EXHIBIT NO. 99.4(d)
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT, dated this 29th day of June, 1998, by and
between MFS SERIES TRUST III, a Massachusetts business trust (the "Trust"), on
behalf of MFS HIGH YIELD OPPORTUNITIES FUND, a series of the Trust (the "Fund"),
and MASSACHUSETTS FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPANY, a Delaware corporation (the
"Adviser").
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, the Trust is engaged in business as an open-end investment
company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940; and
WHEREAS, the Adviser is willing to provide business services to the Fund
on the terms and conditions hereinafter set forth;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements of
the parties hereto as herein set forth, the parties covenant and agree as
follows:
ARTICLE 1. DUTIES OF THE ADVISER. The Adviser shall provide the Fund with
such investment advice and supervision as the latter may from time to time
consider necessary for the proper supervision of its funds. The Adviser shall
act as Adviser to the Fund and as such shall furnish continuously an investment
program and shall determine from time to time what securities shall be
purchased, sold or exchanged and what portion of the assets of the Fund shall be
held uninvested, subject always to the restrictions of the Trust's Amended and
Restated Declaration of Trust, dated February 15, 1995, and By-Laws, each as
amended from time to time (respectively, the "Declaration" and the "By-Laws"),
to the provisions of the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Rules,
Regulations and orders thereunder and to the Fund's then-current Prospectus and
Statement of Additional Information. The Adviser shall also make recommendations
as to the manner in which voting rights, rights to consent to corporate action
and any other rights pertaining to the Fund's portfolio securities shall be
exercised. Should the Trustees at any time, however, make any definite
determination as to the investment policy and notify the Adviser thereof in
writing, the Adviser shall be bound by such determination for the period, if
any, specified in such notice or until similarly notified that such
determination shall be revoked. The Adviser shall take, on behalf of the Fund,
all actions which it deems necessary to implement the investment policies
determined as provided above, and in particular to place all orders for the
purchase or sale of portfolio securities for the Fund's account with brokers or
dealers selected by it, and to that end, the Adviser is authorized as the agent
of the Fund to give instructions to the Custodian of the Fund as to the
deliveries of securities and payments of cash for the account of the Fund. In
connection with the selection of such brokers or dealers and the placing of such
orders, the Adviser is directed to seek for the Fund execution at the most
reasonable price by responsible brokerage firms at reasonably competitive
commission rates. In fulfilling this requirement, the Adviser shall not be
deemed to have acted unlawfully or to have breached any duty, created by this
Agreement or otherwise, solely by reason of its having caused the Fund to pay a
broker or dealer an amount of commission for effecting a securities transaction
in excess of the amount of commission another broker or dealer would have
charged for effecting that transaction, if the Adviser determined in good faith
that such amount of commission was reasonable in relation to the value of the
brokerage and research services provided by such broker or dealer, viewed in
terms of either that particular transaction or the Adviser's overall
responsibilities with respect to the Fund and to other clients of the Adviser as
to which the Adviser exercises investment discretion.
The Adviser may from time to time enter into sub-investment advisory agreements
with one or more investment advisers with such terms and conditions as the
Adviser may determine, provided that such sub-investment advisory agreements
have been approved in accordance with applicable provisions of the Investment
Company Act of 1940. Subject to the provisions of Article 6, the Adviser shall
not be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law by any sub-adviser or
for any loss arising out of any investment made by any sub-adviser or for any
act or omission in the execution and management of the Fund by any sub-adviser.
ARTICLE 2. ALLOCATION OF CHARGES AND EXPENSES. The Adviser shall furnish
at its own expense investment advisory and administrative services, office
space, equipment and clerical personnel necessary for servicing the investments
of the Fund and maintaining its organization and investment advisory facilities
and executive and supervisory personnel for managing the investments and
effecting the portfolio transactions of the Fund. The Adviser shall arrange, if
desired by the Trust, for Directors, officers and employees of the Adviser to
serve as Trustees, officers or agents of the Trust if duly elected or appointed
to such positions and subject to their individual consent and to any limitations
imposed by law. It is understood that the Fund will pay all of its own expenses
including, without limitation, compensation of Trustees "not affiliated" with
the Adviser; governmental fees; interest charges; taxes; membership dues in the
Investment Company Institute allocable to the Fund; fees and expenses of
independent auditors, of legal counsel, and of any transfer agent, registrar or
dividend disbursing agent of the Fund; expenses of repurchasing and redeeming
shares and servicing shareholder accounts; expenses of preparing, printing and
mailing stock certificates, shareholder reports, notices, proxy statements and
reports to governmental officers and commissions; brokerage and other expenses
connected with the execution, recording and settlement of portfolio security
transactions; insurance premiums; fees and expenses of the custodian for all
services to the Fund, including safekeeping of funds and securities and
maintaining required books and accounts; expenses of calculating the net asset
value of shares of the Fund; expenses of shareholders' meetings; and expenses
relating to the issuance, registration and qualification of shares of the Fund
and the preparation, printing and mailing of prospectuses for such purposes
(except to the extent that any Distribution Agreement to which the Trust is a
party provides that another party is to pay some or all of such expenses).
ARTICLE 3. COMPENSATION OF THE ADVISER. For the services to be rendered
and the facilities provided, the Fund shall pay to the Adviser an investment
advisory fee computed and paid monthly at a rate equal to 0.650% of the Fund's
average daily net assets on an annualized basis. If the Adviser shall serve for
less than the whole of any period specified in this Article 3, the compensation
to the Adviser will be prorated.
ARTICLE 4. SPECIAL SERVICES. Should the Trust have occasion to request the
Adviser to perform services not herein contemplated or to request the Adviser to
arrange for the services of others, the Adviser will act for the Trust on behalf
of the Fund upon request to the best of its ability, with compensation for the
Adviser's services to be agreed upon with respect to each such occasion as it
arises.
ARTICLE 5. COVENANTS OF THE ADVISER. The Adviser agrees that it will not
deal with itself, or with the Trustees of the Trust or the Trust's distributor,
if any, as principals in making purchases or sales of securities or other
property for the account of the Fund, except as permitted by the Investment
Company Act of 1940 and the Rules, Regulations or orders thereunder, will not
take a long or short position in the shares of the Fund except as permitted by
the Declaration, and will comply with all other provisions of the Declaration
and the By-Laws and the then-current Prospectus and Statement of Additional
Information of the Fund relative to the Adviser and its Directors and officers.
ARTICLE 6. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY OF THE ADVISER. The Adviser shall not
be liable for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss arising
out of any investment or for any act or omission in the execution and management
of the Fund, except for willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence in
the performance of its duties and obligations hereunder. As used in this Article
6, the term "Adviser" shall include Directors, officers and employees of the
Adviser as well as that corporation itself.
ARTICLE 7. ACTIVITIES OF THE ADVISER. The services of the Adviser to the
Fund are not deemed to be exclusive, the Adviser being free to render investment
advisory and/or other services to others. The Adviser may permit other fund
clients to use the initials "MFS" in their names. The Fund agrees that if the
Adviser shall for any reason no longer serve as the Adviser to the Fund, the
Fund will change its name so as to delete the initials "MFS." It is understood
that the Trustees, officers and shareholders of the Trust are or may be or
become interested in the Adviser, as Directors, officers, employees, or
otherwise and that Directors, officers and employees of the Adviser are or may
become similarly interested in the Trust, and that the Adviser may be or become
interested in the Fund as a shareholder or otherwise.
ARTICLE 8. DURATION, TERMINATION AND AMENDMENT OF THIS AGREEMENT. This
Agreement shall become effective on the date first above written and shall
govern the relations between the parties hereto thereafter, and shall remain in
force until July 1, 2000 on which date it will terminate unless its continuance
after July 1, 2000 is "specifically approved at least annually" (i) by the vote
of a majority of the Trustees of the Trust who are not "interested persons" of
the Trust or of the Adviser at a meeting specifically called for the purpose of
voting on such approval, and (ii) by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, or by
"vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" of the Fund.
This Agreement may be terminated at any time without the payment of any
penalty by the Trustees or by "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting
securities" of the Fund, or by the Adviser, in each case on not more than sixty
days' nor less than thirty days' written notice to the other party. This
Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its "assignment".
This Agreement may be amended only if such amendment is approved by "vote
of a majority of the outstanding voting securities" of the Fund.
ARTICLE 9. SCOPE OF TRUST'S OBLIGATIONS. A copy of the Trust's Declaration
of Trust is on file with the Secretary of State of The Commonwealth of
Massachusetts. The Adviser acknowledges that the obligations of or arising out
of this Agreement are not binding upon any of the Trust's trustees, officers,
employees, agents or shareholders individually, but are binding solely upon the
assets and property of the Trust. If this Agreement is executed by the Trust on
behalf of one or more series of the Trust, the Adviser further acknowledges that
the assets and liabilities of each series of the Trust are separate and distinct
and that the obligations of or arising out of this Agreement are binding solely
upon the assets or property of the series on whose behalf the Trust has executed
this Agreement.
ARTICLE 10. DEFINITIONS. The terms "specifically approved at least
annually," "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities,"
"assignment," "affiliated person," and "interested person," when used in this
Agreement, shall have the respective meanings specified, and shall be construed
in a manner consistent with, the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the Rules
and Regulations promulgated thereunder, subject, however, to such exemptions as
may be granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under said Act.
ARTICLE 11. RECORD KEEPING. The Adviser will maintain records in a form
acceptable to the Trust and in compliance with the rules and regulations of the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to records
required to be maintained by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940
and the rules thereunder, which at all times will be the property of the Trust
and will be available for inspection and use by the Trust.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Agreement to be executed
and delivered in their names and on their behalf by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized, and their respective seals to be hereto affixed, all as of the
day and year first written above. The undersigned Trustee of the Trust has
executed this Agreement not individually, but as Trustee under the Declaration.
MFS SERIES TRUST III, on behalf of
MFS HIGH YIELD OPPORTUNITIES FUND,
one of its series
By: XXXXX X. XXXXXXXXX, XX.
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Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx, Xx.
Assistant Secretary
MASSACHUSETTS FINANCIAL
SERVICES COMPANY
By: XXXXXXX X. XXXXXX
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Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxx
Chairman
