OFFER DOCUMENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PIONEER ITI SHORT-TERM INCOME PLAN

 

An open end income scheme investing in shorter maturity fixed income securities

 

Issue of units at Rs.1000 per unit for cash at par during the initial issue period

Subsequent sale of units on an ongoing basis to be at Net Asset Value

 

 

Initial issue opens on :

Initial issue closes on :

Sale/repurchase of units on an ongoing basis from

 

 

                        Asset Management Company      : Pioneer ITI AMC Ltd

                        Mutual Fund                              : Pioneer ITI Mutual Fund

 

 

The particulars of Pioneer ITI Short-Term Income Plan have been prepared in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Mutual Funds) Regulations 1996 as amended till date, and filed with SEBI and the units being offered for public subscription have not been approved or disapproved by the Securities and Exchange Board of India nor has the Securities and Exchange Board of India certified the accuracy or adequacy of the Offer Document.

 

The Offer Document sets forth concisely the information about the scheme that a prospective investor ought to know before investing. Please retain this Offer Document for future reference.

 

This Offer Document shall remain effective until a ‘material change’ (other than a change in fundamental attributes and within the purview of the Offer Document) occurs and thereafter the changes shall be filed with SEBI and circulated to the unitholders along with the quarterly/half-yearly reports.

 


 

Contents                                                                                                          Page No

 

I.               DEFINITIONS                                                                                          3                 

II.             HIGHLIGHTS & RISK FACTORS                                                              3                   

III.          INTRODUCTION                                                                                     4

IV.          CONSTITUTION OF THE MUTUAL FUND                                           6

V.             INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES                                       13      

VI.          MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND                                                           18                  

VII.        HOW TO INVEST                                                                                   22                  

VIII.     HOW TO REDEEM                                                                                24                  

IX.          INFORMATION ABOUT UNITS OF THE SCHEME                             26

X.             TAX BENEFITS                                                                                       31

XI.          NAV AND VALUATION OF ASSETS OF THE SCHEME                      33      

XII.        EXPENSES                                                                                              35

XIII.     ASSOCIATE TRANSACTIONS                                                                38

XIV.     CONDENSED FINANCIAL INFORMATION                                       40

XV.        INVESTOR RIGHTS AND SERVICES                                                    45

XVI.     DUE DILIGENCE CERTIFICATE                                                         50


I DEFINITIONS

 

In this Offer Document, unless the context otherwise requires

 

1.       ‘Fund’ means Pioneer ITI Mutual Fund

2.       ‘AMC’ means Pioneer ITI AMC Ltd

3.       ‘Scheme’ means Pioneer ITI Short-Term Income Plan offered through this Offer Document

4.       ‘Trustee’ means the Trustee company which holds the property of Pioneer ITI Mutual Fund in trust

5.       ‘SEBI’ means the Securities & Exchange Board of India

6.       ‘SEBI Regulations’ means Securities & Exchange Board of India (Mutual Funds) Regulations 1996 as applicable and amended from time to time including any circulars, directions or clarifications issued by SEBI or any Government authority

7.       'RBI' means the Reserve Bank of India

8.       Working day means any day other than : (a) Saturday and Sunday (b) a day on which capital/debt markets, or the banks/RBI in Chennai/Mumbai are closed (c) a day on which sale and/or redemption of units are suspended by the Trustee and (d) a day on which the register of unitholders is closed.

9.       “Unit holder” or “investor” means a person holding unit in the scheme of Pioneer ITI Mutual Fund

 

II HIGHLIGHTS & RISK FACTORS

 

Highlights

 

·         An open end income scheme investing in shorter maturity fixed income securities

·         Under normal circumstances, the average maturity of the scheme is likely to be between 4 months and 12 months

·         Eligible for investment by banks, financial institutions, bodies corporates, trusts and individual investors

·         Choice of Growth and Dividend Plans

-        Dividend Plan offers weekly, monthly and quarterly options

·         Dividends tax-free in the hands of investors (the scheme will pay a distribution tax, presently @10% plus surcharge)

·         No load scheme

·         Units allotted on the same day for investors at major locations (subject to applicable rules)

·         Overnight redemption facility for investors at major locations (subject to applicable rules)

·         Bank type convenience - can invest or withdraw on any working day between 9.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m (subject to applicable rules)

·         Tax benefits under Sec 48 and Sec 112 of the Income Tax Act, 1961

 

Risk Factors

 

¨       Mutual funds and securities investments are subject to market risks and there is no assurance or guarantee that the objective of the mutual fund will be achieved

¨       As with any investment in securities, the Net Asset Value (NAV) of the units issued under the scheme can go up or down depending on the factors and forces affecting the securities

¨       Past performance of the sponsors/the asset management company/mutual fund does not indicate the future performance of the scheme of the mutual fund

¨       Pioneer ITI Short-Term Income Plan is the name of the scheme and does not in any manner indicate either the quality of the scheme or its future prospects and returns

¨       The sponsors, The Investment Trust of India Ltd and Pioneer Investment Management Inc., which is part of the UniCredito Italiano Group (one of Italy’s leading banking companies) are not responsible or liable for any loss resulting from the operation of the scheme beyond the initial contribution made by The Investment Trust of India Ltd of an amount of Rs.50,000/- towards setting up of the mutual fund.

 

Special Considerations

 

¨       The performance of the scheme may be affected by changes in Government policies, general levels of interest rates and risk associated with trading volumes, liquidity and settlement systems in debt markets

¨       There is no guarantee or assurance on the frequency or quantum of dividends although there is every intention to declare a dividend on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis in the respective plans

¨       Engaging in securities lending is subject to risks related to fluctuations in the collateral value/settlement/liquidity/counterparty

¨       Investments in debt instruments are subject to default risk and interest rate risk. Interest rate risk results from changes in demand and supply for money and other macroeconomic factors and creates price changes in the value of the debt instruments. Consequently, the Net Asset Value of the scheme may be subject to fluctuation. Generally, prices of long term securities fluctuate more in response to interest rate changes than short term securities

¨       The scheme may invest in non-publicly offered debt securities. This may expose the scheme to liquidity risks

¨       Investments in debt instruments are subject to reinvestment risks as interest rates prevailing on interest or maturity due dates may differ from the original coupon of the bond, which might result in the proceeds being invested at a lower rate

¨       Derivatives are high risk, high return instruments as they may be highly leveraged. A small price movement in the underlying security could have a large impact on their value and may also result in a loss. Also, the market for derivative instruments is nascent in India. 

 

III INTRODUCTION

 

Indian debt and money markets – an overview

 

The Indian debt markets are one of the largest markets in Asia. Government and Public Sector enterprises are predominant borrowers in the market. While interest rates were regulated till a few years back, there has been a rapid deregulation and currently both the lending and deposit rates are market determined.

 

The debt markets are developing fast with the rapid introduction of new instruments including derivatives. Foreign Institutional Investors are also allowed to invest in Indian debt markets now. There has been a considerable increase in the trading volumes in the market with the daily trading volumes in the vicinity of Rs.2500 crores.

 

The money markets in India essentially consist of call money market (i.e market for overnight and term money between banks and institutions), repo transactions (temporary sale with an agreement to buy back the securities at a future date at specified price), commercial papers (CPs, short term unsecured promissory note, generally issued by corporates), certificate of deposits (CDs, issued by banks) and Treasury Bills (issued by RBI). A predominantly institutional market, the key money market players are banks, financial institution, insurance companies, mutual funds, primary dealers and corporates.

 


Important risks associated with debt and money market instruments

 

Fixed income instruments usually carry two kinds of risks – default risk and interest rate risk. Default risk is one wherein the issuer of the debt defaults or fails to meet its obligation on the payment of interest or principal or both. Interest rate risk arises on account of changes in interest rate. For e.g the market value of a fixed income instrument will go down in value if interest rates rise and vice versa. This would be a notional loss if such an instrument is held upto maturity. However, if the holder sells the instruments before maturity, then there could be an actual loss on such an investment on account of a rise in interest rate.

 

Managing Risks

 

The default or credit risk can be controlled by investing in high quality fixed income securities. Interest rate risk in shorter maturity fixed income instruments is normally lower than longer maturity fixed income instruments as the impact of interest rate changes on the market value of short term securities is less.

 

What is Short-Term Income Plan

 

Pioneer ITI Short-Term Income Plan (Short-Term Income Plan) is an open end income scheme devised with the objective of generating stable returns by investing in fixed income securities having shorter maturity periods. Under normal circumstances, the average maturity of the scheme is likely to be between 4 months to 12 months, and the maturity of individual securities in the plan is likely to be less than 3 years.

 

Investors have the choice of investing in the Growth Plan and Dividend Plan.

 

Dividend Plan

 

Under this plan, investors can choose to receive tax-free dividends under the weekly, monthly and quarterly dividend options. While dividends will be compulsorily reinvested under the weekly dividend plan, investors in the monthly and quarterly options can choose to receive a payout or reinvest their dividend for additional units. Investors may note that while there is every intention to declare a dividend at the specified frequency, there is no assurance on the frequency or quantum of dividends as they depend on the availability of distributable profits.

 

Growth Plan

 

Under this plan, the growth in NAV will reflect the appreciation of the value of investment. Investors have the benefits of indexation of cost and favourable long term capital gains tax rate.

 

Some of the instruments in which the scheme proposes to invest are :

 

Maturity

Current Yield

Liquidity

Gilts

Upto 3 years

7.0% - 8.5%

Very High

Corporate/PSU Bonds

Upto 3 years

8.5% - 10.5%

Medium – High

CPs/T-Bills

Upto 1 year

7% - 9.5%

Very High

Call/Notice Money/Repo

-

6.5% - 7.5%

Very High

 

The actual yields will, however, vary in line with general levels of interest rates and       debt/money market conditions prevailing from time to time.

 


The scheme may also invest in other fixed income instruments that may be available from time to time. The securities above, subject to applicable SEBI regulations, could be listed, unlisted, privately placed, secured, unsecured. The securities may be acquired through initial public offerings, secondary market operations, private placement etc.


Role of Short-Term Income Plan

 

Pioneer ITI Short-Term Income Plan is designed to be an effective derisking interim investment avenue for investors who have an investment horizon of 3 months to 1 year. With a higher allocation to debt instruments, it has the potential to deliver superior returns compared to a liquid scheme, and to have a lower interest rate risk compared to an income fund on account of the lower maturity profile of securities in its portfolio.

 

IV CONSTITUTION OF THE MUTUAL FUND

 

A brief description of the objectives of the Mutual Fund

 

To mobilise savings and investments from the public and to manage them as per SEBI Regulations.

 

Pioneer ITI Mutual Fund has been constituted as a Trust in accordance with the provisions of the Indian Trusts Act 1882 [2 of 1882] and is registered under the Indian Registration Act, 1908.

 

a. Sponsors

 

Pioneer ITI Mutual Fund is sponsored by the Pioneer Investment Management Inc. of The Pioneer Investment Management USA Inc. and The Investment Trust of India Ltd (ITI).

 

Pioneer ITI is a joint venture between Pioneer, manager of Pioneer Fund Inc., one of America’s oldest mutual funds and ITI, one of India’s established finance companies. Pioneer, with the establishment of Pioneer Fund in 1928, helped found the modern mutual fund industry in the US, and has operations in several countries across the globe. Pioneer has recently become part of the UniCredito Italiano Group - one of Italy’s largest banking companies with over USD 150 billion in assets and 3500 branches and formed a powerful global asset management company - Pioneer Global Asset Management, with a strong base in both the US and Europe and assets under management of over USD 100 billion (as on December 2000). The Investment Trust of India Ltd. was established in 1946 and is one of India’s well known financial services companies.

 

A Trust has been formed pursuant to the Trust Deed which has been duly registered on July 29, 1993 under the provisions of the Indian Registration Act, 1908 and executed by the sponsors, and a corpus fund has been formed to be held upon by the Trustee.

 

Shareholding pattern of the AMC

                                                                        Percentage

The Investment Trust of India                               47.71%

Pioneer Investment Management Inc.                     47.61%

Others                                                                  4.68%          

 

Board of Directors - The Investment Trust of India Ltd

 

Mr. P.S. Balasubramaniam          Mr. A.L.Mudaliar

Mr. Sanjay Maloo                       Mr. P.L. Maloo                         

Mr. Dharmesh Doshi

 

Board of Directors - Pioneer Investment Management, Inc.

 

Mr. John F. Cogan, Jr                 Mr. Daniel T. Geraci

 

 

Financial Performance - The Investment Trust of India Ltd

 

Details given relate to the preceding three financial years for which audited financials are available

(Rs in Lakhs - except 6, 7 & 8)

Financial Year                                                    2000-2001         1999-2000         1998-99                       

1. Turnover/ Total income                                 1976.61             3540.07             3866.02            

2. Profit after tax                                                (1124.46)           46.43                66.23               

3. Equity capital                                                 871.60               871.60               435.60              

4. Reserves                                                        1717.30             2839.76             2419.88            

5. Networth                                                      2586.90             3711.36             2855.48            

6. Earnings per share (Rs.)                                   N.A                  0.53*                 1.52                 

7. Book value per share (Rs.)                               29.68                42.58                65.55               

8. Percentage of Dividend (%)                             N.A                  5                      -                      

* Basic

 

Financial Performance - Pioneer Investment Management Inc.

 

Details given relate to the preceding three financial years for which audited financials are available.

 

(US Dollars in thousands- except 6, 7 and 8)

Financial Year                                        2000                             1999                 1998    

1. Turnover/ Total income                     39,697                           154,101             166,405

2. Profit after tax                                    (30,491)             30,467               40,019  

3. Equity capital                                     1,049,872                      40,755               40,755  

4. Reserves                                            (29,642)             103,319             172,622

5. Networth                                          1,020,230                      143,763             213,214

6. Earnings per share                              N.A.                             15,241               20,019  

7. Book value per share                          N.A.                             71,917               106,660

8. Percentage of Dividend %                   N.A.                             -                       0.80     

 

Financial Performance - UniCredito Italiano

 

In billions of Italian Lire - Except 6, 7, 8 and 9

Financial Year                                        2000                             1999                 1998

1. Total Income                                     31041.90                       24247.50           23543.00

2. Profit after Tax (net income)                2700.80                         2490.00             390.60

3. Share Capital                          2512.10                         2488.10             2340.50

4. Other Reserves                                   14224.60                       12434.90           9779.10

5. Shareholders’ Equity                           16736.70                       14923.00           12119.60

6. Earnings Per Share (Lire)                     538                               497                   374

7. Book Value Per Share (Lire)                3331                             2999                 2523

8. Payout ratio                                       46.50%                         50.40%             30.80%

9. Dividend

Ordinary Share                                      250                               250                   115

Savings Share                                         265