UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM N-CSR
CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT
INVESTMENT COMPANIES
Investment Company Act file number | 811-07123 |
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| BNY Mellon Advantage Funds, Inc. | |
| (Exact name of Registrant as specified in charter) | |
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| c/o BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. 240 Greenwich Street New York, New York 10286 | |
| (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code) | |
| | |
| Deirdre Cunnane, Esq. 240 Greenwich Street New York, New York 10286 | |
| (Name and address of agent for service) | |
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Registrant's telephone number, including area code: | (212) 922-6400 |
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Date of fiscal year end: | 10/31 | |
Date of reporting period: | 10/31/23 | |
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The following N-CSR relates only to the Registrant's series listed below and does not relate to any series of the Registrant with a different fiscal year end and, therefore, different N-CSR reporting requirements. A separate N-CSR will be filed for any series with a different fiscal year end, as appropriate.
BNY Mellon Dynamic Total Return Fund
BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond Income Fund
BNY Mellon Global Real Return Fund
FORM N-CSR
Item 1. Reports to Stockholders.
BNY Mellon Dynamic Total Return Fund
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ANNUAL REPORT October 31, 2023 |
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Save time. Save paper. View your next shareholder report online as soon as it’s available. Log into www.im.bnymellon.com and sign up for eCommunications. It’s simple and only takes a few minutes. |
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The views expressed in this report reflect those of the portfolio manager(s) only through the end of the period covered and do not necessarily represent the views of BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. or any other person in the BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. organization. Any such views are subject to change at any time based upon market or other conditions and BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. disclaims any responsibility to update such views. These views may not be relied on as investment advice and, because investment decisions for a fund in the BNY Mellon Family of Funds are based on numerous factors, may not be relied on as an indication of trading intent on behalf of any fund in the BNY Mellon Family of Funds. |
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Not FDIC-Insured • Not Bank-Guaranteed • May Lose Value |
Contents
THE FUND
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Back Cover
DISCUSSION OF FUND PERFORMANCE (Unaudited)
For the period from November 1, 2022, through October 31, 2023, as provided by portfolio managers James Stavena, Torrey Zaches and Dimitri Curtil of Newton Investment Management North America, LLC, sub-adviser.
Market and Fund Performance Overview
For the 12-month period ended October 31, 2023, the BNY Mellon Dynamic Total Return Fund (the “fund”) produced a total return of 4.94% for Class A shares, 4.20% for Class C shares, 5.26% for Class I shares and 5.20% for Class Y shares.1 In comparison, the FTSE Three-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index, the MSCI World Index and FTSE World Government Bond Index and a “Hybrid Index” (comprised of 60% MSCI World Index and 40% FTSE World Government Bond Index) returned 4.94%, 10.48%, .45% and 6.47%, respectively.2,3,4,5
The fund delivered a positive total return over the reporting period, with the Class I and Class Y shares outperforming the FTSE Three-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index but underperforming the Hybrid Index. Performance benefited primarily from exposure to stocks and bonds and slightly from exposure to commodities, while exposure to currencies detracted.
The Fund’s Investment Approach
The fund seeks total return. To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests in instruments that provide investment exposure to global equity, bond, currency and commodity markets, and in fixed-income securities. The fund may invest in instruments that provide economic exposure to developed- and, to a limited extent, emerging-markets issuers.
The fund will seek to achieve investment exposure primarily through long and short positions in futures, options, forward contracts, swap agreements or exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and normally will use economic leverage as part of its investment strategy. The fund also may invest in fixed-income securities, such as bonds, notes (including structured notes) and money market instruments, including foreign government obligations and securities of supranational entities, to provide exposure to bond markets and for liquidity and income, as well as hold cash.
The fund’s sub-adviser, Newton Investment Management North America, LLC, applies a systematic investment approach designed to identify and exploit relative misvaluations across and within global capital markets. The sub-adviser updates, monitors and follows buy or sell recommendations using proprietary investment models. Among equity markets, the fund’s sub-adviser employs a bottom-up valuation approach using its proprietary models to derive market-level expected returns. For bond markets, the fund’s sub-adviser uses proprietary models to identify temporary mispricing among global bond markets. For currency markets, the fund’s sub-adviser evaluates currencies on a relative valuation basis and overweights exposure to currencies that are undervalued. For commodities, the fund’s sub-adviser seeks to identify opportunities in commodity markets by measuring and evaluating inventory and term structure, hedging and speculative activity, as well as momentum.
2
Markets Benefit as Inflation Eases
U.S. inflation—as measured by the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI)—continued to fall throughout the reporting period and reached a low of 3% in June 2023. Most recently, our forecasts indicate that the probability of headline CPI greater than 4% has fallen below 20%. In addition, our 12-month-point forecast for CPI is in line with that of consensus, which is 2.9%.
Equity markets reacted positively to lower inflation, but The Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) Chair Jerome Powell has noted that “there is still work to be done” to reduce inflation to the Fed’s average target of 2%. Consequently, the policy rate cuts anticipated in 2023 have been pushed out further into 2024, highlighting that policy rates will likely be “higher for longer.”
For the 12-month reporting period, risky assets outperformed cash over the period. The MSCI World Index returned 10.48%, while the FTSE Three-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index returned 4.94%. The FTSE World Government Bond Index returned ..45%, and the Bloomberg Commodity Index returned −2.97%.
Exposure to Equities and Bonds Benefited Performance
Exposures in the fund offer investors access to a broad investment universe (global equities, global fixed income, currencies, commodities and volatility) with dynamic, active long/short exposures.
Over the reporting period, the equity, bond and commodities exposures contributed positively to performance. The fund benefited from an underweight equity exposure, which averaged around 21% over the period and added approximately 2.1% points to performance. The fund also gained from exposure to government bonds, including short positions in Canadian and European bonds. The bond positions added approximately 1.3% points to performance. Commodity exposure added a more modest contribution, with 0.1% added to performance.
On the other hand, currency exposures detracted approximately 1.5 percentage points from total return. Short exposure to the euro and long exposure to the Japanese yen were the main drivers of this underperformance.
Positioned for Low Growth and for Alpha
Newton’s Multi-Asset Solutions team sees the current environment as a new market regime, one that may usher in significantly lower market returns from traditional equities and bonds. Our models indicate positive correlations across stocks and bonds, which are likely to linger, and continue to estimate a low equity premium (1.5%). The fund takes advantage of non-traditional sources of diversification such as long and short positions. Therefore, the fund is now taking more risk in relative value strategies that are long and short rather than net long positions in traditional equities and bonds.
As we close in on year-end, and with inflation remaining well above the Fed’s target of 2%, the team anticipates a “higher for longer” period of interest rates. This is also exemplified in the Federal Open Market Committee’s most recent Summary of Economic Projections, which forecasts interest rates remaining at its high levels until at least 2024 and inflation remaining above 2% until 2026. In line with our cautious view of equities, these
3
DISCUSSION OF FUND PERFORMANCE (Unaudited) (continued)
“higher-for-longer” rates can feed into the increased cost of capital, erode profit margins and result in lower earnings.
Our current forecast for earnings growth for the Standard and Poor’s 500® Index6 over the next 12 months is around 3%, but with a one-in-three chance of a contraction. Given relatively flat year-over-year earnings, we anticipate guidance to be walked down in the coming months and consensus estimates to be revised lower.
In Europe, inflation peaked at 7% in April 2023 and decreased to a low of 2.9% in October. Though inflation continued to recede, there are lingering concerns around its stickiness. In an effort to lower inflation levels, The European Central Bank left rates on hold at 4% in October in the hopes that they have done enough to lower economic activity and thereby inflation. Japan experienced similar reductions in inflation rates, with the most significant change occurring between January 2023’s rate of 4.3% and February’s rate of 3.3%. The Bank of Japan also recently revised its yield curve control rate to a “more flexible” reference rate of 1% on 10-year Japan government bond yields.
At the end of the reporting period, the fund’s allocations were 9.8% to stocks, 14.2% to bonds and 12.1% to commodities. Within equities, the United States is the largest long allocation, followed by Spain and Italy. The fund added an allocation to a volatility swap during the reporting period. This alpha strategy seeks to harvest the equity volatility premium, exploiting the tendency for realized volatility to be lower than forecast volatility. This alpha stream has a low correlation to equities and bonds.
Within bonds and defensive assets, Japanese government bonds are the largest weight in the portfolio, followed closely by U.S. Treasury bonds. The largest short position is in UK gilts, followed by Canadian government bonds. There is currently no exposure to high yield bonds.
The fund continues to hold exposure to real assets, given the persistently high inflationary environment. Within currencies, the U.S. dollar is the largest long position, while the euro and emerging-markets currencies are the largest short positions.
We believe the fund will continue to play an important role in investor portfolios as a core allocation that is flexible, diverse and able to access additional liquid strategies and asset classes. As both equities and bonds continue to experience challenges, we believe the fund’s expanded toolkit will continue to help navigate what we believe may be a new regime.
November 15, 2023
1 Total return includes reinvestment of dividends and any capital gains paid and does not take into consideration the maximum initial sales charge in the case of Class A shares, or the applicable contingent deferred sales charge imposed on redemptions in the case of Class C shares. Had these charges been reflected, returns would have been lower. Share price, yield, and investment return fluctuate such that upon redemption, fund shares may be worth more or less than their original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The fund’s returns reflect the absorption of certain fund expenses by BNY Mellon Investment Adviser pursuant to an agreement in effect through March 1, 2024, at which time it may be extended, terminated, or modified.
The fund’s investment adviser, BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc., has contractually agreed, for so long as the fund invests in the subsidiary, to waive the management fee it receives from the fund in the amount equal to the management fee paid to BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc., by the subsidiary.
2 Source: Lipper Inc. — Reflects reinvestment of net dividends and, where applicable, capital gain distributions. The MSCI World Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets. Investors cannot invest directly in any index.
4
3 Source: Lipper Inc. — The FTSE Three-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index consists of the last three-month Treasury bill month-end rates. The FTSE Three-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index measures return equivalents of yield averages. The instruments are not marked to market. Investors cannot invest directly in any index.
4 Source: Lipper Inc. — The FTSE World Government Bond Index (the “WGB Index”) measures the performance of fixed-rate, local-currency, investment-grade sovereign bonds. The WGB Index is a widely used benchmark that currently comprises sovereign debt from over 20 countries, denominated in a variety of currencies, and has more than 25 years of history available. The WGB Index provides a broad benchmark for the global sovereign, fixed-income market. Investors cannot invest directly in any index.
5 Source: FactSet —The Hybrid Index is an unmanaged hybrid index composed of 60% MSCI World Index and 40% WGB Index. Investors cannot invest directly in any index.
6 Source: Lipper Inc. — The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) Composite Stock Price Index is a widely accepted, unmanaged index of U.S. stock market performance.
Equities are subject generally to market, market sector, market liquidity, issuer, and investment style risks, among other factors, to varying degrees, all of which are more fully described in the fund’s prospectus.
Bonds are subject generally to interest-rate, credit, liquidity, call, sector, and market risks, to varying degrees, all of which are more fully described in the fund’s prospectus.
Investing internationally involves special risks, including changes in currency exchange rates, political, economic, and social instability, a lack of comprehensive company information, differing auditing and legal standards, and less market liquidity. These risks generally are greater with emerging-markets countries than with more economically and politically established foreign countries.
Emerging markets tend to be more volatile than the markets of more mature economies and generally have less diverse and less mature economic structures and less stable political systems than those of developed countries. The securities of companies located in emerging markets are often subject to rapid and large changes in price. An investment in this fund should be considered only as a supplement to a complete investment program for those investors willing to accept the greater risks associated with investing in emerging-markets countries.
Commodities contain heightened risk including market, political, regulatory and natural conditions, and may not be appropriate for all investors. Derivatives and commodity-linked derivatives involve risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets.
High yield bonds involve increased credit and liquidity risk than higher-rated bonds and are considered speculative in terms of the issuer’s ability to pay interest and repay principal on a timely basis.
Short sales involve selling a security the portfolio does not own in anticipation that the security’s price will decline. Short sales may involve risk and leverage and expose the portfolio to the risk that it will be required to buy the security sold short at a time when the security has appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss.
The fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments. A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the fund’s performance. The use of derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets.
5
FUND PERFORMANCE (Unaudited)
Comparison of change in value of a $10,000 investment in Class A shares, Class C shares and Class I shares of BNY Mellon Dynamic Total Return Fund with a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in the MSCI World Index, FTSE Three-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index, FTSE World Government Bond Index (the "WGB Index") and an index comprised of 60% MSCI World Index and 40% the WGB Index (the “Hybrid Index”).
† Source: FactSet
†† Source: Lipper Inc.
Past performance is not predictive of future performance.
The above graph compares a hypothetical investment of $10,000 made in each of the Class A shares, Class C shares and Class I shares of BNY Mellon Dynamic Total Return Fund on 10/31/13 to a hypothetical investment of $10,000 made on that date in each of the following: MSCI World Index, FTSE Three-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index, the WGB Index and the Hybrid Index. Returns assume all dividends and capital gain distributions are reinvested.
The fund’s performance shown in the line graph above takes into account the maximum initial sales charge on Class A shares and all other applicable fees and expenses on all classes. The MSCI World Index is a free float‐adjusted market capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets. The FTSE Three-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index consists of the last three-month Treasury bill month-end rates. The FTSE Three-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index measures returns equivalent of yield averages. The instruments are not marked to market. The WGB Index measures the performance of fixed-rate, local currency, investment-grade sovereign bonds. The WGB Index is a widely used benchmark that currently comprises sovereign debt from over 20 countries, denominated in a variety of currencies, and has more than 25 years of history available. The WGB Index provides a broad benchmark for the global sovereign fixed income market. Unlike a mutual fund, the indices are not subject to charges, fees and other expenses. Investors cannot invest directly in any index. Further information relating to fund performance, including expense reimbursements, if applicable, is contained in the Financial Highlights section of the prospectus and elsewhere in this report.
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Comparison of change in value of a $1,000,000 investment in Class Y shares of BNY Mellon Dynamic Total Return Fund with a hypothetical investment of $1,000,000 in the MSCI World Index, FTSE Three-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index, FTSE World Government Bond Index (the "WGB Index") and an index comprised of 60% MSCI World Index and 40% the WGB Index (the “Hybrid Index”).
† Source: FactSet
†† Source: Lipper Inc.
Past performance is not predictive of future performance.
The above graph compares a hypothetical investment of $1,000,000 made in Class Y shares of BNY Mellon Dynamic Total Return Fund on 10/31/13 to a hypothetical investment of $1,000,000 made on that date in each of the following: MSCI World Index, FTSE Three-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index, the WGB Index and the Hybrid Index. Returns assume all dividends and capital gain distributions are reinvested.
The fund’s performance shown in the line graph above takes into account all applicable fees and expenses of the fund’s Class Y shares. The MSCI World Index is a free float‐adjusted market capitalization-weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets. The FTSE Three-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index consists of the last three-month Treasury bill month-end rates. The FTSE Three-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index measures returns equivalent of yield averages. The instruments are not marked to market. The WGB Index measures the performance of fixed-rate, local currency, investment-grade sovereign bonds. The WGB Index is a widely used benchmark that currently comprises sovereign debt from over 20 countries, denominated in a variety of currencies, and has more than 25 years of history available. The WGB Index provides a broad benchmark for the global sovereign fixed income market. Unlike a mutual fund, the indices are not subject to charges, fees and other expenses. Investors cannot invest directly in any index. Further information relating to fund performance, including expense reimbursements, if applicable, is contained in the Financial Highlights section of the prospectus and elsewhere in this report.
7
FUND PERFORMANCE (Unaudited) (continued)
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Average Annual Total Returns as of 10/31/2023 |
| | | | |
| | 1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years |
Class A shares | | | | |
with maximum sales charge (5.75%) | | -1.13% | 1.85% | 2.09% |
without sales charge | | 4.94% | 3.07% | 2.69% |
Class C shares | | | | |
with applicable redemption charge † | | 3.20% | 2.29% | 1.93% |
without redemption | | 4.20% | 2.29% | 1.93% |
Class I shares | | 5.26% | 3.32% | 2.96% |
Class Y shares | | 5.20% | 3.33% | 2.97% |
MSCI World Index | | 10.48% | 8.27% | 7.53% |
FTSE Three-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index | 4.94% | 1.80% | 1.16% |
FTSE World Government Bond Index | | .45% | -2.57% | -1.40% |
Hybrid Index | | 6.47% | 4.13% | 4.11% |
† The maximum contingent deferred sales charge for Class C shares is 1% for shares redeemed within one year of the date of purchase.
The performance data quoted represents past performance, which is no guarantee of future results. Share price and investment return fluctuate and an investor’s shares may be worth more or less than original cost upon redemption. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. Go to www.im.bnymellon.com for the fund’s most recent month-end returns.
The fund's performance shown in the graphs and table does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares. In addition to the performance of Class A shares shown with and without a maximum sales charge, the fund's performance shown in the table takes into account all other applicable fees and expenses on all classes.
8
UNDERSTANDING YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES (Unaudited)
As a mutual fund investor, you pay ongoing expenses, such as management fees and other expenses. Using the information below, you can estimate how these expenses affect your investment and compare them with the expenses of other funds. You also may pay one-time transaction expenses, including sales charges (loads) and redemption fees, which are not shown in this section and would have resulted in higher total expenses. For more information, see your fund’s prospectus or talk to your financial adviser.
Review your fund’s expenses
The table below shows the expenses you would have paid on a $1,000 investment in BNY Mellon Dynamic Total Return Fund from May 1, 2023 to October 31, 2023. It also shows how much a $1,000 investment would be worth at the close of the period, assuming actual returns and expenses.
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Expenses and Value of a $1,000 Investment | |
Assume actual returns for the six months ended October 31, 2023 | |
| | | | | | |
| | Class A | Class C | Class I | Class Y | |
Expenses paid per $1,000† | $6.99 | $10.75 | $5.79 | $5.69 | |
Ending value (after expenses) | $996.40 | $992.90 | $998.60 | $997.90 | |
COMPARING YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES WITH THOSE OF OTHER FUNDS (Unaudited)
Using the SEC’s method to compare expenses
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has established guidelines to help investors assess fund expenses. Per these guidelines, the table below shows your fund’s expenses based on a $1,000 investment, assuming a hypothetical 5% annualized return. You can use this information to compare the ongoing expenses (but not transaction expenses or total cost) of investing in the fund with those of other funds. All mutual fund shareholder reports will provide this information to help you make this comparison. Please note that you cannot use this information to estimate your actual ending account balance and expenses paid during the period.
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Expenses and Value of a $1,000 Investment | |
Assuming a hypothetical 5% annualized return for the six months ended October 31, 2023 | |
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| | Class A | Class C | Class I | Class Y | |
Expenses paid per $1,000† | $7.07 | $10.87 | $5.85 | $5.75 | |
Ending value (after expenses) | $1,018.20 | $1,014.42 | $1,019.41 | $1,019.51 | |
† | Expenses are equal to the fund’s annualized expense ratio of 1.39% for Class A, 2.14% for Class C, 1.15% for Class I and 1.13% for Class Y, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 184/365 (to reflect the one-half year period). |
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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS
October 31, 2023
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Description/Number of Contracts | Exercise Price | | Expiration Date | | Notional Amount ($) | | Value ($) | |
Options Purchased - .2% | | | | | |
Call Options - .2% | | | | | |
Standard & Poor's 500 E-mini December Future, Contracts 50 | | 4,450 | | 12/15/2023 | | 11,125,000 | | 28,126 | |
Standard & Poor's 500 E-mini 3rd Week January Future, Contracts 50 | | 4,375 | | 1/19/2024 | | 10,937,500 | | 166,875 | |
Total Options Purchased (cost $324,670) | | 195,001 | |
Description | Annualized Yield (%) | | Maturity Date | | Principal Amount ($) | | | |
Short-Term Investments - 81.7% | | | | | |
U.S. Government Securities | | | | | |
U.S. Treasury Bills | | 5.46 | | 2/29/2024 | | 1,500,000 | a,b | 1,473,475 | |
U.S. Treasury Bills | | 5.37 | | 11/28/2023 | | 8,367,000 | b | 8,333,835 | |
U.S. Treasury Bills | | 5.55 | | 4/18/2024 | | 40,307,000 | b | 39,300,307 | |
U.S. Treasury Bills | | 5.40 | | 2/1/2024 | | 37,033,400 | b | 36,530,384 | |
Total Short-Term Investments (cost $85,640,503) | | 85,638,001 | |
| 1-Day Yield (%) | | | | Shares | | | |
Investment Companies - 11.7% | | | | | |
Registered Investment Companies - 11.7% | | | | | |
Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Plus Money Market Fund, Institutional Shares (cost $12,309,755) | | 5.40 | | | | 12,309,755 | c | 12,309,755 | |
Total Investments (cost $98,274,928) | | 93.6% | 98,142,757 | |
Cash and Receivables (Net) | | 6.4% | 6,655,262 | |
Net Assets | | 100.0% | 104,798,019 | |
a These securities are wholly-owned by the Subsidiary referenced in Note 1.
b Security is a discount security. Income is recognized through the accretion of discount.
c Investment in affiliated issuer. The investment objective of this investment company is publicly available and can be found within the investment company’s prospectus.
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Portfolio Summary (Unaudited) † | Value (%) |
Government | 81.7 |
Investment Companies | 11.7 |
Options Purchased | .2 |
| 93.6 |
† Based on net assets.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
10
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Affiliated Issuers | | | |
Description | Value ($) 10/31/2022 | Purchases ($)† | Sales ($) | Value ($) 10/31/2023 | Dividends/ Distributions ($) | |
Registered Investment Companies - 11.7% | | |
Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Plus Money Market Fund, Institutional Shares - 11.7% | 21,984,479 | 146,378,863 | (156,053,587) | 12,309,755 | 862,955 | |
† Includes reinvested dividends/distributions.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
| | | | | | |
Futures | | | |
Description | Number of Contracts | Expiration | Notional Value ($) | Market Value ($) | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) | |
Futures Long | | |
Australian 10 Year Bond | 356 | 12/15/2023 | 25,397,983a | 24,444,745 | (953,238) | |
Cocoa | 18 | 3/13/2024 | 674,665b | 692,460 | 17,795 | |
Crude Oil | 12 | 2/20/2024 | 965,036b | 953,040 | (11,996) | |
Crude Soybean Oil | 94 | 3/14/2024 | 3,038,805b | 2,845,944 | (192,861) | |
DAX | 8 | 12/15/2023 | 3,254,432a | 3,144,885 | (109,547) | |
E-mini Russell 2000 | 54 | 12/15/2023 | 5,054,636 | 4,504,680 | (549,956) | |
FTSE/MIB Index | 34 | 12/15/2023 | 5,020,622a | 4,977,736 | (42,886) | |
Gasoline | 18 | 2/29/2024 | 1,754,567b | 1,684,292 | (70,275) | |
Hang Seng | 26 | 11/29/2023 | 2,840,407a | 2,848,113 | 7,706 | |
IBEX 35 Index | 58 | 11/17/2023 | 5,658,511a | 5,540,159 | (118,352) | |
Japanese 10 Year Mini Bond | 256 | 12/12/2023 | 24,542,408a | 24,307,122 | (235,286) | |
Lean Hog | 1 | 4/12/2024 | 32,774b | 32,080 | (694) | |
Live Cattle | 1 | 4/30/2024 | 77,394b | 74,670 | (2,724) | |
Live Cattle | 2 | 2/29/2024 | 153,559b | 147,700 | (5,859) | |
LME Primary Aluminum | 4 | 11/15/2023 | 219,820b | 224,865 | 5,045 | |
LME Primary Aluminum | 75 | 12/20/2023 | 4,289,510b | 4,213,406 | (76,104) | |
LME Primary Aluminum | 1 | 1/17/2024 | 55,828b | 56,260 | 432 | |
LME Primary Nickel | 2 | 11/15/2023 | 251,581b | 215,112 | (36,469) | |
LME Primary Nickel | 2 | 12/20/2023 | 221,286b | 216,180 | (5,106) | |
LME Refined Pig Lead | 5 | 3/20/2024 | 268,905b | 261,344 | (7,561) | |
LME Refined Pig Lead | 4 | 11/15/2023 | 213,997b | 207,525 | (6,472) | |
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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | | |
Description | Number of Contracts | Expiration | Notional Value ($) | Market Value ($) | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) | |
Futures Long (continued) | | |
LME Refined Pig Lead | 1 | 1/17/2024 | 53,378b | 52,144 | (1,234) | |
LME Refined Pig Lead | 4 | 12/20/2023 | 205,412b | 208,625 | 3,213 | |
LME Zinc | 2 | 3/20/2024 | 126,506b | 121,775 | (4,731) | |
LME Zinc | 2 | 12/20/2023 | 118,331b | 121,488 | 3,157 | |
LME Zinc | 3 | 11/15/2023 | 183,766b | 181,725 | (2,041) | |
NY Harbor ULSD | 40 | 2/29/2024 | 4,861,548b | 4,648,560 | (212,988) | |
Platinum | 29 | 1/29/2024 | 1,369,452b | 1,370,105 | 653 | |
Soybean Meal | 119 | 3/14/2024 | 4,693,277b | 4,840,920 | 147,643 | |
Sugar No.11 | 85 | 2/29/2024 | 2,543,461b | 2,578,968 | 35,507 | |
U.S. Treasury 10 Year Notes | 375 | 12/19/2023 | 39,869,201 | 39,814,455 | (54,746) | |
Futures Short | | |
ASX SPI 200 | 59 | 12/21/2023 | 6,503,240a | 6,346,624 | 156,616 | |
Brent Crude | 4 | 2/29/2024 | 347,629b | 333,640 | 13,989 | |
CAC 40 10 Euro | 2 | 11/17/2023 | 144,871a | 145,954 | (1,083) | |
Canadian 10 Year Bond | 276 | 12/18/2023 | 23,087,595a | 22,874,116 | 213,479 | |
Chicago SRW Wheat | 14 | 3/14/2024 | 422,450b | 409,675 | 12,775 | |
Coffee "C" | 11 | 3/18/2024 | 615,636b | 680,213 | (64,577) | |
Copper | 10 | 3/26/2024 | 920,160b | 921,500 | (1,340) | |
Corn No.2 Yellow | 121 | 3/14/2024 | 3,026,667b | 2,982,650 | 44,017 | |
Cotton No.2 | 28 | 3/6/2024 | 1,190,975b | 1,169,140 | 21,835 | |
DJ Euro Stoxx 50 | 8 | 12/15/2023 | 347,060a | 344,517 | 2,543 | |
Euro-Bond | 182 | 12/7/2023 | 24,839,041a | 24,840,146 | (1,105) | |
FTSE 100 | 19 | 12/15/2023 | 1,695,701a | 1,692,295 | 3,406 | |
Gold 100 oz | 1 | 2/27/2024 | 203,067b | 201,460 | 1,607 | |
Hard Red Winter Wheat | 41 | 3/14/2024 | 1,394,481b | 1,314,563 | 79,918 | |
Lean Hog | 8 | 2/14/2024 | 243,504b | 239,600 | 3,904 | |
LME Primary Aluminum | 19 | 3/20/2024 | 1,072,731b | 1,077,894 | (5,163) | |
LME Primary Aluminum | 4 | 11/15/2023 | 222,167b | 224,865 | (2,698) | |
LME Primary Aluminum | 75 | 12/20/2023 | 4,104,800b | 4,213,406 | (108,606) | |
LME Primary Nickel | 2 | 12/20/2023 | 251,766b | 216,180 | 35,586 | |
LME Primary Nickel | 3 | 3/20/2024 | 335,367b | 329,076 | 6,291 | |
LME Primary Nickel | 2 | 11/15/2023 | 230,826b | 215,112 | 15,714 | |
LME Refined Pig Lead | 4 | 12/20/2023 | 214,488b | 208,625 | 5,863 | |
LME Refined Pig Lead | 4 | 11/15/2023 | 212,362b | 207,525 | 4,837 | |
LME Zinc | 3 | 11/15/2023 | 181,718b | 181,725 | (7) | |
LME Zinc | 2 | 12/20/2023 | 125,744b | 121,488 | 4,256 | |
Long Gilt | 119 | 12/27/2023 | 13,630,665a | 13,474,527 | 156,138 | |
Low Sulphur Gas oil | 5 | 3/12/2024 | 410,769b | 410,750 | 19 | |
Natural Gas | 63 | 2/27/2024 | 2,127,711b | 2,184,840 | (57,129) | |
12
| | | | | | |
Description | Number of Contracts | Expiration | Notional Value ($) | Market Value ($) | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) | |
Futures Short (continued) | | |
NYMEX Palladium | 10 | 3/26/2024 | 1,146,195b | 1,131,600 | 14,595 | |
S&P/Toronto Stock Exchange 60 Index | 12 | 12/14/2023 | 2,026,046a | 1,964,305 | 61,741 | |
Silver | 3 | 3/26/2024 | 354,250b | 349,380 | 4,870 | |
Soybean | 54 | 3/14/2024 | 3,575,335b | 3,576,825 | (1,490) | |
Standard & Poor's 500 E-Mini | 11 | 12/15/2023 | 2,294,586 | 2,316,738 | (22,152) | |
Topix | 22 | 12/7/2023 | 3,388,652a | 3,271,516 | 117,136 | |
Gross Unrealized Appreciation | | 1,202,286 | |
Gross Unrealized Depreciation | | (2,966,476) | |
a Notional amounts in foreign currency have been converted to USD using relevant foreign exchange rates.
b These securities are wholly-owned by the Subsidiary referenced in Note 1.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
| | | | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts | |
Counterparty/ Purchased Currency | Purchased Currency Amounts | Currency Sold | Sold Currency Amounts | Settlement Date | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) |
Barclays Capital, Inc. |
United States Dollar | 16,245,258 | Malaysian Ringgit | 75,378,000 | 12/20/2023 | 370,039 |
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. |
Euro | 2,109,000 | United States Dollar | 2,238,353 | 12/20/2023 | (1,488) |
United States Dollar | 1,113,565 | Euro | 1,051,000 | 12/20/2023 | (1,156) |
United States Dollar | 1,000,718 | Israeli Shekel | 4,023,000 | 12/20/2023 | 2,509 |
New Zealand Dollar | 1,076,000 | United States Dollar | 643,469 | 12/20/2023 | (16,483) |
United States Dollar | 62,563 | New Zealand Dollar | 105,000 | 12/20/2023 | 1,379 |
Norwegian Krone | 2,556,000 | United States Dollar | 236,702 | 12/20/2023 | (7,550) |
South Korean Won | 359,723,000 | United States Dollar | 265,674 | 12/20/2023 | 1,446 |
Japanese Yen | 838,760,000 | United States Dollar | 5,753,393 | 12/20/2023 | (171,822) |
United States Dollar | 3,371,516 | Japanese Yen | 500,095,000 | 12/20/2023 | 43,608 |
Canadian Dollar | 1,966,000 | United States Dollar | 1,450,285 | 12/20/2023 | (31,317) |
United States Dollar | 3,957,790 | Canadian Dollar | 5,352,000 | 12/20/2023 | 94,964 |
Indonesian Rupiah | 2,199,250,000 | United States Dollar | 139,661 | 12/20/2023 | (1,266) |
13
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts (continued) | |
Counterparty/ Purchased Currency | Purchased Currency Amounts | Currency Sold | Sold Currency Amounts | Settlement Date | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) |
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (continued) |
United States Dollar | 233,440 | Indonesian Rupiah | 3,589,642,000 | 12/20/2023 | 7,550 |
Swiss Franc | 2,672,000 | United States Dollar | 2,980,315 | 12/20/2023 | (25,786) |
United States Dollar | 94,953 | Swiss Franc | 86,000 | 12/20/2023 | (140) |
Polish Zloty | 257,000 | United States Dollar | 59,490 | 12/20/2023 | 1,424 |
Indian Rupee | 239,247,000 | United States Dollar | 2,866,775 | 12/20/2023 | 2,858 |
United States Dollar | 316,358 | Mexican Peso | 5,711,000 | 12/20/2023 | 2,210 |
British Pound | 844,000 | United States Dollar | 1,028,268 | 12/20/2023 | (2,007) |
United States Dollar | 5,474,130 | British Pound | 4,431,000 | 12/20/2023 | 86,261 |
Australian Dollar | 1,936,000 | United States Dollar | 1,254,189 | 12/20/2023 | (23,990) |
United States Dollar | 67,487 | Australian Dollar | 105,000 | 12/20/2023 | 766 |
Brazilian Real | 317,000 | United States Dollar | 61,177 | 12/20/2023 | 1,334 |
United States Dollar | 2,740,250 | Swedish Krona | 30,080,000 | 12/20/2023 | 38,638 |
United States Dollar | 578,477 | Hungarian Forint | 214,349,000 | 12/20/2023 | (10,182) |
United States Dollar | 814,417 | Philippine Peso | 46,511,000 | 12/20/2023 | (5,338) |
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC |
Swiss Franc | 3,020,000 | United States Dollar | 3,334,069 | 12/20/2023 | 5,257 |
United States Dollar | 16,714,510 | Swiss Franc | 14,768,941 | 12/20/2023 | 383,945 |
Chilean Peso | 1,623,628,000 | United States Dollar | 1,806,238 | 12/20/2023 | 2,324 |
United States Dollar | 163,104 | Chilean Peso | 146,141,000 | 12/20/2023 | 317 |
United States Dollar | 364,697 | Philippine Peso | 20,755,000 | 12/20/2023 | (1,109) |
United States Dollar | 949,416 | Canadian Dollar | 1,289,000 | 12/20/2023 | 19,075 |
United States Dollar | 235,853 | Hungarian Forint | 87,176,000 | 12/20/2023 | (3,555) |
British Pound | 3,957,000 | United States Dollar | 4,815,675 | 12/20/2023 | (4,165) |
United States Dollar | 410,961 | British Pound | 335,000 | 12/20/2023 | 3,618 |
14
| | | | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts (continued) | |
Counterparty/ Purchased Currency | Purchased Currency Amounts | Currency Sold | Sold Currency Amounts | Settlement Date | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) |
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (continued) |
South Korean Won | 1,247,256,000 | United States Dollar | 925,064 | 12/20/2023 | 1,112 |
United States Dollar | 162,350 | South Korean Won | 214,534,000 | 12/20/2023 | 3,043 |
Indonesian Rupiah | 9,059,570,000 | United States Dollar | 569,140 | 12/20/2023 | 964 |
United States Dollar | 513,103 | Indonesian Rupiah | 7,992,361,000 | 12/20/2023 | 10,157 |
Australian Dollar | 2,533,000 | United States Dollar | 1,625,046 | 12/20/2023 | (15,493) |
United States Dollar | 428,521 | Australian Dollar | 666,000 | 12/20/2023 | 5,322 |
Indian Rupee | 90,948,000 | United States Dollar | 1,089,852 | 12/20/2023 | 1,018 |
United States Dollar | 512,254 | Indian Rupee | 42,722,000 | 12/20/2023 | (172) |
United States Dollar | 2,672,422 | New Zealand Dollar | 4,486,000 | 12/20/2023 | 58,428 |
Mexican Peso | 140,631,000 | United States Dollar | 7,939,373 | 12/20/2023 | (203,619) |
Polish Zloty | 350,000 | United States Dollar | 79,823 | 12/20/2023 | 3,134 |
Euro | 4,176,000 | United States Dollar | 4,432,559 | 12/20/2023 | (3,374) |
United States Dollar | 778,398 | Euro | 738,000 | 12/20/2023 | (4,346) |
Swedish Krona | 22,808,000 | United States Dollar | 2,074,937 | 12/20/2023 | (26,454) |
United States Dollar | 206,070 | Swedish Krona | 2,237,000 | 12/20/2023 | 5,156 |
Brazilian Real | 12,692,000 | United States Dollar | 2,536,117 | 12/20/2023 | (33,327) |
Japanese Yen | 163,881,000 | United States Dollar | 1,113,337 | 12/20/2023 | (22,783) |
United States Dollar | 4,243,185 | Japanese Yen | 626,532,000 | 12/20/2023 | 73,896 |
Malaysian Ringgit | 1,118,000 | United States Dollar | 237,822 | 12/20/2023 | (2,362) |
United States Dollar | 2,967,993 | Norwegian Krone | 32,019,000 | 12/20/2023 | 97,408 |
Czech Koruna | 1,520,000 | United States Dollar | 65,587 | 12/20/2023 | (192) |
United States Dollar | 312,589 | Czech Koruna | 7,281,000 | 12/20/2023 | (663) |
Israeli Shekel | 1,200,000 | United States Dollar | 313,731 | 12/20/2023 | (15,980) |
15
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts (continued) | |
Counterparty/ Purchased Currency | Purchased Currency Amounts | Currency Sold | Sold Currency Amounts | Settlement Date | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) |
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC (continued) |
United States Dollar | 298,235 | Israeli Shekel | 1,134,000 | 12/20/2023 | 16,861 |
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. |
Norwegian Krone | 104,015,218 | United States Dollar | 9,752,951 | 12/20/2023 | (427,722) |
Canadian Dollar | 6,176,987 | United States Dollar | 4,563,269 | 12/20/2023 | (105,006) |
Hungarian Forint | 42,441,000 | United States Dollar | 114,617 | 12/20/2023 | 1,937 |
New Zealand Dollar | 14,436,817 | United States Dollar | 8,515,874 | 12/20/2023 | (103,534) |
Indian Rupee | 540,397,000 | United States Dollar | 6,490,475 | 12/20/2023 | (8,717) |
Indonesian Rupiah | 7,358,599,000 | United States Dollar | 478,359 | 12/20/2023 | (15,294) |
United States Dollar | 2,328,863 | Philippine Peso | 132,326,000 | 12/20/2023 | (3,380) |
United States Dollar | 8,646,234 | British Pound | 6,931,349 | 12/20/2023 | 218,068 |
United States Dollar | 3,568,917 | Swedish Krona | 39,507,915 | 12/20/2023 | 20,544 |
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. |
United States Dollar | 12,267,231 | Israeli Shekel | 46,649,000 | 12/20/2023 | 692,427 |
United States Dollar | 162,473 | Philippine Peso | 9,209,000 | 12/20/2023 | 165 |
South African Rand | 5,225,000 | United States Dollar | 270,921 | 12/20/2023 | 8,193 |
Czech Koruna | 2,245,000 | United States Dollar | 97,803 | 12/20/2023 | (1,216) |
United States Dollar | 345,366 | Czech Koruna | 8,032,000 | 12/20/2023 | (196) |
Polish Zloty | 423,000 | United States Dollar | 97,615 | 12/20/2023 | 2,644 |
United States Dollar | 290,983 | Polish Zloty | 1,263,000 | 12/20/2023 | (8,372) |
Hungarian Forint | 2,211,801,000 | United States Dollar | 6,083,003 | 12/20/2023 | (8,814) |
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC |
Euro | 1,479,000 | United States Dollar | 1,584,245 | 12/20/2023 | (15,576) |
United States Dollar | 19,688,899 | Euro | 18,301,365 | 12/20/2023 | 277,950 |
Brazilian Real | 452,000 | United States Dollar | 89,279 | 12/20/2023 | (147) |
Swedish Krona | 5,335,000 | United States Dollar | 479,695 | 12/20/2023 | (536) |
16
| | | | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts (continued) | |
Counterparty/ Purchased Currency | Purchased Currency Amounts | Currency Sold | Sold Currency Amounts | Settlement Date | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) |
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (continued) |
United States Dollar | 897,420 | Swedish Krona | 9,900,000 | 12/20/2023 | 8,259 |
United States Dollar | 195,123 | Hungarian Forint | 72,301,000 | 12/20/2023 | (3,435) |
Chilean Peso | 131,561,000 | United States Dollar | 142,446 | 12/20/2023 | 4,100 |
United States Dollar | 167,149 | Chilean Peso | 153,607,000 | 12/20/2023 | (3,954) |
United States Dollar | 160,424 | Polish Zloty | 692,000 | 12/20/2023 | (3,593) |
Indonesian Rupiah | 6,017,024,000 | United States Dollar | 379,881 | 12/20/2023 | (1,239) |
United States Dollar | 97,563 | Indonesian Rupiah | 1,523,842,000 | 12/20/2023 | 1,670 |
United States Dollar | 474,319 | Norwegian Krone | 5,079,000 | 12/20/2023 | 18,974 |
Japanese Yen | 1,056,479,015 | United States Dollar | 7,292,494 | 12/20/2023 | (262,100) |
United States Dollar | 3,951,893 | Japanese Yen | 574,380,000 | 12/20/2023 | 129,652 |
South African Rand | 26,085,000 | United States Dollar | 1,370,869 | 12/20/2023 | 22,567 |
United States Dollar | 2,563,505 | Canadian Dollar | 3,464,000 | 12/20/2023 | 63,350 |
Swiss Franc | 599,000 | United States Dollar | 671,714 | 12/20/2023 | (9,378) |
United States Dollar | 129,267 | Swiss Franc | 115,000 | 12/20/2023 | 2,107 |
Philippine Peso | 29,379,000 | United States Dollar | 516,872 | 12/20/2023 | 932 |
United States Dollar | 1,797,132 | Philippine Peso | 102,142,000 | 12/20/2023 | (3,118) |
British Pound | 2,139,000 | United States Dollar | 2,623,122 | 12/20/2023 | (22,207) |
United States Dollar | 121,263 | British Pound | 98,000 | 12/20/2023 | 2,100 |
Mexican Peso | 10,193,000 | United States Dollar | 563,233 | 12/20/2023 | (2,542) |
Australian Dollar | 6,128,000 | United States Dollar | 3,949,830 | 12/20/2023 | (55,893) |
United States Dollar | 6,783,370 | Australian Dollar | 10,548,874 | 12/20/2023 | 80,261 |
Indian Rupee | 84,922,000 | United States Dollar | 1,015,975 | 12/20/2023 | 2,617 |
New Zealand Dollar | 686,000 | United States Dollar | 406,308 | 12/20/2023 | (6,576) |
17
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts (continued) | |
Counterparty/ Purchased Currency | Purchased Currency Amounts | Currency Sold | Sold Currency Amounts | Settlement Date | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) |
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (continued) |
United States Dollar | 84,466 | New Zealand Dollar | 142,000 | 12/20/2023 | 1,723 |
United States Dollar | 43,363 | Czech Koruna | 993,000 | 12/20/2023 | 641 |
Malaysian Ringgit | 753,000 | United States Dollar | 160,252 | 12/20/2023 | (1,664) |
United States Dollar | 149,549 | Malaysian Ringgit | 696,000 | 12/20/2023 | 2,966 |
United States Dollar | 11,796,218 | South Korean Won | 15,578,074,000 | 12/20/2023 | 228,392 |
RBC Capital Markets, LLC |
Mexican Peso | 3,389,000 | United States Dollar | 194,951 | 12/20/2023 | (8,531) |
Gross Unrealized Appreciation | | | 3,138,260 |
Gross Unrealized Depreciation | | | (1,718,859) |
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
| | | | | | |
OTC Total Return Swaps | |
Received Reference Entity | Paid Reference Entity | Counterparties | Maturity Date | Notional Amount ($) | Unrealized (Depreciation) ($) |
3 Month Bank of America Shore 2D Index -Series 01 | Fixed Coupon Rate of 0.00% 3 Months Payable to Merrill Lynch, Pierce Fenner & Smith, Inc. | Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. | 1/29/24 | 27,867,970 | (4,046) |
Gross Unrealized Depreciation | (4,046) |
1 Underlying reference is the Index which is a basket of underlying securities listed within Custom Basket Table. Payment to or from Counterparties is based on the underlying components of the Basket.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
| | | | | | | |
Custom Basket | |
Underlying | Strike | Expiration Date | Shares | Value | | Index (%) |
Bank of America Shore 2D Index - Series 0 | |
Cash: | |
USD | | | 30,395,058 | 30,395,058 | | 109.1% |
Futures: | |
Standard & Poor's 500 E-Mini | | | (598) | (2,520,214) | | -9.0% |
18
| | | | | | |
Custom Basket (continued) |
Underlying | Strike | Expiration Date | Shares | Value | | Index (%) |
Bank of America Shore 2D Index - Series 0 (continued) | |
Options: | |
S&P 500 Index Weekly Put | 4,025 | 11/01/23 | (668) | (84) | | 0.0% |
S&P 500 Index Weekly Put | 4,030 | 11/01/23 | (668) | (84) | | 0.0% |
S&P 500 Index Weekly Put | 4,035 | 11/01/23 | (668) | (84) | | 0.0% |
S&P 500 Index Weekly Put | 4,040 | 11/01/23 | (668) | (84) | | 0.0% |
S&P 500 Index Weekly Put | 4,045 | 11/01/23 | (668) | (84) | | 0.0% |
S&P 500 Index Weekly Put | 4,090 | 11/01/23 | (1,331) | (432) | | 0.0% |
S&P 500 Index Weekly Put | 4,095 | 11/01/23 | (1,331) | (499) | | 0.0% |
S&P 500 Index Weekly Put | 4,100 | 11/01/23 | (1,331) | (632) | | 0.0% |
S&P 500 Index Weekly Put | 4,105 | 11/01/23 | (1,331) | (832) | | 0.0% |
S&P 500 Index Weekly Put | 4,110 | 11/01/23 | (1,331) | (1,031) | | 0.0% |
S&P 500 Index Weekly Put | 4,055 | 11/02/23 | (665) | (466) | | 0.0% |
S&P 500 Index Weekly Put | 4,060 | 11/02/23 | (665) | (516) | | 0.0% |
S&P 500 Index Weekly Put | 4,065 | 11/02/23 | (665) | (582) | | 0.0% |
S&P 500 Index Weekly Put | 4,070 | 11/02/23 | (665) | (682) | | 0.0% |
S&P 500 Index Weekly Put | 4,075 | 11/02/23 | (665) | (782) | | 0.0% |
Total Basket Value | 27,867,970 | | |
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
19
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
October 31, 2023
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | Cost | | Value | |
Assets ($): | | | | |
Investments in securities—See Consolidated Statement of Investments | | | |
Unaffiliated issuers | 85,965,173 | | 85,833,002 | |
Affiliated issuers | | 12,309,755 | | 12,309,755 | |
Cash | | | | | 2,563,961 | |
Cash denominated in foreign currency | | | 6,687 | | 6,646 | |
Unrealized appreciation on forward foreign currency exchange contracts—Note 4 | | 3,138,260 | |
Cash collateral held by broker—Note 4 | | 2,727,254 | |
Receivable from broker for swap agreements—Note 4 | | 422,855 | |
Receivable for shares of Common Stock subscribed | | 344,173 | |
Dividends receivable | | 66,491 | |
Prepaid expenses | | | | | 45,741 | |
| | | | | 107,458,138 | |
Liabilities ($): | | | | |
Due to BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. and affiliates—Note 3(c) | | 87,643 | |
Unrealized depreciation on forward foreign currency exchange contracts—Note 4 | | 1,718,859 | |
Payable for futures variation margin—Note 4 | | 585,528 | |
Payable for shares of Common Stock redeemed | | 132,893 | |
Directors’ fees and expenses payable | | 16,350 | |
Unrealized depreciation on over-the-counter swap agreements—Note 4 | | 4,046 | |
Other accrued expenses | | | | | 114,800 | |
| | | | | 2,660,119 | |
Net Assets ($) | | | 104,798,019 | |
Composition of Net Assets ($): | | | | |
Paid-in capital | | | | | 141,039,164 | |
Total distributable earnings (loss) | | | | | (36,241,145) | |
Net Assets ($) | | | 104,798,019 | |
| | | | | |
Net Asset Value Per Share | Class A | Class C | Class I | Class Y | |
Net Assets ($) | 27,682,108 | 3,134,916 | 72,437,794 | 1,543,201 | |
Shares Outstanding | 1,975,407 | 247,975 | 4,985,592 | 106,475 | |
Net Asset Value Per Share ($) | 14.01 | 12.64 | 14.53 | 14.49 | |
| | | | | |
See notes to consolidated financial statements. | | | | | |
20
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
Year Ended October 31, 2023
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Investment Income ($): | | | | |
Income: | | | | |
Interest | | | 4,495,754 | |
Dividends: | |
Unaffiliated issuers | | | 571,250 | |
Affiliated issuers | | | 862,955 | |
Total Income | | | 5,929,959 | |
Expenses: | | | | |
Management fee—Note 3(a) | | | 1,432,205 | |
Shareholder servicing costs—Note 3(c) | | | 211,121 | |
Professional fees | | | 135,034 | |
Subsidiary management fees—Note 3(a) | | | 134,461 | |
Registration fees | | | 64,868 | |
Distribution fees—Note 3(b) | | | 38,938 | |
Prospectus and shareholders’ reports | | | 34,840 | |
Directors’ fees and expenses—Note 3(d) | | | 26,468 | |
Chief Compliance Officer fees—Note 3(c) | | | 19,447 | |
Custodian fees—Note 3(c) | | | 7,637 | |
Loan commitment fees—Note 2 | | | 2,881 | |
Miscellaneous | | | 33,317 | |
Total Expenses | | | 2,141,217 | |
Less—reduction in expenses due to undertaking—Note 3(a) | | | (515,572) | |
Less—reduction in fees due to earnings credits—Note 3(c) | | | (5,022) | |
Net Expenses | | | 1,620,623 | |
Net Investment Income | | | 4,309,336 | |
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments—Note 4 ($): | | |
Net realized gain (loss) on investments and foreign currency transactions | 209,671 | |
Net realized gain (loss) on futures | 3,269,323 | |
Net realized gain (loss) on options transactions | 469,594 | |
Net realized gain (loss) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts | (2,813,227) | |
Net realized gain (loss) on swap agreements | 532,847 | |
Net Realized Gain (Loss) | | | 1,668,208 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments and foreign currency transactions | 142,815 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on futures | 911,103 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on options transactions | (544,133) | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts | 1,304,375 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on swap agreements | (4,046) | |
Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) | | | 1,810,114 | |
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments | | | 3,478,322 | |
Net Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Operations | | 7,787,658 | |
| | | | | | |
See notes to consolidated financial statements. | | | | | |
21
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Year Ended October 31, |
| | | | 2023 | | 2022 | |
Operations ($): | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income (loss) | | | 4,309,336 | | | | (1,363,953) | |
Net realized gain (loss) on investments | | 1,668,208 | | | | (24,251,983) | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments | | 1,810,114 | | | | (1,417,650) | |
Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations | 7,787,658 | | | | (27,033,586) | |
Distributions ($): | |
Distributions to shareholders: | | | | | | | | |
Class A | | | (401,621) | | | | (6,080,213) | |
Class C | | | (29,406) | | | | (2,393,723) | |
Class I | | | (1,376,139) | | | | (21,247,593) | |
Class Y | | | (384,385) | | | | (15,888,539) | |
Total Distributions | | | (2,191,551) | | | | (45,610,068) | |
Capital Stock Transactions ($): | |
Net proceeds from shares sold: | | | | | | | | |
Class A | | | 4,808,573 | | | | 8,873,859 | |
Class C | | | 239,561 | | | | 188,357 | |
Class I | | | 16,422,441 | | | | 31,639,933 | |
Class Y | | | 262,589 | | | | 770,180 | |
Distributions reinvested: | | | | | | | | |
Class A | | | 324,188 | | | | 4,789,734 | |
Class C | | | 29,095 | | | | 2,362,765 | |
Class I | | | 1,137,836 | | | | 17,048,947 | |
Class Y | | | 66,616 | | | | 8,564,294 | |
Cost of shares redeemed: | | | | | | | | |
Class A | | | (8,779,691) | | | | (11,798,075) | |
Class C | | | (5,314,509) | | | | (7,225,560) | |
Class I | | | (40,345,100) | | | | (63,286,554) | |
Class Y | | | (27,978,743) | | | | (78,878,396) | |
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from Capital Stock Transactions | (59,127,144) | | | | (86,950,516) | |
Total Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets | (53,531,037) | | | | (159,594,170) | |
Net Assets ($): | |
Beginning of Period | | | 158,329,056 | | | | 317,923,226 | |
End of Period | | | 104,798,019 | | | | 158,329,056 | |
22
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Year Ended October 31, |
| | | | 2023 | | 2022 | |
Capital Share Transactions (Shares): | |
Class Aa | | | | | | | | |
Shares sold | | | 345,315 | | | | 593,238 | |
Shares issued for distributions reinvested | | | 23,698 | | | | 317,411 | |
Shares redeemed | | | (628,637) | | | | (808,361) | |
Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding | (259,624) | | | | 102,288 | |
Class C | | | | | | | | |
Shares sold | | | 19,010 | | | | 14,643 | |
Shares issued for distributions reinvested | | | 2,343 | | | | 172,717 | |
Shares redeemed | | | (421,902) | | | | (528,548) | |
Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding | (400,549) | | | | (341,188) | |
Class Ia | | | | | | | | |
Shares sold | | | 1,137,230 | | | | 2,078,847 | |
Shares issued for distributions reinvested | | | 80,413 | | | | 1,092,181 | |
Shares redeemed | | | (2,788,835) | | | | (4,241,028) | |
Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding | (1,571,192) | | | | (1,070,000) | |
Class Ya | | | | | | | | |
Shares sold | | | 18,420 | | | | 44,781 | |
Shares issued for distributions reinvested | | | 4,718 | | | | 550,051 | |
Shares redeemed | | | (1,937,478) | | | | (5,159,107) | |
Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding | (1,914,340) | | | | (4,564,275) | |
| | | | | | | | | |
a | During the period ended October 31, 2023, 15,628 Class Y shares representing $224,292 were exchanged for 15,590 Class I shares. During the period ended October 31, 2022, 39,868 Class Y shares representing $617,930 were exchanged for 39,787 Class I shares and 3 Class I shares representing $45 were exchanged for 3 Class A shares. | |
See notes to consolidated financial statements. | | | | | | | | |
23
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The following tables describe the performance for each share class for the fiscal periods indicated. All information (except portfolio turnover rate) reflects financial results for a single fund share. Net asset value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption at net asset value on the last day of the period. Net asset value total return includes adjustments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and as such, the net asset value for financial reporting purposes and the returns based upon those net asset values may differ from the net asset value and returns for shareholder transactions. These figures have been derived from the fund’s consolidated financial statements.
| | | | | | |
| | |
| | Year Ended October 31, |
Class A Shares | | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Per Share Data ($): | | | | | | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | 13.53 | 17.98 | 15.82 | 16.26 | 15.08 |
Investment Operations: | | | | | | |
Net investment income (loss)a | | .44 | (.11) | (.19) | (.02) | .15 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | .22 | (1.52) | 2.35 | .08 | 1.16 |
Total from Investment Operations | | .66 | (1.63) | 2.16 | .06 | 1.31 |
Distributions: | | | | | | |
Dividends from net investment income | | (.18) | (.08) | - | (.17) | (.13) |
Dividends from net realized gain on investments | | - | (2.74) | - | (.33) | - |
Total Distributions | | (.18) | (2.82) | - | (.50) | (.13) |
Net asset value, end of period | | 14.01 | 13.53 | 17.98 | 15.82 | 16.26 |
Total Return (%)b | | 4.94 | (10.75) | 13.79 | .28 | 8.82 |
Ratios/Supplemental Data (%): | | | | | | |
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets | | 1.81 | 1.72 | 1.60 | 1.58 | 1.55 |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets c | | 1.40 | 1.40 | 1.42 | 1.44 | 1.44 |
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets | | 3.15 | (.76) | (1.12) | (.14) | .96 |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | - | - | 82.12 | 176.12 | 26.17 |
Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000) | | 27,682 | 30,234 | 38,354 | 35,061 | 38,100 |
a Based on average shares outstanding.
b Exclusive of sales charge
c Reflected is the waiver of the Subsidiary management fee.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
24
| | | | | | |
| | |
| | Year Ended October 31, |
Class C Shares | | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Per Share Data ($): | | | | | | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | 12.18 | 16.50 | 14.62 | 15.06 | 13.96 |
Investment Operations: | | | | | | |
Net investment income (loss)a | | .30 | (.20) | (.29) | (.13) | .03 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | .21 | (1.38) | 2.17 | .06 | 1.09 |
Total from Investment Operations | | .51 | (1.58) | 1.88 | (.07) | 1.12 |
Distributions: | | | | | | |
Dividends from net investment income | | (.05) | - | - | (.04) | (.02) |
Dividends from net realized gain on investments | | - | (2.74) | - | (.33) | - |
Total Distributions | | (.05) | (2.74) | - | (.37) | (.02) |
Net asset value, end of period | | 12.64 | 12.18 | 16.50 | 14.62 | 15.06 |
Total Return (%)b | | 4.20 | (11.44) | 12.93 | (.50) | 8.01 |
Ratios/Supplemental Data (%): | | | | | | |
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets | | 2.58 | 2.48 | 2.36 | 2.33 | 2.29 |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assetsc | | 2.15 | 2.15 | 2.17 | 2.19 | 2.19 |
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets | | 2.40 | (1.51) | (1.87) | (.87) | .22 |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | - | - | 82.12 | 176.12 | 26.17 |
Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000) | | 3,135 | 7,899 | 16,334 | 22,548 | 31,771 |
a Based on average shares outstanding.
b Exclusive of sales charge
c Reflected is the waiver of the Subsidiary management fee.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
25
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (continued)
| | | | | | |
| | |
| | Year Ended October 31, |
Class I Shares | | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Per Share Data ($): | | | | | | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | 14.02 | 18.54 | 16.26 | 16.71 | 15.51 |
Investment Operations: | | | | | | |
Net investment income (loss)a | | .49 | (.08) | (.15) | .02 | .19 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | .24 | (1.58) | 2.43 | .08 | 1.20 |
Total from Investment Operations | | .73 | (1.66) | 2.28 | .10 | 1.39 |
Distributions: | | | | | | |
Dividends from net investment income | | (.22) | (.12) | - | (.22) | (.19) |
Dividends from net realized gain on investments | | - | (2.74) | - | (.33) | - |
Total Distributions | | (.22) | (2.86) | - | (.55) | (.19) |
Net asset value, end of period | | 14.53 | 14.02 | 18.54 | 16.26 | 16.71 |
Total Return (%) | | 5.26 | (10.53) | 14.02 | .53 | 9.04 |
Ratios/Supplemental Data (%): | | | | | | |
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets | | 1.56 | 1.46 | 1.34 | 1.31 | 1.29 |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assetsb | | 1.15 | 1.15 | 1.17 | 1.19 | 1.19 |
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets | | 3.41 | (.51) | (.88) | .13 | 1.20 |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | - | - | 82.12 | 176.12 | 26.17 |
Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000) | | 72,438 | 91,928 | 141,384 | 169,485 | 324,848 |
a Based on average shares outstanding.
b Reflected is the waiver of the Subsidiary management fee.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
26
| | | | | | |
| | |
| | Year Ended October 31, |
Class Y Shares | | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Per Share Data ($): | | | | | | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | 13.99 | 18.50 | 16.23 | 16.69 | 15.53 |
Investment Operations: | | | | | | |
Net investment income (loss)a | | .49 | (.08) | (.15) | .03 | .20 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | .23 | (1.57) | 2.42 | .07 | 1.19 |
Total from Investment Operations | | .72 | (1.65) | 2.27 | .10 | 1.39 |
Distributions: | | | | | | |
Dividends from net investment income | | (.22) | (.12) | - | (.23) | (.23) |
Dividends from net realized gain on investments | | - | (2.74) | - | (.33) | - |
Total Distributions | | (.22) | (2.86) | - | (.56) | (.23) |
Net asset value, end of period | | 14.49 | 13.99 | 18.50 | 16.23 | 16.69 |
Total Return (%) | | 5.20 | (10.54) | 14.05 | .54 | 9.13 |
Ratios/Supplemental Data (%): | | | | | | |
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets | | 1.46 | 1.35 | 1.26 | 1.22 | 1.22 |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assetsb | | 1.15 | 1.15 | 1.17 | 1.17 | 1.15 |
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets | | 3.40 | (.51) | (.86) | .18 | 1.25 |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | - | - | 82.12 | 176.12 | 26.17 |
Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000) | | 1,543 | 28,268 | 121,851 | 239,102 | 564,884 |
a Based on average shares outstanding.
b Reflected is the waiver of the Subsidiary management fee.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
27
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1—Significant Accounting Policies:
BNY Mellon Dynamic Total Return Fund (the “fund”) is a separate diversified series of BNY Mellon Advantage Funds, Inc. (the “Company”), which is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”), as an open-end management investment company and operates as a series company currently offering seven series, including the fund. The fund’s investment objective is to seek total return. BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. (the “Adviser”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (“BNY Mellon”), serves as the fund’s investment adviser. Newton Investment Management North America, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BNY Mellon and an affiliate of the Adviser, serves as the fund’s sub-adviser.
Effective March 31, 2023, the Sub-Adviser, entered into a sub-sub-investment advisory agreement with its affiliate, Newton Investment Management Limited (“NIM”), to enable NIM to provide certain advisory services to the Sub-Adviser for the benefit of the fund, including, but not limited to, portfolio management services. NIM is subject to the supervision of the Sub-Adviser and the Adviser. NIM is also an affiliate of the Adviser. NIM, located at 160 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4V, 4LA, England, was formed in 1978. NIM is an indirect subsidiary of BNY Mellon.
The fund may gain investment exposure to global commodity markets through investments in DTR Commodity Fund Ltd., (the “Subsidiary”), a wholly-owned and controlled subsidiary of the fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Subsidiary has the ability to invest in commodities and securities consistent with the investment objective of the fund. The Adviser serves as investment adviser for the Subsidiary, the Sub-Adviser serves as the Subsidiary’s sub-investment advisor and Citibank N.A. serves as the Subsidiary’s custodian. The financial statements have been consolidated and include the accounts of the fund and the Subsidiary. Accordingly, all inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated. A subscription agreement was entered into between the fund and the Subsidiary, comprising the entire issued share capital of the Subsidiary, with the intent that the fund will remain the sole shareholder and retain all rights. Under the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, shares issued by the Subsidiary confer upon a shareholder the right to receive notice of, to attend and to vote at general meetings of the Subsidiary and shall confer upon the shareholder rights in a winding-up or repayment of capital and the right to participate in the
28
profits or assets of the Subsidiary. The following summarizes the structure and relationship of the Subsidiary at October 31, 2023:
| | | |
| Subsidiary Activity |
Consolidated fund Net Assets ($) | | 104,798,019 | |
Subsidiary Percentage of fund Net Assets | | 12.08% | |
Subsidiary Financial Statement Information ($) | | | |
Total Assets | | 12,959,136 | |
Total Liabilities | | 303,264 | |
Net Assets | | 12,655,872 | |
Total Income | | 466,843 | |
Total Expenses | | 161,572 | |
Net Investment Income | | 305,271 | |
Net Realized Gain (Loss) | | (179,626) | |
Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) | | (149,970) | |
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments | | (329,596) | |
Net (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations | | (24,325) | |
BNY Mellon Securities Corporation (the “Distributor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, is the distributor of the fund’s shares. The fund is authorized to issue 600 million shares of $.001 par value Common Stock. The fund currently has authorized four classes of shares: Class A (200 million shares authorized), Class C (100 million shares authorized), Class I (150 million shares authorized) and Class Y (150 million shares authorized). Class A and Class C shares are sold primarily to retail investors through financial intermediaries and bear Distribution and/or Shareholder Services Plan fees. Class A shares generally are subject to a sales charge imposed at the time of purchase. Class A shares bought without an initial sales charge as part of an investment of $1 million or more may be charged a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% if redeemed within one year. Class C shares are subject to a CDSC imposed on Class C shares redeemed within one year of purchase. Class C shares automatically convert to Class A shares eight years after the date of purchase, without the imposition of a sales charge. Class I shares are sold primarily to bank trust departments and other financial service providers (including BNY Mellon and its affiliates), acting on behalf of customers having a qualified trust or an investment account or relationship at such institution, and bear no Distribution or Shareholder Services Plan fees. Class Y shares are sold at net asset value per share generally to institutional investors, and bear no Distribution or Shareholder Services Plan fees. Class I and Class Y shares are offered without a front-end sales charge or CDSC. Other differences between the classes include the services offered to and the expenses borne by each class, the allocation of certain transfer agency costs and certain voting rights. Income, expenses (other than expenses attributable to a specific class), and realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments are allocated to each class of shares based on its relative net assets.
29
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
The Company accounts separately for the assets, liabilities and operations of each series. Expenses directly attributable to each series are charged to that series’ operations; expenses which are applicable to all series are allocated among them on a pro rata basis.
The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) is the exclusive reference of authoritative U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) recognized by the FASB to be applied by nongovernmental entities. Rules and interpretive releases of the SEC under authority of federal laws are also sources of authoritative GAAP for SEC registrants. The fund is an investment company and applies the accounting and reporting guidance of the FASB ASC Topic 946 Financial Services-Investment Companies. The fund’s consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP, which may require the use of management estimates and assumptions. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
The Company enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. The fund does not anticipate recognizing any loss related to these arrangements.
(a) Portfolio valuation: The fair value of a financial instrument is the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (i.e., the exit price). GAAP establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs of valuation techniques used to measure fair value. This hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements).
Additionally, GAAP provides guidance on determining whether the volume and activity in a market has decreased significantly and whether such a decrease in activity results in transactions that are not orderly. GAAP requires enhanced disclosures around valuation inputs and techniques used during annual and interim periods.
Various inputs are used in determining the value of the fund’s investments relating to fair value measurements. These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:
Level 1—unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical investments.
30
Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.).
Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).
The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.
Changes in valuation techniques may result in transfers in or out of an assigned level within the disclosure hierarchy. Valuation techniques used to value the fund’s investments are as follows:
The Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) has designated the Adviser as the fund’s valuation designee to make all fair value determinations with respect to the fund’s portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight and pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Act.
Registered investment companies that are not traded on an exchange are valued at their net asset value and are generally categorized within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.
Investments in debt securities, excluding short-term investments (other than U.S. Treasury Bills), futures, options and forward foreign currency exchange contracts (“forward contracts”), are valued each business day by one or more independent pricing services (each, a “Service”) approved by the Board. Investments for which quoted bid prices are readily available and are representative of the bid side of the market in the judgment of a Service are valued at the mean between the quoted bid prices (as obtained by a Service from dealers in such securities) and asked prices (as calculated by a Service based upon its evaluation of the market for such securities). Securities are valued as determined by a Service, based on methods which include consideration of the following: yields or prices of securities of comparable quality, coupon, maturity and type; indications as to values from dealers; and general market conditions. The Services are engaged under the general supervision of the Board. These securities are generally categorized within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. U.S. Treasury Bills are valued at the mean price between quoted bid prices and asked prices by a Service. These securities are generally categorized within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.
When market quotations or official closing prices are not readily available, or are determined not to accurately reflect fair value, such as when the value of a security has been significantly affected by events after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded, but
31
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
before the fund calculates its net asset value, the fund may value these investments at fair value as determined in accordance with the procedures approved by the Board. Certain factors may be considered when fair valuing investments such as: fundamental analytical data, the nature and duration of restrictions on disposition, an evaluation of the forces that influence the market in which the securities are purchased and sold, and public trading in similar securities of the issuer or comparable issuers. These securities are either categorized within Level 2 or 3 of the fair value hierarchy depending on the relevant inputs used.
For securities where observable inputs are limited, assumptions about market activity and risk are used and such securities are generally categorized within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.
Investments denominated in foreign currencies are translated to U.S. dollars at the prevailing rates of exchange.
Forward contracts are valued at the forward rate and are generally categorized within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. Futures and options, which are traded on an exchange, are valued at the last sales price on the securities exchange on which such securities are primarily traded or at the last sales price on the national securities market on each business day and are generally categorized within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. Investments in swap agreements are valued each business day by a Service. Swaps agreements are valued by a Service by using a swap pricing model which incorporates among other factors, default probabilities, recovery rates, credit curves of the underlying issuer and swap spreads on interest rates and are generally categorized within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.
The following is a summary of the inputs used as of October 31, 2023 in valuing the fund’s investments:
| | | | | | |
| Level 1-Unadjusted Quoted Prices | Level 2- Other Significant Observable Inputs | | Level 3-Significant Unobservable Inputs | Total | |
Assets ($) | | |
Investments in Securities:† | | |
Investment Companies | 12,309,755 | - | | - | 12,309,755 | |
U.S. Treasury Securities | - | 85,638,001 | | - | 85,638,001 | |
32
| | | | | | |
| Level 1-Unadjusted Quoted Prices | Level 2- Other Significant Observable Inputs | | Level 3-Significant Unobservable Inputs | Total | |
Assets ($) (continued) | | |
Other Financial Instruments: | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts†† | - | 3,138,260 | | - | 3,138,260 | |
Futures†† | 1,202,286 | - | | - | 1,202,286 | |
Options Purchased | 195,001 | - | | - | 195,001 | |
Liabilities ($) | | |
Other Financial Instruments: | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts†† | - | (1,718,859) | | - | (1,718,859) | |
Futures†† | (2,966,476) | - | | - | (2,966,476) | |
Swap Agreements†† | - | (4,046) | | - | (4,046) | |
† See Consolidated Statement of Investments for additional detailed categorizations, if any.
†† Amount shown represents unrealized appreciation (depreciation) at period end, but only variation margin on exchange-traded and centrally cleared derivatives, if any, are reported in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
(b) Foreign currency transactions: The fund does not isolate that portion of the results of operations resulting from changes in foreign exchange rates on investments from the fluctuations arising from changes in the market prices of securities held. Such fluctuations are included with the net realized and unrealized gain or loss on investments.
Net realized foreign exchange gains or losses arise from sales of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized on securities transactions between trade and settlement date, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the fund’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized foreign exchange gains and losses arise from changes in the value of assets and liabilities other than investments resulting from changes in exchange rates. Foreign currency gains and losses on foreign currency transactions are also included with net realized and unrealized gain or loss on investments.
(c) Securities transactions and investment income: Securities transactions are recorded on a trade date basis. Realized gains and losses from securities transactions are recorded on the identified cost basis. Dividend income is recognized on the ex-dividend date and interest income, including, where applicable, accretion of discount and
33
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
amortization of premium on investments, is recognized on the accrual basis.
(d) Affiliated issuers: Investments in other investment companies advised by the Adviser are considered “affiliated” under the Act.
(e) Market Risk: The value of the securities in which the fund invests may be affected by political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. In addition, turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or fixed-income markets may negatively affect many issuers, which could adversely affect the fund. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. These risks may be magnified if certain events or developments adversely interrupt the global supply chain; in these and other circumstances, such risks might affect companies world-wide.
Foreign Investment Risk: To the extent the fund invests in foreign securities, the fund’s performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in foreign issuers. Special risks associated with investments in foreign issuers include exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political and economic instability and differing auditing and legal standards.
Fixed-Income Market Risk: The market value of a fixed-income security may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. The fixed-income securities market can be susceptible to increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity. Liquidity can decline unpredictably in response to overall economic conditions or credit tightening. Increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity may be caused by a rise in interest rates (or the expectation of a rise in interest rates). An unexpected increase in fund redemption requests, including requests from shareholders who may own a significant percentage of the fund’s shares, which may be triggered by market turmoil or an increase in interest rates, could cause the fund to sell its holdings at a loss or at undesirable prices and adversely affect the fund’s share price and increase the fund’s liquidity risk, fund expenses and/or taxable distributions. Federal Reserve policy in response to market conditions, including with respect to interest rates, may adversely affect the value, volatility and liquidity of dividend and interest paying securities.
34
Policy and legislative changes worldwide are affecting many aspects of financial regulation. The impact of these changes on the markets and the practical implications for market participants may not be fully known for some time.
Commodity Risk: The fund’s investments in commodity-linked financial derivatives instruments may subject the fund to greater market price volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked financial derivative instruments may be affected by changes in overall market movements, commodity index volatility, changes in interest rates, or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments.
Subsidiary Risk: To the extent the fund invests in the subsidiary, the fund will be indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the subsidiary’s investments. The subsidiary principally invests in commodity-related instruments, including futures and options contracts, swap agreements and pooled investment vehicles that invest in commodities, and the fund’s investment in the subsidiary is subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the fund. Changes in applicable laws governing the subsidiary could prevent the fund or the subsidiary from operating and could negatively affect the fund and its shareholders. There also may be federal income tax risks associated with the fund’s investment in the subsidiary.
Derivatives Risk: A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the fund’s performance. The use of derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets, and the fund’s use of derivatives may result in losses to the fund. Derivatives in which the fund may invest can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value, and there is the risk that changes in the value of a derivative held by the fund will not correlate with the underlying assets or the fund’s other investments in the manner intended.
(f) Dividends and distributions to shareholders: Dividends and distributions are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Dividends from net investment income and dividends from net realized capital gains, if any, are normally declared and paid annually, but the fund may make distributions on a more frequent basis to comply with the distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). To the extent that net realized capital gains can be offset by capital loss carryovers, it is the policy of the fund not to distribute such gains. Income and capital
35
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
gain distributions are determined in accordance with income tax regulations, which may differ from GAAP.
(g) Federal income taxes: It is the policy of the fund to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company, if such qualification is in the best interests of its shareholders, by complying with the applicable provisions of the Code, and to make distributions of taxable income and net realized capital gain sufficient to relieve it from substantially all federal income and excise taxes.
The Subsidiary is classified as a controlled foreign corporation under Subchapter N of the Code. Therefore, the fund is required to increase its taxable income by its share of the Subsidiary’s income. Net investment losses of the Subsidiary cannot be deducted by the fund in the current period nor carried forward to offset taxable income in future periods.
As of and during the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund did not have any liabilities for any uncertain tax positions. The fund recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to uncertain tax positions as income tax expense in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. During the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund did not incur any interest or penalties.
Each tax year in the four-year period ended October 31, 2023 remains subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities.
At October 31, 2023, the components of accumulated earnings on a tax basis were as follows: undistributed ordinary income $4,192,180, accumulated capital and other losses $27,932,687 and unrealized depreciation $12,500,638.
The fund is permitted to carry forward capital losses for an unlimited period. Furthermore, capital loss carryovers retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses.
The accumulated capital loss carryover is available for federal income tax purposes to be applied against future net realized capital gains, if any, realized subsequent to October 31, 2023. The fund has $12,952,430 of short-term capital losses and $14,977,132 of long-term capital losses which can be carried forward for an unlimited period.
The tax character of distributions paid to shareholders during the fiscal years ended October 31, 2023 and October 31, 2022 were as follows: ordinary income $2,191,551 and $20,372,070, and long-term capital gains $0 and $25,237,998, respectively.
36
During the period ended October 31, 2023, as a result of permanent book to tax differences, primarily due to the tax treatment for Subpart F income from subsidiary, the fund decreased total distributable earnings (loss) by $127,871 and increased paid-in capital by the same amount. Net assets and net asset value per share were not affected by this reclassification.
NOTE 2—Bank Lines of Credit:
The fund participates with other long-term open-end funds managed by the Adviser in a $738 million unsecured credit facility led by Citibank, N.A. (the “Citibank Credit Facility”) and a $300 million unsecured credit facility provided by BNY Mellon (the “BNYM Credit Facility”), each to be utilized primarily for temporary or emergency purposes, including the financing of redemptions (each, a “Facility”). The Citibank Credit Facility is available in two tranches: (i) Tranche A is in an amount equal to $618 million and is available to all long-term open-ended funds, including the fund, and (ii) Tranche B is an amount equal to $120 million and is available only to BNY Mellon Floating Rate Income Fund, a series of BNY Mellon Investment Funds IV, Inc. Prior to September 27, 2023, the Citibank Credit Facility was $823.5 million with Tranche A available in an amount equal to $688.5 million and Tranche B available in an amount equal to $135 million. In connection therewith, the fund has agreed to pay its pro rata portion of commitment fees for Tranche A of the Citibank Credit Facility and the BNYM Credit Facility. Interest is charged to the fund based on rates determined pursuant to the terms of the respective Facility at the time of borrowing. During the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund did not borrow under the Facilities.
NOTE 3— Management Fee, Sub-Advisory Fee and Other Transactions with Affiliates:
(a) The Adviser has entered into separate management agreements with the fund and the Subsidiary pursuant to which the Adviser receives a management fee computed at the annual rate of 1.10% of the value of the average daily net assets of each of the fund and the Subsidiary which is payable monthly. The Adviser has contractually agreed for as long as the fund invests in the Subsidiary, to waive the management fee it receives from the fund in an amount equal to the management fee paid to the Adviser by the Subsidiary. The reduction in expenses, pursuant to the undertaking, amounted to $134,461 during the period ended October 31, 2023.
In addition, the Adviser has contractually agreed, from November 1, 2022 through March 1, 2024, to waive receipt of its fees and/or assume the direct expenses of the fund so that the direct expenses of none of the
37
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
fund’s share classes (excluding Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan fees, Shareholder Services Plan fees, taxes, interest expense, brokerage commissions, commitment fees on borrowings and extraordinary expenses) exceed 1.15% of the value of the fund’s average daily net assets. On or after March 1, 2024, the Adviser may terminate this expense limitation at any time. The reduction in expenses, pursuant to the undertaking, amounted to $381,111 during the period ended October 31, 2023.
Pursuant to a sub-investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser, the Adviser pay the Sub-Adviser an annual fee of .65% of the value of the fund’s average daily net assets of each fund and the Subsidiary which is payable monthly.
During the period ended October 31, 2023, the Distributor retained $697 from commissions earned on sales of the fund’s Class A shares $288 from CDSC fees on redemptions of the fund’s Class C shares.
(b) Under the Distribution Plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act, Class C shares pay the Distributor for distributing its shares at an annual rate of .75% of the value of its average daily net assets. The Distributor may pay one or more Service Agents in respect of advertising, marketing and other distribution services, and determines the amounts, if any, to be paid to Service Agents and the basis on which such payments are made. During the period ended October 31, 2023, Class C shares were charged $38,938 pursuant to the Distribution Plan.
(c) Under the Shareholder Services Plan, Class A and Class C shares pay the Distributor at an annual rate of .25% of the value of their average daily net assets for the provision of certain services. The services provided may include personal services relating to shareholder accounts, such as answering shareholder inquiries regarding the fund, and services related to the maintenance of shareholder accounts. The Distributor may make payments to Service Agents (securities dealers, financial institutions or other industry professionals) with respect to these services. The Distributor determines the amounts to be paid to Service Agents. During the period ended October 31, 2023, Class A and Class C shares were charged $73,541 and $12,979, respectively, pursuant to the Shareholder Services Plan.
The fund has an arrangement with BNY Mellon Transfer, Inc., (the “Transfer Agent”), a subsidiary of BNY Mellon and an affiliate of the Adviser, whereby the fund may receive earnings credits when positive cash balances are maintained, which are used to offset Transfer Agent fees. For financial reporting purposes, the fund includes transfer agent net earnings
38
credits, if any, as an expense offset in the Consolidated Statement of Operations.
The fund has an arrangement with The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Custodian”), a subsidiary of BNY Mellon and an affiliate of the Adviser, whereby the fund will receive interest income or be charged overdraft fees when cash balances are maintained. For financial reporting purposes, the fund includes this interest income and overdraft fees, if any, as interest income in the Consolidated Statement of Operations.
The fund compensates the Transfer Agent, under a transfer agency agreement, for providing transfer agency and cash management services for the fund. The majority of Transfer Agent fees are comprised of amounts paid on a per account basis, while cash management fees are related to fund subscriptions and redemptions. During the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund was charged $9,006 for transfer agency services. These fees are included in Shareholder servicing costs in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. These fees were partially offset by earnings credits of $5,022.
The fund compensates the Custodian, under a custody agreement, for providing custodial services for the fund. These fees are determined based on net assets, geographic region and transaction activity. During the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund was charged $7,637 pursuant to the custody agreement.
During the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund was charged $19,447 for services performed by the fund’s Chief Compliance Officer and his staff. These fees are included in Chief Compliance Officer fees in the Consolidated Statement of Operations.
The components of “Due to BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. and affiliates” in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities consist of: management fee of $99,500, Subsidiary management fee of $11,820, Distribution Plan fees of $2,040, Shareholder Services Plan fees of $6,657, Custodian fees of $3,069, Chief Compliance Officer fees of $6,065 and Transfer Agent fees of $1,478, which are offset against an expense reimbursement currently in effect in the amount of $42,986.
(d) Each board member also serves as a board member of other funds in the BNY Mellon Family of Funds complex. Annual retainer fees and attendance fees are allocated to each fund based on net assets.
NOTE 4—Securities Transactions:
The aggregate amount of purchases and sales of investment securities, excluding short-term securities, futures, options transactions, forward
39
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
contracts and swap agreements, during the period ended October 31, 2023, amounted to $0 and $0, respectively.
Derivatives: A derivative is a financial instrument whose performance is derived from the performance of another asset. The fund enters into International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Master Agreements or similar agreements (collectively, “Master Agreements”) with its over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivative contract counterparties in order to, among other things, reduce its credit risk to counterparties. Master Agreements include provisions for general obligations, representations, collateral and events of default or termination. Under a Master Agreement, the fund may offset with the counterparty certain derivative financial instruments’ payables and/or receivables with collateral held and/or posted and create one single net payment in the event of default or termination. Rule 18f-4 under the Act regulates the use of derivatives transactions for certain funds registered under the Act. The fund’s derivative transactions are subject to a value-at-risk leverage limit and certain reporting and other requirements pursuant to a derivatives risk management program adopted by the fund.
Each type of derivative instrument that was held by the fund during the period ended October 31, 2023 is discussed below.
Futures: In the normal course of pursuing its investment objective, the fund is exposed to market risk, including equity price risk, interest rate risk and commodity risk, as a result of changes in value of underlying financial instruments. The fund invests in futures in order to manage its exposure to or protect against changes in the market. A futures contract represents a commitment for the future purchase or a sale of an asset at a specified date. Upon entering into such contracts, these investments require initial margin deposits with a counterparty, which consist of cash or cash equivalents. The amount of these deposits is determined by the exchange or Board of Trade on which the contract is traded and is subject to change. Accordingly, variation margin payments are received or made to reflect daily unrealized gains or losses which are recorded in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. When the contracts are closed, the fund recognizes a realized gain or loss which is reflected in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. There is minimal counterparty credit risk to the fund with futures since they are exchange traded, and the exchange guarantees the futures against default. Futures open at October 31, 2023 are set forth in the Consolidated Statement of Investments.
Options Transactions: The fund purchases and writes (sells) put and call options to hedge against changes in the values of equities or as a substitute for an investment. The fund is subject to market risk in the course of pursuing its investment objectives through its investments in options
40
contracts. A call option gives the purchaser of the option the right (but not the obligation) to buy, and obligates the writer to sell, the underlying financial instrument at the exercise price at any time during the option period, or at a specified date. Conversely, a put option gives the purchaser of the option the right (but not the obligation) to sell, and obligates the writer to buy the underlying financial instrument at the exercise price at any time during the option period, or at a specified date.
As a writer of call options, the fund receives a premium at the outset and then bears the market risk of unfavorable changes in the price of the financial instrument underlying the option. Generally, the fund realizes a gain, to the extent of the premium, if the price of the underlying financial instrument decreases between the date the option is written and the date on which the option is terminated. Generally, the fund incurs a loss if the price of the financial instrument increases between those dates. The maximum payout for those contracts is limited to the number of call option contracts written and the related strike prices, respectively.
As a writer of put options, the fund receives a premium at the outset and then bears the market risk of unfavorable changes in the price of the financial instrument underlying the option. Generally, the fund realizes a gain, to the extent of the premium, if the price of the underlying financial instrument increases between the date the option is written and the date on which the option is terminated. Generally, the fund incurs a loss if the price of the financial instrument decreases between those dates. The maximum payout for those contracts is limited to the number of put option contracts written and the related strike prices, respectively.
As a writer of an option, the fund has no control over whether the underlying financial instrument may be sold (call) or purchased (put) and as a result bears the market risk of an unfavorable change in the price of the financial instrument underlying the written option. There is a risk of loss from a change in value of such options which may exceed the related premiums received. This risk may be mitigated by Master Agreements, if any, between the fund and the counterparty and the posting of collateral, if any, by the counterparty to the fund to cover the fund’s exposure to the counterparty. The Consolidated Statement of Operations reflects any unrealized gains or losses which occurred during the period as well as any realized gains or losses which occurred upon the expiration or closing of the option transaction. Options purchased open at October 31, 2023 are set forth in the Consolidated Statement of Investments. As of October 31, 2023, there were no options written outstanding.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts: The fund enters into forward contracts in order to hedge its exposure to changes in foreign
41
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
currency exchange rates on its foreign portfolio holdings, to settle foreign currency transactions or as a part of its investment strategy. When executing forward contracts, the fund is obligated to buy or sell a foreign currency at a specified rate on a certain date in the future. With respect to sales of forward contracts, the fund incurs a loss if the value of the contract increases between the date the forward contract is opened and the date the forward contract is closed. The fund realizes a gain if the value of the contract decreases between those dates. With respect to purchases of forward contracts, the fund incurs a loss if the value of the contract decreases between the date the forward contract is opened and the date the forward contract is closed. The fund realizes a gain if the value of the contract increases between those dates. Any realized or unrealized gains or losses which occurred during the period are reflected in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. The fund is exposed to foreign currency risk as a result of changes in value of underlying financial instruments. The fund is also exposed to credit risk associated with counterparty non-performance on these forward contracts, which is generally limited to the unrealized gain on each open contract. This risk may be mitigated by Master Agreements, if any, between the fund and the counterparty and the posting of collateral, if any, by the counterparty to the fund to cover the fund’s exposure to the counterparty. Forward contracts open at October 31, 2023 are set forth in the Consolidated Statement of Investments.
Total Return Swaps: Total return swaps involve commitments to pay interest in exchange for a market-linked return based on a notional principal amount. To the extent the total return of the security or index underlying the transaction exceeds or falls short of the specific reference entity, the fund either receives a payment from or makes a payment to the counterparty, respectively. Total return swaps are subject to general market risk, liquidity risk, counterparty risk and credit risk. This risk is mitigated by Master Agreements between the fund and the counterparty and the posting of collateral, if any, by the counterparty to the fund to cover the fund’s exposure to the counterparty. The underlying reference asset could be a security, an index, or basket of investments. Total return swaps open at October 31, 2023 are set forth in the Consolidated Statement of Swap Investments Agreements.
The following tables show the fund’s exposure to different types of market risk as it relates to the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities and the Consolidated Statement of Operations, respectively.
Fair value of derivative instruments as of October 31, 2023 is shown below:
42
| | | | | | | |
| | Derivative Assets ($) | | | | Derivative Liabilities ($) | |
Interest rate risk | 369,617 | 1 | Interest rate risk | (1,244,375) | 1 |
Equity risk | 544,149 | 1,2 | Equity risk | (848,022) | 1,3 |
Foreign exchange risk | 3,138,260 | 4 | Foreign exchange risk | (1,718,859) | 4 |
Commodity risk | 483,521 | 1 | Commodity risk | (878,125) | 1 |
Gross fair value of derivative contracts | 4,535,547 | | | | (4,689,381) | |
| | | | | | |
| Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities location: | |
1 | Includes cumulative appreciation (depreciation) on futures as reported in the Consolidated Statement of Investments, but only the unpaid variation margin is reported in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities. |
2 | Options purchased are included in Investments in securities—Unaffiliated issuers, at value. |
3 | Unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on swap agreements. |
4 | Unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts. |
The effect of derivative instruments in the Consolidated Statement of Operations during the period ended October 31, 2023 is shown below:
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Amount of realized gain (loss) on derivatives recognized in income ($) | |
Underlying risk | Futures | 1 | Options Transactions | 2 | Forward Contracts | 3 | Swap Agreements | 4 | Total | |
Interest rate | 1,826,395 | | - | | - | | - | | 1,826,395 | |
Equity | 1,619,763 | | 469,594 | | - | | 532,847 | | 2,622,204 | |
Foreign exchange | - | | - | | (2,813,227) | | - | | (2,813,227) | |
Commodity | (176,835) | | - | | - | | - | | (176,835) | |
Total | 3,269,323 | | 469,594 | | (2,813,227) | | 532,847 | | 1,458,537 | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on derivatives recognized in income ($) | |
Underlying risk | Futures | 5 | Options Transactions | 6 | Forward Contracts | 7 | Swap Agreements | 8 | Total | |
Interest rate | (828,274) | | - | | - | | - | | (828,274) | |
Equity | 1,909,410 | | (544,133) | | - | | (4,046) | | 1,361,231 | |
Foreign exchange | - | | - | | 1,304,375 | | - | | 1,304,375 | |
Commodity | (170,033) | | - | | - | | - | | (170,033) | |
Total | 911,103 | | (544,133) | | 1,304,375 | | (4,046) | | 1,667,299 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Consolidated Statement of Operations location: | |
1 | Net realized gain (loss) on futures. | | |
2 | Net realized gain (loss) on options transactions. |
3 | Net realized gain (loss) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts. | | |
4 | Net realized gain (loss) on swap agreements. | | |
5 | Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on futures. | | |
6 | Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on options transactions. | | |
7 | Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts. | |
8 | Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on swap agreements. | | |
43
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
The provisions of ASC Topic 210 “Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities” require disclosure on the offsetting of financial assets and liabilities. These disclosures are required for certain investments, including derivative financial instruments subject to Master Agreements which are eligible for offsetting in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities and require the fund to disclose both gross and net information with respect to such investments. For financial reporting purposes, the fund does not offset derivative assets and derivative liabilities that are subject to Master Agreements in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
At October 31, 2023, derivative assets and liabilities (by type) on a gross basis are as follows:
| | | | | |
Derivative Financial Instruments: | | Assets ($) | | Liabilities ($) | |
Futures | | 1,202,286 | | (2,966,476) | |
Options | | 195,001 | | - | |
Forward contracts | | 3,138,260 | | (1,718,859) | |
Swaps | | - | | (4,046) | |
Total gross amount of derivative | | | | | |
assets and liabilities in the | | | | | |
Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities | | 4,535,547 | | (4,689,381) | |
Derivatives not subject to | | | | | |
Master Agreements | | (1,397,287) | | 2,966,476 | |
Total gross amount of assets | | | | | |
and liabilities subject to | | | | | |
Master Agreements | | 3,138,260 | | (1,722,905) | |
The following tables present derivative assets and liabilities net of amounts available for offsetting under Master Agreements and net of related collateral received or pledged, if any, as of October 31, 2023:
44
| | | | | | |
| | | Financial | | | |
| | | Instruments | | | |
| | | and Derivatives | | | |
| Gross Amount | | Available | Collateral | | Net Amount |
Counterparty | of Assets ($) | 1 | for Offset ($) | Received ($) | 2 | of Assets ($) |
Barclays Capital, Inc. | 370,039 | | - | - | | 370,039 |
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | 284,947 | | (284,947) | - | | - |
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC | 691,035 | | (337,594) | - | | 353,441 |
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. | 240,549 | | (240,549) | - | | - |
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. | 703,429 | | (22,644) | (680,785) | | - |
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC | 848,261 | | (391,958) | (456,303) | | - |
Total | 3,138,260 | | (1,277,692) | (1,137,088) | | 723,480 |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | Financial | | | |
| | | Instruments | | | |
| Gross | | and Derivatives | | | Net |
| Amount of | | Available | Collateral | | Amount of |
Counterparty | Liabilities ($) | 1 | for Offset ($) | Pledged ($) | 2 | Liabilities ($) |
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | (298,525) | | 284,947 | - | | (13,578) |
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC | (337,594) | | 337,594 | - | | - |
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. | (663,653) | | 240,549 | 260,000 | | (163,104) |
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc. | (22,644) | | 22,644 | - | | - |
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC | (391,958) | | 391,958 | - | | - |
RBC Capital Markets, LLC | (8,531) | | - | - | | (8,531) |
Total | (1,722,905) | | 1,277,692 | 260,000 | | (185,213) |
| | | | | | |
1 Absent a default event or early termination, OTC derivative assets and liabilities are presented at gross amounts and are not offset in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities. |
2 In some instances, the actual collateral received and/or pledged may be more than the amount shown due to over collateralization. |
The following table summarizes the average market value of derivatives outstanding during the period ended October 31, 2023:
45
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
| | |
| | Average Market Value ($) |
Equity futures | | 64,537,316 |
Equity options contracts | | 930,554 |
Interest rate futures | | 129,030,643 |
Forward contracts | | 231,766,593 |
Commodity futures | | 41,237,904 |
The following table summarizes the average notional value of swap agreements outstanding during the period ended October 31, 2023:
| | |
| | Average Notional Value ($) |
Equity total return swap agreements | | 15,582,307 |
| | |
At October 31, 2023, the cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was $109,814,257; accordingly, accumulated net unrealized depreciation on investments inclusive of derivative contracts was $12,500,597, consisting of $4,345,999 gross unrealized appreciation and $16,846,596 gross unrealized depreciation.
46
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of BNY Mellon Dynamic Total Return Fund
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated statement of assets and liabilities of BNY Mellon Dynamic Total Return Fund (the “Fund”) (one of the funds constituting BNY Mellon Advantage Funds, Inc.(the “Company”)), including the consolidated statement of investments, as of October 31, 2023, and the related consolidated statement of operations for the year then ended, the consolidated statements of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, the consolidated financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Fund (one of the funds constituting BNY Mellon Advantage Funds, Inc.) at October 31, 2023, the consolidated results of its operations for the year then ended, the consolidated changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended and its consolidated financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of October 31, 2023, by correspondence with the custodian, brokers and others; when replies were not received from brokers and others, we performed other auditing procedures. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
We have served as the auditor of one or more investment companies in the BNY Mellon Family of Funds since at least 1957, but we are unable to determine the specific year.
New York, New York
December 22, 2023
47
PROXY RESULTS (Unaudited)
A special meeting of the Company’s shareholders was held on October 12, 2023. The proposal considered at the meeting and the results were as follows:
| | | | |
| | Shares |
| | For | | Authority Withheld |
To elect Board Members to hold office until their successors are duly elected and qualified† | | | |
| Francine J. Bovich | 165,556,384 | | 2,001,769 |
| Michael D. DiLecce | 165,574,410 | | 1,983,742 |
| Gina D. France | 165,046,263 | | 2,511,889 |
| Joan L. Gulley | 164,763,074 | | 2,795,079 |
| Nathan Leventhal | 165,032,642 | | 2,525,511 |
† Each Board Member’s term to commence January 1, 2024
In addition, Joseph S. DiMartino, Peggy C. Davis and Robin A. Melvin continue as Board Members of the Company. Mses. France and Gulley currently are Board Members of the Company, but have not been previously elected by shareholders.
48
LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM (Unaudited)
The fund adopted a liquidity risk management program (the “Liquidity Risk Management Program”) pursuant to the requirements of Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. Rule 22e-4 requires registered open-end funds, including mutual funds and exchange-traded funds but not money market funds, to establish liquidity risk management programs in order to effectively manage fund liquidity and shareholder redemptions. The rule is designed to mitigate the risk that a fund could not meet redemption requests without significantly diluting the interests of remaining investors.
The rule requires the fund to assess, manage and review their liquidity risk at least annually considering applicable factors such as investment strategy and liquidity during normal and foreseeable stressed conditions, including whether the strategy is appropriate for an open-end fund and whether the fund has a relatively concentrated portfolio or large positions in particular issuers. The fund must also assess its use of borrowings and derivatives, short-term and long-term cash flow projections in normal and stressed conditions, holdings of cash and cash equivalents, and borrowing arrangements and other funding sources.
The rule also requires the fund to classify its investments as highly liquid, moderately liquid, less liquid or illiquid based on the number of days the fund expects it would take to liquidate the investment, and to review these classifications at least monthly or more often under certain conditions. The periods range from three or fewer business days for a highly liquid investment to greater than seven calendar days for settlement of a less liquid investment. Illiquid investments are those a fund does not expect to be able to sell or dispose of within seven calendar days without significantly changing the market value. The fund is prohibited from acquiring an investment if, after the acquisition, its holdings of illiquid assets will exceed 15% of its net assets. In addition, if a fund permits redemptions in-kind, the rule requires the fund to establish redemption in-kind policies and procedures governing how and when it will engage in such redemptions.
Pursuant to the rule’s requirements, the Liquidity Risk Management Program has been reviewed and approved by the Board. Furthermore, the Board has received a written report prepared by the Program’s Administrator that addresses the operation of the Program, assesses its adequacy and effectiveness and describes any material changes made to the Program.
Assessment of Program
In the opinion of the Program Administrator, the Program approved by the Board continues to be adequate for the fund and the Program has been implemented effectively. The Program Administrator has monitored the fund’s liquidity risk and the liquidity classification of the securities held by the fund and has determined that the Program is operating effectively.
During the period from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, there were no material changes to the Program and no material liquidity events that impacted the fund. During the period, the fund held sufficient highly liquid assets to meet fund redemptions.
Under normal expected foreseeable fund redemption forecasts and foreseeable stressed fund redemption forecasts, the Program Administrator believes that the fund maintains sufficient highly liquid assets to meet expected fund redemptions.
49
BOARD MEMBERS INFORMATION (Unaudited)
Independent Board Members
Joseph S. DiMartino (80)
Chairman of the Board (1995)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· Director or Trustee of funds in the BNY Mellon Family of Funds and certain other entities (as described in the fund’s Statement of Additional Information) (1995-Present)
Other Public Company Board Memberships During Past 5 Years:
· CBIZ, Inc., a public company providing professional business services, products and solutions, Director (1997-May 2023)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 86
———————
Peggy C. Davis (80)
Board Member (2006)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· Shad Professor of Law, New York University School of Law (1983-Present)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 29
———————
Gina D. France (65)
Board Member (2019)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· France Strategic Partners, a strategy and advisory firm serving corporate clients across the United States, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer (2003-Present)
Other Public Company Board Memberships During Past 5 Years:
· Huntington Bancshares, a bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Director (2016-Present)
· Cedar Fair, L.P., a publicly-traded partnership that owns and operates amusement parks and hotels in the U.S. and Canada, Director (2011-May 2023)
· CBIZ, Inc., a public company providing professional business services, products and solutions, Director (2015-Present)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 22
———————
Joan Gulley (76)
Board Member (2017)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· Nantucket Atheneum, public library, Chair (June 2018-June 2021) and Director (2015-June 2021)
· Orchard Island Club, golf and beach club, Governor (2016-Present) and President (February 2023-Present)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 39
———————
50
Robin A. Melvin (60)
Board Member (2012)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· Westover School, a private girls’ boarding school in Middlebury, Connecticut, Trustee (2019-June 2023)
· Mentor Illinois, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the quantity and quality of mentoring services in Illinois, Co-Chair (2014–2020); Board Member (2013-2020)
· JDRF, a non-profit juvenile diabetes research foundation, Board Member (June 2021-June 2022)
Other Public Company Board Memberships During Past 5 Years:
· HPS Corporate Lending Fund, a closed-end management investment company regulated as a business development company, Trustee (August 2021-Present)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 68
———————
Michael D. DiLecce (61)
Advisory Board Member (2022)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· Retired since July 2022. Global Asset Management Assurance Leader, Ernst & Young LLP (2015-2022)
· Americas Regional Talent Managing Partner for Ernst & Young’s Financial Service Practice (2017-2021)
· Partner, Ernst & Young LLP (1997-2022)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 22
———————
The address of the Board Members and Officers is c/o BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc., 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286. Additional information about each Board Member is available in the fund’s Statement of Additional Information which can be obtained from the Adviser free of charge by calling this toll free number: 1-800-373-9387.
51
OFFICERS OF THE FUND (Unaudited)
DAVID DIPETRILLO, President since January 2021.
Vice President and Director of the Adviser since February 2021; Head of North America Distribution, BNY Mellon Investment Management since February 2023; and Head of North America Product, BNY Mellon Investment Management from January 2018 to February 2023. He is an officer of 53 investment companies (comprised of 102 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 45 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since 2005.
JAMES WINDELS, Treasurer since November 2001.
Director of the Adviser since February 2023; Vice President of the Adviser since September 2020; and Director–BNY Mellon Fund Administration. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 65 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since April 1985.
PETER M. SULLIVAN, Chief Legal Officer since July 2021 and Vice President and Assistant Secretary since March 2019.
Chief Legal Officer of the Adviser and Associate General Counsel of BNY Mellon since July 2021; Senior Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon from December 2020 to July 2021; and Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon from March 2009 to December 2020. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 55 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since April 2004.
JAMES BITETTO, Vice President since August 2005 and Secretary since February 2018.
Senior Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon since December 2019; Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon from April 2014 to December 2019; and Secretary of the Adviser. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 57 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since December 1996.
DEIRDRE CUNNANE, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since March 2019.
Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon since December 2021; and Counsel of BNY Mellon from August 2018 to December 2021. She is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 33 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since August 2013.
SARAH S. KELLEHER, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since April 2014.
Vice President of BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser; LLC since February 2020; Senior Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon since September 2021; and Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon from December 2017 to September 2021. She is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 48 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since March 2013.
JEFF PRUSNOFSKY, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since August 2005.
Senior Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 58 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since October 1990.
AMANDA QUINN, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since March 2020.
Counsel of BNY Mellon since June 2019; Regulatory Administration Manager at BNY Mellon Investment Management Services from September 2018 to May 2019. She is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 38 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since June 2012.
JOANNE SKERRETT, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since March 2023.
Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon since June 2022; and Senior Counsel with the Mutual Fund Directors Forum, a leading funds industry organization, from 2016 to June 2022. She is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 51 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since June 2022.
52
NATALYA ZELENSKY, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since March 2017.
Chief Compliance Officer since August 2021 and Vice President since February 2020 of BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC; Chief Compliance Officer since August 2021 and Vice President and Assistant Secretary since February 2020 of BNY Mellon ETF Trust; Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon from December 2019 to August 2021; Counsel of BNY Mellon from May 2016 to December 2019; and Assistant Secretary of the Adviser from April 2018 to August 2021. She is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 38 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since May 2016.
DANIEL GOLDSTEIN, Vice President since March 2022.
Head of Product Development of North America Distribution, BNY Mellon Investment Management since January 2018; Executive Vice President of North America Product, BNY Mellon Investment Management since April 2023; and Senior Vice President, Development & Oversight of North America Product, BNY Mellon Investment Management from 2010 to March 2023. He is an officer of 53 investment companies (comprised of 102 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 54 years old and has been an employee of the Distributor since 1991.
JOSEPH MARTELLA, Vice President since March 2022.
Vice President of the Adviser since December 2022; Head of Product Management of North America Distribution, BNY Mellon Investment Management since January 2018; Executive Vice President of North America Product, BNY Mellon Investment Management since April 2023; and Senior Vice President of North America Product, BNY Mellon Investment Management from 2010 to March 2023. He is an officer of 53 investment companies (comprised of 102 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 47 years old and has been an employee of the Distributor since 1999.
GAVIN C. REILLY, Assistant Treasurer since December 2005.
Tax Manager–BNY Mellon Fund Administration. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 55 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since April 1991.
ROBERT SALVIOLO, Assistant Treasurer since July 2007.
Senior Accounting Manager–BNY Mellon Fund Administration. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 56 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since June 1989.
ROBERT SVAGNA, Assistant Treasurer since December 2002.
Senior Accounting Manager–BNY Mellon Fund Administration. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 56 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since November 1990.
JOSEPH W. CONNOLLY, Chief Compliance Officer since October 2004.
Chief Compliance Officer of the BNY Mellon Family of Funds and BNY Mellon Funds Trust since 2004; and Chief Compliance Officer of the Adviser from 2004 until June 2021. He is the Chief Compliance Officer of 53 investment companies (comprised of 105 portfolios) managed by the Adviser. He is 66 years old.
CARIDAD M. CAROSELLA, Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer since January 2016.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer of the BNY Mellon Family of Funds and BNY Mellon Funds Trust. She is an officer of 47 investment companies (comprised of 114 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 55 years old and has been an employee of the Distributor since 1997.
53
BNY Mellon Dynamic Total Return Fund
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286
Adviser
BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc.
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286
Sub-Adviser
Newton Investment Management
North America, LLC
201 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02108
Custodian
The Bank of New York Mellon
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286
Transfer Agent &
Dividend Disbursing Agent
BNY Mellon Transfer, Inc.
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286
Distributor
BNY Mellon Securities Corporation
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286
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Ticker Symbols: | Class A: AVGAX Class C: AVGCX Class I: AVGRX Class Y: AVGYX |
Telephone Call your financial representative or 1-800-373-9387
Mail The BNY Mellon Family of Funds, 144 Glenn Curtiss Boulevard, Uniondale, NY 11556-0144
E-mail Send your request to info@bnymellon.com
Internet Information can be viewed online or downloaded at www.im.bnymellon.com
The fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-PORT. The fund’s Forms N-PORT are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
A description of the policies and procedures that the fund uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities and information regarding how the fund voted these proxies for the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available at www.im.bnymellon.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-373-9387.
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© 2023 BNY Mellon Securities Corporation 6140AR1023 | |
BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond Income Fund
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ANNUAL REPORT October 31, 2023 |
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Save time. Save paper. View your next shareholder report online as soon as it’s available. Log into www.im.bnymellon.com and sign up for eCommunications. It’s simple and only takes a few minutes. |
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The views expressed in this report reflect those of the portfolio manager(s) only through the end of the period covered and do not necessarily represent the views of BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. or any other person in the BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. organization. Any such views are subject to change at any time based upon market or other conditions and BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. disclaims any responsibility to update such views. These views may not be relied on as investment advice and, because investment decisions for a fund in the BNY Mellon Family of Funds are based on numerous factors, may not be relied on as an indication of trading intent on behalf of any fund in the BNY Mellon Family of Funds. |
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Not FDIC-Insured • Not Bank-Guaranteed • May Lose Value |
Contents
THE FUND
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Back Cover
DISCUSSION OF FUND PERFORMANCE (Unaudited)
For the period from November 1, 2022, through October 31, 2023, as provided by Paul Brain, Parmeshwar Chadha and Howard Cunningham, portfolio managers employed by the fund’s sub-adviser, Newton Investment Management Limited.
Market and Fund Performance Overview
For the 12-month period ended October 31, 2023, the BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond Income Fund (the “fund”) produced a total return of 3.42% for Class A shares, 2.68% for Class C shares, 3.70% for Class I shares and 3.76% for Class Y shares.1 In comparison, the fund’s benchmark, the FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index (the “Index”), produced a total return of 4.85% and the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR Index produced a total return of 4.67% for the same period.2,3
Global bond prices produced mixed returns, with high yield segments of the market performing relatively well while government bonds generally lost ground. The fund underperformed the Index, due largely to positions in developed-markets bonds.
The Fund’s Investment Approach
The fund seeks total return (consisting of income and capital appreciation). To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in bonds and other instruments that provide investment exposure to global bond markets. The fund normally invests opportunistically in bonds and derivatives and other instruments that provide investment exposure to global bond and currency markets, in seeking to produce positive returns across economic cycles. The fund’s investments will be focused globally among the developed- and emerging-capital markets of the world. The fund ordinarily invests in at least three countries, and, at times, may invest a substantial portion of its assets in a single country. The fund seeks to provide a minimum average annual total return of USD 30-day Compounded SOFR plus 3%, before fees and expenses, over a five-year period. There can be no guarantee that the fund will be able to provide such returns, and you may lose money by investing in the fund.
The fund’s sub-adviser, Newton Investment Management Limited, employs a dynamic approach in allocating the fund’s assets globally, principally among government bonds, foreign country sovereign debt, debt obligations of supranational entities, emerging-markets sovereign debt, investment-grade and high yield (“junk”) corporate instruments, and currencies. Under normal market conditions, the fund invests significantly (at least 40% of its net assets) in issuers organized or located outside the United States, whose primary listing exchange for securities is located outside the United States, and whose largest amount of revenues is derived from countries outside the United States or whose reporting currencies are other than U.S. dollars.
The fund’s sub-adviser has considerable latitude in allocating the fund’s investments and in selecting securities and derivative instruments to implement the fund’s investment approach. The fund, however, normally invests at least 10% of its net assets in each of government bonds, emerging-markets sovereign debt, and investment-grade and high yield corporate instruments.
2
Rising Rates Increase Undermine Government Bond Prices
Central banks remained hawkish in the fight against inflation during the period. Official interest rates were raised on numerous occasions across major economies, with the peak in U.S. 10-year Treasury yields occurring near the end of the period. Developed-markets government bond returns were negative, with positive returns being posted at the opposite end of the risk spectrum by high yield. Generally, the best performing asset classes were that ones with the highest spread (and yield) as “carry” was the biggest determinant of returns.
Interest-rate rises had a cumulatively deleterious impact on U.S. regional banks, and Credit Suisse was subject to a government-orchestrated takeover in March 2023. Financial conditions continued to tighten, and all-in borrowing costs for companies rose steadily during the period. Moreover, concerns grew regarding the market’s ability to absorb the large amount of debt issuance from the U.S. Treasury. On the political front, concerns regarding the U.S. debt ceiling continued to simmer in the background. In early October 2023, the Israel/Gaza situation flared up, driving energy prices higher.
Government Bond Positions Detract from Fund Performance
Positions in developed-markets government bonds drove the fund’s underperformance relative to the Index. Such holdings produced negative returns, with notably weak performance from long-dated Australia, New Zealand and U.S. Treasury securities. The fund’s derivative exposure to certain government bond markets helped offset some of the losses. Within credit, the fund also suffered a default on a holding in Diamond Sports, which filed for Chapter 11; however, the very small position size limited the negative impact on overall returns. In emerging markets, Bolivian bonds detracted as well.
Conversely, the vast majority of the fund’s positive returns were derived from emerging-markets sovereigns and high yield. In emerging markets, top performers included Colombia and Brazil sovereigns denominated in local currency, and a local currency emerging-markets ETF. In high yield, an Asian high yield ETF led performance, followed by exposure to Wynn Macau and several AT1s (additional Tier 1 bonds). The fund’s investment-grade positions also posted positive returns, with AT1s the standout performers.
During the period, the fund held government bond derivative positions on both the long and short side at various points to express curve views, to hedge exposures and to change the risk-reward profile. Overall, these derivatives produced positive returns.
Positioning the Fund as Peak Rates Approach
As of October 31, 2023, with the interest-rate cycle likely nearing a peak and given the cumulative effect of rate hikes and tightening financial conditions, we favor developed- and emerging-markets government debt over credit. Within credit, we prefer investment grade over high yield.
The fund’s overall duration has been reduced to slightly below three years. Of that, emerging-markets sovereigns account for the largest duration contribution (approximately one year), with a bias toward local currency debt. Developed-markets government bonds account for 0.7 (net of short positions in the United States, Germany, France and the UK). High yield exposure has declined significantly, from approximately 29% earlier in the period
3
DISCUSSION OF FUND PERFORMANCE (Unaudited) (continued)
to approximately 11% as of October 31, 2023. Investment-grade exposure has increased mildly.
November 15, 2023
1 Total return includes reinvestment of dividends and any capital gains paid and does not take into consideration the maximum initial sales charge in the case of Class A shares or the applicable contingent deferred sales charge imposed on redemptions in the case of Class C shares. Had these charges been reflected, returns would have been lower. Class I and Class Y shares are not subject to any initial or deferred sales charge. The fund’s return reflects the absorption of certain fund expenses by BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. pursuant to an agreement in effect through March 1, 2024, at which time it may be extended, modified or terminated. Had these expenses not been absorbed, returns would have been lower. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
2 Source: Lipper Inc. — The FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index consists of the last, one-month, Treasury bill month-end rates. The FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index measures return equivalents of yield averages. The instruments are not marked to market. Investors cannot invest directly in any index.
3 Source: FactSet ----The Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) Index measures the cumulative impact of compounding the SOFR on a unit of investment over time, with the initial value set to 1.00000000 on April 2, 2018, the first value date of the SOFR. The SOFR Index value reflects the effect of compounding the SOFR each business day and allows the calculation of compounded SOFR averages over custom time periods. Investors cannot invest directly in any index.
Bonds are subject generally to interest-rate, credit, liquidity and market risks, to varying degrees, all of which are more fully described in the fund’s prospectus. Generally, all other factors being equal, bond prices are inversely related to interest-rate changes, and rate increases can cause price declines.
High yield bonds are subject to increased credit risk and are considered speculative in terms of the issuer’s perceived ability to continue making interest payments on a timely basis and to repay principal upon maturity.
Foreign bonds are subject to special risks, including exposure to currency fluctuations, changing political and economic conditions, and potentially less liquidity.
Investments in foreign currencies are subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar, or, in the case of hedged positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline relative to the currency being hedged. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. A decline in the value of foreign currencies relative to the U.S. dollar will reduce the value of securities held by the fund and denominated in those currencies. The use of leverage may magnify the fund’s gains or losses. For derivatives with a leveraging component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset can result in a loss that is much greater than the original investment in the derivative.
The fund may at times invest a substantial portion of its assets in a single country.
The fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments. A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the fund’s performance. The use of derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets.
4
FUND PERFORMANCE (Unaudited)
Comparison of change in value of a $10,000 investment in Class A shares, Class C shares, and Class I shares of BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond Income Fund with a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in the FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index.
† Source: Lipper Inc.
Past performance is not predictive of future performance.
The above graph compares a hypothetical investment of $10,000 made in each of the Class A shares, Class C shares, and Class I shares of BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond Income Fund on 10/31/13 to a hypothetical investment of $10,000 made in the FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index on that date. All dividends and capital gain distributions are reinvested.
The fund’s performance shown in the line graph above takes into account the maximum initial sales charge on Class A shares and all other applicable fees and expenses on Class A shares, Class C shares, and Class I shares. The FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index consists of the last one-month Treasury bill month-end rates. The FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index measures return equivalents of yield averages. The instruments are not marked to market. Unlike a mutual fund, the indices are not subject to charges, fees and other expenses. Investors cannot invest directly in any index. Further information relating to fund performance, including expense reimbursements, if applicable, is contained in the Financial Highlights section of the prospectus and elsewhere in this report.
5
FUND PERFORMANCE (Unaudited) (continued)
Comparison of change in value of a $10,000 investment in Class A shares, Class C shares, and Class I shares of BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond Income Fund with a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR.
† Source: FactSet.
Past performance is not predictive of future performance.
The above graph compares a hypothetical investment of $10,000 made in each of the Class A shares, Class C shares, and Class I shares of BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond Income Fund on 11/1/21 to a hypothetical investment of $10,000 made in the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR on that date. All dividends and capital gain distributions are reinvested.
Effective 11/1/21, the fund changed its benchmark from USD 1-Month LIBOR to the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR. Performance information for the fund versus the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR is included in the graph and table on the next page.
The fund’s performance shown in the line graph above takes into account the maximum initial sales charge on Class A shares and all other applicable fees and expenses on Class A shares, Class C shares, and Class I shares. The USD 1-Month SOFR + 4% per annum Index reflects the Performance Aim for the strategy underlying the fund, over five-year periods (gross of fees). Intrinsic to absolute return funds is an unconstrained investment approach and an internal performance measurement against a goal that reflects portfolio construction focused on risk management and that is designed to deliver positive returns in changing market environments. By contrast, more traditional “relative return” funds are managed to and measured against broad-based benchmark indices, rather than against “absolute” measures of principal risk. SOFR represents the rate at which the world’s most preferred borrowers are able to borrow money and serves as a benchmark for short-term interest rates. Unlike a mutual fund, the indices are not subject to charges, fees and other expenses. Investors cannot invest directly in any index. Further information relating to fund performance, including expense reimbursements, if applicable, is contained in the Financial Highlights section of the prospectus and elsewhere in this report.
6
Comparison of change in value of a $1,000,000 investment in Class Y shares of BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond Income Fund with a hypothetical investment of $1,000,000 in the FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index.
† Source: Lipper Inc.
Past performance is not predictive of future performance.
The above graph compares a hypothetical investment of $1,000,000 made in Class Y shares of BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond Income Fund on 10/31/13 to a hypothetical investment of $1,000,000 made in the FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index on that date. All dividends and capital gain distributions are reinvested.
The fund’s performance shown in the line graph above takes into account all applicable fees and expenses of the fund’s Class Y shares. The FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index consists of the last one-month Treasury bill month-end rates. The FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index measures return equivalents of yield averages. The instruments are not marked to market. Unlike a mutual fund, the indices are not subject to charges, fees and other expenses. Investors cannot invest directly in any index. Further information relating to fund performance, including expense reimbursements, if applicable, is contained in the Financial Highlights section of the prospectus and elsewhere in this report.
7
FUND PERFORMANCE (Unaudited) (continued)
Comparison of change in value of a $1,000,000 investment in Class Y shares of BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond Income Fund with a hypothetical investment of $1,000,000 in the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR.
† Source: FactSet.
Past performance is not predictive of future performance.
The above graph compares a hypothetical investment of $1,000,000 made in Class Y shares of BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond Income Fund on 11/1/21 to a hypothetical investment of $1,000,000 made in the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR on that date. All dividends and capital gain distributions are reinvested.
Effective 11/1/21, the fund changed its benchmark from USD 1-Month LIBOR to the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR. Performance information for the fund versus the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR is included in the graph and table on the next page.
The fund’s performance shown in the line graph above takes into account all applicable fees and expenses of the fund’s Class Y shares. The USD 1-Month SOFR + 4% per annum Index reflects the Performance Aim for the strategy underlying the fund, over five-year periods (gross of fees). Intrinsic to absolute return funds is an unconstrained investment approach and an internal performance measurement against a goal that reflects portfolio construction focused on risk management and that is designed to deliver positive returns in changing market environments. By contrast, more traditional “relative return” funds are managed to and measured against broad-based benchmark indices, rather than against “absolute” measures of principal risk. SOFR represents the rate at which the world’s most preferred borrowers are able to borrow money and serves as a benchmark for short-term interest rates. Unlike a mutual fund, the indices are not subject to charges, fees and other expenses. Investors cannot invest directly in any index. Further information relating to fund performance, including expense reimbursements, if applicable, is contained in the Financial Highlights section of the prospectus and elsewhere in this report.
8
| | | | | |
Average Annual Total Returns as of 10/31/2023 |
| Inception Date | 1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years | |
Class A shares | | | | | |
with maximum sales charge (4.50%) | 3/25/11 | -1.27% | -.21% | .66% | |
without sales charge | 3/25/11 | 3.42% | .72% | 1.12% | |
Class C shares | | | | | |
with applicable redemption charge † | 3/25/11 | 1.73% | -.05% | .35% | |
without redemption | 3/25/11 | 2.68% | -.05% | .35% | |
Class I shares | 3/25/11 | 3.70% | .98% | 1.37% | |
Class Y shares | 7/1/13 | 3.76% | 1.07% | 1.43% | |
FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index | | 4.85% | 1.74% | 1.12% | |
USD 30-Day Compounded SOFR †† | 11/1/21 | 4.67% | 1.71% | - | |
† The maximum contingent deferred sales charge for Class C shares is 1% for shares redeemed within one year of the date of purchase.
†† Effective 11/1/21, the fund changed its benchmark from USD 1-Month LIBOR to the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR. Performance information for the fund versus the 30-day Compounded SOFR from 11/1/21 is shown in the table.
The performance data quoted represents past performance, which is no guarantee of future results. Share price and investment return fluctuate and an investor’s shares may be worth more or less than original cost upon redemption. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. Go to www.im.bnymellon.com for the fund’s most recent month-end returns.
The fund's performance shown in the graphs and table does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares. In addition to the performance of Class A shares shown with and without a maximum sales charge, the fund's performance shown in the table takes into account all other applicable fees and expenses on all classes.
9
UNDERSTANDING YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES (Unaudited)
As a mutual fund investor, you pay ongoing expenses, such as management fees and other expenses. Using the information below, you can estimate how these expenses affect your investment and compare them with the expenses of other funds. You also may pay one-time transaction expenses, including sales charges (loads) and redemption fees, which are not shown in this section and would have resulted in higher total expenses. For more information, see your fund’s prospectus or talk to your financial adviser.
Review your fund’s expenses
The table below shows the expenses you would have paid on a $1,000 investment in BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond Income Fund from May 1, 2023 to October 31, 2023. It also shows how much a $1,000 investment would be worth at the close of the period, assuming actual returns and expenses.
| | | | | | |
Expenses and Value of a $1,000 Investment | |
Assume actual returns for the six months ended October 31, 2023 | |
| | | | | | |
| | Class A | Class C | Class I | Class Y | |
Expenses paid per $1,000† | $5.23 | $8.95 | $3.64 | $3.39 | |
Ending value (after expenses) | $975.70 | $972.20 | $976.80 | $976.90 | |
COMPARING YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES WITH THOSE OF OTHER FUNDS (Unaudited)
Using the SEC’s method to compare expenses
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has established guidelines to help investors assess fund expenses. Per these guidelines, the table below shows your fund’s expenses based on a $1,000 investment, assuming a hypothetical 5% annualized return. You can use this information to compare the ongoing expenses (but not transaction expenses or total cost) of investing in the fund with those of other funds. All mutual fund shareholder reports will provide this information to help you make this comparison. Please note that you cannot use this information to estimate your actual ending account balance and expenses paid during the period.
| | | | | | |
Expenses and Value of a $1,000 Investment | |
Assuming a hypothetical 5% annualized return for the six months ended October 31, 2023 | |
| | | | | | |
| | Class A | Class C | Class I | Class Y | |
Expenses paid per $1,000† | $5.35 | $9.15 | $3.72 | $3.47 | |
Ending value (after expenses) | $1,019.91 | $1,016.13 | $1,021.53 | $1,021.78 | |
† | Expenses are equal to the fund’s annualized expense ratio of 1.05% for Class A, 1.80% for Class C, .73% for Class I and .68% for Class Y, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 184/365 (to reflect the one-half year period). |
10
STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS
October 31, 2023
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Description | Coupon Rate (%) | | Maturity Date | | Principal Amount ($) | a | Value ($) | |
Bonds and Notes - 90.5% | | | | | |
Australia - 3.9% | | | | | |
Australia, Sr. Unscd. Bonds, Ser. 156 | AUD | 2.75 | | 5/21/2041 | | 5,710,000 | | 2,586,416 | |
Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Covered Bonds | | 3.21 | | 5/27/2025 | | 970,000 | b,c | 933,894 | |
Queensland Treasury Corp., Govt. Gtd. Notes | AUD | 5.25 | | 7/21/2036 | | 1,900,000 | b | 1,146,255 | |
| 4,666,565 | |
Austria - .3% | | | | | |
Benteler International AG, Sr. Scd. Bonds | EUR | 9.38 | | 5/15/2028 | | 290,000 | | 310,369 | |
Azerbaijan - .6% | | | | | |
Azerbaijan, Sr. Unscd. Bonds | | 5.13 | | 9/1/2029 | | 843,000 | | 775,315 | |
Bahamas - .3% | | | | | |
Bahamas, Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 8.95 | | 10/15/2032 | | 390,000 | | 338,815 | |
Bermuda - .4% | | | | | |
Hiscox Ltd., Sr. Unscd. Notes | GBP | 6.00 | | 9/22/2027 | | 375,000 | | 453,510 | |
Brazil - 4.6% | | | | | |
Brazil, Sr. Unscd. Bonds | | 5.00 | | 1/27/2045 | | 2,035,000 | | 1,464,307 | |
Brazil Letras do Tesouro Nacional, Treasury Bills | BRL | 0.00 | | 7/1/2027 | | 30,000,000 | d | 4,012,758 | |
| 5,477,065 | |
British Virgin - .0% | | | | | |
Greenland Global Investment Ltd., Gtd. Notes | | 7.13 | | 4/22/2029 | | 361,000 | e | 26,683 | |
Canada - 2.6% | | | | | |
Bank of Montreal, Covered Bonds | | 3.75 | | 7/25/2025 | | 610,000 | b,c | 591,600 | |
Canada, Bonds | CAD | 4.00 | | 12/1/2031 | | 2,537,260 | f | 2,056,869 | |
Canada Housing Trust, Govt. Gtd. Bonds | CAD | 0.95 | | 6/15/2025 | | 645,000 | b | 437,177 | |
| 3,085,646 | |
Cayman Islands - .0% | | | | | |
KWG Group Holdings Ltd., Sr. Scd. Bonds | | 7.88 | | 8/30/2024 | | 260,000 | g | 20,345 | |
Shimao Group Holdings Ltd., Sr. Scd. Bonds | | 4.75 | | 7/3/2022 | | 465,000 | g | 12,788 | |
| 33,133 | |
Chile - .2% | | | | | |
VTR Comunicaciones SpA, Sr. Scd. Notes | | 4.38 | | 4/15/2029 | | 473,000 | b | 203,897 | |
Colombia - 1.1% | | | | | |
Colombia, Bonds | COP | 6.00 | | 4/28/2028 | | 3,819,000,000 | | 768,901 | |
Colombia, Bonds | COP | 7.00 | | 6/30/2032 | | 2,890,600,000 | | 531,545 | |
| 1,300,446 | |
11
STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Description | Coupon Rate (%) | | Maturity Date | | Principal Amount ($) | a | Value ($) | |
Bonds and Notes - 90.5% (continued) | | | | | |
Denmark - .4% | | | | | |
Orsted AS, Gtd. Notes | EUR | 3.25 | | 9/13/2031 | | 519,000 | | 513,509 | |
Egypt - .1% | | | | | |
Egypt, Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 7.50 | | 1/31/2027 | | 200,000 | | 139,500 | |
France - 1.8% | | | | | |
Altice France SA, Sr. Scd. Notes | EUR | 3.38 | | 1/15/2028 | | 273,000 | | 209,733 | |
BNP Paribas SA, Jr. Sub. Notes | | 7.38 | | 8/19/2025 | | 920,000 | h | 898,619 | |
Cerba Healthcare Saca, Sr. Scd. Bonds | EUR | 3.50 | | 5/31/2028 | | 186,000 | | 160,479 | |
Cie de Saint-Gobain SA, Sr. Unscd. Notes | EUR | 1.63 | | 8/10/2025 | | 600,000 | | 610,678 | |
Iliad Holding SASU, Sr. Scd. Notes | EUR | 5.63 | | 10/15/2028 | | 213,000 | | 213,587 | |
| 2,093,096 | |
Germany - 2.5% | | | | | |
Deutsche Bundesrepublik, Bonds | EUR | 0.10 | | 4/15/2026 | | 2,288,647 | f | 2,377,065 | |
Infineon Technologies AG, Jr. Sub. Bonds | EUR | 3.63 | | 4/1/2028 | | 200,000 | h | 193,837 | |
Peach Property Finance GmbH, Sr. Unscd. Notes | EUR | 4.38 | | 11/15/2025 | | 206,000 | | 173,943 | |
TK Elevator Midco GmbH, Sr. Scd. Bonds | EUR | 4.38 | | 7/15/2027 | | 233,000 | | 223,982 | |
| 2,968,827 | |
Guatemala - .8% | | | | | |
Guatemala, Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 4.50 | | 5/3/2026 | | 950,000 | | 900,277 | |
Hungary - .2% | | | | | |
OTP Bank Nyrt, Sub. Notes | | 8.75 | | 5/15/2033 | | 290,000 | | 287,382 | |
Indonesia - 3.1% | | | | | |
Indonesia, Bonds, Ser. FR81 | IDR | 6.50 | | 6/15/2025 | | 29,920,000,000 | | 1,870,146 | |
Indonesia, Bonds, Ser. FR91 | IDR | 6.38 | | 4/15/2032 | | 29,285,000,000 | | 1,762,059 | |
| 3,632,205 | |
Ireland - 1.1% | | | | | |
AIB Group PLC, Sr. Unscd. Notes | EUR | 4.63 | | 7/23/2029 | | 428,000 | | 445,575 | |
Bank of Ireland Group PLC, Jr. Sub. Notes | EUR | 7.50 | | 11/19/2025 | | 480,000 | h | 501,648 | |
Virgin Media Vendor Financing Notes III DAC, Sr. Scd. Bonds | GBP | 4.88 | | 7/15/2028 | | 300,000 | | 306,661 | |
| 1,253,884 | |
Italy - 1.4% | | | | | |
Cedacri Mergeco SpA, Sr. Scd. Notes, (3 Month EURIBOR +4.63%) | EUR | 8.42 | | 5/15/2028 | | 204,000 | i | 208,513 | |
Conceria Pasubio SpA, Sr. Scd. Bonds, (3 Month EURIBOR +4.50%) | EUR | 8.46 | | 9/30/2028 | | 240,000 | i | 244,897 | |
FIS Fabbrica Italiana Sintetici SpA, Sr. Scd. Bonds | EUR | 5.63 | | 8/1/2027 | | 170,000 | | 163,550 | |
12
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Description | Coupon Rate (%) | | Maturity Date | | Principal Amount ($) | a | Value ($) | |
Bonds and Notes - 90.5% (continued) | | | | | |
Italy - 1.4% (continued) | | | | | |
Intesa Sanpaolo SpA, Sr. Unscd. Notes | GBP | 6.63 | | 5/31/2033 | | 480,000 | | 556,829 | |
UniCredit SpA, Jr. Sub. Notes | EUR | 3.88 | | 6/3/2027 | | 600,000 | h | 471,317 | |
| 1,645,106 | |
Japan - 1.3% | | | | | |
Japan (40 Year Issue), Bonds, Ser. 15 | JPY | 1.00 | | 3/20/2062 | | 103,500,000 | | 514,291 | |
Japan (40 Year Issue), Bonds, Ser. 9 | JPY | 0.40 | | 3/20/2056 | | 235,400,000 | | 1,003,755 | |
| 1,518,046 | |
Luxembourg - .8% | | | | | |
Albion Financing 1 Sarl/Aggreko Holdings, Inc., Sr. Scd. Notes | EUR | 5.25 | | 10/15/2026 | | 209,000 | | 210,116 | |
Altice France Holding SA, Sr. Scd. Notes | EUR | 8.00 | | 5/15/2027 | | 140,000 | | 81,094 | |
AnaCap Financial Europe SA, Sr. Scd. Notes, (3 Month EURIBOR +5.00%) | EUR | 8.97 | | 8/1/2024 | | 200,000 | i | 139,874 | |
CBRE Global Investors Open-Ended Funds SCA SICAV-SIF-Pan European Core Fund, Sr. Unscd. Notes | EUR | 0.50 | | 1/27/2028 | | 364,000 | | 311,185 | |
Matterhorn Telecom SA, Sr. Scd. Notes | EUR | 3.13 | | 9/15/2026 | | 229,000 | | 226,929 | |
| 969,198 | |
Malaysia - .8% | | | | | |
Malaysia, Bonds, Ser. 419 | MYR | 3.83 | | 7/5/2034 | | 4,490,000 | | 911,449 | |
Mexico - 2.4% | | | | | |
Mexico, Bonds, Ser. M | MXN | 8.00 | | 11/7/2047 | | 52,100,000 | | 2,346,422 | |
Sigma Alimentos SA de CV, Gtd. Bonds | EUR | 2.63 | | 2/7/2024 | | 536,000 | | 564,269 | |
| 2,910,691 | |
Mongolia - .2% | | | | | |
Mongolia, Sr. Unscd. Bonds | | 5.13 | | 4/7/2026 | | 320,000 | | 299,192 | |
Netherlands - 1.6% | | | | | |
ING Groep NV, Jr. Sub. Bonds | | 6.75 | | 4/16/2024 | | 830,000 | h | 813,861 | |
Universal Music Group NV, Sr. Unscd. Notes | EUR | 3.00 | | 6/30/2027 | | 510,000 | | 523,504 | |
Volkswagen International Finance NV, Gtd. Notes | EUR | 3.88 | | 6/17/2029 | | 600,000 | h | 521,406 | |
| 1,858,771 | |
New Zealand - 5.9% | | | | | |
New Zealand, Bonds, Ser. 0940 | NZD | 2.54 | | 9/20/2040 | | 1,052,454 | | 650,558 | |
New Zealand, Bonds, Ser. 437 | NZD | 2.75 | | 4/15/2037 | | 3,360,000 | | 1,417,735 | |
New Zealand, Bonds, Ser. 528 | NZD | 0.25 | | 5/15/2028 | | 2,630,000 | | 1,220,580 | |
New Zealand, Bonds, Ser. 541 | NZD | 1.75 | | 5/15/2041 | | 3,260,000 | | 1,066,579 | |
New Zealand, Bonds, Ser. 551 | NZD | 2.75 | | 5/15/2051 | | 830,000 | | 287,749 | |
13
STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Description | Coupon Rate (%) | | Maturity Date | | Principal Amount ($) | a | Value ($) | |
Bonds and Notes - 90.5% (continued) | | | | | |
New Zealand - 5.9% (continued) | | | | | |
New Zealand, Bonds, Ser. 930 | NZD | 3.00 | | 9/20/2030 | | 1,098,038 | f | 726,640 | |
New Zealand, Govt. Gtd. Bonds | NZD | 2.25 | | 4/15/2024 | | 1,730,000 | | 991,744 | |
New Zealand, Govt. Gtd. Bonds | NZD | 3.50 | | 4/14/2033 | | 1,240,000 | | 578,373 | |
| 6,939,958 | |
Norway - 2.3% | | | | | |
Kommunalbanken AS, Sr. Unscd. Bonds, (3 Month SOFR Index +1.00%) | | 6.36 | | 6/17/2026 | | 898,000 | i | 912,334 | |
Norway, Sr. Unscd. Bonds, Ser. 477 | NOK | 1.75 | | 3/13/2025 | | 14,130,000 | b | 1,224,016 | |
Norway, Sr. Unscd. Notes, Ser. 482 | NOK | 1.38 | | 8/19/2030 | | 7,260,000 | b | 550,001 | |
| 2,686,351 | |
Oman - .7% | | | | | |
Oman, Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 4.88 | | 2/1/2025 | | 844,000 | | 828,492 | |
Peru - 1.5% | | | | | |
Peru, Sr. Unscd. Bonds | PEN | 6.15 | | 8/12/2032 | | 7,537,000 | | 1,794,780 | |
Singapore - .3% | | | | | |
Singapore Airlines Ltd., Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 3.00 | | 7/20/2026 | | 328,000 | | 307,784 | |
Spain - .6% | | | | | |
Spain, Sr. Unscd. Bonds | EUR | 1.90 | | 10/31/2052 | | 1,130,000 | b | 691,366 | |
Supranational - 3.7% | | | | | |
Ardagh Metal Packaging Finance USA LLC/Ardagh Metal Packaging Finance PLC, Sr. Unscd. Notes | EUR | 3.00 | | 9/1/2029 | | 280,000 | | 219,407 | |
Clarios Global LP/Clarios US Finance Co., Sr. Scd. Bonds | EUR | 4.38 | | 5/15/2026 | | 225,000 | | 228,412 | |
European Union, Sr. Unscd. Notes, Ser. NGEU | EUR | 0.45 | | 7/4/2041 | | 1,880,000 | | 1,121,146 | |
International Bank for Reconstruction & Development, Sr. Unscd. Notes, (3 Month SOFR Index +0.29%) | | 5.64 | | 11/22/2028 | | 1,090,000 | c,i | 1,084,287 | |
International Finance Corp., Sr. Unscd. Notes | INR | 6.30 | | 11/25/2024 | | 142,750,000 | | 1,700,647 | |
| 4,353,899 | |
Sweden - .4% | | | | | |
Heimstaden Bostad AB, Jr. Sub. Bonds | EUR | 2.63 | | 5/1/2027 | | 230,000 | h | 100,328 | |
Samhallsbyggnadsbolaget i Norden AB, Jr. Sub. Notes | EUR | 2.63 | | 3/14/2026 | | 455,000 | h | 82,195 | |
Verisure Holding AB, Sr. Scd. Bonds | EUR | 3.25 | | 2/15/2027 | | 324,000 | | 310,685 | |
| 493,208 | |
Tajikistan - .4% | | | | | |
Tajikistan, Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 7.13 | | 9/14/2027 | | 575,000 | | 470,925 | |
14
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Description | Coupon Rate (%) | | Maturity Date | | Principal Amount ($) | a | Value ($) | |
Bonds and Notes - 90.5% (continued) | | | | | |
United Arab Emirates - .7% | | | | | |
MDGH GMTN RSC Ltd., Gtd. Notes | | 5.50 | | 4/28/2033 | | 918,000 | | 892,702 | |
United Kingdom - 11.7% | | | | | |
AGPS Bondco PLC, Gtd. Notes | EUR | 5.00 | | 4/27/2027 | | 200,000 | | 71,554 | |
Barclays PLC, Jr. Sub. Notes | GBP | 9.25 | | 3/15/2029 | | 470,000 | h | 521,990 | |
BCP V Modular Services Finance II PLC, Sr. Scd. Bonds | EUR | 4.75 | | 11/30/2028 | | 296,000 | | 260,737 | |
Close Brothers Finance PLC, Gtd. Notes | GBP | 2.75 | | 10/19/2026 | | 830,000 | | 905,794 | |
Coventry Building Society, Jr. Sub. Bonds | GBP | 6.88 | | 9/18/2024 | | 450,000 | h | 525,506 | |
Coventry Building Society, Sr. Unscd. Notes | GBP | 1.00 | | 9/21/2025 | | 468,000 | | 520,047 | |
Deuce Finco PLC, Sr. Scd. Bonds | GBP | 5.50 | | 6/15/2027 | | 306,000 | | 323,112 | |
Direct Line Insurance Group PLC, Jr. Sub. Bonds | GBP | 4.75 | | 12/7/2027 | | 260,000 | h | 228,689 | |
Heathrow Finance PLC, Sr. Scd. Notes | GBP | 5.75 | | 3/3/2025 | | 136,000 | | 161,438 | |
Iceland Bondco PLC, Sr. Scd. Bonds | GBP | 10.88 | | 12/15/2027 | | 190,000 | | 232,822 | |
International Finance Facility for Immunisation Co., Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 1.00 | | 4/21/2026 | | 989,000 | | 892,435 | |
Investec PLC, Jr. Sub. Notes | GBP | 6.75 | | 12/5/2024 | | 400,000 | h | 426,003 | |
Jerrold Finco PLC, Sr. Scd. Bonds | GBP | 4.88 | | 1/15/2026 | | 165,000 | | 187,009 | |
Jerrold Finco PLC, Sr. Scd. Bonds | GBP | 5.25 | | 1/15/2027 | | 165,000 | | 175,782 | |
Lloyds Bank PLC, Covered Notes | GBP | 4.88 | | 3/30/2027 | | 950,000 | | 1,143,307 | |
Lloyds Banking Group PLC, Jr. Sub. Notes | GBP | 5.13 | | 12/27/2024 | | 560,000 | h | 637,545 | |
Mobico Group PLC, Gtd. Notes | GBP | 2.38 | | 11/20/2028 | | 774,000 | | 772,607 | |
Mobico Group PLC, Gtd. Notes | GBP | 2.50 | | 11/11/2023 | | 620,000 | | 752,854 | |
Mobico Group PLC, Sub. Notes | GBP | 4.25 | | 11/26/2025 | | 260,000 | h | 265,476 | |
Nationwide Building Society, Covered Notes | GBP | 5.63 | | 1/28/2026 | | 276,000 | | 338,210 | |
Ocado Group PLC, Gtd. Notes | GBP | 3.88 | | 10/8/2026 | | 294,000 | | 282,300 | |
Santander UK PLC, Covered Notes | GBP | 5.75 | | 3/2/2026 | | 680,000 | | 833,769 | |
Standard Chartered PLC, Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 6.19 | | 7/6/2027 | | 200,000 | | 198,290 | |
Tesco PLC, Sr. Unscd. Notes, (6 Month UK Retail Price Index Flat) | GBP | 6.32 | | 11/5/2025 | | 160,000 | i | 389,763 | |
Tesco Property Finance 3 PLC, Sr. Scd. Bonds | GBP | 5.74 | | 4/13/2040 | | 441,223 | | 495,224 | |
Tritax Big Box REIT PLC, Sr. Unscd. Notes | GBP | 1.50 | | 11/27/2033 | | 519,000 | | 404,789 | |
Tritax EuroBox PLC, Gtd. Notes | EUR | 0.95 | | 6/2/2026 | | 726,000 | | 675,251 | |
Virgin Money UK PLC, Sr. Unscd. Notes | GBP | 3.13 | | 6/22/2025 | | 680,000 | | 801,021 | |
15
STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Description | Coupon Rate (%) | | Maturity Date | | Principal Amount ($) | a | Value ($) | |
Bonds and Notes - 90.5% (continued) | | | | | |
United Kingdom - 11.7% (continued) | | | | | |
Vmed O2 UK Financing I PLC, Sr. Scd. Bonds | GBP | 4.00 | | 1/31/2029 | | 230,000 | | 232,388 | |
Vodafone Group PLC, Jr. Sub. Notes | | 3.25 | | 6/4/2081 | | 260,000 | | 228,639 | |
| 13,884,351 | |
United States - 27.5% | | | | | |
American Express Co., Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 2.50 | | 7/30/2024 | | 480,000 | | 468,284 | |
Ashtead Capital, Inc., Gtd. Notes | | 5.55 | | 5/30/2033 | | 800,000 | b | 717,439 | |
AT&T, Inc., Sr. Unscd. Notes | GBP | 2.90 | | 12/4/2026 | | 780,000 | | 870,439 | |
Ball Corp., Gtd. Notes | | 2.88 | | 8/15/2030 | | 280,000 | | 218,709 | |
Best Buy Co., Inc., Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 4.45 | | 10/1/2028 | | 508,000 | | 475,185 | |
Callon Petroleum Co., Gtd. Notes | | 8.00 | | 8/1/2028 | | 400,000 | b | 395,729 | |
Diamond Sports Group LLC/Diamond Sports Finance Co., Scd. Notes | | 5.38 | | 8/15/2026 | | 620,000 | b,g | 7,161 | |
Emerald Debt Merger Sub LLC, Sr. Scd. Bonds | EUR | 6.38 | | 12/15/2030 | | 150,000 | | 156,618 | |
Emerald Debt Merger Sub LLC, Sr. Scd. Notes | | 6.63 | | 12/15/2030 | | 130,000 | b | 123,825 | |
Entegris, Inc., Gtd. Notes | | 3.63 | | 5/1/2029 | | 588,000 | b,c | 492,332 | |
Ford Motor Credit Co. LLC, Sr. Unscd. Notes | GBP | 2.75 | | 6/14/2024 | | 232,000 | | 275,640 | |
Graphic Packaging International LLC, Gtd. Bonds | EUR | 2.63 | | 2/1/2029 | | 250,000 | | 227,350 | |
JPMorgan Chase & Co., Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 2.08 | | 4/22/2026 | | 960,000 | | 902,475 | |
Lowe's Cos., Inc., Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 3.00 | | 10/15/2050 | | 948,000 | | 521,464 | |
Medline Borrower LP, Sr. Scd. Notes | | 3.88 | | 4/1/2029 | | 281,000 | b | 237,529 | |
Medline Borrower LP, Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 5.25 | | 10/1/2029 | | 122,000 | b | 103,969 | |
Metropolitan Life Global Funding I, Sr. Scd. Notes, (3 Month SOFR Index +0.91%) | | 6.28 | | 3/21/2025 | | 373,000 | b,i | 375,019 | |
Nestle Holdings, Inc., Gtd. Notes | GBP | 5.25 | | 9/21/2026 | | 579,000 | | 704,581 | |
Netflix, Inc., Sr. Unscd. Notes | EUR | 3.63 | | 6/15/2030 | | 762,000 | | 775,720 | |
NVIDIA Corp., Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 3.50 | | 4/1/2050 | | 1,050,000 | | 719,156 | |
Olympus Water US Holding Corp., Sr. Unscd. Notes | EUR | 5.38 | | 10/1/2029 | | 335,000 | | 257,788 | |
Trimble, Inc., Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 6.10 | | 3/15/2033 | | 750,000 | c | 716,279 | |
U.S. Treasury Bonds | | 3.00 | | 11/15/2045 | | 2,460,000 | | 1,729,495 | |
U.S. Treasury Floating Rate Notes, (3 Month U.S. T-BILL +0.13%) | | 5.52 | | 7/31/2025 | | 5,390,000 | i | 5,389,566 | |
U.S. Treasury Inflation Indexed Notes | | 0.13 | | 4/15/2027 | | 2,707,651 | f | 2,480,803 | |
U.S. Treasury Notes | | 1.13 | | 1/15/2025 | | 5,707,500 | | 5,430,151 | |
16
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Description | Coupon Rate (%) | | Maturity Date | | Principal Amount ($) | a | Value ($) | |
Bonds and Notes - 90.5% (continued) | | | | | |
United States - 27.5% (continued) | | | | | |
U.S. Treasury Notes | | 2.63 | | 1/31/2026 | | 6,380,000 | c | 6,059,255 | |
Venture Global Calcasieu Pass LLC, Sr. Scd. Notes | | 6.25 | | 1/15/2030 | | 360,000 | b | 339,951 | |
Verizon Communications, Inc., Sr. Unscd. Notes, (3 Month SOFR Index +0.79%) | | 6.16 | | 3/20/2026 | | 274,000 | i | 275,503 | |
Warnermedia Holdings, Inc., Gtd. Notes | | 3.79 | | 3/15/2025 | | 940,000 | | 909,187 | |
Windstream Escrow LLC/Windstream Escrow Finance Corp., Sr. Scd. Notes | | 7.75 | | 8/15/2028 | | 272,000 | b,c | 215,945 | |
| 32,572,547 | |
Uruguay - 1.0% | | | | | |
Uruguay, Sr. Unscd. Notes | UYU | 8.25 | | 5/21/2031 | | 51,446,991 | | 1,175,933 | |
Uzbekistan - 1.1% | | | | | |
Uzbekistan, Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 4.75 | | 2/20/2024 | | 1,280,000 | | 1,271,800 | |
Vietnam - .2% | | | | | |
Vietnam, Sr. Unscd. Bonds | | 4.80 | | 11/19/2024 | | 213,000 | | 209,262 | |
Total Bonds and Notes (cost $118,874,202) | | 107,145,935 | |
| | | | | Shares | | | |
Exchange-Traded Funds - 2.2% | | | | | |
United States - 2.2% | | | | | |
iShares J.P. Morgan EM Local Currency Bond ETF | | | | | | 36,000 | | 1,239,840 | |
SPDR Bloomberg Emerging Markets Local Bond ETF | | | | | | 70,232 | | 1,375,143 | |
Total Exchange-Traded Funds (cost $2,894,148) | | 2,614,983 | |
| Annualized Yield (%) | | | | Principal Amount ($) | a | | |
Short-Term Investments - 2.1% | | | | | |
Mexico - 2.1% | | | | | |
Mexico Cetes, Treasury Bills (cost $2,552,287) | MXN | 11.28 | | 10/3/2024 | | 4,970,000 | d | 2,482,022 | |
| 1-Day Yield (%) | | | | Shares | | | |
Investment Companies - 1.4% | | | | | |
Registered Investment Companies - 1.4% | | | | | |
Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Plus Money Market Fund, Institutional Shares (cost $1,653,987) | | 5.40 | | | | 1,653,987 | j | 1,653,987 | |
17
STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Description | 1-Day Yield (%) | | | | Shares | | Value ($) | |
Investment of Cash Collateral for Securities Loaned - 1.7% | | | | | |
Registered Investment Companies - 1.7% | | | | | |
Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Plus Money Market Fund, Institutional Shares (cost $2,034,040) | | 5.40 | | | | 2,034,040 | j | 2,034,040 | |
Total Investments (cost $128,008,664) | | 97.9% | 115,930,967 | |
Cash and Receivables (Net) | | 2.1% | 2,507,287 | |
Net Assets | | 100.0% | 118,438,254 | |
ETF—Exchange-Traded Fund
EURIBOR—Euro Interbank Offered Rate
REIT—Real Estate Investment Trust
SOFR—Secured Overnight Financing Rate
SPDR—Standard & Poor's Depository Receipt
U.S. T-BILL—U.S. Treasury Bill Money Market Yield
AUD—Australian Dollar
BRL—Brazilian Real
CAD—Canadian Dollar
COP—Colombian Peso
EUR—Euro
GBP—British Pound
IDR—Indonesian Rupiah
INR—Indian Rupee
JPY—Japanese Yen
MXN—Mexican Peso
MYR—Malaysian Ringgit
NOK—Norwegian Krone
NZD—New Zealand Dollar
PEN—Peruvian Nuevo Sol
UYU—Uruguayan Peso
a Amount stated in U.S. Dollars unless otherwise noted above.
b Security exempt from registration pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933. These securities may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At October 31, 2023, these securities were valued at $8,787,105 or 7.42% of net assets.
c Security, or portion thereof, on loan. At October 31, 2023, the value of the fund’s securities on loan was $5,530,327 and the value of the collateral was $5,726,611, consisting of cash collateral of $2,034,040 and U.S. Government & Agency securities valued at $3,692,571. In addition, the value of collateral may include pending sales that are also on loan.
d Security is a discount security. Income is recognized through the accretion of discount.
e Payment-in-kind security and interest may be paid in additional par.
f Principal amount for accrual purposes is periodically adjusted based on changes in the Consumer Price Index.
g Non-income producing—security in default.
h Security is a perpetual bond with no specified maturity date. Maturity date shown is next reset date of the bond.
i Variable rate security—interest rate resets periodically and rate shown is the interest rate in effect at period end. Security description also includes the reference rate and spread if published and available.
j Investment in affiliated issuer. The investment objective of this investment company is publicly available and can be found within the investment company’s prospectus.
18
| |
Portfolio Summary (Unaudited) † | Value (%) |
Foreign Governmental | 38.8 |
U.S. Treasury Securities | 17.8 |
Banks | 11.2 |
Investment Companies | 5.3 |
Supranational Bank | 3.1 |
Telecommunication Services | 2.2 |
Food Products | 1.8 |
Real Estate | 1.7 |
Consumer Discretionary | 1.7 |
Diversified Financials | 1.6 |
Transportation | 1.5 |
Commercial & Professional Services | 1.3 |
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment | 1.2 |
Insurance | .9 |
Automobiles & Components | .9 |
Retailing | .8 |
Building Materials | .7 |
Internet Software & Services | .6 |
Energy | .6 |
Electronic Components | .6 |
Industrial | .6 |
Materials | .6 |
Media | .4 |
Utilities | .4 |
Health Care | .4 |
Chemicals | .4 |
Financials | .3 |
Airlines | .3 |
Information Technology | .2 |
| 97.9 |
† Based on net assets.
See notes to financial statements.
19
STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | | |
Affiliated Issuers | | | |
Description | Value ($) 10/31/2022 | Purchases ($)† | Sales ($) | Value ($) 10/31/2023 | Dividends/ Distributions ($) | |
Registered Investment Companies - 1.4% | | |
Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Plus Money Market Fund, Institutional Shares - 1.4% | 956,603 | 104,079,510 | (103,382,126) | 1,653,987 | 186,551 | |
Investment of Cash Collateral for Securities Loaned - 1.7%†† | | |
Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Plus Money Market Fund, Institutional Shares - 1.7% | - | 39,142,560 | (37,108,520) | 2,034,040 | 28,136 | ††† |
Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Plus Money Market Fund, SL Shares - .0% | 4,553,899 | 28,829,575 | (33,383,474) | - | 23,233 | ††† |
Total - 3.1% | 5,510,502 | 172,051,645 | (173,874,120) | 3,688,027 | 237,920 | |
† Includes reinvested dividends/distributions.
†† Effective July 3, 2023, cash collateral for securities lending was transferred from Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Plus Money Market Fund, SL Shares to Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Plus Money Market Fund, Institutional Shares.
††† Represents securities lending income earned from the reinvestment of cash collateral from loaned securities, net of fees and collateral investment expenses, and other payments to and from borrowers of securities.
See notes to financial statements.
| | | | | | |
Futures | | | |
Description | Number of Contracts | Expiration | Notional Value ($) | Market Value ($) | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) | |
Futures Long | | |
Australian 10 Year Bond | 62 | 12/15/2023 | 4,508,578a | 4,257,231 | (251,347) | |
U.S. Treasury 2 Year Notes | 107 | 12/29/2023 | 21,664,825 | 21,659,141 | (5,684) | |
U.S. Treasury Long Bond | 31 | 12/19/2023 | 3,444,816 | 3,392,563 | (52,253) | |
20
| | | | | | |
Description | Number of Contracts | Expiration | Notional Value ($) | Market Value ($) | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) | |
Futures Short | | |
Canadian 10 Year Bond | 25 | 12/18/2023 | 2,075,154a | 2,071,931 | 3,223 | |
Euro-Bond | 73 | 12/7/2023 | 9,951,087a | 9,963,355 | (12,268) | |
Long Gilt | 18 | 12/27/2023 | 2,012,976a | 2,038,164 | (25,188) | |
Long Term French Government Future | 49 | 12/7/2023 | 6,399,991a | 6,392,204 | 7,787 | |
U.S. Treasury 10 Year Notes | 191 | 12/19/2023 | 20,374,509 | 20,278,829 | 95,680 | |
Gross Unrealized Appreciation | | 106,690 | |
Gross Unrealized Depreciation | | (346,740) | |
a Notional amounts in foreign currency have been converted to USD using relevant foreign exchange rates.
See notes to financial statements.
| | | | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts | |
Counterparty/ Purchased Currency | Purchased Currency Amounts | Currency Sold | Sold Currency Amounts | Settlement Date | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) |
Barclays Capital, Inc. |
United States Dollar | 517,590 | Mexican Peso | 9,058,844 | 11/16/2023 | 16,477 |
United States Dollar | 677,663 | British Pound | 550,912 | 11/16/2023 | 7,992 |
United States Dollar | 157,183 | New Zealand Dollar | 263,970 | 11/16/2023 | 3,386 |
United States Dollar | 375,028 | Malaysian Ringgit | 1,764,655 | 11/16/2023 | 4,256 |
Euro | 198,557 | United States Dollar | 210,820 | 11/16/2023 | (586) |
United States Dollar | 445,398 | Canadian Dollar | 602,907 | 11/16/2023 | 10,543 |
CIBC World Markets Corp. |
United States Dollar | 755,128 | Mexican Peso | 13,409,034 | 11/16/2023 | 13,373 |
United States Dollar | 24,103,083 | British Pound | 18,983,894 | 11/16/2023 | 1,026,899 |
Japanese Yen | 185,249,934 | United States Dollar | 1,249,510 | 11/16/2023 | (24,122) |
United States Dollar | 389,418 | Japanese Yen | 56,819,341 | 11/16/2023 | 13,570 |
United States Dollar | 19,749,762 | Euro | 17,956,620 | 11/16/2023 | 737,154 |
New Zealand Dollar | 1,362,932 | United States Dollar | 802,078 | 11/16/2023 | (7,992) |
Australian Dollar | 295,072 | United States Dollar | 186,651 | 11/16/2023 | 632 |
21
STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts (continued) | |
Counterparty/ Purchased Currency | Purchased Currency Amounts | Currency Sold | Sold Currency Amounts | Settlement Date | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) |
CIBC World Markets Corp. (continued) |
United States Dollar | 889,546 | Australian Dollar | 1,397,209 | 11/16/2023 | 2,734 |
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. |
United States Dollar | 2,410,300 | Colombian Peso | 10,058,132,840 | 11/16/2023 | (24,097) |
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. |
United States Dollar | 3,518,721 | Indonesian Rupiah | 53,630,590,685 | 11/16/2023 | 142,944 |
United States Dollar | 1,084,404 | Singapore Dollar | 1,451,635 | 11/16/2023 | 23,381 |
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC |
British Pound | 1,555,282 | United States Dollar | 1,906,634 | 11/16/2023 | (16,085) |
United States Dollar | 1,608,114 | British Pound | 1,289,752 | 11/16/2023 | 40,334 |
United States Dollar | 2,925,717 | Japanese Yen | 428,109,726 | 11/16/2023 | 93,864 |
United States Dollar | 566,497 | Indian Rupee | 47,090,350 | 11/16/2023 | 1,107 |
Australian Dollar | 368,271 | United States Dollar | 233,869 | 11/16/2023 | (127) |
United States Dollar | 198,699 | Australian Dollar | 313,801 | 11/16/2023 | (471) |
Mexican Peso | 3,430,798 | United States Dollar | 187,642 | 11/16/2023 | 2,141 |
Canadian Dollar | 1,180,516 | United States Dollar | 854,106 | 11/16/2023 | (2,643) |
United States Dollar | 2,350,659 | Canadian Dollar | 3,206,688 | 11/16/2023 | 37,791 |
Euro | 564,223 | United States Dollar | 597,077 | 11/16/2023 | 327 |
United States Dollar | 3,518,660 | Euro | 3,239,632 | 11/16/2023 | 88,512 |
New Zealand Dollar | 655,202 | United States Dollar | 388,852 | 11/16/2023 | (7,111) |
RBS Securities, Inc. |
Euro | 527,182 | United States Dollar | 570,099 | 11/16/2023 | (11,915) |
United States Dollar | 2,540,377 | Euro | 2,398,899 | 11/16/2023 | 405 |
United States Dollar | 611,006 | New Zealand Dollar | 1,031,259 | 11/16/2023 | 10,163 |
United States Dollar | 2,647,725 | Canadian Dollar | 3,547,363 | 11/16/2023 | 89,141 |
United States Dollar | 1,981,654 | Australian Dollar | 3,032,195 | 11/16/2023 | 57,113 |
22
| | | | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts (continued) | |
Counterparty/ Purchased Currency | Purchased Currency Amounts | Currency Sold | Sold Currency Amounts | Settlement Date | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) |
RBS Securities, Inc. (continued) |
British Pound | 236,913 | United States Dollar | 300,573 | 11/16/2023 | (12,589) |
United States Dollar | 1,980,953 | Norwegian Krone | 20,173,847 | 11/16/2023 | 174,122 |
Japanese Yen | 418,979,483 | United States Dollar | 2,967,547 | 11/16/2023 | (196,089) |
United States Dollar | 736,255 | Japanese Yen | 107,607,834 | 11/16/2023 | 24,453 |
United States Dollar | 587,123 | Malaysian Ringgit | 2,663,894 | 11/16/2023 | 27,412 |
State Street Bank and Trust Company |
United States Dollar | 1,185,035 | Indian Rupee | 98,517,939 | 11/16/2023 | 2,181 |
Canadian Dollar | 3,319,382 | United States Dollar | 2,443,683 | 11/16/2023 | (49,533) |
United States Dollar | 559,576 | Canadian Dollar | 767,224 | 11/16/2023 | 6,205 |
Colombian Peso | 4,370,946,349 | United States Dollar | 1,052,282 | 11/16/2023 | 5,630 |
Singapore Dollar | 1,451,496 | United States Dollar | 1,066,754 | 11/16/2023 | (5,833) |
British Pound | 519,120 | United States Dollar | 656,219 | 11/16/2023 | (25,194) |
United States Dollar | 1,175,157 | British Pound | 961,132 | 11/16/2023 | 6,838 |
United States Dollar | 1,460,889 | Australian Dollar | 2,284,184 | 11/16/2023 | 11,113 |
United States Dollar | 253,796 | Indonesian Rupiah | 3,905,277,763 | 11/16/2023 | 7,978 |
Mexican Peso | 43,656,469 | United States Dollar | 2,470,291 | 11/16/2023 | (55,322) |
United States Dollar | 6,560,050 | Mexican Peso | 115,671,035 | 11/16/2023 | 161,410 |
Japanese Yen | 231,744,352 | United States Dollar | 1,552,482 | 11/16/2023 | (19,543) |
United States Dollar | 1,699,606 | Japanese Yen | 243,939,905 | 11/16/2023 | 85,996 |
United States Dollar | 1,568,930 | Swedish Krona | 17,250,886 | 11/16/2023 | 22,469 |
Hungarian Forint | 635,199,452 | United States Dollar | 1,711,279 | 11/16/2023 | 41,101 |
United States Dollar | 1,738,770 | Hungarian Forint | 634,816,338 | 11/16/2023 | (12,553) |
Euro | 2,699,230 | United States Dollar | 2,877,367 | 11/16/2023 | (19,401) |
United States Dollar | 1,586,064 | Euro | 1,499,470 | 11/16/2023 | (1,586) |
23
STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts (continued) | |
Counterparty/ Purchased Currency | Purchased Currency Amounts | Currency Sold | Sold Currency Amounts | Settlement Date | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) |
State Street Bank and Trust Company (continued) |
South Korean Won | 2,392,477,513 | United States Dollar | 1,784,699 | 11/16/2023 | (11,725) |
United States Dollar | 3,348,723 | South Korean Won | 4,484,461,948 | 11/16/2023 | 25,460 |
United States Dollar | 194,072 | New Zealand Dollar | 325,550 | 11/16/2023 | 4,397 |
Chilean Peso | 739,256,240 | United States Dollar | 800,018 | 11/16/2023 | 25,229 |
United States Dollar | 852,136 | Chilean Peso | 739,142,377 | 11/16/2023 | 27,016 |
United States Dollar | 1,833,725 | Peruvian Nuevo Sol | 7,037,621 | 11/16/2023 | 3,055 |
UBS Securities LLC |
Euro | 384,825 | United States Dollar | 410,073 | 11/16/2023 | (2,618) |
United States Dollar | 133,207 | Euro | 125,832 | 11/16/2023 | (25) |
United States Dollar | 101,593 | Australian Dollar | 157,504 | 11/16/2023 | 1,625 |
British Pound | 3,756,078 | United States Dollar | 4,599,138 | 11/16/2023 | (33,376) |
United States Dollar | 1,305,018 | British Pound | 1,071,502 | 11/16/2023 | 2,536 |
United States Dollar | 7,608,223 | New Zealand Dollar | 12,513,421 | 11/16/2023 | 317,525 |
Gross Unrealized Appreciation | | | 3,407,990 |
Gross Unrealized Depreciation | | | (540,536) |
See notes to financial statements.
24
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
October 31, 2023
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | Cost | | Value | |
Assets ($): | | | | |
Investments in securities—See Statement of Investments (including securities on loan, valued at $5,530,327)—Note 1(c): | | | |
Unaffiliated issuers | 124,320,637 | | 112,242,940 | |
Affiliated issuers | | 3,688,027 | | 3,688,027 | |
Cash denominated in foreign currency | | | 230,572 | | 228,324 | |
Unrealized appreciation on forward foreign currency exchange contracts—Note 4 | | 3,407,990 | |
Receivable for investment securities sold | | 1,912,729 | |
Dividends, interest and securities lending income receivable | | 1,343,534 | |
Cash collateral held by broker—Note 4 | | 906,568 | |
Receivable for shares of Common Stock subscribed | | 244,958 | |
Tax reclaim receivable—Note 1(b) | | 32,100 | |
Prepaid expenses | | | | | 49,483 | |
| | | | | 124,056,653 | |
Liabilities ($): | | | | |
Due to BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. and affiliates—Note 3(c) | | 67,709 | |
Payable for investment securities purchased | | 2,063,703 | |
Liability for securities on loan—Note 1(c) | | 2,034,040 | |
Payable for shares of Common Stock redeemed | | 764,668 | |
Unrealized depreciation on forward foreign currency exchange contracts—Note 4 | | 540,536 | |
Payable for futures variation margin—Note 4 | | 48,786 | |
Directors’ fees and expenses payable | | 3,867 | |
Other accrued expenses | | | | | 95,090 | |
| | | | | 5,618,399 | |
Net Assets ($) | | | 118,438,254 | |
Composition of Net Assets ($): | | | | |
Paid-in capital | | | | | 143,157,314 | |
Total distributable earnings (loss) | | | | | (24,719,060) | |
Net Assets ($) | | | 118,438,254 | |
| | | | | |
Net Asset Value Per Share | Class A | Class C | Class I | Class Y | |
Net Assets ($) | 3,782,633 | 89,139 | 16,883,804 | 97,682,678 | |
Shares Outstanding | 377,344 | 9,099 | 1,670,652 | 9,641,627 | |
Net Asset Value Per Share ($) | 10.02 | 9.80 | 10.11 | 10.13 | |
| | | | | |
See notes to financial statements. | | | | | |
25
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
Year Ended October 31, 2023
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Investment Income ($): | | | | |
Income: | | | | |
Interest (net of $24,541 foreign taxes withheld at source) | | | 5,661,490 | |
Dividends (net of $6,417 foreign taxes withheld at source): | |
Unaffiliated issuers | | | 238,040 | |
Affiliated issuers | | | 186,551 | |
Income from securities lending—Note 1(c) | | | 51,369 | |
Total Income | | | 6,137,450 | |
Expenses: | | | | |
Management fee—Note 3(a) | | | 467,736 | |
Professional fees | | | 123,179 | |
Registration fees | | | 67,630 | |
Shareholder servicing costs—Note 3(c) | | | 35,651 | |
Custodian fees—Note 3(c) | | | 32,124 | |
Prospectus and shareholders’ reports | | | 24,961 | |
Chief Compliance Officer fees—Note 3(c) | | | 19,425 | |
Directors’ fees and expenses—Note 3(d) | | | 9,429 | |
Loan commitment fees—Note 2 | | | 2,973 | |
Interest expense—Note 2 | | | 1,875 | |
Distribution fees—Note 3(b) | | | 838 | |
Miscellaneous | | | 46,176 | |
Total Expenses | | | 831,997 | |
Less—reduction in expenses due to undertaking—Note 3(a) | | | (2,456) | |
Less—reduction in fees due to earnings credits—Note 3(c) | | | (1,856) | |
Net Expenses | | | 827,685 | |
Net Investment Income | | | 5,309,765 | |
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments—Note 4 ($): | | |
Net realized gain (loss) on investments and foreign currency transactions | (12,843,302) | |
Net realized gain (loss) on futures | 418,301 | |
Net realized gain (loss) on options transactions | (39,503) | |
Net realized gain (loss) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts | (1,341,268) | |
Net realized gain (loss) on swap agreements | 1,478 | |
Net Realized Gain (Loss) | | | (13,804,294) | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments and foreign currency transactions | 14,149,620 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on futures | (193,676) | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on options transactions | 23,466 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts | (1,467,628) | |
Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) | | | 12,511,782 | |
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments | | | (1,292,512) | |
Net Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Operations | | 4,017,253 | |
| | | | | | |
See notes to financial statements. | | | | | |
26
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Year Ended October 31, |
| | | | 2023 | | 2022 | |
Operations ($): | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income | | | 5,309,765 | | | | 4,377,443 | |
Net realized gain (loss) on investments | | (13,804,294) | | | | 2,837,010 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments | | 12,511,782 | | | | (23,451,447) | |
Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations | 4,017,253 | | | | (16,236,994) | |
Distributions ($): | |
Distributions to shareholders: | | | | | | | | |
Class A | | | (298,433) | | | | (137,015) | |
Class C | | | (8,583) | | | | (4,618) | |
Class I | | | (1,947,385) | | | | (1,501,812) | |
Class Y | | | (6,898,263) | | | | (3,328,068) | |
Total Distributions | | | (9,152,664) | | | | (4,971,513) | |
Capital Stock Transactions ($): | |
Net proceeds from shares sold: | | | | | | | | |
Class A | | | 3,562,616 | | | | 778,160 | |
Class C | | | 38,597 | | | | 174 | |
Class I | | | 5,110,566 | | | | 10,332,975 | |
Class Y | | | 54,105,083 | | | | 30,604,627 | |
Distributions reinvested: | | | | | | | | |
Class A | | | 298,433 | | | | 137,015 | |
Class C | | | 2,857 | | | | 2,454 | |
Class I | | | 1,800,145 | | | | 1,359,080 | |
Class Y | | | 3,955,080 | | | | 1,809,391 | |
Cost of shares redeemed: | | | | | | | | |
Class A | | | (3,789,123) | | | | (798,108) | |
Class C | | | (71,801) | | | | (47,640) | |
Class I | | | (13,805,448) | | | | (26,224,184) | |
Class Y | | | (41,560,520) | | | | (28,218,407) | |
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from Capital Stock Transactions | 9,646,485 | | | | (10,264,463) | |
Total Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets | 4,511,074 | | | | (31,472,970) | |
Net Assets ($): | |
Beginning of Period | | | 113,927,180 | | | | 145,400,150 | |
End of Period | | | 118,438,254 | | | | 113,927,180 | |
27
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS (continued)
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Year Ended October 31, |
| | | | 2023 | | 2022 | |
Capital Share Transactions (Shares): | |
Class Aa | | | | | | | | |
Shares sold | | | 349,234 | | | | 69,716 | |
Shares issued for distributions reinvested | | | 29,628 | | | | 11,593 | |
Shares redeemed | | | (369,812) | | | | (70,390) | |
Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding | 9,050 | | | | 10,919 | |
Class C | | | | | | | | |
Shares sold | | | 3,923 | | | | 15 | |
Shares issued for distributions reinvested | | | 288 | | | | 209 | |
Shares redeemed | | | (7,112) | | | | (4,253) | |
Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding | (2,901) | | | | (4,029) | |
Class Ia | | | | | | | | |
Shares sold | | | 495,951 | | | | 883,293 | |
Shares issued for distributions reinvested | | | 177,671 | | | | 114,285 | |
Shares redeemed | | | (1,337,816) | | | | (2,373,856) | |
Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding | (664,194) | | | | (1,376,278) | |
Class Ya | | | | | | | | |
Shares sold | | | 5,235,029 | | | | 2,736,406 | |
Shares issued for distributions reinvested | | | 389,547 | | | | 152,489 | |
Shares redeemed | | | (4,032,128) | | | | (2,506,922) | |
Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding | 1,592,448 | | | | 381,973 | |
| | | | | | | | | |
a | During the period ended October 31, 2023, 1,438 Class I shares representing $14,654 were exchanged for 1,445 Class A shares and 7,325 Class Y shares representing $77,556 were exchanged for 7,345 Class I shares. During the period ended October 31, 2022, 28,979 Class Y shares representing $330,424 were exchanged for 29,037 Class I shares. | |
See notes to financial statements. | | | | | | | | |
28
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The following tables describe the performance for each share class for the fiscal periods indicated. All information (except portfolio turnover rate) reflects financial results for a single fund share. Net asset value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption at net asset value on the last day of the period. Net asset value total return includes adjustments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and as such, the net asset value for financial reporting purposes and the returns based upon those net asset values may differ from the net asset value and returns for shareholder transactions. These figures have been derived from the fund’s financial statements.
| | | | | | |
| |
| | Year Ended October 31, |
Class A Shares | | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Per Share Data ($): | | | | | | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | 10.51 | 12.29 | 12.35 | 12.48 | 12.04 |
Investment Operations: | | | | | | |
Net investment incomea | | .42 | .33 | .26 | .25 | .29 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | (.07) | (1.72) | (.05) | .09 | .70 |
Total from Investment Operations | | .35 | (1.39) | .21 | .34 | .99 |
Distributions: | | | | | | |
Dividends from net investment income | | (.84) | (.23) | (.27) | (.47) | (.55) |
Dividends from net realized gain on investments | | - | (.16) | - | - | - |
Total Distributions | | (.84) | (.39) | (.27) | (.47) | (.55) |
Net asset value, end of period | | 10.02 | 10.51 | 12.29 | 12.35 | 12.48 |
Total Return (%)b | | 3.42 | (11.66) | 1.71 | 2.77 | 8.54 |
Ratios/Supplemental Data (%): | | | | | | |
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets | | 1.10c | 7.95c | 6.80c | 4.86 | 1.07 |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets | | 1.05c | 1.05c | 1.05c | 1.00 | .75 |
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets | | 4.20c | 2.92c | 2.11c | 2.03 | 2.42 |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | 123.10 | 91.91 | 80.39 | 94.27 | 83.73 |
Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000) | | 3,783 | 3,871 | 4,393 | 5,703 | 1,900 |
a Based on average shares outstanding.
b Exclusive of sales charge.
c Amounts do not include the expenses of the underlying funds.
See notes to financial statements.
29
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (continued)
| | | | | | | |
| | |
| | Year Ended October 31, |
Class C Shares | | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Per Share Data ($): | | | | | | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | 10.32 | 12.07 | 12.18 | 12.30 | 11.86 |
Investment Operations: | | | | | | |
Net investment incomea | | .34 | .24 | .17 | .19 | .25 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | (.07) | (1.69) | (.06) | .06 | .64 |
Total from Investment Operations | | .27 | (1.45) | .11 | .25 | .89 |
Distributions: | | | | | | |
Dividends from net investment income | | (.79) | (.14) | (.22) | (.37) | (.45) |
Dividends from net realized gain on investments | | - | (.16) | - | - | - |
Total Distributions | | (.79) | (.30) | (.22) | (.37) | (.45) |
Net asset value, end of period | | 9.80 | 10.32 | 12.07 | 12.18 | 12.30 |
Total Return (%)b | | 2.68 | (12.39) | .91 | 2.06 | 7.70 |
Ratios/Supplemental Data (%): | | | | | | |
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets | | 2.10c | 1.92c | 1.84c | 1.81 | 1.85 |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets | | 1.80c | 1.80c | 1.80c | 1.70 | 1.50 |
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets | | 3.45c | 2.18c | 1.36c | 1.59 | 2.11 |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | 123.10 | 91.91 | 80.39 | 94.27 | 83.73 |
Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000) | | 89 | 124 | 193 | 273 | 313 |
a Based on average shares outstanding.
b Exclusive of sales charge.
c Amounts do not include the expenses of the underlying funds.
See notes to financial statements.
30
| | | | | | | |
| | |
| | Year Ended October 31, |
Class I Shares | | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Per Share Data ($): | | | | | | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | 10.57 | 12.36 | 12.41 | 12.53 | 12.09 |
Investment Operations: | | | | | | |
Net investment incomea | | .47 | .37 | .29 | .24 | .32 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | (.08) | (1.74) | (.05) | .13 | .71 |
Total from Investment Operations | | .39 | (1.37) | .24 | .37 | 1.03 |
Distributions: | | | | | | |
Dividends from net investment income | | (.85) | (.26) | (.29) | (.49) | (.59) |
Dividends from net realized gain on investments | | - | (.16) | - | - | - |
Total Distributions | | (.85) | (.42) | (.29) | (.49) | (.59) |
Net asset value, end of period | | 10.11 | 10.57 | 12.36 | 12.41 | 12.53 |
Total Return (%) | | 3.70 | (11.45) | 1.96 | 3.06 | 8.79 |
Ratios/Supplemental Data (%): | | | | | | |
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets | | .74b | .85b | .81b | .70 | .78 |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets | | .74b | .80b | .80b | .64 | .50 |
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets | | 4.51b | 3.17b | 2.35b | 2.01 | 2.63 |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | 123.10 | 91.91 | 80.39 | 94.27 | 83.73 |
Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000) | | 16,884 | 24,673 | 45,868 | 27,500 | 9,827 |
a Based on average shares outstanding.
b Amounts do not include the expenses of the underlying funds.
See notes to financial statements.
31
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (continued)
| | | | | | | |
| | |
| | Year Ended October 31, |
Class Y Shares | | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Per Share Data ($): | | | | | | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | 10.59 | 12.38 | 12.42 | 12.53 | 12.09 |
Investment Operations: | | | | | | |
Net investment incomea | | .47 | .38 | .32 | .33 | .37 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | (.08) | (1.73) | (.06) | .05 | .66 |
Total from Investment Operations | | .39 | (1.35) | .26 | .38 | 1.03 |
Distributions: | | | | | | |
Dividends from net investment income | | (.85) | (.28) | (.30) | (.49) | (.59) |
Dividends from net realized gain on investments | | - | (.16) | - | - | - |
Total Distributions | | (.85) | (.44) | (.30) | (.49) | (.59) |
Net asset value, end of period | | 10.13 | 10.59 | 12.38 | 12.42 | 12.53 |
Total Return (%) | | 3.76 | (11.30) | 2.18 | 3.07 | 8.81 |
Ratios/Supplemental Data (%): | | | | | | |
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets | | .68b | .62b | .62b | .62 | .68 |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets | | .68b | .62b | .62b | .58 | .50 |
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets | | 4.57b | 3.36b | 2.55b | 2.65 | 3.00 |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | 123.10 | 91.91 | 80.39 | 94.27 | 83.73 |
Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000) | | 97,683 | 85,259 | 94,946 | 104,358 | 106,649 |
a Based on average shares outstanding.
b Amounts do not include the expenses of the underlying funds.
See notes to financial statements.
32
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1—Significant Accounting Policies:
BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond Income Fund (the “fund”) is a separate diversified series of BNY Mellon Advantage Funds, Inc. (the “Company”), which is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”), as an open-end management investment company and operates as a series company currently offering seven series, including the fund. The fund’s investment objective is to seek total return (consisting of income and capital appreciation). BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. (the “Adviser”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (“BNY Mellon”), serves as the fund’s investment adviser. Newton Investment Management Limited (the “Sub-Adviser”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BNY Mellon and an affiliate of the Adviser, serves as the sub-adviser.
Effective March 31, 2023, the Sub-Adviser, entered into a sub-sub-investment advisory agreement with its affiliate, Newton Investment Management North America, LLC (“NIMNA”), to enable NIMNA to provide certain advisory services to the Sub-Adviser for the benefit of the fund, including, but not limited to, portfolio management services. NIMNA is subject to the supervision of the Sub-Adviser and the Adviser. NIMNA is also an affiliate of the Adviser. NIMNA’s principal office is located at BNY Mellon Center, 201 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02108. NIMNA is an indirect subsidiary of BNY Mellon.
BNY Mellon Securities Corporation (the “Distributor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, is the distributor of the fund’s shares. The fund is authorized to issue 500 million shares of $.001 par value Common Stock. The fund currently has authorized four classes of shares: Class A (100 million shares authorized), Class C (100 million shares authorized), Class I (150 million shares authorized) and Class Y (150 million shares authorized). Class A and Class C shares are sold primarily to retail investors through financial intermediaries and bear Distribution and/or Shareholder Services Plan fees. Class A shares generally are subject to a sales charge imposed at the time of purchase. Class A shares bought without an initial sales charge as part of an investment of $1 million or more may be charged a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% if redeemed within one year. Class C shares are subject to a CDSC imposed on Class C shares redeemed within one year of purchase. Class C shares automatically convert to Class A shares eight years after the date of purchase, without the imposition of a sales charge. Class I shares are sold primarily to bank trust departments and other financial service providers
33
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(including BNY Mellon and its affiliates), acting on behalf of customers having a qualified trust or an investment account or relationship at such institution, and bear no Distribution or Shareholder Services Plan fees. Class Y shares are sold at net asset value per share generally to institutional investors, and bear no Distribution or Shareholder Services Plan fees. Class I and Class Y shares are offered without a front-end sales charge or CDSC. Other differences between the classes include the services offered to and the expenses borne by each class, the allocation of certain transfer agency costs and certain voting rights. Income, expenses (other than expenses attributable to a specific class), and realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments are allocated to each class of shares based on its relative net assets.
As of October 31, 2023, MBC Investments Corporation, an indirect subsidiary of BNY Mellon, held 7,267 Class C shares of the fund.
The Company accounts separately for the assets, liabilities and operations of each series. Expenses directly attributable to each series are charged to that series’ operations; expenses which are applicable to all series are allocated among them on a pro rata basis.
The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) is the exclusive reference of authoritative U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) recognized by the FASB to be applied by nongovernmental entities. Rules and interpretive releases of the SEC under authority of federal laws are also sources of authoritative GAAP for SEC registrants. The fund is an investment company and applies the accounting and reporting guidance of the FASB ASC Topic 946 Financial Services-Investment Companies. The fund’s financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP, which may require the use of management estimates and assumptions. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
The Company enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. The fund does not anticipate recognizing any loss related to these arrangements.
(a) Portfolio valuation: The fair value of a financial instrument is the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (i.e., the exit price). GAAP establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs of valuation techniques used to measure fair value. This hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in
34
active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements).
Additionally, GAAP provides guidance on determining whether the volume and activity in a market has decreased significantly and whether such a decrease in activity results in transactions that are not orderly. GAAP requires enhanced disclosures around valuation inputs and techniques used during annual and interim periods.
Various inputs are used in determining the value of the fund’s investments relating to fair value measurements. These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:
Level 1—unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical investments.
Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.).
Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).
The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.
Changes in valuation techniques may result in transfers in or out of an assigned level within the disclosure hierarchy. Valuation techniques used to value the fund’s investments are as follows:
The Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) has designated the Adviser as the fund’s valuation designee to make all fair value determinations with respect to the fund’s portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight and pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Act.
Registered investment companies that are not traded on an exchange are valued at their net asset value and are generally categorized within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.
Investments in debt securities, excluding short-term investments (other than U.S. Treasury Bills), futures, and forward foreign currency exchange contracts (“forward contracts”), are valued each business day by one or more independent pricing services (each, a “Service”) approved by the Board. Investments for which quoted bid prices are readily available and are representative of the bid side of the market in the judgment of a Service are valued at the mean between the quoted bid prices (as obtained by a Service from dealers in such securities) and asked prices (as calculated by a Service based upon its evaluation of the market for such securities).
35
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
Securities are valued as determined by a Service, based on methods which include consideration of the following: yields or prices of securities of comparable quality, coupon, maturity and type; indications as to values from dealers; and general market conditions. The Services are engaged under the general supervision of the Board. These securities are generally categorized within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.
Fair valuing of securities may be determined with the assistance of a Service using calculations based on indices of domestic securities and other appropriate indicators, such as prices of relevant American Depositary Receipts and futures. Utilizing these techniques may result in transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.
When market quotations or official closing prices are not readily available, or are determined not to accurately reflect fair value, such as when the value of a security has been significantly affected by events after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded (for example, a foreign exchange or market), but before the fund calculates its net asset value, the fund may value these investments at fair value as determined in accordance with the procedures approved by the Board. Certain factors may be considered when fair valuing investments such as: fundamental analytical data, the nature and duration of restrictions on disposition, an evaluation of the forces that influence the market in which the securities are purchased and sold, and public trading in similar securities of the issuer or comparable issuers. These securities are either categorized within Level 2 or 3 of the fair value hierarchy depending on the relevant inputs used.
For securities where observable inputs are limited, assumptions about market activity and risk are used and such securities are generally categorized within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.
Investments denominated in foreign currencies are translated to U.S. dollars at the prevailing rates of exchange.
Forward contracts are valued at the forward rate and are generally categorized within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. Futures, which are traded on an exchange, are valued at the last sales price on the securities exchange on which such securities are primarily traded or at the last sales price on the national securities market on each business day and are generally categorized within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.
The following is a summary of the inputs used as of October 31, 2023 in valuing the fund’s investments:
36
| | | | | | |
| Level 1-Unadjusted Quoted Prices | Level 2- Other Significant Observable Inputs | | Level 3-Significant Unobservable Inputs | Total | |
Assets ($) | | |
Investments in Securities:† | | |
Corporate Bonds | - | 42,624,138 | | - | 42,624,138 | |
Exchange-Traded Funds | 2,614,983 | - | | - | 2,614,983 | |
Foreign Governmental | - | 45,914,549 | | - | 45,914,549 | |
Investment Companies | 3,688,027 | - | | - | 3,688,027 | |
U.S. Treasury Securities | - | 21,089,270 | | - | 21,089,270 | |
Other Financial Instruments: | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts†† | - | 3,407,990 | | - | 3,407,990 | |
Futures†† | 106,690 | - | | - | 106,690 | |
Liabilities ($) | | |
Other Financial Instruments: | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts†† | - | (540,536) | | - | (540,536) | |
Futures†† | (346,740) | - | | - | (346,740) | |
† See Statement of Investments for additional detailed categorizations, if any.
†† Amount shown represents unrealized appreciation (depreciation) at period end, but only variation margin on exchange-traded and centrally cleared derivatives, if any, are reported in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
(b) Foreign currency transactions: The fund does not isolate that portion of the results of operations resulting from changes in foreign exchange rates on investments from the fluctuations arising from changes in the market prices of securities held. Such fluctuations are included with the net realized and unrealized gain or loss on investments.
Net realized foreign exchange gains or losses arise from sales of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized on securities transactions between trade and settlement date, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the fund’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized foreign exchange gains and losses arise from changes in the value of assets and liabilities other than investments resulting from changes in exchange rates. Foreign currency gains and losses on foreign currency transactions are also included with net realized and unrealized gain or loss on investments.
37
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
Foreign taxes: The fund may be subject to foreign taxes (a portion of which may be reclaimable) on income, stock dividends, realized and unrealized capital gains on investments or certain foreign currency transactions. Foreign taxes are recorded in accordance with the applicable foreign tax regulations and rates that exist in the foreign jurisdictions in which the fund invests. These foreign taxes, if any, are paid by the fund and are reflected in the Statement of Operations, if applicable. Foreign taxes payable or deferred or those subject to reclaims as of October 31, 2023, if any, are disclosed in the fund’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
(c) Securities transactions and investment income: Securities transactions are recorded on a trade date basis. Realized gains and losses from securities transactions are recorded on the identified cost basis. Dividend income is recognized on the ex-dividend date and interest income, including, where applicable, accretion of discount and amortization of premium on investments, is recognized on the accrual basis.
Pursuant to a securities lending agreement with BNY Mellon, the fund may lend securities to qualified institutions. It is the fund’s policy that, at origination, all loans are secured by collateral of at least 102% of the value of U.S. securities loaned and 105% of the value of foreign securities loaned. Collateral equivalent to at least 100% of the market value of securities on loan is maintained at all times. Collateral is either in the form of cash, which can be invested in certain money market mutual funds managed by the Adviser, or U.S. Government and Agency securities. Any non-cash collateral received cannot be sold or re-pledged by the fund, except in the event of borrower default. The securities on loan, if any, are also disclosed in the fund’s Statement of Investments. The fund is entitled to receive all dividends, interest and distributions on securities loaned, in addition to income earned as a result of the lending transaction. Should a borrower fail to return the securities in a timely manner, BNY Mellon is required to replace the securities for the benefit of the fund or credit the fund with the market value of the unreturned securities and is subrogated to the fund’s rights against the borrower and the collateral. Additionally, the contractual maturity of security lending transactions are on an overnight and continuous basis. During the period ended October 31, 2023, BNY Mellon earned $7,004 from the lending of the fund’s portfolio securities, pursuant to the securities lending agreement.
For financial reporting purposes, the fund elects not to offset assets and liabilities subject to a securities lending agreement, if any, in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Therefore, all qualifying transactions are presented on a gross basis in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. As of
38
October 31, 2023, the fund had securities on loan and the value of the related collateral received by the fund exceeded the value of the securities loaned by the fund. The value of the securities loaned by the fund, if any, are also disclosed in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and in the Statement of Investments. The total amount of cash and non-cash securities lending collateral received is disclosed in the footnotes to the Statement of Investments.
(d) Affiliated issuers: Investments in other investment companies advised by the Adviser are considered “affiliated” under the Act.
Certain affiliated investment companies may also invest in the fund. At October 31, 2023, BNY Mellon Yield Enhancement Strategy Fund, an affiliate of the fund, held 3,389,700 Class Y shares representing approximately 28.99% of the fund’s net assets.
(e) Market Risk: The value of the securities in which the fund invests may be affected by political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. In addition, turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or fixed-income markets may negatively affect many issuers, which could adversely affect the fund. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. These risks may be magnified if certain events or developments adversely interrupt the global supply chain; in these and other circumstances, such risks might affect companies world-wide.
Foreign Investment Risk: To the extent the fund invests in foreign securities, the fund’s performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in foreign issuers. Special risks associated with investments in foreign issuers include exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political and economic instability and differing auditing and legal standards.
Fixed-Income Market Risk: The market value of a fixed-income security may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. The fixed-income securities market can be susceptible to increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity. Liquidity can decline unpredictably in response to overall economic conditions or credit tightening. Increases in volatility
39
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
and decreases in liquidity may be caused by a rise in interest rates (or the expectation of a rise in interest rates). An unexpected increase in fund redemption requests, including requests from shareholders who may own a significant percentage of the fund’s shares, which may be triggered by market turmoil or an increase in interest rates, could cause the fund to sell its holdings at a loss or at undesirable prices and adversely affect the fund’s share price and increase the fund’s liquidity risk, fund expenses and/or taxable distributions. Federal Reserve policy in response to market conditions, including with respect to interest rates, may adversely affect the value, volatility and liquidity of dividend and interest paying securities. Policy and legislative changes worldwide are affecting many aspects of financial regulation. The impact of these changes on the markets and the practical implications for market participants may not be fully known for some time.
Foreign Government Obligations and Securities of Supranational Entities Risk: Investing in foreign government obligations, debt obligations of supranational entities and the sovereign debt of foreign countries, including emerging market countries, creates exposure to the direct or indirect consequences of political, social or economic changes in the countries that issue the securities or in which the issuers are located. A governmental obligor may default on its obligations. Some sovereign obligors have been among the world’s largest debtors to commercial banks, other governments, international financial organizations and other financial institutions. These obligors, in the past, have experienced substantial difficulties in servicing their external debt obligations, which led to defaults on certain obligations and the restructuring of certain indebtedness.
Derivatives Risk: A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the fund’s performance. The use of derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets, and the fund’s use of derivatives may result in losses to the fund. Derivatives in which the fund may invest can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value, and there is the risk that changes in the value of a derivative held by the fund will not correlate with the underlying assets or the fund’s other investments in the manner intended.
(f) Dividends and distributions to shareholders: Dividends and distributions are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Dividends from net investment income are normally declared and paid quarterly. Dividends from net realized capital gains, if any, are normally declared and paid annually, but the fund may make distributions on a more frequent basis to
40
comply with the distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). To the extent that net realized capital gains can be offset by capital loss carryovers, it is the policy of the fund not to distribute such gains. Income and capital gain distributions are determined in accordance with income tax regulations, which may differ from GAAP.
(g) Federal income taxes: It is the policy of the fund to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company, if such qualification is in the best interests of its shareholders, by complying with the applicable provisions of the Code, and to make distributions of taxable income and net realized capital gain sufficient to relieve it from substantially all federal income and excise taxes.
As of and during the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund did not have any liabilities for any uncertain tax positions. The fund recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to uncertain tax positions as income tax expense in the Statement of Operations. During the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund did not incur any interest or penalties.
Each tax year in the four-year period ended October 31, 2023 remains subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities.
At October 31, 2023, the components of accumulated earnings on a tax basis were as follows: accumulated capital and other losses $11,149,357 and unrealized depreciation $13,569,703.
The fund is permitted to carry forward capital losses for an unlimited period. Furthermore, capital loss carryovers retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses.
The accumulated capital loss carryover is available for federal income tax purposes to be applied against future net realized capital gains, if any, realized subsequent to October 31, 2023. The fund has $2,650,386 of short-term capital losses and $8,447,926 of long-term capital losses which can be carried forward for an unlimited period.
The tax character of distributions paid to shareholders during the fiscal years ended October 31, 2023 and October 31, 2022 were as follows: ordinary income $9,152,664 and $3,139,736, and long-term capital gains $0 and $1,831,777, respectively.
During the period ended October 31, 2023, as a result of permanent book to tax differences, primarily due to a taxable excess distribution, the fund increased total distributable earnings (loss) by $232,552 and decreased
41
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
paid-in capital by the same amount. Net assets and net asset value per share were not affected by this reclassification.
NOTE 2—Bank Lines of Credit:
The fund participates with other long-term open-end funds managed by the Adviser in a $738 million unsecured credit facility led by Citibank, N.A. (the “Citibank Credit Facility”) and a $300 million unsecured credit facility provided by BNY Mellon (the “BNYM Credit Facility”), each to be utilized primarily for temporary or emergency purposes, including the financing of redemptions (each, a “Facility”). The Citibank Credit Facility is available in two tranches: (i) Tranche A is in an amount equal to $618 million and is available to all long-term open-ended funds, including the fund, and (ii) Tranche B is an amount equal to $120 million and is available only to BNY Mellon Floating Rate Income Fund, a series of BNY Mellon Investment Funds IV, Inc. Prior to September 27, 2023, the Citibank Credit Facility was $823.5 million with Tranche A available in an amount equal to $688.5 million and Tranche B available in an amount equal to $135 million. In connection therewith, the fund has agreed to pay its pro rata portion of commitment fees for Tranche A of the Citibank Credit Facility and the BNYM Credit Facility. Interest is charged to the fund based on rates determined pursuant to the terms of the respective Facility at the time of borrowing.
During the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund was charged $1,875 for interest expense. These fees are included in Interest expense in the Statement of Operations. The average amount of borrowings outstanding under the Facilities during the period ended October 31, 2023 was approximately $33,151 with a related weighted average annualized interest rate of 5.66%.
NOTE 3—Management Fee, Sub-Advisory Fee and Other Transactions with Affiliates:
(a) Pursuant to a management agreement with the Adviser, the management fee is computed at the annual rate of .40% of the value of the fund’s average daily net assets and is payable monthly. The Adviser has contractually agreed, from November 1, 2022 through March 1, 2024, to waive receipt of its fees and/or assume the direct expenses of the fund so that the direct expenses of none of the fund’s share classes (excluding Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan fees, Shareholder Services Plan fees, taxes, interest expense, brokerage commissions, commitment fees on borrowings and extraordinary expenses) exceed .80% of the value of the fund’s average daily net assets. On or after March 1, 2024, the Adviser may terminate this expense limitation agreement at any time. Because “acquired fund fees and
42
expenses” are incurred indirectly by the fund, as a result of its investments in underlying funds, such fees and expenses are not included in the expense limitation. The reduction in expenses, pursuant to the undertaking, amounted to $2,456 during the period ended October 31, 2023.
Pursuant to a sub-investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Sub-Adviser, the Adviser pays the Sub-Adviser a monthly fee at an annual rate of .19% of the value of the fund’s average daily net assets.
(b) Under the Distribution Plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act, Class C shares pay the Distributor for distributing its shares at an annual rate of .75% of the value of its average daily net assets. The Distributor may pay one or more Service Agents in respect of advertising, marketing and other distribution services, and determines the amounts, if any, to be paid to Service Agents and the basis on which such payments are made. During the period ended October 31, 2023, Class C shares were charged $838 pursuant to the Distribution Plan.
(c) Under the Shareholder Services Plan, Class A and Class C shares pay the Distributor at an annual rate of .25% of the value of their average daily net assets for the provision of certain services. The services provided may include personal services relating to shareholder accounts, such as answering shareholder inquiries regarding the fund, and services related to the maintenance of shareholder accounts. The Distributor may make payments to Service Agents (securities dealers, financial institutions or other industry professionals) with respect to these services. The Distributor determines the amounts to be paid to Service Agents. During the period ended October 31, 2023, Class A and Class C shares were charged $11,956 and $279, respectively, pursuant to the Shareholder Services Plan.
The fund has an arrangement with BNY Mellon Transfer, Inc., (the “Transfer Agent”), a subsidiary of BNY Mellon and an affiliate of the Adviser, whereby the fund may receive earnings credits when positive cash balances are maintained, which are used to offset Transfer Agent fees. For financial reporting purposes, the fund includes transfer agent net earnings credits, if any, as an expense offset in the Statement of Operations.
The fund has an arrangement with The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Custodian”), a subsidiary of BNY Mellon and an affiliate of the Adviser, whereby the fund will receive interest income or be charged overdraft fees when cash balances are maintained. For financial reporting purposes, the fund includes this interest income and overdraft fees, if any, as interest income in the Statement of Operations.
43
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
The fund compensates the Transfer Agent, under a transfer agency agreement, for providing transfer agency and cash management services for the fund. The majority of Transfer Agent fees are comprised of amounts paid on a per account basis, while cash management fees are related to fund subscriptions and redemptions. During the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund was charged $4,096 for transfer agency services. These fees are included in Shareholder servicing costs in the Statement of Operations. These fees were partially offset by earnings credits of $1,856.
The fund compensates the Custodian, under a custody agreement, for providing custodial services for the fund. These fees are determined based on net assets, geographic region and transaction activity. During the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund was charged $32,124 pursuant to the custody agreement.
During the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund was charged $19,425 for services performed by the fund’s Chief Compliance Officer and his staff. These fees are included in Chief Compliance Officer fees in the Statement of Operations.
The components of “Due to BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. and affiliates” in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities consist of: management fee of $41,990, Distribution Plan fees of $57, Shareholder Services Plan fees of $815, Custodian fees of $18,082, Chief Compliance Officer fees of $6,053 and Transfer Agent fees of $712.
(d) Each board member also serves as a board member of other funds in the BNY Mellon Family of Funds complex. Annual retainer fees and attendance fees are allocated to each fund based on net assets.
NOTE 4—Securities Transactions:
The aggregate amount of purchases and sales of investment securities, excluding short-term securities, futures, options transactions and forward contracts, during the period ended October 31, 2023, amounted to $135,146,976 and $134,538,459, respectively.
Derivatives: A derivative is a financial instrument whose performance is derived from the performance of another asset. The fund enters into International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Master Agreements or similar agreements (collectively, “Master Agreements”) with its over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivative contract counterparties in order to, among other things, reduce its credit risk to counterparties. Master Agreements include provisions for general obligations, representations, collateral and events of default or termination. Under a Master Agreement, the fund may
44
offset with the counterparty certain derivative financial instruments’ payables and/or receivables with collateral held and/or posted and create one single net payment in the event of default or termination. Rule 18f-4 under the Act regulates the use of derivatives transactions for certain funds registered under the Act. The fund’s derivative transactions are subject to a value-at-risk leverage limit and certain reporting and other requirements pursuant to a derivatives risk management program adopted by the fund.
Each type of derivative instrument that was held by the fund during the period ended October 31, 2023 is discussed below.
Futures: In the normal course of pursuing its investment objective, the fund is exposed to market risk, including interest rate risk, as a result of changes in value of underlying financial instruments. The fund invests in futures in order to manage its exposure to or protect against changes in the market. A futures contract represents a commitment for the future purchase or a sale of an asset at a specified date. Upon entering into such contracts, these investments require initial margin deposits with a counterparty, which consist of cash or cash equivalents. The amount of these deposits is determined by the exchange or Board of Trade on which the contract is traded and is subject to change. Accordingly, variation margin payments are received or made to reflect daily unrealized gains or losses which are recorded in the Statement of Operations. When the contracts are closed, the fund recognizes a realized gain or loss which is reflected in the Statement of Operations. There is minimal counterparty credit risk to the fund with futures since they are exchange traded, and the exchange guarantees the futures against default. Futures open at October 31, 2023 are set forth in the Statement of Investments.
Options Transactions: The fund purchases and writes (sells) put and call options to hedge against changes in the values of interest rates, or as a substitute for an investment. The fund is subject to market risk and interest rate risk in the course of pursuing its investment objectives through its investments in options contracts. A call option gives the purchaser of the option the right (but not the obligation) to buy, and obligates the writer to sell, the underlying financial instrument at the exercise price at any time during the option period, or at a specified date. Conversely, a put option gives the purchaser of the option the right (but not the obligation) to sell, and obligates the writer to buy the underlying financial instrument at the exercise price at any time during the option period, or at a specified date.
As a writer of call options, the fund receives a premium at the outset and then bears the market risk of unfavorable changes in the price of the financial instrument underlying the option. Generally, the fund realizes a gain, to the extent of the premium, if the price of the underlying financial
45
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
instrument decreases between the date the option is written and the date on which the option is terminated. Generally, the fund incurs a loss if the price of the financial instrument increases between those dates. The maximum payout for those contracts is limited to the number of call option contracts written and the related strike prices, respectively.
As a writer of put options, the fund receives a premium at the outset and then bears the market risk of unfavorable changes in the price of the financial instrument underlying the option. Generally, the fund realizes a gain, to the extent of the premium, if the price of the underlying financial instrument increases between the date the option is written and the date on which the option is terminated. Generally, the fund incurs a loss if the price of the financial instrument decreases between those dates. The maximum payout for those contracts is limited to the number of put option contracts written and the related strike prices, respectively.
As a writer of an option, the fund has no control over whether the underlying financial instrument may be sold (call) or purchased (put) and as a result bears the market risk of an unfavorable change in the price of the financial instrument underlying the written option. There is a risk of loss from a change in value of such options which may exceed the related premiums received. This risk may be mitigated by Master Agreements, if any, between the fund and the counterparty and the posting of collateral, if any, by the counterparty to the fund to cover the fund’s exposure to the counterparty. The Statement of Operations reflects any unrealized gains or losses which occurred during the period as well as any realized gains or losses which occurred upon the expiration or closing of the option transaction. As of October 31, 2023, there was no options written and options purchased outstanding.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts: The fund enters into forward contracts in order to hedge its exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates on its foreign portfolio holdings, to settle foreign currency transactions or as a part of its investment strategy. When executing forward contracts, the fund is obligated to buy or sell a foreign currency at a specified rate on a certain date in the future. With respect to sales of forward contracts, the fund incurs a loss if the value of the contract increases between the date the forward contract is opened and the date the forward contract is closed. The fund realizes a gain if the value of the contract decreases between those dates. With respect to purchases of forward contracts, the fund incurs a loss if the value of the contract decreases between the date the forward contract is opened and the date the forward contract is closed. The fund realizes a gain if the value of the contract increases between those dates. Any realized or unrealized gains or
46
losses which occurred during the period are reflected in the Statement of Operations. The fund is exposed to foreign currency risk as a result of changes in value of underlying financial instruments. The fund is also exposed to credit risk associated with counterparty non-performance on these forward contracts, which is generally limited to the unrealized gain on each open contract. This risk may be mitigated by Master Agreements, if any, between the fund and the counterparty and the posting of collateral, if any, by the counterparty to the fund to cover the fund’s exposure to the counterparty. Forward contracts open at October 31, 2023 are set forth in the Statement of Investments.
The following tables show the fund’s exposure to different types of market risk as it relates to the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and the Statement of Operations, respectively.
Fair value of derivative instruments as of October 31, 2023 is shown below:
| | | | | | | |
| | Derivative Assets ($) | | | | Derivative Liabilities ($) | |
Interest rate risk | 106,690 | 1 | Interest rate risk | (346,740) | 1 |
Foreign exchange risk | 3,407,990 | 2 | Foreign exchange risk | (540,536) | 2 |
Gross fair value of derivative contracts | 3,514,680 | | | | (887,276) | |
| | | | | | |
| Statement of Assets and Liabilities location: | |
1 | Includes cumulative appreciation (depreciation) on futures as reported in the Statement of Investments, but only the unpaid variation margin is reported in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. |
2 | Unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts. |
The effect of derivative instruments in the Statement of Operations during the period ended October 31, 2023 is shown below:
| | | | | | | | | | |
Amount of realized gain (loss) on derivatives recognized in income ($) | |
Underlying risk | Futures | 1 | Options Transactions | 2 | Forward Contracts | 3 | Swap Agreements | 4 | Total | |
Interest rate | 418,301 | | (39,503) | | - | | - | | 378,798 | |
Foreign exchange | - | | - | | (1,341,268) | | - | | (1,341,268) | |
Credit | - | | - | | - | | 1,478 | | 1,478 | |
Total | 418,301 | | (39,503) | | (1,341,268) | | 1,478 | | (960,992) | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
47
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on derivatives recognized in income ($) | |
Underlying risk | Futures | 5 | Options Transactions | 6 | Forward Contracts | 7 | Swap Agreements | | Total | |
Interest rate | (193,676) | | 23,466 | | - | | - | | (170,210) | |
Foreign exchange | - | | - | | (1,467,628) | | - | | (1,467,628) | |
Total | (193,676) | | 23,466 | | (1,467,628) | | - | | (1,637,838) | |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| Statement of Operations location: | |
1 | Net realized gain (loss) on futures. | | |
2 | Net realized gain (loss) on options transactions. |
3 | Net realized gain (loss) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts. | | |
4 | Net realized gain (loss) on swap agreements. | | |
5 | Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on futures. | | |
6 | Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on options transactions. | | |
7 | Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts. | |
The provisions of ASC Topic 210 “Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities” require disclosure on the offsetting of financial assets and liabilities. These disclosures are required for certain investments, including derivative financial instruments subject to Master Agreements which are eligible for offsetting in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities and require the fund to disclose both gross and net information with respect to such investments. For financial reporting purposes, the fund does not offset derivative assets and derivative liabilities that are subject to Master Agreements in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
At October 31, 2023, derivative assets and liabilities (by type) on a gross basis are as follows:
| | | | | |
Derivative Financial Instruments: | | Assets ($) | | Liabilities ($) | |
Futures | | 106,690 | | (346,740) | |
Forward contracts | | 3,407,990 | | (540,536) | |
Total gross amount of derivative | | | | | |
assets and liabilities in the | | | | | |
Statement of Assets and Liabilities | | 3,514,680 | | (887,276) | |
Derivatives not subject to | | | | | |
Master Agreements | | (106,690) | | 346,740 | |
Total gross amount of assets | | | | | |
and liabilities subject to | | | | | |
Master Agreements | | 3,407,990 | | (540,536) | |
The following tables present derivative assets and liabilities net of amounts available for offsetting under Master Agreements and net of related collateral received or pledged, if any, as of October 31, 2023:
48
| | | | | | |
| | | Financial | | | |
| | | Instruments | | | |
| | | and Derivatives | | | |
| Gross Amount | | Available | Collateral | | Net Amount |
Counterparty | of Assets ($) | 1 | for Offset ($) | Received ($) | 2 | of Assets ($) |
Barclays Capital, Inc. | 42,654 | | (586) | - | | 42,068 |
CIBC World Markets Corp. | 1,794,362 | | (32,114) | (1,700,000) | | 62,248 |
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. | 166,325 | | - | - | | 166,325 |
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC | 264,076 | | (26,437) | - | | 237,639 |
RBS Securities, Inc. | 382,809 | | (220,593) | - | | 162,216 |
State Street Bank and Trust Company | 436,078 | | (200,690) | (235,388) | | - |
UBS Securities LLC | 321,686 | | (36,019) | (285,667) | | - |
Total | 3,407,990 | | (516,439) | (2,221,055) | | 670,496 |
| | | | | | |
| | | Financial | | | |
| | | Instruments | | | |
| Gross | | and Derivatives | | | Net |
| Amount of | | Available | Collateral | | Amount of |
Counterparty | Liabilities ($) | 1 | for Offset ($) | Pledged ($) | 2 | Liabilities ($) |
Barclays Capital, Inc. | (586) | | 586 | - | | - |
CIBC World Markets Corp. | (32,114) | | 32,114 | - | | - |
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | (24,097) | | - | - | | (24,097) |
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC | (26,437) | | 26,437 | - | | - |
RBS Securities, Inc. | (220,593) | | 220,593 | - | | - |
State Street Bank and Trust Company | (200,690) | | 200,690 | - | | - |
UBS Securities LLC | (36,019) | | 36,019 | - | | - |
Total | (540,536) | | 516,439 | - | | (24,097) |
| | | | | | |
1 Absent a default event or early termination, OTC derivative assets and liabilities are presented at gross amounts and are not offset in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. |
2 In some instances, the actual collateral received and/or pledged may be more than the amount shown due to over collateralization. |
The following table summarizes the average market value of derivatives outstanding during the period ended October 31, 2023:
| | |
| | Average Market Value ($) |
Interest rate futures | | 21,369,598 |
Interest rate options contracts | | 60,984 |
Forward contracts | | 100,417,221 |
49
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
At October 31, 2023, the cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was $129,419,568; accordingly, accumulated net unrealized depreciation on investments inclusive of derivative contracts was $13,523,255, consisting of $3,657,086 gross unrealized appreciation and $17,180,341 gross unrealized depreciation.
50
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond Income Fund
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond Income Fund (the “Fund”) (one of the funds constituting BNY Mellon Advantage Funds, Inc.(the “Company”)), including the statement of investments, as of October 31, 2023, and the related statement of operations for the year then ended, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund (one of the funds constituting BNY Mellon Advantage Funds, Inc.) at October 31, 2023, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended and its financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of October 31, 2023, by correspondence with the custodian, brokers and others; when replies were not received from brokers and others, we performed other auditing procedures. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
We have served as the auditor of one or more investment companies in the BNY Mellon Family of Funds since at least 1957, but we are unable to determine the specific year.
New York, New York
December 22, 2023
51
PROXY RESULTS (Unaudited)
A special meeting of the Company’s shareholders was held on October 12, 2023. The proposal considered at the meeting and the results were as follows:
| | | | |
| | Shares |
| | For | | Authority Withheld |
To elect Board Members to hold office until their successors are duly elected and qualified† | | | |
| Francine J. Bovich | 165,556,384 | | 2,001,769 |
| Michael D. DiLecce | 165,574,410 | | 1,983,742 |
| Gina D. France | 165,046,263 | | 2,511,889 |
| Joan L. Gulley | 164,763,074 | | 2,795,079 |
| Nathan Leventhal | 165,032,642 | | 2,525,511 |
† Each Board Member’s term to commence January 1, 2024
In addition, Joseph S. DiMartino, Peggy C. Davis and Robin A. Melvin continue as Board Members of the Company. Mses. France and Gulley currently are Board Members of the Company, but have not been previously elected by shareholders.
52
LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM (Unaudited)
The fund adopted a liquidity risk management program (the “Liquidity Risk Management Program”) pursuant to the requirements of Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. Rule 22e-4 requires registered open-end funds, including mutual funds and exchange-traded funds but not money market funds, to establish liquidity risk management programs in order to effectively manage fund liquidity and shareholder redemptions. The rule is designed to mitigate the risk that a fund could not meet redemption requests without significantly diluting the interests of remaining investors.
The rule requires the fund to assess, manage and review their liquidity risk at least annually considering applicable factors such as investment strategy and liquidity during normal and foreseeable stressed conditions, including whether the strategy is appropriate for an open-end fund and whether the fund has a relatively concentrated portfolio or large positions in particular issuers. The fund must also assess its use of borrowings and derivatives, short-term and long-term cash flow projections in normal and stressed conditions, holdings of cash and cash equivalents, and borrowing arrangements and other funding sources.
The rule also requires the fund to classify its investments as highly liquid, moderately liquid, less liquid or illiquid based on the number of days the fund expects it would take to liquidate the investment, and to review these classifications at least monthly or more often under certain conditions. The periods range from three or fewer business days for a highly liquid investment to greater than seven calendar days for settlement of a less liquid investment. Illiquid investments are those a fund does not expect to be able to sell or dispose of within seven calendar days without significantly changing the market value. The fund is prohibited from acquiring an investment if, after the acquisition, its holdings of illiquid assets will exceed 15% of its net assets. In addition, if a fund permits redemptions in-kind, the rule requires the fund to establish redemption in-kind policies and procedures governing how and when it will engage in such redemptions.
Pursuant to the rule’s requirements, the Liquidity Risk Management Program has been reviewed and approved by the Board. Furthermore, the Board has received a written report prepared by the Program’s Administrator that addresses the operation of the Program, assesses its adequacy and effectiveness and describes any material changes made to the Program.
Assessment of Program
In the opinion of the Program Administrator, the Program approved by the Board continues to be adequate for the fund and the Program has been implemented effectively. The Program Administrator has monitored the fund’s liquidity risk and the liquidity classification of the securities held by the fund and has determined that the Program is operating effectively.
During the period from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, there were no material changes to the Program and no material liquidity events that impacted the fund. During the period, the fund held sufficient highly liquid assets to meet fund redemptions.
Under normal expected foreseeable fund redemption forecasts and foreseeable stressed fund redemption forecasts, the Program Administrator believes that the fund maintains sufficient highly liquid assets to meet expected fund redemptions.
53
BOARD MEMBERS INFORMATION (Unaudited)
Independent Board Members
Joseph S. DiMartino (80)
Chairman of the Board (1995)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· Director or Trustee of funds in the BNY Mellon Family of Funds and certain other entities (as described in the fund’s Statement of Additional Information) (1995-Present)
Other Public Company Board Memberships During Past 5 Years:
· CBIZ, Inc., a public company providing professional business services, products and solutions, Director (1997-May 2023)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 86
———————
Peggy C. Davis (80)
Board Member (2006)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· Shad Professor of Law, New York University School of Law (1983-Present)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 29
———————
Gina D. France (65)
Board Member (2019)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· France Strategic Partners, a strategy and advisory firm serving corporate clients across the United States, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer (2003-Present)
Other Public Company Board Memberships During Past 5 Years:
· Huntington Bancshares, a bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Director (2016-Present)
· Cedar Fair, L.P., a publicly-traded partnership that owns and operates amusement parks and hotels in the U.S. and Canada, Director (2011-May 2023)
· CBIZ, Inc., a public company providing professional business services, products and solutions, Director (2015-Present)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 22
———————
Joan Gulley (76)
Board Member (2017)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· Nantucket Atheneum, public library, Chair (June 2018-June 2021) and Director (2015-June 2021)
· Orchard Island Club, golf and beach club, Governor (2016-Present) and President (February 2023-Present)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 39
———————
54
Robin A. Melvin (60)
Board Member (2012)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· Westover School, a private girls’ boarding school in Middlebury, Connecticut, Trustee (2019-June 2023)
· Mentor Illinois, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the quantity and quality of mentoring services in Illinois, Co-Chair (2014–2020); Board Member (2013-2020)
· JDRF, a non-profit juvenile diabetes research foundation, Board Member (June 2021-June 2022)
Other Public Company Board Memberships During Past 5 Years:
· HPS Corporate Lending Fund, a closed-end management investment company regulated as a business development company, Trustee (August 2021-Present)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 68
———————
Michael D. DiLecce (61)
Advisory Board Member (2022)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· Retired since July 2022. Global Asset Management Assurance Leader, Ernst & Young LLP (2015-2022)
· Americas Regional Talent Managing Partner for Ernst & Young’s Financial Service Practice (2017-2021)
· Partner, Ernst & Young LLP (1997-2022)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 22
———————
The address of the Board Members and Officers is c/o BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc., 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286. Additional information about each Board Member is available in the fund’s Statement of Additional Information which can be obtained from the Adviser free of charge by calling this toll free number: 1-800-373-9387.
55
OFFICERS OF THE FUND (Unaudited)
DAVID DIPETRILLO, President since January 2021.
Vice President and Director of the Adviser since February 2021; Head of North America Distribution, BNY Mellon Investment Management since February 2023; and Head of North America Product, BNY Mellon Investment Management from January 2018 to February 2023. He is an officer of 53 investment companies (comprised of 102 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 45 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since 2005.
JAMES WINDELS, Treasurer since November 2001.
Director of the Adviser since February 2023; Vice President of the Adviser since September 2020; and Director–BNY Mellon Fund Administration. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 65 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since April 1985.
PETER M. SULLIVAN, Chief Legal Officer since July 2021 and Vice President and Assistant Secretary since March 2019.
Chief Legal Officer of the Adviser and Associate General Counsel of BNY Mellon since July 2021; Senior Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon from December 2020 to July 2021; and Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon from March 2009 to December 2020. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 55 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since April 2004.
JAMES BITETTO, Vice President since August 2005 and Secretary since February 2018.
Senior Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon since December 2019; Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon from April 2014 to December 2019; and Secretary of the Adviser. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 57 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since December 1996.
DEIRDRE CUNNANE, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since March 2019.
Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon since December 2021; and Counsel of BNY Mellon from August 2018 to December 2021. She is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 33 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since August 2013.
SARAH S. KELLEHER, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since April 2014.
Vice President of BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser; LLC since February 2020; Senior Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon since September 2021; and Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon from December 2017 to September 2021. She is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 48 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since March 2013.
JEFF PRUSNOFSKY, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since August 2005.
Senior Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 58 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since October 1990.
AMANDA QUINN, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since March 2020.
Counsel of BNY Mellon since June 2019; Regulatory Administration Manager at BNY Mellon Investment Management Services from September 2018 to May 2019. She is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 38 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since June 2012.
JOANNE SKERRETT, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since March 2023.
Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon since June 2022; and Senior Counsel with the Mutual Fund Directors Forum, a leading funds industry organization, from 2016 to June 2022. She is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 51 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since June 2022.
56
NATALYA ZELENSKY, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since March 2017.
Chief Compliance Officer since August 2021 and Vice President since February 2020 of BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC; Chief Compliance Officer since August 2021 and Vice President and Assistant Secretary since February 2020 of BNY Mellon ETF Trust; Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon from December 2019 to August 2021; Counsel of BNY Mellon from May 2016 to December 2019; and Assistant Secretary of the Adviser from April 2018 to August 2021. She is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 38 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since May 2016.
DANIEL GOLDSTEIN, Vice President since March 2022.
Head of Product Development of North America Distribution, BNY Mellon Investment Management since January 2018; Executive Vice President of North America Product, BNY Mellon Investment Management since April 2023; and Senior Vice President, Development & Oversight of North America Product, BNY Mellon Investment Management from 2010 to March 2023. He is an officer of 53 investment companies (comprised of 102 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 54 years old and has been an employee of the Distributor since 1991.
JOSEPH MARTELLA, Vice President since March 2022.
Vice President of the Adviser since December 2022; Head of Product Management of North America Distribution, BNY Mellon Investment Management since January 2018; Executive Vice President of North America Product, BNY Mellon Investment Management since April 2023; and Senior Vice President of North America Product, BNY Mellon Investment Management from 2010 to March 2023. He is an officer of 53 investment companies (comprised of 102 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 47 years old and has been an employee of the Distributor since 1999.
GAVIN C. REILLY, Assistant Treasurer since December 2005.
Tax Manager–BNY Mellon Fund Administration. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 55 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since April 1991.
ROBERT SALVIOLO, Assistant Treasurer since July 2007.
Senior Accounting Manager–BNY Mellon Fund Administration. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 56 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since June 1989.
ROBERT SVAGNA, Assistant Treasurer since December 2002.
Senior Accounting Manager–BNY Mellon Fund Administration. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 56 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since November 1990.
JOSEPH W. CONNOLLY, Chief Compliance Officer since October 2004.
Chief Compliance Officer of the BNY Mellon Family of Funds and BNY Mellon Funds Trust since 2004; and Chief Compliance Officer of the Adviser from 2004 until June 2021. He is the Chief Compliance Officer of 53 investment companies (comprised of 105 portfolios) managed by the Adviser. He is 66 years old.
CARIDAD M. CAROSELLA, Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer since January 2016.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer of the BNY Mellon Family of Funds and BNY Mellon Funds Trust. She is an officer of 47 investment companies (comprised of 114 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 55 years old and has been an employee of the Distributor since 1997.
57
BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond Income Fund
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286
Adviser
BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc.
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286
Sub-Adviser
Newton Investment Management Limited
160 Queen Victoria Street
London, EC4V, 4LA, UK
Custodian
The Bank of New York Mellon
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286
Transfer Agent &
Dividend Disbursing Agent
BNY Mellon Transfer, Inc.
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286
Distributor
BNY Mellon Securities Corporation
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286
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Ticker Symbols: | Class A: DGDAX Class C: DGDCX Class I: DGDIX Class Y: DGDYX |
Telephone Call your financial representative or 1-800-373-9387
Mail The BNY Mellon Family of Funds, 144 Glenn Curtiss Boulevard, Uniondale, NY 11556-0144
E-mail Send your request to info@bnymellon.com
Internet Information can be viewed online or downloaded at www.im.bnymellon.com
The fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-PORT. The fund’s Forms N-PORT are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
A description of the policies and procedures that the fund uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities and information regarding how the fund voted these proxies for the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available at www.im.bnymellon.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-373-9387.
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© 2023 BNY Mellon Securities Corporation 6298AR1023 | |
BNY Mellon Global Real Return Fund
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ANNUAL REPORT October 31, 2023 |
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Save time. Save paper. View your next shareholder report online as soon as it’s available. Log into www.im.bnymellon.com and sign up for eCommunications. It’s simple and only takes a few minutes. |
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The views expressed in this report reflect those of the portfolio manager(s) only through the end of the period covered and do not necessarily represent the views of BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. or any other person in the BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. organization. Any such views are subject to change at any time based upon market or other conditions and BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. disclaims any responsibility to update such views. These views may not be relied on as investment advice and, because investment decisions for a fund in the BNY Mellon Family of Funds are based on numerous factors, may not be relied on as an indication of trading intent on behalf of any fund in the BNY Mellon Family of Funds. |
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Not FDIC-Insured • Not Bank-Guaranteed • May Lose Value |
Contents
THE FUND
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Back Cover
DISCUSSION OF FUND PERFORMANCE (Unaudited)
For the period from November 1, 2022, through October 31, 2023, as provided by Portfolio Managers Aron Pataki and Andrew Warwick of Newton Investment Management Limited, sub-adviser.
Market and Fund Performance Overview
For the 12-month period ended October 31, 2023, the BNY Mellon Global Real Return Fund (the “fund”) produced a total return of −3.39% for Class A shares, −4.17% for Class C shares, −3.17% for Class I shares and −3.12% for Class Y shares.1 In comparison, the fund’s benchmark, the FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index (the “Index”), and the fund’s performance baseline benchmark, the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR, produced total returns of 4.85% and 4.67%, respectively, for the same period.2,3
Global equity and fixed-income markets produced mixed results during the reporting period in the face of high inflation, rising interest rates and hawkish rhetoric from central banks. The fund underperformed the Index, primarily due to the negative impact of derivative protection and alternatives.
The Fund’s Investment Approach
The fund seeks total return (consisting of capital appreciation and income). To pursue its goal, the fund uses an actively managed, multi-asset strategy to produce absolute or real returns with less volatility than major equity markets over a complete market cycle, typically a period of five years. Rather than trying to track a benchmark index, the fund seeks to provide returns that are largely independent of market moves.
The fund allocates its investments among global equities, bonds and cash, and, generally to a lesser extent, other asset classes, including real estate, commodities, currencies and alternative or non-traditional asset classes and strategies, primarily those accessed through derivative instruments.
The fund’s sub-adviser, Newton Investment Management Limited, combines a top-down approach, emphasizing economic trends and current investment themes on a global basis, with bottom-up security selection, based on fundamental research, to allocate the fund’s investments among and within asset classes. In choosing investments, the sub-adviser considers key trends in global economic variables, such as gross domestic product, inflation and interest rates; investment themes, such as changing demographics, the impact of new technologies and the globalization of industries and brands; relative valuations of equity securities, bonds and cash; long-term trends in currency movements; and company fundamentals.
Global Markets Pressured by High Interest Rates
Equity markets gained additional ground in late 2022 and the first half of 2023 on the strength of the so-called “Magnificent 7,” a subset of mega-cap technology-related stocks seen as key beneficiaries of developments in artificial intelligence (AI). However, on an equal-weighted basis, the equity market ended the period nearly flat, demonstrating how narrowly driven equity gains were in the face of high inflation and rising interest rates. Indeed, sticky inflation and resilient economic data, notably in the United States, made central banks reluctant to pull back from their hawkish stance. The prospect of rates remaining higher for longer than previously expected increasingly weighed on equity markets, causing a slump during the final four months of the period. The bond market struggled to gain ground, given persistent inflationary pressures that drove a significant spike higher at the longer end of the U.S. Treasury curve at the end of the reporting period.
Derivative Protection and Alternatives Weigh on Fund Results
During the period, we made several adjustments to fund positions in light of evolving conditions. We increased the fund’s net equity exposure, although a significant portion of the increase was tactical in
2
nature, given the robustness of markets in the face of increasing stresses. Elsewhere, we added a position in emerging-markets debt, with exposure to Brazilian debt particularly accretive to returns. Select emerging markets offered attractive investment opportunities, as their underlying economies experienced more subdued inflationary pressures and were further along in the interest-rate hiking cycle than developed-markets economies. Within the stabilizing layer, we substantially pared back the fund’s gold exposure due to the environment of sustained high interest rates, coupled with dollar strength and broadly unchanged duration.
Nevertheless, several positions detracted materially from the fund’s performance relative to the Index. The primary detractor was derivative protection. Although the fund’s hedges proved effective during the broad-based sell-off late in the period, earlier in the period, markets chose to shrug off the more worrying implications of rising interest rates and the pressures of sticky inflation. As a result, on balance, derivative hedging undermined relative performance. The fund’s Alternatives exposure produced mixed results as rising bond yields lured investors away from this area of the market. A portion of the fund’s exposure was maintained through UK-listed investment trusts, which were hurt by negative sentiment regarding the UK market and forced asset liquidations by some pension funds due to the repercussions of the UK mini-budget. However our Risk Premia strategies provided strong positive returns once again this year as implied volatility on the S&P500 continued to trade rich to realised volatility. Among equity detractors, shares in U.S. oil & gas exploration & production company Conoco Phillips suffered due to the decline in the oil price in early 2023, while shares in Lonza Group AG, a Swiss contract development and manufacturing partner for the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, exhibited weakness after company management guided expectations lower for 2024.
Conversely several positions contributed positively to the fund’s relative performance. The fund’s return-seeking core—and within it, global equities—produced the strongest relative returns. Top performers were led by companies such as semiconductor maker NVIDIA Corp. and enterprise software company Microsoft Corp., buoyed by positive sentiment regarding AI. Shares in online travel and entertainment services provider Booking Holdings were also strong due to a continuing recovery in travel in the aftermath of the pandemic. British aerospace and defense contractor BAE Systems PLC benefited from increased defense budget spending commitments related to the Russia/Ukraine war. Within the fund’s stabilizing layer, gold produced a positive return, helped by the uncertainty inherent in the economic and geopolitical backdrop, as well as emerging-markets central banks’ efforts to diversify their reserves. Government bonds also enhanced returns, led by the fund’s position in U.S. Treasury securities, where exposure was focused on the short end of the yield curve, which offered an attractive yield.
Adopting a Cautious Position
We are currently seeing weakness on the industrial side of the economy and mounting pressures on consumers. Stress is building in the corporate space as well. Accordingly, we expect to see a cyclical downturn/recession, although timing is difficult to predict, particularly in light of high levels of government spending, which are likely to continue at least through upcoming U.S. elections.
Given these conditions, the fund remains in cautious mode, with a significant stabilizing layer reflecting our concerns. Within the return-seeking core, equity exposure is well-balanced, although we have maintained a defensive tilt, reflecting a more mixed economic picture. Diversification remains a key feature of the core, with corporate bonds, emerging-markets debt and alternatives enriching the fund’s long-term sources of return. In the stabilizing layer, approximately two thirds of the fund’s portfolio is protected through put options on market indices, which we expect to act much like an insurance policy should a market correction be triggered. On the other hand, we view government bonds as a less reliable hedging asset than we have in the past. Consequently, we intend to be nimble in this area, maintaining relatively low duration (sensitivity to interest rates) as of the end of the period. The fund currently holds minimal exposure to its other indirect hedge, gold, in recognition of the fact that there may be more attractive areas to deploy capital in an environment of rising real rates and dollar strength.
3
DISCUSSION OF FUND PERFORMANCE (Unaudited) (continued)
Finally, the fund holds a relatively large cash position, which serves as dry powder should opportunities present themselves. Alongside other assets, such as alternatives and short-dated government bonds, cash provides a decent portfolio yield against a backdrop of volatile markets.
November 15, 2023
1 Total return includes reinvestment of dividends and any capital gains paid, and does not take into consideration the maximum initial sales charge in the case of Class A shares, or the applicable contingent deferred sales charge imposed on redemptions in the case of Class C shares. Share price and investment return fluctuate such that upon redemption, fund shares may be worth more or less than their original cost. The fund’s return reflects the absorption of certain fund expenses by BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. pursuant to an agreement in effect through March 1, 2024, at which time it may be extended, modified or terminated. Had these expenses not been absorbed, returns would have been lower. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
2 Source: FactSet — The Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) Index measures the cumulative impact of compounding the SOFR on a unit of investment over time, with the initial value set to 1.00000000 on April 2, 2018, the first value date of the SOFR. The SOFR Index value reflects the effect of compounding the SOFR each business day and allows the calculation of compounded SOFR averages over custom time periods. Investors cannot invest directly in any index. Effective November 1, 2021, the fund’s designated performance baseline benchmark changed from USD 1-Month LIBOR to USD 30-day Compounded SOFR. Investors cannot invest directly in any index.
3 Source: Lipper, Inc. — The FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index consists of the last one-month Treasury bill month-end rates. The FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index measures return equivalents of yield averages. The instruments are not marked to market. Investors cannot invest directly in any index.
Please note: the position in any security highlighted with italicized typeface was sold during the reporting period.
Equities are subject generally to market, market sector, market liquidity, issuer and investment style risks, among other factors, to varying degrees, all of which are more fully described in the fund’s prospectus.
Bonds are subject generally to interest-rate, credit, liquidity and market risks, to varying degrees, all of which are more fully described in the fund’s prospectus. Generally, all other factors being equal, bond prices are inversely related to interest-rate changes, and rate increases can cause price declines.
Small and midsized company stocks tend to be more volatile and less liquid than larger company stocks as these companies are less established and have more volatile earnings histories.
The fund’s performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in foreign companies. Special risks associated with such companies include exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political instability and differing auditing and legal standards.
Because the fund seeks to provide exposure to alternative or non-traditional (i.e., satellite) asset categories or investment strategies, the fund’s performance will be linked to the performance of these highly volatile asset categories and strategies. Accordingly, investors should consider purchasing shares of the fund only as part of an overall diversified portfolio and should be willing to assume the risks of potentially significant fluctuations in the value of fund shares.
The fund may, but is not required to, use derivative instruments. A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the fund’s performance. The use of derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets.
4
FUND PERFORMANCE (Unaudited)
Comparison of change in value of a $10,000 investment in Class A shares, Class C shares and Class I shares of BNY Mellon Global Real Return Fund with a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in the FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index.
† Source: Lipper Inc.
Past performance is not predictive of future performance.
The above graph compares a hypothetical investment of $10,000 made in each of the Class A shares, Class C shares and Class I shares of BNY Mellon Global Real Return Fund on 10/31/13 to a hypothetical investment of $10,000 made in the FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index on that date. All dividends and capital gain distributions are reinvested.
The fund’s performance shown in the line graph above takes into account the maximum initial sales charge on Class A shares and all other applicable fees and expenses on Class A shares, Class C shares and Class I shares. The FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index consists of the last one-month Treasury bill month-end rates. The FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index measures return equivalents of yield averages. The instruments are not marked to market. Unlike a mutual fund, the indices are not subject to charges, fees and other expenses. Investors cannot invest directly in any index. Further information relating to fund performance, including expense reimbursements, if applicable, is contained in the Financial Highlights section of the prospectus and elsewhere in this report.
5
FUND PERFORMANCE (Unaudited) (continued)
Comparison of change in value of a $10,000 investment in Class A shares, Class C shares and Class I shares of BNY Mellon Global Real Return Fund with a hypothetical investment of $10,000 in the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR.
† Source: FactSet
Past performance is not predictive of future performance.
The above graph compares a hypothetical investment of $10,000 made in each of the Class A shares, Class C shares and Class I shares of BNY Mellon Global Real Return Fund on 11/1/21 to a hypothetical investment of $10,000 made in the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR on that date. All dividends and capital gain distributions are reinvested.
Effective 11/1/21, the fund changed its benchmark from USD 1-Month LIBOR to the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR. Performance information for the fund versus the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR is included in the graph and table on the next page.
The fund’s performance shown in the line graph above takes into account the maximum initial sales charge on Class A shares and all other applicable fees and expenses on Class A shares, Class C shares and Class I shares. The USD 1-Month SOFR + 4% per annum Index reflects the Performance Aim for the strategy underlying the fund, over five-year periods (gross of fees). Intrinsic to absolute return funds is an unconstrained investment approach and an internal performance measurement against a goal that reflects portfolio construction focused on risk management and that is designed to deliver positive returns in changing market environments. By contrast, more traditional “relative return” funds are managed to and measured against broad-based benchmark indices, rather than against “absolute” measures of principal risk. SOFR represents the rate at which the world’s most preferred borrowers are able to borrow money and serves as a benchmark for short-term interest rates. Unlike a mutual fund, the indices are not subject to charges, fees and other expenses. Investors cannot invest directly in any index. Further information relating to fund performance, including expense reimbursements, if applicable, is contained in the Financial Highlights section of the prospectus and elsewhere in this report.
6
Comparison of change in value of a $1,000,000 investment in Class Y shares of BNY Mellon Global Real Return Fund with a hypothetical investment of $1,000,000 in the FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index.
† Source: Lipper Inc.
Past performance is not predictive of future performance.
The above graph compares a hypothetical investment of $1,000,000 made in Class Y shares of BNY Mellon Global Real Return Fund on 10/31/13 to a hypothetical investment of $1,000,000 made in the FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index on that date. All dividends and capital gain distributions are reinvested.
The fund’s performance shown in the line graph above takes into account all applicable fees and expenses of the fund’s Class Y shares. The FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index consists of the last one-month Treasury bill month-end rates. The FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index measures return equivalents of yield averages. The instruments are not marked to market. Unlike a mutual fund, the indices are not subject to charges, fees and other expenses. Investors cannot invest directly in any index. Further information relating to fund performance, including expense reimbursements, if applicable, is contained in the Financial Highlights section of the prospectus and elsewhere in this report.
7
FUND PERFORMANCE (Unaudited) (continued)
Comparison of change in value of a $1,000,000 investment in Class Y shares of BNY Mellon Global Real Return Fund with a hypothetical investment of $1,000,000 in the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR.
† Source: FactSet
Past performance is not predictive of future performance.
The above graph compares a hypothetical investment of $1,000,000 made in Class Y shares of BNY Mellon Global Real Return Fund on 11/1/21 to a hypothetical investment of $1,000,000 made in the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR on that date. All dividends and capital gain distributions are reinvested.
Effective 11/1/21, the fund changed its benchmark from USD 1-Month LIBOR to the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR. Performance information for the fund versus the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR is included in the graph and table on the next page. The fund’s performance shown in the line graph above takes into account all applicable fees and expenses of the fund’s Class Y shares. The USD 1-Month SOFR + 4% per annum Index reflects the Performance Aim for the strategy underlying the fund, over five-year periods (gross of fees). Intrinsic to absolute return funds is an unconstrained investment approach and an internal performance measurement against a goal that reflects portfolio construction focused on risk management and that is designed to deliver positive returns in changing market environments. By contrast, more traditional “relative return” funds are managed to and measured against broad-based benchmark indices, rather than against “absolute” measures of principal risk. SOFR represents the rate at which the world’s most preferred borrowers are able to borrow money and serves as a benchmark for short-term interest rates. Unlike a mutual fund, the indices are not subject to charges, fees and other expenses. Investors cannot invest directly in any index. Further information relating to fund performance, including expense reimbursements, if applicable, is contained in the Financial Highlights section of the prospectus and elsewhere in this report.
8
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Average Annual Total Returns as of 10/31/2023 |
| Inception Date | 1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years |
Class A shares | | | | |
with maximum sales charge (5.75%) | 5/12/10 | -8.94% | 1.47% | 1.74% |
without sales charge | 5/12/10 | -3.39% | 2.67% | 2.34% |
Class C shares | | | | |
with applicable redemption charge† | 5/12/10 | -5.05% | 1.87% | 1.57% |
without redemption | 5/12/10 | -4.17% | 1.87% | 1.57% |
Class I shares | 5/12/10 | -3.17% | 2.91% | 2.59% |
Class Y shares | 7/1/13 | -3.12% | 2.99% | 2.67% |
FTSE One-Month U.S. Treasury Bill Index | | 4.85% | 1.74% | 1.12% |
USD 30-Day Compounded SOFR†† | 11/1/21 | 4.67% | 1.71% | - |
† The maximum contingent deferred sales charge for Class C shares is 1% for shares redeemed within one year of the date of purchase.
†† Effective 11/1/21, the fund changed its benchmark from USD 1-Month LIBOR to the USD 30-day Compounded SOFR. Performance information for the fund versus the 30-day Compounded SOFR from 11/1/21 is shown in the table.
The performance data quoted represents past performance, which is no guarantee of future results. Share price and investment return fluctuate and an investor’s shares may be worth more or less than original cost upon redemption. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. Go to www.im.bnymellon.com for the fund’s most recent month-end returns.
The fund’s performance shown in the graphs and table does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares. In addition to the performance of Class A shares shown with and without a maximum sales charge, the fund's performance shown in the table takes into account all other applicable fees and expenses on all classes.
9
UNDERSTANDING YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES (Unaudited)
As a mutual fund investor, you pay ongoing expenses, such as management fees and other expenses. Using the information below, you can estimate how these expenses affect your investment and compare them with the expenses of other funds. You also may pay one-time transaction expenses, including sales charges (loads) and redemption fees, which are not shown in this section and would have resulted in higher total expenses. For more information, see your fund’s prospectus or talk to your financial adviser.
Review your fund’s expenses
The table below shows the expenses you would have paid on a $1,000 investment in BNY Mellon Global Real Return Fund from May 1, 2023 to October 31, 2023. It also shows how much a $1,000 investment would be worth at the close of the period, assuming actual returns and expenses.
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Expenses and Value of a $1,000 Investment | |
Assume actual returns for the six months ended October 31, 2023 | |
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| | Class A | Class C | Class I | Class Y | |
Expenses paid per $1,000† | $5.64 | $9.29 | $4.41 | $4.12 | |
Ending value (after expenses) | $944.50 | $940.50 | $945.40 | $945.50 | |
COMPARING YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES WITH THOSE OF OTHER FUNDS (Unaudited)
Using the SEC’s method to compare expenses
The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has established guidelines to help investors assess fund expenses. Per these guidelines, the table below shows your fund’s expenses based on a $1,000 investment, assuming a hypothetical 5% annualized return. You can use this information to compare the ongoing expenses (but not transaction expenses or total cost) of investing in the fund with those of other funds. All mutual fund shareholder reports will provide this information to help you make this comparison. Please note that you cannot use this information to estimate your actual ending account balance and expenses paid during the period.
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Expenses and Value of a $1,000 Investment | |
Assuming a hypothetical 5% annualized return for the six months ended October 31, 2023 | |
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| | Class A | Class C | Class I | Class Y | |
Expenses paid per $1,000† | $5.85 | $9.65 | $4.58 | $4.28 | |
Ending value (after expenses) | $1,019.41 | $1,015.63 | $1,020.67 | $1,020.97 | |
† | Expenses are equal to the fund’s annualized expense ratio of 1.15% for Class A, 1.90% for Class C, .90% for Class I and .84% for Class Y, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 184/365 (to reflect the one-half year period). |
10
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS
October 31, 2023
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Description | Coupon Rate (%) | | Maturity Date | | Principal Amount ($) | a | Value ($) | |
Bonds and Notes - 39.7% | | | | | |
Brazil - 3.2% | | | | | |
Brazil Letras do Tesouro Nacional, Treasury Bills | BRL | 11.23 | | 7/1/2027 | | 383,179,000 | b | 51,253,485 | |
Curacao - 3.6% | | | | | |
Merrill Lynch International & Co. CV, Structured Notes, Ser. 3 | | 0.00 | | 1/24/2025 | | 58,934,900 | c | 58,662,517 | |
France - 1.4% | | | | | |
Altice France SA, Sr. Scd. Bonds | EUR | 4.13 | | 1/15/2029 | | 4,944,000 | | 3,766,811 | |
BNP Paribas SA, Jr. Sub. Notes | | 6.63 | | 3/25/2024 | | 3,702,000 | d | 3,664,339 | |
Credit Agricole SA, Jr. Sub. Notes | | 7.88 | | 1/23/2024 | | 3,411,000 | d,e | 3,402,472 | |
Iliad Holding SASU, Sr. Scd. Notes | EUR | 5.63 | | 10/15/2028 | | 5,576,000 | f | 5,591,380 | |
Societe Generale SA, Jr. Sub. Bonds | | 7.88 | | 12/18/2023 | | 6,190,000 | d | 6,148,440 | |
| 22,573,442 | |
Germany - .2% | | | | | |
TK Elevator Midco GmbH, Sr. Scd. Bonds | EUR | 4.38 | | 7/15/2027 | | 2,718,000 | | 2,612,798 | |
Hungary - .7% | | | | | |
OTP Bank Nyrt, Sub. Notes | | 8.75 | | 5/15/2033 | | 11,829,000 | | 11,722,231 | |
Indonesia - .7% | | | | | |
Indonesia, Bonds, Ser. FR91 | IDR | 6.38 | | 4/15/2032 | | 137,429,000,000 | | 8,269,013 | |
Indonesia, Bonds, Ser. FR96 | IDR | 7.00 | | 2/15/2033 | | 52,023,000,000 | | 3,249,890 | |
| 11,518,903 | |
Italy - .3% | | | | | |
UniCredit SpA, Jr. Sub. Notes | EUR | 7.50 | | 6/3/2026 | | 4,422,000 | d | 4,566,849 | |
Luxembourg - .4% | | | | | |
Summer BC Holdco B Sarl, Sr. Scd. Bonds | EUR | 5.75 | | 10/31/2026 | | 6,583,000 | | 6,312,599 | |
Mexico - 5.3% | | | | | |
Mexico, Bonds, Ser. M | MXN | 7.75 | | 5/29/2031 | | 507,230,000 | | 24,527,042 | |
Mexico, Bonds, Ser. M | MXN | 8.00 | | 11/7/2047 | | 1,156,440,000 | | 52,082,455 | |
Sigma Alimentos SA de CV, Gtd. Notes | | 4.13 | | 5/2/2026 | | 10,388,000 | | 9,790,859 | |
| 86,400,356 | |
Netherlands - .8% | | | | | |
ING Groep NV, Jr. Sub. Bonds | | 6.75 | | 4/16/2024 | | 9,608,000 | d | 9,421,172 | |
Ziggo BV, Sr. Scd. Bonds | EUR | 2.88 | | 1/15/2030 | | 3,571,000 | | 3,025,285 | |
| 12,446,457 | |
Switzerland - .1% | | | | | |
Credit Suisse Group AG, Jr. Sub. Notes | | 5.25 | | 2/11/2172 | | 9,685,000 | d | 1,065,350 | |
11
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Description | Coupon Rate (%) | | Maturity Date | | Principal Amount ($) | a | Value ($) | |
Bonds and Notes - 39.7% (continued) | | | | | |
Switzerland - .1% (continued) | | | | | |
Credit Suisse Group AG, Jr. Sub. Notes | | 7.25 | | 3/12/2172 | | 2,650,000 | d | 291,500 | |
| 1,356,850 | |
United Kingdom - 2.7% | | | | | |
British Telecommunications PLC, Gtd. Notes | GBP | 8.38 | | 12/20/2083 | | 7,869,000 | | 9,530,614 | |
HSBC Holdings PLC, Jr. Sub. Notes | EUR | 4.75 | | 7/4/2029 | | 9,461,000 | d | 8,269,245 | |
HSBC Holdings PLC, Sub. Notes | EUR | 6.36 | | 11/16/2032 | | 4,303,000 | | 4,656,714 | |
HSBC Holdings PLC, Sub. Notes | GBP | 8.20 | | 11/16/2034 | | 6,164,000 | | 7,698,642 | |
Lloyds Banking Group PLC, Sr. Unscd. Notes | GBP | 2.25 | | 10/16/2024 | | 5,728,000 | | 6,720,965 | |
Vmed O2 UK Financing I PLC, Sr. Scd. Bonds | GBP | 4.00 | | 1/31/2029 | | 7,588,000 | | 7,666,795 | |
| 44,542,975 | |
United States - 20.3% | | | | | |
Ball Corp., Gtd. Notes | | 2.88 | | 8/15/2030 | | 6,402,000 | | 5,000,617 | |
CCO Holdings LLC/CCO Holdings Capital Corp., Sr. Unscd. Notes | | 5.50 | | 5/1/2026 | | 3,125,000 | e | 2,983,319 | |
Sprint Capital Corp., Gtd. Notes | | 8.75 | | 3/15/2032 | | 4,597,000 | | 5,180,364 | |
Sprint LLC, Gtd. Notes | | 7.13 | | 6/15/2024 | | 3,786,000 | | 3,809,647 | |
U.S. Treasury Floating Rate Notes, (3 Month U.S. T-BILL -0.08%) | | 5.32 | | 4/30/2024 | | 48,156,200 | f,g | 48,148,175 | |
U.S. Treasury Floating Rate Notes, (3 Month U.S. T-BILL +0.20%) | | 5.60 | | 1/31/2025 | | 259,389,700 | g | 259,841,186 | |
U.S. Treasury Notes | | 2.50 | | 4/30/2024 | | 2,586,100 | | 2,548,077 | |
United Airlines, Inc., Sr. Scd. Notes | | 4.38 | | 4/15/2026 | | 1,224,000 | e | 1,136,618 | |
| 328,648,003 | |
Total Bonds and Notes (cost $667,794,639) | | 642,617,465 | |
Description | | | | | Shares | | Value ($) | |
Common Stocks - 42.1% | | | | | |
Bermuda - .4% | | | | | |
RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. | | | | | | 30,679 | | 6,736,802 | |
Brazil - .6% | | | | | |
B3 SA - Brasil Bolsa Balcao | | | | | | 4,212,406 | | 9,315,878 | |
Finland - .4% | | | | | |
Neste OYJ | | | | | | 212,934 | | 7,148,580 | |
France - 1.4% | | | | | |
LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE | | | | | | 21,797 | | 15,599,405 | |
Sanofi SA | | | | | | 76,692 | | 6,999,417 | |
| 22,598,822 | |
Guernsey - .1% | | | | | |
Amedeo Air Four Plus Ltd. | | | | | | 1,869,830 | | 943,432 | |
12
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Description | | | | | Shares | | Value ($) | |
Common Stocks - 42.1% (continued) | | | | | |
Hong Kong - 1.7% | | | | | |
AIA Group Ltd. | | | | | | 1,555,600 | | 13,548,017 | |
Link REIT | | | | | | 1,356,020 | | 6,218,306 | |
Prudential PLC | | | | | | 704,760 | | 7,393,116 | |
| 27,159,439 | |
India - 1.0% | | | | | |
HDFC Bank Ltd. | | | | | | 875,905 | | 15,550,103 | |
Indonesia - .8% | | | | | |
Bank Mandiri Persero TBK Pt | | | | | | 34,378,600 | | 12,319,986 | |
Ireland - 1.1% | | | | | |
Ryanair Holdings PLC, ADR | | | | | | 107,318 | h | 9,411,789 | |
Trane Technologies PLC | | | | | | 44,807 | | 8,527,220 | |
| 17,939,009 | |
Japan - .4% | | | | | |
Sony Group Corp. | | | | | | 86,100 | | 7,125,965 | |
Netherlands - 1.7% | | | | | |
ASML Holding NV | | | | | | 24,904 | | 14,981,234 | |
Universal Music Group NV | | | | | | 515,061 | | 12,559,027 | |
| 27,540,261 | |
Spain - .4% | | | | | |
Amadeus IT Group SA | | | | | | 115,336 | | 6,589,385 | |
Switzerland - 3.5% | | | | | |
Lonza Group AG | | | | | | 34,684 | | 12,162,429 | |
Nestle SA | | | | | | 174,620 | | 18,838,686 | |
Roche Holding AG | | | | | | 96,499 | | 24,930,263 | |
| 55,931,378 | |
Taiwan - 1.2% | | | | | |
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., ADR | | | | | | 228,693 | | 19,738,493 | |
United Kingdom - 12.1% | | | | | |
3i Group PLC | | | | | | 330,075 | | 7,796,381 | |
Anglo American PLC | | | | | | 349,073 | | 8,910,559 | |
AstraZeneca PLC | | | | | | 148,780 | | 18,596,867 | |
BAE Systems PLC | | | | | | 1,768,034 | | 23,736,608 | |
Burberry Group PLC | | | | | | 279,772 | | 5,764,369 | |
Diageo PLC | | | | | | 236,144 | | 8,948,739 | |
Informa PLC | | | | | | 1,186,289 | | 10,302,676 | |
Land Securities Group PLC | | | | | | 797,551 | | 5,550,105 | |
Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC | | | | | | 255,251 | | 17,111,935 | |
RELX PLC | | | | | | 624,022 | | 21,758,943 | |
Rentokil Initial PLC | | | | | | 1,293,923 | | 6,607,855 | |
SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust PLC | | | | | | 12,006,549 | | 8,613,793 | |
Shell PLC | | | | | | 1,007,350 | | 32,374,569 | |
13
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Description | | | | | Shares | | Value ($) | |
Common Stocks - 42.1% (continued) | | | | | |
United Kingdom - 12.1% (continued) | | | | | |
Unilever PLC | | | | | | 416,594 | | 19,726,820 | |
| 195,800,219 | |
United States - 15.3% | | | | | |
Alphabet, Inc., Cl. A | | | | | | 60,221 | h | 7,472,222 | |
Amazon.com, Inc. | | | | | | 148,402 | h | 19,750,822 | |
CME Group, Inc. | | | | | | 92,421 | | 19,728,187 | |
Danaher Corp. | | | | | | 42,197 | | 8,102,668 | |
Deere & Co. | | | | | | 28,424 | | 10,384,993 | |
Eli Lilly & Co. | | | | | | 40,122 | | 22,224,779 | |
Exelon Corp. | | | | | | 259,428 | | 10,102,126 | |
Hess Corp. | | | | | | 137,282 | | 19,823,521 | |
Hubbell, Inc. | | | | | | 38,828 | | 10,487,443 | |
Lam Research Corp. | | | | | | 20,430 | | 12,017,335 | |
Linde PLC | | | | | | 61,883 | | 23,649,207 | |
Microsoft Corp. | | | | | | 111,776 | | 37,792,583 | |
NVIDIA Corp. | | | | | | 46,708 | | 19,047,522 | |
The Cooper Companies, Inc. | | | | | | 42,444 | | 13,231,917 | |
The Estee Lauder Companies, Inc., Cl. A | | | | | | 55,914 | | 7,205,637 | |
The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. | | | | | | 19,595 | | 5,949,238 | |
Veralto Corp. | | | | | | 14,065 | h | 970,485 | |
| 247,940,685 | |
Total Common Stocks (cost $616,682,732) | | 680,378,437 | |
Description /Number of Contracts | Exercise Price | | Expiration Date | | Notional Amount ($) | a | Value ($) | |
Options Purchased - 1.5% | | | | | |
Call Options - .0% | | | | | |
Nikkei 225, Contracts 426 | JPY | 33,000 | | 12/8/2023 | | 14,058,000,000 | | 337,259 | |
Put Options - 1.5% | | | | | |
S&P 500 Index, Contracts 1,169 | | 4,100 | | 3/15/2024 | | 479,290,000 | | 13,601,315 | |
S&P 500 Index, Contracts 1,186 | | 4,000 | | 3/15/2024 | | 474,400,000 | | 10,747,532 | |
| 24,348,847 | |
Total Options Purchased (cost $29,822,565) | | 24,686,106 | |
Description | | | | | Shares | | | |
Exchange-Traded Funds - .0% | | | | | |
United States - .0% | | | | | |
iShares Gold Trust | | | | | | 4,139 | h,i | 155,585 | |
iShares Silver Trust | | | | | | 24,897 | h,i | 522,339 | |
SPDR Gold Shares | | | | | | 844 | h,i | 155,372 | |
Total Exchange-Traded Funds (cost $810,653) | | 833,296 | |
14
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Description | Annualized Yield (%) | | Maturity Date | | Principal Amount ($) | | Value ($) | |
Short-Term Investments - 1.4% | | | | | |
U.S. Government Securities | | | | | |
U.S. Treasury Bills (cost $22,753,907) | | 5.14 | | 10/31/2024 | | 24,000,000 | b | 22,753,907 | |
| 1-Day Yield (%) | | | | Shares | | | |
Investment Companies - 7.1% | | | | | |
Closed-end Investment Companies - 5.4% | | | | | |
Aquila European Renewables PLC | | | | | | 8,504,121 | | 6,975,126 | |
BBGI Global Infrastructure SA | | | | | | 4,232,749 | f | 6,555,648 | |
Cordiant Digital Infrastructure Fund Ltd. | | | | | | 7,820,129 | e | 6,024,666 | |
Greencoat UK Wind PLC | | | | | | 12,584,445 | | 20,647,299 | |
JLEN Environmental Assets Group Ltd. Foresight Group Holdings | | | | | | 3,306,673 | | 3,467,137 | |
Riverstone Credit Opportunities Income PLC | | | | | | 3,871,998 | | 3,349,278 | |
The BioPharma Credit Fund PLC | | | | | | 21,941,116 | f | 18,101,523 | |
The Gresham House Energy Storage Fund PLC | | | | | | 2,864,497 | | 2,932,686 | |
The Renewables Infrastructure Group Ltd. | | | | | | 10,898,940 | | 13,334,302 | |
US Solar Fund PLC | | | | | | 11,891,238 | | 6,300,365 | |
| 87,688,030 | |
Registered Investment Companies - 1.7% | | | | | |
Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Plus Money Market Fund, Institutional Shares | | 5.40 | | | | 26,495,300 | j | 26,495,300 | |
Total Investment Companies (cost $140,436,104) | | 114,183,330 | |
15
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | | | | | |
|
Description | 1-Day Yield (%) | | | | Shares | a | Value ($) | |
Investment of Cash Collateral for Securities Loaned - .7% | | | | | |
Registered Investment Companies - .7% | | | | | |
Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Plus Money Market Fund, Institutional Shares (cost $10,900,340) | | 5.40 | | | | 10,900,340 | j | 10,900,340 | |
Total Investments (cost $1,489,200,940) | | 92.5% | 1,496,352,881 | |
Cash and Receivables (Net) | | 7.5% | 120,815,809 | |
Net Assets | | 100.0% | 1,617,168,690 | |
ADR—American Depositary Receipt
ETF—Exchange-Traded Fund
REIT—Real Estate Investment Trust
SPDR—Standard & Poor's Depository Receipt
U.S. T-BILL—U.S. Treasury Bill Money Market Yield
BRL—Brazilian Real
EUR—Euro
GBP—British Pound
IDR—Indonesian Rupiah
JPY—Japanese Yen
MXN—Mexican Peso
a Amount stated in U.S. Dollars unless otherwise noted above.
b Security is a discount security. Income is recognized through the accretion of discount.
c Security issued with a zero coupon. Income is recognized through the accretion of discount.
d Security is a perpetual bond with no specified maturity date. Maturity date shown is next reset date of the bond.
e Security exempt from registration pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933. These securities may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At October 31, 2023, these securities were valued at $13,547,075 or .84% of net assets.
f Security, or portion thereof, on loan. At October 31, 2023, the value of the fund’s securities on loan was $10,639,531 and the value of the collateral was $10,900,340. In addition, the value of collateral may include pending sales that are also on loan.
g Variable rate security—interest rate resets periodically and rate shown is the interest rate in effect at period end. Security description also includes the reference rate and spread if published and available.
h Non-income producing security.
i These securities are wholly-owned by the Subsidiary referenced in Note 1.
j Investment in affiliated issuer. The investment objective of this investment company is publicly available and can be found within the investment company’s prospectus.
16
| |
Portfolio Summary (Unaudited) † | Value (%) |
U.S. Treasury Securities | 20.6 |
Foreign Governmental | 8.6 |
Investment Companies | 7.8 |
Health Care | 6.6 |
Diversified Financials | 6.3 |
Banks | 5.9 |
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment | 4.1 |
Energy | 3.7 |
Consumer Staples | 2.7 |
Information Technology | 2.3 |
Telecommunication Services | 2.2 |
Commercial & Professional Services | 2.2 |
Food Products | 1.8 |
Insurance | 1.7 |
Internet Software & Services | 1.7 |
Options Purchased | 1.5 |
Aerospace & Defense | 1.5 |
Chemicals | 1.5 |
Consumer Durables & Apparel | 1.3 |
Consumer Discretionary | 1.2 |
Media | 1.0 |
Industrial | .9 |
Real Estate | .7 |
Airlines | .6 |
Electronic Components | .6 |
Utilities | .6 |
Beverage Products | .6 |
Metals & Mining | .5 |
Building Materials | .5 |
Financials | .5 |
Advertising | .4 |
Materials | .3 |
Environmental Control | .1 |
| 92.5 |
† Based on net assets.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
17
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | | |
Affiliated Issuers | | | |
Description | Value ($) 10/31/2022 | Purchases ($)† | Sales ($) | Value ($) 10/31/2023 | Dividends/ Distributions ($) | |
Registered Investment Companies - 1.7% | | |
Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Plus Money Market Fund, Institutional Shares - 1.7% | 86,218,287 | 3,386,069,198 | (3,445,792,185) | 26,495,300 | 4,938,830 | |
Investment of Cash Collateral for Securities Loaned - .7%†† | | |
Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Plus Money Market Fund, Institutional Shares - .7% | - | 532,879,020 | (521,978,680) | 10,900,340 | 79,064 | ††† |
Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Plus Money Market Fund, SL Shares - .0% | 12,105,169 | 279,329,326 | (291,434,495) | - | 116,317 | ††† |
Total - 2.4% | 98,323,456 | 4,198,277,544 | (4,259,205,360) | 37,395,640 | 5,134,211 | |
† Includes reinvested dividends/distributions.
†† Effective July 3, 2023, cash collateral for securities lending was transferred from Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Plus Money Market Fund, SL Shares to Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Plus Money Market Fund, Institutional Shares.
††† Represents securities lending income earned from the reinvestment of cash collateral from loaned securities, net of fees and collateral investment expenses, and other payments to and from borrowers of securities.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
18
| | | | | | |
Futures | | | |
Description | Number of Contracts | Expiration | Notional Value ($) | Market Value ($) | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) | |
Futures Long | | |
Hang Seng | 161 | 11/29/2023 | 17,608,992a | 17,636,395 | 27,403 | |
U.S. Treasury 2 Year Notes | 1,328 | 12/29/2023 | 269,016,309 | 268,816,251 | (200,058) | |
U.S. Treasury Long Bond | 773 | 12/19/2023 | 91,314,910 | 84,595,188 | (6,719,722) | |
Gross Unrealized Appreciation | | 27,403 | |
Gross Unrealized Depreciation | | (6,919,780) | |
a Notional amounts in foreign currency have been converted to USD using relevant foreign exchange rates.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
| | | | | | |
Options Written | | | |
Description/ Contracts | Exercise Price | Expiration Date | Notional Amount | a | Value ($) | |
Call Options: | | | | | | |
Nikkei 225, Contracts 426 | 34,500 | 12/8/2023 | 14,697,000,000 | JPY | (67,452) | |
Shell PLC, Contracts 378 | 27.00 | 12/15/2023 | 10,206,000 | GBP | (277,961) | |
Put Options: | | | | | | |
Anglo American PLC, Contracts 1,033 | 21.00 | 12/15/2023 | 21,931,623 | GBP | (1,282,064) | |
Bayer Ag, Contracts 1,802 | 46.00 | 12/15/2023 | 8,289,200 | EUR | (1,042,963) | |
Euro Stoxx 50 Price EUR, Contracts 1,503 | 3,850 | 3/15/2024 | 57,865,500 | EUR | (1,442,424) | |
LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, Contracts 137 | 720.00 | 12/15/2023 | 9,864,000 | EUR | (810,470) | |
Nikkei 225, Contracts 426 | 30,000 | 12/8/2023 | 12,780,000,000 | JPY | (1,349,035) | |
S&P 500 Index, Contracts 519 | 3,650 | 3/15/2024 | 189,435,000 | | (1,977,390) | |
S&P 500 Index, Contracts 1,169 | 3,750 | 3/15/2024 | 438,375,000 | | (5,686,016) | |
Sanofi SA, Contracts 562 | 80.00 | 11/17/2023 | 4,496,000 | EUR | (26,165) | |
Zoetis Inc, Contracts 632 | 160.00 | 11/17/2023 | 10,112,000 | | (385,520) | |
Total Options Written (premiums received $17,768,297) | | | | (14,347,460) | |
a Notional amount stated in U.S. Dollars unless otherwise indicated.
EUR—Euro
GBP—British Pound
JPY—Japanese Yen
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
19
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts | |
Counterparty/ Purchased Currency | Purchased Currency Amounts | Currency Sold | Sold Currency Amounts | Settlement Date | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) |
Barclays Capital, Inc. |
British Pound | 8,016,386 | United States Dollar | 9,740,714 | 1/16/2024 | 9,048 |
United States Dollar | 63,644,943 | Swiss Franc | 55,190,394 | 11/16/2023 | 2,865,868 |
Euro | 4,489,776 | United States Dollar | 4,776,229 | 1/16/2024 | (7,996) |
United States Dollar | 20,777,673 | Euro | 19,564,909 | 1/16/2024 | (658) |
CIBC World Markets Corp. |
Euro | 30,227,100 | United States Dollar | 32,191,341 | 1/16/2024 | (89,547) |
Hong Kong Dollar | 106,647,995 | United States Dollar | 13,664,703 | 11/16/2023 | (30,962) |
United States Dollar | 1,189,929 | Hong Kong Dollar | 9,303,982 | 11/16/2023 | 520 |
British Pound | 2,603,482 | United States Dollar | 3,171,488 | 1/16/2024 | (5,058) |
Australian Dollar | 6,774,977 | United States Dollar | 4,398,104 | 12/14/2023 | (93,925) |
United States Dollar | 4,337,594 | Australian Dollar | 6,774,977 | 12/14/2023 | 33,415 |
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. |
United States Dollar | 16,034,508 | South Korean Won | 20,956,781,930 | 11/16/2023 | 504,239 |
British Pound | 1,363,579 | United States Dollar | 1,661,015 | 1/16/2024 | (2,591) |
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. |
United States Dollar | 45,612,050 | Mexican Peso | 789,895,813 | 11/16/2023 | 1,916,939 |
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC |
United States Dollar | 287,450,308 | Euro | 271,239,670 | 1/16/2024 | (611,731) |
RBS Securities, Inc. |
British Pound | 368,468 | United States Dollar | 447,061 | 1/16/2024 | 1,080 |
United States Dollar | 318,640,422 | British Pound | 261,041,594 | 1/16/2024 | 1,154,052 |
Euro | 712,903 | United States Dollar | 753,553 | 1/16/2024 | 3,564 |
United States Dollar | 1,327,151 | Euro | 1,248,429 | 1/16/2024 | 1,294 |
United States Dollar | 4,801,970 | Swiss Franc | 4,281,803 | 11/16/2023 | 86,584 |
State Street Bank and Trust Company |
Euro | 2,005,959 | United States Dollar | 2,129,893 | 1/16/2024 | 476 |
20
| | | | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts (continued) | |
Counterparty/ Purchased Currency | Purchased Currency Amounts | Currency Sold | Sold Currency Amounts | Settlement Date | Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) ($) |
State Street Bank and Trust Company (continued) |
United States Dollar | 894,955 | Euro | 844,693 | 1/16/2024 | (2,126) |
Swiss Franc | 1,697,859 | United States Dollar | 1,877,797 | 11/16/2023 | (8,009) |
United States Dollar | 1,212,065 | Swiss Franc | 1,073,647 | 11/16/2023 | 29,698 |
Mexican Peso | 789,895,813 | United States Dollar | 45,951,814 | 11/16/2023 | (2,256,702) |
British Pound | 3,266,123 | United States Dollar | 3,985,228 | 1/16/2024 | (12,875) |
United States Dollar | 11,603,820 | Indonesian Rupiah | 181,518,555,677 | 1/16/2024 | 183,284 |
South Korean Won | 20,956,781,930 | United States Dollar | 15,917,349 | 11/16/2023 | (387,080) |
UBS Securities LLC |
Swiss Franc | 3,413,357 | United States Dollar | 3,900,257 | 11/16/2023 | (141,257) |
Gross Unrealized Appreciation | | | 6,790,061 |
Gross Unrealized Depreciation | | | (3,650,517) |
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
| | | | | | |
OTC Total Return Swaps | |
Received Reference Entity | Paid Reference Entity | Counterparties | Maturity Date | Notional Amount ($) | Unrealized Appreciation ($) |
Barclays NIM3 Index at maturity1 | Fixed Coupon Rate of 0.60% Payable to Barclays Capital, Inc. at maturity | Barclays Capital, Inc. | 11/30/23 | 64,504,042 | 8,001,576 |
Barclays NIF3 Index at maturity1 | Fixed Coupon Rate of 0.60% Payable to Barclays Capital, Inc. at maturity | Barclays Capital, Inc. | 12/1/23 | 67,894,619 | 10,075,133 |
Goldman Sachs Systematic Skew US Series 2S Excess Return Strategy at maturity | Fixed Coupon Rate of 0.00% Payable to Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC at maturity | Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC | 2/28/25 | 89,325,347 | 2,373,172 |
Gross Unrealized Appreciation | 20,449,881 |
1 Underlying reference is the Index which is a basket of underlying securities listed within Custom Basket Table. Payment to or from Counterparties is based on the underlying components of the Basket.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
21
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INVESTMENTS (continued)
| | | | | | |
Custom Basket | |
Underlying | Effective Date | Termination Date | Volatility Strike (%) | Vega Notional | | Index (%) |
Barclays NIF3 Index | |
S&P 500 Variance Swap | 10/27/2023 | 11/3/2023 | 19.09 | 102,771 | USD | 100% |
Barclays NIM3 Index | |
S&P 500 Variance Swap | 10/30/2023 | 11/6/2023 | 18.55 | 134,857 | USD | 100% |
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
22
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
October 31, 2023
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | Cost | | Value | |
Assets ($): | | | | |
Investments in securities—See Consolidated Statement of Investments (including securities on loan, valued at $10,639,531)—Note 1(c): | | | |
Unaffiliated issuers | 1,451,805,300 | | 1,458,957,241 | |
Affiliated issuers | | 37,395,640 | | 37,395,640 | |
Cash | | | | | 185,180 | |
Cash collateral held by broker—Note 4 | | 83,613,232 | |
Receivable for investment securities sold | | 71,876,431 | |
Unrealized appreciation on over-the-counter swap agreements—Note 4 | | 20,449,881 | |
Dividends, interest and securities lending income receivable | | 7,057,221 | |
Unrealized appreciation on forward foreign currency exchange contracts—Note 4 | | 6,790,061 | |
Receivable for shares of Common Stock subscribed | | 3,373,266 | |
Tax reclaim receivable—Note 1(b) | | 2,907,237 | |
Prepaid expenses | | | | | 131,114 | |
| | | | | 1,692,736,504 | |
Liabilities ($): | | | | |
Due to BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. and affiliates—Note 3(c) | | 1,357,594 | |
Cash overdraft due to Custodian denominated in foreign currency | | | 4,632,925 | | 4,620,852 | |
Payable for investment securities purchased | | 25,576,298 | |
Outstanding options written, at value (premiums received $17,768,297)—Note 4 | | 14,347,460 | |
Payable for shares of Common Stock redeemed | | 14,255,590 | |
Liability for securities on loan—Note 1(c) | | 10,900,340 | |
Unrealized depreciation on forward foreign currency exchange contracts—Note 4 | | 3,650,517 | |
Payable for futures variation margin—Note 4 | | 405,991 | |
Directors’ fees and expenses payable | | 37,497 | |
Interest payable—Note 2 | | 18,722 | |
Other accrued expenses | | | | | 396,953 | |
| | | | | 75,567,814 | |
Net Assets ($) | | | 1,617,168,690 | |
Composition of Net Assets ($): | | | | |
Paid-in capital | | | | | 1,813,492,181 | |
Total distributable earnings (loss) | | | | | (196,323,491) | |
Net Assets ($) | | | 1,617,168,690 | |
| | | | | |
Net Asset Value Per Share | Class A | Class C | Class I | Class Y | |
Net Assets ($) | 34,135,356 | 19,737,380 | 1,034,484,425 | 528,811,529 | |
Shares Outstanding | 2,476,885 | 1,485,767 | 74,743,568 | 38,119,061 | |
Net Asset Value Per Share ($) | 13.78 | 13.28 | 13.84 | 13.87 | |
| | | | | |
See notes to consolidated financial statements. | | | | | |
23
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
Year Ended October 31, 2023
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
Investment Income ($): | | | | |
Income: | | | | |
Interest (net of $65,441 foreign taxes withheld at source) | | | 49,101,833 | |
Dividends (net of $1,413,080 foreign taxes withheld at source): | |
Unaffiliated issuers | | | 37,672,571 | |
Affiliated issuers | | | 4,938,830 | |
Income from securities lending—Note 1(c) | | | 195,381 | |
Total Income | | | 91,908,615 | |
Expenses: | | | | |
Management fee—Note 3(a) | | | 19,633,386 | |
Shareholder servicing costs—Note 3(c) | | | 2,153,361 | |
Subsidiary management fees—Note 3(a) | | | 901,791 | |
Custodian fees—Note 3(c) | | | 345,072 | |
Professional fees | | | 281,247 | |
Directors’ fees and expenses—Note 3(d) | | | 223,994 | |
Prospectus and shareholders’ reports | | | 214,809 | |
Distribution fees—Note 3(b) | | | 196,156 | |
Registration fees | | | 109,622 | |
Loan commitment fees—Note 2 | | | 50,433 | |
Interest expense—Note 2 | | | 41,904 | |
Chief Compliance Officer fees—Note 3(c) | | | 20,135 | |
Miscellaneous | | | 160,815 | |
Total Expenses | | | 24,332,725 | |
Less—reduction in expenses due to undertaking—Note 3(a) | | | (1,020,418) | |
Less—reduction in fees due to earnings credits—Note 3(c) | | | (7,371) | |
Net Expenses | | | 23,304,936 | |
Net Investment Income | | | 68,603,679 | |
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments—Note 4 ($): | | |
Net realized gain (loss) on investments and foreign currency transactions | (5,500,967) | |
Net realized gain (loss) on futures | (178,775,394) | |
Net realized gain (loss) on options transactions | 34,133,442 | |
Net realized gain (loss) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts | (154,862,369) | |
Capital gain distributions on unaffiliated issuers | 16,484 | |
Net realized gain (loss) on foreign capital gains tax | (158,279) | |
Net Realized Gain (Loss) | | | (305,147,083) | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments and foreign currency transactions | 95,769,199 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on futures | 41,467,459 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on options transactions | 18,412,783 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts | 28,078,213 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on swap agreements | 20,449,881 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on foreign capital gains tax | 62,170 | |
Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) | | | 204,239,705 | |
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments | | | (100,907,378) | |
Net (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations | | (32,303,699) | |
| | | | | | |
See notes to consolidated financial statements. | | | | | |
24
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Year Ended October 31, |
| | | | 2023 | | 2022 | |
Operations ($): | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income | | | 68,603,679 | | | | 36,994,457 | |
Net realized gain (loss) on investments | | (305,147,083) | | | | 309,302,361 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments | | 204,239,705 | | | | (748,243,495) | |
Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations | (32,303,699) | | | | (401,946,677) | |
Distributions ($): | |
Distributions to shareholders: | | | | | | | | |
Class A | | | (4,931,732) | | | | (1,127,100) | |
Class C | | | (2,434,550) | | | | (323,421) | |
Class I | | | (209,226,542) | | | | (44,698,030) | |
Class Y | | | (75,411,787) | | | | (17,354,043) | |
Total Distributions | | | (292,004,611) | | | | (63,502,594) | |
Capital Stock Transactions ($): | |
Net proceeds from shares sold: | | | | | | | | |
Class A | | | 14,102,843 | | | | 27,034,005 | |
Class C | | | 1,073,354 | | | | 5,592,727 | |
Class I | | | 426,763,945 | | | | 1,271,023,808 | |
Class Y | | | 97,790,600 | | | | 287,258,281 | |
Distributions reinvested: | | | | | | | | |
Class A | | | 4,522,247 | | | | 957,949 | |
Class C | | | 2,093,911 | | | | 267,073 | |
Class I | | | 194,153,021 | | | | 40,958,007 | |
Class Y | | | 27,974,458 | | | | 7,030,103 | |
Cost of shares redeemed: | | | | | | | | |
Class A | | | (45,993,737) | | | | (24,731,219) | |
Class C | | | (11,124,821) | | | | (8,374,910) | |
Class I | | | (1,838,137,110) | | | | (1,167,656,312) | |
Class Y | | | (444,161,146) | | | | (254,893,681) | |
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from Capital Stock Transactions | (1,570,942,435) | | | | 184,465,831 | |
Total Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets | (1,895,250,745) | | | | (280,983,440) | |
Net Assets ($): | |
Beginning of Period | | | 3,512,419,435 | | | | 3,793,402,875 | |
End of Period | | | 1,617,168,690 | | | | 3,512,419,435 | |
25
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS (continued)
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | Year Ended October 31, |
| | | | 2023 | | 2022 | |
Capital Share Transactions (Shares): | |
Class Aa | | | | | | | | |
Shares sold | | | 963,142 | | | | 1,620,821 | |
Shares issued for distributions reinvested | | | 310,594 | | | | 55,086 | |
Shares redeemed | | | (3,109,483) | | | | (1,509,395) | |
Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding | (1,835,747) | | | | 166,512 | |
Class Ca,b | | | | | | | | |
Shares sold | | | 75,248 | | | | 341,648 | |
Shares issued for distributions reinvested | | | 148,189 | | | | 15,794 | |
Shares redeemed | | | (791,638) | | | | (530,218) | |
Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding | (568,201) | | | | (172,776) | |
Class Ia,b | | | | | | | | |
Shares sold | | | 28,742,314 | | | | 76,268,845 | |
Shares issued for distributions reinvested | | | 13,298,152 | | | | 2,348,510 | |
Shares redeemed | | | (125,561,264) | | | | (71,150,742) | |
Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding | (83,520,798) | | | | 7,466,613 | |
Class Ya | | | | | | | | |
Shares sold | | | 6,662,912 | | | | 17,237,215 | |
Shares issued for distributions reinvested | | | 1,913,438 | | | | 402,410 | |
Shares redeemed | | | (30,000,029) | | | | (15,327,315) | |
Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding | (21,423,679) | | | | 2,312,310 | |
| | | | | | | | | |
a | During the period ended October 31, 2023, 574,542 Class Y shares representing $8,588,094 were exchanged for 575,714 Class I shares. During the period ended October 31, 2022, 1,072,396 Class Y shares representing $17,674,426 were exchanged for 1,074,431 Class I shares, 7,661 Class C shares representing $120,604 were exchanged for 7,393 Class I shares and 6,832 Class I shares representing $106,442 were exchanged for 6,863 Class A shares. | |
b | During the period ended October 31, 2022, 1,092 Class C shares representing $17,668 were automatically converted to 1,059 Class A shares. | |
See notes to consolidated financial statements. | | | | | | | | |
26
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
The following tables describe the performance for each share class for the fiscal periods indicated. All information (except portfolio turnover rate) reflects financial results for a single fund share. Net asset value total return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption at net asset value on the last day of the period. Net asset value total return includes adjustments in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and as such, the net asset value for financial reporting purposes and the returns based upon those net asset values may differ from the net asset value and returns for shareholder transactions. These figures have been derived from the fund’s consolidated financial statements.
| | | | | | |
| |
| | Year Ended October 31, |
Class A Shares | | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Per Share Data ($): | | | | | | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | 15.60 | 17.62 | 15.56 | 15.37 | 14.32 |
Investment Operations: | | | | | | |
Net investment incomea | | .35 | .13 | .11 | .17 | .23 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | (.82) | (1.89) | 2.15 | .35 | 1.29 |
Total from Investment Operations | | (.47) | (1.76) | 2.26 | .52 | 1.52 |
Distributions: | | | | | | |
Dividends from net investment income | | (1.35) | (.26) | (.20) | (.33) | (.47) |
Net asset value, end of period | | 13.78 | 15.60 | 17.62 | 15.56 | 15.37 |
Total Return (%)b | | (3.39) | (10.16) | 14.60 | 3.42 | 10.97 |
Ratios/Supplemental Data (%): | | | | | | |
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets | | 1.16c | 1.11c | 1.15c | 1.21 | 1.12 |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assetsd | | 1.13c | 1.09c | 1.10c | 1.12 | 1.11 |
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets | | 2.38c | .77c | .66c | 1.11 | 1.59 |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | 77.27 | 73.19 | 71.67 | 91.18 | 99.45 |
Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000) | | 34,135 | 67,259 | 73,055 | 40,929 | 35,843 |
a Based on average shares outstanding.
b Exclusive of sales charge.
c Amounts do not include the expenses of the underlying funds.
d Reflected is the waiver of the Subsidiary management fee.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
27
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (continued)
| | | | | | | |
| |
| | Year Ended October 31, |
Class C Shares | | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
Per Share Data ($): | | | | | | | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | 15.06 | 17.04 | 15.06 | 14.89 | 13.87 | |
Investment Operations: | | | | | | | |
Net investment income (loss)a | | .23 | (.01) | (.02) | .05 | .12 | |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | (.78) | (1.83) | 2.08 | .33 | 1.26 | |
Total from Investment Operations | | (.55) | (1.84) | 2.06 | .38 | 1.38 | |
Distributions: | | | | | | | |
Dividends from net investment income | | (1.23) | (.14) | (.08) | (.21) | (.36) | |
Net asset value, end of period | | 13.28 | 15.06 | 17.04 | 15.06 | 14.89 | |
Total Return (%)b | | (4.17) | (10.84) | 13.72 | 2.57 | 10.17 | |
Ratios/Supplemental Data (%): | | | | | | | |
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets | | 1.94c | 1.89c | 1.93c | 1.99 | 1.91 | |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assetsd | | 1.90c | 1.87c | 1.88c | 1.90 | 1.90 | |
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets | | 1.61c | (.03)c | (.12)c | .34 | .84 | |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | 77.27 | 73.19 | 71.67 | 91.18 | 99.45 | |
Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000) | | 19,737 | 30,939 | 37,947 | 27,814 | 27,817 | |
a Based on average shares outstanding.
b Exclusive of sales charge.
c Amounts do not include the expenses of the underlying funds.
d Reflected is the waiver of the Subsidiary management fee.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
28
| | | | | | |
| |
| Year Ended October 31, |
Class I Shares | | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Per Share Data ($): | | | | | | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | 15.67 | 17.69 | 15.62 | 15.42 | 14.36 |
Investment Operations: | | | | | | |
Net investment incomea | | .38 | .16 | .15 | .20 | .27 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | (.81) | (1.89) | 2.15 | .36 | 1.30 |
Total from Investment Operations | | (.43) | (1.73) | 2.30 | .56 | 1.57 |
Distributions: | | | | | | |
Dividends from net investment income | | (1.40) | (.29) | (.23) | (.36) | (.51) |
Net asset value, end of period | | 13.84 | 15.67 | 17.69 | 15.62 | 15.42 |
Total Return (%) | | (3.17) | (9.97) | 14.83 | 3.65 | 11.28 |
Ratios/Supplemental Data (%): | | | | | | |
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets | | .94b | .90b | .94b | 1.00 | .92 |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assetsc | | .90b | .88b | .89b | .90 | .90 |
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets | | 2.60b | .97b | .86b | 1.34 | 1.82 |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | 77.27 | 73.19 | 71.67 | 91.18 | 99.45 |
Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000) | | 1,034,484 | 2,479,355 | 2,667,773 | 1,939,181 | 1,560,814 |
a Based on average shares outstanding.
b Amounts do not include the expenses of the underlying funds.
c Reflected is the waiver of the Subsidiary management fee.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
29
CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS (continued)
| | | | | | |
| |
| Year Ended October 31, |
Class Y Shares | | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
Per Share Data ($): | | | | | | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | 15.70 | 17.73 | 15.64 | 15.45 | 14.39 |
Investment Operations: | | | | | | |
Net investment incomea | | .40 | .18 | .17 | .22 | .29 |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | (.82) | (1.91) | 2.16 | .34 | 1.29 |
Total from Investment Operations | | (.42) | (1.73) | 2.33 | .56 | 1.58 |
Distributions: | | | | | | |
Dividends from net investment income | | (1.41) | (.30) | (.24) | (.37) | (.52) |
Net asset value, end of period | | 13.87 | 15.70 | 17.73 | 15.64 | 15.45 |
Total Return (%) | | (3.12) | (9.87) | 15.03 | 3.66 | 11.36 |
Ratios/Supplemental Data (%): | | | | | | |
Ratio of total expenses to average net assets | | .84b | .81b | .84b | .89 | .81 |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assetsc | | .81b | .79b | .79b | .81c | .80c |
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets | | 2.71b | 1.07b | .97b | 1.44 | 1.92 |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | 77.27 | 73.19 | 71.67 | 91.18 | 99.45 |
Net Assets, end of period ($ x 1,000) | | 528,812 | 934,867 | 1,014,628 | 877,533 | 1,259,436 |
a Based on average shares outstanding.
b Amounts do not include the expenses of the underlying funds.
c Reflected is the waiver of the Subsidiary management fee.
See notes to consolidated financial statements.
30
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1—Significant Accounting Policies:
BNY Mellon Global Real Return Fund (the “fund”) is a separate diversified series of BNY Mellon Advantage Funds, Inc. (the “Company”), which is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”), as an open-end management investment company and operates as a series company currently offering seven series, including the fund. The fund’s investment objective is to seek total return (consisting of capital appreciation and income). BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. (the “Adviser”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (“BNY Mellon”), serves as the fund’s investment adviser. Newton Investment Management Limited (the “Sub-Adviser”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BNY Mellon and an affiliate of the Adviser, serves as the sub-adviser.
Effective March 31, 2023, the Sub-Adviser, entered into a sub-sub-investment advisory agreement with its affiliate, Newton Investment Management North America, LLC (“NIMNA”), to enable NIMNA to provide certain advisory services to the Sub-Adviser for the benefit of the fund, including, but not limited to, portfolio management services. NIMNA is subject to the supervision of the Sub-Adviser and the Adviser. NIMNA is also an affiliate of the Adviser. NIMNA’s principal office is located at BNY Mellon Center, 201 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02108. NIMNA is an indirect subsidiary of BNY Mellon.
The fund may gain investment exposure to global commodity markets through investments in GRR Commodity Fund Ltd., (the “Subsidiary”), a wholly-owned and controlled subsidiary of the fund organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Subsidiary has the ability to invest in commodities and securities consistent with the investment objective of the fund. The Adviser serves as investment adviser for the Subsidiary, the Sub-Adviser serves as the Subsidiary’s sub-investment advisor and Citibank N.A. serves as the Subsidiary’s custodian. The financial statements have been consolidated and include the accounts of the fund and the Subsidiary. Accordingly, all inter-company transactions and balances have been eliminated. A subscription agreement was entered into between the fund and the Subsidiary, comprising the entire issued share capital of the Subsidiary, with the intent that the fund will remain the sole shareholder and retain all rights. Under the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, shares issued by the Subsidiary confer upon a shareholder the right to receive notice of, to attend and to vote at general meetings of the Subsidiary and shall confer upon the shareholder rights in a winding-up or repayment of capital and the right to participate in the
31
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
profits or assets of the Subsidiary. The following summarizes the structure and relationship of the Subsidiary at October 31, 2023:
| | | |
| Subsidiary Activity |
Consolidated Fund Net Assets ($) | | 1,617,168,690 | |
Subsidiary Percentage of Fund Net Assets | | .06% | |
Subsidiary Financial Statement Information ($) | | | |
Total Assets | | 1,022,720 | |
Total Liabilities | | 28,372 | |
Net Assets | | 994,348 | |
Total Income | | - | |
Total Expenses | | 925,621 | |
Net Investment (Loss) | | (925,621) | |
Net Realized Gain (Loss) | | (3,144,850) | |
Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) | | 23,334,525 | |
Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) on Investments | | 20,189,675 | |
Net Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Operations | | 19,264,054 | |
BNY Mellon Securities Corporation (the “Distributor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, is the distributor of fund’s shares. The fund is authorized to issue 550 million shares of $.001 par value Common Stock. The fund currently has authorized four classes of shares: Class A (45 million shares authorized), Class C (45 million shares authorized), Class I (255 million shares authorized) and Class Y (205 million shares authorized). Class A and Class C shares are sold primarily to retail investors through financial intermediaries and bear Distribution and/or Shareholder Services Plan fees. Class A shares generally are subject to a sales charge imposed at the time of purchase. Class A shares bought without an initial sales charge as part of an investment of $1 million or more may be charged a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% if redeemed within one year. Class C shares are subject to a CDSC imposed on Class C shares redeemed within one year of purchase. Class C shares automatically convert to Class A shares eight years after the date of purchase, without the imposition of a sales charge. Class I shares are sold primarily to bank trust departments and other financial service providers (including BNY Mellon and its affiliates), acting on behalf of customers having a qualified trust or an investment account or relationship at such institution, and bear no Distribution or Shareholder Services Plan fees. Class Y shares are sold at net asset value per share generally to institutional investors, and bear no Distribution or Shareholder Services Plan fees. Class I and Class Y shares are offered without a front-end sales charge or CDSC. Other differences between the classes include the services offered to and the expenses borne by each class, the allocation of certain transfer agency costs and certain voting rights. Income, expenses (other than expenses attributable to a specific class), and realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments are allocated to each class of shares based on its relative net assets.
32
The Company accounts separately for the assets, liabilities and operations of each series. Expenses directly attributable to each series are charged to that series’ operations; expenses which are applicable to all series are allocated among them on a pro rata basis.
The Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) is the exclusive reference of authoritative U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) recognized by the FASB to be applied by nongovernmental entities. Rules and interpretive releases of the SEC under authority of federal laws are also sources of authoritative GAAP for SEC registrants. The fund is an investment company and applies the accounting and reporting guidance of the FASB ASC Topic 946 Financial Services-Investment Companies. The fund’s consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP, which may require the use of management estimates and assumptions. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
The Company enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. The fund does not anticipate recognizing any loss related to these arrangements.
(a) Portfolio valuation: The fair value of a financial instrument is the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (i.e., the exit price). GAAP establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs of valuation techniques used to measure fair value. This hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements).
Additionally, GAAP provides guidance on determining whether the volume and activity in a market has decreased significantly and whether such a decrease in activity results in transactions that are not orderly. GAAP requires enhanced disclosures around valuation inputs and techniques used during annual and interim periods.
Various inputs are used in determining the value of the fund’s investments relating to fair value measurements. These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:
Level 1—unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical investments.
33
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.).
Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).
The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.
Changes in valuation techniques may result in transfers in or out of an assigned level within the disclosure hierarchy. Valuation techniques used to value the fund’s investments are as follows:
The Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) has designated the Adviser as the fund’s valuation designee to make all fair value determinations with respect to the fund’s portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight and pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Act.
Investments in debt securities excluding short-term investments (other than U.S. Treasury Bills), forward foreign currency exchange contracts (“forward contracts”), futures and options, are valued each business day by one or more independent pricing services (each, a “Service”) approved by the Board. Investments for which quoted bid prices are readily available and are representative of the bid side of the market in the judgment of a Service are valued at the mean between the quoted bid prices (as obtained by a Service from dealers in such securities) and asked prices (as calculated by a Service based upon its evaluation of the market for such securities). Securities are valued as determined by a Service, based on methods which include consideration of the following: yields or prices of securities of comparable quality, coupon, maturity and type; indications as to values from dealers; and general market conditions. The Services are engaged under the general supervision of the Board. These securities are generally categorized within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.
Investments in equity securities are valued at the last sales price on the securities exchange or national securities market on which such securities are primarily traded. Securities listed on the National Market System for which market quotations are available are valued at the official closing price or, if there is no official closing price that day, at the last sales price. For open short positions, asked prices are used for valuation purposes. Bid price is used when no asked price is available. Registered investment companies that are not traded on an exchange are valued at their net asset value. All of the preceding securities are generally categorized within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy.
34
Securities not listed on an exchange or the national securities market, or securities for which there were no transactions, are valued at the average of the most recent bid and asked prices. These securities are generally categorized within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.
Fair valuing of securities may be determined with the assistance of a Service using calculations based on indices of domestic securities and other appropriate indicators, such as prices of relevant ADRs and futures. Utilizing these techniques may result in transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.
When market quotations or official closing prices are not readily available, or are determined not to accurately reflect fair value, such as when the value of a security has been significantly affected by events after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded (for example, a foreign exchange or market), but before the fund calculates its net asset value, the fund may value these investments at fair value as determined in accordance with the procedures approved by the Board. Certain factors may be considered when fair valuing investments such as: fundamental analytical data, the nature and duration of restrictions on disposition, an evaluation of the forces that influence the market in which the securities are purchased and sold, and public trading in similar securities of the issuer or comparable issuers. These securities are either categorized within Level 2 or 3 of the fair value hierarchy depending on the relevant inputs used.
For securities where observable inputs are limited, assumptions about market activity and risk are used and such securities are generally categorized within Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.
Investments denominated in foreign currencies are translated to U.S. dollars at the prevailing rates of exchange.
Forward contracts are valued at the forward rate and are generally categorized within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. Futures and options, which are traded on an exchange, are valued at the last sales price on the securities exchange on which such securities are primarily traded or at the last sales price on the national securities market on each business day and are generally categorized within Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. Swaps agreements are valued by the Service by using a swap pricing model which incorporates among other factors, default probabilities, recovery rates, credit curves of the underlying issuer and swap spreads on interest rates and are generally categorized within Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.
The following is a summary of the inputs used as of October 31, 2023 in valuing the fund’s investments:
35
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
| | | | | | |
| Level 1-Unadjusted Quoted Prices | Level 2- Other Significant Observable Inputs | | Level 3-Significant Unobservable Inputs | Total | |
Assets ($) | | |
Investments in Securities:† | | |
Corporate Bonds | - | 192,698,142 | | - | 192,698,142 | |
Equity Securities - Common Stocks | 301,670,867 | 378,707,570 | †† | - | 680,378,437 | |
Exchange-Traded Funds | 833,296 | - | | - | 833,296 | |
Foreign Governmental | - | 139,381,885 | | - | 139,381,885 | |
Investment Companies | 37,395,640 | 87,688,030 | †† | - | 125,083,670 | |
U.S. Treasury Securities | - | 333,291,345 | | - | 333,291,345 | |
Other Financial Instruments: | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts††† | - | 6,790,061 | | - | 6,790,061 | |
Futures††† | 27,403 | - | | - | 27,403 | |
Options Purchased | 24,686,106 | - | | - | 24,686,106 | |
Swap Agreements††† | - | 20,449,881 | | - | 20,449,881 | |
Liabilities ($) | | |
Other Financial Instruments: | | |
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts††† | - | (3,650,517) | | - | (3,650,517) | |
Futures††† | (6,919,780) | - | | - | (6,919,780) | |
Options Written | (14,347,460) | - | | - | (14,347,460) | |
† See Consolidated Statement of Investments for additional detailed categorizations, if any.
†† Securities classified within Level 2 at period end as the values were determined pursuant to the fund’s fair valuation procedures.
††† Amount shown represents unrealized appreciation (depreciation) at period end, but only variation margin on exchange-traded and centrally cleared derivatives, if any, are reported in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
(b) Foreign currency transactions: The fund does not isolate that portion of the results of operations resulting from changes in foreign exchange rates on investments from the fluctuations arising from changes in the market prices of securities held. Such fluctuations are included with the net realized and unrealized gain or loss on investments.
Net realized foreign exchange gains or losses arise from sales of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized on securities transactions
36
between trade and settlement date, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the fund’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent of the amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized foreign exchange gains and losses arise from changes in the value of assets and liabilities other than investments resulting from changes in exchange rates. Foreign currency gains and losses on foreign currency transactions are also included with net realized and unrealized gain or loss on investments.
Foreign taxes: The fund may be subject to foreign taxes (a portion of which may be reclaimable) on income, stock dividends, realized and unrealized capital gains on investments or certain foreign currency transactions. Foreign taxes are recorded in accordance with the applicable foreign tax regulations and rates that exist in the foreign jurisdictions in which the fund invests. These foreign taxes, if any, are paid by the fund and are reflected in the Consolidated Statement of Operations, if applicable. Foreign taxes payable or deferred or those subject to reclaims as of October 31, 2023, if any, are disclosed in the fund’s Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
(c) Securities transactions and investment income: Securities transactions are recorded on a trade date basis. Realized gains and losses from securities transactions are recorded on the identified cost basis. Dividend income is recognized on the ex-dividend date and interest income, including, where applicable, accretion of discount and amortization of premium on investments, is recognized on the accrual basis.
Pursuant to a securities lending agreement with BNY Mellon, the fund may lend securities to qualified institutions. It is the fund’s policy that, at origination, all loans are secured by collateral of at least 102% of the value of U.S. securities loaned and 105% of the value of foreign securities loaned. Collateral equivalent to at least 100% of the market value of securities on loan is maintained at all times. Collateral is either in the form of cash, which can be invested in certain money market mutual funds managed by the Adviser, or U.S. Government and Agency securities. Any non-cash collateral received cannot be sold or re-pledged by the fund, except in the event of borrower default. The securities on loan, if any, are also disclosed in the fund’s Consolidated Statement of Investments. The fund is entitled to receive all dividends, interest and distributions on securities loaned, in addition to income earned as a result of the lending transaction. Should a borrower fail to return the securities in a timely manner, BNY Mellon is required to replace the securities for the benefit of the fund or credit the fund with the market value of the unreturned
37
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
securities and is subrogated to the fund’s rights against the borrower and the collateral. Additionally, the contractual maturity of security lending transactions are on an overnight and continuous basis. During the period ended October 31, 2023, BNY Mellon earned $26,641 from the lending of the fund’s portfolio securities, pursuant to the securities lending agreement.
For financial reporting purposes, the fund elects not to offset assets and liabilities subject to a securities lending agreement, if any, in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Therefore, all qualifying transactions are presented on a gross basis in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities. As of October 31, 2023, the fund had securities on loan and the value of the related collateral received by the fund exceeded the value of the securities loaned by the fund. The value of the securities loaned by the fund, if any, are also disclosed in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities and in the Consolidated Statement of Investments. The total amount of cash and non-cash securities lending collateral received is disclosed in the footnotes to the Consolidated Statement of Investments.
(d) Affiliated issuers: Investments in other investment companies advised by the Adviser are considered “affiliated” under the Act.
(e) Market Risk: The value of the securities in which the fund invests may be affected by political, regulatory, economic and social developments, and developments that impact specific economic sectors, industries or segments of the market. In addition, turbulence in financial markets and reduced liquidity in equity, credit and/or fixed-income markets may negatively affect many issuers, which could adversely affect the fund. Global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, and conditions and events in one country, region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. These risks may be magnified if certain events or developments adversely interrupt the global supply chain; in these and other circumstances, such risks might affect companies world-wide.
Foreign Investment Risk: To the extent the fund invests in foreign securities, the fund’s performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in foreign issuers. Special risks associated with investments in foreign issuers include exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political and economic instability and differing auditing and legal standards.
Subsidiary Risk: To the extent the fund invests in the subsidiary, the fund will be indirectly exposed to the risks associated with the subsidiary’s
38
investments. The subsidiary principally invests in commodity-related instruments, including futures and options contracts, swap agreements and pooled investment vehicles that invest in commodities, and the fund's investment in the subsidiary is subject to the same risks that apply to similar investments if held directly by the fund. Changes in applicable laws governing the subsidiary could prevent the fund or the subsidiary from operating as described in the prospectus and could negatively affect the fund and its shareholders. There also may be federal income tax risks associated with the fund’s investment in the subsidiary.
Derivatives Risk: A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the fund’s performance. The use of derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets, and the fund’s use of derivatives may result in losses to the fund. Derivatives in which the fund may invest can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value, and there is the risk that changes in the value of a derivative held by the fund will not correlate with the underlying assets or the fund’s other investments in the manner intended.
Fixed-Income Market Risk: The market value of a fixed-income security may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a particular company, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment generally. The fixed-income securities market can be susceptible to increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity. Liquidity can decline unpredictably in response to overall economic conditions or credit tightening. Increases in volatility and decreases in liquidity may be caused by a rise in interest rates (or the expectation of a rise in interest rates). An unexpected increase in fund redemption requests, including requests from shareholders who may own a significant percentage of the fund’s shares, which may be triggered by market turmoil or an increase in interest rates, could cause the fund to sell its holdings at a loss or at undesirable prices and adversely affect the fund’s share price and increase the fund’s liquidity risk, fund expenses and/or taxable distributions. Federal Reserve policy in response to market conditions, including with respect to interest rates, may adversely affect the value, volatility and liquidity of dividend and interest paying securities. Policy and legislative changes worldwide are affecting many aspects of financial regulation. The impact of these changes on the markets and the practical implications for market participants may not be fully known for some time.
39
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
(f) Dividends and distributions to shareholders: Dividends and distributions are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Dividends from net investment income and dividends from net realized capital gains, if any, are normally declared and paid annually, but the fund may make distributions on a more frequent basis to comply with the distribution requirements of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). To the extent that net realized capital gains can be offset by capital loss carryovers, it is the policy of the fund not to distribute such gains. Income and capital gain distributions are determined in accordance with income tax regulations, which may differ from GAAP.
(g) Federal income taxes: It is the policy of the fund to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company, if such qualification is in the best interests of its shareholders, by complying with the applicable provisions of the Code, and to make distributions of taxable income and net realized capital gain sufficient to relieve it from substantially all federal income and excise taxes.
The Subsidiary is classified as a controlled foreign corporation under Subchapter N of the Code. Therefore, the fund is required to increase its taxable income by its share of the Subsidiary’s income. Net investment losses of the Subsidiary cannot be deducted by the fund in the current period nor carried forward to offset taxable income in future periods.
As of and during the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund did not have any liabilities for any uncertain tax positions. The fund recognizes interest and penalties, if any, related to uncertain tax positions as income tax expense in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. During the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund did not incur any interest or penalties.
Each tax year in the four-year period ended October 31, 2023 remains subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service and state taxing authorities.
At October 31, 2023, the components of accumulated earnings on a tax basis were as follows: accumulated capital and other losses $168,242,662 and unrealized depreciation $28,080,829.
The fund is permitted to carry forward capital losses for an unlimited period. Furthermore, capital loss carryovers retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses.
The accumulated capital loss carryover is available for federal income tax purposes to be applied against future net realized capital gains, if any, realized subsequent to October 31, 2023. If not applied, the fund has
40
$161,958,147 of short-term capital losses and $6,255,568 of long-term capital losses which can be carried forward for an unlimited period.
The tax character of distributions paid to shareholders during the fiscal years ended October 31, 2023 and October 31, 2022 were as follows: ordinary income $292,004,611 and $63,502,594, respectively.
During the period ended October 31, 2023, as a result of permanent book to tax differences, primarily due to the tax treatment for Subpart F income from the subsidiary and net operating losses, the fund increased total distributable earnings (loss) by $63,737,895 and decreased paid-in capital by the same amount. Net assets and net asset value per share were not affected by this reclassification.
NOTE 2—Bank Lines of Credit:
The fund participates with other long-term open-end funds managed by the Adviser in a $738 million unsecured credit facility led by Citibank, N.A. (the “Citibank Credit Facility”) and a $300 million unsecured credit facility provided by BNY Mellon (the “BNYM Credit Facility”), each to be utilized primarily for temporary or emergency purposes, including the financing of redemptions (each, a “Facility”). The Citibank Credit Facility is available in two tranches: (i) Tranche A is in an amount equal to $618 million and is available to all long-term open-ended funds, including the fund, and (ii) Tranche B is an amount equal to $120 million and is available only to BNY Mellon Floating Rate Income Fund, a series of BNY Mellon Investment Funds IV, Inc. Prior to September 27, 2023, the Citibank Credit Facility was $823.5 million with Tranche A available in an amount equal to $688.5 million and Tranche B available in an amount equal to $135 million. In connection therewith, the fund has agreed to pay its pro rata portion of commitment fees for Tranche A of the Citibank Credit Facility and the BNYM Credit Facility. Interest is charged to the fund based on rates determined pursuant to the terms of the respective Facility at the time of borrowing.
During the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund was charged $41,904 for interest expense. These fees are included in Interest expense in the Statement of Operations. The average amount of borrowings outstanding under the Facilities during the period ended October 31, 2023 was approximately $714,521 with a related weighted average annualized interest rate of 5.86%.
41
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
NOTE 3—Management Fee, Sub-Advisory Fee and Other Transactions with Affiliates:
(a) The Adviser has entered into separate management agreements with the fund and the Subsidiary pursuant to which the Adviser receives a management fee computed at the annual rate of .75% of the value of the average daily net assets of each of the fund and the Subsidiary which is payable monthly. In addition, the Adviser has contractually agreed for so long as the fund invests in the Subsidiary, to waive the management fee it receives from the fund in an amount equal to the management fee paid to the Adviser by the Subsidiary. The reduction in expenses, pursuant to the undertaking, amounted to $901,791 during the period ended October 31, 2023.
The Adviser has also contractually agreed, from November 1, 2022 through March 1, 2024, to waive receipt of its fees and/or assume the direct expenses of the fund so that the direct expenses of none of the fund’s share classes (excluding Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan fees, Shareholder Services Plan fees, taxes, interest expense, brokerage commissions, commitment fees on borrowings and extraordinary expenses) exceed .90% of the value of the fund’s average daily net assets. On or after March 1, 2024, the Adviser may terminate this expense limitation agreement at any time. Because “acquired fund fees and expenses” are incurred indirectly by the fund, as a result of its investments in underlying funds, such fees and expenses are not included in the expense limitation. The reduction in expenses, pursuant to the undertaking, amounted to $118,627 during the period ended October 31, 2023.
Pursuant to a sub-investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and Sub-Adviser, the Adviser pays Sub-Adviser a monthly fee at an annual rate of .36% of the value of the fund’s average daily net assets.
During the period ended October 31, 2023, the Distributor retained $3,478 from commissions earned on sales of the fund’s Class A shares and $1,782 from CDSC fees on redemptions of the fund’s Class C shares.
(b) Under the Distribution Plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Act, Class C shares pay the Distributor for distributing its shares at an annual rate of .75% of the value of its average daily net assets. The Distributor may pay one or more Service Agents in respect of advertising, marketing and other distribution services, and determines the amounts, if any, to be paid to Service Agents and the basis on which such payments are made. During the period ended October 31, 2023, Class C shares were charged $196,156 pursuant to the Distribution Plan.
42
(c) Under the Shareholder Services Plan, Class A and Class C shares pay the Distributor at an annual rate of .25% of the value of their average daily net assets for the provision of certain services. The services provided may include personal services relating to shareholder accounts, such as answering shareholder inquiries regarding the fund, and services related to the maintenance of shareholder accounts. The Distributor may make payments to Service Agents (securities dealers, financial institutions or other industry professionals) with respect to these services. The Distributor determines the amounts to be paid to Service Agents. During the period ended October 31, 2023, Class A and Class C shares were charged $120,467 and $63,385, respectively, pursuant to the Shareholder Services Plan.
The fund has an arrangement with BNY Mellon Transfer, Inc., (the “Transfer Agent”), a subsidiary of BNY Mellon and an affiliate of the Adviser, whereby the fund may receive earnings credits when positive cash balances are maintained, which are used to offset Transfer Agent fees. For financial reporting purposes, the fund includes transfer agent net earnings credits, if any, as an expense offset in the Consolidated Statement of Operations.
The fund has an arrangement with The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Custodian”), a subsidiary of BNY Mellon and an affiliate of the Adviser, whereby the fund will receive interest income or be charged overdraft fees when cash balances are maintained. For financial reporting purposes, the fund includes this interest income and overdraft fees, if any, as interest income in the Consolidated Statement of Operations.
The fund compensates the Transfer Agent, under a transfer agency agreement, for providing transfer agency and cash management services for the fund. The majority of Transfer Agent fees are comprised of amounts paid on a per account basis, while cash management fees are related to fund subscriptions and redemptions. During the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund was charged $11,721 for transfer agency services. These fees are included in Shareholder servicing costs in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. These fees were partially offset by earnings credits of $7,371.
The fund compensates the Custodian, under a custody agreement, for providing custodial services for the fund. These fees are determined based on net assets, geographic region and transaction activity. During the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund was charged $345,072 pursuant to the custody agreement.
43
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
During the period ended October 31, 2023, the fund was charged $20,135 for services performed by the fund’s Chief Compliance Officer and his staff. These fees are included in Chief Compliance Officer fees in the Consolidated Statement of Operations.
The components of “Due to BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc. and affiliates” in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities consist of: management fee of $1,119,349, Subsidiary management fee of $9,289, Distribution Plan fees of $12,971, Shareholder Services Plan fees of $11,926, Custodian fees of $205,191, Chief Compliance Officer fees of $6,291 and Transfer Agent fees of $1,866, which are offset against an expense reimbursement currently in effect in the amount of $9,289.
(d) Each board member also serves as a board member of other funds in the BNY Mellon Family of Funds complex. Annual retainer fees and attendance fees are allocated to each fund based on net assets.
NOTE 4—Securities Transactions:
The aggregate amount of purchases and sales of investment securities, excluding short-term securities, futures, options transactions, forward contracts and swaps agreements, during the period ended October 31, 2023, amounted to $1,710,134,085 and $3,510,847,619, respectively.
Derivatives: A derivative is a financial instrument whose performance is derived from the performance of another asset. The fund enters into International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Master Agreements or similar agreements (collectively, “Master Agreements”) with its OTC derivative contract counterparties in order to, among other things, reduce its credit risk to counterparties. Master Agreements include provisions for general obligations, representations, collateral and events of default or termination. Under a Master Agreement, the fund may offset with the counterparty certain derivative financial instruments’ payables and/or receivables with collateral held and/or posted and create one single net payment in the event of default or termination. Rule 18f-4 under the Act regulates the use of derivatives transactions for certain funds registered under the Act. The fund’s derivative transactions are subject to a value-at-risk leverage limit and certain reporting and other requirements pursuant to a derivatives risk management program adopted by the fund.
Each type of derivative instrument that was held by the fund during the period ended October 31, 2023 is discussed below.
Futures: In the normal course of pursuing its investment objective, the fund is exposed to market risk, including equity risk and interest risk, as a result of changes in value of underlying financial instruments. The fund
44
invests in futures in order to manage its exposure to or protect against changes in the market. A futures contract represents a commitment for the future purchase or a sale of an asset at a specified date. Upon entering into such contracts, these investments require initial margin deposits with a counterparty, which consist of cash or cash equivalents. The amount of these deposits is determined by the exchange or Board of Trade on which the contract is traded and is subject to change. Accordingly, variation margin payments are received or made to reflect daily unrealized gains or losses which are recorded in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. When the contracts are closed, the fund recognizes a realized gain or loss which is reflected in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. There is minimal counterparty credit risk to the fund with futures since they are exchange traded, and the exchange guarantees the futures against default. Futures open at October 31, 2023 are set forth in the Consolidated Statement of Investment.
Options Transactions: The fund purchases and writes (sells) put and call options to hedge against changes in the values of equities risk and interest rate risk or as a substitute for an investment. The fund is subject to market risk and interest rate risk in the course of pursuing its investment objectives through its investments in options contracts. A call option gives the purchaser of the option the right (but not the obligation) to buy, and obligates the writer to sell, the underlying financial instrument at the exercise price at any time during the option period, or at a specified date. Conversely, a put option gives the purchaser of the option the right (but not the obligation) to sell, and obligates the writer to buy the underlying financial instrument at the exercise price at any time during the option period, or at a specified date.
As a writer of call options, the fund receives a premium at the outset and then bears the market risk of unfavorable changes in the price of the financial instrument underlying the option. Generally, the fund realizes a gain, to the extent of the premium, if the price of the underlying financial instrument decreases between the date the option is written and the date on which the option is terminated. Generally, the fund incurs a loss if the price of the financial instrument increases between those dates. The maximum payout for those contracts is limited to the number of call option contracts written and the related strike prices, respectively.
As a writer of put options, the fund receives a premium at the outset and then bears the market risk of unfavorable changes in the price of the financial instrument underlying the option. Generally, the fund realizes a gain, to the extent of the premium, if the price of the underlying financial instrument increases between the date the option is written and the date on
45
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
which the option is terminated. Generally, the fund incurs a loss if the price of the financial instrument decreases between those dates. The maximum payout for those contracts is limited to the number of put option contracts written and the related strike prices, respectively.
As a writer of an option, the fund has no control over whether the underlying financial instrument may be sold (call) or purchased (put) and as a result bears the market risk of an unfavorable change in the price of the financial instrument underlying the written option. There is a risk of loss from a change in value of such options which may exceed the related premiums received. This risk may be mitigated by Master Agreements, if any, between the fund and the counterparty and the posting of collateral, if any, by the counterparty to the fund to cover the fund’s exposure to the counterparty. The Consolidated Statement of Operations reflects any unrealized gains or losses which occurred during the period as well as any realized gains or losses which occurred upon the expiration or closing of the option transaction. Options purchased and written open at October 31, 2023 are set forth in the Consolidated Statements of Investments.
Forward Foreign Currency Exchange Contracts: The fund enters into forward contracts in order to hedge its exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates on its foreign portfolio holdings, to settle foreign currency transactions or as a part of its investment strategy. When executing forward contracts, the fund is obligated to buy or sell a foreign currency at a specified rate on a certain date in the future. With respect to sales of forward contracts, the fund incurs a loss if the value of the contract increases between the date the forward contract is opened and the date the forward contract is closed. The fund realizes a gain if the value of the contract decreases between those dates. With respect to purchases of forward contracts, the fund incurs a loss if the value of the contract decreases between the date the forward contract is opened and the date the forward contract is closed. The fund realizes a gain if the value of the contract increases between those dates. Any realized or unrealized gains or losses which occurred during the period are reflected in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. The fund is exposed to foreign currency risk as a result of changes in value of underlying financial instruments. The fund is also exposed to credit risk associated with counterparty non-performance on these forward contracts, which is generally limited to the unrealized gain on each open contract. This risk may be mitigated by Master Agreements, if any, between the fund and the counterparty and the posting of collateral, if any, by the counterparty to the fund to cover the fund’s exposure to the counterparty. Forward contracts open at October 31, 2023 are set forth in the Consolidated Statement of Investment.
46
Swap Agreements: The fund enters into swap agreements to exchange the interest rate on, or return generated by, one nominal instrument for the return generated by another nominal instrument. Swap agreements are privately negotiated in the OTC market or centrally cleared. The fund enters into these agreements to hedge certain market or interest rate risks, to manage the interest rate sensitivity (sometimes called duration) of fixed income securities, to provide a substitute for purchasing or selling particular securities or to increase potential returns.
For OTC swaps, the fund accrues for interim payments on a daily basis, with the net amount recorded within unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on swap agreements in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities. Once the interim payments are settled in cash, the net amount is recorded as a realized gain (loss) on swaps, in addition to realized gain (loss) recorded upon the termination of swap agreements in the Consolidated Statement of Operations. Upfront payments made and/or received by the fund, are recorded as an asset and/or liability in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities and are recorded as a realized gain or loss ratably over the agreement’s term/event with the exception of forward starting interest rate swaps which are recorded as realized gains or losses on the termination date.
Fluctuations in the value of swap agreements are recorded for financial statement purposes as unrealized appreciation or depreciation on swap agreements.
Total Return Swaps: Total return swaps involve commitments to pay interest in exchange for a market-linked return based on a notional principal amount. To the extent the total return of the security or index underlying the transaction exceeds or falls short of the specific reference entity, the fund either receives a payment from or makes a payment to the counterparty, respectively. Total return swaps are subject to general market risk, liquidity risk, counterparty risk and credit risk. This risk is mitigated by Master Agreements between the fund and the counterparty and the posting of collateral, if any, by the counterparty to the fund to cover the fund’s exposure to the counterparty. The underlying reference asset could be a security, an index, or basket of investments. Total return swaps open at October 31, 2023 are set forth in the Consolidated Statement of Investments.
The following tables show the fund’s exposure to different types of market risk as it relates to the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities and the Consolidated Statement of Operations, respectively.
47
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
Fair value of derivative instruments as of October 31, 2023 is shown below:
| | | | | | | |
| | Derivative Assets ($) | | | | Derivative Liabilities ($) | |
Interest rate risk | - | | Interest rate risk | (6,919,780) | 1 |
Equity risk | 45,163,390 | 1,2,3 | Equity risk | (14,347,460) | 4 |
Foreign exchange risk | 6,790,061 | 5 | Foreign exchange risk | (3,650,517) | 5 |
Gross fair value of derivative contracts | 51,953,451 | | | | (24,917,757) | |
| | | | | | |
| Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities location: | |
1 | Includes cumulative appreciation (depreciation) on futures as reported in the Consolidated Statement of Investments, but only the unpaid variation margin is reported in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities. |
2 | Unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on swap agreements. |
3 | Options purchased are included in Investments in securities—Unaffiliated issuers, at value. |
4 | Outstanding options written, at value. | |
5 | Unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts. |
The effect of derivative instruments in the Consolidated Statement of Operations during the period ended October 31, 2023 is shown below:
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Amount of realized gain (loss) on derivatives recognized in income ($) | |
Underlying risk | Futures1 | | Options Transactions2 | | Forward Contracts3 | | Swap Agreements | | Total | |
Interest rate | (4,598,376) | | 2,040,927 | | - | | - | | (2,557,449) | |
Equity | (174,177,018) | | 32,092,515 | | - | | - | | (142,084,503) | |
Foreign exchange | - | | - | | (154,862,369) | | - | | (154,862,369) | |
Total | (178,775,394) | | 34,133,442 | | (154,862,369) | | - | | (299,504,321) | |
| | | | | | | | | | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on derivatives recognized in income ($) | |
Underlying risk | Futures4 | | Options Transactions5 | | Forward Contracts6 | | Swap Agreements7 | | Total | |
Interest rate | 9,325,394 | | - | | - | | - | | 9,325,394 | |
Equity | 32,142,065 | | 18,412,783 | | - | | 20,449,881 | | 71,004,729 | |
Foreign exchange | - | | - | | 28,078,213 | | - | | 28,078,213 | |
Total | 41,467,459 | | 18,412,783 | | 28,078,213 | | 20,449,881 | | 108,408,336 | |
| Consolidated Statement of Operations location: | |
1 | Net realized gain (loss) on futures. | | |
2 | Net realized gain (loss) on options transactions. |
3 | Net realized gain (loss) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts. | | |
4 | Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on futures. | | |
5 | Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on options transactions. | | |
6 | Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on forward foreign currency exchange contracts. | |
7 | Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on swap agreements. | | |
48
The provisions of ASC Topic 210 “Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities” require disclosure on the offsetting of financial assets and liabilities. These disclosures are required for certain investments, including derivative financial instruments subject to Master Agreements which are eligible for offsetting in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities and require the fund to disclose both gross and net information with respect to such investments. For financial reporting purposes, the fund does not offset derivative assets and derivative liabilities that are subject to Master Agreements in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
At October 31, 2023, derivative assets and liabilities (by type) on a gross basis are as follows:
| | | | | |
Derivative Financial Instruments: | | Assets ($) | | Liabilities ($) | |
Futures | | 27,403 | | (6,919,780) | |
Options | | 24,686,106 | | (14,347,460) | |
Forward contracts | | 6,790,061 | | (3,650,517) | |
Swaps | | 20,449,881 | | - | |
Total gross amount of derivative | | | | | |
assets and liabilities in the | | | | | |
Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities | | 51,953,451 | | (24,917,757) | |
Derivatives not subject to | | | | | |
Master Agreements | | (24,713,509) | | 21,267,240 | |
Total gross amount of assets and | | | | | |
liabilities subject to Master Agreements | | 27,239,942 | | (3,650,517) | |
The following tables present derivative assets and liabilities net of amounts available for offsetting under Master Agreements and net of related collateral received or pledged, if any, as of October 31, 2023:
| | | | | | |
| | | Financial | | | |
| | | Instruments | | | |
| Gross | | and Derivatives | | | Net |
| Amount of | | Available | Collateral | | Amount of |
Counterparty | Assets ($) | 1 | for Offset ($) | Received ($) | 2 | Assets ($) |
Barclays Capital, Inc. | 20,951,625 | | (8,654) | (19,770,000) | | 1,172,971 |
CIBC World Markets Corp. | 33,935 | | (33,935) | - | | - |
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | 504,239 | | (2,591) | (500,000) | | 1,648 |
Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC | 2,373,172 | | - | (2,170,000) | | 203,172 |
HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. | 1,916,939 | | - | (1,916,939) | | - |
RBS Securities, Inc. | 1,246,574 | | - | (1,246,574) | | - |
State Street Bank and Trust Company | 213,458 | | (213,458) | - | | - |
Total | 27,239,942 | | (258,638) | (25,603,513) | | 1,377,791 |
| | | | | | |
49
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (continued)
| | | | | | |
| | | Financial | | | |
| | | Instruments | | | |
| Gross | | and Derivatives | | | Net |
| Amount of | | Available | Collateral | | Amount of |
Counterparty | Liabilities ($) | 1 | for Offset ($) | Pledged ($) | 2 | Liabilities ($) |
Barclays Capital, Inc. | (8,654) | | 8,654 | - | | - |
CIBC World Markets Corp. | (219,492) | | 33,935 | 100,000 | | (85,557) |
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | (2,591) | | 2,591 | - | | - |
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC | (611,731) | | - | 500,000 | | (111,731) |
State Street Bank and Trust Company | (2,666,792) | | 213,458 | 2,453,334 | | - |
UBS Securities LLC | (141,257) | | - | 141,257 | | - |
Total | (3,650,517) | | 258,638 | 3,194,591 | | (197,288) |
| | | | | | |
1 Absent a default event or early termination, OTC derivative assets and liabilities are presented at gross amounts and are not offset in the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities. |
2 In some instances, the actual collateral received and/or pledged may be more than the amount shown due to over collateralization. |
The following table summarizes the average market value of derivatives outstanding during the period ended October 31, 2023:
| | |
| | Average Market Value ($) |
Equity futures | | 675,347,884 |
Equity options contracts | | 40,366,561 |
Interest rate futures | | 331,146,730 |
Interest rate options contracts | | 675,593 |
Forward contracts | | 1,824,535,441 |
The following table summarizes the average notional value of swap agreements outstanding during the period ended October 31, 2023:
| | |
| | Average Notional Value ($) |
Equity total return swap agreements | | 160,729,150 |
| | |
At October 31, 2023, the cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was $1,548,482,480; accordingly, accumulated net unrealized depreciation on investments inclusive of derivative contracts was $27,816,453, consisting of $131,118,393 gross unrealized appreciation and $158,934,846 gross unrealized depreciation.
50
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of BNY Mellon Global Real Return Fund
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated statement of assets and liabilities of BNY Mellon Global Real Return Fund (the “Fund”) (one of the funds constituting BNY Mellon Advantage Funds, Inc. (the “Company”)), including the consolidated statement of investments, as of October 31, 2023, and the related consolidated statement of operations for the year then ended, the consolidated statements of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, the consolidated financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Fund (one of the funds constituting BNY Mellon Advantage Funds, Inc.) at October 31, 2023, the consolidated results of its operations for the year then ended, the consolidated changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended and its consolidated financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of October 31, 2023, by correspondence with the custodian, brokers and others; when replies were not received from brokers and others, we performed other auditing procedures. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
We have served as the auditor of one or more investment companies in the BNY Mellon Family of Funds since at least 1957, but we are unable to determine the specific year.
New York, New York
December 22, 2023
51
IMPORTANT TAX INFORMATION (Unaudited)
For federal tax purposes, the fund reports 4.33% of the ordinary dividends paid during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023 as qualifying for the corporate dividends received deduction. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2023, certain dividends paid by the fund may be subject to a maximum tax rate of 15%, as provided for by the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. Of the distributions paid during the fiscal year, $37,763,482 represents the maximum amount that may be considered qualified dividend income.
52
PROXY RESULTS (Unaudited)
A special meeting of the Company’s shareholders was held on October 12, 2023. The proposal considered at the meeting and the results were as follows:
| | | | |
| Shares |
| For | | Authority Withheld |
To elect Board Members to hold office until their successors are duly elected and qualified† | | | |
| Francine J. Bovich | 165,556,384 | | 2,001,769 |
| Michael D. DiLecce | 165,574,410 | | 1,983,742 |
| Gina D. France | 165,046,263 | | 2,511,889 |
| Joan L. Gulley | 164,763,074 | | 2,795,079 |
| Nathan Leventhal | 165,032,642 | | 2,525,511 |
† Each Board Member’s term to commence January 1, 2024
In addition, Joseph S. DiMartino, Peggy C. Davis and Robin A. Melvin continue as Board Members of the Company. Mses. France and Gulley currently are Board Members of the Company, but have not been previously elected by shareholders.
53
LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM (Unaudited)
The fund adopted a liquidity risk management program (the “Liquidity Risk Management Program”) pursuant to the requirements of Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. Rule 22e-4 requires registered open-end funds, including mutual funds and exchange-traded funds but not money market funds, to establish liquidity risk management programs in order to effectively manage fund liquidity and shareholder redemptions. The rule is designed to mitigate the risk that a fund could not meet redemption requests without significantly diluting the interests of remaining investors.
The rule requires the fund to assess, manage and review their liquidity risk at least annually considering applicable factors such as investment strategy and liquidity during normal and foreseeable stressed conditions, including whether the strategy is appropriate for an open-end fund and whether the fund has a relatively concentrated portfolio or large positions in particular issuers. The fund must also assess its use of borrowings and derivatives, short-term and long-term cash flow projections in normal and stressed conditions, holdings of cash and cash equivalents, and borrowing arrangements and other funding sources.
The rule also requires the fund to classify its investments as highly liquid, moderately liquid, less liquid or illiquid based on the number of days the fund expects it would take to liquidate the investment, and to review these classifications at least monthly or more often under certain conditions. The periods range from three or fewer business days for a highly liquid investment to greater than seven calendar days for settlement of a less liquid investment. Illiquid investments are those a fund does not expect to be able to sell or dispose of within seven calendar days without significantly changing the market value. The fund is prohibited from acquiring an investment if, after the acquisition, its holdings of illiquid assets will exceed 15% of its net assets. In addition, if a fund permits redemptions in-kind, the rule requires the fund to establish redemption in-kind policies and procedures governing how and when it will engage in such redemptions.
Pursuant to the rule’s requirements, the Liquidity Risk Management Program has been reviewed and approved by the Board. Furthermore, the Board has received a written report prepared by the Program’s Administrator that addresses the operation of the Program, assesses its adequacy and effectiveness and describes any material changes made to the Program.
Assessment of Program
In the opinion of the Program Administrator, the Program approved by the Board continues to be adequate for the fund and the Program has been implemented effectively. The Program Administrator has monitored the fund’s liquidity risk and the liquidity classification of the securities held by the fund and has determined that the Program is operating effectively.
During the period from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, there were no material changes to the Program and no material liquidity events that impacted the fund. During the period, the fund held sufficient highly liquid assets to meet fund redemptions.
Under normal expected foreseeable fund redemption forecasts and foreseeable stressed fund redemption forecasts, the Program Administrator believes that the fund maintains sufficient highly liquid assets to meet expected fund redemptions.
54
BOARD MEMBERS INFORMATION (Unaudited)
Independent Board Members
Joseph S. DiMartino (80)
Chairman of the Board (1995)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· Director or Trustee of funds in the BNY Mellon Family of Funds and certain other entities (as described in the fund’s Statement of Additional Information) (1995-Present)
Other Public Company Board Memberships During Past 5 Years:
· CBIZ, Inc., a public company providing professional business services, products and solutions, Director (1997-May 2023)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 86
———————
Peggy C. Davis (80)
Board Member (2006)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· Shad Professor of Law, New York University School of Law (1983-Present)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 29
———————
Gina D. France (65)
Board Member (2019)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· France Strategic Partners, a strategy and advisory firm serving corporate clients across the United States, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer (2003-Present)
Other Public Company Board Memberships During Past 5 Years:
· Huntington Bancshares, a bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Director (2016-Present)
· Cedar Fair, L.P., a publicly-traded partnership that owns and operates amusement parks and hotels in the U.S. and Canada, Director (2011-May 2023)
· CBIZ, Inc., a public company providing professional business services, products and solutions, Director (2015-Present)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 22
———————
Joan Gulley (76)
Board Member (2017)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· Nantucket Atheneum, public library, Chair (June 2018-June 2021) and Director (2015-June 2021)
· Orchard Island Club, golf and beach club, Governor (2016-Present) and President (February 2023-Present)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 39
———————
55
BOARD MEMBERS INFORMATION (Unaudited) (continued)
Robin A. Melvin (60)
Board Member (2012)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· Westover School, a private girls’ boarding school in Middlebury, Connecticut, Trustee (2019-June 2023)
· Mentor Illinois, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing the quantity and quality of mentoring services in Illinois, Co-Chair (2014–2020); Board Member (2013-2020)
· JDRF, a non-profit juvenile diabetes research foundation, Board Member (June 2021-June 2022)
Other Public Company Board Memberships During Past 5 Years:
· HPS Corporate Lending Fund, a closed-end management investment company regulated as a business development company, Trustee (August 2021-Present)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 68
———————
Michael D. DiLecce (61)
Advisory Board Member (2022)
Principal Occupation During Past 5 Years:
· Retired since July 2022. Global Asset Management Assurance Leader, Ernst & Young LLP (2015-2022)
· Americas Regional Talent Managing Partner for Ernst & Young’s Financial Service Practice (2017-2021)
· Partner, Ernst & Young LLP (1997-2022)
No. of Portfolios for which Board Member Serves: 22
———————
The address of the Board Members and Officers is c/o BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc., 240 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10286. Additional information about each Board Member is available in the fund’s Statement of Additional Information which can be obtained from the Adviser free of charge by calling this toll free number: 1-800-373-9387.
56
OFFICERS OF THE FUND (Unaudited)
DAVID DIPETRILLO, President since January 2021.
Vice President and Director of the Adviser since February 2021; Head of North America Distribution, BNY Mellon Investment Management since February 2023; and Head of North America Product, BNY Mellon Investment Management from January 2018 to February 2023. He is an officer of 53 investment companies (comprised of 102 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 45 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since 2005.
JAMES WINDELS, Treasurer since November 2001.
Director of the Adviser since February 2023; Vice President of the Adviser since September 2020; and Director–BNY Mellon Fund Administration. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 65 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since April 1985.
PETER M. SULLIVAN, Chief Legal Officer since July 2021 and Vice President and Assistant Secretary since March 2019.
Chief Legal Officer of the Adviser and Associate General Counsel of BNY Mellon since July 2021; Senior Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon from December 2020 to July 2021; and Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon from March 2009 to December 2020. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 55 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since April 2004.
JAMES BITETTO, Vice President since August 2005 and Secretary since February 2018.
Senior Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon since December 2019; Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon from April 2014 to December 2019; and Secretary of the Adviser. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 57 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since December 1996.
DEIRDRE CUNNANE, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since March 2019.
Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon since December 2021; and Counsel of BNY Mellon from August 2018 to December 2021. She is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 33 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since August 2013.
SARAH S. KELLEHER, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since April 2014.
Vice President of BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser; LLC since February 2020; Senior Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon since September 2021; and Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon from December 2017 to September 2021. She is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 48 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since March 2013.
JEFF PRUSNOFSKY, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since August 2005.
Senior Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 58 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since October 1990.
AMANDA QUINN, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since March 2020.
Counsel of BNY Mellon since June 2019; Regulatory Administration Manager at BNY Mellon Investment Management Services from September 2018 to May 2019. She is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 38 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since June 2012.
JOANNE SKERRETT, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since March 2023.
Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon since June 2022; and Senior Counsel with the Mutual Fund Directors Forum, a leading funds industry organization, from 2016 to June 2022. She is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 51 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since June 2022.
57
OFFICERS OF THE FUND (Unaudited) (continued)
NATALYA ZELENSKY, Vice President and Assistant Secretary since March 2017.
Chief Compliance Officer since August 2021 and Vice President since February 2020 of BNY Mellon ETF Investment Adviser, LLC; Chief Compliance Officer since August 2021 and Vice President and Assistant Secretary since February 2020 of BNY Mellon ETF Trust; Managing Counsel of BNY Mellon from December 2019 to August 2021; Counsel of BNY Mellon from May 2016 to December 2019; and Assistant Secretary of the Adviser from April 2018 to August 2021. She is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 38 years old and has been an employee of BNY Mellon since May 2016.
DANIEL GOLDSTEIN, Vice President since March 2022.
Head of Product Development of North America Distribution, BNY Mellon Investment Management since January 2018; Executive Vice President of North America Product, BNY Mellon Investment Management since April 2023; and Senior Vice President, Development & Oversight of North America Product, BNY Mellon Investment Management from 2010 to March 2023. He is an officer of 53 investment companies (comprised of 102 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 54 years old and has been an employee of the Distributor since 1991.
JOSEPH MARTELLA, Vice President since March 2022.
Vice President of the Adviser since December 2022; Head of Product Management of North America Distribution, BNY Mellon Investment Management since January 2018; Executive Vice President of North America Product, BNY Mellon Investment Management since April 2023; and Senior Vice President of North America Product, BNY Mellon Investment Management from 2010 to March 2023. He is an officer of 53 investment companies (comprised of 102 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 47 years old and has been an employee of the Distributor since 1999.
GAVIN C. REILLY, Assistant Treasurer since December 2005.
Tax Manager–BNY Mellon Fund Administration. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 55 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since April 1991.
ROBERT SALVIOLO, Assistant Treasurer since July 2007.
Senior Accounting Manager–BNY Mellon Fund Administration. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 56 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since June 1989.
ROBERT SVAGNA, Assistant Treasurer since December 2002.
Senior Accounting Manager–BNY Mellon Fund Administration. He is an officer of 54 investment companies (comprised of 121 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. He is 56 years old and has been an employee of the Adviser since November 1990.
JOSEPH W. CONNOLLY, Chief Compliance Officer since October 2004.
Chief Compliance Officer of the BNY Mellon Family of Funds and BNY Mellon Funds Trust since 2004; and Chief Compliance Officer of the Adviser from 2004 until June 2021. He is the Chief Compliance Officer of 53 investment companies (comprised of 105 portfolios) managed by the Adviser. He is 66 years old.
CARIDAD M. CAROSELLA, Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer since January 2016.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer of the BNY Mellon Family of Funds and BNY Mellon Funds Trust. She is an officer of 47 investment companies (comprised of 114 portfolios) managed by the Adviser or an affiliate of the Adviser. She is 55 years old and has been an employee of the Distributor since 1997.
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61
BNY Mellon Global Real Return Fund
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286
Adviser
BNY Mellon Investment Adviser, Inc.
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286
Sub-Adviser
Newton Investment Management Limited
160 Queen Victoria Street
London, EC4V, 4LA, UK
Custodian
The Bank of New York Mellon
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286
Transfer Agent &
Dividend Disbursing Agent
BNY Mellon Transfer, Inc.
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286
Distributor
BNY Mellon Securities Corporation
240 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10286
| |
Ticker Symbols: | Class A: DRRAX Class C: DRRCX Class I: DRRIX Class Y: DRRYX |
Telephone Call your financial representative or 1-800-373-9387
Mail The BNY Mellon Family of Funds, 144 Glenn Curtiss Boulevard, Uniondale, NY 11556-0144
E-mail Send your request to info@bnymellon.com
Internet Information can be viewed online or downloaded at www.im.bnymellon.com
The fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-PORT. The fund’s Forms N-PORT are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
A description of the policies and procedures that the fund uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities and information regarding how the fund voted these proxies for the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available at www.im.bnymellon.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-373-9387.
| |
© 2023 BNY Mellon Securities Corporation 6278AR1023 | |
Item 2. Code of Ethics.
The Registrant has adopted a code of ethics that applies to the Registrant's principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing similar functions. There have been no amendments to, or waivers in connection with, the Code of Ethics during the period covered by this Report.
Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert.
The Registrant's Board has determined that Gina D. France, a member of the Audit Committee of the Board, is an audit committee financial expert as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Gina D. France is "independent" as defined by the SEC for purposes of audit committee financial expert determinations.
Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
(a) Audit Fees. The aggregate fees billed for each of the last two fiscal years (the "Reporting Periods") for professional services rendered by the Registrant's principal accountant (the "Auditor") for the audit of the Registrant's annual financial statements or services that are normally provided by the Auditor in connection with the statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for the Reporting Periods, were $204,495 in 2022 and $159,166 in 2023.
(b) Audit-Related Fees. The aggregate fees billed in the Reporting Periods for assurance and related services by the Auditor that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit of the Registrant's financial statements and are not reported under paragraph (a) of this Item 4 were $57,466 in 2022 and $50,204 in 2023. These services consisted of one or more of the following: (i) agreed upon procedures related to compliance with Internal Revenue Code section 817(h), (ii) security counts required by Rule 17f-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, (iii) advisory services as to the accounting or disclosure treatment of Registrant transactions or events and (iv) advisory services to the accounting or disclosure treatment of the actual or potential impact to the Registrant of final or proposed rules, standards or interpretations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Accounting Standards Boards or other regulatory or standard-setting bodies.
The aggregate fees billed in the Reporting Periods for non-audit assurance and related services by the Auditor to the Registrant's investment adviser (not including any sub-investment adviser whose role is primarily portfolio management and is subcontracted with or overseen by another investment adviser), and any entity controlling, controlled by or under common control with the investment adviser that provides ongoing services to the Registrant ("Service Affiliates"), that were reasonably related to the performance of the annual audit of the Service Affiliate, which required pre-approval by the Audit Committee were $0 in 2022 and $0 in 2023.
(c) Tax Fees. The aggregate fees billed in the Reporting Periods for professional services rendered by the Auditor for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning ("Tax Services") were $17,631 in 2022 and $12,868 in 2023. These services consisted of: (i) review or preparation of U.S. federal, state, local and excise tax returns; (ii) U.S. federal, state and local tax planning, advice and assistance regarding statutory, regulatory or administrative developments; (iii) tax advice regarding tax qualification matters and/or treatment of various financial instruments held or proposed to be acquired or held, and (iv) determination of Passive Foreign Investment Companies. The aggregate fees billed in the Reporting Periods for Tax Services by the Auditor to Service Affiliates, which required pre-approval by the Audit Committee were $28,369 in 2022 and $21,632 in 2023.
(d) All Other Fees. The aggregate fees billed in the Reporting Periods for products and services provided by the Auditor, other than the services reported in paragraphs (a) through (c) of this Item, were $405 in 2022 and $375 in 2023. These services consisted of a review of the Registrant's anti-money laundering program.
The aggregate fees billed in the Reporting Periods for Non-Audit Services by the Auditor to Service Affiliates, other than the services reported in paragraphs (b) through (c) of this Item, which required pre-approval by the Audit Committee, were $0 in 2022 and $0 in 2023.
(e)(1) Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures. The Registrant's Audit Committee has established policies and procedures (the "Policy") for pre-approval (within specified fee limits) of the Auditor's engagements for non-audit services to the Registrant and Service Affiliates without specific case-by-case consideration. The pre-approved services in the Policy can include pre-approved audit services, pre-approved audit-related services, pre-approved tax services and pre-approved all other services. Pre-approval considerations include whether the proposed services are compatible with maintaining the Auditor's independence. Pre-approvals pursuant to the Policy are considered annually.
(e)(2) Note. None of the services described in paragraphs (b) through (d) of this Item 4 were approved by the Audit Committee pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.
(f) None of the hours expended on the principal accountant's engagement to audit the registrant's financial statements for the most recent fiscal year were attributed to work performed by persons other than the principal accountant's full-time, permanent employees.
Non-Audit Fees. The aggregate non-audit fees billed by the Auditor for services rendered to the Registrant, and rendered to Service Affiliates, for the Reporting Periods were $2,189,735 in 2022 and $1,779,328 in 2023.
Auditor Independence. The Registrant's Audit Committee has considered whether the provision of non-audit services that were rendered to Service Affiliates, which were not pre-approved (not requiring pre-approval), is compatible with maintaining the Auditor's independence.
(j) Not applicable.
Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants.
Not applicable.
Item 6. Investments.
(a) Not applicable.
| Item 7. | Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies. |
Not applicable.
Item 8. Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable.
| Item 9. | Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Companies and Affiliated Purchasers. |
Not applicable.
| Item 10. | Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders. |
There have been no material changes to the procedures applicable to Item 10.
| Item 11. | Controls and Procedures. |
(a) The Registrant's principal executive and principal financial officers have concluded, based on their evaluation of the Registrant's disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this report, that the Registrant's disclosure controls and procedures are reasonably designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Registrant on Form N-CSR is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the required time periods and that information required to be disclosed by the Registrant in the reports that it files or submits on Form N-CSR is accumulated and communicated to the Registrant's management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
(b) There were no changes to the Registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Registrant's internal control over financial reporting.
| Item 12. | Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies. |
Not applicable.
(a)(1) Code of ethics referred to in Item 2.
(a)(2) Certifications of principal executive and principal financial officers as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
(a)(3) Not applicable.
(b) Certification of principal executive and principal financial officers as required by Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
BNY Mellon Advantage Funds, Inc.
By: /s/ David J. DiPetrillo
David J. DiPetrillo
President (Principal Executive Officer)
Date: December 19, 2023
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this Report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
By: /s/ David J. DiPetrillo
David J. DiPetrillo
President (Principal Executive Officer)
Date: December 19, 2023
By: /s/ James Windels
James Windels
Treasurer (Principal Financial Officer)
Date: December 19, 2023
EXHIBIT INDEX
(a)(1) Code of ethics referred to in Item 2.
(a)(2) Certifications of principal executive and principal financial officers as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940. (EX-99.CERT)
(b) Certification of principal executive and principal financial officers as required by Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940. (EX-99.906CERT)