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 Fixed Income Securities. Emerging Markets Fixed Income Securities 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 countries with emerging securities markets or whose performance is linked to those countries markets, economies or ability to repay loans. Emerging Markets Fixed Income Securities may be denominated in non-U.S. currencies or 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 … Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings made for investment purposes) in Emerging Markets Fixed Income Securities. Emerging Markets Fixed Income Securities 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 countries with emerging securities markets or whose performance is linked to those countries markets, economies or ability to repay loans. Emerging Markets Fixed Income Securities may be denominated in non-U.S. currencies or 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 Fixed Income Securities also include derivatives and other instruments used to hedge or gain exposure to emerging securities markets (for example, futures or other derivatives whose return is based on specific emerging markets securities or indices). 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, forward currency contracts and other foreign currency transactions, swaps, credit linked notes and credit default swaps. The Fund may use derivatives to a significant extent. Derivatives included in the 80% calculation are those that have economic characteristics of emerging markets fixed income securities. The subadviser has broad discretion to identify and invest in countries that it considers to be emerging securities markets. 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. 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 Fixed Income Securities 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 and derivatives related to these types of securities. The fund seeks capital appreciation through country selection, sector selection and security selection. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtus Stone Harbor Local Markets Fund | SHLMX | $6.20M | 1.83% |
| Petroleos de Venezuela SA | — | $6.02M | 1.78% |
| BHRAIN 7.1 02/03/38 144A | BHRAIN | $4.81M | 1.42% |
| Poinsettia Finance Ltd Sarl | — | $4.76M | 1.41% |
| REPUBLIC OF ARGENTINA SR UNSECURED 07/30 VAR | ARGENT | $4.59M | 1.36% |
| OMAN SULTANATE 6.5% 03/08/2047 144A | OMAN | $4.42M | 1.30% |
| Presidencia da Republica | BRAZIL | $4.22M | 1.25% |
| Eagle Funding LuxCo S.a.r.l. | — | $4.02M | 1.19% |
| Sandor-Palota | SK00 | $4.00M | 1.18% |
| REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA SR UNSECURED 04/33 8 | COLOM | $3.90M | 1.15% |
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. |
|---|---|---|
| Virtus Stone Harbor Emerging Markets High Yield Bond ETF · VEMY | 29% | 0.55% |
| Virtus Global Multi-Sector Income Fund | 25% | — |
| VANGUARD EMERGING MARKETS GOVERNMENT BOND INDEX FUND · VGAVX, VWOB, VGIVX | 18% | 0.08% |
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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