CODE OF ETHICS
(JP Morgan Investment Management Inc.
1. Purposes
This Code of Ethics (the "Code") has been adopted by the Directors of
J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. (the "Adviser"), in accordance with Rule
17j-1(c) promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the
"Act"). Rule 17j-1 under the Act generally proscribes fraudulent or manipulative
practices with respect to purchases or sales of securities Held or to be
Acquired (defined in Section 2(k) of this Code) by investment companies, if
effected by associated persons of such companies. The purpose of this Code is to
adopt provisions reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons from engaging in
any unlawful conduct as set forth in Rule 17j-1(b) as follows:
It is unlawful for any affiliated person of or principal
underwriter for a Fund, or any affiliated person of an investment adviser of or
principal underwriter for a Fund, in connection with the purchase or sale,
directly or indirectly, by the person of a Security Held or to be Acquired by
the Fund:
(a) To employ any device, scheme or artifice to defraud the Fund;
(b) To make any untrue statement of a material fact to the Fund or
omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the
statements made to the Fund, in light of the circumstances
under which they are made, not misleading;
(c) To engage in any act, practice, or course of business that
operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit on the Fund; or
(d) To engage in any manipulative practice with respect to the Fund.
2. Definitions
(a) "Access Person" means any director, officer, general partner or
Advisory Person of the Adviser.
(b) "Administrator" means Morgan Guaranty Trust Company.
(c) "Advisory Person" means (i) any employee of the Adviser or the
Administrator (or any company in a control relationship to the Adviser) who, in
connection with his or her regular functions or duties, makes, participates in,
or obtains information regarding the purchase or sale of securities for a Fund,
or whose functions relate to the making of any recommendations with respect to
such purchases or sales; and (ii) any natural person in a control relationship
to the Adviser who obtains information concerning recommendations regarding the
purchase or sale of securities by a Fund.
(d)"Beneficial ownership" shall be interpreted in the same manner as it
would be under Exchange Act Rule 16a-1(a)(2)in determining whether a person is
subject to the provisions of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
and the rules and regulations thereunder.
(e)"Control" has the same meaning as in Section 2(a)(9) of the Act.
(f)"Covered Security" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
2(a)(36) of the Act, except that it shall not include shares of open-end funds,
direct obligations of the United States Government, bankers' acceptances, bank
certificates of deposit, commercial paper and high quality short-term debt
instruments, including repurchase agreements.
(g)"Fund" means an Investment Company registered under the Investment
Company Act of 1940.
(h)"Initial Public Offering" means an offering of Securities registered
under the Securities Act of 1933, the issuer of which, immediately before the
registration, was not subject to the reporting requirements of Sections 13 or
15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act.
(i)"Limited Offering" means an offering that is exempt from
registration under the Securities Act pursuant to Section 4(2) or Section 4(6)
or pursuant to Rule 504, Rule 505, or Rule 506 under the Securities Act.
(j)"Purchase or sale of a Covered Security" includes, among other
things, the writing of an option to purchase or sell a Covered Security.
(k)"Security Held or to be Acquired" by a Adviser means: (i) any
Covered Security which, within the most recent 15 days, is or has been held by a
Fund or other client of the Adviser or is being or has been considered by the
Adviser for purchase by a Fund or other client of the Adviser; and (ii) any
option to purchase or sell, and any security convertible into or exchangeable
for, a Covered Security described in Section 2(k)(i) of this Code.
3. Statement of Principles
It is understood that the following general fiduciary
principles govern the personal investment activities of Access Persons:
(a)the duty to at all times place the interests of shareholders and
other clients of the Adviser first; (b)the requirement that all
personal securities transactions be conducted consistent with this Code
of
Ethics and in such a manner as to avoid any actual or potential conflict of
interest or any abuse of an individual's position of trust and responsibility;
(c)the fundamental standard that Investment Personnel may not take
inappropriate advantage of their
position; and
(d)all personal transactions must be oriented toward investment, not
short-term or speculative trading.
It is further understood that the procedures, reporting and
recordkeeping requirements set forth below are hereby adopted and certified by
the Adviser as reasonably necessary to prevent Access Persons from violating the
provisions of this Code of Ethics.
4. Procedures to be followed regarding Personal Investments by Access
Persons
(a)Pre-clearance requirement. Each Access Person must obtain prior
written approval from his or her group head (or designee) and from the Adviser's
trading desk before transacting in any Covered Security based on certain
quidelines set forth from time to time by the Adviser's compliance Department.
For details regarding transactions in mutual funds, see Section 4(e).
(b)Brokerage transaction reporting requirement. Each Access Person
working in the United States must maintain all of his or her accounts and the
accounts of any person of which he or she is deemed to be a beneficial owner
with a broker designated by the Adviser and must direct such broker to provide
broker trade confirmations to the Adviser's legal/compliance department, unless
an exception has been granted by the Adviser's legal/compliance department. Each
Access Person to whom an exception to the designated broker requirement has been
granted must instruct his or her broker to forward all trade confirms and
monthly statements to the Adviser's legal/compliance department. Access Persons
located outside the United States are required to provide details of each
brokerage transaction of which he or she is deemed to be the beneficial owner,
to the Adviser's legal/compliance group, within the customary period for the
confirmation of such trades in that market.
(c)Initial public offerings (new issues). Access Persons are prohibited
from participating in Initial Public Offerings, whether or not J.P. Morgan or
any of its affiliates is an underwriter of the new issue, while the issue is in
syndication.
(d)Minimum investment holding period. Each Access Person is subject to
a 60-day minimum holding period for personal transactions in Covered Securities.
An exception to this minimum holding period requirement may be granted in the
case of hardship as determined by the legal/compliance department.
(e)Mutual funds. Each Access Person must pre-clear transactions in
shares of closed-end Funds with the Adviser's trading desk, as they would with
any other Covered Security. See Section 4(a). Each Access Person must obtain
pre-clearance from his or her group head(or designee) before buying or selling
shares in an open-end Fund or a sub-advised Fund managed by the Adviser if such
Access Person or the Access Person's department has had recent dealings or
responsibilities regarding such mutual fund.
(f)Limited offerings. An Access Person may participate in a limited
offering only with written approval of such Access Person's group head (or
designee) and with advance notification to the Adviser's compliance group.
(g)Blackout periods. Advisory Persons are subject to blackout periods 7
calendar days before and after the trade date of a Covered Security where such
Advisory Person makes, participates in, or obtains information regarding the
purchase or sale of such Covered Security for any of their client accounts. In
addition, Access Persons are prohibited from executing a transaction in a
Covered Security during a period in which there is a pending buy or sell order
on the Adviser's trading desk.
(h)Prohibitions. Short sales are generally prohibited. Transactions in
options, rights, warrants, or other short-term securities and in futures
contracts (unless for bona fide hedging) are prohibited, except for purchases of
options on widely traded indices specified by the Adviser's compliance group if
made for investment purposes.
(i)Securities of J.P. Morgan. No Access Person may buy or sell any
security issued by J.P. Morgan from the 27th of each March, June, September, and
December until the first full business day after earnings are released in the
following month. All transactions in securities issued by J.P. Morgan must be
pre-cleared with the Adviser's compliance group and executed through an approved
trading area. Transactions in options and short sales of J.P. Morgan stock are
prohibited.
(j)Certification requirements. In addition to the reporting
requirements detailed in Sections 6 below, each Access Person, no later than 30
days after becoming an Access Person, must certify to the Adviser's compliance
group that he or she has complied with the broker requirements in Section 4(b).
5. Other Potential Conflicts of Interest
(a)Gifts. No employee of the Adviser or the Administrator may (i)accept
gifts, entertainment, or favors from a client, potential client, supplier, or
potential supplier of goods or services to the Adviser or the Administrator
unless what is given is of nominal value and refusal to accept it would be
discourteous or otherwise harmful to the Adviser or Administrator; (ii)provide
excessive gifts or entertainment to clients or potential clients; and (iii)
offer bribes, kickbacks, or similar inducements.
(b)Outside Business Activities. The prior consent of the Chairman of
the Board of J.P. Morgan, or his or her designee, is required for an officer of
the Adviser or Administrator to engage in any business-related activity outside
of the Adviser or Administrator, whether the activity is intermittent or
continuing, and whether or not compensation is received. For example, such
approval is required such an officer to become:
-An officer, director, or trustee of any corporation (other
than a nonprofit corporation or cooperative corporation owning the
building in which the officer resides);
-A member of a partnership (other than a limited partner in a partnership
established solely
for investment purposes);
-An executor, trustee, guardian, or similar fiduciary advisor
(other than for a family member).
6. Reporting Requirements
(a) Every Access Person must report to the Adviser:
(i)Initial Holdings Reports. No later than 10 days after the
person becomes an Access Person, the following information:
(A) the title, number of shares and principal amount of each
Covered Security in which the Access Person had any direct or
indirect beneficial ownership when the person became an Access
Person; (B) the name of any broker, dealer or bank with whom
the Access Person maintained an account in which any Covered
Securities were held for the direct or indirect benefit of the
Access Person as of the date the person became an Access
Person; and (C) the date that the report is submitted by the
Access Person.
(ii)Quarterly Transaction Reports. No later than 10 days after
the end of a calendar quarter, with respect to any transaction
during the quarter in a Covered Security in which the Access
Person had any direct or indirect Beneficial Ownership: (A)
the date of the transaction, the title, the interest rate and
maturity date (if applicable), the number of shares and
principal amount of each Covered Security involved; (B) the
nature of the transaction; (C) the price of the Covered
Security at which the transaction was effected; (D) the name
of the broker, dealer or bank with or through which the
transaction was effected; and (E) the date that the report is
submitted by the Access Person.
(iii)New Account Report. No later than 10 days after the
calendar quarter, with respect to any account established by
the Access Person in which any Covered Securities were held
during the quarter for the direct or indirect benefit of the
Access Person: (A) the name of the broker, dealer or bank with
whom the Access Person established the account; (B) the date
the account was established; and (C) the date that the report
is submitted by the Access Person.
(iv)Annual Holdings Report. Annually, the following
information (which information must be current as of a date no
more than 30 days before the report is submitted): (A) the
title, number of shares and principal amount of each Covered
Security in which the Access Person had any direct or indirect
beneficial ownership; (B) the name of any broker, dealer or
bank with whom the Access Person maintains an account in which
any Covered Securities are held for the direct or indirect
benefit of the Access Person: and (C) the date that the report
is submitted by the Access Person.
(b) Exceptions from the Reporting Requirements.
(i) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 6(a), no Access
Person shall be required to make:
A. a report with respect to transactions effected for any account over
which such person does not have any
direct or indirect influence or control;
B. a Quarterly Transaction or New Account Report
under Sections 6(a)(ii) or (iii) if the report
would duplicate information contained in broker
trade confirmations or account statements
received by the Adviser with respect to the
Access Person no later than 10 days after the
calendar quarter end, if all of the information
required by Sections 6(a)(ii) or (iii), as the
case may be, is contained in the broker trade
confirmations or account statements, or in the
records of the Adviser.
(c) Each Access Person shall promptly report any transaction which
is, or might appear to be, in violation of this Code. Such
report shall contain the information required in Quarterly
Transaction Reports filed pursuant to Section 6(a)(ii).
(d) All reports prepared pursuant to this Section 6 shall be filed
with the appropriate compliance personnel designated by the
Adviser and reviewed in accordance with procedures adopted by
such personnel.
(e) The Adviser will identify all Access Persons who are required
to file reports pursuant to this Section 6 and will inform
them of their reporting obligation.
(f) The Adviser no less frequently than annually shall furnish to
a Fund's board of directors for their consideration a written
report that:
(a) describes any issues under this Code of Ethics
or related procedures since the last report to
the board of directors, including, but limited
to, information about material violations of
the Code or procedures and sanctions imposed in
response to the material violations; and
(b) certifies that the Adviser has adopted
procedures reasonably necessary to prevent
Access Persons from violating this Code of
Ethics.
7. Recordkeeping Requirements
The Adviser must at its principal place of business maintain records in
the manner and extent set out in this Section of this Code and must
make available to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) at any
time and from time to time for reasonable, periodic, special or other
examination:
(a) A copy of its code of ethics that is in effect, or at
any time within the past five years was in effect,
must be maintained in an easily accessible place;
(b) A record of any violation of the code of ethics, and
of any action taken as a result of the violation,
must be maintained in an easily accessible place for
at least five years after the end of the fiscal year
in which the violation occurs;
(c) A copy of each report made by an Access Person as
required by Section 6(a) including any information
provided in lieu of a quarterly transaction report,
must be maintained for at least five years after the
end of the fiscal year in which the report is made or
the information is provided, the first two years in
an easily accessible place.
(d) A record of all persons, currently or within the past
five years, who are or were required to make reports
as Access Persons or who are or were responsible for
reviewing these reports, must be maintained in an
easily accessible place.
(e) A copy of each report required by 6(f) above must be
maintained for at least five years after the end of
the fiscal year in which it is made, the first two
years in an easily accessible place.
(f) A record of any decision and the reasons supporting
the decision to approve the acquisition by Access
Persons of securities under Section 4(f) above, for
at least five years after the end of the fiscal year
in which the approval is granted.
8. Sanctions
Upon discovering a violation of this Code, the Directors of the Adviser
may impose such sanctions as they deem appropriate, including, inter alia,
financial penalty, a letter of censure or suspension or termination of the
employment of the violator.
