total assets in "lower grade" debt
securities. "Lower-grade" debt securities are those rated below "investment
grade" which means they have a rating lower than "Baa" by Moody's or lower than
"BBB" by Standard & Poor's or Duff & Phelps, or similar ratings by other rating
organizations. If they are unrated, and are determined by the Manager to be of
comparable quality to debt securities rated below investment grade, they are
included in limitation on the percentage of the Fund's assets that can be
invested in lower-grade securities. The Fund may invest in securities rated as
low as "C" or "D" or which may be in default at the time the Fund buys them.
Some of the special credit risks of lower-grade securities are
discussed in the Prospectus. There is a greater risk that the issuer may default
on its obligation to pay interest or to repay principal than in the case of
investment grade securities. The issuer's low creditworthiness may increase the
potential for its insolvency. An overall decline in values in the high yield
bond market is also more likely during a period of a general economic downturn.
An economic downturn or an increase in interest rates could severely disrupt the
market for high yield bonds, adversely affecting the values of outstanding bonds
as well as the ability of issuers to pay interest or repay principal. In the
case of foreign high yield bonds, these risks are in addition to the special
risk of foreign investing discussed in the Prospectus and in this Statement of
Additional Information.
However, the Fund's limitations on these investments may reduce some of
the risks to the Fund, as will the Fund's policy of diversifying its
investments. Additionally, to the extent they can be converted into stock,
convertible securities may be less subject to some of these risks than
non-convertible high yield bonds, since stock may be more liquid and less
affected by some of these risk factors.
While securities rated "Baa" by Moody's or "BBB" by Standard & Poor's
or Duff & Phelps are investment grade and are not regarded as junk bonds, those
securities may be subject to special risks, and have some speculative
characteristics. A description of the debt security ratings categories of
Moody's, S&P and Duff & Phelps are included in Appendix A to this Statement of
Additional Information.
The Fund may invest no more than 10% of its total assets in lower-grade
debt securities that are not convertible. The Fund considers convertible
securities to be "equity equivalents" because of the conversion feature.
Therefore, the security's rating has less impact on the investment decision than
in the case of non-convertible securities.
o Convertible Securities. While convertible securities are a
form of debt security in many cases, their conversion feature (allowing
conversion into equity securities) causes them to be regarded more as "equity
equivalents." As a result, the rating assigned to the security has less impact
on the Manager's investment decision with respect to convertible securities than
in the case of non-convertible fixed income securities. To determine whether
convertible securities should be regarded as "equity equivalents," the Manager
examines the following factors:
(1) whether, at the option of the investor, the convertible security
can be exchanged for a fixed number of shares of common stock of
the issuer,
(2) whether the issuer of the convertible securities has restated its
earnings per share of common stock on a fully diluted basis
(considering the effect of conversion of the convertible
securities), and
(3) the extent to which the convertible security may be a defensive
"equity substitute," providing the ability to participate in any
appreciation in the price of the issuer's common stock.
n Zero Coupon Securities. The Fund may buy zero-coupon and delayed
interest securities, and "stripped" securities. Stripped securities are debt
securities whose interest coupons are separated from the security and sold
separately. In general, the Fund will buy the following types of zero-coupon or
stripped securities: U.S. Treasury notes or bonds that have been stripped of
their interest coupons, U.S. Treasury bills issued without interest coupons, and
certificates representing interests in stripped securities.
Zero-coupon securities do not make periodic interest payments and are
sold at a deep discount from their face value. The buyer recognizes a rate of
return determined by the gradual appreciation of the security, which is redeemed
at face value on a specified maturity date. This discount depends on the time
remaining until maturity, as well as prevailing interest rates, the liquidity of
the security and the credit quality of the issuer. In the absence of threats to
the issuer's credit quality, the discount typically decreases as the maturity
date approaches. Some zero-coupon securities are convertible, in that they are
zero-coupon securities until a predetermined date, at which time they convert to
a security with a specified coupon rate.
Because zero-coupon securities pay no interest and compound
semi-annually at the rate fixed at the time of their issuance, their value is
generally more volatile than the value of other debt securities. Their value may
fall more dramatically than the value of interest-bearing securities when
interest rates rise. When prevailing interest rates fall, zero-coupon securities
tend to rise more rapidly in value because they have a fixed rate of return.
The Fund's investment in zero-coupon securities may cause the Fund to
recognize income and make distributions to shareholders before it receives any
cash payments on the zero-coupon investment. To generate cash to satisfy those
distribution requirements, the Fund may have to sell portfolio securities that
it otherwise might have continued to hold or to use cash flows from other
sources such as the sale of Fund shares.
n Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). The Fund may invest in real
estate investment trusts, as well as real estate development companies and
operating companies. It may also buy shares of companies engaged in other real
estate businesses. REITs are trusts that sell shares to investors and use the
proceeds to invest in real estate. A REIT may focus on a particular project,
such as a shopping center or apartment complex, or may buy many properties or
properties located in a particular geographic region.
n Foreign Securities. The Fund may purchase equity and debt securities
issued or guaranteed by foreign companies or foreign governments or their
agencies. "Foreign securities" include equity and debt securities of companies
organized under the laws of countries other than the United States and debt
securities of foreign governments. They may be traded on foreign securities
exchanges or in the foreign over-the-counter markets.
Securities of foreign issuers that are represented by American
Depository Receipts or that are listed on a U.S. securities exchange or traded
in the U.S. over-the-counter markets are not considered "foreign securities" for
the purpose of the Fund's investment allocations. That is because they are not
subject to many of the special considerations and risks, discussed below, that
apply to foreign securities traded and held abroad.
Investing in foreign securities offers potential benefits not available
from investing solely in securities of domestic issuers. They include the
opportunity to invest in foreign issuers that appear to offer growth potential,
or in foreign countries with economic policies or business cycles different from
those of the U.S., or to reduce fluctuations in portfolio value by taking
advantage of foreign stock markets that do not move in a manner parallel to U.S.
markets. The Fund will hold foreign currency only in connection with the
purchase or sale of foreign securities.
G Risks of Foreign Investing. Investments in foreign securities may offer
special opportunities for investing but also present special additional risks
and considerations not typically associated with investments in domestic
securities. Some of these additional risks are: reduction of income by foreign
taxes; fluctuation in value of foreign investments due to changes in currency
rates or currency control regulations (for example, currency blockage);
transaction charges for currency exchange; lack of public information about
foreign issuers; lack of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting
standards in foreign countries comparable to those applicable to domestic
issuers; less volume on foreign exchanges than on U.S. exchanges; greater
volatility and less liquidity on foreign markets than in the U.S.; less
governmental regulation of foreign issuers, stock exchanges and brokers than in
the U.S.; greater difficulties in commencing lawsuits; higher brokerage
commission rates than in the U.S.; increased risks of delays in settlement of
portfolio transactions or loss of certificates for portfolio securities;
possibilities in some countries of expropriation, confiscatory taxation,
political, financial or social instability or adverse diplomatic developments;
and unfavorable differences between the U.S. economy and foreign economies.
In the past, U.S. Government policies have discouraged certain
investments abroad by U.S. investors, through taxation or other restrictions,
and it is possible that such restrictions could be re-imposed.
[ ] Risks of Conversion to Euro. On January 1, 1999, eleven
countries in the European Monetary Union will adopt the euro as their official
currency. However, their current currencies (for example, the franc, the mark,
and the lire) will also continue in use until January 1, 2002. After that date,
it is expected that only the euro will be used in those countries. A common
currency is expected to confer some benefits in those markets, by consolidating
the government debt market for those countries and reducing some currency risks
and costs. But the conversion to the new currency will affect the Fund
operationally and also has potential risks, some of which are listed below.
Among other things, the conversion will affect:
o issuers in which the Fund invests, because of changes in the
competitive environment from a consolidated currency market and greater
operational costs from converting to the new currency. This might
depress stock values. o vendors the Fund depends on to carry out its
business, such as its Custodian (which holds the foreign securities the
Fund buys), the Manager (which must price the Fund's investments to
deal with the conversion to the euro) and brokers, foreign markets and
securities depositories. If they are not prepared, there could be
delays in settlements and additional costs to the Fund. o exchange
contracts and derivatives that are outstanding during the transition to
the euro. The lack of currency rate calculations between the affected
currencies and the need to update the Fund's contracts could pose extra
costs to the Fund.
The Manager is upgrading (at its expense) its computer and bookkeeping
systems to deal with the conversion. The Fund's Custodian has advised the
Manager of its plans to deal with the conversion, including how it will update
its record keeping systems and handle the redenomination of outstanding foreign
debt. The Fund's portfolio manager will also monitor the effects of the
conversion on the issuers in which the Fund invests. The possible effect of
these factors on the Fund's investments cannot be determined with certainty at
this time, but they may reduce the value of some of the Fund's holdings and
increase its operational costs.
? Portfolio Turnover. "Portfolio turnover" describes the rate at which
the Fund traded its portfolio securities during its last fiscal year. For
example, if a fund sold all of its securities during the year, its portfolio
turnover rate would have been 100%. The Fund's portfolio turnover rate will
fluctuate from year to year, and the Fund may have a portfolio turnover rate of
100% or more. Increased portfolio turnover creates higher brokerage and
transaction costs for the Fund, which may reduce its overall performance.
Additionally, the realization of capital gains from selling portfolio securities
may result in distributions of taxable long-term capital gains to shareholders,
since the Fund will normally distribute all of its capital gains realized each
year, to avoid excise taxes under the Internal Revenue Code.
Other Investment Techniques and Strategies. In seeking its objective, the Fund
may from time to time employ the types of investment strategies and investments
described below.
n Investing in Small, Unseasoned Companies. The Fund may invest in
securities of small, unseasoned companies. These are companies that have been in
operation for less than three years, including the operations of any
predecessors. Securities of these companies may be subject to volatility in
their prices. They may have a limited trading market, which may adversely affect
the Fund's ability to dispose of them and can reduce the price the Fund might be
able to obtain for them. Other investors that own a security issued by a small,
unseasoned issuer for which there is limited liquidity might trade the security
when the Fund is attempting to dispose of its holdings of that security. In that
case the Fund might receive a lower price for its holdings than might otherwise
be obtained. As a fundamental policy, the Fund may invest not more than 5% of
its net assets in securities of small, unseasoned issuers.
n When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Transactions. The Fund may invest in
securities on a "when-issued" basis and may purchase or sell securities on a
"delayed delivery" basis. When-issued and delayed delivery are terms that refer
to securities whose terms and indenture are available and for which a market
exists, but which are not available for immediate delivery.
When such transactions are negotiated, the price (which is generally
expressed in yield terms) is fixed at the time the commitment is made. Delivery
and payment for the securities take place at a later date (generally within 45
days of the date the offer is accepted). The securities are subject to change in
value from market fluctuations during the period until settlement. The value at
delivery may be less than the purchase price. For example, changes in interest
rates in a direction other than that expected by the Manager before settlement
will affect the value of such securities and may cause a loss to the Fund.
During the period between purchase and settlement, no payment is made by the
Fund to the issuer and no interest accrues to the Fund from the investment.
The Fund will engage in when-issued transactions to secure what the
Manager considers to be an advantageous price and yield at the time of entering
into the obligation. When the Fund enters into a when-issued or delayed-delivery
transaction, it relies on the other party to complete the transaction. Their
failure to do so may cause the Fund to lose the opportunity to obtain the
security at a price and yield the Manager considers to be advantageous.
When the Fund engages in when-issued and delayed delivery transactions,
it does so for the purpose of acquiring or selling securities consistent with
its investment objective and policies for its portfolio or for delivery pursuant
to options contracts it has entered into, and not for the purpose of investment
leverage. Although the Fund will enter into delayed delivery or when-issued
purchase transactions to acquire securities, it may dispose of a commitment
prior to settlement. If the Fund chooses to dispose of the right to acquire a
when-issued security prior to its acquisition or to dispose of its right to
delivery or receive against a forward commitment, it may incur a gain or loss.
At the time the Fund makes the commitment to purchase or sell a
security on a when-issued or delayed delivery basis, it records the transaction
on its books and reflects the value of the security purchased in determining the
Fund's net asset value. In a sale transaction, it records the proceeds to be
received. The Fund will identify to its Custodian bank cash, U.S. Government
securities or other high-grade debt obligations at lest equal in value to the
value of the Fund's purchase commitments until the Fund pays for the investment.
When issued and delayed-delivery transactions can be used by the Fund
as a defensive technique to hedge against anticipated changes in interest rates
and prices. For instance, in periods of rising interest rates and falling
prices, the Fund might sell securities in its portfolio on a forward commitment
basis to attempt to limit its exposure to anticipated falling prices. In periods
of falling interest rates and rising prices, the Fund might sell portfolio
securities and purchase the same or similar securities on a when-issued or
delayed delivery basis to obtain the benefit of currently higher cash yields.
n Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may acquire securities subject to
repurchase agreements. It may do so for liquidity purposes to meet anticipated
redemptions of Fund shares, or pending the investment of the proceeds from sales
of Fund shares, or pending the settlement of portfolio securities. It may also
do so for defensive purposes when stock market conditions are unstable or when
the Manager is unable to find other attractive investments.
In a repurchase transaction, the Fund buys a security from, and
simultaneously resells it to, an approved vendor for delivery on an agreed-upon
future date. Approved vendors include U.S. commercial banks, U.S. branches of
foreign banks, or broker-dealers that have been designated as primary dealers in
government securities. They must meet credit requirements set by the Fund's
Board of Trustees from time to time. The resale price exceeds the purchase price
by an amount that reflects an agreed-upon interest rate effective for the period
during which the repurchase agreement is in effect.
The majority of these transactions run from day to day, and delivery
pursuant to the resale typically occurs within one to five days of the purchase.
Repurchase agreements having a maturity beyond seven days are subject to the
Fund's limits on holding illiquid investments. The Fund will not enter into a
repurchase agreement that causes more than 10% of its net assets to be subject
to repurchase agreements having a maturity beyond seven days. There is no limit
on the amount of the Fund's net assets that may be subject to repurchase
agreements having maturities of seven days or less.
Repurchase agreements, considered "loans" under the Investment Company
Act, are collateralized by the underlying security. The Fund's repurchase
agreements require that at all times while the repurchase agreement is in
effect, the value of the collateral must equal or exceed the repurchase price to
fully collateralize the repayment obligation. However, if the vendor fails to
pay the resale price on the delivery date, the Fund may incur costs in disposing
of the collateral and may experience losses if there is any delay in its ability
to do so. The Manager will impose creditworthiness requirements to confirm that
the vendor is financially sound and will continuously monitor the collateral's
value.
n Illiquid and Restricted Securities. Under the policies and procedures
established by the Fund's Board of Trustees, the Manager determines the
liquidity of some of the Fund's investments. To enable the Fund to sell its
holdings of a restricted security not registered under the Securities Act of
1933, the Fund may have to cause those securities to be registered. The expenses
of registering restricted securities may be negotiated by the Fund with the
issuer at the time the Fund buys the securities. When the Fund must arrange
registration because the Fund wishes to sell the security, a considerable period
may elapse between the time the decision is made to sell the security and the
time the security is registered so that the Fund could sell it. The Fund would
bear the risks of any downward price fluctuation during that period.
The Fund may also acquire restricted securities through private
placements. Those securities have contractual restrictions on their public
resale. Those restrictions might limit the Fund's ability to dispose of the
securities and might lower the amount the Fund could realize upon the sale.
The Fund has limitations that apply to purchases of restricted
securities, as stated in the Prospectus. Those percentage restrictions do not
limit purchases of restricted securities that are eligible for sale to qualified
institutional purchasers under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, if those
securities have been determined to be liquid by the Manager under Board-approved
guidelines. Those guidelines take into account the trading activity for such
securities and the availability of reliable pricing information, among other
factors. If there is a lack of trading interest in a particular Rule 144A
security, the Fund's holdings of that security may be considered to be illiquid.
Illiquid securities include repurchase agreements maturing in more than
seven days and participation interests that do not have puts exercisable within
seven days.
n Loans of Portfolio Securities. The Fund can lend its portfolio
securities to certain types of eligible borrowers approved by the Board of
Trustees. It may do so to try to provide income or to raise cash for liquidity
purposes. These loans are limited to not more than 10% of the value of the
Fund's total assets. There are some risks in connection with securities lending.
The Fund might experience a delay in receiving additional collateral to secure a
loan, or a delay in recovery of the loaned securities. The Fund presently does
not intend to lend of securities in the coming year, but if it does, the value
of the loaned securities is not expected to exceed 5% of the value of the Fund's
total assets.
The Fund must receive collateral for a loan. Under current applicable
regulatory requirements (which are subject to change), on each business day the
loan collateral must be at least equal the value of the loaned securities. It
must consist of cash, bank letters of credit or securities of the U.S.
Government or its agencies or instrumentalities, or other cash equivalents in
which the Fund is permitted to invest. To be acceptable as collateral, letters
of credit must obligate a bank to pay amounts demanded by the Fund if the demand
meets the terms of the letter. The terms of the letter of credit and the issuing
bank both must be satisfactory to the Fund.
When it lends securities, the Fund receives amounts equal to the
dividends or interest on loaned securities. It also receives one or more of (a)
negotiated loan fees, (b) interest on securities used as collateral, and (c)
interest on any short-term debt securities purchased with such loan collateral.
Either type of interest may be shared with the borrower. The Fund may also pay
reasonable finder's, custodian and administrative fees in connection with these
loans. The terms of the Fund's loans must meet applicable tests under the
Internal Revenue Code and must permit the Fund to reacquire loaned securities on
five days' notice or in time to vote on any important matter.
n Derivatives. The Fund may invest in a variety of derivative
investments to seek income or for hedging purposes. Some derivative investments
the Fund may use are the hedging instruments described below in this Statement
of Additional Information.
Structured Investment Products. The Fund may invest in a variety of
derivative investments that are specially designed. They include "index-linked"
notes and "commodity-linked" notes. Principal and/or interest payments on these
notes depend on the performance of an underlying index. The principal and/or
interest payments on these types of notes depend on the performance of one or
more market indices, such as the S&P 500 Index or a weighted index of commodity
futures (such as crude oil, gasoline and natural gas).
The Fund may also use currency-indexed securities, another derivative
investment. Typically these are short-term or intermediate-term debt securities.
Their value at maturity or the rates at which they pay income are determined by
the change in value of the U.S. dollar against one or more foreign currencies or
an index. In some cases, these securities may pay an amount at maturity based on
a multiple of the amount of the relative currency movements. This type of index
security offers the potential for increased income or principal payments but at
a greater risk of loss than a typical debt security of the same maturity and
credit quality.
Other derivative investments the Fund may use include "debt
exchangeable for common stock" of an issuer or "equity-linked debt securities"
of an issuer. At maturity, the debt security is exchanged for common stock of
the issuer or it is payable in an amount based on the price of the issuer's
common stock at the time of maturity. Both alternatives present a risk that the
amount payable at maturity will be less than the principal amount of the debt
because the price of the issuer's common stock may not be as high as the Manager
expected.
n Hedging. The Fund may use hedging to attempt to protect against
declines in the market value of the Fund's portfolio, to permit the Fund to
retain unrealized gains in the value of portfolio securities which have
appreciated, or to facilitate selling securities for investment reasons. To do
so, the Fund may:
o sell futures contracts, o buy puts on such futures or on securities,
or
o write covered calls on securities or futures. Covered calls may also
be used to increase the Fund's income, but the Manager does not expect
to engage extensively in that practice.
The Fund may use hedging to establish a position in the securities
market as a temporary substitute for purchasing particular securities. In that
case the Fund will normally seek to purchase the securities and then terminate
that hedging position. The Fund might also use this type of hedge to attempt to
protect against the possibility that its portfolio securities would not be fully
included in a rise in value of the market. To do so the Fund may:
o buy futures, or
o buy calls on such futures or on securities.
The Fund's strategy of hedging with futures and options on futures will
be incidental to the Fund's activities in the underlying cash market. The
particular hedging instruments the Fund can use are described below. The Fund
may employ new hedging instruments and strategies when they are developed, if
those investment methods are consistent with the Fund's investment objective and
are permissible under applicable regulations governing the Fund.
o Futures. The Fund may buy and sell futures contracts that relate to
(1) debt securities (these are referred to as "interest rate futures"), (2)
broadly-based stock indices (these are referred to as stock index futures) or
other indices (referred to as "financial futures"), (3) foreign currencies
(these are referred to as forward contracts), or (4) commodities (these are
referred to as commodity futures).
o Stock Index Futures, Financial Futures and Interest Rate
Futures. A broadly-based stock index is used as the basis for trading stock
index futures. They may in some cases be based on stocks of issuers in a
particular industry or group of industries. A stock index assigns relative
values to the common stocks included in the index and its value fluctuates in
response to the changes in value of the underlying stocks. A stock index cannot
be purchased or sold directly. Financial futures are similar contracts based on
the future value of the basket of securities that comprise the index. These
contracts obligate the seller to deliver, and the purchaser to take, cash to
settle the futures transaction. There is no delivery made of the underlying
securities to settle the futures obligation. Either party may also settle the
transaction by entering into an offsetting contract.
An interest rate future obligates the seller to deliver (and the
purchaser to take) cash or a specified type of debt security to settle the
futures transaction. Either party could also enter into an offsetting contract
to close out the position.
No payment is paid or received by the Fund on the purchase or sale of a
future. Upon entering into a futures transaction, the Fund will be required to
deposit an initial margin payment with the futures commission merchant (the
"futures broker"). Initial margin payments will be deposited with the Fund's
Custodian bank in an account registered in the futures broker's name. However,
the futures broker can gain access to that account only under specified
conditions. As the future is marked to market (that is, its value on the Fund's
books is changed) to reflect changes in its market value, subsequent margin
payments, called variation margin, will be paid to or by the futures broker
daily.
At any time prior to expiration of the future, the Fund may elect to
close out its position by taking an opposite position, at which time a final
determination of variation margin is made and any additional cash must be paid
by or released to the Fund. Any loss or gain on the future is then realized by
the Fund for tax purposes. All futures transactions are effected through a
clearinghouse associated with the exchange on which the contracts are traded.
o Commodity Futures. The Fund can invest a portion of its assets in
commodity futures contracts. They may be based upon commodities in five main
commodity groups: energy, livestock, agriculture, industrial metals and precious
metals, on individual commodities within these groups, or on other commodities.
For hedging purposes, the Fund may buy and sell commodity futures contracts,
options on commodity futures contracts, and options and futures on commodity
indices.
Under a commodity futures contract, the buyer agrees to take delivery
of a specified amount of a commodity at a future date at a price agreed upon
when the contract is made. In the United States, commodity contracts are traded
on futures exchanges. The exchanges offer a central marketplace for
transactions, a clearing corporation to process trades, standardization of
contract sizes and expiration dates, and the liquidity of a secondary market.
Futures markets also regulate the terms and conditions of delivery and the
maximum permissible price movement of a contract during a trading session. The
exchanges have rules on position limits. Those rules limit the amount of futures
contracts that any one party may hold in a particular commodity at one time.
Those rules are designed to prevent any one party from controlling a significant
portion of the market.
The prices of commodity futures reflect changes in the storage costs
for the underlying physical commodity that occur while the contract is open.
Despite the daily price limits imposed by the futures exchanges, historically
the short-term price volatility of commodity futures contracts has been greater
than that for stocks and bonds. To the extent that the Fund invests in these
futures contracts, its share price may be subject to greater volatility.
o Put and Call Options. The Fund may buy and sell certain kinds of put
options ("puts") and call options ("calls"). The Fund may buy and sell
exchange-traded and over-the-counter put and call options, including index
options, securities options, currency options, commodities options, and options
on the other types of futures described above.
o Writing Covered Call Options. The Fund may write (that is,
sell) covered calls. If the Fund sells a call option, it must be covered. That
means the Fund must own the security subject to the call while the call is
outstanding, or, for certain types of calls, the call may be covered by
segregating liquid assets to enable the Fund to satisfy its obligations if the
call is exercised. Up to 25% of the Fund's total assets may be subject to calls
the Fund writes.
When the Fund writes a call, it receives cash (a premium). The Fund
agrees to sell the underlying security to a purchaser of a corresponding call on
the same security during the call period at a fixed exercise price regardless of
market price changes during the call period. The call period is usually not more
than nine months. The exercise price may differ from the market price of the
underlying security. The Fund has the risk of loss that the price of the
underlying security may decline during the call period. That risk may be offset
to some extent by the premium the Fund receives. If the value of the investment
does not rise above the call price, it is likely that the call will lapse
without being exercised. In that case the Fund would keep the cash premium and
the investment.
The Fund's Custodian, or a securities depository acting for the
Custodian, will act as the Fund's escrow agent, through the facilities of the
Options Clearing Corporation ("OCC"), as to the investments on which the Fund
has written calls traded on exchanges or as to other acceptable escrow
securities. In that way, no margin will be required for such transactions. OCC
will release the securities on the expiration of the option or when the Fund
enters into a closing transaction.
When the Fund writes an over-the-counter ("OTC") option, it will enter
into an arrangement with a primary U.S. Government securities dealer which will
establish a formula price at which the Fund will have the absolute right to
repurchase that OTC option. The formula price will generally be based on a
multiple of the premium received for the option, plus the amount by which the
option is exercisable below the market price of the underlying security (that
is, the option is "in the money"). When the Fund writes an OTC option, it will
treat as illiquid (for purposes of its restriction on holding illiquid
securities) the mark-to-market value of any OTC option it holds, unless the
option is subject to a buy-back agreement by the executing broker.
To terminate its obligation on a call it has written, the Fund may
purchase a corresponding call in a "closing purchase transaction." The Fund will
then realize a profit or loss, depending upon whether the net of the amount of
the option transaction costs and the premium received on the call the Fund wrote
is more or less than the price of the call the Fund purchases to close out the
transaction. The Fund may realize a profit if the call expires unexercised,
because the Fund will retain the underlying security and the premium it received
when it wrote the call. Any such profits are considered short-term capital gains
for Federal income tax purposes, as are the premiums on lapsed calls. When
distributed by the Fund they are taxable as ordinary income. If the Fund cannot
effect a closing purchase transaction due to the lack of a market, it will have
to hold the callable securities until the call expires or is exercised.
The Fund may also write calls on a futures contract without owning the
futures contract or securities deliverable under the contract. To do so, at the
time the call is written, the Fund must cover the call by segregating an
equivalent dollar amount of liquid assets. The Fund will segregate additional
liquid assets if the value of the segregated assets drops below 100% of the
current value of the future. Because of this segregation requirement, in no
circumstances would the Fund's receipt of an exercise notice as to that future
require the Fund to deliver a futures contract. It would simply put the Fund in
a short futures position, which is permitted by the Fund's hedging policies.
o Writing Put Options. The Fund may sell put options. A put
option on securities gives the purchaser the right to sell, and the writer the
obligation to buy, the underlying investment at the exercise price during the
option period. The Fund will not write puts if, as a result, more than 25% of
the Fund's net assets would be required to be segregated to cover such put
options.
If the Fund writes a put, the put must be covered by segregated liquid
assets. Writing a put covered by segregated liquid assets equal to the exercise
price of the put has the same economic effect to the Fund as writing a covered
call. The premium the Fund receives from writing a put represents a profit, as
long as the price of the underlying investment remains equal to or above the
exercise price of the put. However, the Fund also assumes the obligation during
the option period to buy the underlying investment from the buyer of the put at
the exercise price, even if the value of the investment falls below the exercise
price. If a put the Fund has written expires unexercised, the Fund realizes a
gain in the amount of the premium less the transaction costs incurred. If the
put is exercised, the Fund must fulfill its obligation to purchase the
underlying investment at the exercise price. That price will usually exceed the
market value of the investment at that time. In that case, the Fund may incur a
loss if it sells the underlying investment. That loss will be equal to the sum
of the sale price of the underlying investment and the premium received minus
the sum of the exercise price and any transaction costs the Fund incurred.
When writing a put option on a security, to secure its obligation to
pay for the underlying security the Fund will deposit in escrow liquid assets
with a value equal to or greater than the exercise price of the underlying
securities. The Fund therefore foregoes the opportunity of investing the
segregated assets or writing calls against those assets.
As long as the Fund's obligation as the put writer continues, it may be
assigned an exercise notice by the broker-dealer through which the put was sold.
That notice will require the Fund to take delivery of the underlying security
and pay the exercise price. The Fund has no control over when it may be required
to purchase the underlying security, since it may be assigned an exercise notice
at any time prior to the termination of its obligation as the writer of the put.
That obligation terminates upon expiration of the put. It may also terminate if,
before it receives an exercise notice, the Fund effects a closing purchase
transaction by purchasing a put of the same series as it sold. Once the Fund has
been assigned an exercise notice, it cannot effect a closing purchase
transaction.
The Fund may decide to effect a closing purchase transaction to realize
a profit on an outstanding put option it has written or to prevent the
underlying security from being put. Effecting a closing purchase transaction
will also permit the Fund to write another put option on the security, or to
sell the security and use the proceeds from the sale for other investments. The
Fund will realize a profit or loss from a closing purchase transaction depending
on whether the cost of the transaction is less or more than the premium received
from writing the put option. Any profits from writing puts are considered
short-term capital gains for Federal tax purposes, and when distributed by the
Fund, are taxable as ordinary income.
o Purchasing Calls and Puts. The Fund may purchase calls to
protect against the possibility that the Fund's portfolio will not participate
in an anticipated rise in the securities market. When the Fund buys a call
(other than in a closing purchase transaction), it pays a premium. The Fund then
has the right to buy the underlying investment from a seller of a corresponding
call on the same investment during the call period at a fixed exercise price.
The Fund benefits only if it sells the call at a profit or if, during the call
period, the market price of the underlying investment is above the sum of the
call price plus the transaction costs and the premium paid for the call and the
Fund exercises the call. If the Fund does not exercise the call or sell it
(whether or not at a profit), the call will become worthless at its expiration
date. In that case the Fund will have paid the premium but lost the right to
purchase the underlying investment.
The Fund may buy puts whether or not it holds the underlying investment
in its portfolio. When the Fund purchases a put, it pays a premium and, except
as to puts on indices, has the right to sell the underlying investment to a
seller of a put on a corresponding investment during the put period at a fixed
exercise price. Buying a put on securities or futures the Fund owns enables the
Fund to attempt to protect itself during the put period against a decline in the
value of the underlying investment below the exercise price by selling the
underlying investment at the exercise price to a seller of a corresponding put.
If the market price of the underlying investment is equal to or above the
exercise price and, as a result, the put is not exercised or resold, the put
will become worthless at its expiration date. In that case the Fund will have
paid the premium but lost the right to sell the underlying investment. However,
the Fund may sell the put prior to its expiration.
That sale may or may not be at a profit.
When the Fund purchases a call or put on an index or future, it pays a
premium, but settlement is in cash rather than by delivery of the underlying
investment to the Fund. Gain or loss depends on changes in the index in question
(and thus on price movements in the securities market generally) rather than on
price movements in individual securities or futures contracts.
The Fund may buy a call or put only if, after the purchase, the value
of all call and put options held by the Fund will not exceed 5% of the Fund's
total assets.
o Buying and Selling Options on Foreign Currencies. The Fund
can buy and sell calls and puts on foreign currencies. They include puts and
calls that trade on a securities or commodities exchange or in the
over-the-counter markets or are quoted by major recognized dealers in such
options. The Fund would use these calls and puts to try to protect against
declines in the dollar value of foreign securities and increases in the dollar
cost of foreign securities the Fund wants to acquire.
If the Manager anticipates a rise in the dollar value of a foreign
currency in which securities to be acquired are denominated, the increased cost
of those securities may be partially offset by purchasing calls or writing puts
on that foreign currency. If the Manager anticipates a decline in the dollar
value of a foreign currency, the decline in the dollar value of portfolio
securities denominated in that currency may be partially offset by writing calls
or purchasing puts on that foreign currency. However, the currency rates could
fluctuate in a direction adverse to the Fund's position. The Fund will then have
incurred option premium payments and transaction costs without a corresponding
benefit.
A call the Fund writes on a foreign currency is "covered" if the Fund
owns the underlying foreign currency covered by the call or has an absolute and
immediate right to acquire that foreign currency without additional cash
consideration (or it can do so for additional cash consideration held in a
segregated account by its Custodian bank) upon conversion or exchange of other
foreign currency held in its portfolio.
The Fund may write a call on a foreign currency to provide a hedge
against a decline in the U.S. dollar value of a security which the Fund owns or
has the right to acquire and which is denominated in the currency underlying the
option. That decline may be one that occurs due to an expected adverse change in
the exchange rate. This is known as a "cross-hedging" strategy. In those
circumstances, the Fund covers the option by maintaining cash, U.S. Government
securities or other liquid, high grade debt securities in an amount equal to the
exercise price of the option, in a segregated account with the Fund's Custodian
bank.
o Risks of Hedging with Options and Futures. The use of hedging
instruments requires special skills and knowledge of investment techniques that
are different than what is required for normal portfolio management. If the
Manager uses a hedging instrument at the wrong time or judges market conditions
incorrectly, hedging strategies may reduce the Fund's return. The Fund could
also experience losses if the prices of its futures and options positions were
not correlated with its other investments.
The Fund's option activities may affect its portfolio turnover rate and
brokerage commissions. The exercise of calls written by the Fund may cause the
Fund to sell related portfolio securities, thus increasing its turnover rate.
The exercise by the Fund of puts on securities will cause the sale of underlying
investments, increasing portfolio turnover. Although the decision whether to
exercise a put it holds is within the Fund's control, holding a put might cause
the Fund to sell the related investments for reasons that would not exist in the
absence of the put.
The Fund may pay a brokerage commission each time it buys a call or
put, sells a call or put, or buys or sells an underlying investment in
connection with the exercise of a call or put. Those commissions may be higher
on a relative basis than the commissions for direct purchases or sales of the
underlying investments. Premiums paid for options are small in relation to the
market value of the underlying investments. Consequently, put and call options
offer large amounts of leverage. The leverage offered by trading in options
could result in the Fund's net asset value being more sensitive to changes in
the value of the underlying investment.
If a covered call written by the Fund is exercised on an investment
that has increased in value, the Fund will be required to sell the investment at
the call price. It will not be able to realize any profit if the investment has
increased in value above the call price.
An option position may be closed out only on a market that provides
secondary trading for options of the same series, and there is no assurance that
a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular option. The Fund could
experience losses if it could not close out a position because of an illiquid
market for the future or option.
There is a risk in using short hedging by selling futures or purchasing
puts on broadly-based indices or futures to attempt to protect against declines
in the value of the Fund's portfolio securities. The risk is that the prices of
the futures or the applicable index will correlate imperfectly with the behavior
of the cash prices of the Fund's securities. For example, it is possible that
while the Fund has used hedging instruments in a short hedge, the market may
advance and the value of the securities held in the Fund's portfolio may
decline. If that occurred, the Fund would lose money on the hedging instruments
and also experience a decline in the value of its portfolio securities. However,
while this could occur for a very brief period or to a very small degree, over
time the value of a diversified portfolio of securities will tend to move in the
same direction as the indices upon which the hedging instruments are based.
The risk of imperfect correlation increases as the composition of the
Fund's portfolio diverges from the securities included in the applicable index.
To compensate for the imperfect correlation of movements in the price of the
portfolio securities being hedged and movements in the price of the hedging
instruments, the Fund may use hedging instruments in a greater dollar amount
than the dollar amount of portfolio securities being hedged. It might do so if
the historical volatility of the prices of the portfolio securities being hedged
is more than the historical volatility of the applicable index.
The ordinary spreads between prices in the cash and futures markets are
subject to distortions, due to differences in the nature of those markets.
First, all participants in the futures market are subject to margin deposit and
maintenance requirements. Rather than meeting additional margin deposit
requirements, investors may close futures contracts through offsetting
transactions which could distort the normal relationship between the cash and
futures markets. Second, the liquidity of the futures market depends on
participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than making or taking
delivery. To the extent participants decide to make or take delivery, liquidity
in the futures market could be reduced, thus producing distortion. Third, from
the point of view of speculators, the deposit requirements in the futures market
are less onerous than margin requirements in the securities markets. Therefore,
increased participation by speculators in the futures market may cause temporary
price distortions.
The Fund can use hedging instruments to establish a position in the
securities markets as a temporary substitute for the purchase of individual
securities (long hedging) by buying futures and/or calls on such futures,
broadly-based indices or on securities. It is possible that when the Fund does
so the market may decline. If the Fund then concludes not to invest in
securities because of concerns that the market may decline further or for other
reasons, the Fund will realize a loss on the hedging instruments that is not
offset by a reduction in the price of the securities purchased.
o Forward Contracts. Forward contracts are foreign currency exchange
contracts. They are used to buy or sell foreign currency for future delivery at
a fixed price. The Fund uses them to "lock in" the U.S. dollar price of a
security denominated in a foreign currency that the Fund has bought or sold, or
to protect against possible losses from changes in the relative values of the
U.S. dollar and a foreign currency. The Fund limits its exposure in foreign
currency exchange contracts in a particular foreign currency to the amount of
its assets denominated in that currency or a closely-correlated currency. The
Fund may also use "cross-hedging" where the Fund hedges against changes in
currencies other than the currency in which a security it holds is denominated.
Under a forward contract, one party agrees to purchase, and another
party agrees to sell, a specific currency at a future date. That date may be any
fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties.
The transaction price is set at the time the contract is entered into. These
contracts are traded in the inter-bank market conducted directly among currency
traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers.
The Fund may use forward contracts to protect against uncertainty in
the level of future exchange rates. The use of forward contracts does not
eliminate the risk of fluctuations in the prices of the underlying securities
the Fund owns or intends to acquire, but it does fix a rate of exchange in
advance. Although forward contracts may reduce the risk of loss from a decline
in the value of the hedged currency, at the same time they limit any potential
gain if the value of the hedged currency increases.
When the Fund enters into a contract for the purchase or sale of a
security denominated in a foreign currency, or when it anticipates receiving
dividend payments in a foreign currency, the Fund may desire to "lock-in" the
U.S. dollar price of the security or the U.S. dollar equivalent of the dividend
payments. To do so, the Fund may enter into a forward contract for the purchase
or sale of the amount of foreign currency involved in the underlying
transaction, in a fixed amount of U.S. dollars per unit of the foreign currency.
This is called a "transaction hedge." The transaction hedge will protect the
Fund against a loss from an adverse change in the currency exchange rates during
the period between the date on which the security is purchased or sold or on
which the payment is declared, and the date on which the payments are made or
received.
The Fund may also use forward contracts to lock in the U.S. dollar
value of portfolio positions. This is called a "position hedge." When the Fund
believes that foreign currency may suffer a substantial decline against the U.S.
dollar, it may enter into a forward contract to sell an amount of that foreign
currency approximating the value of some or all of the Fund's portfolio
securities denominated in that foreign currency. When the Fund believes that the
U.S. dollar may suffer a substantial decline against a foreign currency, it may
enter into a forward contract to buy that foreign currency for a fixed dollar
amount. Alternatively, the Fund may enter into a forward contract to sell a
different foreign currency for a fixed U.S. dollar amount if the Fund believes
that the U.S. dollar value of the foreign currency to be sold pursuant to its
forward contract will fall whenever there is a decline in the U.S. dollar value
of the currency in which portfolio securities of the Fund are denominated. That
is referred to as a "cross hedge."
The Fund will cover its short positions in these cases by identifying
to its Custodian bank assets having a value equal to the aggregate amount of the
Fund's commitment under forward contracts. The Fund will not enter into forward
contracts or maintain a net exposure to such contracts if the consummation of
the contracts would obligate the Fund to deliver an amount of foreign currency
in excess of the value of the Fund's portfolio securities or other assets
denominated in that currency or another currency that is the subject of the
hedge. However, to avoid excess transactions and transaction costs, the Fund may
maintain a net exposure to forward contracts in excess of the value of the
Fund's portfolio securities or other assets denominated in foreign currencies if
the excess amount is "covered" by liquid securities denominated in any currency.
The cover must be at least equal at all times to the amount of that excess. As
one alternative, the Fund may purchase a call option permitting the Fund to
purchase the amount of foreign currency being hedged by a forward sale contract
at a price no higher than the forward contract price. As another alternative,
the Fund may purchase a put option permitting the Fund to sell the amount of
foreign currency subject to a forward purchase contract at a price as high or
higher than the forward contact price.
The precise matching of the amounts under forward contracts and the
value of the securities involved generally will not be possible because the
future value of securities denominated in foreign currencies will change as a
consequence of market movements between the date the forward contract is entered
into and the date it is sold. In some cases the Manager may decide to sell the
security and deliver foreign currency to settle the original purchase
obligation. If the market value of the security is less than the amount of
foreign currency the Fund is obligated to deliver, the Fund may have to purchase
additional foreign currency on the "spot" (that is, cash) market to settle the
security trade. If the market value of the security instead exceeds the amount
of foreign currency the Fund is obligated to deliver to settle the trade, the
Fund may have to sell on the spot market some of the foreign currency received
upon the sale of the security. There will be additional transaction costs on the
spot market in those cases.
The projection of short-term currency market movements is extremely
difficult, and the successful execution of a short-term hedging strategy is
highly uncertain. Forward contracts involve the risk that anticipated currency
movements will not be accurately predicted, causing the Fund to sustain losses
on these contracts and to pay additional transactions costs. The use of forward
contracts in this manner may reduce the Fund's performance if there are
unanticipated changes in currency prices to a greater degree than if the Fund
had not entered into such contracts.
At or before the maturity of a Forward Contract requiring the Fund to
sell a currency, the Fund might sell a portfolio security and use the sale
proceeds to make delivery of the currency. In the alternative the Fund might
retain the security and offset its contractual obligation to deliver the
currency by purchasing a second contract. Under that contract the Fund will
obtain, on the same maturity date, the same amount of the currency that it is
obligated to deliver. Similarly, the Fund might close out a forward contract
requiring it to purchase a specified currency by entering into a second contract
entitling it to sell the same amount of the same currency on the maturity date
of the first contract. The Fund would realize a gain or loss as a result of
entering into such an offsetting forward contract under either circumstance. The
gain or loss will depend on the extent to which the exchange rate or rates
between the currencies involved moved between the execution dates of the first
contract and offsetting contract.
The costs to the Fund of engaging in forward contracts varies with
factors such as the currencies involved, the length of the contract period and
the market conditions then prevailing. Because forward contracts are usually
entered into on a principal basis, no brokerage fees or commissions are
involved. Because these contracts are not traded on an exchange, the Fund must
evaluate the credit and performance risk of the counterparty under each forward
contract.
Although the Fund values its assets daily in terms of U.S. dollars, it
does not intend to convert its holdings of foreign currencies into U.S. dollars
on a daily basis. The Fund may convert foreign currency from time to time, and
will incur costs in doing so. Foreign exchange dealers do not charge a fee for
conversion, but they do seek to realize a profit based on the difference between
the prices at which they buy and sell various currencies. Thus, a dealer might
offer to sell a foreign currency to the Fund at one rate, while offering a
lesser rate of exchange if the Fund desires to resell that currency to the
dealer.
o Interest Rate Swap Transactions. The Fund can enter into interest
rate swap agreements. In an interest rate swap, the Fund and another party
exchange their right to receive or their obligation to pay interest on a
security. For example, they may swap the right to receive floating rate payments
for fixed rate payments. The Fund enters into swaps only on securities that it
owns. The Fund will not enter into swaps with respect to more than 25% of its
total assets. Also, the Fund will segregate liquid assets (such as cash or U.S.
Government securities) to cover any amounts it could owe under swaps that exceed
the amounts it is entitled to receive , and it will adjust that amount daily, as
needed.
Swap agreements entail both interest rate risk and credit risk. There
is a risk that, based on movements of interest rates in the future, the payments
made by the Fund under a swap agreement will be greater than the payments it
received. Credit risk arises from the possibility that the counterparty will
default. If the counterparty defaults, the Fund's loss will consist of the net
amount of contractual interest payments that the Fund has not yet received. The
Manager will monitor the creditworthiness of counterparties to the Fund's
interest rate swap transactions on an ongoing basis.
The Fund will enter into swap transactions with certain counterparties
pursuant to master netting agreements. A master netting agreement provides that
all swaps done between the Fund and that counterparty shall be regarded as parts
of an integral agreement. If amounts are payable on a particular date in the
same currency in respect of one or more swap transactions, the amount payable on
that date in that currency shall be the net amount. In addition, the master
netting agreement may provide that if one party defaults generally or on one
swap, the counterparty may terminate all of the swaps with that party. Under
these agreements, if a default results in a loss to one party, the measure of
that party's damages is calculated by reference to the average cost of a
replacement swap for each swap. It is measured by the mark-to-market value at
the time of the termination of each swap. The gains and losses on all swaps are
then netted, and the result is the counterparty's gain or loss on termination.
The termination of all swaps and the netting of gains and losses on termination
is generally referred to as "aggregation."
o Regulatory Aspects of Hedging Instruments. When using futures and
options on futures, the Fund is required to operate within certain guidelines
and restrictions with respect to the use of futures as established by the
Commodities Futures Trading Commission (the "CFTC"). In particular, the Fund is
exempted from registration with the CFTC as a "commodity pool operator" if the
Fund complies with the requirements of Rule 4.5 adopted by the CFTC. The Rule
does not limit the percentage of the Fund's assets that may be used for futures
margin and related options premiums for a bona fide hedging position. However,
under the Rule, the Fund must limit its aggregate initial futures margin and
related options premiums to not more than 5% of the Fund's net assets for
hedging strategies that are not considered bona fide hedging strategies under
the Rule. Under the Rule, the Fund must also use short futures and options on
futures solely for bona fide hedging purposes within the meaning and intent of
the applicable provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act.
Transactions in options by the Fund are subject to limitations
established by the option exchanges. The exchanges limit the maximum number of
options that may be written or held by a single investor or group of investors
acting in concert. Those limits apply regardless of whether the options were
written or purchased on the same or different exchanges or are held in one or
more accounts or through one or more different exchanges or through one or more
brokers. Thus, the number of options that the Fund may write or hold may be
affected by options written or held by other entities, including other
investment companies having the same adviser as the Fund (or an adviser that is
an affiliate of the Fund's adviser). The exchanges also impose position limits
on Futures transactions. An exchange may order the liquidation of positions
found to be in violation of those limits and may impose certain other sanctions.
Under the Investment Company Act, when the Fund purchases a future, it
must maintain cash or readily marketable short-term debt instruments in an
amount equal to the market value of the securities underlying the future, less
the margin deposit applicable to it. The account must be a segregated account or
accounts held by the Fund's Custodian bank.
o Tax Aspects of Certain Hedging Instruments. Certain foreign currency
exchange contracts in which the Fund may invest are treated as "section 1256
contracts" under the Internal Revenue Code. In general, gains or losses relating
to section 1256 contracts are characterized as 60% long-term and 40% short-term
capital gains or losses under the Code. However, foreign currency gains or
losses arising from section 1256 contracts that are forward contracts generally
are treated as ordinary income or loss. In addition, section 1256 contracts held
by the Fund at the end of each taxable year are "marked-to-market," and
unrealized gains or losses are treated as though they were realized. These
contracts also may be marked-to-market for purposes of determining the excise
tax applicable to investment company distributions and for other purposes under
rules prescribed pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code. An election can be made
by the Fund to exempt those transactions from this marked-to-market treatment.
Certain forward contracts the Fund enters into may result in
"straddles" for Federal income tax purposes. The straddle rules may affect the
character and timing of gains (or losses) recognized by the Fund on straddle
positions. Generally, a loss sustained on the disposition of a position making
up a straddle is allowed only to the extent that the loss exceeds any
unrecognized gain in the offsetting positions making up the straddle. Disallowed
loss is generally allowed at the point where there is no unrecognized gain in
the offsetting positions making up the straddle, or the offsetting position is
disposed of.
Under the Internal Revenue Code, the following gains or losses are
treated as ordinary income or loss: (1) gains or losses attributable
to fluctuations in exchange rates that occur between the time the Fund
accrues interest or other receivables or accrues expenses or other
liabilities denominated in a foreign currency and the time the Fund
actually collects such receivables or pays such liabilities, and
(2) gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in the value of a
foreign currency between the date of acquisition of a debt
security denominated in a foreign currency or foreign currency
forward contracts and the date of disposition.
Currency gains and losses are offset against market gains and losses on
each trade before determining a net "Section 988" gain or loss under the
Internal Revenue Code for that trade, which may increase or decrease the amount
of the Fund's investment company income available for distribution to its
shareholders.
n Temporary Defensive Investments. These can include debt securities
such as: (i) U.S. Treasury bills or other obligations issued or guaranteed by
the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities; (ii) commercial paper
rated A-3 or higher by Standard & Poor's or P-3 or higher by Moody's; (iii)
certificates of deposit or bankers' acceptances or other obligations of domestic
banks with assets of $1 billion or more; and (iv) repurchase agreements.
Investment Restrictions
n What Are "Fundamental Policies?" Fundamental policies are those
policies that the Fund has adopted to govern its investments that can be changed
only by the vote of a "majority" of the Fund's outstanding voting securities.
Under the Investment Company Act, a "majority" vote is defined as the vote of
the holders of the lesser of:
o 67% or more of the shares present or represented by proxy at a
shareholder meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding
shares are present or represented by proxy, or o more than 50% of the
outstanding shares.
The Fund's investment objective is a fundamental policy. Other policies
described in the Prospectus or this Statement of Additional Information are
"fundamental" only if they are identified as such. The Fund's Board of Trustees
can change non-fundamental policies without shareholder approval. However,
significant changes to investment policies will be described in supplements or
updates to the Prospectus or this Statement of Additional Information, as
appropriate. The Fund's most significant investment policies are described in
the Prospectus.
n Does the Fund Have Additional Fundamental Policies? The following
investment restrictions are fundamental policies of the Fund.
o The Fund cannot buy securities issued or guaranteed by any one issuer
if more than 5% of its total assets would be invested in securities of that
issuer or if it would then own more than 10% of that issuer's voting securities.
This limitation applies to 75% of the Fund's total assets. The limit does not
apply to securities issued by the U.S. Government or any of its agencies or
instrumentalities.
o The Fund cannot invest in physical commodities or physical commodity
contracts. However, the Fund may buy and sell hedging instruments that are
permitted by any of its other investment policies. The Fund may also buy and
sell options, futures and other instruments backed by physical commodities or
the investment return from which is linked to changes in the price of physical
commodities.
o The Fund cannot concentrate investments. That means it cannot invest 25%
or more of its total assets in any industry.
o The Fund cannot borrow money, except for temporary emergency purposes
or under other unusual circumstances.
o The Fund cannot invest in real estate or in interests in real estate.
However, the Fund can purchase securities of issuers holding real estate or
interests in real estate (including securities of real estate investment
trusts).
o The Fund cannot engage in short sales or purchase securities on
margin. However, the Fund can make margin deposits in connection with its
investments.
o The Fund cannot invest in companies for the purpose of acquiring
control or management those companies.
o The Fund cannot underwrite securities of other companies. A permitted
exception is in case it is deemed to be an underwriter under the Securities Act
of 1933 when reselling any securities held in its own portfolio.
o The Fund cannot invest or hold securities of any issuer if officers
and Trustees of the Fund or the Manager individually beneficially own more than
1/2 of 1% of the securities of that issuer and together own more than 5% of the
securities of that issuer.
o The Fund cannot buy securities from, or sell securities to, any
officer or Trustee of the Fund, or any officer or director of the Manger, or any
firms of which any of them are members (although such persons may act as brokers
for the Fund). This restriction does not apply to purchases and sales of the
Fund's shares.
o The Fund cannot cease to maintain its business as an investment
company, as defined in the Investment Company Act.
o The Fund cannot accept the purchase price for any of its shares
without immediately thereafter issuing an appropriate number of shares.
o The Fund cannot pledge, mortgage or hypothecate its assets.
Collateral, escrow and margin arrangements in connection with any of its
investments are permitted.
Unless the Prospectus or this Statement of Additional Information
states that a percentage restriction applies on an ongoing basis, it applies
only at the time the Fund makes an investment. The Fund need not sell securities
to meet the percentage limits if the value of the investment increases in
proportion to the size of the Fund.
The Fund has undertaken to the Securities and Exchange Commission that
it will not issue "senior securities" unless the issuance has been approved by a
"majority" of the Fund's outstanding voting securities (as defined in the
Investment Company Act). However, this undertaking does not prohibit the Fund
from borrowing money as described above, or from entering into margin,
collateral, escrow or segregation arrangements, or buying or selling options,
futures, hedging instruments or other investments permitted by its other
investment policies.
For purposes of the Fund's policy not to concentrate its investments as
described above, the Fund has adopted the industry classifications set forth in
Appendix B to this Statement of Additional Information. This is not a
fundamental policy.
How the Fund is Managed
Organization and History. The Fund is an open-end, diversified management
investment company with an unlimited number of authorized shares of beneficial
interest. The Fund was organized as a corporation in 1967 but was reorganized as
a Massachusetts business trust in July 1986.
The Fund is governed by a Board of Trustees, which is responsible for
protecting the interests of shareholders under Massachusetts law. The Trustees
meet periodically throughout the year to oversee the Fund's activities, review
its performance, and review the actions of the Manager. Although the Fund will
not normally hold annual meetings of its shareholders, it may hold shareholder
meetings from time to time on important matters, and shareholders have the right
to call a meeting to remove a Trustee or to take other action described in the
Fund's Declaration of Trust.
o Classes of Shares. The Board of Trustees has the power, without
shareholder approval, to divide unissued shares of the Fund into two or more
classes. The Board has done so, and the Fund currently has three classes of
shares: Class A, Class B, and Class C. All classes invest in the same investment
portfolio. Each class of shares: has its own dividends and distributions, pays
certain expenses which may be different for the different classes, may have a
different net asset value, may have separate voting rights on matters in which
interests of one class are different from interests of another class, and votes
as a class on matters that affect that class alone.
Shares are freely transferable, and each share of each class has one
vote at shareholder meetings, with fractional shares voting proportionally on
matters submitted to the vote of shareholders. Each share of the Fund represents
an interest in the Fund proportionately equal to the interest of each other
share of the same class.
The Trustees are authorized to create new series and classes of shares.
The Trustees may reclassify unissued shares of the Fund into additional series
or classes of shares. The Trustees also may divide or combine the shares of a
class into a greater or lesser number of shares without changing the
proportionate beneficial interest of a shareholder in the Fund. Shares do not
have cumulative voting rights or preemptive or subscription rights. Shares may
be voted in person or by proxy at shareholder meetings.
Meetings of Shareholders. As a Massachusetts business trust, the Fund
is not required to hold, and does not plan to hold, regular annual meetings of
shareholders. The Fund will hold meetings when required to do so by the
Investment Company Act or other applicable law. It will also do so when a
shareholder meeting is called by the Trustees or upon proper request of the
shareholders.
Shareholders have the right, upon the declaration in writing or vote of
two-thirds of the outstanding shares of the Fund, to remove a Trustee. The
Trustees will call a meeting of shareholders to vote on the removal of a Trustee
upon the written request of the record holders of 10% of its outstanding shares.
If the Trustees receive a request from at least 10 shareholders stating that
they wish to communicate with other shareholders to request a meeting to remove
a Trustee, the Trustees will then either make the Fund's shareholder list
available to the applicants or mail their communication to all other
shareholders at the applicants' expense. The shareholders making the request
must have been shareholders for at least six months and must hold shares of the
Fund valued at $25,000 or more or constituting at least 1% of the Fund's
outstanding shares, whichever is less. The Trustees may also take other action
as permitted by the Investment Company Act.
|_| Shareholder and Trustee Liability. The Fund's Declaration of Trust
contains an express disclaimer of shareholder or Trustee liability for the
Fund's obligations. It also provides for indemnification and reimbursement of
expenses out of the Fund's property for any shareholder held personally liable
for its obligations. The Declaration of Trust also states that upon request, the
Fund shall assume the defense of any claim made against a shareholder for any
act or obligation of the Fund and shall satisfy any judgment on that claim.
Massachusetts law permits a shareholder of a business trust (such as the Fund)
to be held personally liable as a "partner" under certain circumstances.
However, the risk that a Fund shareholder will incur financial loss from being
held liable as a "partner" of the Fund is limited to the relatively remote
circumstances in which the Fund would be unable to meet its obligations.
The Fund's contractual arrangements state that any person doing
business with the Fund (and each shareholder of the Fund) agrees under its
Declaration of Trust to look solely to the assets of the Fund for satisfaction
of any claim or demand that may arise out of any dealings with the Fund. The
contracts further state that the Trustees shall have no personal liability to
any such person, to the extent permitted by law.
Trustees and Officers of the Fund. The Fund's Trustees and officers and their
principal occupations and business affiliations during the past five years are
listed below. Trustees denoted with an asterisk (*) below are deemed to be
"interested persons" of the Fund under the Investment Company Act. All of the
Trustees are also trustees, directors or managing general partners of the
following Denver-based Oppenheimer funds1:
<PAGE>
Oppenheimer Total Return Fund, Inc. Oppenheimer Equity Income Fund Oppenheimer
Real Asset Fund Oppenheimer High Yield Fund Oppenheimer Strategic Income Fund
Oppenheimer Champion Income Fund Oppenheimer International Bond Fund Oppenheimer
Integrity Funds Oppenheimer Limited-Term Government Fund Oppenheimer Main Street
Funds, Inc. Oppenheimer Municipal Fund Oppenheimer Variable Account Funds
Panorama Series Fund, Inc. Oppenheimer Cash Reserves Centennial America Fund,
L.P. Centennial Money Market Trust Centennial Government Trust Centennial New
York Tax Exempt Trust Centennial California Tax Exempt Trust Centennial Tax
Exempt Trust The New York Tax-Exempt Income Fund, Inc.
<PAGE>
Ms. Macaskill and Messrs. Swain, Bishop, Bowen, Donohue, Farrar and Zack,
who are officers of the Fund, respectively hold the same offices of the other
Denver-based Oppenheimer funds. As of November 1, 1998, the Trustees and
officers of the Fund as a group owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of
the Fund. The foregoing statement does not reflect shares held of record by an
employee benefit plan for employees of the Manager other than shares
beneficially owned under that plan by the officers of the Fund listed below. Ms.
Macaskill and Mr. Donohue, are trustees of that plan.
Robert G. Avis,* Trustee; Age 67
One North Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, Missouri 63103
Vice Chairman of A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. (a broker-dealer) and A.G. Edwards,
Inc. (its parent holding company); Chairman of A.G.E. Asset Management and A.G.
Edwards Trust Company (its affiliated investment adviser and trust company,
respectively).
William A. Baker, Trustee; Age 83
197 Desert Lakes Drive, Palm Springs, California 92264
Management Consultant.
George C. Bowen,* Vice President, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer and Trustee;
Age 62
6803 South Tucson Way, Englewood, Colorado 80112
Senior Vice President (since September 1987) and Treasurer (since March 1985) of
the Manager; Vice President (since June 1983) and Treasurer (since March 1985)
of the Distributor; Vice President (since October 1989) and Treasurer (since
April 1986) of HarbourView Asset Management Corp., an investment adviser
subsidiary of the Manager; Senior Vice President (since February 1992),
Treasurer (since July 1991) and a director (since December 1991) of Centennial
Asset Management Corporation, an investment adviser subsidiary of the Manager;
Vice President and Treasurer (since August 1978) and Secretary (since April
1981) of Shareholder Services Inc., a transfer agent subsidiary of the Manager;
Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary (since November 1989) of Shareholder
Financial Services, Inc., a transfer agent subsidiary of the Manager; Assistant
Treasurer (since March 1998) of Oppenheimer Acquisition Corp., the parent
company of the Manager; Treasurer of Oppenheimer Partnership Holdings, Inc.
(since November 1989); Vice President and Treasurer of Oppenheimer Real Asset
Management, Inc. (since July 1996), an investment adviser subsidiary of the
Manager; an officer of other Oppenheimer funds; formerly Treasurer (June 1990-
March 1998) of Oppenheimer Acquisition Corp.
Charles Conrad, Jr., Trustee; Age 68
1501 Quail Street, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Chairman and CEO of Universal Space Lines, Inc. (a space services management
company); formerly Vice President of McDonnell Douglas Space Systems Co. and
associated with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Jon S. Fossel, Trustee; Age 56
P.O. Box 44, Mead Street, Waccabuc, New York 10597
Formerly Chairman and a director of the Manager, President and a director of
Oppenheimer Acquisition Corp., Shareholder Services, Inc. and Shareholder
Financial Services, Inc.
Sam Freedman, Trustee; Age: 58
4975 Lakeshore Drive, Littleton, Colorado 80123
Formerly Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of OppenheimerFunds Services,
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and a director of Shareholder Services, Inc.
and Shareholder Financial Services, Inc., Vice President and a director of
Oppenheimer Acquisition Corp. and a director of the Manager.
Raymond J. Kalinowski, Trustee; Age 69
44 Portland Drive, St. Louis, Missouri 63131
Director of Wave Technologies International, Inc. (a computer products training
company).
C. Howard Kast, Trustee; Age 76
2552 East Alameda, Denver, Colorado 80209
Formerly Managing Partner of Deloitte, Haskins & Sells (an accounting firm).
Robert M. Kirchner, Trustee; Age 77
7500 E. Arapahoe Road, Englewood, Colorado 80112
President of The Kirchner Company (management consultants).
Bridget A. Macaskill, President and Trustee*; Age: 50
Two World Trade Center, 34th Floor, New York, New York 10048
President (since June 1991), Chief Executive Officer (since September 1995) and
a director (since December 1994) of the Manager; President and a director (since
June 1991) of HarbourView Asset Management Corp.; Chairman and a director (since
August 1994) of Shareholder Services, Inc. and (since September 1995)
Shareholder Financial Services, Inc.; President (since September 1995) and a
director (since October 1990) of Oppenheimer Acquisition Corp.; President (since
September 1995) and a director (since November 1989) of Oppenheimer Partnership
Holdings, Inc., a holding company subsidiary of the Manager; a director of
Oppenheimer Real Asset Management, Inc. (since July 1996); President and a
director (since October 1997) of OppenheimerFunds International Ltd., an
offshore fund management subsidiary of the Manager, and Oppenheimer Millennium
Funds plc ; President and a director of other Oppenheimer funds; a director of
Hillsdown Holdings plc (a U.K. food company); formerly an Executive Vice
President of the Manager.
Ned M. Steel, Trustee; Age 83
3416 South Race Street, Englewood, Colorado 80110
Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter; a director of Visiting Nurse
Corporation of Colorado.
James C. Swain, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Trustee*; Age 65
6803 South Tucson Way, Englewood, Colorado 80112
Vice Chairman of the Manager (since September 1988); formerly President and a
director of Centennial Asset Management Corporation, and Chairman of the Board
of Shareholder Services, Inc.
John P. Doney, Vice President and Portfolio Manager; Age: 68.
Two World Trade Center, 34th Floor, New York, New York 10048-0203
Vice President of the Manager (since June 1992). Prior to joining the Manager he
was a Senior Vice President and Chief Investment Officer - Equities, of National
Securities & Research Corporation (a mutual fund investment adviser) and Vice
President of the National-affiliated investment companies.
Andrew J. Donohue, Vice President and Secretary; Age 48
Two World Trade Center, 34th Floor, New York, New York 10048
Executive Vice President (since January 1993), General Counsel (since October
1991) and a Director (since September 1995) of the Manager; Executive Vice
President (since September 1993) and a director (since January 1992) of the
Distributor; Executive Vice President, General Counsel and a director of
HarbourView Asset Management Corp., Shareholder Services, Inc., Shareholder
Financial Services, Inc. and Oppenheimer Partnership Holdings, Inc. (since
September 1995); President and a director of Centennial Asset Management Corp.
(since September 1995); President and a director of Oppenheimer Real Asset
Management, Inc. (since July 1996); General Counsel (since May 1996) and
Secretary (since April 1997) of Oppenheimer Acquisition Corp.; Vice President
and a Director of OppenheimerFunds International Ltd. and Oppenheimer Millennium
Funds plc (since October 1997); an officer of other Oppenheimer funds.
Robert J. Bishop, Assistant Treasurer; Age 40
6803 South Tucson Way, Englewood, Colorado 80112
Vice President of the Manager/Mutual Fund Accounting (since May 1996); an
officer of other Oppenheimer funds; formerly an Assistant Vice President of the
Manager/Mutual Fund Accounting (April 1994-May 1996), and a Fund Controller for
the Manager.
Scott Farrar, Assistant Treasurer; Age 33
6803 South Tucson Way, Englewood, Colorado 80112
Vice President of the Manager/Mutual Fund Accounting (since May 1996); Assistant
Treasurer of Oppenheimer Millennium Funds plc (since October 1997); an officer
of other Oppenheimer funds; formerly an Assistant Vice President of the
Manager/Mutual Fund Accounting (April 1994-May 1996), and a Fund Controller for
the Manager.
Robert G. Zack, Assistant Secretary; Age 50
Two World Trade Center, 34th Floor, New York, New York 10048-0203
Senior Vice President (since May 1985) and Associate General Counsel (since May
1981) of the Manager, Assistant Secretary of Shareholder Services, Inc. (since
May 1985), and Shareholder Financial Services, Inc. (since November 1989);
Assistant Secretary of Oppenheimer Millennium Funds plc (since October 1997) and
OppenheimerFunds International Ltd.; an officer of other Oppenheimer funds.
n Remuneration of Trustees. The officers of the Fund and three Trustees of
the Fund (Ms. Macaskill and Messrs. Bowen and Swain) are affiliated with the
Manager and receive no salary or fee from the Fund. The remaining Trustees of
the Fund received the compensation shown below. The compensation from the Fund
was paid during its fiscal year ended August 31, 1997. The compensation from all
of the Denver-based Oppenheimer funds includes the compensation from the Fund
and represents compensation received as a director, trustee, managing general
partner or member of a committee of the Board during the calendar year 1997.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C>
Total Compensation
Aggregate Compensation from all Denver-Based
Trustee's Name and Position from Fund Oppenheimer Funds1
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
Robert G. Avis $____________ $63,501
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
William A. Baker
Audit and Review Committee
Ex-Officio Member2 $____________ $77,502
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
Charles Conrad, Jr.3 $____________ $72,000
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
Jon. S. Fossel $____________ $63,277
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
Sam Freedman
Audit and Review Committee Member2 $____________ $66,501
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
Raymond J. Kalinowski
Audit and Review Committee Member2
$____________ $71,561
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
C. Howard Kast
Audit and Review Committee Chairman2
$____________ $76,503
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
Robert M. Kirchner3 $____________ $72,000
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
Ned M. Steel $____________ $63,501
- ------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- --------------------------------------
</TABLE>
1. For the 1997 calendar year. 2. Committee positions effective July 1, 1997.
3. Prior to July 1, 1997, Messrs. Conrad and Kirchner were members of the Audit
and Review Committee.
n Deferred Compensation Plan. The Board of Trustees has adopted a Deferred
Compensation Plan for disinterested Trustees that enables them to elect to defer
receipt of all or a portion of the annual fees they are entitled to receive from
the Fund. Under the plan, the compensation deferred by a Trustee or is
periodically adjusted as though an equivalent amount had been invested in shares
of one or more Oppenheimer funds selected by the Trustee. The amount paid to the
Trustee under the plan will be determined based upon the performance of the
selected funds.
Deferral of Trustee's fees under the plan will not materially affect the
Fund's assets, liabilities and net income per share. The plan will not obligate
the fund to retain the services of any Trustee or to pay any particular level of
compensation to any Trustee. Pursuant to an Order issued by the Securities and
Exchange Commission, the Fund may invest in the funds selected by the Trustee
under the plan without shareholder approval for the limited purpose of
determining the value of the Trustee's deferred fee account.
n Major Shareholders. As of November 1, 1998 the only persons who owned of
record or were known by the Fund to own beneficially 5% or more of the Fund's
outstanding Class A, Class B, or Class C shares were :
Merrill Lynch Pierce Fenner & Smith, Inc., 4800 Deer Lake Dr. E Floor 3,
Jacksonville, FL 32246, which owned
_______________________________________________________
The Manager. The Manager is wholly-owned by Oppenheimer Acquisition Corp.,
a holding company controlled by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. The
Manager and the Fund have a Code of Ethics. It is designed to detect and prevent
improper personal trading by certain employees, including portfolio managers,
that would compete with or take advantage of the Fund's portfolio transactions.
Compliance with the Code of Ethics is carefully monitored and strictly enforced
by the Manager.
n The Investment Advisory Agreement. The Manager provides investment
advisory and management services to the Fund under an investment advisory
agreement between the Manager and the Fund. The Manager selects securities for
the Fund's portfolio and handles its day-to-day business. The portfolio manager
of the Fund is employed by the Manager and is the person who is principally
responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund's portfolio. Other members
of the Manager's Equity Portfolio Department provide the portfolio manager with
counsel and support in managing the Fund's portfolio.
The agreement requires the Manager, at its expense, to provide the Fund
with adequate office space, facilities and equipment. It also requires the
Manager to provide and supervise the activities of all administrative and
clerical personnel required to provide effective administration for the Fund.
Those responsibilities include the compilation and maintenance of records with
respect to its operations, the preparation and filing of specified reports, and
composition of proxy materials and registration statements for continuous public
sale of shares of the Fund.
The Fund pays expenses not expressly assumed by the Manager under the
advisory agreement. The advisory agreement lists examples of expenses paid by
the Fund. The major categories relate to interest, taxes, brokerage commissions,
fees to independent trustees, legal and audit expenses, custodian and transfer
agent expenses, share issuance costs, certain printing and registration costs
and non-recurring expenses, including litigation costs. The management fees paid
by the Fund to the Manager are calculated at the rates described in the
Prospectus, which are applied to the assets of the Fund as a whole. The fees are
allocated to each class of shares based upon the relative proportion of the
Fund's net assets represented by that class.
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
- --------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C>
Fiscal Year ended 8/31: Management Fees Paid to OppenheimerFunds, Inc.
- --------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1996 (2 months)1 $2,134,834
- --------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1997 $14,800,449
- --------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1998 $___________
- --------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
1. The management fees for the 12 month fiscal year ended 6/30/96 were
$12,078,956.
The investment advisory agreement contains an indemnity of the Manager. As
long as it has acted with due care and in good faith, the Manager is not liable
for any loss sustained by reason of any investment, the adoption of any
investment policy, or the purchase, sale or retention of any security. However
the investment advisory agreement does not exculpate the Manager from willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence in the performance of its duties or
reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under the investment advisory
agreement.
The agreement permits the Manager to act as investment adviser for any
other person, firm or corporation and to use the name "Oppenheimer" in
connection with other investment companies for which it may act as investment
adviser or general distributor. If the Manager shall no longer act as investment
adviser to the Fund, the Manager may withdraw the right of the Fund to use the
name "Oppenheimer" as part of its name.
Brokerage Policies of the Fund
Brokerage Provisions of the Investment Advisory Agreement. One of the duties of
the Manager under the investment advisory agreement is to arrange the portfolio
transactions for the Fund. The advisory agreement contains provisions relating
to the employment of broker-dealers to effect the Fund's portfolio transactions.
The Manager is authorized by the advisory agreement to employ broker-dealers,
including "affiliated" brokers, as that term is defined in the Investment
Company Act. The Manager may employ broker-dealers as may, in the Manager's best
judgment based on all relevant factors, implement the policy of the Fund to
obtain, at reasonable expense, the "best execution" of such transactions. "Best
execution" means prompt and reliable execution at the most favorable price
obtainable. The Manager need not seek competitive commission bidding. However,
it is expected to be aware of the current rates of eligible brokers and to
minimize the commissions paid to the extent consistent with the interests and
policies of the Fund as established by its Board of Trustees.
Under the investment advisory agreement, the Manager may select brokers
(other than affiliates) that provide brokerage and/or research services for the
Fund and/or the other accounts over which the Manager or its affiliates have
investment discretion. The commissions paid to such brokers may be higher than
another qualified broker would charge, if the Manager makes a good faith
determination that the commission is fair and reasonable in relation to the
services provided. Subject to those considerations, as a factor in selecting
brokers for the Fund's portfolio transactions, the Manager may also consider
sales of shares of the Fund and other investment companies for which the Manager
or an affiliate serves as investment adviser.
Brokerage Practices Followed by the Manager. The Manager allocates brokerage for
the Fund subject to the provisions of the investment advisory agreement and the
procedures and rules described above. Generally, the Manager's portfolio traders
allocate brokerage based upon recommendations from the Manager's portfolio
managers. In certain instances, portfolio managers may directly place trades and
allocate brokerage. In either case, the Manager's executive officers supervise
the allocation of brokerage.
Transactions in securities other than those for which an exchange is the
primary market are generally done with principals or market makers. In
transactions on foreign exchanges, the Fund may be required to pay fixed
brokerage commissions and thereby not have the benefit of negotiated commissions
available in U.S. markets. Brokerage commissions are paid primarily for
effecting transactions in listed securities or for certain fixed-income agency
transactions in the secondary market. Otherwise brokerage commissions are paid
only if it appears likely that a better price or execution can be obtained by
doing so.
In an option transaction, the Fund ordinarily uses the same broker for the
purchase or sale of the option and any transaction in the securities to which
the option relates. When possible, the Manager tries to combine concurrent
orders to purchase or sell the same security by more than one of the accounts
managed by the Manager or its affiliates. The transactions under those combined
orders are averaged as to price and allocated in accordance with the purchase or
sale orders actually placed for each account.
Most purchases of debt obligations are principal transactions at net
prices. Instead of using a broker for those transactions, the Fund normally
deals directly with the selling or purchasing principal or market maker unless
the Manager determines that a better price or execution can be obtained by using
the services of a broker. Purchases of portfolio securities from underwriters
include a commission or concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter.
Purchases from dealers include a spread between the bid and asked prices. The
Fund seeks to obtain prompt execution of these orders at the most favorable net
price.
The investment advisory agreement permits the Manager to allocate
brokerage for research services. The research services provided by a particular
broker may be useful only to one or more of the advisory accounts of the Manager
and its affiliates. The investment research received for the commissions of
those other accounts may be useful both to the Fund and one or more of the
Manager's other accounts. Investment research may be supplied to the Manager by
a third party at the instance of a broker through which trades are placed.
Investment research services include information and analysis on
particular companies and industries as well as market or economic trends and
portfolio strategy, market quotations for portfolio evaluations, information
systems, computer hardware and similar products and services. If a research
service also assists the Manager in a non-research capacity (such as bookkeeping
or other administrative functions), then only the percentage or component that
provides assistance to the Manager in the investment decision-making process may
be paid in commission dollars.
The Board of Trustees permits the Manager to use stated commissions on
secondary fixed-income agency trades to obtain research if the broker represents
to the Manager that: (i) the trade is not from or for the broker's own
inventory, (ii) the trade was executed by the broker on an agency basis at the
stated commission, and (iii) the trade is not a riskless principal transaction.
The Board of Trustees permits the Manager to use concessions on fixed-price
offerings to obtain research, in the same manner as is permitted for agency
transactions.
The research services provided by brokers broadens the scope and
supplements the research activities of the Manager. That research provides
additional views and comparisons for consideration, and helps the Manager to
obtain market information for the valuation of securities that are either held
in the Fund's portfolio or are being considered for purchase. The Manager
provides information to the Board about the commissions paid to brokers
furnishing such services, together with the Manager's representation that the
amount of such commissions was reasonably related to the value or benefit of
such services.
Other funds advised by the Manager have investment policies similar to
those of the Fund. Those other funds may purchase or sell the same securities as
the Fund at the same time as the Fund, which could affect the supply and price
of the securities. If two or more funds advised by the Manager purchase the same
security on the same day from the same dealer, the Manager may average the price
of the transactions and allocate the average among the funds.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
- --------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S> <C> <C>
Fiscal Year Ended 8/31: Total Brokerage Commissions Paid by the Fund1
- --------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1996 (2 months) 2 $168,229
- --------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1997 $706,049
- --------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- --------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1998 $3
- --------------------------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>
1. Amounts do not include spreads or concessions on principal transactions on a
net trade basis. 2. The total brokerage commissions paid by the Fund for the 12
month fiscal year ended 6/30/96 were $766,137. 3. In the fiscal year ended
8/31/98, the amount of transactions directed to brokers for research services
was $_________________ and the amount of the commissions paid to broker-dealers
for those services was $_______.
Distribution and Service Plans
The Distributor. Under its General Distributor's Agreement with the Fund's
parent corporation, the Distributor acts as the Fund's principal underwriter in
the continuous public offering of shares of the Fund's classes of shares. The
Distributor is not obligated to sell a specific number of shares. Expenses
normally attributable to sales are borne by the Distributor. They exclude
payments under the Fund's Distribution and Service Plans but include advertising
and the cost of printing and mailing prospectuses (other than prospectuses
furnished to current shareholders).
The compensation paid to (or retained by) the Distributor from the sale of
shares or on the redemption of shares during the Fund's three most recent fiscal
years is shown in the table below.
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
- -------------------- -------------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Class B Contingent Class C Contingent
Deferred Sales Deferred Sales
Aggregate Sales Charges Class A Sales Charges Retained by Charges Retained by
Fiscal Year Ended on Class A Shares Charges Retained by Distributor Distributor
8/31: Distributor1
- -------------------- -------------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------
- -------------------- -------------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------
19962 $632,850 $218,008 $ $
- -------------------- -------------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------
- -------------------- -------------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------
1997 $5,179,851 $1,573,826 $ $
- -------------------- -------------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------
- -------------------- -------------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------
1998 $ $ $ $
- -------------------- -------------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------
</TABLE>
1. Includes amounts paid to a dealer affiliated with the Distributor's parent.
2. Fiscal period of two months. . For the 12 month fiscal year ended 6/30/96 the
aggregate sales charges on Class A shares were $4,966,513 of which $1,546,454
was retained by the Distributor. For the same period, Class B contingent
deferred sales charges in the amount of $_______ and Class C contingent deferred
sales charges in the amount of $_______ were retained by the Distributor.
For additional information about distribution of the Fund's shares,
including fees and expenses, please refer to "Distribution and Service Plans,"
below.
Distribution and Service Plans. The Fund has adopted a Service Plan for Class A
shares and Distribution and Service Plans for Class B and Class C shares Rule
12b-1 of the Investment Company Act. Under those plans the Fund makes payments
to the Distributor for all or a portion of its costs incurred in connection with
the distribution and/or servicing of the shares of the particular class.
Each plan has been approved by a vote of the Board of Trustees, including
a majority of the Independent Trustees,2 cast in person at a meeting called for
the purpose of voting on that plan. Each plan has also been approved by the
holders of a "majority" (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of the shares
of the applicable class.
Under the plans, the Manager and the Distributor, in their sole
discretion, from time to time, may use their own resources to make payments to
brokers, dealers or other financial institutions for distribution and
administrative services they perform, at no cost to the Fund. The Manager may
use its profits from the advisor fee it receives from the Fund. In their sole
discretion, the Distributor and the Manager may increase or decrease the amount
of payments they make from their own resources to plan recipients.
Unless a plan is terminated as described below, the plan continues in
effect from year to year but only if the Fund's Board of Trustees and its
Independent Trustees specifically vote annually to approve its continuance.
Approval must be by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of
voting on continuing the plan. A plan may be terminated at any time by the vote
of a majority of the Independent Trustees or by the vote of the holders of a
"majority" (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of the outstanding shares
of that class.
The Board of Trustees and the Independent Trustees must approve all
material amendments to a plan. An amendment to increase materially the amount of
payments to be made under a plan must be approved by shareholders of the class
affected by the amendment. Because Class B shares of the Fund automatically
convert into Class A shares after six years, the Fund must obtain the approval
of both Class A and Class B shareholders for a proposed material amendment to
the Class A Plan that would materially increase payments under the Plan. That
approval must be by a "majority" (as defined in the Investment Company Act) of
the shares of each Class, voting separately by class.
While the Plans are in effect, the Treasurer of the Fund shall provide
separate written reports on the plans to the Board of Trustees at least
quarterly for its review. The Reports shall detail the amount of all payments
made under a plan, the purpose for which the payments were made and the identity
of each recipient of a payment. The reports on the Class B Plan and Class C Plan
shall also include the Distributor's distribution costs for that quarter. Those
reports are subject to the review and approval of the Independent Trustees.
Each Plan states that while it is in effect, the selection and nomination
of those Trustees of the Fund who are not "interested persons" of the Fund is
committed to the discretion of the Independent Trustees. This does not prevent
the involvement of others in the selection and nomination process as long as the
final decision as to selection or nomination is approved by a majority of the
Independent Trustees.
Under the plans, no payment will be made to any recipient in any quarter
in which the aggregate net asset value of all Fund shares held by the recipient
for itself and its customers does not exceed a minimum amount, if any, that may
be set from time to time by a majority of the Independent Trustees. The Board of
Trustees has set no minimum amount of assets to qualify for payments under the
plans.
o Class A Service Plan Fees. Under the Class A service plan, the
Distributor currently uses the fees it receives from the Fund to pay brokers,
dealers and other financial institutions (they are referred to as "recipients")
for personal services and account maintenance services they provide for their
customers who hold Class A shares. The services include, among others, answering
customer inquiries about the Fund, assisting in establishing and maintaining
accounts in the Fund, making the Fund's investment plans available and providing
other services at the request of the Fund or the Distributor.
The Class A service plan permits reimbursements to the Distributor at a
rate of up to 0.25% of average annual net assets of Class A shares. The Board
has set the rate at that level for shares acquired on or after April 1, 1991,
and 0.15% for shares acquired before that date. While the plan permits the Board
to authorize payments to the Distributor to reimburse itself for services under
the plan, the Board has not yet done so. The Distributor makes payments to plan
recipients quarterly at an annual rate not to exceed 0.25% of the average annual
net assets consisting of Class A shares acquired on or before April 1, 1991, and
held in the accounts of the recipients or their customers. The rate is 0.15% for
shares acquired earlier and held in such accounts.
For the fiscal year ended August 31, 1998 payments under the Class A Plan
totaled $_________, all of which was paid by the Distributor to recipients. That
included $________ paid to an affiliate of the Distributor's parent company. Any
unreimbursed expenses the Distributor incurs with respect to Class A shares in
any fiscal year cannot be recovered in subsequent years. The Distributor may not
use payments received the Class A Plan to pay any of its interest expenses,
carrying charges, or other financial costs, or allocation of overhead.
o Class B and Class C Service and Distribution Plan Fees. Under each plan,
service fees and distribution fees are computed on the average of the net asset
value of shares in the respective class, determined as of the close of each
regular business day during the period. The Class B and Class C plans allow the
Distributor to be compensated for its services and costs in distributing Class B
and Class C shares and servicing accounts.
The Class B and the Class C Plans permit the Distributor to retain both
the asset-based sales charges and the service fees or to pay recipients the
service fee on a quarterly basis, without payment in advance. However, the
Distributor currently intends to pay the service fee to recipients in advance
for the first year after the shares are purchased. After the first year shares
are outstanding, the Distributor makes payments quarterly on those shares. The
advance payment is based on the net asset value of shares sold. Shares purchased
by exchange do not qualify for the service fee payment. If Class B or Class C
shares are redeemed during the first year after their purchase, the recipient of
the service fees on those shares will be obligated to repay the Distributor a
pro rata portion of the advance payment of the service fee made on those shares.
The Distributor retains the asset-based sales charge on Class B shares.
The Distributor retains the asset-based sales charge on Class C shares during
the first year the shares are outstanding. It pays the asset-based sales charge
as an ongoing commission to the recipient on Class C shares outstanding for a
year or more. If a dealer has a special agreement with the Distributor, the
Distributor will pay the Class B and/or Class C service fee and the asset-based
sales charge to the dealer quarterly in lieu of paying the sales commissions and
service fee in advance at the time of purchase.
The asset-based sales charges on Class B and Class C shares allow investors
to buy shares without a front-end sales charge while allowing the Distributor to
compensate dealers that sell those shares. The Fund pays the asset-based sales
charges to the Distributor for its services rendered in distributing Class B and
Class C shares. The payments are made to the Distributor in recognition that the
Distributor: pays sales commissions to authorized brokers and dealers at the
time of sale and pays service fees as described above, may finance payment of
sales commissions and/or the advance of the service fee payment to recipients
under the plans, or may provide such financing from its own resources or from
the resources of an affiliate, employs personnel to support distribution of
Class B and Class C shares, and bears the costs of sales literature, advertising
and prospectuses (other than those furnished to current shareholders) and state
"blue sky" registration fees and certain other distribution expenses.
For the fiscal year ended August 31, 1998, payments under the Class B Plan
totaled $___________ (including $___________ paid to an affiliate of the
Distributor's parent). The Distributor retained $__________________ of the total
amount. For the fiscal year ended August 31, 1998, payments under the Class C
Plan totaled $_______________, (including $___________ paid to an affiliate of
the Distributor's parent). The Distributor retained $_____________ of the total
amount.
The Distributor's actual expenses in selling Class B and Class C shares
may be more than the payments it receives from the contingent deferred sales
charges collected on redeemed shares and from the Fund under the plans. As of
August 31, 1998, the Distributor had incurred unreimbursed expenses under the
Class B plan in the amount of $_______________ (equal to ___% of the Fund's net
assets represented by Class B shares on that date) and unreimbursed expenses
under the Class C plan of $_____________ (equal to ___% of the Fund's net assets
represented by Class C shares on that date). If either the Class B or the Class
C Plan is terminated by the Fund, the Board of Trustees may allow the Fund to
continue payments of the asset-based sales charge to the Distributor for
distributing shares before the plan was terminated.
All payments under the Class B and the Class C Plans are subject to the
limitations imposed by the Conduct Rules of the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc. on payments of asset-based sales charges and service
fees.
Performance of the Fund
Explanation of Performance Terminology. The Fund uses a variety of terms to
illustrate its investment performance. Those terms include "cumulative total
return," "average annual total return," "average annual total return at net
asset value" and "total return at net asset value." An explanation of how total
returns are calculated is set forth below. The charts below show the Fund's
performance of the Fund's most recent fiscal year end. You can obtain current
performance information by calling the Fund's Transfer Agent at 1-800-525-7048
or by visiting the OppenheimerFunds Internet web site at
http://www.oppenheimerfunds.com.
The Fund's illustrations of its performance data in advertisements must
comply with rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Those rules
describe the types of performance data that may be used and how it is to be
calculated. In general, any advertisement by the Fund of its performance data
must include the average annual total returns for the advertised class of shares
of the Fund. Those returns must be shown for the 1, 5 and 10-year periods (or
the life of the class, if less) ending as of the most recently ended calendar
quarter prior to the publication of the advertisement (or its submission for
publication).
Use of standardized performance calculations enables an investor to
compare the Fund's performance to the performance of other funds for the same
periods. However, a number of factors should be considered before using the
Fund's performance information as a basis for comparison with other investments:
|_| Total returns measure the performance of a hypothetical account in
the Fund over various periods and do not show the performance of each
shareholder's account. Your account's performance will vary from the model
performance data if your dividends are received in cash, or you buy or sell
shares during the period, or you bought your shares at a different time and
price than the shares used in the model.
|_| An investment in the Fund is not insured by the FDIC or any other
government agency.
|_| The principal value of the Fund's shares and total returns are not
guaranteed and normally will fluctuate on a daily basis.
|_| When an investor's shares are redeemed, they may be worth more or
less than their original cost. |_| Total returns for any given past
period represent historical performance information and are not,
and should not be considered, a prediction of future returns.
The performance of each class of shares is shown separately, because
the performance of each class of shares will usually be different. That is
because of the different kinds of expenses each class bears. The total returns
of each class of shares of the Fund are affected by market conditions, the
quality of the Fund's investments, the maturity of debt investments, the types
of investments the Fund holds, and its operating expenses that are allocated to
the particular class.
|X| Total Return Information. There are different types of "total
returns" to measure the Fund's performance. Total return is the change in value
of a hypothetical investment in the Fund over a given period, assuming that all
dividends and capital gains distributions are reinvested in additional shares
and that the investment is redeemed at the end of the period. Because of
differences in expenses for each class of shares, the total returns for each
class are separately measured. The cumulative total return measures the change
in value over the entire period (for example, ten years). An average annual
total return shows the average rate of return for each year in a period that
would produce the cumulative total return over the entire period. However,
average annual total returns do not show actual year-by-year performance. The
Fund uses standardized calculations for its total returns as prescribe the SEC.
The methodology is discussed below.
In calculating total returns for Class A shares, the current maximum
sales charge of 5.75% (as a percentage of the offering price) is deducted from
the initial investment ("P") (unless the return is shown without sales charge,
as described below). For Class B shares, payment of the applicable contingent
deferred sales charge is applied, depending on the period for which the return
is shown: 5.0% in the first year, 4.0% in the second year, 3.0% in the third and
fourth years, 2.0% in the fifth year, 1.0% in the sixth year and none
thereafter. For Class C shares, the 1% contingent deferred sales charge is
deducted for returns for the 1-year period.
|_| Average Annual Total Return. The "average annual total return" of
each class is an average annual compounded rate of return for each year in a
specified number of years. It is the rate of return based on the change in value
of a hypothetical initial investment of $1,000 ("P" in the formula below) held
for a number of years ("n" in the formula) to achieve an Ending Redeemable Value
("ERV" in the formula) of that investment, according to the following formula:
- --------
1. Ms. Macaskill and Mr. Bowen are not Trustees or Directors of Oppenheimer
Integrity Funds, Oppenheimer Strategic Income Fund, Panorama Series Fund, Inc.
or Oppenheimer Variable Account Funds. Mr. Fossel and Mr. Bowen are not Trustees
of Centennial New York Tax Exempt Trust or Managing General Partners of
Centennial America Fund, L.P.
2. In accordance with Rule 12b-1 of the Investment Company Act, the term
"Independent Trustees" in this Statement of Additional Information refers to
those Trustees who are not "interested persons" of the Fund and who do not have
any direct or indirect financial interest in the operation of the distribution
plan or any agreement under the plan.
OPPENHEIMER EQUITY INCOME FUND
FORM N-1A
PART C
OTHER INFORMATION
Item 23. Exhibits
(a) Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust dated August 4, 1995: Previously
filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 43, 8/31/95, to Registrant's
Registration Statement, and incorporated herein by reference
(b) Amended By-Laws dated June 26, 1990: Filed with Post Effective Amendment No.
36, 11/1/91, to Registrant's Registration Statement, and refiled with
Post-Effective Amendment No. 42, 10/28/94, pursuant to Item 102 of Regulation
S-T, and incorporated herein by reference.
(c) (i) Specimen Class A Share Certificate: Previously filed with
Post-Effective amendment No. 46, to Registrant's Registration
Statement dated 10/24/96 and incorporated herein by reference.
(ii) Specimen Class B Share Certificate: Previously filed with
Post-Effective amendment No. 46, to Registrant's Registration
Statement dated 10/24/96 and incorporated herein by reference.
(iii) Specimen Class C Share Certificate: Previously filed with
Post-Effective amendment No. 46, to Registrant's Registration Statement
dated 10/24/96 and incorporated herein by reference.
(d) Investment Advisory Agreement: Dated 10/22/90, previously filed with
Post-Effective Amendment No. 34 to Registrant's Registration Statement
dated 11/1/90, and refiled with Post-Effective Amendment No. 42,
10/28/94, pursuant to Item 102 of Regulation S-T, and incorporated
herein by reference. Amended and dated 4/16/98, filed herewith.
(e) (i) General Distributor's Agreement dated 10/13/92: Filed with
Post-Effective Amendment No. 42, 10/28/94, and incorporated herein by
reference.
(ii) Form of Dealer Agreement of OppenheimerFunds Distributor,
Inc.: Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 14 of Oppenheimer
Main Street Funds, Inc. (Reg. No. 33-17850), 9/30/94, and
incorporated herein by reference.
(iii) Form of OppenheimerFunds Distributor, Inc. Broker
Agreement: Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No.14 of Oppenheimer
Main Street Funds, Inc. (Reg. No. 33-17850), 9/30/94, and
incorporated herein by reference.
(iv) Form of OppenheimerFunds Distributor, Inc. Agency
Agreement: Filed with Post-Effective Amendment No.14 of Oppenheimer
Main Street Funds, Inc. (Reg. No. 33-17850), 9/30/94, and
incorporated herein by reference.
(f) Not applicable.
(g) Custody Agreement dated October 6, 1992: Filed with Post-Effective Amendment
No. 37, to Registrant's Registration Statement dated 10/28/92, and refiled with
Post-Effective Amendment No. 42, 10/28/94, pursuant to Item 102 of Regulation
S-T, and incorporated herein by reference.
(h) Not applicable.
(i) Opinion and Consent of Counsel dated 9/30/70: Filed with Registrant's
Initial Registration Statement and refiled with Post Effective amendment No. 42,
10/28/94, pursuant to Item 102 of Regulation S-T.
(j) Independent Auditors Consent: To be filed by Post-Effective Amendment.
(k) Not applicable.
(l) Not applicable.
(m) (i) Service Plan and Agreement for Class A shares under Rule 12b-1 of
the Investment Company Act dated June 22, 1993: Filed with
Post-Effective Amendment No. 38 to Registrant's Registration Statement,
8/3/93, and incorporated herein by reference.
(ii) Distribution and Service Plan and Agreement for Class B shares
under Rule 12b-1 of the Investment Company Act dated July 16, 1997:
Previously filed with Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 49,
12/16/97, and incorporated herein by reference.
(iii) Distribution and Service Plan and Agreement for Class C shares
under Rule 12b-1 of the Investment Company Act dated July 16, 1997:
Previously filed with Registrant's Post-Effective Amendment No. 49,
12/16/97, and incorporated herein by reference.
(n) (i) Financial Data Schedule for Class A Shares: To be filed by
Post-Effective Amendment.
(ii) Financial Data Schedule for Class B Shares: To be filed by
Post-Effective Amendment.
(iii) Financial Data Schedule for Class C Shares: To be filed by
Post-Effective Amendment.
(o) Oppenheimer Funds Multiple Class Plan under Rule 18f-3 updated through
8/25/98: Previously filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 70 to the
Registration Statement of Oppenheimer Global Fund (Reg. No. 2-31661), 9/14/98,
and incorporated herein by reference.
- -- Powers of Attorney (including Certified Board resolutions): For Bridget A.
Macaskill and Sam Freedman, filed with Registrant's Post-Effective amendment No.
46, 10/24/96, and all others filed with Post-Effective Amendment No. 42, to
Registrant's Registration Statement, 10/28/94, and incorporated herein by
reference. For George C. Bowen, filed herewith.
Item 24. Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with the Fund
None.
Item 25. Indemnification
Reference is made to the provisions of Article Seventh of Registrant's
Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust filed as Exhibit 23(a) to this
Registration Statement, and incorporated herein by reference.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities
Act of 1933 may be permitted to trustees, officers and controlling persons of
Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions or otherwise, Registrant has
been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such
indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of
1933 and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for
indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by Registrant
of expenses incurred or paid by a trustee, officer or controlling person of
Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is
asserted by such trustee, officer or controlling person, Registrant will, unless
in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling
precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether
such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the
Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such
issue.
Item 26. Business and Other Connections of the Investment Adviser
(a) OppenheimerFunds, Inc. is the investment adviser of the Registrant; it and
certain subsidiaries and affiliates act in the same capacity to other registered
investment companies as described in Parts A and B hereof and listed in Item
26(b) below.
(b) There is set forth below information as to any other business, profession,
vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each officer and
director of OppenheimerFunds, Inc. is, or at any time during the past two fiscal
years has been, engaged for his/her own account or in the capacity of director,
officer, employee, partner or trustee.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C>
Name and Current Position Other Business and Connections
with OppenheimerFunds, Inc. During the Past Two Years
Charles E. Albers,
Senior Vice President An officer
and/or portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds
(since April 1998); a
Chartered Financial
Analyst; formerly, a Vice
President and portfolio
manager for Guardian
Investor Services, the
investment management
subsidiary of The Guardian
Life Insurance Company
(since
1972).
Edward Amberger,
Assistant Vice President Formerly
Assistant Vice President,
Securities Analyst for
Morgan Stanley Dean Witter
(May 1997 - April 1998);
and Research Analyst (July
1996 - May 1997), Portfolio
Manager (February 1992 -
July 1996) and Department
Manager (June 1988 to
February 1992) for The Bank
of New York.
Mark J.P. Anson,
Vice President Vice President of Oppenheimer Real Asset Management, Inc.
("ORAMI"); formerly, Vice President of Equity Derivatives at
Salomon Brothers, Inc.
Peter M. Antos,
Senior Vice President An officer and/or portfolio manager of certain Oppenheimer
funds; a Chartered Financial Analyst; Senior Vice President
of HarbourView Asset Management Corporation ("HarbourView");
prior to March, 1996 he was the senior equity portfolio
manager for the Panorama Series Fund, Inc. (the "Company")
and other mutual funds and pension funds managed by G.R.
Phelps & Co. Inc. ("G.R. Phelps"), the Company's former
investment adviser, which was a subsidiary of Connecticut
Mutual Life Insurance Company; he was also responsible for
managing the common stock department and common stock
investments of Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Co.
Lawrence Apolito,
Vice President None.
Victor Babin,
Senior Vice President None.
Bruce Bartlett,
Vice President An officer and/or
portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds.
Formerly, a Vice President
and Senior Portfolio
Manager at First of America
Investment Corp.
George Batejan,
Executive Vice President,
Chief Information Officer Formerly Senior Vice President, Group Executive, and Senior
Systems Officer for American International Group (October
1994 - May, 1998).
John R. Blomfield,
Vice President Formerly Senior
Product Manager (November,
1995 - August, 1997) of
International Home Foods
and American Home Products
(March, 1994 - October,
1996).
Kathleen Beichert,
Vice President None.
Rajeev Bhaman,
Vice President Formerly, Vice
President (January 1992 -
February, 1996) of Asian
Equities for Barclays de
Zoete Wedd, Inc.
Robert J. Bishop,
Vice President Vice President of
Mutual Fund Accounting
(since May 1996); an
officer of other
Oppenheimer funds;
formerly, an Assistant Vice
President of OFI/Mutual
Fund Accounting (April
1994-May 1996), and a Fund
Controller for OFI.
George C. Bowen,
Senior Vice President, Treasurer
and Director Vice President (since June 1983) and Treasurer (since March
1985) of OppenheimerFunds Distributor, Inc. (the
"Distributor"); Vice President (since October 1989) and
Treasurer (since April 1986) of HarbourView; Senior Vice
President (since February 1992), Treasurer (since July
1991)and a director (since December 1991) of Centennial;
President, Treasurer and a director of Centennial Capital
Corporation (since June 1989); Vice President and Treasurer
(since August 1978) and Secretary (since April 1981) of
Shareholder Services, Inc. ("SSI"); Vice President,
Treasurer and Secretary of Shareholder Financial Services,
Inc. ("SFSI") (since November 1989); Assistant Treasurer of
Oppenheimer Acquisition Corp. ("OAC") (since March, 1998);
Treasurer of Oppenheimer Partnership Holdings, Inc. (since
November 1989); Vice President and Treasurer of ORAMI
(since July 1996); an officer of other Oppenheimer funds.
Scott Brooks,
Vice President None.
Susan Burton,
Vice President None.
Adele Campbell,
Assistant Vice President & Assistant
Treasurer: Rochester Division Formerly, Assistant Vice President of Rochester Fund
Services, Inc.
Michael Carbuto,
Vice President An officer and/or
portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds;
Vice President of
Centennial.
John Cardillo,
Assistant Vice President None.
Erin Cawley,
Assistant Vice President None.
H.D. Digby Clements,
Assistant Vice President:
Rochester Division None.
O. Leonard Darling,
Executive Vice President Trustee (1993 - present) of Awhtolia College - Greece.
William DeJianne, None.
Assistant Vice President
Robert A. Densen,
Senior Vice President None.
Sheri Devereux,
Assistant Vice President None.
Craig P. Dinsell
Executive Vice President Formerly,
Senior Vice President of
Human Resources for
Fidelity Investments-Retail
Division (January, 1995 -
January, 1996), Fidelity
Investments FMR Co.
(January, 1996 - June,
1997) and Fidelity
Investments FTPG (June,
1997 - January, 1998).
Robert Doll, Jr.,
Executive Vice President & Director
An officer and/or portfolio
manager of certain
Oppenheimer funds.
John Doney,
Vice President An officer and/or
portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds.
Andrew J. Donohue,
Executive Vice President,
General Counsel and Director Executive Vice President (since September 1993), and a
director (since January 1992) of the Distributor; Executive
Vice President, General Counsel and a director of
HarbourView, SSI, SFSI and Oppenheimer Partnership Holdings,
Inc. since (September 1995); President and a director of
Centennial (since September 1995); President and a director
of ORAMI (since July 1996); General Counsel (since May
1996) and Secretary (since April 1997) of OAC; Vice
President and Director of OppenheimerFunds International,
Ltd. ("OFIL") and Oppenheimer Millennium Funds plc (since
October 1997); an officer of other Oppenheimer funds.
Patrick Dougherty, None.
Assistant Vice President
Bruce Dunbar, None.
Vice President
Eric Edstrom,
Vice President
George Evans,
Vice President An officer and/or
portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds.
Edward Everett,
Assistant Vice President None.
Scott Farrar,
Vice President Assistant
Treasurer of Oppenheimer
Millennium Funds plc (since
October 1997); an officer
of other Oppenheimer funds;
formerly, an Assistant Vice
President of OFI/Mutual
Fund Accounting (April
1994-May 1996), and a Fund
Controller for OFI.
Leslie A. Falconio,
Assistant Vice President None.
Katherine P. Feld,
Vice President and Secretary
Vice President and
Secretary of the
Distributor; Secretary of
HarbourView, and
Centennial; Secretary, Vice
President and Director of
Centennial Capital
Corporation; Vice President
and Secretary of ORAMI.
Ronald H. Fielding,
Senior Vice President; Chairman:
Rochester Division An officer, Director and/or portfolio manager of certain
Oppenheimer funds; Presently he holds the following other
positions: Director (since 1995) of ICI Mutual Insurance
Company; Governor (since 1994) of St. John's College;
Director (since 1994 - present) of International Museum of
Photography at George Eastman House. Formerly, he held the
following positions: formerly, Chairman of the Board and
Director of Rochester Fund Distributors, Inc. ("RFD");
President and Director of Fielding Management Company, Inc.
("FMC"); President and Director of Rochester Capital
Advisors, Inc. ("RCAI"); Managing Partner of Rochester
Capital Advisors, L.P., President and Director of Rochester
Fund Services, Inc. ("RFS"); President and Director of
Rochester Tax Managed Fund, Inc.; Director (1993 - 1997) of
VehiCare Corp.; Director (1993 - 1996) of VoiceMode.
John Fortuna,
Vice President None.
Patricia Foster,
Vice President Formerly, she
held the following
positions: An officer of
certain former Rochester
funds (May, 1993 - January,
1996); Secretary of
Rochester Capital Advisors,
Inc. and General Counsel
(June, 1993 - January 1996)
of Rochester Capital
Advisors, L.P.
Jennifer Foxson,
Vice President None.
Erin Gardiner,
Assistant Vice President None.
Linda Gardner,
Vice President None.
Alan Gilston,
Vice President Formerly, Vice President (1987-1997) for Schroder Capital
Management International.
Jill Glazerman,
Assistant Vice President None.
Robyn Goldstein-Liebler
Assistant Vice President None.
Mikhail Goldverg
Assistant Vice President None.
Jeremy Griffiths,
Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer Chief
Financial Officer and
Treasurer (since March,
1998) of Oppenheimer
Acquisition Corp.; a Member
and Fellow of the Institute
of Chartered Accountants;
formerly, an accountant for
Arthur Young (London,
U.K.).
Robert Grill,
Senior Vice President Formerly,
Marketing Vice President
for Bankers Trust Company
(1993-1996); Steering
Committee Member,
Subcommittee Chairman for
American Savings Education
Council (1995-1996).
Caryn Halbrecht,
Vice President An officer and/or
portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds.
Elaine T. Hamann,
Vice President Formerly, Vice President (September, 1989 - January, 1997)
of Bankers Trust Company.
Robert Haley
Assistant Vice President Formerly,
Vice President of
Information Services for
Bankers Trust Company
(January, 1991 - November,
1997).
Thomas B. Hayes,
Vice President None.
Barbara Hennigar,
Executive Vice President and
Chief Executive Officer of
OppenheimerFunds Services,
a division of the Manager President and Director of SFSI; President and Chief
executive Officer of SSI.
Dorothy Hirshman, None.
Assistant Vice President
Merryl Hoffman,
Vice President None.
Nicholas Horsley,
Vice President Formerly, a Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager for
Warburg, Pincus Counsellors, Inc. (1993-1997), Co-manager of
Warburg, Pincus Emerging Markets Fund (12/94 - 10/97),
Co-manager Warburg, Pincus Institutional Emerging Markets
Fund - Emerging Markets Portfolio (8/96 - 10/97), Warburg
Pincus Japan OTC Fund, Associate Portfolio Manager of
Warburg Pincus International Equity Fund, Warburg Pincus
Institutional Fund - Intermediate Equity Portfolio, and
Warburg Pincus EAFE Fund.
Scott T. Huebl,
Assistant Vice President None.
Richard Hymes,
Vice President None.
Jane Ingalls,
Vice President None.
Kathleen T. Ives,
Vice President None.
Frank Jennings,
Vice President An officer and/or
portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds.
Thomas W. Keffer,
Senior Vice President None.
Avram Kornberg,
Vice President None.
John Kowalik,
Senior Vice President An officer
and/or portfolio manager
for certain
OppenheimerFunds; formerly,
Managing Director and
Senior Portfolio Manager at
Prudential Global Advisors
(1989 -
1998).
Joseph Krist,
Assistant Vice President None.
Michael Levine,
Assistant Vice President None.
Shanquan Li,
Vice President None.
Stephen F. Libera,
Vice President An officer and/or portfolio manager for certain Oppenheimer
funds; a Chartered Financial Analyst; a Vice President of
HarbourView; prior to March 1996, the senior bond portfolio
manager for Panorama Series Fund Inc., other mutual funds
and pension accounts managed by G.R. Phelps; also
responsible for managing the public fixed-income securities
department at Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Co.
Mitchell J. Lindauer,
Vice President None.
Dan Loughran,
Assistant Vice President:
Rochester Division
David Mabry,
Assistant Vice President None.
Steve Macchia,
Assistant Vice President None.
Bridget Macaskill,
President, Chief Executive Officer
and Director Chief Executive Officer (since September 1995); President
and director (since June 1991) of HarbourView; Chairman and
a director of SSI (since August 1994), and SFSI (September
1995); President (since September 1995) and a director
(since October 1990) of OAC; President (since September
1995) and a director (since November 1989) of Oppenheimer
Partnership Holdings, Inc., a holding company subsidiary of
OFI; a director of ORAMI (since July 1996) ; President and a
director (since October 1997) of OFIL, an offshore fund
manager subsidiary of OFI and Oppenheimer Millennium Funds
plc (since October 1997); President and a director of other
Oppenheimer funds; a director of Hillsdown Holdings plc (a
U.K. food company); formerly, an Executive Vice President of
OFI.
Wesley Mayer,
Vice President Formerly, Vice President (January, 1995 - June, 1996) of
Manufacturers Life Insurance Company.
Loretta McCarthy,
Executive Vice President None.
Kelley A. McCarthy-Kane
Assistant Vice President Formerly,
Product Manager, Assistant
Vice President (June 1995-
October, 1997) of Merrill
Lynch Pierce Fenner &
Smith.
Beth Michnowski,
Assistant Vice President Formerly Senior Marketing Manager May, 1996 - June, 1997)
and Director of Product Marketing (August, 1992 - May, 1996)
with Fidelity Investments.
Lisa Migan,
Assistant Vice President None.
Denis R. Molleur,
Vice President None.
Nikolaos Monoyios,
Vice President A Vice President
and/or portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds
(since April 1998); a
Certified Financial
Analyst; formerly, a Vice
President and portfolio
manager for Guardian
Investor Services, the
management subsidiary of
The Guardian Life Insurance
Company (since 1979).
Linda Moore,
Vice President Formerly, Marketing Manager (July 1995-November 1996) for
Chase Investment Services Corp.
Kenneth Nadler,
Vice President None.
David Negri,
Senior Vice President An officer
and/or portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds.
Barbara Niederbrach,
Assistant Vice President None.
Robert A. Nowaczyk,
Vice President None.
Ray Olson,
Assistant Vice President None.
Richard M. O'Shaugnessy,
Assistant Vice President:
Rochester Division None.
Gina M. Palmieri,
Assistant Vice President None.
Robert E. Patterson,
Senior Vice President An officer
and/or portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds.
James Phillips
Assistant Vice President None.
Jane Putnam,
Vice President An officer and/or
portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds.
Michael Quinn,
Assistant Vice President Formerly, Assistant Vice President (April, 1995 - January,
1998) of Van Kampen American Capital.
Russell Read,
Senior Vice President Vice President of Oppenheimer Real Asset Management, Inc.
(since March, 1995).
Thomas Reedy,
Vice President An officer and/or
portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds;
formerly, a Securities
Analyst for the Manager.
John Reinhardt,
Vice President: Rochester Division None
Ruxandra Risko,
Vice President None.
Michael S. Rosen,
Vice President An officer and/or
portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds.
Richard H. Rubinstein,
Senior Vice President An officer
and/or portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds.
Lawrence Rudnick,
Assistant Vice President None.
James Ruff,
Executive Vice President & Director None.
Valerie Sanders,
Vice President None.
Ellen Schoenfeld,
Assistant Vice President None.
Stephanie Seminara,
Vice President None.
Michelle Simone,
Assistant Vice President None.
Richard Soper,
Vice President None.
Stuart J. Speckman
Vice President Formerly, Vice President and Wholesaler for Prudential
Securities (December, 1990 - July, 1997).
Nancy Sperte,
Executive Vice President None.
Donald W. Spiro,
Chairman Emeritus and Director Vice
Chairman and Trustee of the
New York-based Oppenheimer
Funds; formerly, Chairman
of the Manager and the
Distributor.
Richard A. Stein,
Vice President: Rochester Division Assistant Vice President (since 1995) of Rochester Capitol
Advisors, L.P.
Arthur Steinmetz,
Senior Vice President An officer
and/or portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds.
Ralph Stellmacher,
Senior Vice President An officer
and/or portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds.
John Stoma,
Senior Vice President, Director
of Retirement Plans None.
Michael C. Strathearn,
Vice President An officer and/or
portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds;
a Chartered Financial
Analyst; a Vice President
of HarbourView.
James C. Swain,
Vice Chairman of the Board
Chairman, CEO and Trustee,
Director or Managing
Partner of the Denver-based
Oppenheimer Funds;
formerly, President and
Director of OAMC, CAMC and
Chairman of the Board of
SSI.
Susan Switzer,
Assistant Vice President
Anthony A. Tanner,
Vice President: Rochester Division
James Tobin,
Vice President None.
Susan Torrisi,
Assistant Vice President None.
Jay Tracey,
Vice President An officer and/or
portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds.
James Turner,
Assistant Vice President None.
Maureen VanNorstrand,
Assistant Vice President None.
Ashwin Vasan,
Vice President An officer and/or
portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds.
Teresa Ward,
Assistant Vice President None.
Jerry Webman,
Senior Vice President Director of New York-based tax-exempt fixed income
Oppenheimer funds.
Christine Wells,
Vice President None.
Joseph Welsh,
Assistant Vice President None.
Kenneth B. White,
Vice President An officer and/or
portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds;
a Chartered Financial
Analyst; Vice President of
HarbourView.
William L. Wilby,
Senior Vice President An officer
and/or portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds;
Vice President of
HarbourView.
Carol Wolf,
Vice President An officer and/or portfolio manager of certain Oppenheimer
funds; Vice President of Centennial; Vice President, Finance
and Accounting; Point of Contact: Finance Supporters of
Children; Member of the Oncology Advisory Board of the
Childrens Hospital.
Caleb Wong,
Assistant Vice President None.
Robert G. Zack,
Senior Vice President and
Assistant Secretary, Associate
General Counsel Assistant Secretary
of SSI (since May 1985),
SFSI (since November 1989),
OFIL (since 1998),
Oppenheimer Millennium
Funds plc (since October
1997); an officer of other
Oppenheimer funds.
Jill Zachman,
Assistant Vice President:
Rochester Division None.
Arthur J. Zimmer,
Senior Vice President An officer
and/or portfolio manager of
certain Oppenheimer funds;
Vice President of
Centennial.
</TABLE>
The Oppenheimer Funds include the New York-based Oppenheimer Funds, the
Denver-based Oppenheimer Funds and the Oppenheimer/Quest Rochester Funds, as set
forth below:
New York-based Oppenheimer Funds
Oppenheimer California Municipal Fund
Oppenheimer Capital Appreciation Fund
Oppenheimer Developing Markets Fund
Oppenheimer Discovery Fund
Oppenheimer Enterprise Fund
Oppenheimer Global Fund
Oppenheimer Global Growth & Income Fund
Oppenheimer Gold & Special Minerals Fund
Oppenheimer Growth Fund Oppenheimer
International Growth Fund
Oppenheimer International Small Company Fund
Oppenheimer Money Market Fund, Inc.
Oppenheimer Multi-Sector Income Trust
Oppenheimer Multi-State Municipal Trust
Oppenheimer Multiple Strategies Fund
Oppenheimer Municipal Bond Fund
Oppenheimer New York Municipal Fund
Oppenheimer Series Fund, Inc.
Oppenheimer U.S. Government Trust
Oppenheimer World Bond Fund
Quest/Rochester Funds
Limited Term New York Municipal Fund
Oppenheimer Convertible Securities Fund
Oppenheimer MidCap Fund
Oppenheimer Quest Capital Value Fund, Inc.
Oppenheimer Quest For Value Funds
Oppenheimer Quest Global Value Fund, Inc.
Oppenheimer Quest Value Fund, Inc.
Rochester Fund Municipals
Denver-based Oppenheimer Funds
Centennial America Fund, L.P.
Centennial California Tax Exempt Trust
Centennial Government Trust
Centennial Money Market Trust
Centennial New York Tax Exempt Trust
Centennial Tax Exempt Trust
Oppenheimer Cash Reserves
Oppenheimer Champion Income Fund
Oppenheimer Equity Income Fund
Oppenheimer High Yield Fund
Oppenheimer Integrity Funds
Oppenheimer International Bond Fund
Oppenheimer Limited-Term Government Fund
Oppenheimer Main Street Funds, Inc.
Oppenheimer Municipal Fund
Oppenheimer Real Asset Fund
Oppenheimer Strategic Income Fund
Oppenheimer Total Return Fund, Inc.
Oppenheimer Variable Account Funds
Panorama Series Fund, Inc.
The New York Tax-Exempt Income Fund, Inc.
The address of OppenheimerFunds, Inc., the New York-based Oppenheimer Funds, the
Quest Funds, OppenheimerFunds Distributor, Inc., HarbourView Asset Management
Corp., Oppenheimer Partnership Holdings, Inc., and Oppenheimer Acquisition Corp.
is Two World Trade Center, New York, New York 10048-0203.
The address of the Denver-based Oppenheimer Funds, Shareholder Financial
Services, Inc., Shareholder Services, Inc., OppenheimerFunds Services,
Centennial Asset Management Corporation, Centennial Capital Corp., and
Oppenheimer Real Asset Management, Inc. is 6803 South Tucson Way, Englewood,
Colorado 80112.
The address of the Rochester-based funds is 350 Linden Oaks, Rochester, New York
14625-2807.
Item 27. Principal Underwriter
(a) OppenheimerFunds Distributor, Inc. is the Distributor of the Registrant's
shares. It is also the Distributor of each of the other registered open-end
investment companies for which OppenheimerFunds, Inc. is the investment adviser,
as described in Part A and B of this Registration Statement and listed in Item
26(b) above.
(b) The directors and officers of the Registrant's principal underwriter are:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C> <C>
Name & Principal Positions & Offices Positions & Offices
Business Address with Underwriter with Registrant
Name & Principal Positions & Offices Positions & Offices
Business Address with Underwriter with Registrant
Jason Bach Vice President None
31 Racquel Drive
Marietta, GA 30364
Peter Beebe Vice President None
876 Foxdale Avenue
Winnetka, IL 60093
Douglas S. Blankenship Vice President None
17011 Woodbank
Spring, TX 77379
George C. Bowen(1) Vice President and Vice President and
Treasurer Treasurer of the
Oppenheimer funds.
Peter W. Brennan Vice President None
1940 Cotswold Drive
Orlando, FL 32825
Robert Coli Vice President None
12 White Tail Lane
Bedminster, NJ 07921
Ronald T. Collins Vice President None
710-3 E. Ponce de Leon Ave.
Decatur, GA 30030
William Coughlin Vice President None
542 West Surf - #2N
Chicago, IL 60657
Mary Crooks(1)
Daniel Deckman Vice President None
12252 Rockledge Circle
Boca Raton, FL 33428
Christopher DeSimone Vice President None
5105 Aldrich Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55403
Rhonda Dixon-Gunner(1) Assistant Vice President None
Andrew John Donohue(2) Executive Vice Secretary of the
President & Director Oppenheimer funds.
And General Counsel
John Donovan Vice President None
868 Washington Road
Woodbury, CT 06798
Kenneth Dorris Vice President None
4104 Harlanwood Drive
Fort Worth, TX 76109
Wendy H. Ehrlich Vice President None
4 Craig Street
Jericho, NY 11753
Kent Elwell Vice President None
35 Crown Terrace
Yardley, PA 19067
Todd Ermenio Vice President None
11011 South Darlington
Tulsa, OK 74137
John Ewalt Vice President None
2301 Overview Dr. NE
Tacoma, WA 98422
George Fahey Vice President None
412 Commons Way
Doylestown, PA 18901
Patrice Falagrady(1) Senior Vice President None
Eric Fallon Vice President None
10 Worth Circle
Newton, MA 02158
Katherine P. Feld(2) Vice President None
& Secretary
Mark Ferro Vice President None
43 Market Street
Breezy Point, NY 11697
Ronald H. Fielding(3) Vice President None
Ronald R. Foster Senior Vice President None
11339 Avant Lane
Cincinnati, OH 45249
Patricia Gadecki-Wells Vice President None
950 First St., S.
Suite 204
Winter Haven, FL 33880
Luiggino Galleto Vice President None
10239 Rougemont Lane
Charlotte, NC 28277
Michelle Gans Vice President None
8327 Kimball Drive
Eden Prairie, MN 55347
L. Daniel Garrity Vice President None
2120 Brookhaven View, N.E.
Atlanta, GA 30319
Mark Giles Vice President None
5506 Bryn Mawr
Dallas, TX 75209
Ralph Grant(2) Vice President/National None
Sales Manager
Michael Guman Vice President None
3913 Pleasent Avenue
Allentown, PA 18103
Allen Hamilton Vice President None
5 Giovanni
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
C. Webb Heidinger Vice President None
138 Gales Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Byron Ingram(1) Assistant Vice President None
Kathleen T. Ives(1) Vice President None
Eric K. Johnson Vice President None
3665 Clay Street
San Francisco, CA 94118
Mark D. Johnson Vice President None
409 Sundowner Ridge Court
Wildwood, MO 63011
Elyse Jurman Vice President None
1194 Hillsboro Mile, #51
Hillsboro Beach, FL 33062
Michael Keogh(2) Vice President None
Brian Kelly Vice President None
60 Larkspur Road
Fairfield, CT 06430
John Kennedy Vice President None
799 Paine Drive
Westchester, PA 19382
Richard Klein Vice President None
4820 Fremont Avenue So.
Minneapolis, MN 55409
Daniel Krause Vice President None
560 Beacon Hill Drive
Orange Village, OH 44022
Ilene Kutno(2) Vice President/ None
Director of Sales
Oren Lane Vice President None
5286 Timber Bend Drive
Brighton, MI 48116
Todd Lawson Vice President None
3333 E. Bayaud Avenue
Unit 714
Denver, CO 80209
Wayne A. LeBlang Senior Vice President None
54511 Southern Hills
LaQuinta, CA 92253
Dawn Lind Vice President None
7 Maize Court
Melville, NY 11747
James Loehle Vice President None
2714 Orchard Terrace
Linden, NJ 07036
Steve Manns Vice President None
1941 W. Wolfram Street
Chicago, IL 60657
Todd Marion Vice President None
39 Coleman Avenue
Chatham, N.J. 07928
Marie Masters Vice President None
8384 Glen Eagle Drive
Manlius, NY 13104
LuAnn Mascia(2) Assistant Vice President None
Theresa-Marie Maynier Vice President None
2421 Charlotte Drive
Charlotte, NC 28203
Anthony Mazzariello Vice President None
100 Anderson Street, #427
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
John McDonough Vice President None
3812 Leland Street
Chevey Chase, MD 20815
Wayne Meyer Vice President None
2617 Sun Meadow Drive
Chesterfield, MO 63005
Tanya Mrva(2) Assistant Vice President None
Laura Mulhall(2) Senior Vice President None
Charles Murray Vice President None
18 Spring Lake Drive
Far Hills, NJ 07931
Wendy Murray Vice President None
32 Carolin Road
Upper Montclair, NJ 07043
Denise-Marke Nakamura Vice President None
2870 White Ridge Place, #24
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
Chad V. Noel Vice President None
2408 Eagleridge Dr.
Henderson, NV 89014
Joseph Norton Vice President None
2518 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
Kevin Parchinski Vice President None
8409 West 116th Terrace
Overland Park, KS 66210
Gayle Pereira Vice President None
2707 Via Arboleda
San Clemente, CA 92672
Charles K. Pettit Vice President None
22 Fall Meadow Dr.
Pittsford, NY 14534
Bill Presutti Vice President None
130 E. 63rd Street, #10E
New York, NY 10021
Steve Puckett Vice President None
5297 Soledad Mountain Road
San Diego, CA 92109
Elaine Puleo(2) Senior Vice President None
Minnie Ra Vice President None
100 Delores Street, #203
Carmel, CA 93923
Dustin Raring Vice President None
378 Elm Street
Denver, CO 80220
Michael Raso Vice President None
16 N. Chatsworth Ave.
Apt. 301
Larchmont, NY 10538
John C. Reinhardt(3) Vice President None
Douglas Rentschler Vice President None
677 Middlesex Road
Grosse Pointe Park, MI 48230
Ian Robertson Vice President None
4204 Summit Wa
Marietta, GA 30066
Michael S. Rosen(2) Vice President None
Kenneth Rosenson Vice President None
3505 Malibu Country Drive
Malibu, CA 90265
James Ruff(2) President None
Timothy Schoeffler Vice President None
1717 Fox Hall Road
Washington, DC 77479
Michael Sciortino Vice President None
785 Beau Chene Drive
Mandeville, LA 70471
Eric Sharp Vice President None
862 McNeill Circle
Woodland, CA 95695
Robert Shore Vice President None
26 Baroness Lane
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
Timothy Stegner Vice President None
794 Jackson Street
Denver, CO 80206
Peter Sullivan Vice President None
21445 S. E 35th Street
Issaquah, WA 98029
David Sturgis Vice President None
44 Abington Road
Danvers, MA 0923
Brian Summe Vice President None
239 N. Colony Drive
Edgewood, KY 41017
George Sweeney Vice President None
5 Smokehouse Lane
Hummelstown, PA 17036
Andrew Sweeny Vice President None
5967 Bayberry Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45242
Scott McGregor Tatum Vice President None
704 Inwood
Southlake, TX 76092
David G. Thomas Vice President None
7009 Metropolitan Place, #300
Falls Church, VA 22043
Sarah Turpin Vice President None
2201 Wolf Street, #5202
Dallas, TX 75201
Andrea Walsh(1) Vice President None
Suzanne Walters(1) Assistant Vice President None
Mark Stephen Vandehey(1) Vice President None
James Wiaduck Vice President None
29900 Meridian Place
#22303
Farmington Hills, MI 48331
Marjorie Williams Vice President None
6930 East Ranch Road
Cave Creek, AZ 85331
</TABLE>
(1) 6803 South Tuscon Way, Englewood, CO 80112
(2) Two World Trade Center, New York, NY 10048
(3) 350 Linden Oaks, Rochester, NY 14623
(c) Not applicable.
Item 28. Location of Accounts and Records
The accounts, books and other documents required to be maintained by Registrant
pursuant to Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and rules
promulgated thereunder are in the possession of OppenheimerFunds, Inc.
at its offices at 6803 S. Tucson Way, Englewood, CO 80112.
Item 29. Management Services
Not applicable
Item 30. Undertakings
(a) Not applicable
(b) Not applicable
(c) Not applicable
<PAGE>
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and/or the Investment
Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that it meets all the requirements
for effectiveness of this Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 485(b) under
the Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be
signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the
County of Arapahoe and State of Colorado on the 23rd day of October, 1998.
Oppenheimer Equity Income Fund
By: /s/ James C. Swain*
James C. Swain, Chairman
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration
Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities on
the dates indicated:
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C> <C>
Signatures Title Date
/s/ James C. Swain* Chairman of the
- ------------------------------------- Board of Trustees
James C. Swain and Principal Executive
Officer October 23, 1998
/s/ George C. Bowen* Trustee, Chief Financial
- ------------------------------------- and Accounting
George C. Bowen Officer and Treasurer October 23, 1998
/s/ Bridget A. Macaskill* President
- ------------------------------------- and Trustee October 23, 1998
Bridget A. Macaskill
/s/ Robert G. Avis* Trustee October 23, 1998
- -------------------------------------
Robert G. Avis
/s/ William A. Baker* Trustee October 23, 1998
- -------------------------------------
William A. Baker
/s/ Charles Conrad, Jr.* Trustee October 23, 1998
- -------------------------------------
Charles Conrad, Jr.
/s/ Jon S. Fossel* Trustee October 23, 1998
- -------------------------------------
Jon S. Fossel
/s/ Sam Freedman* Trustee October 23, 1998
- -------------------------------------
Sam Freedman
/s/ Raymond J. Kalinowski* Trustee October 23, 1998
- -------------------------------------
Raymond J. Kalinowski
/s/ C. Howard Kast* Trustee October 23, 1998
- -------------------------------------
C. Howard Kast
/s/ Robert M. Kirchner* Trustee October 23, 1998
- -------------------------------------
Robert M. Kirchner
/s/ Ned M. Steel* Trustee October 23, 1998
- -------------------------------------
Ned M. Steel
</TABLE>
*By /s/ Robert G. Zack
- ---------------------------------------------
Robert G. Zack, Attorney-in-fact
<PAGE>
OPPENHEIMER EQUITY INCOME FUND
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit No. Description
23(d) Investment Advisory Agreement
-- Powers of Attorney for George C. Bowen
-1-
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT made as of the 16th day of April, 1998, by and between
OPPENHEIMER EQUITY INCOME FUND (hereinafter the "Fund"), and OPPENHEIMERFUNDS,
INC. (hereinafter the "Manager"):
WHEREAS, the Fund is an open-end, diversified investment company registered as
such with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") pursuant to
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act")
and the Manager is a registered investment adviser;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises and covenants
hereinafter set forth, it is agreed by and between the parties, as follows:
1. General Provisions:
The Fund hereby employs the Manager and the Manager hereby undertakes to act as
the investment adviser of the Fund and to perform for the Fund such other duties
and functions as are hereinafter set forth. The Manager shall, in all matters,
give to the Fund and its Board of Trustees the benefit of its best judgment,
effort, advice and recommendations and shall, at all times conform to, and use
its best efforts to enable the Fund to conform to (i) the provisions of the
Investment Company Act and any rules and regulations thereunder; (ii) any other
applicable provisions of state or federal law; (iii) the provisions of the
Declaration of Trust and By-Laws of the Fund as amended from time to time; (iv)
policies and determinations of the Board of Trustees of the Fund; (v) the
fundamental policies and investment restrictions of the Fund as reflected in its
registration statement under the Investment Company Act and in the Fund's
By-Laws, or as such policies may, from time to time, be amended by the Fund's
shareholders; and (vi) the Prospectus of the Fund in effect from time to time.
The appropriate officers and employees of the Manager shall be available upon
reasonable notice for consultations with any of the Trustees and officers of the
Fund with respect to any matters dealing with the business and affairs of the
Fund including the valuation of any of the Fund's portfolio securities which are
either not registered for public sale or not being traded on any securities
market.
2. Investment Management:
(a) The Manager shall, subject to the direction and control by the Fund's Board
of Trustees (i) regularly provide investment advice and recommendations to the
Fund with respect to its investments, investment policies and the purchase and
sale of securities; (ii) supervise continuously the investment program of the
Fund and the composition of its portfolio and determine what securities shall be
purchased or sold by the Fund; and (iii) arrange, subject to the provisions of
paragraph "6" hereof, for the purchase of securities and other investments for
the Fund and the sale of securities and other investments held in the portfolio
of the Fund. The Manager shall also conduct investigations and research in the
securities field and furnish to the Fund's Board of Trustees statistical and
other factual information and reports on industries, businesses or corporations,
to assist the Manager and the Fund's Board of Trustees in furthering the
investment policies of the Fund; and the Manager shall compile, for its use and
that of the Fund, and furnish to the Fund's Board of Trustees, information and
advice on economic and business trends, and render such other complete
investment management services as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate
the investment of the resources of the Fund through the acquisition, holding and
disposition of portfolio securities.
(b) Provided that the Fund shall not be required to pay any compensation other
than as provided by the terms of this Agreement and subject to the provisions of
paragraph "6" hereof, the Manager may obtain investment information, research or
assistance from any other person, firm or corporation to supplement, update or
otherwise improve its investment management services.
(c) So long as it shall have acted with due care and in good faith, the Manager
shall not be liable for any loss sustained by reason of any investment, the
adoption of any investment policy, or the purchase, sale or retention of any
security irrespective of whether the determinations of the Manager relative
thereto shall have been based, wholly or partly, upon the investigation or
research of any other individual, firm or corporation believed by it to be
reliable. Nothing herein contained shall, however, be construed to protect the
Manager against any liability to the Fund or its shareholders by reason of
willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in the performance of its
duties, or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties
under this Agreement.
(d) Nothing in this Agreement shall prevent the Manager or any officer thereof
from acting as investment adviser or performing management services for any
other person, firm or corporation and shall not in any way limit or restrict the
Manager or any of its directors, officers, shareholders or employees from
buying, selling or trading any securities for its or their own account or for
the account of others for whom it or they may be acting, provided that such
activities will not adversely affect or otherwise impair the performance by the
Manager of its duties and obligations under this Agreement, nor adversely affect
the Fund.
3. Other Duties of the Manager:
The Manager shall, at its own expense, provide and supervise the activities of
all executive, administrative and clerical personnel as shall be required to
provide effective administration for the Fund, including the compilation and
maintenance of such records with respect to its operations as may reasonably be
required; the preparation and filing of such reports with respect thereto as
shall be required by the Commission, and the laws of any state, territory or
possession of the United States or any foreign country; composition of periodic
reports with respect to its operations for the shareholders of the Fund;
composition of proxy materials for meetings of the Fund's shareholders; and the
composition of such registration statements as may be required by federal
securities laws and the laws of any state, territory or possession of the United
States or any foreign country for continuous public sale of shares of the Fund.
The Manager shall, at its own cost and expense, provide such officers for the
Fund as the Fund's Board may request and shall also provide the Fund's Trustees,
at their request, with adequate office space, and normal office equipment and
secretarial assistance as may be necessary for them to perform their functions
as such, and the Manager shall, at its own cost and expense, calculate the daily
net asset value of the Fund's shares and maintain the Fund's general accounting
books and records. The cost and expenses of the Manager set forth in this
paragraph 3 do not include the transfer agent and other costs and expenses set
forth in paragraph 4 following.
4. Allocation of Expenses to the Fund:
All other costs and expenses not expressly assumed by the Manager under this
Agreement, or to be paid by the General Distributor of the shares of the Fund,
shall be paid by the Fund, including but not limited to (i) interest and taxes;
(ii) brokerage commissions; (iii) insurance premiums on fidelity and other
coverage requisite to its operations; (iv) compensation and expenses of its
Trustees except as qualified further in this paragraph 4; (v) legal and audit
expenses; (vi) custodian and transfer agent fees and expenses; (vii) expenses
incident to the redemption of its shares; (viii) expenses incident to the
issuance of its shares against payment therefor by or on behalf of the
subscribers thereto; (ix) fees and expenses, other than as hereinabove provided,
incident to the registration of the Fund's shares for public sale under federal
securities laws or the laws of any state, territory or possession of the United
States or any foreign country; (x) expenses of printing and mailing reports and
notices and proxy material to shareholders of the Fund; (xi) except as noted in
paragraph 3 hereof, all other expenses incidental to holding any meetings of the
Fund's shareholders; and (xii) such extraordinary non-recurring expenses as may
arise, including litigation, affecting the Fund and the legal obligation or
right which the Fund may have to indemnify its officers and Trustees with
respect thereto unless the Fund has the right to recover said indemnity payments
from the Manager. Any officers or employees of the Manager or any entity
controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Manager who may also
serve as officers, Trustees or employees of the Fund shall not receive any
compensation by the Fund for their services.
5. Compensation of the Manager:
The Fund agrees to pay the Manager and the Manager agrees to accept as full
compensation for the performance of all functions and duties on its part to be
performed pursuant to the provisions hereof, a fee computed on the net asset
value of the Fund as of the close of each business day and payable monthly at
the following annual rates:
.75% of the first $100 million of net assets;
.70% of the next $100 million;
.65% of the next $100 million;
.60% of the next $100 million;
.55% of the next $100 million;
.50% of net assets in excess of $500 million.
6. Portfolio Transactions and Brokerage:
(a) The Manager will render all services for the Fund in connection with placing
orders with brokers and dealers for the purchase, sale or trade of securities
for the Fund's portfolio.
(b) The Manager is authorized, in arranging the purchase and sale of the Fund's
portfolio securities, to employ or deal with such members of securities
exchanges, brokers or dealers (hereinafter "broker-dealers"), including
"affiliated" broker-dealers, as that term is defined in the Investment Company
Act, as may, in its best judgment, implement the policy of the Fund to obtain,
at reasonable expense, the "best execution" (prompt and reliable execution at
the most favorable security price obtainable) of the Fund's portfolio
transactions as well as to obtain, consistent with provisions of subparagraph
(c) of this paragraph 6, the benefit of such investment information or research
as will be of significant assistance to the performance by the Manager of its
investment management functions.
(c) The Manager shall select broker-dealers to effect the Fund's portfolio
transactions on the basis of its estimate of their ability to obtain best
execution of particular and related portfolio transactions. The abilities of a
broker-dealer to obtain best execution of particular portfolio transaction(s)
will be judged by the Manager on the basis of all relevant factors and
considerations including, insofar as feasible, the execution capabilities
required by the transaction or transactions; the ability and willingness of the
broker-dealer to facilitate the Fund's portfolio transactions by participating
therein for its own account; the importance to the Fund of speed, efficiency or
confidentiality; the broker-dealer's apparent familiarity with sources from or
to whom particular securities might be purchased or sold; as well as any other
matters relevant to the selection of a broker-dealer for particular and related
transactions of the Fund.
(d) The Manager shall have discretion, in the interests of the Fund, to allocate
brokerage on the Fund's portfolio transactions to broker-dealers (other than
affiliated broker-dealers) qualified to obtain best execution of such
transactions and who provide "brokerage and/or research services" (as such
services are defined in Section 28 (e) (3) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934) for the Fund and/or other accounts for which the Manager exercises
"investment discretion" (as that term is defined in Section 3 (a) (35) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934) and to cause the Fund to pay such
broker-dealers a commission for effecting a portfolio transaction for the Fund
that is in excess of the amount of commission another broker-dealer adequately
qualified to effect such transaction would have charged for effecting that
transaction, if the Manager determines, in good faith, that such commission is
reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and/or research services
provided by such broker-dealer, viewed in terms of either that particular
transaction or the Manager's overall responsibilities with respect to the
accounts as to which it exercises investment discretion. In reaching such
determination, the Manager will not be required to place or attempt to place a
specific dollar value on the brokerage and/or research services provided or
being provided by such broker-dealer. In demonstrating that such determinations
were made in good faith, the Manager shall be prepared to show that all
commissions were allocated for purposes contemplated by this Agreement and that
the total commissions paid by the Fund over a representative period selected by
the Fund's Trustees were reasonable in relation to the benefits to the Fund.
(e) The Manager shall have discretion in the interests of the Fund and when
consistent with the then effective rules of the Commission and the National
Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., to consider the sales of shares of the
Fund and other Funds managed by the Manager and its affiliates as a factor in
the selection of broker-dealers to execute portfolio transactions for the Fund.
In doing so, the portfolio transactions must be (i) consistent with obtaining
the "best execution" of the Fund's portfolio transactions (as defined in
subparagraph (b) of this paragraph), and (ii) the commissions paid to brokers
selected wholly or partly on this basis do not exceed the commissions otherwise
authorized by this Investment Advisory Agreement.
(f) The Manager shall have no duty or obligation to seek advance competitive
bidding for the most favorable commission rate applicable to any particular
portfolio transactions or to select any broker-dealer on the basis of its
purported or "posted" commission rate but will, to the best of its ability,
endeavor to be aware of the current level of the charges of eligible
broker-dealers and to minimize the expense incurred by the Fund for effecting
its portfolio transactions to the extent consistent with the interests and
policies of the Fund as established by the determinations of its Board of
Trustees and the provisions of this paragraph 6.
(g) Transactions with affiliated broker-dealers are required to conform to a
number of restrictions and conditions: (1) affiliated broker-dealers may effect
portfolio transactions for the Fund only if the commissions, fees or other
remuneration received or to be received by them are determined in accordance
with procedures contemplated by any rule, regulation or order adopted under the
Investment Company Act for determining the permissible level of such
commissions; and (2) if required by Section 11(a) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, affiliated broker-dealers may not receive compensation in connection
with any portfolio transaction effected on a national securities exchange for
the Fund if the affiliated broker-dealers are members of such exchange unless
there is an effective separate written contract between the affiliated
broker-dealers and the Fund expressly providing otherwise and which refers to
said Section 11(a) and the rules promulgated thereunder and provides that any
transactions executed on an exchange of which the affiliated broker-dealers are
members must be executed on the floor of such exchange by a member which is not
an "associated person" of the affiliated broker-dealers.
7. Duration:
This Agreement will take effect on the date first set forth above and shall
continue in effect until December 31, 1999, and thereafter, from year to year,
unless earlier terminated by operation of law, so long as such continuance shall
be approved annually by the Fund's Board of Trustees, including the vote of a
majority of the Trustees of the Fund who are not parties to this Agreement or
interested persons of any such party, cast in person at a meeting called for the
purpose of voting on such approval, or by the holders of a majority of the
outstanding voting securities of the Fund and by such a vote of the Fund's Board
of Trustees.
8. Termination:
This Agreement may be terminated (i) by the Manager at any time without penalty
by giving sixty days' written notice (which notice may be waived by the Fund);
or (ii) by the Fund at any time without penalty upon sixty days' written notice
to the Manager (which notice may be waived by the Manager), provided that such
termination by the Fund shall be directed or approved by the Board of Trustees
of the Fund or by the vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding
voting securities of the Fund.
9. Assignment or Amendment:
This Agreement may not be amended or the rights of the Manager thereunder sold,
transferred, pledged or otherwise in any manner encumbered without the
affirmative vote or written consent of the holders of the majority of the
outstanding voting securities of the Fund; this Agreement shall automatically
and immediately terminate in the event of its assignment.
<PAGE>
10. Disclaimer of Shareholder Liability:
The Manager understands that the obligations of the Fund under this Agreement
are not binding upon any Trustee or shareholder of the Fund personally, but bind
only the Fund and the Fund's property. The Manager represents that it has notice
of the provisions of the Declaration of Trust of the Fund disclaiming Trustee
and shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Fund.
11. Use of Name "Oppenheimer":
The Manager hereby grants to the Fund a royalty-free, non-exclusive license to
use the name "Oppenheimer" in the name of the Fund for the duration of this
Agreement and any extensions or renewals thereof. To the extent necessary to
protect the Manager's rights to the name "Oppenheimer" under applicable law,
such license shall allow the Manager to inspect and, subject to control by the
Fund's Board, control the nature and quality of services offered by the Fund
under such name. Such license may, upon termination of this Agreement, be
terminated by the Manager, in which event the Fund shall promptly take whatever
action may be necessary to change its name and discontinue any further use of
the name "Oppenheimer" in the name of the Fund or otherwise. The name
"Oppenheimer" may be used by the Manager in connection with any of its
activities, or licensed by the Manager to any other party.
12. Definitions:
The terms and provisions of this Agreement shall be interpreted and defined in a
manner consistent with the provisions and definitions of the Investment Company
Act and other applicable laws.
OPPENHEIMER EQUITY
INCOME FUND
Attest:_______________________ By:__________________________
Robert G. Zack Andrew J. Donohue,
Assistant Secretary Vice President
OPPENHEIMERFUNDS, INC.
Attest:_______________________ By:__________________________
Katherine P. Feld Robert G. Zack
Vice President and Secretary Senior Vice President
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that the undersigned constitutes and appoints
Andrew J. Donohue or Robert G. Zack, and each of them, his true and lawful
attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and
resubstitution, for him and in his capacity as Trustee and/or as Treasurer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) of OPPENHEIMER EQUITY INCOME FUND,
a Massachusetts business trust (the "Fund"), to sign on his behalf any and all
Registration Statements (including any post-effective amendments to Registration
Statements) under the Securities Act of 1933, the Investment Company Act of 1940
and any amendments and supplements thereto, and other documents in connection
thereunder, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents
in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting
unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and
authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary
to be done in and about the premises, as fully as to all intents and purposes as
he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said
attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, may lawfully do or cause to be
done by virtue hereof.
Dated this 16th day of December, 1997.
/s/ George C. Bowen
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George C. Bowen,
