PUTNAM DIVERSIFIED EQUITY TRUST, 485BPOS, 1998-06-25

PUTNAM DIVERSIFIED EQUITY TRUST
485BPOS, 1998-06-25

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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
June 25 , 1998

Registration No. 33-53135
811-7615
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
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FORM N-1A
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REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 / X /
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Pre-Effective Amendment No. / /
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Post-Effective Amendment No. 5 / X /
and ----
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REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY / X /
ACT OF 1940 ----
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Amendment No. 6 / X /
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(Check appropriate box or boxes)
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PUTNAM DIVERSIFIED EQUITY TRUST
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

One Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02109
(Address of principal executive offices)

Registrant's Telephone Number, including Area Code
(617) 292-1000
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It is proposed that this filing will become effective
(check appropriate box)

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/ / immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)
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/ X / on June 30, 1998 pursuant to paragraph (b)
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/ / 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
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/ / on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)
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/ / 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)
- ----
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/ / on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485.
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If appropriate, check the following box:
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/ / this post-effective amendment designates a new
- ---- effective date for a previously filed post-
effective amendment.
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JOHN R. VERANI, Vice President
PUTNAM DIVERSIFIED EQUITY TRUST
One Post Office Square
Boston, Massachusetts 02109
(Name and address of agent for service)
---------------
Copy to:
JOHN W. GERSTMAYR, Esquire
ROPES & GRAY
One International Place
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
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PUTNAM DIVERSIFIED EQUITY TRUST

CROSS REFERENCE SHEET

(AS REQUIRED BY RULE 481(A))

PART A

N-1A ITEM NO. LOCATION

1. Cover Page Cover page

2. Synopsis Expenses summary

3. Condensed Financial Information Financial
highlights;
How performance is
shown

4. General Description of Registrant Objective; How the
fund pursues its
objective;
Organization and
history

5. Management of the Fund Expenses summary;
How the fund is
managed; About Putnam
Investments, Inc.

5A. Management's Discussion of Fund
Performance (Contained in the
annual report of
the Registrant)

6. Capital Stock and Other Securities Cover page;
Organization and
history; How the fund makes
distributions to shareholders; tax
information

7. Purchase of Securities Being Offered How to buy shares;
Distribution plans;
How to sell shares;
How to exchange
shares; How the fund
values its shares

8. Redemption or Repurchase How to buy shares;
How to sell shares;
How to exchange
shares; Organization
and history

9. Pending Legal Proceedings Not applicable

PART B

N-1A ITEM NO. LOCATION

10. Cover Page Cover page

11. Table of Contents Cover page

12. General Information and History Organization and
history (Part A)

13. Investment Objectives and Policies How the fund pursues
its objective (Part
A); Investment
restrictions;
Miscellaneous
investment practices

14. Management of the
Registrant
Management Trustees;
Trustee fees;
Officers); Additional
officers

15. Control Persons and Principal Management
Holders of Securities (Trustees;
Officers); Charges
and expenses (Share
ownership)

16. Investment Advisory
and Other
Organization and
Services history
(Part A); Management
(Trustees;
Officers; The
management contract;
Principal
underwriter; Investor
servicing agent and
custodian); Charges
and expenses;
Distribution plans;
Independent
accountants and
financial statements

17. Brokerage Allocation Management
(Portfolio
transactions);
Charges and expenses

18. Capital Stock and Other Securities Organization and
history (Part A); How
the fund makes
distributions to
shareholders; tax
information (Part A);
Suspension of
redemptions

19. Purchase, Redemption, and Pricing How to buy shares
of Securities Being Offered (Part A); How to sell
shares (Part A); How
to exchange shares
(Part A); How to buy
shares; Determination
of net asset value;
Suspension of
redemptions

20. Tax Status How the fund makes
distributions to
shareholders; tax
information (Part
A); Taxes

21. Underwriters Management
(Principal
underwriter); Charges
and expenses

22. Calculation of Performance Data How performance is
shown (Part A);
Investment
performance; Standard
performance measures

23. Financial Statements Independent
accountants and
financial statements

PART C

Information required to be included in Part C is set forth
under the appropriate Item, so numbered, in Part C of the
Registration Statement.

PROSPECTUS
JUNE 30,
1998

PUTNAM DIVERSIFIED EQUITY TRUST
CLASS A, B AND M SHARES
INVESTMENT STRATEGY: GROWTH

This prospectus explains concisely what you should know before
investing in Putnam Diversified Equity Trust (the "fund").
Please read it carefully and keep it for future reference. You
can find more detailed information in the June 30, 1998
statement of additional information (the "SAI"), as amended from
time to time. For a free copy of the SAI or other information,
call Putnam Investor Services at 1-800-225-1581. The SAI has
been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
"Commission") and is incorporated into this prospectus by
reference. The Commission maintains a Web site
(http://www.sec.gov) that contains the SAI, material incorporated
by reference into this prospectus and the SAI, and other
information regarding registrants that file electronically with
the Commission.

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.

SHARES OF THE FUND ARE NOT DEPOSITS OR OBLIGATIONS OF, OR
GUARANTEED OR ENDORSED BY, ANY FINANCIAL INSTITUTION, ARE NOT
INSURED BY THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION, THE FEDERAL
RESERVE BOARD OR ANY OTHER AGENCY, AND INVOLVE RISK, INCLUDING
THE POSSIBLE LOSS OF PRINCIPAL AMOUNT INVESTED.

BOSTON * LONDON * TOKYO

ABOUT THE FUND

EXPENSES SUMMARY
.................................................................
This section describes the sales charges, management fees, and
annual operating expenses that apply to various classes of the
fund's shares. Use it to help you estimate the impact of
transaction costs and recurring expenses on your
investment over time.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
.................................................................
Study these tables to see, among other things, how the fund
performed each year for the past 10 years or since it began
investment operations if it has been in operation for less than
10 years.

OBJECTIVE
.................................................................
Read this section to make sure the fund's objective is consistent
with your own.

HOW THE FUND PURSUES ITS OBJECTIVE
.................................................................
This section explains in detail how the fund seeks its investment
objective and identifies risks associated with the fund's
investment policies .

HOW PERFORMANCE IS SHOWN
.................................................................
This section describes and defines the measures used to assess
fund performance. All data are based on past investment results
and do not predict future performance.

HOW THE FUND IS MANAGED
.................................................................
Consult this section for information about the fund's management,
allocation of its expenses, and how it purchases and
sells securities .

ORGANIZATION AND HISTORY
.................................................................
In this section, you will learn when the fund was introduced, how
it is organized, how it may offer shares, and who its Trustees
are.

ABOUT YOUR INVESTMENT

ALTERNATIVE SALES ARRANGEMENTS
.................................................................
Read this section for descriptions of the classes of shares this
prospectus offers and for points you should consider when making
your choice.

HOW TO BUY SHARES
.................................................................
This section describes the ways you may purchase shares and tells
you the minimum amounts required to open various types of
accounts. It explains how sales charges are determined and how
you may become eligible for reduced sales charges .

DISTRIBUTION PLANS
.................................................................
This section tells you what distribution fees are charged against
each class of shares.

HOW TO SELL SHARES
.................................................................
In this section you can learn how to sell fund shares, either
directly to the fund or through an investment dealer.

HOW TO EXCHANGE SHARES
.................................................................
Find out in this section how you may exchange fund shares for
shares of other Putnam funds. The section also explains how
exchanges can be made without sales charges and the conditions
under which sales charges may be required.

HOW THE FUND VALUES ITS SHARES
.................................................................
This section explains how the fund determines the value of its
shares.

HOW THE FUND MAKES DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS; TAX INFORMATION
.................................................................
This section describes the various options you have in choosing
how to receive fund dividends. It also discusses the tax status
of the payments and counsels you to seek specific advice about
your own situation.

ABOUT PUTNAM INVESTMENTS, INC.
..............................................................
...
Read this section to learn more about the companies that provide
marketing, investment management, and shareholder account
services to Putnam funds and their shareholders.

ABOUT THE FUND

EXPENSES SUMMARY

Expenses are one of several factors to consider when investing.
The following table summarizes your maximum transaction costs
from investing in the fund and expenses based on the most recent
fiscal year. The examples show the cumulative expenses
attributable to a hypothetical $1,000 investment over specified
periods.

CLASS A CLASS B CLASS M
SHARES SHARES SHARES
SHAREHOLDER TRANSACTION
EXPENSES

Maximum sales charge
imposed on purchases
(as a percentage of
offering price) 5.75% NONE* 3.50%*

Deferred sales charge 5.0% in the first
(as a percentage year, declining
of the lower of to 1.0% in the
original purchase sixth year, and
price or redemption eliminated
proceeds) NONE** thereafter NONE

ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(as a percentage of average net assets)
Total fund
Management 12b-1 Other operating
fees fees expenses expenses
---------- ----- -------- ---------

Class A 0.69% 0.37% 0.31% 1.37%
Class B 0.69% 1.00% 0.31% 2.00%
Class M 0.69% 0.75% 0.31% 1.75%

The table is provided to help you understand the expenses of
investing and your share of fund operating expenses. The
expenses shown in the table do not reflect the application of
credits that reduce fund expenses.

EXAMPLES

Your investment of $1,000 would incur the following expenses,
assuming 5% annual return and, except as indicated, redemption at
the end of each period:

1 3 5 10
year years years years

CLASS A $71 $98 $128 $213
CLASS B $70 $93 $128
$216** *
CLASS B (NO REDEMPTION) $20 $63 $108
$216** *
CLASS M $52 $88 $127 $234

The examples do not represent past or future expense levels.
Actual expenses may be greater or less than those shown. Federal
regulations require the examples to assume a 5% annual return,
but actual annual return varies.

* The higher 12b-1 fees borne by class B and class M shares
may cause long-term shareholders to pay more than the
economic equivalent of the maximum permitted front-end sales
charge on class A shares.

** A deferred sales charge of up to 1.00% is assessed on
certain redemptions of class A shares that were purchased
without an initial sales charge. See "How to buy shares -
Class A shares."

*** Reflects conversion of class B shares to class A shares
(which pay lower ongoing expenses) approximately eight years
after purchase. See "Alternative sales arrangements."

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

The following tables present per share financial information for
class A, B and M shares. This information has been audited and
reported on by the independent accountants. The "Report of
independent accountants" and financial statements included in the
fund's annual report to shareholders for the 1998 fiscal
year are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. The
fund's annual report, which contains additional unaudited
performance information, is available without charge upon
request.

<TABLE><CAPTION>
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
(FOR A SHARE OUTSTANDING THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD)
CLASS A

For the period
PER-SHARE Year ended July 1, 1994+
OPERATING PERFORMANCE Year ended February 28 February 29 to February 28
1998 1997 1996 1995
<S> <C> <C>
<C> <C>
NET ASSET VALUE,
BEGINNING OF PERIOD $11.85 $11.02 $8.83 $8.50
INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:
Net investment income (loss) .03(d) .06(d) .06 .03(d)
Net realized a nd unrealized
g ain on investments 3.06 1.77 2.60 .32
TOTAL FR OM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS 3.09 1.83 2.66 .35
LESS DISTRIBUTIONS:
From net investment income (.05) (.12) (.08) --
From net realized gain on
investments (1.66) (.83) (.39) --
In excess of net investment income (.05) (.05) -- --
In excess of net realized gain
on investments -- -- -- (.02)
TOTAL DISTRIBUTIONS (1.76) (1.00) (.47) (.02)
NET ASSET VALU E,
END OF PERIOD $13.18 $11.85 $11.02 $8. 83
RATIOS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
TOTAL INVESTM ENT RETURN
AT NET AS SET VALUE (%)(a) 27.74 16.92 30.58 4.13*
NET ASSETS, END OF PERIOD
(in thousands) $270,536 $199,305 $142,513 $93,144
Ratio of expense s to average
net assets(%)(b) 1.37 1.43 1.56 1.12*
Ratio of net investm ent income (loss)
to average net assets (%) .20 .48 .60 .37*
Portfolio turnover (%) 97.77 82.07 72.00 46.52*
Average commissi on rate paid (c) $.0331 $.0439

+ Commencement of operations.
* Not annualized.
(a) Total investment return assumes dividend reinvestment and does not
reflect the effect of sales charges.
(b) The ratio of expenses to average net assets for periods ended February
29, 1996 and thereafter includes amounts paid through brokerage service
and expense offset arrangements. Prior period ratios exclude these
amounts.
(c) Average commission rate paid is required for fiscal periods beginning on
or after September 1, 1995.
(d) Per-share net investment income (loss) has been determined on the basis
of the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
(FOR A SHARE OUTSTANDING THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD)
CLASS B

For the period
PER-SHARE Year ended July 1, 1994+
OPERATING PERFORMANCE Year ended February 28 February 29 to February 28
1998 1997 1996 1995
<S> <C> <C>
<C> <C>
NET ASSET VALUE,
BEGINNING OF PERIOD $11.77 $10.97 $8.80 $8.50
INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:
Net investment income (loss) (.06)(d) (.01)(d) .01 --(d)
Net realized and unrealized
gai n on investments 3.05 1.76 2.60 .32
TOTAL FR OM INVESTMENT OPERATIONS 2.99 1.75 2.61 .32
LESS DISTRIBUTIONS:
From net investment income (.01) (.09) (.05) --
From net realized gain on
investments (1.66) (.83) (.39) --
In excess of net investment income (.02) (.03) -- --
In excess of net realized gain
on investments -- -- -- (.02)
TOTAL DISTRIBUTIONS (1.69) (.95) (.44) (.02)
NET ASSET VALU E,
END OF PERIOD $13.07 $11.77 $10.97 $8.8 0
RATIOS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
TOTAL INVESTMEN T RETURN
AT NET ASSE T VALUE (%)(a) 26.98 16.19 30.05 3.7 7*
NET ASSETS, END OF PERIOD
(in thousands) $333,642 $232,117 $150,679 $75,9 98
Ratio of expenses to average
net assets(%)(b) 2.00 2.02 2.09 1.45*
Ratio of net investm ent income (loss)
to average net assets (%) (.44) (.12) .05 .05*
Portfolio turnover (%) 97.77 82.07 72.00 46.52*
Average commissi on rate paid (c) $.0331 $.0439

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
(FOR A SHARE OUTSTANDING THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD)
CLASS M

For the
period
PER-SHARE July 3, 1995+
OPERATING PERFORMANCE Year ended February 28 to February 29
1998 1997 1996
<S> <C> <C>
<C>
NET ASSET VALUE,
BEGINNING OF PERIOD $11.80 $11.01 $9.76
INVESTMENT OPERATIONS:
Net investment income (loss) (.03)(c) .01(c) --(c)
Net realized and unrealized
gain on investments 3.07 1.78 1.72
TOTAL FRO M INVESTMENT OPERATIONS 3.04 1.79 1.72
LESS DISTRIBUTIONS:
From net investment income (.03) (.12) (.08)
From net realized gai n on
investments (1.66) (.83) (.39)
In excess of ne t investment income (.04) (.05) --
TOTAL DISTRIBUTIONS (1.73) (1.00) (.47)
NET ASSET VALUE,
END OF PERIOD $13.11 $11.80 $11.0 1
RATIOS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA
TOTAL INVESTMENT RETU RN
AT NET ASSET VALUE (%)(a) 27.36 16.51 17.95*
NET ASSETS, END OF PERIOD
(in thousands) $25,145 $14,791 $3,901
Ratio of expenses t o average
net assets(%) 1.75 1.77 1.23*
Ratio of net investmen t income (loss)
to average net assets (%) (.22) .05 --*
Portfolio turnover (%) 97.77 82.07 72.00
Average commissio n rate paid (b) $.0331 $.0439

+ Commencement of operations.
* Not annualized.
(a) Total investment return assumes dividend reinvestment and does not
reflect the effect of sales charges.
(b) Average commission rate paid is required for fiscal periods beginning on
or after September 1, 1995.
(c) Per-share net investment income (loss) has been determined on the basis
of the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period.
</TABLE>

OBJECTIVE

Putnam Diversified Equity Trust seeks capital appreciation. The
fund is not intended to be a complete investment program, and
there is no assurance it will achieve its objective.

HOW THE FUND PURSUES ITS OBJECTIVE

BASIC INVESTMENT STRATEGY

THE FUND INVESTS ITS ASSETS PRIMARILY IN A DIVERSIFIED PORTFOLIO
OF COMMON STOCKS. However, the fund may purchase preferred
stocks, convertible securities and warrants, as well as debt
securities, money market instruments and cash. Under normal
market conditions, Putnam Investment Management, Inc., the fund's
investment manager ("Putnam Management"), will invest at least
65% of the fund's total assets in equity securities of
issuers located in at least three different countries, one of
which may be the United States .

In selecting equity securities for the fund, Putnam Management
will consider, among other things, an issuer's financial
strength, competitive position and projected future earnings and
dividends. The fund may invest in companies, domestic or
foreign, whose earnings Putnam Management believes are in
relatively strong growth trend, or in companies in which
significant further growth is not anticipated but whose
securities Putnam Management believes are undervalued. The
fund's portfolio securities may include common stocks of large
companies, as well as common stocks of small, less
well - known companies. Securities of small , less
well-known companies may present greater opportunities for
capital appreciation, but generally also involve greater
risks. These companies may have limited product lines, markets
or financial resources, or may depend on a limited management
group. Their securities may trade less frequently and in limited
volume. As a result, the prices of these securities may
fluctuate more than prices of securities of larger, more
established companies.

ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

At times Putnam Management may judge that conditions in the
securities markets make pursuing the fund's basic investment
strategy inconsistent with the best interests of its
shareholders. At such times Putnam Management may temporarily
use alternative strategies primarily designed to reduce
fluctuations in the value of fund assets.

In implementing these defensive strategies, the fund may invest
100% of the fund's assets in securities of issuers located in
the United States and may invest primarily in debt
securities, preferred stocks, U.S. government and agency
obligations, cash or money market instruments, or any
other securities that Putnam Management considers
consistent with such defensive strategies.

It is impossible to predict when, or for how long, these
alternative strategies will be used.

RISK FACTORS

FOREIGN INVESTMENTS

The fund may invest without limit in securities of foreign
issuers . These foreign investments involve certain
special risks described below.

Investments in foreign securities may subject the fund to other
risks as well. For example, there may be less information
publicly available about a foreign issuer than about a U.S.
issuer, and foreign issuers are not generally subject to
accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and
practices comparable to those in the United States. The
securities of some foreign issuers are less liquid and at times
more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. issuers.
Foreign brokerage commissions and other fees are also generally
higher than in the United States. Foreign settlement procedures
and trade regulations may involve certain risks (such as delay in
payment or delivery of securities or in the recovery of the
fund's assets held abroad) and expenses not present in the
settlement of investments in U.S. markets.

In addition, the fund's investments in foreign securities may be
subject to the risk of nationalization or expropriation of
assets, imposition of currency exchange controls or restrictions
on the repatriation of foreign currency, confiscatory taxation,
political or financial instability and diplomatic developments
which could affect the value of the fund's investments in certain
foreign countries. Dividends or interest on, or proceeds from
the sale of, foreign securities may be subject to foreign
withholding taxes, and special U.S. tax considerations may apply.

Legal remedies available to investors in certain foreign
countries may be more limited than those available with respect
to investments in the United States or in other foreign
countries. The laws of some foreign countries may limit the
fund's ability to invest in securities of certain issuers
organized under the laws of those foreign countries.

The risks described above are typically increased in connection
with investments in less developed and developing nations, which
are sometimes referred to as "emerging markets." For example,
political and economic structures in these countries may be in
their infancy and developing rapidly, causing instability. High
rates of inflation or currency devaluations may adversely affect
the economies and securities markets of such countries.
Investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative.

Certain of the foregoing risks may also apply to some
extent to securities of U.S. issuers that are denominated in
foreign currencies or that are traded in foreign markets, or
to securities of U.S. issuers having significant foreign
operations.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FOREIGN SECURITIES AND THE RISKS
ASSOCIATED WITH INVESTMENT IN SUCH SECURITIES, SEE THE SAI.

FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE TRANSACTIONS

THE FUND MAY ENGAGE IN FOREIGN CURRENCY EXCHANGE TRANSACTIONS TO
MANAGE ITS EXPOSURE TO FOREIGN CURRENCIES . Putnam
Management may engage in foreign currency exchange transactions
in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio securities
("transaction hedging") and to protect against changes in the
value of specific portfolio positions ("position hedging").
It may also engage in foreign currency transactions for non-
hedging purposes, subject to applicable law.

The fund may engage in transaction hedging to protect against a
change in foreign currency exchange rates between the date on
which the fund contracts to purchase or sell a security and the
settlement date, or to "lock in" the U.S. dollar equivalent of a
dividend or interest payment in a foreign currency. The fund may
purchase or sell a foreign currency on a spot (or cash) basis at
the prevailing spot rate in connection with the settlement of
transactions in portfolio securities denominated in that foreign
currency.

If conditions warrant, for transaction hedging purposes the fund
may also enter into contracts to purchase or sell foreign
currencies at a future date ("forward contracts") and purchase
and sell foreign currency futures contracts. A foreign currency
forward contract is a negotiated agreement to exchange currency
at a future time at a rate or rates that may be higher or lower
than the spot rate. Foreign currency futures contracts are
standardized exchange-traded contracts and have margin
requirements. In addition, for transaction hedging purposes the
fund may also purchase or sell exchange-listed and
over-the-counter call and put options on foreign currency futures
contracts and on foreign currencies.

The fund may engage in position hedging to protect against a
decline in the value relative to the U.S. dollar of the
currencies in which its portfolio securities are denominated or
quoted (or an increase in the value of the currency in which the
securities the fund intends to buy are denominated, when the fund
holds cash or short-term investments). For position hedging
purposes, the fund may purchase or sell , on exchanges or in
over-the-counter markets, foreign currency futures contracts,
foreign currency forward contracts and options on foreign
currency futures contracts and on foreign currencies . In
connection with position hedging, the fund may also purchase or
sell foreign currency on a spot basis.

The fund's currency hedging transactions may call for the
delivery of one foreign currency in exchange for another foreign
currency and may at times not involve currencies in which its
portfolio securities are then denominated. Putnam Management
will engage in such "cross hedging" activities when it believes
that such transactions provide significant hedging opportunities
for the fund. Cross hedging transactions by the fund involve the
risk of imperfect correlation between changes in the values of
the currencies to which such transactions relate and changes in
the value of the currency or other asset or liability which is
the subject of the hedge.

The fund may also engage in non-hedging currency transactions.
For example, Putnam Management may believe that exposure to a
currency is in the fund's best interest but that securities
denominated in that currency will not assist the fund in meeting
its objective. In that case the fund may, for example, purchase
a currency forward contract or option in order to increase its
exposure to the currency.

The decision as to whether and to what extent the fund will
engage in foreign currency exchange transactions will depend on a
number of factors, including prevailing market conditions, the
composition of the fund's portfolio and the availability of
suitable transactions. Accordingly, there can be no assurance
that the fund will engage in foreign currency exchange
transactions at any given time or from time to time.

For a further discussion of the risks associated with purchasing
and selling futures contracts and options, see "Futures and
options." The SAI also contains additional information
concerning the fund's use of foreign currency exchange
transactions.

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

The length of time the fund has held a particular security is not
generally a consideration in investment decisions. A change in
the securities held by the fund is known as "portfolio turnover."
As a result of the fund's investment policies, under certain
market conditions its portfolio turnover rate may be higher than
that of other mutual funds.

Portfolio turnover generally involves some expense, including
brokerage commissions or dealer markups and other transaction
costs in connection with the sale of securities and
reinvestment in other securities. These transactions may result
in realization of taxable capital gains. Portfolio turnover
rates are shown in the section "Financial highlights."

FUTURES AND OPTIONS

THE FUND MAY BUY AND SELL STOCK INDEX FUTURES CONTRACTS.
An "index future" is a contract to buy or sell units of a
particular stock index at an agreed price on a specified future
date. Depending on the change in value of the index between the
time the fund enters into and terminates an index future
transaction, the fund realizes a gain or loss. In addition to or
as an alternative to purchasing or selling index futures, the
fund may buy and sell call and put options on index futures or
stock indexes. The fund may engage in index futures and options
transactions for hedging purposes and for nonhedging purposes,
such as to adjust its exposure to relevant markets or as a
substitute for direct investment.

THE USE OF INDEX FUTURES AND RELATED OPTIONS INVOLVES CERTAIN
SPECIAL RISKS. FUTURES AND OPTIONS TRANSACTIONS INVOLVE COSTS
AND MAY RESULT IN LOSSES.

Certain risks arise from the possibility of imperfect
correlations among movements in the prices of financial futures
and options purchased or sold by the fund, of the underlying
stock index, currencies or securities and, in the case of hedging
transactions, of the securities that are the subject of the
hedge. The successful use of the strategies described above
further depends on Putnam Management's ability to forecast market
movements correctly.

Other risks arise from the potential inability to close out index
futures or options positions. There can be no assurance that a
liquid secondary market will exist for any index future or option
at any particular time. The fund's ability to terminate option
positions established in the over-the-counter market may be more
limited than for exchange-traded options and may also involve the
risk that securities dealers participating in such transactions
would fail to meet their obligations to the fund. Certain
regulatory requirements may limit the use of index
futures and options transactions.

FOR A MORE DETAILED EXPLANATION OF INDEX FUTURES AND
OPTIONS TRANSACTIONS, INCLUDING THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM,
SEE THE SAI.

OTHER INVESTMENT PRACTICES

THE FUND MAY ALSO ENGAGE IN THE FOLLOWING INVESTMENT PRACTICES,
EACH OF WHICH INVOLVES CERTAIN SPECIAL RISKS. THE SAI CONTAINS
MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THESE PRACTICES, INCLUDING
LIMITATIONS DESIGNED TO REDUCE THESE RISKS.

OPTIONS. The fund may seek to increase its current return by
writing covered call and put options on securities it owns or in
which it may invest. The fund receives a premium from writing a
call or put option, which increases the return if the option
expires unexercised or is closed out at a net profit.

When the fund writes a call option, it gives up the opportunity
to profit from any increase in the price of a security above the
exercise price of the option; when it writes a put option, it
takes the risk that it will be required to purchase a security
from the option holder at a price above the current market price
of the security. The fund may terminate an option that it has
written prior to its expiration by entering into a closing
purchase transaction in which it purchases an option having the
same terms as the option written.

The fund may also buy and sell put and call options, including
combinations of put and call options on the same underlying
security. The use of these strategies may be limited by
applicable law.

SECURITIES LOANS, REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS AND FORWARD COMMITMENTS.
The fund may lend portfolio securities amounting to not more than
25% of its assets to broker-dealers and may enter into repurchase
agreements on up to 25% of its assets. These transactions must
be fully collateralized at all times. The fund may also purchase
securities for future delivery, which may increase its overall
investment exposure and involves a risk of loss if the value of
the securities declines prior to the settlement date. These
transactions involve some risk if the other party should default
on its obligation and the fund is delayed or prevented from
recovering the collateral or completing the transaction.

DIVERSIFICATION

The fund is a "diversified" investment company under the
Investment Company Act of 1940. This means that with respect to
75% of its total assets, the fund may not invest more than 5% of
its total assets in the securities of any one issuer (except U.S.
government securities). The remaining 25% of its total assets is
not subject to this restriction. To the extent the fund invests
a significant portion of its assets in the securities of a
particular issuer, it will be subject to an increased risk of
loss if the market value of such issuer's securities declines.

DERIVATIVES

Certain of the instruments in which the fund may invest, such as
futures contracts, options and forward contracts, are considered
to be "derivatives." Derivatives are financial instruments whose
value depends upon, or is derived from, the value of an
underlying asset, such as a security or an index. Further
information about these instruments and the risks involved in
their use is included elsewhere in this prospectus and in the
SAI.

LIMITING INVESTMENT RISK

SPECIFIC INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS HELP TO LIMIT INVESTMENT RISKS
FOR THE FUND'S SHAREHOLDERS. These restrictions prohibit the
fund, with respect to 75% of its total assets, from acquiring
more than 10% of the voting securities of any one issuer.* They
also prohibit the fund from investing more than:

(a) (with respect to 75% of its total assets) 5% of its total
assets in securities of any one issuer (other than the
U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities);*

(b) 25% of its total assets in any one industry (securities of
the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities are not
considered to represent any industry);* or

(c) 15% of its net assets in any combination of securities that
are not readily marketable, securities restricted as to
resale (excluding securities determined by the Trustees (or the
person designated by the Trustees to make such determinations) to
be readily marketable), and repurchase agreements
maturing in more than seven days.

Restrictions marked with an asterisk (*) above are summaries of
fundamental investment policies. See the SAI for the full text
of these policies and other fundamental investment policies.
Except as otherwise noted in the SAI, all percentage limitations
described in this prospectus and the SAI will apply at the time
an investment is made, and will not be considered violated unless
an excess or deficiency occurs or exists immediately after and as
a result of such investment. Except for investment policies
designated as fundamental in this prospectus or the SAI, the
investment policies described in this prospectus and in the SAI
are not fundamental policies. The Trustees may change any
non-fundamental investment policy without shareholder approval.
As a matter of policy, the Trustees would not materially change
the fund's investment objective without shareholder approval.

HOW PERFORMANCE IS SHOWN

FUND ADVERTISEMENTS MAY, FROM TIME TO TIME, INCLUDE PERFORMANCE
INFORMATION. "Total return" for the one-, five- and ten-year
periods (or for the life of a class, if shorter) through the most
recent calendar quarter represents the average annual compounded
rate of return on an investment of $1,000 in the fund invested at
the maximum public offering price (in the case of class A and
class M shares) or reflecting the deduction of any applicable
contingent deferred sales charge (in the case of class B shares).
Total return may also be presented for other periods or based on
investment at reduced sales charge levels. Any quotation of
investment performance not reflecting the maximum initial sales
charge or contingent deferred sales charge would be reduced if
the sales charge were used.

ALL DATA ARE BASED ON PAST INVESTMENT RESULTS AND DO NOT PREDICT
FUTURE PERFORMANCE. Investment performance, which will vary, is
based on many factors, including market conditions, portfolio
composition, fund operating expenses and the class of
shares the investor purchases. Investment performance also often
reflects the risks associated with the fund's investment
objective and policies. These factors should be considered when
comparing the fund's investment results with those of other
mutual funds and other investment vehicles.

Quotations of investment performance for any period when an
expense limitation was in effect will be greater than if the
limitation had not been in effect. Fund performance may be
compared to that of various indexes. See the SAI.

HOW THE FUND IS MANAGED

THE TRUSTEES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR GENERALLY OVERSEEING THE CONDUCT
OF FUND BUSINESS. Subject to such policies as the Trustees may
determine, Putnam Management furnishes a continuing investment
program for the fund and makes investment decisions on its
behalf. Subject to the control of the Trustees, Putnam
Management also manages the fund's other affairs and business.

The fund pays Putnam Management a quarterly fee for these
services based on average net assets. See "Expenses summary" and
the SAI.

The following officers of Putnam Management have had primary
responsibility for the day-to-day management of the fund's
portfolio since the years stated below:

Business experience
Year (at least 5 years)
------- -------------------------

Justin M. Scott1998 Employed as an investment
Managing Director professional by Putnam
Management since 1988.

Robert R. Beck 1998 Employed as an investment
Managing Director professional by Putnam
Management since 1989.

Omid Kamshad1998 Employed as an investment
Managing Director professional by Putnam
Management since
January ,
1996. Prior to January,
1996, Mr. Kamshad was
Director of Investments at
Lombard Odier International
and prior to April, 1995,
he was a Director at
Baring Asset Management
Company.

Michael P.Stack1998 Employed as an investment
Senior Vice President professional by Putnam
Management since November,
1997. Prior to November,
1997, Mr. Stack was a
Senior Vice President and
Portfolio Manager at
Independence Investment
Associates Inc.

Paul C. Warren 1997 Employed as an investment
Senior Vice President professional by Putnam
Management since
August, 1997. Prior to May,
1997, Mr. Warren was a
Director at IDS Fund
Management, and
prior to August, 1994, was
a Director at Pilgrim
Baxter Associates. Prior
to March, 1994, Mr. Warren
was a Director at
Prudential Asia.

Michael E. Nance1998 Employed as an investment
Vice President professional by Putnam
Management since June,
1994. Prior to June, 1994,
Mr. Nance attended the
University of Chicago
Graduate School of
Business.

The fund pays all expenses not assumed by Putnam Management,
including Trustees' fees, auditing, legal, custodial, investor
servicing and shareholder reporting expenses, and payments under
its distribution plans (which are in turn allocated to the
relevant class of shares). The fund also reimburses Putnam
Management for the compensation and related expenses of certain
fund officers and their staff who provide administrative
services. The total reimbursement is determined annually by the
Trustees.

Putnam Management places all orders for purchases and sales of
fund securities. In selecting broker-dealers, Putnam Management
may consider research and brokerage services furnished to it and
its affiliates. Subject to seeking the most favorable price and
execution available, Putnam Management may consider sales of fund
shares (and, if permitted by law, shares of the other Putnam
funds) as a factor in the selection of broker-dealers.

ORGANIZATION AND HISTORY

Putnam Diversified Equity Trust is a Massachusetts business trust
organized on April 13, 1994. A copy of the Agreement and
Declaration of Trust, which is governed by Massachusetts law, is
on file with the Secretary of State of The Commonwealth of
Massachusetts.

The fund is an open-end, diversified management investment
company with an unlimited number of authorized shares of
beneficial interest. The Trustees may, without shareholder
approval, create two or more series of shares representing
separate investment portfolios. Any such series of shares may be
divided without shareholder approval into two or more classes of
shares having such preferences and special or relative rights and
privileges as the Trustees determine. The fund's shares are not
currently divided into series. Only class A, B and M shares are
offered by this prospectus. The fund may also offer other
classes of shares with different sales charges and expenses.
Because of these different sales charges and expenses, the
investment performance of the classes will vary. For more
information, including your eligibility to purchase any other
class of shares, contact your investment dealer or Putnam Mutual
Funds (at 1-800-225-1581).

Each share has one vote, with fractional shares voting
proportionally. Shares of all classes will vote together as a
single class except when otherwise required by law or as
determined by the Trustees. Shares are freely transferable, are
entitled to dividends as declared by the Trustees, and, if the
fund were liquidated, would receive the net assets of the fund.
The fund may suspend the sale of shares at any time and may
refuse any order to purchase shares. Although the fund is not
required to hold annual meetings of its shareholders,
shareholders holding at least 10% of the outstanding shares
entitled to vote have the right to call a meeting to elect or
remove Trustees, or to take other actions as provided in the
Agreement and Declaration of Trust.

If you own fewer shares than the minimum set by the Trustees
(presently 20 shares), the fund may choose to redeem your shares.
You will receive at least 30 days' written notice before the fund
redeems your shares, and you may purchase additional shares at
any time to avoid a redemption. The fund may also redeem shares
if you own shares above a maximum amount set by the Trustees.
There is presently no maximum, but the Trustees may , at
any time, establish one which could apply to both present
and future shareholders.

THE FUND'S TRUSTEES: GEORGE PUTNAM,* CHAIRMAN. President of the
Putnam funds. Chairman and Director of Putnam Management and
Putnam Mutual Funds Corp. ("Putnam Mutual Funds"). Director,
Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.; WILLIAM F. POUNDS, VICE
CHAIRMAN. Professor of Management, Alfred P. Sloan School of
Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; JAMESON ADKINS
BAXTER, President, Baxter Associates, Inc.; HANS H. ESTIN, Vice
Chairman, North American Management Corp.; JOHN A. HILL, Chairman
and Managing Director, First Reserve Corporation; RONALD J.
JACKSON, Former Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
of Fisher-Price, Inc. , Trustee of Salem Hospital and the
Peabody Essex Museum; PAUL L. JOSKOW,* Professor of Economics
and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Director,
New England Electric System, State Farm Indemnity Company and
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research; ELIZABETH T.
KENNAN, President Emeritus and Professor, Mount Holyoke College;
LAWRENCE J. LASSER,* Vice President of the Putnam funds.
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Putnam
Investments, Inc. and Putnam Management. Director, Marsh &
McLennan Companies, Inc. ; JOHN H. MULLIN, III, Chairman and
CEO of Ridgeway Farm, Director of ACX Technologies, Inc., Alex.
Brown Realty, Inc. and The Liberty Corporation ; ROBERT E.
PATTERSON, President and Trustee of Cabot Industrial Trust and
the SEA Education Association ; DONALD S. PERKINS,* Director
of various corporations, including Cummins Engine Company, Lucent
Technologies, Inc. , Nanophase Technologies, Inc. , Springs
Industries, Inc. and Time Warner Inc.; GEORGE PUTNAM, III,*
President, New Generation Research, Inc.; A.J.C. SMITH,* Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. ;
W. THOMAS STEPHENS, President and Chief Executive Officer of
MacMillan Bloedel Ltd., Director of Qwest Communications and New
Century Energies ; and W. NICHOLAS THORNDIKE, Director of
various corporations and charitable organizations, including Data
General Corporation, Bradley Real Estate, Inc. and Providence
Journal Co. Also, Trustee of Cabot Industrial Trust,
Massachusetts General Hospital and Eastern Utilities Associates.
The Trustees are also Trustees of the other Putnam funds. Those
marked with an asterisk (*) are or may be deemed to be
"interested persons" of the fund, Putnam Management or Putnam
Mutual Funds.

ABOUT YOUR INVESTMENT

ALTERNATIVE SALES ARRANGEMENTS

CLASS A SHARES. If you purchase class A shares , you
will generally pay a sales charge at the time of
purchase and, as a result, will not have to
pay any charges when you redeem the shares. If you
purchase class A shares at net asset value , you may have
to pay a contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") when
you redeem the shares . Certain purchases of class A shares
qualify for reduced sales charges. Class A shares pay
lower 12b-1 fees than class B and class M shares. See
"How to buy shares -- Class A shares" and "Distribution plans."

CLASS B SHARES. If you purchase class B shares, you will not
pay an initial sales charge, but you may have to pay a
CDSC if you redeem the shares within six years . Class B
shares also pay a higher 12b-1 fee than class A and class
M shares. Class B shares automatically convert into class A
shares, based on relative net asset value, approximately eight
years after purchase. For more information about the conversion
of class B shares, including information about how shares
acquired through reinvestment of distributions are treated
and certain circumstances under which class B shares
may not convert into class A shares, see the SAI . Class B
shares provide an investor the benefit of putting all of the
investor's dollars to work from the time the investment is made.
Until conversion, class B shares will have a higher expense ratio
and pay lower dividends than class A and class M shares because
of the higher 12b-1 fee. See "How to buy shares -- Class B
shares" and "Distribution plans."

CLASS M SHARES. If you purchase class M shares , you
will generally pay a sales charge at the time of purchase
that is lower than the sales charge you would pay for
class A shares. Certain purchases of class M shares qualify for
reduced sales charges. Class M shares pay 12b-1
fees that are lower than class B shares but higher
than class A shares. You will not have to pay any charges
when you redeem class M shares, but class M shares will not
convert into any other class of shares. See "How to buy shares -
- - Class M shares" and "Distribution plans."

WHICH CLASS IS BEST FOR YOU? Which class of shares
provides the most suitable investment for you
depends on a number of factors, including the amount you
intend to invest and how long you intend to hold the shares. If
your intended purchase qualifies for reduced sales
charges , you might consider class A or class M shares.
If you prefer not to pay a sales charge at the
time of purchase, you might consider class B shares. Orders
for class B shares for $250,000 or more will be treated as orders
for class A shares or declined. For more information about these
sales arrangements, consult your investment dealer or Putnam
Investor Services. Shares may only be exchanged for shares of
the same class of another Putnam fund. See "How to
exchange shares."

HOW TO BUY SHARES

You can open a fund account with as little as $500 and make
additional investments at any time with as little as $50. You
can buy fund shares three ways - through most investment dealers
or other intermediaries , through Putnam Mutual Funds (at 1-
800-225-1581), or through a systematic investment plan. If you
do not have a dealer, Putnam Mutual Funds can refer you to
one. Your dealer or other intermediary will be responsible
for furnishing all necessary documentation to Putnam Investor
Services and may charge you a transaction fee.

BUYING SHARES THROUGH YOUR INVESTMENT DEALER.Your dealer must
receive your order before the close of regular trading on the New
York Stock Exchange to receive that day's public offering
price.

BUYING SHARES THROUGH PUTNAM MUTUAL FUNDS. Complete an order
form and write a check for the amount you wish to invest, payable
to the fund. Return the completed form and check to Putnam
Mutual Funds, which will act as your agent in purchasing shares
through your designated investment dealer.

BUYING SHARES THROUGH SYSTEMATIC INVESTING. You can make regular
investments of $25 or more per month through automatic deductions
from your bank checking or savings account. Application forms
are available from your investment dealer or through Putnam
Investor Services.

Shares are sold at the public offering price based on the net
asset value next determined after Putnam Investor Services
receives your order. In most cases, in order to receive that
day's public offering price, Putnam Investor Services must
receive your order before the close of regular trading on the New
York Stock Exchange.

CLASS A SHARES

The public offering price of class A shares is the net asset
value plus a sales charge that varies depending on the size of
your purchase. The fund receives the net asset value. The sales
charge is allocated between your investment dealer and Putnam
Mutual Funds as shown in the following table, except when Putnam
Mutual Funds, in its discretion, allocates the entire amount to
your investment dealer.

Under 50,000 6.10% 5.75% 5.00%
50,000 but under 100,000 4.71 4.50 3.75
100,000 but under 250,000 3.63 3.50 2.75
250,000 but under 500,000 2.56 2.50 2.00
500,000 but under 1,000,000 2.04 2.00 1.75
- ----------------------------------------------------------------

No initial sales charge applies to purchases of class A shares of
$1 million or more or to purchases by employer-sponsored
retirement plans that have at least 200 eligible employees.
However, a CDSC of 1.00% or 0.50% is imposed on redemptions of
these shares within the first or second year, respectively,
after purchase, unless the dealer of record waived its
commission with Putnam Mutual Funds' approval, or unless the
purchaser is a class A qualified benefit plan (a retirement plan
for which Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company or its affiliates
provide recordkeeping or other services in connection with
the purchase of class A shares).

Class A qualified benefit plans may also purchase class A
shares with no initial sales charge. However, except as
stated below, a CDSC of 0.75% of the total amount redeemed (1.00%
in the case of plans for which Putnam Mutual Funds and its
affiliates do not act as trustee or recordkeeper) is imposed
on redemptions of these shares if, within two years of a
plan's initial purchase of class A shares, it redeems 90% or more
of its cumulative purchases. Thereafter, such a plan is no
longer liable for any CDSC. The two-year CDSC applicable to
class A qualified benefit plans for which Putnam Mutual
Funds or its affiliates serve as trustee or recordkeeper ("full
service plans") is 0.50% of the total amount redeemed for full
service plans that initially invest at least $5 million
but less than $10 million in Putnam funds and other
investments managed by Putnam Management or its affiliates
("Putnam Assets"), and is 0.25% of the total amount redeemed
for full service plans that initially invest at least $10 million
but less than $20 million in Putnam Assets. Class A qualified
benefit plans that initially invest at least $20 million in
Putnam Assets, or whose dealer of record has, with Putnam Mutual
Funds' approval, waived its commission or agreed to refund its
commission to Putnam Mutual Funds in the event a CDSC
would otherwise be applicable, are not subject to any CDSC.

A class A qualified benefit plan participating in a "multi-fund"
program approved by Putnam Mutual Funds may include amounts
invested in other mutual funds participating in such program for
purposes of determining whether the plan may purchase class A
shares at net asset value. These investments will also be
included for purposes of the discount privileges and programs
described elsewhere in this prospectus and in the SAI.

As described in the SAI, Putnam Mutual Funds pays the dealer of
record a commission of up to 1% on sales to class A qualified
benefit plans. Putnam Mutual Funds pays dealers of
record commissions on sales of class A shares of $1 million or
more and sales of class A shares to employer-sponsored retirement
plans that have at least 200 eligible employees and that are not
class A qualified benefit plans based on an investor's cumulative
purchases during the one-year period beginning with the date of
the initial purchase at net asset value. Each subsequent one-
year measuring period for these purposes will begin with the
first net asset value purchase following the end of the prior
period. Such commissions are paid at the rate of 1.00% of the
first $3 million of shares purchased , 0.50% of the
next $47 million and 0.25% thereafter.

CLASS B SHARES

Class B shares are sold without an initial sales charge, although
a CDSC will be imposed if you redeem shares within a specified
period after purchase, as shown in the table below.

YEAR 1 2 3 4 5 6 7+
- -------------------------------------------------------------
CHARGE 5% 4% 3% 3% 2% 1% 0%

Putnam Mutual Funds pays a sales commission equal to 4.00% of the
amount invested to dealers who sell class B shares. These
commissions are not paid on exchanges from other Putnam funds or
on sales to investors exempt from the CDSC.

CLASS M SHARES

The public offering price of class M shares is the net asset
value plus a sales charge that varies depending on the size of
your purchase. The fund receives the net asset value. The sales
charge is allocated between your investment dealer and Putnam
Mutual Funds as shown in the following table, except when Putnam
Mutual Funds, at its discretion, allocates the entire amount to
your investment dealer.

SALES CHARGE AMOUNT OF
AS A PERCENTAGE OF: SALES CHARGE
------------------- REALLOWED TO
NET DEALERS AS A
AMOUNT OF TRANSACTION AMOUNT OFFERING PERCENTAGE OF
AT OFFERING PRICE ($) INVESTED PRICE OFFERING PRICE
- ----------------------------------------------------------------
Under 50,000 3.63% 3.50% 3.00%
50,000 but under 100,000 2.56 2.50 2.00
100,000 but under 250,000 1.52 1.50 1.00
250,000 but under 500,000 1.01 1.00 1.00
500,000 and above NONE NONE NONE

Class M qualified benefit plans (retirement plans for
which Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company provides
recordkeeping or other services in connection with the
purchase of class M shares) and members of qualified groups may
purchase class M shares without a sales charge.

GENERAL

YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE TO BUY FUND SHARES AT REDUCED SALES CHARGES
OR TO SELL FUND SHARES WITHOUT A CDSC.

Consult your investment dealer or Putnam Mutual Funds for details
about Putnam's combined purchase privilege, cumulative quantity
discount, statement of intention, group sales plan, employer-
sponsored retirement plans and other plans. Descriptions are
also included in the order form and in the SAI.

The fund may sell class A, class B and class M shares at net
asset value without an initial sales charge or a CDSC to current
and retired Trustees (and their families), current and retired
employees (and their families) of Putnam Management and
affiliates, registered representatives and other employees (and
their families) of broker-dealers having sales agreements with
Putnam Mutual Funds, employees (and their families) of financial
institutions having sales agreements with Putnam Mutual Funds (or
otherwise having an arrangement with a broker-dealer or financial
institution with respect to sales of fund shares), financial
institution trust departments investing an aggregate of $1
million or more in Putnam funds, clients of certain
administrators of tax-qualified plans, tax-qualified plans when
proceeds from repayments of loans to participants are invested
(or reinvested) in Putnam funds, "wrap accounts" for the benefit
of clients of broker-dealers, financial institutions or financial
planners adhering to certain standards established by Putnam
Mutual Funds, and investors meeting certain requirements who sold
shares of certain Putnam closed-end funds pursuant to a tender
offer by the closed-end fund.

In addition, the fund may sell shares at net asset value without
an initial sales charge or a CDSC in connection with the
acquisition by the fund of assets of an investment company or
personal holding company. The CDSC will be waived on redemptions
of shares arising out of the death or post-purchase disability of
a shareholder or settlor of a living trust account, and on
redemptions in connection with certain withdrawals from IRA or
other retirement plans. Up to 12% of the value of shares subject
to a systematic withdrawal plan may also be redeemed each year
without a CDSC. The SAI contains additional information about
purchasing shares at reduced sales charges.

In determining whether a CDSC is payable on any redemption,
shares not subject to any charge will be redeemed first, followed
by shares held longest during the CDSC period. Any CDSC will be
based on the lower of the shares' cost and net asset value. For
this purpose, the amount of any increase in a share's value above
its initial purchase price is not regarded as a share exempt from
the CDSC. Thus, when you redeem a share that has appreciated in
value during the CDSC period, a CDSC is assessed on its initial
purchase price. Shares acquired by reinvestment of distributions
may be redeemed without a CDSC at any time. For information on
how sales charges are calculated if you exchange your shares, see
"How to exchange shares." Putnam Mutual Funds receives the
entire amount of any CDSC you pay. See the SAI for more
information about the CDSC.

Shareholders of other Putnam funds may be entitled to exchange
their shares for, or reinvest distributions from their funds in,
fund shares at net asset value.

If you are considering redeeming shares or transferring shares to
another person shortly after purchase, you should pay for those
shares with a certified check to avoid any delay in redemption or
transfer. Otherwise, payment may be delayed until the purchase
price of those shares has been collected or, if you redeem by
telephone, until 15 calendar days after the purchase date. To
eliminate the need for safekeeping, certificates will not be
issued for your shares unless you request them.

Putnam Mutual Funds will from time to time, at its expense,
provide additional promotional incentives or payments to dealers
that sell shares of the Putnam funds. These incentives or
payments may include payments for travel expenses, including
lodging, incurred in connection with trips taken by invited
registered representatives and their guests to locations within
and outside the United States for meetings or seminars of a
business nature. In some instances, these incentives or payments
may be offered only to certain dealers who have sold or may sell
significant amounts of shares. Certain dealers may not sell all
classes of shares.

DISTRIBUTION PLANS

The fund has adopted distribution plans to compensate Putnam
Mutual Funds for services provided and expenses incurred by it as
principal underwriter of fund shares, including the payments to
dealers mentioned below. The plans provide for payments by the
fund to Putnam Mutual Funds at the annual rates (expressed
as a percentage of average net assets) of up to 0.65% on class A
shares and 1.00% on class B and class M shares. The Trustees
currently limit payments on class A shares to an amount
sufficient to compensate investment dealers at the rates set
forth below and in the SAI, which in any event will not exceed
the annual rate of 0.50% of such assets. The Trustees currently
limit payments on class M shares to 0.75% of average net assets.

Putnam Mutual Funds compensates qualifying dealers (including,
for this purpose, certain financial institutions) for sales of
shares and the maintenance of shareholder accounts.

Putnam Mutual Funds makes quarterly payments to dealers at the
annual rate of up to 0.50% of the average net asset value of
class A shares for shares outstanding as of July 1, 1995
and 0.25% of the average net asset value for class A
shares acquired after that date (including shares acquired
through reinvestment of distributions) for which such dealers
are designated as the dealer of record, except that payments
to dealers for shares held by class A qualified benefit plans are
made at reduced rates, as described in the SAI. No payments are
made during the first year after purchase on shares purchased at
net asset value by shareholders investing $1 million or
more or by employer-sponsored retirement plans that have
at least 200 eligible employees or that are class A qualified
benefit plans, unless the shareholder has made arrangements with
Putnam Mutual Funds and the dealer of record has waived the sales
commission.

Putnam Mutual Funds makes quarterly payments to dealers at the
annual rates of 0.25% and 0.65% of the average net asset value of
class B and class M shares, respectively , for which such
dealers are designated as the dealer of record .

Putnam Mutual Funds may suspend or modify its payments to
dealers. The payments are also subject to the continuation of
the relevant distribution plan, the terms of service agreements
between dealers and Putnam Mutual Funds, and any applicable
limits imposed by the National Association of Securities Dealers,
Inc.

HOW TO SELL SHARES

You can sell your shares to the fund any day the New York Stock
Exchange is open, either directly to the fund or through your
investment dealer. The fund will only redeem shares for which it
has received payment.

SELLING SHARES DIRECTLY TO YOUR FUND. Send a signed letter of
instruction or stock power form to Putnam Investor Services,
along with any certificates that represent shares you want to
sell. The price you will receive is the next net asset value
calculated after the fund receives your request in proper form
less any applicable CDSC. In order to receive that day's net
asset value, Putnam Investor Services must receive your request
before the close of regular trading on the New York Stock
Exchange.

If you sell shares having a net asset value of $100,000 or more,
the signatures of registered owners or their legal
representatives must be guaranteed by a bank, broker-dealer or
certain other financial institutions. See the SAI for more
information about where to obtain a signature guarantee. Stock
power forms are available from your investment dealer, Putnam
Investor Services and many commercial banks.

If you want your redemption proceeds sent to an address other
than your address as it appears on Putnam's records, a signature
guarantee is required. Putnam Investor Services usually requires
additional documentation for the sale of shares by a corporation,
partnership, agent or fiduciary, or a surviving joint owner.
Contact Putnam Investor Services for details.

YOUR FUND GENERALLY SENDS YOU PAYMENT FOR YOUR SHARES THE
BUSINESS DAY AFTER YOUR REQUEST IS RECEIVED. Under unusual
circumstances, the fund may suspend redemptions, or postpone
payment for more than seven days, as permitted by federal
securities law.

You may use Putnam's Telephone Redemption Privilege to redeem
shares valued up to $100,000 unless you have notified Putnam
Investor Services of an address change within the preceding 15
days. Unless you indicate otherwise on the account
application, Putnam Investor Services will be authorized to act
upon redemption and transfer instructions received by telephone
from you , or any person claiming to act as your
representative, who can provide Putnam Investor Services with
your account registration and address as it appears on
Putnam Investor Services' records.

Putnam Investor Services will employ these and other reasonable
procedures to confirm that instructions communicated by telephone
are genuine; if it fails to employ reasonable procedures, Putnam
Investor Services may be liable for any losses due to
unauthorized or fraudulent instructions. For information,
consult Putnam Investor Services.

During periods of unusual market changes and shareholder
activity, you may experience delays in contacting Putnam Investor
Services by telephone. In this event, you may wish to submit a
written redemption request, as described above, or contact your
investment dealer, as described below. The Telephone Redemption
Privilege is not available if you were issued certificates for
shares that remain outstanding. The Telephone Redemption
Privilege may be modified or terminated without notice.

SELLING SHARES THROUGH YOUR INVESTMENT DEALER. Your dealer must
receive your request before the close of regular trading on the
New York Stock Exchange to receive that day's net asset value.
Your dealer will be responsible for furnishing all necessary
documentation to Putnam Investor Services, and may charge you for
its services.

HOW TO EXCHANGE SHARES

You can exchange your shares for shares of the same class of
certain other Putnam funds at net asset value. Not all Putnam
funds offer all classes of shares. If you exchange shares
subject to a CDSC, the transaction will not be subject to the
CDSC. However, when you redeem the shares acquired through the
exchange, the redemption may be subject to a CDSC, depending upon
when you originally purchased the shares. The CDSC will be
computed using the schedule of any fund into or from which you
have exchanged your shares that would result in your paying the
highest CDSC applicable to your class of shares. For purposes of
computing the CDSC, the length of time you have owned your shares
will be measured from the date of original purchase and will not
be affected by any exchange.

To exchange your shares, simply complete an Exchange
Authorization Form and send it to Putnam Investor Services. The
form is available from Putnam Investor Services. For federal
income tax purposes, an exchange is treated as a sale of shares
and generally results in a capital gain or loss. A Telephone
Exchange Privilege is currently available for amounts up to
$500,000. Putnam Investor Services' procedures for telephonic
transactions are described above under "How to sell shares." The
Telephone Exchange Privilege is not available if you were issued
certificates for shares that remain outstanding. Ask your
investment dealer or Putnam Investor Services for prospectuses of
other Putnam funds. Shares of certain Putnam funds are not
available to residents of all states.

The exchange privilege is not intended as a vehicle for short-
term trading. Excessive exchange activity may interfere with
portfolio management and have an adverse effect on all
shareholders. In order to limit excessive exchange activity and
in other circumstances where Putnam Management or the Trustees
believe doing so would be in the best interests of your fund, the
fund reserves the right to revise or terminate the exchange
privilege, limit the amount or number of exchanges or reject any
exchange. Consult Putnam Investor Services before
requesting an exchange. See the SAI to find out more about the
exchange privilege.

HOW THE FUND VALUES ITS SHARES

THE FUND CALCULATES THE NET ASSET VALUE OF A SHARE OF EACH CLASS
BY DIVIDING THE TOTAL VALUE OF ITS ASSETS, LESS LIABILITIES, BY
THE NUMBER OF ITS SHARES OUTSTANDING. SHARES ARE VALUED AS OF
THE CLOSE OF REGULAR TRADING ON THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE EACH
DAY THE EXCHANGE IS OPEN.

Portfolio securities for which market quotations are readily
available are valued at market value. Short-term investments
that will mature in 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost,
which approximates market value. All other securities and assets
are valued at their fair value following procedures approved by
the Trustees.

Securities quoted in foreign currencies are translated into U.S.
dollars at current exchange rates or at such other rates as the
Trustees may determine in computing net asset value. As a
result, fluctuations in the value of such currencies in relation
to the U.S. dollar may affect the fund's net asset value
even though there has not been any change in the values
of its portfolio securities as quoted in such foreign
currencies.

HOW THE FUND MAKES DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS; TAX INFORMATION

The fund distributes any net investment income and any net
capital gains at least annually. Distributions from net
investment income, if any, are expected to be small.
Distributions from net capital gains are made after
applying any available capital loss carryovers. Distributions
paid on class A shares will generally be greater than those paid
on class B and class M shares because expenses attributable to
class B and class M shares will generally be higher.

YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM THREE DISTRIBUTION OPTIONS:

- - Reinvest all distributions in additional shares without a
sales charge;

- - Receive distributions from net investment income in cash
while reinvesting capital gains distributions in additional
shares without a sales charge; or

- - Receive all distributions in cash.

You can change your distribution option by notifying Putnam
Investor Services in writing. If you do not select an option
when you open your account, all distributions will be reinvested.
All distributions not paid in cash will be reinvested in shares
of the class on which the distributions are paid. You will
receive a statement confirming reinvestment of distributions in
additional fund shares (or in shares of other Putnam funds
for Dividends Plus accounts) promptly following the quarter in
which the reinvestment occurs.

If a check representing a fund distribution is not cashed within
a specified period, Putnam Investor Services will notify you that
you have the option of requesting another check or reinvesting
the distribution . You will not receive any interest on
amounts represented by uncashed distribution or redemption
checks . If Putnam Investor Services does not receive your
election, the distribution will be reinvested in the fund.
Similarly, if correspondence sent by the fund or Putnam Investor
Services is returned as "undeliverable," fund distributions will
automatically be reinvested in the fund or in another Putnam
fund.

The fund intends to qualify as a "regulated investment company"
for federal income tax purposes and to meet all other
requirements necessary for it to be relieved of federal taxes on
income and gains it distributes to shareholders. The fund will
distribute substantially all of its ordinary income and capital
gain net income on a current basis.

Fund distributions will be taxable to you as ordinary income to
the extent derived from the fund's investment income and net
short-term gains (that is, net gains from securities held for not
more than a year). Distributions designated by the fund as
deriving from net gains on securities held for more than one year
but not more than 18 months and from net gains on securities held
for more than 18 months will be taxable to you as such,
regardless of how long you have held the shares. Distributions
will be taxable as described above whether received in cash or in
shares through the reinvestment of distributions.

Fund investments in foreign securities may be subject to
withholding taxes at the source on dividend or interest payments.
In that case, the fund's yield on those securities would be
decreased.

If at the end of the fund's fiscal year more than 50% of the
value of its total assets represents stock or securities of
foreign corporations, the fund intends to make an election
permitted by the Internal Revenue Code to treat any foreign taxes
paid by it on securities it has held for at least the minimum
period specified in the Internal Revenue Code as having been paid
directly by the fund's shareholders. In this case, sharheolders
must include in their gross income their pro rata share of
such taxes , and those shareholders who are U.S. citizens, U.S.
corporations and, in some cases, U.S. residents may deduct their
fund shares (without protection from risk of loss) on the ex-
dividend date and for a least 15 other days during the 30-day
period surrounding the ex-dividend date may claim a foreign tax
credit for their share of these taxes .

Fund transactions in foreign currencies and hedging activities
may give rise to ordinary income or loss to the extent such
income or loss results from fluctuations in value of the foreign
currency concerned. In addition, such activities will likely
produce a difference between book income and taxable income. This
difference may cause a portion of the fund's income distributions
to constitute a return of capital for tax purposes or require the
fund to make distributions exceeding book income to qualify as a
regulated investment company for tax purposes.

Investment in an entity that qualifies as a "passive foreign
investment company" under the Internal Revenue Code could subject
the fund to a U.S. federal income tax or other charge on certain
"excess distributions" with respect to the investment, and on the
proceeds from disposition of the investment.

Early in each calendar year Putnam Investor Services will
notify you of the amount and tax status of distributions paid to
you for the preceding year.

The foregoing is a summary of certain federal income tax
consequences of investing in the fund. You should consult your
tax adviser to determine the precise effect of an investment in
the fund on your particular tax situation (including possible
liability for foreign, state and local taxes).

ABOUT PUTNAM INVESTMENTS, INC.

PUTNAM MANAGEMENT HAS BEEN MANAGING MUTUAL FUNDS SINCE 1937.
Putnam Mutual Funds is the principal underwriter of the fund and
of other Putnam funds. Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company is the
custodian of the fund. Putnam Investor Services, a division of
Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company, is the investor servicing and
transfer agent for the fund.

Putnam Management, Putnam Mutual Funds and Putnam Fiduciary Trust
Company are located at One Post Office Square, Boston,
Massachusetts 02109 and, except for a minority stake owned by the
employees, are subsidiaries of Putnam Investments, Inc.,
which is owned by Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., a
publicly-owned holding company whose principal businesses are
international insurance and reinsurance brokerage, employee
benefit consulting and investment management.
MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR PUTNAM PRIVILEGES

The following services are available to you as a Putnam
mutual fund shareholder .

SYSTEMATIC INVESTMENT PLAN Invest as much as you wish ($25
or more) on any business day of the month except for the 29th,
30th, or 31st. The amount you choose will be automatically
transferred each month from your checking or savings account.

SYSTEMATIC WITHDRAWAL Make regular withdrawals of $50 or
more monthly, quarterly, or semiannually from your Putnam mutual
fund account valued at $10,000 or more. Your automatic
withdrawal may be made on any business day of the month except
for the 29th, 30th, or 31st.

SYSTEMATIC EXCHANGE Transfer assets automatically from
one Putnam account to another on a regular, prearranged basis.
There is no additional charge for this service.

FREE EXCHANGE PRIVILEGE Exchange money between Putnam
funds in the same class of shares without charge. The exchange
privilege allows you to adjust your investments as your
objectives change. A signature guarantee is required for
exchanges of more than $500,000 and shares of all Putnam funds
may not be available to all investors.

Investors may not maintain, within the same fund, simultaneous
plans for systematic investment or exchange (into the fund) and
systematic withdrawal or exchange (out of the fund). These
privileges are subject to change or termination.

For more information about any of these services and privileges,
call your investment advisor or a Putnam customer service
representative toll free at
1 - 800 - 225 - 1581.

PUTNAMINVESTMENTS
P.O. Box 989
Boston, Massachusetts 02103
Toll-free 1-800-225-1581

www.putnaminv.com

PUTNAM DIVERSIFIED EQUITY TRUST

FORM N-1A
PART B

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ("SAI")
JUNE 30, 1998

This SAI is not a prospectus and is only authorized for
distribution when accompanied or preceded by the prospectus of
the fund dated June 30, 1998 , as revised from time to
time. This SAI contains information which may be useful to
investors but which is not included in the prospectus. If the
fund has more than one form of current prospectus, each reference
to the prospectus in this SAI shall include all of the fund's
prospectuses, unless otherwise noted. The SAI should be read
together with the applicable prospectus. Investors may obtain a
free copy of the applicable prospectus from Putnam Investor
Services, Mailing address: P.O. Box 41203, Providence, RI 02940-
1203.

Part I of this SAI contains specific information about the fund.
Part II includes information about the fund and the other Putnam
funds.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS I-3

CHARGES AND EXPENSES I-5

INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE I-12

ADDITIONAL OFFICERS I-13

INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS I-14

PART II

MISCELLANEOUS INVESTMENT PRACTICES II-1

TAXES II - 33

MANAGEMENT II - 39

DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE II - 50

HOW TO BUY SHARES II - 52

DISTRIBUTION PLANS II - 65

INVESTOR SERVICES II - 66

SIGNATURE GUARANTEES II - 72

SUSPENSION OF REDEMPTIONS II - 73

SHAREHOLDER LIABILITY II - 73

STANDARD PERFORMANCE MEASURES II - 73

COMPARISON OF PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE II - 75

DEFINITIONS II - 80

SAI
PART I

INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS

AS FUNDAMENTAL INVESTMENT RESTRICTIONS, WHICH MAY NOT BE CHANGED
WITHOUT A VOTE OF A MAJORITY OF THE OUTSTANDING VOTING
SECURITIES, THE FUND MAY NOT AND WILL NOT:

(1) Borrow money in excess of 10% of the value (taken at the
lower of cost or current value) of its total assets (not
including the amount borrowed) at the time the borrowing is made,
and then only from banks as a temporary measure to facilitate the
meeting of redemption requests (not for leverage) which might
otherwise require the untimely disposition of portfolio
investments or for extraordinary or emergency purposes. Such
borrowings will be repaid before any additional investments are
purchased.

(2) Underwrite securities issued by other persons except to the
extent that, in connection with the disposition of its portfolio
investments, it may be deemed to be an underwriter under certain
federal securities laws.

(3) Purchase or sell real estate, although it may purchase
securities of issuers which deal in real estate, securities which
are secured by interests in real estate, and securities which
represent interests in real estate, and it may acquire and
dispose of real estate or interests in real estate acquired
through the exercise of its rights as a holder of debt
obligations secured by real estate or interests therein.

(4) Purchase or sell commodities or commodity contracts, except
that the fund may purchase and sell financial futures contracts
and options.

(5) Make loans, except by purchase of debt obligations in which
the fund may invest consistent with its investment policies, by
entering into repurchase agreements with respect to not more than
25% of its total assets (taken at current value) or through the
lending of its portfolio securities with respect to not more than
25% of its total assets (taken at current value).

(6) With respect to 75% of its total assets, invest in
securities of any issuer if, immediately after such investment,
more than 5% of the total assets of the fund (taken at current
value) would be invested in the securities of such issuer;
provided that this limitation does not apply to obligations
issued or guaranteed as to interest or principal by the U.S.
government or its agencies or instrumentalities or its political
subdivisions.

(7) With respect to 75% of its total assets, acquire
more than 10% of the voting securities of any issuer.

(8) Purchase securities (other than securities of the U.S.
government, its agencies or instrumentalities) if, as a result of
such purchase, more than 25% of the fund's total assets would be
invested in any one industry.

(9) Issue any class of securities which is senior to the fund's
shares of beneficial interest.

Although certain of the fund's fundamental investment
restrictions permit it to borrow money to a limited extent, the
fund does not currently intend to do so and did not do so last
year.

The Investment Company Act of 1940 provides that a "vote of a
majority of the outstanding voting securities" of the fund means
the affirmative vote of the lesser of (1) more than 50% of the
outstanding fund shares, or (2) 67% or more of the shares present
at a meeting if more than 50% of the outstanding fund shares are
represented at the meeting in person or by proxy.

IT IS CONTRARY TO THE FUND'S PRESENT POLICY, WHICH MAY BE CHANGED
WITHOUT SHAREHOLDER APPROVAL, TO:

Invest in (a) securities which are not readily marketable, (b)
securities restricted as to resale (excluding securities
determined by the Trustees of the fund (or the person designated
by the Trustees of the fund to make such determinations) to be
readily marketable), and (c) repurchase agreements maturing in
more than seven days, if, as a result, more than 15% of the
fund's net assets (taken at current value) would be invested in
securities described in (a), (b) and (c) above.

---------------------

All percentage limitations on investments (other than pursuant to
the non-fundamental restriction ) will apply at the time
of the making of an investment and shall not be considered
violated unless an excess or deficiency occurs or exists
immediately after and as a result of such investment.

---------------------

CHARGES AND EXPENSES

MANAGEMENT FEES

Under a Management Contract dated June 20, 1996, the fund pays a
quarterly fee to Putnam Management based on the average net
assets of the fund, as determined at the close of each business
day during the quarter, at the annual rate of 0.70% of the
first $500 million of the fund's average net assets, 0.60% of the
next $500 million, 0.55% of the next $500 million, 0.50% of the
next $5 billion, 0.475% of the next $5 billion, 0.455% of the
next $5 billion, 0.44% of the next $5 billion, and 0.43%
thereafter. For the past three fiscal years,
pursuant to the Management Contract (and a management
contract in effect prior to June 20, 1996, under which the
management fee payable to Putnam Management was
paid at the rate of 0.70% of the first $500 million of the
fund's average net assets, 0.60% of the next $500 million, 0.55%
of the next $500 million, and 0.50% of any amount over $1.5
billion ) , the fund incurred the following fees:

FISCAL MANAGEMENT
YEAR FEE PAID
- ------ ----------

1998 $3,683,382
1997 $2,619,329
1996 $1,623,157

BROKERAGE COMMISSIONS

The following table shows brokerage commissions paid during the
fiscal periods indicated:

FISCAL BROKERAGE
YEAR COMMISSIONS
- ------ ------------

1998 $1,557,446
1997 $895,074
1996 $602,318

The following table shows transactions placed with brokers and
dealers during the most recent fiscal year to recognize research,
statistical and quotation services received by Putnam Management
and its affiliates:

DOLLAR
VALUE PERCENT OF
OF THESE TOTAL AMOUNT OF
TRANSACTIONS TRANSACTIONS COMMISSIONS
------------ ------------ -----------

$538,281,304 62.13% $1,136,994

ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT

The fund reimbursed Putnam Management for administrative
services during fiscal 1998, including
compensation of certain fund officers and contributions to the
Putnam Investments, Inc. Profit Sharing Retirement Plan for their
benefit , as follows :

PORTION OF TOTAL
REIMBURSEMENT FOR
COMPENSATION
TOTAL AND
REIMBURSEMENT CONTRIBUTIONS
------------- ----------------

$10,857 $9,489

TRUSTEE FEES

Each Trustee receives a fee for his or her services. Each
Trustee also receives fees for serving as Trustee of other Putnam
funds. The Trustees periodically review their fees to assure
that such fees continue to be appropriate in light of their
responsibilities as well as in relation to fees paid to trustees
of other mutual fund complexes. The Trustees meet monthly over a
two-day period, except in August. The Compensation Committee,
which consists solely of Trustees not affiliated with Putnam
Management and is responsible for recommending Trustee
compensation, estimates that Committee and Trustee meeting time
together with the appropriate preparation requires the equivalent
of at least three business days per Trustee meeting. The
following table shows the year each Trustee was first elected a
Trustee of the Putnam funds, the fees paid to each Trustee by the
fund for fiscal 1998 and the fees paid to each Trustee by
all of the Putnam funds during calendar 1997:
<TABLE><CAPTION>
COMPENSATION TABLE
Pension or Estimated Total
Aggregate retirement annual benefits compensation
compensation benefits accrued from all Putnam from all
from the as part of funds upon Putnam
Trustees/Year fund(1) fund expenses retirement(2) funds(3)
- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- ----------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
<C>
Jameson A. Baxter/1994 $1,069 $226 $87,500 $176,000 (4)
Hans H. Estin/1972 1,067 535 87,500 175,000
John A. Hill/1985 1,067 201 87,500 175,000 (4)
Ronald J. Jackson/1996 1,069 101 87,500 176,000 (4)
Paul L. Joskow/1997(5) 352 4 87,500 25,500
Elizabeth T. Kennan/1992 1,061 279 87,500 174,000
Lawrence J. Lasser/1992 1,044 210 87,500 172,000
John H. Mullin, III/1997(5) 352 6 87,500 25,500
Robert E. Patterson/1984 1,069 161 87,500 176,000
Donald S. Perkins/1982 1,069 579 87,500 176,000
William F. Pounds/1977(6) 1,149 601 98,000 201,000
George Putnam/1957 1,063 611 87,500 175,000
George Putnam, III/1984 1,047 106 87,500 174,000
A.J.C. Smith/1986 1,047 360 87,500 170,000
W. Thomas Stephens/1997(7) 534 5 87,500 53,000 (4)
W. Nicholas Thorndike/1992 1,069 402 87,500 176,000

(1) Includes an annual retainer and an attendance fee for each meeting
attended.
(2) Assumes that each Trustee retires at the normal retirement date. Estimated
benefits for each Trustee are based on Trustee fee rates in effect during
calendar 1997.
(3) As of December 31, 1997, there were 101 funds in the Putnam family.
(4) Includes compensation deferred pursuant to a Trustee Compensation Deferral
Plan
(5) Elected as a Trustee in November 1997.
(6) Includes additional compensation for service as Vice Chairman of the Putnam
funds.
(7) Elected as a Trustee in September 1997.

</TABLE>

Under a Retirement Plan for Trustees of the Putnam funds (the
"Plan"), each Trustee who retires with at least five years of
service as a Trustee of the funds is entitled to receive an
annual retirement benefit equal to one-half of the average annual
compensation paid to such Trustee for the last three years of
service prior to retirement. This retirement benefit is payable
during a Trustee's lifetime, beginning the year following
retirement, for a number of years equal to such Trustee's years
of service. A death benefit is also available under the
Plan which assures that the Trustee and his or her
beneficiaries will receive benefit payments for the lesser of an
aggregate period of (i) ten years or (ii) such Trustee's total
years of service.

The Plan Administrator (a committee comprised of Trustees that
are not "interested persons" of the fund, as defined in the
Investment Company Act of 1940) may terminate or amend the Plan
at any time, but no termination or amendment will result in a
reduction in the amount of benefits (i) currently being paid to a
Trustee at the time of such termination or amendment, or (ii) to
which a current Trustee would have been entitled had he or she
retired immediately prior to such termination or amendment.

For additional information concerning the Trustees, see
"Management" in Part II of this SAI.

SHARE OWNERSHIP

At May 31, 1998 , the officers and Trustees of the fund as
a group owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of each
class of the fund, and to the knowledge of the fund no person
owned of record or beneficially 5% or more of any class of shares
of the fund.

DISTRIBUTION FEES

During fiscal 1998 , the fund paid the following 12b-1 fees
to Putnam Mutual Funds:

CLASS A CLASS B CLASS M
------- ------- -------

$854,875 $2,804,278
$151,724

CLASS A SALES CHARGES AND CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGES

Putnam Mutual Funds received sales charges with respect to class
A shares in the following amounts during the periods indicated:

SALES CHARGES
RETAINED BY PUTNAM CONTINGENT
TOTAL MUTUAL FUNDS DEFERRED
FISCAL FRONT-END AFTER SALES
YEAR SALES CHARGES DEALER CONCESSIONS CHARGES
------ ------------- ------------------ --------

1998 $1,365,406 $211,953 $2,897
1997 $1,604,658 $251,672 $400
1996 $1,298,932 $179,251 $480

CLASS B CONTINGENT DEFERRED SALES CHARGES

Putnam Mutual Funds received contingent deferred sales charges
upon redemptions of class B shares in the following amounts
during the periods indicated:

CONTINGENT DEFERRED
FISCAL YEAR SALES CHARGES
- ------------- -------------------

1998 $324,862
1997 $252,841
1996 $189,619

CLASS M SALES CHARGES

Putnam Mutual Funds received sales charges with respect to class
M shares in the following amounts during the periods indicated:

SALES CHARGES
RETAINED BY PUTNAM
MUTUAL FUNDS
TOTAL AFTER
FISCAL YEAR SALES CHARGES DEALER CONCESSIONS
- ------------- ------------- ------------------

1998 $131,190 $21,220
1997 $174,922 $29,248
1996 $64,224 $9,147

INVESTOR SERVICING AND CUSTODY FEES AND EXPENSES

During the 1998 fiscal year, the fund incurred
$1,344,073 in fees and out-of-pocket expenses for investor
servicing and custody services provided by Putnam Fiduciary Trust
Company.

INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE

STANDARD PERFORMANCE MEASURES
(for periods ended 2/28/98)

Class A Class B Class M
Inception date: 7/1/94 7/1/94 7/3/95

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
1 year 20.42% 21.98% 22.88%
Life of class 19.40 20.20 19.83

Returns for class A and class M shares reflect the
deduction of the current maximum initial sales
charges of 5.75% for class A shares and 3.50% for
class M shares.

Returns for class B shares reflect the deduction of
the applicable contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC") which
is 5% in the first year, declining to 1% in the sixth year, and
is eliminated thereafter.

Returns shown for class M shares for periods prior to their
inception are derived from the historical performance of class A
shares, adjusted to reflect both the deduction of the initial
sales charge currently applicable to the class and the higher
operating expenses applicable to such shares.

Returns shown for class A shares have not been adjusted to
reflect payments under the class A distribution plan prior to its
implementation. All returns assume reinvestment of distributions
at net asset value and represent past performance; they do not
guarantee future results. Investment return and principal value
will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when redeemed, may
be worth more or less than their original cost .

See "Standard performance measures" in Part II of this SAI for
information on how performance is calculated.

ADDITIONAL OFFICERS

In addition to the persons listed as fund officers in Part II of
this SAI, each of the following persons is also a Vice President
of the fund and certain of the other Putnam funds, the total
number of which is noted parenthetically. Officers of Putnam
Management hold the same offices in Putnam Management's parent
company, Putnam Investments, Inc.

OFFICER NAME (AGE) (NUMBER OF FUNDS)

IAN C. FERGUSON (40) (55 FUNDS). Senior Managing Director
of Putnam Management . Prior to April, 1996, Mr. Ferguson
was CEO at Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation.

BRETT C. BROWCHUK (35) (52 FUNDS). Managing Director of
Putnam Management. Prior to April, 1994, Mr. Browchuk was
Managing Director at Fidelity Investments.

JUSTIN M. SCOTT (40) (10 FUNDS). Managing Director of
Putnam Management.

ROBERT R. BECK(57) (3 FUNDS). Senior Vice President of Putnam
Management.

OMID KAMSHAD(35) (5 FUNDS). Senior Vice President of Putnam
Management. Prior to January, 1996, Mr. Kamshad was Director of
Investments at Lombard Odier International and prior to April,
1995, he was a Director at Baring Asset Management
Company.

MICHAEL P. STACK (39) (3 FUNDS). Senior Vice President of
Putnam Management. Prior to November, 1997, Mr. Stack was a
Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Independence
Investment Associates Inc.

PAUL C. WARREN (37) (3 FUNDS). Senior Vice President of
Putnam Management. Prior to May, 1997, Mr. Warren was a
Director at IDS Fund Management, and prior to August, 1994, was a
Director at Pilgrim Baxter Associates. Prior to March, 1994, Mr.
Warren was a Director at Prudential Asia.

MICHAEL E. NANCE (30) (2 FUNDS). Vice President of Putnam
Management. Prior to June, 1994, Mr. Nance attended the
University of Chicago Graduate School of Business.

INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Price Waterhouse LLP, 160 Federal Street, Boston, MA 02110, are
the fund's independent accountants, providing audit services, tax
return review and other tax consulting services and assistance
and consultation in connection with the review of various
Securities and Exchange Commission filings. The Report of
Independent Accountants, financial statements and
financial highlights included in the fund's Annual Report
for the fiscal year ended February 28, 1998 , filed
electronically on April 23, 1998 (File No. 811-7615), are
incorporated by reference into this SAI. The financial
highlights included in the prospectus and incorporated by
reference into this SAI and the financial statements incorporated
by reference into the prospectus and this SAI have been so
included and incorporated in reliance upon the Report of
the Independent Accountants , given on their authority as
experts in auditing and accounting.

<PAGE>

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

MISCELLANEOUS INVESTMENT PRACTICES II-1

TAXES II-36

MANAGEMENT II-43

DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE II-55

HOW TO BUY SHARES II-57

DISTRIBUTION PLANS II-71

INVESTOR SERVICES II-72

SIGNATURE GUARANTEES II-79

SUSPENSION OF REDEMPTIONS II-79

SHAREHOLDER LIABILITY II-80

STANDARD PERFORMANCE MEASURES II-80

COMPARISON OF PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCE II-82

DEFINITIONS II-87
THE PUTNAM FUNDS
STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ("SAI")
PART II

The following information applies generally to your fund and to
the other Putnam funds. In certain cases the discussion applies
to some but not all of the funds or their shareholders, and you
should refer to your prospectus to determine whether the matter
is applicable to you or your fund. You will also be referred to
Part I for certain information applicable to your particular
fund. Shareholders who purchase shares at net asset value
through ^ employer-sponsored defined contribution plans should
also consult their employer for information about the extent to
which the matters described below apply to them.

MISCELLANEOUS INVESTMENT PRACTICESMISCELLANEOUS INVESTMENT
PRACTICES

Your fund's prospectus states which of the following investment
practices are available to your fund. The fact that your fund is
authorized to engage in a particular practice does not
necessarily mean that it will actually do so. You should
disregard any practice described below which is not mentioned in
the prospectus.

Short-term Trading

In seeking the fund's objective(s), Putnam Management will buy or
sell portfolio securities whenever Putnam Management believes it
appropriate to do so. In deciding whether to sell a portfolio
security, Putnam Management does not consider how long the fund
has owned the security. From time to time the fund will buy
securities intending to seek ^ short-term trading profits. A
change in the securities held by the fund is known as "portfolio
turnover" and generally involves some expense to the fund. This
expense may include brokerage commissions or dealer markups and
other transaction costs on both the sale of securities and the
reinvestment of the proceeds in other securities. If sales of
portfolio securities cause the fund to realize net ^ short-term
capital gains, such gains will be taxable as ordinary income. As
a result of the fund's investment policies, under certain market
conditions the fund's portfolio turnover rate may be higher than
that of other mutual funds. Portfolio turnover rate for a fiscal
year is the ratio of the lesser of purchases or sales of
portfolio securities to the monthly average of the value of
portfolio securities - ^ excluding securities whose maturities at
acquisition were one year or less. The fund's portfolio turnover
rate is not a limiting factor when Putnam Management considers a
change in the fund's portfolio.

Convertible Securities. Convertible securities include bonds,
debentures, notes, preferred stocks and other securities that may
be converted into or exchanged for, at a specific price or
formula within a particular period of time, a prescribed amount
of common stock or other equity securities of the same or a
different issuer. Convertible securities entitle the holder to
receive interest paid or accrued on debt or dividends paid or
accrued on preferred stock until the security matures or is
redeemed, converted or exchanged.

The market value of a convertible security is a function of its
"investment value" and its "conversion value." A security's
"investment value" represents the value of the security without
its conversion feature (i.e., a nonconvertible fixed income
security). The investment value may be determined by reference
to its credit quality and the current value of its yield to
maturity or probable call date. At any given time, investment
value is dependent upon such factors as the general level of
interest rates, the yield of similar nonconvertible securities,
the financial strength of the issuer and the seniority of the
security in the issuer's capital structure. A security's
"conversion value" is determined by multiplying the number of
shares the holder is entitled to receive upon conversion or
exchange by the current price of the underlying security.

If the conversion value of a convertible security is
significantly below its investment value, the convertible
security will trade like nonconvertible debt or preferred stock
and its market value will not be influenced greatly by
fluctuations in the market price of the underlying security.
Conversely, if the conversion value of a convertible security is
near or above its investment value, the market value of the
convertible security will be more heavily influenced by
fluctuations in the market price of the underlying security.

The fund's investments in convertible securities may at times
include securities that have a mandatory conversion feature,
pursuant to which the securities convert automatically into
common stock or other equity securities at a specified date and a
specified conversion ratio, or that are convertible at the option
of the issuer. Because conversion of the security is not at the
option of the holder, the fund may be required to convert the
security into the underlying common stock even at times when the
value of the underlying common stock or other equity security has
declined substantially.

The fund's investments in convertible securities, particularly
securities that are convertible into securities of an issuer
other than the issuer of the convertible security, may be
illiquid. The fund may not be able to dispose of such securities
in a timely fashion or for a fair price, which could result in
losses to the fund.

Lower-rated Securities

The fund may invest in lower-rated fixed-income securities
(commonly known as "junk bonds"), to the extent described in the
prospectus. The lower ratings of certain securities held by the
fund reflect a greater possibility that adverse changes in the
financial condition of the issuer or in general economic
conditions, or both, or an unanticipated rise in interest rates,
may impair the ability of the issuer to make payments of interest
and principal. The inability (or perceived inability) of issuers
to make timely payment of interest and principal would likely
make the values of securities held by the fund more volatile and
could limit the fund's ability to sell its securities at prices
approximating the values the fund had placed on such securities.
In the absence of a liquid trading market for securities held by
it, the fund at times may be unable to establish the fair value
of such securities.

Securities ratings are based largely on the issuer's historical
financial condition and the rating agencies' analysis at the time
of rating. Consequently, the rating assigned to any particular
security is not necessarily a reflection of the issuer's current
financial condition, which may be better or worse than the rating
would indicate. In addition, the rating assigned to a security
by Moody's Investors Service, Inc. or Standard & Poor's (or by
any other nationally recognized securities rating organization)
does not reflect an assessment of the volatility of the
security's market value or the liquidity of an investment in the
security. See the prospectus or Part I of this SAI for a
description of security ratings.

Like those of other fixed-income securities, the values of lower-
rated securities fluctuate in response to changes in interest
rates. A decrease in interest rates will generally result in an
increase in the value of the fund's assets. Conversely, during
periods of rising interest rates, the value of the fund's assets
will generally decline. The values of lower-rated securities may
often be affected to a greater extent by changes in general
economic conditions and business conditions affecting the issuers
of such securities and their industries. Negative publicity or
investor perceptions may also adversely affect the values of
lower-rated securities. Changes by recognized rating services
in their ratings of any ^ fixed-income security and changes in
the ability of an issuer to make payments of interest and
principal may also affect the value of these investments.
Changes in the value of portfolio securities generally will not
affect income derived from these securities, but will affect the
fund's net asset value. The fund will not necessarily dispose of
a security when its rating is reduced below its rating at the
time of purchase. However, Putnam Management will monitor the
investment to determine whether its retention will assist in
meeting the fund's investment objective(s).

Issuers of lower-rated securities are often highly leveraged, so
that their ability to service their debt obligations during an
economic downturn or during sustained periods of rising interest
rates may be impaired. Such issuers may not have more
traditional methods of financing available to them and may be
unable to repay outstanding obligations at maturity by
refinancing. The risk of loss due to default in payment of
interest or repayment of principal by such issuers is
significantly greater because such securities frequently are
unsecured and subordinated to the prior payment of senior
indebtedness.

At times, a substantial portion of the fund's assets may be
invested in securities of which the fund, by itself or together
with other funds and accounts managed by Putnam Management or its
affiliates, holds all or a major portion. Although Putnam
Management generally considers such securities to be liquid
because of the availability of an institutional market for such
securities, it is possible that, under adverse market or economic
conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial
condition of the issuer, the fund could find it more difficult to
sell these securities when Putnam Management believes it
advisable to do so or may be able to sell the securities only at
prices lower than if they were more widely held. Under these
circumstances, it may also be more difficult to determine the
fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the
fund's net asset value. In order to enforce its rights in the
event of a default of such securities, the fund may be required
to participate in various legal proceedings or take possession of
and manage assets securing the issuer's obligations on such
securities. This could increase the fund's operating expenses
and adversely affect the fund's net asset value. In the case of
tax-exempt funds, any income derived from the fund's ownership or
operation of such assets would not be tax-exempt. The ability of
a holder of a tax-exempt security to enforce the terms of that
security in a bankruptcy proceeding may be more limited than
would be the case with respect to securities of private issuers.
In addition, the fund's intention to qualify as a "regulated
investment company" under the Internal Revenue Code may limit the
extent to which the fund may exercise its rights by taking
possession of such assets.

Certain securities held by the fund may permit the issuer at its
option to "call," or redeem, its securities. If an issuer were
to redeem securities held by the fund during a time of declining
interest rates, the fund may not be able to reinvest the proceeds
in securities providing the same investment return as the
securities redeemed.

If the fund's prospectus describes so-called "zero-coupon" bonds
and "payment-in-kind" bonds as possible investments, the fund may
invest without limit in such bonds unless otherwise specified in
the prospectus. Zero-coupon bonds are issued at a significant
discount from their principal amount in lieu of paying interest
periodically. Payment-in-kind bonds allow the issuer, at its
option, to make current interest payments on the bonds either in
cash or in additional bonds. Because zero-coupon and payment-in-
kind bonds do not pay current interest in cash, their value is
subject to greater fluctuation in response to changes in market
interest rates than bonds that pay interest currently. Both zero-
coupon and payment-in-kind bonds allow an issuer to avoid the
need to generate cash to meet current interest payments.
Accordingly, such bonds may involve greater credit risks than
bonds paying interest currently in cash. The fund is required to
accrue interest income on such investments and to distribute such
amounts at least annually to shareholders even though such bonds
do not pay current interest in cash. Thus, it may be necessary
at times for the fund to liquidate investments in order to
satisfy its dividend requirements.

To the extent the fund invests in securities in the lower rating
categories, the achievement of the fund's goals is more dependent
on Putnam Management's investment analysis than would be the case
if the fund were investing in securities in the higher rating
categories. This may be particularly true with respect to tax-
exempt securities, as the amount of information about the
financial condition of an issuer of tax-exempt securities may not
be as extensive as that which is made available by corporations
whose securities are publicly traded.

Investments in Miscellaneous Fixed-Income Securities

Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus or elsewhere in this
SAI, if the fund may invest in inverse floating obligations,
premium securities, or interest-only or principal-only classes of
mortgage-backed securities (IOs and POs), it may do so without
limit. The fund, however, currently does not intend to invest
more than 15% of its assets in inverse floating obligations or
more than 35% of its assets in IOs and POs under normal market
conditions.

Private Placements

The fund may invest in securities that are purchased in private
placements and, accordingly, are subject to restrictions on
resale as a matter of contract or under federal securities laws.
Because there may be relatively few potential purchasers for such
investments, especially under adverse market or economic
conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial
condition of the issuer, the fund could find it more difficult to
sell such securities when Putnam Management believes it advisable
to do so or may be able to sell such securities only at prices
lower than if such securities were more widely held. At times,
it may also be more difficult to determine the fair value of such
securities for purposes of computing the fund's net asset value.

Loan Participations

The fund may invest in "loan participations." By purchasing a
loan participation, the fund acquires some or all of the interest
of a bank or other lending institution in a loan to a particular
borrower. Many such loans are secured, and most impose
restrictive covenants which must be met by the borrower.

The loans in which the fund may invest are typically made by a
syndicate of banks, represented by an agent bank which has
negotiated and structured the loan and which is responsible
generally for collecting interest, principal, and other amounts
from the borrower on its own behalf and on behalf of the other
lending institutions in the syndicate and for enforcing its and
their other rights against the borrower. Each of the lending
institutions, including the agent bank, lends to the borrower a
portion of the total amount of the loan, and retains the
corresponding interest in the loan.

The fund's ability to receive payments of principal and interest
and other amounts in connection with loan participations held by
it will depend primarily on the financial condition of the
borrower. The failure by the fund to receive scheduled interest
or principal payments on a loan participation would adversely
affect the income of the fund and would likely reduce the value
of its assets, which would be reflected in a reduction in the
fund's net asset value. Banks and other lending institutions
generally perform a credit analysis of the borrower before
originating a loan or participating in a lending syndicate. In
selecting the loan participations in which the fund will invest,
however, Putnam Management will not rely solely on that credit
analysis, but will perform its own investment analysis of the
borrowers. Putnam Management's analysis may include
consideration of the borrower's financial strength and managerial
experience, debt coverage, additional borrowing requirements or
debt maturity schedules, changing financial conditions, and
responsiveness to changes in business conditions and interest
rates. Because loan participations in which the fund may invest
are not generally rated by independent credit rating agencies, a
decision by the fund to invest in a particular loan participation
will depend almost exclusively on Putnam Management's, and the
original lending institution's, credit analysis of the borrower.

Loan participations may be structured in different forms,
including novations, assignments, and participating interests.
In a novation, the fund assumes all of the rights of a lending
institution in a loan, including the right to receive payments of
principal and interest and other amounts directly from the
borrower and to enforce its rights as a lender directly against
the borrower. The fund assumes the position of a co-lender with
other syndicate members. As an alternative, the fund may
purchase an assignment of a portion of a lender's interest in a
loan. In this case, the fund may be required generally to rely
upon the assigning bank to demand payment and enforce its rights
against the borrower, but would otherwise be entitled to all of
such bank's rights in the loan. The fund may also purchase a
participating interest in a portion of the rights of a lending
institution in a loan. In such case, it will be entitled to
receive payments of principal, interest, and premium, if any, but
will not generally be entitled to enforce its rights directly
against the agent bank or the borrower, but must rely for that
purpose on the lending institution. The fund may also acquire a
loan participation directly by acting as a member of the original
lending syndicate.

The fund will in many cases be required to rely upon the lending
institution from which it purchases the loan participation to
collect and pass on to the fund such payments and to enforce the
fund's rights under the loan. As a result, an insolvency,
bankruptcy, or reorganization of the lending institution may
delay or prevent the fund from receiving principal, interest, and
other amounts with respect to the underlying loan. When the fund
is required to rely upon a lending institution to pay to the fund
principal, interest, and other amounts received by it, Putnam
Management will also evaluate the creditworthiness of the lending
institution.

The borrower of a loan in which the fund holds a participation
interest may, either at its own election or pursuant to terms of
the loan documentation, prepay amounts of the loan from time to
time. There is no assurance that the fund will be able to
reinvest the proceeds of any loan prepayment at the same interest
rate or on the same terms as those of the original loan
participation.

Corporate loans in which the fund may purchase a loan
participation are made generally to finance internal growth,
mergers, acquisitions, stock repurchases, leveraged buy-outs, and
other corporate activities. Under current market conditions,
most of the corporate loan participations purchased by the fund
will represent interests in loans made to finance highly
leveraged corporate acquisitions, known as "leveraged buy-out"
transactions. The highly leveraged capital structure of the
borrowers in such transactions may make such loans especially
vulnerable to adverse changes in economic or market conditions.
In addition, loan participations generally are subject to
restrictions on transfer, and only limited opportunities may
exist to sell such participations in secondary markets. As a
result, the fund may be unable to sell loan participations at a
time when it may otherwise be desirable to do so or may be able
to sell them only at a price that is less than their fair market
value.

Certain of the loan participations acquired by the fund may
involve revolving credit facilities under which a borrower may
from time to time borrow and repay amounts up to the maximum
amount of the facility. In such cases, the fund would have an
obligation to advance its portion of such additional borrowings
upon the terms specified in the loan participation. To the
extent that the fund is committed to make additional loans under
such a participation, it will at all times hold and maintain in a
segregated account liquid assets in an amount sufficient to meet
such commitments. Certain of the loan participations acquired by
the fund may also involve loans made in foreign currencies. The
fund's investment in such participations would involve the risks
of currency fluctuations described above with respect to
investments in the foreign securities.

Mortgage Related Securities

The fund may invest in mortgage-backed securities, including
collateralized mortgage obligations ("CMOs") and certain stripped
mortgage-backed securities. CMOs and other mortgage-backed
securities represent a participation in, or are secured by,
mortgage loans.

Mortgage-backed securities have yield and maturity
characteristics corresponding to the underlying assets. Unlike
traditional debt securities, which may pay a fixed rate of
interest until maturity, when the entire principal amount comes
due, payments on certain mortgage-backed securities include both
interest and a partial repayment of principal. Besides the
scheduled repayment of principal, repayments of principal may
result from the voluntary prepayment, refinancing, or foreclosure
of the underlying mortgage loans. If property owners make
unscheduled prepayments of their mortgage loans, these
prepayments will result in early payment of the applicable
mortgage-related securities. In that event the fund may be
unable to invest the proceeds from the early payment of the
mortgage-related securities in an investment that provides as
high a yield as the mortgage-related securities. Consequently,
early payment associated with mortgage-related securities may
cause these securities to experience significantly greater price
and yield volatility than that experienced by traditional fixed-
income securities. The occurrence of mortgage prepayments is
affected by factors including the level of interest rates,
general economic conditions, the location and age of the mortgage
and other social and demographic conditions. During periods of
falling interest rates, the rate of mortgage prepayments tends to
increase, thereby tending to decrease the life of mortgage-
related securities. During periods of rising interest rates, the
rate of mortgage prepayments usually decreases, thereby tending
to increase the life of mortgage-related securities. If the life
of a mortgage-related security is inaccurately predicted, the
fund may not be able to realize the rate of return it expected.

Mortgage-backed securities are less effective than other types of
securities as a means of "locking in" attractive long-term
interest rates. One reason is the need to reinvest prepayments
of principal; another is the possibility of significant
unscheduled prepayments resulting from declines in interest
rates. These prepayments would have to be reinvested at lower
rates. As a result, these securities may have less potential for
capital appreciation during periods of declining interest rates
than other securities of comparable maturities, although they may
have a similar risk of decline in market value during periods of
rising interest rates. Prepayments may also significantly shorten
the effective maturities of these securities, especially during
periods of declining interest rates. Conversely, during periods
of rising interest rates, a reduction in prepayments may increase
the effective maturities of these securities, subjecting them to
a greater risk of decline in market value in response to rising
interest rates than traditional debt securities, and, therefore,
potentially increasing the volatility of the fund.

Prepayments may cause losses on securities purchased at a
premium. At times, some of the mortgage-backed securities in
which the fund may invest will have higher than market interest
rates and therefore will be purchased at a premium above their
par value. Unscheduled prepayments, which are made at par, will
cause the fund to experience a loss equal to any unamortized
premium.

CMOs may be issued by a U.S. government agency or instrumentality
or by a private issuer. Although payment of the principal of,
and interest on, the underlying collateral securing privately
issued CMOs may be guaranteed by the U.S. government or its
agencies or instrumentalities, these CMOs represent obligations
solely of the private issuer and are not insured or guaranteed by
the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities or any
other person or entity.

Prepayments could cause early retirement of CMOs. CMOs are
designed to reduce the risk of prepayment for investors by
issuing multiple classes of securities, each having different
maturities, interest rates and payment schedules, and with the
principal and interest on the underlying mortgages allocated
among the several classes in various ways. Payment of interest
or principal on some classes or series of CMOs may be subject to
contingencies or some classes or series may bear some or all of
the risk of default on the underlying mortgages. CMOS of
different classes or series are generally retired in sequence as
the underlying mortgage loans in the mortgage pool are repaid.
If enough mortgages are repaid ahead of schedule, the classes or
series of a CMO with the earliest maturities generally will be
retired prior to their maturities. Thus, the early retirement of
particular classes or series of a CMO held by the fund would have
the same effect as the prepayment of mortgages underlying other
mortgage-backed securities. Conversely, slower than anticipated
prepayments can extend the effective maturities of CMOs,
subjecting them to a greater risk of decline in market value in
response to rising interest rates than traditional debt
securities, and, therefore, potentially increasing the volatility
of the fund.

Prepayments could result in losses on stripped mortgage-backed
securities. Stripped mortgage-backed securities are usually
structured with two classes that receive different portions of
the interest and principal distributions on a pool of mortgage
loans. The fund may invest in both the interest-only or "IO"
class and the principal-only or "PO" class. The yield to
maturity on an IO class of stripped mortgage-backed securities is
extremely sensitive not only to changes in prevailing interest
rates but also to the rate of principal payments (including
prepayments) on the underlying assets. A rapid rate of principal
prepayments may have a measurable adverse effect on the fund's
yield to maturity to the extent it invests in IOs. If the assets
underlying the IO experience greater than anticipated prepayments
of principal, the fund may fail to recoup fully its initial
investment in these securities. Conversely, POs tend to increase
in value if prepayments are greater than anticipated and decline
if prepayments are slower than anticipated.

The secondary market for stripped mortgage-backed securities may
be more volatile and less liquid than that for other mortgage-
backed securities, potentially limiting the fund's ability to buy
or sell those securities at any particular time.

Securities Loans

The fund may make secured loans of its portfolio securities, on
either a short-term or long-term basis, amounting to not more
than 25% of its total assets, thereby realizing additional
income. The risks in lending portfolio securities, as with other
extensions of credit, consist of possible delay in recovery of
the securities or possible loss of rights in the collateral
should the borrower fail financially. As a matter of policy,
securities loans are made to ^ broker-dealers pursuant to
agreements requiring that the loans be continuously secured by
collateral consisting of cash or short - term debt obligations at
least equal at all times to the value of the securities on loan,
"marked-to-market" daily. The borrower pays to the fund an
amount equal to any dividends or interest received on securities
lent. The fund retains all or a portion of the interest received
on investment of the cash collateral or receives a fee from the
borrower. Although voting rights, or rights to consent, with
respect to the loaned securities may pass to the borrower, the
fund retains the right to call the loans at any time on
reasonable notice, and it will do so to enable the fund to
exercise voting rights on any matters materially affecting the
investment. The fund may also call such loans in order to sell
the securities.

Forward Commitments

The fund may enter into contracts to purchase securities for a
fixed price at a future date beyond customary settlement time
("forward commitments") if the fund sets aside, on the books and
records of its custodian, liquid assets in an amount sufficient
to meet the purchase price, or if the fund enters into offsetting
contracts for the forward sale of other securities it owns. In
the case of to-be-announced ("TBA") purchase commitments, the
unit price and the estimated principal amount are established
when the fund enters into a contract, with the actual principal
amount being within a specified range of the estimate. Forward
commitments may be considered securities in themselves, and
involve a risk of loss if the value of the security to be
purchased declines prior to the settlement date, which risk is in
addition to the risk of decline in the value of the fund's other
assets. Where such purchases are made through dealers, the fund
relies on the dealer to consummate the sale. The dealer's
failure to do so may result in the loss to the fund of an
advantageous yield or price. Although the fund will generally
enter into forward commitments with the intention of acquiring
securities for its portfolio or for delivery pursuant to options
contracts it has entered into, the fund may dispose of a
commitment prior to settlement if Putnam Management deems it
appropriate to do so. The fund may realize short-term profits or
losses upon the sale of forward commitments.

The fund may enter into TBA sale commitments to hedge its
portfolio positions or to sell securities it owns under delayed
delivery arrangements. Proceeds of TBA sale commitments are not
received until the contractual settlement date. During the time
a TBA sale commitment is outstanding, equivalent deliverable
securities, or an offsetting TBA purchase commitment deliverable
on or before the sale commitment date, are held as "cover" for
the transaction. Unsettled TBA sale commitments are valued at
current market value of the underlying securities. If the TBA
sale commitment is closed through the acquisition of an
offsetting purchase commitment, the fund realizes a gain or loss
on the commitment without regard to any unrealized gain or loss
on the underlying security. If the fund delivers securities
under the commitment, the fund realizes a gain or loss from the
sale of the securities based upon the unit price established at
the date the commitment was entered into.

Repurchase Agreements

The fund may enter into repurchase agreements up to the limit
specified in the prospectus. A repurchase agreement is a
contract under which the fund acquires a security for a
relatively short period (usually not more than one week) subject
to the obligation of the seller to repurchase and the fund to
resell such security at a fixed time and price (representing the
fund's cost plus interest). It is the fund's present intention
to enter into repurchase agreements only with commercial banks
and registered ^ broker-dealers and only with respect to
obligations of the U.S. government or its agencies or
instrumentalities. Repurchase agreements may also be viewed as
loans made by the fund which are collateralized by the securities
subject to repurchase. Putnam Management will monitor such
transactions to ensure that the value of the underlying
securities will be at least equal at all times to the total
amount of the repurchase obligation, including the interest
factor. If the seller defaults, the fund could realize a loss on
the sale of the underlying security to the extent that the
proceeds of sale including accrued interest are less than the
resale price provided in the agreement including interest. In
addition, if the seller should be involved in bankruptcy or
insolvency proceedings, the fund may incur delay and costs in
selling the underlying security or may suffer a loss of principal
and interest if the fund is treated as an unsecured creditor and
required to return the underlying collateral to the seller's
estate.

Pursuant to an exemptive order issued by the Securities and
Exchange Commission, the fund may transfer uninvested cash
balances into a joint account, along with cash of other Putnam
funds and certain other accounts. These balances may be invested
in one or more repurchase agreements and/or short-term money
market instruments.

Options on Securities

Writing covered options. The fund may write covered call options
and covered put options on optionable securities held in its
portfolio, when in the opinion of Putnam Management such
transactions are consistent with the fund's investment
objective(s) and policies. Call options written by the fund give
the purchaser the right to buy the underlying securities from the
fund at a stated exercise price; put options give the purchaser
the right to sell the underlying securities to the fund at a
stated price.

The fund may write only covered options, which means that, so
long as the fund is obligated as the writer of a call option, it
will own the underlying securities subject to the option (or
comparable securities satisfying the cover requirements of
securities exchanges). In the case of put options, the fund will
hold cash and/or high-grade short-term debt obligations equal to
the price to be paid if the option is exercised. In addition,
the fund will be considered to have covered a put or call option
if and to the extent that it holds an option that offsets some or
all of the risk of the option it has written. The fund may write
combinations of covered puts and calls on the same underlying
security.

The fund will receive a premium from writing a put or call
option, which increases the fund's return on the underlying
security in the event the option expires unexercised or is closed
out at a profit. The amount of the premium reflects, among other
things, the relationship between the exercise price and the
current market value of the underlying security, the volatility
of the underlying security, the amount of time remaining until
expiration, current interest rates, and the effect of supply and
demand in the options market and in the market for the underlying
security. By writing a call option, the fund limits its
opportunity to profit from any increase in the market value of
the underlying security above the exercise price of the option
but continues to bear the risk of a decline in the value of the
underlying security. By writing a put option, the fund assumes
the risk that it may be required to purchase the underlying
security for an exercise price higher than its then-current
market value, resulting in a potential capital loss unless the
security subsequently appreciates in value.

The fund may terminate an option that it has written prior to its
expiration by entering into a closing purchase transaction, in
which it purchases an offsetting option. The fund realizes a
profit or loss from a closing transaction if the cost of the
transaction (option premium plus transaction costs) is less or
more than the premium received from writing the option. If the
fund writes a call option but does not own the underlying
security, and when it writes a put option, the fund may be
required to deposit cash or securities with its broker as
"margin," or collateral, for its obligation to buy or sell the
underlying security. As the value of the underlying security
varies, the fund may have to deposit additional margin with the
broker. Margin requirements are complex and are fixed by
individual brokers, subject to minimum requirements currently
imposed by the Federal Reserve Board and by stock exchanges and
other self-regulatory organizations.

Purchasing put options. The fund may purchase put options to
protect its portfolio holdings in an underlying security against
a decline in market value. Such protection is provided during
the life of the put option since the fund, as holder of the
option, is able to sell the underlying security at the put
exercise price regardless of any decline in the underlying
security's market price. In order for a put option to be
profitable, the market price of the underlying security must
decline sufficiently below the exercise price to cover the
premium and transaction costs. By using put options in this
manner, the fund will reduce any profit it might otherwise have
realized from appreciation of the underlying security by the
premium paid for the put option and by transaction costs.

Purchasing call options. The fund may purchase call options to
hedge against an increase in the price of securities that the
fund wants ultimately to buy. Such hedge protection is provided
during the life of the call option since the fund, as holder of
the call option, is able to buy the underlying security at the
exercise price regardless of any increase in the underlying
security's market price. In order for a call option to be
profitable, the market price of the underlying security must rise
sufficiently above the exercise price to cover the premium and
transaction costs.

Risk Factors in Options Transactions

The successful use of the fund's options strategies depends on
the ability of Putnam Management to forecast correctly interest
rate and market movements. For example, if the fund were to
write a call option based on Putnam Management's expectation that
the price of the underlying security would fall, but the price
were to rise instead, the fund could be required to sell the
security upon exercise at a price below the current market price.
Similarly, if the fund were to write a put option based on Putnam
Management's expectation that the price of the underlying
security would rise, but the price were to fall instead, the fund
could be required to purchase the security upon exercise at a
price higher than the current market price.

When the fund purchases an option, it runs the risk that it will
lose its entire investment in the option in a relatively short
period of time, unless the fund exercises the option or enters
into a closing sale transaction before the option's expiration.
If the price of the underlying security does not rise (in the
case of a call) or fall (in the case of a put) to an extent
sufficient to cover the option premium and transaction costs, the
fund will lose part or all of its investment in the option. This
contrasts with an investment by the fund in the underlying
security, since the fund will not realize a loss if the
security's price does not change.

The effective use of options also depends on the fund's ability
to terminate option positions at times when Putnam Management
deems it desirable to do so. There is no assurance that the fund
will be able to effect closing transactions at any particular
time or at an acceptable price.

If a secondary market in options were to become unavailable, the
fund could no longer engage in closing transactions. Lack of
investor interest might adversely affect the liquidity of the
market for particular options or series of options. A market may
discontinue trading of a particular option or options generally.
In addition, a market could become temporarily unavailable if
unusual events - ^ such as volume in excess of trading or
clearing capability - ^ were to interrupt its normal operations.

A market may at times find it necessary to impose restrictions on
particular types of options transactions, such as opening
transactions. For example, if an underlying security ceases to
meet qualifications imposed by the market or the Options Clearing
Corporation, new series of options on that security will no
longer be opened to replace expiring series, and opening
transactions in existing series may be prohibited. If an options
market were to become unavailable, the fund as a holder of an
option would be able to realize profits or limit losses only by
exercising the option, and the fund, as option writer, would
remain obligated under the option until expiration or exercise.

Disruptions in the markets for the securities underlying options
purchased or sold by the fund could result in losses on the
options. If trading is interrupted in an underlying security,
the trading of options on that security is normally halted as
well. As a result, the fund as purchaser or writer of an option
will be unable to close out its positions until options trading
resumes, and it may be faced with considerable losses if trading
in the security reopens at a substantially different price. In
addition, the Options Clearing Corporation or other options
markets may impose exercise restrictions. If a prohibition on
exercise is imposed at the time when trading in the option has
also been halted, the fund as purchaser or writer of an option
will be locked into its position until one of the two
restrictions has been lifted. If the Options Clearing
Corporation were to determine that the available supply of an
underlying security appears insufficient to permit delivery by
the writers of all outstanding calls in the event of exercise, it
may prohibit indefinitely the exercise of put options. The fund,
as holder of such a put option, could lose its entire investment
if the prohibition remained in effect until the put option's
expiration.

Foreign-traded options are subject to many of the same risks
presented by internationally-traded securities. In addition,
because of time differences between the United States and various
foreign countries, and because different holidays are observed in
different countries, foreign options markets may be open for
trading during hours or on days when U.S. markets are closed. As
a result, option premiums may not reflect the current prices of
the underlying interest in the United States.

Over-the-counter ("OTC") options purchased by the fund and assets
held to cover OTC options written by the fund may, under certain
circumstances, be considered illiquid securities for purposes of
any limitation on the fund's ability to invest in illiquid
securities.

Futures Contracts and Related Options

Subject to applicable law, and unless otherwise specified in the
prospectus, the fund may invest without limit in the types of
futures contracts and related options identified in the
prospectus for hedging and non-hedging purposes, such as to
manage the effective duration of the fund's portfolio or as a
substitute for direct investment. A financial futures contract
sale creates an obligation by the seller to deliver the type of
financial instrument called for in the contract in a specified
delivery month for a stated price. A financial futures contract
purchase creates an obligation by the purchaser to take delivery
of the type of financial instrument called for in the contract in
a specified delivery month at a stated price. The specific
instruments delivered or taken, respectively, at settlement date
are not determined until on or near that date. The determination
is made in accordance with the rules of the exchange on which the
futures contract sale or purchase was made. Futures contracts
are traded in the United States only on commodity exchanges or
boards of trade - ^ known as "contract markets" - ^ approved for
such trading by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the
"CFTC"), and must be executed through a futures commission
merchant or brokerage firm which is a member of the relevant
contract market.

Although futures contracts (other than index futures) by their
terms call for actual delivery or acceptance of commodities or
securities, in most cases the contracts are closed out before the
settlement date without the making or taking of delivery.
Closing out a futures contract sale is effected by purchasing a
futures contract for the same aggregate amount of the specific
type of financial instrument or commodity with the same delivery
date. If the price of the initial sale of the futures contract
exceeds the price of the offsetting purchase, the seller is paid
the difference and realizes a gain. Conversely, if the price of
the offsetting purchase exceeds the price of the initial sale,
the seller realizes a loss. If the fund is unable to enter into
a closing transaction, the amount of the fund's potential loss is
unlimited. The closing out of a futures contract purchase is
effected by the purchaser's entering into a futures contract
sale. If the offsetting sale price exceeds the purchase price,
the purchaser realizes a gain, and if the purchase price exceeds
the offsetting sale price, he realizes a loss. In general, 40%
of the gain or loss arising from the closing out of a futures
contract traded on an exchange approved by the CFTC is treated as
short-term gain or loss, and 60% is treated as long-term gain or
loss.

Unlike when the fund purchases or sells a security, no price is
paid or received by the fund upon the purchase or sale of a
futures contract. Upon entering into a contract, the fund is
required to deposit with its custodian in a segregated account in
the name of the futures broker an amount of liquid assets. This
amount is known as "initial margin." The nature of initial
margin in futures transactions is different from that of margin
in security transactions in that futures contract margin does not
involve the borrowing of funds to finance the transactions.
Rather, initial margin is similar to a performance bond or good
faith deposit which is returned to the fund upon termination of
the futures contract, assuming all contractual obligations have
been satisfied. Futures contracts also involve brokerage costs.

Subsequent payments, called "variation margin" or "maintenance
margin," to and from the broker (or the custodian) are made on a
daily basis as the price of the underlying security or commodity
fluctuates, making the long and short positions in the futures
contract more or less valuable, a process known as "marking to
the market." For example, when the fund has purchased a futures
contract on a security and the price of the underlying security
has risen, that position will have increased in value and the
fund will receive from the broker a variation margin payment
based on that increase in value. Conversely, when the fund has
purchased a security futures contract and the price of the
underlying security has declined, the position would be less
valuable and the fund would be required to make a variation
margin payment to the broker.

The fund may elect to close some or all of its futures positions
at any time prior to their expiration in order to reduce or
eliminate a hedge position then currently held by the fund. The
fund may close its positions by taking opposite positions which
will operate to terminate the fund's position in the futures
contracts. Final determinations of variation margin are then
made, additional cash is required to be paid by or released to
the fund, and the fund realizes a loss or a gain. Such closing
transactions involve additional commission costs.

The fund does not intend to purchase or sell futures or related
options for other than hedging purposes, if, as a result, the sum
of the initial margin deposits on the fund's existing futures and
related options positions and premiums paid for outstanding
options on futures contracts would exceed 5% of the fund's net
assets.

Options on futures contracts. The fund may purchase and write
call and put options on futures contracts it may buy or sell and
enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to
terminate existing positions. In return for the premium paid,
options on future contracts give the purchaser the right to
assume a position in a futures contract at the specified option
exercise price at any time during the period of the option. The
fund may use options on futures contracts in lieu of writing or
buying options directly on the underlying securities or
purchasing and selling the underlying futures contracts. For
example, to hedge against a possible decrease in the value of its
portfolio securities, the fund may purchase put options or write
call options on futures contracts rather than selling futures
contracts. Similarly, the fund may purchase call options or
write put options on futures contracts as a substitute for the
purchase of futures contracts to hedge against a possible
increase in the price of securities which the fund expects to
purchase. Such options generally operate in the same manner as
options purchased or written directly on the underlying
investments.

As with options on securities, the holder or writer of an option
may terminate his position by selling or purchasing an offsetting
option. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can
be effected.

The fund will be required to deposit initial margin and
maintenance margin with respect to put and call options on
futures contracts written by it pursuant to brokers' requirements
similar to those described above in connection with the
discussion of futures contracts.

Risks of transactions in futures contracts and related options.
Successful use of futures contracts by the fund is subject to
Putnam Management's ability to predict movements in various
factors affecting securities markets, including interest rates.
Compared to the purchase or sale of futures contracts, the
purchase of call or put options on futures contracts involves
less potential risk to the fund because the maximum amount at
risk is the premium paid for the options (plus transaction
costs). However, there may be circumstances when the purchase of
a call or put option on a futures contract would result in a loss
to the fund when the purchase or sale of a futures contract would
not, such as when there is no movement in the prices of the
hedged investments. The writing of an option on a futures
contract involves risks similar to those risks relating to the
sale of futures contracts.

The use of options and futures strategies also involves the risk
of imperfect correlation among movements in the prices of the
securities underlying the futures and options purchased and sold
by the fund, of the options and futures contracts themselves,
and, in the case of hedging transactions, of the securities which
are the subject of a hedge. The successful use of these
strategies further depends on the ability of Putnam Management to
forecast interest rates and market movements correctly.

There is no assurance that higher than anticipated trading
activity or other unforeseen events might not, at times, render
certain market clearing facilities inadequate, and thereby result
in the institution by exchanges of special procedures which may
interfere with the timely execution of customer orders.

To reduce or eliminate a position held by the fund, the fund may
seek to close out such position. The ability to establish and
close out positions will be subject to the development and
maintenance of a liquid secondary market. It is not certain that
this market will develop or continue to exist for a particular
futures contract or option. Reasons for the absence of a liquid
secondary market on an exchange include the following: (i) there
may be insufficient trading interest in certain contracts or
options; (ii) restrictions may be imposed by an exchange on
opening transactions or closing transactions or both; (iii)
trading halts, suspensions or other restrictions may be imposed
with respect to particular classes or series of contracts or
options, or underlying securities; (iv) unusual or unforeseen
circumstances may interrupt normal operations on an exchange; (v)
the facilities of an exchange or a clearing corporation may not
at all times be adequate to handle current trading volume; or
(vi) one or more exchanges could, for economic or other reasons,
decide or be compelled at some future date to discontinue the
trading of contracts or options (or a particular class or series
of contracts or options), in which event the secondary market on
that exchange for such contracts or options (or in the class or
series of contracts or options) would cease to exist, although
outstanding contracts or options on the exchange that had been
issued by a clearing corporation as a result of trades on that
exchange would continue to be exercisable in accordance with
their terms.

U.S. Treasury security futures contracts and options. U.S.
Treasury security futures contracts require the seller to
deliver, or the purchaser to take delivery of, the type of U.S.
Treasury security called for in the contract at a specified date
and price. Options on U.S. Treasury security futures contracts
give the purchaser the right in return for the premium paid to
assume a position in a U.S. Treasury security futures contract at
the specified option exercise price at any time during the period
of the option.

Successful use of U.S. Treasury security futures contracts by the
fund is subject to Putnam Management's ability to predict
movements in the direction of interest rates and other factors
affecting markets for debt securities. For example, if the fund
has sold U.S. Treasury security futures contracts in order to
hedge against the possibility of an increase in interest rates
which would adversely affect securities held in its portfolio,
and the prices of the fund's securities increase instead as a
result of a decline in interest rates, the fund will lose part or
all of the benefit of the increased value of its securities which
it has hedged because it will have offsetting losses in its
futures positions. In addition, in such situations, if the fund
has insufficient cash, it may have to sell securities to meet
daily maintenance margin requirements at a time when it may be
disadvantageous to do so.

There is also a risk that price movements in U.S. Treasury
security futures contracts and related options will not correlate
closely with price movements in markets for particular
securities. For example, if the fund has hedged against a
decline in the values of tax-exempt securities held by it by
selling Treasury security futures and the values of Treasury
securities subsequently increase while the values of its tax-
exempt securities decrease, the fund would incur losses on both
the Treasury security futures contracts written by it and the tax-
exempt securities held in its portfolio.

Index futures contracts. An index futures contract is a contract
to buy or sell units of an index at a specified future date at a
price agreed upon when the contract is made. Entering into a
contract to buy units of an index is commonly referred to as
buying or purchasing a contract or holding a long position in
the index. Entering into a contract to sell units of an index is
commonly referred to as selling a contract or holding a short
position. A unit is the current value of the index. The fund
may enter into stock index futures contracts, debt index futures
contracts, or other index futures contracts appropriate to its
objective(s). The fund may also purchase and sell options on
index futures contracts.

For example, the Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Stock Price
Index ("S&P 500") is composed of 500 selected common stocks, most
of which are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The S&P 500
assigns relative weightings to the common stocks included in the
Index, and the value fluctuates with changes in the market values
of those common stocks. In the case of the S&P 500, contracts
are to buy or sell 500 units. Thus, if the value of the S&P 500
were $150, one contract would be worth $75,000 (500 units x
$150). The stock index futures contract specifies that no
delivery of the actual stocks making up the index will take
place. Instead, settlement in cash must occur upon the
termination of the contract, with the settlement being the
difference between the contract price and the actual level of the
stock index at the expiration of the contract. For example, if
the fund enters into a futures contract to buy 500 units of the
S&P 500 at a specified future date at a contract price of $150
and the S&P 500 is at $154 on that future date, the fund will
gain $2,000 (500 units x gain of $4). If the fund enters into a
futures contract to sell 500 units of the stock index at a
specified future date at a contract price of $150 and the S&P 500
is at $152 on that future date, the fund will lose $1,000 (500
units x loss of $2).

There are several risks in connection with the use by the fund of
index futures. One risk arises because of the imperfect
correlation between movements in the prices of the index futures
and movements in the prices of securities which are the subject
of the hedge. Putnam Management will, however, attempt to reduce
this risk by buying or selling, to the extent possible, futures
on indices the movements of which will, in its judgment, have a
significant correlation with movements in the prices of the
securities sought to be hedged.

Successful use of index futures by the fund is also subject to
Putnam Management's ability to predict movements in the direction
of the market. For example, it is possible that, where the fund
has sold futures to hedge its portfolio against a decline in the
market, the index on which the futures are written may advance
and the value of securities held in the fund's portfolio may
decline. If this occurred, the fund would lose money on the
futures and also experience a decline in value in its portfolio
securities. It is also possible that, if the fund has hedged
against the possibility of a decline in the market adversely
affecting securities held in its portfolio and securities prices
increase instead, the fund will lose part or all of the benefit
of the increased value of those securities it has hedged because
it will have offsetting losses in its futures positions. In
addition, in such situations, if the fund has insufficient cash,
it may have to sell securities to meet daily variation margin
requirements at a time when it is disadvantageous to do so.

In addition to the possibility that there may be an imperfect
correlation, or no correlation at all, between movements in the
index futures and the portion of the portfolio being hedged, the
prices of index futures may not correlate perfectly with
movements in the underlying index due to 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
could distort the normal relationship between the index and
futures markets. Second, margin requirements in the futures
market are less onerous than margin requirements in the
securities market, and as a result the futures market may attract
more speculators than the securities market does. Increased
participation by speculators in the futures market may also cause
temporary price distortions. Due to the possibility of price
distortions in the futures market and also because of the
imperfect correlation between movements in the index and
movements in the prices of index futures, even a correct forecast
of general market trends by Putnam Management may still not
result in a profitable position over a short time period.

Options on stock index futures. Options on index futures are
similar to options on securities except that options on index
futures give the purchaser the right, in return for the premium
paid, to assume a position in an index 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 period of the option. Upon exercise of the option, the
delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to
the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the
accumulated balance in the writer's futures margin account which
represents the amount by which the market price of the index
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 index future. If an option is exercised on the
last trading day prior to its expiration date, the settlement
will be made entirely in cash equal to the difference between the
exercise price of the option and the closing level of the index
on which the future is based on the expiration date. Purchasers
of options who fail to exercise their options prior to the
exercise date suffer a loss of the premium paid.

Options on Indices

As an alternative to purchasing call and put options on index
futures, the fund may purchase and sell call and put options on
the underlying indices themselves. Such options would be used in
a manner identical to the use of options on index futures.

Index Warrants

The fund may purchase put warrants and call warrants whose values
vary depending on the change in the value of one or more
specified securities indices ("index warrants"). Index warrants
are generally issued by banks or other financial institutions and
give the holder the right, at any time during the term of the
warrant, to receive upon exercise of the warrant a cash payment
from the issuer based on the value of the underlying index at the
time of exercise. In general, if the value of the underlying
index rises above the exercise price of the index warrant, the
holder of a call warrant will be entitled to receive a cash
payment from the issuer upon exercise based on the difference
between the value of the index and the exercise price of the
warrant; if the value of the underlying index falls, the holder
of a put warrant will be entitled to receive a cash payment from
the issuer upon exercise based on the difference between the
exercise price of the warrant and the value of the index. The
holder of a warrant would not be entitled to any payments from
the issuer at any time when, in the case of a call warrant, the
exercise price is greater than the value of the underlying index,
or, in the case of a put warrant, the exercise price is less than
the value of the underlying index. If the fund were not to
exercise an index warrant prior to its expiration, then the fund
would lose the amount of the purchase price paid by it for the
warrant.

The fund will normally use index warrants in a manner similar to
its use of options on securities indices. The risks of the
fund's use of index warrants are generally similar to those
relating to its use of index options. Unlike most index options,
however, index warrants are issued in limited amounts and are not
obligations of a regulated clearing agency, but are backed only
by the credit of the bank or other institution which issues the
warrant. Also, index warrants generally have longer terms than
index options. Although the fund will normally invest only in
exchange - listed warrants, index warrants are not likely to be
as liquid as certain index options backed by a recognized
clearing agency. In addition, the terms of index warrants may
limit the fund's ability to exercise the warrants at such time,
or in such quantities, as the fund would otherwise wish to do.

Foreign Investments

The fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers that are not
actively traded in U.S. markets. These foreign investments
involve certain special risks described below.

Foreign securities are normally denominated and traded in foreign
currencies. As a result, the value of the fund's foreign
investments and the value of its shares may be affected favorably
or unfavorably by changes in currency exchange rates relative to
the U.S. dollar. There may be less information publicly
available about a foreign issuer than about a U.S. issuer, and
foreign issuers are not generally subject to accounting, auditing
and financial reporting standards and practices comparable to
those in the United States. The securities of some foreign
issuers are less liquid and at times more volatile than
securities of comparable U.S. issuers. Foreign brokerage
commissions and other fees are also generally higher than in the
United States. Foreign settlement procedures and trade
regulations may involve certain risks (such as delay in payment
or delivery of securities or in the recovery of the fund's assets
held abroad) and expenses not present in the settlement of
investments in U.S. markets.

In addition, the fund's investments in foreign securities may be
subject to the risk of nationalization or expropriation of
assets, imposition of currency exchange controls, foreign
withholding taxes or restrictions on the repatriation of foreign
currency, confiscatory taxation, political or financial
instability and diplomatic developments which could affect the
value of the fund's investments in certain foreign countries.
Dividends or interest on, or proceeds from the sale of, foreign
securities may be subject to foreign withholding taxes, and
special U.S. tax considerations may apply.

The risks described above, including the risks of nationalization
or expropriation of assets, are typically increased in connection
with investments in "emerging markets." For example, political
and economic structures in these countries may be in their
infancy and developing rapidly, and such countries may be in
their infancy and developing rapidly, and such countries may lack
the social, political and economic stability characteristic of
more developed countries. Certain of these countries have in the
past failed to recognize private property rights and have at
times nationalized and expropriated the assets of private
companies. High rates of inflation or currency devaluations may
adversely affect the economies and securities markets of such
countries. Investments in emerging markets may be considered
speculative.

The currencies of certain emerging market countries have
experienced a steady devaluation relative to the U.S. dollar, and
continued devaluations may adversely affect the value of a fund's
assets denominated in such currencies. Many emerging market
companies have experienced substantial, and in some periods
extremely high, rates of inflation for many years, and continued
inflation may adversely affect the economies and securities
markets of such countries.

In addition, unanticipated political or social developments may
affect the value of the fund's investments in emerging markets
and the availability to the fund of additional investments in
these markets. The small size, limited trading volume and
relative inexperience of the securities markets in these
countries may make the fund's investments in securities traded in
emerging markets illiquid and more volatile than investments in
securities traded in more developed countries, and the fund may
be required to establish special custodial or other arrangements
before making investments in securities traded in emerging
markets. There may be little financial or accounting information
available with respect to issuers of emerging market securities,
and it may be difficult as a result to assess the value of
prospects of an investment in such securities.

Certain of the foregoing risks may also apply to some extent to
securities of U.S. issuers that are denominated in foreign
currencies or that are traded in foreign markets, or securities
of U.S. issuers having significant foreign operations.

Foreign Currency Transactions

Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus or Part I of this
SAI, the fund may engage without limit in currency exchange
transactions, including purchasing and selling foreign currency,
foreign currency options, foreign currency forward contracts and
foreign currency futures contracts and related options, to manage
its exposure to foreign currencies. In addition, the fund may
write covered call and put options on foreign currencies for the
purpose of increasing its current return.

Generally, the fund may engage in both "transaction hedging" and
"position hedging." The fund may also engage in foreign currency
transactions for non-hedging purposes, subject to applicable law.
When it engages in transaction hedging, the fund enters into
foreign currency transactions with respect to specific
receivables or payables, generally arising in connection with the
purchase or sale of portfolio securities. The fund will engage
in transaction hedging when it desires to "lock in" the U.S.
dollar price of a security it has agreed to purchase or sell, or
the U.S. dollar equivalent of a dividend or interest payment in a
foreign currency. By transaction hedging the fund will attempt
to protect itself against a possible loss resulting from an
adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar and
the applicable foreign currency during the period between the
date on which the security is purchased or sold, or on which the
dividend or interest payment is earned, and the date on which
such payments are made or received.

The fund may purchase or sell a foreign currency on a spot (or
cash) basis at the prevailing spot rate in connection with the
settlement of transactions in portfolio securities denominated in
that foreign currency. If conditions warrant, for transaction
hedging purposes the fund may also enter into contracts to
purchase or sell foreign currencies at a future date ("forward
contracts") and purchase and sell foreign currency futures
contracts. A foreign currency forward contract is a negotiated
agreement to exchange currency at a future time at a rate or
rates that may be higher or lower than the spot rate. Foreign
currency futures contracts are standardized exchange-traded
contracts and have margin requirements. In addition, for
transaction hedging purposes the fund may also purchase or sell
exchange-listed and over-the-counter call and put options on
foreign currency futures contracts and on foreign currencies.
The fund may also enter into contracts to purchase or sell
foreign currencies at a future date ("forward contracts") and
purchase and sell foreign currency futures contracts.

For transaction hedging purposes the fund may also purchase
exchange - listed and over - ^ the - counter call and put options
on foreign currency futures contracts and on foreign currencies.
A put option on a futures contract gives the fund the right to
assume a short position in the futures contract until the
expiration of the option. A put option on a currency gives the
fund the right to sell the currency at an exercise price until
the expiration of the option. A call option on a futures
contract gives the fund the right to assume a long position in
the futures contract until the expiration of the option. A call
option on a currency gives the fund the right to purchase the
currency at the exercise price until the expiration of the
option.

The fund may engage in position hedging to protect against a
decline in the value relative to the U.S. dollar of the
currencies in which its portfolio securities are denominated or
quoted (or an increase in the value of the currency in which the
securities the fund intends to buy are denominated, when the fund
holds cash or short-term investments). For position hedging
purposes, the fund may purchase or sell, on exchanges or in over-
the-counter markets, foreign currency futures contracts, foreign
currency forward contracts and options on foreign currency
futures contracts and on foreign currencies. In connection with
position hedging, the fund may also purchase or sell foreign
currency on a spot basis.

It is impossible to forecast with precision the market value of
portfolio securities at the expiration or maturity of a forward
or futures contract. Accordingly, it may be necessary for the
fund to purchase additional foreign currency on the spot market
(and bear the expense of such purchase) if the market value of
the security or securities being hedged is less than the amount
of foreign currency the fund is obligated to deliver and a
decision is made to sell the security or securities and make
delivery of the foreign currency. Conversely, it may be
necessary to sell on the spot market some of the foreign currency
received upon the sale of the portfolio security or securities if
the market value of such security or securities exceeds the
amount of foreign currency the fund is obligated to deliver.

Transaction and position hedging do not eliminate fluctuations in
the underlying prices of the securities which the fund owns or
intends to purchase or sell. They simply establish a rate of
exchange which one can achieve at some future point in time.
Additionally, although these techniques tend to minimize the risk
of loss due to a decline in the value of the hedged currency,
they tend to limit any potential gain which might result from the
increase in value of such currency. See "Risk factors in options
transactions" above.

The fund may seek to increase its current return or to offset
some of the costs of hedging against fluctuations in current
exchange rates by writing covered call options and covered put
options on foreign currencies. The fund receives a premium from
writing a call or put option, which increases the fund's current
return if the option expires unexercised or is closed out at a
net profit. The fund may terminate an option that it has written
prior to its expiration by entering into a closing purchase
transaction in which it purchases an option having the same terms
as the option written.

The fund may also engage in non-hedging currency transactions.
For example, Putnam Management may believe that exposure to a
currency is in the fund's best interest but that securities
denominated in that currency are unattractive. In that case the
fund may purchase a currency forward contract or option in order
to increase its exposure to the currency. In accordance with SEC
regulations, the fund will segregate liquid assets in its
portfolio to cover forward contracts used for non-hedging
purposes.

The value of any currency, including U.S. dollars and foreign
currencies, may be affected by complex political and economic
factors applicable to the issuing country. In addition, the
exchange rates of foreign currencies (and therefore the values of
foreign currency options, forward contracts and futures
contracts) may be affected significantly, fixed, or supported
directly or indirectly by U.S. and foreign government actions.
Government intervention may increase risks involved in purchasing
or selling foreign currency options, forward contracts and
futures contracts, since exchange rates may not be free to
fluctuate in response to other market forces.

The value of a foreign currency option, forward contract or
futures contract reflects the value of an exchange rate, which in
turn reflects relative values of two currencies, the U.S. dollar
and the foreign currency in question. Because foreign currency
transactions occurring in the interbank market involve
substantially larger amounts than those that may be involved in
the exercise of foreign currency options, forward contracts and
futures contracts, investors may be disadvantaged by having to
deal in an odd-lot market for the underlying foreign currencies
in connection with options at prices that are less favorable than
for round lots. Foreign governmental restrictions or taxes could
result in adverse changes in the cost of acquiring or disposing
of foreign currencies.

There is no systematic reporting of last sale information for
foreign currencies and there is no regulatory requirement that
quotations available through dealers or other market sources be
firm or revised on a timely basis. Available quotation
information is generally representative of very large ^ round-lot
transactions in the interbank market and thus may not reflect
exchange rates for smaller ^ odd-lot transactions (less than $1
million) where rates may be less favorable. The interbank market
in foreign currencies is a global, ^ around-the-clock market. To
the extent that options markets are closed while the markets for
the underlying currencies remain open, significant price and rate
movements may take place in the underlying markets that cannot be
reflected in the options markets.

Currency forward and futures contracts. A forward foreign
currency contract involves an obligation to purchase or sell a
specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number
of days from the date of the contract as agreed by the parties,
at a price set at the time of the contract. In the case of a
cancelable forward contract, the holder has the unilateral right
to cancel the contract at maturity by paying a specified fee.
The contracts are traded in the interbank market conducted
directly between currency traders (usually large commercial
banks) and their customers. A forward contract generally has no
deposit requirement, and no commissions are charged at any stage
for trades. A foreign currency futures contract is a
standardized contract for the future delivery of a specified
amount of a foreign currency at a price set at the time of the
contract. Foreign currency futures contracts traded in the
United States are designed by and traded on exchanges regulated
by the CFTC, such as the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Forward foreign currency exchange contracts differ from foreign
currency futures contracts in certain respects. For example, the
maturity date of a forward contract may be any fixed number of
days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties,
rather than a predetermined date in a given month. Forward
contracts may be in any amount agreed upon by the parties rather
than predetermined amounts. Also, forward foreign exchange
contracts are traded directly between currency traders so that no
intermediary is required. A forward contract generally requires
no margin or other deposit.

At the maturity of a forward or futures contract, the fund either
may accept or make delivery of the currency specified in the
contract, or at or prior to maturity enter into a closing
transaction involving the purchase or sale of an offsetting
contract. Closing transactions with respect to forward contracts
are usually effected with the currency trader who is a party to
the original forward contract. Closing transactions with respect
to futures contracts are effected on a commodities exchange; a
clearing corporation associated with the exchange assumes
responsibility for closing out such contracts.

Positions in the foreign currency futures contracts may be closed
out only on an exchange or board of trade which provides a
secondary market in such contracts. Although the fund intends to
purchase or sell foreign currency futures contracts only on
exchanges or boards of trade where there appears to be an active
secondary market, there is no assurance that a secondary market
on an exchange or board of trade will exist for any particular
contract or at any particular time. In such event, it may not be
possible to close a futures position and, in the event of adverse
price movements, the fund would continue to be required to make
daily cash payments of variation margin.

Foreign currency options. In general, options on foreign
currencies operate similarly to options on securities and are
subject to many of the risks described above. Foreign currency
options are traded primarily in the over-the-counter market,
although options on foreign currencies are also listed on several
exchanges. Options are traded not only on the currencies of
individual nations, but also on the European Currency Unit
("ECU"). The ECU is composed of amounts of a number of
currencies, and is the official medium of exchange of the
European Community's European Monetary System.

The fund will only purchase or write foreign currency options
when Putnam Management believes that a liquid secondary market
exists for such options. There can be no assurance that a liquid
secondary market will exist for a particular option at any
specific time. Options on foreign currencies are affected by all
of those factors which influence foreign exchange rates and
investments generally.

Settlement procedures. Settlement procedures relating to the
fund's investments in foreign securities and to the fund's
foreign currency exchange transactions may be more complex than
settlements with respect to investments in debt or equity
securities of U.S. issuers, and may involve certain risks not
present in the fund's domestic investments. For example,
settlement of transactions involving foreign securities or
foreign currencies may occur within a foreign country, and the
fund may be required to accept or make delivery of the underlying
securities or currency in conformity with any applicable U.S. or
foreign restrictions or regulations, and may be required to pay
any fees, taxes or charges associated with such delivery. Such
investments may also involve the risk that an entity involved in
the settlement may not meet its obligations.

Foreign currency conversion. Although foreign exchange dealers
do not charge a fee for currency conversion, they do realize a
profit based on the difference (the "spread") between prices at
which they are buying and selling various currencies. Thus, a
dealer may offer to sell a foreign currency to the fund at one
rate, while offering a lesser rate of exchange should the fund
desire to resell that currency to the dealer.

Restricted Securities

The SEC Staff currently takes the view that any delegation by the
Trustees of the authority to determine that a restricted security
is readily marketable (as described in the investment
restrictions of the funds) must be pursuant to written procedures
established by the Trustees. It is the present intention of the
funds' Trustees that, if the Trustees decide to delegate such
determinations to Putnam Management or another person, they would
do so pursuant to written procedures, consistent with the Staff's
position. Should the Staff modify its position in the future,
the Trustees would consider what action would be appropriate in
light of the Staff's position at that time.

TAXESTAXES

Taxation of the fund. The fund intends to qualify each year as a
regulated investment company under Subchapter M of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). In order so to
qualify and to qualify for the special tax treatment accorded
regulated investment companies and their shareholders, the fund
must, among other things:

(a) Derive at least 90% of its gross income from dividends,
interest, payments with respect to certain securities loans, and
gains from the sale of stock, securities and foreign currencies,
or other income (including but not limited to gains from options,
futures, or forward contracts) derived with respect to its
business of investing in such stock, securities, or currencies;

(b) distribute with respect to each taxable year at least 90% of
the sum of its taxable net investment income, its net ^
tax-exempt income, and the excess, if any, of net short-term
capital gains over net long-term capital losses for such year;
and

(c) diversify its holdings so that, at the end of each fiscal
quarter, (i) at least 50% of the market value of the fund's
assets is represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government
securities, securities of other regulated investment companies,
and other securities limited in respect of any one issuer to a
value not greater than 5% of the value of the fund's total assets
and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of
such issuer, and (ii) not more than 25% of the value of its
assets is invested in the securities (other than those of the
U.S. Government or other regulated investment companies) of any
one issuer or of two or more issuers which the fund controls and
which are engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or
businesses.

In addition, until the start of the fund's first tax year
beginning after August 5, 1997, the fund must derive less than
30% of its gross income from the sale or other disposition of
certain assets (including stock or securities and certain
options, futures contracts, forward contracts and foreign
currencies) held for less than three months in order to qualify
as a regulated investment company.

If the fund qualifies as a regulated investment company that is
accorded special tax treatment, the fund will not be subject to
federal income tax on income paid to its shareholders in the form
of dividends (including capital gain dividends).

If the fund failed to qualify as a regulated investment company
accorded special tax treatment in any taxable year, the fund
would be subject to tax on its taxable income at corporate rates,
and all distributions from earnings and profits, including any
distributions of net tax-exempt income and net long-term capital
gains, would be taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. In
addition, the fund could be required to recognize unrealized
gains, pay substantial taxes and interest and make substantial
distributions before requalifying as a regulated investment
company that is accorded special tax treatment.

If the fund fails to distribute in a calendar year substantially
all of its ordinary income for such year and substantially all of
its capital gain net income for the one-year period ending
October 31 (or later if the fund is permitted so to elect and so
elects), plus any retained amount from the prior year, the fund
will be subject to a 4% excise tax on the undistributed amounts.
A dividend paid to shareholders by the fund in January of a year
generally is deemed to have been paid by the fund on December 31
of the preceding year, if the dividend was declared and payable
to shareholders of record on a date in October, November or
December of that preceding year. The fund intends generally to
make distributions sufficient to avoid imposition of the 4%
excise tax.

Fund distributions. Distributions from the fund (other than
exempt-interest dividends, as discussed below) will be taxable to
shareholders as ordinary income to the extent derived from the
fund's investment income and net short-term gains. Pursuant to
the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, two different tax rates apply to
net capital gains (that is, the excess of net gains from capital
assets held more than one year over net losses from capital
assets held for not more than one year). One rate (generally
28%) applies to net gains on capital assets held for more than
one year but not more than 18 months (28% rate gains) and a
second, preferred rate (generally 20%) applies to the balance of
such net capital gains ("adjusted net capital gains").
Distributions of net capital gains will be treated in the hands
of shareholders as 28% rate gains to the extent designated by the
fund as deriving from net gains from assets held for more than
one year but not more than 18 months, and the balance will be
treated as adjusted net capital gains. Distributions of 28% rate
gains and adjusted net capital gains will be taxable to
shareholders as such, regardless of how long a shareholder has
held the shares in the fund.

Exempt - interest dividends. The fund will be qualified to pay
exempt - interest dividends to its shareholders only if, at the
close of each quarter of the fund's taxable year, at least 50% of
the total value of the fund's assets consists of obligations the
interest on which is exempt from federal income tax.
Distributions that the fund properly designates as exempt-
interest dividends are treated as interest excludable from
shareholders' gross income for federal income tax purposes but
may be taxable for federal alternative minimum tax purposes and
for state and local purposes. If the fund intends to be
qualified to pay exempt - interest dividends, the fund may be
limited in its ability to enter into taxable transactions
involving forward commitments, repurchase agreements, financial
futures and options contracts on financial futures, tax - ^
exempt bond indices and other assets.

Part or all of the interest on indebtedness, if any, incurred or
continued by a shareholder to purchase or carry shares of a fund
paying exempt-interest dividends is not deductible. The portion
of interest that is not deductible is equal to the total interest
paid or accrued on the indebtedness, multiplied by the percentage
of the fund's total distributions (not including distributions
from net long-term capital gains) paid to the shareholder that
are exempt-interest dividends. Under rules used by the Internal
Revenue Service for determining when borrowed funds are
considered used for the purpose of purchasing or carrying
particular assets, the purchase of shares may be considered to
have been made with borrowed funds even though such funds are not
directly traceable to the purchase of shares.

In general, exempt-interest dividends, if any, attributable to
interest received on certain private activity obligations and
certain industrial development bonds will not be tax-exempt to
any shareholders who are "substantial users" of the facilities
financed by such obligations or bonds or who are "related
persons" of such substantial users.

A fund which is qualified to pay exempt-interest dividends will
inform investors within 60 days of the fund's fiscal year-end of
the percentage of its income distributions designated as ^
tax-exempt. The percentage is applied uniformly to all
distributions made during the year. The percentage of income
designated as ^ tax-exempt for any particular distribution may be
substantially different from the percentage of the fund's income
that was ^ tax-exempt during the period covered by the
distribution.

Hedging transactions. If the fund engages in hedging
transactions, including hedging transactions in options, futures
contracts, and straddles, or other similar transactions, it will
be subject to special tax rules (including constructive sale,
mark-to-market, straddle, wash sale, and short sale rules), the
effect of which may be to accelerate income to the fund, defer
losses to the fund, cause adjustments in the holding periods of
the fund's securities, or convert short-term capital losses into
long-term capital losses. These rules could therefore affect the
amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders.
The fund will endeavor to make any available elections pertaining
to such transactions in a manner believed to be in the best
interests of the fund.

Under the 30% of gross income test described above (see "Taxation
of the fund"), the fund will be restricted in selling assets held
or considered under Code rules to have been held for less than
three months, and in engaging in certain hedging transactions
(including hedging transactions in options and futures) that in
some circumstances could cause certain fund assets to be treated
as held for less than three months.

Certain of the fund's hedging activities (including its
transactions, if any, in foreign currencies or foreign currency-
denominated instruments) are likely to produce a difference
between its book income and its taxable income. If the fund's
book income exceeds its taxable income, the distribution (if any)
of such excess will be treated as (i) a dividend to the extent of
the fund's remaining earnings and profits (including earnings and
profits arising from tax-exempt income), (ii) thereafter as a
return of capital to the extent of the recipient's basis in the
shares, and (iii) thereafter as gain from the sale or exchange of
a capital asset. If the fund's book income is less than its
taxable income, the fund could be required to make distributions
exceeding book income to qualify as a regulated investment
company that is accorded special tax treatment.

Return of capital distributions. If the fund makes a
distribution to you in excess of its current and accumulated
"earnings and profits" in any taxable year, the excess
distribution will be treated as a return of capital to the extent
of your tax basis in your shares, and thereafter as capital gain.
A return of capital is not taxable, but it reduces your tax basis
in your shares, thus reducing any loss or increasing any gain on
a subsequent taxable disposition by you of your shares.

Securities issued or purchased at a discount. The fund's
investment in securities issued at a discount and certain other
obligations will (and investments in securities purchased at a
discount may) require the fund to accrue and distribute income
not yet received. In order to generate sufficient cash to make
the requisite distributions, the fund may be required to sell
securities in its portfolio that it otherwise would have
continued to hold.

Capital loss carryover. Distributions from capital gains are
made after applying any available capital loss carryovers. The
amounts and expiration dates of any capital loss carryovers
available to the fund are shown in Note 1 (Federal income taxes)
to the financial statements included in Part I of this SAI or
incorporated by reference into this SAI.

Foreign currency-denominated securities and related hedging
transactions. The fund's transactions in foreign currencies,
foreign currency-denominated debt securities and certain foreign
currency options, futures contracts and forward contracts (and
similar instruments) may give rise to ordinary income or loss to
the extent such income or loss results from fluctuations in the
value of the foreign currency concerned.

If more than 50% of the fund's assets at year end consists of the
securities of foreign corporations, the fund may elect to permit
shareholders to claim a credit or deduction on their income tax
returns for their pro rata portion of qualified taxes paid by the
fund to foreign countries in respect of foreign securities the
fund has held for at least the minimum period specified in the
Code. In such a case, shareholders will include in gross income
from foreign sources their pro rata shares of such taxes. A
shareholder's ability to claim a foreign tax credit or deduction
in respect of foreign taxes paid by the fund may be subject to
certain limitations imposed by the Code, as a result of which a
shareholder may not get a full credit or deduction for the amount
of such taxes. In particular, shareholders must hold their fund
shares (without protection from risk of loss) on the ex-dividend
date and for at least 15 additional days during the 30-day period
surrounding the ex-dividend date to be eligible to claim a
foreign tax credit with respect to a given dividend.
Shareholders who do not itemize on their federal income tax
returns may claim a credit (but no deduction) for such foreign
taxes.

Investment by the fund in "passive foreign investment companies"
could subject the fund to a U.S. federal income tax or other
charge on the proceeds from the sale of its investment in such a
company; however, this tax can be avoided by making an election
to mark such investments to market annually or to treat the
passive foreign investment company as a "qualified electing
fund."

A "passive foreign investment company" is any foreign
corporation: (i) 75 percent or more of the income of which for
the taxable year is passive income, or (ii) the average
percentage of the assets of which (generally by value, but by
adjusted tax basis in certain cases) that produce or are held for
the production of passive income is at least 50 percent.
Generally, passive income for this purpose means dividends,
interest (including income equivalent to interest), royalties,
rents, annuities, the excess of gains over losses from certain
property transactions and commodities transactions, and foreign
currency gains. Passive income for this purpose does not include
rents and royalties received by the foreign corporation from
active business and certain income received from related persons.

Sale or redemption of shares. The sale, exchange or redemption
of fund shares may give rise to a gain or loss. In general, any
gain realized upon a taxable disposition of shares will be
treated as 28% rate gain if the shares have been held for more
than 12 months but not more than 18 months, and as adjusted net
capital gains if the shares have been held for more than 18
months. Otherwise the gain on the sale, exchange or redemption
of fund shares will be treated as short-term capital gain. In
general, any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of shares
will be treated as long-term loss if the shares have been held
for more than 12 months, and otherwise as short-term capital
loss. However, if a shareholder sells shares at a loss within
six months of purchase, any loss will be disallowed for Federal
income tax purposes to the extent of any exempt-interest
dividends received on such shares. In addition, any loss (not
already disallowed as provided in the preceding sentence)
realized upon a taxable disposition of shares held for six months
or less will be treated as long-term, rather than short-term, to
the extent of any long-term capital gain distributions received
by the shareholder with respect to the shares. All or a portion
of any loss realized upon a taxable disposition of fund shares
will be disallowed if other shares of the same fund are purchased
within 30 days before or after the disposition. In such a case,
the basis of the newly purchased shares will be adjusted to
reflect the disallowed loss.

Shares purchased through tax-qualified plans. Special tax rules
apply to investments though defined contribution plans and other
tax-qualified plans. Shareholders should consult their tax
adviser to determine the suitability of shares of a fund as an
investment through such plans and the precise effect of an
investment on their particular tax situation.

Backup withholding. The fund generally is required to withhold
and remit to the U.S. Treasury 31% of the taxable dividends and
other distributions paid to any individual shareholder who fails
to furnish the fund with a correct taxpayer identification number
(TIN), who has under-reported dividends or interest income, or
who fails to certify to the fund that he or she is not subject to
such withholding.

MANAGEMENTMANAGEMENT

Trustees Name (Age)

*+George Putnam (71), Chairman and President. Chairman and
Director of Putnam Management and Putnam Mutual Funds. Director,
Freeport Copper and Gold, Inc. (a mining and natural resource
company), Houghton Mifflin Company (a major publishing company)
and Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.

+William F. Pounds (69), Vice Chairman. Professor of Management,
Alfred P. Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. Director of IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Management
Sciences for Health, Inc., and Sun Company, Inc.

Jameson A. Baxter (54), Trustee. President, Baxter Associates,
Inc. (a management and financial consulting firm). Director of
Avondale Federal Savings Bank, ASHTA Chemicals, Inc. and Banta
Corporation (printing and digital imaging). Chairman Emeritus of
the Board of Trustees, Mount Holyoke College.

+Hans H. Estin (69), Trustee. Chartered Financial Analyst and
Vice Chairman, North American Management Corp. (a registered
investment adviser).

John A. Hill (55), Trustee. Chairman and Managing Director,
First Reserve Corporation (a registered investment adviser
investing in companies in the world-wide energy industry on
behalf of institutional investors). Director of Snyder Oil
Corporation, TransMontaigne Oil Company, Weatherford Enterra,
Inc. (an oil field service company) and various private companies
owned by First Reserve Corporation, such as James River Coal and
Anker Coal Corporation, and various First Reserve Funds, such as
American Gas & Oil Investors, Ltd., AmGO II, L.P., First Reserve
Secured Energy Assets Fund, L.P., First Reserve Fund V., L.P.,
First Reserve Fund VI, L.P., and First Reserve Fund VII, L.P.

Ronald J. Jackson (53), Trustee. Former Chairman, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Fisher-Price, Inc.

*Paul L. Joskow (50), Trustee. Professor of Economics and
Management and Head of the Department of Economics, Massachusetts
Institute of Technology. Director, New England Electric System,
State Farm Indemnity Company and Whitehead Institute for
Biomedical Research. He has been a consultant to National
Economic Research Associates, Inc. since 1972.

Elizabeth T. Kennan (59), Trustee. President Emeritus and
Professor, Mount Holyoke College. Director, Bell Atlantic (a
telecommunications company), the Kentucky Home Life Insurance
Companies, NYNEX Corporation, Northeast Utilities and Talbots.

*Lawrence J. Lasser (54), Trustee and Vice President. President,
Chief Executive Officer and Director of Putnam Investments, Inc.
and Putnam Investment Management, Inc. Director of Marsh &
McLennan Companies, Inc. and the United Way of Massachusetts Bay.

John H. Mullin, III (56), Trustee. Chairman and CEO of Ridgeway
Farm, Director of ACX Technologies, Inc. (a company engaged in
the manufacture of industrial ceramics and packaging products),
Alex. Brown Realty, Inc. and The Liberty Corporation (a company
engaged in the life insurance and broadcasting industries).

+Robert E. Patterson (52), Trustee. President and Trustee of
Cabot Industrial Trust (a publicly traded real estate investment
trust). Director of Brandywine Trust Company. Trustee of SEA
Education Association.

*Donald S. Perkins (70), Trustee. Director of various
corporations, including AON Corp. (an insurance company), Cummins
Engine Company, Inc. (an engine and power generator manufacturer
and assembler), Current Assets L.L.C. (a corporation providing
financial staffing services), LaSalle Street Fund, Inc. and
LaSalle U.S. Realty Income and Growth Fund, Inc. (real estate
investment trusts), Lucent Technologies Inc., Nanophase
Technologies Inc. (a producer of nano crystalline materials),
Ryerson Tull, Inc. (America's largest steel service corporation)^
and Springs Industries, Inc. (a textile ^ manufacturer.)

*#George Putnam III (46), Trustee. President, New Generation
Research, Inc. (a publisher of financial advisory and other
research services relating to bankrupt and distressed companies)
and New Generation Advisers, Inc. (a registered investment
adviser). Director, Massachusetts Audubon Society and The Boston
Family Office, L.L.C. (a registered investment advisor).

*A.J.C. Smith (63), Trustee. Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. Director, Trident
Corp.

W. Thomas Stephens (55), Trustee. President and Chief Executive
Officer of MacMillan Bloedel Ltd. Director, Qwest Communications
(a fiber optics manufacturer) and New Century Energies (a public
utility company).

W. Nicholas Thorndike (64), Trustee. Director of various
corporations and charitable organizations, including Courier
Corporation, Data General Corporation, Bradley Real Estate, Inc.,
and Providence Journal Co.

Officers Name (Age)

Charles E. Porter (59), Executive Vice President. Managing
Director of Putnam Investments, Inc. and Putnam Management.

Patricia C. Flaherty (50), Vice President. Senior Vice President
of Putnam Investments, Inc. and Putnam Management.

William N. Shiebler (55), Vice President. Director and Senior
Managing Director of Putnam Investments, Inc. President and
Director of Putnam Mutual Funds.

Gordon H. Silver (50), Vice President. Director and Senior
Managing Director of Putnam Investments, Inc. and Putnam
Management.

Ian C. Ferguson (40), Vice President. Senior Managing Director
of Putnam Management.

John R. Verani (58), Vice President. Senior Vice President of
Putnam Investments, Inc. and Putnam Management.

John D. Hughes (62), Senior Vice President and Treasurer.

Beverly Marcus (53), Clerk and Assistant Treasurer.

*Trustees who are or may be deemed to be "interested persons" (as
defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940) of the fund,
Putnam Management or Putnam Mutual Funds.

+Members of the Executive Committee of the Trustees. The
Executive Committee meets between regular meetings of the
Trustees as may be required to review investment matters and
other affairs of the fund and may exercise all of the powers of
the Trustees.

#George Putnam, III is the son of George Putnam.
-----------------
^

Certain other officers of Putnam Management are officers of the
fund. See "Additional officers" in Part I of this SAI. The
mailing address of each of the officers and Trustees is One Post
Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02109.

Except as stated below, the principal occupations of the officers
and Trustees for the last five years have been with the employers
as shown above, although in some cases they have held different
positions with such employers. Prior to June, 1995, Ms. Kennan
was President of Mount Holyoke College. Prior to 1996, Mr.
Stephens was Chairman of the Board of Directors, President and
Chief Executive Officer of Johns Manville Corporation. Prior to
April, 1996, Mr. Ferguson was CEO at Hong Kong Shanghai Banking
Corporation. Prior to February, 1998, Mr. Patterson was
Executive Vice President and Director of Acquisitions of Cabot
Partners Limited Partnership.

Each Trustee of the fund receives an annual fee and an additional
fee for each Trustees' meeting attended. Trustees who are not
interested persons of Putnam Management and who serve on
committees of the Trustees receive additional fees for attendance
at certain committee meetings and for special services rendered
in that connection. All of the Trustees are Trustees of all the
Putnam funds and each receives fees for his or her services. For
details of Trustees' fees paid by the fund and information
concerning retirement guidelines for the Trustees, see "Charges
and expenses" in Part I of this SAI.

The Agreement and Declaration of Trust of the fund provides that
the fund will indemnify its Trustees and officers against
liabilities and expenses incurred in connection with litigation
in which they may be involved because of their offices with the
fund, except if it is determined in the manner specified in the
Agreement and Declaration of Trust that they have not acted in
good faith in the reasonable belief that their actions were in
the best interests of the fund or that such indemnification would
relieve any officer or Trustee of any liability to the fund or
its shareholders by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith,
gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or her duties. The
fund, at its expense, provides liability insurance for the
benefit of its Trustees and officers.

Putnam Management and its affiliates

Putnam Management is one of America's oldest and largest money
management firms. Putnam Management's staff of experienced
portfolio managers and research analysts selects securities and
constantly supervises the fund's portfolio. By pooling an
investor's money with that of other investors, a greater variety
of securities can be purchased than would be the case
individually; the resulting diversification helps reduce
investment risk. Putnam Management has been managing mutual funds
since 1937. Today, the firm serves as the investment manager for
the funds in the Putnam Family, with nearly $182 billion in
assets in over 9 million shareholder accounts at December 31,
1997. An affiliate, The Putnam Advisory Company, Inc., manages
domestic and foreign institutional accounts and mutual funds,
including the accounts of many Fortune 500 companies. Another
affiliate, Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company, provides investment
advice to institutional clients under its banking and fiduciary
powers. At December 31, 1997, Putnam Management and its
affiliates managed over $235 billion in assets, including over
$19 billion in tax-exempt securities and over $57 billion in
retirement plan assets.

Putnam Management, Putnam Mutual Funds and Putnam Fiduciary Trust
Company are subsidiaries of Putnam Investments, Inc., a holding
company which is in turn wholly owned by Marsh & McLennan
Companies, Inc., a publicly-owned holding company whose principal
operating subsidiaries are international insurance and
reinsurance brokers, investment managers and management
consultants.

Trustees and officers of the fund who are also officers of Putnam
Management or its affiliates or who are stockholders of Marsh &
McLennan Companies, Inc. will benefit from the advisory fees,
sales commissions, distribution fees, custodian fees and transfer
agency fees paid or allowed by the fund.

The Management Contract

Under a Management Contract between the fund and Putnam
Management, subject to such policies as the Trustees may
determine, Putnam Management, at its expense, furnishes
continuously an investment program for the fund and makes
investment decisions on behalf of the fund. Subject to the
control of the Trustees, Putnam Management also manages,
supervises and conducts the other affairs and business of the
fund, furnishes office space and equipment, provides bookkeeping
and clerical services (including determination of the fund's net
asset value, but excluding shareholder accounting services) and
places all orders for the purchase and sale of the fund's
portfolio securities. Putnam Management may place fund portfolio
transactions with ^ broker-dealers which furnish Putnam
Management, without cost to it, certain research, statistical and
quotation services of value to Putnam Management and its
affiliates in advising the fund and other clients. In so doing,
Putnam Management may cause the fund to pay greater brokerage
commissions than it might otherwise pay.

For details of Putnam Management's compensation under the
Management Contract, see "Charges and expenses" in Part I of this
SAI. Putnam Management's compensation under the Management
Contract may be reduced in any year if the fund's expenses exceed
the limits on investment company expenses imposed by any statute
or regulatory authority of any jurisdiction in which shares of
the fund are qualified for offer or sale. The term "expenses" is
defined in the statutes or regulations of such jurisdictions, and
generally excludes brokerage commissions, taxes, interest,
extraordinary expenses and, if the fund has a distribution plan,
payments made under such plan.

Under the Management Contract, Putnam Management may reduce its
compensation to the extent that the fund's expenses exceed such
lower expense limitation as Putnam Management may, by notice to
the fund, declare to be effective. The expenses subject to this
limitation are exclusive of brokerage commissions, interest,
taxes, deferred organizational and extraordinary expenses and, if
the fund has a distribution plan, payments required under such
plan. For the purpose of determining any such limitation on
Putnam Management's compensation, expenses of the fund shall not
reflect the application of commissions or cash management credits
that may reduce designated fund expenses. The terms of any
expense limitation from time to time in effect are described in
the prospectus and/or Part I of this SAI.

In addition to the fee paid to Putnam Management, the fund
reimburses Putnam Management for the compensation and related
expenses of certain officers of the fund and their assistants who
provide certain administrative services for the fund and the
other Putnam funds, each of which bears an allocated share of the
foregoing costs. The aggregate amount of all such payments and
reimbursements is determined annually by the Trustees.

The amount of this reimbursement for the fund's most recent
fiscal year is included in "Charges and Expenses" in Part I of
this SAI. Putnam Management pays all other salaries of officers
of the fund. The fund pays all expenses not assumed by Putnam
Management including, without limitation, auditing, legal,
custodial, investor servicing and shareholder reporting expenses.
The fund pays the cost of typesetting for its prospectuses and
the cost of printing and mailing any prospectuses sent to its
shareholders. Putnam Mutual Funds pays the cost of printing and
distributing all other prospectuses.

The Management Contract provides that Putnam Management shall not
be subject to any liability to the fund or to any shareholder of
the fund for any act or omission in the course of or connected
with rendering services to the fund in the absence of willful
misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of
its duties on the part of Putnam Management.

The Management Contract may be terminated without penalty by vote
of the Trustees or the shareholders of the fund, or by Putnam
Management, on 30 days' written notice. It may be amended only
by a vote of the shareholders of the fund. The Management
Contract also terminates without payment of any penalty in the
event of its assignment. The Management Contract provides that
it will continue in effect only so long as such continuance is
approved at least annually by vote of either the Trustees or the
shareholders, and, in either case, by a majority of the Trustees
who are not "interested persons" of Putnam Management or the
fund. In each of the foregoing cases, the vote of the
shareholders is the affirmative vote of a "majority of the
outstanding voting securities" as defined in the Investment
Company Act of 1940.

Personal Investments by Employees of Putnam Management

Employees of Putnam Management are permitted to engage in
personal securities transactions, subject to requirements and
restrictions set forth in Putnam Management's Code of Ethics.
The Code of Ethics contains provisions and requirements designed
to identify and address certain conflicts of interest between
personal investment activities and the interests of investment
advisory clients such as the funds. Among other things, the Code
of Ethics, consistent with standards recommended by the
Investment Company Institute's Advisory Group on Personal
Investing, prohibits certain types of transactions absent prior
approval, imposes time periods during which personal transactions
may not be made in certain securities, and requires the
submission of duplicate broker confirmations and quarterly
reporting of securities transactions. Additional restrictions
apply to portfolio managers, traders, research analysts and
others involved in the investment advisory process. Exceptions
to these and other provisions of the Code of Ethics may be
granted in particular circumstances after review by appropriate
personnel.

Portfolio Transactions

Investment decisions. Investment decisions for the fund and for
the other investment advisory clients of Putnam Management and
its affiliates are made with a view to achieving their respective
investment objectives. Investment decisions are the product of
many factors in addition to basic suitability for the particular
client involved. Thus, a particular security may be bought or
sold for certain clients even though it could have been bought or
sold for other clients at the same time. Likewise, a particular
security may be bought for one or more clients when one or more
other clients are selling the security. In some instances, one
client may sell a particular security to another client. It also
sometimes happens that two or more clients simultaneously
purchase or sell the same security, in which event each day's
transactions in such security are, insofar as possible, averaged
as to price and allocated between such clients in a manner which
in Putnam Management's opinion is equitable to each and in
accordance with the amount being purchased or sold by each.
There may be circumstances when purchases or sales of portfolio
securities for one or more clients will have an adverse effect on
other clients.

Brokerage and research services. Transactions on U.S. stock
exchanges, commodities markets and futures markets and other
agency transactions involve the payment by the fund of negotiated
brokerage commissions. Such commissions vary among different
brokers. A particular broker may charge different commissions
according to such factors as the difficulty and size of the
transaction. Transactions in foreign investments often involve
the payment of fixed brokerage commissions, which may be higher
than those in the United States. There is generally no stated
commission in the case of securities traded in the over-the-
counter markets, but the price paid by the fund usually includes
an undisclosed dealer commission or mark-up. In underwritten
offerings, the price paid by the fund includes a disclosed, fixed
commission or discount retained by the underwriter or dealer. It
is anticipated that most purchases and sales of securities by
funds investing primarily in tax-exempt securities and certain
other fixed-income securities will be with the issuer or with
underwriters of or dealers in those securities, acting as
principal. Accordingly, those funds would not ordinarily pay
significant brokerage commissions with respect to securities
transactions. See "Charges and expenses" in Part I of this SAI
for information concerning commissions paid by the fund.

It has for many years been a common practice in the investment
advisory business for advisers of investment companies and other
institutional investors to receive brokerage and research
services (as defined in the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the "1934 Act")) from broker-dealers that execute
portfolio transactions for the clients of such advisers and from
third parties with which such broker-dealers have arrangements.
Consistent with this practice, Putnam Management receives
brokerage and research services and other similar services from
many broker-dealers with which Putnam Management places the
fund's portfolio transactions and from third parties with which
these broker-dealers have arrangements. These services include
such matters as general economic and market reviews, industry and
company reviews, evaluations of investments, recommendations as
to the purchase and sale of investments, newspapers, magazines,
pricing services, quotation services, news services and personal
computers utilized by Putnam Management's managers and analysts.
Where the services referred to above are not used exclusively by
Putnam Management for research purposes, Putnam Management, based
upon its own allocations of expected use, bears that portion of
the cost of these services which directly relates to their non-
research use. Some of these services are of value to Putnam
Management and its affiliates in advising various of their
clients (including the fund), although not all of these services
are necessarily useful and of value in managing the fund. The
management fee paid by the fund is not reduced because Putnam
Management and its affiliates receive these services even though
Putnam Management might otherwise be required to purchase some of
these services for cash.

Putnam Management places all orders for the purchase and sale of
portfolio investments for the fund and buys and sells investments
for the fund through a substantial number of brokers and dealers.
In so doing, Putnam Management uses its best efforts to obtain
for the fund the most favorable price and execution available,
except to the extent it may be permitted to pay higher brokerage
commissions as described below. In seeking the most favorable
price and execution, Putnam Management, having in mind the fund's
best interests, considers all factors it deems relevant,
including, by way of illustration, price, the size of the
transaction, the nature of the market for the security or other
investment, the amount of the commission, the timing of the
transaction taking into account market prices and trends, the
reputation, experience and financial stability of the ^
broker-dealer involved and the quality of service rendered by the
^ broker-dealer in other transactions.

As permitted by Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act, and by the
Management Contract, Putnam Management may cause the fund to pay
a ^ broker-dealer which provides "brokerage and research
services" (as defined in the 1934 Act) to Putnam Management an
amount of disclosed commission for effecting securities
transactions on stock exchanges and other transactions for the
fund on an agency basis in excess of the commission which another
^ broker-dealer would have charged for effecting that
transaction. Putnam Management's authority to cause the fund to
pay any such greater commissions is also subject to such policies
as the Trustees may adopt from time to time. Putnam Management
does not currently intend to cause the fund to make such
payments. It is the position of the staff of the Securities and
Exchange Commission that Section 28(e) does not apply to the
payment of such greater commissions in "principal" transactions.
Accordingly Putnam Management will use its best effort to obtain
the most favorable price and execution available with respect to
such transactions, as described above.

The Management Contract provides that commissions, fees,
brokerage or similar payments received by Putnam Management or an
affiliate in connection with the purchase and sale of portfolio
investments of the fund, less any direct expenses approved by the
Trustees, shall be recaptured by the fund through a reduction of
the fee payable by the fund under the Management Contract.
Putnam Management seeks to recapture for the fund soliciting
dealer fees on the tender of the fund's portfolio securities in
tender or exchange offers. Any such fees which may be recaptured
are likely to be minor in amount.

Consistent with the Conduct Rules of the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc. and subject to seeking the most
favorable price and execution available and such other policies
as the Trustees may determine, Putnam Management may consider
sales of shares of the fund (and, if permitted by law, of the
other Putnam funds) as a factor in the selection of ^
broker-dealers to execute portfolio transactions for the fund.

Principal Underwriter

Putnam Mutual Funds is the principal underwriter of shares of the
fund and the other continuously offered Putnam funds. Putnam
Mutual Funds is not obligated to sell any specific amount of
shares of the fund and will purchase shares for resale only
against orders for shares. See "Charges and expenses" in Part I
of this SAI for information on sales charges and other payments
received by Putnam Mutual Funds.

Investor Servicing Agent and Custodian

Putnam Investor Services, a division of Putnam Fiduciary Trust
Company ("PFTC"), is the fund's investor servicing agent
(transfer, plan and dividend disbursing agent), for which it
receives fees which are paid monthly by the fund as an expense of
all its shareholders. The fee paid to Putnam Investor Services
is determined on the basis of the number of shareholder accounts,
the number of transactions and the assets of the fund. Putnam
Investor Services won the DALBAR Quality Tested Service Seal in
1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1997. Over 10,000 tests
of 38 separate shareholder service components demonstrated that
Putnam Investor Services tied for highest scores, with two other
mutual fund companies, in all categories.

PFTC is the custodian of the fund's assets. In carrying out its
duties under its custodian contract, PFTC may employ one or more
subcustodians whose responsibilities include safeguarding and
controlling the fund's cash and securities, handling the receipt
and delivery of securities and collecting interest and dividends
on the fund's investments. PFTC and any subcustodians employed
by it have a lien on the securities of the fund (to the extent
permitted by the fund's investment restrictions) to secure
charges and any advances made by such subcustodians at the end of
any day for the purpose of paying for securities purchased by the
fund. The fund expects that such advances will exist only in
unusual circumstances. Neither PFTC nor any subcustodian
determines the investment policies of the fund or decides which
securities the fund will buy or sell. PFTC pays the fees and
other charges of any subcustodians employed by it. The fund may
from time to time pay custodial expenses in full or in part
through the placement by Putnam Management of the fund's
portfolio transactions with the subcustodians or with a third-
party broker having an agreement with the subcustodians. The
fund pays PFTC an annual fee based on the fund's assets,
securities transactions and securities holdings and reimburses
PFTC for certain out-of-pocket expenses incurred by it or any
subcustodian employed by it in performing custodial services.

See "Charges and expenses" in Part I of this SAI for information
on fees and reimbursements for investor servicing and custody
received by PFTC. The fees may be reduced by credits allowed by
PFTC.

DETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUEDETERMINATION OF NET ASSET VALUE

The fund determines the net asset value per share of each class
of shares once each day the New York Stock Exchange (the
"Exchange") is open. Currently, the Exchange is closed
Saturdays, Sundays and the following holidays: New Year's Day,
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good
Friday, Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving
and Christmas. The fund determines net asset value as of the
close of regular trading on the Exchange, currently 4:00 p.m.
However, equity options held by the fund are priced as of the
close of trading at 4:10 p.m., and futures contracts on U.S.
government and other fixed-income securities and index options
held by the fund are priced as of their close of trading at 4:15
p.m.

Securities for which market quotations are readily available are
valued at prices which, in the opinion of Putnam Management, most
nearly represent the market values of such securities.
Currently, such prices are determined using the last reported
sale price or, if no sales are reported (as in the case of some
securities traded over-the-counter), the last reported bid price,
except that certain securities are valued at the mean between the
last reported bid and asked prices. ^ Short-term investments
having remaining maturities of 60 days or less are valued at
amortized cost, which approximates market value. All other
securities and assets are valued at their fair value following
procedures approved by the Trustees. Liabilities are deducted
from the total, and the resulting amount is divided by the number
of shares of the class outstanding.

Reliable market quotations are not considered to be readily
available for ^ long-term corporate bonds and notes, certain
preferred stocks, ^ tax-exempt securities, and certain foreign
securities. These investments are valued at fair value on the
basis of valuations furnished by pricing services, which
determine valuations for normal, ^ institutional-size trading
units of such securities using methods based on market
transactions for comparable securities and various relationships
between securities which are generally recognized by
institutional traders.

If any securities held by the fund are restricted as to resale,
Putnam Management determines their fair value following
procedures approved by the Trustees. The fair value of such
securities is generally determined as the amount which the fund
could reasonably expect to realize from an orderly disposition of
such securities over a reasonable period of time. The valuation
procedures applied in any specific instance are likely to vary
from case to case. However, consideration is generally given to
the financial position of the issuer and other fundamental
analytical data relating to the investment and to the nature of
the restrictions on disposition of the securities (including any
registration expenses that might be borne by the fund in
connection with such disposition). In addition, specific factors
are also generally considered, such as the cost of the
investment, the market value of any unrestricted securities of
the same class, the size of the holding, the prices of any recent
transactions or offers with respect to such securities and any
available analysts' reports regarding the issuer.

Generally, trading in certain securities (such as foreign
securities) is substantially completed each day at various times
prior to the close of the Exchange. The values of these
securities used in determining the net asset value of the fund's
shares are computed as of such times. Also, because of the
amount of time required to collect and process trading
information as to large numbers of securities issues, the values
of certain securities (such as convertible bonds, U.S. government
securities, and ^ tax-exempt securities) are determined based on
market quotations collected earlier in the day at the latest
practicable time prior to the close of the Exchange.
Occasionally, events affecting the value of such securities may
occur between such times and the close of the Exchange which will
not be reflected in the computation of the fund's net asset
value. If events materially affecting the value of such
securities occur during such period, then these securities will
be valued at their fair value following procedures approved by
the Trustees. In addition, securities held by some of the funds
may be traded in foreign markets that are open for business on
days that a fund is not, and the trading of such securities on
those days may have an impact on the value of a shareholder's
investment at a time when the shareholder cannot buy and sell
shares of the fund.

Money market funds generally value their portfolio securities at
amortized cost according to Rule 2a-7 under the Investment
Company Act of 1940.

HOW TO BUY SHARESHOW TO BUY SHARES

General

The prospectus contains a general description of how investors
may buy shares of the fund and states whether the fund offers
more than one class of shares. This SAI contains additional
information which may be of interest to investors.

Class A shares and class M shares are generally sold with a sales
charge payable at the time of purchase (except for class A shares
and class M shares of money market funds). As used in this SAI
and unless the context requires otherwise, the term "class A
shares" includes shares of funds that offer only one class of
shares. The prospectus contains a table of applicable sales
charges. For information about how to purchase class A or class
M shares of a Putnam fund at net asset value through an employer-
sponsored retirement plan, please consult your employer. Certain
purchases of class A shares and class M shares may be exempt from
a sales charge or, in the case of class A shares, may be subject
to a contingent deferred sales charge ("CDSC"). See "General--
Sales without sales charges or contingent deferred sales
charges," "Additional Information About Class A and Class M
shares," and "Contingent Deferred Sales Charges--Class A shares."

Class B shares and class C shares are sold subject to a CDSC
payable upon redemption within a specified period after purchase.
The prospectus contains a table of applicable CDSCs.

Class B shares will automatically convert into class A shares at
the end of the month eight years after the purchase date. Class
B shares acquired by exchanging class B shares of another Putnam
fund will convert into class A shares based on the time of the
initial purchase. Class B shares acquired through reinvestment
of distributions will convert into Class A shares based on the
date of the initial purchase to which such shares relate. For
this purpose, class B shares acquired through reinvestment of
distributions will be attributed to particular purchases of class
B shares in accordance with such procedures as the Trustees may
determine from time to time. The conversion of class B shares to
class A shares is subject to the condition that such conversions
will not constitute taxable events for Federal tax purposes.

Class Y shares, which are not subject to sales charges or a CDSC,
are available only to certain defined contribution plans. See
the prospectus that offers class Y shares for more information.
Certain purchase programs described below are not available to
defined contribution plans. Consult your employer for
information on how to purchase shares through your plan.

The fund is currently making a continuous offering of its shares.
The fund receives the entire net asset value of shares sold. The
fund will accept unconditional orders for shares to be executed
at the public offering price based on the net asset value per
share next determined after the order is placed. In the case of
class A shares and class M shares, the public offering price is
the net asset value plus the applicable sales charge, if any. No
sales charge is included in the public offering price of other
classes of shares. In the case of orders for purchase of shares
placed through dealers, the public offering price will be based
on the net asset value determined on the day the order is placed,
but only if the dealer receives the order before the close of
regular trading on the Exchange. If the dealer receives the
order after the close of the Exchange, the price will be based on
the net asset value next determined. If funds for the purchase
of shares are sent directly to Putnam Investor Services, they
will be invested at the public offering price based on the net
asset value next determined after receipt. Payment for shares of
the fund must be in U.S. dollars; if made by check, the check
must be drawn on a U.S. bank.

Initial and subsequent purchases must satisfy the minimums stated
in the prospectus, except that (i) individual investments under
certain employee benefit plans or Tax Qualified Retirement Plans
may be lower, (ii) persons who are already shareholders may make
additional purchases of $50 or more by sending funds directly to
Putnam Investor Services (see "Your investing account" below),
and (iii) for investors participating in systematic investment
plans and military allotment plans, the initial and subsequent
purchases must be $25 or more. Information about these plans is
available from investment dealers or from Putnam Mutual Funds.

As a convenience to investors, shares may be purchased through a
systematic investment plan. Pre-authorized monthly bank drafts
for a fixed amount (at least $25) are used to purchase fund
shares at the applicable public offering price next determined
after Putnam Mutual Funds receives the proceeds from the draft.
A shareholder may choose any day of the month and, if a given
month (for example, February) does not contain that particular
date, or if the date falls on a weekend or holiday, the draft
will be processed on the next business day. Further information
and application forms are available from investment dealers or
from Putnam Mutual Funds.

Except for funds that declare a distribution daily, distributions
to be reinvested are reinvested without a sales charge in shares
of the same class as of the ^ ex-dividend date using the net
asset value determined on that date, and are credited to a
shareholder's account on the payment date. Dividends for Putnam
money market funds are credited to a shareholder's account on the
payment date. Distributions for all other funds that declare a
distribution daily are reinvested without a sales charge as of
the last day of the period for which distributions are paid using
the net asset value determined on that date, and are credited to
a shareholder's account on the payment date.

Payment in securities. In addition to cash, the fund may accept
securities as payment for fund shares at the applicable net asset
value. Generally, the fund will only consider accepting
securities to increase its holdings in a portfolio security, or
if Putnam Management determines that the offered securities are a
suitable investment for the fund and in a sufficient amount for
efficient management.

While no minimum has been established, it is expected that the
fund would not accept securities with a value of less than
$100,000 per issue as payment for shares. The fund may reject in
whole or in part any or all offers to pay for purchases of fund
shares with securities, may require partial payment in cash for
such purchases to provide funds for applicable sales charges, and
may discontinue accepting securities as payment for fund shares
at any time without notice. The fund will value accepted
securities in the manner described in the section "Determination
of Net Asset Value" for valuing shares of the fund. The fund
will only accept securities which are delivered in proper form.
The fund will not accept options or restricted securities as
payment for shares. The acceptance of securities by certain
funds in exchange for fund shares is subject to additional
requirements. For federal income tax purposes, a purchase of
fund shares with securities will be treated as a sale or exchange
of such securities on which the investor will realize a taxable
gain or loss. The processing of a purchase of fund shares with
securities involves certain delays while the fund considers the
suitability of such securities and while other requirements are
satisfied. For information regarding procedures for payment in
securities, contact Putnam Mutual Funds. Investors should not
send securities to the fund except when authorized to do so and
in accordance with specific instructions received from Putnam
Mutual Funds.

Sales without sales charges or contingent deferred sales charges.
The fund may sell shares without a sales charge or CDSC to:

(i) current and retired Trustees of the fund; officers of
the fund; directors and current and retired U.S. full-time
employees of Putnam Management, Putnam Mutual Funds, their
parent corporations and certain corporate affiliates;
family members of and employee benefit plans for the
foregoing; and partnerships, trusts or other entities in
which any of the foregoing has a substantial interest;

(ii) employer-sponsored retirement plans, for the
repurchase of shares in connection with repayment of plan
loans made to plan participants (if the sum loaned was
obtained by redeeming shares of a Putnam fund sold with a
sales charge) (not offered by tax-exempt funds);

(iii) clients of administrators of tax-qualified employer-
sponsored retirement plans which have entered into
agreements with Putnam Mutual Funds (not offered by tax-
exempt funds);

(iv) registered representatives and other employees of
broker-dealers having sales agreements with Putnam Mutual
Funds; employees of financial institutions having sales
agreements with Putnam Mutual Funds or otherwise having an
arrangement with any such broker-dealer or financial
institution with respect to sales of fund shares; and
their spouses and children under age 21 (Putnam Mutual
Funds is regarded as the dealer of record for all such
accounts);

(v) investors meeting certain requirements who sold shares
of certain Putnam closed-end funds pursuant to a tender
offer by such closed-end fund;

(vi) a trust department of any financial institution
purchasing shares of the fund in its capacity as trustee
of any trust, if the value of the shares of the fund and
other Putnam funds purchased or held by all such trusts
exceeds $1 million in the aggregate; and

(vii) "wrap accounts" maintained for clients of broker-
dealers, financial institutions or financial planners who
have entered into agreements with Putnam Mutual Funds with
respect to such accounts.

In addition, the fund may issue its shares at net asset value
without an initial sales charge or a CDSC in connection with the
acquisition of substantially all of the securities owned by other
investment companies or personal holding companies, and the CDSC
will be waived on redemptions of shares arising out of death or
post-purchase disability or in connection with certain
withdrawals from IRA or other retirement plans. Up to 12% of the
value of shares subject to a systematic withdrawal plan may also
be redeemed each year without a CDSC. The fund may sell class M
shares at net asset value to members of qualified groups. See
"Group purchases of class A and class M shares" below. Class A
shares are available without an initial sales charge to eligible
employer-sponsored retirement plans, as described below.

Payments to dealers. Putnam Mutual Funds may, at its expense,
pay concessions in addition to the payments disclosed in the
prospectus to dealers which satisfy certain criteria established
from time to time by Putnam Mutual Funds relating to increasing
net sales of shares of the Putnam funds over prior periods, and
certain other factors.

Additional Information About Class A and Class M Shares

The underwriter's commission is the sales charge shown in the
prospectus less any applicable dealer discount. Putnam Mutual
Funds will give dealers ten days' notice of any changes in the
dealer discount. Putnam Mutual Funds retains the entire sales
charge on any retail sales made by it.

Putnam Mutual Funds offers several plans by which an investor may
obtain reduced sales charges on purchases of class A shares and
class M shares. The variations in sales charges reflect the
varying efforts required to sell shares to separate categories of
purchasers. These plans may be altered or discontinued at any
time.

Combined purchase privilege. The following persons may qualify
for the sales charge reductions or eliminations shown in the
prospectus by combining into a single transaction the purchase of
class A shares or class M shares with other purchases of any
class of shares:

(i) an individual, or a "company" as defined in Section
2(a)(8) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (which
includes corporations which are corporate affiliates of
each other);

(ii) an individual, his or her spouse and their children
under twenty-one, purchasing for his, her or their own
account;

(iii) a trustee or other fiduciary purchasing for a single
trust estate or single fiduciary account (including a
pension, profit-sharing, or other employee benefit trust
created pursuant to a plan qualified under Section 401 of
the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
"Code"));

(iv) tax-exempt organizations qualifying under Section
501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (not including tax-
exempt organizations qualifying under Section 403(b)(7) (a
"403(b) plan") of the Code; and

(v) employee benefit plans of a single employer or of
affiliated employers, other than 403(b) plans.

A combined purchase currently may also include shares of any
class of other continuously offered Putnam funds (other than
money market funds) purchased at the same time through a single
investment dealer, if the dealer places the order for such shares
directly with Putnam Mutual Funds.

Cumulative quantity discount (right of accumulation). A
purchaser of class A shares or class M shares may qualify for a
cumulative quantity discount by combining a current purchase (or
combined purchases as described above) with certain other shares
of any class of Putnam funds already owned. The applicable sales
charge is based on the total of:

(i) the investor's current purchase; and

(ii) the maximum public offering price (at the close of
business on the previous day) of:

(a) all shares held by the investor in all of the
Putnam funds (except money market funds); and

(b) any shares of money market funds acquired by
exchange from other Putnam funds; and

(iii) the maximum public offering price of all shares
described in paragraph (ii) owned by another shareholder
eligible to participate with the investor in a "combined
purchase" (see above).

To qualify for the combined purchase privilege or to obtain the
cumulative quantity discount on a purchase through an investment
dealer, when each purchase is made the investor or dealer must
provide Putnam Mutual Funds with sufficient information to verify
that the purchase qualifies for the privilege or discount. The
shareholder must furnish this information to Putnam Investor
Services when making direct cash investments.

Statement of Intention. Investors may also obtain the reduced
sales charges for class A shares or class M shares shown in the
prospectus for investments of a particular amount by means of a
written Statement of Intention, which expresses the investor's
intention to invest that amount (including certain "credits," as
described below) within a period of 13 months in shares of any
class of the fund or any other continuously offered Putnam fund
(excluding money market funds). Each purchase of class A shares
or class M shares under a Statement of Intention will be made at
the public offering price applicable at the time of such purchase
to a single transaction of the total dollar amount indicated in
the Statement of Intention. A Statement of Intention may include
purchases of shares made not more than 90 days prior to the date
that an investor signs a Statement; however, the ^ 13-month
period during which the Statement of Intention is in effect will
begin on the date of the earliest purchase to be included.

An investor may receive a credit toward the amount indicated in
the Statement of Intention equal to the maximum public offering
price as of the close of business on the previous day of all
shares he or she owns on the date of the Statement of Intention
which are eligible for purchase under a Statement of Intention
(plus any shares of money market funds acquired by exchange of
such eligible shares). Investors do not receive credit for
shares purchased by the reinvestment of distributions. Investors
qualifying for the "combined purchase privilege" (see above) may
purchase shares under a single Statement of Intention.

The Statement of Intention is not a binding obligation upon the
investor to purchase the full amount indicated. The minimum
initial investment under a Statement of Intention is 5% of such
amount, and must be invested immediately. Class A shares or
class M shares purchased with the first 5% of such amount will be
held in escrow to secure payment of the higher sales charge
applicable to the shares actually purchased if the full amount
indicated is not purchased. When the full amount indicated has
been purchased, the escrow will be released. If an investor
desires to redeem escrowed shares before the full amount has been
purchased, the shares will be released from escrow only if the
investor pays the sales charge that, without regard to the
Statement of Intention, would apply to the total investment made
to date.

To the extent that an investor purchases more than the dollar
amount indicated on the Statement of Intention and qualifies for
a further reduced sales charge, the sales charge will be adjusted
for the entire amount purchased at the end of the ^ 13-month
period, upon recovery from the investor's dealer of its portion
of the sales charge adjustment. Once received from the dealer,
which may take a period of time or may never occur, the sales
charge adjustment will be used to purchase additional shares at
the then current offering price applicable to the actual amount
of the aggregate purchases. These additional shares will not be
considered as part of the total investment for the purpose of
determining the applicable sales charge pursuant to the Statement
of Intention. No sales charge adjustment will be made unless and
until the investor's dealer returns any excess commissions
previously received.

To the extent that an investor purchases less than the dollar
amount indicated on the Statement of Intention within the 13-
month period, the sales charge will be adjusted upward for the
entire amount purchased at the end of the 13-month period. This
adjustment will be made by redeeming shares from the account to
cover the additional sales charge, the proceeds of which will be
paid to the investor's dealer and Putnam Mutual Funds in
accordance with the prospectus. If the account exceeds an amount
that would otherwise qualify for a reduced sales charge, that
reduced sales charge will be applied.

Statements of Intention are not available for certain employee
benefit plans.

Statement of Intention forms may be obtained from Putnam Mutual
Funds or from investment dealers. Interested investors should
read the Statement of Intention carefully.

Group purchases of class A and class M shares. Members of
qualified groups may purchase class A shares of the fund at a
group sales charge rate of 4.50% of the public offering price
(4.71% of the net amount invested). The dealer discount on such
sales is 3.75% of the offering price. Members of qualified
groups may also purchase class M shares at net asset value.

To receive the class A or class M group rate, group members must
purchase shares through a single investment dealer designated by
the group. The designated dealer must transmit each member's
initial purchase to Putnam Mutual Funds, together with payment
and completed application forms. After the initial purchase, a
member may send funds for the purchase of shares directly to
Putnam Investor Services. Purchases of shares are made at the
public offering price based on the net asset value next
determined after Putnam Mutual Funds or Putnam Investor Services
receives payment for the shares. The minimum investment
requirements described above apply to purchases by any group
member. Only shares purchased under the class A group discount
are included in calculating the purchased amount for the purposes
of these requirements.

Qualified groups include the employees of a corporation or a sole
proprietorship, members and employees of a partnership or
association, or other organized groups of persons (the members of
which may include other qualified groups) provided that: (i) the
group has at least 25 members of which, with respect to the class
A discount only, at least 10 members participate in the initial
purchase; (ii) the group has been in existence for at least six
months; (iii) the group has some purpose in addition to the
purchase of investment company shares at a reduced sales charge;
(iv) the group's sole organizational nexus or connection is not
that the members are credit card holders of a company, policy
holders of an insurance company, customers of a bank or broker-
dealer, clients of an investment adviser or security holders of a
company; (v) with respect to the class A discount only, the group
agrees to provide its designated investment dealer access to the
group's membership by means of written communication or direct
presentation to the membership at a meeting on not less
frequently than an annual basis; (vi) the group or its investment
dealer will provide annual certification in form satisfactory to
Putnam Investor Services that the group then has at least 25
members and, with respect to the class A discount only, that at
least ten members participated in group purchases during the
immediately preceding 12 calendar months; and (vii) the group or
its investment dealer will provide periodic certification in form
satisfactory to Putnam Investor Services as to the eligibility of
the purchasing members of the group.

Members of a qualified group include: (i) any group which meets
the requirements stated above and which is a constituent member
of a qualified group; (ii) any individual purchasing for his or
her own account who is carried on the records of the group or on
the records of any constituent member of the group as being a
good standing employee, partner, member or person of like status
of the group or constituent member; or (iii) any fiduciary
purchasing shares for the account of a member of a qualified
group or a member's beneficiary. For example, a qualified group
could consist of a trade association which would have as its
members individuals, sole proprietors, partnerships and
corporations. The members of the group would then consist of the
individuals, the sole proprietors and their employees, the
members of the partnerships and their employees, and the
corporations and their employees, as well as the trustees of
employee benefit trusts acquiring class A shares for the benefit
of any of the foregoing.

A member of a qualified group may, depending upon the value of
class A shares of the fund owned or proposed to be purchased by
the member, be entitled to purchase class A shares of the fund at
non-group sales charge rates shown in the prospectus which may be
lower than the group sales charge rate, if the member qualifies
as a person entitled to reduced non-group sales charges. Such a
group member will be entitled to purchase at the lower rate if,
at the time of purchase, the member or his or her investment
dealer furnishes sufficient information for Putnam Mutual Funds
or Putnam Investor Services to verify that the purchase qualifies
for the lower rate.

Interested groups should contact their investment dealer or
Putnam Mutual Funds. The fund reserves the right to revise the
terms of or to suspend or discontinue group sales at any time.

Qualified benefit plans; Individual account plans. The terms
"class A qualified benefit plan" and "class M qualified benefit
plan" mean any employer-sponsored plan or arrangement, whether or
not ^ tax-qualified, for which Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company or
its affiliates provide recordkeeping or other services in
connection with the purchase of class A shares or class M shares,
respectively. The term "affiliated employer" means employers who
are affiliated with each other within the meaning of Section
2(a)(3)(C) of the Investment Company Act of 1940. The term
"individual account plan" means any employee benefit plan whereby
(i) class A shares are purchased through payroll deductions or
otherwise by a fiduciary or other person for the account of
participants who are employees (or their spouses) of an employer,
or of affiliated employers, and (ii) a separate investing account
is maintained in the name of such fiduciary or other person for
the account of each participant in the plan.

The table of sales charges in the prospectus applies to sales to
employer-sponsored retirement plans that are not class A
qualified benefit plans, except that the fund may sell class A
shares at net asset value to employee benefit plans, including
individual account plans, of employers or of affiliated employers
which have at least 750 employees to whom such plan is made
available, in connection with a payroll deduction system of plan
funding (or other system acceptable to Putnam Investor Services)
by which contributions or account information for plan
participation are transmitted to Putnam Investor Services by
methods acceptable to Putnam Investor Services. The fund may
also sell class A shares at net asset value to employer-sponsored
retirement plans that initially invest at least $1 million in the
fund or that have at least 200 eligible employees. In addition,
the fund may sell class M shares at net asset value to class M
qualified benefit plans.

An employer-sponsored retirement plan participating in a "multi-
fund" program approved by Putnam Mutual Funds may include amounts
invested in the other mutual funds participating in such program
for purposes of determining whether the plan may purchase class A
shares at net asset value based on the size of the purchase as
described in the prospectus. These investments will also be
included for purposes of the discount privileges and programs
described above.

Additional information about qualified benefit plans and
individual account plans is available from investment dealers or
from Putnam Mutual Funds.

Contingent Deferred Sales Charges; Commissions

Class A shares. Except as described below, a CDSC of 0.75%
(1.00% in the case of plans for which Putnam Mutual Funds and its
affiliates do not act as trustee or record-keeper) of the total
amount redeemed is imposed on redemptions of shares purchased by
class A qualified benefit plans if, within two years of a plan's
initial purchase of class A shares, it redeems 90% or more of its
cumulative purchases. Thereafter, such plan is no longer liable
for any CDSC. The two-year CDSC applicable to class A qualified
benefit plans for which Putnam Mutual Funds or its affiliates
serve as trustee or recordkeeper ("full service plans") is 0.50%
of the total amount redeemed, for full service plans that
initially invest at least $5 million but less than $10 million in
Putnam funds and other investments managed by Putnam Management
or its affiliates ("Putnam Assets"), and is 0.25% of the total
amount redeemed for full service plans that initially invest at
least $10 million but less than $20 million in Putnam Assets.
Class A qualified benefit plans that initially invest at least
$20 million in Putnam Assets, or whose dealer of record has, with
Putnam Mutual Funds' approval, waived its commission or agreed to
refund its commission to Putnam Mutual Funds in the event a CDSC
would otherwise be applicable, are not subject to any CDSC.

Similarly, class A shares purchased at net asset value by any
investor other than a class A qualified benefit plan, including
purchases pursuant to any Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of
Accumulation or Statement of Intention, are subject to a CDSC of
1.00% or 0.50%, respectively, if redeemed within the first or
second year after purchase, unless the dealer of record waived
its commission with Putnam Mutual Funds' approval. The class A
CDSC is imposed on the lower of the cost and the current net
asset value of the shares redeemed.

Except as described below for sales to class A qualified benefit
plans, Putnam Mutual Funds pays investment dealers of record
commissions on sales of class A shares of $1 million or more and
sales to employer-sponsored benefit plans that have at least 200
eligible employees and that are not class A qualified benefit
plans based on cumulative purchases of such shares, including
purchases pursuant to any Combined Purchase Privilege, Right of
Accumulation or Statement of Intention, during the one-year
period beginning with the date of the initial purchase at net
asset value. Each subsequent one-year measuring period for these
purposes will begin with the first net asset value purchase
following the end of the prior period. Such commissions are paid
at the rate of 1.00% of the amount under $3 million, 0.50% of the
next $47 million and 0.25% thereafter.

On sales at net asset value to a class A qualified benefit plan,
Putnam Mutual Funds pays commissions to the dealer of record at
the time of the sale on net monthly purchases at the following
rates: 1.00% of the first $1 million, 0.75% of the next $1
million, 0.50% of the next $3 million, 0.20% of the next $5
million, 0.15% of the next $10 million, 0.10% of the next $10
million and 0.05% thereafter, except that commissions on sales to
class A qualified benefit plans initially investing less than $20
million in Putnam funds and other investments managed by Putnam
Management or its affiliates pursuant to a proposal made by
Putnam Mutual Funds on or before April 15, 1997 are based on
cumulative purchases over a one-year measuring period at the rate
of 1.00% of the first $2 million, 0.80% of the next $1 million,
and 0.50% thereafter. On sales at net asset value to all other
class A qualified benefit plans receiving proposals from Putnam
Mutual Funds on or before April 15, 1997, Putnam Mutual Funds
pays commissions on the initial investment and on subsequent net
quarterly sales (gross sales minus gross redemptions during the
quarter) at the rate of 0.15%. Money market fund shares are
excluded from all commission calculations, except for determining
the amount initially invested by a qualified benefit plan.
Commissions on sales at net asset value to such plans are subject
to Putnam Mutual Funds' right to reclaim such commissions if the
shares are redeemed within two years.

Different CDSC and commission rates may apply to shares purchased
prior to December 1, 1995.

All shares. Investors who set up an Automatic Cash Withdrawal
Plan ("ACWP") for a share account (see "Plans available to
shareholders -- Automatic Cash Withdrawal Plan") may withdraw
through the ACWP up to 12% of the net asset value of the account
(calculated as set forth below) each year without incurring any
CDSC. Shares not subject to a CDSC (such as shares representing
reinvestment of distributions) will be redeemed first and will
count toward the 12% limitation. If there are insufficient
shares not subject to a CDSC, shares subject to the lowest CDSC
liability will be redeemed next until the 12% limit is reached.
The 12% figure is calculated on a pro rata basis at the time of
the first payment made pursuant to an ACWP and recalculated
thereafter on a pro rata basis at the time of each ACWP payment.
Therefore, shareholders who have chosen an ACWP based on a
percentage of the net asset value of their account of up to 12%
will be able to receive ACWP payments without incurring a CDSC.
However, shareholders who have chosen a specific dollar amount
(for example, $100 per month from a fund that pays income
distributions monthly) for their periodic ACWP payment should be
aware that the amount of that payment not subject to a CDSC may
vary over time depending on the net asset value of their account.
For example, if the net asset value of the account is $10,000 at
the time of payment, the shareholder will receive $100 free of
the CDSC (12% of $10,000 divided by 12 monthly payments).
However, if at the time of the next payment the net asset value
of the account has fallen to $9,400, the shareholder will receive
$94 free of any CDSC (12% of $9,400 divided by 12 monthly
payments) and $6 subject to the lowest applicable CDSC. This
ACWP privilege may be revised or terminated at any time.

No CDSC is imposed on shares of any class subject to a CDSC
("CDSC Shares") to the extent that the CDSC Shares redeemed (i)
are no longer subject to the holding period therefor, (ii)
resulted from reinvestment of distributions on CDSC Shares, or
(iii) were exchanged for shares of another Putnam fund, provided
that the shares acquired in such exchange or subsequent exchanges
(including shares of a Putnam money market fund) will continue to
remain subject to the CDSC, if applicable, until the applicable
holding period expires. In determining whether the CDSC applies
to each redemption of CDSC Shares, CDSC Shares not subject to a
CDSC are redeemed first.

The fund will waive any CDSC on redemptions, in the case of
individual, joint or Uniform Transfers to Minors Act accounts, in
the event of death or post-purchase disability of a shareholder,
for the purpose of paying benefits pursuant to ^ tax-qualified
retirement plans ("Benefit Payments"), or, in the case of living
trust accounts, in the event of the death or post-purchase
disability of the settlor of the trust). Benefit payments
currently include, without limitation, (1) distributions from an
IRA due to death or disability, (2) a return of excess
contributions to an IRA or 401(k) plan, and (3) distributions
from retirement plans qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code
or from a 403(b) plan due to death, disability, retirement or
separation from service. These waivers may be changed at any
time. Additional waivers may apply to IRA accounts opened prior
to February 1, 1994.

DISTRIBUTION PLANSDISTRIBUTION PLANS

If the fund or a class of shares of the fund has adopted a
distribution plan, the prospectus describes the principal
features of the plan. This SAI contains additional information
which may be of interest to investors.

Continuance of a plan is subject to annual approval by a vote of
the Trustees, including a majority of the Trustees who are not
interested persons of the fund and who have no direct or indirect
interest in the plan or related arrangements (the "Qualified
Trustees"), cast in person at a meeting called for that purpose.
All material amendments to a plan must be likewise approved by
the Trustees and the Qualified Trustees. No plan may be amended
in order to increase materially the costs which the fund may bear
for distribution pursuant to such plan without also being
approved by a majority of the outstanding voting securities of
the fund or the relevant class of the fund, as the case may be.
A plan terminates automatically in the event of its assignment
and may be terminated without penalty, at any time, by a vote of
a majority of the Qualified Trustees or by a vote of a majority
of the outstanding voting securities of the fund or the relevant
class of the fund, as the case may be.

Putnam Mutual Funds pays service fees to qualifying dealers at
the rates set forth in the Prospectus, except with respect to
shares held by class A qualified benefit plans. Putnam Mutual
Funds pays service fees to the dealer of record for plans for
which Putnam Fiduciary Trust or its affiliates serve as trustee
and recordkeeper at the following annual rates (expressed as a
percentage of the average net asset value (as defined below) of
the plan's class A shares): 0.25% of the first $5 million, 0.20%
of the next $5 million, 0.15% of the next $10 million, 0.10% of
the next $30 million, and 0.05% thereafter. For class A
qualified benefit plans for which Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company
or its affiliates provide some services but do not act as trustee
and recordkeeper, Putnam Mutual Funds will pay service fees to
the dealer of record of up to 0.25% of average net assets,
depending on the level of service provided by Putnam Fiduciary
Trust Company or its affiliates, by the dealer of record, and by
third parties. Service fees are paid quarterly to the dealer of
record for that quarter.

Financial institutions receiving payments from Putnam Mutual
Funds as described above may be required to comply with various
state and federal regulatory requirements, including among others
those regulating the activities of securities brokers or dealers.

Except as otherwise agreed between Putnam Mutual Funds and a
dealer, for purposes of determining the amounts payable to
dealers for shareholder accounts for which such dealers are
designated as the dealer of record, "average net asset value"
means the product of (i) the average daily share balance in such
account(s) and (ii) the average daily net asset value of the
relevant class of shares over the quarter.

INVESTOR SERVICESINVESTOR SERVICES

Shareholder Information

Each time shareholders buy or sell shares, they will receive a
statement confirming the transaction and listing their current
share balance. (Under certain investment plans, a statement may
only be sent quarterly.) Shareholders will receive a statement
confirming reinvestment of distributions in additional fund
shares (or in shares of other Putnam funds for Dividends Plus
accounts) promptly following the quarter in which the
reinvestment occurs. To help shareholders take full advantage of
their Putnam investment, they will receive a Welcome Kit and a
periodic publication covering many topics of interest to
investors. The fund also sends annual and semiannual reports
that keep shareholders informed about its portfolio and
performance, and year-end tax information to simplify their
recordkeeping. Easy-to-read, free booklets on special subjects
such as the Exchange Privilege and IRAs are available from Putnam
Investor Services. Shareholders may call Putnam Investor
Services toll-free weekdays at 1-800-225-1581 between 8:30 a.m.
and 7:00 p.m. Boston time for more information, including account
balances.

Your Investing Account

The following information provides more detail concerning the
operation of a Putnam Investing Account. For further information
or assistance, investors should consult Putnam Investor Services.
Shareholders who purchase shares through a defined contribution
plan should note that not all of the services or features
described below may be available to them, and they should contact
their employer for details.

A shareholder may reinvest a cash distribution without a front-
end sales charge or without the reinvested shares being subject
to a CDSC, as the case may be, by delivering to Putnam Investor
Services the uncashed distribution check, endorsed to the order
of the fund. Putnam Investor Services must receive the properly
endorsed check within 1 year after the date of the check.

The Investing Account also provides a way to accumulate shares of
the fund. In most cases, after an initial investment of $500, a
shareholder may send checks to Putnam Investor Services for $50
or more, made payable to the fund, to purchase additional shares
at the applicable public offering price next determined after
Putnam Investor Services receives the check. Checks must be
drawn on a U.S. bank and must be payable in U.S. dollars.

Putnam Investor Services acts as the shareholder's agent whenever
it receives instructions to carry out a transaction on the
shareholder's account. Upon receipt of instructions that shares
are to be purchased for a shareholder's account, shares will be
purchased through the investment dealer designated by the
shareholder. Shareholders may change investment dealers at any
time by written notice to Putnam Investor Services, provided the
new dealer has a sales agreement with Putnam Mutual Funds.

Shares credited to an account are transferable upon written
instructions in good order to Putnam Investor Services and may be
sold to the fund as described under "How to sell shares" in the
prospectus. Money market funds and certain other funds will not
issue share certificates. A shareholder may send to Putnam
Investor Services any certificates which have been previously
issued for safekeeping at no charge to the shareholder.

Putnam Mutual Funds, at its expense, may provide certain
additional reports and administrative material to qualifying
institutional investors with fiduciary responsibilities to assist
these investors in discharging their responsibilities.
Institutions seeking further information about this service
should contact Putnam Mutual Funds, which may modify or terminate
this service at any time.

Putnam Investor Services may make special services available to
shareholders with investments exceeding $1,000,000. Contact
Putnam Investor Services for details.

The fund pays Putnam Investor Services' fees for maintaining
Investing Accounts.

Reinstatement Privilege

An investor who has redeemed shares of the fund may reinvest
(within 1 year) the proceeds of such sale in shares of the same
class of the fund, or may be able to reinvest (within 1 year) the
proceeds in shares of the same class of one of the other
continuously offered Putnam funds (through the Exchange Privilege
described in the prospectus), including, in the case of shares
subject to a CDSC, the amount of CDSC charged on the redemption.
Any such reinvestment would be at the net asset value of the
shares of the fund(s) the investor selects, next determined after
Putnam Mutual Funds receives a Reinstatement Authorization. The
time that the previous investment was held will be included in
determining any applicable CDSC due upon redemptions and, in the
case of class B shares, the eight-year period for conversion to
class A shares. Shareholders will receive from Putnam Mutual
Funds the amount of any CDSC paid at the time of redemption as
part of the reinstated investment, which may be treated as
capital gains to the shareholder for tax purposes. Exercise of
the Reinstatement Privilege does not alter the federal income tax
treatment of any capital gains realized on a sale of fund shares,
but to the extent that any shares are sold at a loss and the
proceeds are reinvested in shares of the fund, some or all of the
loss may be disallowed as a deduction. Consult your tax adviser.
Investors who desire to exercise the Reinstatement Privilege
should contact their investment dealer or Putnam Investor
Services.

Exchange Privilege

Except as otherwise set forth in this section, by calling Putnam
Investor Services, investors may exchange shares valued up to
$500,000 between accounts with identical registrations, provided
that no certificates are outstanding for such shares and no
address change has been made within the preceding 15 days.
During periods of unusual market changes and shareholder
activity, shareholders may experience delays in contacting Putnam
Investor Services by telephone to exercise the Telephone Exchange
Privilege.

Putnam Investor Services also makes exchanges promptly after
receiving a properly completed Exchange Authorization Form and,
if issued, share certificates. If the shareholder is a
corporation, partnership, agent, or surviving joint owner, Putnam
Investor Services will require additional documentation of a
customary nature. Because an exchange of shares involves the
redemption of fund shares and reinvestment of the proceeds in
shares of another Putnam fund, completion of an exchange may be
delayed under unusual circumstances if the fund were to suspend
redemptions or postpone payment for the fund shares being
exchanged, in accordance with federal securities laws. Exchange
Authorization Forms and prospectuses of the other Putnam funds
are available from Putnam Mutual Funds or investment dealers
having sales contracts with Putnam Mutual Funds. The prospectus
of each fund describes its investment objective(s) and policies,
and shareholders should obtain a prospectus and consider these
objectives and policies carefully before requesting an exchange.
Shares of certain Putnam funds are not available to residents of
all states. The fund reserves the right to change or suspend the
Exchange Privilege at any time. Shareholders would be notified
of any change or suspension. Additional information is available
from Putnam Investor Services.

Shareholders of other Putnam funds may also exchange their shares
at net asset value for shares of the fund, as set forth in the
current prospectus of each fund.

For federal income tax purposes, an exchange is a sale on which
the investor generally will realize a capital gain or loss
depending on whether the net asset value at the time of the
exchange is more or less than the investor's basis. The Exchange
Privilege may be revised or terminated at any time. Shareholders
would be notified of any such change or suspension.

Dividends PLUS

Shareholders may invest the fund's distributions of net
investment income or distributions combining net investment
income and ^ short-term capital gains in shares of the same class
of another continuously offered Putnam fund (the "receiving
fund") using the net asset value per share of the receiving fund
determined on the date the fund's distribution is payable. No
sales charge or CDSC will apply to the purchased shares unless
the fund paying the distribution is a money market fund. The
prospectus of each fund describes its investment objective(s) and
policies, and shareholders should obtain a prospectus and
consider these objective(s) and policies carefully before
investing their distributions in the receiving fund. Shares of
certain Putnam funds are not available to residents of all
states.

The minimum account size requirement for the receiving fund will
not apply if the current value of your account in the fund paying
the distribution is more than $5,000.

Shareholders of other Putnam funds (except for money market
funds, whose shareholders must pay a sales charge or become
subject to a CDSC) may also use their distributions to purchase
shares of the fund at net asset value.

For federal tax purposes, distributions from the fund which are
reinvested in another fund are treated as paid by the fund to the
shareholder and invested by the shareholder in the receiving fund
and thus, to the extent comprised of taxable income and deemed
paid to a taxable shareholder, are taxable.

The Dividends PLUS program may be revised or terminated at any
time.

Plans Available To Shareholders

The plans described below are fully voluntary and may be
terminated at any time without the imposition by the fund or
Putnam Investor Services of any penalty. All plans provide for
automatic reinvestment of all distributions in additional shares
of the fund at net asset value. The fund, Putnam Mutual Funds or
Putnam Investor Services may modify or cease offering these plans
at any time.

Automatic cash withdrawal plan ("ACWP"). An investor who owns or
buys shares of the fund valued at $10,000 or more at the current
public offering price may open an ACWP plan and have a designated
sum of money ($50 or more) paid monthly, quarterly, semi-annually
or annually to the investor or another person. (Payments from
the fund can be combined with payments from other Putnam funds
into a single check through a designated payment plan.) Shares
are deposited in a plan account, and all distributions are
reinvested in additional shares of the fund at net asset value
(except where the plan is utilized in connection with a
charitable remainder trust). Shares in a plan account are then
redeemed at net asset value to make each withdrawal payment.
Payment will be made to any person the investor designates;
however, if shares are registered in the name of a trustee or
other fiduciary, payment will be made only to the fiduciary,
except in the case of a ^ profit-sharing or pension plan where
payment will be made to a designee. As withdrawal payments may
include a return of principal, they cannot be considered a
guaranteed annuity or actual yield of income to the investor.
The redemption of shares in connection with a plan generally will
result in a gain or loss for tax purposes. Some or all of the
losses realized upon redemption may be disallowed pursuant to the
so-called wash sale rules if shares of the same fund from which
shares were redeemed are purchased (including through the
reinvestment of fund distributions) within a period beginning 30
days before, and ending 30 days after, such redemption. In such
a case, the basis of the replacement shares will be increased to
reflect the disallowed loss. Continued withdrawals in excess of
income will reduce and possibly exhaust invested principal,
especially in the event of a market decline. The maintenance of
a plan concurrently with purchases of additional shares of the
fund would be disadvantageous to the investor because of the
sales charge payable on such purchases. For this reason, the
minimum investment accepted while a plan is in effect is $1,000,
and an investor may not maintain a plan for the accumulation of
shares of the fund (other than through reinvestment of
distributions) and a plan at the same time. The cost of
administering these plans for the benefit of those shareholders
participating in them is borne by the fund as an expense of all
shareholders. The fund, Putnam Mutual Funds or Putnam Investor
Services may terminate or change the terms of the plan at any
time. A plan will be terminated if communications mailed to the
shareholder are returned as undeliverable.

Investors should consider carefully with their own financial
advisers whether the plan and the specified amounts to be
withdrawn are appropriate in their circumstances. The fund and
Putnam Investor Services make no recommendations or
representations in this regard.

Tax Qualified Retirement Plans; 403(b) and SEP Plans. (Not
offered by funds investing primarily in tax-exempt securities.)
Investors may purchase shares of the fund through the following
Tax Qualified Retirement Plans, available to qualified
individuals or organizations:

Standard and variable profit-sharing (including 401(k))
and money purchase pension plans; and

Individual Retirement Account Plans (IRAs).

Each of these Plans has been qualified as a prototype plan by the
Internal Revenue Service. Putnam Investor Services will furnish
services under each plan at a specified annual cost. Putnam
Fiduciary Trust Company serves as trustee under each of these
Plans.

Forms and further information on these Plans are available from
investment dealers or from Putnam Mutual Funds. In addition,
specialized professional plan administration services are
available on an optional basis; contact Putnam Defined
Contribution Plan Services at 1-800-225-2465, extension 8600.

A 403(b) Retirement Plan is available for employees of public
school systems and organizations which meet the requirements of
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Forms and
further information on the 403(b) Plan are also available from
investment dealers or from Putnam Mutual Funds. Shares of the
fund may also be used in simplified employee pension (SEP) plans.
For further information on the Putnam prototype SEP plan, contact
an investment dealer or Putnam Mutual Funds.

Consultation with a competent financial and tax adviser regarding
these Plans and consideration of the suitability of fund shares
as an investment under the Employee Retirement Income Security
Act of 1974, or otherwise, is recommended.

SIGNATURE GUARANTEESSIGNATURE GUARANTEES

Redemption requests for shares having a net asset value of
$100,000 or more must be signed by the registered owners or their
legal representatives and must be guaranteed by a bank,
broker/dealer, municipal securities dealer or broker, government
securities dealer or broker, credit union, national securities
exchange, registered securities association, clearing agency,
savings association or trust company, provided such institution
is acceptable under and conforms with Putnam Fiduciary Trust
Company's signature guarantee procedures. A copy of such
procedures is available upon request. If you want your
redemption proceeds sent to an address other than your address as
it appears on Putnam's records, you must provide a signature
guarantee. Putnam Investor Services usually requires additional
documentation for the sale of shares by a corporation,
partnership, agent or fiduciary, or a surviving joint owner.
Contact Putnam Investor Services for details.

SUSPENSION OF REDEMPTIONSSUSPENSION OF REDEMPTIONS

The fund may not suspend shareholders' right of redemption, or
postpone payment for more than seven days, unless the New York
Stock Exchange is closed for other than customary weekends or
holidays, or if permitted by the rules of the Securities and
Exchange Commission during periods when trading on the Exchange
is restricted or during any emergency which makes it
impracticable for the fund to dispose of its securities or to
determine fairly the value of its net assets, or during any other
period permitted by order of the Commission for protection of
investors.

SHAREHOLDER LIABILITYSHAREHOLDER LIABILITY

Under Massachusetts law, shareholders could, under certain
circumstances, be held personally liable for the obligations of
the fund. However, the Agreement and Declaration of Trust
disclaims shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the
fund and requires that notice of such disclaimer be given in each
agreement, obligation, or instrument entered into or executed by
the fund or the Trustees. The Agreement and Declaration of Trust
provides for indemnification out of fund property for all loss
and expense of any shareholder held personally liable for the
obligations of the fund. Thus, the risk of a shareholder
incurring financial loss on account of shareholder liability is
limited to circumstances in which the fund would be unable to
meet its obligations. The likelihood of such circumstances is
remote.

STANDARD PERFORMANCE MEASURESSTANDARD PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Yield and total return data for the fund may from time to time be
presented in Part I of this SAI and in advertisements. In the
case of funds with more than one class of shares, all performance
information is calculated separately for each class. The data is
calculated as follows.

Total return for one-, five- and ten-year periods (or for such
shorter periods as the fund has been in operation or shares of
the relevant class have been outstanding) is determined by
calculating the actual dollar amount of investment return on a
$1,000 investment in the fund made at the beginning of the
period, at the maximum public offering price for class A shares
and class M shares and net asset value for other classes of
shares, and then calculating the annual compounded rate of return
which would produce that amount. Total return for a period of
one year is equal to the actual return of the fund during that
period. Total return calculations assume deduction of the fund's
maximum sales charge or CDSC, if applicable, and reinvestment of
all fund distributions at net asset value on their respective
reinvestment dates.

The fund's yield is presented for a specified thirty-day period
(the "base period"). Yield is based on the amount determined by
(i) calculating the aggregate amount of dividends and interest
earned by the fund during the base period less expenses for that
period, and (ii) dividing that amount by the product of (A) the
average daily number of shares of the fund outstanding during the
base period and entitled to receive dividends and (B) the per
share maximum public offering price for class A shares or class M
shares, as appropriate, and net asset value for other classes of
shares on the last day of the base period. The result is
annualized on a compounding basis to determine the yield. For
this calculation, interest earned on debt obligations held by the
fund is generally calculated using the yield to maturity (or
first expected call date) of such obligations based on their
market values (or, in the case of ^ receivables-backed securities
such as the Government National Mortgage Association ("GNMAs"),
based on cost). Dividends on equity securities are accrued daily
at their stated dividend rates. The amount of expenses used in
determining the fund's yield includes, in addition to expenses
actually accrued by the fund, an estimate of the amount of
expenses that the fund would have incurred if brokerage
commissions had not been used to reduce such expenses.

If the fund is a money market fund, yield is computed by
determining the percentage net change, excluding capital changes,
in the value of an investment in one share over the seven-day
period for which yield is presented (the "base period"), and
multiplying the net change by 365/7 (or approximately 52 weeks).
Effective yield represents a compounding of the yield by adding 1
to the number representing the percentage change in value of the
investment during the base period, raising that sum to a power
equal to 365/7, and subtracting 1 from the result.

If the fund is a tax-exempt fund, the tax-equivalent yield during
the base period may be presented for shareholders in one or more
stated tax brackets. Tax-equivalent yield is calculated by
adjusting the tax-exempt yield by a factor designed to show the
approximate yield that a taxable investment would have to earn to
produce an after-tax yield equal, for that shareholder, to the
tax-exempt yield. The tax-equivalent yield will differ for
shareholders in other tax brackets.

At times, Putnam Management may reduce its compensation or assume
expenses of the fund in order to reduce the fund's expenses. The
per share amount of any such fee reduction or assumption of
expenses during the fund's past ten fiscal years (or for the life
of the fund, if shorter) is set forth in the footnotes to the
table in the section entitled "Financial highlights" in the
prospectus. Any such fee reduction or assumption of expenses
would increase the fund's yield and total return for periods
including the period of the fee reduction or assumption of
expenses.

All data are based on past performance and do not predict future
results.

COMPARISON OF PORTFOLIO PERFORMANCECOMPARISON OF PORTFOLIO
PERFORMANCE

Independent statistical agencies measure the fund's investment
performance and publish comparative information showing how the
fund, and other investment companies, performed in specified time
periods. Three agencies whose reports are commonly used for such
comparisons are set forth below. From time to time, the fund may
distribute these comparisons to its shareholders or to potential
investors. The agencies listed below measure performance based
on their own criteria rather than on the standardized performance
measures described in the preceding section.

Lipper Analytical Services, Inc. distributes mutual fund
rankings monthly. The rankings are based on total return
performance calculated by Lipper, generally reflecting
changes in net asset value adjusted for reinvestment of
capital gains and income dividends. They do not reflect
deduction of any sales charges. Lipper rankings cover a
variety of performance periods, including year-to-date, 1-
year, 5-year, and 10-year performance. Lipper classifies
mutual funds by investment objective and asset category.

Morningstar, Inc. distributes mutual fund ratings twice a
month. The ratings are divided into five groups:
highest, above average, neutral, below average and lowest.
They represent a fund's historical risk/reward ratio
relative to other funds in its broad investment class as
determined by Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar ratings cover
a variety of performance periods, including 1-year, 3-
year, 5-year, 10-year and overall performance. The
performance factor for the overall rating is a weighted-
average assessment of the fund's 1-year, 3-year, 5-year,
and 10-year total return performance (if available)
reflecting deduction of expenses and sales charges.
Performance is adjusted using quantitative techniques to
reflect the risk profile of the fund. The ratings are
derived from a purely quantitative system that does not
utilize the subjective criteria customarily employed by
rating agencies such as Standard & Poor's and Moody's
Investor Service, Inc.

CDA/Wiesenberger's Management Results publishes mutual
fund rankings and is distributed monthly. The rankings
are based entirely on total return calculated by
Weisenberger for periods such as year-to-date, 1-year, 3-
year, 5-year and 10-year. Mutual funds are ranked in
general categories (e.g., international bond,
international equity, municipal bond, and maximum capital
gain). Weisenberger rankings do not reflect deduction of
sales charges or fees.

Independent publications may also evaluate the fund's
performance. The fund may from time to time refer to results
published in various periodicals, including Barrons, Financial
World, Forbes, Fortune, Investor's Business Daily, Kiplinger's
Personal Finance Magazine, Money, U.S. News and World Report and
The Wall Street Journal.

Independent, unmanaged indexes, such as those listed below, may
be used to present a comparative benchmark of fund performance.
The performance figures of an index reflect changes in market
prices, reinvestment of all dividend and interest payments and,
where applicable, deduction of foreign withholding taxes, and do
not take into account brokerage commissions or other costs.
Because the fund is a managed portfolio, the securities it owns
will not match those in an index. Securities in an index may
change from time to time.

The Consumer Price Index, prepared by the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, is a commonly used measure of the rate
of inflation. The index shows the average change in the
cost of selected consumer goods and services and does not
represent a return on an investment vehicle.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is an index of 30 common
stocks frequently used as a general measure of stock
market performance.

The Dow Jones Utilities Average is an index of 15 utility
stocks frequently used as a general measure of stock
market performance.

CS First Boston High Yield Index is a ^ market-weighted
index including publicly traded bonds having a rating
below BBB by Standard & Poor's and Baa by Moody's.

The Lehman Brothers Aggregate Bond Index is an index
composed of securities from The Lehman Brothers
Government/Corporate Bond Index, The Lehman Brothers
Mortgage-Backed Securities Index and The Lehman Brothers
Asset-Backed Securities Index and is frequently used as a
broad market measure for fixed-income securities.
The Lehman Brothers Asset-Backed Securities Index is an
index composed of credit card, auto, and home equity
loans. Included in the index are pass-through, bullet
(noncallable), and controlled amortization structured debt
securities; no subordinated debt is included. All
securities have an average life of at least one year.

The Lehman Brothers Corporate Bond Index is an index of
publicly issued, ^ fixed-rate, non-convertible
investment-grade domestic corporate debt securities
frequently used as a general measure of the performance of
^ fixed-income securities.

The Lehman Brothers Government/Corporate Bond Index is an
index of publicly issued U.S. Treasury obligations, debt
obligations of U.S. government agencies (excluding ^
mortgage-backed securities), ^ fixed-rate,
non-convertible, investment-grade corporate debt
securities and U.S. ^ dollar-denominated, SEC-registered
non-convertible debt issued by foreign governmental
entities or international agencies used as a general
measure of the performance of ^ fixed-income securities.

The Lehman Brothers Intermediate Treasury Bond Index is an
index of publicly issued U.S. Treasury obligations with
maturities of up to ten years and is used as a general
gauge of the market for intermediate-term fixed-income
securities.

The Lehman Brothers Long-Term Treasury Bond Index is an
index of publicly issued U.S. Treasury obligations
(excluding flower bonds and foreign-targeted issues) that
are U.S. dollar-denominated and have maturities of 10
years or greater.

The Lehman Brothers ^ Mortgage-Backed Securities Index
includes 15- and 30-year fixed rate securities backed by
mortgage pools of the Government National Mortgage
Association, Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, and
Federal National Mortgage Association.

The Lehman Brothers Municipal Bond Index is an index of
approximately 20,000 investment-grade, fixed-rate tax-
exempt bonds.

The Lehman Brothers Treasury Bond Index is an index of
publicly issued U.S. Treasury obligations (excluding
flower bonds and foreign-targeted issues) that are U.S.
dollar denominated, have a minimum of one year to
maturity, and are issued in amounts over $100 million.

The Morgan Stanley Capital International World Index is an
index of approximately 1,482 equity securities listed on
the stock exchanges of the United States, Europe, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand and the Far East, with all values
expressed in U.S. dollars.

The Morgan Stanley Capital International Emerging Markets
Index is an index of approximately 1,100 securities
representing 20 emerging markets, with all values
expressed in U.S. dollars.

The Morgan Stanley Capital International EAFE Index is an
index of approximately 1,045 equity securities issued by
companies located in 18 countries and listed on the stock
exchanges of Europe, Australia, and the Far East. All
values are expressed in U.S. dollars.

The Morgan Stanley Capital International Europe Index is
an index of approximately 627 equity securities issued by
companies located in one of 13 European countries, with
all values expressed in U.S. dollars.

The Morgan Stanley Capital International Pacific Index is
an index of approximately 418 equity securities issued by
companies located in 5 countries and listed on the
exchanges of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong,
Singapore/Malaysia. All values are expressed in U.S.
dollars.

The NASDAQ Industrial Average is an index of stocks traded
in The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. National Market System.

The Russell 2000 Index is composed of the 2,000 smallest
securities in the Russell 3000 Index, representing
approximately 7% of the Russell 3000 total market
capitalization. The Russell 3000 Index is composed of
3,000 large U.S. companies ranked by market
capitalization, representing approximately 98% of the U.S.
equity market.

The Salomon Brothers Long-Term High-Grade Corporate Bond
Index is an index of publicly traded corporate bonds
having a rating of at least AA by Standard & Poor's or Aa
by Moody's and is frequently used as a general measure of
the performance of ^ fixed-income securities.

The Salomon Brothers Long-Term Treasury Index is an index
of U.S. government securities with maturities greater than
10 years.

The Salomon Brothers World Government Bond Index is an
index that tracks the performance of the 14 government
bond markets of Australia, Austria, Belgium Canada,
Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands,
Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States.
Country eligibility is determined by market capitalization
and investability criteria.

The Salomon Brothers World Government Bond Index (non
$U.S.) is an index of foreign government bonds calculated
to provide a measure of performance in the government bond
markets outside of the United States.

Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Stock Price Index is an
index of common stocks frequently used as a general
measure of stock market performance.

Standard & Poor's 40 Utilities Index is an index of 40
utility stocks.

Standard & Poor's/Barra Value Index is an index
constructed by ranking the securities in the Standard &
Poor's 500 Composite Stock Price Index by price-to-book
ratio and including the securities with the lowest price-
to-book ratios that represent approximately half of the
market capitalization of the Standard & Poor's 500
Composite Stock Price Index.

In addition, Putnam Mutual Funds may distribute to shareholders
or prospective investors illustrations of the benefits of
reinvesting tax-exempt or tax-deferred distributions over
specified time periods, which may include comparisons to fully
taxable distributions. These illustrations use hypothetical
rates of tax-advantaged and taxable returns and are not intended
to indicate the past or future performance of any fund.

DEFINITIONSDEFINITIONS

"Putnam Management" -^ Putnam Investment
Management, Inc., the fund's
investment manager.

"Putnam Mutual Funds" - ^ Putnam Mutual Funds
Corp., the fund's principal
underwriter.

"Putnam Fiduciary Trust -^ Putnam Fiduciary Trust
Company,
Company" the fund's custodian^.

"Putnam Investor Services" - ^ Putnam Investor Services,
a division of Putnam Fiduciary
Trust Company, the fund's
investor servicing agent.

PUTNAM DIVERSIFIED EQUITY TRUST

FORM N-1A
PART C

OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 24. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND EXHIBITS

(a) Index to Financial Statements and Supporting
Schedules:

(1) Financial Statements:

Statements of assets and
liabilities --
February 28, 1998 (a).
Statement of operations -- year ended February 28,
1998 (a).
Statement of changes in net assets
-- years ended
February 28, 1998 and
February 29, 1997 (a).
Financial highlights (a)(b).
Notes to financial statements (a).

(2) Supporting Schedules:

Schedules I -- Portfolio of investments owned --
February 28, 1998 (a).
S chedules II through IX
omitted because the
required matter is not present.

(a)

Incorporated by reference into Parts A and B.
(b) Included in Part A.
- --------------------------

1. Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated
April 13, 1994 -- Incorporated by reference to the
Registrant's Initial Registration
Statement.
2. By-Laws, as amended through April 13, 1994 --
Incorporated by reference to the Registrant's Initial
Registration Statement.
3. Not applicable.

4a. Class A Specimen share certificate --
Incorporated
by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment
No. 1 to
the Registrant's Registration Statement.
4b. Class B Specimen share certificate --
Incorporated
by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment
No. 1 to
the Registrant's Registration Statement.
4c. Class M Specimen share certificate --
Incorporated
by reference to Post-Effective Amendment
No. 2 to
the Registrant's Registration Statement.
4d. Portions of Agreement and Declaration of
Trust
Relating to Shareholders' Rights --
Incorporated
by reference to the Registrant's Initial
Registration Statement.
4e. Portions of By-Laws Relating to Shareholders'
Rights -- Incorporated by reference to the
Registrant's Initial Registration Statement.
5. Management Contract dated June 20, 1996 --
Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective
Amendment No. 3 to the Registrant's Registration
Statement.
6a. Distributor's Contract dated May 6, 1994
-- Incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective
Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration
Statement.
6b. Form of Specimen Dealer Sales Contract -
- Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective
Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's Registration
Statement.
6c. Form of Specimen Financial Institution
Sales Contract -- Incorporated by reference to
Post-Effective Amendment No. 2 to the Registrant's
Registration Statement.
7. Trustee Retirement Plan dated October 4,
1996 -- Incorporated by reference to Post-
Effective Amendment No. 4 to the Registrant's
Registration Statement[/R].
8. Custodian Agreement with Putnam
Fiduciary Trust Company dated May 3, 1991 as
amended July 13, 1992 -- Incorporated by reference
to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the
Registrant's Registration Statement.
9. Investor Servicing Agreement dated
June 3, 1991 with Putnam
Fiduciary Trust
Company -- Incorporated by
reference to Pre-Effective
Amendment No. 1 to the
Registrant's Registration
Statement.

10. Opinion of Ropes & Gray, including
consent -- Incorporated by reference to Pre-
Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's
Registration Statement.
11. Not applicable.
12. Not applicable.
13. Investment Letter from Putnam
Investments, Inc. to the Registrant --
Incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective
Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's Registration
Statement.
14a. Not applicable.
14b. Form of Prototype Individual Retirement
Account Plan -- Incorporated by reference to Post-
Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's
Registration Statement.
14c. Form of Prototype Basic Plan Documents
and related Plan Agreements -- Incorporated by
reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the
Registrant's Registration Statement.
15a. Class A Distribution Plan and Agreement
dated May 6, 1994 -- Incorporated by reference to
Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Registrant's
Registration Statement.
15b. Class B Distribution Plan and
Agreement dated May 6, 1994 -- Incorporated by
reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the
Registrant's Registration Statement.
15c. Class M Distribution Plan and Agreement
-- Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective
Amendment No. 3 to the Registrant's Registration
Statement.
15d. Form of Specimen Dealer
Service Agreement --
Incorporated by reference to Post-Effective
Amendment No. 4 to the Registrant's Registration
Statement.
15e. Form of Specimen Financial Institution Service
Agreement -- Incorporated by reference to Post-
Effective Amendment No. 4 to the Registrant's
Registration Statement.
16. Schedules for computation of performance quotations. --
Exhibit 1 .
17a. Financial Data Schedules for Class A
shares
-- Exhibit 2 .
17b. Financial Data Schedules for Class B
shares
-- Exhibit 3 .
17c. Financial Data Schedules for Class M
shares
-- Exhibit 4 .
18. Rule 18f-3(d) Plan -- Incorporated by
reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 3 to the
Registrant's Registration Statement.

ITEM 25. PERSONS CONTROLLED BY OR UNDER COMMON CONTROL WITH
REGISTRANT

None.

ITEM 26. NUMBER OF HOLDERS OF SECURITIES

As of May 31, 1998 , the number of record holders
of each class of securities of the Registrant is as follows:

NUMBER OF RECORD HOLDERS
-------------------------------------
CLASS A CLASS B CLASS M
------- ------- -------

19,916 27,4992,106

ITEM 27. INDEMNIFICATION

The information required by this item is incorporated
herein by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 from the
Registrant's Registration Statement on Form N-1A under the
Investment Company Act of 1940 (File No. 811-7615).

<PAGE>

6/17/1998

Item 28. Business and Other Connections of Investment Adviser
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Except as set forth below, the directors and officers of the Registrant's
investment adviser have been engaged during the past two fiscal years in no
business, vocation or employment of a substantial nature other than as directors
or officers of the investment adviser or certain of its corporate affiliates.
Certain officers of the investment adviser serve as officers of some or all of
the Putnam funds. The address of the investment adviser, its corporate
affiliates and the Putnam Funds is One Post Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts
02109.

Non - Putnam business and other
Name connections
<S> <C>
Michael J. Abata Prior to May, 1997, Assistant Vice President,
Alliance Capital
Assistant Vice President Management Corp., 1345 Avenue of the
Americas, New York, NY 10020

Barry R. Allen Prior to December, 1997, Analyst/Director of
Research,
Vice President Harbor Capital Management, 125 High St.,
Boston, MA 02110

Jennifer Antill Prior to November, 1996, Director, IAI
International/Hill
Managing Director Samuel Investment Advisors, 10 Fleet Place,
London, England

Nikesh Arora Prior to April, 1997, Chief Financial Officer,
Fidelity
Vice President Fidelity Investments, 82 Devonshire St.,
Boston, MA 02110

Michael Arends Prior to May, 1997, Managing Director, Equities,
Phoenix
Senior Vice President Duff & Phelps, 56 Prospect St., Hartford, CT
06101

Michael J. Atkin Prior to July, 1997, Director of Latin America
Institute
Senior Vice President of International Finance, 2000 Pennsylvania
Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20006

Jeffrey B. Augustine Prior to January, 1998, Vice President, Investment
Consulting,
Senior Vice President Investor Tools, Inc., 100 Bridge St. Plaza,
Yorkville, IL 60560. Prior to April, 1996,
Consultant, 110 Aletha Rd., Needham, MA 02192.

Rowland T. Bankes Prior to July, 1997, Senior Fixed-Income Trader,
Jennison,
Vice President Jennison Associates Capital Corp., One
Financial Center, Boston, MA 02110

Robert R. Beck Director, Charles Bridge Publishing, 85 Main St.,
Watertown,
Senior Vice President MA 02172

Carl D. Bell Prior to January,
1998, Principal,
Smith Breedon
Association,
Vice President 100 Europa
Drive, Suite 200,
Chapel Hill, NC
27514

Geoffrey C. Blaisdell Prior to October, 1997, Vice President, Blackrock
Financial
Senior Vice President Financial, 345 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10010

Jeffrey M. Bray Prior to October, 1997, Analyst, Lehman Brothers, 3
World
Vice President Financial Center, New York, NY 10285

David J. Buckle Prior to March, 1998, Vice President, J.P. Morgan
Investment
Vice President Management, 28 King St., London, England SW1
YXA

Ronald J. Bukovac Prior to October, 1997, Senior Manager, Valuation,
Price
Vice President Waterhouse, 200 E. Randolph Drive, Chicago, IL
60601

Robert W. Burke Member-Executive Committee, The Ridge Club, Country
Club Road,
Senior Managing Director Sandwich, MA 02563; Member-Advisory Board,
Cathedral High School, 74 Union Park St., So.
Boston, MA 02118

Jack P. Chang Prior to July, 1997, Vice President, Columbia
Management
Vice President Company, 1300 S.W. 6th Ave., Portland, OR
97207

Mary Claire Chase Prior to January, 1997, Director of Staff
Development,
Vice President Arthur D. Little Co., 25 Acorn Park,
Cambridge, MA 02140

James E. Corning Prior to October, 1996, Assistant Vice President of
Plan
Vice President Investments at State Street Bank & Trust, 1776
Heritage Dr., Quincy, MA 02171

C. Beth Cotner Director, The Lyric Stage Theater, 140 Clarendon St.,
Senior Vice President Boston, MA

Kevin M. Cronin Prior February, 1997, Vice President and Portfolio
Manager,
Managing Director MFS Investment Management, 500 Boylston St.,
Boston, MA 02117

William J. Curtin Prior to August, 1996, Managing Director, Chief
Global Fixed-
Managing Director Income Strategist, Lehman Brothers, 3 World
Financial Center, New York, NY 10285

Michael W. Davis Prior to August, 1997, Technical Finance Consultant,
Bank of
Vice President America Mortgage, 50 California St., San
Francisco, CA 94111

Edwin M. Denson Prior to November, 1997, Vice President and Senior
Economist
Vice President Primark Decision Economics, 260 Franklin St.,
Boston, MA 02110; Prior to August, 1996, Senior
Economist, Lehman Brothers, Inc. 260 Franklin St.,
Boston, MA 02110

Ralph C. Derbyshire Prior to November, 1997, Partner, Palmer & Dodge,
One Beacon
Senior Vice President Street, Boston, MA 02108

Michael G. Dolan Chairman-Finance Council, St. Mary's Parish, 44
Myrtle St.,
Assistant Vice President Melrose, MA 02176; Member, School Advisory
Board, St. Mary's School, 44 Myrtle St., Melrose,
MA 02176

Martha A. Donovan Prior to July, 1996, Assistant Treasurer, CBS Inc.,
Vice President 51 W. 52nd St., New York, NY 10020

Mark E. Dow Prior to November, 1997, Economist, International
Monetary
Vice President Fund, Washington, DC

Nathan Eigerman Prior to July, 1996, Quantitative Analyst, Fidelity
Management
Vice President & Research, 82 Devonshire St., Boston, MA
02110

Irene M. Esteves Prior to January, 1997,
Vice President, Miller
Brewing Co.,
Managing Director 3939 West Highland Blvd. Milwaukee, WI 53201

Edward R. Finch Prior to December, 1997, Managing Director, M.A.
Weatherbie
Vice President & Co., 265 Franklin St., Boston, MA 02110

Kate Fleisher Prior to January, 1998, Director of Human
Resources, Laura
Vice President Ashley, 6 St. James Ave, Suite 410, Boston, MA
02116

J. Peter Grant Trustee, The Dover Church, Dover, MA, 02030
Senior Vice President

Patrice Graviere Prior to March, 1998, Regional Director for Latin
America,
Senior Vice President MFS International, LTD, Buenos Aires, Brazil

Donnalee Guerin Prior to September, 1996, Corporate Service Manager,
Assistant Vice President Haemonetics Corp., 400 Wood Rd., Braintree, MA
02184.

Paul E. Haagensen Director, Haagensen Research Foundation, 630 West
168th St.,
Senior Vice President New York, NY 10032

James B. Haines Prior to February, 1997, Associate, Benefit
Department
Assistant Vice President Ropes & Gray, One International Place, Boston,
MA 02110

Mary S. Hapij Prior to March, 1997, Research Library Manager,
Pioneering
Assistant Vice President Management Corp., 60 State Street, Boston, MA
02109

Nigel P. Hart Prior to October, 1997, Senior Vice President and
Portfolio
Vice President Manager, Investment Advisers, 3700 First Bank
Place, Minneapolis, MN 55402

Thomas R. Haslett Prior to December, 1996, Managing Director and
Senior
Managing Director Portfolio Manager, Montgomery Asset
Management, LTD, 101 California St., San
Franscisco, CA 94111

Marianne P. Isgur Prior to March, 1998, Executive Recruiter,
Professions,
Assistant Vice President 2 Villa Rd., So. Hamilton, MA 01982

Jerome J. Jacobs Prior to September, 1996, Head of Municipal Bond
Group,
Managing Director Vanguard Group Investments, 100 Vanguard
Blvd., Malvern, PA 19482

Ira C. Kalus-Bystricky Prior to March, 1998, Consultant, Arthur D. Little,
25 Acorn
Vice President Park, Cambridge, MA 02140

Mary E. Kearney Trustee, Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, 243
Charles St.,
Managing Director Boston, MA 02114

Catherine Kennedy Prior to September, 1997, Principal, Morgan Stanley,
1585
Vice President Broadway, New York, NY 10036

Jeffrey K. Kerrigan Prior to June, 1997, Vice President, Fleet
Investments,
Assistant Vice President 75 State St., Boston, MA 02109

David R. King Prior to October, 1997, Vice President, Massachusetts
Financial
Vice President Services, 500 Boylston St., Boston, MA

William P. King Prior to November, 1997, Portfolio Manager, TSA
Global Asset
Vice President Management, 700 South Flower St., Los Angeles,
CA 90017

Deborah F. Kuenstner Prior to March, 1997, Senior Portfolio Manager,
DuPont Pension
Managing Director Fund Investment, 1 Right Parkway, Wilmington,
DE 19850

Thomas J. Kurey Prior to August, 1997, Vice President, Evergreen
Securities,
Vice President 77 W. Wacker, Chicago, IL 60601

Kenneth W. Lang Prior to April, 1997, Vice President, Montgomery
Securities,
Vice President 600 Montgomery St., San Francisco, CA 94111

Coleman N. Lannum, III Prior to June, 1997, Director-Investor Relations,
Mallinckrodt,
Senior Vice President Inc., 7733 Forsyth Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63105

Leonard LaPorta, Jr. Prior to March, 1998, Assistant Vice President,
State Street
Vice President Global Advisors, Two International Place,
Boston, MA 02110

Lawrence J. Lasser Director, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., 1221
Avenue of the
President, Director Americas, New York, NY 10020; Board Member, Artery
Business
and Chief Executive Committee, One Beacon Street, Boston, MA
02108; Board of Managers, Investment and Finance
Committees, Beth Israel Hospital, 330 Brookline
Avenue, Boston, MA 02215; Board of Governors,
Executive Committee, Investment Company Institute,
1401 H. St., N.W., Suite 1200, Washington, DC
20005; Board of Overseers, Museum of Fine Arts, 465
Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115; Board Member,
Trust for City Hall Plaza, Three Center Plaza,
Boston, MA 02108; Board Member, The Vault
Coordinating Committee, c/o John Hancock Mutual
Life Insurance Company, Law Sector, T-55, P.O. Box
111, Boston, MA 02117

Joan M. Leary Prior to January, 1997, Senior Tax Manager, KMPG, 99
High
Vice President High St., Boston, MA 02110

Christine Leonardo Prior to January, 1998, Employment Manager, Lotus
Development
Vice President Corp., 55 Cambridge Parkway, Canton, MA 02021

Craig s. Lewis Prior to January, 1998, Analyst, Keystone
Investments, 200
Vice President Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02101

Geirulv Lode Prior to July, 1997, Vice President, Chancellor Lgt.
Asset
Vice President Management, 1166 Avenue of the Americas, New
York, NY 10036

Elizabeth M. MacElwee Prior to January, 1998, Principal, Morgan Stanley,
1585
Senior Vice President Broadway, New York, NY 10036

Diana R. Madonna Prior to January, 1997, Librarian, Lipper Analytical
Services,
Assistant Vice President Inc., 1380 Lawrence St., Denver CO 80204

Saba Malak Prior to October, 1997, Consultant, The Boston
Consultant,
Vice President Exchange Place, Boston, MA 02109

Bruce D. Martin Prior to April, 1997, Vice President, Eaton Vance, 29
Vice President Boston, MA 02110

Kevin Maloney Trustee, Town of Hanover, NH Trust Funds, Hanover, NH
03755;
Managing Director President and Board Member, Hampshire
Cooperative Nursery School, Dartmouth College
Highway, Hanover, NH 03755

Scott M. Maxwell Prior to March, 1997, Chief Financial Officer-Equity
Division,
Managing Director Lehman Brothers, 3 World Financial Center, New
York, NY 10285

Bridget McCavoy Prior to October, 1997, Senior Recruiter,
BankBoston,
Assistant Vice President 100 Federal St., Boston, MA 02110; Prior to
October, 1996, Executive Recruiter, HI Hunt & Co.,
99 Summer St., Boston, MA 02110

Mary G. McNamee Prior to December, 1996, Recruitment Consultant, 171
Walnut
Assistant Vice President Boston, MA 02110

Paul K. Michaud Prior to December, 1997, Assistant Vice President,
Union Bank
Vice President of Switzerland, Bahnhofstrasse 45, 8021
Zurich, Switzerland

Carol H. Miller Board Member, The Lyric Stage Theater, 140 Clarendon
St.,
Assistant Vice President Boston, MA 02116

Christopher G. Miller Prior to January, 1998, Portfolio Manager, Analytic
TSA
Vice President Global Asset Management, 700 So. Flower St.,
Los Angeles, CA 90017

William H. Miller Prior to October, 1997, Vice President and Asset
Portfolio
Senior Vice President Manager, Delaware Management, One Commerce
Square, Philadelphia, PA; Prior to January, 1995,
Vice President and Analyst, Janney, Montgomery,
Scott, 1801 Market St., Philadelphia, PA 19104

Jeanne L. Mockard Trustee, The Bryn Mawr School, 109, W. Melorose
Avenue,
Senior Vice President Baltimore, MD 21210

Gerard I. Moore Prior to August, 1997, Vice President/Equity
Research,
Vice President Boston Company Asset Management, One Boston,
Place, Boston, MA 02109

Kelly A. Morgan Prior to September, 1996, Senior Vice President and
Senior Vice President International Portfolio Manager, Alliance
Capital Management, 1345 Avenue of the Americas,
New York, NY 10020

David D. Motill Prior to April, 1996, Independent Consultant, 417
Valley
Vice President Wayne, PA 19087; Prior to July, 1995, Senior
Investment Analyst, SEI Investments, One Freedom
Valley Drive, Oaks, PA 19456

Ellen E. Natale Prior to November, 1996, Human Resources Recruiter,
Assistant Vice President Strategic Outsourcing, 175 Federal St.,
Boston, MA 02110

Gayle M. O'Connell Prior to March, 1997, Assistant Director of Human
Resources,
Assistant Vice President ITT Sheraton Corporation, 60 State St.,
Boston, MA 02109

Stephen S. Oler Prior to June, 1997, Vice President, Templeton
Investment
Senior Vice President Counsel, 500 E. Broward Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale,
FL 33394; Prior to February, 1996, Senior Vice
President, Baring Asset Management, 125 High St.,
Boston, MA 02110

Kimberly A.M. Page Prior to February, 1998, Senior Consulting,
Andersen
Assistant Vice President Consulting, 100 Williams St., Wellesley, MA
02181

Margery C. Parker Prior to December, 1997, Vice President and
Portfolio Manager,
Senior Vice President Keystone Investments 200 Berkeley Street,
Boston, MA 02101

Carmel Peters Prior to April, 1997, Managing Director/Chief
Investment
Senior Vice President Asia Pacific, Wheelock NatWest Investment
Management, Ltd, NatWest Tower, Times Square,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, China

William Perry Prior to September, 1997, Senior Trader, Fidelity
Management &
Senior Vice President Research, 82 Devonshire St., Boston, MA 02110

Keith Plapinger Vice Chairman and Trustee, Advent School, 17 Brimmer
St.,
Vice President Boston, MA 02108

Charles E. Porter Director, The Boston Fulbright Committee, 99 Garden
St.,
Executive Vice President Cambridge, MA; Trustee, Anatolia College and
The American College of Thessaloniki, 555 10 Pycea,
Thessaloniki, Greece

George Putnam Chairman and Director, Putnam Mutual Funds Corp.;
Chairman and Director Director, The Boston Company, Inc., One Boston
Place, Boston, MA 02108; Director, Boston Safe
Deposit and Trust Company, One Boston Place,
Boston, MA 02108; Director, Freeport-McMoRan, Inc.,
200 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10166; Director,
General Mills, Inc., 9200 Wayzata Boulevard,
Minneapolis, MN 55440; Director, Houghton Mifflin
Company, One Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108;
Director, Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc., 1221
Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020;
Director, Rockefeller Group, Inc., 1230 Avenue of
the Americas, New York, NY 10020

Robert A. Piepenburg Prior to December, 1997, Assistant Vice President,
BankBoston
Vice President Corp./Boston Security, 100 Federal St.,
Boston, MA 02106

Elizabeth Price Prior to January, 1998, Investment Analyst,
Schroder Investment
Assistant Vice President Management Limited, 33 Gutter Lane, London,
EC2V 8AS, England

Edward Qian Prior to February, 1998, Back Bay Advisors, 399
Boylston St.,
Vice President Boston, MA 02116; Prior to September, 1996,
Post-Doctorate Research, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
02109

Keith Quinton Director, Eleazar, Inc., West Wheelock St., Hanover,
NH 03755
Senior Vice President

Marc J. Ritenhouse Prior to January, 1998, Director of Finance,
Fidelity
Vice President Investments, Inc. 82 Devonshire St., Boston,
MA 02109

Paul A. Rokosz Prior to November,
1996, Analyst,
Kemper Financial
Services,
Vice President 120 S. Casalle St., Chicago, IL 60606

Olivier Rudigoz Prior to April, 1998, Portfolio Manager, Paribas
Asset
Vice President Management, #3 Rue D'Antin, Paris, France,
75002

Michael V. Salm Prior to November, 1997, Mortgage Analyst, Blackrock
Financial
Vice President 345 Park Ave., New York, NY 10010; Prior to
May, 1996, Trader, Nomura Securities, 2 World
Financial Center, New York, NY 10048

Robert J. Schoen Prior to June, 1997, Sole Proprietor, Schoen Timing
Strategies,
Assistant Vice President 315 E. 21st St., New York, NY 10010

Justin M. Scott Director, DSI Properties (Neja) Ltd., Epping Rd.,
Reydon,
Managing Director Reydon, Essex CM19 5RD; Director, DSI
Management (Neja) Ltd., Epping Rd., Reydon, Essex
CM19 5RD

Max S. Senter General Partner, M.S. Senter & Sons Partnership, 4900
Senior Vice President Fayetteville, Rd., Raleigh, NC 27611

Mitchell D. Schultz Prior to September, 1996, Vice President, Human
Resources
Managing Director The Walt Disney Co., 500 South Buena Vista
St., Burbank, CA 91510

Edward Shadek, Jr. Prior to March, 1997, Portfolio Manager, Newhold
Asset
Vice President Management, 950 Haverford Rd., Bryn Mawr, PA
19010

Raj Ken Sharma Prior to January, 1998, Vice President and
Portfolio Manager,
Vice President Fleet Financial, 75 State Street, Boston, MA
02106

Saied Simozar Prior to March, 1998, Manager, Portfolio Analytics,
Dupont
Senior Vice President Pension Fund Investment, Wilmington, DE 19801

Gordon H. Silver Trustee, Wang Center for the Performing Arts, 270
Tremont St.,
Managing Director Boston, MA 02116

Steven Spiegel Director, Ultra Corp., 29 East Madison St., Chicago,
IL 60602;
Senior Managing Director Trustee, Babson College, One College Drive,
Wellesley, MA 02157

Christopher A. Spurlock Prior to May, 1997, Sales Trader, J.P. Morgan, 60
Wall St.,
Vice President New York, NY

Michael P. Stack Prior to November, 1997, Senior Vice President and
Portfolio
Senior Vice President Manager, Independence Investment Associates,
53 State St., Boston, MA 02109

Casey Strumpf Prior to January, 1997, Director, Blue Cross and Blue
Shield,
Senior Vice President 100 Summer St., Boston, MA 02110

Maryann Sullivan Prior to August,
1996, Unit
Manager, First
Data Services,
Assistant Vice President 4400 Computer Dr., Westboro, MA 01581

Robert E. Sweeney Prior to February, 1998, Vice President, Corporate
Research
Vice President Smith Barney, One New York Plaza, New York, NY
10004

Judith H. Swirbalus Prior to January, 1998, Alex, Brown & Sons, One
South St.,
Vice President Baltimore, MD 21202

Robert J. Toner Prior to September, 1998, Associate, Goodwin Procter
& Hoar,
Assistant Vice President LLP, Exchange Place, Boston, MA 02109

John R. Tonkin Prior to January, 1998, Analyst, Credit Suisse First
Boston
Assistant Vice President Celtic Towers, The Terrace, Wellington, New Zealand

Wendy S. Trowbridge Prior to June, 1996, Senior HRIS Analyst, New England
Medical
Assistant Vice President Center, 750 Washington, St., Boston, 02110

Heidi A. Tuchen Prior to December 1996, Vice President and Credit
Officer,
Assistant Vice President Fleet Financial Group, 75 State St., Boston,
MA 02109

Scott G. Vierra Prior to September, 1997, Staffing Lead, Cisco
Systems, 250
Vice President 250 Apollo Drive, Chelmsford, MA 01824

David L. Waldman Prior to June, 1997, Senior Portfolio Manager, Lazard
Feres
Managing Director Asset Management, 30 Rockefeller Center, New
York, NY 10112

Paul C. Warren Prior to May, 1997, Director, IDS Fund Management,
LT,
Senior Vice President One Pacific Place, Squuensway, Hong Kong,
China

Eric Wetlaufer Prior to November, 1997, Managing Director and
Portfolio
Managing Director Manager, Cadence Capital Management, Exchange
Place, Boston, MA 02109

Burton Wilson Prior to March, 1997, Associate Investments-Banking,
Vice President Robertson Stephens & Co., 555 California St.,
Suite 2600, San Francisco, CA 94104

Michael R. Yogg Prior to November, 1996, Portfolio Manager, State
Street
Senior Vice President Research & Management, One Financial Center,
Boston, MA 02111

Scott D. Zaleski Prior to May, 1997, Investment Officer, State Street
Bank &
Assistant Vice President Trust, 1776 Heritage Dr., Quincy, MA 02171;
Prior to September, 1996, Investment Associate
Fidelity Investments, 82 Devonshire St., Boston, MA
02109

Michael P. Zeller Prior to July, 1997, Sales Manager, NYNEX Information
Vice President Resources, 35 Village Rd., Middleton, MA 01949

William E. Zieff Prior to December, 1996, Global Asset Allocation,
Grantham,
Managing Director Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co., 40 Rowes Wharf,
Boston, MA 02110

Item 29. Principal Underwriter

(a) Putnam Mutual Funds Corp. is the principal underwriter for each of the
following investment companies, including the Registrant:

Putnam American Government Income Fund, Putnam Arizona Tax Exempt Income Fund,
Putnam Asia Pacific Growth Fund, Putnam Asset Allocation Funds, Putnam Balanced
Retirement Fund, Putnam California Tax Exempt Income Fund, Putnam California Tax
Exempt Money Market Fund, Putnam Capital Appreciation Fund, Putnam Convertible
Income-Growth Trust, Putnam Diversified Equity Trust, Putnam Diversified Income
Trust, Putnam Diversified Income Trust II, Putnam Equity Income Fund, Putnam
Europe Growth Fund, Putnam Federal Income Trust, Putnam Florida Tax Exempt
Income Fund, Putnam Funds Trust, The George Putnam Fund of Boston, Putnam Global
Governmental Income Trust, Putnam Global Growth Fund, Putnam Global Natural
Resources Fund, The Putnam Fund for Growth and Income, Putnam Growth and Income
Fund II, Putnam Health Sciences Trust, Putnam High Yield Trust, Putnam High
Yield Advantage Fund, Putnam High Yield Municipal Trust, Putnam Income Fund,
Putnam Intermediate U.S. Government Income Fund, Putnam Investment Funds, Putnam
Investors Fund, Putnam Massachusetts Tax Exempt Income Fund, Putnam Michigan Tax
Exempt Income Fund, Putnam Minnesota Tax Exempt Income Fund, Putnam Money Market
Fund, Putnam Municipal Income Fund, Putnam New Jersey Tax Exempt Income Fund,
Putnam New Opportunities Fund, Putnam New York Tax Exempt Income Fund, Putnam
New York Tax Exempt Money Market Fund, Putnam New York Tax Exempt Opportunities
Fund, Putnam Ohio Tax Exempt Income Fund, Putnam OTC & Emerging Growth Fund,
Putnam Pennsylvania Tax Exempt Income Fund, Putnam Preferred Income Fund, Putnam
Tax Exempt Income Fund, Putnam Tax Exempt Money Market Fund, Putnam Tax-Free
Income Trust, Putnam U.S. Government Income Trust, Putnam Utilities Growth and
Income Fund, Putnam Variable Trust, Putnam Vista Fund, Putnam Voyager Fund,
Putnam Voyager Fund II.

(b) The directors and officers of the Registrant's principal underwriter are
listed below. The principal business address of each person is One Post Office
Square, Boston, MA 02109:

Name Positions and Offices with Positions and
Underwriter Offices with
Registrant
Aaron,Jeff F. Asst. Vice President None
Adduci,John V. Vice President None
Albanese,Frank Vice President None
Alberts,Richard W. Asst. Vice President None
Alden,Donald F. Vice President None
Alders,Christopher A. Senior Vice President None
Alpaugh,Christopher S. Vice President None
Amisano,Paulette C. Vice President None
Andrews,Margaret Vice President None
Antill,Jeanne Vice President None
Arends,Michael K. Senior Vice President None
Asher,Steven E. Senior Vice President None
Avery,Scott A. Senior Vice President None
Aymond,Christian E. Senior Vice President None
Aymond,Colin C. Vice President None
Battit,Suzanne J Vice President None
Beatty,Steven M. Senior Vice President None
Bent,John J. Vice President None
Beringer,Thomas A. Vice President None
Berka,Sharon A. Senior Vice President None
Boneparth,John F. Managing Director None
Bonfilio Jr.,Peter J. Asst. Vice President None
Bouchard,Keith R. Senior Vice President None
Bradford Jr.,Linwood E. Senior Vice President None
Brady,Linda M. Asst. Vice President None
Bray,Jeffrey M. Vice President None
Brennan,Mary Ann Asst. Vice President None
Bresnahan,Leslee R. Senior Vice President None
Brockelman,James D. Senior Vice President None
Brookman,Joel S. Vice President None
Brown,Timothy K. Senior Vice President None
Buckner,Gail D. Senior Vice President None
Burke,Robert W. Sr Managing Director None
Cabana,Susan D. Vice President None
Callahan,Thomas C. Asst. Vice President None
Capone,Robert G. Senior Vice President None
Cartwright,Patricia A. Asst. Vice President None
Casale-Sweeney,Janet Senior Vice President None
Casey,David M. Vice President None
Castle Jr.,James R. Vice President None
Chase,Mary Claire Vice President None
Chrostowski,Louis F. Senior Vice President None
Church,Daniel J. Vice President None
Clark,Richard B. Senior Vice President None
Clermont,Mary Asst. Vice President None
Clinton,John C. Asst. Vice President None
Collman,Kathleen M. Sr Managing Director None
Commane,Karen L. Asst. Vice President None
Coneeny,Mark L. Senior Vice President None
Connelly,Clare D. Vice President None
Connelly,Donald A. Senior Vice President None
Connolly,Karen E. Asst. Vice President None
Conyers,Barry M. Vice President None
Corbett,Dennis Vice President None
Corvinus,F. Nicholas Senior Vice President None
Cosmer,Thomas A. Senior Vice President None
Cristo,Chad H. Vice President None
Cropper,Joy Bacher Asst. Vice President None
Crowley,Colleen J. Asst. Vice President None
Curran,Peter J. Senior Vice President None
Dahill,Jessica E. Vice President None
Daly,Kenneth L. Managing Director None
Dane,Edward H. Senior Vice President None
Daylor,Donna M. Vice President None
Days,Nancy M. Asst. Vice President None
De Oliveira-Smith,Pamela Asst. Vice President None
Deluse,Laura R. Asst. Vice President None
DeMont,Lisa M. Vice President None
Dennehy,Teresa F. Vice President None
DiRe,Lisa M. Asst. Vice President None
DiStasio,Karen E. Vice President None
Dolan,Michael G. Vice President None
Donaldson,Scott M. Vice President None
Duffy,Deirdre E. Senior Vice President None
Durbin,Emily J. Vice President None
Edlin,David B. Managing Director None
Eisenkraft,Gail A. Managing Director None
English,James M. Senior Vice President None
Esposito,Vincent Managing Director None
Fechter,Michael J. Vice President None
Feldman,Susan H. Senior Vice President None
Fisher,C. Nancy Managing Director None
Fishman,Mitchell B. Senior Vice President None
Fiumara,Joseph C. Vice President None
Flaherty,Patricia C. Senior Vice President None
Fleisher,Kate Vice President None
Ford,William D. Asst. Vice President None
Fullerton,Brian J. Senior Vice President None
Gates,Judy S. Senior Vice President None
Gennaco,Joseph P. Senior Vice President None
Gindel,Caroline E. Asst. Vice President None
Goodfellow,Mark D. Vice President None
Goodman,Robert Managing Director None
Gould,Carol J. Asst. Vice President None
Grace,Anthony J. Asst. Vice President None
Grace,Linda K. Vice President None
Grossberg,Jill Asst. Vice President None
Grove,Denise Vice President None
Guay,Timothy R. Asst. Vice President None
Gubala,Jeffrey P. Vice President None
Guerin,Donnalee Asst. Vice President None
Guerra,Salvatore F. Vice President None
Hall,Debra L. Vice President None
Halloran,James E. Vice President None
Halloran,Thomas W. Senior Vice President None
Harbeck,John D. Vice President None
Harrington,Bruce D. Vice President None
Hartigan,Craig W. Vice President None
Hartley,Deborah M. Asst. Vice President None
Hawkins III,Howard W. Vice President None
Hayes-Castro,Deanna R. Vice President None
Hearns,Dennis P. Senior Vice President None
Hedstrom,Gayle A. Asst. Vice President None
Heffernan,Paul P. Senior Vice President None
Heimanson,Susan M. Senior Vice President None
Hochstein,Bess J.M. Senior Vice President None
Holly Sr.,Jeremiah K. Vice President None
Holmes,Maureen A. Asst. Vice President None
Hooley,Daniel F Jr. Asst. Vice President None
Hoyt,Paula J. Asst. Vice President None
Hurley,William J. Managing Director & CFO None
Isgur,Marianne P. Asst. Vice President None
Jacobsen,Dwight D. Managing Director None
Jennings,Susan M. Asst. Vice President None
Jordan,Stephen R. Asst. Vice President None
Kapinos,Peter J. Vice President None
Kay,Karen R. Senior Vice President None
Kelley,Brian J. Vice President None
Kelly,A.Siobhan Asst. Vice President None
Kennedy,Alicia C. Asst. Vice President None
Kennedy,Charlotte B. Senior Vice President None
King,David R. Vice President None
Kinsman,Anne Senior Vice President None
Kirk,Deborah H. Senior Vice President None
Koontz,Jill A. Senior Vice President None
Kreutzberg,Howard H. Senior Vice President None
Krieger,Marjorie B. Vice President None
Lacascia,Charles Vice President None
Lane,Linda Asst. Vice President None
LaPierre,Christopher W Asst. Vice President None
Lathrop,James D. Senior Vice President None
Lawlor,Stephanie T. Asst. Vice President None
Leary,Joan M. Vice President None
Ledbetter,Charles C. Vice President None
Leipsitz,Margaret Asst. Vice President None
Lemire,Kevin Vice President None
Leonardo,Christine A. Vice President None
Levy,Eric S. Senior Vice President None
Lewandowski Jr.,Edward V. Vice President None
Lewandowski,Edward V. Senior Vice President None
Li,Mei Asst. Vice President None
Lieberman,Samuel L. Vice President None
Lifsitz,David M. Vice President None
Lilien,David R. Vice President None
Linehan,Ann-Marie Asst. Vice President None
Litant,Lisa M. Asst. Vice President None
Lockwood,Maura A. Senior Vice President None
Lomba,Rufino R. Senior Vice President None
Long,Gregory T. Vice President None
Lucey,Kevin J Vice President None
Lucey,Robert F. Director None
Lyons,Robert F. Asst. Vice President None
Malatos,Ann Vice President None
Mallin,Bonnie J. Senior Vice President None
Mancini,Dana Asst. Vice President None
Manthorne,Heather M. Asst. Vice President None
Maravel,Alexi A. Asst. Vice President None
Marius,Frederick S. Vice President None
McAvoy,Bridget Asst. Vice President None
McCafferty,Karen A. Vice President None
McCarthy,Anne B. Asst. Vice President None
McConville,Paul D. Senior Vice President None
McCracken,Brian Asst. Vice President None
McCutcheon,Bruce A Senior Vice President None
McDermott,Daniel E. Asst. Vice President None
McKenna,Mark J. Senior Vice President None
McNamara,Laura Vice President None
McNamee,Mary G. Asst. Vice President None
Metelmann,Claye A. Vice President None
Milgroom,Eric D. Asst. Vice President None
Miller,Bart D. Senior Vice President None
Miller,Janis E. Managing Director None
Miller,Jeffrey M. Managing Director None
Mills,Ronald K. Vice President None
Minsk,Judith Asst. Vice President None
Mintzer,Matthew P. Senior Vice President None
Monahan,Kimberly A. Vice President None
Moody,Paul R. Vice President None
Moret,Mitchell L. Senior Vice President None
Mosher,Barry L. Asst. Vice President None
Mullen,Donald E. Senior Vice President None
Murphy,Paul G. Vice President None
Murray,Brendan R. Vice President None
Nadherny,Robert Senior Vice President None
Natale,Ellen E. Asst. Vice President None
Neary,Ellen R. Vice President None
Nelson,Alexander L. Managing Director None
Newell,Amy Jane Vice President None
Nickodemus,John P. Senior Vice President None
Nickse,Gail A. Asst. Vice President None
O'Brien,Lois C. Vice President None
O'Brien,Nancy E. Vice President None
O'Connell,Gayle M. Asst. Vice President None
Onofrio,Ellen Asst. Vice President None
Page,Kimberly A.M. Asst. Vice President None
Palmer,Patrick J. Vice President None
Palombo,Joseph R. Managing Director None
Papes,Scott A. Vice President None
Parr,Cynthia O. Vice President None
Pelletier,Dale M. Vice President None
Peterson,Jennifer H. Asst. Vice President None
Peterson,Kate Vice President None
Phoenix,John G. Senior Vice President None
Phoenix,Joseph Senior Vice President None
Plapinger,Keith Senior Vice President None
Pollock,Jeffrey F. Vice President None
Potorski,Margaret J. Asst. Vice President None
Present,Howard B. Senior Vice President None
Pulkrabek,Scott M. Vice President None
Putnam,George Director Chairman and
President
Raynor,Kimberly Vice President None
Rezabek,Joseph L. Asst. Vice President None
Riley,Megan G. Asst. Vice President None
Ritenhouse,Marc J. Vice President None
Rodammer,Kris Vice President None
Rogers,Deborah A. Vice President None
Rothman,Debra V. Vice President None
Rowe,Robert B. Vice President None
Rowell,Kevin A. Senior Vice President None
Ruys de Perez,Charles A. Senior Vice President None
Ryan,Carolyn M. Asst. Vice President None
Ryan,Deborah A. Vice President None
Salm,Michael V. Vice President None
Saunders,Catherine A. Senior Vice President None
Saunders,Robbin L. Vice President None
Saur,Karl W. Vice President None
Scanlon,Michael M. Vice President None
Schaefer,Jennifer L. Asst. Vice President None
Schofield,Shannon D. Vice President None
Schroeder,Paul R. Asst. Vice President None
Schultz,Mitchell D. Managing Director None
Scordato,Christine A. Senior Vice President None
Scott,Joseph W. Asst. Vice President None
Segers,Elizabeth R. Senior Vice President None
Shamburg,John B. Vice President None
Sharpless,Kathy G. Managing Director None
Shea,Terence B. Asst. Vice President None
Shiebler,William N. President & Director Vice President
Silver,Gordon H. Sr Managing Director Vice President
Skistimas Jr,John J. Vice President None
Smith,Stuart C. Asst. Vice President None
Southard,Peter J. Vice President None
Spiegel,Steven Sr Managing Director None
Stack,Michael P. Senior Vice President None
Stanojev,Nicholas T. Senior Vice President None
Steinberg,Lauren B. Asst. Vice President None
Stern,Derek A. Asst. Vice President None
Stickney,Paul R. Senior Vice President None
Strumpf,Casey Senior Vice President None
Sullivan,Brian L. Senior Vice President None
Sullivan,Donna G Vice President None
Sullivan,Elaine M. Senior Vice President None
Sullivan,Guy Managing Director None
Sullivan,Kevin J. Senior Vice President None
Sullivan,Maryann Asst. Vice President None
Sullivan,Moira Vice President None
Sutherland,George C. Vice President None
Tanner,B Iris Vice President None
Tavares,April M. Asst. Vice President None
Taylor,David S. Vice President None
Telling,John R. Senior Vice President None
Tercha,Cynthia Vice President None
Thomas,Tracy A. Asst. Vice President None
Tibbetts,Richard B. Managing Director None
Tirado,Patrice M. Vice President None
Tosi,Janet E. Vice President None
Troped,Bonnie L. Senior Vice President None
Trowbridge,Wendy S. Asst. Vice President None
Twigg,Christine M. Asst. Vice President None
Vander Linde,Douglas J. Senior Vice President None
Verani,John R. Senior Vice President Vice President
Vierra,Scott G. Vice President None
Vora,Rajeshri Vice President None
Waters,Mitchell J. Vice President None
Waystack,Karen M. Asst. Vice President None
West-Smith,Deirdre Asst. Vice President None
Wetlaufer,Eric Managing Director None
Whalen,Brian Vice President None
Whalen,Edward F. Senior Vice President None
Whitaker,J. Greg Vice President None
White,J. Bennett Vice President None
Williams,Robert A. Vice President None
Williamson,Leigh T. Vice President None
Wolfson,Jane Senior Vice President None
Woloshin,Benjamin I. Senior Vice President None
Woolverton,William H. Managing Director None
Zeller,Michael P. Vice President None
Zografos,Laura J. Vice President None
Zukowski,Virginia A. Senior Vice President None

</TABLE>

ITEM 30. LOCATION OF ACCOUNTS AND RECORDS

Persons maintaining physical possession of accounts,
books and other documents required to be maintained by Section
31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Rules
promulgated thereunder are Registrant's Clerk, Beverly Marcus;
Registrant's investment adviser, Putnam Investment Management,
Inc.; Registrant's principal underwriter, Putnam Mutual Funds
Corp.; Registrant's custodian, Putnam Fiduciary Trust Company
("PFTC"); and Registrant's transfer and dividend disbursing
agent, Putnam Investor Services, a division of PFTC. The address
of the Clerk, investment adviser, principal underwriter,
custodian and transfer and dividend disbursing agent is One Post
Office Square, Boston, Massachusetts 02109.

ITEM 31. MANAGEMENT SERVICES

None.

ITEM 32. UNDERTAKINGS

(a) Registrant hereby undertakes, if requested to do
so by the holders of at least 10% of its outstanding shares, to
call a meeting of shareholders for the purposes of voting upon
the question of removal of a Trustee or Trustees and to assist in
communications with other shareholders as required by Section
16(c) of the Investment Company Act of 1940.

(b) The Registrant undertakes to furnish to each
person to whom a prospectus of the Registrant is delivered a copy
of the Registrant's latest annual report to shareholders, upon
request and without charge.

----------------------------

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the
Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information constituting
parts of this Post-Effective Amendment No. 5 to the
Registration Statement on Form N-1A (File No. 33-53135) (the
"Registration Statement") of our report dated April 15,
1998 , relating to the financial statements and financial
highlights appearing in the February 28, 1998 Annual
Report of Putnam Diversified Equity Trust, which financial
statements and financial highlights are also incorporated by
reference into the Registration Statement. We also consent to
the references to us under the heading "Independent Accountants
and Financial Statements" in such Statement of Additional
Information and under the heading "Financial highlights" in such
Prospectus.

PRICE WATERHOUSE LLP
Boston, Massachusetts
June 23, 1998

--------------------------

NOTICE

A copy of the Agreement and Declaration of Trust of Putnam
Diversified Equity Trust is on file with the Secretary of State
of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and notice is hereby given
that this instrument is executed on behalf of the Registrant by
an officer of the Registrant as an officer and not individually
and the obligations of or arising out of this instrument are not
binding upon any of the Trustees, officers or shareholders
individually but are binding only upon the assets and property of
the Registrant.

POWER OF ATTORNEY

I, the undersigned Trustee of Putnam Diversified Equity
Trust, hereby severally constitute and appoint George Putnam,
Charles E. Porter, Gordon H. Silver, Edward A. Benjamin, Timothy
W. Diggins and John W. Gerstmayr, and each of them singly, my
true and lawful attorneys, with full power to them and each of
them, to sign for me, and in my name and in the capacity
indicated below, the Registration Statement on Form N-1A of
Putnam Diversified Equity Trust and any and all amendments
(including post-effective amendments) to said Registration
Statement and to file the same with all exhibits thereto, and
other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, granting unto my said attorneys, and each of
them acting alone, full power and authority to do and perform
each and every act and thing requisite or necessary to be done in
the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or
could do in person, and hereby ratify and confirm all that said
attorneys or any of them may lawfully do or cause to be done by
virtue thereof.

WITNESS my hand and seal on the date set forth below.

SIGNATURETITLE DATE

/s/ W. Thomas Stephens
- ---------------------- Trustee September 4, 1997
W. Thomas Stephens

POWER OF ATTORNEY

WITNESS my hand and seal on the date set forth below.

SIGNATURETITLE DATE

/s/ Paul L. Joskow
- --------------------- Trustee January 9, 1998
Paul L. Joskow

POWER OF ATTORNEY

WITNESS my hand and seal on the date set forth below.

SIGNATURETITLE DATE

/s/ John H. Mullin, III
- ----------------------- Trustee January 9, 1998
John H. Mullin, III

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of
1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant
certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness
of this Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 485(b) under the
Securities Act of 1933 and has duly caused this Amendment to its
Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Boston,
and The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on the 25th day of
June, 1998 .

PUTNAM DIVERSIFIED EQUITY TRUST

By: Gordon H. Silver, Vice President

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933,
this Amendment to the Registration Statement of Putnam
Diversified Equity Trust has been signed below by the following
persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:

SIGNATURE TITLE

George Putnam President and Chairman of the
Board; Principal Executive
Officer; Trustee

John D. Hughes Senior Vice President;
Treasurer and Principal
Financial Officer

Paul G. Bucuvalas Assistant Treasurer and
Principal
Accounting Officer

Jameson A. Baxter Trustee

Hans H. Estin Trustee

John A. Hill Trustee

Ronald J. Jackson Trustee

Paul L. Joskow Trustee

Elizabeth T. Kennan Trustee

Lawrence J. Lasser Trustee

John H. Mullin, III Trustee

Robert E. Patterson Trustee

Donald S. Perkins Trustee

William F. Pounds Trustee

George Putnam, III Trustee

A.J.C. Smith Trustee

W. Thomas Stephens Trustee

W. Nicholas Thorndike Trustee

By: Gordon H. Silver,
as Attorney-in-Fact
June 25, 1998
EXHIBIT INDEX

16. Schedules for computation of performance
quotations. -- Exhibit 1.

17a. Financial Data Schedules for Class A shares
-- Exhibit 2.

17b. Financial Data Schedules for Class B shares
-- Exhibit 3.

17c. Financial Data Schedules for Class M shares
-- Exhibit 4.

SCHEDULES FOR COMPUTATION OF PERFORMANCE QUOTATIONS

Fund name: Putnam Diversified Equity Trust - Class A Shares
Fiscal period ending: February 28, 1998
Inception date (if less than 10 years of performance): 7/1/94

TOTAL RETURN

Formula - Average Annual Total Return: ERV = P(1+T) n

N = Number of Time Periods 1 Year 5 Years 10
Years*

P = Initial Investment $1,000 N/A $1,000

ERV = Ending Redeemable Value $1,204 N/A
$1,914

T = Average Annual Total Return 20.42% N/A
19.40%*

*Life of fund, if less than 10 years

Fund name: Putnam Diversified Equity Trust - Class B Shares
Fiscal period ending: February 28, 1998
Inception date (if less than 10 years of performance): 7/1/94

TOTAL RETURN

Formula - Average Annual Total Return: ERV = P(1+T) n

N = Number of Time Periods 1 Year 5 Years 10
Years*

P = Initial Investment $1,000 N/A $1,000

ERV = Ending Redeemable Value $1,220 N/A
$1,961

T = Average Annual Total Return 21.98% N/A
20.20%*

*Life of fund, if less than 10 years

Fund name: Putnam Diversified Equity Trust - Class M Shares
Fiscal period ending: February 28, 1998
Inception date (if less than 10 years of performance): 7/3/95

TOTAL RETURN

Formula - Average Annual Total Return: ERV = P(1+T) n

N = Number of Time Periods 1 Year 5 Years 10
Years*

P = Initial Investment $1,000 N/A $1,000

ERV = Ending Redeemable Value $1,229 N/A
$1,939

T = Average Annual Total Return 22.88% N/A
19.83%*

*Life of fund, if less than 10 years

WARNING: THE EDGAR SYSTEM ENCOUNTERED ERROR(S) WHILE PROCESSING THIS SCHEDULE.

<ARTICLE> 6
<LEGEND>
Putnam Diversified Equity Trust
</LEGEND>
<SERIES>
<NUMBER> 3
<NAME> CLASS A

<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> YEAR
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> FEB-28-1998
<PERIOD-END> FEB-28-1998
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 518,402,210
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 633,482,536
<RECEIVABLES> 11,758,277
<ASSETS-OTHER> 735,802
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS> 29,035
<TOTAL-ASSETS> 646,005,650
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES> 14,218,344
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES> 2,465,222
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES> 16,683,566
<SENIOR-EQUITY> 0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON> 495,806,867
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 20,521,724
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR> 16,824,164
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT> 0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> (522,224)
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> 19,049,265
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC> 114,988,176
<NET-ASSETS> 629,322,084
<DIVIDEND-INCOME> 6,813,362
<INTEREST-INCOME> 1,197,086
<OTHER-INCOME> 0
<EXPENSES-NET> 8,843,611
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> (833,163)
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT> 82,343,328
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> 47,865,260
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS> 129,375,425
<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> (822,276)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> (29,056,997)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> (1,034,844)
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 5,175,007
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> (4,001,992)
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 2,524,545
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> 183,109,826
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> 0
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> 8,875,045
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> (1,420,285)
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES> 3,683,382
<INTEREST-EXPENSE> 0
<GROSS-EXPENSE> 9,139,412
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS> 231,865,093
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 11.85
<PER-SHARE-NII> .03
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> 3.06
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> (.10)
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> (1.66)
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL> 0
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END> 13.18
<EXPENSE-RATIO> 1.37
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING> 0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0

</TABLE>
WARNING: THE EDGAR SYSTEM ENCOUNTERED ERROR(S) WHILE PROCESSING THIS SCHEDULE.

<ARTICLE> 6
<LEGEND>
Putnam Diversified Equity Trust
</LEGEND>
<SERIES>
<NUMBER> 3
<NAME> CLASS B

<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> YEAR
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> FEB-28-1998
<PERIOD-END> FEB-28-1998
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 518,402,210
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 633,482,536
<RECEIVABLES> 11,758,277
<ASSETS-OTHER> 735,802
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS> 29,035
<TOTAL-ASSETS> 646,005,650
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES> 14,218,344
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES> 2,465,222
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES> 16,683,566
<SENIOR-EQUITY> 0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON> 495,806,867
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 25,520,150
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR> 19,719,313
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT> 0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> (522,224)
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> 19,049,265
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC> 114,988,176
<NET-ASSETS> 629,322,084
<DIVIDEND-INCOME> 6,813,362
<INTEREST-INCOME> 1,197,086
<OTHER-INCOME> 0
<EXPENSES-NET> 8,843,611
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> (833,163)
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT> 82,343,328
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> 47,865,260
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS> 129,375,425
<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> (334,603)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> (35,955,231)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> (421,101)
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 8,216,514
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> (5,357,877)
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 2,942,200
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> 183,109,826
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> 0
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> 8,875,045
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> (1,420,285)
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES> 3,683,382
<INTEREST-EXPENSE> 0
<GROSS-EXPENSE> 9,139,412
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS> 280,397,840
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 11.77
<PER-SHARE-NII> (.06)
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> 3.05
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> (.03)
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> (1.66)
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL> 0
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END> 13.07
<EXPENSE-RATIO> 2.00
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING> 0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0

</TABLE>

<ARTICLE> 6
<LEGEND>
Putnam Diversified Equity Trust
</LEGEND>
<SERIES>
<NUMBER> 3
<NAME> CLASS M

<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> YEAR
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> FEB-28-1998
<PERIOD-END> FEB-28-1998
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 518,402,210
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 633,482,536
<RECEIVABLES> 11,758,277
<ASSETS-OTHER> 735,802
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS> 29,035
<TOTAL-ASSETS> 646,005,650
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES> 14,218,344
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES> 2,465,222
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES> 16,683,566
<SENIOR-EQUITY> 0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON> 495,806,867
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 1,918,391
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR> 1,253,464
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT> 0
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> (522,224)
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> 19,049,265
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC> 114,988,176
<NET-ASSETS> 629,322,084
<DIVIDEND-INCOME> 6,813,362
<INTEREST-INCOME> 1,197,086
<OTHER-INCOME> 0
<EXPENSES-NET> 8,843,611
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> (833,163)
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT> 82,343,328
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> 47,865,260
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS> 129,375,425
<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> (52,099)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> (2,675,739)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> (65,568)
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 645,008
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> (213,412)
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 233,331
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> 183,109,826
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> 0
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> 8,875,045
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> (1,420,285)
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES> 3,683,382
<INTEREST-EXPENSE> 0
<GROSS-EXPENSE> 9,139,412
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS> 20,228,870
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 11.80
<PER-SHARE-NII> (.03)
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> 3.07
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> (.07)
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> (1.66)
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL> 0
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END> 13.11
<EXPENSE-RATIO> 1.75
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING> 0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0

</TABLE>