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Fund Goal and Approach
The fund seeks to maximize current income exempt from federal income tax, to the extent consistent with the preservation of capital.
To pursue this goal, the fund normally invests substantially all of its assets in municipal bonds that provide income exempt from federal personal income tax.
The fund will invest at least 75% of its assets in municipal bonds rated A or better or the unrated equivalent as determined by Dreyfus. The fund may invest up to 25% of its assets in municipal bonds rated below A or the unrated equivalent as determined by Dreyfus, including bonds of below investment grade credit quality ("high yield" or "junk" bonds).
The dollar-weighted average maturity of the fund's portfolio is not restricted, but normally exceeds ten years. Dollar-weighted average maturity is the average of the stated maturities of the securities held by the fund, based on their dollar-weighted proportions in the fund.
The portfolio manager(s) focus on identifying undervalued sectors and securities and minimize the use of interest rate forecasting. The portfolio managers select municipal bonds for the fund's portfolio by:
* Using fundamental credit analysis to estimate the relative value and attractiveness of various sectors and securities and to exploit pricing inefficiencies in the municipal bond market; and
* Actively trading among various sectors, such as pre-refunded, general obligation, and revenue, based on their apparent relative values. The fund seeks to invest in several of these sectors.
Although the fund seeks to provide income exempt from federal income tax, interest from some of its holdings may be subject to the federal alternative minimum tax. In addition, the fund temporarily may invest in taxable bonds.
The fund may, but is not required to, use derivatives, such as options, futures, options on futures (including those relating to securities, indexes and interest rates), swaps and inverse floaters, as a substitute for investing directly in an underlying asset, to increase returns, to manage credit or interest rate risk, or as part of a hedging strategy. The fund may buy securities that pay interest at rates that float inversely with changes in prevailing interest rates (inverse floaters). Inverse floaters are created by depositing municipal bonds in a trust which divides the bond's income stream into two parts: a short-term variable rate demand note and a residual interest bond (the inverse floater) which receives interest based on the remaining cash flow of the trust after payment of interest on the note and various trust expenses. Interest on the inverse floater usually moves in the opposite direction as the interest on the variable rate demand note. The fund also may make forward commitments in which the fund agrees to buy or sell a security in the future at a price agreed upon today.
Main Risks
The fund's principal risks are discussed below. An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the FDIC or any other government agency. It is not a complete investment program. The value of your investment in the fund will fluctuate, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.
*Municipal bond market risk. The amount of public information available about municipal bonds is generally less than that for corporate equities or bonds. Special factors, such as legislative changes and local and business developments, may adversely affect the yield and/or value of the fund's investments in municipal bonds. Other factors include the general conditions of the municipal bond market, the size of the particular offering, the maturity of the obligation and the rating of the issue.
*Interest rate risk. Prices of bonds tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in rates will adversely affect bond prices and, accordingly, the fund's share price. The longer the effective maturity and duration of the fund's portfolio, the more the fund's share price is likely to react to interest rates.
*Credit risk. Failure of an issuer to make timely interest or principal payments, or a decline or perception of a decline in the credit quality of a bond, can cause a bond's price to fall, potentially lowering the fund's share price. Although the fund invests primarily in bonds rated A or better, the fund may invest to a limited extent in high yield bonds. High yield ("junk") bonds involve greater credit risk, including the risk of default, than investment grade bonds, and are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to make principal and interest payments. The prices of high yield bonds can fall dramatically in response to bad news about the issuer or its industry, or the economy in general.
*Call risk. Some bonds give the issuer the option to call, or redeem, the bonds before their maturity date. If an issuer "calls" its bond during a time of declining interest rates, the fund might have to reinvest the proceeds in an investment offering a lower yield, and therefore might not benefit from any increase in value as a result of declining interest rates. During periods of market illiquidity or rising interest rates, prices of "callable" issues are subject to increased price fluctuation.
*Liquidity risk. When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can become more difficult to sell the securities at or near their perceived value. In such a market, the value of such securities and the fund's share price may fall dramatically, even during periods of declining interest rates. Liquidity risk also exists when a particular derivative instrument is difficult to purchase or sell. If a derivative transaction is particularly large or if the relevant market is illiquid (as is the case with many privately negotiated derivatives), it may not be possible to initiate a transaction or liquidate a position at an advantageous time or price. The secondary market for certain municipal bonds tends to be less well developed or liquid than many other securities markets, which may adversely affect the fund's ability to sell such municipal bonds at attractive prices.
*Market sector risk. The fund's overall risk level will depend on the market sectors in which the fund is invested and the current interest rate, liquidity and credit quality of such sectors. The fund may significantly overweight or underweight certain industries or market sectors, which may cause the fund's performance to be more or less sensitive to developments affecting those industries or sectors.
*Tax risk. To be tax-exempt, municipal bonds generally must meet certain regulatory requirements. If any such municipal bond fails to meet these regulatory requirements, the interest received by the fund from its investment in such bonds and distributed to fund shareholders will be taxable.
*Derivatives risk. A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the fund's performance. The use of derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value, and there is the risk that changes in the value of a derivative held by the fund will not correlate with the underlying instruments or the fund's other investments. Derivative instruments also involve the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the derivative instruments to make required payments or otherwise comply with the derivative instruments' terms. Certain types of derivatives involve greater risks than the underlying obligations because, in addition to general market risks, they are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk and credit risk. Additionally, some derivatives involve economic leverage, which could increase the volatility of these investments as they may fluctuate in value more than the underlying instrument. Certain derivatives may cause taxable income.
*Leveraging risk. The use of leverage, such as lending portfolio securities, entering into futures contracts, investing in inverse floaters, and engaging in forward commitment transactions, may cause taxable income and may magnify the fund's gains or losses.
*Other potential risks. The fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions. In connection with such loans, the fund will receive collateral from the borrower equal to at least 100% of the value of loaned securities. If the borrower of the securities fails financially, there could be delays in recovering the loaned securities or exercising rights to the collateral.
Under adverse market conditions, the fund could invest some or all of its assets in U.S. Treasury securities and money market securities. Although the fund would do this for temporary defensive purposes, it could reduce the benefit from any upswing in the market. During such periods, the fund may not achieve its investment objective.
Portfolio Managers
Daniel Marques has been manager since 12/7/2009.
Daniel Marques, CFA, is a Portfolio Manager and Risk Analyst for Tax-Sensitive Strategies responsible for portfolio management, broad municipal market research, performance attribution and monitoring execution of strategies. He joined the company in 2000 from Citizens Bank where he worked as an investment research manager. Dan has an M.B.A. from Nichols College and a B.S. from the University of Massachusetts, holds the CFA designation and has 16 years of investment experience.
James Welch has been manager since 7/19/2007.
James Welch is a Senior Portfolio Manager for Tax Sensitive Strategies at Standish, and currently manages several open- and closed-end bond funds, including Dreyfus High Yield Municipal Bond Fund, Dreyfus Municipal Bond Opportunity Fund, Dreyfus Strategic Municipal Bond Fund, Inc., and Dreyfus State Municipal Bond Funds, Connecticut Fund. Prior to joining Dreyfus in 2001, James served as a Senior Vice President and a member of the portfolio management team at Back Bay Advisors from 1994 to 2001, and as a portfolio manager at Putnam from 1989 to 1994. James received his B.A. in Economics from Pennsylvania State University and has 16 years of investment experience.
Other Funds Managed
Dreyfus Short-Intermediate Municipal Bond Fund
Dreyfus AMT-Free Municipal Bond Fund
Dreyfus California AMT-Free Municipal Bond Fund
Dreyfus State Municipal Bond Funds, Dreyfus Connecticut Fund
Dreyfus Municipal Bond Opportunity Fund
Dreyfus State Municipal Bond Funds, Dreyfus Massachusetts Fund
Dreyfus New Jersey Municipal Bond Fund, Inc.
Dreyfus High Yield Municipal Bond Fund
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