SUPPLEMENT TO FIDELITY'S BROADLY DIVERSIFIED
INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUNDS
FIDELITY INTERNATIONAL GROWTH & INCOME FUND,
FIDELITY DIVERSIFIED INTERNATIONAL FUND,
FIDELITY INTERNATIONAL VALUE FUND,
FIDELITY OVERSEAS FUND AND FIDELITY WORLDWIDE FUND
FUNDS OF FIDELITY INVESTMENT TRUST
DECEMBER 30, 1997
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION REPLACES SIMILAR INFORMATION FOUND IN THE
"INVESTMENT POLICIES AND LIMITATIONS" SECTION FOR EACH FUND BEGINNING
ON PAGE 2.
(iii) The fund may borrow money only (a) from a bank or from a
registered investment company or portfolio for which FMR or an
affiliate serves as investment adviser or (b) by engaging in reverse
repurchase agreements with any party (reverse repurchase agreements
are treated as borrowings for purposes of fundamental investment
limitation (3)). The fund will not borrow from other funds advised by
FMR or its affiliates if total outstanding borrowings immediately
after such borrowing would exceed 15% of the fund's total assets.
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION REPLACES SIMILAR INFORMATION FOUND IN THE
"INVESTMENT POLICIES AND LIMITATIONS" SECTION BEGINNING ON PAGE 7.
EXPOSURE TO FOREIGN MARKETS. Foreign securities, foreign currencies,
and securities issued by U.S. entities with substantial foreign
operations may involve significant risks in addition to the risks
inherent in U.S. investments.
Foreign investments involve risks relating to local political,
economic, regulatory, or social instability, military action or
unrest, or adverse diplomatic developments, and may be affected by
actions of foreign governments adverse to the interests of U.S.
investors. Such actions may include expropriation or nationalization
of assets, confiscatory taxation, restrictions on U.S. investment or
on the ability to repatriate assets or convert currency into U.S.
dollars, or other government intervention. There is no assurance that
FMR will be able to anticipate these potential events or counter their
effects. In addition, the value of securities denominated in foreign
currencies and of dividends and interest paid with respect to such
securities will fluctuate based on the relative strength of the U.S.
dollar.
It is anticipated that in most cases the best available market for
foreign securities will be on an exchange or in over-the-counter (OTC)
markets located outside of the United States. Foreign stock markets,
while growing in volume and sophistication, are generally not as
developed as those in the United States, and securities of some
foreign issuers may be less liquid and more volatile than securities
of comparable U.S. issuers. Foreign security trading, settlement and
custodial practices (including those involving securities settlement
where fund assets may be released prior to receipt of payment) are
often less developed than those in U.S. markets, and may result in
increased risk or substantial delays in the event of a failed trade or
the insolvency of, or breach of duty by, a foreign broker-dealer,
securities depository or foreign subcustodian. In addition, the costs
associated with foreign investments, including withholding taxes,
brokerage commissions and custodial costs, are generally higher than
with U.S. investments.
Foreign markets may offer less protection to investors than U.S.
markets. Foreign issuers are generally not bound by uniform
accounting, auditing, and financial reporting requirements and
standards of practice comparable to those applicable to U.S. issuers.
Adequate public information on foreign issuers may not be available,
and it may be difficult to secure dividends and information regarding
corporate actions on a timely basis. In general, there is less overall
governmental supervision and regulation of securities exchanges,
brokers, and listed companies than in the United States. OTC markets
tend to be less regulated than stock exchange markets and, in certain
countries, may be totally unregulated. Regulatory enforcement may be
influenced by economic or political concerns, and investors may have
difficulty enforcing their legal rights in foreign countries.
Some foreign securities impose restrictions on transfer within the
United States or to U.S. persons. Although securities subject to such
transfer restrictions may be marketable abroad, they may be less
liquid than foreign securities of the same class that are not subject
to such restrictions.
American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) as well as other "hybrid" forms of
ADRs, including European Depositary Receipts (EDRs) and Global
Depositary Receipts (GDRs), are certificates evidencing ownership of
shares of a foreign issuer. These certificates are issued by
depository banks and generally trade on an established market in the
United States or elsewhere. The underlying shares are held in trust by
a custodian bank or similar financial institution in the issuer's home
country. The depository bank may not have physical custody of the
underlying securities at all times and may charge fees for various
services, including forwarding dividends and interest and corporate
actions. ADRs are an alternative to directly purchasing the underlying
foreign securities in their national markets and currencies. However,
ADRs continue to be subject to many of the risks associated with
investing directly in foreign securities. These risks include foreign
exchange risk as well as the political and economic risks of the
underlying issuer's country.
The risks of foreign investing may be magnified for investments in
emerging markets. Security prices in emerging markets can be
significantly more volatile than those in more developed markets,
reflecting the greater uncertainties of investing in less established
markets and economies. In particular, countries with emerging markets
may have relatively unstable governments, may present the risks of
nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and
prohibitions on the repatriation of assets, and may have less
protection of property rights than more developed countries. The
economies of countries with emerging markets may be based on only a
few industries, may be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global
trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt
burdens or inflation rates. Local securities markets may trade a small
number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to
increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of
holdings difficult or impossible at times.
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION SUPPLEMENTS INFORMATION FOUND IN THE
"SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS AFFECTING JAPAN, THE PACIFIC BASIN, AND
SOUTHEAST ASIA" SECTION BEFORE THE SUB-SECTION "JAPAN" ON PAGE 18.
The same kinds of concerns that affected Thailand and other Southeast
Asian countries subsequently spread to North Asia. To widely varying
degrees, Taiwan, South Korea, and Hong Kong all faced related currency
and/or equity market declines. Of these, the South Korean situation
was the most severe. Revelations of this country's poor lending
practices and high levels of corporate indebtedness led to steep,
extended declines in the value of the won, high interest rates, and
tumbling equity markets. Due to continued weakness in the Japanese
economy combined with the reliance of Asian economies on intra-Asian
trade and capital flows, many experts believed that the entire
region's economic growth would slow in the near term.
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION REPLACES SIMILAR INFORMATION FOUND IN THE
"DISTRIBUTION AND SERVICE PLANS" SECTION ON PAGE 46.
Under each Plan, if the payment of management fees by the fund to FMR
is deemed to be indirect financing by the fund of the distribution of
its shares, such payment is authorized by the Plan. Each Plan
specifically recognizes that FMR may use its management fee revenue,
as well as its past profits or its other resources, to pay FDC for
expenses incurred in connection with the distribution of fund shares.
In addition, each Plan provides that FMR, directly or through FDC, may
make payments to third parties, such as banks or broker-dealers, that
engage in the sale of fund shares, or provide shareholder support
services. Currently, the Board of Trustees has authorized such
payments for each fund's shares.
SUPPLEMENT TO FIDELITY'S TARGETED INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUNDS
FIDELITY CANADA FUND, FIDELITY EMERGING MARKETS FUND, FIDELITY EUROPE
FUND, FIDELITY EUROPE CAPITAL APPRECIATION FUND, FIDELITY FRANCE FUND,
FIDELITY GERMANY FUND, FIDELITY HONG KONG AND CHINA FUND, FIDELITY
JAPAN FUND, FIDELITY JAPAN SMALL COMPANIES FUND, FIDELITY LATIN
AMERICA FUND, FIDELITY NORDIC FUND, FIDELITY PACIFIC BASIN FUND,
FIDELITY SOUTHEAST ASIA FUND, FIDELITY UNITED KINGDOM FUND
FUNDS OF FIDELITY INVESTMENT TRUST
DECEMBER 30, 1997
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION REPLACES THE SIMILAR INFORMATION FOUND IN
THE "INVESTMENT POLICIES AND LIMITATIONS" SECTION FOR CANADA FUND,
EMERGING MARKETS FUND, EUROPE FUND, EUROPE CAPITAL APPRECIATION FUND,
JAPAN FUND, LATIN AMERICA FUND, PACIFIC BASIN FUND, AND SOUTHEAST ASIA
FUND BEGINNING ON PAGE 2:
(iii) The fund may borrow money only (a) from a bank or from a
registered investment company or portfolio for which FMR or an
affiliate serves as investment adviser or (b) by engaging in reverse
repurchase agreements with any party (reverse repurchase agreements
are treated as borrowings for purposes of fundamental investment
limitation (3)). The fund will not borrow from other funds advised by
FMR or its affiliates if total outstanding borrowings immediately
after such borrowing would exceed 15% of the fund's total assets.
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION REPLACES THE SIMILAR INFORMATION FOUND IN
THE "INVESTMENT POLICIES AND LIMITATIONS" SECTION FOR FRANCE FUND,
GERMANY FUND, HONG KONG AND CHINA FUND, JAPAN SMALL COMPANIES FUND,
NORDIC FUND, AND UNITED KINGDOM FUND BEGINNING ON PAGE 2:
(iv) The fund may borrow money only (a) from a bank or from a
registered investment company or portfolio for which FMR or an
affiliate serves as investment adviser or (b) by engaging in reverse
repurchase agreements with any party (reverse repurchase agreements
are treated as borrowings for purposes of fundamental investment
limitation (2)). The fund will not borrow from other funds advised by
FMR or its affiliates if total outstanding borrowings immediately
after such borrowing would exceed 15% of the fund's total assets.
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION SUPPLEMENTS INFORMATION FOUND IN THE
"SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS AFFECTING JAPAN, THE PACIFIC BASIN, AND
SOUTHEAST ASIA" SECTION BEFORE THE SUB-SECTION "JAPAN" ON PAGE 31.
The same kinds of concerns that affected Thailand and other Southeast
Asian countries subsequently spread to North Asia. To widely varying
degrees, Taiwan, South Korea, and Hong Kong all faced related currency
and/or equity market declines. Of these, the South Korean situation
was the most severe. Revelations of this country's poor lending
practices and high levels of corporate indebtedness led to steep,
extended declines in the value of the won, high interest rates, and
tumbling equity markets. Due to continued weakness in the Japanese
economy combined with the reliance of Asian economies on intra-Asian
trade and capital flows, many experts believed that the entire
region's economic growth would slow in the near term.
THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION REPLACES SIMILAR INFORMATION FOUND IN THE
"INVESTMENT POLICIES SHARED BY THE FUNDS" SECTION BEGINNING ON PAGE
17.
EXPOSURE TO FOREIGN MARKETS. Foreign securities, foreign currencies,
and securities issued by U.S. entities with substantial foreign
operations may involve significant risks in addition to the risks
inherent in U.S. investments.
Foreign investments involve risks relating to local political,
economic, regulatory, or social instability, military action or
unrest, or adverse diplomatic developments, and may be affected by
actions of foreign governments adverse to the interests of U.S.
investors. Such actions may include expropriation or nationalization
of assets, confiscatory taxation, restrictions on U.S. investment or
on the ability to repatriate assets or convert currency into U.S.
dollars, or other government intervention. There is no assurance that
FMR will be able to anticipate these potential events or counter their
effects. In addition, the value of securities denominated in foreign
currencies and of dividends and interest paid with respect to such
securities will fluctuate based on the relative strength of the U.S.
dollar.
It is anticipated that in most cases the best available market for
foreign securities will be on an exchange or in over-the-counter (OTC)
markets located outside of the United States. Foreign stock markets,
while growing in volume and sophistication, are generally not as
developed as those in the United States, and securities of some
foreign issuers may be less liquid and more volatile than securities
of comparable U.S. issuers. Foreign security trading, settlement and
custodial practices (including those involving securities settlement
where fund assets may be released prior to receipt of payment) are
often less developed than those in U.S. markets, and may result in
increased risk or substantial delays in the event of a failed trade or
the insolvency of, or breach of duty by, a foreign broker-dealer,
securities depository or foreign subcustodian. In addition, the costs
associated with foreign investments, including withholding taxes,
brokerage commissions and custodial costs, are generally higher than
with U.S. investments.
Foreign markets may offer less protection to investors than U.S.
markets. Foreign issuers are generally not bound by uniform
accounting, auditing, and financial reporting requirements and
standards of practice comparable to those applicable to U.S. issuers.
Adequate public information on foreign issuers may not be available,
and it may be difficult to secure dividends and information regarding
corporate actions on a timely basis. In general, there is less overall
governmental supervision and regulation of securities exchanges,
brokers, and listed companies than in the United States. OTC markets
tend to be less regulated than stock exchange markets and, in certain
countries, may be totally unregulated. Regulatory enforcement may be
influenced by economic or political concerns, and investors may have
difficulty enforcing their legal rights in foreign countries.
Some foreign securities impose restrictions on transfer within the
United States or to U.S. persons. Although securities subject to such
transfer restrictions may be marketable abroad, they may be less
liquid than foreign securities of the same class that are not subject
to such restrictions.
American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) as well as other "hybrid" forms of
ADRs, including European Depositary Receipts (EDRs) and Global
Depositary Receipts (GDRs), are certificates evidencing ownership of
shares of a foreign issuer. These certificates are issued by
depository banks and generally trade on an established market in the
United States or elsewhere. The underlying shares are held in trust by
a custodian bank or similar financial institution in the issuer's home
country. The depository bank may not have physical custody of the
underlying securities at all times and may charge fees for various
services, including forwarding dividends and interest and corporate
actions. ADRs are an alternative to directly purchasing the underlying
foreign securities in their national markets and currencies. However,
ADRs continue to be subject to many of the risks associated with
investing directly in foreign securities. These risks include foreign
exchange risk as well as the political and economic risks of the
underlying issuer's country.
The risks of foreign investing may be magnified for investments in
emerging markets. Security prices in emerging markets can be
significantly more volatile than those in more developed markets,
reflecting the greater uncertainties of investing in less established
markets and economies. In particular, countries with emerging markets
may have relatively unstable governments, may present the risks of
nationalization of businesses, restrictions on foreign ownership and
prohibitions on the repatriation of assets, and may have less
protection of property rights than more developed countries. The
economies of countries with emerging markets may be based on only a
few industries, may be highly vulnerable to changes in local or global
trade conditions, and may suffer from extreme and volatile debt
burdens or inflation rates. Local securities markets may trade a small
number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to
increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of
holdings difficult or impossible at times.
