UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED

MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number 811- 22441

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

601 Congress Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02210
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

Salvatore Schiavone

Treasurer

601 Congress Street

Boston, Massachusetts 02210
(Name and address of agent for service)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 617-663-4497

Date of fiscal year end: December 31
   
Date of reporting period: June 30, 2015

 


 

ITEM 1. REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS

 


 


John Hancock

Hedged Equity & Income Fund


Ticker: HEQ Semiannual report 6/30/15

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Managed distribution plan

The fund has adopted a managed distribution plan (Plan). Under the Plan, the fund makes quarterly distributions of an amount equal to $0.376 per share, which will be paid quarterly until further notice. The fund may make additional distributions: (i) for purposes of not incurring federal income tax on the fund of investment company taxable income and net capital gain, if any, not included in such regular distributions; and (ii) for purposes of not incurring federal excise tax on ordinary income and capital gain net income, if any, not included in such regular distributions.

The Plan provides that the Board of Trustees of the fund may amend the terms of the Plan or terminate the Plan at any time without prior notice to the fund's shareholders. The Plan is subject to periodic review by the fund's Board of Trustees.

You should not draw any conclusions about the fund's investment performance from the amount of the fund's distributions or from the terms of the fund's Plan. The fund's total return at NAV is presented in the Financial highlights section.

With each distribution that does not consist solely of net income, the fund will issue a notice to shareholders and an accompanying press release that will provide detailed information regarding the amount and composition of the distribution and other related information. The amounts and sources of distributions reported in the notice to shareholders are only estimates and are not provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the fund's investment experience during the remainder of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes. The fund may, at times, distribute more than its net investment income and net realized capital gains; therefore, a portion of your distribution may result in a return of capital. A return of capital may occur, for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the fund is paid back to you. A return of capital does not necessarily reflect the fund's investment performance and should not be confused with yield or income.



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A message to shareholders

Dear shareholder,

Despite improving economic conditions in many developed countries and continued central bank stimulus, global market volatility crept up near the end of the period. European markets were shaken by the ongoing debt crisis in Greece, including that country's default on debt payments and initial vote to reject the terms of a bailout package from European creditors. A subsequent deal offered hope of an orderly resolution. Meanwhile, in China, the stock market rally fizzled in June, and the ensuing sell-off was stemmed only as a result of massive government intervention. In the United States, a stronger economy has increased the chances that the U.S. Federal Reserve will raise short-term interest rates this year—an event investors have viewed with trepidation for some time.

We may be in for a period of rising volatility as markets adjust to the idea of more normalized monetary policy in the United States and as the European debt situation continues to play out. Unpleasant as they are, these periods can ultimately be beneficial to the long-term health of markets, resetting valuations and investor expectations on a more realistic trajectory. The near-term challenge for many investors will be maintaining the discipline to stick to a well-constructed long-term financial plan in the face of short-term market disruptions. As always, we recommend that your first course of action be a conversation with your financial advisor. We also believe investors can be well served by owning broadly diversified asset allocation funds or by adding alternative strategies such as absolute return funds to a diversified portfolio.

At John Hancock Investments, one of the ways we seek to maximize the value shareholders receive is by lowering expenses where possible. To that end, we were pleased to announce a sweeping package of expense reductions across a wide range of funds. Details can be found at jhinvestments.com.

On behalf of everyone at John Hancock Investments, I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome new shareholders and thank existing shareholders for the continued trust you've placed in us.

Sincerely,

andrewarnott_sig.jpg

Andrew G. Arnott
President and Chief Executive Officer
John Hancock Investments

This commentary reflects the CEO's views as of June 30, 2015. They are subject to change at any time. For more up-to-date information, you can visit our website at jhinvestments.com.



John Hancock
Hedged Equity & Income Fund

Table of contents

     
2   Your fund at a glance
4   Discussion of fund performance
8   Fund's investments
26   Financial statements
29   Financial highlights
30   Notes to financial statements
38   Additional information
39   Continuation of investment advisory and subadvisory agreements
44   Shareholder meeting
45   More information

1



Your fund at a glance

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE


The fund seeks to provide total return with a focus on current income and gains and also consisting of long-term capital appreciation.

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS AS OF 6/30/15 (%)


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The MSCI All Country World Index (gross of foreign withholding tax on dividends) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed and emerging markets.

It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Index figures do not reflect expenses or sales charges, which would result in lower values.

The fund's most recent performance and current annualized distribution rate can be found at www.jhinvestments.com.

The fund's performance at net asset value (NAV) is different from the fund's performance at closing market price because the closing market price is subject to the dynamics of secondary market trading, which could cause the fund to trade at a discount or premium to its NAV at any time.

The performance data contained within this material represents past performance, which does not guarantee future results.

2



PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS


Positive absolute returns

Buoyed by its equity strategy, the fund was up for the six months ending June 30, 2015.

Bonds a mixed bag

The fund held global high-yield fixed-income investments during the period, contributing to absolute performance, though they trailed equities.

Hedges hindered

The fund's hedging strategy, which is designed to reduce stock market risk using futures contracts, weighed on returns during this period of modestly rising equities.

PORTFOLIO COMPOSITION AS OF 6/30/15 (%)


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A note about risks

As is the case with all closed-end funds, shares of this fund may trade at a discount to the fund's net asset value. An investment in the fund is subject to investment and market risks, including the possible loss of the entire principal invested. There is no guarantee prior distribution levels will be maintained and distributions may include a substantial tax return of capital. Fixed-income investments are subject to interest-rate risk; their value will normally decline as interest rates rise. An issuer of securities held by the fund may default, have its credit rating downgraded, or otherwise perform poorly, which may affect fund performance. Investing in derivative instruments involves risks different from, and in some cases greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other traditional investments. Certain market conditions, including reduced trading volume, heightened volatility, and rising interest rates, may impair liquidity, the ability of the fund to sell securities or close derivative positions at advantageous prices. Foreign investing, especially in emerging markets, has additional risks, such as currency and market volatility and political and social instability. The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts and options are imperfect correlation, unanticipated market movement, and counterparty risk. Investments in higher-yielding, lower-rated securities include a higher risk of default.

3



Discussion of fund performance

An interview with Portfolio Manager Kent M. Stahl, CFA, Wellington Management Company LLP

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Kent M. Stahl, CFA
Portfolio Manager
Wellington Management Company LLP

What did you observe in the markets over the six months ended June 30, 2015?

The extended rally in stocks continued as global equities were generally up for the period. Still, investors endured a number of worrisome headlines along the way, including disappointing manufacturing data from China and Japan, as well as questions about Greece's future in the eurozone.

The Bank of Japan expanded its quantitative easing policy, the People's Bank of China surprised markets with its first rate cut in two years, and the European Central Bank announced a massive asset-purchase program to combat low inflation and stimulate growth. European equities benefited from the accommodative policy measures and from improving economic data, including positive trends in manufacturing, exports, and economic sentiment.

A continued boom in corporate takeovers also fueled bullish sentiment, as merger-and-acquisition deal volume remained robust. Eight of ten sectors in the fund's reference benchmark, the MSCI All Country World Index, posted positive returns, with healthcare, consumer discretionary, and telecommunication services stocks leading the way. The utilities and energy sectors declined.

Would you recap the fund's performance overall?

For the six-month period ended June 30, 2015, the fund posted total returns of 3.43% at net asset value and 2.38% at closing market price. The fund's benchmark, a proxy for the global stock markets, posted a 2.97% return. The fund's call option and equity strategies contributed to relative returns, but its market risk hedging positions, using futures contracts, weighed on results.

What drove performance in the fund's equity portfolio specifically?

The fund's equity strategy generated positive relative returns (i.e., relative to the benchmark) for the period, driven by stock selection. Favorable selection within the telecommunications services and financials sectors contributed to relative performance. Partially offsetting results was less favorable selection within the energy and utilities sectors. Sector allocation, a byproduct of the bottom-up

4



"A continued boom in corporate takeovers also fueled bullish sentiment, as merger-and-acquisition deal volume remained robust."
stock selection process, modestly detracted from relative results; underweight exposure to the consumer discretionary sector and a modest overweight allocation to utilities hindered performance.

In terms of individual holdings, top contributors to relative performance included U.S.-based manufacturer and marketer of packaged foods Kraft Foods Group Inc., Japan-based telecommunication services company Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp., and Japan-based pharmaceutical company Eisai Company, Ltd.

Detractors from relative performance included positions in U.S.-based semiconductor chip manufacturer Intel Corp., U.S.-based electric power and gas distribution company Duke Energy Corp., and Netherlands-based financial services provider Delta Lloyd NV.

SECTOR COMPOSITION AS OF 6/30/15 (%)


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5



"The fund's call option and equity strategies contributed to relative returns, but its market risk hedging and high-yield bond strategies weighed on results."

Would you comment further on the performance of the fund's options and beta hedging strategies?

On the one hand, the written calls on the S&P 500 Index contributed positively to results, generating income for the fund amid the relatively muted performance of U.S. stocks.

On the other hand, the fund's beta hedge strategy detracted from results. Designed to reduce equity market exposure by selling futures contracts on the S&P 500 Index and the MSCI EAFE Index, this strategy generally hinders performance when stocks rise, as they did during this period.

How about the fund's bond exposure?

The fund held global high-yield bonds to aid its income-generating capability. While this fixed-income allocation generated positive absolute performance, the fund might have done even better relative to its equity benchmark without those positions, as stocks outpaced bonds during this particular period.

How was the fund positioned at the end of the period?

At the end of the period, the fund's equity portfolio had overweight allocations to the financials, materials, telecommunication services, and utilities sectors, and underweight allocations to the consumer discretionary, consumer staples, healthcare, and information technology sectors. From a

TOP 10 HOLDINGS AS OF 6/30/15 (%)


   
Merck & Company, Inc. 2.0
Microsoft Corp. 1.9
The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. 1.7
Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. 1.7
British American Tobacco PLC 1.7
JPMorgan Chase & Co. 1.6
Duke Energy Corp. 1.3
Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. 1.3
Intel Corp. 1.2
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company 1.2
TOTAL 15.6
As a percentage of net assets.
Cash and cash equivalents are not included.

6



regional standpoint, the fund was overweight equities in Japan, Europe, and North America, and underweight emerging markets.

As always, we remain vigilant about risk, and we believe that the fund's strategy, which seeks to participate in rising markets while limiting exposure to the downside and generating income, complements the more traditional stock and bond holdings that tend to dominate the portfolios of most investors.

MANAGED BY


   
 kentmstahl.jpg Kent M. Stahl, CFA
On the fund since 2011
Investing since 1985
 greggrthomas.jpg Gregg R. Thomas, CFA
On the fund since 2011
Investing since 1993

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COUNTRY COMPOSITION AS OF 6/30/15 (%)


   
United States 56.0
Japan 10.3
United Kingdom 8.1
France 3.5
Germany 3.3
Switzerland 3.3
Canada 2.1
Netherlands 2.1
China 1.7
Spain 1.4
Other countries 8.2
TOTAL 100.0
As a percentage of net assets.

The views expressed in this report are exclusively those of Kent M. Stahl, CFA, Wellington Management Company LLP, and are subject to change. They are not meant as investment advice. Please note that the holdings discussed in this report may not have been held by the fund for the entire period. Portfolio composition is subject to review in accordance with the fund's investment strategy and may vary in the future. Current and future portfolio holdings are subject to risk.

7



Fund's investments

 



                                               
  As of 6-30-15 (unaudited)  
        Shares     Value  
  Common stocks 81.5%     $195,088,761  
  (Cost $185,029,217)  
  Consumer discretionary 6.2%     14,854,441  
  Auto components 0.9%  
  Aisan Industry Company, Ltd.     14,300     134,120  
  Delphi Automotive PLC     6,348     540,151  
  Exedy Corp.     7,600     189,759  
  Keihin Corp.     14,200     203,464  
  Nissin Kogyo Company, Ltd.     6,500     107,229  
  Sumitomo Riko Company, Ltd.     18,000     143,531  
  Takata Corp.     11,300     122,989  
  Tokai Rika Company, Ltd.     8,300     207,315  
  Toyoda Gosei Company, Ltd.     12,000     289,251  
  Toyota Boshoku Corp.     16,300     274,686  
  Automobiles 0.4%  
  Honda Motor Company, Ltd.     14,200     458,942  
  Peugeot SA (I)     11,549     238,161  
  Renault SA     2,665     279,418  
  Diversified consumer services 0.1%  
  Allstar Co-Invest LLC (I)(R)     236,300     255,204  
  Benesse Holdings, Inc.     1,600     40,111  
  Hotels, restaurants and leisure 0.4%  
  McDonald's Corp.     10,392     987,967  
  Household durables 1.3%  
  D.R. Horton, Inc.     17,616     481,974  
  Funai Electric Company, Ltd.     15,200     169,055  
  Newell Rubbermaid, Inc.     24,400     1,003,084  
  Nikon Corp.     21,100     243,846  
  Pioneer Corp. (I)     103,900     189,172  
  PulteGroup, Inc.     46,291     932,764  
  Internet and catalog retail 0.1%  
  Home Retail Group PLC     51,206     135,971  
  Qliro Group AB (I)     49,556     73,181  
  Media 1.0%  
  Avex Group Holdings, Inc.     7,900     138,621  
  Gendai Agency, Inc.     5,200     28,931  
  Metropole Television SA     9,867     192,161  
  ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG     26,426     1,305,289  
  Proto Corp.     3,300     53,152  
  Sky PLC     35,530     578,700  

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS8


                                               
        Shares     Value  
  Consumer discretionary  (continued)        
  Multiline retail 0.2%  
  Dollar General Corp.     6,165     $479,267  
  New World Department Store China, Ltd.     202,000     53,661  
  Specialty retail 1.6%  
  Adastria Company, Ltd.     6,700     239,528  
  Honeys Company, Ltd.     12,030     102,174  
  Nishimatsuya Chain Company, Ltd.     18,500     186,124  
  Pal Company, Ltd.     4,800     157,618  
  Ross Stores, Inc.     7,993     388,540  
  Shimamura Company, Ltd.     1,900     199,479  
  The Home Depot, Inc.     21,538     2,393,518  
  Xebio Company, Ltd.     9,700     189,474  
  Textiles, apparel and luxury goods 0.2%  
  Daphne International Holdings, Ltd.     402,000     100,619  
  Ralph Lauren Corp.     2,767     366,240  
  Consumer staples 5.5%     13,068,996  
  Beverages 0.7%  
  The Coca-Cola Company     45,135     1,770,646  
  Food and staples retailing 0.2%  
  Cawachi, Ltd.     7,400     111,315  
  J Sainsbury PLC     79,626     331,461  
  Food products 2.6%  
  Ebro Foods SA     27,725     537,153  
  Ingredion, Inc.     13,729     1,095,711  
  Kraft Foods Group, Inc.     29,365     2,500,136  
  Pinnacle Foods, Inc.     25,226     1,148,792  
  Suedzucker AG     13,763     229,235  
  Unilever NV     17,110     715,354  
  Household products 0.2%  
  The Procter & Gamble Company     6,420     502,301  
  Personal products 0.1%  
  Oriflame Holding AG (I)     10,701     172,975  
  Tobacco 1.7%  
  British American Tobacco PLC     73,435     3,953,917  
  Energy 6.8%     16,244,389  
  Energy equipment and services 0.3%  
  Ensco PLC, Class A     14,177     315,722  
  National Oilwell Varco, Inc.     8,380     404,586  
  Oil, gas and consumable fuels 6.5%  
  BP PLC     121,507     806,402  
  Canadian Natural Resources, Ltd.     14,308     388,605  

9SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


                                               
        Shares     Value  
  Energy  (continued)        
  Oil, gas and consumable fuels  (continued)  
  Chevron Corp.     25,251     $2,435,964  
  Encana Corp.     10,300     113,556  
  Eni SpA     26,905     477,876  
  Exxon Mobil Corp.     13,417     1,116,294  
  Gazprom OAO, ADR     42,654     224,787  
  Harum Energy Tbk PT     484,500     40,071  
  HollyFrontier Corp.     10,854     463,357  
  Indo Tambangraya Megah Tbk PT     62,200     59,779  
  Inpex Corp.     20,500     232,694  
  Japan Petroleum Exploration Company, Ltd.     7,200     228,960  
  Lukoil OAO, ADR     5,350     240,269  
  Marathon Oil Corp.     85,025     2,256,564  
  Occidental Petroleum Corp.     14,606     1,135,909  
  Painted Pony Petroleum, Ltd. (I)     12,700     80,938  
  Petro Rio SA (I)     2,930     3,864  
  PetroChina Company, Ltd., H Shares     952,000     1,060,239  
  Petroleo Brasileiro SA, ADR (I)     25,867     234,096  
  Royal Dutch Shell PLC, B Shares     35,167     1,001,222  
  Statoil ASA     3,568     63,807  
  Suncor Energy, Inc.     51,808     1,425,756  
  Total SA     29,216     1,433,072  
  Financials 21.5%     51,350,316  
  Banks 9.8%  
  Allahabad Bank     61,017     82,834  
  Alpha Bank AE (I)     264,837     70,270  
  Banca Popolare dell'Emilia Romagna SC     20,148     179,767  
  BNP Paribas SA     7,192     436,430  
  CaixaBank SA     199,288     927,346  
  Canara Bank     20,441     88,818  
  China Construction Bank Corp., H Shares     1,294,000     1,180,329  
  CIT Group, Inc.     5,882     273,454  
  Corp. Bank     63,930     50,566  
  Dah Sing Financial Holdings, Ltd.     16,000     104,873  
  HSBC Holdings PLC     184,029     1,647,871  
  ING Groep NV     29,858     495,803  
  JPMorgan Chase & Co.     56,689     3,841,247  
  KB Financial Group, Inc.     5,862     193,609  
  M&T Bank Corp.     3,189     398,402  
  Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.     286,500     2,061,213  
  Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.     227,200     491,600  
  Nordea Bank AB     104,942     1,308,810  
  OTP Bank PLC     9,925     196,158  

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS10


                                               
        Shares     Value  
  Financials  (continued)        
  Banks  (continued)  
  Piraeus Bank SA (I)     217,523     $73,237  
  Shinhan Financial Group Company, Ltd.     3,315     123,391  
  Societe Generale SA     7,907     371,026  
  Standard Chartered PLC     29,084     465,763  
  Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc.     11,500     511,971  
  Svenska Handelsbanken AB, A Shares     46,141     673,578  
  The Eighteenth Bank, Ltd.     10,000     30,639  
  The Oita Bank, Ltd.     15,000     63,911  
  The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.     43,503     4,161,062  
  The Tochigi Bank, Ltd.     16,000     91,117  
  The Yamanashi Chuo Bank, Ltd.     18,000     85,067  
  UniCredit SpA     39,546     265,784  
  Wells Fargo & Company     45,013     2,531,531  
  Capital markets 2.1%  
  BlackRock, Inc.     7,168     2,479,985  
  Henderson Group PLC     284,692     1,168,019  
  Julius Baer Group, Ltd. (I)     4,068     228,272  
  LPL Financial Holdings, Inc.     7,869     365,830  
  UBS Group AG     30,021     636,940  
  Uranium Participation Corp. (I)     31,800     133,158  
  Consumer finance 0.0%  
  Manappuram Finance, Ltd.     221,288     97,396  
  Diversified financial services 0.5%  
  Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.     1,857     415,244  
  MSCI, Inc.     13,146     809,136  
  Insurance 6.6%  
  ACE, Ltd.     14,553     1,479,749  
  Ageas     9,499     366,503  
  Assicurazioni Generali SpA     55,497     1,000,265  
  CNO Financial Group, Inc.     61,685     1,131,920  
  Delta Lloyd NV     67,795     1,112,483  
  FNF Group     20,470     757,185  
  Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc.     41,595     2,358,437  
  MetLife, Inc.     41,258     2,310,035  
  Storebrand ASA (I)     62,752     258,495  
  T&D Holdings, Inc.     31,600     471,077  
  The Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Ltd.     17,200     337,765  
  Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc.     8,600     357,666  
  Tongyang Life Insurance     10,279     140,451  
  Willis Group Holdings PLC     34,710     1,627,899  
  Zurich Insurance Group AG (I)     6,494     1,976,966  

11SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


                                               
        Shares     Value  
  Financials  (continued)        
  Real estate investment trusts 1.0%  
  Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc., Class A     20,470     $569,475  
  ICADE     7,720     552,201  
  Weyerhaeuser Company     36,279     1,142,789  
  Real estate management and development 1.5%  
  Castellum AB     52,290     734,871  
  Deutsche Annington Immobilien SE     54,791     1,546,090  
  Deutsche Wohnen AG     36,129     828,290  
  The Unite Group PLC     53,264     478,247  
  Health care 9.2%     22,007,168  
  Biotechnology 0.1%  
  Sinovac Biotech, Ltd. (I)     23,008     120,792  
  Health care equipment and supplies 0.2%  
  Zimmer Holdings, Inc.     4,256     464,883  
  Health care providers and services 1.0%  
  Aetna, Inc.     7,422     946,008  
  AmerisourceBergen Corp.     3,367     358,047  
  Quest Diagnostics, Inc.     12,487     905,557  
  Suzuken Company, Ltd.     2,490     79,663  
  Health care technology 0.0%  
  AGFA-Gevaert NV (I)     36,551     101,985  
  Life sciences tools and services 0.0%  
  CMIC Holdings Company, Ltd.     6,600     92,107  
  Pharmaceuticals 7.9%  
  Almirall SA     12,394     245,661  
  AstraZeneca PLC     35,123     2,222,943  
  Bristol-Myers Squibb Company     44,293     2,947,256  
  Daiichi Sankyo Company, Ltd.     10,700     197,742  
  Eisai Company, Ltd.     25,100     1,682,819  
  H. Lundbeck A/S (I)     12,554     241,545  
  Johnson & Johnson     16,688     1,626,412  
  Merck & Company, Inc.     85,688     4,878,218  
  Ono Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd.     4,000     436,580  
  Pfizer, Inc.     44,207     1,482,261  
  Roche Holding AG     8,757     2,455,388  
  Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, Ltd.     10,800     521,301  
  Industrials 8.6%     20,481,293  
  Aerospace and defense 1.5%  
  Honeywell International, Inc.     12,118     1,235,672  
  Raytheon Company     5,111     489,020  
  Thales SA     5,240     316,606  

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS12


                                               
        Shares     Value  
  Industrials  (continued)        
  Aerospace and defense  (continued)  
  United Technologies Corp.     13,712     $1,521,072  
  Air freight and logistics 0.4%  
  Deutsche Post AG     20,801     607,790  
  PostNL NV (I)     78,216     349,149  
  Airlines 0.3%  
  American Airlines Group, Inc.     7,110     283,938  
  Deutsche Lufthansa AG (I)     23,986     309,468  
  Qantas Airways, Ltd. (I)     74,692     181,500  
  Building products 0.4%  
  Cie de Saint-Gobain     11,024     497,639  
  Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc.     9,742     446,378  
  Commercial services and supplies 0.1%  
  Aeon Delight Company, Ltd.     4,800     147,080  
  Moshi Moshi Hotline, Inc.     8,500     95,107  
  Construction and engineering 0.1%  
  Raubex Group, Ltd.     60,709     101,220  
  Toyo Engineering Corp.     54,000     128,267  
  Electrical equipment 2.0%  
  Eaton Corp. PLC     39,060     2,636,159  
  OSRAM Licht AG     2,648     126,682  
  Schneider Electric SE     24,577     1,701,687  
  Ushio, Inc.     15,100     196,551  
  Zumtobel Group AG     1,496     44,410  
  Industrial conglomerates 1.3%  
  3M Company     5,986     923,640  
  General Electric Company     30,315     805,470  
  Koninklijke Philips NV     7,752     197,850  
  Rheinmetall AG     7,351     372,864  
  Siemens AG     8,046     814,025  
  Machinery 0.2%  
  Fuji Machine Manufacturing Company, Ltd.     4,600     48,138  
  Hisaka Works, Ltd.     9,200     83,621  
  The Japan Steel Works, Ltd.     54,000     223,151  
  Toshiba Machine Company, Ltd.     42,000     192,374  
  Marine 0.1%  
  D/S Norden A/S (I)     8,207     206,734  
  Pacific Basin Shipping, Ltd.     414,000     139,116  
  Professional services 0.4%  
  Adecco SA (I)     4,160     337,615  
  en-japan, Inc.     8,300     148,815  
  Hays PLC     86,846     222,725  

13SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


                                               
        Shares     Value  
  Industrials  (continued)        
  Professional services  (continued)  
  USG People NV     10,861     $161,207  
  Road and rail 0.6%  
  Union Pacific Corp.     14,200     1,354,254  
  Trading companies and distributors 0.5%  
  Fastenal Company     11,039     465,625  
  Kuroda Electric Company, Ltd.     11,300     210,295  
  Mitsubishi Corp.     17,300     380,323  
  SIG PLC     50,105     157,774  
  Transportation infrastructure 0.7%  
  Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG     5,778     116,822  
  Jiangsu Expressway Company, Ltd., H Shares     1,146,000     1,503,460  
  Information technology 10.5%     25,238,803  
  Communications equipment 1.5%  
  Cisco Systems, Inc.     103,812     2,850,678  
  QUALCOMM, Inc.     11,095     694,880  
  Electronic equipment, instruments and components 0.5%  
  Avnet, Inc.     12,916     530,977  
  Hosiden Corp.     28,000     171,384  
  Kingboard Laminates Holdings, Ltd.     334,500     158,911  
  Mitsumi Electric Company, Ltd.     9,300     63,060  
  Nichicon Corp.     26,000     211,426  
  Internet software and services 0.2%  
  DeNa Company, Ltd.     14,200     279,069  
  Dropbox, Inc. (I)(R)     7,248     128,942  
  Gree, Inc.     32,200     188,038  
  IT services 1.1%  
  Alten SA     3,664     170,549  
  Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp.     43,075     1,087,213  
  Cap Gemini SA     2,722     241,486  
  Devoteam SA     1,275     35,921  
  Fujitsu, Ltd.     76,000     424,638  
  GFI Informatique SA     4,237     27,842  
  Itochu Techno-Solutions Corp.     10,700     266,469  
  NET One Systems Company, Ltd.     21,200     148,828  
  Sopra Steria Group     3,577     322,230  
  Semiconductors and semiconductor equipment 3.9%  
  Intel Corp.     98,271     2,988,912  
  Kontron AG (I)     14,745     65,082  
  Lam Research Corp.     7,533     612,810  
  Marvell Technology Group, Ltd.     25,541     336,758  
  Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.     117,867     4,075,252  

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS14


                                               
        Shares     Value  
  Information technology  (continued)        
  Semiconductors and semiconductor equipment  (continued)  
  Micronas Semiconductor Holding AG (I)     15,030     $86,766  
  Mimasu Semiconductor Industry Company, Ltd.     7,500     75,418  
  Miraial Company, Ltd.     6,500     73,340  
  Rohm Company, Ltd.     3,700     247,897  
  SCREEN Holdings Company, Ltd.     38,000     239,142  
  Shinkawa, Ltd. (I)     15,400     136,706  
  Shinko Electric Industries Company, Ltd.     33,300     240,110  
  Tokyo Seimitsu Company, Ltd.     10,600     232,252  
  Software 2.2%  
  Activision Blizzard, Inc.     14,420     349,108  
  Alpha Systems, Inc.     1,900     30,427  
  Microsoft Corp.     102,152     4,510,011  
  Nintendo Company, Ltd.     1,900     316,972  
  Technology hardware, storage and peripherals 1.1%  
  Apple, Inc.     5,975     749,414  
  Canon, Inc.     12,100     392,504  
  Compal Electronics, Inc.     145,000     110,293  
  Japan Digital Laboratory Company, Ltd.     3,800     53,093  
  Melco Holdings, Inc.     8,300     156,700  
  SanDisk Corp.     7,921     461,161  
  Western Digital Corp.     8,877     696,134  
  Materials 5.9%     14,227,822  
  Chemicals 2.2%  
  Agrium, Inc.     3,800     402,727  
  Akzo Nobel NV     11,042     806,166  
  E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company     15,075     964,046  
  Fujimi, Inc.     4,500     67,692  
  Hitachi Chemical Company, Ltd.     8,600     154,895  
  JSR Corp.     16,300     287,749  
  Methanex Corp.     9,633     536,173  
  Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.     55,000     204,340  
  Nitto Denko Corp.     2,600     213,518  
  PTT Global Chemical PCL     220,100     448,200  
  Sumitomo Bakelite Company, Ltd.     48,000     217,447  
  The Dow Chemical Company     21,812     1,116,120  
  Construction materials 0.3%  
  Buzzi Unicem SpA     19,489     277,641  
  CRH PLC     2,913     81,729  
  Holcim, Ltd. (I)     3,147     232,203  
  Lafarge SA     3,109     205,558  

15SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


                                               
        Shares     Value  
  Materials  (continued)        
  Containers and packaging 0.6%  
  AMVIG Holdings, Ltd.     240,000     $123,374  
  Bemis Company, Inc.     7,900     355,579  
  Graphic Packaging Holding Company     26,381     367,487  
  Packaging Corp. of America     8,603     537,601  
  Metals and mining 1.5%  
  Aichi Steel Corp.     11,000     49,151  
  Anglo American Platinum, Ltd. (I)     7,080     159,646  
  Anglo American PLC     19,631     283,598  
  Aquarius Platinum, Ltd. (I)     273,117     29,381  
  Barrick Gold Corp.     14,500     154,984  
  BHP Billiton PLC     24,857     488,730  
  Centerra Gold, Inc.     31,300     177,926  
  Chubu Steel Plate Company, Ltd.     9,300     40,988  
  Eldorado Gold Corp.     37,602     155,672  
  G-Resources Group, Ltd.     4,368,000     140,743  
  Impala Platinum Holdings, Ltd. (I)     36,250     161,758  
  Ivanhoe Mines, Ltd., Class A (I)     113,000     81,425  
  Kinross Gold Corp. (I)     77,610     180,055  
  Kyoei Steel, Ltd.     9,900     182,935  
  Lonmin PLC (I)     62,570     110,152  
  Maruichi Steel Tube, Ltd.     7,400     183,670  
  Neturen Company, Ltd.     6,100     43,977  
  Northern Dynasty Minerals, Ltd. (I)     16,000     5,444  
  NV Bekaert SA     5,811     164,026  
  Resolute Mining, Ltd. (I)     255,282     60,592  
  Salzgitter AG     6,188     221,219  
  Tokyo Steel Manufacturing Company, Ltd.     26,600     195,687  
  Yamato Kogyo Company, Ltd.     6,700     156,499  
  Yodogawa Steel Works, Ltd.     27,000     117,756  
  Paper and forest products 1.3%  
  International Paper Company     49,275     2,344,997  
  Norbord, Inc.     35,100     736,566  
  Telecommunication services 3.9%     9,437,839  
  Diversified telecommunication services 3.3%  
  Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA     21,847     160,677  
  KT Corp. (I)     11,651     296,883  
  Magyar Telekom Telecommunications PLC (I)     124,096     173,348  
  Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp.     83,200     3,013,149  
  Orange SA     19,862     306,954  
  Telefonica SA     26,706     380,437  
  Telenor ASA     62,698     1,374,644  
  Verizon Communications, Inc.     46,086     2,148,068  

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS16


                                               
        Shares     Value  
  Telecommunication services  (continued)        
  Wireless telecommunication services 0.6%  
  Mobistar SA (I)     10,018     $189,865  
  NTT DOCOMO, Inc.     72,600     1,393,814  
  Utilities 3.4%     8,177,694  
  Electric utilities 2.0%  
  Duke Energy Corp.     43,455     3,068,792  
  Edison International     13,815     767,838  
  The Southern Company     10,145     425,076  
  Xcel Energy, Inc.     13,330     428,959  
  Independent power and renewable electricity producers 0.0%  
  NTPC, Ltd.     51,354     110,840  
  Multi-utilities 1.4%  
  Centrica PLC     260,436     1,080,674  
  E.ON SE     15,914     212,205  
  GDF Suez     18,806     350,137  
  National Grid PLC     52,567     676,581  
  PG&E Corp.     17,999     883,751  
  RWE AG     8,036     172,841  
        Rate (%)     Maturity date     Par value^     Value  
  Corporate bonds 14.9%     $35,581,472  
  (Cost $37,509,346)  
  Consumer discretionary 2.7%     6,546,147  
  Auto components 0.1%  
  ZF North America Capital, Inc. (S)     4.500     04-29-22           150,000     147,375  
  Automobiles 0.2%  
  FCA US LLC     8.250     06-15-21           230,000     250,700  
  General Motors Company     4.875     10-02-23           160,000     168,467  
  General Motors Company     6.250     10-02-43           65,000     72,375  
  Diversified consumer services 0.2%  
  Service Corp. International     7.625     10-01-18           125,000     142,500  
  The ServiceMaster Company LLC     7.000     08-15-20           321,000     339,056  
  Hotels, restaurants and leisure 0.3%  
  CEC Entertainment, Inc.     8.000     02-15-22           130,000     129,025  
  Cirsa Funding Luxembourg SA (S)     5.875     05-15-23         EUR 115,000     123,733  
  Cirsa Funding Luxembourg SA     5.875     05-15-23         EUR 100,000     107,594  
  NH Hotel Group SA (S)     6.875     11-15-19         EUR 235,000     285,896  
  Household durables 0.3%  
  Argos Merger Sub, Inc. (S)     7.125     03-15-23           105,000     109,988  
  K Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc. (S)     8.000     11-01-19           150,000     138,750  
  KB Home     7.000     12-15-21           375,000     387,188  
  Lennar Corp.     4.750     11-15-22           125,000     122,813  

17SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


                                               
        Rate (%)     Maturity date     Par value^     Value  
  Consumer discretionary  (continued)        
  Media 1.3%  
  Altice Financing SA (S)     6.500     01-15-22         EUR 100,000     $118,453  
  Altice Finco SA (S)     9.000     06-15-23         EUR 100,000     125,889  
  CCO Holdings LLC     5.125     02-15-23           5,000     4,875  
  CCO Holdings LLC     5.250     09-30-22           5,000     4,925  
  CCO Holdings LLC     5.750     09-01-23           35,000     35,066  
  CCO Holdings LLC     7.375     06-01-20           255,000     269,344  
  Cequel Communications Holdings I LLC (S)     5.125     12-15-21           285,000     258,816  
  Cequel Communications Holdings I LLC (S)     5.125     12-15-21           55,000     49,947  
  DISH DBS Corp.     6.750     06-01-21           170,000     177,225  
  DISH DBS Corp.     7.875     09-01-19           395,000     438,450  
  Gannett Company, Inc. (S)     4.875     09-15-21           115,000     114,138  
  Gannett Company, Inc.     5.125     10-15-19           345,000     355,350  
  Gannett Company, Inc. (S)     5.500     09-15-24           20,000     19,800  
  Gannett Company, Inc.     6.375     10-15-23           55,000     57,269  
  Getty Images, Inc. (S)     7.000     10-15-20           140,000     63,700  
  Gray Television, Inc.     7.500     10-01-20           75,000     79,500  
  Harron Communications LP (S)     9.125     04-01-20           90,000     97,313  
  Sirius XM Radio, Inc. (S)     4.250     05-15-20           100,000     99,500  
  Tribune Media Company (S)     5.875     07-15-22           165,000     166,238  
  TVN Finance Corp. III AB     7.375     12-15-20         EUR 130,000     158,409  
  Unitymedia Hessen GmbH & Company KG     5.500     09-15-22         EUR 324,000     384,690  
  Unitymedia Hessen GmbH & Company KG     5.750     01-15-23         EUR 112,500     134,827  
  Multiline retail 0.0%  
  Family Tree Escrow LLC (S)     5.250     03-01-20           20,000     20,925  
  Family Tree Escrow LLC (S)     5.750     03-01-23           75,000     78,375  
  Specialty retail 0.3%  
  Chinos Intermediate Holdings A, Inc., PIK (S)     7.750     05-01-19           130,000     104,650  
  Michaels Stores, Inc. (S)     5.875     12-15-20           195,000     203,775  
  New Look Secured Issuer PLC (S)     6.500     07-01-22         GBP 180,000     274,340  
  Party City Holdings, Inc.     8.875     08-01-20           117,000     124,898  
  Consumer staples 0.4%     972,083  
  Food and staples retailing 0.2%  
  Albertsons Holdings LLC (S)     7.750     10-15-22           64,000     68,000  
  Aramark Services, Inc.     5.750     03-15-20           280,000     292,320  
  Household products 0.1%  
  The Sun Products Corp. (S)     7.750     03-15-21           315,000     286,650  
  Personal products 0.1%  
  Hypermarcas SA     6.500     04-20-21           310,000     325,113  
  Energy 1.4%     3,209,165  
  Energy equipment and services 0.1%  
  Paragon Offshore PLC (S)     6.750     07-15-22           280,000     92,400  

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS18


                                               
        Rate (%)     Maturity date     Par value^     Value  
  Energy  (continued)        
  Energy equipment and services  (continued)  
  Seadrill, Ltd. (S)     6.125     09-15-17           200,000     $175,500  
  Oil, gas and consumable fuels 1.3%  
  Antero Resources Corp. (S)     5.625     06-01-23           25,000     24,156  
  Antero Resources Corp.     6.000     12-01-20           185,000     186,850  
  Blue Racer Midstream LLC (S)     6.125     11-15-22           95,000     97,850  
  Bonanza Creek Energy, Inc.     6.750     04-15-21           100,000     94,750  
  Borets Finance, Ltd.     7.625     09-26-18           200,000     176,000  
  Concho Resources, Inc.     5.500     10-01-22           70,000     69,650  
  Diamondback Energy, Inc.     7.625     10-01-21           120,000     128,400  
  Energy Transfer Equity LP     5.500     06-01-27           350,000     347,375  
  EP Energy LLC     9.375     05-01-20           180,000     192,825  
  Gazprom OAO     4.950     07-19-22           200,000     184,250  
  Kinder Morgan, Inc.     7.250     06-01-18           60,000     67,634  
  Laredo Petroleum, Inc.     5.625     01-15-22           55,000     54,450  
  Laredo Petroleum, Inc.     6.250     03-15-23           85,000     86,488  
  Laredo Petroleum, Inc.     7.375     05-01-22           45,000     47,363  
  Matador Resources Company (S)     6.875     04-15-23           30,000     30,638  
  MEG Energy Corp. (S)     7.000     03-31-24           140,000     134,225  
  Petroleos de Venezuela SA     6.000     11-15-26           330,000     116,325  
  QEP Resources, Inc.     5.375     10-01-22           15,000     14,486  
  QEP Resources, Inc.     6.800     03-01-20           25,000     25,781  
  Range Resources Corp.     5.000     08-15-22           35,000     34,300  
  Rice Energy, Inc. (S)     7.250     05-01-23           40,000     41,000  
  Rosetta Resources, Inc.     5.625     05-01-21           200,000     212,500  
  Rosetta Resources, Inc.     5.875     06-01-22           70,000     74,669  
  Tullow Oil PLC (S)     6.250     04-15-22           350,000     309,750  
  WPX Energy, Inc.     5.250     09-15-24           120,000     110,550  
  WPX Energy, Inc.     6.000     01-15-22           80,000     79,000  
  Financials 1.7%     4,081,545  
  Banks 1.1%  
  Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA (7.000% to 2-19-19, then 5 year Euro Swap Rate + 6.155%) (Q)     7.000     02-19-19         EUR 400,000     446,497  
  Banco Santander SA (6.250% to 3-12-19, then 5 year Euro Swap Rate + 5.410%) (Q)     6.250     03-12-19         EUR 100,000     109,255  
  Bank of Ireland     10.000     07-30-16         EUR 140,000     165,834  
  Barclays PLC (6.500% to 9-15-19, then 5 year Euro Swap Rate + 5.875%) (Q)     6.500     09-15-19         EUR 200,000     222,167  
  Barclays PLC (8.250% to 12-15-18, then 5 year U.S. Swap Rate + 6.705%) (Q)     8.250     12-15-18           200,000     211,192  
  BPCE SA (6.117% to 10-30-17, then 3 month EURIBOR + 2.370%) (Q)     6.117     10-30-17         EUR 50,000     60,202  
  Intesa Sanpaolo SpA (8.375% to 10-14-19, then 3 month EURIBOR + 6.871%) (Q)     8.375     10-14-19         EUR 100,000     130,995  

19SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


                                               
        Rate (%)     Maturity date     Par value^     Value  
  Financials  (continued)        
  Banks  (continued)  
  Lloyds Banking Group PLC (6.375% to 6-27-20, then 5 year Euro Swap Rate + 5.290%) (Q)     6.375     06-27-20         EUR 200,000     $229,659  
  Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC (7.640% to 9-30-17, then 3 month LIBOR + 2.320%) (Q)     7.640     09-30-17           300,000     320,550  
  Royal Bank of Scotland PLC     4.350     01-23-17         EUR 100,000     115,807  
  Sberbank of Russia (S)     5.125     10-29-22           200,000     171,300  
  Societe Generale SA (8.250% to 11-29-18, then 5 year U.S. Swap Rate + 6.394%) (Q)     8.250     11-29-18           270,000     283,109  
  VTB Bank OJSC (S)     6.875     05-29-18           200,000     202,254  
  Capital markets 0.1%  
  Credit Suisse Group AG (7.500% to 12-11-23, then 5 year U.S. Swap Rate + 4.598%) (Q)(S)     7.500     12-11-23           200,000     208,240  
  Diversified financial services 0.4%  
  International Lease Finance Corp.     6.250     05-15-19           490,000     529,813  
  MSCI, Inc. (S)     5.250     11-15-24           145,000     146,813  
  Nationstar Mortgage LLC     6.500     08-01-18           235,000     235,000  
  Insurance 0.1%  
  CNO Financial Group, Inc.     4.500     05-30-20           30,000     30,450  
  CNO Financial Group, Inc.     5.250     05-30-25           75,000     76,215  
  Nationwide Building Society (6.875% to 6-20-19, then 5 year British Pound Swap Rate + 4.880%) (Q)     6.875     06-20-19         GBP 120,000     186,193  
  Health care 1.9%     4,489,134  
  Health care equipment and supplies 0.2%  
  Alere, Inc. (S)     6.375     07-01-23           150,000     152,625  
  Alere, Inc.     6.500     06-15-20           256,000     264,960  
  Alere, Inc.     7.250     07-01-18           100,000     104,750  
  Hologic, Inc. (S)     5.250     07-15-22           55,000     56,169  
  Health care providers and services 1.2%  
  Amsurg Corp.     5.625     07-15-22           275,000     277,406  
  Community Health Systems, Inc.     6.875     02-01-22           345,000     364,406  
  Community Health Systems, Inc.     7.125     07-15-20           275,000     291,363  
  Envision Healthcare Corp. (S)     5.125     07-01-22           85,000     85,638  
  HCA Holdings, Inc.     6.250     02-15-21           370,000     398,675  
  HCA, Inc.     6.500     02-15-20           360,000     402,300  
  HCA, Inc.     7.500     11-15-95           125,000     123,750  
  inVentiv Health, Inc. (S)     9.000     01-15-18           50,000     52,125  
  MPH Acquisition Holdings LLC (S)     6.625     04-01-22           140,000     142,975  
  Tenet Healthcare Corp. (S)     5.000     03-01-19           195,000     195,000  
  Tenet Healthcare Corp. (S)     6.750     06-15-23           50,000     51,031  
  Tenet Healthcare Corp.     8.125     04-01-22           275,000     301,125  
  WellCare Health Plans, Inc.     5.750     11-15-20           135,000     140,400  

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS20


                                               
        Rate (%)     Maturity date     Par value^     Value  
  Health care  (continued)        
  Health care technology 0.2%  
  IMS Health, Inc. (S)     4.125     04-01-23         EUR 235,000     $253,082  
  Sterigenics-Nordion Holdings LLC (S)     6.500     05-15-23           250,000     251,250  
  Pharmaceuticals 0.3%  
  PRA Holdings, Inc. (S)     9.500     10-01-23           150,000     167,625  
  Quintiles Transnational Corp. (S)     4.875     05-15-23           75,000     75,375  
  Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (S)     4.500     05-15-23         EUR 125,000     134,953  
  Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.     4.500     05-15-23         EUR 130,000     140,351  
  Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (S)     6.125     04-15-25           60,000     61,800  
  Industrials 1.2%     2,855,198  
  Aerospace and defense 0.1%  
  TA Manufacturing, Ltd. (S)     3.625     04-15-23         EUR 180,000     195,242  
  Airlines 0.1%  
  AerCap Ireland Capital, Ltd. (S)     4.500     05-15-21           150,000     150,750  
  Building products 0.2%  
  Associated Materials LLC     9.125     11-01-17           175,000     145,250  
  Kerneos Corporate SAS (S)     5.750     03-01-21         EUR 145,000     164,951  
  Ply Gem Industries, Inc.     6.500     02-01-22           330,000     325,875  
  Commercial services and supplies 0.1%  
  Quad/Graphics, Inc.     7.000     05-01-22           190,000     184,775  
  Construction and engineering 0.2%  
  Abengoa Finance SAU     6.000     03-31-21         EUR 100,000     103,126  
  Abengoa Finance SAU (S)     7.750     02-01-20           155,000     153,450  
  Abengoa Greenfield SA (S)     5.500     10-01-19         EUR 100,000     102,566  
  Aguila 3 SA (S)     7.875     01-31-18           185,000     183,150  
  Electrical equipment 0.2%  
  CeramTec Group GmbH     8.250     08-15-21         EUR 275,000     334,176  
  Sensata Technologies BV (S)     5.000     10-01-25           100,000     97,375  
  Sensata Technologies BV (S)     5.625     11-01-24           70,000     72,100  
  Industrial conglomerates 0.1%  
  Tenedora Nemak SA de CV     5.500     02-28-23           200,000     205,250  
  Machinery 0.2%  
  Case New Holland Industrial, Inc.     7.875     12-01-17           240,000     262,800  
  Crown European Holdings SA (S)     3.375     05-15-25         EUR 170,000     174,362  
  Information technology 1.9%     4,482,783  
  Communications equipment 0.2%  
  Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc.     6.450     03-15-29           226,000     233,345  
  Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (S)     6.750     11-15-20           200,000     211,500  
  Electronic equipment, instruments and components 0.2%  
  CDW LLC     5.000     09-01-23           35,000     34,388  
  CDW LLC     5.500     12-01-24           105,000     103,950  

21SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


                                               
        Rate (%)     Maturity date     Par value^     Value  
  Information technology  (continued)        
  Electronic equipment, instruments and components  (continued)  
  CDW LLC     6.000     08-15-22           290,000     $299,425  
  Internet software and services 0.1%  
  Zayo Group LLC (S)     6.000     04-01-23           190,000     187,663  
  Zayo Group LLC (S)     6.375     05-15-25           110,000     106,700  
  Semiconductors and semiconductor equipment 0.3%  
  Entegris, Inc. (S)     6.000     04-01-22           210,000     215,775  
  Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (S)     6.000     01-15-22           465,000     492,900  
  Software 1.1%  
  Activision Blizzard, Inc. (S)     5.625     09-15-21           405,000     424,238  
  Activision Blizzard, Inc. (S)     6.125     09-15-23           130,000     139,425  
  Audatex North America, Inc. (S)     6.000     06-15-21           276,000     283,590  
  Emdeon, Inc.     11.000     12-31-19           180,000     195,300  
  First Data Corp. (S)     7.375     06-15-19           185,000     192,308  
  First Data Corp. (S)     8.250     01-15-21           480,000     506,400  
  Infor Software Parent LLC, PIK (S)     7.125     05-01-21           320,000     321,200  
  Infor US, Inc. (S)     5.750     05-15-22         EUR 100,000     112,600  
  Infor US, Inc. (S)     6.500     05-15-22           50,000     51,000  
  SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. (S)     5.875     07-15-23           25,000     25,188  
  SunGard Data Systems, Inc.     6.625     11-01-19           335,000     345,888  
  Materials 1.7%     4,091,332  
  Building materials 0.1%  
  Building Materials Corp. of America (S)     5.375     11-15-24           365,000     358,375  
  Chemicals 0.2%  
  INEOS Group Holdings SA     5.750     02-15-19         EUR 100,000     112,600  
  INEOS Group Holdings SA     6.500     08-15-18         EUR 310,000     352,861  
  Construction materials 0.3%  
  Cemex SAB de CV     5.875     03-25-19           550,000     563,585  
  HeidelbergCement Finance Luxembourg SA     8.500     10-31-19         EUR 115,000     162,824  
  Containers and packaging 0.2%  
  Ardagh Packaging Finance PLC (S)     6.000     06-30-21           200,000     200,500  
  Ardagh Packaging Finance PLC     9.250     10-15-20         EUR 200,000     236,348  
  Metals and mining 0.7%  
  AK Steel Corp.     7.625     05-15-20           195,000     162,338  
  AK Steel Corp.     7.625     10-01-21           170,000     138,550  
  AK Steel Corp.     8.375     04-01-22           95,000     77,900  
  ArcelorMittal     7.500     03-01-41           65,000     63,700  
  ArcelorMittal     7.750     10-15-39           115,000     114,425  
  Constellium NV     4.625     05-15-21         EUR 250,000     255,022  
  FMG Resources August 2006 Pty, Ltd. (S)     6.875     04-01-22           540,000     378,675  
  FMG Resources August 2006 Pty, Ltd. (S)     9.750     03-01-22           10,000     10,325  
  Steel Dynamics, Inc.     5.125     10-01-21           85,000     85,170  

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS22


                                               
        Rate (%)     Maturity date     Par value^     Value  
  Materials  (continued)        
  Metals and mining  (continued)  
  Steel Dynamics, Inc.     5.500     10-01-24           95,000     $95,000  
  United States Steel Corp.     7.375     04-01-20           240,000     251,400  
  Paper and forest products 0.2%  
  Smurfit Kappa Acquisitions     4.125     01-30-20         EUR 145,000     172,484  
  Tembec Industries, Inc. (S)     9.000     12-15-19           315,000     299,250  
  Telecommunication services 1.6%     3,806,851  
  Diversified telecommunication services 0.5%  
  Intelsat Jackson Holdings SA     6.625     12-15-22           80,000     73,300  
  Intelsat Jackson Holdings SA     7.250     04-01-19           85,000     86,275  
  Intelsat Jackson Holdings SA     7.250     10-15-20           85,000     84,044  
  Level 3 Financing, Inc. (S)     5.125     05-01-23           15,000     14,747  
  Level 3 Financing, Inc.     5.375     08-15-22           205,000     207,050  
  Level 3 Financing, Inc.     6.125     01-15-21           200,000     209,740  
  Level 3 Financing, Inc.     8.625     07-15-20           165,000     176,336  
  Wind Acquisition Finance SA (S)     4.000     07-15-20         EUR 310,000     344,739  
  Windstream Corp.     7.750     10-15-20           90,000     88,088  
  Wireless telecommunication services 1.1%  
  Matterhorn Telecom SA (S)     3.875     05-01-22         EUR 116,000     122,533  
  SoftBank Corp. (S)     4.500     04-15-20           200,000     200,750  
  Sprint Communications, Inc. (S)     9.000     11-15-18           100,000     112,926  
  Sprint Corp.     7.250     09-15-21           580,000     570,938  
  Sprint Corp.     7.875     09-15-23           180,000     175,500  
  Syniverse Holdings, Inc.     9.125     01-15-19           225,000     198,000  
  T-Mobile USA, Inc.     6.464     04-28-19           135,000     139,050  
  T-Mobile USA, Inc.     6.625     11-15-20           345,000     358,800  
  T-Mobile USA, Inc.     6.731     04-28-22           220,000     229,350  
  VimpelCom Holdings BV     5.200     02-13-19           220,000     209,935  
  VimpelCom Holdings BV     6.255     03-01-17           200,000     204,750  
  Utilities 0.4%     1,047,234  
  Electric utilities 0.2%  
  DPL, Inc.     7.250     10-15-21           230,000     242,650  
  Techem GmbH     6.125     10-01-19         EUR 200,000     232,446  
  Independent power and renewable electricity producers 0.2%  
  Dynegy, Inc.     5.875     06-01-23           170,000     166,175  
  Dynegy, Inc. (S)     7.375     11-01-22           75,000     78,563  
  Dynegy, Inc. (S)     7.625     11-01-24           35,000     37,100  
  GenOn Americas Generation LLC     9.125     05-01-31           210,000     195,300  
  GenOn Americas Generation LLC     8.500     10-01-21           100,000     95,000  

23SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


                                               
        Rate (%)     Maturity date     Par value^     Value  
  Convertible bonds 0.1%     $135,631  
  (Cost $160,432)  
  Consumer discretionary 0.0%     39,675  
  Household durables 0.0%  
  M/I Homes, Inc.     3.000     03-01-18           40,000     39,675  
  Energy 0.1%     95,956  
  Oil, gas and consumable fuels 0.1%  
  Cobalt International Energy, Inc.     2.625     12-01-19           130,000     95,956  
  Term loans (M) 0.4%     $1,008,624  
  (Cost $1,234,312)  
  Consumer discretionary 0.1%     348,191  
  Multiline retail 0.1%  
  Lands' End, Inc.     4.250     04-04-21           108,625     103,556  
  Neiman Marcus Group, Ltd. LLC     4.250     10-25-20           246,258     244,635  
  Energy 0.1%     201,753  
  Oil, gas and consumable fuels 0.1%  
  Arch Coal, Inc.     6.250     05-16-18           295,069     201,753  
  Industrials 0.1%     172,430  
  Machinery 0.1%  
  Crosby US Acquisition Corp.     3.750     11-23-20           182,225     172,430  
  Utilities 0.1%     286,250  
  Electric utilities 0.1%  
  Texas Competitive Electric Holdings Company LLC (H)     4.783     10-10-17           500,000     286,250  
              Par value     Value  
  Short-term investments 2.3%     $5,500,000  
  (Cost $5,500,000)  
  Repurchase agreement 2.3%     5,500,000  
  Goldman Sachs Tri-Party Repurchase Agreement dated 6-30-15 at 0.130% to be repurchased at $5,500,020 on 7-1-15, collateralized by $4,003,051 Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., 3.500% - 6.500% due 11-1-19 to 5-1-48 (valued at $4,347,328, including interest) and $1,156,260 Federal National Mortgage Association, 4.000% - 6.500% due 10-1-31 to 12-1-44 (valued at $1,262,672, including interest)           5,500,000     5,500,000  
  Total investments (Cost $229,433,307)† 99.2%     $237,314,488  
  Other assets and liabilities, net 0.8%     $1,830,271  
  Total net assets 100.0%     $239,144,759  

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS24


               
The percentage shown for each investment category is the total value of the category as a percentage of the net assets of the fund.
^All par values are denominated in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated.
Key to Currency Abbreviations
EUR Euro
GBP Pound Sterling
Key to Security Abbreviations and Legend
ADR American Depositary Receipts
EURIBOR Euro Interbank Offered Rate
LIBOR London Interbank Offered Rate
PIK Payment-in-kind
(H) Non-income producing - Issuer is in default.
(I) Non-income producing security.
(M) Term loans are variable rate obligations. The coupon rate shown represents the rate at period end.
(Q) Perpetual bonds have no stated maturity date. Date shown as maturity date is next call date.
(R) Direct placement securities are restricted as to resale, and the fund has limited rights to registration under the Securities Act of 1933. For more information on this security refer to the Notes to financial statements.
(S) These securities are exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. Such securities may be resold, normally to qualified institutional buyers, in transactions exempt from registration.
At 6-30-15, the aggregate cost of investment securities for federal income tax purposes was $230,007,496. Net unrealized appreciation aggregated $7,306,992, of which $21,302,502 related to appreciated investment securities and $13,995,510 related to depreciated investment securities.

25SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


Financial statements

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES 6-30-15 (unaudited)


                 
   
   
  Assets              
  Investments, at value (Cost $229,433,307)           $237,314,488  
  Foreign currency, at value (Cost $485,148)           484,674  
  Cash held at broker for futures contracts           1,636,028  
  Receivable for investments sold           694,055  
  Receivable for forward foreign currency exchange contracts           2,996  
  Dividends and interest receivable           1,067,207  
  Other receivables and prepaid expenses           17,826  
  Total assets           241,217,274  
  Liabilities              
  Due to custodian           150,081  
  Payable for investments purchased           1,308,033  
  Payable for forward foreign currency exchange contracts           21,240  
  Payable for fund shares repurchased           483,688  
  Payable for futures variation margin           11,700  
  Payable to affiliates              
  Accounting and legal services fees           11,881  
  Trustees' fees           487  
  Other liabilities and accrued expenses           85,405  
  Total liabilities           2,072,515  
  Net assets           $239,144,759  
  Net assets consist of              
  Paid-in capital           $231,795,746  
  Accumulated distributions in excess of net investment income           (6,473,960 )
  Accumulated net realized gain (loss) on investments, futures contracts, written options and foreign currency transactions           5,458,556  
  Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments, futures contracts and translation of assets and liabilities in foreign currencies           8,364,417  
  Net assets           $239,144,759  
                 
  Net asset value per share              
  Based on 13,282,845 shares of beneficial interest outstanding — unlimited number of shares authorized with $0.01 par value           $18.00  

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS26


STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS  For the six months ended 6-30-15 (unaudited)


                                         
   
   
                             
  Investment income                    
  Dividends                 $3,630,176  
  Interest                 1,113,681  
  Less foreign taxes withheld                 (169,396 )
  Total investment income                 4,574,461  
  Expenses                    
  Investment management fees                 1,239,591  
  Accounting and legal services fees                 21,311  
  Transfer agent fees                 9,493  
  Trustees' fees                 17,698  
  Printing and postage                 32,813  
  Professional fees                 42,341  
  Custodian fees                 29,712  
  Stock exchange listing fees                 11,778  
  Other                 26,954  
  Total expenses                 1,431,691  
  Less expense reductions                 (9,608 )
  Net expenses                 1,422,083  
  Net investment income                 3,152,378  
  Realized and unrealized gain (loss)                    
  Net realized gain (loss) on                    
  Investments and foreign currency transactions                 6,532,594 1
  Futures contracts                 (2,435,542 )
  Written options                 1,068,253  
                    5,165,305  
  Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of                    
  Investments and translation of assets and liabilities in foreign currencies                 (2,772,338 )2
  Futures contracts                 1,244,806  
  Written options                 (94,005 )
                    (1,621,537 )
  Net realized and unrealized gain                 3,543,768  
  Increase in net assets from operations                 $6,696,146  

               
1 Net of foreign taxes of $84.    
2 Net of $1,738 decrease in deferred foreign withholding taxes.    

27SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS 

   
                       
                    Six months ended 6-30-15                       Year ended 12-31-14        
                    (unaudited)                                
  Increase (decrease) in net assets                                      
  From operations                                      
  Net investment income                 $3,152,378                 $6,264,754  
  Net realized gain                 5,165,305                 2,771,634  
  Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation)                 (1,621,537 )               (6,389,428 )
  Increase in net assets resulting from operations                 6,696,146                 2,646,960  
  Distributions to shareholders                                      
  From net investment income                 (10,137,459 )1               (6,125,164 )
  From net realized gain                                 (14,403,849 )
  Total distributions                 (10,137,459 )               (20,529,013 )
  From fund share transactions                                      
  Repurchased                 (5,877,076 )               (1,649,235 )
  Total decrease                 (9,318,389 )               (19,531,288 )
  Net assets                                      
  Beginning of period                 248,463,148                 267,994,436  
  End of period                 $239,144,759                 $248,463,148  
  Undistributed (accumulated distributions in excess of) net investment income                 ($6,473,960 )               $511,121  
  Share activity                                      
  Shares outstanding                                      
  Beginning of year                 13,637,509                 13,732,375  
  Shares repurchased                 (354,664 )               (94,866 )
  End of year                 13,282,845                 13,637,509  

                     
1 A portion of the distributions may be deemed a tax return of capital or capital gain distribution at year end.    

SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS28


Financial highlights

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
         
         
  Period ended     6-30-151           12-31-14           12-31-13           12-31-122           10-31-12           10-31-113  
  Per share operating performance                                                                                                                    
  Net asset value, beginning of period                       $18.22                 $19.52                 $17.54                 $17.60                 $16.99                 $19.10  4
  Net investment income5                       0.23                 0.46                 0.14                 0.05                 0.13                 0.02  
  Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments                       0.25                 (0.27 )               3.19                 0.18                 1.68                 (1.73 )
  Total from investment operations                       0.48                 0.19                 3.33                 0.23                 1.81                 (1.71 )
  Less distributions to common shareholders                                                                                                                    
  From net investment income                       (0.75 14               (0.45 )               (0.18 )               (0.05 )               (0.13 )               (0.02 )
  From net realized gain                                       (1.05 )               (1.17 )                                                
  From tax return of capital                                                                       (0.27 )               (1.16 )               (0.34 )
  Total distributions                       (0.75 )               (1.50 )               (1.35 )               (0.32 )               (1.29 )               (0.36 )
  Anti-dilutive impact of repurchase plan6                       0.05                 0.01                  7               0.03                 0.09                  
  Offering costs related to common shares                                                                                                       (0.04 )
  Net asset value, end of period                       $18.00                 $18.22                 $19.52                 $17.54                 $17.60                 $16.99  
  Per share market value, end of period                       $15.96                 $16.32                 $17.07                 $15.26                 $16.14                 $15.18  
  Total return at net asset value (%)8,9                       3.43  10               1.66                 20.40                 1.71  10               12.17                 (8.98 ) 10
  Total return at market value (%)8                       2.38  10               4.13                 21.02                 (3.51 ) 10               15.14                 (22.33 ) 10
  Ratios and supplemental data                                                                                                                    
  Net assets applicable to common shares, end of period (in millions)                       $239                 $248                 $268                 $241                 $245                 $248  
  Ratios (as a percentage of average net assets):                                                                                                                        
        Expenses before reductions                       1.16  11               1.17                 1.14                 0.22  10               1.14                 1.15  11
        Expenses including reductions                       1.15  11               1.17                 1.14                 0.22  10               1.14                 1.15  11
        Net investment income                       2.54  11               2.37  12               0.72                 0.30  10               0.74                 0.31  11
  Portfolio turnover (%)                       16                 42                 142  13               11                 76                 38  

                                                       
1 Six months ended 6-30-15. Unaudited.    
2 For the two-month period ended 12-31-12. The fund changed its fiscal year end from October 31 to December 31.    
3 Period from 5-26-11 (commencement of operations) to 10-31-11.    
4 Reflects the deduction of a $0.90 per share sales load.    
5 Based on average daily shares outstanding.    
6 The repurchase plan was completed at an average repurchase price of $16.57, $17.38, $17.06, $15.43 and $15.95 for 354,664, 94,866, 794, 200,837, and 686,230 shares for the six months ended 6-30-15, the years ended 12-31-14 and 12-31-13, the two month period ended 12-31-12 and the year ended 10-31-12, respectively.    
7 Less than $0.005 per share.    
8 Total return based on net asset value reflects changes in the fund's net asset value during each period. Total return based on market value reflects changes in market value. Each figure assumes that distributions from income, capital gains and return of capital, if any, were reinvested. These figures will differ depending upon the level of any discount from or premium to net asset value at which the fund's shares traded during the period.    
9 Total returns would have been lower had certain expenses not been reduced during the applicable periods.    
10 Not annualized.    
11 Annualized.    
12 Increase in net investment income as a percentage of average net assets resulted from repositioning of the portfolio in accordance with investment policy changes approved by the Board of Trustees during the year ended December 31, 2013.    
13 Increase in portfolio turnover rate resulted from repositioning of the portfolio in accordance with investment policy changes approved by the Board of Trustees during the year ended December 31, 2013.    
14 A portion of the distribution may be deemed a tax return of capital or capital gain distribution at year end.    

29SEE NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS


Notes to financial statements (unaudited)

Note 1 — Organization

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (the fund) is a closed-end management investment company organized as a Massachusetts business trust and registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act).

Note 2 — Significant accounting policies

The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (US GAAP), which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions as of the date of the financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates and those differences could be significant. The fund qualifies as an investment company under Topic 946 of Accounting Standards Codification of US GAAP.

Events or transactions occurring after the end of the fiscal period through the date that the financial statements were issued have been evaluated in the preparation of the financial statements. The following summarizes the significant accounting policies of the fund:

Security valuation. Investments are stated at value as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), normally at 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. In order to value the securities, the fund uses the following valuation techniques: Equity securities held by the fund are valued at the last sale price or official closing price on the exchange where the security was acquired or most likely will be sold. In the event there were no sales during the day or closing prices are not available, the securities are valued using the last available bid price. Debt obligations are valued based on the evaluated prices provided by an independent pricing vendor or from broker-dealers. Independent pricing vendors utilize matrix pricing which takes into account factors such as institutional-size trading in similar groups of securities, yield, quality, coupon rate, maturity, type of issue, trading characteristics and other market data, as well as broker supplied prices. Futures contracts are valued at settlement prices, which are the official closing prices published by the exchange on which they trade. Foreign securities and currencies, including forward foreign currency contracts, are valued in U.S. dollars, based on foreign currency exchange rates supplied by an independent pricing vendor. Securities that trade only in the over-the-counter (OTC) market are valued using bid prices.

Other portfolio securities and assets, for which reliable market quotations are not readily available, are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the fund's Pricing Committee following procedures established by the Board of Trustees. The frequency with which these fair valuation procedures are used cannot be predicted and fair value of securities may differ significantly from the value that would have been used had a ready market for such securities existed. Trading in foreign securities may be completed before the daily close of trading on the NYSE. Significant events at the issuer or market level may affect the values of securities between the time when the valuation of the securities is generally determined and the close of the NYSE. If a significant event occurs, these securities may be fair valued, as determined in good faith by the fund's Pricing Committee, following procedures established by the Board of Trustees. The fund uses fair value adjustment factors provided by an independent pricing vendor to value certain foreign securities in order to adjust for events that may occur between the close of foreign exchanges or markets and the close of the NYSE.

The fund uses a three-tier hierarchy to prioritize the pricing assumptions, referred to as inputs, used in valuation techniques to measure fair value. Level 1 includes securities valued using quoted prices in active markets for identical securities. Level 2 includes securities valued using other significant observable inputs. Observable inputs may include quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds and credit risk. Prices for securities valued using these inputs are received from independent pricing vendors and brokers and are based on an evaluation of the inputs described. Level 3 includes securities valued using significant unobservable inputs when market prices are not readily available or reliable, including the fund's own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments. Factors used in determining value may include market or issuer specific events or trends, changes in interest rates and credit quality. The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risks associated with investing in those securities. Changes in valuation techniques and related inputs may result in transfers into or out of an assigned level within the disclosure hierarchy.

30



The following is a summary of the values by input classification of the fund's investments as of June 30, 2015, by major security category or type:

                                   
        Total
market value
at 6-30-15
    Level 1
quoted price
    Level 2
significant
observable
inputs
    Level 3
significant
unobservable
inputs
 
  Common stocks                          
        Consumer discretionary     $14,854,441     $7,573,505     $7,025,732     $255,204  
        Consumer staples     13,068,996     7,017,586     6,051,410      
        Energy     16,244,389     10,840,267     5,404,122      
        Financials     51,350,316     26,786,538     24,420,271     143,507  
        Health care     22,007,168     13,729,434     8,277,734      
        Industrials     20,481,293     10,161,228     10,320,065      
        Information technology     25,238,803     19,943,308     5,166,553     128,942  
        Materials     14,227,822     8,116,802     6,111,020      
        Telecommunication services     9,437,839     2,148,068     7,129,094     160,677  
        Utilities     8,177,694     5,574,416     2,603,278      
  Corporate bonds     35,581,472         35,581,472      
  Convertible bonds     135,631         135,631      
  Term loans     1,008,624         1,008,624      
  Short-term investments     5,500,000         5,500,000      
  Total investments in securities     $237,314,488     $111,891,152     $124,735,006     $688,330  
  Other financial instruments:                          
  Futures     $503,209     $503,209          
  Forward foreign currency contracts     ($18,244 )       ($18,244 )    

Repurchase agreements. The fund may enter into repurchase agreements. When the fund enters into a repurchase agreement, it receives collateral that is held in a segregated account by the fund's custodian, or for tri-party repurchase agreements, collateral is held at a third-party custodian bank in a segregated account for the benefit of the fund. The collateral amount is marked-to-market and monitored on a daily basis to ensure that the collateral held is in an amount not less than the principal amount of the repurchase agreement plus any accrued interest. Collateral received by the fund for repurchase agreements is disclosed in the Fund's investments as part of the caption related to the repurchase agreement.

Repurchase agreements are typically governed by the terms and conditions of the Master Repurchase Agreement and/or Global Master Repurchase Agreement (collectively, MRA). Upon an event of default, the non-defaulting party may close out all transactions traded under the MRA and net amounts owed. Absent an event of default, assets and liabilities resulting from repurchase agreements are not offset in the Statement of assets and liabilities. In the event of a default by the counterparty, realization of the collateral proceeds could be delayed, during which time the collateral value may decline or the counterparty may have insufficient assets to pay back claims resulting from close-out of the transactions.

Security transactions and related investment income. Investment security transactions are accounted for on a trade date plus one basis for daily net asset value calculations. However, for financial reporting purposes, investment transactions are reported on trade date. Interest income is accrued as earned. Interest income includes coupon interest and amortization/accretion of premiums/discounts on debt securities. Debt obligations may be placed in a non-accrual status and related interest income may be reduced by stopping current accruals and writing off interest receivable when the collection of all or a portion of interest has become doubtful. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-date, except for dividends of foreign securities where the dividend may not be known until after the ex-date. In those cases, dividend income, net of withholding taxes, is recorded when the fund becomes aware of the dividends. Distributions received on securities that represent a tax return of capital or capital gain are recorded as a reduction of cost of investments and/or as a realized gain if amounts are estimable. Foreign taxes are provided for based on the fund's understanding of the tax rules and rates that exist in the foreign

31



markets in which it invests. Gains and losses on securities sold are determined on the basis of identified cost and may include proceeds from litigation.

Foreign currency translation. Assets, including investments and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies, are translated into U.S. dollar values each day at the prevailing exchange rate. Purchases and sales of securities, income and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing exchange rate on the date of the transaction. The effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on the value of securities is reflected as a component of the realized and unrealized gains (losses) on investments.

Funds that invest internationally generally carry more risk than funds that invest strictly in U.S. securities. These risks are heightened for investments in emerging markets. Risks can result from differences in economic and political conditions, regulations, market practices (including higher transaction costs), accounting standards and other factors. Foreign investments are also subject to a decline in the value of a foreign currency versus the U.S. dollar, which reduces the dollar value of securities denominated in that currency.

Foreign taxes. The fund may be subject to withholding tax on income and/or capital gains or repatriation taxes imposed by certain countries in which the fund invests. Taxes are accrued based upon investment income, realized gains or unrealized appreciation.

Overdrafts. Pursuant to the custodian agreement, the fund's custodian may, in its discretion, advance funds to the fund to make properly authorized payments. When such payments result in an overdraft, the fund is obligated to repay the custodian for any overdraft, including any costs or expenses associated with the overdraft. The custodian may have a lien, security interest or security entitlement in any fund property that is not otherwise segregated or pledged, to the maximum extent permitted by law, to the extent of any overdraft.

Expenses. Within the John Hancock group of funds complex, expenses that are directly attributable to an individual fund are allocated to such fund. Expenses that are not readily attributable to a specific fund are allocated among all funds in an equitable manner, taking into consideration, among other things, the nature and type of expense and the fund's relative net assets. Expense estimates are accrued in the period to which they relate and adjustments are made when actual amounts are known.

Federal income taxes. The fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company by complying with the applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and will not be subject to federal income tax on taxable income that is distributed to shareholders. Therefore, no federal income tax provision is required.

As of December 31, 2014, the fund had no uncertain tax positions that would require financial statement recognition, derecognition or disclosure. The fund's federal tax returns are subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service for a period of three years.

Managed distribution plan. The fund has adopted a managed distribution plan (Plan). Under the current Plan, the fund makes quarterly distributions of an amount equal to $0.376 per share, which will be paid quarterly until further notice. This fixed amount was based upon an annualized distribution rate of 8.00% of the fund's net asset value of $18.80 on August 31, 2013 at the time the Plan was last amended.

Distributions under the Plan may consist of net investment income, net realized capital gains and, to the extent necessary, return of capital. Return of capital distributions may be necessary when the fund's net investment income and net capital gains are insufficient to meet the minimum percentage dividend. In addition, the fund may also make additional distributions for purposes of not incurring federal income and excise taxes.

The Board of Trustees may terminate or reduce the amount paid under the Plan at any time. The termination or reduction may have an adverse effect on the market price of the fund's shares.

Distribution of income and gains. Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and net realized gains, if any, are recorded on the ex-date. The fund generally declares and pays dividends quarterly pursuant to the Distribution Plan described above.

32



Such distributions, on a tax basis, are determined in conformity with income tax regulations, which may differ from US GAAP. Distributions in excess of tax basis earnings and profits, if any, are reported in the fund's financial statements as a return of capital. The final determination of tax characteristics of the fund's distribution will occur at the end of the fiscal year and will subsequently be reported to shareholders.

Capital accounts within the financial statements are adjusted for permanent book-tax differences. These adjustments have no impact on net assets or the results of operations. Temporary book-tax differences, if any, will reverse in a subsequent period. Book-tax differences are primarily attributable to foreign currency transactions, passive foreign investment companies, wash sale loss deferrals and derivative transactions.

Note 3 — Derivative instruments

The fund may invest in derivatives in order to meet its investment objectives. Derivatives include a variety of different instruments that may be traded in the OTC market, on a regulated exchange or through a clearing facility. The risks in using derivatives vary depending upon the structure of the instruments, including the use of leverage, optionality, the liquidity or lack of liquidity of the contract, the creditworthiness of the counterparty or clearing organization and the volatility of the position. Some derivatives involve risks that are potentially greater than the risks associated with investing directly in the referenced securities or other referenced underlying instrument. Specifically, the fund is exposed to the risk that the counterparty to an OTC derivatives contract will be unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments or otherwise honor its obligations. OTC derivatives transactions typically can only be closed out with the other party to the transaction.

Forward foreign currency contracts are typically traded through the OTC market. Certain forwards are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the CFTC) as swaps. Derivative counterparty risk is managed through an ongoing evaluation of the creditworthiness of all potential counterparties and, if applicable, designated clearing organizations. The fund attempts to reduce its exposure to counterparty risk for derivatives traded in the OTC market, whenever possible, by entering into an International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) Master Agreement with each of its OTC counterparties. The ISDA gives each party to the agreement the right to terminate all transactions traded under the agreement if there is certain deterioration in the credit quality or contractual default of the other party, as defined in the ISDA. Upon an event of default or a termination of the ISDA, the non-defaulting party has the right to close out all transactions and to net amounts owed.

Futures and certain options are traded or cleared on an exchange or central clearinghouse. Exchange-traded or cleared transactions generally present less counterparty risk to a fund than OTC transactions. The exchange or clearinghouse stands between the fund and the broker to the contract and therefore, credit risk is generally limited to the failure of the exchange or clearinghouse and the clearing member.

Margin requirements for exchange-traded derivatives are set by the broker or applicable clearinghouse. Margin for exchange-traded transactions are detailed in the Statement of assets and liabilities as Cash held at broker for futures contracts. Securities pledged by the fund for exchange-traded and cleared transactions, if any, are identified in the Fund's investments.

Futures. A futures contract is a contractual agreement to buy or sell a particular currency or financial instrument at a pre-determined price in the future. Risks related to the use of futures contracts include possible illiquidity of the futures markets, contract prices that can be highly volatile and imperfectly correlated to movements in the underlying financial instrument and potential losses in excess of the amounts recognized on the Statement of assets and liabilities. Use of long futures contracts subjects the fund to the risk of loss up to the notional value of the futures contracts. Use of short futures contracts subjects the fund to unlimited risk of loss.

Upon entering into a futures contract, the fund is required to deposit initial margin with the broker in the form of cash or securities. The amount of required margin is generally based on a percentage of the contract value; this amount is the initial margin for the trade. The margin deposit must then be maintained at the established level over the life of the contract. Futures margin receivable / payable is included on the Statement of assets and liabilities. Futures contracts are marked-to-market daily and an appropriate payable or receivable for the change in value (variation margin) and unrealized gain or loss is

33



recorded by the fund. When the contract is closed, the fund records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed.

During the six months ended June 30, 2015, the fund used futures contracts to manage against anticipated changes in securities markets. During the six months ended June 30, 2015, the fund held futures contracts with total notional values ranging from approximately $25.7 million to $42.5 million, as measured at each quarter end. The following table summarizes the contracts held at June 30, 2015:

                                         
  Open contracts     Number of
contracts
    Position     Expiration
date
    Notional
basis
    Notional
value
    Unrealized
appreciation
(depreciation)
 
  Mini MSCI EAFE Index Futures     130     Short     Sep 2015     ($12,135,001 )   ($11,921,000 )   $214,001  
  S&P 500 Index E-Mini Futures     230     Short     Sep 2015     (23,914,808 )   (23,625,600 )   289,208  
                                      $503,209  

Notional basis refers to the contractual amount agreed upon at inception of open contracts; notional value represents the current value of the open contract.

Forward foreign currency contracts. A forward foreign currency contract is an agreement between two parties to buy and sell specific currencies at a price that is set on the date of the contract. The forward contract calls for delivery of the currencies on a future date that is specified in the contract. Risks related to the use of forwards include the possible failure of counterparties to meet the terms of the forward agreement, the failure of the counterparties to timely post collateral if applicable, the risk that currency movements will not favor the fund thereby reducing the fund's total return, and the potential for losses in excess of the amounts recognized on the Statement of assets and liabilities.

The market value of a forward foreign currency contract fluctuates with changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Forward foreign currency contracts are marked-to-market daily and the change in value is recorded by the fund as an unrealized gain or loss. Realized gains or losses, equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the value at the time it was closed, are recorded upon delivery or receipt of the currency or settlement with the counterparty.

During the six months ended June 30, 2015, the fund used forward foreign currency contracts to manage against anticipated changes in currency exchange rates. During the six months ended June 30, 2015, the fund held forward foreign currency contracts with U.S. dollar notional values ranging from approximately $3.6 million to $5.4 million, as measured at each quarter end. The following table summarizes the contracts held at June 30, 2015:

                                                                 
  Contract to Buy           Contract to Sell           Counterparty     Contractual
settlement
date
    Unrealized
appreciation
    Unrealized
depreciation
    Net unrealized
appreciation/
(depreciation)
 
  CAD     200,000           USD     161,580           Bank of Montreal     7/31/2015         ($1,512 )   ($1,512 )
  EUR     115,000           USD     128,184           Barclays Bank PLC Wholesale     7/31/2015     $72         72  
  GBP     648,000           USD     1,018,449           HSBC Bank USA     7/31/2015         (479 )   (479 )
  USD     351,041           EUR     313,000           Citibank N.A.     7/31/2015     1,962         1,962  
  USD     111,579           EUR     100,000           Morgan Stanley and Company
International PLC
    7/31/2015     52         52  
  USD     145,852           EUR     130,000           Toronto Dominion Bank     7/31/2015     868         868  
  USD     3,362,330           EUR     3,030,000           Citibank N.A.     9/16/2015         (19,249 )   (19,249 )
  USD     47,170           GBP     30,000           Bank of Montreal     7/31/2015     42         42  
                                                  $2,996     ($21,240 )   ($18,244 )

       
Currency abbreviation
CAD Canadian Dollar GBP Pound sterling
EUR Euro USD U.S. Dollar

34



Options. There are two types of options, put options and call options. Options are traded either OTC or on an exchange. A call option gives the purchaser of the option the right to buy (and the seller the obligation to sell) the underlying instrument at the exercise price. A put option gives the purchaser of the option the right to sell (and the writer the obligation to buy) the underlying instrument at the exercise price. Writing puts and buying calls may increase the fund's exposure to changes in the value of the underlying instrument. Buying puts and writing calls may decrease the fund's exposure to such changes. Risks related to the use of options include the loss of premiums, possible illiquidity of the options markets, trading restrictions imposed by an exchange and movements in underlying security values, and for written options, potential losses in excess of the amounts recognized on the Statement of assets and liabilities. In addition, OTC options are subject to the risks of all OTC derivatives contracts.

When the fund writes an option, the premium received is included as a liability and subsequently "marked-to-market" to reflect the current market value of the option written. Premiums received from writing options that expire unexercised are recorded as realized gains. Premiums received from writing options which are exercised or are closed are added to or offset against the proceeds or amount paid on the transaction to determine the realized gain or loss. If a put option on a security is exercised, the premium received reduces the cost basis of the securities purchased by the fund.

During the six months ended June 30, 2015, the fund wrote option contracts to manage against anticipated changes in securities markets and generate income. The following table summarizes the fund's written options activities during the six months ended June 30, 2015:

                       
        Number of contracts     Premiums received (paid)  
  Outstanding, beginning of period     155     $162,980  
        Optons written     1,895     2,076,730  
        Options closed     (2,050 )   (2,239,710 )
        Options exercised          
        Options expired          
  Outstanding, end of period          

Fair value of derivative instruments by risk category

The table below summarizes the fair value of derivatives held by the fund at June 30, 2015 by risk category:

                             
  Risk     Statement of assets and
liabilities location
    Financial
instruments location
    Asset derivatives
fair value
    Liabilities derivatives
fair value
 
  Equity     Receivable/payable for
futures
    Futures     $503,209      
  Foreign exchange     Receivable/payable for
forward foreign currency
exchange contracts
    Forward foreign
currency contracts
    2,996     ($21,240 )
                    $506,205     ($21,240 )

Reflects cumulative appreciation/depreciation on futures as disclosed in Note 3. Only the period end variation margin is separately disclosed on the Statement of assets and liabilities.

35



Effect of derivative instruments on the Statement of operations

The table below summarizes the net realized gain (loss) included in the net increase (decrease) in net assets from operations, classified by derivative instrument and risk category, for the six months ended June 30, 2015:

                                   
  Risk     Statement of
operations location
    Futures
contracts
    Investments and
foreign currency
transactions*
    Written
options
    Total  
  Equity     Net realized gain (loss)     ($2,435,542 )       $1,068,253     ($1,367,289 )
  Forward foreign
currency
    Net realized gain (loss)         $199,221         199,221  
  Total           ($2,435,542 )   $199,221     $1,068,253     $1,168,068  

* Realized gain/loss associated with forward foreign currency contracts is included in this caption on the Statement of operations.

The table below summarizes the net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) included in the net increase (decrease) in net assets from operations, classified by derivative instrument and risk category, for the six months ended June 30, 2015:

                                   
  Risk     Statement of
operations location
    Futures
contracts
    Investments and
translation of assets
and liabilities in
foreign currencies*
    Written
options
    Total  
  Equity     Change in unrealized
appreciation (depreciation)
    $1,244,806         ($94,005 )   $1,150,801  
  Forward foreign
currency
    Change in unrealized
appreciation (depreciation)
        ($4,143 )       (4,143 )
  Total           $1,244,806     ($4,143 )   ($94,005 )   $1,146,658  

* Change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation associated with forward foreign currency contracts is included in this caption on the Statement of operations.

Note 4 — Guarantees and indemnifications

Under the fund's organizational documents, its Officers and Trustees are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their duties to the fund. Additionally, in the normal course of business, the fund enters into contracts with service providers that contain general indemnification clauses. The fund's maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the fund that have not yet occurred. The risk of material loss from such claims is considered remote.

Note 5 — Fees and transactions with affiliates

John Hancock Advisers, LLC (the Advisor) serves as investment advisor for the fund. The Advisor is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Manulife Financial Corporation (MFC).

Management fee. The fund has an investment management agreement with the Advisor under which the fund pays a daily management fee to the Advisor, on an annual basis equal to 1.00% of the fund's average daily gross assets. The Advisor has a subadvisory agreement with Wellington Management Company LLP. The fund is not responsible for payment of the subadvisory fees.

The Advisor has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse expenses for certain funds of the John Hancock group of funds complex, including the fund (the participating portfolios). This waiver is based upon aggregate net assets of all the participating portfolios. The amount of the reimbursement is calculated daily and allocated among all the participating portfolios in proportion to the daily net assets of each fund. During the six months ended June 30, 2015, this waiver amounted to 0.01% of the fund's average net assets on an annualized basis. This arrangement may be amended or terminated at any time by the Advisor upon notice to the fund and with the approval of the Board of Trustees.

The expense reductions described above amounted to $9,608 for the six months ended June 30, 2015.

36



The investment management fees, including the impact of the waivers and reimbursements as described above, incurred for the six months ended June 30, 2015 were equivalent to a net annual effective rate of 0.99% of the fund's average daily gross assets.

Accounting and legal services. Pursuant to a service agreement, the fund reimburses the Advisor for all expenses associated with providing the administrative, financial, legal, accounting and recordkeeping services to the fund, including the preparation of all tax returns, periodic reports to shareholders and regulatory reports, among other services. These accounting and legal services fees incurred for the six months ended June 30, 2015 amounted to an annual rate of 0.02% of the fund's average daily net assets.

Trustee expenses. The fund compensates each Trustee who is not an employee of the Advisor or its affiliates. Each independent Trustee receives from the fund and the other John Hancock closed-end funds an annual retainer. In addition, Trustee out-of-pocket expenses are allocated to each fund based on its net assets relative to other funds within the John Hancock group of funds complex.

Note 6 — Fund share transactions

On December 6, 2011, the Board of Trustees approved a share repurchase plan, which has been subsequently renewed and approved by the Board of Trustees each year in December. Under the current share repurchase plan, the fund may purchase in the open market, between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015, up to an additional 10% of its outstanding common shares (based on common shares outstanding as of December 31, 2014). During the six months ended June 30, 2015 and the year ended December 31, 2014, the fund repurchased 2.60% and 0.69% of shares outstanding, respectively. The weighted average discount per share on the repurchases amounted to 10.90% and 10.69% for the six months ended June 30, 2015 and the year ended December 31, 2014, respectively. Shares repurchased and corresponding dollar amounts are included in the Statements of changes in net assets. The antidilutive impact of these share repurchases is included on the Financial highlights.

Note 7 — Purchase and sale of securities

Purchases and sales of securities, other than short-term investments, amounted to $38,576,253 and $52,591,341, respectively, for the six months ended June 30, 2015.

Note 8 — Direct placement securities

The fund may hold private placement securities which are restricted as to resale and the fund has limited rights to registration under the Securities Act of 1933. The following table summarizes the direct placement securities held at June 30, 2015:

             
Issuer, description Acquisition
date
Acquisition
cost
Beginning
share amount
Ending
share amount
Value as a
percentage of
fund's net assets
Value as of
6-30-15
Allstar Co-Invest LLC 8-1-11 $240,553 236,300 236,300 0.11% $255,204
Dropbox, Inc. 5-1-12 $65,608 7,248 7,248 0.05% $128,942
    $306,161       $384,146

37



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION


Unaudited

Investment objective and policy

The fund is a closed-end, diversified management investment company, common shares of which were initially offered to the public on May 26, 2011 and are publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the NYSE). The fund's investment objective is to provide total return with a focus on current income and gains and also consisting of long-term capital appreciation. The fund uses an equity strategy, as well as futures and call writing, to pursue its investment objective.

Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets (assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in equity and equity-related securities, including common stock, preferred stock, depositary receipts (including American Depositary Receipts and Global Depositary Receipts), index-related securities (including exchange-traded funds), options on equity securities and equity indexes, real estate investment structures (including real estate investment trusts), convertible securities, private placements, convertible preferred stock, rights, warrants, derivatives linked to equity securities or indexes and other similar equity equivalents. The fund may invest in listed and unlisted domestic and foreign equity and equity-related securities or instruments. These equity and equity-related instruments may include equity securities of, or derivatives linked to, foreign issuers and indexes (including emerging market issuers or indexes).

Dividends and distributions

During the six months ended June 30, 2015, distributions from net investment income totaling $0.7520 per share were paid to shareholders. The dates of payments and the amounts per share were as follows:

   
Payment date Distributions*
March 31, 2015 $0.3760
June 30, 2015 0.3760
Total $0.7520

* A portion of the distributions may be deemed a tax return of capital or capital gain distribution at year end.

38



CONTINUATION OF INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND SUBADVISORY AGREEMENTS


Evaluation of Advisory and Subadvisory Agreements by the Board of Trustees

This section describes the evaluation by the Board of Trustees (the Board) of John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund (the fund) of the Advisory Agreement (the Advisory Agreement) with John Hancock Advisers, LLC (the Advisor) and the Subadvisory Agreement (the Subadvisory Agreement) with Wellington Management Company LLP (the Subadvisor). The Advisory Agreement and Subadvisory Agreement are collectively referred to as the Agreements. Prior to the June 23-25, 2015 meeting at which the Agreements were approved, the Board also discussed and considered information regarding the proposed continuation of the Agreements at an in-person meeting held on May 21-22, 2015.

Approval of Advisory and Subadvisory Agreements

At in-person meetings held on June 23-25, 2015, the Board, including the Trustees who are not considered to be interested persons of the fund under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act) (the Independent Trustees), reapproved for an annual period the continuation of the Advisory Agreement between the fund and the Advisor and the Subadvisory Agreement between the Advisor and the Subadvisor with respect to the fund.

In considering the Advisory Agreement and the Subadvisory Agreement, the Board received in advance of the meetings a variety of materials relating to the fund, the Advisor and the Subadvisor, including comparative performance, fee and expense information for a peer group of similar funds prepared by an independent third-party provider of fund data, performance information for an applicable benchmark index; and other pertinent information, such as the market premium and discount information, and, with respect to the Subadvisor, comparative performance information for comparably managed accounts, as applicable, and other information provided by the Advisor and the Subadvisor regarding the nature, extent and quality of services provided by the Advisor and the Subadvisor under their respective Agreements, as well as information regarding the Advisor's revenues and costs of providing services to the fund and any compensation paid to affiliates of the Advisor. At the meetings at which the renewal of the Advisory Agreement and Subadvisory Agreement are considered, particular focus is given to information concerning fund performance, comparability of fees and total expenses, and profitability. However, the Board notes that the evaluation process with respect to the Advisor and the Subadvisor is an ongoing one. In this regard, the Board also took into account discussions with management and information provided to the Board at prior meetings with respect to the services provided by the Advisor and the Subadvisor to the fund, including quarterly performance reports prepared by management containing reviews of investment results and prior presentations from the Subadvisor with respect to the fund. The Board also considered the nature, quality, and extent of non-advisory services, if any, to be provided to the fund by the Advisor's affiliates.

Throughout the process, the Board asked questions of and requested additional information from management. The Board is assisted by counsel for the fund and the Independent Trustees are also separately assisted by independent legal counsel throughout the process. The Independent Trustees also received a memorandum from their independent legal counsel discussing the legal standards for their consideration of the proposed continuation of the Agreements and discussed the proposed continuation of the Agreements in private sessions with their independent legal counsel at which no representatives of management were present.

Approval of Advisory Agreement

In approving the Advisory Agreement with respect to the fund, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, considered a variety of factors, including those discussed below. The Board also considered other factors (including conditions and trends prevailing generally in the economy, the securities markets, and the industry) and does not treat any single factor as determinative, and each Trustee may attribute different weights to different factors. The Board's conclusions may be based in part on its consideration of the advisory and subadvisory arrangements in prior years and on the Board's ongoing regular review of fund performance and operations throughout the year.

39



Nature, extent, and quality of services. Among the information received by the Board from the Advisor relating to the nature, extent, and quality of services provided to the fund, the Board reviewed information provided by the Advisor relating to its operations and personnel, descriptions of its organizational and management structure, and information regarding the Advisor's compliance and regulatory history, including its Form ADV. The Board also noted that on a regular basis it receives and reviews information from the fund's Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) regarding the fund's compliance policies and procedures established pursuant to Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act. The Board also considered the Advisor's risk management processes. The Board considered that the Advisor is responsible for the management of the day-to-day operations of the fund, including, but not limited to, general supervision of and coordination of the services provided by the Subadvisor, and is also responsible for monitoring and reviewing the activities of the Subadvisor and other third-party service providers.

The Board also considered the differences between the Advisor's services to the fund and the services it provides to other clients that are not closed-end funds, including, for example, the differences in services related to the regulatory and legal obligations of closed-end funds.

In considering the nature, extent, and quality of the services provided by the Advisor, the Trustees also took into account their knowledge of the Advisor's management and the quality of the performance of the Advisor's duties, through Board meetings, discussions and reports during the preceding year and through each Trustee's experience as a Trustee of the fund and of the other funds in the John Hancock group of funds complex (the John Hancock Fund Complex).

In the course of their deliberations regarding the Advisory Agreement, the Board considered, among other things:

     
  (a) the skills and competency with which the Advisor has in the past managed the fund's affairs and its subadvisory relationships, the Advisor's oversight and monitoring of the Subadvisor's investment performance and compliance programs, such as the Subadvisor's compliance with fund policies and objectives, review of brokerage matters, including with respect to trade allocation and best execution and the Advisor's timeliness in responding to performance issues;
  (b) the background, qualifications and skills of the Advisor's personnel;
  (c) the Advisor's compliance policies and procedures and its responsiveness to regulatory changes and fund industry developments;
  (d) the Advisor's administrative capabilities, including its ability to supervise the other service providers for the fund;
  (e) the financial condition of the Advisor and whether it has the financial wherewithal to provide a high level and quality of services to the fund; and
  (f) the Advisor's reputation and experience in serving as an investment advisor to the fund and the benefit to shareholders of investing in funds that are part of a family of funds offering a variety of investments.

The Board concluded that the Advisor may reasonably be expected to continue to provide a high quality of services under the Advisory Agreement with respect to the fund.

Investment performance. In considering the fund's performance, the Board noted that it reviews at its regularly scheduled meetings information about the fund's performance results. In connection with the consideration of the Advisory Agreement, the Board:

                 
        (a)     reviewed information prepared by management regarding the fund's performance;  
        (b)     considered the comparative performance of an applicable benchmark index;  
        (c)     considered the performance of comparable funds, if any, as included in the report prepared by an independent third-party provider of fund data;  
        (d)     took into account the Advisor's analysis of the fund's performance; and  

40



                 
        (e)     considered the fund's share performance and premium/discount information.  

The Board noted that, based on its net asset value, the fund underperformed its benchmark index and outperformed its peer group average for the one- and three-year periods ended December 31, 2014. The Board took into account management's discussion of the fund's performance, including the fund's favorable performance relative to the peer group for the one- and three-year periods. The Board also concluded that the fund's performance is being monitored and reasonably addressed, where appropriate.

Fees and expenses. The Board reviewed comparative information prepared by an independent third-party provider of fund data, including, among other data, the fund's contractual and net management fees (and subadvisory fees, to the extent available) and total expenses as compared to similarly situated investment companies deemed to be comparable to the fund. The Board considered the fund's ranking within a smaller group of peer funds chosen by the independent third-party provider, as well as the fund's ranking within a broader group of funds. In comparing the fund's contractual and net management fees to those of comparable funds, the Board noted that such fees include both advisory and administrative costs.

The Board noted that net management fees and total expenses for the fund are higher than the peer group median. The Board took into account management's discussion of the fund's expenses. The Board also took into account management's discussion with respect to the advisory/subadvisory fee structure, including the amount of the advisory fee retained by the Advisor after payment of the subadvisory fees. The Board also noted that the Advisor pays the subadvisory fees. In addition, the Board took into account that management had agreed to implement an overall fee waiver across the complex, including the fund, which is discussed further below. The Board reviewed information provided by the Advisor concerning the investment advisory fee charged by the Advisor or one of its advisory affiliates to other clients (including other funds in the John Hancock Fund Complex) having similar investment mandates, if any. The Board considered any differences between the Advisor's and Subadvisor's services to the fund and the services they provide to other comparable clients or funds. The Board concluded that the advisory fee paid with respect to the fund is reasonable.

Profitability/indirect benefits. In considering the costs of the services to be provided and the profits to be realized by the Advisor and its affiliates from the Advisor's relationship with the fund, the Board:

     
  (a) reviewed financial information of the Advisor;
  (b) reviewed and considered information presented by the Advisor regarding the net profitability to the Advisor and its affiliates with respect to the fund;
  (c) received and reviewed profitability information with respect to the John Hancock Fund Complex as a whole;
  (d) received information with respect to the Advisor's allocation methodologies used in preparing the profitability data;
  (e) considered that the Advisor also provides administrative services to the fund on a cost basis pursuant to an administrative services agreement;
  (f) noted that the Advisor also derives reputational and other indirect benefits from providing advisory services to the fund;
  (g) noted that the subadvisory fees for the fund are paid by the Advisor, and are negotiated at arm's length; and
  (h) considered that the Advisor should be entitled to earn a reasonable level of profits in exchange for the level of services it provides to the fund and the entrepreneurial risk that it assumes as Advisor.

Based upon its review, the Board concluded that the level of profitability, if any, of the Advisor and its affiliates from their relationship with the fund was reasonable and not excessive.

Economies of scale. In considering the extent to which the fund may realize any economies of scale and whether fee levels reflect these economies of scale for the benefit of the fund shareholders, the Board noted that the fund has a limited ability to

41



increase its assets as a closed-end fund. The Board took into account management's discussions of the current advisory fee structure, and, as noted above, the services the Advisor provides in performing its functions under the Advisory Agreement and in supervising the Subadvisor.

The Board also considered potential economies of scale that may be realized by the fund as part of the John Hancock Fund Complex. Among them, the Board noted that the Advisor has contractually agreed to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse expenses for certain funds of the John Hancock Fund Complex, including the fund (the participating portfolios). This waiver is based upon aggregate net assets of all the participating portfolios. The amount of the reimbursement is calculated daily and allocated among all the participating portfolios in proportion to the daily net assets of each fund. The Board also considered the Advisor's overall operations and its ongoing investment in its business in order to expand the scale of, and improve the quality of, its operations that benefit the fund. The Board determined that the management fee structure for the fund was reasonable.

Approval of Subadvisory Agreement

In making its determination with respect to approval of the Subadvisory Agreement, the Board reviewed:

     
  (1) information relating to the Subadvisor's business, including current subadvisory services to the fund (and other funds in the John Hancock Fund Complex);
  (2) the historical and current performance of the fund and comparative performance information relating to an applicable benchmark index and comparable funds;
  (3) the subadvisory fee for the fund and to the extent available, comparable fee information prepared by an independent third party of fund data; and
  (4) information relating to the nature and scope of any material relationships and their significance to the fund's Advisor and the Subadvisor.

Nature, extent, and quality of services. With respect to the services provided by the Subadvisor, the Board received information provided to the Board by the Subadvisor, including the Subadvisor's Form ADV, as well as took into account information presented throughout the past year. The Board considered the Subadvisor's current level of staffing and its overall resources, as well as received information relating to the Subadvisor's compensation program. The Board reviewed the Subadvisor's history and investment experience, as well as information regarding the qualifications, background, and responsibilities of the Subadvisor's investment and compliance personnel who provide services to the fund. The Board also considered, among other things, the Subadvisor's compliance program and any disciplinary history. The Board also considered the Subadvisor's risk assessment and monitoring process. The Board reviewed the Subadvisor's regulatory history, including whether it was involved in any regulatory actions or investigations as well as material litigation, and any settlements and amelioratory actions undertaken, as appropriate. The Board noted that the Advisor conducts regular, periodic reviews of the Subadvisor and its operations, including regarding investment processes and organizational and staffing matters. The Board also noted that the fund's CCO and his staff conduct regular, periodic compliance reviews with the Subadvisor and present reports to the Independent Trustees regarding the same, which includes evaluating the regulatory compliance systems of the Subadvisor and procedures reasonably designed to assure compliance with the federal securities laws. The Board also took into account the financial condition of the Subadvisor.

The Board considered the Subadvisor's investment process and philosophy. The Board took into account that the Subadvisor's responsibilities include the development and maintenance of an investment program for the fund that is consistent with the fund's investment objective, the selection of investment securities and the placement of orders for the purchase and sale of such securities, as well as the implementation of compliance controls related to performance of these services. The Board also received information with respect to the Subadvisor's brokerage policies and practices, including with respect to best execution and soft dollars.

42



Subadvisor compensation. In considering the cost of services to be provided by the Subadvisor and the profitability to the Subadvisor of its relationship with the fund, the Board noted that the fees under the Subadvisory Agreement are paid by the Advisor and not the fund. The Board also relied on the ability of the Advisor to negotiate the Subadvisory Agreement and the fees thereunder at arm's length. As a result, the costs of the services to be provided and the profits to be realized by the Subadvisor from its relationship with the fund were not a material factor in the Board's consideration of the Subadvisory Agreement.

The Board also received information regarding the nature and scope (including their significance to the Advisor and its affiliates and to the Subadvisor) of any material relationships with respect to the Subadvisor, which include arrangements in which the Subadvisor or its affiliates provide advisory, distribution, or management services in connection with financial products sponsored by the Advisor or its affiliates, and may include other registered investment companies, a 529 education savings plan, managed separate accounts and exempt group annuity contracts sold to qualified plans. The Board also received information and took into account any other potential conflicts of interest the Advisor might have in connection with the Subadvisory Agreement.

In addition, the Board considered other potential indirect benefits that the Subadvisor and its affiliates may receive from the Subadvisor's relationship with the fund, such as the opportunity to provide advisory services to additional funds in the John Hancock Fund Complex and reputational benefits.

Subadvisory fees. The Board considered that the fund pays an advisory fee to the Advisor and that, in turn, the Advisor pays subadvisory fees to the Subadvisor. As noted above, the Board also considered the fund's subadvisory fee as compared to similarly situated investment companies deemed to be comparable to the fund as included in the report prepared by the independent third party provider of fund data, to the extent available. The Board noted that the limited size of Lipper peer group was not sufficient for comparative purposes. The Board also took into account the subadvisory fee paid by the Advisor to the Subadvisor with respect to the fund and compared them to fees charged by the Subadvisor to manage other subadvised portfolios and portfolios not subject to regulation under the 1940 Act, as applicable.

Subadvisor performance. As noted above, the Board considered the fund's performance as compared to the fund's peer group and the benchmark index and noted that the Board reviews information about the fund's performance results at its regularly scheduled meetings. The Board noted the Advisor's expertise and resources in monitoring the performance, investment style and risk-adjusted performance of the Subadvisor. The Board was mindful of the Advisor's focus on the Subadvisor's performance. The Board also noted the Subadvisor's long-term performance record for similar accounts, as applicable.

The Board's decision to approve the Subadvisory Agreement was based on a number of determinations, including the following:

     
  (1) the Subadvisor has extensive experience and demonstrated skills as a manager;
  (2) the fund's performance is being monitored and reasonably addressed, where appropriate; and
  (3) the subadvisory fees are reasonable in relation to the level and quality of services being provided.
* * *

Based on the Board's evaluation of all factors that the Board deemed to be material, including those factors described above, the Board, including the Independent Trustees, concluded that renewal of the Advisory Agreement and the Subadvisory Agreement would be in the best interest of the fund and its shareholders. Accordingly, the Board, and the Independent Trustees voting separately, approved the Advisory Agreement and Subadvisory Agreement for an additional one-year period.

43



Shareholder meeting


The fund held its Annual Meeting of Shareholders on January 26, 2015. The following proposal was considered by the shareholders:

Proposal: Election of four (4) Trustees to serve for a three-year term ending at the 2018 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Each Trustee was re-elected by the fund's shareholders and the votes cast with respect to each Trustee are set forth below.

     
  Total votes
for the nominee
Total votes withheld
from the nominee
Independent Trustees    
Charles L. Bardelis 10,291,316 119,517
Peter S. Burgess 10,295,046 115,787
Theron S. Hoffman 10,297,183 113,650
Non-Independent Trustee    
Warren A. Thomson 10,294,783 116,050

Trustees whose term of office continued after the Annual Meeting of Shareholders because they were not up for election are: James R. Boyle, Craig Bromley, William H. Cunningham, Grace K. Fey, Deborah C. Jackson, Hassell H. McClellan, James M. Oates, Steven R. Pruchansky and Gregory A. Russo. The Board appointed Mr. Boyle to serve as a Non-Independent Trustee on March 10, 2015.

44



More information

   

Trustees

James M. Oates, Chairperson
Steven R. Pruchansky, Vice Chairperson
Charles L. Bardelis*
James R. Boyle†#
Craig Bromley†
Peter S. Burgess*
William H. Cunningham
Grace K. Fey
Theron S. Hoffman*
Deborah C. Jackson
Hassell H. McClellan
Gregory A. Russo
Warren A. Thomson†

Officers

Andrew G. Arnott
President

John J. Danello
Senior Vice President, Secretary,
and Chief Legal Officer

Francis V. Knox, Jr.
Chief Compliance Officer

Charles A. Rizzo
Chief Financial Officer

Salvatore Schiavone
Treasurer

Investment advisor

John Hancock Advisers, LLC

Subadvisor

Wellington Management Company LLP

Custodian

State Street Bank and Trust Company

Transfer agent

Computershare Shareowner Services, LLC

Legal counsel

K&L Gates LLP

Stock symbol

Listed New York Stock Exchange: HEQ

*Member of the Audit Committee
†Non-Independent Trustee
#Effective 3-10-15

       
  You can also contact us:
    800-852-0218
jhinvestments.com

Regular mail:

Computershare
P.O. Box 30170
College Station, TX 77842-3170

The fund's proxy voting policies and procedures, as well as the fund's proxy voting record for the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30, are available free of charge on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) website at sec.gov or on our website.

The fund's complete list of portfolio holdings, for the first and third fiscal quarters, is filed with the SEC on Form N-Q. The fund's Form N-Q is available on our website and the SEC's website, sec.gov, and can be reviewed and copied (for a fee) at the SEC's Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. Call 800-SEC-0330 to receive information on the operation of the SEC's Public Reference Room.

We make this information on your fund, as well as monthly portfolio holdings, and other fund details available on our website at jhinvestments.com or by calling 800-852-0218.



The report is certified under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which requires closed-end funds and other public companies to affirm that, to the best of their knowledge, the information in their financial reports is fairly and accurately stated in all material respects.

45



Family of funds

     

DOMESTIC EQUITY FUNDS



Balanced

Blue Chip Growth

Classic Value

Disciplined Value

Disciplined Value Mid Cap

Equity Income

Fundamental All Cap Core

Fundamental Large Cap Core

Fundamental Large Cap Value

Large Cap Equity

New Opportunities

Select Growth

Small Cap Equity

Small Cap Value

Small Company

Strategic Growth

U.S. Equity

U.S. Global Leaders Growth

Value Equity

GLOBAL AND INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUNDS



Disciplined Value International

Emerging Markets

Emerging Markets Equity

Global Equity

Global Shareholder Yield

Greater China Opportunities

International Core

International Growth

International Small Company

International Value Equity

INCOME FUNDS



Bond

California Tax-Free Income

Core High Yield

Emerging Markets Debt

Floating Rate Income

Focused High Yield

Global Income

Government Income

High Yield Municipal Bond

Income

 

INCOME FUNDS (continued)



Investment Grade Bond

Money Market

Short Duration Credit Opportunities

Spectrum Income

Strategic Income Opportunities

Tax-Free Bond

ALTERNATIVE AND SPECIALTY FUNDS



Absolute Return Currency

Alternative Asset Allocation

Enduring Equity

Financial Industries

Global Absolute Return Strategies

Global Conservative Absolute Return

Natural Resources

Redwood

Regional Bank

Seaport

Technical Opportunities

ASSET ALLOCATION



Income Allocation Fund

Lifestyle Aggressive Portfolio

Lifestyle Balanced Portfolio

Lifestyle Conservative Portfolio

Lifestyle Growth Portfolio

Lifestyle Moderate Portfolio

Retirement Choices Portfolios (2010-2055)

Retirement Living Portfolios (2010-2055)

Retirement Living II Portfolios (2010-2055)

CLOSED-END FUNDS



Financial Opportunities

Hedged Equity & Income

Income Securities Trust

Investors Trust

Preferred Income

Preferred Income II

Preferred Income III

Premium Dividend

Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income

Tax-Advantaged Global Shareholder Yield

The fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses are included in the prospectus and should be considered carefully before investing. For a prospectus, contact your financial professional, call John Hancock Investments at 800-852-0218, or visit the fund's website at jhinvestments.com. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing or sending money.



John Hancock Investments

A trusted brand

John Hancock has helped individuals and institutions build and
protect wealth since 1862. Today, we are one of America's strongest
and most-recognized brands.

A better way to invest

As a manager of managers, we search the world to find proven
portfolio teams with specialized expertise for every fund we offer,
then apply vigorous investment oversight to ensure they continue
to meet our uncompromising standards.

Results for investors

Our unique approach to asset management has led to a diverse set
of investments deeply rooted in investor needs, along with strong
risk-adjusted returns across asset classes.

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John Hancock Advisers, LLC
601 Congress Street n Boston, MA 02210-2805
800-852-0218 n jhinvestments.com
  MF212225 P15SA 6/15
8/15


 

ITEM 2. CODE OF ETHICS.

 

Not applicable at this time.

 

ITEM 3. AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT.

 

Not applicable at this time.

 

ITEM 4. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.

 

Not applicable at this time.

 

ITEM 5. AUDIT COMMITTEE OF LISTED REGISTRANTS.

 

Not applicable at this time.

 

ITEM 6. SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS.

 

(a) Not applicable.

 

(b) Not applicable.

 

ITEM 7. DISCLOSURE OF PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 8. PORTFOLIO MANAGERS OF CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

 

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 9. PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS.

 

Period Total number of
shares purchased
Average price
per share
Total
number of
shares
purchased
as part of
publicly
announced
plans*
Maximum number of
shares that may yet be
purchased under the plans
Jan-15 - - - 1,363,751*
Feb-15 92,245 $16.67 92,245 1,271,506
Mar-15 - - 92,245 1,271,506
Apr-15 - - 92,245 1,271,506
May-15 80,700 16.79 172,945 1,190,806
Jun-15 181,719 16.42 354,664 1,009,087
Total 354,664 $16.57    
*On December 6, 2011, the Board of Trustees approved a share repurchase plan (the Repurchase Plan). Under the Repurchase Plan, the Fund was allowed to purchase, in the open market, up to 10% of its outstanding common shares between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015 (based on common shares outstanding as of December 31, 2014).

 


 

ITEM 10. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.

 

The registrant has adopted procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the registrant’s Board of Trustees. A copy of the procedures is filed as an exhibit to this Form N-CSR. See attached “John Hancock Funds – Nominating, Governance and Administration Committee Charter.”

 

ITEM 11. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

(a)       Based upon their evaluation of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures as conducted within 90 days of the filing date of this Form N-CSR, the registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that those disclosure controls and procedures provide reasonable assurance that the material information required to be disclosed by the registrant on this report is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission's rules and forms.

 

(b)       There were no changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal half-year (the registrant's second fiscal half-year in the case of an annual report) that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

 

ITEM 12. EXHIBITS.

 

(a) Separate certifications for the registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as required by Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, are attached.

 

(b) Separate certifications for the registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as required by 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, are attached. The certifications furnished pursuant to this paragraph are not deemed to be "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or otherwise subject to the liability of that section. Such certifications are not deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent that the Registrant specifically incorporates them by reference.

 

(c)(1) Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders is attached. See attached “John Hancock Funds – Nominating, Governance and Administration Committee Charter.”

 

(c)(2) Contact person at the registrant.

 

(c)(3) Registrant’s notices to shareholders pursuant to Registrant’s exemptive order granting an exemption from Section 19(b) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended and Rule 19b-1 thereunder regarding distributions made pursuant to the Registrant’s Managed Distribution Plan.

 


 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

 

John Hancock Hedged Equity & Income Fund

 

 

By:  /s/ Andrew Arnott
  Andrew Arnott
  President

 

 

Date: August 19, 2015

 

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

 

By:  /s/ Andrew Arnott
  Andrew Arnott
  President

 

 

Date: August 19, 2015

 

 

By:  /s/ Charles A. Rizzo
  Charles A. Rizzo
  Chief Financial Officer

 

 

Date: August 19, 2015