FOR USE BY BANKS ONLY
July 21, 1995
DREYFUS INTERNATIONAL EQUITY
FUND, INC.
Supplement to Prospectus Dated August 22, 1994
As Revised, July 21, 1995
All mutual fund shares involve certain investment risks, including
the possible loss of principal.
095/s072195IST
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PROSPECTUS AUGUST 22, 1994
AS REVISED, JULY 21, 1995
DREYFUS INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUND, INC.
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DREYFUS INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUND, INC. (THE "FUND") IS AN OPEN-END,
NON-DIVERSIFIED, MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY, KNOWN AS A MUTUAL FUND. ITS
GOAL IS TO PROVIDE YOU WITH CAPITAL GROWTH. THE FUND WILL INVEST PRIMARILY IN
THE EQUITY SECURITIES OF FOREIGN ISSUERS LOCATED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
YOU CAN INVEST, REINVEST OR REDEEM FUND SHARES AT ANY TIME WITHOUT
CHARGE OR PENALTY IMPOSED BY THE FUND. YOU CAN PURCHASE OR REDEEM SHARES BY
TELEPHONE USING DREYFUS TELETRANSFER.
THE DREYFUS CORPORATION ("DREYFUS") SERVES AS THE FUND'S INVESTMENT
ADVISER. DREYFUS HAS ENGAGED M&G INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED ("M&G") TO
SERVE AS THE FUND'S SUB-INVESTMENT ADVISER AND PROVIDE DAY-TO-DAY MANAGEMENT
OF THE FUND'S INVESTMENTS. DREYFUS AND M&G ARE REFERRED TO COLLECTIVELY AS
THE "ADVISERS."
THE FUND BEARS CERTAIN COSTS PURSUANT TO A DISTRIBUTION PLAN ADOPTED
IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 12B-1 UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 AND A
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES PLAN.
THIS PROSPECTUS SETS FORTH CONCISELY INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUND THAT
YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE INVESTING. IT SHOULD BE READ AND RETAINED FOR FUTURE
REFERENCE.
THE STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, DATED AUGUST 22, 1994, WHICH
MAY BE REVISED FROM TIME TO TIME, PROVIDES A FURTHER DISCUSSION OF CERTAIN
AREAS IN THIS PROSPECTUS AND OTHER MATTERS WHICH MAY BE OF INTEREST TO SOME
INVESTORS. IT HAS BEEN FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION AND
IS INCORPORATED HEREIN BY REFERENCE. FOR A FREE COPY, WRITE TO THE FUND AT
144 GLENN CURTISS BOULEVARD, UNIONDALE, NEW YORK 11556-0144, OR CALL
1-800-645-6561. WHEN TELEPHONING, ASK FOR OPERATOR 144.
MUTUAL FUND SHARES ARE NOT DEPOSITS OR OBLIGATIONS OF, OR GUARANTEED
OR ENDORSED BY, ANY BANK, AND ARE NOT FEDERALLY INSURED BY THE FEDERAL
DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION, THE FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD OR ANY OTHER AGENCY.
THE NET ASSET VALUE OF FUNDS OF THIS TYPE WILL FLUCTUATE FROM TIME TO TIME.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES.................... 3
CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION................... 3
DESCRIPTION OF THE FUND........................... 4
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND............................ 15
HOW TO BUY FUND SHARES............................ 16
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES.............................. 19
HOW TO REDEEM FUND SHARES......................... 22
DISTRIBUTION PLAN AND SHAREHOLDER SERVICES PLAN... 24
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES................ 24
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION........................... 25
GENERAL INFORMATION............................... 26
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THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION NOR HAS THE SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE
ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY
IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE.
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This Page Intentionally Left Blank
Page 2
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(as a percentage of average daily net assets)
<S> <C>
Management Fees .................................................................... .75%
12b-1 Fees.......................................................................... .56%
Other Expenses...................................................................... .72%
Total Fund Operating Expenses....................................................... 2.03%
</TABLE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
EXAMPLE: 1 YEAR 3 YEARS 5 YEARS 10 YEARS
You would pay the following expenses on
a $1,000 investment, assuming (1) 5%
annual return and (2) redemption at the
end of each time period: $21 $64 $109 $236
</TABLE>
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THE AMOUNTS LISTED IN THE EXAMPLE SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS
REPRESENTATIVE OF PAST OR FUTURE EXPENSES AND ACTUAL EXPENSES MAY BE GREATER
OR LESS THAN THOSE INDICATED. MOREOVER, WHILE THE EXAMPLE ASSUMES A 5% ANNUAL
RETURN, THE FUND'S ACTUAL PERFORMANCE WILL VARY AND MAY RESULT IN AN ACTUAL
RETURN GREATER OR LESS THAN 5%.
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The purpose of the foregoing table is to assist you in understanding
the various costs and expenses borne by the Fund, and therefore indirectly by
investors, the payment of which will reduce investors' return on an annual
basis. The information in the foregoing table does not reflect any fee
waivers or expense reimbursement arrangements that may be in effect. Certain
Service Agents (as defined below) may charge their clients direct fees for
effecting transactions in Fund shares; such fees are not reflected in the
foregoing table. Long-term investors could pay more in 12b-1 fees than the
economic equivalent of paying a front-end sales charge. For a further
description of the various costs and expenses incurred in the operation of
the Fund, as well as expense reimbursement or waiver arrangements, see
"Management of the Fund," "How to Buy Fund Shares" and "Distribution Plan and
Shareholder Services Plan."
CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The information in the following table has been audited by Ernst &
Young LLP, the Fund's independent auditors, whose report thereon appears in
the Fund's Statement of Additional Information. Further financial data and
related notes are included in the Statement of Additional Information,
available upon request.
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Contained below is per share operating performance data for a share
of Common Stock outstanding, total investment return, ratios to average net
assets and other supplemental data for the period June 29, 1993 (commencement
of operations) to May 31, 1994. This information has been derived from the
Fund's financial statements.
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
<S> <C>
PER SHARE DATA:
Net asset value, beginning of period..................................................... $12.50
------
INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:
Investment income_net .................................................................. .05
Net realized and unrealized gain on investments.......................................... 2.74
------
TOTAL FROM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS........................................................ 2.79
------
DISTRIBUTIONS:
Dividends from investment income-net..................................................... (.02)
Dividends in excess of investment income-net............................................. (.04)
Dividends from net realized gain on investments.......................................... (.03)
------
TOTAL DISTRIBUTIONS...................................................................... (.09)
------
Net asset value, end of period........................................................... $15.20
======
TOTAL INVESTMENT RETURN 22.32%*
RATIOS / SUPPLEMENTAL DATA:
Ratio of expenses to average net assets ................................................. 1.71%*
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets..................................... .11%*
Decrease reflected in above expense ratio due to undertakings by The Dreyfus Corporation. .16%*
Portfolio Turnover Rate.................................................................. 51.32%*
Net Assets, end of period (000's omitted)................................................ $179,907
*Not annualized.
</TABLE>
Page 3
Further information about the Fund's performance is contained in the
Fund's annual report which may be obtained without charge by writing to the
address or calling the number set forth on the cover page of this Prospectus.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FUND
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The Fund's goal is to provide you with capital growth. The Fund's
investment objective cannot be changed without approval by the holders of a
majority (as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940) of the Fund's
outstanding voting shares. There can be no assurance that the Fund's
investment objective will be achieved.
MANAGEMENT POLICIES
It is a fundamental policy of the Fund that at least 65% of the value
of its total assets (except when maintaining a temporary defensive position)
will be invested in equity securities of foreign issuers. Equity securities
consist of common stocks, convertible securities and preferred stocks. The
Fund also may invest in debt securities of foreign issuers that management
believes, based on market conditions, the financial condition of the issuer,
general economic conditions and other relevant factors, offer opportunities
for capital growth. Under normal market conditions, it is expected that
substantially all of the Fund's assets will be invested in securities of
foreign issuers. While there are no prescribed limits on geographic asset
distribution outside the United States, the Fund ordinarily will seek to
invest its assets in not less than three foreign countries. The Fund may
invest up to 5% of its assets in securities of companies that have been in
continuous operation for fewer than three years. The Fund's policy is to
purchase marketable securities which are not restricted as to public sale;
however, the Fund may invest up to 15% of the value of its net assets in
securities as to which a liquid trading market does not exist. See "Certain
Portfolio Securities - Illiquid Securities" below.
The debt securities in which the Fund may invest must be rated at
least Baa by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. ("Moody's") or at least BBB by
Standard & Poor's Corporation ("S&P"), Fitch Investors Service, Inc.
("Fitch") or Duff & Phelps Credit Rating Co. ("Duff'') or, if unrated, deemed
to be of comparable quality by the Advisers. Debt securities rated Baa by
Moody's or BBB by S&P, Fitch or Duff are considered investment grade
obligations which lack outstanding investment characteristics and have specula
tive characteristics as well. See "Risk Factors - Other Investment
Considerations" below.
The Fund may invest, in anticipation of investing cash positions, in
money market instruments consisting of U.S. Government securities,
certificates of deposit, time deposits, bankers' acceptances, short-term
investment grade corporate bonds and other short-term debt instruments, and
repurchase agreements, as set forth under "Certain Portfolio Securities"
below. The Fund also may hold U.S. Government securities to meet certain
asset segregation requirements. Under normal market conditions, the Fund does
not expect to have a substantial portion of its assets invested in money
market instruments. However, when the Advisers determine that adverse market
conditions exist, the Fund may adopt a temporary defensive posture and invest
all of its assets in money market instruments. To the extent the Fund is so
invested, the Fund's investment objective may not be achieved.
INVESTMENT TECHNIQUES
The Fund may engage in various investment techniques, such as foreign
exchange transactions, options and futures transactions and lending portfolio
securities, each of which involves risk. See "Risk Factors" below. Options
and futures transactions involve so-called "derivative securities."
FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS - The Fund may engage in currency exchange
transactions to the extent consistent with its investment objective or to
hedge its portfolio. The Fund will conduct its currency exchange transactions
either on a spot (i.e., cash) basis at the rate prevailing in the currency
exchange market, or through entering into forward contracts to purchase or
sell currencies. A forward currency exchange
Page 4
contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a
future date, which must be more than two days from the date of the contract,
at a price set at the time of the contract. Forward currency exchange
contracts are entered into in the interbank market conducted directly between
currency traders (typically commercial banks or other financial institutions)
and their customers. The Fund also may combine forward currency exchange
contracts with investments in securities denominated in other currencies.
The Fund also may maintain short positions in forward currency
exchange transactions, which would involve the Fund agreeing to exchange an
amount of a currency it did not currently own for another currency at a
future date in anticipation of a decline in the value of the currency sold
relative to the currency the Fund contracted to receive in the exchange. The
Fund will maintain in a segregated custodial account cash or U.S. Government
securities or other high quality liquid debt securities at least equal to the
aggregate amount of its short positions, plus accrued interest, in certain
cases, in accordance with releases promulgated by the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
OPTIONS ON FOREIGN CURRENCY - The Fund may purchase and sell call and put
options on foreign currency for the purpose of hedging against changes in
future currency exchange rates. Call options convey the right to buy the
underlying currency at a price which is expected to be lower than the spot
price of the currency at the time the option expires. Put options convey the
right to sell the underlying currency at a price which is anticipated to be
higher than the spot prices of the currency at the time the option expires.
The Fund may use foreign currency options for the same purposes as forward
currency exchange and futures transactions, as described herein. See also
"Call and Put Options on Specific Securities" and "Currency Futures and
Options on Currency Futures" below.
CALL AND PUT OPTIONS ON SPECIFIC SECURITIES - The Fund may invest up to 5%
of its assets, represented by the premium paid, in the purchase of call and
put options in respect of specific securities (or groups or "baskets" of
specific securities) in which the Fund may invest. The Fund may write covered
call and put option contracts to the extent of 20% of the value of its net
assets at the time such option contracts are written. A call option gives the
purchaser of the option the right to buy, and obligates the writer to sell,
the underlying security at the exercise price at any time during the option
period. Conversely, a put option gives the purchaser of the option the right
to sell, and obligates the writer to buy, the underlying security at the
exercise price at any time during the option period. A covered call option
sold by the Fund, which is a call option with respect to which the Fund owns
the underlying security, exposes the Fund during the term of the option to
possible loss of opportunity to realize appreciation in the market price of
the underlying security or to possible continued holding of a security which
might otherwise have been sold to protect against depreciation in its market
price. A covered put option sold by the Fund exposes the Fund during the term
of the option to a decline in price of the underlying security. A put option
sold by the Fund is covered when, among other things, cash or liquid
securities are placed in a segregated account with the Fund's custodian to
fulfill the obligation undertaken.
To close out a position when writing covered options, the Fund may
make a "closing purchase transaction" by purchasing an option on the same
security with the same exercise price and expiration date as the option it
has previously written. To close out a position as a purchaser of an option,
the Fund may make a "closing sale transaction," which involves liquidating
the Fund's position by selling the option previously purchased. The Fund will
realize a profit or loss from a closing purchase or sale transaction
depending upon the difference between the amount paid to purchase an option
and the amount received from the sale thereof.
The Fund intends to treat options in respect of specific securities
that are not traded on a U.S. or foreign national securities exchange and the
securities underlying covered call options written by the Fund as illiquid
securities. See "Certain Portfolio Securities - Illiquid Securities" below.
The Fund will purchase options only to the extent permitted by the
policies of state securities authorities in states where shares of the Fund
are qualified for offer and sale.
Page 5
STOCK INDEX OPTIONS - The Fund may purchase and write put and call options
on stock indexes listed on U.S. or foreign securities exchanges or traded in
the over-the-counter market. A stock index fluctuates with changes in the
market values of the stocks included in the index.
The effectiveness of purchasing or writing stock index options will
depend upon the extent to which price movements in the Fund's investments
correlate with price movements of the stock index selected. Because the value
of an index option depends upon movements in the level of the index rather
than the price of a particular stock, whether the Fund will realize a gain or
loss from the purchase or writing of options on an index depends upon
movements in the level of stock prices in the stock market generally or, in
the case of certain indexes, in an industry or market segment, rather than
movements in the price of a particular stock. Accordingly, successful use by
the Fund of options on stock indexes will be subject to the Advisers' ability
to predict correctly movements in the direction of the stock market generally
or of a particular industry. This requires different skills and techniques
than predicting changes in the price of individual stocks.
When the Fund writes an option on a stock index, the Fund will place
in a segregated account with its custodian or sub-custodian cash or liquid
securities in an amount at least equal to the market value of the underlying
stock index and will maintain the account while the option is open or
otherwise will cover the transaction.
FUTURES TRANSACTIONS-IN GENERAL - The Fund is not a commodity pool.
However, as a substitute for a comparable market position in the underlying
securities or for hedging purposes, the Fund may engage in futures and
options on futures transactions, as described below.
The Fund may trade futures contracts and options on futures contracts
in U.S. domestic markets, such as the Chicago Board of Trade and the
International Monetary Market of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, or, to the
extent permitted under applicable law, on exchanges located outside the
United States, such as the London International Financial Futures Exchange
and the Sydney Futures Exchange Limited. Foreign markets may offer advantages
such as trading in commodities that are not currently traded in the United
States or arbitrage possibilities not available in the United States. Foreign
markets, however, may have greater risk potential than domestic markets. See
"Risk Factors - Foreign Commodity Transactions" below.
The Fund's commodities transactions must constitute bona fide hedging
or other permissible transactions pursuant to regulations promulgated by the
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the "CFTC"). In addition, the Fund may
not engage in such transactions if the sum of the amount of initial margin
deposits and premiums paid for unexpired commodity options, other than for
bona fide hedging transactions, would exceed 5% of the liquidation value of
the Fund's assets, after taking into account unrealized profits and
unrealized losses on such contracts it has entered into; provided, however,
that in the case of an option that is in-the-money at the time of purchase,
the in-the-money amount may be excluded in calculating the 5%. Pursuant to
regulations and/or published positions of the Securities and Exchange
Commission, the Fund may be required to segregate cash or high quality money
market instruments in connection with its commodities transactions in an
amount generally equal to the value of the underlying commodity. To the
extent the Fund engages in the use of futures and options on futures for
other than bona fide hedging purposes, the Fund may be subject to additional
risk.
Initially, when purchasing or selling futures contracts the Fund will
be required to deposit with its custodian in the broker's name an amount of
cash or cash equivalents up to approximately 10% of the contract amount. This
amount is subject to change by the exchange or board of trade on which the
contract is traded and members of such exchange or board of trade may impose
their own higher requirements. This amount is known as "initial margin" and
is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the contract
which is returned to the Fund upon termination of the futures position,
assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Subsequent
payments, known as "variation margin," to and from the
Page 6
broker generally will be made daily as the price of the index or securities
underlying the futures contract fluctuates, making the long and short
positions in the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as
"marking-to-market." At any time prior to the expiration of a futures
contract, the Fund may elect to close the position by taking an opposite
position, at the then prevailing price, which will operate to terminate the
Fund's existing position in the contract.
Although the Fund intends to purchase or sell futures contracts only
if there is an active market for such contracts, no assurance can be given
that a liquid market will exist for any particular contract at any particular
time. Many futures exchanges and boards of trade limit the amount of
fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day.
Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular contract, no trades may
be made that day at a price beyond that limit or trading may be suspended for
specified periods during the trading day. Futures contract prices could move
to the limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading,
thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and potentially
subjecting the Fund to substantial losses. If it is not possible, or the Fund
determines not, to close a futures position in anticipation of adverse price
movements, the Fund will be required to make daily cash payments of variation
margin. In such circumstances, an increase in the value of the portion of the
portfolio being hedged, if any, may offset partially or completely losses on
the futures contract. However, no assurance can be given that the price of
the securities being hedged will correlate with the price movements in a
futures contract and thus provide an offset to losses on the futures
contract.
To the extent the Fund is engaging in a futures transaction as a
hedging device, because of the risk of an imperfect correlation between
securities in the Fund's portfolio that are the subject of a hedging
transaction and the futures contract used as a hedging device, it is possible
that the hedge will not be fully effective if, for example, losses on the
portfolio securities exceed gains on the futures contract or losses on the
futures contract exceed gains on the portfolio securities. For futures contrac
ts based on indexes, the risk of imperfect correlation increases as the
composition of the Fund's portfolio varies from the composition of the index.
In an effort to compensate for the imperfect correlation of movements in the
price of the securities being hedged and movements in the price of futures
contracts, the Fund may buy or sell futures contracts in a greater or lesser
dollar amount than the dollar amount of the securities being hedged if the
historical volatility of the futures contract has been less or greater than
that of the securities. Such "over hedging" or "under hedging" may adversely
affect the Fund's net investment results if the market does not move as
anticipated when the hedge is established.
Successful use of futures by the Fund also is subject to the
Advisers' ability to predict correctly movements in the direction of the
market or interest rates. For example, if the Fund has hedged against the
possibility of a decline in the market adversely affecting the value of
securities held in its portfolio and prices increase instead, the Fund will
lose part or all of the benefit of the increased value of securities which it
has hedged because it will have offsetting losses in its futures positions.
Furthermore, if in such circumstances the Fund has insufficient cash, it may
have to sell securities to meet daily variation margin requirements. The Fund
may have to sell such securities at a time when it may be disadvantageous to
do so.
An option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right, in
return for the premium paid, to assume a position in a futures contract (a
long position if the option is a call and a short position if the option is a
put) at a specified exercise price at any time during the option exercise
period. The writer of the option is required upon exercise to assume an
offsetting futures position (a short position if the option is a call and a
long position if the option is a put). Upon exercise of the option, the
assumption of offsetting futures positions by the writer and holder of the
option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated cash balance in the
writer's futures margin account which represents the amount by which the
market price of the futures contract, at exercise, exceeds, in the case of a
call, or is less than, in the case of a put, the exercise price of the option
on the futures contract.
Page 7
Call options sold by the Fund with respect to futures contracts will
be covered by, among other things, entering into a long position in the same
contract at a price no higher than the strike price of the call option, or by
ownership of the instruments underlying, or instruments the prices of which
are expected to move relatively consistently with the instruments underlying,
the futures contract. Put options sold by the Fund with respect to futures
contracts will be covered in the same manner as put options on specific
securities as described above.
STOCK INDEX FUTURES AND OPTIONS ON STOCK INDEX FUTURES - The Fund may
purchase and sell stock index futures contracts and options on stock index
futures contracts as a substitute for a comparable market position in the
underlying securities or for hedging purposes.
A stock index future obligates the seller to deliver (and the
purchaser to take) an amount of cash equal to a specific dollar amount times
the difference between the value of a specific stock index at the close of
the last trading day of the contract and the price at which the agreement is
made. No physical delivery of the underlying stocks in the index is made.
With respect to stock indexes that are permitted investments, the Fund
intends to purchase and sell futures contracts on the stock index for which
it can obtain the best price with consideration also given to liquidity.
The price of stock index futures may not correlate perfectly with the
movement in the stock index because of certain market distortions. 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 would distort the normal relationship between the index
and futures markets. Secondly, from the point of view of speculators, the
deposit requirements in the futures market are less onerous than margin
requirements in the securities market. Therefore, increased participation by
speculators in the futures market also may cause temporary price distortions.
INTEREST RATE FUTURES CONTRACTS AND OPTIONS ON INTEREST RATE FUTURES
CONTRACTS - The Fund may invest in interest rate futures contracts and
options on interest rate futures contracts as a substitute for a comparable
market position or to hedge against adverse movements in interest rates.
To the extent the Fund has invested in interest rate futures
contracts or options on interest rate futures contracts as a substitute for a
comparable market position, the Fund will be subject to the investment risks
of having purchased the securities underlying the contract.
The Fund may purchase call options on interest rate futures contracts
to hedge against a decline in interest rates and may purchase put options on
interest rate futures contracts to hedge its portfolio securities against the
risk of rising interest rates.
The Fund may sell call options on interest rate futures contracts to
partially hedge against declining prices of its portfolio securities. If the
futures price at expiration of the option is below the exercise price, the
Fund will retain the full amount of the option premium which provides a
partial hedge against any decline that may have occurred in the Fund's
portfolio holdings. The Fund may sell put options on interest rate futures
contracts to hedge against increasing prices of the securities which are
deliverable upon exercise of the futures contracts. If the futures price at
expiration of the option is higher than the exercise price, the Fund will
retain the full amount of the option premium which provides a partial hedge
against any increase in the price of securities which the Fund intends to
purchase. If a put or call option sold by the Fund is exercised, the Fund
will incur a loss which will be reduced by the amount of the premium it
receives. Depending on the degree of correlation between changes in the value
of its portfolio securities and changes in the value of its futures
positions, the Fund's losses from existing options on futures may to some
extent be reduced or increased by changes in the value of its portfolio
securities.
The Fund also may sell options on interest rate futures contracts as
part of closing purchase transactions to terminate its options positions. No
assurance can be given that such closing transactions can be effected or that
there will be correlation between price movements in the options on interest
rate futures
Page 8
and price movements in the Fund's portfolio securities which are
the subject of the hedge. In addition, the Fund's purchase of such options
will be based upon predictions as to anticipated interest rate trends, which
could prove to be inaccurate.
CURRENCY FUTURES AND OPTIONS ON CURRENCY FUTURES - The Fund may purchase and
sell currency futures contracts and options thereon. See "Call and Put
Options on Specific Securities" above. By selling foreign currency futures,
the Fund can establish the number of U.S. dollars it will receive in the
delivery month for a certain amount of a foreign currency. In this way, if
the Fund anticipates a decline of a foreign currency against the U.S. dollar,
the Fund can attempt to fix the U.S. dollar value of some or all of its
securities that are denominated in that currency. By purchasing foreign
currency futures, the Fund can establish the number of U.S. dollars it will
be required to pay for a specified amount of a foreign currency in the
delivery month. Thus, if the Fund intends to buy securities in the future and
expects the U.S. dollar to decline against the relevant foreign currency
during the period before the purchase is effected, the Fund, for the price of
the currency future, can attempt to fix the price in U.S. dollars of the
securities it intends to acquire.
The purchase of options on currency futures will allow the Fund, for
the price of the premium it must pay for the option, to decide whether or not
to buy (in the case of a call option) or to sell (in the case of a put
option) a futures contract at a specified price at any time during the period
before the option expires. If the Fund, in purchasing an option, has been
correct in its judgment concerning the direction in which the price of a
foreign currency would move as against the U.S. dollar, it may exercise the
option and thereby take a futures position to hedge against the risk it had
correctly anticipated or close out the option position at a gain that will
offset, to some extent, currency exchange losses otherwise suffered by the
Fund. If exchange rates move in a way the Fund did not anticipate, the Fund
will have incurred the expense of the option without obtaining the expected
benefit. As a result, the Fund's profits on the underlying securities
transactions may be reduced or overall losses incurred.
FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS - The Fund may take advantage of opportunities in the
area of options and futures contracts and options on futures contracts and
any other derivative investments which are not presently contemplated for use
by the Fund or which are not currently available but which may be developed,
to the extent such opportunities are both consistent with the Fund's
investment objective and legally permissible for the Fund. Before entering
into such transactions or making any such investment, the Fund will provide
appropriate disclosure in its prospectus.
LENDING PORTFOLIO SECURITIES - From time to time, the Fund may lend
securities from its portfolio to brokers, dealers and other financial
institutions needing to borrow securities to complete certain transactions.
Such loans may not exceed 33l/3% of the value of the Fund's total assets. In
connection with such loans, the Fund will receive collateral consisting of
cash, U.S. Government securities and/or irrevocable letters of credit which
will be maintained at all times in an amount equal to at least 100% of the
current market value of the loaned securities. The Fund can increase its
income through the investment of such collateral. The Fund continues to be
entitled to payments in amounts equal to the interest, dividends or other
distributions payable on the loaned security and receives interest on the
amount of the loan. Such loans will be terminable at any time upon specified
notice. The Fund might experience risk of loss if the institution with which
it has engaged in a loan transaction breaches its agreement with the Fund.
FORWARD COMMITMENTS - The Fund may purchase debt securities on a when-issued
or forward commitment basis, which means that the price is fixed at the time
of commitment, but delivery and payment ordinarily take place a number of
days after the date of the commitment to purchase. The Fund will make
commitments to purchase such securities only with the intention of actually
acquiring the securities, but the Fund may sell these securities before the
settlement date if it is deemed advisable. The Fund will not accrue income in
respect of a security purchased on a when-issued or forward commitment basis
prior to its stated delivery date.
Page 9
Securities purchased on a when-issued or forward commitment basis and
certain other securities held in the Fund's portfolio are subject to changes
in value (both generally changing in the same way, i.e., appreciating when
interest rates decline and depreciating when interest rates rise) based upon
the public's perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and changes,
real or anticipated, in the level of interest rates. Securities purchased on
a when-issued or forward commitment basis may expose the Fund to risk because
they may experience such fluctuations prior to their actual delivery.
Purchasing securities on a when-issued or forward commitment basis can
involve the additional risk that the yield available in the market when the
delivery takes place actually may be higher than that obtained in the
transaction itself. A segregated account of the Fund consisting of cash, cash
equivalents or U.S. Government securities or other high quality liquid debt
securities at least equal at all times to the amount of the when-issued or
forward commitments will be established and maintained at the Fund's
custodian bank. Purchasing debt securities on a when-issued or forward
commitment basis when the Fund is fully or almost fully invested may result
in greater potential fluctuation in the value of the Fund's net assets and
its net asset value per share.
BORROWING MONEY - As a fundamental policy, the Fund is permitted to borrow
to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940. However,
the Fund currently intends to borrow money only for temporary or emergency
(not leveraging) purposes, in an amount up to 15% of the value of the Fund's
total assets (including the amount borrowed) valued at the lesser of cost or
market, less liabilities (not including the amount borrowed) at the time the
borrowing is made. While borrowings exceed 5% of the Fund's total assets, the
Fund will not make any additional investments.
CERTAIN PORTFOLIO SECURITIES
AMERICAN, EUROPEAN AND CONTINENTAL DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS - The Fund's assets
may be invested in the securities of foreign issuers in the form of American
Depositary Receipts ("ADRs") and European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs"). These
securities may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as the
securities into which they may be converted. ADRs are receipts typically
issued by a United States bank or trust company which evidence ownership of
underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation. EDRs, which are
sometimes referred to as Continental Depositary Receipts ("CDRs"), are
receipts issued in Europe typically by non-United States banks and trust
companies that evidence ownership of either foreign or domestic securities.
Generally, ADRs in registered form are designed for use in the United States
securities markets and EDRs and CDRs in bearer form are designed for use in
Europe. The Fund may invest in ADRs, EDRs and CDRs through "sponsored" or
"unsponsored" facilities. A sponsored facility is established jointly by the
issuer of the underlying security and a depositary, whereas a depositary may
establish an unsponsored facility without participation by the issuer of the
deposited security. Holders of unsponsored depositary receipts generally bear
all the costs of such facilities and the depositary of an unsponsored
facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder
communications received from the issuer of the deposited security or to pass
through voting rights to the holders of such receipts in respect of the
deposited securities.
CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES - The Fund may purchase convertible securities, which
are fixed-income securities, such as bonds or preferred stock, which may be
converted at a stated price within a specified period of time into a
specified number of shares of common stock of the same or a different issuer.
Convertible securities are senior to common stock in a corporation's capital
structure, but usually are subordinated to non-convertible debt securities.
While providing a fixed-income stream (generally higher in yield than the inco
me derivable from a common stock but lower than that afforded by a
non-convertible debt security), a convertible security also affords an
investor the opportunity, through its conversion feature, to participate in
the capital appreciation of the common stock into which it is convertible.
In general, the market value of a convertible security is the higher
of its "investment value" (i.e., its value as a fixed-income security) or its
"conversion value" (i.e., the value of the underlying shares of common stock
if the security is converted). As a fixed-income security, the market value
of a convertible security
Page 10
generally increases when interest rates decline and generally decreases when
interest rates rise. However, the price of a convertible security also is
influenced by the market value of the security's underlying common stock.
Thus, the price of a convertible security generally increases as the market
value of the underlying stock increases, and generally decreases as the market
value of the underlying stock declines. Investments in convertible securities
generally entail less risk than investments in the common stock of the same
issuer.
MONEY MARKET INSTRUMENTS - The Fund may invest, in the circumstances
described under "Management Policies" above, in the following types of money
market instruments.
U.S. GOVERNMENT SECURITIES. The Fund may purchase securities issued
or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities,
which include U.S. Treasury securities that differ in their interest rates,
maturities and times of issuance. Some obligations issued or guaranteed by
U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities, for example, Government
National Mortgage Association pass-through certificates, are supported by the
full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury; others, such as those of the
Federal Home Loan Banks, by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S.
Treasury; others, such as those issued by the Federal National Mortgage
Association, by discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase
certain obligations of the agency or instrumentality; and others, such as
those issued by the Student Loan Marketing Association, only by the credit of
the agency or instrumentality. These securities bear fixed, floating or
variable rates of interest. Principal and interest may fluctuate based on
generally recognized reference rates or the relationship of rates. While the
U.S. Government provides financial support to such U.S. Government-sponsored
agencies or instrumentalities, no assurance can be given that it will always
do so, because the U.S. Government is not obligated to do so by law.
BANK OBLIGATIONS. The Fund may purchase certificates of deposit, time
deposits, bankers' acceptances and other short-term obligations of domestic
banks, foreign subsidiaries of domestic banks, foreign branches of domestic
banks, and domestic and foreign branches of foreign banks, domestic savings
and loan associations and other banking institutions. With respect to such
securities issued by foreign branches of domestic banks, foreign subsidiaries
of domestic banks, and domestic and foreign branches of foreign banks, the
Fund may be subject to additional investment risks that are different in some
respects from those incurred by a fund which invests only in debt obligations
of U.S. domestic issuers. Such risks include possible future political and
economic developments, the possible imposition of foreign withholding taxes
on interest income payable on the securities, the possible establishment of
exchange controls or the adoption of other foreign governmental restrictions
which might adversely affect the payment of principal and interest on these
securities and the possible seizure or nationalization of foreign deposits.
Certificates of deposit are negotiable certificates evidencing the
obligation of a bank to repay funds deposited with it for a specified period
of time.
Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in a banking
institution for a specified period of time at a stated interest rate. Time
deposits which may be held by the Fund will not benefit from insurance from
the Bank Insurance Fund or the Savings Association Insurance Fund
administered by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The Fund will not
invest more than 15% of the value of its net assets in time deposits that are
illiquid and in other illiquid securities.
Bankers' acceptances are credit instruments evidencing the obligation
of a bank to pay a draft drawn on it by a customer. These instruments reflect
the obligation both of the bank and of the drawer to pay the face amount of
the instrument upon maturity. The other short-term obligations may include
uninsured, direct obligations bearing fixed, floating or variable interest
rates.
REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS. Repurchase agreements involve the acquisition
by the Fund of an underlying debt instrument, subject to an obligation of the
seller to repurchase, and the Fund to resell, the instrument at a fixed price
usually not more than one week after its purchase. Certain costs may be
incurred by the Fund in connection with the sale of the securities if the
seller does not repurchase them in accordance
Page 11
with the repurchase agreement. In addition, if bankruptcy proceedings are
commenced with respect to the seller of the securities, realization on the
securities by the Fund may be delayed or limited.
COMMERCIAL PAPER AND OTHER SHORT-TERM CORPORATE OBLIGATIONS.
Commercial paper consists of short-term, unsecured promissory notes issued to
finance short-term credit needs. The commercial paper purchased by the Fund
will consist only of direct obligations which, at the time of their purchase,
are (a) rated not lower than Prime-1 by Moody's, A-l by S&P, F-l by Fitch or
Duff-l by Duff, (b) issued by companies having an outstanding unsecured debt
issue currently rated not lower than Aa3 by Moody's or AA- by S&P, Fitch or
Duff, or (c) if unrated, determined by the Advisers to be of comparable
quality to those rated obligations which may be purchased by the Fund. The
Fund may purchase floating and variable rate demand notes and bonds, which
are obligations ordinarily having stated maturities in excess of one year, but
which permit the holder to demand payment of principal at any time or at
specified intervals.
ZERO COUPON SECURITIES - The Fund may invest in zero coupon U.S. Treasury
securities, which are Treasury Notes and Bonds that have been stripped of
their unmatured interest coupons, the coupons themselves and receipts or
certificates representing interests in such stripped debt obligations and
coupons. The Fund also may invest in zero coupon securities issued by
corporations and financial institutions which constitute a proportionate
ownership of the issuer's pool of underlying U.S. Treasury securities. A zero
coupon security pays no interest to its holder during its life and is sold at
a discount to its face value at maturity. The amount of the discount
fluctuates with the market price of the security. The market prices of zero
coupon securities generally are more volatile than the market prices of
securities that pay interest periodically and are likely to respond to a
greater degree to changes in interest rates than non-zero coupon securities
having similar maturities and credit qualities.
WARRANTS - The Fund may invest up to 5% of its net assets in warrants,
except that this limitation does not apply to warrants acquired in units or
attached to securities. A warrant is an instrument issued by a corporation
which gives the holder the right to subscribe to a specified amount of the
corporation's capital stock at a set price for a specified period of time.
ILLIQUID SECURITIES - The Fund may invest up to 15% of the value of its net
assets in securities as to which a liquid trading market does not exist,
provided such investments are consistent with the Fund's investment
objective. Such securities may include securities that are not readily
marketable, such as certain securities that are subject to legal or
contractual restrictions on resale, repurchase agreements providing for
settlement in more than seven days after notice, and certain options traded
in the over-the-counter market and securities used to cover such options. As
to these securities, the Fund is subject to a risk that should the Fund
desire to sell them when a ready buyer is not available at a price the Fund
deems representative of their value, the value of the Fund's net assets could
be adversely affected.
RATINGS - The ratings of the various rating agencies represent their
opinions as to the quality of the obligations which they undertake to rate.
It should be emphasized, however, that ratings are relative and subjective
and, although ratings may be useful in evaluating the safety of interest and
principal payments, they do not evaluate the market value risk of such
obligations. Therefore, although these ratings may be an initial criterion
for selection of Fund's investments, the Advisers also will evaluate such obli
gations and the ability of their issuers to pay interest and principal. The
Fund will rely on the Advisers' judgment, analysis and experience in
evaluating the creditworthiness of an issuer. In this evaluation, the
Advisers will take into consideration, among other things, the issuer's
financial resources, its sensitivity to economic conditions and trends, the
quality of the issuer's management and regulatory matters. It also is
possible that a rating agency might not timely change the rating on a particul
ar issue to reflect subsequent events. Once the rating of a security in the
Fund's portfolio has been changed, the Advisers will consider all
circumstances deemed relevant in determining whether the Fund should continue
to hold the security.
Page 12
CERTAIN FUNDAMENTAL POLICIES
The Fund may (i) borrow money to the extent permitted under the
Investment Company Act of 1940, which currently limits borrowing to no more
than 331/3% of the value of the Fund's total assets; and (ii) invest up to
25% of the value of its total assets in the securities of issuers in a single
industry, provided that there is no such limitation on investments in
securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or
instrumentalities. This paragraph describes fundamental policies of the Fund
that cannot be changed without approval by the holders of a majority (as
defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940) of the Fund's outstanding
voting shares. See "Investment Objective and Management Policies - Investment
Restrictions" in the Statement of Additional Information.
CERTAIN ADDITIONAL NON-FUNDAMENTAL POLICIES
The Fund may (i) purchase securities of any company having less than
three years' continuous operation (including operations of any predecessors)
if such purchase does not cause the value of its investments in all such
companies to exceed 5% of the value of its total assets; (ii) pledge,
hypothecate, mortgage or otherwise encumber its assets, but only to secure
permitted borrowings; and (iii) invest up to 15% of the value of its net
assets in repurchase agreements providing for settlement in more than seven
days after notice and in other illiquid securities. Notwithstanding any of
the foregoing policies, the Fund may invest all or substantially all of its
assets in another investment company with substantially the same investment
objective as the Fund. See "Investment Objective and Management Policies -
Investment Restrictions" in the Statement of Additional Information.
RISK FACTORS
INVESTING IN FOREIGN SECURITIES - Foreign securities markets generally are
not as developed or efficient as those in the United States. Securities of
some foreign issuers are less liquid and more volatile than securities of
comparable U.S. issuers. Similarly, volume and liquidity in most foreign
securities markets are less than in the United States and, at times,
volatility of price can be greater than in the United States. The issuers of
some of these securities, such as foreign bank obligations, may be subject to
less stringent or different regulations than are U.S. issuers. In addition,
there may be less publicly available information about a non-U.S. issuer, and
non-U.S. issuers generally are not subject to uniform accounting and
financial reporting standards, practices and requirements comparable to those
applicable to U.S. issuers.
Because stock certificates and other evidences of ownership of such
securities usually are held outside the United States, the Fund will be
subject to additional risks which include possible adverse political and
economic developments, possible seizure or nationalization of foreign
deposits and possible adoption of governmental restrictions that might
adversely affect the payment of principal, interest and dividends on the
foreign securities or might restrict the payment of principal, interest and
dividends to investors located outside the country of the issuers, whether
from currency blockage or otherwise. Custodial expenses for a portfolio of
non-U.S. securities generally are higher than for a portfolio of U.S.
securities.
Since foreign securities often are purchased with and payable in
currencies of foreign countries, the value of these assets as measured in
U.S. dollars may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency
rates and exchange control regulations. Some currency exchange costs may be
incurred when the Fund changes investments from one country to another.
Furthermore, some of these securities may be subject to brokerage
taxes levied by foreign governments, which have the effect of increasing the
cost of such investment and reducing the realized gain or increasing the
realized loss on such securities at the time of sale. Income received by the
Fund from sources within foreign countries may be reduced by withholding or
other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax conventions between certain
countries and the United States, however, may reduce or eliminate such taxes.
All such taxes paid by the Fund will reduce its net income available for
distribution to investors.
FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE - Currency exchange rates may fluctuate
significantly over short periods of time. They generally are determined by
the forces of supply and demand in the foreign exchange markets
Page 13
and the relative merits of investments in different countries, actual or
perceived changes in interest rates and other complex factors, as seen from
an international perspective. Currency exchange rates also can be affected
unpredictably by intervention by U.S. or foreign governments or central
banks, or the failure to intervene, or by currency controls or political
developments in the United States or abroad.
The foreign currency market offers less protection against defaults
in the forward trading of currencies than is available when trading in
currencies occurs on an exchange. Since a forward currency contract is not
guaranteed by an exchange or clearinghouse, a default on the contract would
deprive the Fund of unrealized profits or force the Fund to cover its
commitments for purchase or resale, if any, at the current market price.
FOREIGN COMMODITY TRANSACTIONS - Unlike trading on domestic commodity
exchanges, trading on foreign commodity exchanges is not regulated by the
CFTC and may be subject to greater risks than trading on domestic exchanges.
For example, some foreign exchanges are principal markets so that no common
clearing facility exists and a trader may look only to the broker for
performance of the contract. In addition, unless the Fund hedges against
fluctuations in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the currencies
in which trading is done on foreign exchanges, any profits that the Fund
might realize in trading could be eliminated by adverse changes in the
exchange rate, or the Fund could incur losses as a result of those changes.
Transactions on foreign exchanges may include both commodities which are
traded on domestic exchanges and those which are not.
OTHER INVESTMENT CONSIDERATIONS - The Fund's net asset value is not fixed
and should be expected to fluctuate. You should purchase Fund shares only as
a supplement to an overall investment program and only if you are willing to
undertake the risks involved.
Investors should be aware that equity securities fluctuate in value,
often based on factors unrelated to the value of the issuer of the
securities, and that fluctuations can be pronounced. Changes in the value of
the Fund's securities, regardless of whether the securities are equity or
debt, will result in changes in the value of a Fund share and thus the Fund's
total return to investors.
For the portion of the Fund's assets invested in debt securities,
investors should be aware that even though interest-bearing securities are
investments which promise a stable stream of income, the prices of such
securities are inversely affected by changes in interest rates and,
therefore, are subject to the risk of market price fluctuations. The values
of fixed-income securities also may be affected by changes in the credit
rating or financial condition of the issuing entities. Certain securities purc
hased by the Fund, such as those rated Baa by Moody's and BBB by S&P, Fitch
and Duff, may be subject to such risk with respect to the issuing entity and
to greater market fluctuations than certain lower yielding, higher rated
fixed-income securities. Obligations which are rated Baa by Moody's are
considered medium grade obligations; they are neither highly protected nor
poorly secured, and are considered by Moody's to have speculative
characteristics. Bonds rated BBB by S&P are regarded as having adequate
capacity to pay interest and repay principal, and while such bonds normally
exhibit adequate protection parameters, adverse economic conditions or
changing circumstances are more likely to lead to a weakened capacity to pay
interest and repay principal for bonds in this category than in higher rated
categories. Bonds rated BBB by Fitch are considered investment grade and of
satisfactory credit quality; however, adverse changes in economic conditions
and circumstances are more likely to have an adverse impact on these bonds
and, therefore, impair timely payment. Bonds rated BBB by Duff have below
average protection factors but nonetheless are considered sufficient for
prudent investment. See "Appendix" in the Statement of Additional
Information.
The use of investment techniques such as engaging in financial
futures and options transactions and lending portfolio securities involves
greater risk than that incurred by many other funds with similar objectives.
Using these techniques may produce higher than normal portfolio turnover
which usually generates additional brokerage commissions and expenses. In
addition, short-term gains realized from portfolio transactions are taxable
to shareholders as ordinary income. The Fund's ability to engage in certain
short-term transactions may be limited by the requirement that, to qualify as
a regulated investment company, the Fund
Page 14
must earn less than 30% of its gross income from the disposition of securities
held for less than three months. This 30% test limits the extent to which the
Fund may sell securities held for less than three months, write options
expiring in less than three months and invest in certain futures contracts,
among other strategies. With exception of the above requirement, the amount
of portfolio activity will not be a limiting factor when making portfolio
decisions. Under normal market conditions, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate
generally will not exceed 150%. See "Portfolio Transactions" in the Statement
of Additional Information.
The Fund's classification as a "non-diversified"investment company
means that the proportion of the Fund's assets that may be invested in the
securities of a single issuer is not limited by the Investment Company Act of
1940. A "diversified" investment company is required by the Investment
Company Act of 1940 generally, with respect to 75% of its total assets, to
invest not more than 5% of such assets in the securities of a single issuer
and to hold not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of a
single issuer. However, the Fund intends to conduct its operations so as to
qualify as a "regulated investment company" for purposes of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), which requires that, at the
end of each quarter of its taxable year, (i) at least 50% of the market value
of the Fund's total assets be invested in cash, U.S. Government securities,
the securities of other regulated investment companies and other securities,
with such other securities of any one issuer limited for the purposes of this
calculation to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund's total
assets and 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (ii)
not more than 25% of the value of its total assets be invested in the
securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. Government securities or the
securities of other regulated investment companies). Since a relatively high
percentage of the Fund's assets may be invested in the securities of a
limited number of issuers, some of which may be within the same industry or
economic sector, the Fund's portfolio securities may be more susceptible to
any single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than the portfolio
securities of a diversified investment company.
Investment decisions for the Fund are made independently from those
of other investment companies or accounts advised by Dreyfus or M&G. However,
if such other investment companies or accounts are prepared to invest in, or
desire to dispose of, securities of the type in which the Fund invests at the
same time as the Fund, available investments or opportunities for sales will
be allocated equitably to each. In some cases, this procedure may adversely
affect the size of the position obtained for or disposed of by the Fund or
the price paid or received by the Fund.
MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND
INVESTMENT ADVISER - Dreyfus, located at 200 Park Avenue, New York, New York
10166, was formed in 1947 and serves as the Fund's investment adviser. The
Dreyfus Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mellon Bank, N.A., which
is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mellon Bank ("Mellon"). As of June 30, 1995,
Dreyfus managed or administered approximately $76 billion in assets for
approximately 1.8 million investor accounts nationwide.
Dreyfus supervises and assists in the overall management of the
Fund's affairs under a Management Agreement with the Fund, subject to the
overall authority of the Fund's Board of Directors in accordance with
Maryland law.
Dreyfus has engaged M&G, located at Three Quays Tower Hill, London
EC3R 6BQ, England, to serve as the Fund's sub-investment adviser. M&G, a
registered investment adviser formed in 1961, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
M&G Group P.L.C. As of June 30, 1995, M&G managed or advised approximately
$24 billion in assets and served as the investment adviser of two other
Dreyfus investment companies.
M&G, subject to the supervision and approval of Dreyfus, provides
investment advisory assistance and the day-to-day management of the Fund's
investments, as well as investment research and statistical information,
under a Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement with Dreyfus, subject to the
overall authority of the Fund's Board of Directors in accordance with
Maryland law. The Fund's primary investment officer is
Page 15
William Vincent. He has held that position since April 1995 and has been
employed by M&G since 1992. Prior thereto, he was a Managing Director of
Societe Generale of Touche Remnant USA. The Fund's other investment officers
are identified in the Fund's Statement of Additional Information. Dreyfus
also provides research services for the Fund as well as for other funds
advised by Dreyfus through a professional staff of portfolio managers and
security analysts.
Under the terms of the Management Agreement, the Fund has agreed to
pay Dreyfus a monthly fee at the annual rate of .75 of 1% of the value of the
Fund's average daily net assets. The management fee paid by the Fund is
higher than that paid by most other investment companies. From time to time,
Dreyfus may waive receipt of its fee and/or voluntarily assume certain
expenses of the Fund, which would have the effect of lowering the overall
expense ratio of the Fund and increasing yield to investors at the time such
amounts are waived or assumed, as the case may be. The Fund will not pay
Dreyfus at a later time for any amounts it may waive, nor will the Fund
reimburse Dreyfus for any amounts it may assume. For the period from June 29,
1993 (commencement of operations) through May 31, 1994, the Fund paid Dreyfus
a monthly management fee at the effective annual rate of .57 of 1% of the
value of the Fund's average daily net assets pursuant to an undertaking in
effect.
Under the terms of the Sub-Investment Advisory Agreement, Dreyfus has
agreed to pay M&G a monthly fee at the annual rate of .30 of 1% of the value
of the Fund's average daily net assets. For the period from June 29, 1993
(commencement of operations) through May 31, 1994, Dreyfus paid M&G a
sub-advisory fee at the effective annual rate of .25 of 1% of the value of
the Fund's average daily net assets pursuant to an agreement in effect
between Dreyfus and M&G.
Mellon is a publicly owned multibank holding company incorporated
under Pennsylvania law in 1971 and registered under the Federal Bank Holding
Company Act of 1956, as amended. Mellon provides a comprehensive range of
financial products and services in domestic and selected international
markets. Mellon is among the twenty-five largest bank holding companies in
the United States based on total assets. Mellon's principal wholly-owned
subsidiaries are Mellon Bank, N.A., Mellon Bank (DE) National Association,
Mellon Bank (MD), The Boston Company, Inc., AFCO Credit Corporation and a
number of companies known as Mellon Financial Services Corporations. Through
its subsidiaries, including Dreyfus, Mellon managed approximately $200
billion in assets as of March 31, 1995, including approximately $72 billion
in mutual fund assets. As of March 31, 1995, Mellon through various
subsidiaries, provided non-investment services, such as custodial or
administration services, for approximately $680 billion in assets, including
approximately $67 billion in mutual fund assets.
Dreyfus may pay the Fund's distributor for shareholder services from
Dreyfus' own assets, including past profits but not including the management
fee paid by the Fund. The Fund's distributor may use part or all of such
payments to pay Service Agents in respect of these services.
The Fund's distributor is Premier Mutual Fund Services, Inc. (the
"Distributor"), located at One Exchange Place, Boston, Massachusetts 02109.
The Distributor is a wholly-owned subsidiary of FDI Distribution Services,
Inc., a provider of mutual fund administration services, which in turn is a
wholly-owned subsidiary of FDIHoldings, Inc., the parent company of which is
Boston Institutional Group, Inc.
The Shareholder Services Group, Inc., a subsidiary of First Data
Corporation, P.O. Box 9671, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-9671, is the
Fund's Transfer and Dividend Disbursing Agent (the "Transfer Agent"). The
Bank of New York, 90 Washington Street, New York, New York 10286, is the
Fund's Custodian.
HOW TO BUY FUND SHARES
You can purchase Fund shares through the Distributor or certain
financial institutions, securities dealers and other industry professionals
(collectively, "Service Agents") that have entered into agreements with the
Distributor. Stock certificates are issued only upon your written request. No
certificates are issued for fractional shares. The Fund reserves the right to
reject any purchase order.
Page 16
The minimum initial investment is $2,500, or $1,000 if you are a
client of a Service Agent which has made an aggregate minimum initial
purchase for its customers of $2,500. Subsequent investments must be at least
$100. The initial investment must be accompanied by the Fund's Account
Application. For full-time or part-time employees of Dreyfus or any of its
affiliates or subsidiaries, directors of Dreyfus, Board members of a fund
advised by Dreyfus, including members of the Fund's Board, or the spouse or
minor child of any of the foregoing, the minimum initial investment is
$1,000. For full-time or part-time employees of Dreyfus or any of its
affiliates or subsidiaries who elect to have a portion of their pay directly
deposited into their Fund account, the minimum initial investment is $50. The
Fund reserves the right to offer Fund shares without regard to minimum
purchase requirements to employees participating in certain qualified or
non-qualified employee benefit plans or other programs where contributions or
account information can be transmitted in a manner and form acceptable to the
Fund. The Fund reserves the right to vary further the initial and subsequent
investment minimum requirements at any time. Fund shares also are offered
without regard to the minimum initial investment requirements through
Dreyfus-AUTOMATIC Asset BuilderRegistration Mark, Dreyfus Government Direct
Deposit Privilege or Dreyfus Payroll Savings Plan pursuant to the Dreyfus
Step Program described under "Shareholder Services." These services enable
you to make regularly scheduled investments and may provide you with a
convenient way to invest for long-term financial goals. You should be aware,
however, that periodic investment plans do not guarantee a profit and will
not protect an investor against loss in a declining market.
You may purchase Fund shares by check or wire, or through the Dreyfus
TELETRANSFER Privilege described below. Checks should be made payable to "The
Dreyfus Family of Funds," or, if for Dreyfus retirement plan accounts, to
"The Dreyfus Trust Company, Custodian." Payments to open new accounts which
are mailed should be sent to The Dreyfus Family of Funds, P.O. Box 9387,
Providence, Rhode Island 02940-9387, together with your Account Application.
For subsequent investments, your Fund account number should appear on the
check and an investment slip should be enclosed and sent to The Dreyfus
Family of Funds, P.O. Box 105, Newark, New Jersey 07101-0105. For Dreyfus
retirement plan accounts, both initial and subsequent investments should be
sent to The Dreyfus Trust Company, Custodian, P.O. Box 6427, Providence,
Rhode Island 02940-6427. Neither initial nor subsequent investments should be
made by third party check. Purchase orders may be delivered in person only to
a Dreyfus Financial Center. THESE ORDERS WILL BE FORWARDED TO THE FUND AND
WILL BE PROCESSED ONLY UPON RECEIPT THEREBY. For the location of the nearest
Dreyfus Financial Center, please call one of the telephone numbers listed
under "General Information."
Wire payments may be made if your bank account is in a commercial
bank that is a member of the Federal Reserve System or any other bank having
a correspondent bank in New York City. Immediately available funds may be
transmitted by wire to The Bank of New York, DDA #8900117842/Dreyfus
International Equity Fund, Inc., for purchase of Fund shares in your name.
The wire must include your Fund account number (for new accounts, your
Taxpayer Identification Number ("TIN") should be included instead), account
registration and dealer number, if applicable. If your initial purchase of
Fund shares is by wire, please call 1-800-645-6561 after completing your wire
payment to obtain your Fund account number. Please include your Fund account
number on the Fund's Account Application and promptly mail the Account
Application to the Fund, as no redemptions will be permitted until the
Account Application is received. You may obtain further information about
remitting funds in this manner from your bank. All payments should be made in
U.S. dollars and, to avoid fees and delays, should be drawn only on U.S.
banks. A charge will be imposed if any check used for investment in your accou
nt does not clear. The Fund makes available to certain large institutions the
ability to issue purchase instructions through compatible computer
facilities.
Subsequent investments also may be made by electronic transfer of
funds from an account maintained in a bank or other domestic financial
institution that is an Automated Clearing House member. You must
Page 17
direct the institution to transmit immediately available funds through the
Automated Clearing House to The Bank of New York with instructions to credit
your Fund account. The instructions must specify your Fund account
registration and your Fund account number PRECEDED BY THE DIGITS "1111."
The Distributor may pay dealers a fee of up to .5% of the amount
invested through such dealers in Fund shares by employees participating in
qualified or non-qualified employee benefit plans or other programs where (i)
the employers or affiliated employers maintaining such plans or programs have
a minimum of 250 employees eligible for participation in such plans or
programs, or (ii) such plan's or program's aggregate investment in the
Dreyfus Family of Funds or certain other products made available by the
Distributor to such plans or programs exceeds one million dollars. All
present holdings of shares of funds in the Dreyfus Family of Funds by such
employee benefit plans or programs will be aggregated to determine the fee
payable with respect to each such purchase of Fund shares. The Distributor
reserves the right to cease paying these fees at any time. The Distributor
will pay such fees from its own funds, other than amounts received from the
Fund, including past profits or any other source available to it.
Management understands that some Service Agents may impose certain
conditions on their clients which are different from those described in this
Prospectus, and, to the extent permitted by applicable regulatory authority,
may charge their clients direct fees which would be in addition to any
amounts which might be received under the Shareholder Services Plan. Each
Service Agent has agreed to transmit to its clients a schedule of such fees.
You should consult your Service Agent in this regard.
Fund shares are sold on a continuous basis at net asset value per
share next determined after an order in proper form is received by the
Transfer Agent or other agent. Net asset value per share is determined as of
the close of trading on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (currently
4:00 p.m., New York time), on each day the New York Stock Exchange is open
for business. For purposes of determining net asset value, options and
futures contracts will be valued 15 minutes after the close of trading on the
floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Net asset value per share is computed
by dividing the value of the Fund's net assets (i.e., the value of its assets
less liabilities) by the total number of shares outstanding. The Fund's
investments are valued based on market value or, where market quotations are
not readily available, based on fair value as determined in good faith by the
Fund's Board of Directors. For further information regarding the methods
employed in valuing the Fund's investments, see "Determination of Net Asset
Value" in the Fund's Statement of Additional Information.
For certain institutions that have entered into agreements with the
Distributor, payment for the payment for the purchase of Fund shares may be
transmitted, and must be received by the Transfer Agent, within three
business days after the order is placed. If such payment is not received
within three business days after the order is placed, the order may by
canceled and the institution could be held liable for resulting fees and/or
losses.
Federal regulations require that you provide a certified TIN upon
opening or reopening an account. See "Dividends, Distributions and Taxes" and
the Fund's Account Application for further information concerning this
requirement. Failure to furnish a certified TIN to the Fund could subject you
to a $50 penalty imposed by the Internal Revenue Service (the "IRS").
DREYFUS TELETRANSFER PRIVILEGE - You may purchase Fund shares (minimum $500,
maximum $150,000 per day) by telephone if you have checked the appropriate
box and supplied the necessary information on the Fund's Account Application
or have filed a Shareholder Services Form with the Transfer Agent. The
proceeds will be transferred between the bank account designated in one of
these documents and your Fund account. Only a bank account maintained in a
domestic financial institution which is an Automated Clearing House member
may be so designated. The Fund may modify or terminate this Privilege at any
time or charge a service fee upon notice to shareholders. No such fee
currently is contemplated.
Page 18
If you have selected the Dreyfus TELETRANSFER Privilege, you may
request a Dreyfus TELETRANSFER purchase of Fund shares by telephoning
1-800-221-4060 or, if you are calling from overseas, call 1-401-455-3306.
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES
The services and privileges described under this heading may not be
available to clients of certain Service Agents and some Service Agents may
impose certain conditions on their clients which are different from those in
this Prospectus. You should consult your Service Agent in this regard.
FUND EXCHANGES - You may purchase, in exchange for shares of the Fund,
shares of certain other funds managed or administered by Dreyfus, to the
extent such shares are offered for sale in your state of residence. These
funds have different investment objectives which may be of interest to you.
If you desire to use this service, you should consult your Service Agent or
call 1-800-645-6561 to determine if it is available and whether any
conditions are imposed on its use.
To request an exchange, you or your Service Agent acting on your
behalf must give exchange instructions to the Transfer Agent in writing or by
telephone. Before any exchange, you must obtain and should review a copy of
the current prospectus of the fund into which the exchange is being made.
Prospectuses may be obtained by calling 1-800-645-6561. Except in the case of
Personal Retirement Plans, the shares being exchanged must have a current
value of at least $500; furthermore, when establishing a new account by
exchange, the shares being exchanged must have a value of at least the
minimum initial investment required for the fund into which the exchange is
being made. The ability to issue exchange instructions by telephone is given
to all Fund shareholders automatically, unless you check the applicable "No"
box on the Account Application, indicating that you specifically refuse this
privilege. The Telephone Exchange Privilege may be established for an
existing account by written request, signed by all shareholders on the
account, or by a separate signed Shareholder Services Form, also available by
calling 1-800-645-6561. If you have established the Telephone Exchange
Privilege, you may telephone exchange instructions by calling 1-800-221-4060
or, if you are calling from overseas, call 1-401-455-3306. See "How to Redeem
Fund Shares - Procedures." Upon an exchange into a new account, the following
shareholder services and privileges, as applicable and where available, will
be automatically carried over to the fund into which the exchange is made:
Telephone Exchange Privilege, Wire Redemption Privilege, Telephone Redemption
Privilege, Dreyfus TELETRANSFER Privilege and the dividend/capital gain
distribution option (except for Dreyfus Dividend Sweep) selected by the
investor.
Shares will be exchanged at the next determined net asset value;
however, a sales load may be charged with respect to exchanges into funds
sold with a sales load. If you are exchanging into a fund that charges a
sales load, you may qualify for share prices which do not include the sales
load or which reflect a reduced sales load, if the shares of the fund from
which you are exchanging were: (a) purchased with a sales load, (b) acquired
by a previous exchange from shares purchased with a sales load, or (c)
acquired through reinvestment of dividends or distributions paid with respect
to the foregoing categories of shares. To qualify, at the time of your
exchange you must notify the Transfer Agent or your Service Agent must notify
the Distributor. Any such qualification is subject to confirmation of your
holdings through a check of appropriate records. See "Shareholder Services"
in the Statement of Additional Information. No fees currently are charged
shareholders directly in connection with exchanges, although the Fund
reserves the right, upon not less than 60 days' written notice, to charge
shareholders a nominal fee in accordance with rules promulgated by the
Securities and Exchange Commission. The Fund reserves the right to reject any
exchange request in whole or in part. The Exchange Privilege may be modified
or terminated at any time upon notice to shareholders.
The exchange of shares of one fund for shares of another is treated
for Federal income tax purposes as a sale of the shares given in exchange by
the shareholder and, therefore, an exchanging shareholder may realize a
taxable gain or loss.
Page 19
DREYFUS AUTO-EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE - Dreyfus Auto-Exchange Privilege enables
you to invest regularly (on a semi-monthly, monthly, quarterly or annual
basis), in exchange for shares of the Fund, in shares of other funds in the
Dreyfus Family of Funds of which you are currently an investor. The amount
you designate, which can be expressed either in terms of a specific dollar or
share amount ($100 minimum), will be exchanged automatically on the first
and/or fifteenth day of the month according to the schedule you have
selected. Shares will be exchanged at the then-current net asset value;
however, a sales load may be charged with respect to exchanges into funds
sold with a sales load. See "Shareholder Services" in the Statement of
Additional Information. The right to exercise this Privilege may be modified
or canceled by the Fund or the Transfer Agent. You may modify or cancel your
exercise of this Privilege at any time by mailing written notification to The
Dreyfus Family of Funds, P.O. Box 9671, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-9671.
The Fund may charge a service fee for the use of this Privilege. No such fee
currently is contemplated. The exchange of shares of one fund for shares of
another is treated for Federal income tax purposes as a sale of the shares
given in exchange by the shareholder and, therefore, an exchanging
shareholder may realize a taxable gain or loss. For more information
concerning this Privilege and the funds in the Dreyfus Family of Funds
eligible to participate in this Privilege, or to obtain a Dreyfus
Auto-Exchange Authorization Form, please call toll free 1-800-645-6561.
DREYFUS-AUTOMATIC ASSET BUILDER Registration Mark - Dreyfus-AUTOMATIC Asset
Builder permits you to purchase Fund shares (minimum of $100 and maximum of
$150,000 per transaction) at regular intervals selected by you. Fund shares
are purchased by transferring funds from the bank account designated by you.
At your option, the bank account designated by you will be debited in the
specified amount, and Fund shares will be purchased, once a month, on either
the first or fifteenth day, or twice a month, on both days. Only an account
maintained at a domestic financial institution which is an Automated Clearing
House member may be so designated. To establish a Dreyfus-AUTOMATIC Asset
Builder account, you must file an authorization form with the Transfer Agent.
You may obtain the necessary authorization form from by calling
1-800-645-6561. You may cancel your participation in this Privilege or change
the amount of purchase at any time by mailing written notification to The
Dreyfus Family of Funds, P.O. Box 9671, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-9671,
or, if for Dreyfus retirement plan accounts, to The Dreyfus Trust Company,
Custodian, P.O. Box 6427, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-6427, and the
notification will be effective three business days following receipt. The
Fund may modify or terminate this Privilege at any time or charge a service
fee. No such fee currently is contemplated.
DREYFUS GOVERNMENT DIRECT DEPOSIT PRIVILEGE - Dreyfus Government Direct
Deposit Privilege enables you to purchase Fund shares (minimum of $100 and
maximum of $50,000 per transaction) by having Federal salary, Social
Security, or certain veterans', military or other payments from the Federal
government automatically deposited into your Fund account. You may deposit as
much of such payments as you elect. To enroll in Dreyfus Government Direct
Deposit, you must file with the Transfer Agent a completed Direct Deposit
Sign-Up Form for each type of payment that you desire to include in the
Privilege. The appropriate form may be obtained by calling 1-800-645-6561.
Death or legal incapacity will terminate your participation in this
Privilege. You may elect at any time to terminate your participation by
notifying in writing the appropriate Federal agency. Further, the Fund may
terminate your participation upon 30 days' notice to you.
DREYFUS PAYROLL SAVINGS PLAN - Dreyfus Payroll Savings Plan permits you to
purchase Fund shares (minimum of $100 per transaction) automatically on a
regular basis. Depending upon your employer's direct deposit program, you may
have part or all of your paycheck transferred to your existing Dreyfus
account electronically through the Automated Clearing House system at each
pay period. To establish a Dreyfus Payroll Savings Plan account, you must
file an authorization form with your employer's payroll department. Your
employer must complete the reverse side of the form and return it to The
Dreyfus Family of Funds, P.O. Box 9671, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-9671.
You may obtain the necessary authorization form by calling 1-800-645-6561.
You may change the amount of purchase or cancel the authorization
Page 20
only by written notification to your employer. It is the sole responsibility
of your employer, not the Distributor, Dreyfus, the Fund, the Transfer Agent
or any other person, to arrange for transactions under the Dreyfus Payroll
Savings Plan. The Fund may modify or terminate this Privilege at any time or
charge a service fee. No such fee currently is contemplated.
DREYFUS STEP PROGRAM - Dreyfus Step Program enables you to purchase Fund
shares without regard to the Fund's minimum initial investment requirements
through Dreyfus-AUTOMATIC Asset Builder, Dreyfus Government Direct Deposit
Privilege or Dreyfus Payroll Savings Plan. To establish a Dreyfus Step
Program account, you must supply the necessary information on the Fund's
Account Application and file the required authorization form(s) with the
Transfer Agent. For more information concerning this Program, or to request
the necessary authorization form(s), please call toll free 1-800-782-6620.
You may terminate your participation in this Program at any time by
discontinuing your participation in Dreyfus-AUTOMATIC Asset Builder, Dreyfus
Government Direct Deposit Privilege or Dreyfus Payroll Savings Plan, as the
case may be, as provided under the terms of such Privilege(s). The Fund may
modify or terminate this Program at any time. Investors who wish to purchase
Fund shares through the Dreyfus Step Program in conjunction with a
Dreyfus-sponsored retirement plans may do so only for IRAs, SEP-IRAs and IRA
"Rollover Accounts."
DREYFUS DIVIDEND OPTIONS - Dreyfus Dividend Sweep enables you to invest
automatically dividends or dividends and capital gain distributions, if any,
paid by the Fund in shares of another fund in the Dreyfus Family of Funds of
which you are a shareholder. Shares of the other fund will be purchased at
the then-current net asset value; however, a sales load may be charged with
respect to investments in shares of a fund sold with a sales load. If you are
investing in a fund that charges a sales load, you may qualify for share
prices which do not include the sales load or which reflect a reduced sales
load. If you are investing in a fund that charges a contingent deferred sales
charge, the shares purchased will be subject on redemption to the contingent
deferred sales charge, if any, applicable to the purchased shares. See
"Shareholder Services" in the Statement of Additional Information. Dreyfus
Dividend ACH permits you to transfer electronically dividends or dividends
and capital gain distributions, if any, from the Fund to a designated bank
account. Only an account maintained at a domestic financial institution which
is an Automated Clearing House member may be so designated. Banks may charge
a fee for this service.
For more information concerning these privileges or to request a
Dividend Options Form, please call toll free 1-800-645-6561. You may cancel
these privileges by mailing written notification to The Dreyfus Family of
Funds, P.O. Box 9671, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-9671. To select a new
fund after cancellation, you must submit a new Dividend Options Form.
Enrollment in or cancellation of these privileges is effective three business
days following receipt. These privileges are available only for existing
accounts and may not be used to open new accounts. Minimum subsequent
investments do not apply for Dreyfus Dividend Sweep. The Fund may modify or
terminate these privileges at any time or charge a service fee. No such fee
currently is contemplated. Shares held under Keogh Plans or IRAs are not
eligible for these privileges.
AUTOMATIC WITHDRAWAL PLAN - The Automatic Withdrawal Plan permits you to
request withdrawal of a specified dollar amount (minimum of $50) on either a
monthly or quarterly basis if you have a $5,000 minimum account. An
application for the Automatic Withdrawal Plan can be obtained by calling
1-800-645-6561. There is a service charge of 50cents for each withdrawal
check. The Automatic Withdrawal Plan may be ended at any time by you, the
Fund or the Transfer Agent. Shares for which certificates have been issued
may not be redeemed through the Automatic Withdrawal Plan.
RETIREMENT PLANS - The Fund offers a variety of pension and profit-sharing
plans, including Keogh Plans, IRAs, SEP-IRAs and IRA "Rollover Accounts",
401(k) Salary Reduction Plans and 403(b)(7) Plans. Plan support services also
are available. You can obtain details on the various plans by calling the
following numbers toll free: for Keogh Plans, please call 1-800-358-5566; for
IRAs and IRA "Rollover Accounts," please call 1-800-645-6561; for SEP-IRAs,
401(k) Salary Reduction Plans and 403(b)(7) Plans, please call 1-800-322-7880.
Page 21
HOW TO REDEEM FUND SHARES
GENERAL - You may request redemption of your shares at any time. Redemption
requests should be transmitted to the Transfer Agent as described below. When
a request is received in proper form, the Fund will redeem the shares at the
next determined net asset value.
The Fund imposes no charges when shares are redeemed. Service Agents
may charge a nominal fee for effecting redemptions of Fund shares. Any
certificates representing Fund shares being redeemed must be submitted with
the redemption request. The value of the shares redeemed may be more or less
than their original cost, depending upon the Fund's then-current net asset
value.
The Fund ordinarily will make payment for all shares redeemed within
seven days after receipt by the Transfer Agent of a redemption request in
proper form, except as provided by the rules of the Securities and Exchange
Commission. HOWEVER, IF YOU HAVE PURCHASED FUND SHARES BY CHECK, BY DREYFUS
TELETRANSFER PRIVILEGE OR THROUGH DREYFUS-AUTOMATIC ASSET BUILDER AND
SUBSEQUENTLY SUBMIT A WRITTEN REDEMPTION REQUEST TO THE TRANSFER AGENT, THE
REDEMPTION PROCEEDS WILL BE TRANSMITTED TO YOU PROMPTLY UPON BANK CLEARANCE
OF YOUR PURCHASE CHECK, DREYFUS TELETRANSFER PURCHASE OR DREYFUS-AUTOMATIC
ASSET BUILDER ORDER, WHICH MAY TAKE UP TO EIGHT BUSINESS DAYS OR MORE. IN
ADDITION, THE FUND WILL REJECT REQUESTS TO REDEEM SHARES BY WIRE OR TELEPHONE
OR PURSUANT TO THE DREYFUS TELETRANSFER PRIVILEGE FOR A PERIOD OF EIGHT
BUSINESS DAYS AFTER RECEIPT BY THE TRANSFER AGENT OF THE PURCHASE CHECK, THE
DREYFUS TELETRANSFER PURCHASE OR THE DREYFUS-AUTOMATIC ASSET BUILDER ORDER
AGAINST WHICH SUCH REDEMPTION IS REQUESTED. THESE PROCEDURES WILL NOT APPLY
IF YOUR SHARES WERE PURCHASED BY WIRE PAYMENT, OR IF YOU OTHERWISE HAVE A
SUFFICIENT COLLECTED BALANCE IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO COVER THE REDEMPTION REQUEST.
PRIOR TO THE TIME ANY REDEMPTION IS EFFECTIVE, DIVIDENDS ON SUCH SHARES WILL
ACCRUE AND BE PAYABLE, AND YOU WILL BE ENTITLED TO EXERCISE ALL OTHER RIGHTS
OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP. Fund shares will not be redeemed until the Transfer
Agent has received your Account Application.
The Fund reserves the right to redeem your account at its option upon
not less than 45 days' written notice if your account's net asset value is
$500 or less and remains so during the notice period.
PROCEDURES - You may redeem Fund shares by using the regular redemption
procedure through the Transfer Agent, the Wire Redemption Privilege, the
Telephone Redemption Privilege, or the Dreyfus TELETRANSFER Privilege. Other
redemption procedures may be in effect for clients of certain Service Agents.
The Fund makes available to certain large institutions the ability to issue
redemption instructions through compatible computer facilities.
You may redeem Fund shares by telephone if you have checked the
appropriate box on the Fund's Account Application or have filed a Shareholder
Services Form with the Transfer Agent. If you select a telephone redemption
privilege or telephone exchange privilege (which is granted automatically
unless you refuse it), you authorize the Transfer Agent to act on telephone
instructions from any person representing himself or herself to be you or a
representative of your Service Agent, and reasonably believed by the Transfer
Agent to be genuine. The Fund will require the Transfer Agent to employ
reasonable procedures, such as requiring a form of personal identification,
to confirm that instructions are genuine and, if it does not follow such
procedures, the Fund or the Transfer Agent may be liable for any losses due
to unauthorized or fraudulent instructions. Neither the Fund nor the Transfer
Agent will be liable for following telephone instructions reasonably believed
to be genuine.
During times of drastic economic or market conditions, you may
experience difficulty in contacting the Transfer Agent by telephone to
request a redemption or exchange of Fund shares. In such cases, you should
consider using the other redemption procedures described herein. Use of these
other redemption procedures may result in your redemption request being
processed at a later time than it would have been if telephone redemption had
been used. During the delay, the Fund's net asset value may fluctuate.
Page 22
REGULAR REDEMPTION - Under the regular redemption procedure, you may redeem
shares by written request mailed to The Dreyfus Family of Funds, P.O. Box
9671, Providence, Rhode Island 02940-9671. Redemption requests may be
delivered in person only to a Dreyfus Financial Center. THESE REQUESTS WILL
BE FORWARDED TO THE FUND AND WILL BE PROCESSED ONLY UPON RECEIPT THEREBY. For
the location of the nearest Dreyfus Financial Center, please call one of the
telephone numbers listed under "General Information." Redemption requests
must be signed by each shareholder, including each owner of a joint account,
and each signature must be guaranteed. The Transfer Agent has adopted
standards and procedures pursuant to which signature-guarantees in proper
form generally will be accepted from domestic banks, brokers, dealers, credit
unions, national securities exchanges, registered securities associations,
clearing agencies and savings associations, as well as from participants in
the New York Stock Exchange Medallion Signature Program, the Securities
Transfer Agents Medallion Program ("STAMP") and the Stock Exchanges Medallion
Program. If you have any questions with respect to signature-guarantees,
please call one of the telephone numbers listed under "General Information."
Redemption proceeds of at least $1,000 will be wired to any member
bank of the Federal Reserve System in accordance with a written
signature-guaranteed request.
WIRE REDEMPTION PRIVILEGE - You may request by wire or telephone that
redemption proceeds (minimum $1,000) be wired to your account at a bank which
is a member of the Federal Reserve System, or a correspondent bank if your
bank is not a member. To establish the Wire Redemption Privilege, you must
check the appropriate box and supply the necessary information on the Fund's
Account Application or file a Shareholder Services Form with the Transfer
Agent. You may direct that redemption proceeds be paid by check (maximum
$150,000 per day)made out to the owners of record and mailed to your address.
Redemption proceeds of less than $1,000 will be paid automatically by check.
Holders of jointly registered Fund or bank accounts may have redemption
proceeds of not more than $250,000 wired within any 30-day period. You may
telephone redemption requests by calling 1-800-221-4060 or, if you are
calling from overseas, call 1-401-455-3306. The Fund reserves the right to
refuse any redemption request, including requests made shortly after a change
of address, and may limit the amount involved or the number of such requests.
This Privilege may be modified or terminated at any time by the Transfer
Agent or the Fund. The Fund's Statement of Additional Information sets forth
instructions for transmitting redemption requests by wire. Shares held under
Keogh Plans, IRAs or other retirement plans, and shares for which
certificates have been issued, are not eligible for this Privilege.
TELEPHONE REDEMPTION PRIVILEGE - You may redeem Fund shares (maximum
$150,000 per day) by telephone if you have checked the appropriate box on the
Fund's Account Application or have filed a Shareholder Services Form with the
Transfer Agent. The redemption proceeds will be paid by check and mailed to
your address. You may telephone redemption instructions by calling
1-800-221-4060 or, if you are calling from overseas, call 1-401-455-3306. The
Fund reserves the right to refuse any request made by telephone, including
requests made shortly after a change of address, and may limit the amount
involved or the number of telephone redemption requests. This Privilege may
be modified or terminated at any time by the Transfer Agent or the Fund.
Shares held under Keogh Plans, IRAs or other retirement plans, and shares for
which the certificates have been issued, are not eligible for this Privilege.
DREYFUS TELETRANSFER PRIVILEGE - You may redeem Fund shares (minimum $500
per day) by telephone if you have checked the appropriate box and supplied
the necessary information on the Fund's Account Application or have filed a
Shareholder Services Form with the Transfer Agent. The proceeds will be
transferred between your Fund account and the bank account designated in one
of these documents. Only such an account maintained in a domestic financial
institution which is an Automated Clearing House member may be so designated.
Redemption proceeds will be on deposit in your account at an Automated
Clearing House member bank ordinarily two days after receipt of the
redemption request or, at your request, paid by check (maximum $150,000 per
day) and mailed to your address. Holders of jointly registered Fund or bank
Page 23
accounts may redeem through the Dreyfus TELETRANSFER Privilege for transfer
to their bank account not more than $250,000 within any 30-day period. The
Fund reserves the right to refuse any request made by telephone, including
requests made shortly after a change of address, and may limit the amount
involved or the number of such requests. The Fund may modify or terminate
this Privilege at any time or charge a service fee upon notice to
shareholders. No such fee currently is contemplated.
If you have selected the Dreyfus TELETRANSFER Privilege, you may
request a Dreyfus TELETRANSFER redemption of Fund shares by telephoning
1-800-221-4060 or, if you are calling from overseas, call 1-401-455-3306.
Shares held under Keogh Plans, IRAs or other retirement plans, and shares
issued in certificate form, are not eligible for this Privilege.
DISTRIBUTION PLAN AND SHAREHOLDER SERVICES PLAN
Fund shares are subject to a Distribution Plan and a Shareholder
Services Plan.
DISTRIBUTION PLAN - Under the Distribution Plan, adopted pursuant to Rule
12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Fund (a) reimburses the
Distributor for payments to certain Service Agents for distributing the
Fund's shares and (b) pays Dreyfus, Dreyfus Service Corporation, a
wholly-owned subsidiary of Dreyfus, and any affiliate of either of them for
advertising and marketing relating to the Fund, at an aggregate annual rate
of .50 of 1% of the value of the Fund's average daily net assets. The
Distributor may pay one or more Service Agents in respect of distribution
services. The Distributor determines the amounts, if any, to be paid to
Service Agents under the Distribution Plan and the basis on which such
payments are made. The fees payable under the Distribution Plan are payable
without regard to actual expenses incurred.
The Fund bears the costs of preparing and printing prospectuses and
statements of additional information used for regulatory purposes and for
distribution to existing Fund shareholders. Under the Distribution Plan, the
Fund bears (a) the costs of preparing, printing and distributing prospectuses
and statements of additional information used for other purposes and (b) the
costs associated with implementing and operating the Distribution Plan, the
aggregate of such amounts not to exceed in any fiscal year of the Fund the
greater of $100,000 or .005 of 1% of the value of the Fund's average daily
net assets for such fiscal year.
SHAREHOLDER SERVICES PLAN - Under the Shareholder Services Plan, the Fund
pays the Distributor for the provision of certain services to Fund
shareholders a fee at the annual rate of .25 of 1% of the value of the Fund's
average daily net assets. The services provided may include personal services
relating to shareholder accounts, such as answering shareholder inquiries
regarding the Fund and providing reports and other information, and services
related to the maintenance of shareholder accounts. The Distributor may make
payments to Service Agents in respect of these services. The Distributor
determines the amounts to be paid to Service Agents. Each Service Agent is
required to disclose to its clients any compensation payable to it by the
Fund pursuant to the Shareholder Services Plan and any other compensation
payable by their clients in connection with the investment of their assets in
Fund shares.
DIVIDENDS, DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES
The Fund ordinarily pays dividends from its net investment income and
distributes net realized securities gains, if any, once a year, but the Fund
may make distributions on a more frequent basis to comply with the
distribution requirements of the Code, in all events in a manner consistent
with the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Fund will not
make distributions from net realized securities gains unless capital loss
carryovers, if any, have been utilized or have expired. You may choose
whether to receive dividends and distributions in cash or to reinvest in
additional Fund shares at net asset value. All expenses are accrued daily and
deducted before declaration of dividends to investors.
Dividends derived from net investment income, together with
distributions from net realized short-term securities gains and all or a
portion of any gains realized from the sale or other disposition of certain
market discount bonds, paid by the Fund will be taxable to U.S. shareholders
as ordinary income
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whether received in cash or reinvested in Fund shares. Distributions from net
realized long-term securities gains of the Fund will be taxable to U.S.
shareholders as long-term capital gains for Federal income tax purposes,
regardless of how long shareholders have held their Fund shares
and whether such distributions are received in cash or reinvested in Fund
shares. The Code provides that the net capital gain of an individual
generally will not be subject to Federal income tax at a rate in excess of
28%. Dividends and distributions may be subject to state and local taxes.
Dividends derived from net investment income, together with
distributions from net realized short-term securities gains and all or a
portion of any gains realized from the sale or other disposition of certain
market discount bonds, paid by the Fund to a foreign investor generally are
subject to U.S. nonresident withholding taxes at the rate of 30%, unless the
foreign investor claims the benefit of a lower rate specified in a tax
treaty. Distributions from net realized long-term securities gains paid by
the Fund to a foreign investor as well as the proceeds of any redemptions
from a foreign investor's account, regardless of the extent to which gain or
loss may be realized, generally will not be subject to U.S. nonresident
withholding tax. However, such distributions may be subject to backup
withholding, as described below, unless the foreign investor certifies his
non-U.S. residency status.
Notice as to the tax status of your dividends and distributions will
be mailed to you annually. You also will receive periodic summaries of your
account which will include information as to dividends and distributions from
securities gains, if any, paid during the year.
Federal regulations generally require the Fund to withhold ("backup
withholding") and remit to the U.S. Treasury 31% of dividends, distributions
from net realized securities gains and the proceeds of any redemption,
regardless of the extent to which gain or loss may be realized, paid to a
shareholder if such shareholder fails to certify either that the TIN
furnished in connection with opening an account is correct or that such
shareholder has not received notice from the IRS of being subject to backup wi
thholding as a result of a failure to properly report taxable dividend or
interest income on a Federal income tax return. Furthermore, the IRS may
notify the Fund to institute backup withholding if the IRS determines a
shareholder's TIN is incorrect or if a shareholder has failed to properly
report taxable dividend and interest income on a Federal income tax return.
A TIN is either the Social Security number or employer identification
number of the record owner of the account. Any tax withheld as a result of
backup withholding does not constitute an additional tax imposed on the
record owner of the account, and may be claimed as a credit on the record
owner's Federal income tax return.
Management of the Fund believes that the Fund has qualified for the
fiscal year ended May 31, 1994 as a "regulated investment company" under the
Code. The Fund intends to continue to so qualify if such qualification is in
the best interests of its shareholders. Such qualification relieves the Fund
of any liability for Federal income tax to the extent its earnings are
distributed in accordance with applicable provisions of the Code. In
addition, the Fund is subject to a non-deductible 4% excise tax, measured
with respect to certain undistributed amounts of taxable investment income
and capital gains.
You should consult your tax adviser regarding specific questions as
to Federal, state or local taxes.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
For purposes of advertising, performance will be calculated on the
basis of average annual total return. Advertisements also may include
performance calculated on the basis of total return.
Average annual total return is calculated pursuant to a standardized
formula which assumes that an investment in the Fund was purchased with an
initial payment of $1,000 and that the investment was redeemed at the end of
a stated period of time, after giving effect to the reinvestment of dividends
and distributions during the period. The return is expressed as a percentage
rate which, if applied on a compounded annual basis, would result in the
redeemable value of the investment at the end of the period.
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Advertisements of the Fund's performance will include the Fund's average
annual total return for one, five and ten year periods, or for shorter periods
depending upon the length of time during which the Fund has operated.
Computations of average annual total return for periods of less than one
year represent an annualization of the Fund's actual total return for the
applicable period.
Total return is computed on a per share basis and assumes the
reinvestment of dividends and distributions. Total return generally is
expressed as a percentage rate which is calculated by combining the income
and principal changes for a specified period and dividing by the net asset
value per share at the beginning of the period. Advertisements may include
the percentage rate of total return or may include the value of a
hypothetical investment at the end of the period which assumes the
application of the percentage rate of total return.
Performance will vary from time to time and past results are not
necessarily representative of future results. You should remember that
performance is a function of portfolio management in selecting the type and
quality of portfolio securities and is affected by operating expenses.
Performance information, such as that described above, may not provide a
basis for comparison with other investments or other investment companies
using a different method of calculating performance.
Comparative performance information may be used from time to time in
advertising or marketing the Fund's shares, including data from Lipper
Analytical Services, Inc., Morgan Stanley Capital International World Index,
Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Stock Price Index, Standard & Poor's MidCap
400 Index, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Morningstar, Inc. and other
industry publications.
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Fund was incorporated under Maryland law on January 27, 1993, and
commenced operations on June 29, 1993. The Fund is authorized to issue 300
million shares of Common Stock, par value $.001 per share. Each share has one
vote.
Unless otherwise required by the Investment Company Act of 1940,
ordinarily it will not be necessary for the Fund to hold annual meetings of
shareholders. As a result, Fund shareholders may not consider each year the
election of Directors or the appointment of auditors. However, pursuant to
the Fund's By-Laws, the holders of at least 10% of the shares outstanding and
entitled to vote may require the Fund to hold a special meeting of
shareholders for purposes of removing a Director from office or for any other
purpose. Fund shareholders may remove a Director by the affirmative vote of a
majority of the Fund's outstanding voting shares. In addition, the Board of
Directors will call a meeting of shareholders for the purpose of electing
Directors if, at any time, less than a majority of the Directors then holding
office have been elected by shareholders.
The Transfer Agent maintains a record of your ownership and sends you
confirmations and statements of account.
Shareholder inquires may be made to your Service Agent or by writing
to the Fund at 144 Glenn Curtiss Boulevard, Uniondale, New York 11556-0144,
or by calling toll free, l-800-645-6561. In New York City, call
1-718-895-1206; outside the U.S. and Canada call 516-795-5452.
NO PERSON HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED TO GIVE ANY INFORMATION OR TO MAKE ANY
REPRESENTATIONS OTHER THAN THOSE CONTAINED IN THIS PROSPECTUS AND IN THE
FUND'S OFFICIAL SALES LITERATURE IN CONNECTION WITH THE OFFER OF THE FUND'S
SHARES, AND, IF GIVEN OR MADE, SUCH OTHER INFORMATION OR REPRESENTATIONS MUST
NOT BE RELIED UPON AS HAVING BEEN AUTHORIZED BY THE FUND. THIS PROSPECTUS
DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER IN ANY STATE IN WHICH, OR TO ANY PERSON TO WHOM,
SUCH OFFERING MAY NOT LAWFULLY BE MADE.
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DREYFUS
International
Equity
Fund, Inc.
(LION LOGO)
Prospectus
Registration Mark
Copy Rights 1995, Dreyfus Service Corporation
095p4072195
