ALPINE GLOBAL PREMIER PROPERTIES FUND

 

Supplement dated April 9, 2009 to the Prospectus of Alpine Global Premier Properties Fund (the “Fund”) dated April 25, 2007.

 

On March 30, 2009, the Board of Trustees of the Fund approved that the limitation applicable to options on securities be revised to 10% of the Fund’s managed assets instead of 5% of the Fund’s managed assets.  Therefore:

 

The first sentence of the “Investment Objectives and Policies—Investment Techniques—Options on Securities” section on page 27 of the Fund’s Prospectus is hereby revised to state:

 

In order to hedge against adverse market shifts, the Fund may utilize up to 10% of its managed assets (in addition to the 10% limit applicable to options on stock indices described below) to purchase put and call options on securities.

 

The parenthetical reference to the limitation applicable to option securities in the first sentence of the “Investment Objectives and Policies—Investment Techniques—Options on Stock Indices” section on page 29 of the Fund’s Prospectus is hereby revised as follows:

 

The Fund may utilize up to 10% of its managed assets (in addition to the 10% limit applicable to options on securities) to purchase put and call options on domestic stock indices to hedge against risks of market-wide price movements affecting its managed assets.

 

On March 30, 2009, the Board of Trustees of the Fund also approved that the limitation applicable to foreign currency options be revised to 10% of the Fund’s managed assets, rather than 5% of the Fund’s managed assets.  Therefore, the last sentence of the first paragraph of the “Investment Objectives and Policies—Investment Techniques—Foreign Currency Options” section on page 31 of the Fund’s Prospectus is hereby revised to state:

 

The Fund may not purchase a foreign currency option if, as a result, premiums paid on foreign currency options then held by the Fund would represent more than 10% of the Fund’s managed assets.

 

Also on March 30, 2009, the Board of Trustees of the Fund approved the following additional disclosure regarding the Fund’s investments in equity-linked securities and risks of derivative investments.

 

The following disclosure is hereby added to the “Investment Objectives and Policies—Investment Techniques” section of the Fund’s Prospectus:

 

Equity-Linked Securities

 

The Fund may invest in equity-linked securities, including, but not limited to, participation notes, certificates, and equity swaps.  Equity-linked securities are privately issued securities whose investment results are designed to correspond generally to the performance of a specified stock index or “basket” of stocks, or a single stock.   To the extent that the Fund invests in equity-linked securities whose return corresponds to the performance of a foreign security index or one or more foreign stocks, investing in equity-linked securities will involve risks similar to the risks of investing in foreign securities. See “Investment Objectives & Policies—Portfolio Investments—Foreign

 



 

Securities” and “Risk Factors—Foreign Securities Risk.” In addition, the Fund bears the risk that the counterparty of an equity-linked security may default on its obligations under the security. If the underlying security is determined to be illiquid, the equity-linked security would also be considered illiquid and thus subject to the Fund’s restrictions on investments in illiquid securities.

 

Participation notes, also known as participation certificates, are issued by banks or broker-dealers and are designed to replicate the performance of foreign companies or foreign securities markets and can be used by the Fund as an alternative means to access the securities market of a country. The performance results of participation notes will not replicate exactly the performance of the foreign companies or foreign securities markets that they seek to replicate due to transaction and other expenses. Investments in participation notes involve the same risks associated with a direct investment in the underlying foreign companies or foreign securities markets that they seek to replicate. There can be no assurance that the trading price of participation notes will equal the underlying value of the foreign companies or foreign securities markets that they seek to replicate. Participation notes are generally traded over-the-counter. Participation notes are subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the broker-dealer or bank that issues them will not fulfill its contractual obligation to complete the transaction with the Fund.  Participation notes constitute general unsecured contractual obligations of the banks or broker-dealers that issue them, the counterparty, and the Fund is relying on the creditworthiness of such counterparty and has no rights under a participation note against the issuer of the underlying security. Participation notes involve transaction cost.  If the underlying security is determined to be illiquid, participation notes may be illiquid and therefore subject to the Fund’s percentage limitation for investments in illiquid securities. Participation notes offer a return linked to a particular underlying equity, debt or currency.

 

Equity swaps allow the parties to a swap agreement to exchange the dividend income or other components of return on an equity investment (for example, a group of equity securities or an index) for a component of return on another non-equity or equity investment.  An equity swap may be used by the Fund to invest in a market without owning or taking physical custody of securities in circumstances in which direct investment may be restricted for legal reasons or is otherwise deemed impractical or disadvantageous.  Equity swaps may also be used for hedging purposes or to seek to increase total return.  The Fund’s ability to enter into certain swap transactions may be limited by tax considerations.  The counterparty to an equity swap contract will typically be a bank, investment banking firm or broker/dealer.

 

Equity swap contracts may be structured in different ways. For example, a counterparty may agree to pay the Fund the amount, if any, by which the notional amount of the equity swap contract would have increased in value had it been invested in particular stocks (or an index of stocks), plus the dividends that would have been received on those stocks. In these cases, the Fund may agree to pay to the counterparty a floating rate of interest on the notional amount of the equity swap contract plus the amount, if any, by which that notional amount would have decreased in value had it been invested in such stocks. Therefore, the return to the Fund on the equity swap contract should be the gain or loss on the notional amount plus dividends on the stocks less the interest paid by the Fund on the notional amount. In other cases, the counterparty and the Fund may each agree to pay the other the difference between the relative investment performances that would have been achieved if the notional amount of the equity swap contract had been invested in different stocks (or indices of stocks).  The Fund will

 



 

generally enter into equity swaps on a net basis, which means that the two payment streams are netted out, with the Fund receiving or paying, as the case may be, only the net amount of the two payments. Payments may be made at the conclusion of an equity swap contract or periodically during its term.

 

Equity swaps are derivatives and their value can be very volatile. Equity swaps normally do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets. Accordingly, the risk of loss with respect to equity swaps is normally limited to the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually obligated to make.  If the counterparty to an equity swap defaults, the Fund’s risk of loss consists of the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually entitled to receive.  Because some swap agreements have a leverage component, adverse changes in the value or level of the underlying asset, reference rate, or index can result in a loss substantially greater than the amount invested in the underlying asset without the use of leverage.  In addition, the value of some components of an equity swap (such as the dividends on a common stock) may also be sensitive to changes in interest rates. To the extent that the Adviser does not accurately analyze and predict the potential relative fluctuation of the components swapped with another party, the Fund may suffer a loss.  Because equity swaps are normally illiquid, the Fund may be unable to terminate its obligations when desired. When entering into swap contracts, the Fund must “set aside” liquid assets, or engage in other appropriate measures to “cover” its obligation under the swap contract.

 

Inasmuch as these transactions are entered into for hedging purposes or are offset by segregated cash or liquid assets to cover the Fund’s exposure, the Fund and the Adviser believe that transactions do not constitute senior securities under the 1940 Act and, accordingly, will not treat them as being subject to the Fund’s borrowing restrictions.

 

In addition, the following disclosure is hereby added to the “Risk Factors” section of the Fund’s Prospectus:

 

Risks of Derivative Investments. The Fund may invest in derivative instruments as described in this prospectus and the Statement of Additional Information. Investments in derivative instruments may be for both investment and hedging purposes. Losses from investments in derivative instruments can, among other things, result from a lack of correlation between changes in the value of derivative instruments and the portfolio assets (if any) being hedged, the potential illiquidity of the markets for derivative instruments, the failure of the counterparty to perform its contractual obligations, or the risks arising from margin requirements and related leverage factors associated with such transactions. The use of these investment techniques also involves the risk of loss if the Adviser is incorrect in its expectation of the timing or level of fluctuations in securities prices, interest rates or currency prices. Investments in derivative instruments may be harder to value, subject to greater volatility and more likely subject to changes in tax treatment than other investments. For these reasons, the Adviser’s attempts to hedge portfolio risks through the use of derivative instruments may not be successful, and the Adviser may choose not to hedge certain portfolio risks. Investing for investment purposes is considered a speculative practice and presents even greater risk of loss.

 



 

On March 30, 2009, the Board of Trustees of the Fund also approved a change in the Fund’s expected investment in securities of issuers located in foreign countries to 20%-80% of the Fund’s managed assets, previously 50%-80% of the Fund’s managed assets.  Therefore, the second sentence of the first paragraph on page 4 of the Fund’s Prospectus, “Summary—Investment Strategies” section, is hereby revised to state:

 

Under normal circumstances, the Fund expects to invest between 20% and 50% of its managed assets in the securities of non-U.S. issuers and among the securities of issuers located in approximately 10 to 30 countries.

 

On March 30, 2009, the Board of Trustees of the Fund also approved that the “Investment Objectives and Policies—Investment Techniques—Foreign Currency Futures Transactions” section, on page 31 of the Fund’s Prospectus, be replaced in its entirety by the following:

 

Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts

 

Futures contracts are standardized, exchange-traded contracts that provide for the sale or purchase of a specified financial instrument or currency at a future time at a specified price. An option on a futures contract gives the purchaser the right (and the writer of the option the obligation) to assume a position in a futures contract at a specified exercise price within a specified period of time. A futures contract may be based on particular securities, foreign currencies, securities indices and other financial instruments and indices. By using foreign currency futures contracts and options on such contracts, the Fund may be able to achieve many of the same objectives as it would through the use of forward foreign currency exchange contracts and may be able to achieve these objectives more effectively and at a lower cost by using futures transactions instead of forward foreign currency exchange contracts. The Fund may engage in futures transactions on U.S. and foreign exchanges.

 

The Fund may purchase and sell futures contracts, and purchase and write call and put options on futures contracts, to increase total return or to hedge against changes in interest rates, securities prices, currency exchange rates, or to otherwise manage its term structure, sector selection and duration in accordance with its investment objectives and policies. The Fund may also enter into closing purchase and sale transactions with respect to such contracts and options. The Fund has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act (the “CEA”) and, therefore, is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the CEA.

 

The Fund must segregate liquid assets, or engage in other appropriate measures to “cover” open positions with respect to its transactions in futures contracts and options on futures contracts. In the case of futures contracts that do not cash settle, for example, the Fund must segregate liquid assets equal to the full notional value of the futures contracts while the positions are open. With respect to futures contracts that do cash settle, however, the Fund is permitted to segregate liquid assets in an amount equal to the Fund’s daily marked-to-market net obligations (i.e., the Fund’s daily net liability) under the futures contracts, if any, rather than their full notional value. The Fund reserves the right to modify its asset segregation policies in the future to comply with any changes in the positions from time to time articulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff regarding asset segregation. By segregating assets equal to only its net obligations under cash-settled futures contracts, the Fund will have the ability to employ leverage to a greater extent than if the Fund were required to segregate assets equal to the full notional amount of the futures contracts.

 



 

ALPINE GLOBAL PREMIER PROPERTIES FUND

 

Supplement dated April 9, 2009 to the Statement of Additional Information (SAI) of Alpine Global Premier Properties Fund (the “Fund”) dated April 25, 2007.

 

On March 30, 2009, the Board of Trustees of the Fund adopted the following nonfundamental investment policy regarding futures contracts, which replaces the former policy on page B-4 of the Fund’s SAI and limits the Fund’s open futures options positions to 10% (formerly 5%) of the Fund’s managed assets:

 

The Fund may not purchase financial futures contracts and related options except for “bona fide hedging” purposes, but may enter into such contracts for non-hedging purposes provided that aggregate initial margin deposits plus premiums paid by that Fund for open futures options positions, less the amount by which any such positions are “in-the-money,” may not exceed 10% of the Fund’s managed assets.

 

On March 30, 2009, the Board of Trustees of the Fund also approved the Fund’s investments in equity-linked securities and the “Additional Investment Information and Restrictions—Other Investments—Derivative Instruments” section, beginning on page B-2 of the Fund’s SAI is hereby amended, in part, as indicated in bold below:

 

Derivative instruments (which are instruments that derive their value from another instrument, security, index or currency) may be purchased or sold to enhance return (which may be considered speculative), to hedge against fluctuations in securities prices, market conditions or currency exchange rates, or as a substitute for the purchase or sale of securities or currencies. Such transactions may be in the United States or abroad and may include the purchase or sale of futures contracts on indices and options on stock index futures, the purchase of put options and the sale of call options on securities held, equity-linked securities (including, but not limited to, participation notes, certificates and equity swaps) and the purchase and sale of currency futures and forward foreign currency exchange contracts. Transactions in derivative instruments involve a risk of loss or depreciation due to: unanticipated adverse changes in securities prices, interest rates, indices, the other financial instruments’ prices or currency exchange rates; the inability to close out a position; default by the counterparty; imperfect correlation between a position and the desired hedge; tax constraints on closing out positions; and portfolio management constraints on securities subject to such transactions. The loss on derivative instruments (other than purchased options) may substantially exceed an investment in these instruments. In addition, the entire premium paid for purchased options may be lost before than can be profitably exercised. Transaction costs are incurred in opening and closing positions. Derivative instruments may sometimes increase or leverage exposure to a particular market risk, thereby increasing price volatility. Over-the-counter derivative instruments, equity-linked securities and forward sales of stocks involve an enhanced risk that the issuer or counterparty will fail to perform its contractual obligations. Some derivative instruments are not readily marketable or may become illiquid under adverse market conditions. In addition, during periods of market volatility, a commodity exchange may suspend or limit trading in an exchange-traded derivative instrument, which may make the contract temporarily illiquid and difficult to price. Commodity exchanges may also establish daily limits on the amount that the price of a futures contract or futures option can vary from the previous day’s settlement price. Once the daily limit is reached, no trades may be made that day at a price beyond the limit. This may prevent the closing out of positions to limit losses. The staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission takes the position that certain purchased over-the-counter options, and assets used as cover for

 



 

written over-the-counter options, are illiquid. The ability to terminate over-the-counter derivative instruments may depend on the cooperation of the counterparties to such contracts. For thinly traded derivative instruments, the only source of price quotations may be the selling dealer or counterparty. In addition, certain provisions of the Code limit the use of derivative instruments. There can be no assurance that the use of derivative instruments will be advantageous.

 

Also on March 30, 2009, the Board of Trustees of the Fund adopted the following nonfundamental investment policy regarding options, which replaces the former policy on page B-4 of the Fund’s SAI:

 

Options
     The Fund may write, purchase or sell put or call options as disclosed in the prospectus.