INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AGREEMENT
AGREEMENT made as of the 28th day of June, 1999 by and between Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx Mid-Cap Equity Trust, a Massachusetts business trust
(hereinafter called the "Fund"), and Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx Advisors Inc.,
a Delaware corporation (hereinafter called the "Investment Manager"):
WHEREAS, The Fund is engaged in business as an open-end management
investment company and is registered as such under the Investment Company Act
of 1940, as amended (the "Act"); and
WHEREAS, The Investment Manager is registered as an investment advisor
under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and engages in the business of
acting as investment advisor; and
WHEREAS, The Fund desires to retain the Investment Manager to render
management and investment advisory services in the manner and on the terms and
conditions hereinafter set forth; and
WHEREAS, The Investment Manager desires to be retained to perform services
on said terms and conditions:
Now, Therefore, this Agreement
W I T N E S S E T H:
that in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants hereinafter
contained, the Fund and the Investment Manager agree as follows:
1. The Fund hereby retains the Investment Manager to act as investment
manager of the Fund and, subject to the supervision of the Board of Trustees,
to supervise the investment activities of the Fund as hereinafter set forth.
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Investment Manager shall
obtain and evaluate such information and advice relating to the economy,
securities and commodities markets and securities and commodities as it deems
necessary or useful to discharge its duties hereunder; shall continuously
manage the assets of the Fund in a manner consistent with the investment
objectives and policies of the Fund; shall determine the securities and
commodities to be purchased, sold or otherwise disposed of by the Fund and the
timing of such purchases, sales and dispositions; and shall take such further
action, including the placing of purchase and sale orders on behalf of the
Fund, as the Investment Manager shall deem necessary or appropriate. The
Investment Manager shall also furnish to or place at the disposal of the Fund
such of the information, evaluations, analyses and opinions formulated or
obtained by the Investment Manager in the discharge of its duties as the Fund
may, from time to time, reasonably request.
2. The Investment Manager may, at its own expense, enter into a
Sub-Advisory Agreement with a Sub-Advisor to make determinations as to certain
or all of the securities and commodities to be purchased, sold or otherwise
disposed of by the Fund and the timing of such purchases, sales and
dispositions and to take such further action, including the placing of purchase
and sale orders on behalf of the Fund, as the Sub-Advisor, in consultation with
the Investment Manager, shall deem necessary or appropriate; provided that the
Investment Manager shall be responsible for monitoring compliance by such
Sub-Advisor with the investment policies and restrictions of the Fund and with
such other limitations or directions as the Trustees of the Fund may from time
to time prescribe.
3. The Investment Manager shall, at its own expense, maintain such staff
and employ or retain such personnel and consult with such other persons as it
shall from time to time determine to be necessary or useful to the performance
of its obligations under this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, the staff and personnel of the Investment Manager shall be deemed to
include persons employed or otherwise retained by the Investment Manager to
furnish statistical and other factual data, advice regarding economic factors
and trends, information with respect to technical and scientific developments,
and such other information, advice and assistance as the Investment Manager may
desire. The Investment Manager shall, as agent for the Fund, maintain the
Fund's records and books of account (other than those maintained by the Fund's
transfer agent, registrar, custodian and other agencies). All such books and
records so maintained shall be the property of the Fund and, upon request
therefor, the Investment Manager shall surrender to the Fund such of the books
and records so requested.
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4. The Fund will, from time to time, furnish or otherwise make available
to the Investment Manager such financial reports, proxy statements and other
information relating to the business and affairs of the Fund as the Investment
Manager may reasonably require in order to discharge its duties and obligations
hereunder.
5. The Investment Manager shall bear the cost of rendering the investment
management and supervisory services to be performed by it under this Agreement,
and shall, at its own expense, pay the compensation of the officers and
employees, if any, of the Fund, and provide such office space, facilities and
equipment and such clerical help and bookkeeping services as the Fund shall
reasonably require in the conduct of its business. The Investment Manager shall
also bear the cost of telephone service, heat, light, power and other utilities
provided to the Fund.
6. The Fund assumes and shall pay or cause to be paid all other expenses
of the Fund, including without limitation; fees pursuant to any plan of
distribution that the Fund may adopt; the charges and expenses of any
registrar, any custodian or depository appointed by the Fund for the
safekeeping of its cash, portfolio securities or commodities and other
property, and any stock transfer or dividend agent or agents appointed by the
Fund; brokers' commissions chargeable to the Fund in connection with portfolio
transactions to which the Fund is a party; all taxes, including securities or
commodities issuance and transfer taxes, and fees payable by the Fund to
federal, state or other governmental agencies; the cost and expense of
engraving or printing certificates representing shares of the Fund; all costs
and expenses in connection with the registration and maintenance of
registration of the Fund and its shares with the Securities and Exchange
Commission and various states and other jurisdictions (including filing fees
and legal fees and disbursements of counsel); the cost and expense of printing,
including typesetting, and distributing prospectuses and statements of
additional information of the Fund and supplements thereto to the Fund's
shareholders; all expenses of shareholders' and Trustees' meetings and of
preparing, printing and mailing proxy statements and reports to shareholders;
fees and travel expenses of trustees or members of any advisory board or
committee who are not employees of the Investment Manager or any corporate
affiliate of the Investment Manager; all expenses incident to the payment of
any dividend, distribution, withdrawal or redemption, whether in shares or in
cash; charges and expenses of any outside service used for pricing of the
Fund's shares; charges and expenses of legal counsel, including counsel to the
Trustees of the Fund who are not interested persons (as defined in the Act) of
the Fund or the Investment Manager, and of independent accountants, in
connection with any matter relating to the Fund; membership dues of industry
associations; interest payable on Fund borrowings; postage; insurance premiums
on property or personnel (including officers and Trustees) of the Fund which
inure to its benefit; extraordinary expenses (including but not limited to
legal claims and liabilities and litigation costs and any indemnification
related thereto); and all other charges and costs of the Fund's operation
unless otherwise explicitly provided herein.
7. For the services to be rendered, the facilities furnished, and the
expenses assumed by the Investment Manager, the Fund shall pay to the
Investment Manager monthly compensation determined by applying the following
annual rates to the Fund's average daily net assets: 0.75% of the portion of
the Fund's average daily net assets not exceeding $500 million and 0.725% of
the portion of the Fund's daily net assets exceeding $500 million. Except as
hereinafter set forth, compensation under this Agreement shall be calculated
and accrued daily and the amounts of the daily accruals shall be paid monthly.
Such calculations shall be made by applying 1/365ths of the annual rates to the
Fund's net assets each day determined as of the close of business on that day
or the last previous business day. If this Agreement becomes effective
subsequent to the first day of a month or shall terminate before the last day
of a month, compensation for that part of the month this Agreement is in effect
shall be prorated in a manner consistent with the calculation of the fees as
set forth above.
Subject to the provisions of paragraph 8 hereof, payment of the Investment
Manager's compensation for the preceding month shall be made as promptly as
possible after completion of the computations contemplated by paragraph 8
hereof.
8. In the event the operating expenses of the Fund, including amounts
payable to the Investment Manager pursuant to paragraph 6 hereof, for any
fiscal year ending on a date on which this Agreement
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is in effect, exceed the expense limitations applicable to the Fund imposed by
state securities laws or regulations thereunder, as such limitations may be
raised or lowered from time to time, the Investment Manager shall reduce its
management fee to the extent of such excess and, if required, pursuant to any
such laws or regulations, will reimburse the Fund for annual operating expenses
in excess of any expense limitation that may be applicable; provided, however,
there shall be excluded from such expenses the amount of any interest, taxes,
brokerage commissions, distribution fees and extraordinary expenses (including
but not limited to legal claims and liabilities and litigations costs and any
indemnification related thereto) paid or payable by the Fund. Such reduction,
if any, shall be computed and accrued daily, shall be settled on a monthly
basis, and shall be based upon the expense limitation applicable to the Fund as
at the end of the last business day of the month. Should two or more such
expense limitations be applicable as at the end of the last business day of the
month, that expense limitation which results in the largest reduction in the
Investment Manager's fee shall be applicable.
For purposes of this provision, should any applicable expense limitation
be based upon the gross income of the Fund, such gross income shall include,
but not be limited to, interest on debt securities in the Fund's portfolio
accrued to and including the last day of the Fund's fiscal year, and dividends
declared on equity securities in the Fund's portfolio, the record dates for
which fall on or prior to the last day of such fiscal year, but shall not
include gains from the sale of securities.
9. The Investment Manager will use its best efforts in the supervision and
management of the investment activities of the Fund, but in the absence of
willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of its
obligations hereunder, the Investment Manager shall not be liable to the Fund
or any of its investors for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any
act or omission by the Investment Manager or for any losses sustained by the
Fund or its investors.
10. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall prevent the Investment
Manager or any affiliated person of the Investment Manager from acting as
investment advisor or manager for any other person, firm or corporation and
shall not in any way bind or restrict the Investment Manager or any such
affiliated person from buying, selling or trading any securities or commodities
for their own accounts or for the account of others for whom they may be
acting. Nothing in this Agreement shall limit or restrict the right of any
Director, officer or employee of the Investment Manager to engage in any other
business or to devote his time and attention in part to the management or other
aspects of any other business whether of a similar or dissimilar nature.
11. This Agreement shall remain in effect until April 30, 2000 and from
year to year thereafter provided such continuance is approved at least annually
by the vote of holders of a majority, as defined in the Investment Company Act
of 1940, as amended (the "Act"), of the outstanding voting securities of the
Fund or by the Trustees of the Fund; provided, that in either event such
continuance is also approved annually by the vote of a majority of the Trustees
of the Fund who are not parties to this Agreement or "interested persons" (as
defined in the Act) of any such party, which vote must be cast in person at a
meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval; provided, however,
that (a) the Fund may, at any time and without the payment of any penalty,
terminate this Agreement upon thirty days' written notice to the Investment
Manager, either by majority vote of the Trustees of the Fund or by the vote of
a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund; (b) this Agreement
shall immediately terminate in the event of its assignment (to the extent
required by the Act and the rules thereunder) unless such automatic
terminations shall be prevented by an exemptive order of the Securities and
Exchange Commission; and (c) the Investment Manager may terminate this
Agreement without payment of penalty on thirty days' written notice to the
Fund. Any notice under this Agreement shall be given in writing, addressed and
delivered, or mailed post-paid, to the other party at the principal office of
such party.
12. This Agreement may be amended by the parties without the vote or
consent of the shareholders of the Fund to supply any omission, to cure,
correct or supplement any ambiguous, defective or inconsistent provision
hereof, or if they deem it necessary to conform this Agreement to the
requirements of applicable federal laws or regulations, but neither the Fund
nor the Investment Manager shall be liable for failing to do so.
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13. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the
State of New York and the applicable provisions of the Act. To the extent the
applicable law of the State of New York, or any of the provisions herein,
conflict with the applicable provisions of the Act, the latter shall control.
14. The Investment Manager and the Fund each agree that the name "Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx," which comprises a component of the Fund's name, is a
property right of Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx & Co. ("MSDW"), the parent of the
Investment Manager. The Fund agrees and consents that (i) it will only use the
name "Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx" as a component of its name and for no other
purpose, (ii) it will not purport to grant to any third party the right to use
the name "Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx" for any purpose, (iii) MSDW, or any
corporate affiliate of MSDW, may use or grant to others the right to use the
name "Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx," or any combination or abbreviation thereof,
as all or a portion of a corporate or business name or for any commercial
purpose, including a grant of such right to any other investment company, (iv)
at the request of MSDW or any corporate affiliate of MSDW, the Fund will take
such action as may be required to provide its consent to the use of the name
"Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx," or any combination or abbreviation thereof, by
MSDW or any corporate affiliate of MSDW, or by any person to whom MSDW or a
corporate affiliate of MSDW shall have granted the right to such use, and (v)
upon the termination of any investment advisory agreement into which a
corporate affiliate of MSDW and the Fund may enter, or upon termination of
affiliation of the Investment Manager with its parent, the Fund shall, upon
request of MSDW or any corporate affiliate of MSDW, cease to use the name
"Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx" as a component of its name, and shall not use the
name, or any combination or abbreviation thereof, as a part of its name or for
any other commercial purpose, and shall cause its officers, trustees and
shareholders to take any and all actions which MSDW or any corporate affiliate
of MSDW, may request to effect the foregoing and to reconvey to MSDW any and
all rights to such name.
15. The Declaration of Trust establishing Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx
Mid-Cap Equity Trust, dated October 17, 1995, a copy of which, together with all
amendments thereto (the "Declaration"), is on file in the office of the
Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, provides that the name Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx Mid-Cap Equity Trust refers to the Trustees under the
Declaration collectively as Trustees, but not as individuals or personally; and
no Trustee, shareholder, officer, employee or agent of Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxx
Xxxxxx Mid-Cap Equity Trust shall be held to any personal liability, nor shall
resort be had to their private property for the satisfaction of any obligation
or claim or otherwise, in connection with the affairs of said Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx
Xxxx Xxxxxx Mid-Cap Equity Trust, but the Trust Estate only shall be liable.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed and delivered this
Agreement on June 28, 1999 in New York, New York.
XXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXX
MID-CAP EQUITY TRUST
By:
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Attest:
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XXXXXX XXXXXXX XXXX XXXXXX ADVISORS INC.
By:
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Attest:
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