Changes in valuation techniques may result in transfers in or out of an assigned level within the fair value hierarchy. Transfers between different levels of the fair value hierarchy are recognized at the beginning of the reporting period.
Futures Contracts
The Fund may enter into futures contracts to meet the Fund’s objectives. A futures contract is a standardized, exchange-traded agreement to buy or sell a financial instrument at a set price on a future date. Upon entering into a futures contract, the Fund is required to deposit with the broker, cash or securities in an amount equal to the minimum initial margin requirements of the clearing house. Securities deposited, if any, are designated on the Summary Schedule of Investments and cash deposited, if any, is shown as Cash at Broker on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Subsequent payments are made or received by the Fund equal to the daily change in the contract value, accumulated, exchange rates, and/or other transactional fees. The accumulation of those payments are recorded as variation margin receivable or payable with a corresponding offset to unrealized gains or losses. The Fund recognizes a realized gain or loss when the contract is closed.
Losses may arise if the value of a futures contract decreases due to unfavorable changes in the market rates or values of the underlying instrument during the term of the contract or if the counterparty does not perform under the contract. The use of futures contracts also involves the risk that the movements in the price of the futures contracts do not correlate with the movement of the assets underlying such contracts.
For the period ended September 30, 2022, the Fund entered into futures contracts for the management of interest rate risk and for the equitization of cash.
Credit Default Swaps
During the period ended September 30, 2022, the State Street Income Fund engaged in credit default swaps to manage credit risk. When the Fund is the buyer in a credit default swap contract, the Fund is entitled to receive the par (or other agreed upon) value (full notional value) of a referenced debt obligation (or basket of debt obligations) from the counterparty (or central clearing party (“CCP”) in the case of a centrally cleared swap) to the contract if a credit event by a third party, such as a U.S. or foreign corporate issuer or sovereign issuer, on the debt obligation occurs. In return, the Fund pays the counterparty a periodic stream of payments over the term of the contract provided that no credit event has occurred. If no credit event occurs, the Fund loses its investment and recovers nothing. However, if a credit event occurs, the Fund receives full notional value for a referenced debt obligation that may have little or no value. When the Fund is the seller of a credit default swap, it receives a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the contract, provided there is no credit event. If a credit event occurs, the Fund is obligated to pay the notional amount of the swap and in certain instances take delivery of securities of the reference entity upon the occurrence of a credit event, as defined under the terms of that particular swap agreement. Credit events are contract specific but may include bankruptcy, failure to pay, restructuring, obligation acceleration and repudiation/moratorium. If the Fund is a seller of protection and a credit event occurs, the maximum potential amount of future payments that the Fund could be required to make would be an amount equal to the notional amount of the agreement. This potential amount would be partially offset by any recovery value of the respective referenced obligation, or net amount received from the settlement of a buy protection credit default swap agreement entered into by the Fund for the same referenced obligation.
As the seller, the Fund may create economic leverage to its portfolio because, in addition to its total net assets, the Fund is subject to investment exposure on the notional amount of the swap. The interest fee paid or received on the swap, which is based on a specified interest rate on a fixed notional amount, is accrued daily as a component of unrealized appreciation (depreciation) and is recorded as realized gain upon receipt or realized loss upon payment. The Fund also records an increase or decrease to unrealized appreciation (depreciation) in an amount equal to the daily valuation. For centrally cleared swaps, the daily change in valuation is recorded as a receivable or payable for variation margin and settled in cash with the CCP daily. All upfront payments, if any, are amortized over the life of the swap as realized gains or losses. Those upfront payments that are paid or received, typically for non-centrally cleared swaps, are recorded as other assets or other liabilities, respectively, net of amortization. For financial reporting purposes, unamortized upfront payments, if any, are netted with unrealized appreciation or depreciation on swaps to determine the market value of swaps. The Fund segregates assets in the form of cash or liquid securities in an amount equal to the notional amount of the credit default swaps of which it is the seller. The Fund segregates assets in the form of cash or liquid securities in an amount equal to any unrealized depreciation of the credit default swaps of which it is the buyer, marked to market on a daily basis. Credit default swaps involve greater risks than if the Fund had invested in the referenced debt obligation directly. If the Fund is a buyer of a credit default swap and no credit event occurs, the Fund will not earn any return on its investment. If the Fund is a seller of a credit default swap, the Fund’s risk of loss may be the entire notional amount of the swap. Swaps may also subject the Fund to the risk that the counterparty to the transaction may not fulfill its obligation. In the case of centrally cleared swaps, counterparty risk is minimal due to protections provided by the CCP.
To-Be-Announced Transactions
The State Street Income Fund may seek to obtain exposure to U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities through the use of “to-be-announced” or “TBA transactions.” “TBA” refers to a commonly used mechanism for the forward settlement of U.S. agency mortgage pass-through securities. In a TBA transaction, the buyer and seller decide on general trade parameters, such as agency, settlement date, coupon, and price.
The State Street Income Fund may use TBA transactions to “roll over” such agreements prior to the settlement date. This type of TBA transaction is sometimes known as a “TBA roll.” In a TBA roll, the State Street Income Fund generally will sell the obligation to purchase the pools stipulated in the TBA agreement prior to the settlement date and will enter into a new TBA agreement for future delivery of pools of mortgage pass-through securities. The State Street Income Fund may also
