INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT
February 28, 2006
Credit Suisse Asset Management, LLC
000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000-0000
Dear Sirs:
Credit Suisse Trust (the "Trust"), a business trust organized
and existing under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is an
open-end, management investment company that currently offers nine portfolios,
one of which is the Commodity Return Strategy Portfolio (the "Portfolio"). The
Trust on behalf of the Portfolio herewith confirms its agreement with Credit
Suisse Asset Management, LLC (the "Adviser") as follows:
1. Investment Description; Appointment
The Trust desires to employ the capital of the Portfolio by
investing and reinvesting in investments of the kind and in accordance with the
limitations specified in its Declaration of Trust, as may be amended from time
to time, and in its Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information relating
to the Portfolio as from time to time in effect (the "Prospectus" and "SAI,"
respectively), and in such manner and to such extent as may from time to time be
approved by the Board of Trustees of the Trust. Copies of the Trust's Prospectus
and SAI relating to the Portfolio have been or will be submitted to the Adviser.
The Trust desires to employ and hereby appoints the Adviser to act as investment
adviser to the Portfolio. The Adviser accepts the appointment and agrees to
furnish the services for the compensation set forth below.
2. Services as Investment Adviser
Subject to the supervision and direction of the Board of
Trustees of the Trust, the Adviser will (a) act in strict conformity-with the
Trust's Declaration of Trust, the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940
Act") and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as the same may from time to time
be amended, (b) manage the Portfolio's assets in accordance with the Portfolio's
investment objective and policies as stated in the Trust's Prospectus and SAI
relating to the Portfolio, (c) make investment decisions for the Portfolio, (d)
place purchase and sale orders for securities on behalf of the Portfolio, (e)
exercise voting rights in respect of portfolio securities and other investments
for the Portfolio, and (f) monitor and evaluate the services provided by the
Portfolio's investment sub-adviser(s), if any, under the terms of the applicable
investment sub-advisory agreement(s). In providing those services, the Adviser
will provide investment research and supervision of the Portfolio's investments
and conduct a continual program of investment, evaluation and, if appropriate,
sale and reinvestment of the Portfolio's assets. In addition, the Adviser will
furnish the Trust with whatever statistical information the Trust may reasonably
request with respect to the securities that the Portfolio may hold or
contemplate purchasing.
Subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees of the Trust
and where required, the Trust's shareholders, the Adviser may engage an
investment sub-adviser or sub-advisers to provide advisory services in respect
of the Portfolio and may delegate to such investment subadviser(s) the
responsibilities described in subparagraphs (b), (c), (d) and (e) above. In the
event that an investment sub-adviser's engagement has been terminated, the
Adviser shall be responsible for furnishing the Portfolio with the services
required to be performed by such investment sub-adviser(s) under the applicable
investment sub-advisory agreements or arranging for a successor investment
sub-adviser(s) to provide such services on terms and conditions acceptable to
the Portfolio and the Trust's Board of Trustees and subject to the requirements
of the 1940 Act.
3. Brokerage
In executing transactions for the Portfolio, selecting brokers
or dealers and negotiating any brokerage commission rates, the Adviser will use
its best efforts to seek the best overall terms available. In assessing the best
overall terms available for any portfolio transaction, the Adviser will consider
all factors it deems relevant including, but not limited to, breadth of the
market in the security, the price of the security, the financial condition and
execution capability of the broker or dealer and the reasonableness of any
commission for the specific transaction and for transactions executed through
the broker or dealer in the aggregate. In selecting brokers or dealers to
execute a particular transaction and in evaluating the best overall terms
available, the Adviser may consider the brokerage and research services (as
those terms are defined in Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as the same may from time to time be amended) provided to the Portfolio and/or
other accounts over which the Adviser or an affiliate exercises investment
discretion.
4. Information Provided to the Trust
The Adviser will keep the Trust informed of developments
materially affecting the Portfolio, and will, on its own initiative, furnish the
Trust from time to time with whatever information the Adviser believes is
appropriate for this purpose.
5. Standard of Care
The Adviser shall exercise its best judgment in rendering the
services listed in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 above. The Adviser shall not be liable
for any error of judgment or mistake of law or for any loss suffered by the
Trust or the Portfolio in connection with the matters to which this Agreement
relates, provided that nothing herein shall be deemed to protect or purport to
protect the Adviser against any liability to the Trust or the Portfolio or to
shareholders of the Trust or the Portfolio to which the Adviser would otherwise
be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or gross negligence on
its part in the performance of its duties or by reason of the Adviser's reckless
disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement.
6. Compensation
In consideration of the services rendered pursuant to this
Agreement, the Portfolio will pay the Adviser an annual fee calculated at an
annual rate of 0.50% of the Portfolio's
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average daily net assets. The fee for the period from the date of this Agreement
to the end of the year shall be prorated according to the proportion that such
period bears to the full yearly period. Upon any termination of this Agreement
before the end of a year, the fee for such part of that year shall be prorated
according to the proportion that such period bears to the full yearly period and
shall be payable upon the date of termination of this Agreement. For the purpose
of determining fees payable to the Adviser, the value of the Portfolio's net
assets shall be computed at the times and in the manner specified in the Trust's
Prospectus or SAI relating to the Portfolio.
7. Expenses
The Adviser will bear all expenses in connection with the
performance of its services under this Agreement, including the fees payable to
any investment sub-adviser engaged pursuant to paragraph 2 of this Agreement.
The Portfolio will bear its proportionate share of certain other expenses to be
incurred in its operation, including: investment advisory and administration
fees; taxes, interest, brokerage fees and commissions, if any; fees of Trustees
of the Trust who are not officers, directors, or employees of the Adviser, any
sub-adviser or any of their affiliates; fees of any pricing service employed to
value shares of the Portfolio; Securities and Exchange Commission fees and state
blue sky qualification fees; charges of custodians and transfer and dividend
disbursing agents; the Portfolio's proportionate share of insurance premiums;
outside auditing and legal expenses; costs of maintenance of the Portfolio's
existence; costs attributable to investor services, including, without
limitation, telephone and personnel expenses; costs of preparing and printing
prospectuses and statements of additional information for regulatory purposes
and for distribution to existing shareholders; costs of shareholders' reports
and meetings of the shareholders of the Portfolio and of the officers or Board
of Trustees of the Trust; and any extraordinary expenses.
The Trust will be responsible for nonrecurring expenses which
may arise, including costs of litigation to which the Portfolio is a party and
of indemnifying officers and Trustees of the Trust with respect to such
litigation and other expenses as determined by the Trustees.
8. Services to Other Companies or Accounts
The Trust understands that the Adviser now acts, will continue
to act and may act in the future as investment adviser to fiduciary and other
managed accounts and to one or more other investment companies or series of
investment companies, and the Trust has no objection to the Adviser so acting,
provided that whenever the Portfolio and one or more other accounts or
investment companies or portfolios advised by the Adviser have available funds
for investment, investments suitable and appropriate for each will be allocated
in accordance with a formula believed to be equitable to each entity. The Trust
recognizes that in some cases this procedure may adversely affect the size of
the position obtainable for the Portfolio. In addition, the Trust understands
that the persons employed by the Adviser to assist in the performance of the
Adviser's duties hereunder will not devote their full time to such service and
nothing contained herein shall be deemed to limit or restrict the right of the
Adviser or any affiliate of the Adviser to engage in and devote time and
attention to other businesses or to render services of whatever kind or nature,
provided that doing so does not adversely affect the ability of the adviser to
perform its services under this Agreement.
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9. Term of Agreement
This Agreement shall continue for an initial two-year period
commencing on the date first written above, and thereafter shall continue
automatically for successive annual periods, provided such continuance is
specifically approved at least annually by (a) the Board of Trustees of the
Trust or (b) a vote of a "majority" (as defined in the 0000 Xxx) of the Trust's
outstanding voting securities, provided that in either event the continuance is
also approved by a majority of the Board of Trustees who are not "interested
persons" (as defined in said Act) of any party to this Agreement, by vote cast
in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval. This
Agreement is terminable, without penalty, on 60 days' written notice, by the
Board of Trustees of the Trust or by vote of holders of a majority of the
Trust's shares, or upon 90 days' written notice, by the Adviser. This Agreement
will also terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in
said Act).
10. Representation by the Trust
The Trust represents that a copy of its Declaration of Trust,
dated March 15, 1995, together with all amendments thereto, is on file in the
Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
11. Miscellaneous
The Trust recognizes that trustees, officers and employees of
the Adviser may from time to time serve as trustees, trustees, officers and
employees of corporations and business trusts (including other investment
companies) and that such other corporations and trusts may include the name "CS"
or "Credit Suisse" as part of their names, and that the Adviser or its
affiliates may enter into advisory or other agreements with such other
corporations and trusts. If the Adviser ceases to act as the investment adviser
of the Trust's shares, the Trust agrees that, at the Adviser's request, the
Trust's license to use the words "CS" or "Credit Suisse" or will terminate and
that the Trust will take all necessary action to change the name of the Trust to
names not including the words "CS" or "Credit Suisse".
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Please confirm that the foregoing is in accordance with your
understanding by indicating your acceptance hereof at the place below indicated,
whereupon it shall become a binding agreement between us.
Very truly yours,
CREDIT SUISSE TRUST
By: /s/ J. Xxxxx Xxx
------------------------
Name: J. Xxxxx Geo
Title: Vice President
Accepted:
CREDIT SUISSE ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC
By: /s/ Xxxxxx X. Plump
-----------------------------
Name: Xxxxxx X. Plump
Title: Managing Director
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