Investment objective & strategy
As of Sept. 24, 2025 · prospectusObjective. The fund has an investment objective of seeking to maximize total return, which consists of income on its investments and capital appreciation.
Strategy. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings made for investment purposes) in Emerging Markets Investments. Emerging Markets Investments include fixed income securities and derivative instruments (including, but not limited to, spot and currency contracts, futures, options and swaps) that economically are tied to an emerging market country, which are denominated in the predominant currency of the local market of an emerging market country (an Emerging Markets Currency) or whose performance is linked to those countries currencies, markets, economies or ability to repay loans. Although under normal circumstances a significant portion of the funds investments will be denominated in Emerging Markets Currencies, Emerging Markets Investments may be denominated in non-Emerging Markets Currencies, … Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings made for investment purposes) in Emerging Markets Investments. Emerging Markets Investments include fixed income securities and derivative instruments (including, but not limited to, spot and currency contracts, futures, options and swaps) that economically are tied to an emerging market country, which are denominated in the predominant currency of the local market of an emerging market country (an Emerging Markets Currency) or whose performance is linked to those countries currencies, markets, economies or ability to repay loans. Although under normal circumstances a significant portion of the funds investments will be denominated in Emerging Markets Currencies, Emerging Markets Investments may be denominated in non-Emerging Markets Currencies, including the U.S. dollar. A security or instrument is economically tied to an emerging market country if it is principally traded on the countrys securities markets or the issuer is organized or principally operates in the country, derives a majority of its income from its operations within the country or has a majority of its assets within the country. Emerging Markets Investments also include Emerging Markets Currencies and derivatives and other instruments used to hedge or gain exposure to emerging securities markets or Emerging Markets Currencies (for example, futures or other derivatives whose return is based on specific emerging markets securities, emerging markets indices or Emerging Markets Currencies). Although the fund is not limited in the types of derivatives it can use, the fund currently expects that its derivatives investments will consist primarily of the following instruments and transactions: futures, options, swaps, including credit default swaps, and credit linked notes. The fund may use derivatives to a significant extent. The fund considers emerging market countries to include countries identified by the World Bank Group as being low income economies or which are included in a JPMorgan emerging market bond index. The subadviser has broad discretion as to the specific emerging market countries in which the fund invests, and while the allocation to various markets will vary it is likely that the fund will often have 5% or more of its assets invested in one or more specific emerging markets countries. It is anticipated that the Fund will focus most of its investments in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and/or the developing countries of Europe. Emerging Markets Investments may include, among other things, sovereign debt securities, corporate debt securities, structured notes, convertible securities, securities issued by supranational organizations, floating rate commercial loans, securitized loan participations, Rule 144A securities, non-U.S. currencies, forward currency contracts and other foreign currency transactions and derivatives related to these types of investments. The fund seeks capital appreciation through country selection, sector selection, security selection and currency selection. In selecting Emerging Markets Investments for investment, the subadviser will apply a market risk analysis contemplating the assessment of various factors, such as liquidity, volatility, tax implications, interest rate sensitivity, counterparty risks, economic factors, currency exchange rates and technical market considerations. The fund is non-diversified, which means that it can invest a higher percentage of its assets in any one issuer or in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. Credit Quality. The fund may invest in securities of any credit rating (including unrated securities) and may invest without limit in higher risk, below-investment grade debt securities, commonly referred to as high yield securities or junk bonds. Maturity and Duration. The subadviser normally maintains an average portfolio duration of between 2 and 7 years. However, the funds average duration may be outside this range, and the fund may invest in securities of any duration and maturity.
Top holdings
As of Feb. 27, 2026 · N-PORT| Security | Ticker | Value | % of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| Presidencia da Republica | NTNFF31 | $848.63K | 5.60% |
| Presidencia da Republica | NTNFF29 | $644.32K | 4.25% |
| MALAYSIA GOVT OF 4.893% 06/08/2038 | — | $520.73K | 3.43% |
| MEXICO UNITED MEXICAN STATES 7.75% 11/23/2034 | M_BONOS_341123 | $492.66K | 3.25% |
| MALAYSIA GOVT | — | $486.15K | 3.21% |
| MEXICO UNITED MEXICAN STATES 7.75% 11/13/2042 | MBONO | $475.53K | 3.14% |
| SOUTH AFRICA REPUBLIC OF 8.5% 01/31/2037 | SAGB | $468.96K | 3.09% |
| ROMANIA GOVT | — | $456.42K | 3.01% |
| Urad Vlady Ceske Republiky | CZECH | $456.32K | 3.01% |
| Mexico Bonos | — | $452.16K | 2.98% |
Portfolio moves
Nov 28, 2025 → Feb 27, 2026How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.
Similar funds
Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight| Fund | Overlap | Net exp. |
|---|---|---|
| Payden Emerging Markets Local Bond Fund · PYELX, PYILX | 23% | 0.75% |
| First Trust Emerging Markets Local Currency Bond ETF · FEMB | 20% | 0.85% |
| TCW Emerging Markets Local Currency Income Fund · TGWIX, TGWNX | 19% | 0.85% |
Advisers
| Firm | Role |
|---|---|
| Virtus Investment Advisers, LLC | Adviser |
| Virtus Fixed Income Advisers, LLC | Sub-adviser |
Footnotes
- Expense ratio as of September 24, 2025, from the fund's prospectus.
- Net assets and holdings count as of February 27, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
- Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. Computed by compounding the twelve monthly total returns the fund reported in its SEC N-PORT filings for 2025 (the latest prospectus does not yet chart this year).
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