As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 21, 2017
Securities Act File No. 333-170122
Investment Company File No. 811-22487
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM N-1A
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER | ||||
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 | ☒ | |||
Pre-Effective Amendment No. | ☐ | |||
Post-Effective Amendment No. 397 | ☒ |
and/or
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER | ||||
THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940 | ☒ | |||
Amendment No. 399 | ☒ | |||
(Check appropriate box or boxes) |
DBX ETF TRUST
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
345 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10154
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
Registrants Telephone Number, including Area Code: (212) 250-5883
Freddi Klassen
DBX ETF Trust
345 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10154
(Name and Address of Agent for Service)
Copy to: Stuart Strauss, Esq.
Dechert LLP
1095 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10036
It is proposed that this filing will become effective: (check appropriate box)
☐ | immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b) |
☒ | on December 29, 2017 pursuant to paragraph (b) |
☐ | 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a) (1) |
☐ | on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) |
☐ | 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) |
☐ | on (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485 |
If appropriate, check the following box:
☐ | this post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment |
Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF | ||||
NYSE Arca, Inc.: DEEF | ||||
Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF | ||||
NYSE Arca, Inc.: DEMG | ||||
Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF | ||||
NYSE Arca, Inc.: DEUS | ||||
Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF | ||||
NYSE Arca, Inc.: DESC |
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. |
XTRACKERS FTSE DEVELOPED EX US COMPREHENSIVE FACTOR ETF | ||||
Investment Objective | 1 | |||
Fees and Expenses | 1 | |||
Principal Investment Strategies | 1 | |||
Main Risks | 2 | |||
Performance Information | 5 | |||
Management | 6 | |||
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares | 6 | |||
Tax Information | 6 | |||
Payment to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries | 6 | |||
XTRACKERS FTSE EMERGING COMPREHENSIVE FACTOR ETF | ||||
Investment Objective | 7 | |||
Fees and Expenses | 7 | |||
Principal Investment Strategies | 7 | |||
Main Risks | 8 | |||
Performance Information | 11 | |||
Management | 11 | |||
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares | 11 | |||
Tax Information | 12 | |||
Payment to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries | 12 | |||
XTRACKERS RUSSELL 1000 COMPREHENSIVE FACTOR ETF | ||||
Investment Objective | 13 | |||
Fees and Expenses | 13 | |||
Principal Investment Strategies | 13 | |||
Main Risks | 14 | |||
Performance Information | 16 | |||
Management | 17 | |||
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares | 17 | |||
Tax Information | 17 | |||
Payment to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries | 17 |
XTRACKERS RUSSELL 2000 COMPREHENSIVE FACTOR ETF | ||||
Investment Objective | 18 | |||
Fees and Expenses | 18 | |||
Principal Investment Strategies | 18 | |||
Main Risks | 19 | |||
Performance Information | 21 | |||
Management | 21 | |||
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares | 22 | |||
Tax Information | 22 | |||
Payment to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries | 22 | |||
FUND DETAILS | ||||
Additional Information About the Funds Investment Strategies, Underlying Indexes and Risks | 23 | |||
Further Discussion of Main Risks | 25 | |||
Portfolio Holdings Information | 36 | |||
Management | 36 | |||
Shareholder Information | 38 | |||
Dividends and Distributions | 40 | |||
Creations and Redemptions | 42 | |||
Distribution | 43 | |||
Fund Service Providers | 43 | |||
Index Providers and Licenses | 43 | |||
Disclaimers | 44 | |||
Premium/Discount Information | 44 | |||
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS | 45 |
YOUR INVESTMENT IN A FUND IS NOT A BANK DEPOSIT AND IS NOT INSURED OR GUARANTEED BY THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCY, ENTITY OR PERSON.
i
Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor Index (the Underlying Index).
These are the fees and expenses that you will pay when you buy and hold shares. You will also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management Fee | 0.35 | |||
Other Expenses | None | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.35 |
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods.
The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Funds operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
$36 | $113 | $197 | $443 |
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may mean higher taxes if you are investing in a taxable account. These costs are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example and can affect the Funds performance.
For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, the Funds portfolio turnover rate was 45%.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund, using a passive or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is designed to track the equity market performance of companies in developed countries (except the United States) selected on the investment style criteria (factors) of value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. The companies eligible for the Underlying Index are derived from its starting universe, the FTSE Developed ex US Index, which is comprised of large- and mid-capitalization equity securities from developed markets (except the United States). The index provider, FTSE International Limited (Index Provider), selects companies for the Underlying Index using a proprietary rules-based multi-factor selection and weighting process designed to increase the Underlying Indexs exposure, relative to the starting universe, to companies demonstrating the following factors:
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Value. The value score is calculated based on a companys valuation ratios ( e.g. , cash-flow yield, earnings yield and country relative sales to price). Value investing generally refers to a strategy that buys stocks whose price is lower than the fundamental value of the stock. The Index Providers methodology for measuring the value factor attempts to identify stocks that have low prices relative to their fundamental value and that provide the possibility of excess returns. |
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Momentum. The momentum score is calculated based on each companys cumulative 11 month return. Momentum investing is a strategy based on the concept that stock performance tends to persist, either continuing to rise or fall. Momentum style investing emphasizes investing in securities that have had higher recent price performance compared to other securities, with the expectation that this will continue to produce short term excess returns in the future. The Index Providers methodology for measuring the momentum factor attempts to identify stocks with stronger past performance over the short term. |
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 1 | Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF |
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Quality. The quality score is calculated from a companys leverage and profitability ( e.g. , return on assets, asset turnover and accruals). The Index Providers methodology for measuring the quality factor attempts to identify stocks that are characterized by low debt, stable earnings growth, and other quality metrics, with the expectation that these will provide the possibility of excess returns. |
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Low Volatility. The low volatility score is calculated based on the standard deviation of 5 years of weekly local total returns. Volatility is a statistical measurement of the magnitude of increases or decreases in a stocks price over time. Low volatility investing is a strategy based on the concept that stocks that exhibit low volatility tend to perform better than stocks with higher volatility. The Index Providers methodology for measuring the low volatility factor attempts to identify stocks with a historically lower risk (and higher return) profile relative to higher risk. |
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Size. The size score is calculated based on the full market capitalization of a company. The Index Providers methodology for measuring the size factor attempts to identify stocks of smaller companies relative to their larger counterparts, with the expectation that these will provide the possibility of excess returns. |
Companies are weighted based on their relative exposure to all five factors. Companies that do not display meaningful multi-factor characteristics are not eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index. The Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy in seeking to track the Underlying Index, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of securities in the index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Underlying Index as a whole. The Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in component securities (including depositary receipts in respect of such securities) of the Underlying Index.
As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index consisted of 1,250 securities, with an average market capitalization of approximately $13.48 billion and a minimum market capitalization of approximately $17 million, from issuers in the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers from developed markets countries other than the United States. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers from Japan (29.2%).
The Fund will concentrate its investments ( i.e. , hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers in the industrials (23.0%), financial services (19.5%) and consumer discretionary (15.1%) sectors.
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Funds performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Funds net asset value (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of the Prospectus entitled Additional Information About the Funds Investment Strategies, Underlying Indexes and Risks Further Discussion of Main Risks and in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI).
Stock market risk. When stock prices fall, you should expect the value of your investment to fall as well. Stock prices can be hurt by poor management on the part of the stocks issuer, shrinking product demand and other business risks. These may affect single companies as well as groups of companies. In addition, movements in financial markets may adversely affect a stocks price, regardless of how well the company performs. The market as a whole may not favor the types of investments the Fund makes, which could affect the Funds ability to sell them at an attractive price. To the extent the Fund invests in a particular capitalization or sector, the Funds performance may be affected by the general performance of that particular capitalization or sector.
Index construction risk. A stock included in the Underlying Index may not exhibit the factor trait or provide specific factor exposure for which it was selected and consequently the Funds holdings may not exhibit returns consistent with that factor trait.
Multifactor risk. The Underlying Index, and thus the Fund, seeks to provide exposure to developed market (excluding the United States) large- and mid-cap stocks based on the following factors: value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. There can be no assurance that targeting exposure to such investment factors will enhance the Funds performance over time. It is expected that targeting exposure to such investment factors will detract from performance in some market environments, perhaps for extended periods. In such circumstances, DBX Advisors, LLC (the Adviser) will seek to maintain exposure to the targeted investment factors and will not adjust the Funds investment process to target different factors.
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 2 | Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF |
Value securities risk. Securities issued by companies that may be perceived as undervalued may fail to appreciate for long periods of time and may never realize their full potential value. The rules-based methodology may be unsuccessful in creating an index that emphasizes undervalued securities.
Momentum securities risk. Investing in or having exposure to securities with positive momentum entails investing in securities that have had above-average recent returns. Momentum can turn quickly, and stocks that previously exhibited high positive momentum characteristics may not experience continued positive momentum. The momentum style of investing is subject to the risk that the securities may be more volatile than the market as a whole, or that the returns on securities that previously have exhibited price momentum will be less than returns on other styles of investing.
Quality stocks risk. Stocks included in the Underlying Index are deemed to be quality stocks pursuant to the Underlying Indexs methodology, but there is no guarantee that the past performance of these stocks will continue. Companies that issue these stocks may experience lower than expected returns or may experience negative growth, as well as increased leverage, resulting in lower than expected or negative returns to Fund shareholders. Many factors can affect a stocks quality and performance, and the impact of these factors on a stock or its price can be difficult to predict.
Volatility risk. Although the Underlying Index was created to seek lower volatility than the FTSE Developed ex US Index, there is no guarantee that these strategies will be successful. The Underlying Index may be unsuccessful in creating an index that minimizes volatility, and there is a risk that the Fund may experience more than minimum volatility. Securities in the Funds portfolio may be subject to price volatility and the prices may not be any less volatile than the FTSE Developed ex US Index, and could be more volatile.
Foreign investment risk. The Fund faces the risks inherent in foreign investing. Adverse political, economic or social developments could undermine the value of the Funds investments or prevent the Fund from realizing the full value of its investments. Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the U.S. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. markets.
Foreign governments may restrict investment by foreigners, limit withdrawal of trading profit or currency from the country, restrict currency exchange or seize foreign investments. The investments of the Fund may also be subject to foreign withholding taxes. Foreign brokerage commissions and other fees are generally
higher than those for U.S. investments, and the transactions and custody of foreign assets may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments.
Foreign markets can have liquidity risks beyond those typical of U.S. markets. Because foreign exchanges generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. exchanges, buying and selling foreign investments can be more difficult and costly. Relatively small transactions can sometimes materially affect the price and availability of securities. In certain situations, it may become virtually impossible to sell an investment at a price that approaches portfolio managements estimate of its value. For the same reason, it may at times be difficult to value the Funds foreign investments.
In addition, the Fund may invest in depositary receipts, which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts also may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market.
European economic risk. The Economic and Monetary Union (the EMU) of the European Union (EU) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that countrys debt, and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that countrys creditworthiness (which may be located in countries other than those listed in the previous sentence). These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro, the common currency of certain EU countries, and may continue to significantly affect every country in Europe, including countries that do not use the euro. In June 2016, the United Kingdom approved a referendum to leave the EU, creating economic and political uncertainty in its wake. The United Kingdom has provided the EU with notice of its intention to withdraw in March 2019 and significant uncertainty exists regarding the effects such withdrawal will have on economies, financial markets and asset valuations in the EU and around the world.
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 3 | Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF |
Risks related to investing in developed countries. The Funds investment in developed country issuers may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks specific to developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some other countries. A majority of developed countries have recently experienced a significant economic slowdown. In addition, developed countries may be impacted by changes to the economic health of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.
Medium company risk. Investing in securities of medium capitalization companies involves greater risk than customarily is associated with investing in larger, more established companies. These companies securities may be more volatile and less liquid than those of more established companies. These securities may have returns that vary, sometimes significantly, from the overall securities market. Often medium capitalization companies and the industries in which they focus are still evolving and, as a result, they may be more sensitive to changing market conditions.
Industrials sector risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities issued by companies in the industrials sector in order to track the Underlying Indexs allocation to that sector. The industrials sector includes companies engaged in the manufacture and distribution of capital goods, such as those used in defense, construction and engineering, companies that manufacture and distribute electrical equipment and industrial machinery and those that provide commercial and transportation services and supplies. Because as currently constituted the industrials sector represents a significant portion of the Underlying Index, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic conditions. In addition, companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by environmental damages, product liability claims and exchange rates.
Financial services sector risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of issuers in the financial services sector in order to track the Underlying Indexs allocation to that sector. The financial services sector is subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and
consumer debt defaults, and price competition. In addition, the deterioration of the credit markets in 2007 and ensuing financial crisis in 2008 resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets.
Consumer discretionary sector risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities issued by companies in the consumer discretionary sector in order to track the Underlying Indexs allocation to that sector. Companies engaged in the consumer discretionary sector are subject to fluctuations in supply and demand. These companies may also be adversely affected by changes in consumer spending as a result of world events, political and economic conditions, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and labor relations.
Indexing risk. While the exposure of the Underlying Index to its component securities is by definition 100%, the Funds effective exposure to Underlying Index securities may vary over time. Because the Fund, as an index fund, is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to its Underlying Index at all times, it will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Tracking error risk. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of its Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The Funds return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying Index because the Fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the Funds securities holdings to reflect changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Funds NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant (AP). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Funds ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. In addition, the Funds use of a representative sampling approach may cause the Fund to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. In
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 4 | Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF |
addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Underlying Index, due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Underlying Index is based on securities closing prices (i.e., the value of the Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), the Funds ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Funds return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Market price risk. Fund shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (NYSE Arca) and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. The Adviser cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. However, the Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs or market makers. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund (as described below under Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares (and may even face delisting). Similar effects may result if market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in Fund shares. Further, while the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that shares normally will trade close to the value of the Funds holdings, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in market prices that differ significantly from the value of the Funds holdings. Although market
makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of Fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. In addition, the securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than NYSE Arca. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when NYSE Arca is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads and the resulting premium or discount to the shares NAV is likely to widen. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the Funds NAV. The Funds investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the Fund.
Geographic concentration risk. To the extent the Underlying Index and the Fund are significantly comprised of securities of issuers from a single country, the Fund would be more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country. For example, political and economic conditions and changes in regulatory, tax or economic policy in a country could significantly affect the market in that country and in surrounding or related countries and have a negative impact on the Funds performance. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of securities of issuers from Japan (29.2%).
Operational risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Funds service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures. The Fund seeks to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate for those risks that they are intended to address.
Non-diversification risk. The Fund is classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. This means that the Fund may invest in securities of relatively few issuers. Thus, the performance of one or a small number of portfolio holdings can affect overall performance.
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Funds performance from year to year and by showing
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 5 | Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF |
how the Funds average annual returns for one year and since inception compare with those of the Underlying Index and a broad measure of market performance. The Funds past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Funds website at www.Xtrackers.com.
CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURN as of 12/31
The Funds year-to-date return was 20.87% as of September 30, 2017.
During the periods shown in the above chart, the Funds highest and lowest calendar quarter returns were 6.05% and (4.18)%, respectively, for the quarters ended September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2016.
AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS
For the periods ended December 31, 2016
1
Year |
Since
November 24, 2015 |
|||||
Returns before taxes | 1.31% | 0.38 | % | |||
Returns after taxes on distributions | 0.09% | (0.72 | )% | |||
Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares | 1.35% | 0.11 | % | |||
FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor Index | 2.27% | 1.49 | % | |||
FTSE Developed ex US Net Tax (US RIC) Index | 3.08% | 1.13 | % |
All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local tax. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold shares of the Fund in tax-deferred accounts such as individual retirement accounts (IRAs) or employee-sponsored retirement plans.
Investment Adviser
DBX Advisors LLC
Portfolio Managers
Bryan Richards, Patrick Dwyer, Navid Sohrabi, Shlomo Bassous and Charlotte Cipolletti are portfolio managers for
the Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each portfolio manager functions as a member of a portfolio management team. Mr. Richards has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since the Funds inception. Mr. Dwyer has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since August 2016. Messrs. Sohrabi and Bassous and Ms. Cipolletti have been portfolio managers of the Fund since December 2017.
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an ETF). Individual Fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (Creation Units) to APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor.
The Funds distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is an individual retirement account, 401(k), or other tax-deferred investment plan. Any withdrawals you make from such tax-deferred investment plans, however, may be taxable to you.
PAYMENT TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediarys website for more information.
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 6 | Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF |
Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor Index (the Underlying Index).
These are the fees and expenses that you will pay when you buy and hold shares. You will also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management Fee | 0.50 | |||
Other Expenses | None | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.50 |
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods.
The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Funds operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
$51 | $160 | $280 | $628 |
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may mean higher taxes if you are investing in a taxable account. These costs are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the
expense example and can affect the Funds performance. For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, the Funds portfolio turnover rate was 48%.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund, using a passive or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is designed to track the equity market performance of companies in emerging market countries selected on the investment style criteria (factors) of value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. The companies eligible for the Underlying Index are derived from its starting universe, the FTSE Emerging Index, which is comprised of large- and mid-cap equity securities from emerging markets. The index provider, FTSE International Limited (Index Provider), selects companies for the Underlying Index using a proprietary rules-based multi-factor selection and weighting process designed to increase the Underlying Indexs exposure, relative to the starting universe, to companies demonstrating the following factors:
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Value. The value score is calculated based on a companys valuation ratios ( e.g. , cash-flow yield, earnings yield and country relative sales to price). Value investing generally refers to a strategy that buys stocks whose price is lower than the fundamental value of the stock. The Index Providers methodology for measuring the value factor attempts to identify stocks that have low prices relative to their fundamental value and that provide the possibility of excess returns. |
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Momentum. The momentum score is calculated based on each companys cumulative 11 month return. Momentum investing is a strategy based on the concept that stock performance tends to persist, either continuing to rise or fall. Momentum style investing emphasizes investing in securities that have had higher recent price performance compared to other securities, with the expectation that this will continue to produce short term excess returns in the future. The Index Providers methodology for measuring the momentum factor attempts to identify stocks with stronger past performance over the short term. |
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Quality. The quality score is calculated from a companys leverage and profitability ( e.g. , return on assets, asset turnover and accruals). The Index Providers methodology for measuring the quality factor attempts to identify stocks that are characterized by low debt, stable earnings growth, and other quality metrics, with the expectation that these will provide the possibility of excess returns. |
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Low Volatility. The low volatility score is calculated based on the standard deviation of 5 years of weekly local total returns. Volatility is a statistical measurement of the magnitude of increases or decreases in a stocks price over time. Low volatility investing is a strategy based on the concept that stocks that exhibit low volatility tend to perform better than stocks with higher volatility. The Index Providers methodology for measuring the low volatility factor attempts to identify stocks with a historically lower risk (and higher return) profile relative to higher risk. |
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Size. The size score is calculated based on the full market capitalization of a company. The Index Providers methodology for measuring the size factor attempts to identify stocks of smaller companies relative to their larger counterparts, with the expectation that these will provide the possibility of excess returns. |
Companies are weighted based on their relative exposure to all five factors. Companies that do not display meaningful multi-factor characteristics are not eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index. The Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy in seeking to track the Underlying Index, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of securities in the index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Underlying Index as a whole. The Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in component securities (including depositary receipts in respect of such securities) of the Underlying Index.
The Fund may invest in futures contracts, which are a type of derivative (a contract whose value is based on, for example, indices, currencies or securities), to gain exposure to certain emerging markets (primarily India) that do not permit, or restrict, direct investment or as an efficient substitute for direct investment. Because the futures contracts in which the Fund invests for these purposes may not reflect the foreign currency component of the emerging market securities underlying such futures contracts, the Fund may also use forward currency contracts to obtain exposure to the foreign currency component of those emerging market securities.
As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index consisted of 878 securities, with an average market capitalization of approximately $4.76 billion and a minimum market capitalization of approximately $97 million from issuers in
the following countries: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers from emerging market countries. Emerging market countries are countries that major international financial institutions, such as the World Bank, generally consider to be less economically mature than developed nations. Emerging market countries can include every nation in the world except the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most countries located in Western Europe. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers from China (19.6%) and Taiwan (16.0%).
The Fund will concentrate its investments ( i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers in the financial services sector (19.7%).
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Funds performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Funds net asset value (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of the Prospectus entitled Additional Information About the Funds Investment Strategies, Underlying Indexes and Risks Further Discussion of Main Risks and in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI).
Stock market risk . When stock prices fall, you should expect the value of your investment to fall as well. Stock prices can be hurt by poor management on the part of the stocks issuer, shrinking product demand and other business risks. These may affect single companies as well as groups of companies. In addition, movements in financial markets may adversely affect a stocks price, regardless of how well the company performs. The market as a whole may not favor the types of investments the Fund makes, which could affect the Funds ability to sell them at an attractive price. To the extent the Fund invests in a particular capitalization or sector, the Funds performance may be affected by the general performance of that particular capitalization or sector.
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Index construction risk. A stock included in the Underlying Index may not exhibit the factor trait or provide specific factor exposure for which it was selected and consequently the Funds holdings may not exhibit returns consistent with that factor trait.
Multifactor risk. The Underlying Index, and thus the Fund, seeks to provide exposure to emerging market large- and mid-cap stocks based on the following factors: value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. There can be no assurance that targeting exposure to such investment factors will enhance the Funds performance over time. It is expected that targeting exposure to such investment factors will detract from performance in some market environments, perhaps for extended periods. In such circumstances, DBX Advisors, LLC (the Adviser) will seek to maintain exposure to the targeted investment factors and will not adjust the Funds investment process to target different factors.
Value securities risk. Securities issued by companies that may be perceived as undervalued may fail to appreciate for long periods of time and may never realize their full potential value. The rules-based methodology may be unsuccessful in creating an index that emphasizes undervalued securities.
Momentum securities risk. Investing in or having exposure to securities with positive momentum entails investing in securities that have had above-average recent returns. Momentum can turn quickly, and stocks that previously exhibited high positive momentum characteristics may not experience continued positive momentum. The momentum style of investing is subject to the risk that the securities may be more volatile than the market as a whole, or that the returns on securities that previously have exhibited price momentum will be less than returns on other styles of investing.
Quality stocks risk. Stocks included in the Underlying Index are deemed to be quality stocks pursuant to the Underlying Indexs methodology, but there is no guarantee that the past performance of these stocks will continue. Companies that issue these stocks may experience lower than expected returns or may experience negative growth, as well as increased leverage, resulting in lower than expected or negative returns to Fund shareholders. Many factors can affect a stocks quality and performance, and the impact of these factors on a stock or its price can be difficult to predict.
Volatility risk. Although the Underlying Index was created to seek lower volatility than the FTSE Emerging Index, there is no guarantee that these strategies will be successful. The Underlying Index may be unsuccessful in creating an index that minimizes volatility, and there is a risk that the Fund may experience more than minimum
volatility. Securities in the Funds portfolio may be subject to price volatility and the prices may not be any less volatile than the FTSE Emerging Index, and could be more volatile.
Foreign investment risk. The Fund faces the risks inherent in foreign investing. Adverse political, economic or social developments could undermine the value of the Funds investments or prevent the Fund from realizing the full value of its investments. Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the U.S. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. markets.
Foreign governments may restrict investment by foreigners, limit withdrawal of trading profit or currency from the country, restrict currency exchange or seize foreign investments. The investments of the Fund may also be subject to foreign withholding taxes. Foreign brokerage commissions and other fees are generally higher than those for U.S. investments, and the transactions and custody of foreign assets may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments.
Foreign markets can have liquidity risks beyond those typical of U.S. markets. Because foreign exchanges generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. exchanges, buying and selling foreign investments can be more difficult and costly. Relatively small transactions can sometimes materially affect the price and availability of securities. In certain situations, it may become virtually impossible to sell an investment at a price that approaches portfolio managements estimate of its value. For the same reason, it may at times be difficult to value the Funds foreign investments.
In addition, the Fund may invest in depositary receipts, which involve similar risks to those associated with investments in foreign securities. Depositary receipts also may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market.
Emerging markets risk. The securities of issuers located in emerging markets tend to be more volatile and less liquid than securities of issuers located in more mature economies, and emerging markets generally have less diverse and less mature economic structures and less stable political systems than those of developed countries. The securities of issuers located or doing substantial business in emerging markets are often subject to rapid and large changes in price.
Medium company risk. Investing in securities of medium capitalization companies involves greater risk than customarily is associated with investing in larger, more established companies. These companies securities may be more volatile and less liquid than those of more established companies. These securities may have returns
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that vary, sometimes significantly, from the overall securities market. Often medium capitalization companies and the industries in which they focus are still evolving and, as a result, they may be more sensitive to changing market conditions.
Financial services sector risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of issuers in the financial services sector in order to track the Underlying Indexs allocation to that sector. The financial services sector is subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition. In addition, the deterioration of the credit markets in 2007 and ensuing financial crisis in 2008 resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets.
Derivatives risk. Risks associated with derivatives may include the risk that the derivative is not well correlated with the security, index or currency to which it relates; the risk that the derivative may result in losses or missed opportunities; the risk that the Fund will be unable to sell the derivative because of an illiquid secondary market; the risk that a counterparty is unwilling or unable to meet its obligation; and the risk that the derivative transaction could expose the Fund to the effects of leverage, which could increase the Funds exposure to the market and magnify potential losses. There is no guarantee that derivatives, to the extent employed, will have the intended effect, and their use could cause lower returns or even losses to the Fund.
Indexing risk. While the exposure of the Underlying Index to its component securities is by definition 100%, the Funds effective exposure to Underlying Index securities may vary over time. Because the Fund, as an index fund, is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to its Underlying Index at all times, it will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Tracking error risk. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of its Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The Funds return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying Index because the Fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the Funds securities holdings to reflect changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will
decrease the Funds NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant (AP). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Funds ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. In addition, the Funds use of a representative sampling approach may cause the Fund to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Underlying Index, due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Underlying Index is based on securities closing prices (i.e., the value of the Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), the Funds ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Funds return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Market price risk. Fund shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (NYSE Arca) and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. The Adviser cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. However, the Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs or market makers. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund (as described below
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under Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares (and may even face delisting). Similar effects may result if market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in Fund shares. Further, while the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that shares normally will trade close to the value of the Funds holdings, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in market prices that differ significantly from the value of the Funds holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of Fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. In addition, the securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than NYSE Arca. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when NYSE Arca is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads and the resulting premium or discount to the shares NAV is likely to widen. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the Funds NAV. The Funds investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the Fund.
Geographic concentration risk. To the extent the Underlying Index and the Fund are significantly comprised of securities of issuers from a single country, the Fund would be more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country. For example, political and economic conditions and changes in regulatory, tax or economic policy in a country could significantly affect the market in that country and in surrounding or related countries and have a negative impact on the Funds performance. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of securities of issuers from China (19.6%) and Taiwan (16.0%).
Operational risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors,
errors of the Funds service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures. The Fund seeks to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate for those risks that they are intended to address.
Non-diversification risk. The Fund is classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. This means that the Fund may invest in securities of relatively few issuers. Thus, the performance of one or a small number of portfolio holdings can affect overall performance.
As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information. Once available, the Funds performance information will be accessible on the Funds website at www.Xtrackers.com and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Funds performance and by showing how the Funds returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.
Investment Adviser
DBX Advisors LLC
Portfolio Managers
Bryan Richards, Patrick Dwyer, Navid Sohrabi, Shlomo Bassous and Charlotte Cipolletti are portfolio managers for the Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each portfolio manager functions as a member of a portfolio management team. Mr. Richards has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since the Funds inception. Mr. Dwyer has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since August 2016. Messrs. Sohrabi and Bassous and Ms. Cipolletti have been portfolio managers of the Fund since December 2017.
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an ETF). Individual Fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (Creation Units) to APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor.
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The Funds distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is an individual retirement account, 401(k), or other tax-deferred investment plan. Any withdrawals you make from such tax-deferred investment plans, however, may be taxable to you.
PAYMENT TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediarys website for more information.
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Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor Index (the Underlying Index).
These are the fees and expenses that you will pay when you buy and hold shares. You will also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management Fee* | 0.19 | |||
Other Expenses | None | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.19 |
* | The management fee information in this table has been restated to reflect the Funds current reduced management fee effective March 9, 2017. |
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods.
The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Funds operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 years | 10 Years | |||
$19 | $61 | $107 | $243 |
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate
higher transaction costs and may mean higher taxes if you are investing in a taxable account. These costs are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example and can affect the Funds performance. For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, the Funds portfolio turnover rate was 67%.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund, using a passive or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is designed to track the equity market performance of companies in the United States selected on the investment style criteria (factors) of value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. The companies eligible for the Underlying Index are derived from its starting universe, the Russell 1000 Index, which is comprised of large-cap equity securities from issuers in the United States. The index provider, Frank Russell Company (Index Provider), selects companies for the Underlying Index using a proprietary rules-based multi-factor selection and weighting process designed to increase the Underlying Indexs exposure, relative to the starting universe, to companies demonstrating the following factors:
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Value. The value score is calculated based on a companys valuation ratios ( e.g. , cash-flow yield, earnings yield and country relative sales to price). Value investing generally refers to a strategy that buys stocks whose price is lower than the fundamental value of the stock. The Index Providers methodology for measuring the value factor attempts to identify stocks that have low prices relative to their fundamental value and that provide the possibility of excess returns. |
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Momentum. The momentum score is calculated based on each companys cumulative 11 month return. Momentum investing is a strategy based on the concept that stock performance tends to persist, either continuing to rise or fall. Momentum style investing emphasizes investing in securities that have had higher recent price performance compared to other securities, with the expectation that this will continue to produce short term excess returns in the future. The Index |
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Providers methodology for measuring the momentum factor attempts to identify stocks with stronger past performance over the short term. |
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Quality. The quality score is calculated from a companys leverage and profitability ( e.g. , return on assets, asset turnover and accruals). The Index Providers methodology for measuring the quality factor attempts to identify stocks that are characterized by low debt, stable earnings growth, and other quality metrics, with the expectation that these will provide the possibility of excess returns. |
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Low Volatility. The low volatility score is calculated based on the standard deviation of 5 years of weekly local total returns. Volatility is a statistical measurement of the magnitude of increases or decreases in a stocks price over time. Low volatility investing is a strategy based on the concept that stocks that exhibit low volatility tend to perform better than stocks with higher volatility. The Index Providers methodology for measuring the low volatility factor attempts to identify stocks with a historically lower risk (and higher return) profile relative to higher risk. |
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Size. The size score is calculated based on the full market capitalization of a company. The Index Providers methodology for measuring the size factor attempts to identify stocks of smaller companies relative to their larger counterparts, with the expectation that these will provide the possibility of excess returns. |
Companies are weighted based on their relative exposure to all five factors. Companies that do not display meaningful multi-factor characteristics are not eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index. The Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy in seeking to track the Underlying Index, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of securities in the index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Underlying Index as a whole. The Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in component securities of the Underlying Index.
As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index consisted of 823 securities, with an average market capitalization of approximately $28.79 billion and a minimum market capitalization of approximately $1.06 billion. The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers from the United States. As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index was wholly comprised of securities of issuers from the United States.
The Fund will concentrate its investments ( i.e. , hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of
issuers in the financial services (23.5%), industrials (19.9%) and consumer discretionary (16.1%) sectors.
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Funds performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Funds net asset value (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of the Prospectus entitled Additional Information About the Funds Investment Strategies, Underlying Indexes and Risks Further Discussion of Main Risks and in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI).
Stock market risk . When stock prices fall, you should expect the value of your investment to fall as well. Stock prices can be hurt by poor management on the part of the stocks issuer, shrinking product demand and other business risks. These may affect single companies as well as groups of companies. In addition, movements in financial markets may adversely affect a stocks price, regardless of how well the company performs. The market as a whole may not favor the types of investments the Fund makes, which could affect the Funds ability to sell them at an attractive price. To the extent the Fund invests in a particular capitalization or sector, the Funds performance may be affected by the general performance of that particular capitalization or sector.
Index construction risk. A stock included in the Underlying Index may not exhibit the factor trait or provide specific factor exposure for which it was selected and consequently the Funds holdings may not exhibit returns consistent with that factor trait.
Multifactor risk. The Underlying Index, and thus the Fund, seeks to provide exposure to large-cap stocks in the United States based on the following factors: value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. There can be no assurance that targeting exposure to such investment factors will enhance the Funds performance over time. It is expected that targeting exposure to such investment factors will detract from performance in some market environments, perhaps for extended periods. In such circumstances, DBX Advisors, LLC (the Adviser) will seek to maintain exposure to the targeted investment factors and will not adjust the Funds investment process to target different factors.
Value securities risk. Securities issued by companies that may be perceived as undervalued may fail to appreciate for long periods of time and may never realize their full potential value. The rules-based methodology may be unsuccessful in creating an index that emphasizes undervalued securities.
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Momentum securities risk. Investing in or having exposure to securities with positive momentum entails investing in securities that have had above-average recent returns. Momentum can turn quickly, and stocks that previously exhibited high positive momentum characteristics may not experience continued positive momentum. The momentum style of investing is subject to the risk that the securities may be more volatile than the market as a whole, or that the returns on securities that previously have exhibited price momentum will be less than returns on other styles of investing.
Quality stocks risk. Stocks included in the Underlying Index are deemed to be quality stocks pursuant to the Underlying Indexs methodology, but there is no guarantee that the past performance of these stocks will continue. Companies that issue these stocks may experience lower than expected returns or may experience negative growth, as well as increased leverage, resulting in lower than expected or negative returns to Fund shareholders. Many factors can affect a stocks quality and performance, and the impact of these factors on a stock or its price can be difficult to predict.
Volatility risk. Although the Underlying Index was created to seek lower volatility than the Russell 1000 Index, there is no guarantee that these strategies will be successful. The Underlying Index may be unsuccessful in creating an index that minimizes volatility, and there is a risk that the Fund may experience more than minimum volatility. Securities in the Funds portfolio may be subject to price volatility and the prices may not be any less volatile than the Russell 1000 Index, and could be more volatile.
Financial services sector risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of issuers in the financial services sector in order to track the Underlying Indexs allocation to that sector. The financial services sector is subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition. In addition, the deterioration of the credit markets in 2007 and ensuing financial crisis in 2008 resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets.
Industrials sector risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities issued by companies in the industrials sector in order to track the Underlying Indexs allocation to that sector. The industrials sector includes companies engaged in the manufacture and distribution of capital goods, such as those used in defense, construction and engineering, companies that
manufacture and distribute electrical equipment and industrial machinery and those that provide commercial and transportation services and supplies. Because as currently constituted the industrials sector represents a significant portion of the Underlying Index, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic conditions. In addition, companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by environmental damages, product liability claims and exchange rates.
Consumer discretionary sector risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities issued by companies in the consumer discretionary sector in order to track the Underlying Indexs allocation to that sector. Companies engaged in the consumer discretionary sector are subject to fluctuations in supply and demand. These companies may also be adversely affected by changes in consumer spending as a result of world events, political and economic conditions, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and labor relations.
Indexing risk. While the exposure of the Underlying Index to its component securities is by definition 100%, the Funds effective exposure to Underlying Index securities may vary over time. Because the Fund, as an index fund, is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to its Underlying Index at all times, it will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Tracking error risk. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of its Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The Funds return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying Index because the Fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the Funds securities holdings to reflect changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Funds NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant (AP). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Funds ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. In addition, the Funds use of a representative sampling approach may cause the Fund to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the
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securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Funds return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Market price risk. Fund shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (NYSE Arca) and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. The Adviser cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. However, the Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs or market makers. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund (as described below under Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares (and may even face delisting). Similar effects may result if market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in Fund shares. Further, while the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that shares normally will trade close to the value of the Funds holdings, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in market prices that differ significantly from the value of the Funds holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of Fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and
extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the Funds NAV. The Funds investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the Fund.
Operational risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Funds service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures. The Fund seeks to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate for those risks that they are intended to address.
Non-diversification risk. The Fund is classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. This means that the Fund may invest in securities of relatively few issuers. Thus, the performance of one or a small number of portfolio holdings can affect overall performance.
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Funds performance from year to year and by showing how the Funds average annual returns for one year and since inception compare with those of the Underlying Index and a broad measure of market performance. The Funds past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Funds website at www.Xtrackers.com.
CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURN as of 12/31
The Funds year-to-date return was 12.68% as of September 30, 2017.
During the periods shown in the above chart, the Funds highest and lowest calendar quarter returns were 4.23% and 1.61%, respectively, for the quarters ended March 31, 2016 and September 30, 2016.
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AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS
For the periods ended December 31, 2016
1
Year |
Since
November 24, 2015 |
|||||||
Returns before taxes | 12.80 | % | 10.07 | % | ||||
Returns after taxes on distributions | 11.99 | % | 9.36 | % | ||||
Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares | 7.76 | % | 7.60 | % | ||||
Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor Index | 13.07 | % | 10.34 | % | ||||
Russell 1000 Index Total Return | 12.05 | % | 8.85 | % |
All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local tax. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold shares of the Fund in tax-deferred accounts such as individual retirement accounts (IRAs) or employee-sponsored retirement plans.
Investment Adviser
DBX Advisors LLC
Portfolio Managers
Bryan Richards, Patrick Dwyer, Navid Sohrabi, Shlomo Bassous and Charlotte Cipolletti are portfolio managers for the Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each portfolio manager functions as a member of a portfolio management team. Mr. Richards has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since the Funds inception. Mr. Dwyer has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since August 2016. Messrs. Sohrabi and Bassous and Ms. Cipolletti have been portfolio managers of the Fund since December 2017.
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an ETF). Individual Fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (Creation Units) to APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor.
The Funds distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is an individual retirement account, 401(k), or other tax-deferred investment plan. Any withdrawals you make from such tax-deferred investment plans, however, may be taxable to you.
PAYMENT TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediarys website for more information.
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Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor Index (the Underlying Index).
These are the fees and expenses that you will pay when you buy and hold shares. You will also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management Fee | 0.30 | |||
Other Expenses | None | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.30 |
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Funds operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 years | 10 Years | |||
$31 | $97 | $169 | $381 |
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may mean higher taxes if you are investing in a taxable account. These costs are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the
expense example and can affect the Funds performance. For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, the Funds portfolio turnover rate was 53%.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund, using a passive or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is designed to track the equity market performance of companies in the United States selected on the investment style criteria (factors) of value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. The companies eligible for the Underlying Index are derived from its starting universe, the Russell 2000 Index, which is comprised of small-cap equity securities from issuers in the United States. The index provider, Frank Russell Company (Index Provider), selects companies for the Underlying Index using a proprietary rules-based multi-factor selection and weighting process designed to increase the Underlying Indexs exposure relative to the starting universe, to companies demonstrating the following factors:
∎ |
Value. The value score is calculated based on a companys valuation ratios ( e.g. , cash-flow yield, earnings yield and country relative sales to price). Value investing generally refers to a strategy that buys stocks whose price is lower than the fundamental value of the stock. The Index Providers methodology for measuring the value factor attempts to identify stocks that have low prices relative to their fundamental value and that provide the possibility of excess returns. |
∎ |
Momentum. The momentum score is calculated based on each companys cumulative 11 month return. Momentum investing is a strategy based on the concept that stock performance tends to persist, either continuing to rise or fall. Momentum style investing emphasizes investing in securities that have had higher recent price performance compared to other securities, with the expectation that this will continue to produce short term excess returns in the future. The Index Providers methodology for measuring the momentum factor attempts to identify stocks with stronger past performance over the short term. |
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 18 | Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF |
∎ |
Quality. The quality score is calculated from a companys leverage and profitability ( e.g. , return on assets, asset turnover and accruals). The Index Providers methodology for measuring the quality factor attempts to identify stocks that are characterized by low debt, stable earnings growth, and other quality metrics, with the expectation that these will provide the possibility of excess returns. |
∎ |
Low Volatility. The low volatility score is calculated based on the standard deviation of 5 years of weekly local total returns. Volatility is a statistical measurement of the magnitude of increases or decreases in a stocks price over time. Low volatility investing is a strategy based on the concept that stocks that exhibit low volatility tend to perform better than stocks with higher volatility. The Index Providers methodology for measuring the low volatility factor attempts to identify stocks with a historically lower risk (and higher return) profile relative to higher risk. |
∎ |
Size. The size score is calculated based on the full market capitalization of a company. The Index Providers methodology for measuring the size factor attempts to identify stocks of smaller companies relative to their larger counterparts, with the expectation that these will provide the possibility of excess returns. |
Companies are weighted based on their relative exposure to all five factors. Companies that do not display meaningful multi-factor characteristics are not eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index. The Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy in seeking to track the Underlying Index, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of securities in the index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Underlying Index as a whole. The Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in component securities of the Underlying Index.
As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index consisted of 1,514 securities, with an average market capitalization of approximately $1.33 billion and a minimum market capitalization of approximately $56.0 million. As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index was wholly comprised of securities of issuers from the United States.
The Fund will concentrate its investments ( i.e. , hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers in the industrials (19.5%), consumer discretionary (15.3%) and financial services (30.4%) sectors.
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Funds performance could
trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Funds net asset value (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of the Prospectus entitled Additional Information About the Funds Investment Strategies, Underlying Indexes and Risks Further Discussion of Main Risks and in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI).
Stock market risk. When stock prices fall, you should expect the value of your investment to fall as well. Stock prices can be hurt by poor management on the part of the stocks issuer, shrinking product demand and other business risks. These may affect single companies as well as groups of companies. In addition, movements in financial markets may adversely affect a stocks price, regardless of how well the company performs. The market as a whole may not favor the types of investments the Fund makes, which could affect the Funds ability to sell them at an attractive price. To the extent the Fund invests in a particular capitalization or sector, the Funds performance may be affected by the general performance of that particular capitalization or sector.
Index construction risk. A stock included in the Underlying Index may not exhibit the factor trait or provide specific factor exposure for which it was selected and consequently the Funds holdings may not exhibit returns consistent with that factor trait.
Multifactor risk. The Underlying Index, and thus the Fund, seeks to provide exposure to small-cap stocks in the United States based on the following factors: value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. There can be no assurance that targeting exposure to such investment factors will enhance the Funds performance over time. It is expected that targeting exposure to such investment factors will detract from performance in some market environments, perhaps for extended periods. In such circumstances, DBX Advisors, LLC (the Adviser) will seek to maintain exposure to the targeted investment factors and will not adjust the Funds investment process to target different factors.
Value securities risk. Securities issued by companies that may be perceived as undervalued may fail to appreciate for long periods of time and may never realize their full potential value. The rules-based methodology may be unsuccessful in creating an index that emphasizes undervalued securities.
Momentum securities risk. Investing in or having exposure to securities with positive momentum entails investing in securities that have had above-average recent returns. Momentum can turn quickly, and stocks that
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previously exhibited high positive momentum characteristics may not experience continued positive momentum. The momentum style of investing is subject to the risk that the securities may be more volatile than the market as a whole, or that the returns on securities that previously have exhibited price momentum will be less than returns on other styles of investing.
Quality stocks risk. Stocks included in the Underlying Index are deemed to be quality stocks pursuant to the Underlying Indexs methodology, but there is no guarantee that the past performance of these stocks will continue. Companies that issue these stocks may experience lower than expected returns or may experience negative growth, as well as increased leverage, resulting in lower than expected or negative returns to Fund shareholders. Many factors can affect a stocks quality and performance, and the impact of these factors on a stock or its price can be difficult to predict.
Volatility risk. Although the Underlying Index was created to seek lower volatility than the Russell 2000 Index, there is no guarantee that these strategies will be successful. The Underlying Index may be unsuccessful in creating an index that minimizes volatility, and there is a risk that the Fund may experience more than minimum volatility. Securities in the Funds portfolio may be subject to price volatility and the prices may not be any less volatile than the Russell 2000 Index, and could be more volatile.
Small company risk. Investing in securities of small capitalization companies involves greater risk than customarily is associated with investing in larger, more established companies. These companies securities may be more volatile and less liquid than those of more established companies. These securities may have returns that vary, sometimes significantly, from the overall securities market. Often small capitalization companies and the industries in which they focus are still evolving and, as a result, they may be more sensitive to changing market conditions.
Consumer discretionary sector risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities issued by companies in the consumer discretionary sector in order to track the Underlying Indexs allocation to that sector. Companies engaged in the consumer discretionary sector are subject to fluctuations in supply and demand. These companies may also be adversely affected by changes in consumer spending as a result of world events, political and economic conditions, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and labor relations.
Financial services sector risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of issuers in
the financial services sector in order to track the Underlying Indexs allocation to that sector. The financial services sector is subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition. In addition, the deterioration of the credit markets in 2007 and ensuing financial crisis in 2008 resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets.
Industrials sector risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities issued by companies in the industrials sector in order to track the Underlying Indexs allocation to that sector. The industrials sector includes companies engaged in the manufacture and distribution of capital goods, such as those used in defense, construction and engineering, companies that manufacture and distribute electrical equipment and industrial machinery and those that provide commercial and transportation services and supplies. Because as currently constituted the industrials sector represents a significant portion of the Underlying Index, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic conditions. In addition, companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by environmental damages, product liability claims and exchange rates.
Indexing risk. While the exposure of the Underlying Index to its component securities is by definition 100%, the Funds effective exposure to Underlying Index securities may vary over time. Because the Fund, as an index fund, is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to its Underlying Index at all times, it will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Tracking error risk. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of its Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The Funds return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying Index because the Fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the Funds securities holdings to reflect changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Funds NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 20 | Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF |
(AP). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Funds ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. In addition, the Funds use of a representative sampling approach may cause the Fund to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Funds return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Market price risk. Fund shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (NYSE Arca) and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. The Adviser cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. However, the Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs or market makers. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund (as described below under Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares (and may even face delisting). Similar effects may result if market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in Fund shares. Further, while the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that shares normally will trade close to the value of the Funds holdings, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market
volatility, may result in market prices that differ significantly from the value of the Funds holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of Fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the Funds NAV. The Funds investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the Fund.
Operational risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Funds service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures. The Fund seeks to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate for those risks that they are intended to address.
Non-diversification risk. The Fund is classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. This means that the Fund may invest in securities of relatively few issuers. Thus, the performance of one or a small number of portfolio holdings can affect overall performance.
As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information. Once available, the Funds performance information will be accessible on the Funds website at www.Xtrackers.com and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Funds performance and by showing how the Funds returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.
Investment Adviser
DBX Advisors LLC
Portfolio Managers
Bryan Richards, Patrick Dwyer, Navid Sohrabi, Shlomo Bassous and Charlotte Cipolletti are portfolio managers for the Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each portfolio manager functions as a member of a portfolio management team. Mr. Richards has been a portfolio manager of the Fund
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since the Funds inception. Mr. Dwyer has been a portfolio manager of the Fund since August 2016. Messrs. Sohrabi and Bassous and Ms. Cipolletti have been portfolio managers of the Fund since December 2017.
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an ETF). Individual Fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (Creation Units) to APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor.
The Funds distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is an individual retirement account, 401(k), or other tax deferred investment plan. Any withdrawals you make from such tax deferred investment plans, however, may be taxable to you.
PAYMENT TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediarys website for more information.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, UNDERLYING INDEXES AND RISKS
Additional Information About the Funds Investment Strategies
Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF will each normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers located in the markets specified in the applicable Funds name.
Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers from the United States.
In addition, each Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in instruments that comprise its Underlying Index. Each Fund may also invest in depositary receipts in respect of equity securities that comprise its Underlying Index to seek performance that corresponds to the Funds respective Underlying Index. Investments in such depositary receipts will count towards each Funds 80% investment policy discussed above with respect to instruments that comprise the Underlying Index.
Each Fund may invest its remaining assets in other securities, including securities not in the Underlying Index, cash and cash equivalents, money market instruments, such as repurchase agreements or money market funds (including money market funds advised by the Adviser or its affiliates (subject to applicable limitations under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), or exemptions therefrom), convertible securities, structured notes (notes on which the amount of principal repayment and interest payments are based on the movement of one or more specified factors, such as the movement of a particular stock or stock index), forward currency contracts and in futures contracts, options on futures contracts and other types of options and swaps related to its Underlying Index. The Funds will not invest in money market instruments or other short-term
investments as part of a temporary defensive strategy to protect against potential stock market declines.
Each of the policies described herein, including the investment objective and 80% investment policies of each Fund, constitutes a non-fundamental policy that may be changed by the Board of the Trust without shareholder approval. Each Funds 80% investment policies require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before it can be changed. Certain fundamental policies of the Funds are set forth in the SAI.
Borrowing Money. Each Fund may borrow money from a bank up to a limit of 10% of the value of its assets, but only for temporary or emergency purposes.
Credit Facility . The Trust, on behalf of the Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF and certain other funds managed by the Adviser, has entered into a revolving senior unsecured credit facility with The Bank of New York Mellon (BNYM), Bank of Nova Scotia, HSBC, Royal Bank of Canada and State Street Corporation. The Fund may borrow money under this credit facility to the extent necessary for temporary or emergency purposes, including the funding of shareholder redemption requests, trade settlements, and as necessary to distribute to shareholders any income necessary to maintain the Funds status as a regulated investment company (RIC). Interest is charged to the Fund based on its borrowings at current commercial rates. Each borrowing under the credit facility matures no later than 45 days after the date of borrowing. The Fund also pays a commitment fee equal to its pro rata share of the amount of the credit facility at a rate of 0.125% per annum of the daily amount of the excess, if any, of the lenders commitment over the aggregate outstanding principal balance of the loans made by the lender. The Fund can prepay loans at any time and may at any time terminate, or from time to time reduce, without the payment of a premium or penalty, the commitment under the credit facility subject to compliance with certain conditions.
Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Funds portfolio.
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 23 | Fund Details |
Borrowing will cost a Fund interest expense and other fees, which may reduce a Funds return. Each Fund is required to maintain continuous asset coverage with respect to its borrowings and may be required to sell some of its holdings to reduce debt and restore coverage at times when it is not advantageous to do so. There is no assurance that a borrowing strategy will be successful. Upon the expiration of the term of a Funds existing credit arrangement, the lender may not be willing to extend further credit to the Fund or may only be willing to do so at an increased cost to the Fund. If a Fund is not able to extend its credit arrangement, it may be required to liquidate holdings to repay amounts borrowed from the lender. In addition, if a Funds assets increase, there is no assurance that the lender will be willing to make additional loans to the Fund in order to allow it to borrow the amounts desired by the Fund to facilitate redemptions.
Securities Lending. Each Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions desiring to borrow securities to complete transactions and for other purposes. In connection with such loans, a Fund receives liquid collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the portfolio securities being lent. This collateral is marked to market on a daily basis. A Fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount up to 33 1 / 3 % of its total assets.
Securities lending involves the risk that a Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. A Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events, and securities lending in general, could trigger adverse tax consequences for a Fund and its investors. For example, if a Fund loans its securities, the Fund and its investors may lose the ability to treat certain Fund distributions associated with those securities as qualified dividend income.
Additional Information about each Funds Underlying Index
FTSE Russell Comprehensive Factor Indexes
The FTSE Russell Comprehensive Factor Indexes are calculated and maintained by FTSE International Limited (the Index Provider or FTSE) and Frank Russell Company (the Index Provider and collectively with FTSE, the Index Providers). The FTSE Russell Comprehensive Factor Indexes are comprised of the FTSE Comprehensive Factor Indexes and the Russell Comprehensive Factor Indexes, of which each Funds Underlying Index is a part.
Defining the Equity Universe. FTSE begins with securities listed in countries in the FTSE All -World Index. All constituents of the FTSE All-World Index, as defined by
the FTSE Global Equity Index Series, are eligible for inclusion in a FTSE Comprehensive Factor Index. Each company and its securities ( i.e. , Share classes) are classified in only one country, which allows for a distinctive sorting of each company by its respective country. All constituents of the Russell 1000 Index are eligible for the Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor Index. All constituents of the Russell 2000 Index are eligible for the Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor Index.
Maintaining the FTSE Russell Comprehensive Factor Indexes. The FTSE Comprehensive Factor Indexes are rebalanced semi-annually in March and September after the close of business on the third Friday of the review month. The Russell Comprehensive Factor Indexes are rebalanced semi-annually in June and December after the close of business on the third Friday of the review month.
The FTSE Global Factor Index Series, from which the FTSE Russell Comprehensive Factor Indexes are derived, is a suite of benchmarks designed to represent the performance of specific factor characteristics. The FTSE Global Factor Index Series includes, but is not limited to, the following single factors: Value, Momentum, Quality, Low Volatility and Size. Single factor indexes seek increased exposure to stocks within a starting universe that possess specific factor characteristics ( i.e. , Momentum), thereby creating an index comprised of stocks demonstrating such factors. Similarly, multi-factor indexes, including the FTSE Russell Comprehensive Factor Indexes, seek increased exposure to stocks that possess multiple factors by selecting stocks from a starting universe that demonstrate each desired factor characteristic.
Each FTSE Russell Comprehensive Factor Index targets companies in their respective starting universe selected on the investment style factors of Value, Momentum, Quality, Low Volatility and Size. Stocks are selected for inclusion in a FTSE Russell Comprehensive Factor Index according to the following proprietary multi-factor process:
1) Select a starting universe. Every constituent contained in the starting universe is eligible for inclusion.
2) Generate a factor score for each stock in the chosen starting universe.* The respective factor scores consider the following criteria:
∎ |
Value. The value score is calculated based on a companys valuation ratios ( e.g. , cash-flow yield, earnings yield and country relative sales to price). |
∎ |
Momentum. The momentum score is calculated based on each companys cumulative 11 month return. |
∎ |
Quality. The quality score is calculated from a companys leverage and profitability ( e.g. , return on assets, asset turnover and accruals). |
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∎ |
Low Volatility. The low volatility score is calculated based on the standard deviation of 5 years of weekly local total returns. |
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Size. The size score is calculated based on the full market capitalization of a company. |
*The algorithm for each factor is available and described in greater detail on the Index Providers website.
3) Stocks are selected for inclusion according to their factor scores relative to other stocks with respect to a particular factor, which results in the creation of a broad multi-factor index.
4) Country and industry constraints are applied if necessary.
5) The final multi-factor index is formed by removing stocks that do not contribute to the factor objectives, subject to target exposure, index capacity and diversification limits.
FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor Index
Number of Components: approximately 1,250
Index Description . The FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor Index is designed to track the equity market performance of companies in developed countries (except the United States) selected on the investment style factors of value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. The companies eligible for the Underlying Index are derived from its starting universe, the FTSE Developed ex US Index, which is comprised of large- and mid-cap equity securities from developed markets (except the United States). As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index consisted of issuers from the following 22 developed market countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor Index
Number of Components: approximately 878
Index Description . The FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor Index is designed to track the equity market performance of companies in emerging market countries selected on the investment style factors of value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. The companies eligible for the Underlying Index are derived from its starting universe, the FTSE Emerging Index, which is comprised of large- and mid-cap equity securities from emerging markets. As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index consisted of issuers from the following 23 emerging market countries: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor Index
Number of Components: approximately 823
Index Description . The Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor Index is designed to track the equity market performance of companies in the United States selected on the investment style factors of value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. The companies eligible for the Underlying Index are derived from its starting universe, the Russell 1000 Index, which is comprised of large-cap equity securities. As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index consisted of issuers from the United States.
Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor Index
Number of Components: approximately 1,514
Index Description. The Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor Index is designed to track the equity market performance of companies in the United States selected on the investment style factors of value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. The companies eligible for the Underlying Index are derived from its starting universe, the Russell 2000 Index, which is comprised of small-cap equity securities. As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index consisted of issuers from the United States.
Further Discussion of Main Risks
Each Fund, unless otherwise indicated, is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Funds NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments.
Multifactor risk. Each Underlying Index, and thus each Fund, seeks to provide exposure to stocks of specific market capitalizations in their respective target market(s) based on the following factors: value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. There can be no assurance that targeting exposure to such investment factors will enhance a Funds performance over time. It is expected that targeting exposure to such investment factors will detract from performance in some market environments, perhaps for extended periods. In such circumstances, the Adviser will seek to maintain exposure to the targeted investment factors and will not adjust a Funds investment process to target different factors.
Value securities risk. Value style investing emphasizes undervalued companies with characteristics for improved valuations. This style of investing is subject to the risk that the valuations never improve or that the returns on value equity securities are less than returns on other styles of investing or the overall stock market. Securities issued by companies that may be perceived as undervalued may fail
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to appreciate for long periods of time and may never realize their full potential value. The rules-based methodology of a Funds Underlying Index may be unsuccessful in creating an index that emphasizes undervalued securities.
Momentum securities risk. Investing in or having exposure to securities with positive momentum entails investing in securities that have had above-average recent returns. This style of investing is subject to the risk that these securities may be more volatile than a broad cross-section of securities or that the returns on securities that have previously exhibited price momentum are less than returns on other styles of investing or the overall stock market. Stocks that previously exhibited high positive momentum characteristics may not experience continued positive momentum and may experience more volatility than the market as a whole. Momentum can turn quickly and cause significant variation from other types of investments.
Quality stocks risk. Stocks included in an Underlying Index are deemed to be quality stocks based on a number of factors, including, among others, historical and expected high returns on equity, stable earnings growth and low debt-to-equity, but there is no guarantee that the past performance of these stocks will continue. The Index Providers may be unsuccessful in creating an index that reflects the quality of individual stocks. Companies that issue these stocks may not be able to sustain consistently high returns on equity, earnings and growth year after year and may need to borrow money or issue debt despite their prior history. Earnings, growth and other measures of a stocks quality can be adversely affected by market, regulatory, political, environmental and other factors. The price of a stock also may be affected by factors other than those factors considered by the Index Providers. Many factors can affect a stocks quality and performance, and the impact of these factors on a stock or its price can be difficult to predict.
Volatility risk. The value of the securities in a Funds portfolio may fluctuate, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. The value of a security may fluctuate due to factors affecting markets generally or particular industries. Although each Underlying Index was created to seek lower volatility than its parent index, there is no guarantee that these strategies will be successful. An Underlying Index may be unsuccessful in creating an index that minimizes volatility, and there is a risk that a Fund may experience more than minimum volatility. Securities in a Funds portfolio may be subject to price volatility and the prices may not be any less volatile than the market as a whole, and could be more volatile.
Foreign investment risk. ( Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only) Each Fund faces the risks inherent in foreign investing. Adverse political, economic or social developments could undermine the value of a Funds investments or prevent the Fund from realizing the full value of its investments. Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the U.S. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. markets. To the extent that a Fund invests in non-U.S. dollar denominated foreign securities, changes in currency exchange rates may affect the U.S. dollar value of foreign securities or the income or gain received on these securities. The Funds will not enter into transactions to hedge against declines in the value of the Funds assets that are denominated in a foreign currency.
Foreign governments may restrict investment by foreigners, limit withdrawal of trading profit or currency from the country, restrict currency exchange or seize foreign investments. The investments of a Fund may also be subject to foreign withholding taxes. Foreign brokerage commissions and other fees are generally higher than those for U.S. investments, and the transactions and custody of foreign assets may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments.
Foreign markets can have liquidity risks beyond those typical of U.S. markets. Because foreign exchanges generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. exchanges, buying and selling foreign investments can be more difficult and costly. Relatively small transactions can sometimes materially affect the price and availability of securities. In certain situations, it may become virtually impossible to sell an investment at a price that approaches portfolio managements estimate of its value. For the same reason, it may at times be difficult to value a Funds foreign investments.
Depositary receipt risk. ( Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only) Each Fund may invest in depositary receipts, including American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). ADRs are U.S. dollar-denominated receipts representing shares of foreign-based corporations. ADRs are issued by U.S. banks or trust companies, and entitle the holder to all dividends and capital gains that are paid out on the underlying foreign shares. Foreign investments in ADRs and other depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market. Certain of the depositary receipts in which a Fund invests may be unsponsored depositary receipts. Unsponsored depositary receipts may not provide as much information about the underlying issuer and may not carry the same voting privileges as
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sponsored depositary receipts. Unsponsored depositary receipts are issued by one or more depositaries in response to market demand, but without a formal agreement with the company that issues the underlying securities.
Emerging markets risk. ( Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only) Investment in emerging markets subjects a Fund to a greater risk of loss than investments in a developed market. This is due to, among other things, (i) greater market volatility, (ii) lower trading volume, (iii) political and economic instability, (iv) high levels of inflation, deflation or currency devaluation, (v) greater risk of market shut down, (vi) more governmental limitations on foreign investments and limitations on repatriation of invested capital than those typically found in a developed market, and (vii) the risk that companies may be held to lower disclosure, corporate governance, auditing and financial reporting standards than companies in more developed markets.
The financial stability of issuers (including governments) in emerging market countries may be more precarious than in other countries. As a result, there will tend to be an increased risk of price volatility in a Funds investments in emerging market countries, which may be magnified by currency fluctuations relative to the U.S. dollar. Settlement practices for transactions in foreign markets may differ from those in U.S. markets. Such differences include delays beyond periods customary in the United States and practices, such as delivery of securities prior to receipt of payment, which increase the likelihood of a failed settlement. Failed settlements can result in losses to a Fund. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that are not subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets.
European economic risk. ( Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF only) The EMU of the EU requires member countries to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and on major trading partners outside Europe. The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and have been adversely affected by concerns about economic downturns, credit rating downgrades, rising government
debt levels and possible default on or restructuring of government debt in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that countrys debt, and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that countrys creditworthiness (which may be located in countries other than those listed in the previous sentence). These events have adversely affected the value and exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect the economies of every country in Europe, including EU member countries that do not use the euro and non-EU member countries.
Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not work, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching. In a referendum held on June 23, 2016, citizens of the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU, creating economic and political uncertainty in its wake. Consequently, the United Kingdom government, pursuant to the Treaty of Lisbon (the Treaty), has given notice of its intention to withdraw in March 2019 and has entered into negotiations with the EU Council to agree to terms for the United Kingdoms withdrawal from the EU. The Treaty provides for a two-year negotiation period, which may be shortened or extended by agreement of the parties. During, and possibly after, this period there is likely to be considerable uncertainty as to the position of the United Kingdom and the arrangements that will apply to its relationships with the EU and other countries following its anticipated withdrawal. This uncertainty may affect other countries in the EU, or elsewhere, if they are considered to be impacted by these events.
With respect to member states of the EU, as a consequence of the referendum, decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade and changes in the exchange rate of the euro may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU countries. The European financial markets have recently experienced additional volatility in the wake of the referendum. These events may adversely affect the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect other countries in Europe, including EU member countries that do not use the euro and non-EU member countries. The United Kingdoms departure from the EU
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may lead the currency markets to question the strength of the Eurozone as an organization, which could also negatively impact the euro.
The impact of the referendum in the near- and long-term is still unknown and could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world.
Risks related to investing in Asia. (Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only) Investment in securities of issuers in Asia involves risks and special considerations not typically associated with investment in the U.S. securities markets. Certain Asian economies have experienced over-extension of credit, currency devaluations and restrictions, high unemployment, high inflation, decreased exports and economic recessions. Economic events in any one Asian country can have a significant effect on the entire Asian region as well as on major trading partners outside Asia, and any adverse effect on some or all of the Asian countries and regions in which the Funds invest. The securities markets in some Asian economies are relatively underdeveloped and may subject the Funds to higher action costs or greater uncertainty than investments in more developed securities markets. Such risks may adversely affect the value of the Funds investments.
Governments of many Asian countries have implemented significant economic reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in their economies, reduce government control of the economy and develop market mechanisms. There can be no assurance these reforms will continue or that they will be effective. Despite recent reform and privatizations, significant regulation of investment and industry is still pervasive in many Asian countries and may restrict foreign ownership of domestic corporations and repatriation of assets, which may adversely affect Fund investments. Governments in some Asian countries are authoritarian in nature, have been installed or removed as a result of military coups or have periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization, and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection have led to social turmoil, violence and labor unrest in some countries. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. Investing in certain Asian countries involves risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, or confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested.
Some countries and regions in which the Funds invest have experienced acts of terrorism or strained international
relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities or
other defense concerns. For example, North and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical local tensions between the two countries present the risk of war. Any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries could have a severe adverse effect on the South Korean economy and securities markets. These and other security situations may cause uncertainty in the markets of these geographic areas and may adversely affect the performance of local economies.
Risks related to investing in China. ( Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only) The Funds investment exposure to China subjects the Fund to risks specific to China including the following:
Political and economic risk. The economy of China, which has been in a state of transition from a planned economy to a more market oriented economy, differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the level of government involvement, its state of development, its growth rate, control of foreign exchange, and allocation of resources. Although the majority of productive assets in China are still owned by the Peoples Republic of China (China or the PRC) government at various levels, in recent years, the PRC government has implemented economic reform measures emphasizing utilization of market forces in the development of the economy of China and a high level of management autonomy. The economy of China has experienced significant growth in the past 30 years, but growth has been uneven both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. Economic growth has also been accompanied by periods of high inflation. The PRC government has implemented various measures from time to time to control inflation and restrain the rate of economic growth. For more than 30 years, the PRC government has carried out economic reforms to achieve decentralization and utilization of market forces to develop the economy of the PRC. These reforms have resulted in significant economic growth and social progress. However, there can be no assurance that the PRC government will continue to pursue such economic policies or that such policies, if pursued, will be successful. Any adjustment and modification of those economic policies may have an adverse impact on the securities market in the PRC as well as the constituent securities of the Underlying Index. Further, the PRC government may from time to time adopt corrective measures to control the growth of the PRC economy which may also have an adverse impact on the capital growth and performance of the Fund.
Political changes, social instability and adverse diplomatic developments in the PRC could result in the imposition of additional government restrictions including expropriation of assets, confiscatory taxes or nationalization of some or all of the property held by the issuers in the Underlying
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Index. The laws, regulations, government policies and political and economic climate in China may change with little or no advance notice. Any such change could adversely affect market conditions and the performance of the Chinese economy and, thus, the value of securities in the Funds portfolio.
The Chinese government continues to be an active participant in many economic sectors through ownership positions and regulation. The allocation of resources in China is subject to a high level of government control. The Chinese government strictly regulates the payment of foreign currency denominated obligations and sets monetary policy. Through its policies, the government may provide preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. The policies set by the government could have a substantial effect on the Chinese economy and the Funds investments.
The Chinese economy is export-driven and highly reliant on trade. The performance of the Chinese economy may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, currency depreciation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payments position. Adverse changes to the economic conditions of its primary trading partners, such as the European Union, the United States, Hong Kong, the Association of South East Asian Nations, and Japan, would adversely affect the Chinese economy and the Funds investments.
In addition, as much of Chinas growth over the past two decades has been a result of significant investment in substantial export trade, international trade tensions may arise from time to time which can result in trade tariffs, embargoes, trade limitations, trade wars and other negative consequences. These consequences may trigger a significant reduction in international trade, the oversupply of certain manufactured goods, substantial price reductions of goods and possible failure of individual companies and/or large segments of Chinas export industry with a potentially severe negative impact to the Fund. Events such as these are difficult to predict and may or may not occur in the future.
China has been transitioning to a market economy since the late seventies, and has only recently opened up to foreign investment and permitted private economic activity. Under the economic reforms implemented by the Chinese government, the Chinese economy has experienced tremendous growth, developing into one of the largest and fastest growing economies in the world. There is no assurance, however, that the Chinese government will not revert to the economic policy of central planning that it implemented prior to 1978 or that such growth will be sustained in the future. Moreover, the
current major slowdown in other significant economies of the world, such as the United States, the European Union and certain Asian countries, may adversely affect economic growth in China. An economic downturn in China would adversely impact the Funds investments.
Inflation. Economic growth in China has historically been accompanied by periods of high inflation. Beginning in 2004, the Chinese government commenced the implementation of various measures to control inflation, which included the tightening of the money supply, the raising of interest rates and more stringent control over certain industries. If these measures are not successful, and if inflation were to steadily increase, the performance of the Chinese economy and the Funds investments could be adversely affected.
Nationalization and expropriation. After the formation of the Chinese socialist state in 1949, the Chinese government renounced various debt obligations and nationalized private assets without providing any form of compensation. There can be no assurance that the Chinese government will not take similar actions in the future. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund involves a risk of a total loss.
Hong Kong policy. As part of Hong Kongs transition from British to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, China agreed to allow Hong Kong to maintain a high degree of autonomy with regard to its political, legal and economic systems for a period of at least 50 years. China controls matters that relate to defense and foreign affairs. Under the agreement, China does not tax Hong Kong, does not limit the exchange of the Hong Kong dollar for foreign currencies and does not place restrictions on free trade in Hong Kong. However, there is no guarantee that China will continue to honor the agreement, and China may change its policies regarding Hong Kong at any time. Any such change could adversely affect market conditions and the performance of the Chinese economy and, thus, the value of securities in the Funds portfolio.
Chinese securities markets. The securities markets in China have a limited operating history and are not as developed as those in the United States. The markets tend to be smaller in size, have less liquidity and historically have had greater volatility than markets in the United States and some other countries. In addition, under normal market conditions, there is less regulation and monitoring of Chinese securities markets and the activities of investors, brokers and other participants than in the United States. Accordingly, issuers of securities in China are not subject to the same degree of regulation as are U.S. issuers with respect to such matters as insider trading rules, tender offer regulation, stockholder proxy requirements and the requirements mandating timely disclosure of information. During periods of significant market volatility, the Chinese
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government has, from time to time, intervened in its domestic securities markets to a greater degree than would be typical in more developed markets, including both direct and indirect market stabilization efforts, which may affect valuations of Chinese issuers. Stock markets in China are in the process of change and further development. This may lead to trading volatility, difficulty in the settlement and recording of transactions and difficulty in interpreting and applying the relevant regulations.
Available disclosure about Chinese companies. Disclosure and regulatory standards in emerging market countries, such as China, are in many respects less stringent than U.S. standards. There is substantially less publicly available information about Chinese issuers than there is about U.S. issuers. Therefore, disclosure of certain material information may not be made, and less information may be available to the Fund and other investors than would be the case if the Funds investments were restricted to securities of U.S. issuers. Chinese issuers are subject to accounting, auditing and financial standards and requirements that differ, in some cases significantly, from those applicable to U.S. issuers. In particular, the assets and profits appearing on the financial statements of a Chinese issuer may not reflect its financial position or results of operations in the way they would be reflected had such financial statements been prepared in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
Chinese corporate and securities law. Legal principles relating to corporate affairs and the validity of corporate procedures, directors fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders rights often differ from those that may apply in the United States and other countries. Chinese laws providing protection to investors, such as laws regarding the fiduciary duties of officers and directors, are undeveloped and will not provide investors, such as the Fund, with protection in all situations where protection would be provided by comparable law in the United States. China lacks a national set of laws that address all issues that may arise with regard to a foreign investor such as the Fund. It may therefore be difficult for the Fund to enforce its rights as an investor under Chinese corporate and securities laws, and it may be difficult or impossible for the Fund to obtain a judgment in court. Moreover, as Chinese corporate and securities laws continue to develop, these developments may adversely affect foreign investors, such as the Fund.
Sanctions and embargoes. From time to time, certain of the companies in which the Fund expects to invest may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. A
company may suffer damage to its reputation if it is identified as a company which operates in, or has dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism. As an investor in such companies, the Fund will be indirectly subject to those risks.
Risks related to investing in Japan. ( Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF only) The growth of Japans economy has historically lagged that of its Asian neighbors and other major developed economies. The Japanese economy is heavily dependent on international trade and has been adversely affected by trade tariffs, other protectionist measures, competition from emerging economies and the economic conditions of its trading partners. Japans relations with its neighbors, particularly China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, have at times been strained due to territorial disputes, historical animosities and defense concerns. Most recently, the Japanese government has shown concern over the increased nuclear and military activity by North Korea. Strained relations may cause uncertainty in the Japanese markets and adversely affect the overall Japanese economy in times of crisis. China has become an important trading partner with Japan, yet the countries political relationship has become strained. Should political tension increase, it could adversely affect the economy, especially the export sector, and destabilize the region as a whole. Japan is located in a part of the world that has historically been prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis and is economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event, such as the major earthquake and tsunami which struck Japan in March 2011, could result in a significant adverse impact on the Japanese economy. Historically, Japan has been subject to unpredictable national politics and may experience frequent political turnover. Future political developments may lead to changes in policy that might adversely affect the Funds investments. In addition, the Japanese economy faces several concerns, including a financial system with large levels of nonperforming loans, over-leveraged corporate balance sheets, extensive cross-ownership by major corporations, a changing corporate governance structure, and large government deficits. The Japanese yen has fluctuated widely at times and any increase in its value may cause a decline in exports that could weaken the economy. Furthermore, Japan has an aging workforce. It is a labor market undergoing fundamental structural changes, as traditional lifetime employment clashes with the need for increased labor mobility, which may adversely affect Japans economic competitiveness. Japan also remains heavily dependent on oil imports, and higher commodity prices could therefore
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have a negative impact on the economy. Furthermore, Japanese corporations often engage in high levels of corporate leveraging, extensive cross-purchases of the securities of other corporations and are subject to a changing corporate governance structure.
Risks related to investing in Taiwan. ( Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only) Investments in Taiwanese issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risks that are specific to Taiwan. Specifically, Taiwans geographic proximity and history of political contention with China have resulted in ongoing tensions between the two countries. These tensions may materially affect the Taiwanese economy and its securities market. Taiwan is a small island state with few raw material resources and limited land area and thus it relies heavily on imports for its commodity needs. Any fluctuations or shortages in the commodity markets could have a negative impact on the Taiwanese economy. Also, rising labor costs and increasing environmental consciousness have led some labor-intensive industries to relocate to countries with cheaper work forces, and continued labor outsourcing may adversely affect the Taiwanese economy. Taiwans economy also is intricately linked with economies of other Asian countries, which are often emerging market economies that often experience overextensions of credit, frequent and pronounced currency fluctuations, devaluations and restrictions, rising unemployment and fluctuations in inflation. Political and social unrest in other Asian countries could cause further economic and market uncertainty in Taiwan. Taiwans economy is export-oriented, so it depends on an open world trade regime and remains vulnerable to fluctuations in the world economy. In particular, the Taiwanese economy is dependent on the economies of Japan and China, and also the United States, and a reduction in purchases by any of them of Taiwanese products and services or negative changes in their economies would likely have an adverse impact on the Taiwanese economy.
Consumer discretionary sector risk. (Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF , Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF only) Companies engaged in the consumer discretionary sector are subject to fluctuations in supply and demand. These companies may also be adversely affected by changes in consumer spending as a result of world events, political and economic conditions, commodity price volatility, changes in exchange rates, imposition of import controls, increased competition, depletion of resources and labor relations.
Financial services sector risk. The financial services sector is subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly
blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition. In addition, the deterioration of the credit markets in 2007 and ensuing financial crisis in 2008 resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets.
Industrials sector risk. (Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF, Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF only) The industrials sector includes companies engaged in the manufacture and distribution of capital goods, such as those used in defense, construction and engineering, companies that manufacture and distribute electrical equipment and industrial machinery and those that provide commercial and transportation services and supplies. Because as currently constituted the industrials sector represents a significant portion of the Underlying Index, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic conditions. In addition, companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by environmental damages, product liability claims and exchange rates. The success of these companies is affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrial sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. In addition, the industrial sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.
Currency risk. ( Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only) Changes in currency exchange rates and the relative value of non-U.S. currencies may affect the value of a Funds investment and the value of your Fund shares. Because a Funds NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the local currency depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Funds holdings in that market increases. Conversely, the dollar value of your investment in a Fund may go up if the value of the local currency appreciates against the U.S. dollar. The value of the U.S. dollar measured against other currencies is influenced by a variety of factors. These factors include: interest rates, national debt levels and trade deficits, changes in balances of payments and trade,
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domestic and foreign interest and inflation rates, global or regional political, economic or financial events, monetary policies of governments, actual or potential government intervention, and global energy prices. Political instability, the possibility of government intervention and restrictive or opaque business and investment policies may also reduce the value of a countrys currency. Government monetary policies and the buying or selling of currency by a countrys government may also influence exchange rates. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. Therefore, the value of an investment in a Fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably and investors may lose money.
Derivatives Risk. ( Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only) Derivatives are financial instruments, such as futures and swaps, whose values are based on the value of one or more indicators, such as a security, asset, currency, interest rate, or index. Derivatives involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. For example, derivatives involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying indicator. Derivative transactions can create investment leverage, may be highly volatile and a Fund could lose more than the amount it invests. Many derivative transactions are entered into over-the-counter (not on an exchange or contract market); as a result, the value of such a derivative transaction will depend on the ability and the willingness of a Funds counterparty to perform its obligations under the transaction. If a counterparty were to default on its obligations, the Funds contractual remedies against such counterparty may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws, which could affect the Funds rights as a creditor ( e.g. , the Fund may not receive the net amount of payments that it is contractually entitled to receive). A liquid secondary market may not always exist for a Funds derivative positions at any time.
Futures. ( Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only) A futures contract is a standardized exchange-traded agreement to buy or sell a specific quantity of an underlying instrument at a specific price at a specific future time. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of the underlying instrument. Depending on the terms of the particular contract, futures contracts are settled through either physical delivery of the underlying instrument on the settlement date or by payment of a cash settlement amount on the settlement date. A decision as to whether, when and how to use futures involves the exercise of skill and judgment and even a well-conceived futures transaction may be unsuccessful because of market
behavior or unexpected events. In addition to the derivatives risks discussed above, the prices of futures can be highly volatile, using futures can lower total return and the potential loss from futures can exceed a Funds initial investment in such contracts.
Forward currency contract risk . ( Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only ) A forward currency contract is a negotiated agreement between two parties to exchange specified amounts of two or more currencies at a specified future time at a specified rate. The rate specified by the forward currency contract can be higher or lower than the spot rate between the currencies that are the subject of the contract. Settlement of a forward currency contract for the purchase of most currencies typically must occur at a bank based in the issuing nation. By entering into a forward currency contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of dollars or other currency, of the amount of foreign currency involved in the underlying security transactions, the Fund may be able to protect itself against a possible loss resulting from an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar or other currency which is being used for the security purchase and the foreign currency in which the security is denominated during the period between the date on which the security is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received. Furthermore, such transactions reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the direction opposite to the position taken. There is an additional risk to the extent that forward currency contracts create exposure to currencies in which the Funds securities are not denominated. Unanticipated changes in currency prices may result in poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not entered into such contracts. Forward currency contracts may limit gains on portfolio securities that could otherwise be realized had they not been utilized and could result in losses. The contracts also may increase the Funds volatility and may involve a significant amount of risk relative to the investment of cash. Non-deliverable forward (NDF) contracts may be less liquid than deliverable forward currency contracts. A lack of liquidity in NDFs of the hedged currency could adversely affect the Funds ability to obtain the desired foreign currency exposure and properly track the Underlying Index.
Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment at an acceptable price. This risk can be ongoing for any security that does not trade actively or in large volumes, for any security that trades primarily on smaller markets, and for investments that typically trade only among a limited number of large investors (such as certain types of derivatives or restricted securities). In unusual market conditions, even normally
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liquid securities may be affected by a degree of liquidity risk. This may affect only certain securities or an overall securities market.
Indexing risk. While the exposure of each Underlying Index to its component securities is by definition 100%, a Funds effective exposure to Underlying Index securities may vary over time. Because each Fund, as an index fund, is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to its Underlying Index at all times, it will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Tracking error risk. Each Funds return may not match the return of its Underlying Index for a number of reasons. For example, a Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to its Underlying Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Funds securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of its Underlying Index and raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease a Funds NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an AP. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on a Funds ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track its Underlying Index. There is no assurance that the Index Provider or any agents that may act on its behalf will compile the Funds Underlying Index accurately, or that each Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data used to compile an Underlying Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, particularly where the indices are less commonly used as benchmarks by funds or managers. Therefore, gains, losses or costs associated with errors of the Index Provider or its agents will generally be borne by the applicable Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where a Funds Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, each Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Indexs other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Funds and their shareholders. Any gains due to the Index Providers or others errors will be kept by the Funds and their shareholders and any losses resulting from the Index Providers or others errors will be borne by the applicable Fund and its shareholders. Imperfect correlation between a Funds portfolio securities and those in its Underlying Index, rounding of prices, changes to the Underlying Index and regulatory requirements may cause tracking error, the divergence of the Funds performance from that of its Underlying Index. This risk may be
heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses while its Underlying Index does not. Because each Fund utilizes a representative sampling indexing strategy, the Fund may experience higher tracking error than it would if it held all the securities of its Underlying Index with the same weightings as the Underlying Index. In addition, a Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities and other instruments included in its Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions they represent of its Underlying Index, due to legal restrictions or limitations (imposed by the governments of certain countries with respect to Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF), or a lack of liquidity on stock exchanges in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons (such as diversification requirements). Moreover, a Fund may be delayed in purchasing or selling securities and other instruments included in its Underlying Index. With respect to Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF, for purposes of calculating each Funds NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. This conversion may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate each Funds NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Funds performance and the performance of its Underlying Index. For these Funds, any issues the Funds encounter with regard to currency convertibility (including the cost of borrowing funds, if any) and repatriation may also increase the tracking error risk. For tax efficiency purposes, a Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of its Underlying Index.
Each Fund may fair value certain of its securities (including, with respect to Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF, foreign securities and/or underlying currencies it holds) except those securities primarily traded on exchanges that close at the same time the Fund calculates its NAV. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security or other asset is materially different from the value that could be realized upon the sale of such security or asset. In addition, fair value pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate a Funds NAV and the prices used by such Funds
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Underlying Index. To the extent each Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of its Underlying Index is based on securities closing prices on applicable markets (i.e., the value of its Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), or if a Fund otherwise calculates its NAV based on prices that differ from those used in calculating its Underlying Index, the Funds ability to track its Underlying Index may be adversely affected. The need to comply with the tax diversification and other requirements of the Internal Revenue Code may also impact a Funds ability to replicate the performance of its Underlying Index. In addition, if a Fund utilizes depositary receipts and other derivative instruments that are not included in its Underlying Index, its return may not correlate as well with the returns of its Underlying Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all the securities in its Underlying Index directly. Actions taken in response to proposed corporate actions could result in increased tracking error. In light of the factors discussed above, a Funds return may deviate significantly from the return of its Underlying Index.
Cash redemption risk . ( Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only ) Because the Fund may invest a portion of its assets in futures and/or forward currency contracts, the Fund may pay out a portion of its redemption proceeds in cash rather than through the in-kind delivery of portfolio securities. The Fund may be required to unwind such contracts or sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause the Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result, the Fund may pay out higher annual capital gains distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. Only certain institutional investors known as APs who have entered into an agreement with the Funds distributor may redeem shares from the Fund directly; all other investors buy and sell shares at market prices on an exchange.
Market price risk. Fund shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. Differences between secondary market prices and the value of a Funds holdings may be due largely to supply and demand forces in the secondary market, which may not be the same forces as those influencing prices for securities held by the Fund at a particular time. The Adviser cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or
premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. In addition, there may be times when the market price and the value of a Funds holdings vary significantly and you may pay more than the value of the Funds holdings when buying shares on the secondary market, and you may receive less than the value of the Funds holdings when you sell those shares. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that shares normally will trade close to the value of a Funds holdings, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices that differ significantly from the value of a Funds holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of Fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. In addition, a Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs or market makers. Only APs who have entered into agreements with a Funds distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund (as described below under Creations and Redemptions). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral), and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, a Funds shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares (and may even face delisting). Similar effects may result if market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in Fund shares. The market price of shares, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a bid-ask spread charged by the exchange specialist, market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. In times of severe market disruption, the bid-ask spread often increases significantly. This means that shares may trade at a discount to a Funds NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that you most want to sell your shares. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell shares of the Funds and various orders that may be placed. Investors should consult their financial intermediary before purchasing or selling shares of the Fund. In addition, the securities held by a Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than NYSE Arca. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when NYSE Arca is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads and the resulting premium or discount to the shares NAV is likely to widen. More generally, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads
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and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in a Funds NAV. The bid-ask spread varies over time for shares of a Fund based on the Funds trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has substantial trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). A Funds bid-ask spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities. A Funds investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with a Fund. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on NYSE Arca and may, therefore, have a material effect on the market price of the Funds shares.
Valuation risk. ( Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only) Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when a Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities in the Funds portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Funds shares.
Operational risk. A Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Funds service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures. The Funds seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate for those risks that they are intended to address.
Non-diversification risk. Each Fund is non-diversified and may invest a larger percentage of its assets in securities of a few issuers or a single issuer than that of a diversified fund. As a result, a Fund may be more susceptible to the risks associated with these particular issuers, or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers. This may increase a Funds volatility and cause the performance of a relatively smaller number of issuers to have a greater impact on the Funds performance.
Additional Risks of Investing in the Funds
Absence of Active Market. Although shares of each Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges,
there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained.
Trading Risks . Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a stock exchange because of market conditions or other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to circuit breaker rules on the exchange or market. If a trading halt or unanticipated early closing of a stock exchange occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell shares of a Fund. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that shares will trade with any volume, or at all, in any secondary market. As with all other exchange traded securities, shares may be sold short and may experience increased volatility and price decreases associated with such trading activity.
Risks Relating to Calculation of Net Asset Value. The Funds rely on various sources to calculate their NAVs. Therefore, each Fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on third party service providers and data sources. NAV calculation may be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology. Such failures may result in delays in the calculation of a Funds NAV and/or the inability to calculate NAV over extended time periods. The Funds may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of a Fund through a broker, you will incur a brokerage commission or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you will also incur the cost of the spread that is, the difference between what professional investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the bid price) and the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the ask price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Derivatives Risk. ( Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF, Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF only) Derivatives are financial instruments, such as futures and swaps, whose values are based on the value of one or more indicators, such as a security, asset, currency, interest rate, or index. Derivatives involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the
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risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. For example, derivatives involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying indicator. Derivative transactions can create investment leverage, may be highly volatile and a Fund could lose more than the amount it invests. Many derivative transactions are entered into over-the-counter (not on an exchange or contract market); as a result, the value of such a derivative transaction will depend on the ability and the willingness of a Funds counterparty to perform its obligations under the transaction. If a counterparty were to default on its obligations, the Funds contractual remedies against such counterparty may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws, which could affect the Funds rights as a creditor ( e.g. , the Fund may not receive the net amount of payments that it is contractually entitled to receive). A liquid secondary market may not always exist for a Funds derivative positions at any time.
Futures. ( Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF, Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF only) A futures contract is a standardized exchange-traded agreement to buy or sell a specific quantity of an underlying instrument at a specific price at a specific future time. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of the underlying instrument. Depending on the terms of the particular contract, futures contracts are settled through either physical delivery of the underlying instrument on the settlement date or by payment of a cash settlement amount on the settlement date. A decision as to whether, when and how to use futures involves the exercise of skill and judgment and even a well-conceived futures transaction may be unsuccessful because of market behavior or unexpected events. In addition to the derivatives risks discussed above, the prices of futures can be highly volatile, using futures can lower total return and the potential loss from futures can exceed a Funds initial investment in such contracts.
Assets Under Management (AUM) Risk. From time to time a third party, the Adviser and/or its affiliates may invest in a Fund and hold its investment for a specific period of time in order for the Fund to achieve size or scale. There can be no assurance that any such entity would not redeem its investment or that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels.
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION
A description of the Trusts policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of each Funds portfolio securities is available in the Funds SAI. The top holdings of a Fund
can be found at www.Xtrackers.com. Fund fact sheets provide information regarding a Funds top holdings and may be requested by calling 1-855-329-3837 (1-855-DBX-ETFS).
Investment Adviser
DBX Advisors LLC (DBXA or the Adviser), with headquarters at 345 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10154, is the investment adviser for each Fund. Under the oversight of the Board, the Adviser (or a sub-adviser, if any, under the oversight of the Adviser) makes the investment decisions, buys and sells securities for each Fund and conducts research that leads to these purchase and sale decisions.
Founded in 2010, the Adviser, an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bank AG, managed approximately $12.9 billion in 35 operational exchange-traded funds, as of October 31, 2017. Deutsche Bank AG is a major global banking institution that is engaged in a wide range of financial services, including investment management, mutual funds, retail, private and commercial banking, investment banking and insurance. Deutsche Asset Management represents the asset management and wealth management activities conducted by Deutsche Bank AG or any of its subsidiaries, including the Adviser. Deutsche Asset Management is a global organization that offers a wide range of investing expertise and resources, including hundreds of portfolio managers and analysts and an office network that reaches the worlds major investment centers. This well-resourced global investment platform brings together a wide variety of experience and investment insight across industries, regions, asset classes and investing styles.
The Adviser may utilize the resources of its global investment platform to provide investment management services through branch offices or affiliates located outside the U.S. In some cases, the Adviser may also utilize its branch offices or affiliates located in the U.S. or outside the U.S. to perform certain services, such as trade execution, trade matching and settlement, or various administrative, back-office or other services. To the extent services are performed outside the U.S., such activity may be subject to both U.S. and foreign regulation. It is possible that the jurisdiction in which the Adviser or its affiliate performs such services may impose restrictions or limitations on portfolio transactions that are different from, and in addition to, those in the U.S.
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Management Fee
For its services to the Funds during the most recent fiscal year, the Adviser received aggregate unitary management fees at the following annual rates as a percentage of each Funds average daily net assets:
Fund |
Fee as a % of average daily net assets |
|||
Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF | 0.35 | % | ||
Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF | 0.50 | % | ||
Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF* | 0.23 | % | ||
Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF | 0.30 | % |
* | Effective March 9, 2017, the Board adopted a voluntary expense limitation agreement to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses (excluding certain expenses) of the Fund from exceeding 0.19% as a percentage of average daily net assets. Effective May 24, 2017, the Board approved a reduction in the Funds annual unitary management fee rate to 0.19% and accordingly terminated the voluntary expense limitation agreement that limited the Funds operating expenses at 0.19% per year because of the redundancy. |
Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Trust (entered into on behalf of the Funds) (the Investment Advisory Agreement), the Adviser is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Funds, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, compensation paid to the Independent Trustees, legal, audit and other services except for the fee payments under the Investment Advisory Agreement, interest expense, acquired fund fees and expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and other extraordinary expenses.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Boards approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement for Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF, Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF is available in the Funds semi-annual report for the period ended February 28, 2017. A discussion regarding the basis for the Boards approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement for Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF is available in the Funds annual report for the fiscal period ended August 31, 2016.
Manager of Managers Structure
The Adviser and the Trust may rely on an exemptive order (the Order) from the SEC that permits the Adviser to enter into investment sub-advisory agreements with sub-advisers without obtaining shareholder approval. The Adviser, subject to the review and approval of the Board, selects sub-advisers for each Fund and supervises, monitors and evaluates the performance of each sub-adviser.
The Order also permits the Adviser, subject to the approval of the Board, to replace sub-advisers and amend investment sub-advisory agreements, including fees, without shareholder approval whenever the Adviser and the Board believe such action will benefit a Fund and its shareholders. The Adviser thus has the ultimate responsibility (subject to the ultimate oversight of the Board) to recommend the hiring and replacement of sub-advisers as well as the discretion to terminate any sub-adviser and reallocate a Funds assets for management among any other sub-adviser(s) and itself. This means that the Adviser is able to reduce the sub-advisory fees and retain a larger portion of the management fee, or increase the sub-advisory fees and retain a smaller portion of the management fee. Pursuant to the Order, the Adviser is not required to disclose its contractual fee arrangements with any sub-adviser. The Adviser compensates each sub-adviser out of its management fee.
Portfolio Managers
Mr. Richards is a Director with Deutsche Asset Management and has served as a Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management business since 2011. Prior to his current role, Mr. Richards served as an equity analyst for Fairhaven Capital LLC, a long/short equity fund, and at XShares Advisors, on behalf of an ETF issuer based in New York. At Deutsche Bank, Mr. Richards served as the primary portfolio manager for the PowerShares DB Commodity ETFs until their sale in 2015. He is currently responsible for the DBXA-managed ETFs as well as oversight of DBXA-sub-advised funds. Mr. Richards earned a BS in Finance from Boston College and is a CFA Charterholder.
Mr. Dwyer is a Director with Deutsche Asset Management and has served as a Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management business since 2016. Prior to his current role, Mr. Dwyer was the head of Northern Trusts International Equity Index ETF and Overlay portfolio management team in Chicago, managing portfolios for North American based clients. His time at Northern Trust included working in New York, Chicago, and in Hong Kong building a portfolio management desk. Mr. Dwyer has a broad range of experience managing developed, emerging, and frontier index mandates, and currency and future overlay portfolios. Prior to joining Northern Trust in 2003, Mr. Dwyer participated in the Deutsche Asset Management graduate training program. He rotated through the domestic fixed income and US structured equity fund management groups. Mr. Dwyer received a BS in Finance from Rutgers University in 2001.
Mr. Sohrabi is a Vice President with Deutsche Asset Management and has served as a Portfolio Manager and
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quantitative multi-asset strategist in the Passive Asset Management business since 2015. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Mr. Sohrabi served as a derivatives trader for several institutional asset managers and commodity trading advisors where he developed and managed systematic risk and trading strategies in equities, options, fx and futures. Mr. Sohrabi earned a BA in neurobiology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Masters of Financial Engineering from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles and is a CFA charterholder.
Mr. Bassous is a Vice President with Deutsche Asset Management and has served as a Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management business since 2017. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Mr. Bassous served as Portfolio Manager at Northern Trust Asset Management where he managed equity portfolios across a variety of global benchmarks. While at Northern Trust, he spent several years in Chicago, London and Hong Kong where he managed portfolios on behalf of institutional clients in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Before joining Northern Trust in 2007, he worked at The Bank of New York Mellon and Morgan Stanley in a variety of roles supporting equity trading and portfolio management. Mr. Bassous received a BS in Finance from Yeshiva University in 2004.
Ms. Cipolletti is an Associate with Deutsche Asset Management. She joined Deutsche Bank through Deutsche Banks graduate program and has served as a Junior Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management business since 2015. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, she served internships at Deutsche Asset Management, Deutsche Wealth Management, Private Banking and National Financial Partners. Ms. Cipolletti earned a BA in sustainable development with a focus in economics from Columbia University.
The Funds SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers and the Portfolio Managers ownership (if any) of shares of the Funds.
Additional shareholder information, including how to buy and sell shares of the Funds, is available free of charge by calling toll-free: 1-855-329-3837 (1-855-DBX-ETFS) or visiting our website at www.Xtrackers.com.
Buying and Selling Shares
Shares of the Funds are listed for trading on a national securities exchange during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day at market prices like shares of other publicly-traded companies. The Trust does not impose any minimum investment for shares of a Fund purchased on an exchange. Buying or
selling Fund shares involves two types of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of a Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the spread that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. The spread varies over time for shares of a Fund based on its trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity. The Funds shares trade on NYSE Arca under the following ticker symbols:
Fund | Ticker Symbol | |||
Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF | DEEF | |||
Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF | DEMG | |||
Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF | DEUS | |||
Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF | DESC |
Shares of a Fund may be acquired or redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units or multiples thereof, as discussed in the section of this Prospectus entitled Creations and Redemptions. Only an AP may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with a Fund. Once created, shares of a Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
The Board has evaluated the risks of market timing activities by the Funds shareholders. The Board noted that a Funds shares can only be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund in Creation Units by APs and that the vast majority of trading in the Funds shares occurs on the secondary market. Because the secondary market trades do not involve a Fund directly, it is unlikely those trades would cause many of the harmful effects of market timing, including dilution, disruption of portfolio management, increases in the Funds trading costs and the realization of capital gains. With regard to the purchase or redemption of Creation Units directly with the Funds, to the extent effected in-kind ( i.e. , for securities), such trades do not cause any of the harmful effects (as previously noted) that may result from frequent cash trades. To the extent trades are effected in whole or in part in cash, the Board noted that such trades could result in dilution to a Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact a Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. However, the Board noted that direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that the Funds shares trade at or close to NAV. In addition, each Fund imposes both fixed
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and variable transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Fund shares to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by a Fund in effecting trades. These fees increase if an investor substitutes cash in part or in whole for securities, reflecting the fact that a Funds trading costs increase in those circumstances. Given this structure, the Board determined that with respect to each Fund it is not necessary to adopt policies and procedures to detect and deter market timing of the Funds shares.
The national securities exchange on which a Funds shares are listed is open for trading Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays: New Years Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act, restricts investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in a Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust.
Book Entry
Shares of the Funds are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company (DTC) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding shares of the Fund and is recognized as the owner of all shares for all purposes.
Investors owning shares of a Fund are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for shares of the Funds. DTC participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book-entry or street name form.
Share Prices
The trading prices of a Funds shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Funds daily NAV per share and are affected by market forces such as supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of a Fund, also known as the indicative optimized portfolio
value (IOPV), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day by the national securities exchange on which the Funds shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by a Fund at a particular point in time nor the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a real-time update of the NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally determined by using both current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers that may trade in the portfolio securities held by the Fund. The quotations of certain Fund holdings may not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the U.S., as is the case for Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF. The Funds are not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and make no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value
The NAV of each Fund is generally determined once daily Monday through Friday generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each day that the NYSE is open for trading, provided that (a) any Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading in fixed-income instruments in a particular market or exchange. NAV is calculated by deducting all of the Funds liabilities from the total value of its assets and dividing the result by the number of shares outstanding, rounding to the nearest cent. All valuations are subject to review by the Trusts Board or its delegate.
In determining NAV, expenses are accrued and applied daily and securities and other assets for which market quotations are available are valued at market value. Equity investments are valued at market value, which is generally determined using the last reported official closing or last trading price on the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded at the time of valuation. Debt securities values are based on price quotations or other equivalent indications of value provided by a third-party pricing service. Any such third-party pricing service may use a variety of methodologies to value some or all of a
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 39 | Fund Details |
Funds debt securities to determine the market price. For example, the prices of securities with characteristics similar to those held by a Fund may be used to assist with the pricing process. In addition, the pricing service may use proprietary pricing models. In certain cases, some of a Funds debt securities may be valued at the mean between the last available bid and ask prices for such securities or, if such prices are not available, at prices for securities of comparable maturity, quality, and type. Short-term securities for which market quotations are not readily available are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value. Money market securities maturing in 60 days or less will be valued at amortized cost. The approximate value of shares of the applicable Fund, an amount representing on a per share basis the sum of the current value of the deposit securities based on their then current market price and the estimated cash component will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. As the respective international local markets close, the market value of the deposit securities will continue to be updated for foreign exchange rates for the remainder of the U.S. trading day at the prescribed 15 second intervals. With respect to Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF, foreign currency exchange rates with respect to each Funds non-U.S. securities are generally determined as of 4:00 p.m., London time. Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of each Fund are determined as of such earlier times. The value of each Underlying Index will not be calculated and disseminated intra-day. With respect to Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF, the value and return of each Underlying Index is calculated once each trading day by the Index Provider based on prices received from the respective international local markets. In addition, with respect to these Funds, the value of assets or liabilities denominated in non-U.S. currencies will be converted into U.S. dollars using prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. Use of a rate different from the rate used by the Index Provider may adversely affect the Funds ability to track its Underlying Index.
If a securitys market price is not readily available or does not otherwise accurately reflect the fair value of the security, the security will be valued by another method that the Adviser believes will better reflect fair value in
accordance with the Trusts valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. Each Fund may use fair value pricing in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to, situations when the value of a security in a Funds portfolio has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the market on which the security is principally traded (such as a corporate action or other news that may materially affect the price of a security) or trading in a security has been suspended or halted. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security is materially different than the value that could be realized upon the sale of the security. In addition, fair value pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate a Funds NAV and the prices used by the Funds Underlying Index. This may adversely affect a Funds ability to track its Underlying Index. With respect to securities of Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges, the value of a Funds portfolio securities may change on days when you will not be able to purchase or sell your shares.
Householding
Householding is an option available to certain Fund investors. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
General policies. Dividends from net investment income, if any, are generally declared and paid quarterly by each Fund. Distributions of net realized capital gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis for the Funds. The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a RIC or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Funds are distributed on a pro rata basis to beneficial owners of such shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.
Dividend reinvestment service. No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Broker-dealers may make
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 40 | Fund Details |
available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial owners of a Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require beneficial owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the Funds purchased in the secondary market.
Taxes
As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in shares of a Fund will be taxed. The tax information in this Prospectus is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when a Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions
Distributions from a Funds net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Funds net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions by a Fund of net long-term capital gains in excess of net short-term capital losses (capital gain dividends) are taxable to you as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held such Funds shares. Distributions by a Fund that qualify as qualified dividend income are taxable to you at long-term capital gain rates. The maximum individual rate applicable to qualified dividend income and long-term capital gains is generally either 15% or 20%, depending on whether the individuals income exceeds certain threshold amounts.
Dividends are eligible to be qualified dividend income to you, if you meet certain holding period requirements discussed below, if they are attributable to qualified dividend income received by a Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that a Fund satisfies certain holding period requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States which includes an exchange of information program
or if the stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States security market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by a Fund, and to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or in the case of certain preferred stock 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. federal income tax for the year when they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year.
If a Funds distributions exceed current and accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be re-characterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholders cost basis and result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a non-U.S. entity, the Funds ordinary income dividends (which include distributions of net short- term capital gains) will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies, provided that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of a Fund.
Dividends and interest received by a Fund with respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of a Fund at the close of a year consist of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may pass through to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have received as additional gross income your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may, in such case, be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by law, back-up withholding (currently at a rate of 28%) will apply to your distributions and proceeds if you have not
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 41 | Fund Details |
provided a taxpayer identification number or social security number and made other required certifications.
Taxes when Shares are Sold
Currently, any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one year or less is generally treated as short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on the sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid with respect to such shares.
Medicare Tax
An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such persons modified adjusted gross income (in the case of an individual) or adjusted gross income (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Funds. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on a Funds distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of a Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Creations and Redemptions
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Funds are created at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof. The size of a Creation Unit will be subject to change. Each creator or AP enters into an authorized participant agreement (Authorized Participant Agreement) with the Funds distributor, ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the Distributor), subject to acceptance by the Funds Transfer Agent. Only an AP may create or redeem Creation Units. Creation Units generally are issued and redeemed in exchange for a specific basket of securities approximating the holdings of a Fund and a designated amount of cash. Each Fund may pay out a portion of its redemption proceeds in cash rather than through the in-kind delivery of portfolio securities. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund. The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of
NAV after an order is received in a form described in the Authorized Participant Agreement.
Orders for creations and redemptions must be made by an AP that is a DTC participant and must have executed an agreement with the Distributor with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Unit aggregations. Information about the procedures regarding creation and redemption of Creation Units (including the cut-off times for receipt of creation and redemption orders) is included in the SAI.
Each Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposits and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities, including that the securities accepted for deposits and the securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act). Further, an AP that is not a qualified institutional buyer, as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive Fund Securities that are restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
Authorized Participants and the Continuous Offering of Shares
Because new shares may be created and issued on an ongoing basis, at any point during the life of a Fund a distribution, as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may be occurring. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
Broker-dealers should also note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary transactions), and thus dealing with shares that are part of an unsold allotment within the meaning of Section 4(3)(C) of the 1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Transaction Fees
APs are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. Purchasers and redeemers of Creation
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 42 | Fund Details |
Units for cash are required to pay an additional variable charge (up to a maximum of 2% for redemptions, including the standard redemption fee) to compensate for brokerage and market impact expenses. The standard creation and redemption transaction fee for each of the Funds is set forth in the table below. The maximum redemption fee, as a percentage of the amount redeemed, is 2%.
Fund | Fee | |||
Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF | $ | 3,000 | ||
Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF | $ | 5,000 | ||
Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF | $ | 1,000 | ||
Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF | $ | 2,000 |
The Distributor distributes Creation Units for each Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Funds. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Funds or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Funds. The Distributors principal address is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203.
The Adviser and/or its affiliates may pay additional compensation, out of their own assets and not as an additional charge to the Fund, to selected affiliated and unaffiliated brokers, dealers, participating insurance companies or other financial intermediaries (financial advisers) in connection with the sale and/or distribution of Fund shares or the retention and/or servicing of Fund investors and Fund shares (revenue sharing). For example, the Adviser and/or its affiliates may compensate financial advisers for providing the Fund with shelf space or access to a third party platform or fund offering list or other marketing programs, including, without limitation, inclusion of the Fund on preferred or recommended sales lists, fund supermarket platforms and other formal sales programs; granting the Adviser and/or its affiliates access to the financial advisers sales force; granting the Adviser and/or its affiliates access to the financial advisers conferences and meetings; assistance in training and educating the financial advisers personnel; and obtaining other forms of marketing support.
The level of revenue sharing payments made to financial advisers may be a fixed fee or based upon one or more of the following factors: gross sales, current assets and/or number of accounts of the Fund attributable to the financial adviser, the particular Fund or Fund type or other measures as agreed to by the Adviser and/or its affiliates and the financial advisers or any combination thereof. The amount of these revenue sharing payments is determined at the discretion of the Adviser and/or its affiliates from time to time, may be substantial, and may be different for different
financial advisers based on, for example, the nature of the services provided by the financial adviser.
Receipt of, or the prospect of receiving, additional compensation may influence your financial advisers recommendation of the Fund. You should review your financial advisers compensation disclosure and/or talk to your financial adviser to obtain more information on how this compensation may have influenced your financial advisers recommendation of the Fund. Additional information regarding these revenue sharing payments is included in the Funds Statement of Additional Information, which is available to you on request at no charge (see the back cover of this Prospectus for more information on how to request a copy of the Statement of Additional Information).
It is possible that broker-dealers that execute portfolio transactions for the Fund will include firms that also sell shares of the Fund to their customers. However, the Adviser will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor in the selection of broker-dealers to execute portfolio transactions for the Funds. Accordingly, the Adviser has implemented policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent its traders from considering sales of Fund shares as a factor in the selection of broker-dealers to execute portfolio transactions for the Fund. In addition, the Adviser and/or its affiliates will not use Fund brokerage to pay for their obligation to provide additional compensation to financial advisers as described above.
The Bank of New York Mellon, 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286, is the administrator, custodian and fund accounting and transfer agent for each Fund.
Dechert LLP, 1095 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036, serves as legal counsel to the Funds.
Ernst & Young LLP, 5 Times Square, New York, New York 10036, serves as the Funds independent registered public accounting firm. The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Funds.
FTSE International Limited (FTSE) and Frank Russell Company are the Index Providers for the Funds. FTSE and Frank Russell Company are not affiliated with the Trust, the Adviser, BNYM, the Distributor or any of their respective affiliates.
The Adviser has entered into a license agreement with each of the Index Providers to use their respective Underlying Indexes. The Adviser sublicenses rights in each Underlying Index to the Trust at no charge. The Adviser has also entered into a License Agreement with a broker-dealer for the use of certain customized analytical data. All
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 43 | Fund Details |
license fees are paid by the Adviser out of its own resources and not the assets of the Funds.
THE XTRACKERS FTSE DEVELOPED EX US COMPREHENSIVE FACTOR ETF, XTRACKERS FTSE EMERGING COMPREHENSIVE FACTOR ETF, XTRACKERS RUSSELL 1000 COMPREHENSIVE FACTOR ETF AND XTRACKERS RUSSELL 2000 COMPREHENSIVE FACTOR ETF (THE FUNDS) ARE NOT IN ANY WAY SPONSORED, ENDORSED, SOLD OR PROMOTED BY FTSE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED (FTSE), FRANK RUSSELL COMPANY OR THE LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE GROUP COMPANIES (LSEG) (TOGETHER THE LICENSOR PARTIES) AND NONE OF THE LICENSOR PARTIES MAKE ANY CLAIM, PREDICTION, WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION WHATSOEVER, EXPRESSLY OR IMPLIEDLY, EITHER AS TO (I) THE RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE FTSE DEVELOPED EX US COMPREHENSIVE FACTOR INDEX, FTSE EMERGING COMPREHENSIVE FACTOR INDEX, RUSSELL 1000 COMPREHENSIVE FACTOR INDEX AND RUSSELL 2000 COMPREHENSIVE FACTOR INDEX (THE INDEXES) (UPON WHICH THE FUNDS ARE BASED), (II) THE FIGURE AT WHICH THE INDEX IS SAID TO STAND AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME ON ANY PARTICULAR DAY OR OTHERWISE, OR (III) THE SUITABILITY OF THE INDEX FOR THE PURPOSE TO WHICH IT IS BEING PUT IN CONNECTION WITH THE FUND. NONE OF THE LICENSOR PARTIES HAVE PROVIDED OR WILL PROVIDE ANY FINANCIAL OR INVESTMENT ADVICE OR RECOMMENDATION IN RELATION TO THE INDEX TO THE ADVISER OR TO ITS CLIENTS. THE INDEX IS CALCULATED BY FTSE OR ITS AGENT. NONE OF THE LICENSOR PARTIES SHALL BE (A) LIABLE (WHETHER IN NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) TO ANY PERSON FOR ANY ERROR IN THE INDEX OR (B) UNDER ANY OBLIGATION TO ADVISE ANY PERSON OF ANY ERROR THEREIN.
ALL RIGHTS IN THE INDEX VEST IN FTSE. FTSE ® IS A TRADE MARK OF LSEG AND IS USED BY FTSE UNDER LICENSE.
FRANK RUSSELL COMPANY IS THE SOURCE AND OWNER OF THE TRADEMARKS, SERVICE MARKS AND COPYRIGHTS RELATED TO THE RUSSELL INDEXES. RUSSELL ® IS A TRADEMARK OF FRANK RUSSELL COMPANY.
Shares of the Funds are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the shares of the Funds or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Funds to track the total return performance of the Underlying Indexes or the ability
of the Underlying Indexes to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Indexes, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Funds to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca has no obligation or liability to owners of the shares of the Funds in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the shares of the Funds.
NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Underlying Indexes or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Trust on behalf of the Funds as licensee, licensees customers and counterparties, owners of the shares of the Funds, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NYSE Arca makes no express or implied warranties and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Indexes or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
The Adviser does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Indexes or any data included therein and the Adviser shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein.
The Adviser makes no warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Funds or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Funds from the use of the Underlying Indexes or any data included therein. The Adviser makes no express or implied warranties and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Underlying Indexes or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Adviser have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits), even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
Information regarding how often shares of each Fund traded on NYSE Arca at a price above ( i.e. , at a premium) or below ( i.e. , at a discount) the NAV of the Fund during the past calendar year can be found at www.Xtrackers.com.
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 44 | Fund Details |
The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand each Funds financial performance since its inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund Share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in each Fund (assuming reinvestment of all
dividends and distributions). The information has been derived from the Funds financial statements, which have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, whose report, along with the Funds financial statements, are included in the Funds Annual Report as of August 31, 2017 and for the fiscal periods then ended, which is available upon request.
Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF
Year Ended | Period Ended | |||||||
8/31/2017 | 8/31/2016 a | |||||||
Selected Per Share Data | ||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 25.41 | $ | 25.00 | ||||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | ||||||||
Net investment income (loss) b |
0.54 | 0.52 | ||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) |
3.19 | c | 0.27 | |||||
Total from investment operations |
3.73 | 0.79 | ||||||
Less distributions from: | ||||||||
Net investment income |
(0.97 | ) | (0.38 | ) | ||||
Total distributions |
(0.97 | ) | (0.38 | ) | ||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 28.17 | $ | 25.41 | ||||
Total Return (%) | 15.16 | 3.21 | ** | |||||
Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data | ||||||||
Net assets, end of period ($ millions) | 15 | 3 | ||||||
Ratio of expenses (%) | 0.35 | 0.36 | * | |||||
Ratio of net investment income (loss) (%) | 2.10 | 2.77 | * | |||||
Portfolio turnover rate (%) d | 45 | 35 | ** |
a |
For the period November 24, 2015 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2016. |
b |
Based on average shares outstanding during the period. |
c |
Because of the timing of creations and redemptions in relation to fluctuating markets at value, the amount shown may not agree with the change in aggregate gains and losses. |
d |
Portfolio turnover rate does not include securities received or delivered from processing creations or redemptions. |
* | Annualized. |
** | Not Annualized. |
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 45 | Financial Highlights |
Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF
Year Ended | Period Ended | |||||||
8/31/2017 | 8/31/2016 a | |||||||
Selected Per Share Data | ||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 25.73 | $ | 25.00 | ||||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | ||||||||
Net investment income (loss) b |
0.88 | 0.38 | ||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) |
3.27 | 0.41 | ||||||
Total from investment operations |
4.15 | 0.79 | ||||||
Less distributions from: | ||||||||
Net investment income |
(0.61 | ) | (0.06 | ) | ||||
Net realized gains |
(0.18 | ) | ||||||
Total distributions |
(0.79 | ) | (0.06 | ) | ||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 29.09 | $ | 25.73 | ||||
Total Return (%) | 16.56 | 3.16 | ** | |||||
Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data | ||||||||
Net assets, end of period ($ millions) | 13 | 3 | ||||||
Ratio of expenses (%) | 0.50 | 0.50 | * | |||||
Ratio of net investment income (loss) (%) | 3.28 | 4.14 | * | |||||
Portfolio turnover rate (%) c | 48 | 1 | ** |
a |
For the period April 19, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2016. |
b |
Based on average shares outstanding during the period. |
c |
Portfolio turnover rate does not include securities received or delivered from processing creations or redemptions. |
* | Annualized. |
** | Not Annualized. |
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 46 | Financial Highlights |
Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF
Year Ended | Period Ended | |||||||
8/31/2017 | 8/31/2016 a | |||||||
Selected Per Share Data | ||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 26.76 | $ | 25.00 | ||||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | ||||||||
Net investment income (loss) b |
0.51 | 0.40 | ||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) |
2.85 | 1.60 | ||||||
Total from investment operations |
3.36 | 2.00 | ||||||
Less distributions from: | ||||||||
Net investment income |
(0.65 | ) | (0.24 | ) | ||||
Total distributions |
(0.65 | ) | (0.24 | ) | ||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 29.47 | c | $ | 26.76 | |||
Total Return (%) | 12.75 | c | 8.06 | ** | ||||
Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data | ||||||||
Net assets, end of period ($ millions) | 100 | 21 | ||||||
Ratio of expenses before fee waiver (%) | 0.23 | 0.25 | * | |||||
Ratio of expenses after fee waiver (%) | 0.21 | 0.25 | * | |||||
Ratio of net investment income (loss) (%) | 1.83 | 2.01 | * | |||||
Portfolio turnover rate (%) d | 67 | 64 | ** |
a |
For the period November 24, 2015 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2016. |
b |
Based on average shares outstanding during the period. |
c |
The Total Return would have been lower if certain fees had not been reimbursed by the Advisor. |
d |
Portfolio turnover rate does not include securities received or delivered from processing creations or redemptions. |
* | Annualized. |
** | Not Annualized. |
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 47 | Financial Highlights |
Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF
Year Ended | Period Ended | |||||||
8/31/2017 | 8/31/2016 a | |||||||
Selected Per Share Data | ||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 27.82 | $ | 25.00 | ||||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | ||||||||
Net investment income (loss) b |
0.46 | 0.09 | ||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) |
3.35 | 2.73 | ||||||
Total from investment operations |
3.81 | 2.82 | ||||||
Less distributions from: | ||||||||
Net investment income |
(0.46 | ) | | |||||
Net realized gains |
(0.01 | ) | | |||||
Total distributions |
(0.47 | ) | | |||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 31.16 | $ | 27.82 | ||||
Total Return (%) | 13.72 | 11.28 | ** | |||||
Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data | ||||||||
Net assets, end of period ($ millions) | 5 | 3 | ||||||
Ratio of expenses (%) | 0.30 | 0.30 | * | |||||
Ratio of net investment income (loss) (%) | 1.51 | 1.79 | * | |||||
Portfolio turnover rate (%) c | 53 | 2 | ** |
a |
For the period June 28, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2016. |
b |
Based on average shares outstanding during the period. |
c |
Portfolio turnover rate does not include securities received or delivered from processing creations or redemptions. |
* | Annualized. |
** | Not Annualized. |
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 48 | Financial Highlights |
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
WWW.XTRACKERS.COM
1-855-329-3837 (1-855-DBX-ETFS)
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent shareholder reports can be found on our website at www.Xtrackers.com. For more information about the Funds, you may request a copy of the SAI. The SAI provides detailed information about the Funds and is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. This means that the SAI, for legal purposes, is a part of this Prospectus.
If you have any questions about the Trust or shares of the Funds or you wish to obtain the SAI or shareholder report free of charge, please:
Call: |
1-855-329-3837 or 1-855-DBX-ETFS (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) |
|
E-mail:dbxquestions@list.db.com | ||
Write: |
DBX ETF Trust c/o ALPS Distributors, Inc. 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100 Denver, Colorado 80203 |
Information about the Funds (including the SAI) can be reviewed and copied at the SECs Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C., and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-551-8090. Reports and other information about the Funds are available on the EDGAR Database on the SECs website at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing to the SECs Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about the Funds and their shares not contained in this Prospectus and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep the Prospectus for future reference.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-22487
Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF | ||||
Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.: IGVT | ||||
Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF | ||||
Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.: IFIX | ||||
Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF* | ||||
Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.: IHIY | ||||
Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | ||||
NYSE Arca, Inc.: HYLB | ||||
Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF* | ||||
Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc.: EMBQ | ||||
* | As of the date of this Prospectus, Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF have not begun offering shares. |
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. |
XTRACKERS BARCLAYS INTERNATIONAL TREASURY BOND HEDGED ETF | ||||
Investment Objective | 1 | |||
Fees and Expenses | 1 | |||
Principal Investment Strategies | 1 | |||
Main Risks | 2 | |||
Performance Information | 5 | |||
Management | 5 | |||
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares | 6 | |||
Tax Information | 6 | |||
Payment to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries |
6 | |||
XTRACKERS BARCLAYS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATE BOND HEDGED ETF | ||||
Investment Objective | 7 | |||
Fees and Expenses | 7 | |||
Principal Investment Strategies | 7 | |||
Main Risks | 8 | |||
Performance Information | 12 | |||
Management | 12 | |||
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares | 12 | |||
Tax Information | 12 | |||
Payment to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries |
12 | |||
XTRACKERS BARCLAYS INTERNATIONAL HIGH YIELD BOND HEDGED ETF | ||||
Investment Objective | 13 | |||
Fees and Expenses | 13 | |||
Principal Investment Strategies | 13 | |||
Main Risks | 14 | |||
Performance Information | 18 | |||
Management | 18 | |||
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares | 18 | |||
Tax Information | 18 | |||
Payment to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries |
18 |
XTRACKERS USD HIGH YIELD CORPORATE BOND ETF | ||||
Investment Objective | 20 | |||
Fees and Expenses | 20 | |||
Principal Investment Strategies | 20 | |||
Main Risks | 21 | |||
Performance Information | 24 | |||
Management | 24 | |||
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares | 24 | |||
Tax Information | 25 | |||
Payment to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries |
25 | |||
XTRACKERS IBOXX EMERGING MARKETS QUALITY WEIGHTED BOND ETF | ||||
Investment Objective | 26 | |||
Fees and Expenses | 26 | |||
Principal Investment Strategies | 26 | |||
Main Risks | 27 | |||
Performance Information | 30 | |||
Management | 30 | |||
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares | 30 | |||
Tax Information | 31 | |||
Payment to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries |
31 | |||
FUND DETAILS | ||||
Additional Information About the Funds Investment Strategies, Underlying Indexes and Risks | 32 | |||
Portfolio Holdings Information | 46 | |||
Management | 46 | |||
Shareholder Information | 48 | |||
Dividends and Distributions | 50 | |||
Creations and Redemptions | 52 | |||
Distribution | 53 | |||
Fund Service Providers | 53 | |||
Index Providers and Licenses | 53 | |||
Disclaimers | 54 | |||
Premium/Discount Information | 56 | |||
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS | 57 |
YOUR INVESTMENT IN A FUND IS NOT A BANK DEPOSIT AND IS NOT INSURED OR GUARANTEED BY THE FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCY, ENTITY OR PERSON.
i
Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Barclays Global Aggregate Treasury Ex USD Issuer Diversified Bond Index (USD Hedged) (the Underlying Index).
These are the fees and expenses that you will pay when you buy and hold shares. You will also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management Fee | 0.25 | |||
Other Expenses | None | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.25 |
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Funds operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
$26 | $80 | $141 | $318 |
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may mean higher taxes if you
are investing in a taxable account. These costs are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example can affect the Funds performance. For the period from October 25, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017, the Funds portfolio turnover rate was 44%.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund, using a passive or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is designed to track the performance of investment grade sovereign debt publicly issued in the developed and emerging markets and denominated in the issuers own domestic currency (excluding all securities denominated in U.S. dollars) while mitigating exposure to fluctuations between the value of the U.S. dollar and the currencies of the countries included in the Underlying Index.
The Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy in seeking to track the Underlying Index, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of securities in the index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Underlying Index as a whole. The Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in component securities of the Underlying Index.
The bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index are sovereign bonds denominated in one of the following 23 eligible currencies: Canadian dollar, Chilean peso, Mexican peso, euro, British pound, Swiss franc, Czech koruna, Danish krone, Israeli new shekel, Norwegian krone, Polish zloty, Russian ruble, Swedish krona, Turkish lira, South African rand, Japanese yen, Australian dollar, Hong Kong dollar, South Korean won, New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar, Malaysian ringgit and Thai baht. Additionally, eligible bonds must: (i) be rated investment grade (Baa3/BBB-/BBB- or higher) using the middle rating of Moodys ® Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys), Fitch, Inc. (Fitch) and Standard & Poors ® Financial Services, LLC (S&P); (ii) have at least one year remaining term to final maturity
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 1 | Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF |
as of the rebalancing date; (iii) have a fixed-rate coupon (including zero coupon); (iv) be non-convertible and taxable; and (v) meet certain minimum size requirements based on the issuers local currency. The Underlying Index is reconstituted and rebalanced on a monthly basis.
As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index was comprised of 1,117 bonds issued by 37 different issuers from the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
The Fund enters into forward currency contracts designed to offset the Funds exposure to foreign currencies. The Fund hedges each foreign currency in the portfolio to U.S. dollars by selling the applicable foreign currency forward at the one-month forward rate published by WM/Reuters. The amount of forward contracts in the Fund is based on the aggregate exposure of the Fund and Underlying Index to each non-U.S. currency based on currency weights as of the beginning of each month. While this approach is designed to minimize the impact of currency fluctuations on Fund returns, this does not necessarily eliminate exposure to all currency fluctuations. The return of the forward currency contracts may not perfectly offset the actual fluctuations of non-U.S. currencies relative to the U.S. dollar. The Fund may use non-deliverable forward (NDF) contracts to execute its hedging transactions. An NDF is a contract where there is no physical settlement of two currencies at maturity (as opposed to deliverable forward contracts, which per their terms are settled by physical delivery of the currencies). Rather, based on the movement of the currencies and the contractually agreed upon exchange rate, a net cash settlement is made by one party to the other in U.S. dollars.
The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in sovereign bonds and in instruments designed to hedge against the Funds exposure to non-U.S. currencies. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of securities of issuers from Japan (24.0%).
The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index was wholly comprised of sovereign issuers.
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Funds performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Funds net asset value (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of this Prospectus entitled Additional Information About the Funds Investment Strategies, Underlying Indexes and Risks Further Discussion of Main Risks and in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI).
Fixed income securities risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to the risk of the issuers inability to meet principal and interest payments on its obligations (i.e., credit risk) and are subject to price volatility resulting from, among other things, interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity (i.e., market risk). Lower rated fixed-income securities have greater volatility because there is less certainty that principal and interest payments will be made as scheduled. There is a risk that a lack of liquidity or other adverse credit market conditions may hamper the Funds ability to sell the debt securities in which it invests or to find and purchase debt instruments included in the Underlying Index.
Fixed income markets risk. The values of many types of debt securities have been reduced over a period of many years since the credit crisis started due to problems relating to subprime mortgages. These market problems have affected debt securities not related to mortgage loans. In addition, broker-dealers and other market participants have been less willing to make a market in some types of debt instruments, which has impacted the liquidity of those instruments. These developments also have had a negative effect on the broader economy.
Foreign investment risk. The Fund faces the risks inherent in foreign investing. Adverse political, economic or social developments could undermine the value of the Funds investments or prevent the Fund from realizing the full value of its investments. Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the U.S. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. markets.
Foreign governments may restrict investment by foreigners, limit withdrawal of trading profit or currency from the country, restrict currency exchange or seize foreign investments. The investments of the Fund may also be subject to foreign withholding taxes. Foreign brokerage commissions and other fees are generally higher than those for U.S. investments, and the
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 2 | Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF |
transactions and custody of foreign assets may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments.
Foreign markets can have liquidity risks beyond those typical of U.S. markets. Because foreign exchanges generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. exchanges, buying and selling foreign investments can be more difficult and costly. Relatively small transactions can sometimes materially affect the price and availability of securities. In certain situations, it may become virtually impossible to sell an investment at a price that approaches portfolio managements estimate of its value. For the same reason, it may at times be difficult to value the Funds foreign investments.
Emerging market securities risk. The securities of issuers located in emerging markets tend to be more volatile and less liquid than securities of issuers located in more mature economies, and emerging markets generally have less diverse and less mature economic structures and less stable political systems than those of developed countries. The securities of issuers located or doing substantial business in emerging markets are often subject to rapid and large changes in price.
Sovereign bond risk. A sovereign debtors willingness or ability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner may be affected by a variety of factors, including its cash flow situation, the extent of its reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtors policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which a sovereign debtor may be subject.
Interest rate risk. When interest rates rise, prices of debt securities generally decline. The longer the duration of the Funds debt securities, the more sensitive it will be to interest rate changes. (As a general rule, a 1% rise in interest rates means a 1% fall in value for every year of duration.) Given that the Federal Reserve has ended its quantitative easing program and has begun to raise rates, the Fund may face a heightened level of interest rate risk.
Credit risk. The Funds performance could be hurt if an issuer of a debt security suffers an adverse change in financial condition that results in a payment default, security downgrade or inability to meet a financial obligation. Credit risk is greater for lower-rated securities. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of credit risk. The hedging methodology of the Underlying Index does not seek to mitigate credit risk.
Prepayment and extension risk. When interest rates fall, issuers of high interest debt obligations may pay off the debts earlier than expected (prepayment risk), and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields.
When interest rates rise, issuers of lower interest debt obligations may pay off the debts later than expected (extension risk), thus keeping the Funds assets tied up in lower interest debt obligations. Ultimately, any unexpected behavior in interest rates could increase the volatility of the Funds share price and yield and could hurt Fund performance. Prepayments could also create capital gains tax liability in some instances.
Forward currency contract risk. The Fund enters into forward currency contracts to attempt to minimize the impact of changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in the Underlying Index against the U.S. dollar. These contracts may not be successful. To the extent the Funds forward currency contracts are not successful, the U.S. dollar value of your investment in the Fund may go down. Furthermore, because no changes in the currency weights in the Underlying Index are made during the month to account for changes in the Underlying Index due to price movement of securities, corporate events, additions, deletions or any other changes, changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in the Underlying Index against the U.S. dollar during the month may affect the value of the Funds investment. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. Therefore, the value of an investment in the Fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably and investors may lose money. NDFs may be less liquid than deliverable forward currency contracts. A lack of liquidity in NDFs of the hedged currency could adversely affect the Funds ability to hedge against currency fluctuations and properly track the Underlying Index.
Restricted securities/Rule 144A securities risk. The Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in securities offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, which are restricted securities. They may be less liquid and more difficult to value than other investments because such securities may not be readily marketable in broad public markets. The Fund may not be able to sell a restricted security promptly or at a reasonable price. Although there is a substantial institutional market for Rule 144A securities, it is not possible to predict exactly how the market for Rule 144A securities will develop. A restricted security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid and its value may decline as a result. Restricted securities that are deemed illiquid will count towards the Funds 15% limitation on illiquid securities. In addition, transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than for more liquid securities. The Fund may have to bear the expense of registering Rule 144A securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration.
Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment at an acceptable price.
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 3 | Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF |
Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed-income securities or the lack of an active market. Liquid investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil or economic uncertainty. Illiquid and relatively less liquid investments may be harder to value. Although the Fund primarily seeks to redeem shares of the Fund on an in-kind basis, if the Fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where redemptions from the Fund may be higher than normal. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate fixed-income holdings at the same time as the Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure. In addition, broker-dealers and other market participants have been less willing to make a market in some types of debt instruments, which has impacted the liquidity of those instruments. There can be no assurance that a security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund.
Pricing risk. If market conditions make it difficult to value some investments, the Fund may value these investments using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for an investment could be different than the value realized upon such investments sale. As a result, you could pay more than the market value when buying Fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling Fund shares.
Issuer-specific changes. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.
Indexing risk. While the exposure of the Underlying Index to its component securities is by definition 100%, the Funds effective exposure to Underlying Index securities may vary over time. Because the Fund, as an index fund, is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to its Underlying Index at all times, it will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Tracking error risk. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of its Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs (including the costs of entering into forward currency contracts on a frequent basis), cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The Funds return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying Index because the Fund bears the
costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the Funds securities holdings to reflect changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Funds NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant (AP). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Funds ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. In addition, the Funds use of a representative sampling approach may cause the Fund to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Underlying Index, due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, a lack of liquidity in the markets in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Underlying Index is based on securities closing prices (i.e., the value of the Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), the Funds ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Funds return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Market price risk. Fund shares are listed for trading on Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (Cboe) and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. DBX Advisors LLC (the Adviser) cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units (defined below), the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 4 | Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF |
not be sustained in the long-term. However, the Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs or market makers. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund (as described below under Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares (and may even face delisting). Similar effects may result if market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in Fund shares. Further, while the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that shares normally will trade close to the value of the Funds holdings, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in market prices that differ significantly from the value of the Funds holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of Fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. In addition, the securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than Cboe. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when Cboe is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads and the resulting premium or discount to the shares NAV is likely to widen. The bid-ask spread of the Fund may be wider in comparison to the bid-ask spread of other ETFs, given the liquidity of the Funds assets and the Underlying Indexs (and thus the Funds) currency hedging strategy. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the Funds NAV. The Funds investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the Fund.
Operational risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Funds service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures. The Fund seeks to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible
risk and may be inadequate for those risks that they are intended to address.
Counterparty risk. A financial institution or other counterparty with whom the Fund does business, or that underwrites, distributes or guarantees any investments or contracts that the Fund owns or is otherwise exposed to, may decline in financial health and become unable to honor its commitments. This could cause losses for the Fund or could delay the return or delivery of collateral or other assets to the Fund.
Geographic concentration risk. To the extent the Underlying Index and the Fund are significantly comprised of securities of issuers from a single country, the Fund would be more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country. For example, political and economic conditions and changes in regulatory, tax or economic policy in a country could significantly affect the market in that country and in surrounding or related countries and have a negative impact on the Funds performance. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of securities of issuers from Japan (24.0%).
Non-diversification risk. The Fund is classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. This means that the Fund may invest in securities of relatively few issuers. Thus, the performance of one or a small number of portfolio holdings can affect overall performance.
As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance and therefore does not report its performance information. Once available, the Funds performance information will be accessible on the Funds website at www.Xtrackers.com and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Funds performance and by showing how the Funds returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.
Investment Adviser
DBX Advisors LLC
Portfolio Managers
Bryan Richards, Brandon Matsui, Tanuj Dora and Alexander Bridgeforth are portfolio managers for the Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each portfolio manager functions as a member of a portfolio management team. Messrs. Richards, Matsui, Dora and Bridgeforth have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Funds inception.
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 5 | Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF |
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an ETF). Individual Fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (Creation Units) to APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor.
The Funds distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is an individual retirement account, 401(k), or other tax-deferred investment plan. Any withdrawals you make from such tax-deferred investment plans, however, may be taxable to you.
PAYMENT TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediarys website for more information.
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 6 | Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF |
Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Barclays Global Aggregate Corporate Ex USD Bond Index (USD Hedged) (the Underlying Index).
These are the fees and expenses that you will pay when you buy and hold shares. You will also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management Fee | 0.30 | |||
Other Expenses | None | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.30 |
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Funds operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||
$31 | $97 | $169 | $381 |
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may mean higher taxes if you are investing in a taxable account. These costs are not
reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example can affect the Funds performance. For the period from October 25, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017, the Funds portfolio turnover rate was 36%.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund, using a passive or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is designed to track the performance of investment grade corporate debt publicly issued in developed and emerging markets (excluding all securities denominated in U.S. dollars) in the industrial, utility and financial sectors while mitigating exposure to fluctuations between the value of the U.S. dollar and the currencies of the countries included in the Underlying Index.
The Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy in seeking to track the Underlying Index, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of securities in the index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Underlying Index as a whole. The Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in component securities of the Underlying Index.
The bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index must be denominated in one of the following 18 eligible currencies: Canadian dollar, euro, British pound, Swiss franc, Czech koruna, Danish krone, Norwegian krone, Polish zloty, Swedish krona, South African rand, Japanese yen, Australian dollar, Hong Kong dollar, South Korean won, New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar, Malaysian ringgit and Thai baht. Additionally, eligible bonds must: (i) be rated investment grade (Baa3/BBB-/BBB- or higher) using the middle rating of Moodys ® Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys), Fitch, Inc. (Fitch) and Standard & Poors ® Financial Services, LLC (S&P); (ii) have at least one year remaining term to final maturity as of the rebalancing date; (iii) have a fixed-rate coupon (including zero coupon), a callable fixed-to-floating rate coupon during the fixed-rate
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term only, or a step-up coupon that changes according to a predetermined schedule; (iv) be non-convertible and taxable; and (v) meet certain minimum size requirements based on the issuers local currency. The Underlying Index is reconstituted and rebalanced on a monthly basis.
As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index was comprised of 3,849 bonds issued by 38 different issuers from the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jersey Channel Islands, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The Fund enters into forward currency contracts designed to offset the Funds exposure to foreign currencies. The Fund hedges each foreign currency in the portfolio to U.S. dollars by selling the applicable foreign currency forward at the one-month forward rate published by WM/Reuters. The amount of forward contracts in the Fund is based on the aggregate exposure of the Fund and Underlying Index to each non-U.S. currency based on currency weights as of the beginning of each month. While this approach is designed to minimize the impact of currency fluctuations on Fund returns, this does not necessarily eliminate exposure to all currency fluctuations. The return of the forward currency contracts may not perfectly offset the actual fluctuations of non-U.S. currencies relative to the U.S. dollar. The Fund may use non-deliverable forward (NDF) contracts to execute its hedging transactions. An NDF is a contract where there is no physical settlement of two currencies at maturity (as opposed to deliverable forward contracts, which per their terms are settled by physical delivery of the currencies). Rather, based on the movement of the currencies and the contractually agreed upon exchange rate, a net cash settlement is made by one party to the other in U.S. dollars.
The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in corporate bonds and in instruments designed to hedge against the Funds exposure to non-U.S. currencies. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of securities of issuers from the United States (17.6%) and the United Kingdom (16.2%).
The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers in the industrials (47.9%) and financial services (43.4%) sectors.
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Funds performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Funds net asset value (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of this Prospectus entitled Additional Information About the Funds Investment Strategies, Underlying Indexes and Risks Further Discussion of Main Risks and in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI).
Fixed income securities risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to the risk of the issuers inability to meet principal and interest payments on its obligations (i.e., credit risk) and are subject to price volatility resulting from, among other things, interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity (i.e., market risk). Lower rated fixed-income securities have greater volatility because there is less certainty that principal and interest payments will be made as scheduled. There is a risk that a lack of liquidity or other adverse credit market conditions may hamper the Funds ability to sell the debt securities in which it invests or to find and purchase debt instruments included in the Underlying Index.
Fixed income markets risk. The values of many types of debt securities have been reduced over a period of many years since the credit crisis started due to problems relating to subprime mortgages. These market problems have affected debt securities not related to mortgage loans. In addition, broker-dealers and other market participants have been less willing to make a market in some types of debt instruments, which has impacted the liquidity of those instruments. These developments also have had a negative effect on the broader economy.
Foreign investment risk. The Fund faces the risks inherent in foreign investing. Adverse political, economic or social developments could undermine the value of the Funds investments or prevent the Fund from realizing the full value of its investments. Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the U.S. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. markets.
Foreign governments may restrict investment by foreigners, limit withdrawal of trading profit or currency from the country, restrict currency exchange or seize foreign investments. The investments of the Fund may also be subject to foreign withholding taxes. Foreign brokerage commissions and other fees are generally higher than those for U.S. investments, and the
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transactions and custody of foreign assets may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments.
Foreign markets can have liquidity risks beyond those typical of U.S. markets. Because foreign exchanges generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. exchanges, buying and selling foreign investments can be more difficult and costly. Relatively small transactions can sometimes materially affect the price and availability of securities. In certain situations, it may become virtually impossible to sell an investment at a price that approaches portfolio managements estimate of its value. For the same reason, it may at times be difficult to value the Funds foreign investments.
Emerging market securities risk. The securities of issuers located in emerging markets tend to be more volatile and less liquid than securities of issuers located in more mature economies, and emerging markets generally have less diverse and less mature economic structures and less stable political systems than those of developed countries. The securities of issuers located or doing substantial business in emerging markets are often subject to rapid and large changes in price.
Interest rate risk. When interest rates rise, prices of debt securities generally decline. The longer the duration of the Funds debt securities, the more sensitive it will be to interest rate changes. (As a general rule, a 1% rise in interest rates means a 1% fall in value for every year of duration.) Given that the Federal Reserve has ended its quantitative easing program and has begun to raise rates, the Fund may face a heightened level of interest rate risk.
Credit risk. The Funds performance could be hurt if an issuer of a debt security suffers an adverse change in financial condition that results in a payment default, security downgrade or inability to meet a financial obligation. Credit risk is greater for lower-rated securities. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of credit risk. The hedging methodology of the Underlying Index does not seek to mitigate credit risk.
Prepayment and extension risk. When interest rates fall, issuers of high interest debt obligations may pay off the debts earlier than expected (prepayment risk), and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields. When interest rates rise, issuers of lower interest debt obligations may pay off the debts later than expected (extension risk), thus keeping the Funds assets tied up in lower interest debt obligations. Ultimately, any unexpected behavior in interest rates could increase the volatility of the Funds share price and yield and could hurt Fund performance. Prepayments could also create capital gains tax liability in some instances.
Industrials sector risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities issued by companies in the industrials sector in order to track the Underlying Indexs allocation to that sector. The industrials sector includes companies engaged in the manufacture and distribution of capital goods, such as those used in defense, construction and engineering, companies that manufacture and distribute electrical equipment and industrial machinery and those that provide commercial and transportation services and supplies. Because as currently constituted the industrials sector represents a significant portion of the Underlying Index, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic conditions. In addition, companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by environmental damages, product liability claims and exchange rates.
Financial services sector risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of issuers in the financial services sector in order to track the Underlying Indexs allocation to that sector. The financial services sector is subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition. In addition, the deterioration of the credit markets in 2007 and ensuing financial crisis in 2008 resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets.
Forward currency contract risk. The Fund enters into forward currency contracts to attempt to minimize the impact of changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in the Underlying Index against the U.S. dollar. These contracts may not be successful. To the extent the Funds forward currency contracts are not successful, the U.S. dollar value of your investment in the Fund may go down. Furthermore, because no changes in the currency weights in the Underlying Index are made during the month to account for changes in the Underlying Index due to price movement of securities, corporate events, additions, deletions or any other changes, changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in the Underlying Index against the U.S. dollar during the month may affect the value of the Funds investment. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. Therefore, the value of an investment in the Fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably and investors may lose money. NDFs may be less liquid
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than deliverable forward currency contracts. A lack of liquidity in NDFs of the hedged currency could adversely affect the Funds ability to hedge against currency fluctuations and properly track the Underlying Index.
Restricted securities/Rule 144A securities risk. The Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in securities offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, which are restricted securities. They may be less liquid and more difficult to value than other investments because such securities may not be readily marketable in broad public markets. The Fund may not be able to sell a restricted security promptly or at a reasonable price. Although there is a substantial institutional market for Rule 144A securities, it is not possible to predict exactly how the market for Rule 144A securities will develop. A restricted security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid and its value may decline as a result. Restricted securities that are deemed illiquid will count towards the Funds 15% limitation on illiquid securities. In addition, transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than for more liquid securities. The Fund may have to bear the expense of registering Rule 144A securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration.
Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment at an acceptable price. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed-income securities or the lack of an active market. Liquid investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil or economic uncertainty. Illiquid and relatively less liquid investments may be harder to value. Although the Fund primarily seeks to redeem shares of the Fund on an in-kind basis, if the Fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where redemptions from the Fund may be higher than normal. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate fixed-income holdings at the same time as the Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure. In addition, broker-dealers and other market participants have been less willing to make a market in some types of debt instruments, which has impacted the liquidity of those instruments. There can be no assurance that a security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund.
Pricing risk. If market conditions make it difficult to value some investments, the Fund may value these investments
using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for an investment could be different than the value realized upon such investments sale. As a result, you could pay more than the market value when buying Fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling Fund shares.
Issuer-specific changes. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.
Indexing risk. While the exposure of the Underlying Index to its component securities is by definition 100%, the Funds effective exposure to Underlying Index securities may vary over time. Because the Fund, as an index fund, is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to its Underlying Index at all times, it will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Tracking error risk. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of its Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs (including the costs of entering into forward currency contracts on a frequent basis), cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The Funds return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying Index because the Fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the Funds securities holdings to reflect changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Funds NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant (AP). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Funds ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. In addition, the Funds use of a representative sampling approach may cause the Fund to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Underlying Index, due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, a lack of liquidity in the markets in which
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such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Underlying Index is based on securities closing prices (i.e., the value of the Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), the Funds ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Funds return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Market price risk. Fund shares are listed for trading on Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (Cboe) and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. DBX Advisors LLC (the Adviser) cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units (defined below), the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. However, the Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs or market makers. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund (as described below under Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares (and may even face delisting). Similar effects may result if market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in Fund shares. Further, while the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that shares normally will trade close to the value of the Funds holdings, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in market prices that differ significantly from the value of the Funds holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of Fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. In addition, the securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than Cboe. Liquidity in those securities may
be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when Cboe is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads and the resulting premium or discount to the shares NAV is likely to widen. The bid-ask spread of the Fund may be wider in comparison to the bid-ask spread of other ETFs, given the liquidity of the Funds assets and the Underlying Indexs (and thus the Funds) currency hedging strategy. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the Funds NAV. The Funds investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the Fund.
Operational risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Funds service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures. The Fund seeks to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate for those risks that they are intended to address.
Counterparty risk. A financial institution or other counterparty with whom the Fund does business, or that underwrites, distributes or guarantees any investments or contracts that the Fund owns or is otherwise exposed to, may decline in financial health and become unable to honor its commitments. This could cause losses for the Fund or could delay the return or delivery of collateral or other assets to the Fund.
Geographic concentration risk. To the extent the Underlying Index and the Fund are significantly comprised of securities of issuers from a single country, the Fund would be more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country. For example, political and economic conditions and changes in regulatory, tax or economic policy in a country could significantly affect the market in that country and in surrounding or related countries and have a negative impact on the Funds performance. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of securities of issuers from the United States (17.6%) and the United Kingdom (16.2%).
Non-diversification risk. The Fund is classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. This means that the Fund may invest in
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securities of relatively few issuers. Thus, the performance of one or a small number of portfolio holdings can affect overall performance.
As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance and therefore does not report its performance information. Once available, the Funds performance information will be accessible on the Funds website at www.Xtrackers.com and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Funds performance and by showing how the Funds returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.
Investment Adviser
DBX Advisors LLC
Portfolio Managers
Bryan Richards, Brandon Matsui, Tanuj Dora and Alexander Bridgeforth are portfolio managers for the Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each portfolio manager functions as a member of a portfolio management team. Messrs. Richards, Matsui, Dora and Bridgeforth have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Funds inception.
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an ETF). Individual Fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (Creation Units) to APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor.
The Funds distributions will generally be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is an individual retirement account, 401(k), or other tax-deferred investment plan. Any withdrawals you make from such tax-deferred investment plans, however, may be taxable to you.
PAYMENT TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or
reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediarys website for more information.
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Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Barclays Pan Euro High Yield Bond Index (USD Hedged) (the Underlying Index).
These are the fees and expenses that you will pay when you buy and hold shares. You will also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management Fee | 0.40 | |||
Other Expenses* | None | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.40 |
* | Because the Fund is new, Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Funds operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year | 3 Years | |
$41 | $128 |
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate
higher transaction costs and may mean higher taxes if you are investing in a taxable account. These costs are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example can affect the Funds performance. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and therefore does not report portfolio turnover rate.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund, using a passive or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is designed to track the performance of publicly issued below investment grade corporate debt denominated in euro, British pound, Danish krone, Norwegian krone, Swedish krona and Swiss franc while mitigating exposure to fluctuations between the value of the U.S. dollar and the currencies included in the Underlying Index. Inclusion in the Underlying Index is based on the currency of the issue and not on the domicile of the issuer. Emerging market debt is not eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index.
The Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy in seeking to track the Underlying Index, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of securities in the index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Underlying Index as a whole. The Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in component securities of the Underlying Index.
The bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index must: (i) be rated below investment grade (Ba1/BB+/BB+ or lower) using the middle rating of Moodys ® Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys), Fitch, Inc. (Fitch) and Standard & Poors ® Financial Services, LLC (S&P); (ii) have at least one year remaining term to final maturity as of the rebalancing date; (iii) have a fixed-rate coupon (including zero coupon), a callable fixed-to-floating rate coupon during the fixed-rate term only, or a step-up coupon that changes according to a predetermined schedule; (iv) be non-convertible and taxable; and (v) meet
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certain minimum size requirements based on the issuers local currency. The Underlying Index is reconstituted and rebalanced on a monthly basis.
As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index was comprised of 628 bonds issued by 24 different issuers from the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jersey Channel Islands, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The Fund enters into forward currency contracts designed to offset the Funds exposure to foreign currencies. The Fund hedges each foreign currency in the portfolio to U.S. dollars by selling the applicable foreign currency forward at the one-month forward rate published by WM/Reuters. The amount of forward contracts in the Fund is based on the aggregate exposure of the Fund and Underlying Index to each non-U.S. currency based on currency weights as of the beginning of each month. While this approach is designed to minimize the impact of currency fluctuations on Fund returns, this does not necessarily eliminate exposure to all currency fluctuations. The return of the forward currency contracts may not perfectly offset the actual fluctuations of non-U.S. currencies relative to the U.S. dollar. The Fund may use non-deliverable forward (NDF) contracts to execute its hedging transactions. An NDF is a contract where there is no physical settlement of two currencies at maturity (as opposed to deliverable forward contracts, which per their terms are settled by physical delivery of the currencies). Rather, based on the movement of the currencies and the contractually agreed upon exchange rate, a net cash settlement is made by one party to the other in U.S. dollars.
The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in high yield bonds and in instruments designed to hedge against the Funds exposure to non-U.S. currencies. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of securities of issuers from Italy (20.5%) and the United Kingdom (17.3%).
The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers in the industrials (74.2%) and financial services (20.8%) sectors.
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Funds performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Funds net asset value (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of this Prospectus entitled Additional Information About the Funds Investment Strategies, Underlying Indexes and Risks Further Discussion of Main Risks and in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI).
Fixed income securities risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to the risk of the issuers inability to meet principal and interest payments on its obligations (i.e., credit risk) and are subject to price volatility resulting from, among other things, interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity (i.e., market risk). Lower rated fixed-income securities have greater volatility because there is less certainty that principal and interest payments will be made as scheduled. There is a risk that a lack of liquidity or other adverse credit market conditions may hamper the Funds ability to sell the debt securities in which it invests or to find and purchase debt instruments included in the Underlying Index.
Fixed income markets risk. The values of many types of debt securities have been reduced over a period of many years since the credit crisis started due to problems relating to subprime mortgages. These market problems have affected debt securities not related to mortgage loans. In addition, broker-dealers and other market participants have been less willing to make a market in some types of debt instruments, which has impacted the liquidity of those instruments. These developments also have had a negative effect on the broader economy.
High yield securities risk. Securities that are rated below investment-grade (commonly referred to as junk bonds, including those bonds rated lower than BBB- by S&P and Fitch or Baa3 by Moodys), or are unrated, may be deemed speculative and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity with respect to the issuers continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. High-yield debt securities total return and yield may generally be expected to fluctuate more than the total return and yield of investment-grade debt securities. A real or perceived economic downturn or an increase in market interest rates could cause a decline in the value of high-yield debt securities; result in increased redemptions and/or result in increased portfolio turnover, which could result in a decline in net asset value of the Fund; reduce liquidity
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for certain investments; and/or increase costs. High-yield debt securities are often thinly traded and can be more difficult to sell and value accurately than investment-grade debt securities because there might not be any established secondary market. Investments in the high-yield debt securities could increase liquidity risk for the Fund. In addition, the market for high-yield debt securities could experience sudden and sharp volatility, which is generally associated more with investments in stocks.
Foreign investment risk. The Fund faces the risks inherent in foreign investing. Adverse political, economic or social developments could undermine the value of the Funds investments or prevent the Fund from realizing the full value of its investments. Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the U.S. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. markets.
Foreign governments may restrict investment by foreigners, limit withdrawal of trading profit or currency from the country, restrict currency exchange or seize foreign investments. The investments of the Fund may also be subject to foreign withholding taxes. Foreign brokerage commissions and other fees are generally higher than those for U.S. investments, and the transactions and custody of foreign assets may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments.
Foreign markets can have liquidity risks beyond those typical of U.S. markets. Because foreign exchanges generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. exchanges, buying and selling foreign investments can be more difficult and costly. Relatively small transactions can sometimes materially affect the price and availability of securities. In certain situations, it may become virtually impossible to sell an investment at a price that approaches portfolio managements estimate of its value. For the same reason, it may at times be difficult to value the Funds foreign investments.
European economic risk. The Economic and Monetary Union (the EMU) of the European Union (EU) requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to concerns about economic
downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that countrys debt, and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that countrys creditworthiness (which may be located in countries other than those listed in the previous sentence). These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro, the common currency of certain EU countries, and may continue to significantly affect every country in Europe, including countries that do not use the euro. In June 2016, the United Kingdom approved a referendum to leave the EU, creating economic and political uncertainty in its wake. The United Kingdom has provided the EU with notice of its intention to withdraw in March 2019 and significant uncertainty exists regarding the effects such withdrawal will have on economies, financial markets and asset valuations in the EU and around the world.
Interest rate risk. When interest rates rise, prices of debt securities generally decline. The longer the duration of the Funds debt securities, the more sensitive it will be to interest rate changes. (As a general rule, a 1% rise in interest rates means a 1% fall in value for every year of duration.) Given that the Federal Reserve has ended its quantitative easing program and has begun to raise rates, the Fund may face a heightened level of interest rate risk.
Credit risk. The Funds performance could be hurt if an issuer of a debt security suffers an adverse change in financial condition that results in a payment default, security downgrade or inability to meet a financial obligation. Credit risk is greater for lower-rated securities. Because the issuers of junk bonds may be in uncertain financial health, the prices of their debt securities could be more vulnerable to bad economic news, or even the expectation of bad news, than investment-grade debt securities. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of credit risk. The hedging methodology of the Underlying Index does not seek to mitigate credit risk.
Prepayment and extension risk. When interest rates fall, issuers of high interest debt obligations may pay off the debts earlier than expected (prepayment risk), and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields. When interest rates rise, issuers of lower interest debt obligations may pay off the debts later than expected (extension risk), thus keeping the Funds assets tied up in lower interest debt obligations. Ultimately, any unexpected behavior in interest rates could increase the volatility of the Funds share price and yield and could hurt Fund performance. Prepayments could also create capital gains tax liability in some instances.
Industrials sector risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities issued by companies in
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the industrials sector in order to track the Underlying Indexs allocation to that sector. The industrials sector includes companies engaged in the manufacture and distribution of capital goods, such as those used in defense, construction and engineering, companies that manufacture and distribute electrical equipment and industrial machinery and those that provide commercial and transportation services and supplies. Because as currently constituted the industrials sector represents a significant portion of the Underlying Index, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic conditions. In addition, companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by environmental damages, product liability claims and exchange rates.
Financial services sector risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of issuers in the financial services sector in order to track the Underlying Indexs allocation to that sector. The financial services sector is subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition. In addition, the deterioration of the credit markets in 2007 and ensuing financial crisis in 2008 resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets.
Forward currency contract risk. The Fund enters into forward currency contracts to attempt to minimize the impact of changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in the Underlying Index against the U.S. dollar. These contracts may not be successful. To the extent the Funds forward currency contracts are not successful, the U.S. dollar value of your investment in the Fund may go down. Furthermore, because no changes in the currency weights in the Underlying Index are made during the month to account for changes in the Underlying Index due to price movement of securities, corporate events, additions, deletions or any other changes, changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in the Underlying Index against the U.S. dollar during the month may affect the value of the Funds investment. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. Therefore, the value of an investment in the Fund may also go up or down quickly and unpredictably and investors may lose money. NDFs may be less liquid than deliverable forward currency contracts. A lack of liquidity in NDFs of the hedged currency could adversely
affect the Funds ability to hedge against currency fluctuations and properly track the Underlying Index.
Restricted securities/Rule 144A securities risk. The Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in securities offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, which are restricted securities. They may be less liquid and more difficult to value than other investments because such securities may not be readily marketable in broad public markets. The Fund may not be able to sell a restricted security promptly or at a reasonable price. Although there is a substantial institutional market for Rule 144A securities, it is not possible to predict exactly how the market for Rule 144A securities will develop. A restricted security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid and its value may decline as a result. Restricted securities that are deemed illiquid will count towards the Funds 15% limitation on illiquid securities. In addition, transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than for more liquid securities. The Fund may have to bear the expense of registering Rule 144A securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration.
Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment at an acceptable price. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed-income securities or the lack of an active market. Liquid investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil or economic uncertainty. Illiquid and relatively less liquid investments may be harder to value. Although the Fund primarily seeks to redeem shares of the Fund on an in-kind basis, if the Fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where redemptions from the Fund may be higher than normal. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate fixed-income holdings at the same time as the Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure. In addition, broker-dealers and other market participants have been less willing to make a market in some types of debt instruments, which has impacted the liquidity of those instruments. There can be no assurance that a security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund.
Pricing risk. If market conditions make it difficult to value some investments, the Fund may value these investments using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for an investment
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could be different than the value realized upon such investments sale. As a result, you could pay more than the market value when buying Fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling Fund shares.
Issuer-specific changes. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.
Indexing risk. While the exposure of the Underlying Index to its component securities is by definition 100%, the Funds effective exposure to Underlying Index securities may vary over time. Because the Fund, as an index fund, is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to its Underlying Index at all times, it will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Tracking error risk. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of its Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs (including the costs of entering into forward currency contracts on a frequent basis), cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The Funds return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying Index because the Fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the Funds securities holdings to reflect changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Funds NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant (AP). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Funds ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. In addition, the Funds use of a representative sampling approach may cause the Fund to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Underlying Index, due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, a lack of liquidity in the markets in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences
or other regulatory reasons. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Underlying Index is based on securities closing prices (i.e., the value of the Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), the Funds ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Funds return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Market price risk. Fund shares are expected to be listed for trading on Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (Cboe) and will be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. DBX Advisors LLC (the Adviser) cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units (defined below), the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. However, the Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs or market makers. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund (as described below under Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares (and may even face delisting). Similar effects may result if market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in Fund shares. Further, while the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that shares normally will trade close to the value of the Funds holdings, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in market prices that differ significantly from the value of the Funds holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of Fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. In addition, the securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than Cboe. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced
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after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when Cboe is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads and the resulting premium or discount to the shares NAV is likely to widen. The bid-ask spread of the Fund may be wider in comparison to the bid-ask spread of other ETFs, given the liquidity of the Funds assets and the Underlying Indexs (and thus the Funds) currency hedging strategy. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the Funds NAV. The Funds investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the Fund.
Operational risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Funds service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures. The Fund seeks to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate for those risks that they are intended to address.
Counterparty risk. A financial institution or other counterparty with whom the Fund does business, or that underwrites, distributes or guarantees any investments or contracts that the Fund owns or is otherwise exposed to, may decline in financial health and become unable to honor its commitments. This could cause losses for the Fund or could delay the return or delivery of collateral or other assets to the Fund.
Geographic concentration risk. To the extent the Underlying Index and the Fund are significantly comprised of securities of issuers from a single country, the Fund would be more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country. For example, political and economic conditions and changes in regulatory, tax or economic policy in a country could significantly affect the market in that country and in surrounding or related countries and have a negative impact on the Funds performance. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of securities of issuers from Italy (20.5%) and the United Kingdom (17.3%).
Non-diversification risk. The Fund is classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. This means that the Fund may invest in
securities of relatively few issuers. Thus, the performance of one or a small number of portfolio holdings can affect overall performance.
As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and therefore does not report its performance information. Once available, the Funds performance information will be accessible on the Funds website at www.Xtrackers.com and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Funds performance and by showing how the Funds returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.
Investment Adviser
DBX Advisors LLC
Portfolio Managers
Bryan Richards, Brandon Matsui, Tanuj Dora and Alexander Bridgeforth are portfolio managers for the Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each portfolio manager functions as a member of a portfolio management team. Messrs. Richards, Matsui, Dora and Bridgeforth have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Funds inception.
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an ETF). Individual Fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (Creation Units) to APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor.
The Funds distributions will generally be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is an individual retirement account, 401(k), or other tax-deferred investment plan. Any withdrawals you make from such tax-deferred investment plans, however, may be taxable to you.
PAYMENT TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or other related companies may pay the intermediary for
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marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediarys website for more information.
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Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Solactive USD High Yield Corporates Total Market Index (the Underlying Index).
These are the fees and expenses that you will pay when you buy and hold shares. You will also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management Fee* | 0.20 | |||
Other Expenses | None | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.20 |
* | The management fee information in this table has been restated to reflect the Funds current reduced management fee effective November 14, 2017. |
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Funds operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year | 3 Years | 5 years | 10 Years | |||
$20 | $64 | $113 | $255 |
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate
higher transaction costs and may mean higher taxes if you are investing in a taxable account. These costs are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example can affect the Funds performance. For the period from December 7, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017, the Funds portfolio turnover rate was 36%.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund, using a passive or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is comprised of U.S. dollar-denominated high yield corporate bonds.
The Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy in seeking to track the Underlying Index, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of securities in the index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Underlying Index as a whole. The Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets, but typically far more, in instruments that comprise the Underlying Index.
The high yield bond positions included in the Underlying Index are designed to represent a more liquid selection of bonds than the universe of high yield bonds in the United States not included in the Underlying Index. Currently, the bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index include U.S. dollar-denominated high yield corporate bonds that: (i) are issued by companies domiciled in countries classified as developed markets by the index provider; (ii) have a composite rating calculated from available ratings among three rating agencies: Moodys ® Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys), Fitch, Inc. (Fitch) and Standard & Poors ® Financial Services, LLC (S&P) as sub-investment grade; (iii) are from issuers with at least $1 billion outstanding face value; (iv) have at least $400 million of outstanding face value; (v) have an original maturity date at most 15 years; and (vi) have at least one year to maturity (or at least 20 months to maturity for bonds newly added to the Underlying Index). In addition, the Underlying Index may include a substantial number of bonds offered
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pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act). The Underlying Index is reconstituted and rebalanced on a monthly basis and the Fund rebalances and reconstitutes its portfolio in corresponding fashion. The Underlying Index is market capitalization weighted and the percentage weight of any issuer is capped at 3%. The Underlying Index is sponsored by Solactive AG (Solactive or Index Provider), which is not affiliated with or sponsored by the Fund or the Adviser.
As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index was comprised of 1,170 bonds issued by 20 different issuers in the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jersey Channel Islands, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in high yield corporate bonds. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers from the United States (78.4%).
The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of issuers in the telecommunications (24.8%) and consumer staples (16.4%) sectors.
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Funds performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Funds net asset value (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of this Prospectus entitled Additional Information About the Funds Investment Strategies, Underlying Indexes and Risks Further Discussion of Main Risks and in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI).
Fixed income securities risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to the risk of the issuers inability to meet principal and interest payments on its obligations (i.e., credit risk) and are subject to price volatility resulting from, among other things, interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity (i.e., market risk). Lower rated fixed-income securities have greater volatility because there is less certainty that principal and interest payments will be made
as scheduled. There is a risk that a lack of liquidity or other adverse credit market conditions may hamper the Funds ability to sell the debt securities in which it invests or to find and purchase debt instruments included in the Underlying Index.
Fixed income markets risk. The values of many types of debt securities have been reduced over a period of many years since the credit crisis started due to problems relating to subprime mortgages. These market problems have affected debt securities not related to mortgage loans. In addition, broker-dealers and other market participants have been less willing to make a market in some types of debt instruments, which has impacted the liquidity of those instruments. These developments also have had a negative effect on the broader economy.
High yield securities risk. Securities that are rated below investment-grade (commonly referred to as junk bonds, including those bonds rated lower than BBB- by S&P and Fitch or Baa3 by Moodys), or are unrated, may be deemed speculative and may be more volatile than higher rated securities of similar maturity with respect to the issuers continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. High yield debt securities total return and yield may generally be expected to fluctuate more than the total return and yield of investment-grade debt securities. A real or perceived economic downturn or an increase in market interest rates could cause a decline in the value of high yield debt securities; result in increased redemptions and/or result in increased portfolio turnover, which could result in a decline in net asset value of the Fund; reduce liquidity for certain investments; and/or increase costs. High yield debt securities are often thinly traded and can be more difficult to sell and value accurately than investment-grade debt securities because there might not be any established secondary market. Investments in high yield debt securities could increase liquidity risk for the Fund. In addition, the market for high yield debt securities could experience sudden and sharp volatility, which is generally associated more with investments in stocks.
Interest rate risk. When interest rates rise, prices of debt securities generally decline. The longer the duration of the Funds debt securities, the more sensitive it will be to interest rate changes. (As a general rule, a 1% rise in interest rates means a 1% fall in value for every year of duration.) Given that the Federal Reserve has ended its quantitative easing program and has begun to raise rates, the Fund may face a heightened level of interest rate risk.
Credit risk. The Funds performance could be hurt if an issuer of a debt security suffers an adverse change in financial condition that results in a payment default, security downgrade or inability to meet a financial obligation. Credit risk is greater for lower-rated securities.
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Because the issuers of junk bonds may be in uncertain financial health, the prices of their debt securities could be more vulnerable to bad economic news, or even the expectation of bad news, than investment-grade debt securities. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of credit risk.
Prepayment and extension risk. When interest rates fall, issuers of high interest debt obligations may pay off the debts earlier than expected (prepayment risk), and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields. When interest rates rise, issuers of lower interest debt obligations may pay off the debts later than expected (extension risk), thus keeping the Funds assets tied up in lower interest debt obligations. Ultimately, any unexpected behavior in interest rates could increase the volatility of the Funds share price and yield and could hurt Fund performance. Prepayments could also create capital gains tax liability in some instances.
Foreign investment risk. The Fund faces the risks inherent in foreign investing. Adverse political, economic or social developments could undermine the value of the Funds investments or prevent the Fund from realizing the full value of its investments. Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the U.S. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. markets.
Foreign governments may restrict investment by foreigners, limit withdrawal of trading profit or currency from the country, restrict currency exchange or seize foreign investments. The investments of the Fund may also be subject to foreign withholding taxes. Foreign brokerage commissions and other fees are generally higher than those for U.S. investments, and the transactions and custody of foreign assets may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments.
Foreign markets can have liquidity risks beyond those typical of U.S. markets. Because foreign exchanges generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. exchanges, buying and selling foreign investments can be more difficult and costly. Relatively small transactions can sometimes materially affect the price and availability of securities. In certain situations, it may become virtually impossible to sell an investment at a price that approaches portfolio managements estimate of its value. For the same reason, it may at times be difficult to value the Funds foreign investments.
Telecommunications sector risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of issuers in the telecommunications sector in order to track the Underlying Indexs allocation to that sector. The Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may
depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the telecommunications sector. Companies in the telecommunications sector may be affected by industry competition, substantial capital requirements, government regulations and obsolescence of telecommunications products and services due to technological advancement.
Consumer staples sector risk. The Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in securities of issuers in the consumer staples sector in order to track the Underlying Indexs allocation to that sector. Companies in the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by changes in the global economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, and production spending. Companies in the consumer staples sector are also affected by changes in government regulation, global economic, environmental and political events, economic conditions and the depletion of resources. In addition, companies in the consumer staples sector may be subject to risks pertaining to the supply of, demand for and prices of raw materials. The prices of raw materials fluctuate in response to a number of factors, including, without limitation, changes in government agricultural support programs, exchange rates, import and export controls, changes in international agricultural and trading policies, and seasonal and weather conditions.
Restricted securities/Rule 144A securities risk. The Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in securities offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, which are restricted securities. They may be less liquid and more difficult to value than other investments because such securities may not be readily marketable in broad public markets. The Fund may not be able to sell a restricted security promptly or at a reasonable price. Although there is a substantial institutional market for Rule 144A securities, it is not possible to predict exactly how the market for Rule 144A securities will develop. A restricted security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid and its value may decline as a result. Restricted securities that are deemed illiquid will count towards the Funds 15% limitation on illiquid securities. In addition, transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than for more liquid securities. The Fund may have to bear the expense of registering Rule 144A securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration.
Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment at an acceptable price. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed-income securities or the lack of an active market. Liquid investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil or economic
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uncertainty. Illiquid and relatively less liquid investments may be harder to value. Although the Fund primarily seeks to redeem shares of the Fund on an in-kind basis, if the Fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where redemptions from the Fund may be higher than normal. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate fixed-income holdings at the same time as the Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure. In addition, broker-dealers and other market participants have been less willing to make a market in some types of debt instruments, which has impacted the liquidity of those instruments. There can be no assurance that a security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund.
Pricing risk. If market conditions make it difficult to value some investments, the Fund may value these investments using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for an investment could be different than the value realized upon such investments sale. As a result, you could pay more than the market value when buying Fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling Fund shares.
Valuation risk. Because non-U.S. markets may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities in the Funds portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Funds shares.
Issuer-specific changes. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.
Indexing risk. While the exposure of the Underlying Index to its component securities is by definition 100%, the Funds effective exposure to Underlying Index securities may vary over time. Because the Fund, as an index fund, is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to its Underlying Index at all times, it will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Tracking error risk. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of its Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The Funds return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying Index because the Fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the Funds securities holdings to reflect
changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Funds NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant (AP). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Funds ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. In addition, the Funds use of a representative sampling approach may cause the Fund to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Underlying Index, due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, a lack of liquidity in the markets in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Underlying Index is based on securities closing prices (i.e., the value of the Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), the Funds ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Funds return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Market price risk. Fund shares are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (NYSE Arca) and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. DBX Advisors LLC (the Adviser) cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units (defined below), the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. However, the Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act
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as APs or market makers. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund (as described below under Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders, (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other APs is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares (and may even face delisting). Similar effects may result if market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in Fund shares. Further, while the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that shares normally will trade close to the value of the Funds holdings, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in market prices that differ significantly from the value of the Funds holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of Fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. In addition, the securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than NYSE Arca. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when NYSE Arca is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads and the resulting premium or discount to the shares NAV is likely to widen. The bid-ask spread of the Fund may be wider in comparison to the bid-ask spread of other ETFs, given the liquidity of the Funds assets. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the Funds NAV. The Funds investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the Fund.
Operational risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Funds service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures. The Fund seeks to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate for those risks that they are intended to address.
Geographic concentration risk. To the extent the Underlying Index and the Fund are significantly comprised of securities of issuers from a single country, the Fund would be more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country. For example, political and economic conditions and changes in regulatory, tax or economic policy in a country could significantly affect the market in that country and in surrounding or related countries and have a negative impact on the Funds performance. As of September 30, 2017, a significant percentage of the Underlying Index was comprised of securities of issuers from the United States (78.4%).
Non-diversification risk. The Fund is classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. This means that the Fund may invest in securities of relatively few issuers. Thus, the performance of one or a small number of portfolio holdings can affect overall performance.
As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has less than one calendar year of performance and therefore does not report its performance information. Once available, the Funds performance information will be accessible on the Funds website at www.Xtrackers.com and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Funds performance and by showing how the Funds returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.
Investment Adviser
DBX Advisors LLC
Portfolio Managers
Bryan Richards, Brandon Matsui, Tanuj Dora and Alexander Bridgeforth are portfolio managers for the Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each portfolio manager functions as a member of a portfolio management team. Messrs. Richards, Matsui, Dora and Bridgeforth have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Funds inception.
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an ETF). Individual Fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). The Fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (Creation Units) to APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor.
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The Funds distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is an individual retirement account, 401(k), or other tax-deferred investment plan. Any withdrawals you make from such tax-deferred investment plans, however, may be taxable to you.
PAYMENT TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediarys website for more information.
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Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Markit iBoxx USD Emerging Markets Sovereigns Quality Weighted Total Return Index (the Underlying Index).
These are the fees and expenses that you will pay when you buy and hold shares. You will also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the Example that follows:
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Management Fee | 0.35 | |||
Other Expenses* | None | |||
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 0.35 |
* | Because the Fund is new, Other Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. |
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds.
The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Funds operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
1 Year | 3 Years | |
$36 | $113 |
PORTFOLIO TURNOVER
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate
higher transaction costs and may mean higher taxes if you are investing in a taxable account. These costs are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example can affect the Funds performance. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and therefore does not report portfolio turnover rate.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
The Fund, using a passive or indexing investment approach, seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index, which is designed to track the performance of liquid U.S. dollar-denominated sovereign bonds issued by entities domiciled in emerging markets.
The Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy in seeking to track the Underlying Index, meaning it generally will invest in a sample of securities in the index whose risk, return and other characteristics resemble the risk, return and other characteristics of the Underlying Index as a whole. The Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in component securities of the Underlying Index.
The bonds included in the Underlying Index are designed to reflect the adjusted performance of U.S. dollar-denominated sovereign bonds issued by emerging market countries. The index rules aim to offer a targeted coverage of the U.S. dollar-denominated emerging market sovereign bonds universe with adjusted weights, by allocating higher weights to countries with relatively solid fundamentals and reducing weights of countries with relatively weak fundamentals. Currently, the bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index include U.S. dollar-denominated bonds that: (i) are issued by the central government or the central bank in countries classified as emerging markets by the index provider; (ii) have a minimum average weighted rating of B; (iii) have at least $500 million of outstanding face value; and (iv) have at least one year to maturity upon inclusion in the Underlying Index and at least eighteen months to maturity at issuance. The list of emerging markets is established according to the Markit Global
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Economic Development Classification Methodology and is used to determine the eligibility of the issuer. This universe of countries may change in accordance with the index providers determination of eligible emerging market countries and there is no assurance that a particular country will be represented in the Underlying Index at any given time. In addition, the Underlying Index may include a substantial number of bonds offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act). The Underlying Index is reconstituted and rebalanced on a monthly basis.
As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index was comprised of 327 bonds issued by 43 different issuers from the following countries: Argentina, Bahrain, Bolivia, Brazil, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Guatemala, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay and Zambia.
The Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in bonds issued in emerging markets countries.
The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to the extent that its Underlying Index is concentrated. As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index was wholly comprised of sovereign issuers.
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Funds performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Funds net asset value (NAV), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective, as well as numerous other risks that are described in greater detail in the section of this Prospectus entitled Additional Information About the Funds Investment Strategies, Underlying Indexes and Risks Further Discussion of Main Risks and in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI).
Fixed income securities risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to the risk of the issuers inability to meet principal and interest payments on its obligations (i.e., credit risk) and are subject to price volatility resulting from, among other things, interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity (i.e., market risk). Lower rated fixed-income securities have greater volatility because there is less
certainty that principal and interest payments will be made as scheduled. There is a risk that a lack of liquidity or other adverse credit market conditions may hamper the Funds ability to sell the debt securities in which it invests or to find and purchase debt instruments included in the Underlying Index.
Fixed income markets risk. The values of many types of debt securities have been reduced over a period of many years since the credit crisis started due to problems relating to subprime mortgages. These market problems have affected debt securities not related to mortgage loans. In addition, broker-dealers and other market participants have been less willing to make a market in some types of debt instruments, which has impacted the liquidity of those instruments. These developments also have had a negative effect on the broader economy.
Sovereign debt risk. A sovereign debtors willingness or ability to repay principal and pay interest in a timely manner may be affected by a variety of factors, including its cash flow situation, the extent of its reserves, the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, the sovereign debtors policy toward international lenders, and the political constraints to which a sovereign debtor may be subject.
With respect to sovereign debt of emerging market issuers, investors should be aware that certain emerging market countries are among the largest debtors to commercial banks and foreign governments. At times, certain emerging market countries have declared moratoria on the payment of principal and interest on external debt. Certain emerging market countries have experienced difficulty in servicing their sovereign debt on a timely basis and that has led to defaults and the restructuring of certain indebtedness to the detriment of debt holders. Sovereign debt risk is increased for emerging market issuers.
High yield securities risk. Securities that are rated below investment-grade (commonly referred to as junk bonds, including those bonds rated lower than BBB- by Standard & Poors ® Financial Services, LLC (S&P) and Fitch, Inc. (Fitch) or Baa3 by Moodys ® Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys)), or are unrated, may be deemed speculative and may be more volatile than higher rated securities of similar maturity with respect to the issuers continuing ability to meet principal and interest payments. High yield debt securities total return and yield may generally be expected to fluctuate more than the total return and yield of investment-grade debt securities. A real or perceived economic downturn or an increase in market interest rates could cause a decline in the value of high yield debt securities; result in increased redemptions and/or result in increased portfolio turnover, which could result
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in a decline in net asset value of the Fund; reduce liquidity for certain investments; and/or increase costs. High yield debt securities are often thinly traded and can be more difficult to sell and value accurately than investment-grade debt securities because there might not be any established secondary market. Investments in high yield debt securities could increase liquidity risk for the Fund. In addition, the market for high yield debt securities could experience sudden and sharp volatility, which is generally associated more with investments in stocks.
Foreign investment risk. The Fund faces the risks inherent in foreign investing. Adverse political, economic or social developments could undermine the value of the Funds investments or prevent the Fund from realizing the full value of its investments. Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the U.S. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. markets.
Foreign governments may restrict investment by foreigners, limit withdrawal of trading profit or currency from the country, restrict currency exchange or seize foreign investments. The investments of the Fund may also be subject to foreign withholding taxes. Foreign brokerage commissions and other fees are generally higher than those for U.S. investments, and the transactions and custody of foreign assets may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments.
Foreign markets can have liquidity risks beyond those typical of U.S. markets. Because foreign exchanges generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. exchanges, buying and selling foreign investments can be more difficult and costly. Relatively small transactions can sometimes materially affect the price and availability of securities. In certain situations, it may become virtually impossible to sell an investment at a price that approaches portfolio managements estimate of its value. For the same reason, it may at times be difficult to value the Funds foreign investments.
Emerging market securities risk. The securities of issuers located in emerging markets tend to be more volatile and less liquid than securities of issuers located in more mature economies, and emerging markets generally have less diverse and less mature economic structures and less stable political systems than those of developed countries. The securities of issuers located or doing substantial business in emerging markets are often subject to rapid and large changes in price.
Interest rate risk. When interest rates rise, prices of debt securities generally decline. The longer the duration of the Funds debt securities, the more sensitive it will be to interest rate changes. (As a general rule, a 1% rise in
interest rates means a 1% fall in value for every year of duration.) Given that the Federal Reserve has ended its quantitative easing program and has begun to raise rates, the Fund may face a heightened level of interest rate risk.
Credit risk. The Funds performance could be hurt if an issuer of a debt security suffers an adverse change in financial condition that results in a payment default, security downgrade or inability to meet a financial obligation. Credit risk is greater for lower-rated securities. Because the issuers of junk bonds may be in uncertain financial health, the prices of their debt securities could be more vulnerable to bad economic news, or even the expectation of bad news, than investment-grade debt securities. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of credit risk.
Prepayment and extension risk. When interest rates fall, issuers of high interest debt obligations may pay off the debts earlier than expected (prepayment risk), and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields. When interest rates rise, issuers of lower interest debt obligations may pay off the debts later than expected (extension risk), thus keeping the Funds assets tied up in lower interest debt obligations. Ultimately, any unexpected behavior in interest rates could increase the volatility of the Funds share price and yield and could hurt Fund performance. Prepayments could also create capital gains tax liability in some instances.
Restricted securities/Rule 144A securities risk. The Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in securities offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, which are restricted securities. They may be less liquid and more difficult to value than other investments because such securities may not be readily marketable in broad public markets. The Fund may not be able to sell a restricted security promptly or at a reasonable price. Although there is a substantial institutional market for Rule 144A securities, it is not possible to predict exactly how the market for Rule 144A securities will develop. A restricted security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid and its value may decline as a result. Restricted securities that are deemed illiquid will count towards the Funds 15% limitation on illiquid securities. In addition, transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than for more liquid securities. The Fund may have to bear the expense of registering Rule 144A securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration.
Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment at an acceptable price. Liquidity risk may be the result of, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed-income securities or
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the lack of an active market. Liquid investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil or economic uncertainty. Illiquid and relatively less liquid investments may be harder to value. Although the Fund primarily seeks to redeem shares of the Fund on an in-kind basis, if the Fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where redemptions from the Fund may be higher than normal. It may also be the case that other market participants may be attempting to liquidate fixed-income holdings at the same time as the Fund, causing increased supply in the market and contributing to liquidity risk and downward pricing pressure. In addition, broker-dealers and other market participants have been less willing to make a market in some types of debt instruments, which has impacted the liquidity of those instruments. There can be no assurance that a security that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund.
Pricing risk. If market conditions make it difficult to value some investments, the Fund may value these investments using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for an investment could be different than the value realized upon such investments sale. As a result, you could pay more than the market value when buying Fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling Fund shares.
Valuation risk. Because non-U.S. markets may be open on days when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities in the Funds portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Funds shares.
Issuer-specific changes. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.
Indexing risk. While the exposure of the Underlying Index to its component securities is by definition 100%, the Funds effective exposure to Underlying Index securities may vary over time. Because the Fund, as an index fund, is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to its Underlying Index at all times, it will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Tracking error risk. The performance of the Fund may diverge from that of its Underlying Index for a number of reasons, including operating expenses, transaction costs, cash flows and operational inefficiencies. The Funds return also may diverge from the return of the Underlying
Index because the Fund bears the costs and risks associated with buying and selling securities (especially when rebalancing the Funds securities holdings to reflect changes in the Underlying Index) while such costs and risks are not factored into the return of the Underlying Index. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease the Funds NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an Authorized Participant (AP). Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Funds ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. In addition, the Funds use of a representative sampling approach may cause the Fund to not be as well correlated with the return of the Underlying Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all of the securities in the Underlying Index in the proportions represented in the Underlying Index. Errors in the Underlying Index data, the Underlying Index computations and/or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the index provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. In addition, the Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities included in the Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions in which they are represented in the Underlying Index, due to legal restrictions or limitations imposed by the governments of certain countries, a lack of liquidity in the markets in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons. To the extent the Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of the Underlying Index is based on securities closing prices (i.e., the value of the Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), the Funds ability to track the Underlying Index may be adversely affected. For tax efficiency purposes, the Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of the Underlying Index. In light of the factors discussed above, the Funds return may deviate significantly from the return of the Underlying Index.
Market price risk. Fund shares are expected to be listed for trading on Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. (Cboe) and will be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. DBX Advisors LLC (the Adviser) cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units (defined below),
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the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. However, the Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs or market makers. Only APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund (as described below under Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares (and may even face delisting). Similar effects may result if market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in Fund shares. Further, while the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that shares normally will trade close to the value of the Funds holdings, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in market prices that differ significantly from the value of the Funds holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of Fund shares through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. In addition, the securities held by the Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than Cboe. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when Cboe is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads and the resulting premium or discount to the shares NAV is likely to widen. The bid-ask spread of the Fund may be wider in comparison to the bid-ask spread of other ETFs, given the liquidity of the Funds assets. Further, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in the Funds NAV. The Funds investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with the Fund.
Operational risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Funds service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures. The Fund seeks to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures.
However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate for those risks that they are intended to address.
Geographic concentration risk. To the extent the Underlying Index and the Fund are significantly comprised of securities of issuers from a single country, the Fund would be more likely to be impacted by events or conditions affecting that country. For example, political and economic conditions and changes in regulatory, tax or economic policy in a country could significantly affect the market in that country and in surrounding or related countries and have a negative impact on the Funds performance. As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index was wholly comprised of securities of sovereign issuers.
Non-diversification risk. The Fund is classified as non-diversified under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. This means that the Fund may invest in securities of relatively few issuers. Thus, the performance of one or a small number of portfolio holdings can affect overall performance.
As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and therefore does not report its performance information. Once available, the Funds performance information will be accessible on the Funds website at www.Xtrackers.com and will provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Funds performance and by showing how the Funds returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.
Investment Adviser
DBX Advisors LLC
Portfolio Managers
Bryan Richards, Brandon Matsui, Tanuj Dora and Alexander Bridgeforth are portfolio managers for the Fund and are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each portfolio manager functions as a member of a portfolio management team. Messrs. Richards, Matsui, Dora and Bridgeforth have been portfolio managers of the Fund since the Funds inception.
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES
The Fund is an exchange-traded fund (commonly referred to as an ETF). Individual Fund shares may only be purchased and sold through a brokerage firm. The price of Fund shares is based on market price, and because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 30 | Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF |
NAV (a discount). The Fund will only issue or redeem shares that have been aggregated into blocks of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof (Creation Units) to APs who have entered into agreements with the Funds distributor.
The Funds distributions will generally be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is an individual retirement account, 401(k), or other tax-deferred investment plan. Any withdrawals you make from such tax-deferred investment plans, however, may be taxable to you.
PAYMENT TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Adviser or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediarys website for more information.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FUNDS INVESTMENT STRATEGIES, UNDERLYING INDEXES AND RISKS
Additional Information About the Funds Investment Strategies
Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in sovereign bonds and in instruments designed to hedge against the Funds exposure to non-U.S. currencies.
Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in corporate bonds and in instruments designed to hedge against the Funds exposure to non-U.S. currencies.
Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in high yield bonds and in instruments designed to hedge against the Funds exposure to non-U.S. currencies.
Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in U.S. dollar-denominated high yield corporate bonds.
Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in bonds issued in emerging market countries.
In addition, each Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets, but typically far more, in instruments that comprise the applicable Underlying Index.
Each Fund may invest its remaining assets in other securities, including securities not in the Underlying Index, cash and cash equivalents, money market instruments, such as repurchase agreements or money market funds (including money market funds advised by the Adviser or its affiliates (subject to applicable limitations under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act), or exemptions therefrom), convertible securities, structured notes (notes on which the amount of
principal repayment and interest payments are based on the movement of one or more specified factors, such as the movement of a particular stock or stock index) and in futures contracts, options on futures contracts, other types of options and swaps related to its Underlying Index. Each of Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF may also invest in swaps to obtain a portion of its short exposure to Treasury Securities.
Each of the policies described herein, including the investment objective and 80% investment policies of each Fund, constitutes a non-fundamental policy that may be changed by the Board of the Trust without shareholder approval. Each Funds 80% investment policies require 60 days prior written notice to shareholders before it can be changed.
The Funds will not invest in money market instruments or other short-term investments as part of a temporary defensive strategy to protect against potential market declines. Certain fundamental policies of the Funds are set forth in the SAI.
Borrowing Money. Each Fund may borrow money from a bank up to a limit of 10% of the value of its assets, but only for temporary or emergency purposes.
Credit Facility . The Trust, on behalf of the Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond ETF, Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and certain other funds managed by the Adviser, has entered into a revolving senior unsecured credit facility with The Bank of New York Mellon (BNYM), Bank of Nova Scotia, HSBC, Royal Bank of Canada and State Street Corporation. The Funds may borrow money under this credit facility to the extent necessary for temporary or emergency purposes, including the funding of shareholder redemption requests, trade settlements, and as necessary to distribute to shareholders any income necessary to maintain a Funds status as a regulated investment company (RIC). Interest is charged to a Fund based on its borrowings at current commercial rates. Each borrowing under the credit
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facility matures no later than 45 days after the date of borrowing. Each Fund also pays a commitment fee equal to its pro rata share of the amount of the credit facility at a rate of 0.125% per annum of the daily amount of the excess, if any, of the lenders commitment over the aggregate outstanding principal balance of the loans made by the lender. Each Fund can prepay loans at any time and may at any time terminate, or from time to time reduce, without the payment of a premium or penalty, the commitment under the credit facility subject to compliance with certain conditions.
Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund shares and in the return on the Funds portfolio. Borrowing will cost a Fund interest expense and other fees, which may reduce a Funds return. Each Fund is required to maintain continuous asset coverage with respect to its borrowings and may be required to sell some of its holdings to reduce debt and restore coverage at times when it is not advantageous to do so. There is no assurance that a borrowing strategy will be successful. Upon the expiration of the term of a Funds existing credit arrangement, the lender may not be willing to extend further credit to the Fund or may only be willing to do so at an increased cost to the Fund. If a Fund is not able to extend its credit arrangement, it may be required to liquidate holdings to repay amounts borrowed from the lender. In addition, if a Funds assets increase, there is no assurance that the lender will be willing to make additional loans to the Fund in order to allow it to borrow the amounts desired by the Fund to facilitate redemptions.
Securities Lending. Each Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and other financial institutions desiring to borrow securities to complete transactions and for other purposes. In connection with such loans, a Fund receives liquid collateral equal to at least 102% of the value of the portfolio securities being lent. This collateral is marked to market on a daily basis. A Fund may lend its portfolio securities in an amount up to 33 1 / 3 % of its total assets.
Securities lending involves the risk that a Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. A Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events, and securities lending in general, could trigger adverse tax consequences for a Fund and its investors.
Additional Information about each Funds Underlying Index
The Barclays Global Aggregate Treasury Ex USD Issuer Diversified Bond Index (USD Hedged), the Barclays Global
Aggregate Corporate Ex USD Bond Index (USD Hedged), and the Barclays Pan Euro High Yield Bond Index (USD Hedged) (collectively, the Barclays Indexes) are calculated and maintained by Barclays Risk Analytics and Index Solutions Ltd. (BRAIS or the Index Provider). BRAIS serves as the index administrator and calculation agent for the Barclays Indexes. The Solactive USD High Yield Corporates Total Market Index is calculated and maintained by Solactive AG (Solactive or the Index Provider). Solactive serves as the index administrator and calculation agent for the Solactive USD High Yield Corporates Total Market Index. Markit Group Limited (Markit or the Index Provider and together with BRAIS and Solactive, the Index Providers) sponsors the Markit iBoxx USD Emerging Markets Sovereigns Quality Weighted Total Return Index.
All Barclays Indexes
For U.S. investors, international fixed-income investments include two components of return. The first is the return attributable to security prices and/or income received from such securities in the non-U.S. market or markets in which an investment is made. The second is the return attributable to the value of the applicable non-U.S. currencies relative to the U.S. dollar. By hedging exposure to the fluctuations in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in each Underlying Index to the U.S. dollar, each Underlying Index seeks to track the performance of the applicable securities that is attributable solely to security prices.
Each Underlying Index hedges the applicable non-U.S. currencies in the Underlying Index to the U.S. dollar by including the impact of selling the applicable non-U.S. currencies forward at the one-month forward rate published by WM/Reuters. With respect to each Underlying Index, the weight of the currency is based on the expected end-of-month market value of the securities quoted in that currency in the Underlying Index, which is calculated based on the combination of the securities market value and yield as of the beginning of the month. The Underlying Index is rebalanced monthly on the last trading day of the month, when the index will reflect the effect of rolling into new 1-month forward contracts based on the newly determined weights of currency to be sold for the next months index calculation. The currency weights are determined as of the last calendar day of the preceding month. This means that no changes in the weights are made during the month to account for changes in the Underlying Index due to price movement of constituent securities.
Cash flows from bond payments that are received during the month are retained in the Underlying Index until the end of the month and then are reinvested in the
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component securities of the Underlying Index as part of the rebalancing. Cash does not earn any reinvestment income while it is reflected in the Underlying Index.
With respect to the bond components of the Underlying Index, the Underlying Index is rebalanced on the last calendar day of the month. No changes are made to constituent holdings other than on month end rebalancing dates.
Barclays Global Aggregate Treasury Ex USD Issuer Diversified Bond Index (USD Hedged)
Number of Components: approximately 1,117
The Barclays Global Aggregate Treasury Ex USD Issuer Diversified Bond Index (USD Hedged) is designed to track the performance of investment grade sovereign debt publicly issued in the developed and emerging markets and denominated in the issuers own domestic currency (excluding all securities denominated in U.S. dollars) while mitigating exposure to fluctuations between the value of the U.S. dollar and the currencies of the countries included in the Underlying Index.
The universe of bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index includes those bonds that fulfill the following conditions:
∎ |
Bond must be fully taxable, publicly issued in the global and regional markets; |
∎ |
Qualifying securities must have an investment grade rating (based on an average of Moodys, Fitch and S&P). |
∎ |
Bond must have a fixed-coupon schedule; |
∎ |
Time to maturity must be at least one year as of the rebalancing date, regardless of optionality; |
∎ |
Fixed minimum issue sizes are set for all local currency markets. Qualifying currencies and their respective minimum local currency issue size requirements are: 300 million: Canadian dollars, euro, Swiss francs, Australian dollars; 200 million: British pounds; 35 billion: Japanese yen; 2 billion: Danish krone, Norwegian krone, Polish zloty, South African rand, Israeli new shekel, Hong Kong dollars, Malaysian ringgit, Turkish lira; 2.5 billion: Swedish koruna; 10 billion: Mexican peso, Czech koruna, Thai baht; 20 billion: Russian ruble; 500 million: New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar; 100 billion: Chilean peso; 500 billion: South Korean won; |
∎ |
Original issue zero coupon bonds, bullet bonds (a debt instrument whose entire face value is paid at once on the maturity date), putable bonds (a bond with an embedded put option), sinkable bonds (a bond backed by a fund that sets aside money to ensure principal and interest payments are made by the issuer as promised), amortizing bonds (a bond where the discount amount being amortized becomes part of its interest expense over the life of the bond) and callable bonds qualify for inclusion; and |
∎ |
Debt issued by central governments in non-domestic currencies, inflation-linked bonds, floating-rate issues, private placements, retail bonds, government bonds issued by the state of Russia (sinkable Russian OFZ bonds) prior to 2009, treasury obligations with separately traded principal and interest component parts that are transferable through the federal book-entry system (Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities or STRIPS) and illiquid securities with no available internal or third-party pricing source are excluded from the Underlying Index. |
Underlying Index constituents are capitalization-weighted based on their current amount outstanding multiplied by the market price plus accrued interest. The Underlying Index employs a capping methodology to issuer (country) weights so that (i) no single country exceeds 24% of the Underlying Index weight; (ii) the next four largest countries are cumulatively capped at 25% of the Underlying Index weight; and (iii) the remaining countries are capped such that no single country exceeds 4.5% of the Underlying Index weight.
Barclays Global Aggregate Corporate Ex USD Bond Index (USD Hedged)
Number of Components: approximately 3,849
The Barclays Global Aggregate Corporate Ex USD Bond Index (USD Hedged) is designed to track the performance of investment grade corporate debt publicly issued in developed and emerging markets (excluding all securities denominated in U.S. dollars) in the industrial, utility and financial sectors while mitigating exposure to fluctuations between the value of the U.S. dollar and the currencies of the countries included in the Underlying Index.
The universe of bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index includes those bonds that fulfill the following conditions:
∎ |
Bond must be fully taxable, publicly issued in the global and regional markets; |
∎ |
Bond must be issued by an industrial, utility or financial institution; |
∎ |
Qualifying securities must have an investment grade rating (based on an average of Moodys, Fitch, and S&P); |
∎ |
Expected ratings at issuance may be used to ensure timely index inclusion or to classify split-rated issuers (rated investment grade by at least one credit rating agency, but below investment grade by another credit rating agency) properly; unrated securities may use an issuer rating for index classification purposes, if available. Unrated subordinated securities are included if a subordinated issuer rating is available; |
∎ |
Bond must have a fixed-coupon schedule; callable fixed-to-floating rate bonds are eligible during their fixed-rate term only; bonds with a step-up coupon that changes according to a predetermined schedule are eligible. |
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∎ |
Time to maturity must be at least one year as of the rebalancing date, regardless of optionality; |
∎ |
Fixed minimum issue sizes are set for all local currency markets. Qualifying currencies and their respective minimum local currency issue size requirements are: 300 million: Canadian dollars, euro, Swiss francs, Australian dollars; 200 million: British pounds; 35 billion: Japanese yen; 2 billion: Danish krone, Norwegian krone, Polish zloty, South African rand, Hong Kong dollars, Malaysian ringgit; 2.5 billion: Swedish koruna; 10 billion: Czech koruna, Thai baht; 500 million: New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar; 500 billion: South Korean won; |
∎ |
Original issue zero coupon bonds qualify for inclusion in the Underlying Index, as well as bullet, putable, sinkable/amortizing and callable bonds; bonds issued through underwritten medium term note (MTN) programs; enhanced equipment trust certificates (EETC); certificates of deposit and loan participation notes; |
∎ |
Contingent capital securities (CoCos) including traditional CoCos and contingent write-down securities, with explicit capital ratio or solvency/balance sheet-based triggers; bonds with equity type features (i.e., warrants, convertibles, preferreds, dividend received deduction/qualified dividend income-eligible issues (DRD/QDI-eligible issues)); inflation-linked bonds, floating-rate issues; fixed-rate perpetuals (a debt instrument with a fixed coupon rate and no maturity date); private placements, retail bonds; structured notes, pass-through certificates and securities where reliable pricing is unavailable are excluded from the Underlying Index. |
Underlying Index constituents are capitalization-weighted based on their current amount outstanding multiplied by the market price plus accrued interest.
Barclays Pan Euro High Yield Bond Index (USD Hedged)
Number of Components: approximately 628
The Barclays Pan Euro High Yield Bond Index (USD Hedged) is designed to track the performance of publicly issued below investment grade corporate debt denominated in euro, British pound, Danish krone, Norwegian krone, Swedish krona and Swiss franc while mitigating exposure to fluctuations between the value of the U.S. dollar and the currencies included in the Underlying Index. Inclusion in the Underlying Index is based on the currency of the issue and not on the domicile of the issuer. Emerging market debt is not eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index.
The universe of bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index includes those bonds that fulfill the following conditions:
∎ |
Bond must be fully taxable, publicly issued in the global and regional markets; |
∎ |
Bond must be issued by an industrial, utility or financial institution; |
∎ |
Qualifying securities must be rated below investment grade (Ba1/BB+/BB+ or lower) using the middle rating of Moodys, Fitch, and S&P; |
∎ |
Expected ratings at issuance may be used to ensure timely index inclusion or to classify split-rated issuers properly; |
∎ |
Bond must have a fixed-coupon schedule; callable fixed-to-floating rate bonds are eligible during their fixed-rate term only; bonds with a step-up coupon that changes according to a predetermined schedule are eligible; |
∎ |
Time to maturity must be at least one year as of the rebalancing date, regardless of optionality; |
∎ |
Fixed minimum issue sizes are set for all local currency markets. Qualifying currencies and their respective minimum local currency issue size requirements are: 50 million: British pound; 100 million: euro, Swiss francs; 500 million: Danish krone, Norwegian krone; 1 billion: Swedish krona; |
∎ |
Original issue zero coupon bonds, bullet, putable, sinkable/amortizing and callable bonds, and pay-in-kind securities (including toggle notes) are included in the Underlying Index; |
∎ |
Callable perpetual securities are included provided they are at least one year from the first call date. Fixed-to-floating rate securities are included provided they are callable within the fixed rate period and are at least one year from the last call prior to the date the bond transitions from a fixed to a floating rate security. |
∎ |
CoCos including traditional CoCos and contingent write-down securities, with explicit capital ratio or solvency/balance sheet-based triggers; bonds with equity type features (i.e., warrants, convertibles, preferreds, DRD/QDI-eligible issues); inflation-linked bonds; private placements, retail bonds; defaulted issues; partial payment-in-kind (PIK) bonds, structured notes, pass-through certificates, unrated securities and securities where reliable pricing is unavailable are excluded from the Underlying Index. |
Solactive USD High Yield Corporates Total Market Index
Number of Components: approximately 1,170
The Solactive USD High Yield Corporates Total Market Index is designed to track the performance of a basket of U.S. dollar-denominated high yield liquid corporate bonds.
The universe of bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index are those bonds that fulfill the following conditions:
∎ |
Corporate debt (excluding government debt, quasi-government debt, debt guaranteed or backed by |
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governments, Regulation S securities, municipal bonds, Brady bonds and restructured bonds, private placements except 144A series); |
∎ |
Bonds that are classified as fixed coupon bonds, step-up bonds driven by rating MTNs, callable and putable bonds and 144A securities (excluding zero coupon bonds, floating/variable coupon bonds, convertibles, inflation-linked bonds, perpetual bonds, accrued only bonds, Eurobonds, sinker, step-up bonds not driven by rating or step-up bonds where the coupon schedule is not known at issuance, pay-in-kind bonds); |
∎ |
Covered bonds and notes may not be included in the Underlying Index; |
∎ |
Country of risk of the bond can be defined as developed markets (classified by the Index Provider) to include the following countries as of September 2017: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States; |
∎ |
Time to maturity must be at least one year (or at least 20 months to maturity for bonds newly added to the Underlying Index); |
∎ |
Time to maturity at issuance must be 15 years or less; |
∎ |
Bonds must be U.S. dollar denominated; |
∎ |
Amount outstanding of each bond must be at least $400 million; |
∎ |
Issuer must have at least $1 billion in total principal amount outstanding; and |
∎ |
Must have a composite rating calculated from available ratings among three rating agencies: Moodys, Fitch and S&P as sub-investment grade. |
All bonds that meet the above requirements are included in the Underlying Index. The Underlying Index is rebalanced on the last business day of each month (the Adjustment Day). The components that will be added to or deleted from the Underlying Index on the Adjustment Day are determined three days prior to the Adjustment Day (the Selection Day). Newly-issued bonds that meet the requirements are generally added; whereas, any Underlying Index components that no longer meet the above requirements on the Selection Day are removed from the Underlying Index on the Adjustment Day.
The composition of the Underlying Index is ordinarily adjusted monthly on the Adjustment Day. On each Adjustment Day each issuer is weighted proportionally according to its market capitalization. The percentage weight of any issuer is capped at 3% on each Selection Day. The excess weight is allocated proportionally to all index components whose percentage weights are not capped. The Underlying Index is reconstituted and rebalanced on a monthly basis.
Markit iBoxx USD Emerging Markets Sovereigns Quality Weighted Total Return Index
Number of Components: approximately 327
The Markit iBoxx USD Emerging Markets Sovereigns Quality Weighted Total Return Index is designed to track the adjusted performance of U.S. dollar-denominated sovereign bonds issued by emerging market countries.
The universe of bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index includes those bonds that fulfill the following conditions:
∎ |
Eligible bonds must be U.S. dollar denominated; |
∎ |
Eligible bonds must be sovereign debt issued by the central government or the central bank; |
∎ |
Eligible bonds include fixed coupon bonds, zero coupon and multi coupon bonds with fixed coupon schedules and sinking fund and capitalizing bonds with a fixed sinking/capitalizing schedule (The following bonds are not eligible: callable and putable bonds); |
∎ |
Restructured debt is eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index; Brady bonds are not; |
∎ |
Eligible bonds must be issued in emerging markets, as defined by the Index Provider, and are subject to eligibility rules including restrictions on countries subject to financial sanctions; |
∎ |
Eligible bonds must have a minimum average rating of B; |
∎ |
Eligible bonds must be internationally tradable; only bonds with international securities identification numbers (ISINs) originating from Japan, the United States or Western Europe are eligible; |
∎ |
Amount outstanding of each bond must be at least $500 million; and |
∎ |
Time to maturity must be at least one year to maturity upon inclusion in the Underlying Index and eighteen months at issuance. |
The Underlying Index rules aim to offer a targeted coverage of the U.S. dollar denominated emerging market sovereign bonds universe with adjusted weights, by allocating higher weights to countries with relatively solid fundamentals and reducing weights of countries with relatively weak fundamentals. In evaluating a countrys fundamentals, the Index Provider considers the following factors: (i) gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in U.S. dollars; (ii) GDP growth; (iii) inflation; (iv) national debt in % of GDP; (v) national debt as a percentage of exports; (vi) reserves in % of GDP; (vii) history of default; and (viii) global competitiveness.
The Underlying Index is calculated at the end of each business day and rebalanced on the last calendar day of each month irrespective of holidays and weekends. If the Underlying Index is calculated on a day that is a non-business day, then the consolidated prices from the previous trading day will be carried forward and the
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Underlying Index will be calculated using those prices and the current accrued interest and coupon payment data.
Further Discussion of Main Risks
Each Fund, unless otherwise indicated, is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Funds NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments.
Fixed income securities risk. Fixed-income securities are subject to the risk of the issuers inability to meet principal and interest payments on its obligations (i.e., credit risk) and are subject to price volatility resulting from, among other things, interest rate sensitivity, market perception of the creditworthiness of the issuer and general market liquidity (i.e., market risk). Lower rated fixed-income securities have greater volatility because there is less certainty that principal and interest payments will be made as scheduled.
High yield securities risk. ( Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF only) Exposure to high yield (lower rated) debt instruments (also known as junk bonds) may involve greater levels of credit, prepayment, liquidity and valuation risk than for higher rated instruments. High yield debt instruments may be more sensitive to economic changes, political changes, or adverse developments specific to a company than other fixed instruments. High yield debt instruments are considered speculative with respect to the issuers continuing ability to make principal and interest payments and, therefore, such instruments generally involve greater risk of default or price changes than higher rated debt instruments. High-yield debt securities total return and yield may generally be expected to fluctuate more than the total return and yield of investment-grade debt securities. A real or perceived economic downturn or an increase in market interest rates could cause a decline in the value of high-yield debt securities, result in increased redemptions and/or result in increased portfolio turnover, which could result in a decline in the NAV of a Fund, reduce liquidity for certain investments and/or increase costs. High-yield debt securities are often thinly traded and can be more difficult to sell and value accurately than investment-grade debt securities as there may be no established secondary market. Even if an established secondary market exists, less active markets may diminish a Funds ability to obtain accurate market quotations when valuing the portfolio securities and thereby give rise to valuation risk. Investments in high-yield debt securities could increase liquidity risk for a Fund. In addition, the market for
high-yield debt securities can experience sudden and sharp volatility which is generally associated more with investments in stocks. High yield debt instruments may be more sensitive to economic changes, political changes, or adverse developments specific to a company than other fixed income instruments. High yield debt instruments may also present risks based on payment expectations. For example, these instruments may contain redemption or call provisions. If an issuer exercises these provisions in a declining interest rate market, a Fund would have to replace the security with a lower yielding security, resulting in a decreased return for investors. If the issuer of a security is in default with respect to interest or principal payments, the issuers security could lose its entire value. Furthermore, the transaction costs associated with the purchase and sale of high yield debt instruments may vary greatly depending upon a number of factors and may adversely affect a Funds performance.
Emerging market securities risk. ( Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF , Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF only) Investment in emerging markets subjects the Fund to a greater risk of loss than investments in a developed market. This is due to, among other things, (i) greater market volatility, (ii) lower trading volume, (iii) political and economic instability, (iv) high levels of inflation, deflation or currency devaluation, (v) greater risk of market shut down, (vi) more governmental limitations on foreign investments and limitations on repatriation of invested capital than those typically found in a developed market, and (vii) the risk that companies may be held to lower disclosure, corporate governance, auditing and financial reporting standards than companies in more developed markets.
The financial stability of issuers (including governments) in emerging market countries may be more precarious than in other countries. As a result, there will tend to be an increased risk of price volatility in the Funds investments in emerging market countries, which may be magnified by currency fluctuations relative to the U.S. dollar.
Settlement practices for transactions in foreign markets may differ from those in U.S. markets. Such differences include delays beyond periods customary in the United States and practices, such as delivery of securities prior to receipt of payment, which increase the likelihood of a failed settlement. Failed settlements can result in losses to the Fund. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that are not subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets.
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Fixed income markets risk. The values of many types of debt securities have been reduced over a period of many years since the credit crisis started due to problems relating to subprime mortgages. These market problems have affected debt securities not related to mortgage loans. In addition, broker-dealers and other market participants have been less willing to make a market in some types of debt instruments, which has impacted the liquidity of those instruments. These developments also had a negative effect on the broader economy. There is a risk that a lack of liquidity or other adverse credit market conditions may hamper a Funds ability to sell the debt securities in which it invests or to find and purchase the debt instruments included in its respective Underlying Index.
European economic risk. ( Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF only) The EMU of the EU requires compliance with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro, the default or threat of default by an EU member country on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member country may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU member countries and their trading partners. The European financial markets have recently experienced volatility and adverse trends in recent years due to concerns about economic downturns or rising government debt levels in several European countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that countrys debt, and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that countrys creditworthiness (which may be located in countries other than those listed in the previous sentence). These events have adversely affected the exchange rate of the euro, the common currency of certain EU countries, and may continue to significantly affect every country in Europe, including countries that do not use the euro.
In a referendum held on June 23, 2016, citizens of the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU, creating economic and political uncertainty in its wake. Consequently, the United Kingdom government, pursuant to the Treaty of Lisbon (the Treaty), has given notice of its intention to withdraw in March 2019 and has entered into negotiations with the EU Council to agree to terms for the United Kingdoms withdrawal from the EU. The Treaty provides for a two-year negotiation period, which may be shortened or extended by agreement of the parties. During, and possibly after, this period there is likely to be considerable
uncertainty as to the position of the United Kingdom and the arrangements that will apply to its relationships with the EU and other countries following its anticipated withdrawal. This uncertainty may affect other countries in the EU, or elsewhere, if they are considered to be impacted by these events.
With respect to member states of the EU, as a consequence of the referendum, decreasing imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade and changes in the exchange rate of the euro may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of EU countries. The European financial markets have recently experienced additional volatility in the wake of the referendum. These events may adversely affect the exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect other countries in Europe, including EU member countries that do not use the euro and non-EU member countries. The United Kingdoms departure from the EU may lead the currency markets to question the strength of the Eurozone as an organization, which could also negatively impact the euro.
The impact of the referendum in the near- and long-term is still unknown and could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world.
Risks related to investing in Italy ( Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF only) Investment in Italian issuers involves risks that are specific to Italy, including, regulatory, political, currency and economic risks. Italys economy is dependent upon external trade with other economies, specifically Germany, France and other Western European developed countries. As a result, Italy is dependent on the economies of these other countries and any change in the price or demand for Italys exports may have an adverse impact on its economy. Recently, the Italian economy, along with certain other European economies, has experienced significant volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturn and rising government debt levels. Interest rates on Italys debt may rise to levels that make it difficult for it to service high debt levels without significant financial help from the EU and could potentially lead to default. These events have adversely impacted the Italian economy, causing credit agencies to lower Italys sovereign debt rating and could decrease outside investment in Italian companies.
Risks related to investing in Japan ( Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF only) The growth of Japans economy has historically lagged that of its Asian neighbors and other major developed economies. The Japanese economy is heavily dependent on international trade and has been adversely affected by trade tariffs,
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other protectionist measures, competition from emerging economies and the economic conditions of its trading partners. Japans relations with its neighbors, particularly China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, have at times been strained due to territorial disputes, historical animosities and defense concerns. Most recently, the Japanese government has shown concern over the increased nuclear and military activity by North Korea. Strained relations may cause uncertainty in the Japanese markets and adversely affect the overall Japanese economy in times of crisis. China has become an important trading partner with Japan, yet the countries political relationship has become strained. Should political tension increase, it could adversely affect the economy, especially the export sector, and destabilize the region as a whole. Japan is located in a part of the world that has historically been prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis and is economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event, such as the major earthquake and tsunami which struck Japan in March 2011, could result in a significant adverse impact on the Japanese economy. Historically, Japan has been subject to unpredictable national politics and may experience frequent political turnover. Future political developments may lead to changes in policy that might adversely affect the Funds investments. In addition, the Japanese economy faces several concerns, including a financial system with large levels of nonperforming loans, over-leveraged corporate balance sheets, extensive cross-ownership by major corporations, a changing corporate governance structure, and large government deficits. The Japanese yen has fluctuated widely at times and any increase in its value may cause a decline in exports that could weaken the economy. Furthermore, Japan has an aging workforce. It is a labor market undergoing fundamental structural changes, as traditional lifetime employment clashes with the need for increased labor mobility, which may adversely affect Japans economic competitiveness. Japan also remains heavily dependent on oil imports, and higher commodity prices could therefore have a negative impact on the economy. Furthermore, Japanese corporations often engage in high levels of corporate leveraging, extensive cross-purchases of the securities of other corporations and are subject to a changing corporate governance structure.
Risks related to investing in the United Kingdom ( Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF only) Investment in British issuers may subject the Funds to regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks specific to the United Kingdom. The British economy relies heavily on export of financial services to the United States and other European
countries. A prolonged slowdown in the financial services sector may have a negative impact on the British economy. In the past, the United Kingdom has been a target of terrorism. Acts of terrorism in the United Kingdom or against British interests abroad may cause uncertainty in the British financial markets and adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. The British economy, along with the United States and certain other EU economies, experienced a significant economic slowdown during the recent financial crisis.
In a referendum held on June 23, 2016, citizens of the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU, creating economic and political uncertainty in its wake. Consequently, the United Kingdom government, pursuant to the Treaty, has given notice of its intention to withdraw in March 2019 and has entered into negotiations with the EU Council to agree to terms for the United Kingdoms withdrawal from the EU. The Treaty provides for a two-year negotiation period, which may be shortened or extended by agreement of the parties. During, and possibly after, this period there is likely to be considerable uncertainty as to the position of the United Kingdom and the arrangements that will apply to its relationships with the EU and other countries following its anticipated withdrawal. This uncertainty may affect other countries in the EU, or elsewhere, if they are considered to be impacted by these events.
The United Kingdom has one of the largest economies in Europe, and member countries of the EU are substantial trading partners of the United Kingdom. The City of Londons economy is dominated by financial services, some of which may have to move outside of the United Kingdom post-referendum (e.g., currency trading, international settlement). Under the referendum, banks may be forced to move staff and comply with two separate sets of rules or lose business to banks in Europe. Furthermore, the referendum creates the potential for decreased trade, the possibility of capital outflows, devaluation of the pound sterling, the cost of higher corporate bond spreads due to uncertainty, and the risk that all the above could damage business and consumer spending as well as foreign direct investment. As a result of the referendum, the British economy and its currency may be negatively impacted by changes to its economic and political relations with the EU.
The impact of the referendum in the near- and long-term is still unknown and could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world.
Interest rate risk. When interest rates rise, prices of debt securities generally decline. The longer the effective duration of a Funds debt securities, the more sensitive it
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will be to interest rate changes. (As a general rule, a 1% rise in interest rates means a 1% fall in value for every year of duration.)
Given that the Federal Reserve has ended its quantitative easing program and has begun to raise rates, the Funds may face a heightened level of interest rate risk. A wide variety of market factors can cause interest rates to rise, including central bank monetary policy, rising inflation and changes in general economic conditions. Interest rate changes can be sudden and significant. Moreover, rising interest rates may lead to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the bond markets, making it more difficult for a Fund to value or sell some or all of its bond investments at any given time and potentially causing the value of the Funds investments and share price to decline.
Credit risk. A Funds performance could be hurt if an issuer of a debt security suffers an adverse change in financial condition that results in a payment default, security downgrade or inability to meet a financial obligation. Credit risk is greater for lower-rated securities. Credit ratings may not be an accurate assessment of credit risk. With respect to Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF, the hedging methodology of each Underlying Index does not seek to mitigate credit risk. With respect to Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF and Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF, because the issuers of junk bonds may be in uncertain financial health, the prices of their debt securities could be more vulnerable to bad economic news, or even the expectation of bad news, than investment-grade debt securities.
Restricted securities/Rule 144A securities risk. The Funds may invest in securities offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, which are restricted securities. They may be less liquid and more difficult to value than other investments because such securities may not be readily marketable in broad public markets. The Funds may not be able to sell a restricted security promptly or at a reasonable price. Although there is a substantial institutional market for Rule 144A securities, it is not possible to predict exactly how the market for Rule 144A securities will develop. A restricted security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid and its value may decline as a result. Restricted securities that are deemed illiquid will count towards a Funds 15% limitation on illiquid securities. In addition, transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than for more liquid securities. The Funds may have to bear the expense of
registering Rule 144A securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration.
Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment at an acceptable price. This risk can be ongoing for any security that does not trade actively or in large volumes, for any security that trades primarily on smaller markets, and for investments that typically trade only among a limited number of large investors (such as certain types of derivatives or restricted securities). In unusual market conditions, even normally liquid securities may be affected by a degree of liquidity risk. This may affect only certain securities or an overall securities market.
Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market and the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in fixed income securities, which may occur to the extent traditional dealer counterparties that engage in fixed income trading do not maintain inventories of corporate bonds (which provide an important indication of their ability to make markets) that keep pace with the growth of the bond markets over time. Liquidity risk also may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income mutual funds or ETFs may be higher than normal, causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity.
Issuer-specific changes. The value of an individual security or particular type of security may be more volatile than the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of the market as a whole.
Indexing risk. While the exposure of an Underlying Index to its component securities is by definition 100%, a Funds effective exposure to Underlying Index securities may vary over time. Because each Fund, as an index fund, is designed to maintain a high level of exposure to its Underlying Index at all times, it will not take any steps to invest defensively or otherwise reduce the risk of loss during market downturns.
Forward currency contract risk. (Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF only) Each Fund invests in forward currency contracts to attempt to minimize the impact of changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in its Underlying Index against the U.S. dollar. These contracts may not be successful. To the extent a Funds forward currency contracts are not successful in hedging against such changes, the U.S. dollar value of your investment in the Fund may go down if the value of the local currency of the non-U.S. markets in which the Fund invests depreciates
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against the U.S. dollar. This is true even if the local currency value of securities in a Funds holdings goes up. In order to minimize transaction costs or for other reasons, a Funds exposure to the currencies included in the Underlying Index may not be fully hedged at all times. For example, a Fund may not hedge against exposure to currencies that represent a relatively smaller portion of the Underlying Index. Furthermore, because no changes in the currency weights in each Funds Underlying Index are made during the month to account for changes in each Funds Underlying Index due to price movement of securities, corporate events, additions, deletions or any other changes, changes in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in a Funds Underlying Index against the U.S. dollar during the month may affect the value of the Funds investment. NDF contracts may be less liquid than deliverable forward currency contracts. A lack of liquidity in NDFs of the hedged currency could adversely affect the Funds ability to hedge against currency fluctuations and properly track the Underlying Index.
A forward currency contract is a negotiated agreement between two parties to exchange specified amounts of two or more currencies at a specified future time at a specified rate. The rate specified by the forward currency contract can be higher or lower than the spot rate between the currencies that are the subject of the contract. Settlement of a forward currency contract for the purchase of most currencies typically must occur at a bank based in the issuing nation. By entering into a forward currency contract for the purchase or sale, for a fixed amount of dollars or other currency, of the amount of foreign currency involved in the underlying security transactions, the Fund may be able to protect itself against a possible loss resulting from an adverse change in the relationship between the U.S. dollar or other currency which is being used for the security purchase and the foreign currency in which the security is denominated during the period between the date on which the security is purchased or sold and the date on which payment is made or received. Furthermore, such transactions reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the direction opposite to the position taken. There is an additional risk to the extent that forward currency contracts create exposure to currencies in which the Funds securities are not denominated. Unanticipated changes in currency prices may result in poorer overall performance for the Fund than if it had not entered into such contracts. Forward currency contracts may limit gains on portfolio securities that could otherwise be realized had they not been utilized and could result in losses. The contracts also may increase the Funds volatility and may involve a significant amount of risk relative to the investment of cash.
Pricing risk. If market conditions make it difficult to value some investments, the Funds may value these investments using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for an investment could be different than the value realized upon such investments sale. As a result, you could pay more than the market value when buying Fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling Fund shares.
Secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid/ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which may prevent a Fund from being able to realize full value and thus sell a security for its full valuation. This could cause a material decline in a Funds net asset value.
Foreign investment risk. Each Fund faces the risks inherent in foreign investing. Adverse political, economic or social developments could undermine the value of a Funds investments or prevent the Fund from realizing the full value of its investments. Financial reporting standards for companies based in foreign markets differ from those in the U.S. Additionally, foreign securities markets generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. markets. To the extent that a Fund invests in non-U.S. dollar denominated foreign securities, changes in currency exchange rates may affect the U.S. dollar value of foreign securities or the income or gain received on these securities.
Foreign governments may restrict investment by foreigners, limit withdrawal of trading profit or currency from the country, restrict currency exchange or seize foreign investments. The investments of a Fund may also be subject to foreign withholding taxes. Foreign brokerage commissions and other fees are generally higher than those for U.S. investments, and the transactions and custody of foreign assets may involve delays in payment, delivery or recovery of money or investments.
Foreign markets can have liquidity risks beyond those typical of U.S. markets. Because foreign exchanges generally are smaller and less liquid than U.S. exchanges, buying and selling foreign investments can be more difficult and costly. Relatively small transactions can sometimes materially affect the price and availability of securities. In certain situations, it may become virtually impossible to sell an investment at a price that approaches portfolio managements estimate of its value. For the same reason, it may at times be difficult to value a Funds foreign investments.
Sovereign debt risk. ( Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF only) Investments in sovereign debt securities involve special risks, including the availability of sufficient foreign exchange on the date a
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payment is due, the relative size of the debt service burden to the economy as a whole, and the government debtors policy towards the International Monetary Fund and the political constraints to which a government debtor may be subject. The governmental authority that controls the repayment of sovereign debt may be unwilling or unable to repay the principal and/or interest when due in accordance with the terms of such securities due to the extent of its foreign reserves. If an issuer of sovereign debt defaults on payments of principal and/or interest, a Fund may have limited legal recourse against the issuer and/or guarantor. In certain cases, remedies must be pursued in the courts of the defaulting party itself, and the Funds ability to obtain recourse may be limited.
Certain issuers of sovereign debt may be dependent on disbursements from foreign governments, multilateral agencies and others abroad to reduce principal and interest arrearages on their debt. Such disbursements may be conditioned upon a debtors implementation of economic reforms and/or economic performance and the timely service of such debtors obligations. A failure on the part of the debtor to implement such reforms, achieve such levels of economic performance or repay principal or interest when due may result in the cancellation of such third parties commitments to lend funds to the government debtor, which may impair the debtors ability to service its debts on a timely basis. As a holder of government debt, the Fund may be requested to participate in the rescheduling of such debt and to extend further loans to government debtors.
Emerging markets sovereign debt risk. (Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF only) The Fund invests in emerging markets sovereign debt. Government obligors in emerging market countries are among the worlds largest debtors to commercial banks, other governments, international financial organizations and other financial institutions. Historically, certain issuers of the government debt securities in which the Fund may invest have experienced substantial difficulties in meeting their external debt obligations, resulting in defaults on certain obligations and the restructuring of certain indebtedness. Such restructuring arrangements have included obtaining additional credit to finance outstanding obligations and the reduction and rescheduling of payments of interest and principal through the negotiation of new or amended credit agreements. There can be no assurance that the securities in which the Fund will invest will not be subject to restructuring arrangements or to requests for additional credit. In addition, certain participants in the secondary market for such debt may be directly involved in negotiating the terms of these arrangements and may therefore have access to information not available to other market participants, such as the Fund.
Consumer staples sector risk. (Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF only) Companies in the consumer staples sector may be adversely affected by changes in the global economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, and production spending. Companies in the consumer staples sector are also affected by changes in government regulation, global economic, environmental and political events, economic conditions and the depletion of resources. In addition, companies in the consumer staples sector may be subject to risks pertaining to the supply of, demand for and prices of raw materials. The prices of raw materials fluctuate in response to a number of factors, including, without limitation, changes in government agricultural support programs, exchange rates, import and export controls, changes in international agricultural and trading policies, and seasonal and weather conditions.
Financial services sector risk. ( Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF only) The financial services sector is subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition. In addition, the deterioration of the credit markets in 2007 and ensuing financial crisis in 2008 resulted, and may continue to result, in an unusually high degree of volatility in the financial markets.
Industrials sector risk. ( Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF only) The industrials sector includes companies engaged in the manufacture and distribution of capital goods, such as those used in defense, construction and engineering, companies that manufacture and distribute electrical equipment and industrial machinery and those that provide commercial and transportation services and supplies. Because as currently constituted the industrials sector represents a significant portion of the Underlying Index, the Fund will be sensitive to changes in, and its performance may depend to a greater extent on, the overall condition of the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in government regulation, world events and economic conditions. In addition, companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by environmental damages, product liability claims and exchange rates. The success of these companies is affected by supply and demand both for their specific product or service and for industrial sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid
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technological developments and frequent new product introduction. In addition, the industrial sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.
Telecommunications sectors risk. (Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF only) Companies in the telecommunications sector may be affected by industry competition, substantial capital requirements, government regulations and obsolescence of telecommunications products and services due to technological advancement. The telecommunications sector of a countrys economy is often subject to extensive government regulation. The costs of complying with governmental regulations, delays or failure to receive required regulatory approvals, or the enactment of new regulatory requirements may negatively affect the business of telecommunications companies. Government actions around the world, specifically in the area of pre-marketing clearance of products and prices, can be arbitrary and unpredictable. Companies in the telecommunications sector may encounter distressed cash flows due to the need to commit substantial capital to meet increasing competition, particularly in formulating new products and services using new technology. Technological innovations may make the products and services of certain telecommunications companies obsolete.
Tracking error risk. Each Funds return may not match the return of its Underlying Index for a number of reasons. For example, a Fund incurs a number of operating expenses not applicable to its Underlying Index and incurs costs associated with buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Funds securities holdings to reflect changes in the composition of its Underlying Index and raising cash to meet redemptions or deploying cash in connection with newly created Creation Units. Transaction costs, including brokerage costs, will decrease a Funds NAV to the extent not offset by the transaction fee payable by an AP. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on a Funds ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track its Underlying Index. There is no assurance that the Index Provider or any agents that may act on its behalf will compile each Funds Underlying Index accurately, or that each Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data used to compile an Underlying Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, particularly where the indices are less commonly used as benchmarks by funds or managers. Therefore, gains, losses or costs associated with errors of the Index Provider or its agents will generally
be borne by the applicable Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where a Funds Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, each Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Indexs other constituents. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Funds and their shareholders. Any gains due to the Index Providers or others errors will be kept by the Funds and their shareholders and any losses resulting from the Index Providers or others errors will be borne by the applicable Fund and its shareholders. Imperfect correlation between a Funds portfolio securities and those in its Underlying Index, rounding of prices, changes to the Underlying Index and regulatory requirements may cause tracking error, the divergence of the Funds performance from that of its Underlying Index. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses while its Underlying Index does not. Because each Fund utilizes a representative sampling indexing strategy, the Fund may experience higher tracking error than it would if it held all the securities of its Underlying Index with the same weightings as the Underlying Index. In addition, a Fund may not be able to invest in certain securities and other instruments included in its Underlying Index, or invest in them in the exact proportions they represent of its Underlying Index, due to legal restrictions or limitations (imposed by the governments of certain countries), or a lack of liquidity in the markets in which such securities trade, potential adverse tax consequences or other regulatory reasons (such as diversification requirements). Moreover, a Fund may be delayed in purchasing or selling securities and other instruments included in its Underlying Index. For tax efficiency purposes, a Fund may sell certain securities, and such sale may cause the Fund to realize a loss and deviate from the performance of its Underlying Index.
Each Fund may fair value certain of its securities (including foreign securities and/or underlying currencies it holds). Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security or other asset is materially different from the value that could be realized upon the sale of such security or asset. In addition, fair value pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate a Funds NAV and the prices used by such Funds Underlying Index. To the extent each Fund calculates its NAV based on fair value prices and the value of its Underlying Index is based on securities closing prices on local foreign markets (i.e., the value of its Underlying Index is not based on fair value prices), or if a Fund otherwise calculates its NAV based on prices that differ from those used in calculating its
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Underlying Index, the Funds ability to track its Underlying Index may be adversely affected. The need to comply with the tax diversification and other requirements of the Internal Revenue Code may also impact a Funds ability to replicate the performance of its Underlying Index. In addition, if a Fund utilizes derivative instruments or holds other instruments that are not included in its Underlying Index, its return may not correlate as well with the returns of its Underlying Index as would be the case if the Fund purchased all the securities in its Underlying Index directly. Actions taken in response to proposed corporate actions could result in increased tracking error. In light of the factors discussed above, a Funds return may deviate significantly from the return of its Underlying Index.
Market price risk. Fund shares for Xtrackers International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF are listed for trading on Cboe and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Fund shares for Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF are listed for trading on NYSE Arca and are bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Fund shares for Xtrackers International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF are expected to be listed for trading on Cboe. The market prices of shares will fluctuate, in some cases materially, in response to changes in the NAV and supply and demand for shares. As a result, the trading prices of shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. Differences between secondary market prices and the value of a Funds holdings may be due largely to supply and demand forces in the secondary market, which may not be the same forces as those influencing prices for securities held by the Fund at a particular time. The Adviser cannot predict whether shares will trade above, below or at their NAV. Given the fact that shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units, the Adviser believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of shares should not be sustained in the long-term. In addition, there may be times when the market price and the value of a Funds holdings vary significantly and you may pay more than the value of the Funds holdings when buying shares on the secondary market, and you may receive less than the value of the Funds holdings when you sell those shares. While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it likely that shares normally will trade close to the value of a Funds holdings, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, APs or market participants, or during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices that differ significantly from the value of a Funds holdings. Although market makers will generally take advantage of differences between the NAV and the market price of Fund shares
through arbitrage opportunities, there is no guarantee that they will do so. In addition, a Fund may have a limited number of financial institutions that may act as APs or market makers. Only APs who have entered into agreements with a Funds distributor may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund (as described below under Dividends and Distributions Creations and Redemptions). If those APs exit the business or are unable to process creation and/or redemption orders (including in situations where APs have limited or diminished access to capital required to post collateral) and no other AP is able to step forward to create and redeem in either of these cases, a Funds shares may trade at a discount to NAV like closed-end fund shares (and may even face delisting). Similar effects may result if market makers exit the business or are unable to continue making markets in Fund shares. The market price of shares, like the price of any exchange-traded security, includes a bid-ask spread charged by the exchange specialist, market makers or other participants that trade the particular security. In times of severe market disruption, the bid-ask spread often increases significantly. This means that shares may trade at a discount to a Funds NAV, and the discount is likely to be greatest when the price of shares is falling fastest, which may be the time that you most want to sell your shares. There are various methods by which investors can purchase and sell shares of the Funds and various orders that may be placed. Investors should consult their financial intermediary before purchasing or selling shares of a Fund. In addition, the securities held by a Fund may be traded in markets that close at a different time than NYSE Arca and/or Cboe. Liquidity in those securities may be reduced after the applicable closing times. Accordingly, during the time when NYSE Arca and/or Cboe is open but after the applicable market closing, fixing or settlement times, bid-ask spreads and the resulting premium or discount to the shares NAV is likely to widen. More generally, secondary markets may be subject to irregular trading activity, wide bid-ask spreads and extended trade settlement periods, which could cause a material decline in a Funds NAV. The bid-ask spread varies over time for shares of a Fund based on the Funds trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has substantial trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). A Funds bid-ask spread may also be impacted by the liquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities. A Funds investment results are measured based upon the daily NAV of the Fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares in the secondary market may
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not experience investment results consistent with those experienced by those APs creating and redeeming shares directly with a Fund. In addition, transactions by large shareholders may account for a large percentage of the trading volume on NYSE Arca and/or Cboe and may, therefore, have a material effect on the market price of the Funds shares.
Cash redemption risk. (Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF only) Because each Fund invests a portion of its assets in forward currency contracts, such Fund may pay out a portion of its redemption proceeds in cash rather than through the in-kind delivery of portfolio securities. Each Fund may be required to unwind such contracts or sell portfolio securities in order to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption proceeds. This may cause a Fund to recognize a capital gain that it might not have incurred if it had made a redemption in-kind. As a result a Fund may pay out higher annual capital gains distributions than if the in-kind redemption process was used. Only certain institutional investors known as APs who have entered into an agreement with the Funds distributor may redeem shares from the Fund directly; all other investors buy and sell shares at market prices on an exchange.
Valuation risk. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days when a Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities in the Funds portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Funds shares.
Prepayment and extension risk. When interest rates fall, issuers of high interest debt obligations may pay off the debts earlier than expected (prepayment risk), and the Fund may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower yields. When interest rates rise, issuers of lower interest debt obligations may pay off the debts later than expected (extension risk), thus keeping the Funds assets tied up in lower interest debt obligations. Ultimately, any unexpected behavior in interest rates could increase the volatility of the Funds share price and yield and could hurt fund performance. Prepayments could also cause the realization of capital gains or ordinary income in some instances.
Operational risk. A Fund is exposed to operational risk arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Funds service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or system failures. The Funds seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate for those risks that they are intended to address.
Non-diversification risk. Each Fund is non-diversified, which means that a Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. Therefore, a Funds performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a diversified fund.
Additional Risks of Investing in the Funds
Absence of Active Market . Although shares of each Fund are (or will be) listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained.
Trading Risks . Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a stock exchange because of market conditions or other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to circuit breaker rules on the exchange or market. If a trading halt or unanticipated early closing of a stock exchange occurs, a shareholder may be unable to purchase or sell shares of a Fund. There can be no assurance that the requirements necessary to maintain the listing or trading of Fund shares will continue to be met or will remain unchanged or that shares will trade with any volume, or at all, in any secondary market. As with all other exchange traded securities, shares may be sold short and may experience increased volatility and price decreases associated with such trading activity.
Risks Relating to Calculation of Net Asset Value . The Funds rely on various sources to calculate their NAVs. Therefore, each Fund is subject to certain operational risks associated with reliance on third party service providers and data sources. NAV calculation may be impacted by operational risks arising from factors such as failures in systems and technology. Such failures may result in delays in the calculation of a Funds NAV and/or the inability to calculate NAV over extended time periods. The Funds may be unable to recover any losses associated with such failures.
Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares . Buying or selling Fund shares involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of a Fund through a broker, you will incur a brokerage commission or other charges imposed by brokers as determined by that broker. In addition, you will also incur the cost of the spread that is, the difference between what professional investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the bid price) and the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the ask price). Because of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent
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trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
Derivatives risk. (Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF only) Derivatives are financial instruments, such as futures and swaps, whose values are based on the value of one or more indicators, such as a security, asset, currency, interest rate, or index. Derivatives involve risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other more traditional investments. For example, derivatives involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuation and the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying indicator. Derivative transactions can create investment leverage, may be highly volatile and a Fund could lose more than the amount it invests. Many derivative transactions are entered into over-the-counter (not on an exchange or contract market); as a result, the value of such a derivative transaction will depend on the ability and the willingness of a Funds counterparty to perform its obligations under the transaction. If a counterparty were to default on its obligations, the Funds contractual remedies against such counterparty may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws, which could affect the Funds rights as a creditor (e.g., the Fund may not receive the net amount of payments that it is contractually entitled to receive). A liquid secondary market may not always exist for a Funds derivative positions at any time.
Futures risk. (Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF only) A futures contract is a standardized exchange-traded agreement to buy or sell a specific quantity of an underlying instrument at a specific price at a specific future time. The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of the underlying instrument. Depending on the terms of the particular contract, futures contracts are settled through either physical delivery of the underlying instrument on the settlement date or by payment of a cash settlement amount on the settlement date. A decision as to whether, when and how to use futures involves the exercise of skill and judgment and even a well-conceived futures transaction may be unsuccessful because of market behavior or unexpected events. In addition to the derivatives risks discussed above, the prices of futures can be highly volatile, using futures can lower total return and the potential loss from futures can exceed a Funds initial investment in such contracts.
Assets Under Management (AUM) Risk. From time to time a third party, the Adviser and/or its affiliates may invest in a Fund and hold its investment for a specific period of time in order for the Fund to achieve size or scale. There can be no assurance that any such entity would not redeem its investment or that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels.
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS INFORMATION
A description of the Trusts policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of each Funds portfolio securities is available in the Funds SAI. The top holdings of a Fund can be found at www.Xtrackers.com. Fund fact sheets provide information regarding a Funds top holdings and may be requested by calling 1-855-329-3837 (1-855-DBX-ETFS).
Investment Adviser
DBX Advisors LLC (DBXA or the Adviser), with headquarters at 345 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10154, is the investment adviser for each Fund. Under the oversight of the Board, the Adviser (or a sub-adviser, if any, under the oversight of the Adviser) makes the investment decisions, buys and sells securities for each Fund and conducts research that leads to these purchase and sale decisions.
Founded in 2010, the Adviser, an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bank AG, managed approximately $12.9 billion in 35 operational exchange-traded funds as of October 31, 2017. Deutsche Bank AG is a major global banking institution that is engaged in a wide range of financial services, including investment management, mutual funds, retail, private and commercial banking, investment banking and insurance. Deutsche Asset Management represents the asset management and wealth management activities conducted by Deutsche Bank AG or any of its subsidiaries, including the Adviser.
Deutsche Asset Management is a global organization that offers a wide range of investing expertise and resources, including hundreds of portfolio managers and analysts and an office network that reaches the worlds major investment centers. This well-resourced global investment platform brings together a wide variety of experience and investment insight across industries, regions, asset classes and investing styles.
The Adviser may utilize the resources of its global investment platform to provide investment management services through branch offices or affiliates located outside the U.S. In some cases, the Adviser may also utilize its branch offices or affiliates located in the U.S. or outside the U.S. to perform certain services, such as trade execution, trade matching and settlement, or various administrative,
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back-office or other services. To the extent services are performed outside the U.S., such activity may be subject to both U.S. and foreign regulation. It is possible that the jurisdiction in which the Adviser or its affiliate performs such services may impose restrictions or limitations on portfolio transactions that are different from, and in addition to, those in the U.S.
Management Fee
For its services to the Funds during the most recent fiscal year, the Adviser received aggregate unitary management fees at the following annual rates as a percentage of each Funds average daily net assets:
Fund |
Fee as a % of average
daily net assets |
|||
Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF | 0.25 | % | ||
Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF | 0.30 | % | ||
Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF* | 0.40 | % | ||
Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF** | 0.25 | % | ||
Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF* | 0.35 | % |
* | As of the date of this Prospectus, Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF have not begun offering shares. |
** | Effective October 27, 2017, the Board adopted a voluntary expense limitation agreement to the extent necessary to prevent the operating expenses (excluding certain expenses) of the Fund from exceeding 0.20% as a percentage of average daily net assets. Effective November 14, 2017, the Board approved a reduction in the Funds annual unitary management fee rate to 0.20% and accordingly terminated the voluntary expense limitation agreement that limited the Funds operating expenses at 0.20% per year because of the redundancy. |
Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement between the Adviser and the Trust (entered into on behalf of the Funds) (the Investment Advisory Agreement), the Adviser is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Funds, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, compensation paid to the Independent Trustees, legal, audit and other services except for the fee payments under the Investment Advisory Agreement, interest expense, acquired fund fees and expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and other extraordinary expenses.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Boards approval of the Investment Advisory Agreement for Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF is available in the Funds semi-annual report for the period ended February 28, 2017. A discussion regarding the basis for the Boards approval of the Investment Advisory
Agreement for Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF will be available in each Funds first semi-annual or annual report following its launch.
Manager of Managers Structure
The Adviser and the Trust may rely on an exemptive order (the Order) from the SEC that permits the Adviser to enter into investment sub-advisory agreements with sub-advisers without obtaining shareholder approval. The Adviser, subject to the review and approval of the Board, selects sub-advisers for each Fund and supervises, monitors and evaluates the performance of the sub-adviser.
The Order also permits the Adviser, subject to the approval of the Board, to replace sub-advisers and amend investment sub-advisory agreements, including fees, without shareholder approval whenever the Adviser and the Board believe such action will benefit a Fund and its shareholders. The Adviser thus has the ultimate responsibility (subject to the ultimate oversight of the Board) to recommend the hiring and replacement of sub-advisers as well as the discretion to terminate any sub-adviser and reallocate a Funds assets for management among any other sub-adviser(s) and itself. This means that the Adviser is able to reduce the sub-advisory fees and retain a larger portion of the management fee, or increase the sub-advisory fees and retain a smaller portion of the management fee. Pursuant to the Order, the Adviser is not required to disclose its contractual fee arrangements with any sub-adviser. The Adviser compensates the sub-adviser out of its management fee.
Mr. Richards is a Director with Deutsche Asset Management and has served as a Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management business since 2011. Prior to his current role, Mr. Richards served as an equity analyst for Fairhaven Capital LLC, a long/short equity fund, and at XShares Advisors, on behalf of an ETF issuer based in New York. At Deutsche Bank, Mr. Richards served as the primary portfolio manager for the PowerShares DB Commodity ETFs until their sale in 2015. He is currently responsible for the DBXA-managed ETFs as well as oversight of DBXA-sub-advised funds. Mr. Richards earned a BS in Finance from Boston College and is a CFA Charterholder.
Mr. Matsui is a Director with Deutsche Asset Management and has served as a Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management business since 2016. Prior to joining the Passive Asset Management business, Mr. Matsui served as a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager for Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (CSIM) where he
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was responsible for the day-to-day co-management of Schwabs taxable bond funds and the Schwab Fixed-Income ETFs. Before joining CSIM in 2010, Mr. Matsui was an associate Portfolio Manager on the Beta Management team at BNY Mellon and an analyst in the portfolio analytics group at BlackRock Solutions. Mr. Matsui earned an MBA from the University of Hawaii, with an emphasis in Finance and a minor in Japanese. He is a CFA Charterholder and has earned the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) certification.
Mr. Dora is a Vice President with Deutsche Asset Management and has served as a Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management business since 2016. Prior to his current role, Mr. Dora was responsible for trading and market making of European fixed income ETFs, structured funds, index swaps and options within the Fixed Income Derivatives Group in Corporate Banking & Securities, based out of London. Mr. Dora has a BTech and MTech (dual degree) in Industrial Engineering & Management from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.
Mr. Bridgeforth is an Assistant Vice President with Deutsche Asset Management and has served as a Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management business since 2016. Prior to his current role, Mr. Bridgeforth was an Associate Portfolio Manager for Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (CSIM) where he co-managed Schwabs taxable bond funds and the Schwab Fixed-Income ETFs. Prior to his Portfolio Manager role, Mr. Bridgeforth served as an Associate Trading Assistant in fixed income with CSIM. Mr. Bridgeforth earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Arizona and has passed the first level of the CFA program.
The Funds SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers and the Portfolio Managers ownership (if any) of shares of the Funds.
Additional shareholder information, including how to buy and sell shares of the Funds, is available free of charge by calling toll-free: 1-855-329-3837 (1-855-DBX-ETFS) or visiting our website at www.Xtrackers.com.
Buying and Selling Shares
Shares of the Funds are listed or will be listed for trading on a national securities exchange during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day at market prices like shares of other publicly-traded companies. The Trust does not impose any minimum investment for shares of a Fund purchased on an exchange. Buying or selling Fund shares involves two types of costs that may apply to all securities transactions.
When buying or selling shares of a Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission or other charges determined by your broker. In addition, you may incur the cost of the spread that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. The spread varies over time for shares of a Fund based on its trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has a lot of trading volume and market liquidity and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity. The Funds shares trade on NYSE Arca or Cboe under the following ticker symbols:
Fund |
Ticker
Symbol |
Stock
Exchange |
||||||
Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF | IGVT | Cboe | ||||||
Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF | IFIX | Cboe | ||||||
Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF* | IHIY | Cboe | ||||||
Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | HYLB |
|
NYSE
Arca |
|
||||
Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF* | EMBQ | Cboe |
* | As of the date of this Prospectus, Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF have not begun offering shares. |
Shares of a Fund may be acquired or redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units or multiples thereof, as discussed in the section of this Prospectus entitled Creations and Redemptions. Only an AP may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with a Fund. Once created, shares of a Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.
The Board has evaluated the risks of market timing activities by the Funds shareholders. The Board noted that a Funds shares can only be purchased and redeemed directly from the Fund in Creation Units by APs and that the vast majority of trading in the Funds shares occurs on the secondary market. Because the secondary market trades do not involve a Fund directly, it is unlikely those trades would cause many of the harmful effects of market timing, including dilution, disruption of portfolio management, increases in the Funds trading costs and the realization of capital gains. With regard to the purchase or redemption of Creation Units directly with the Funds, to the extent effected in-kind (i.e., for securities), such trades do not cause any of the harmful effects (as previously noted) that may result from frequent cash trades. To the extent trades are effected in whole or in part in cash, the
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Board noted that such trades could result in dilution to a Fund and increased transaction costs, which could negatively impact the Funds ability to achieve its investment objective. However, the Board noted that direct trading by AP is critical to ensuring that the Funds shares trade at or close to NAV. In addition, each Fund imposes both fixed and variable transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Fund shares to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by a Fund in effecting trades. These fees increase if an investor substitutes cash in part or in whole for securities, reflecting the fact that a Funds trading costs increase in those circumstances. Given this structure, the Board determined that with respect to each Fund it is not necessary to adopt policies and procedures to detect and deter market timing of the Funds shares.
The national securities exchange on which a Funds shares are listed is open for trading Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays: New Years Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by registered investment companies in the securities of other investment companies. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in a Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in an SEC exemptive order issued to the Trust, including that such investment companies enter into an agreement with the Trust.
Book Entry
Shares of the Funds are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued.
The Depository Trust Company (DTC) or its nominee is the record owner of all outstanding shares of the Fund and is recognized as the owner of all shares for all purposes.
Investors owning shares of a Fund are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for shares of the Funds. DTC participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book-entry or street name form.
Share Prices
The trading prices of a Funds shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Funds daily NAV per share and are affected by market forces such as supply and demand, economic conditions and other factors. Information regarding the intraday value of shares of a Fund, also known as the indicative optimized portfolio value (IOPV), is disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day by the national securities exchange on which the Funds shares are listed or by market data vendors or other information providers. The IOPV is based on the current market value of the securities and/or cash required to be deposited in exchange for a Creation Unit. The IOPV does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by a Fund at a particular point in time nor the best possible valuation of the current portfolio. Therefore, the IOPV should not be viewed as a real-time update of the NAV, which is computed only once a day. The IOPV is generally determined by using both current market quotations and/or price quotations obtained from broker-dealers that may trade in the portfolio securities held by the Fund. The quotations of certain Fund holdings may
not be updated during U.S. trading hours if such holdings do not trade in the U.S. The Funds are not involved in, or responsible for, the calculation or dissemination of the IOPV and make no representation or warranty as to its accuracy.
Determination of Net Asset Value
The NAV of each Fund is generally determined once daily Monday through Friday generally as of the regularly scheduled close of business of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each day that the NYSE is open for trading, provided that (a) any Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers (as detailed below) and (b) U.S. fixed-income assets may be valued as of the announced closing time for trading fixed-income instruments in a particular market or exchange. NAV is calculated by deducting all of a Funds liabilities from the total value of its assets and dividing the result by the number of shares outstanding, rounding to the nearest cent. All valuations are subject to review by the Trusts Board or its delegate.
In determining NAV, expenses are accrued and applied daily and securities and other assets for which market quotations are available are valued at market value. Debt securities values are based on price quotations or other equivalent indications of value provided by a third-party pricing service. Any such third-party pricing service may
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use a variety of methodologies to value some or all of a Funds debt securities to determine the market price. For example, the prices of securities with characteristics similar to those held by a Fund may be used to assist with the pricing process. In addition, the pricing service may use proprietary pricing models. In certain cases, some of a Funds debt securities may be valued at the mean between the last available bid and ask prices for such securities or, if such prices are not available, at prices for securities of comparable maturity, quality, and type. Short-term securities for which market quotations are not readily available and money market securities maturing in 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost. The approximate value of shares of the applicable Fund, an amount representing on a per share basis the sum of the current value of the deposit securities based on their then current market price and the estimated cash component will be disseminated every 15 seconds throughout the trading day through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association. As the respective international local markets close, the market value of the deposit securities will continue to be updated for foreign exchange rates for the remainder of the U.S. trading day at the prescribed 15 second intervals. Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities, U.S. government securities, money market instruments and certain fixed-income securities is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of business on the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of each Fund are determined as of such earlier times. The value of each Underlying Index will not be calculated and disseminated intra-day. The value and return of each Underlying Index is calculated once each trading day by the Index Provider based on prices received from the respective markets (including the respective international local markets).
If a securitys market price is not readily available or does not otherwise accurately reflect the fair value of the security, the security will be valued by another method that the Adviser believes will better reflect fair value in accordance with the Trusts valuation policies and procedures approved by the Board. Each Fund may use fair value pricing in a variety of circumstances, including but not limited to, situations when the value of a security in a Funds portfolio has been materially affected by events occurring after the close of the market on which the security is principally traded (such as a corporate action or other news that may materially affect the price of a security) or trading in a security has been suspended or halted. Fair value pricing involves subjective judgments and it is possible that a fair value determination for a security is materially different from the value that could be realized upon the sale of the security. In addition, fair value pricing could result in a difference between the prices used to
calculate a Funds NAV and the prices used by the Funds Underlying Index. This may adversely affect a Funds ability to track its Underlying Index. With respect to securities that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges, the value of a Funds portfolio securities may change on days when you will not be able to purchase or sell your shares.
Householding
Householding is an option available to certain Fund investors. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.
General policies. Dividends from net investment income, if any, are generally declared and paid monthly by each Fund. Distributions of net realized capital gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis for the Funds. The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as an RIC or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.
Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Funds are distributed on a pro rata basis to beneficial owners of such shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.
Dividend reinvestment service. No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial owners of a Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require beneficial owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the Funds purchased in the secondary market.
Taxes
As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in shares of a Fund will be taxed. The tax
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information in this Prospectus is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund.
Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an individual retirement account, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when a Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.
Taxes on Distributions
Distributions from a Funds net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Funds net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions by a Fund of net long-term capital gains in excess of net short-term capital losses (capital gain dividends) are taxable to you as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held such Funds shares. Distributions by a Fund that qualify as qualified dividend income are taxable to you at long-term capital gain rates. The maximum individual rate applicable to qualified dividend income and long-term capital gains is generally either 15% or 20%, depending on whether the individuals income exceeds certain threshold amounts.
Dividends are eligible to be qualified dividend income to you, if you meet certain holding period requirements discussed below, if they are attributable to qualified dividend income received by a Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that a Fund satisfies certain holding period requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the United States which includes an exchange of information program or if the stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established United States security market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.
For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by a Fund, and to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or in the case of certain preferred stock 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.
Given the investment strategies of the Funds, it is not anticipated that a significant portion of the dividends paid by the Funds will be eligible to be designated as qualified dividend income (with respect to an individual shareholder) or for the corporate dividends received deduction (with respect to a corporate shareholder).
In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. federal income tax for the year when they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year.
If a Funds distributions exceed current and accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be re-characterized as a return of capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholders cost basis and result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold.
If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a non-U.S. entity, a Funds ordinary income dividends (which include distributions of net short- term capital gains) will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies, provided that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of a Fund.
Dividends and interest received by a Fund with respect to non-U.S. securities may give rise to withholding and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of a Fund at the close of a year consist of non-U.S. stocks or securities, the Fund may pass through to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have received as additional gross income your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may, in such case, be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal income tax.
If you are a resident or a citizen of the United States, by law, back-up withholding (currently at a rate of 28%) will apply to your distributions and proceeds if you have not provided a taxpayer identification number or social security number and made other required certifications.
Taxes When Shares Are Sold
Currently, any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any
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capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one year or less is generally treated as short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on the sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid with respect to such shares.
Medicare Tax
An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such persons modified adjusted gross income (in the case of an individual) or adjusted gross income (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.
The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Funds. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.
Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Funds are created at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units of 50,000 shares or multiples thereof. The size of a Creation Unit will be subject to change. Each creator or AP enters into an authorized participant agreement (Authorized Participant Agreement) with the Funds distributor, ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the Distributor), subject to acceptance by the Funds Transfer Agent. Only an AP may create or redeem Creation Units. Creation Units generally are issued and redeemed in exchange for a specific basket of securities approximating the holdings of a Fund and a designated amount of cash. Each Fund may pay out a portion of its redemption proceeds in cash rather than through the in-kind delivery of portfolio securities. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by a Fund. The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after an order is received in a form described in the Authorized Participant Agreement.
Orders for creations and redemptions must be made by an AP that is a DTC participant and must have executed an agreement with the Distributor with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Unit aggregations. Information about the procedures regarding creation and
redemption of Creation Units (including the cut-off times for receipt of creation and redemption orders) is included in the SAI.
Each Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposits and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities, including that the securities accepted for deposits and the securities used to satisfy redemption requests will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the 1933 Act. Further, an AP that is not a qualified institutional buyer, as such term is defined under Rule 144A of the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive Fund Securities that are restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.
Authorized Participants and the Continuous Offering of Shares
Because new shares may be created and issued on an ongoing basis, at any point during the life of a Fund a distribution, as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may be occurring. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner that could render them statutory underwriters and subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.
Broker-dealers should also note that dealers who are not underwriters but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary transactions), and thus dealing with shares that are part of an unsold allotment within the meaning of Section 4(3)(C) of the 1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.
Transaction Fees
APs are charged standard creation and redemption transaction fees to offset transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of Creation Units. Purchasers and redeemers of Creation Units for cash are required to pay an additional variable charge (up to a maximum of 2% for redemptions, including the standard redemption fee) to compensate for brokerage and market impact expenses. The standard creation and redemption transaction fee for each of the Funds is $500. The maximum redemption fee, as a percentage of the amount redeemed, is 2%.
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The Distributor distributes Creation Units for each Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Funds. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Funds or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Funds. The Distributors principal address is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203.
The Adviser and/or its affiliates may pay additional compensation, out of their own assets and not as an additional charge to the Funds, to selected affiliated and unaffiliated brokers, dealers, participating insurance companies or other financial intermediaries (financial advisers) in connection with the sale and/or distribution of Fund shares or the retention and/or servicing of Fund investors and Fund shares (revenue sharing). For example, the Adviser and/or its affiliates may compensate financial advisers for providing the Funds with shelf space or access to a third party platform or fund offering list or other marketing programs, including, without limitation, inclusion of the Funds on preferred or recommended sales lists, fund supermarket platforms and other formal sales programs; granting the Adviser and/or its affiliates access to the financial advisers sales force; granting the Adviser and/or its affiliates access to the financial advisers conferences and meetings; assistance in training and educating the financial advisers personnel; and obtaining other forms of marketing support.
The level of revenue sharing payments made to financial advisers may be a fixed fee or based upon one or more of the following factors: gross sales, current assets and/or number of accounts of the Funds attributable to the financial adviser, the particular Fund or Fund type or other measures as agreed to by the Adviser and/or its affiliates and the financial advisers or any combination thereof. The amount of these revenue sharing payments is determined at the discretion of the Adviser and/or its affiliates from time to time, may be substantial, and may be different for different financial advisers based on, for example, the nature of the services provided by the financial adviser.
Receipt of, or the prospect of receiving, additional compensation may influence your financial advisers recommendation of the Funds. You should review your financial advisers compensation disclosure and/or talk to your financial adviser to obtain more information on how this compensation may have influenced your financial advisers recommendation of the Fund. Additional information regarding these revenue sharing payments is included in the Funds Statement of Additional Information, which is available to you on request at no charge (see the back cover of this Prospectus for more information on how to request a copy of the Statement of Additional Information).
It is possible that broker-dealers that execute portfolio transactions for the Funds will include firms that also sell shares of the Fund to their customers. However, the Adviser will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor in the selection of broker-dealers to execute portfolio transactions for the Funds. Accordingly, the Adviser has implemented policies and procedures reasonably designed to prevent its traders from considering sales of Fund shares as a factor in the selection of broker-dealers to execute portfolio transactions for the Funds. In addition, the Adviser and/or its affiliates will not use Fund brokerage to pay for their obligation to provide additional compensation to financial advisers as described above.
The Bank of New York Mellon, 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286 (BNYM), is the administrator, custodian and fund accounting and transfer agent for each Fund.
Dechert LLP, 1095 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036, serves as legal counsel to the Funds.
Ernst & Young LLP, 5 Times Square, New York, New York 10036, serves as the Funds independent registered public accounting firm. The independent registered public accounting firm is responsible for auditing the annual financial statements of the Funds.
BRAIS is responsible for the rules-based methodology of the Barclays Indexes. BRAIS is not affiliated with the Trust, the Adviser, BNYM, the Distributor or any of their respective affiliates. BRAIS is responsible for the administration and calculation of the Barclays Indexes.
Solactive is responsible for the rules-based methodology of the Solactive USD High Yield Corporates Total Market Index. Solactive is not affiliated with the Trust, the Adviser, BNYM, the Distributor or any of their respective affiliates. Solactive is responsible for administration and calculation of the Solactive USD High Yield Corporates Total Market Index. Solactive is responsible for implementing the methodology for the composition of the Solactive USD High Yield Corporates Total Market Index.
Markit is responsible for the rules-based methodology of the Markit iBoxx USD Emerging Markets Sovereigns Quality Weighted Total Return Index. Markit is not affiliated with the Trust, the Adviser, BNYM, the Distributor or any of their respective affiliates.
See Index Providers in the SAI for more information about each Index Provider.
The Adviser has entered into a license agreement with each of the Index Providers to use their respective Underlying Indexes. The Adviser sublicenses rights in each
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 53 | Fund Details |
Underlying Index to the Trust at no charge. The Adviser has also entered into a License Agreement with a broker-dealer for the use of certain analytical data. All license fees are paid by the Adviser out of its own resources and not the assets of the Funds.
Barclays Indexes
Barclays Bank PLC and its affiliates (Barclays) are not the issuer or producer of Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF or Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF (the Funds) and Barclays has no responsibilities, obligations or duties to investors in the Funds. The Barclays Global Aggregate Treasury Ex USD Issuer Diversified Bond Index, Barclays Global Aggregate Corporate Ex USD Bond Index and Barclays Pan Euro High Yield Bond Index (the Underlying Indexes) are trademarks owned by Barclays Bank PLC and licensed for use by DBX Advisors LLC as the Issuer of the Funds. Barclays only relationship with the Issuer in respect of the Underlying Indexes is the licensing of the Underlying Indexes, each of which is determined, composed and calculated by Barclays without regard to the Issuer or the Funds or the owners of the Funds. Additionally, DBX Advisors LLC of the Funds may for itself execute transaction(s) with Barclays in or relating to the Underlying Indexes in connection with the Funds. Investors acquire the Funds from DBX Advisors LLC and investors neither acquire any interest in the Underlying Indexes nor enter into any relationship of any kind whatsoever with Barclays upon making an investment in the Funds. The Funds are not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Barclays. Barclays does not may any representation or warranty, express or implied, regarding the advisability of investing in the Funds or the advisability of investing in securities generally or the ability of the Underlying Indexes to track corresponding or relative market performance. Barclays has not passed on the legality or suitability of the Funds with respect to any person or entity. Barclays is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of the Funds to be issued. Barclays has no obligation to take the needs of the issuer or the owners of the Funds or any other third party into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Indexes. Barclays has no obligation or liability in connection with administration, marketing or trading of the Funds.
The licensing agreement between DBX Advisors LLC and Barclays is solely for the benefit of DBX Advisors LLC and Barclays and not for the benefit of the owners of Funds, investors or other third parties.
BARCLAYS SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY TO THE ISSUER, INVESTORS OR TO OTHER THIRD PARTIES FOR THE QUALITY, ACCURACY AND/OR COMPLETENESS OF THE UNDERLYING INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN OR FOR INTERRUPTIONS IN THE DELIVERY OF THE UNDERLYING INDEXES. BARCLAYS MAKES NO WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED BY THE ISSUER, THE INVESTORS OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FROM THE USE OF THE UNDERLYING INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. BARCLAYS MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, AND HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE WITH RESPECT TO THE UNDERLYING INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN. BARCLAYS RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE METHODS OF CALCULATION OR PUBLICATION, OR TO CEASE THE CALCULATION OR PUBLICATION OF THE UNDERLYING INDEXES, AND BARCLAYS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY MISCALCULATION OF OR ANY INCORRECT, DELAYED OR INTERRUPTED PUBLICATION WITH RESPECT TO ANY OF THE UNDERLYING INDEXES. BARCLAYS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR ANY LOST PROFITS AND EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH, RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE UNDERLYING INDEXES OR ANY DATA INCLUDED THEREIN OR WITH RESPECT TO THE FUNDS.
None of the information supplied by Barclays Bank PLC and used in this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the prior written permission of Barclays Capital, the investment banking division of Barclays Bank PLC. Barclays Bank PLC is registered in England No. 1026167. Registered office 1 Churchill Place, London, E14 5HP.
Solactive USD High Yield Corporates Total Market Index
Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (the Fund) is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Solactive. Neither Solactive nor any other party makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the Fund or any member of the public regarding advisability of investing in funds generally or in this Fund particularly or the ability of the Solactive USD High Yield Corporates Total Market Index (the Underlying Index) to track general stock market performance. Solactive is the licensor of certain trademarks, service marks and trade names of Solactive and of the Underlying Index that are determined, composed and calculated by Solactive without regard to the Trust, the Adviser or the Fund. Solactive has no obligation to take the needs of the Adviser or the
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 54 | Fund Details |
owners of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. Solactive is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the timing of, prices at, or quantities of the Fund to be issued or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the Fund is redeemable for cash. Neither Solactive nor any other party has any obligation or liability to owners of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the Fund.
Although Solactive shall obtain information for inclusion in or for use in the calculation of the indexes from sources that Solactive considers reliable, neither Solactive nor any other party guarantees the accuracy and/or the completeness of the indexes or any data included therein. Solactive is not responsible for informing third parties, including but not limited to, investors and/or financial intermediaries of the Fund, of errors in the indexes. Neither Solactive nor any other party makes any warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by licensee, licensees customers and counterparties, owners of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the indexes or any data included hereunder or for any other use. Neither Solactive nor any other party makes any express or implied warranties, and Solactive hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the indexes or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall Solactive or any other party have any liability for direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
Markit iBoxx USD Emerging Markets Sovereigns Quality Weighted Total Return Index
The Markit iBoxx USD Emerging Markets Sovereigns Quality Weighted Total Return Index referenced herein is the property of Markit Indices Limited and is used under license. Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF (the Fund) is not sponsored, endored, or promoted by Markit Indices Limited. Markit iBoxx is a mark of Markit Indices Limited and has been licensed for use by the Fund.
Shares of the Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF or Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighed Bond ETF (the Funds) are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by Cboe. Cboe makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Funds to track the total return performance of their Underlying Index or the ability of the Underlying Indexes to track stock
market performance. Cboe is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Funds to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. Cboe has no obligation or liability to owners of the shares of the Funds in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the shares of the Funds.
Cboe does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Underlying Indexes or any data included therein. Cboe makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Trust on behalf of the Funds as licensee, licensees customers and counterparties, owners of the shares of the Funds, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. Cboe makes no express or implied warranties and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Indexes or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall Cboe have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
Shares of Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by NYSE Arca. NYSE Arca makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of the shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Fund to track the total return performance of its Underlying Index or the ability of the Underlying Index to track stock market performance. NYSE Arca is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. NYSE Arca has no obligation or liability to owners of the shares of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of the shares of the Fund.
NYSE Arca does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. NYSE Arca makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Trust on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensees customers and counterparties, owners of the shares of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the subject index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. NYSE Arca makes
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 55 | Fund Details |
no express or implied warranties and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall NYSE Arca have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
The Adviser does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Indexes or any data included therein and the Adviser shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein.
The Adviser makes no warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Funds or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Funds from the use of the Underlying Indexes or any data included therein. The Adviser makes no express or implied warranties and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Underlying Indexes or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Adviser have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits), even if notified of the possibility of such damages.
Information regarding how often shares of each Fund traded on NYSE Arca or Cboe at a price above (i.e., at a premium) or below (i.e., at a discount) the NAV of the Fund during the past calendar year can be found at www.Xtrackers.com.
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 56 | Fund Details |
The financial highlights table is intended to help you understand each Funds financial performance since its inception. Certain information reflects financial results for a single Fund Share. The total returns in the table represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an investment in each Fund (assuming reinvestment of all
dividends and distributions). The information has been derived from the Funds financial statements, which have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, whose report, along with the Funds financial statements, are included in the Funds Annual Report as of August 31, 2017 and for the fiscal period then ended, which is available upon request.
Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF
Period Ended | ||||
8/31/2017 a | ||||
Selected Per Share Data | ||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 50.00 | ||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | ||||
Net investment income (loss) b |
.25 | |||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) |
(0.40 | ) | ||
Total from investment operations |
(0.15 | ) | ||
Less distributions from: | ||||
Net investment income |
(0.88 | ) | ||
Total distributions |
(0.88 | ) | ||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 48.97 | ||
Total Return (%) | (0.27 | ) c ** | ||
Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data | ||||
Net assets, end of period ($ millions) | 5 | |||
Ratio of expenses (%) | 0.25 | * | ||
Ratio of net investment income (loss) (%) | 0.60 | * | ||
Portfolio turnover rate (%) d | 44 | ** |
a |
For the period October 25, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017. |
b |
Based on average shares outstanding during the period. |
c |
The Funds total return includes a reimbursement by the Advisor for a realized loss on a trade executed incorrectly, which otherwise would have reduced return by 0.03%. |
d |
Portfolio turnover rate does not include securities received or delivered from processing creations or redemptions. |
* | Annualized. |
** | Not Annualized. |
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 57 | Financial Highlights |
Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF
Period Ended | ||||
8/31/2017 a | ||||
Selected Per Share Data | ||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 50.00 | ||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | ||||
Net investment income (loss) b |
0.43 | |||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) |
0.91 | |||
Total from investment operations |
1.34 | |||
Less distributions from: | ||||
Net investment income |
(0.92 | ) | ||
Total distributions |
(0.92 | ) | ||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 50.42 | ||
Total Return (%) | 2.72 | ** | ||
Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data | ||||
Net assets, end of period ($ millions) | 5 | |||
Ratio of expenses (%) | 0.30 | * | ||
Ratio of net investment income (loss) (%) | 1.01 | * | ||
Portfolio turnover rate (%) c | 36 | ** |
a |
For the period October 25, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017. |
b |
Based on average shares outstanding during the period. |
c |
Portfolio turnover rate does not include securities received or delivered from processing creations or redemptions. |
* | Annualized. |
** | Not Annualized. |
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 58 | Financial Highlights |
Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced operations, no financial highlights are presented.
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 59 | Financial Highlights |
Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF
Period Ended | ||||
8/31/2017 a | ||||
Selected Per Share Data | ||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 50.00 | ||
Income (loss) from investment operations: | ||||
Net investment income (loss) b |
2.07 | |||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) |
1.11 | |||
Total from investment operations |
3.18 | |||
Less distributions from: | ||||
Net investment income |
(1.97 | ) | ||
Total distributions |
(1.97 | ) | ||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 51.21 | ||
Total Return (%) | 6.43 | ** | ||
Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data | ||||
Net assets, end of period ($ millions) | 220 | |||
Ratio of expenses (%) | 0.25 | * | ||
Ratio of net investment income (loss) (%) | 5.57 | * | ||
Portfolio turnover rate (%) c | 36 | ** |
a |
For the period December 7, 2016 (commencement of operations) through August 31, 2017. |
b |
Based on average shares outstanding during the period. |
c |
Portfolio turnover rate does not include securities received or delivered from processing creations or redemptions. |
* | Annualized. |
** | Not Annualized. |
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 60 | Financial Highlights |
Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF
Because the Fund has not yet commenced operations, no financial highlights are presented.
Prospectus December 29, 2017 | 61 | Financial Highlights |
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
WWW.XTRACKERS.COM
1-855-329-3837 (1-855-DBX-ETFS)
Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and recent shareholder reports, when available, can be found on our website at www.Xtrackers.com. For more information about the Funds, you may request a copy of the SAI. The SAI provides detailed information about the Funds and is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. This means that the SAI, for legal purposes, is a part of this Prospectus.
If you have any questions about the Trust or shares of the Funds or you wish to obtain the SAI or shareholder report free of charge, please:
Call: | 1-855-329-3837 or 1-855-DBX-ETFS (toll free) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) | |
E-mail:dbxquestions@list.db.com | ||
Write: |
DBX ETF Trust c/o ALPS Distributors, Inc. 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100 Denver, Colorado 80203 |
Information about the Funds (including the SAI) can be reviewed and copied at the SECs Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C., and information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-202-551-8090. Reports and other information about the Funds are available on the EDGAR Database on the SECs website at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov, or by writing to the SECs Public Reference Section, Washington, D.C. 20549-1520.
No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about the Funds and their shares not contained in this Prospectus and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep the Prospectus for future reference.
Investment Company Act File No.: 811-22487
DBX ETF Trust
Statement of Additional Information
Dated December 29, 2017
This combined Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectus (the Prospectus) for the below-referenced funds (each, a Fund and collectively, the Funds) of DBX ETF Trust (the Trust), as such Prospectus may be revised or supplemented from time to time:
Funds | Ticker | Stock Exchange | ||
Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF |
DEEF | NYSE Arca, Inc. | ||
Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF |
DEMG | NYSE Arca, Inc. | ||
Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF |
DEUS | NYSE Arca, Inc. | ||
Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF |
DESC | NYSE Arca, Inc. |
The Prospectus for the Funds included in this SAI is dated December 29, 2017. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to the Trusts distributor, ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the Distributor), at 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203, calling 1-855-329-3837 (1-855-DBX-ETFS) or visiting www.Xtrackers.com.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
General Description of the Trust and the Funds
The Trust currently consists of 35 operational investment series or portfolios. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on October 7, 2010 and is authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act). The offering of each Funds shares (the Shares) is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act).
On October 2, 2017, the name of each series of the Trust, including each Fund described in this SAI, was changed to replace Deutsche X-trackers with Xtrackers.
The investment objective of each Fund is to provide investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of a specified benchmark index (each, an Underlying Index). Each Fund is managed by DBX Advisors LLC (DBXA or the Adviser).
Each Fund offers and issues Shares at their net asset value (NAV) per Share only in aggregations of a specified number of Shares (Creation Units), generally in exchange for a basket of securities and other instruments included in its Underlying Index (the Deposit Securities), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the Cash Component). Shares of the Funds are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. (the Exchange). Shares trade in the secondary market at market prices that may be at, above or below NAV. Shares are redeemable only in Creation Units, and, partially for cash and partially in-kind for securities and other instruments generally included in a Funds Underlying Index. A Creation Unit consists of 50,000 Shares thereof.
The Trust reserves the right to offer a cash option for creations and redemptions of Shares. Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain with the Trust a cash deposit, equal to at least 115%, which the Adviser may change from time to time, of the market value of the omitted Deposit Securities. See the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI. Transaction fees for cash creations and redemptions may be higher than the transaction fees associated with in-kind creations and redemptions.
A discussion of exchange listing and trading matters associated with an investment in each Fund is contained in the Shareholder Information section of the Funds Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, that section of the Prospectus.
Shares of each Fund are listed for trading and will trade throughout the day on the Exchange. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares of any Fund will continue to be met. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the Shares of a Fund from listing if (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of Fund Shares, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of Shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days, (ii) the value of the Underlying Index on which a Fund is based is no longer calculated or available, (iii) the indicative optimized portfolio value (IOPV) of a Fund is no longer calculated or available or (iv) any other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will also remove Shares of a Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, when you buy or sell Shares through a broker you will incur a brokerage commission determined by that broker.
In order to provide additional information regarding the indicative value of Shares of a Fund, the Exchange or a market data vendor disseminates every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association or other widely disseminated means an updated IOPV for the Fund as calculated by an information provider or market data vendor. The Trust is not involved in or responsible for any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IOPVs and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the IOPVs.
An IOPV has a securities component and a cash component. The securities values included in an IOPV are the values of the Deposit Securities for a Fund. While the IOPV reflects the current market value of the Deposit Securities required to be deposited in connection with the purchase of a Creation Unit, it does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by a Fund at a particular point in time because the current portfolio of the Fund may include securities that are not a part of the current Deposit Securities. Therefore, a Funds IOPV disseminated during the Exchange trading hours should not be viewed as a real-time update of the Funds NAV, which is calculated only once a day.
1
The cash component included in an IOPV consists of estimated accrued interest, dividends and other income, less expenses. If applicable, each IOPV also reflects changes in currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the applicable currency.
The Trust reserves the right to adjust the Share prices of Funds in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.
Investment Strategies and Risks
Each Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of its respective Underlying Index.
Each of Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers located in the markets specified in the applicable Funds name.
Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers from the United States.
In addition, each Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in instruments that comprise its respective Underlying Index.
Each Fund operates as an index fund and will not be actively managed. Adverse performance of a security in each Funds portfolio may not result in the elimination of the security from a Funds portfolio. Each Fund engages in representative sampling, which is investing in a sample of securities selected by the Adviser to have a collective investment profile similar to that of the Underlying Index. Securities selected have aggregate investment characteristics (based on market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, earnings valuation and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. Funds that use representative sampling generally do not hold all of the securities that are in the relevant Underlying Index.
Diversification Status. Each Fund is classified as non-diversified. 1 A non-diversified fund is a fund that is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the percentage of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer. The securities of a particular issuer (or securities of issuers in particular industries) may dominate the underlying index of such a fund and, consequently, the funds investment portfolio. This may adversely affect the funds performance or subject the funds shares to greater price volatility than that experienced by more diversified investment companies.
Each Fund intends to maintain the required level of diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a regulated investment company (RIC) for purposes of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), and to relieve the Fund of any liability for U.S. federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders, provided that the Fund satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. Compliance with the diversification requirements of the Code may limit the investment flexibility of the Funds and may make it less likely that a Fund will meet its investment objective.
Repurchase Agreements. Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements. A repurchase agreement is an instrument under which the purchaser ( i.e. , a Fund) acquires the security and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the security at a mutually agreed upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchasers holding period. Repurchase agreements may be construed to be collateralized loans by the purchaser to the seller secured by the securities transferred to the purchaser. If a repurchase agreement is construed to be a collateralized loan, the underlying securities will not be considered to be owned by each Fund but only to constitute collateral for the sellers obligation to pay the repurchase price, and, in the event of a default by the seller, each Fund may suffer time delays and incur costs or losses in connection with the disposition of the collateral.
1 | Currently, under the 1940 Act, a non-diversified investment company is a fund that is not diversified, and for a fund to be classified as a diversified investment company, at least 75% of the value of the funds total assets must be represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), government securities, securities of other investment companies, and securities of other issuers, which for the purposes of this calculation are limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount (valued at the time of investment) not greater in value than 5% of the funds total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer. Pursuant to certain SEC staff positions, if a non-diversified funds investments are in fact diversified under the 1940 Act for a period of three years, the fund may be considered diversified and may not be able to convert to a non-diversified fund without the approval of shareholders. |
2
In any repurchase transaction, collateral for a repurchase agreement may include cash items, obligations issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities and any other debt security that the Adviser determines at the time the repurchase agreement is entered into: (i) the issuer of which has an exceptionally strong capacity to meet its financial obligations; and (ii) is sufficiently liquid that it can be sold at approximately its carrying value in the ordinary course of business within seven calendar days. Collateral, however, is not limited to the foregoing and may include for example obligations rated below the highest category by NRSROs. Collateral for a repurchase agreement may also include securities that a Fund could not hold directly without the repurchase obligation.
Repurchase agreements pose certain risks for a Fund that utilizes them. Such risks are not unique to the Funds but are inherent in repurchase agreements. The Funds seek to minimize such risks but such risks cannot be eliminated. Lower quality collateral and collateral with longer maturities may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality collateral and collateral with shorter maturities. If the repurchase agreement counterparty were to default, lower quality collateral may be more difficult to liquidate than higher quality collateral. Should the counterparty default and the amount of collateral not be sufficient to cover the counterpartys repurchase obligation, a Fund would retain the status of an unsecured creditor of the counterparty ( i.e. , the position the Fund would normally be in if it were to hold, pursuant to its investment policies, other unsecured debt securities of the defaulting counterparty) with respect to the amount of the shortfall. As an unsecured creditor, a Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements. Each Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of securities with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment and have the characteristics of borrowing. Generally the effect of such transactions is that the Fund can recover all or most of the cash invested in the portfolio securities involved during the term of the reverse repurchase agreement, while in many cases the Fund is able to keep some of the interest income associated with those securities. Such transactions are advantageous only if the Fund has an opportunity to earn a rate of interest on the cash derived from these transactions that is greater than the interest cost of obtaining the same amount of cash. Opportunities to realize earnings from the use of the proceeds equal to or greater than the interest required to be paid may not always be available and each Fund intends to use the reverse repurchase technique only when the Adviser believes it will be advantageous to the Fund. The use of reverse repurchase agreements may exaggerate any interim increase or decrease in the value of each Funds assets. The Funds exposure to reverse repurchase agreements will be covered by assets having a value equal to or greater than such commitments. Each Fund maintains liquid assets in connection with reverse repurchase agreements. Under the 1940 Act, reverse repurchase agreements are considered borrowings.
Currency Transactions. ( Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only) The Funds may enter into forward currency contracts and foreign currency futures contracts to facilitate local securities settlements or to protect against currency exposure in connection with distributions to Shareholders. The Funds will not invest in forward currency contracts to hedge against changes in the value of the U.S. dollar against specified foreign currencies.
A forward currency contract (forward contract) involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts are principally traded in the interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large, commercial banks) and their customers. A forward contract generally has no margin deposit requirement, and no commissions are charged at any stage for trades.
A non-deliverable forward contract (NDF) is a forward contract where there is no physical settlement of two currencies at maturity. NDFs are contracts between parties in which a net settlement amount based on the change in the specified foreign exchange rate is paid by one party to the other. The Funds obligations with respect to each NDF is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash or liquid securities at least equal to such amount maintained in an account at the Trusts custodian bank. The risk of loss with respect to NDFs generally is limited to the net amount of payments that a Fund is contractually obligated to make or receive.
A foreign currency futures contract is a contract involving an obligation to deliver or acquire the specified amount of a specific currency, at a specified price and at a specified future time. Futures contracts may be settled on a net cash payment basis rather than by the sale and delivery of the underlying currency.
Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments . Each Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons, including to the extent necessary to help a Fund track its Underlying Index, but will not invest in money market instruments or other short-term investments as part of a temporary defensive strategy to protect against potential stock market declines. Money market instruments are generally short-term investments that may include but are not limited to: (i) Shares of money market funds (including those advised by the Adviser); (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit (CDs), bankers acceptances, fixed-time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks (including non-U.S. branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated, at the date of purchase, Prime-1 by Moodys ® Investors Service, Inc. or A-1 by Standard & Poors ® Financial Services LLC, or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Adviser; (v) non-convertible corporate debt securities ( e.g. ,
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bonds and debentures) with remaining maturities at the date of purchase of not more than 397 days and that satisfy the credit quality requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (vi) repurchase agreements; and (vii) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of non-U.S. banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of the Adviser, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks which may be purchased by a Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or forward-settled basis. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Bankers acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.
Foreign Securities. ( Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only) Each Fund purchases publicly traded common stocks of foreign issuers. To the extent a Fund invests in stocks of foreign issuers, certain of the Funds investments in such stocks may be in the form of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs), Global Depositary Receipts (GDRs) and Non-Voting Depositary Receipts (NVDRs) (collectively, Depositary Receipts). Depositary Receipts are receipts, typically issued by a bank or trust issuer, which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign issuer. For ADRs, the depositary is typically a U.S. financial institution and the underlying securities are issued by a foreign issuer. For other forms of Depositary Receipts, the depositary may be a foreign or U.S. entity, and the underlying securities may be issued by a foreign or a U.S. issuer. Depositary Receipts are not necessarily denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities. Generally, ADRs, issued in registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, NVDRs are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, NVDRs are designed for use in the Thai securities market and GDRs are tradable both in the United States and in Europe and for designed for use throughout the world.
A Fund will not invest in any unlisted Depositary Receipt or any Depositary Receipt that the Adviser deems illiquid at the time of purchase or for which pricing information is not readily available. Depositary Receipts may be either sponsored or unsponsored. There may be less information available regarding such issuers and there may be no correlation between available information and the market value of Depositary Receipts.
Investing in the securities of foreign issuers involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. These include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in foreign countries, and potential restrictions on the flow of international capital. Foreign issuers may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S issuers. Moreover, individual foreign economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions.
Russian Securities . As a result of recent political and military actions undertaken by Russia, the United States and the European Union have instituted sanctions against certain Russian officials and Bank Rossiya. These sanctions, and any additional sanctions or other intergovernmental actions that may be undertaken against Russia in the future, may result in the devaluation of Russian currency, a downgrade in the Russias credit rating, and a decline in the value and liquidity of Russian securities. These sanctions could result in the immediate freeze of Russian securities, impairing the ability of a fund to buy, sell, receive, or deliver those securities. Retaliatory action by the Russian government could involve the seizure of US and/or European residents assets, and any such actions are likely to impair the value and liquidity of such assets. Any or all of these potential results could push Russias economy into a recession. These sanctions, and the continued disruption of the Russian economy, could have a negative effect on the performance of Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF to the extent its Underlying Index and its portfolio contain securities of Russian issuers.
Restricted Securities/Rule 144A Securities. The Funds may invest in securities offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act (Rule 144A securities), which are restricted securities. They may be less liquid and more difficult to value than other investments because such securities may not be readily marketable in broad public markets. The Funds may not be able to sell a restricted security promptly or at a reasonable price. Although there is a substantial institutional market for Rule 144A securities, it is not possible to predict exactly how the market for Rule 144A securities will develop. A restricted security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid and its value may decline as a result. Restricted securities that are deemed illiquid will count towards a Funds 15% limitation on illiquid securities. In addition, transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than for more liquid securities. The Funds may have to bear the expense of registering Rule 144A securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration.
Securities of Investment Companies. Each Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds) and real estate investment trusts (REITs) to the extent allowed by law. Pursuant to the 1940 Act, a Funds investment in investment companies is limited to, subject to certain exceptions: (i) 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any one investment company; (ii) 5% of the Funds total assets with respect to any one investment company; and (iii) 10% of the Funds total assets with respect to investment companies in the aggregate. To the extent allowed by law or regulation, each Fund may invest its assets in the securities of investment companies that are money market funds, including those advised by the Adviser or otherwise affiliated with the Adviser, in excess of the limits discussed above. Other investment companies in which a Fund invests can be expected to incur fees and expenses for operations, such as investment advisory and administration fees that would be in addition to those incurred by the Fund.
Illiquid Securities. Each Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities (calculated at the time of investment). Illiquid securities include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets.
Futures and Options. Each Fund may enter into futures contracts and options. These futures contracts and options will be used to simulate investment in the respective Underlying Index, facilitate trading or reduce transaction costs. Each Fund will enter into futures
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contracts and options that are traded on a U.S. or non-U.S. exchange. No Fund will use futures or options for speculative purposes. Each Fund intends to use futures and options in accordance with Rule 4.5 promulgated under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA). The Adviser, on behalf of each Fund, has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term commodity pool operator in accordance with Rule 4.5 so that each Fund is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the CEA.
Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific instrument or index at a specified future time and at a specified price. Each Fund may enter into futures contracts to purchase the value of one or more securities indexes when the Adviser anticipates purchasing the underlying securities and believe prices will rise before the purchase will be made. To the extent required by law, liquid assets committed to futures contracts will be maintained.
A call option gives a holder the right to purchase a specific security at a specified price (exercise price) within a specified period of time. A put option gives a holder the right to sell a specific security at a specified exercise price within a specified period of time. The initial purchaser of a call option pays the writer a premium, which is paid at the time of purchase and is retained by the writer whether or not such option is exercised. Each Fund may purchase put options to hedge its portfolio against the risk of a decline in the market value of securities held and may purchase call options to hedge against an increase in the price of securities it is committed to purchase. Each Fund may write put and call options along with a long position in options to increase its ability to hedge against a change in the market value of the securities it holds or is committed to purchase. Investments in futures contracts and other investments that contain leverage may require each Fund to maintain liquid assets. Generally, each Fund maintains an amount of liquid assets equal to its obligations relative to the position involved, adjusted daily on a marked-to-market basis. With respect to futures contracts that are contractually required to cash-settle, each Fund maintains liquid assets in an amount at least equal to each Funds daily marked-to-market obligation ( i.e. , each Funds daily net liability, if any), rather than the contracts notional value. By maintaining assets equal to its net obligation under cash-settled futures contracts, the Fund may employ leverage to a greater extent than if each Fund set aside assets equal to the futures contracts full notional value. Each Fund bases its asset maintenance policies on methods permitted by the staff of the SEC and may modify these policies in the future to comply with any changes in the guidance articulated from time to time by the SEC or its staff.
Options on Futures Contracts. An option on a futures contract, as contrasted with the direct investment in such a contract, gives the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in the underlying futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option. Upon exercise of an option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance in the writers futures margin account that represents the amount by which the market price of the futures contract exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option on the futures contract. The potential for loss related to the purchase of an option on a futures contract is limited to the premium paid for the option plus transaction costs. Because the value of the option is fixed at the point of sale, there are no daily cash payments by the purchaser to reflect changes in the value of the underlying contract; however, the value of the option changes daily and that change would be reflected in the NAV of each Fund. The potential for loss related to writing call options is unlimited. The potential for loss related to writing put options is limited to the agreed upon price per Share, also known as the strike price, less the premium received from writing the put.
Each Fund may purchase and write put and call options on futures contracts that are traded on an exchange as a hedge against changes in value of its portfolio securities, or in anticipation of the purchase of securities, and may enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate existing positions. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be effected.
Upon entering into a futures contract, a Fund will be required to deposit with the broker an amount of cash or cash equivalents known as initial margin, which is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the contract and is returned to each Fund upon termination of the futures contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Subsequent payments, known as variation margin, to and from the broker will be made daily as the price of the index underlying the futures contract fluctuates, making the long and short positions in the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as marking-to-market. At any time prior to the expiration of a futures contract, each Fund may elect to close the position by taking an opposite position, which will operate to terminate a Funds existing position in the contract.
Restrictions on the Use of Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. Pursuant to a claim for exclusion filed with the National Futures Association (NFA) on behalf of each Fund, the Trust is not deemed to be a commodity pool operator (CPO), under the CEA, and it is not subject to registration or regulation as such under the CEA. The Adviser is not deemed to be a commodity trading advisor with respect to its services as an investment adviser to each Fund. Under CFTC regulations the Adviser would need to register with the CFTC as CPO if a Fund is unable to comply with certain trading and marketing limitations on its investments in futures and certain other instruments. With respect to investments in swap transactions, commodity futures, commodity options or certain other derivatives used for purposes other than bona fide hedging purposes, the Trust, on behalf of each Fund must meet one of the following tests under the amended regulations in order to claim an exclusion from the definition of a CPO. First, the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish a Funds positions in such investments may not exceed five percent of the liquidation value of the Funds portfolio (after accounting for unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such investments). Alternatively, the aggregate net notional value of such instruments, determined at the time of the most recent position established, may not exceed one hundred percent (100%) of the liquidation value of the Funds portfolio (after accounting for unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). In addition to meeting one of the foregoing trading limitations, a Fund may not market itself as a commodity pool or
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otherwise as a vehicle for trading in the commodity futures, commodity options or swaps and derivatives markets. In the event that the Adviser is required to register as a CPO with respect to a Fund, the disclosure and operations of the Fund would need to comply with all applicable CFTC regulations. Compliance with these additional registration and regulatory requirements could increase operational expenses. Other potentially adverse regulatory initiatives could also develop.
Swap Agreements. Over-the-counter (OTC) swap agreements are contracts between parties in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to the other party based on the change in market value or level of a specified rate, index or asset. In return, the other party agrees to make periodic payments to the first party based on the return of a different specified rate, index or asset. Swap agreements will usually be performed on a net basis, with each Fund receiving or paying only the net amount of the two payments. The net amount of the excess, if any, of a Funds obligations over its entitlements with respect to each swap is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of liquid assets having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained by each Fund. Cleared swaps are transacted through futures commission merchants (FCMs) that are members of central clearinghouses with the clearinghouse serving as a central counterparty similar to transactions in futures contracts.
The use of interest-rate and index swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. These transactions generally do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets or principal.
Tracking Stocks. A tracking stock is a separate class of common stock whose value is linked to a specific business unit or operating division within a larger company and which is designed to track the performance of such business unit or division. The tracking stock may pay dividends to Shareholders independent of the parent company. The parent company, rather than the business unit or division, generally is the issuer of tracking stock. However, holders of the tracking stock may not have the same rights as holders of the companys common stock.
Lending of Portfolio Securities . To generate additional income, a Fund may lend a percentage of its investment securities to approved institutional borrowers who need to borrow securities in order to complete certain transactions, such as covering short sales, avoiding failures to deliver securities or completing arbitrage operations, in exchange for collateral in the form of cash or US government securities. By lending its investment securities, a Fund attempts to increase its net investment income through the receipt of interest on the loan. Any gain or loss in the market price of the securities loaned that might occur during the term of the loan would belong to a Fund. A Fund may lend its investment securities so long as the terms, structure and the aggregate amount of such loans are not inconsistent with the 1940 Act or the rules and regulations or interpretations of the SEC thereunder, which currently require that (a) the borrower pledge and maintain with a Fund collateral consisting of liquid, unencumbered assets having a value at all times not less than 102% of the value of the securities loaned, (b) the borrower add to such collateral whenever the price of the securities loaned rises or the value of non-cash collateral declines ( i.e. , the borrower marks to the market on a daily basis), (c) the loan be made subject to termination by a Fund at any time, and (d) a Fund receives a reasonable return on the loan (consisting of the return achieved on investment of the cash collateral, less the rebate owed to borrowers, plus distributions on the loaned securities and any increase in their market value). A Fund may pay reasonable fees in connection with loaned securities, pursuant to written contracts, including fees paid to a Funds custodian and fees paid to a securities lending agent, including a securities lending agent that is an affiliate of the Adviser. Voting rights may pass with the loaned securities, but if an event occurs that the Adviser determines to be a material event affecting an investment on loan, the loan must be called and the securities voted. Cash collateral received by a Fund may be invested in a money market fund managed by the Adviser (or one of its affiliates).
A Fund is subject to all investment risks associated with the reinvestment of any cash collateral received, including, but not limited to, interest rate, credit and liquidity risk associated with such investments. To the extent the value or return of a Funds investments of the cash collateral declines below the amount owed to a borrower, a Fund may incur losses that exceed the amount it earned on lending the security. If the borrower defaults on its obligation to return securities lent because of insolvency or other reasons, a Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the securities lent or gaining access to collateral. If a Fund is not able to recover securities lent, a Fund may sell the collateral and purchase a replacement investment in the market, incurring the risk that the value of the replacement security is greater than the value of the collateral. However, loans will be made only to borrowers selected by a Funds delegate after a commercially reasonable review of relevant facts and circumstances, including the creditworthiness of the borrower.
In the case of securities lending transactions, payments in lieu of dividends are not qualified dividend income.
Securities Lending Activities
Pursuant to an agreement between the Funds and BNYM, BNYM is responsible for the administration and management of each Funds securities lending program, including the negotiation of the terms and conditions of any securities loan, ensuring that securities loans are properly coordinated and documented with the Funds custodian, ensuring that loaned securities are daily valued and that the corresponding required cash collateral is delivered by the borrower(s), arranging for the investment of cash collateral and arranging for the return of loaned securities upon the termination of the loan.
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The dollar amounts of income and fees and compensation paid to all service providers related to those Funds that participated in securities lending activities during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017 were as follows:
Fund |
Gross income 1 | Revenue Split 2 |
Cash Collateral
Management Fees 3 |
Administrative Fees 4 | Indemnification Fees 5 |
Rebates to
Borrowers |
Other Fees |
Total Costs of
the Securities Lending Activities |
Net Income
from the Securities Lending Activities |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
DEEF |
$ | 1,304.07 | $ | 88.58 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 12.48 | $ | 0 | $ | 101.06 | $ | 1,203.01 | ||||||||||||||||||
DEMG |
$ | 758.72 | $ | 37.91 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 207.55 | $ | 0 | $ | 245.46 | $ | 513.26 | ||||||||||||||||||
DEUS |
$ | 11,296.85 | $ | 468.83 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 4,455.68 | $ | 0 | $ | 4,924.51 | $ | 6,372.34 | ||||||||||||||||||
DESC |
$ | 3,460.26 | $ | 223.21 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 223.21 | $ | 3,237.05 |
1 |
Gross income includes income from cash collateral reinvestment. |
2 |
Revenue split represents the share of revenue generated by the securities lending program and paid to BNYM. |
3 |
Cash collateral management fees include fees deducted from a pooled cash collateral reinvestment vehicle that are not included in the revenue split. |
4 |
These administrative fees are not included in the revenue split. |
5 |
These indemnification fees are not included in the revenue split. |
Future Developments. The Board may, in the future, authorize each Fund to invest in securities and investments other than those listed in this SAI and in the Funds Prospectus, provided they are consistent with each Funds investment objective and do not violate any investment restrictions or policies, and do not present material risks other than those listed in this SAI and/or the Funds Prospectus, as those may be amended or supplemented from time to time.
General Considerations and Risks
A discussion of some of the risks associated with an investment in a Fund is contained in the Prospectus.
An investment in a Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of a Funds portfolio securities may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the financial condition of the issuers of the portfolio securities, the value of stocks in general and other factors that affect the market.
Risks of Equity Securities. An investment in a Fund should be made with an understanding of the risks inherent in an investment in equity securities, including the risk that the financial condition of issuers may become impaired or that the general condition of the stock market may deteriorate (either of which may cause a decrease in the value of the portfolio securities and thus in the value of Shares of a Fund). Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to volatile increases and decreases in value as market confidence and perceptions of their issuers change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies, inflation and interest rates, economic expansion or contraction, and global or regional political, economic or banking crises. Holders of common stocks incur more risks than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders generally have rights to receive payments from stock issuers inferior to the rights of creditors, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Further, unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity (the value of which, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior to maturity), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal amount nor a maturity.
Although most of the securities in each Underlying Index are listed on a national securities exchange, the principal trading market for some may be in the over-the-counter market. The existence of a liquid trading market for certain securities may depend on whether dealers will make a market in such securities. There can be no assurance that a market will be made or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of a Funds Shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for a Funds portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.
Borrowing Risk. ( Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only) The Trust, on behalf of the Fund and certain other funds managed by the Adviser, has entered into a revolving senior unsecured credit facility with BNYM, Bank of Nova Scotia, HSBC, Royal Bank of Canada and State Street Corporation. The Fund may borrow money under this credit facility to the extent necessary for temporary or emergency purposes, including the funding of shareholder redemption requests, trade settlements, and as necessary to distribute to shareholders any income necessary to maintain the Funds status as a RIC. Interest is charged to the Fund, based on its borrowings, at current commercial rates. Each borrowing under the credit facility matures no later than 45 days after the date of borrowing. The Fund also pays a commitment fee equal to its pro rata share of the amount of the credit facility at a rate of 0.125% per annum of the daily amount of the excess, if any, of the lenders commitment over the aggregate outstanding principal balance of the loans made by the lender. The Fund can prepay loans at any time and may at any time terminate, or from time to time reduce, without the payment of a premium or penalty, the commitment under the credit facility subject to compliance with certain conditions.
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Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund Shares and in the return on the Funds portfolio. Borrowing will cost the Fund interest expense and other fees, which may reduce the Funds return. The Fund is required to maintain continuous asset coverage with respect to its borrowings and may be required to sell some of its holdings to reduce debt and restore coverage at times when it is not advantageous to do so. There is no assurance that a borrowing strategy will be successful. Upon the expiration of the term of the Funds existing credit arrangement, the lender may not be willing to extend further credit to the Fund or may only be willing to do so at an increased cost to the Fund. If the Fund is not able to extend its credit arrangement, it may be required to liquidate holdings to repay amounts borrowed from the lender. In addition, if the Funds assets increase, there is no assurance that the lender will be willing to make additional loans to the Fund in order to allow it to borrow the amounts desired by the Fund to facilitate redemptions.
Risks of Derivatives. A derivative is a financial contract, the value of which depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset such as a security or an index. A Fund may invest in stock index futures contracts and other derivatives. Compared to conventional securities, derivatives can be more sensitive to changes in interest rates or to sudden fluctuations in market prices and thus the Funds losses may be greater if it invests in derivatives than if it invests only in conventional securities.
Risks of Futures and Options Transactions. There are several risks accompanying the utilization of futures contracts and options on futures contracts. First, a position in futures contracts and options on futures contracts may be closed only on the exchange on which the contract was made (or a linked exchange). While each Fund plans to utilize futures contracts only if an active market exists for such contracts, there is no guarantee that a liquid market will exist for the contract at a specified time. Furthermore, because, by definition, futures contracts project price levels in the future and not current levels of valuation, market circumstances may result in a discrepancy between the price of the stock index future and the movement in the Underlying Index. In the event of adverse price movements, a Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin. In such situations, if a Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. In addition, a Fund may be required to deliver the instruments underlying the futures contracts it has sold.
The risk of loss in trading futures contracts or uncovered call options in some strategies ( e.g. , selling uncovered stock index futures contracts) is potentially unlimited. The Funds do not plan to use futures and options contracts in this way. The risk of a futures position may still be large as traditionally measured due to the low margin deposits required. In many cases, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate and substantial loss or gain to the investor relative to the size of a required margin deposit. The Fund, however, intend to utilize futures and options contracts in a manner designed to limit their risk exposure to levels comparable to a direct investment in the types of stocks in which they invest.
Utilization of futures and options on futures by a Fund involves the risk of imperfect or even negative correlation to the Underlying Index if the index underlying the futures contract differs from the Underlying Index. There is also the risk of loss by a Fund of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom a Fund has an open position in the futures contract or option. The purchase of put or call options will be based upon predictions by the Adviser as to anticipated trends, which predictions could prove to be incorrect.
Because the futures market generally imposes less burdensome margin requirements than the securities market, an increased amount of participation by speculators in the futures market could result in price fluctuations. Certain financial futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount by which the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous days settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. It is possible that futures contract prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting each Fund to substantial losses. In the event of adverse price movements, each Fund would be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin.
Risks of Swap Agreements. The risk of loss with respect to OTC swaps generally is limited to the net amount of payments that a Fund is contractually obligated to make. Swap agreements are subject to the risk that the swap counterparty will default on its obligations. If such a default occurs, a Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. However, such remedies may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws which could affect such Funds rights as a creditor ( e.g. , a Fund may not receive the net amount of payments that it contractually is entitled to receive). Central clearing is expected to decrease counterparty risk and increase liquidity compared to un-cleared swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterpart to each participants swap. However, central clearing does not eliminate counterparty risk or illiquidity risk entirely. In addition depending on the size of a fund and other factors, the margin required under the rules of a clearinghouse and by a clearing member FCM may be in excess of the collateral required to be posted by a fund to support its obligations under a similar un-cleared swap. It is expected, however, that regulators will adopt rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on un-cleared swaps in the near future, which could reduce the distinction.
Risks of Currency Transactions. ( Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only) Currency exchange transactions involve a significant degree of risk and the markets in which currency exchange transactions are effected are highly volatile, specialized and technical. Significant
8
changes, including changes in liquidity and prices, can occur in such markets within very short periods of time, often within minutes. Currency exchange trading risks include, but are not limited to, exchange rate risk, maturity gap, interest rate risk, and potential interference by foreign governments through regulation of local exchange markets, foreign investment or particular transactions in foreign currency. If a Fund utilizes foreign currency transactions at an inappropriate time, such transactions may not serve their intended purpose of improving the correlation of the Funds return with the performance of its Underlying Index and may lower the Funds return. A Fund could experience losses if the value of any currency forwards and futures positions is poorly correlated with its other investments or if it could not close out its positions because of an illiquid market. Such contracts are subject to the risk that the counterparty will default on its obligations. In addition, each Fund will incur transaction costs, including trading commissions, in connection with certain foreign currency transactions.
Risks of Investing in Non-U.S. Equity Securities . ( Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF only) An investment in a Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in a broad-based portfolio of equity securities traded on foreign exchanges. These risks include market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. Investing in securities issued by issuers domiciled in countries other than the domicile of the investor and denominated in currencies other than an investors local currency entails certain considerations and risks not typically encountered by the investor in making investments in its home country and in that countrys currency. These considerations include favorable or unfavorable changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates, exchange control regulations and the costs that may be incurred in connection with conversions between various currencies.
Investing in a Fund also involves certain risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in a fund whose portfolio contains exclusively securities of U.S. issuers. These risks include generally less liquid and less efficient securities markets; generally greater price volatility; less publicly available information about issuers; the imposition of withholding or other taxes; the imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of funds or other assets of the Fund; higher transaction and custody costs; delays and risks attendant in settlement procedures; difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; lower liquidity and significantly smaller market capitalization; different accounting and disclosure standards; lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; more substantial government interference with the economy; higher rates of inflation; greater social, economic, and political uncertainty; the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets; and the risk of war.
Dividend Risk. There is no guarantee that the issuer of the stocks held by a Fund will declare dividends in the future or that if declared, they will either remain at current levels or increase over time.
Cyber Security Risk. With the increased use of technology and dependence on computer systems to perform necessary business functions, a Fund and its service providers (including the Funds adviser, administrator, transfer agent, distributor, custodian, financial intermediaries and, if applicable, a sub-adviser) may be exposed to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks include, but are not limited to, infection by computer viruses or other malicious software code, unauthorized access to the service providers digital systems through hacking, physically accessing systems or data storage facilities, or other means for the purpose of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber-attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access to service providers digital systems, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on the service providers systems or web-sites that render them unavailable. In addition, authorized persons could inadvertently or intentionally release confidential or proprietary information stored on the service providers systems.
Cyber-attacks have the potential to interfere with the processing of Authorized Participant (AP) transactions and shareholder transactions on the Exchange, impact a Funds ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential Fund information, impede trading, cause reputational damage, and subject a Fund or its service providers to regulatory fines, penalties or financial losses, reimbursement or other compensation costs, litigation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. A Fund and its service providers may also incur substantial costs for cyber security risk management in order to prevent future cyber security incidents. A Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result of the costs. Similar types of cyber security risks exist for issuers of securities or other instruments in which a Fund invests. Cyber-attacks could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers, and may cause a Funds investments therein to lose value.
None of the Funds experienced portfolio turnover of over 100% during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017.
Each Fund has have delegated proxy voting to the Adviser. Each Fund has delegated proxy voting to the Adviser with the direction that proxies should be voted consistent with the Funds best economic interests. The Adviser has adopted its own Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (Policies) and Proxy Voting Guidelines (Guidelines) for this purpose. The Policies address, among other things, conflicts of interest that may arise between the interests of a Fund, and the interests of the Adviser and its affiliates. The Policies and Guidelines are included in Appendix A.
9
You may obtain information about how each Fund voted proxies related to its portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30 by visiting the SECs website at www.sec.gov or by visiting our website at www.Xtrackers.com (click on proxy voting at the bottom of the page).
Portfolio Holdings Information
The Trust has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Trusts portfolio holdings. The Board must approve all material amendments to this policy.
The Funds portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Funds are open for business through financial reporting and news services, including publicly accessible Internet web sites. In addition, a basket composition file, which includes the security names and share quantities to deliver in exchange for Fund Shares, together with estimates and actual cash components, is publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of the Exchanges via the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC). The basket represents one Creation Unit of each Fund. The Trust, the Adviser and the Administrator will not disseminate non-public information concerning the Trust.
Construction and Maintenance of the Underlying Indexes
Additional Information about the Funds Underlying Indexes construction is set forth below.
FTSE Russell Comprehensive Factor Indexes
The FTSE Russell Comprehensive Factor Indexes are calculated and maintained by FTSE International Limited (the Index Provider or FTSE) and Frank Russell Company (the Index Provider and collectively with FTSE, the Index Providers). The FTSE Russell Comprehensive Factor Indexes are comprised of the FTSE Comprehensive Factor Indexes and the Russell Comprehensive Factor Indexes, of which each Funds Underlying Index is a part.
Defining the Equity Universe. FTSE begins with securities listed in countries in the FTSE All -World Index. All constituents of the FTSE All-World Index, as defined by the FTSE Global Equity Index Series, are eligible for inclusion in a FTSE Comprehensive Factor Index. Each company and its securities ( i.e. , Share classes) are classified in only one country, which allows for a distinctive sorting of each company by its respective country. All constituents of the Russell 1000 Index are eligible for the Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor Index. All constituents of the Russell 2000 Index are eligible for the Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor Index.
Maintaining the FTSE Russell Comprehensive Factor Indexes. The FTSE Comprehensive Factor Indexes are rebalanced semi-annually in March and September after the close of business on the third Friday of the review month. The Russell Comprehensive Factor Indexes are rebalanced semi-annually in June and December after the close of business on the third Friday of the review month.
The FTSE Global Factor Index Series, from which the FTSE Russell Comprehensive Factor Indexes are derived, is a suite of benchmarks designed to represent the performance of specific factor characteristics. The FTSE Global Factor Index Series includes, but is not limited to, the following single factors: Value, Momentum, Quality, Low Volatility and Size. Single factor indexes seek increased exposure to stocks within a starting universe that possess specific factor characteristics ( i.e. , Momentum), thereby creating an index comprised of stocks demonstrating such factors. Similarly, multi-factor indexes, including the FTSE Russell Comprehensive Factor Indexes, seek increased exposure to stocks that possess multiple factors by selecting stocks from a starting universe that demonstrate each desired factor characteristic.
Each FTSE Russell Comprehensive Factor Index targets companies in their respective starting universe selected on the investment style factors of Value, Momentum, Quality, Low Volatility and Size. Stocks are selected for inclusion in a FTSE Russell Comprehensive Factor Index according to the following proprietary multi-factor process:
1) Select a starting universe. Every constituent contained in the starting universe is eligible for inclusion.
2) Generate a factor score for each stock in the chosen starting universe.* The respective factor scores consider the following criteria:
|
Value. The value score is calculated based on a companys valuation ratios ( e.g. , cash-flow yield, earnings yield and country relative sales to price). |
|
Momentum. The momentum score is calculated based on each companys cumulative 11 month return. |
|
Quality. The quality score is calculated from a companys leverage and profitability ( e.g. , return on assets, asset turnover and accruals). |
|
Low Volatility. The low volatility score is calculated based on the standard deviation of 5 years of weekly local total returns. |
|
Size. The size score is calculated based on the full market capitalization of a company. |
10
3) Stocks are selected for inclusion according to their factor scores relative to other stocks with respect to a particular factor, which results in the creation of a broad multi-factor index.
4) Country and industry constraints are applied if necessary.
5) The final multi-factor index is formed by removing stocks that do not contribute to the factor objectives, subject to target exposure, index capacity and diversification limits.
* | The algorithm for each factor is available and described in greater detail on the Index Providers website. |
11
FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor Index
Number of Components: approximately 1,250
Index Description . The FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor Index is designed to track the equity market performance of companies in developed countries (except the United States) selected on the investment style factors of value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. The companies eligible for the Underlying Index are derived from its starting universe, the FTSE Developed ex US Index, which is comprised of large- and mid-cap equity securities from developed markets (except the United States). As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index consisted of issuers from the following 22 developed market countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor Index
Number of Components: approximately 878
Index Description . The FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor Index is designed to track the equity market performance of companies in emerging market countries selected on the investment style factors of value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. The companies eligible for the Underlying Index are derived from its starting universe, the FTSE Emerging Index, which is comprised of large- and mid-cap equity securities from emerging markets. As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index consisted of issuers from the following 23 emerging market countries: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Qatar, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor Index
Number of Components: approximately 823
Index Description . The Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor Index is designed to track the equity market performance of companies in the United States selected on the investment style factors of value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. The companies eligible for the Underlying Index are derived from its starting universe, the Russell 1000 Index, which is comprised of large-cap equity securities. As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index consisted of issuers from the United States.
Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor Index
Number of Components: approximately 1,514
Index Description. The Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor Index is designed to track the equity market performance of companies in the United States selected on the investment style factors of value, momentum, quality, low volatility and size. The companies eligible for the Underlying Index are derived from its starting universe, the Russell 2000 Index, which is comprised of small-cap equity securities. As of September 30, 2017, the Underlying Index consisted of issuers from the United States.
The Board has adopted as non-fundamental policies the investment objectives of the Funds discussed in this SAI. Therefore, each of the Funds may change its investment objective and its Underlying Index without a Shareholder vote.
Fundamental Policies
The Board has adopted as fundamental policies for each Fund, the investment restrictions numbered 1 through 6 below. The restrictions for each Fund cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of that Funds outstanding voting securities. A vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities is defined in the 1940 Act as the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the voting securities present at a fund meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy; and (b) more than 50% of outstanding voting securities.
Each Fund will not:
1. Concentrate its investments ( i.e. , invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries), except that a Fund will concentrate to the extent that its underlying index concentrates in the securities of such particular industry or group of industries. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political sub-divisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry;
12
2. Borrow money, except that (i) each Fund may borrow from banks for temporary or emergency (not leveraging) purposes, including the meeting of redemption requests which might otherwise require the untimely disposition of securities, and (ii) each Fund may, to the extent consistent with its investment policies, enter into repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, forward roll transactions and similar investment strategies and techniques; to the extent that it engages in transactions described in (i) and (ii), each Fund will be limited so that no more than 33 1/3% of the value of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) is derived from such transactions. Any borrowings which come to exceed this amount will be reduced in accordance with applicable law;
3. Issue any senior security, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as amended, and as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time;
4. Make loans, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time;
5. Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other investments (but this restriction shall not prevent each Fund from investing in securities of companies engaged in the real estate business or securities or other instruments backed by real estate or mortgages), or commodities or commodity contracts (but this restriction shall not prevent each Fund from trading in futures contracts and options on futures contracts, including options on currencies to the extent consistent with each Funds investment objectives and policies); or
6. Engage in the business of underwriting securities issued by other persons, except to the extent that each Fund may technically be deemed to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act, the disposing of portfolio securities.
For purposes of the concentration policy in investment limitation (1), municipal securities with payments of principal or interest backed by the revenue of a specific project are considered to be issued by a member of the industry which includes such specific project.
Senior securities may include any obligation or instrument issued by an investment company evidencing indebtedness. The 1940 Act generally prohibits a fund from issuing senior securities, although it provides allowances for certain borrowings and certain other investments, such as short sales, reverse repurchase agreements, and firm commitment agreements, when such investments are covered or with appropriate earmarking or segregation of assets to cover such obligations.
Under the 1940 Act, an investment company may only make loans if expressly permitted by its investment policies.
Non-Fundamental Policies
In addition to the investment limitations adopted as fundamental as set forth above, each Fund observes the following restrictions, which may be changed by the Board without a Shareholder vote. A Fund will not:
1. Sell securities short, unless the Fund owns or has the right to obtain securities equivalent in-kind and amount to the securities sold short at no added cost, and provided that transactions in options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts or other derivative instruments are not deemed to constitute selling securities short;
2. Purchase securities on margin, except that the Fund may obtain such short-term credits as are necessary for the clearance of transactions; and provided that margin deposits in connection with futures contracts, options on futures contracts or other derivative instruments shall not constitute purchasing securities on margin;
3. Purchase securities of open-end or closed-end investment companies except in compliance with the 1940 Act, although the Fund may not acquire any securities of registered open-end investment companies or registered unit investment trusts in reliance on Sections 12(d)(1)(F) or 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act;
4. Invest in direct interests in oil, gas or other mineral exploration programs or leases; however, the Fund may invest in the securities of issuers that engage in these activities); and
5. Invest in illiquid securities if, as a result of such investment, more than 15% of the Funds net assets would be invested in illiquid securities.
If any percentage restriction described above is complied with at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change in value or total or net assets will not constitute in a violation of such restriction, except that fundamental limitation (2) will be observed continuously in accordance with applicable law.
Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF have each adopted a non-fundamental investment policy in accordance with Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers located in the markets specified in the applicable Funds name.
13
Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy in accordance with Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities of issuers from the United States.
Each Fund may also invest in depositary receipts to seek performance that corresponds to its respective Underlying Index. Each Fund also has adopted a policy to provide its shareholders with at least 60 days prior written notice of any change in such policy. In addition, each Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets (but typically far more) in instruments that comprise its respective Underlying Index.
Trustees and Officers. The Board has responsibility for the overall management and operations of the Funds, including general supervision of the duties performed by the Adviser and other service providers. Each Trustee serves until his or her successor is duly elected or appointed and qualified. Each officer serves until he or she resigns, is removed, dies, retires or becomes disqualified.
The Trust currently has four Trustees. Three Trustees have no affiliation or business connection with the Adviser or any of i affiliated persons and do not own any stock or other securities issued by the Adviser. These are the non-interested or independent Trustees (the Independent Trustees). The other Trustee (the Interested Trustee) is affiliated with the Adviser.
The Independent Trustees of the Trust, their term of office and length of time served, their principal business occupations during the past Comprehensive years, the number of portfolios in the Fund Complex (defined below) overseen by each Independent Trustee, and other directorships, if any, held by the Trustee are shown below. The Fund Complex includes all open- and closed-end funds (including all of their portfolios) advised by the Adviser and any funds that have an investment adviser that is an affiliated person of the Adviser. As of the date of this SAI, the Fund Complex consists of the Trusts 35 operational funds, as well as the mutual funds advised by affiliates of the Adviser.
Independent Trustees
Name, Year of Birth
|
Position(s)
|
Terms of
Office and Length of Time Served |
Principal Occupation(s)
|
Number of
|
Other Directorships
|
|||||
Stephen R. Byers (1953) 345 Park Avenue New York, New York 10154 |
Trustee, Chairman of the Board and Member of the Audit and Nominating Committees; formerly, Lead Independent Trustee |
Trustee since
2011
(Chairman of the
|
Independent Director (2011-present); Independent Consultant (2014-present); formerly, Director of Investment Management, the Dreyfus Corporation (2000-2006) and Vice Chairman and Chief Investment Officer (2002-2006). | 35 | The Arbitrage Funds; Sierra Income Corporation; Mutual Fund Directors Forum. | |||||
George O. Elston (1964) 345 Park Avenue New York, New York 10154 |
Trustee, Chairman of the Audit Committee and Member of the Nominating Committee |
Trustee since
2011
(Chairman of
the
|
Chief Executive Officer, 2X Oncology, Inc. (2017-present); Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Juniper Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (2014-2016); Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, KBI BioPharma Inc. (2013-2014); Managing Partner, Chatham Street Partners (2010-2013). | 35 | ||||||
J. David Officer (1948) 345 Park Avenue New York, New York 10154 |
Trustee, Chairman of the Nominating Committee and Member of the Audit Committee |
Trustee since
2011
(Chairman of
the
|
Independent Director (2010-present); formerly, Vice Chairman, the Dreyfus Corporation (2006-2009); President, The Dreyfus Family of Funds, Inc. (2006-2009). | 35 | Ilex Partners (Asia), LLC; Old Westbury Funds. |
14
Interested Trustee
Name, Year of Birth
|
Position(s)
|
Terms of
Office and Length of Time Served |
Principal Occupation(s)
|
Number of
|
Other Directorships
|
|||||
Michael Gilligan (1966) 345 Park Avenue New York, New York 10154 |
Trustee Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer and Controller |
Trustee since
2016; Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer and Controller since 2010 |
Director in the Finance Division at Deutsche Bank AG (2008-present); Manager, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of the Adviser (2010-present); Chief Financial Officer of Global Passive Asset Management Platform (2012-present). | 35 | The Adviser, DBX Strategic Advisors LLC and DB Commodity Services LLC |
Officers
Name, Year of Birth
|
Position(s)
|
Terms of
Office and Length of Time Served |
Principal Occupation(s)
|
|||
Freddi Klassen (1975) 345 Park Avenue New York, New York 10154 |
President and Chief Executive Officer |
Since
2016 |
Director in the Deutsche Asset Management Division at Deutsche Bank AG and Chief Operating Officer in the Americas for the Passive Asset Management Department (2014-present) and Trading and Product Development teams (2016-present); Manager and Chief Operating Officer of the Adviser (2016-present); Global Chief Operating Officer for Equities Technology in the Investment Bank Division at Deutsche Bank AG (2013-2014); Chief Operating Officer for Exchange Traded Funds and Systematic Funds in Europe (2008-2013). | |||
Fiona Bassett (1974) 345 Park Avenue New York, New York 10154 |
Chief
Operating Officer |
Since
2014 |
Managing Director in the Deutsche Asset Management Passive Asset Management Group at Deutsche Bank AG and Head of Passive Americas Asset Management Platform (2014-present); Manager and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of the Adviser (2014-present); Managing Director, COO Global Key Projects and Integration at Deutsche Asset Management (2012-2014); Managing Director at Deutsche Bank AG (2004-2012). | |||
Frank Gecsedi (1967) 60 Wall Street New York, New York 10005 |
Chief
Compliance Officer |
Since
2010 |
Director in the Deutsche Asset Management Compliance Department (2016-present), Vice President in the Deutsche Asset Management Compliance Department at Deutsche Bank AG (2013-2016) and Chief Compliance Officer of the Adviser (2010-present); Vice President in Deutsche Banks Global Markets Legal, Risk and Capital Division (2010-2012). | |||
Bryan Richards (1978) 345 Park Avenue New York New York 10154 |
Vice President |
Since
2016 |
Director in the Deutsche Asset Management Division at Deutsche Bank A.G. (2014-present); Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management Department at Deutsche Bank AG (2011-present); and Primary portfolio manager for the PowerShares DB Commodity ETFs (20112015). | |||
Leslie Lowenbraun (1953) 60 Wall Street New York, New York 10005 |
Secretary |
Since
2016 |
Vice President in U.S. Retail Passive Legal of Deutsche Asset Management at Deutsche Bank AG (2014-present) and Chief Legal Officer of the Adviser (2017-present); Counsel at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (2005-2014). |
15
Board Leadership, Structure and Oversight Responsibilities.
Board Structure. As noted above, the Board is responsible for oversight of the Funds, including oversight of the duties performed by the Adviser for the Funds under the investment advisory agreement (the Investment Advisory Agreement). The Board generally meets in regularly scheduled meetings four times a year and may meet more often as required.
Mr. Byers serves as Chairman of the Board. The Board is comprised of a super-majority (75 percent) of Independent Trustees. The Independent Trustees are advised by independent legal counsel and are represented by such independent legal counsel at Board and committee meetings. The chairmen of the Audit Committee and Nominating Committee (each of which consists solely of Independent Trustees) serve as liaisons between the Adviser and other service providers and the other Independent Trustees. Each such chairman is an Independent Trustee.
The Board regularly reviews its Committee structure and membership and believes that its current structure is appropriate based on the fact that the Independent Trustees constitute a super-majority of the Board, the role of the Committee chairmen (who are Independent Trustees), the assets and number of Funds overseen by the Trustees, as well as the nature of each Funds business as an ETF, which is managed to track the performance of a specified index.
Risk Oversight. The Funds are subject to a number of risks, including operational, investment and compliance risks. The Board, directly and through its Committees, as part of its oversight responsibilities, oversees the services provided by the Adviser and the Trusts other service providers in connection with the management and operations of the Funds, as well as their associated risks. Under the oversight of the Board, the Trust, the Adviser and other service providers have adopted policies, procedures and controls to address these risks. The Board, directly and through its Committees, receives and reviews information from the Adviser, other service providers, the Trusts independent registered public accounting firm and Trust counsel to assist it in its oversight responsibilities. This information includes, but is not limited to, reports regarding the Funds investments, including Fund performance and investment practices, valuation of Fund portfolio securities, and compliance. The Board also reviews, and must approve any proposed changes to, the Funds investment objectives, policies and restrictions, and reviews any areas of non-compliance with the Funds investment policies and restrictions. The Audit Committee monitors the Trusts accounting policies, financial reporting and internal control system and reviews any internal audit reports impacting the Trust. As part of its compliance oversight, the Board reviews the annual compliance report issued by the Trusts Chief Compliance Officer on the policies and procedures of the Trust and its service providers, proposed changes to the policies and procedures and quarterly reports on any material compliance issues that arose during the period.
Experience, Qualifications and Attributes. The Board has concluded, based on each Trustees experience, qualifications and attributes, that each Board member should serve as a Trustee. Following is a brief summary of the information that led to this conclusion.
Mr. Stephen Byers. Mr. Byers gained extensive experience with a variety of financial, accounting, management, regulatory and operational issues facing funds through his more than 30 years of experience on the boards and/or in senior management of such companies as The Arbitrage Funds, Sierra Income Corporation, Mutual Fund Directors Forum, College of William and Mary, Graduate School of Business, Lighthouse Growth Advisors LLC, Founders Asset Management, LLC, The Dreyfus Corporation, Gruntal & Co., LLC, Painewebber, Citibank/Citicorp and American Airlines. Mr. Byers possesses a strong understanding of the regulatory framework under which registered investment companies must operate and can provide management input and investment guidance to the Board.
Mr. George Elston. Through his prior positions on the boards and in senior management of such companies as Juniper Pharmaceuticals, Inc., KBI BioPharma, Inc., Celldex Therapeutics, Inc., Optherion, Inc. and Elusys Therapeutics, Mr. Elston has experience with a variety of financial, management, regulatory and operational issues as well as experience with marketing and distribution. Mr. Elston also has experience as a managing partner of Chatham Partners LLC, as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Juniper Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and as the Chief Executive Officer at 2X Oncology, Inc.
Mr. David Officer. Mr. Officer has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and related fields, including his positions on the boards and/or in senior management of such companies as Ilex Partners (Asia), LLC, Old Westbury Funds, MAN Long/Short Fund, GLG Investment Series Trust, The Bank of New York Mellon, The Dreyfus Corporation, Laurel Capital Advisors and Bank of New England. In addition to his experience with financial, investment and regulatory matters, Mr. Officer has extensive accounting knowledge through his education and experience as a principal financial officer, principal accounting officer, controller, public accountant or auditor at his previous positions.
Mr. Michael Gilligan. In addition to his tenure as Director in the Finance Division at Deutsche Bank AG, Mr. Gilligan serves as the Manager, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of the Adviser and as the Chief Financial Officer of the Global Passive Asset Management Platform. Therefore, Mr. Gilligan has extensive knowledge of the financial and regulatory framework under which investment companies operate, including with respect to exchange-traded funds.
Committees of the Board of Trustees. The Board has two standing committees, the Audit Committee and the Nominating Committee, and has delegated certain responsibilities to those Committees.
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Messrs. Byers, Elston and Officer currently serve as members of the Audit Committee. Mr. Elston currently serves as the Chairman of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee has the responsibility, among other things, to: (i) approve the selection, retention, termination and compensation of the Trusts independent registered public accounting firm; (ii) review the scope of the independent registered public accounting firms audit activity; (iii) review the audited financial statements; and (iv) review with such independent registered public accounting firm the adequacy and the effectiveness of the Trusts internal controls. The Audit Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017.
Messrs. Byers, Elston and Officer currently serve as members of the Nominating Committee. Mr. Officer currently serves as the Chairman of the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee has the responsibility, among other things, to identify and recommend individuals for Board membership, and evaluate candidates for Board membership. The Board will consider recommendations for trustees from Shareholders. Nominations from Shareholders should be in writing and sent to the Board, to the attention of the Chairman of the Nominating Committee, as described below under the caption Shareholder Communications to the Board. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, the Nominating Committee did not meet.
Shareholder Communications to the Board. Shareholders may send communications to the Trusts Board by addressing the communications directly to the Board (or individual Board members) and/or otherwise clearly indicating in the salutation that the communication is for the Board (or individual Board members). The shareholder may send the communication to either the Trusts office or directly to such Board members at the address specified for each Trustee. Other shareholder communications received by the Trust not directly addressed and sent to the Board will be reviewed and generally responded to by management. Such communications will be forwarded to the Board at managements discretion based on the matters contained therein.
The table below sets forth the compensation paid to each Trustee during calendar year 2016:
Name of Trustee |
Aggregate
Compensation from the Trust |
Pension
or
Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Trust Expenses |
Estimated Annual
Benefits Upon Retirement |
Total
Compensation From the Fund and Fund Complex |
||||||||||||
Stephen R. Byers *(1) |
$135,750 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $135,750 | ||||||||||||
George O. Elston *(2) |
$131,500 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $131,500 | ||||||||||||
J. David Officer * |
$123,000 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $123,000 | ||||||||||||
Michael Gilligan |
None | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | None |
1 | Includes compensation as Independent Chairman of the Board. |
2 | Includes compensation as Chairman of the Audit Committee. |
* | Includes compensation as a member of the Audit Committee. |
Trustee Ownership of Fund Shares. The following table shows the dollar range of Fund shares beneficially owned by each Trustee as of December 31, 2016.
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NAME OF TRUSTEE |
DOLLAR RANGE OF EQUITY
SECURITIES FOR EACH FUND |
AGGREGATE DOLLAR
RANGE OF EQUITY SECURITIES IN ALL FUNDS OVERSEEN BY TRUSTEE IN FAMILY OF INVEST COMPANIES |
||||||
Stephen R. Byers |
None | $ | 50,001-$100,000 | |||||
George O. Elston |
None | None | ||||||
J. David Officer |
None | None | ||||||
Michael Gilligan |
None | None |
Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities.
As of November 30, 2017, the officers and Trustees, as a group owned beneficially less than 1% of the shares of any of the Funds.
Although the Funds do not have information concerning the beneficial ownership of shares held in the names of Depository Trust Company (DTC) participants, as of November 30, 2017, the name and percentage ownership of each DTC participant that owned of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of a Fund is set forth in the table below:
Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF
Name and Address |
Percentage Ownership | |||
LPL Financial Corporation 9785 Towne Centre Drive San Diego, CA 92121-1968 |
25.94 | % | ||
National Financial Services LLC 499 Washington Blvd. Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
20.21 | % | ||
TD Ameritrade 1005 N. Ameritrade Place Bellevue, NE 68005 |
16.79 | % | ||
Pershing LLC One Pershing Plaza Jersey City, NJ 07399 |
13.75 | % | ||
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc./8862 MLPF&S TS SUB 4804 Deerlake Dr. E. Jacksonville, FL 32246 |
9.51 | % |
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RBC Capital Markets, LLC 60 s 6 th St P09 Minneapolis, MN 55402-4400 |
8.19 | % |
Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF
Name and Address |
Percentage Ownership | |||
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc./8862 MLPF&S TS SUB 4804 Deerlake Dr. E. Jacksonville, FL 32246 |
54.03 | % | ||
LPL Financial Corporation 9785 Towne Centre Drive San Diego, CA 92121-1968 |
12.08 | % | ||
National Financial Services LLC 499 Washington Blvd. Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
9.67 | % | ||
TD Ameritrade 1005 N. Ameritrade Place Bellevue, NE 68005 |
9.63 | % | ||
Pershing LLC One Pershing Plaza Jersey City, NJ 07399 |
6.93 | % |
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Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF
Name and Address |
Percentage Ownership | |||
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc./8862 MLPF&S TS SUB 4804 Deerlake Dr. E. Jacksonville, FL 32246 |
16.38 | % | ||
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. 2423 E. Lincoln Drive Phoenix, AZ 85016-1215 |
14.92 | % | ||
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC 1300 Thames Street, 6 th Floor Baltimore, MD 21231 |
14.30 | % | ||
National Financial Services LLC 499 Washington Blvd. Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
11.08 | % | ||
TD Ameritrade 1005 N. Ameritrade Place Bellevue, NE 68005 |
10.02 | % | ||
Deutsche Bank AG NY/US CUSTODY 100 Plaza One,2 nd Floor Jersey City, NJ 07311 |
9.71 | % | ||
RBC Capital Markets, LLC 60 S. 6 th St P09 Minneapolis, MN 55402-4400 |
6.39 | % | ||
LPL Financial Corporation 9785 Towne Centre Drive San Diego, CA 92121-1968 |
5.28 | % |
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Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF
Name and Address |
Percentage Ownership | |||
National Financial Services LLC 499 Washington Blvd. Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
39.29 | % | ||
Pershing LLC One Pershing Plaza Jersey City, NJ 07399 |
20.85 | % | ||
Goldman, Sachs & Co. 30 Hudson Street Proxy Department Jersey City, NJ 07302 |
14.37 | % | ||
TD Ameritrade 1005 N. Ameritrade Place Bellevue, NE 68005 |
12.77 | % | ||
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc./8862 MLPF&S TS SUB 4804 Deerlake Dr. E. Jacksonville, FL 32246 |
5.08 | % |
Investment Advisory, Administrative and Distribution Services
Investment Adviser. DBX Advisors LLC serves as investment adviser to each Fund pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and the Adviser. The Adviser is a Delaware limited liability company and was registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, in August 2010. DBX Advisors LLC was formed in June 2010 and is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bank AG.
21
Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser, subject to the supervision of the Board and in conformity with the stated investment policies of each Fund, manages and administers the Trust. The Adviser manages the investment and reinvestment of each Funds assets.
For its investment advisory services to the Funds, the Adviser is entitled to receive a unitary management fee from each Fund based on the Funds average daily net assets at an annual rate of:
Fund |
Fee | |||
Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF |
0.35 | % | ||
Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF |
0.50 | % | ||
Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF |
0.19 | % | ||
Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF |
0.30 | % |
Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Funds (including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, compensation paid to the Independent Trustees in respect of the Independent Trustees service to the Fund (Independent Trustee Fees), legal, audit and other services) except for the fee payments under the Investment Advisory Agreement, interest expense, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and other extraordinary expenses.
For each Funds last two fiscal periods, the management fees paid by the Fund were as follows:
Fund |
2016 Fiscal Periods*
Fee paid |
|||
DEEF |
$ | 6,620 | ||
DEMG |
$ | 4,605 | ||
DEUS |
$ | 14,167 | ||
DESC |
$ | 1,447 |
* | The commencement date for Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF was November 24, 2015. The commencement date for Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF was April 19, 2016. The commencement date for Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF was June 28, 2016. |
2017 Fiscal Year | ||||||||||||
Fund |
Fee paid | Reduction in fee | Net fee paid | |||||||||
DEEF |
$ | 28,718 | $ | 0 | $ | 28,718 | ||||||
DEMG |
$ | 42,210 | $ | 0 | $ | 42,210 | ||||||
DEUS |
$ | 150,105 | $ | (8,268 | ) | $ | 141,837 | |||||
DESC |
$ | 11,546 | $ | 0 | $ | 11,546 |
The Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to each Fund continues in effect for two years from its effective date, and thereafter is subject to annual approval by (i) the Board or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the applicable Fund, provided that in either event such continuance also is approved by a majority of the Board who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the applicable Fund, by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
The Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to each Fund is terminable without penalty, on 60 days notice, by the Board or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the applicable Funds outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Investment Advisory Agreement is also terminable upon 60 days notice by the Adviser and will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
22
Manager of Managers Structure. The Adviser and the Trust may rely on an exemptive order (the Order) from the SEC that permits the Adviser to enter into investment sub-advisory agreements with sub-advisers without obtaining shareholder approval. The Adviser, subject to the review and approval of the Board, selects sub-advisers for each Fund and supervises, monitors and evaluates the performance of each sub-adviser.
The Order also permits the Adviser, subject to the approval of the Board, to replace sub-advisers and amend investment sub-advisory agreements, including fees, without shareholder approval whenever the Adviser and the Board believe such action will benefit a Fund and its shareholders. The Adviser thus has the ultimate responsibility (subject to the ultimate oversight of the Board) to recommend the hiring and replacement of sub-advisers as well as the discretion to terminate any sub-adviser and reallocate a Funds assets for management among any other sub-adviser(s) and itself. This means that the Adviser is able to reduce the sub-advisory fees and retain a larger portion of the management fee, or increase the sub-advisory fees and retain a smaller portion of the management fee. Pursuant to the Order, the Adviser is not required to disclose its contractual fee arrangements with any sub-adviser. The Adviser compensates each sub-adviser out of its management fee.
Potential Conflicts of Interest. The Adviser is owned by Deutsche Bank AG, a multi-national financial services company. Therefore, the Adviser is affiliated with a variety of entities that provide, and/or engage in commercial banking, insurance, brokerage, investment banking, financial advisory, broker-dealer activities (including sales and trading), hedge funds, real estate and private equity investing, in addition to the provision of investment management services to institutional and individual investors. Since Deutsche Bank AG, its affiliates, directors, officers and employees (the Firm) are engaged in businesses and have interests in addition to managing asset management accounts, such wide-ranging activities involve real, potential or apparent conflicts of interest. These interests and activities include potential advisory, transactional and financial activities and other interests in securities and companies that may be directly or indirectly purchased or sold by the Firm for its clients advisory accounts.
The Adviser may take investment positions in securities in which other clients or related persons within the Firm have different investment positions. There may be instances in which the Adviser is purchasing or selling for its client accounts, or pursuing an outcome in the context of a workout or restructuring with respect to, securities in which the Firm is undertaking the same or differing strategy in other businesses or other client accounts. These are considerations of which advisory clients should be aware and which may cause conflicts that could be to the disadvantage of the Advisers advisory clients, including the Fund. The Adviser has instituted business and compliance policies, procedures and disclosures that are designed to identify, monitor and mitigate conflicts of interest and, as appropriate, to report them to a Funds Board.
Portfolio Managers. Set forth below is additional information regarding the individuals identified in the Prospectus as primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds (Portfolio Managers).
Mr. Richards is a Director with Deutsche Asset Management and has served as a Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management business since 2011. Prior to his current role, Mr. Richards served as an equity analyst for Fairhaven Capital LLC, a long/short equity fund, and at XShares Advisors, on behalf of an ETF issuer based in New York. At Deutsche Bank, Mr. Richards served as the primary portfolio manager for the PowerShares DB Commodity ETFs until their sale in 2015. He is currently responsible for the DBXA-managed ETFs as well as oversight of DBXA-sub-advised funds. Mr. Richards earned a BS in Finance from Boston College and is a CFA Charterholder.
Mr. Dwyer is a Director with Deutsche Asset Management and has served as a Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management business since 2016. Prior to his current role, Mr. Dwyer was the head of Northern Trusts International Equity Index ETF and Overlay portfolio management team in Chicago, managing portfolios for North American based clients. His time at Northern Trust included working in New York, Chicago, and in Hong Kong building a portfolio management desk. Mr. Dwyer has a broad range of experience managing developed, emerging, and frontier index mandates, and currency and future overlay portfolios. Prior to joining Northern Trust in 2003, Mr. Dwyer participated in the Deutsche Asset Management graduate training program. He rotated through the domestic fixed income and US structured equity fund management groups. Mr. Dwyer received a BS in Finance from Rutgers University in 2001.
Mr. Sohrabi is a Vice President with Deutsche Asset Management and has served as a Portfolio Manager and quantitative multi-asset strategist in the Passive Asset Management business since 2015. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Mr. Sohrabi served as a derivatives trader for several institutional asset managers and commodity trading advisors where he developed and managed systematic risk and trading strategies in equities, options, fx and futures. Mr. Sohrabi earned a BA in neurobiology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Masters of Financial Engineering from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles and is a CFA charterholder.
Mr. Bassous is a Vice President with Deutsche Asset Management and has served as a Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management business since 2017. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Mr. Bassous served as Portfolio Manager at Northern Trust Asset Management where he managed equity portfolios across a variety of global benchmarks. While at Northern Trust, he spent several years
23
in Chicago, London and Hong Kong where he managed portfolios on behalf of institutional clients in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Before joining Northern Trust in 2007, he worked at The Bank of New York Mellon and Morgan Stanley in a variety of roles supporting equity trading and portfolio management. Mr. Bassous received a BS in Finance from Yeshiva University in 2004.
Ms. Cipolletti is an Associate with Deutsche Asset Management. She joined Deutsche Bank through Deutsche Banks graduate program and has served as a Junior Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management business since 2015. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, she served internships at Deutsche Asset Management, Deutsche Wealth Management, Private Banking and National Financial Partners. Ms. Cipolletti earned a BA in sustainable development with a focus in economics from Columbia University
Certain Portfolio Manager Information
The tables below show the number of accounts managed by each Portfolio Manager and the total assets in the accounts, as of August 31, 2017, except as otherwise noted, in each of the following categories: registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles and other accounts. For each category, the table also shows the number of accounts and the total assets in the accounts with respect to which the advisory fee is based on account performance.
For each portfolio manager listed below, the total number of accounts managed is a reflection of all accounts they oversee or manage.
The following table provides information relating to accounts managed by Mr. Richards:
Registered
Investment Companies |
Other
Pooled
Investment Companies |
Other
Accounts |
||||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed | 36 | 0 | 5 | |||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Fees | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Assets Managed (assets in millions) | $12,293 | $0 | $355 | |||||||||
Assets Managed with Performance-Based Fees | $0 | $0 | $0 |
The following table provides information relating to accounts managed by Mr. Dwyer:
Registered
Investment Companies |
Other
Pooled
Investment Companies |
Other
Accounts |
||||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed | 27 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Fees | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Assets Managed (assets in millions) | $11,734 | $0 | $185 | |||||||||
Assets Managed with Performance-Based Fees | $0 | $0 | $0 |
The following table provides information relating to accounts managed by Mr. Sohrabi as of October 31, 2017:
Registered
Investment Companies |
Other
Pooled
Investment Companies |
Other
Accounts |
||||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed | 27 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Fees | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Assets Managed (assets in millions) | $12,119 | $0 | $204 | |||||||||
Assets Managed with Performance-Based Fees | $0 | $0 | $0 |
24
The following table provides information relating to accounts managed by Mr. Bassous as of October 31, 2017:
Registered
Investment Companies |
Other
Pooled
Investment Companies |
Other
Accounts |
||||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed | 27 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Fees | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Assets Managed (assets in millions) | $12,119 | $0 | $204 | |||||||||
Assets Managed with Performance-Based Fees | $0 | $0 | $0 |
The following table provides information relating to accounts managed by Ms. Cipolletti as of October 31, 2017:
Registered
Investment Companies |
Other
Pooled
Investment Companies |
Other
Accounts |
||||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed | 27 | 0 | 3 | |||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Fees | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Assets Managed (assets in millions) | $12,119 | $0 | $204 | |||||||||
Assets Managed with Performance-Based Fees | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Portfolio Manager Ownership of Fund Shares
The following table lists the dollar range (None, $1,-$10,000, $10,001-$50,000, $50,001-$100,000, $100,001-$500,000, $501,000-$1,000,000, over $1 million) of Fund shares beneficially owned by the primary portfolio manager(s) as of August 31, 2017.
Primary Portfolio Manager |
Fund |
Dollar Range
of Fund Shares Beneficially Owned |
||||||
Bryan Richards |
DEEF | $10,001 - $50,000 | ||||||
DEMG | $10,001 - $50,000 | |||||||
DEUS | $100,001 - $500,000 | |||||||
Patrick Dwyer |
| None | ||||||
Navid Sohrabi |
| None | ||||||
Shlomo Bassous |
| None | ||||||
Charlotte Cipolletti |
| None |
Portfolio Manager Compensation
The Adviser and its affiliates are part of the Deutsche Bank Group of companies. As employees of a company in the Deutsche Bank Group, portfolio managers are paid on a total compensation basis, which includes fixed pay (base salary) and variable compensation (VC), as follows:
|
Fixed pay is the key and primary element of compensation and reflects the value of the individuals role and function within the organization. It rewards factors that an employee brings to the organization such as skills and experience, while reflecting regional and divisional ( i.e. , Deutsche Asset Management) specifics. Fixed pay levels play a significant role in ensuring competitiveness of the Adviser and its affiliates in the labor market, thus benchmarking provides a valuable input when determining fixed pay levels. |
25
|
VC is a discretionary compensation element that enables the Adviser and its affiliates to provide additional reward to employees for their performance and behaviors, while reflecting Deutsche Bank Group affordability and the financial situation of Deutsche Bank AG (the Bank) and Deutsche Asset Management, the Banks asset management division. VC aims to: |
|
Recognize that every employee contributes to the Banks success through the Deutsche Bank Group component of VC (Group Component); |
|
Reflect individual performance through discretionary individual VC (Individual Component); and |
|
Reward outstanding contributions at the junior levels through the discretionary recognition award. |
Employee seniority as well as divisional and regional specifics determine which VC elements are applicable for a given employee and the conditions under which they apply. Both group and individual components may be awarded in shares or share-based instruments and under deferral arrangements.
To evaluate its investment professionals in light of and consistent with the compensation principles set forth above, the Adviser and its affiliates review investment performance for all accounts managed in relation to a Funds Underlying Index. When determining total compensation, the Adviser and its affiliates consider a number of quantitative, qualitative and other factors:
|
Quantitative measures ( e.g. , tracking error, tracking difference and tax efficiency) are utilized to measure performance. |
|
Qualitative measures ( e.g. , adherence to, as well as contributions to, the enhancement of the investment process) are included in the performance review. |
|
Other factors ( e.g. , non-investment related performance, teamwork, adherence to compliance rules, risk management and living the values of the Adviser and its affiliates) are included as part of a discretionary component of the review process, giving management the ability to consider additional markers of performance on a subjective basis. |
Potential Conflicts of Interest
Because the Portfolio Managers manage multiple portfolios for multiple clients, the potential for conflicts of interest exists. The Portfolio Managers may manage other portfolios, such as separately-managed accounts, that have a similar investment style as the Funds. However, the portfolios managed by a Portfolio Manager may not have portfolio compositions identical to those of the Funds managed by the Portfolio Manager due, for example, to specific investment limitations or guidelines present in some portfolios or accounts, but not others. The Portfolio Managers may purchase securities for one portfolio and not another portfolio, and the performance of securities purchased for one portfolio may vary from the performance of securities purchased for other portfolios. A Portfolio Manager may place transactions on behalf of other accounts that are directly or indirectly contrary to investment decisions made on behalf of a Fund, or make investment decisions that are similar to those made for the Fund, both of which have the potential to adversely impact the Fund depending on market conditions. For example, a Portfolio Manager may purchase a security in one portfolio while appropriately selling that same security in another portfolio. In addition, some of these portfolios have fee structures that are or have the potential to be higher than the advisory fees paid by the Fund, which can cause potential conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities between the Fund and the other accounts. However, the compensation structure for Portfolio Managers does not generally provide incentive to favor one account over another because that part of a managers bonus based on performance is not based on the performance of one account to the exclusion of others. There are many other factors considered in determining the Portfolio Managers bonus and there is no formula that is applied to weight the factors listed (see Certain Portfolio Manager Information and Portfolio Manager Compensation). In addition, current trading practices do not allow the Adviser to intentionally favor one portfolio over another as trades are executed as trade orders are received. Portfolios rebalancing dates also generally vary between fund families. Program trades created from the portfolio rebalance are executed at market on close. For additional information regarding potential conflicts of interest faced by the Adviser, see Investment Advisory, Administrative and Distribution Services Potential Conflicts of Interest.
Codes of Ethics. The Trust, the Adviser and the Distributor have adopted Codes of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. The Codes of Ethics permit personnel subject to the Codes of Ethics to invest in securities, subject to certain limitations, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. The Codes of Ethics are on public file with, and are available from, the SEC.
Anti-Money Laundering Requirements. The Funds are subject to the USA PATRIOT Act (the Patriot Act). The Patriot Act is intended to prevent the use of the U.S. financial system in furtherance of money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities. Pursuant to requirements under the Patriot Act, a Fund may request information from APs to enable it to form a reasonable
26
belief that it knows the true identity of its APs. This information will be used to verify the identity of APs or, in some cases, the status of financial professionals; it will be used only for compliance with the requirements of the Patriot Act. The Funds reserve the right to reject purchase orders from persons who have not submitted information sufficient to allow the Fund to verify their identity. Each Fund also reserves the right to redeem any amounts in a Fund from persons whose identity it is unable to verify on a timely basis. It is the Funds policy to cooperate fully with appropriate regulators in any investigations conducted with respect to potential money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities.
Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. The Bank of New York Mellon (BNYM) serves as administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Funds. BNYMs principal address is 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286. Pursuant to a Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement and a Corporate Services Agreement with the Trust, BNYM provides necessary administrative, tax and accounting and financial reporting services for the maintenance and operations of the Trust and each Fund (the Administrator). In addition, BNYM makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to provide such services. Pursuant to a Custody Agreement with the Trust, BNYM maintains in separate accounts cash, securities and other assets of the Trust and each Fund, keeps all necessary accounts and records and provides other services (the Custodian). BNYM is required, upon the order of the Trust, to deliver securities held by BNYM and to make payments for securities purchased by the Trust for each Fund. Also, pursuant to the Custody Agreement, BNYM is authorized to appoint certain foreign custodians or foreign custody managers for Fund investments outside the United States. Pursuant to a Transfer Agency and Service Agreement with the Trust, BNYM acts as a transfer agent (the Transfer Agent) for each Funds authorized and issued Shares of beneficial interest, and as the dividend disbursing agent of the Trust. As compensation for these services, BNYM receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly the Adviser from its management fee.
Distributor. The Distributors principal address is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203. The Distributor has entered into a Distribution Agreement with the Trust pursuant to which it distributes Shares of each Fund. The Distribution Agreement continues for two years from its effective date and is renewable annually. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Fund through the Distributor only in Creation Units, as described in the Prospectus and below in the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI. Shares in less than Creation Units are not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor will deliver the Prospectus and, upon request, the SAI to APs purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the 1934 Act), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
The Distribution Agreement for each Fund provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least 60 days prior written notice to the other party following (i) the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees, or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the relevant Fund. The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
The Distributor may also enter into agreements with securities dealers (Soliciting Dealers) who will solicit purchases of Creation Units of Fund Shares. Such Soliciting Dealers must also be APs (as defined below).
The Adviser may, from time to time and from its own resources, pay, defray or absorb costs relating to distribution, including payments out of its own resources to the Distributor, or to otherwise promote the sale of Shares. The Adviser currently pays the Distributor, from the Advisers own resources, for such purposes.
The Adviser and/or its subsidiaries or affiliates (Xtrackers Entities) may pay certain broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries or solicitors (Intermediaries) for certain marketing or referral activities related to the Fund or other funds advised by the Adviser or its affiliates (Xtrackers Funds) (with such payments being Payments). Any Payments made by Xtrackers Entities will be made from their own assets and not from the assets of a Fund. Although a portion of Xtrackers Entities revenue comes directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the Funds and other Xtrackers Funds, Payments do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, shares of a Fund or other Xtrackers Funds. Xtrackers Entities may make Payments for Intermediaries participating in activities that are designed to make registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors more knowledgeable about the Funds or for other activities, such as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems (Education Costs) or the referral or introduction of investors to Xtrackers Entities. Xtrackers Entities may also make Payments to Intermediaries for certain printing, publishing and mailing costs associated with a Fund or materials relating to other Xtrackers Funds or exchange-traded funds in general (Publishing Costs). In addition, Xtrackers Entities may make Payments to Intermediaries that make shares of the Funds and certain other Xtrackers Funds available to their clients or for otherwise promoting the Funds and other Xtrackers Funds. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your salesperson or other investment professional may also be significant for your salesperson or other investment professional. Because an Intermediary may make decisions about which investment options or investment adviser it will recommend or make available to its clients or contacts or what services to provide for various products based on Payments it receives or is eligible to receive, Payments create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its clients or contacts
27
and these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Funds and other Xtrackers Funds or their investment adviser over other investments or to refer a contact to the Xtrackers Entities. The same conflict of interest exists with respect to your salesperson or other investment professional if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm. Ask your salesperson or visit your Intermediarys website for more information.
Xtrackers Entities may determine to make Payments based on any number of metrics. For example, Xtrackers Entities may make Payments at year end or other intervals in a fixed amount, based upon an Intermediarys services at defined levels or an amount based on the Intermediarys net sales of one or more Xtrackers Funds in a year or other period, any of which arrangements may include an agreed upon minimum or maximum payment, or any combination of the foregoing. Any payments made by the Xtrackers Entities to an Intermediary may create the incentive for an Intermediary to encourage customers to buy shares of the Fund or other Xtrackers Funds.
Certain Xtrackers Entities have established a revenue sharing arrangement with Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Schwab). Under this arrangement, Schwab has agreed not to charge its customers any trading commissions when those customers purchase or sell shares of certain Funds online. In addition, Schwab will promote the availability of commission-free ETF trading to its customers.
The Adviser assumes general supervision over placing orders on behalf of each Fund for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities. In selecting brokers or dealers for any transaction in portfolio securities, the Advisers policy is to make such selection based on factors deemed relevant, including but not limited to, the breadth of the market in the security, the price of the security, the reasonableness of the commission or mark-up or mark-down, if any, execution capability, settlement capability, back office efficiency and the financial condition of the broker or dealer, both for the specific transaction and on a continuing basis. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid is evaluated by the Adviser based upon its knowledge of available information as to the general level of commissions paid by other institutional investors for comparable services. Brokers may also be selected because of their ability to handle special or difficult executions, such as may be involved in large block trades, less liquid securities, broad distributions, or other circumstances. The Trust has adopted policies and procedures that prohibit the consideration of sales of a Funds Shares as a factor in the selection of a broker or a dealer to execute its portfolio transactions.
To the extent applicable and consistent with Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act, as amended, and interpretations thereunder, the Adviser may cause a Fund to pay a higher commission than otherwise obtainable from other brokers or dealers in return for brokerage or research services and products if the Adviser determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable in relation to the services and products utilized. In addition to agency transactions, the Adviser may receive brokerage or research services and products in connection with certain riskless principal transactions, in accordance with applicable SEC and other regulatory guidelines. In both instances, these services and products may include but are not limited to: economic, industry, or company research reports or investment recommendations; subscriptions to certain financial publications; market data such as stock quotes, last sale prices, trading volumes and similar data; databases and software, including, but not limited to, quantitative analytical software; and products and services that assist in effecting transactions and functions incidental thereto, including services of third-party computer systems directly related to brokerage activities and routing settlement instructions. The Adviser may use brokerage or research services and products furnished by brokers, dealers or service providers in servicing all client accounts, and not all services and products may necessarily be used in connection with the account that paid the commissions or spreads to the broker or dealer.
The Funds purchase and sale orders for securities may be combined with those of other investment companies, clients or accounts that the Adviser manages or advises and for which they have brokerage placement authority. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of the Funds and one or more other accounts managed or advised by the Adviser are considered at or about the same time, transactions in such securities are allocated among the Fund and the other accounts in a manner deemed equitable to all by the Adviser. In some cases, this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security as far as the Funds are concerned. However, in other cases, it is possible that the ability to participate in volume transactions and to negotiate lower transaction costs will be beneficial to the Fund. The Adviser may deal, trade and invest for its own account in the types of securities in which the Funds may invest. The Adviser may, from time to time, effect trades on behalf of and for the account of the Funds with brokers or dealers that are affiliated with the Adviser, in conformity with the 1940 Act and SEC rules and regulations. Under these provisions, any commissions paid to affiliated brokers or dealers must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions charged by other brokers or dealers in comparable transactions. The Funds will not deal with affiliates in principal transactions unless permitted by applicable SEC rule or regulation or by SEC exemptive order.
Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year as well as within a year. High turnover rates may result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses and higher taxes (if you are investing in a taxable account). The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions is evaluated by the Adviser based upon its knowledge of available information as to the general level of commissions paid by the other institutional investors for comparable services.
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Brokerage commissions for the last two fiscal periods are shown in the table below:
Fund |
2016 Fiscal Periods* | |||
Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF |
$ | 2,106 | ||
Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF |
$ | 1,563 | ||
Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF |
$ | 3,200 | ||
Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF |
$ | 1,283 | ||
Fund |
2017 Fiscal Year | |||
Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF |
$ | 2,673 | ||
Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF |
$ | 3,847 | ||
Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF |
$ | 7,818 | ||
Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF |
$ | 357 |
* | The commencement date for Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF was November 24, 2015. The commencement date for Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF was April 19, 2016. The commencement date for Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF was June 28, 2016. |
Additional Information Concerning the Trust
Shares. The Trust currently is comprised of 35 operational separate investment series or portfolios called funds. Each series issues Shares of common stock, no par value. The Trust issues Shares of beneficial interest in each Fund with no par value. The Board may designate additional funds.
Each Share issued by a Fund has a pro rata interest in the assets of that Fund. Shares have no preemptive, exchange, subscription or conversion rights and are freely transferable. Each Share is entitled to participate equally in dividends and distributions declared by the Board with respect to the relevant Fund, and in the net distributable assets of such Fund on liquidation. Each Share has one vote with respect to matters upon which the Shareholder is entitled to vote. In any matter submitted to Shareholders for a vote, each Fund shall hold a separate vote, provided that Shareholders of all affected Funds will vote together when: (1) required by the 1940 Act; or (2) the Trustees determine that the matter affects the interests of more than one Fund. Under Delaware law, the Trust is not required to hold an annual meeting of Shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. The policy of the Trust is not to hold an annual meeting of Shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. All Shares (regardless of the Fund) have noncumulative voting rights in the election of members of the Board. Under Delaware law, Trustees of the Trust may be removed by vote of the Shareholders.
Following the creation of the initial Creation Unit(s) of Shares of a Fund and immediately prior to the commencement of trading in the Funds Shares, a holder of Shares may be a control person of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act. The Fund cannot predict the length of time for which one or more Shareholders may remain a control person of the Fund.
Shareholders may make inquiries by writing to DBX ETF Trust, c/o the Distributor, ALPS Distributors, Inc., 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203, by email by writing to dbxquestions@list.db.com or by telephone by calling 1-855-329-3837 or 1-855-DBX-ETFS (toll free).
Termination of the Trust or a Fund. The Trust or a Fund may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board or the affirmative vote of a supermajority of the holders of the Trust or such Fund entitled to vote on termination. Although the Shares are not automatically redeemable upon the occurrence of any specific event, the Trusts organizational documents provide that the Board will have the unrestricted power to alter the number of Shares in a Creation Unit. In the event of a termination of the Trust or a Fund, the Board, in its sole discretion, could determine to permit the Shares to be redeemable in aggregations smaller than Creation Units or to be individually redeemable. In such circumstance, the Trust may make redemptions in kind, for cash or for a combination of cash or securities.
DTC as Securities Depository for Shares of the Funds. Shares of each Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.
DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (DTC Participants) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the NYSE, NYSE Amex Equities and FINRA. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (Indirect Participants).
Beneficial ownership of Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in Shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to
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herein as Beneficial Owners) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of Shares. The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in definitive form. Such laws may impair the ability of certain investors to acquire beneficial interests in Shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the Shares of each Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding Shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all Shares of the Trust. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC Participants accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in Shares of each Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of Shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a street name, and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.
The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such Shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants. DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to Shares of the Trust at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.
Creation and Redemption of Creation Units
General. The Trust issues and sells Shares of each Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at the Funds NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined herein), of an order in proper form. A Creation Unit for each Fund consists of 50,000 shares.
The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of Shares outstanding of any Fund of the Trust, and to make a corresponding change in the number of Shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per Share price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board.
A Business Day with respect to each Fund is any day on which the Exchange on which the Fund is listed for trading is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the Exchange observes the following holidays, as observed: New Years Day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Fund Deposit. The consideration for purchase of Creation Units of a Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities ( i.e. , the Deposit Securities), which constitutes an optimized representation of the securities of the relevant Funds Underlying Index, and the Cash Component computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the Fund Deposit, which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of any Fund.
The Cash Component is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares (per Creation Unit) and the Deposit Amount, which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities, and serves to compensate for any difference between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount. Payment of any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities shall be the sole responsibility of the AP purchasing a Creation Unit.
The Adviser makes available through the NSCC on each Business Day, prior to the opening of business on the Exchange, the list of names and the required number of Shares of each Deposit Security to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for each Fund. Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units of Shares of a given Fund until such time as the next-announced Fund Deposit is made available.
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The identity and number of Shares of the Deposit Securities pursuant to changes in composition of a Funds portfolio and changes as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by the Adviser with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities constituting the relevant Underlying Index.
The Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of a cash in lieu amount to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security that may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or that may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC of the Clearing Process (discussed below). The Trust also reserves the right to permit or require a cash in lieu amount where the delivery of the Deposit Security by the AP (as described below) would be restricted under applicable securities laws or where the delivery of the Deposit Security to the AP would result in the disposition of the Deposit Security by the AP becoming restricted under applicable securities laws, or in certain other situations. The adjustments described above will reflect changes, known to the Adviser on the date of announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Fund Deposit, in the composition of the subject index being tracked by the relevant Fund, or resulting from stock splits and other corporate actions.
Role of the Authorized Participant. Creation Units may be purchased only by or through a DTC Participant that has entered into an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Distributor (an AP), which agreement has also been accepted by the Transfer Agent. Such AP will agree, pursuant to the terms of such Authorized Participant Agreement and on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that such AP will make available in advance of each purchase of Shares an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component, once the NAV of a Creation Unit is next determined after receipt of the purchase order in proper form, together with the transaction fee described below. The AP may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such AP with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Cash Component. Investors who are not APs must make appropriate arrangements with an AP. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement and that orders to purchase Creation Units may have to be placed by the investors broker through an AP. As a result, purchase orders placed through an AP may result in additional charges to such investor. The Trust does not expect the Distributor to enter into an Authorized Participant Agreement with more than a small number of DTC Participants. A list of current APs may be obtained from the Distributor.
Purchase Order. To initiate an order for a Creation Unit, an AP must submit an irrevocable order to purchase Shares of a Fund in accordance with the Authorized Participant Agreement. If accepted by the Distributor, the Transfer Agent will notify the Adviser and the Custodian of such order. If applicable, the Custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate sub-custodian. For each Fund, the Custodian shall cause the applicable sub-custodian to maintain an account into which the AP shall deliver, on behalf of itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, the applicable securities included in the designated Fund Deposit (or the cash value of all or a part of such securities, in the case of a permitted or required cash purchase or cash in lieu amount), with any appropriate adjustments as advised by the Trust. Deposit Securities located outside the United States must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local sub-custodian. Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units through an AP should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the Distributor by the cut-off time on such Business Day.
The AP must also make available on or before the contractual settlement date, by means satisfactory to the Trust, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Trust to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the purchase order, together with the applicable purchase transaction fee. Any excess funds will be returned following settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit. Those placing orders should ascertain the applicable deadline for cash transfers by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effectuating the transfer of the Cash Component. This deadline is likely to be significantly earlier than the closing time of the regular trading session on the Exchange.
Investors should be aware that an AP may require orders for purchases of Shares placed with it to be in the particular form required by the individual AP.
Timing of Submission of Purchase Orders. An AP must submit an irrevocable purchase order before 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time on any Business Day in order to receive that days NAV. In the case of custom orders, the order must be received by the Distributor no later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time on the trade date. With respect to in-kind creations, a custom order may be placed by an AP where cash replaces any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or which may not be eligible for trading by such AP or the investor for which it is acting or other relevant reason. Orders to create Shares of a Fund that are submitted on the Business Day immediately preceding a holiday or day (other than a weekend) when the markets in the relevant foreign market are closed may not be accepted. The Distributor in its discretion may permit the submission of such orders and requests by or through an AP at any time (including on days on which the Exchange is not open for business) via communication through the facilities of the Transfer Agents proprietary website maintained for this purpose, provided such submission is permissible pursuant to the terms of the applicable Authorized Participant Agreement. Purchase orders and redemption requests, if accepted by the Trust, will be processed based on the NAV next determined after such acceptance in accordance with the Trusts standard cut-off times as provided in the Authorized Participant Agreement and disclosed in this SAI.
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Acceptance of Orders for Creation Unit. Subject to the conditions that (i) an irrevocable purchase order has been submitted by the AP (either on its own or another investors behalf) and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to the Trust are in place for payment of the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due, the Trust will accept the order, subject to its right (and the right of the Distributor and the Adviser) to reject any order until acceptance.
Once the Trust has accepted an order, upon next determination of the NAV of the Shares, the Trust will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit, against receipt of payment, at such NAV. The Distributor will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance to the AP that placed the order.
The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject or revoke a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor in respect of any Fund if (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s) upon obtaining the Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of any Fund; (iii) the Deposit Securities delivered do not conform to the identity and number of Shares specified by the Adviser, as described above; (iv) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (v) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (vi) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the discretion of the Trust or the Adviser, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners; or (vii) circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Distributor and the Adviser make it impracticable to process purchase orders. The Trust shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit and/or the AP acting on behalf of such purchaser of its rejection of such order. The Trust, the Custodian, the sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Portfolio Deposits nor shall any of them incur any liability for failure to give such notification.
Issuance of a Creation Unit. Except as provided herein, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When (if applicable) the sub-custodian has confirmed to the Custodian that the securities included in the Fund Deposit (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the Distributor and the Adviser shall be notified of such delivery and the Trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit. Creation Units typically are issued on a T+2 basis ( i.e. , two Business Days after trade date).
To the extent contemplated by an APs agreement with the Distributor, the Trust will issue Creation Units to such AP notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Portfolio Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the AP to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such APs delivery and maintenance of collateral having a value at least equal to 115%, which the Adviser may change from time to time, of the value of the missing Deposit Securities in accordance with the Trusts then-effective procedures. The only collateral that is acceptable to the Trust is cash in U.S. dollars or an irrevocable letter of credit in form, and drawn on a bank, that is satisfactory to the Trust. The cash collateral posted by the AP may be invested at the risk of the AP, and income, if any, on invested cash collateral will be paid to that AP. Information concerning the Trusts current procedures for collateralization of missing Deposit Securities is available from the Distributor. The Authorized Participant Agreement will permit the Trust to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time and will subject the AP to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such securities and the cash collateral or the amount that may be drawn under any letter of credit.
In certain cases, APs may create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date and in these instances, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis or require a representation from the APs that the creation and redemption transactions are for separate beneficial owners. All questions as to the number of Shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust and the Trusts determination shall be final and binding.
Cash Purchase Method. In the case of a cash purchase, the investor must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser. In addition, to offset the Trusts brokerage and other transaction costs associated with using the cash to purchase the requisite Deposit Securities, the investor will be required to pay a fixed purchase transaction fee, plus an additional variable charge for cash purchases, which is expressed as a percentage of the value of the Deposit Securities.
Creation Transaction Fee. A standard creation transaction fee is imposed to offset the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance of Creation Units. The standard creation transaction fee will be the same regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by a purchaser on the same day. The AP may also be required to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, price movement and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction (including when the Trust permits an AP to substitute cash
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for some or all of the Deposit Securities). APs will also bear the costs of transferring the Deposit Securities to the Trust. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. Certain fees or costs associated with creation transactions may be waived in certain circumstances.
The following table sets forth each Funds standard creation transaction fee:
Fund |
Standard Creation
Transaction Fee |
|||
Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF | $ | 3,000 | ||
Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF | $ | 5,000 | ||
Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF | $ | 1,000 | ||
Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF | $ | 2,000 |
Redemption of Creation Units. Shares of a Fund may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form and only on a Business Day. The Trust will not redeem Shares in amounts less than Creation Units. Beneficial owners also may sell Shares in the secondary market but must accumulate enough Shares to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such Shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.
Redemptions are effected primarily in-kind. In the case of in-kind redemptions, the Adviser makes available through the NSCC, prior to the opening of business on the Exchange on each Business Day, the identity and number of Shares that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (Fund Securities). Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Units.
Unless cash redemptions are available or specified for a Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Fund Securities plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities, less the redemption transaction fee described below.
Redemption Transaction Fee. A standard redemption transaction fee is imposed to offset transfer and other transaction costs that may be incurred by the relevant Fund. The standard redemption transaction fee will be the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by an investor on the same day. The AP may also be required to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, price movement and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction (including when the Trust substitutes cash for some or all of the Fund Securities), up to a maximum of 2% of the amount redeemed (including the standard redemption fee set forth below). The standard redemption transaction fees are set forth below. APs will also bear the costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Trust to their account or on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. Certain fees or costs associated with redemption transactions may be waived in certain circumstances.
The following table sets forth each Funds standard redemption transaction fee:
Fund |
Standard Redemption
Transaction Fee |
|||
Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF | $ | 3,000 | ||
Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF | $ | 5,000 | ||
Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF | $ | 1,000 | ||
Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF | $ | 2,000 |
The maximum redemption fee, as a percentage of the amount redeemed, is 2%. Redemption requests for Creation Units of any Fund must be submitted by or through an AP. An AP must submit an irrevocable redemption request before 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time on any Business Day in order to receive that days NAV. In the case of custom redemptions, the order must be received no later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time. Investors other than through APs are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an AP. The Distributor will provide a list of current APs upon request.
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Cash transactions may have to be carried out over several days if the securities market is relatively illiquid and may involve considerable brokerage fees and taxes. These brokerage fees and taxes, which will be higher than if a Fund sold and redeemed its shares principally in-kind, will generally be passed on to purchasers and redeemers of Creation Units in the form of creation and redemption transaction fees. However, the Funds cap the total fees that may be charged in connection with the redemption of Creation Units at 2% of the value of the Creation Units redeemed. To the extent transaction and other costs associated with a redemption exceed the redemption fee, those transaction costs might be borne by a Funds remaining shareholders.
The AP must transmit the request for redemption in the form required by the Trust or the Transfer Agent in accordance with procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investors broker through an AP who has executed an Authorized Participant Agreement in effect. At any time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have an Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such AP. Investors making a request to redeem Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an AP and transfer of the Shares to the Trusts Transfer Agent; such investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not APs.
A redemption request is considered to be in proper form if (i) an AP has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Trusts Transfer Agent the Creation Unit being redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the Exchange closing time on any Business Day, (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Trust is received from the AP on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified above and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. If the Transfer Agent does not receive the investors Shares through DTCs facilities by 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on the Business Day next following the day that the redemption request is received, the redemption request shall be rejected. Investors should be aware that the deadline for such transfers of Shares through the DTC system may be significantly earlier than the close of business on the Exchange. Those making redemption requests should ascertain the deadline applicable to transfers of Shares through the DTC system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effecting the transfer of the Shares.
Upon receiving a redemption request, the Transfer Agent shall notify the Trust of such redemption request. The tender of an investors Shares for redemption and the distribution of the cash redemption payment in respect of Creation Units redeemed will be made through DTC and the relevant AP to the beneficial owner thereof as recorded on the book-entry system of DTC or the DTC Participant through which such investor holds, as the case may be, or by such other means specified by the AP submitting the redemption request.
A redeeming Beneficial Owner or AP acting on behalf of such Beneficial Owner must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the Portfolio Securities are customarily traded, to which account such Portfolio Securities will be delivered.
If neither the redeeming Beneficial Owner nor the AP acting on behalf of such redeeming Beneficial Owner has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of Fund Securities in the applicable non-U.S. jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, the Trust may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In such case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its Shares based on the NAV of Shares of the relevant Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional variable charge for cash redemptions specified above, to offset the Trusts brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Portfolio Securities of the Fund). Redemptions of Shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws and each Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Fund could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws.
In the case of cash redemptions, proceeds will be paid to the AP redeeming Shares on behalf of the redeeming investor as soon as practicable after the date of redemption (within seven calendar days thereafter).
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to any Fund (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings), (ii) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted, (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares of the Funds portfolio securities or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable or (iv) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
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An AP submitting a redemption request is deemed to represent to the Trust that it is in compliance with the requirements set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. The Trust reserves the right to verify these representations at its discretion, but will typically require verification with respect to a redemption request from a Fund in connection with higher levels of redemption activity and/or short interest in the Fund. If the AP, upon receipt of a verification request, does not provide sufficient verification of its representations as determined by the Trust, the redemption request will not be considered to have been received in proper form and may be rejected by the Trust.
Taxation on Creation and Redemptions of Creation Units. An AP generally will recognize either gain or loss upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units. This gain or loss is calculated by taking the market value of the Creation Units purchased over the APs aggregate basis in the Deposit Securities exchanged therefor. However, the Internal Revenue Service (the IRS) may apply the wash sales rules to determine that any loss realized upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units is not currently deductible. APs should consult their own tax advisors.
Current federal tax laws dictate that capital gain or loss realized from the redemption of Creation Units will generally create long-term capital gain or loss if the AP holds the Creation Units for more than one year, or short-term capital gain or loss if the Creation Units were held for one year or less.
Regulated Investment Company Qualifications. Each Fund intends to qualify for treatment as a separate RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, each Fund must annually distribute at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains) and meet several other requirements. Among such other requirements are the following: (i) at least 90% of each Funds annual gross income must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or non-U.S. currencies, other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and net income derived from interests in qualified publicly-traded partnerships ( i.e. , partnerships that are traded on an established securities market or tradable on a secondary market, other than partnerships that derive 90% of their income from interest, dividends, capital gains and other traditionally permitted mutual fund income); and (ii) at the close of each quarter of each Funds taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of each Funds total assets must be represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with such other securities limited for purposes of this calculation in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Funds assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of each Funds total assets may be invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, or two or more issuers of which 20% or more of the voting stock is held by the Fund and that are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly-traded partnerships. The Treasury Department is authorized to promulgate regulations under which gains from foreign currencies (and options, futures, and forward contracts on foreign currency) would constitute qualifying income for purposes of the test described in (i) above only if such gains are directly related to investing in securities. To date, such regulations have not been issued.
Although in general the passive loss rules of the Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a RIC with respect to items attributable to an interest in a qualified publicly-traded partnership. A Funds investments in partnerships, including in qualified publicly-traded partnerships, may result in a Fund being subject to state, local, or non-U.S. income, franchise or withholding tax liabilities.
Taxation of Regulated Investment Companies. As a RIC, a Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its taxable investment income and capital gains that it distributes to its Shareholders, provided that it satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. To satisfy the minimum distribution requirement, a Fund must distribute to its Shareholders an amount at least equal to the sum of (i) 90% of its investment company taxable income ( i.e. , taxable income other than its net realized long-term capital gain over its net realized short-term capital loss), plus or minus certain adjustments, and (ii) 90% of its net tax-exempt income for the taxable year. A Fund will be subject to income tax at regular corporation rates on any taxable income or gains that it does not distribute to its Shareholders. If a Fund fails to qualify for any taxable year as a RIC or fails to meet the distribution requirement, all of its taxable income will be subject to tax at regular corporate income tax rates without any deduction for distributions to Shareholders, and such distributions generally will be taxable to Shareholders as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Funds current and accumulated earnings and profits. In such event, distributions to individuals should be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income and distributions to corporate Shareholders generally should be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Although each Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and its capital gains for each taxable year, each Fund will be subject to U.S. federal income taxation to the extent any such income or gains are not distributed. If a Fund fails to qualify as a RIC in any year, it must pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify again as a RIC. If a Fund fails to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, the Fund may be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets ( i.e. , the excess of the aggregate gains, including items of income, over aggregate losses that would have been realized with respect to such assets if the Fund had been liquidated) if it qualifies as a RIC in a subsequent year.
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Excise Tax. A Fund will be subject to a 4% excise tax on certain undistributed income if it does not generally distribute to its Shareholders in each calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year (taking into account certain deferrals and elections) plus 98.2% of its capital gain net income (reduced by certain ordinary losses) for the 12 months ended October 31 of such year. For this purpose, however, any ordinary income or capital gain net income retained by a Fund that is subject to corporate income tax in the taxable year ending within the relevant calendar year will be considered to have been distributed. In addition, the minimum amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any under-distribution or over-distribution, as the case may be, from the previous year. Each Fund intends to declare and distribute dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of this 4% excise tax.
Net Capital Loss Carryforwards. Net capital loss carryforwards may be applied against any net realized capital gains in each succeeding year.
Taxation of U.S. Shareholders. Dividends and other distributions by a Fund are generally treated under the Code as received by the Shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, any dividend or distribution declared by a Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to Shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month shall be deemed to have been received by each Shareholder on December 31 of such calendar year and to have been paid by the Fund not later than such December 31, provided such dividend is actually paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year.
Each Fund intends to distribute annually to its Shareholders substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized long-term capital gains in excess of net realized short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers). However, if a Fund retains for investment an amount equal to all or a portion of its net long-term capital gains in excess of its net short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers), it will be subject to a corporate tax (currently at a maximum rate of 35%) on the amount retained. In that event, the Fund may designate such retained amounts as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its Shareholders who (a) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gains, their proportionate Shares of the undistributed amount, (b) will be entitled to credit their proportionate Shares of the 35% tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent their credits exceed their liabilities, if any, and (c) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in their Shares by an amount equal to 65% of the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the Shareholders income. Organizations or persons not subject to U.S. federal income tax on such capital gains will be entitled to a refund of their pro rata Share of such taxes paid by the Fund upon filing appropriate returns or claims for refund with the IRS.
Distributions of net realized long-term capital gains, if any, that a Fund reports as capital gains dividends are taxable as long-term capital gains, whether paid in cash or in Shares and regardless of how long a Shareholder has held Shares of the Fund. All other dividends of a Fund (including dividends from short-term capital gains) from its current and accumulated earnings and profits (regular dividends) are generally subject to tax as ordinary income, subject to the discussion of qualified dividend income below.
If an individual receives a regular dividend qualifying for the long-term capital gains rates and such dividend constitutes an extraordinary dividend, and the individual subsequently recognizes a loss on the sale or exchange of stock in respect of which the extraordinary dividend was paid, then the loss will be long-term capital loss to the extent of such extraordinary dividend. An extraordinary dividend on common stock for this purpose is generally a dividend (i) in an amount greater than or equal to 10% of the taxpayers tax basis (or trading value) in a Share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within an 85-day period or (ii) in an amount greater than 20% of the taxpayers tax basis (or trading value) in a Share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within a 365-day period.
Distributions in excess of a Funds current and accumulated earnings and profits will, as to each Shareholder, be treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of a Shareholders basis in Shares of the Fund, and as a capital gain thereafter (if the Shareholder holds Shares of the Fund as capital assets). Shareholders receiving dividends or distributions in the form of additional Shares should be generally treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the amount of money that the Shareholders receiving cash dividends or distributions will receive and should generally have a cost basis in the Shares received equal to such amount.
Investors considering buying Shares just prior to a dividend or capital gain distribution should be aware that, although the price of Shares purchased at that time may reflect the amount of the forthcoming distribution, such dividend or distribution may nevertheless be taxable to them. If a Fund is the holder of record of any security on the record date for any dividends payable with respect to such security, such dividends will be included in the Funds gross income not as of the date received but as of the later of (a) the date such security became ex-dividend with respect to such dividends ( i.e. , the date on which a buyer of the security would not be entitled to receive the declared, but unpaid, dividends); or (b) the date the Fund acquired such security. Accordingly, in order to satisfy its income distribution requirements, a Fund may be required to pay dividends based on anticipated earnings, and Shareholders may receive dividends in an earlier year than would otherwise be the case.
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In certain situations, a Fund may, for a taxable year, defer all or a portion of its capital losses, currency losses and certain other ordinary losses realized after October until the next taxable year in computing its investment company taxable income and net capital gain, which will defer the recognition of such realized losses. Such deferrals and other rules regarding gains and losses realized after October may affect the tax character of Shareholder distributions.
An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund Shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such persons modified adjusted gross income (in the case of an individual) or adjusted gross income (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.
Sales of Shares. Upon the sale or exchange of Shares of a Fund, a Shareholder will realize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and the Shareholders basis in Shares of a Fund. A redemption of Shares by a Fund will be treated as a sale for this purpose. Such gain or loss will be treated as capital gain or loss if the Shares are capital assets in the Shareholders hands and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares are held for more than one year and short-term capital gain or loss if the Shares are held for one year or less. Any loss realized on a sale or exchange will be disallowed to the extent the Shares disposed of are replaced, including replacement through the reinvesting of dividends and capital gains distributions in the Fund, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition of the Shares. In such a case, the basis of the Shares acquired will be increased to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss realized by a Shareholder on the sale of a Fund Share held by the Shareholder for six months or less will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions or deemed distributions of long-term capital gains received by the Shareholder with respect to such Share.
If a Shareholder incurs a sales charge in acquiring Shares of a Fund, disposes of those Shares within 90 days and then acquires, prior to February 1 of the following calendar year, shares in a mutual fund for which the otherwise applicable sales charge is reduced by reason of a reinvestment right ( e.g. , an exchange privilege), the original sales charge will not be taken into account in computing gain/loss on the original Shares to the extent the subsequent sales charge is reduced. Instead, the disregarded portion of the original sales charge will be added to the tax basis of the newly acquired Shares. Furthermore, the same rule also applies to a disposition of the newly acquired Shares made within 90 days of the second acquisition. This provision prevents Shareholders from immediately deducting the sales charge by shifting their investments within a family of mutual funds.
Legislation passed by Congress requires reporting of adjusted cost basis information for covered securities, which generally include shares of a RIC acquired after January 1, 2012, to the Internal Revenue Service and to taxpayers. Shareholders should contact their financial intermediaries with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for their accounts.
Back-Up Withholding. In certain cases, withholding will be required at the applicable withholding rate (currently 28%), from any distributions paid to a Shareholder who: (i) has failed to provide a correct taxpayer identification number; (ii) is subject to back-up withholding by the IRS; (iii) has failed to certify that such Shareholder is not subject to back-up withholding; or (iv) has not certified that such Shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). Back-up withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a Shareholders U.S. federal income tax liability.
Sections 351 and 362. The Trust, on behalf of each Fund, has the right to reject an order for a purchase of Shares of the Fund if the purchaser (or group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares of a given Fund and if, pursuant to Sections 351 and 362 of the Code, that Fund would have a basis in the securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. If a Funds basis in such securities on the date of deposit was less than market value on such date, the Fund, upon disposition of the securities, would recognize more taxable gain or less taxable loss than if its basis in the securities had been equal to market value. It is not anticipated that the Trust will exercise the right of rejection except in a case where the Trust determines that accepting the order could result in material adverse tax consequences to a Fund or its Shareholders. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial Share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.
Taxation of Certain Derivatives. A Funds transactions in zero coupon securities, non-U.S. currencies, forward contracts, options and futures contracts (including options, futures contracts and forward contracts on non-U.S. currencies), to the extent permitted, will be subject to special provisions of the Code (including provisions relating to hedging transactions and straddles) that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Fund ( i.e. , may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and defer Fund losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to Shareholders. These provisions also (a) will require a Fund to mark-to-market certain types of the positions in its portfolio ( i.e. , treat them as if they were closed out at the end of each year) and (b) may cause a Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to pay dividends or make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for avoiding income and excise taxes. Each Fund will monitor its transactions, will make the appropriate tax elections and will make the appropriate entries in its books and records when it acquires any zero coupon security, non-U.S. currency, forward contract, option, futures contract or hedged investment in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and prevent disqualification of the Fund as a RIC.
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A Funds investment in so-called Section 1256 contracts, such as regulated futures contracts, most non-U.S. currency forward contracts traded in the interbank market and options on most security indexes, are subject to special tax rules. All Section 1256 contracts held by a Fund at the end of its taxable year are required to be marked to their market value, and any unrealized gain or loss on those positions will be included in the Funds income as if each position had been sold for its fair market value at the end of the taxable year. The resulting gain or loss will be combined with any gain or loss realized by the Fund from positions in Section 1256 contracts closed during the taxable year. Provided such positions were held as capital assets and were not part of a hedging transaction nor part of a straddle, 60% of the resulting net gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and 40% of such net gain or loss will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss, regardless of the period of time the positions were actually held by the Fund.
As a result of entering into swap contracts, a Fund may make or receive periodic net payments. A Fund may also make or receive a payment when a swap is terminated prior to maturity through an assignment of the swap or other closing transaction. Periodic net payments will generally constitute ordinary income or deductions, while termination of a swap will generally result in capital gain or loss (which will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund has been a party to the swap for more than one year). With respect to certain types of swaps, a Fund may be required to currently recognize income or loss with respect to future payments on such swaps or may elect under certain circumstances to mark such swaps to market annually for tax purposes as ordinary income or loss. The tax treatment of many types of credit default swaps is uncertain.
Qualified Dividend Income. Distributions by a Fund of investment company taxable income (including any short-term capital gains), whether received in cash or Shares, will be taxable either as ordinary income or as qualified dividend income, eligible for the reduced maximum rate to individuals of either 15% or 20% (depending on whether the individuals income exceeds certain threshold amounts) to the extent the Fund receives qualified dividend income on the securities it holds and the Fund designates the distribution as qualified dividend income. Distributions by a Fund of its net short-term capital gains will be taxable as ordinary income. Capital gain distributions consisting of a Funds net capital gains will be taxable as long-term capital gains. Qualified dividend income is, in general, dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations (but generally not from U.S. REITs) and certain non-U.S. corporations ( e.g. , non-U.S. corporations that are not passive foreign investment companies and which are incorporated in a possession of the U.S. or in certain countries with a comprehensive tax treaty with the U.S., or the stock of which is readily tradable on an established securities market in the U.S.). Under current IRS guidance, the United States has appropriate comprehensive income tax treaties with the following countries: Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China (but not with Hong Kong, which is treated as a separate jurisdiction for U.S. tax purposes), Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela.
A dividend from a Fund will not be treated as qualified dividend income to the extent that (i) the Shareholder has not held the Shares on which the dividend was paid for 61 days during the 121-day period that begins on the date that is 60 days before the date on which the Shares become ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or the Fund fails to satisfy those holding period requirements with respect to the securities it holds that paid the dividends distributed to the Shareholder (or, in the case of certain preferred stocks, the holding requirement of 91 days during the 181-day period beginning on the date that is 90 days before the date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend); (ii) the Fund or the Shareholder is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to substantially similar or related property; or (iii) the Shareholder elects to treat such dividend as investment income under Section 163(d)(4)(B) of the Code. Dividends received by a Fund from a REIT or another RIC may be treated as qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are attributable to qualified dividend income received by such REIT or other RIC.
If you lend your Fund Shares pursuant to securities lending arrangements you may lose the ability to use non-U.S. tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends (paid while the Shares are held by the borrower) as qualified dividends. Consult your financial intermediary or tax advisor. If you enter into a short sale with respect to Shares of the Fund, substitute payments made to the lender of such Shares may not be deductible. Consult your financial intermediary or tax advisor.
Corporate Dividends Received Deduction. Distributions reported to shareholders as derived from a Funds dividend income, if any, that would be eligible for the dividends received deduction if the Fund were not a regulated investment company may be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporate shareholders. The dividends received deduction, if available, is reduced to the extent the shares with respect to which the dividends are received are treated as debt-financed under federal income tax law and is eliminated if the shares are deemed to have been held for less than a minimum period, generally 46 days. The dividends received deduction also may be reduced as a result of a Funds securities lending activities, hedging activities or a high portfolio turnover rate or as a result of certain derivative transactions entered into by the Fund.
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Excess Inclusion Income. Under current law, the Funds serve to block unrelated business taxable income from being realized by their tax-exempt Shareholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a tax-exempt Shareholder could realize unrelated business taxable income by virtue of its investment in a Fund if Shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt Shareholder within the meaning of Code Section 514(b). Certain types of income received by a Fund from REITs, real estate mortgage investment conduits, taxable mortgage pools or other investments may cause the Fund to designate some or all of its distributions as excess inclusion income. To Fund Shareholders, such excess inclusion income may (i) constitute taxable income, as unrelated business taxable income for those Shareholders who would otherwise be tax-exempt such as individual retirement accounts, 401(k) accounts, Keogh plans, pension plans and certain charitable entities; (ii) not be offset by otherwise allowable deductions for tax purposes; (iii) not be eligible for reduced U.S. withholding for non-U.S. Shareholders even from tax treaty countries; and (iv) cause the Fund to be subject to tax if certain disqualified organizations as defined by the Code are Fund Shareholders. If a charitable remainder annuity trust or a charitable remainder unitrust (each as defined in Code Section 664) has UBTI for a taxable year, a 100% excise tax on the UBTI is imposed on the trust.
Non-U.S. Investments. Under Section 988 of the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the time a Fund accrues income or receivables or expenses or other liabilities denominated in a non-U.S. currency and the time the Fund actually collects such income or pays such liabilities are generally treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. In general, gains (and losses) realized on debt instruments will be treated as Section 988 gain (or loss) to the extent attributable to changes in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which the instruments are denominated. Similarly, gain or losses on non-U.S. currency, non-U.S. currency forward contracts and certain non-U.S. currency options or futures contracts denominated in non-U.S currency, to the extent attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the acquisition and disposition dates, are also treated as ordinary income or loss unless the Fund were to elect otherwise. Income received by the Fund from sources within foreign countries (including, for example, interest and dividends on securities of non-U.S. issuers) may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax treaties between such countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. Foreign taxes paid by the Fund will reduce the return from the Funds investments.
Each Fund may be subject to non-U.S. income taxes withheld at the source. Each Fund, if more than 50% of the value of its total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of securities of foreign corporations, may elect to pass through to its investors the amount of non-U.S. income taxes paid by the Fund provided that both the Fund and the investor satisfy certain holding period requirements, with the result that each investor at the time of deemed distribution will (i) include in gross income, even though not actually received, the investors pro rata share of the Funds non-U.S. income taxes, and (ii) either deduct (in calculating U.S. taxable income) or credit (in calculating U.S. federal income tax) the investors pro rata share of the Funds non-U.S. income taxes. A non-U.S. person invested in the Fund in a year that the Fund elects to pass through its non-U.S. taxes may be treated as receiving additional dividend income subject to U.S. withholding tax. A non-U.S. tax credit may not exceed the investors U.S. federal income tax otherwise payable with respect to the investors non-U.S. source income. For this purpose, Shareholders must treat as non-U.S. source gross income (i) their proportionate Shares of non-U.S. taxes paid by the Fund and (ii) the portion of any dividend paid by the Fund that represents income derived from non-U.S. sources; the Funds gain from the sale of securities will generally be treated as U.S.-source income. Certain limitations will be imposed to the extent to which the non-U.S. tax credit may be claimed.
Passive Foreign Investment Companies. If a Fund purchases Shares in passive foreign investment companies (PFICs), it may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any excess distribution or gain from the disposition of such Shares even if such income is distributed as a taxable dividend by the Fund to its Shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on a Fund in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains.
If a Fund were to invest in a PFIC and elect to treat the PFIC as a qualified electing fund under the Code, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, the Fund might be required to include in income each year a portion of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the qualified electing fund, even if not distributed to the Fund, and such amounts would be subject to the 90% and excise tax distribution requirements described above. In order to make this election, a Fund would be required to obtain certain annual information from the PFICs in which it invests, which may be difficult or impossible to obtain.
Alternatively, a Fund may make a mark-to-market election that would result in the Fund being treated as if it had sold and repurchased its PFIC stock at the end of each year. In such case, a Fund would report any such gains as ordinary income and would deduct any such losses as ordinary losses to the extent of previously recognized gains. The election must be made separately for each PFIC owned by a Fund and, once made, would be effective for all subsequent taxable years, unless revoked with the consent of the IRS. By making the election, a Fund could potentially ameliorate the adverse tax consequences with respect to its ownership of Shares in a PFIC, but in any particular year may be required to recognize income in excess of the distributions it receives from PFICs and its proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock. A Fund may have to distribute this phantom income and gain to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement and to avoid imposition of the 4% excise tax.
A Fund will make the appropriate tax elections, if possible, and take any additional steps that are necessary to mitigate the effects of these rules.
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Reporting. If a Shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to a Funds Shares of $2 million or more for an individual Shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate Shareholder, the Shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct Shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases exempted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, Shareholders of a RIC are not exempted. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayers treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.
Other Taxes. Dividends, distributions and redemption proceeds may also be subject to additional state, local and non-U.S. taxes depending on each Shareholders particular situation.
Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders. Dividends paid by a Fund to non-U.S. Shareholders are generally subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate or a reduced rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty to the extent derived from investment income and short-term capital gains. Non-U.S. investors considering buying Shares just prior to a distribution should be aware that, although the price of Shares purchased at that time may reflect the amount of the forthcoming distribution, such distribution may nevertheless be subject to U.S. withholding tax. In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S. Shareholder will be required to provide an applicable IRS Form W-8 certifying its entitlement to benefits under a treaty. The withholding tax does not apply to regular dividends paid to a non-U.S. Shareholder who provides a Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. Shareholders conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the non-U.S. Shareholder were a U.S. Shareholder. A non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to additional branch profits tax imposed at a rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate). A non-U.S. Shareholder who fails to provide an applicable IRS Form W-8 or other applicable form may be subject to back-up withholding at the appropriate rate.
In general, U.S. federal withholding tax will not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. Shareholder in respect of any distributions of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses or upon the sale or other disposition of Shares of a Fund.
Under an exemption recently made permanent by Congress, properly designated dividends received by a nonresident alien or foreign entity are generally exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax when they (a) are paid in respect of the Funds qualified net interest income (generally, the Funds U.S. source interest income, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income), or (b) are paid in connection with the Funds qualified short-term capital gains (generally, the excess of the Funds net short-term capital gain over the Funds long-term capital loss for such taxable year). However, depending on the circumstances, the Fund may designate all, some or none of the Funds potentially eligible dividends as such qualified net interest income or as qualified short-term capital gains, and a portion of the Funds distributions ( e.g. interest from non U.S. sources or any foreign currency gains) would be ineligible for this potential exemption from withholding.
Shares of a Fund held by a non-U.S. Shareholder at death will be considered situated within the United States and generally will be subject to the U.S. estate tax.
Withholding of U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) is required with respect to payments of taxable dividends and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive new reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the applicable withholding agent to determine whether withholding is required.
The foregoing discussion is a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations only and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of Shares should consult their own tax advisers as to the tax consequences of investing in such Shares, including under state, local and non-U.S tax laws. Finally, the foregoing discussion is based on applicable provisions of the Code, regulations, judicial authority and administrative interpretations in effect on the date of this SAI. Changes in applicable authority could materially affect the conclusions discussed above, and such changes often occur.
Counsel. Dechert LLP, located at 1095 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036, is counsel to the Trust.
Independent Trustee Legal Counsel. K&L Gates LLP, located at 1601 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, is counsel to the Independent Trustees.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Ernst & Young LLP, located at 5 Times Square, New York, New York, 10036, serves as the Trusts independent registered public accounting firm, audits the Funds financial statements and may perform other services.
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The audited financial statements included in the Annual Report to shareholders as of August 31, 2017, including the financial highlights, accompanying notes and report appearing therein of Ernst & Young LLP, the Trusts independent registered public accounting firm, are incorporated by reference into this SAI. You may request a copy of the Trusts Annual Report at no charge by calling 1-855-329-3837 (1-855-DBX-ETFS) during normal business hours.
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PROXY VOTING POLICY AND GUIDELINES
1. | Introduction |
Deutsche Asset Management (AM) has adopted and implemented the following Policies and Guidelines, which it believes are reasonably designed to ensure that proxies are voted in the best economic interest of clients and in accordance with its fiduciary duties and local regulation. This Proxy Voting Policy and Guidelines Deutsche AM (Policy and Guidelines) shall apply to all accounts managed by US domiciled advisers and to all US client accounts managed by non-US regional offices. Non-US regional offices are required to maintain procedures and to vote proxies as may be required by law on behalf of their non-US clients. In addition, AMs proxy policies reflect the fiduciary standards and responsibilities for ERISA accounts.
The attached guidelines represent a set of global recommendations that were determined by the Global Proxy Voting Sub-Committee (the GPVSC). These guidelines were developed to provide AM with a comprehensive list of recommendations that represent how AM will generally vote proxies for its clients. The recommendations derived from the application of these guidelines are not intended to influence the various AM legal entities either directly or indirectly by parent or affiliated companies. In addition, the organizational structures and documents of the various AM legal entities allows, where necessary or appropriate, the execution by individual AM subsidiaries of the proxy voting rights independently of any DB parent or affiliated company. This applies in particular to non US fund management companies. The individuals that make proxy voting decisions are also free to act independently, subject to the normal and customary supervision by the Management/Boards of these AM legal entities.
2. | AMs Proxy Voting Responsibilities |
Proxy votes are the property of AMs advisory clients. 2 As such, AMs authority and responsibility to vote such proxies depend upon its contractual relationships with its clients or other delegated authority. AM has delegated responsibility for effecting its advisory clients proxy votes to Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), an independent third-party proxy voting specialist. ISS votes AMs advisory clients proxies in accordance with AMs proxy guidelines or AMs specific instructions. Where a client has given specific instructions as to how a proxy should be voted, AM will notify ISS to carry out those instructions. Where no specific instruction exists, AM will follow the procedures in voting the proxies set forth in this document. Certain Taft-Hartley clients may direct AM to have ISS vote their proxies in accordance with Taft-Hartley Voting Guidelines.
Clients may in certain instances contract with their custodial agent and notify AM that they wish to engage in securities lending transactions. In such cases, it is the responsibility of the custodian to deduct the number of shares that are on loan so that they do not get voted twice. To the extent a security is out on loan and AM determines that a proxy vote (or other shareholder action) is materially important to the clients account, AM may request that the agent recall the security prior to the record date to allow AM to vote the securities.
3. | Policies |
3.1. | Proxy Voting Activities are Conducted in the Best Economic Interest of Clients |
AM has adopted the following Policies and Guidelines to ensure that proxies are voted in accordance with the best economic interest of its clients, as determined by AM in good faith after appropriate review.
2 | For purposes of this document, clients refers to persons or entities: (i) for which AM serves as investment adviser or sub-adviser; (ii) for which AM votes proxies; and (iii) that have an economic or beneficial ownership interest in the portfolio securities of issuers soliciting such proxies. |
3.2. | The Global Proxy Voting Sub-Committee |
The GPVSC is an internal working group established by the applicable AMs Investment Risk Oversight Committee pursuant to a written charter. The GPVSC is responsible for overseeing AMs proxy voting activities, including:
· | Adopting, monitoring and updating guidelines, attached as Attachment A (the Guidelines), that provide how AM will generally vote proxies pertaining to a comprehensive list of common proxy voting matters; |
· | Voting proxies where: (i) the issues are not covered by specific client instruction or the Guidelines; (ii) the Guidelines specify that the issues are to be determined on a case-by-case basis; or (iii) where an exception to the Guidelines may be in the best economic interest of AMs clients; and |
· | Monitoring Proxy Vendor Oversights proxy voting activities (see below). |
AMs Proxy Vendor Oversight, a function of AMs Operations Group, is responsible for coordinating with ISS to administer AMs proxy voting process and for voting proxies in accordance with any specific client instructions or, if there are none, the Guidelines, and overseeing ISS proxy responsibilities in this regard.
3.3. | Availability of Proxy Voting Policies and Proxy Voting Record |
Copies of this Policy, as it may be updated from time to time, are made available to clients as required by law and otherwise at AMs discretion. Clients may also obtain information on how their proxies were voted by AM as required by law and otherwise at AMs discretion. Note, however, that AM must not selectively disclose its investment company clients proxy voting records. Proxy Vendor Oversight will make proxy voting reports available to advisory clients upon request. The investment companies proxy voting records will be disclosed to shareholders by means of publicly-available annual filings of each companys proxy voting record for the 12-month periods ending June 30 (see Section 5 below), if so required by relevant law.
4. | Procedures |
The key aspects of AMs proxy voting process are delineated below.
4.1. | The GPVSCs Proxy Voting Guidelines |
The Guidelines set forth the GPVSCs standard voting positions on a comprehensive list of common proxy voting matters. The GPVSC has developed and continues to update the Guidelines based on consideration of current corporate governance principles, industry standards, client feedback, and the impact of the matter on issuers and the value of the investments.
The GPVSC will review the Guidelines as necessary to support the best economic interests of AMs clients and, in any event, at least annually. The GPVSC will make changes to the Guidelines, whether as a result of the annual review or otherwise, taking solely into account the best economic interests of clients. Before changing the Guidelines, the GPVSC will thoroughly review and evaluate the proposed change and the reasons therefore, and the GPVSC Chair will ask GPVSC members whether anyone outside of the AM organization (but within Deutsche Bank and its affiliates) or any entity that identifies itself as an AM advisory client has requested or attempted to influence the proposed change and whether any member has a conflict of interest with respect to the proposed change. If any such matter is reported to the GPVSC Chair, the Chair will promptly notify the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee (see Section 0) and will defer the approval, if possible. Lastly, the GPVSC will fully document its rationale for approving any change to the Guidelines.
The Guidelines may reflect a voting position that differs from the actual practices of the public company(ies) within the Deutsche Bank organization or of the investment companies for which AM or an affiliate serves as investment adviser or sponsor. Investment companies, particularly closed-end investment companies, are different from traditional operating companies. These differences may call for differences in voting positions on the same matter. Further, the manner in which AM votes investment company proxies may differ from proposals for which an AM-advised or sponsored investment company solicits proxies from its shareholders. As reflected in the Guidelines, proxies solicited by closed-end (and open-end) investment companies are generally voted in accordance with the pre-determined guidelines of ISS.
Funds (Underlying Funds) in which Topiary Fund Management Fund of Funds (each, a Fund) invest may from time to time seek to revise their investment terms ( i.e. liquidity, fees, etc.) or investment structure. In such event, the Underlying Funds may require approval/consent from its investors to effect the relevant changes. Topiary Fund Management has adopted Proxy Voting Procedures which outline the process for these approvals.
4.2. | Specific Proxy Voting Decisions Made by the GPVSC |
Proxy Vendor Oversight will refer to the GPVSC all proxy proposals: (i) that are not covered by specific client instructions or the Guidelines; or (ii) that, according to the Guidelines, should be evaluated and voted on a case-by-case basis.
Additionally, if Proxy Vendor Oversight, the GPVSC Chair or any member of the GPVSC, a Portfolio Manager, a Research Analyst or a sub-adviser believes that voting a particular proxy in accordance with the Guidelines may not be in the best economic interests of clients, that individual may bring the matter to the attention of the GPVSC Chair and/or Proxy Vendor Oversight. 3
If Proxy Vendor Oversight refers a proxy proposal to the GPVSC or the GPVSC determines that voting a particular proxy in accordance with the Guidelines is not in the best economic interests of clients, the GPVSC will evaluate and vote the proxy, subject to the procedures below regarding conflicts.
The GPVSC endeavors to hold meetings to decide how to vote particular proxies sufficiently before the voting deadline so that the procedures below regarding conflicts can be completed before the GPVSCs voting determination.
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4.3. | Certain Proxy Votes May Not Be Cast |
In some cases, the GPVSC may determine that it is in the best economic interests of its clients not to vote certain proxies, or that it may not be feasible to vote certain proxies. If the conditions below are met with regard to a proxy proposal, AM will abstain from voting:
Ø | Neither the Guidelines nor specific client instructions cover an issue; |
Ø | ISS does not make a recommendation on the issue; and |
Ø | The GPVSC cannot convene on the proxy proposal at issue to make a determination as to what would be in the clients best interest. (This could happen, for example, if the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee found that there was a material conflict or if despite all best efforts being made, the GPVSC quorum requirement could not be met). |
In addition, it is AMs policy not to vote proxies of issuers subject to laws of those jurisdictions that impose restrictions upon selling shares after proxies are voted, in order to preserve liquidity. In other cases, it may not be possible to vote certain proxies, despite good faith efforts to do so. For example, some jurisdictions do not provide adequate notice to shareholders so that proxies may be voted on a timely basis. Voting rights on securities that have been loaned to third-parties transfer to those third-parties, with loan termination often being the only way to attempt to vote proxies on the loaned securities. Lastly, the GPVSC may determine that the costs to the client(s) associated with voting a particular proxy or group of proxies outweighs the economic benefits expected from voting the proxy or group of proxies.
Proxy Vendor Oversight will coordinate with the GPVSC Chair regarding any specific proxies and any categories of proxies that will not or cannot be voted. The reasons for not voting any proxy shall be documented.
3 | Proxy Vendor Oversight generally monitors upcoming proxy solicitations for heightened attention from the press or the industry and for novel or unusual proposals or circumstances, which may prompt Proxy Vendor Oversight to bring the solicitation to the attention of the GPVSC Chair. AM Portfolio Managers, AM Research Analysts and sub-advisers also may bring a particular proxy vote to the attention of the GPVSC Chair, as a result of their ongoing monitoring of portfolio securities held by advisory clients and/or their review of the periodic proxy voting record reports that the GPVSC Chair distributes to AM portfolio managers and AM research analysts. |
4.4 | Conflict of Interest Procedures |
4.4.1 | Procedures to Address Conflicts of Interest and Improper Influence |
Overriding Principle . In the limited circumstances where the GPVSC votes proxies, 4 the GPVSC will vote those proxies in accordance with what it, in good faith, determines to be the best economic interests of AMs clients. 5
Independence of the GPVSC . As a matter of Compliance policy, the GPVSC and Proxy Vendor Oversight are structured to be independent from other parts of Deutsche Bank. Members of the GPVSC and the employee responsible for Proxy Vendor Oversight are employees of AM. As such, they may not be subject to the supervision or control of any employees of Deutsche Bank Corporate and Investment Banking division (CIB). Their compensation cannot be based upon their contribution to any business activity outside of AM without prior approval of Legal and Compliance. They can have no contact with employees of Deutsche Bank outside of the Private Client and Asset Management division (PCAM) regarding specific clients, business matters, or initiatives without the prior approval of Legal and Compliance. They furthermore may not discuss proxy votes with any person outside of AM (and within AM only on a need to know basis).
Conflict Review Procedures . The Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee within AM monitors for potential material conflicts of interest in connection with proxy proposals that are to be evaluated by the GPVSC. Promptly upon a determination that a proxy vote shall be presented to the GPVSC, the GPVSC Chair shall notify the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee. The Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee shall promptly collect and review any information deemed reasonably appropriate to evaluate, in its reasonable judgment, if AM or any person participating in the proxy voting process has, or has the appearance of, a material conflict of interest. For the purposes of this policy, a conflict of interest shall be considered material to the extent that a reasonable person could expect the conflict to influence, or appear to influence, the GPVSCs decision on the particular vote at issue. GPVSC should provide the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee a reasonable amount of time (no less than 24 hours) to perform all necessary and appropriate reviews. To the extent that a conflicts review cannot be sufficiently completed by the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee the proxies will be voted in accordance with the standard Guidelines.
The information considered by the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee may include without limitation information regarding: (i) AM client relationships; (ii) any relevant personal conflict known by the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee or brought to the attention of that sub-committee; and (iii) any communications with members of the GPVSC (or anyone participating or providing information to the GPVSC) and any person outside of the AM organization (but within Deutsche Bank and its
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affiliates) or any entity that identifies itself as an AM advisory client regarding the vote at issue. In the context of any determination, the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee may consult with and shall be entitled to rely upon all applicable outside experts, including legal counsel.
Upon completion of the investigation, the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee will document its findings and conclusions. If the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee determines that: (i) AM has a material conflict of interest that would prevent it from deciding how to vote the proxies concerned without further client consent; or (ii) certain individuals should be recused from participating in the proxy vote at issue, the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee will so inform the GPVSC Chair.
If notified that AM has a material conflict of interest as described above, the GPVSC chair will obtain instructions as to how the proxies should be voted either from: (i) if time permits, the affected clients; or (ii) in accordance with the standard Guidelines. If notified that certain individuals should be recused from the proxy vote at issue, the GPVSC Chair shall do so in accordance with the procedures set forth below.
Note : Any AM employee who becomes aware of a potential, material conflict of interest in respect of any proxy vote to be made on behalf of clients shall notify Compliance. Compliance shall call a meeting of the Conflict Review Committee to evaluate such conflict and determine a recommended course of action.
Procedures to be followed by the GPVSC. At the beginning of any discussion regarding how to vote any proxy, the GPVSC Chair (or his or her delegate) will inquire as to whether any GPVSC member (whether voting or ex officio) or any person participating in the proxy voting process has a personal conflict of interest or has actual knowledge of an actual or apparent conflict that has not been reported to the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee.
4 | As mentioned above, the GPVSC votes proxies where: (i) neither a specific client instruction nor a Guideline directs how the proxy should be voted; (ii) the Guidelines specify that an issue is to be determined on a case-by-case basis; or (iii) voting in accordance with the Guidelines may not be in the best economic interests of clients. |
5 | Proxy Vendor Oversight, who serves as the non-voting secretary of the GPVSC, may receive routine calls from proxy solicitors and other parties interested in a particular proxy vote. Any contact that attempts to exert improper pressure or influence shall be reported to the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee. |
The GPVSC Chair also will inquire of these same parties whether they have actual knowledge regarding whether any Director, officer, or employee outside of the AM organization (but within Deutsche Bank and its affiliates) or any entity that identifies itself as an AM advisory client, has: (i) requested that AM, Proxy Vendor Oversight (or any member thereof), or a GPVSC member vote a particular proxy in a certain manner; (ii) attempted to influence AM, Proxy Vendor Oversight (or any member thereof), a GPVSC member or any other person in connection with proxy voting activities; or (iii) otherwise communicated with a GPVSC member, or any other person participating or providing information to the GPVSC regarding the particular proxy vote at issue and which incident has not yet been reported to the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee.
If any such incidents are reported to the GPVSC Chair, the Chair will promptly notify the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee and, if possible, will delay the vote until the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee can complete the conflicts report. If a delay is not possible, the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee will instruct the GPVSC: (i) whether anyone should be recused from the proxy voting process; or (ii) whether AM should vote the proxy in accordance with the standard guidelines, seek instructions as to how to vote the proxy at issue from ISS or, if time permits, the affected clients. These inquiries and discussions will be properly reflected in the GPVSCs minutes.
Duty to Report . Any AM employee, including any GPVSC member (whether voting or ex officio), that is aware of any actual or apparent conflict of interest relevant to, or any attempt by any person outside of the AM organization (but within Deutsche Bank and its affiliates) or any entity that identifies itself as an AM advisory client to influence how AM votes its proxies has a duty to disclose the existence of the situation to the GPVSC Chair (or his or her designee) and the details of the matter to the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee. In the case of any person participating in the deliberations on a specific vote, such disclosure should be made before engaging in any activities or participating in any discussion pertaining to that vote.
Recusal of Members . The GPVSC will recuse from participating in a specific proxy vote any GPVSC members (whether voting or ex officio) and/or any other person who: (i) are personally involved in a material conflict of interest; or (ii) who, as determined by the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee, have actual knowledge of a circumstance or fact that could affect their independent judgment, in respect of such vote. The GPVSC will also exclude from consideration the views of any person (whether requested or volunteered) if the GPVSC or any member thereof knows, or if the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee has determined, that such other person has a material conflict of interest with respect to the particular proxy or has attempted to influence the vote in any manner prohibited by these policies.
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If, after excluding all relevant GPVSC voting members pursuant to the paragraph above, there are three or more GPVSC voting members remaining, those remaining GPVSC members will determine how to vote the proxy in accordance with these Policies and Guidelines. If there are fewer than three GPVSC voting members remaining, the GPVSC Chair will vote the proxy in accordance with the standard Guidelines or will obtain instructions as to how to have the proxy voted from, if time permits, the affected clients and otherwise from ISS.
4.4.2 | Investment Companies and Affiliated Public Companies |
Investment Companies . As reflected in the Guidelines, all proxies solicited by open-end and closed-end investment companies are voted in accordance with the pre-determined guidelines of ISS, unless the investment company client directs AM to vote differently on a specific proxy or specific categories of proxies. However, regarding investment companies for which AM or an affiliate serves as investment adviser or principal underwriter, such proxies are voted in the same proportion as the vote of all other shareholders ( i.e. , mirror or echo voting). Master Fund proxies solicited from feeder Funds are voted in accordance with applicable provisions of Section 12 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (Investment Company Act).
Subject to participation agreements with certain Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) issuers that have received exemptive orders from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) allowing investing Deutsche funds to exceed the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the Investment Company Act, AM will echo vote proxies for ETFs in which Deutsche Bank holds more than 25% of outstanding voting shares globally when required to do so by participation agreements and SEC orders.
Affiliated Public Companies . For proxies solicited by non-investment company issuers of or within the Deutsche Bank organization ( e.g. , Deutsche Bank itself), these proxies will be voted in the same proportion as the vote of other shareholders ( i.e. , mirror or echo voting).
Note: With respect to the Central Cash Management Fund (registered under the Investment Company Act), the Fund is not required to engage in echo voting and the investment adviser will use these Guidelines and may determine, with respect to the Central Cash Management Fund, to vote contrary to the positions in the Guidelines, consistent with the Funds best interest.
4.4.3 | Other Procedures that Limit Conflicts of Interest |
AM and other entities in the Deutsche Bank organization have adopted a number of policies, procedures, and internal controls that are designed to avoid various conflicts of interest, including those that may arise in connection with proxy voting, including but not limited to:
Ø | Code of Business Conduct and Ethics DB Group; |
Ø | Conflicts of Interest Policy DB Group; |
Ø | Information Sharing Procedures AWM, GTB & CB&S; |
Ø | Code of Ethics AWM; and |
Ø | Code of Professional Conduct US. |
The GPVSC expects that these policies, procedures, and internal controls will greatly reduce the chance that the GPVSC (or its members) would be involved in, aware of, or influenced by an actual or apparent conflict of interest.
All impacted business units are required to adopt, implement, and maintain procedures to ensure compliance with these Policies and Guidelines. At a minimum, such procedures must: (i) assign roles and responsibilities for carrying out the procedures, including responsibility for periodically updating he procedures; (ii) identify clear escalation paths for identified breaches of the procedures; and (iii) for non-dedicated procedures ( i.e. , desk manuals), contain a legend or table mapping the procedures to this Section ( e.g. , cross-referencing Section or page numbers).
5. | Recordkeeping |
At a minimum, the following records must be properly maintained and readily accessible in order to evidence compliance with this Policy.
Ø | AM will maintain a record of each proxy vote cast by AM that includes among other things, company name, meeting date, proposals presented, vote cast, and shares voted. |
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Ø | Proxy Vendor Oversight maintains records for each of the proxy ballots it votes. Specifically, the records include, but are not limited to: |
∎ | The proxy statement (and any additional solicitation materials) and relevant portions of annual statements; |
∎ | Any additional information considered in the voting process that may be obtained from an issuing company, its agents, or proxy research firms; |
∎ | Analyst worksheets created for stock option plan and share increase analyses; and |
∎ | Proxy Edge print-screen of actual vote election. |
Ø | AM will: (i) retain this Policy and the Guidelines; (ii) will maintain records of client requests for proxy voting information; and (iii) will retain any documents Proxy Vendor Oversight or the GPVSC prepared that were material to making a voting decision or that memorialized the basis for a proxy voting decision. |
Ø | The GPVSC also will create and maintain appropriate records documenting its compliance with this Policy, including records of its deliberations and decisions regarding conflicts of interest and their resolution. |
Ø | With respect to AMs investment company clients, ISS will create and maintain records of each companys proxy voting record for the 12-month periods ending June 30. AM will compile the following information for each matter relating to a portfolio security considered at any shareholder meeting held during the period covered by the report (and with respect to which the company was entitled to vote): |
∎ | The name of the issuer of the portfolio security; |
∎ | The exchange ticker symbol of the portfolio security (if symbol is available through reasonably practicable means); |
∎ | The Council on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures (CUSIP) number for the portfolio security (if the number is available through reasonably practicable means); |
∎ | The shareholder meeting date; |
∎ | A brief identification of the matter voted on; |
∎ | Whether the matter was proposed by the issuer or by a security holder; |
∎ | Whether the company cast its vote on the matter; |
∎ | How the company cast its vote ( e.g. , for or against proposal, or abstain; for or withhold regarding election of Directors); and |
∎ | Whether the company cast its vote for or against Management. |
Note : This list is intended to provide guidance only in terms of the records that must be maintained in accordance with this policy. In addition, please note that records must be maintained in accordance with the Archiving and Record Retention Policy Deutsche Bank Group and applicable policies and procedures thereunder.
With respect to electronically stored records, properly maintained is defined as complete, authentic (unalterable), usable and backed-up. At a minimum, records should be retained for a period of not less than six years (or longer, if necessary to comply with applicable regulatory requirements), the first three years in an appropriate AM office.
6. | The GPVSCs Oversight Role |
In addition to adopting the Guidelines and making proxy voting decisions on matters referred to it as set forth above, the GPVSC monitors the proxy voting process by reviewing summary proxy information presented by ISS. The GPVSC uses this review process to determine, among other things, whether any changes should be made to the Guidelines. This review will take place at least quarterly and is documented in the GPVSCs minutes.
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Attachment A Global Proxy Voting Guidelines
Deutsche Asset Management
Global Proxy Voting Guidelines
As Amended July, 2016
[GRAPHIC OMITTED]
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Table of Contents
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Proposals to Restrict Chief Executive Officers Service on Multiple Boards |
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Shareholder Proposals Concerning Pay for Superior Performance |
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Limitation of Non-Audit Services Provided by Independent Auditor |
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Reimbursement of Expenses Incurred from Candidate Nomination |
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These Guidelines may reflect a voting position that differs from the actual practices of the public company(ies) within the Deutsche Bank organization or of the investment companies for which AM or an affiliate serves as investment adviser or sponsor.
Note : Because of the unique structure and regulatory scheme applicable to closed-end investment companies, the voting guidelines (particularly those related to governance issues) generally will be inapplicable to holdings of closed-end investment companies. As a result, determinations on the appropriate voting recommendation for closed-end investment company shares will be made on a case-by-case basis.
1. | Board of Directors and Executives |
A. | Election of Directors |
Routine : AM Policy is to vote for the uncontested election of Directors. Votes for a Director in an uncontested election will be withheld in cases where a Director has shown an inability to perform his/her duties in the best interests of the shareholders.
Proxy contest : In a proxy contest involving election of Directors, a case-by-case voting decision will be made based upon analysis of the issues involved and the merits of the incumbent and dissident slates of Directors. AM will incorporate the decisions of a third party proxy research vendor, currently ISS subject to review by the GPVSC as set forth in the AMs Proxy Voting Policy and Guidelines. AM will incorporate where applicable the recommendation of ISS based on ISS consideration of the following factors:
Ø | Long-term financial performance of the company relative to its industry; |
Ø | Managements track record; |
Ø | Background to the contested election; |
Ø | Nominee qualifications and any compensatory arrangements; |
Ø | Strategic plan of dissident slate and quality of the critique against management; |
Ø | Likelihood that the proposed goals and objectives can be achieved (both slates); and |
Ø | Stock ownership positions. |
In the case of candidates nominated pursuant to proxy access, AM policy is to vote case-by-case considering any applicable factors listed above, including additional factors and any recommendations of a third party proxy research vendor, currently ISS, which may be relevant, including those that are specific to the company, to the nominee(s) and/or to the nature of the election (such as whether or not there are more candidates than Board seats).
Rationale : The large majority of corporate Directors fulfill their fiduciary obligation and in most cases support for Managements nominees is warranted. As the issues relevant to a contested election differ in each instance, those cases must be addressed as they arise.
B. | Classified Boards of Directors |
AM policy is to vote against proposals to classify the Board and for proposals to repeal classified Boards and elect Directors annually.
Rationale : Directors should be held accountable on an annual basis. By entrenching the incumbent Board, a classified Board may be used as an anti-takeover device to the detriment of the shareholders in a hostile take-over situation.
C. | Board and Committee Independence |
AM policy is to vote:
1. | For proposals that require that a certain percentage (majority up to 66 2/3%) of members of a Board of Directors be comprised of independent or unaffiliated Directors. |
2. | For proposals that require all members of a companys compensation, audit, nominating, or other similar committees be comprised of independent or unaffiliated Directors. |
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3. | Against shareholder proposals to require the addition of special interest, or constituency, representatives to Boards of Directors. |
4. | For separation of the Chairman and CEO positions. |
5. | Against proposals that require a company to appoint a Chairman who is an independent Director. |
Rationale : Board independence is a cornerstone of effective governance and accountability. A Board that is sufficiently independent from Management assures that shareholders interests are adequately represented. However, the Chairman of the Board must have sufficient involvement in and experience with the operations of the company to perform the functions required of that position and lead the company.
No Director qualifies as independent unless the Board of Directors affirmatively determines that the Director has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, shareholder, or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company).
Whether a Director is in fact not independent will depend on the laws and regulations of the primary market for the security and the exchanges, if any, on which the security trades.
D. | Liability and Indemnification of Directors |
AM policy is to vote for Management proposals to limit Directors liability and to broaden the indemnification of Directors, unless broader indemnification or limitations on Directors liability would affect shareholders interests in pending litigation.
Rationale : While shareholders want Directors and officers to be responsible for their actions, it is not in the best interests of the shareholders for them to be too risk averse. If the risk of personal liability is too great, companies may not be able to find capable Directors willing to serve. We support expanding coverage only for actions taken in good faith and not for serious violations of fiduciary obligation or negligence.
E. | Qualification of Directors |
AM policy is to follow Managements recommended vote on either Management or shareholder proposals that set retirement ages for Directors or require specific levels of stock ownership by Directors.
Rationale : As a general rule, the Board of Directors, and not the shareholders, is most qualified to establish qualification policies.
F. | Removal of Directors and Filling of Vacancies |
AM policy is to vote against proposals that include provisions that Directors may be removed only for cause or proposals that include provisions that only continuing Directors may fill Board vacancies.
Rationale: Differing state statutes permit removal of Directors with or without cause. Removal of Directors for cause usually requires proof of self-dealing, fraud, or misappropriation of corporate assets, limiting shareholders ability to remove Directors except under extreme circumstances. Removal without cause requires no such showing.
Allowing only incumbent Directors to fill vacancies can serve as an anti-takeover device, precluding shareholders from filling the Board until the next regular election.
G. | Proposals to Fix the Size of the Board |
AM policy is to vote:
1. | For proposals to fix the size of the Board unless: (a) no specific reason for the proposed change is given; or (b) the proposal is part of a package of takeover defenses. |
2. | Against proposals allowing Management to fix the size of the Board without shareholder approval. |
Rationale : Absent danger of anti-takeover use, companies should be granted a reasonable amount of flexibility in fixing the size of its Board.
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H. | Proposals to Restrict Chief Executive Officers Service on Multiple Boards |
AM policy is to vote for proposals to restrict a Chief Executive Officer from serving on more than three outside Boards of Directors.
Rationale : Chief Executive Officer must have sufficient time to ensure that shareholders interests are represented adequately.
Note : A Directors service on multiple closed-end fund Boards within a fund complex are treated as service on a single Board for the purpose of the proxy voting guidelines.
I. | Proposals to Restrict Supervisory Board Members Service on Multiple Boards |
AM policy is to vote for proposals to restrict a Supervisory Board Member from serving on more than five Supervisory Boards.
Rationale : We consider a strong, independent, and knowledgeable Supervisory Board as important counter-balance to executive Management to ensure that the interests of shareholders are fully reflected by the company.
Full information should be disclosed in the annual reports and accounts to allow all shareholders to judge the success of the Supervisory Board controlling their company.
Supervisory Board Members must have sufficient time to ensure that shareholders interests are represented adequately.
Note : A Directors service on multiple closed-end fund Boards within a fund complex are treated as service on a single Board for the purpose of the proxy voting guidelines
J. | Proposals to Establish Audit Committees |
AM policy is to vote for proposals that require the establishment of Audit Committees.
Rationale : The Audit Committee should deal with accounting and risk management related questions, verifies the independence of the auditor with due regard to possible conflicts of interest. It also should determine the procedure of the audit process.
II. | Capital Structure |
A. | Authorization of Additional Shares |
AM policy is to vote for proposals to increase the authorization of existing classes of stock that do not exceed a 3:1 ratio of shares authorized to shares outstanding for a large cap company and do not exceed a 4:1 ratio of shares authorized to shares outstanding for a small-midcap company (companies having a market capitalization under one billion US dollars).
Rationale : While companies need an adequate number of shares in order to carry on business, increases requested for general financial flexibility must be limited to protect shareholders from their potential use as an anti-takeover device. Requested increases for specifically designated, reasonable business purposes (stock split, merger, etc.) will be considered in light of those purposes and the number of shares required.
B. | Authorization of Blank Check Preferred Stock |
AM policy is to vote:
1. | Against proposals to create blank check preferred stock or to increase the number of authorized shares of blank check preferred stock unless the company expressly states that the stock will not be used for anti-takeover purposes and will not be issued without shareholder approval. |
2. | For proposals mandating shareholder approval of blank check stock placement. |
Rationale : Shareholders should be permitted to monitor the issuance of classes of preferred stock in which the Board of Directors is given unfettered discretion to set voting, dividend, conversion, and other rights for the shares issued.
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C. | Stock Splits/Reverse Stock Splits |
AM policy is to vote for stock splits if a legitimate business purpose is set forth and the split is in the shareholders best interests. A vote is cast for a reverse stock split only if the number of shares authorized is reduced in the same proportion as the reverse split or if the effective increase in authorized shares (relative to outstanding shares) complies with the proxy guidelines for common stock increases.
Rationale : Generally, stock splits do not detrimentally affect shareholders. Reverse stock splits, however, may have the same result as an increase in authorized shares and should be analyzed accordingly.
D. | Dual Class / Supervoting Stock |
AM policy is to vote against proposals to create or authorize additional shares of super-voting stock or stock with unequal voting rights.
Rationale : The one share, one vote principal ensures that no shareholder maintains a voting interest exceeding their equity interest in the company.
E. | Large Block Issuance |
AM policy is to address large block issuances of stock on a case-by-case basis based on the nature of the issuance and incorporating the recommendation of ISS as stated below subject to review by the GPVSC as set forth in AMs Proxy Voting Policy and Guidelines:
For general Issuances, in general AM policy is to:
Ø | Vote for issuance authorities with pre-emptive rights to a maximum of 100 percent over currently issued capital and as long as the share issuance authorities periods are clearly disclosed (or implied by the application of a legal maximum duration) and in line with market-specific practices and/or recommended guidelines ( e.g. issuance periods limited to 18 months for the Netherlands); and |
Ø | Vote for issuance authorities without pre-emptive rights to a maximum of 20 percent (or a lower limit if local market best practice recommendations provide) of currently issued capital as long as the share issuance authorities periods are clearly disclosed (or implied by the application of a legal maximum duration) and in line with market-specific practices and/or recommended guidelines ( e.g. issuance periods limited to 18 months for the Netherlands). |
For French companies, AM policy is to:
Ø | Vote for general issuance requests with pre-emptive rights, or without pre-emptive rights but with a binding priority right, for a maximum of 50 percent over currently issued capital; and |
Ø | Generally vote for general authorities to issue shares without pre-emptive rights up to a maximum of 10 percent of share capital. When companies are listed on a regulated market, the maximum discount on share issuance price proposed in the resolution must, in addition, comply with the legal discount ( i.e. , a maximum of 5 percent discount to the share listing price) for a vote for to be warranted. |
For specific issuances, in general AM policy is to:
Ø | Vote on a case-by-case basis on all requests, with or without pre-emptive rights, incorporating where applicable the recommendation of ISS. |
Additionally, AM supports proposals requiring shareholder approval of large block issuances.
Rationale : Stock issuances must be reviewed in light of the business circumstances leading to the request and the potential impact on shareholder value.
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F. | Recapitalization into a Single Class of Stock |
AM policy is to vote for recapitalization plans to provide for a single class of common stock, provided the terms are fair, with no class of stock being unduly disadvantaged.
Rationale : Consolidation of multiple classes of stock is a business decision that may be left to the Board and/or Management if there is no adverse effect on shareholders.
G. | Share Repurchases |
AM policy is to vote for share repurchase plans provided all shareholders are able to participate on equal terms.
Rationale : Buybacks are generally considered beneficial to shareholders because they tend to increase returns to the remaining shareholders.
H. | Reductions in Par Value |
AM policy is to vote for proposals to reduce par value, provided a legitimate business purpose is stated ( e.g. , the reduction of corporate tax responsibility.)
Rationale : Usually, adjustments to par value are a routine financial decision with no substantial impact on shareholders.
III. | Corporate Governance Issues |
A. | Confidential Voting |
AM policy is to vote for proposals to provide for confidential voting and independent tabulation of voting results and to vote against proposals to repeal such provisions.
Rationale : Confidential voting protects the privacy rights of all shareholders. This is particularly important for employee-shareholders or shareholders with business or other affiliations with the company, who may be vulnerable to coercion or retaliation when opposing Management. Confidential voting does not interfere with the ability of corporations to communicate with all shareholders, nor does it prohibit shareholders from making their views known directly to Management.
B. | Cumulative Voting |
AM policy is to vote against shareholder proposals requesting cumulative voting and for Management proposals to eliminate it. The protections afforded shareholders by cumulative voting are not necessary when a company has a history of good performance and does not have a concentrated ownership interest. Accordingly, a vote is cast against cumulative voting and for proposals to eliminate it if:
a) | The company has a five year return on investment greater than the relevant industry index; |
b) | All Directors and executive officers as a group beneficially own less than 10% of the outstanding stock; and |
c) | No shareholder (or voting block) beneficially owns 15% or more of the company. |
Thus, failure of any one of the three criteria results in a vote for cumulative voting in accordance with the general policy.
Rationale : Cumulative voting is a tool that should be used to ensure that holders of a significant number of shares may have Board representation; however, the presence of other safeguards may make their use unnecessary.
C. | Supermajority Voting Requirements |
AM policy is to vote against Management proposals to require a supermajority vote to amend the charter or bylaws and to vote for shareholder proposals to modify or rescind existing supermajority requirements.
*Exception made when company holds a controlling position and seeks to lower threshold to maintain control and/or make changes to corporate by-laws.
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Rationale : Supermajority voting provisions violate the democratic principle that a simple majority should carry the vote. Setting supermajority requirements may make it difficult or impossible for shareholders to remove egregious by-law or charter provisions. Occasionally, a company with a significant insider held position might attempt to lower a supermajority threshold to make it easier for Management to approve provisions that may be detrimental to shareholders. In that case, it may not be in the shareholders interests to lower the supermajority provision.
D. | Shareholder Right to Vote |
AM policy is to vote against proposals that restrict the right of shareholders to call special meetings, amend the bylaws, or act by written consent. AM policy is to vote for proposals that remove such restrictions.
Rationale : Any reasonable means whereby shareholders can make their views known to Management or affect the governance process should be supported.
IV. | Compensation |
Annual Incentive Plans or Bonus Plans are often submitted to shareholders for approval. These plans typically award cash to executives based on company performance. Deutsche Bank believes that the responsibility for executive compensation decisions rest with the Board of Directors and/or the compensation committee, and its policy is not to second-guess the Boards award of cash compensation amounts to executives unless a particular award or series of awards is deemed excessive. If stock options are awarded as part of these bonus or incentive plans, the provisions must meet Deutsche Banks criteria regarding stock option plans or similar stock-based incentive compensation schemes, as set forth below.
A. | Establishment of a Remuneration Committee |
AM policy is to vote for proposals that require the establishment of a Remuneration Committee.
Rationale : Corporations should disclose in each annual report or proxy statement their policies on remuneration. Essential details regarding executive remuneration including share options, long-term incentive plans and bonuses, should be disclosed in the annual report, so that investors can judge whether corporate pay policies and practices meet the standard.
The Remuneration Committee shall not comprise any Board members and should be sensitive to the wider scene on executive pay. It should ensure that performance-based elements of executive pay are designed to align the interests of shareholders.
B. | Executive and Director Stock Option Plans |
AM policy is to vote for stock option plans that meet the following criteria:
1. | The resulting dilution of existing shares is less than: (a) 15% of outstanding shares for large capital corporations; or (b) 20% of outstanding shares for small-mid capital companies (companies having a market capitalization under one billion US dollars). |
2. | The transfer of equity resulting from granting options at less than fair market value (FMV) is no greater than 3% of the over-all market capitalization of large capital corporations or 5% of market cap for small-mid capital companies. |
3. | The plan does not contain express repricing provisions and, in the absence of an express statement that options will not be repriced, the company does not have a history of repricing options. |
4. | The plan does not grant options on super-voting stock. |
AM will support performance-based option proposals as long as : (a) they do not mandate that all options granted by the company must be performance based; and (b) only certain high-level executives are subject to receive the performance based options.
AM will support proposals to eliminate the payment of outside Director pensions.
Rationale : Determining the cost to the company and to shareholders of stock-based incentive plans raises significant issues not encountered with cash-based compensation plans. These include the potential dilution of existing shareholders voting power, the transfer of equity out of the company resulting from the grant and execution of options at less than FMV and the authority to reprice or replace underwater options. Our stock option plan analysis model seeks to allow reasonable levels of flexibility for a company yet still
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protect shareholders from the negative impact of excessive stock compensation. Acknowledging that small mid-capital corporations often rely more heavily on stock option plans as their main source of executive compensation and may not be able to compete with their large capital competitors with cash compensation, we provide slightly more flexibility for those companies.
C. | Employee Stock Option / Purchase Plans |
AM policy is to vote for employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs) when the plan complies with Internal Revenue Code Section 423, allowing non-Management employees to purchase stock at 85% of FMV.
AM policy is to vote for employee stock option plans (ESOPs) provided they meet the standards for stock option plans in general. However, when computing dilution and transfer of equity, ESOPs are considered independently from executive and Director option plans.
Rationale : ESOPs and ESPPs encourage rank-and-file employees to acquire an ownership stake in the companies they work for and have been shown to promote employee loyalty and improve productivity.
D. | Golden Parachutes |
AM policy is to vote for proposals to require shareholder approval of golden parachutes and for proposals that would limit golden parachutes to no more than three times base compensation. AM policy is to vote against more restrictive shareholder proposals to limit golden parachutes.
Rationale : In setting a reasonable limitation, AM considers that an effective parachute should be less attractive than continued employment and that the IRS has opined that amounts greater than three times annual salary, are excessive.
E. | Proposals to Limit Benefits or Executive Compensation |
AM policy is to vote against:
1. | Proposals to limit benefits, pensions or compensation; and |
2. | Proposals that request or require disclosure of executive compensation greater than the disclosure required by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations. |
Rationale : Levels of compensation and benefits are generally considered to be day-to-day operations of the company, and are best left unrestricted by arbitrary limitations proposed by shareholders.
F. | Option Expensing |
AM policy is to support proposals requesting companies to expense stock options.
Rationale : Although companies can choose to expense options voluntarily, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) does not yet require it, instead allowing companies to disclose the theoretical value of options as a footnote. Because the expensing of stock options lowers earnings, most companies elect not to do so. Given the fact that options have become an integral component of compensation and their exercise results in a transfer of shareholder value, AM agrees that their value should not be ignored and treated as no cost compensation. The expensing of stock options would promote more modest and appropriate use of stock options in executive compensation plans and present a more accurate picture of company operational earnings.
G. | Management Board Election and Motion |
AM policy is to vote against:
1. | The election of Board members with positions on either Remuneration or Audit Committees; |
2. | The election of Supervisory Board members with too many Supervisory Board mandates; and |
3. | Automatic election of former Board members into the Supervisory Board. |
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Rationale : Management as an entity, and each of its members, are responsible for all actions of the company, and are subject to applicable laws and regulations accountable to the shareholders as a whole for their actions.
Sufficient information should be disclosed in the annual company report and account to allow shareholders to judge the success of the company.
H. | Remuneration (Variable Pay) |
Executive remuneration for Management Board
AM policy is to vote for Management Board remuneration that is transparent and linked to results.
Rationale : Executive compensation should motivate Management and align the interests of Management with the shareholders. The focus should be on criteria that prevent excessive remuneration; but enable the company to hire and retain first-class professionals.
Shareholder interests are normally best served when Management is remunerated to optimise long-term returns. Criteria should include suitable measurements like return on capital employed or economic value added.
Interests should generally also be correctly aligned when Management own shares in the company even more so if these shares represent a substantial portion of their own wealth.
Its disclosure shall differentiate between fixed pay, variable (performance related) pay, and long-term incentives, including stock option plans with valuation ranges as well as pension and any other significant arrangements.
Executive remuneration for Supervisory Board
AM policy is to vote for remuneration for Supervisory Board that is at least 50% in fixed form.
Rationale : It would normally be preferable if performance linked compensation were not based on dividend payments, but linked to suitable result based parameters. Consulting and procurement services should also be published in the company report.
I. | Long-Term Incentive Plans |
AM policy is to vote for long-term incentive plans for members of a Management Board that reward for above average company performance.
Rationale : Incentive plans will normally be supported if they:
1. | Directly align the interests of members of Management Boards with those of shareholders; |
2. | Establish challenging performance criteria to reward only above average performance; |
3. | Measure performance by total shareholder return in relation to the market or a range of comparable companies; |
4. | Are long-term in nature and encourage long-term ownership of the shares once exercised through minimum holding periods; and |
5. | Do not allow a repricing of the exercise price in stock option plans. |
J. | Shareholder Proposals Concerning Pay for Superior Performance |
AM policy is to vote on a case-by-case basis on shareholder proposals that request the Board establish a pay-for-superior performance standard in the companys executive compensation plan for senior executives, incorporating where applicable the recommendations of ISS, subject to review by the GPVSC as set forth in AMs Proxy Voting Policy and Guidelines, based on ISS consideration of the following factors:
Ø | What aspects of the companys annual and long-term equity incentive programs are performance driven? |
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Ø | If the annual and long-term equity incentive programs are performance driven, are the performance criteria and hurdle rates disclosed to shareholders or are they benchmarked against a disclosed peer group? |
Ø | Can shareholders assess the correlation between pay and performance based on the current disclosure? |
Ø | What type of industry and stage of business cycle does the company belong to? |
These proposals generally include the following principles:
Ø | Set compensation targets for the plans annual and long-term incentive pay components at or below the peer group median; |
Ø | Deliver a majority of the plans target long-term compensation through performance-vested, not simply time-vested, equity awards; |
Ø | Provide the strategic rationale and relative weightings of the financial and non-financial performance metrics or criteria used in the annual and performance-vested long-term incentive components of the plan; |
Ø | Establish performance targets for each plan financial metric relative to the performance of the companys peer companies; and |
Ø | Limit payment under the annual and performance-vested long-term incentive components of the plan to when the companys performance on its selected financial performance metrics exceeds peer group median performance. |
Rationale : While AM agrees that compensation issues are better left to the discretion of Management, there remains the need to monitor for excessive compensation practices on a case-by-case basis. If, after a review of the ISS metrics, AM is comfortable with ISSs applying this calculation and will vote according to their recommendation.
K. | Executive Compensation Advisory |
AM policy is to follow Managements recommended vote on shareholder proposals to propose an advisory resolution seeking to ratify the compensation of the companys named executive officers (NEOs) on an annual basis.
Rationale : AM believes that controls exist within senior Management and corporate compensation committees, ensuring fair compensation to executives. This might allow shareholders to require approval for all levels of Managements compensation.
L. | Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation |
AM policy is to vote on a case-by-case basis on ballot items related to executive pay and practices, as well as certain aspects of outside director compensation, including recommendations by ISS where applicable, subject to review by the GPVSC as set forth in AMs Proxy Voting Policy and Guidelines.
AM policy is to vote against Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation (Management Say-on-Pay MSOP) if:
Ø | There is a significant misalignment between CEO pay and company performance (pay for performance); |
Ø | The company maintains significant problematic pay practices; or |
Ø | The Board exhibits a significant level of poor communication and responsiveness to shareholders. |
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Primary Evaluation Factors for Executive Pay
Pay-for-Performance Evaluation
AM will consider the pay-for-performance analysis conducted annually by an independent third party, currently ISS, to identify strong or satisfactory alignment between pay and performance over a sustained period. With respect to companies in the Russell 3000 or Russell 3000E Indices, AM considers the following based on ISS analysis:
1. | Peer Group Alignment: |
Ø | The degree of alignment between the companys annualized TSR rank and the CEOs annualized total pay rank within a peer group, each measured over a three-year period. |
Ø | The multiple of the CEOs total pay relative to the peer group median. |
2. | Absolute Alignment the absolute alignment between the trend in CEO pay and company TSR over the prior five fiscal years i.e. , the difference between the trend in annual pay changes and the trend in annualized TSR during the period. |
If the above analysis demonstrates significant unsatisfactory long-term pay-for-performance alignment or, in the case of companies outside the Russell indices, misaligned pay and performance are otherwise suggested, AM may consider any of the following qualitative factors as relevant to evaluating how various pay elements may work to encourage or to undermine long-term value creation and alignment with shareholder interests:
Ø | The ratio of performance- to time-based equity awards; |
Ø | The overall ratio of performance-based compensation; |
Ø | The completeness of disclosure and rigor of performance goals; |
Ø | The companys peer group benchmarking practices; |
Ø | Actual results of financial/operational metrics, such as growth in revenue, profit, cash flow, etc., both absolute and relative to peers; |
Ø | Special circumstances related to, for example, a new CEO in the prior FY or anomalous equity grant practices ( e.g. , bi-annual awards); |
Ø | Realizable pay compared to grant pay; and |
Ø | Any other factors deemed relevant. |
Problematic Pay Practices
AMs policy is to defer to ISS recommendation regarding executive compensation practices that contravene the global pay principles considered by ISS in evaluating executive pay and practices, including:
Ø | Problematic practices related to non-performance-based compensation elements; |
Ø | Incentives that may motivate excessive risk-taking; and |
Ø | Options Backdating. |
Problematic Pay Practices related to Non-Performance-Based Compensation Elements
AMs policy is, in general, to evaluate pay elements that are not directly based on performance on a case-by-case considering the context of a companys overall pay program and demonstrated pay-for-performance philosophy. AM will defer to ISS analysis of specific pay practices that have been identified as potentially problematic and may lead to negative recommendations if they are deemed to be
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inappropriate or unjustified relative to executive pay best practices. The list below highlights the problematic practices that carry significant weight in AMs overall consideration and may result in adverse vote recommendations:
Ø | Repricing or replacing of underwater stock options/SARS without prior shareholder approval (including cash buyouts and voluntary surrender of underwater options); |
Ø | Excessive perquisites or tax gross-ups, including any gross-up related to a secular trust or restricted stock vesting; |
Ø | New or extended agreements that provide for: |
· | CIC payments exceeding 3 times base salary and average/target/most recent bonus; |
· | CIC severance payments without involuntary job loss or substantial diminution of duties (single or modified single triggers); |
· | CIC payments with excise tax gross-ups (including modified gross-ups); and |
Ø | Insufficient executive compensation disclosure by externally- managed issuers (EMIs) such that a reasonable assessment of pay programs and practices applicable to the EMIs executives is not possible. |
Incentives that may Motivate Excessive Risk-Taking
Ø | Multi-year guaranteed bonuses; |
Ø | A single or common performance metric used for short- and long-term plans; |
Ø | Lucrative severance packages; |
Ø | High pay opportunities relative to industry peers; |
Ø | Disproportionate supplemental pensions; or |
Ø | Mega annual equity grants that provide unlimited upside with no downside risk |
Factors that potentially mitigate the impact of risky incentives include rigorous claw-back provisions and robust stock ownership/holding guidelines.
Options Backdating
AMs policy is to examine the following factors case-by-case to allow for distinctions to be made between sloppy plan administration versus deliberate action or fraud:
Ø | Reason and motive for the options backdating issue, such as inadvertent vs. deliberate grant date changes; |
Ø | Duration of options backdating; |
Ø | Size of restatement due to options backdating; |
Ø | Corrective actions taken by the Board or compensation committee, such as canceling or re-pricing backdated options, the recouping of option gains on backdated grants; and |
Ø | Adoption of a grant policy that prohibits backdating, and creates a fixed grant schedule or window period for equity grants in the future. |
AM may rely on ISSs analysis of the foregoing and may defer to ISSs recommendation subject to review by the GPVSC.
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Rationale : While AM agrees that compensation issues are better left to the discretion of Management, there remains a need to take action on this nonbinding proposal if excessive compensation practices exist.
M. | Frequency of Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation |
AM policy is to vote for annual advisory votes on compensation, which provide the most consistent and clear communication channel for shareholder concerns about companies executive pay programs.
Rationale : AM believes that annual advisory vote gives shareholders the opportunity to express any compensation concerns to the Executive Compensation proposal which is an advisory voting.
V. | Anti-Takeover Related Issues |
A. | Shareholder Rights Plans (Poison Pills) |
AM policy is to vote for proposals to require shareholder ratification of poison pills or that request Boards to redeem poison pills, and to vote against the adoption of poison pills if they are submitted for shareholder ratification.
Rationale : Poison pills are the most prevalent form of corporate takeover defenses and can be (and usually are) adopted without shareholder review or consent. The potential cost of poison pills to shareholders during an attempted takeover outweighs the benefits.
B. | Reincorporation |
AM policy is to examine reincorporation proposals on a case-by-case basis. The voting decision is based on:
1. | Differences in state law between the existing state of incorporation and the proposed state of incorporation; and |
2. | Differences between the existing and the proposed charter / bylaws / articles of incorporation and their effect on shareholder rights. |
If changes resulting from the proposed reincorporation violate the corporate governance principles set forth in these guidelines, the reincorporation will be deemed contrary to shareholders interests and a vote cast against.
Rationale : Reincorporations can be properly analyzed only by looking at the advantages and disadvantages to their shareholders. Care must be taken that anti-takeover protection is not the sole or primary result of a proposed change.
C. | Fair-Price Proposals |
AM policy is to vote for Management fair-price proposals, provided that:
1. | The proposal applies only to two-tier offers; |
2. | The proposal sets an objective fair-price test based on the highest price that the acquirer has paid for a companys shares; |
3. | The supermajority requirement for bids that fail the fair-price test is no higher than two-thirds of the outstanding shares; and |
4. | The proposal contains no other anti-takeover provisions or provisions that restrict shareholders rights. |
A vote is cast for shareholder proposals that would modify or repeal existing fair-price requirements that do not meet these standards.
Rationale : While fair price provisions may be used as anti-takeover devices, if adequate provisions are included, they provide some protection to shareholders who have some say in their application and the ability to reject those protections if desired.
D. | Exemption from State Takeover Laws |
AM policy is to vote for shareholder proposals to opt out of state takeover laws and to vote against Management proposals requesting to opt out of state takeover laws.
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Rationale : Control share statutes, enacted at the state level, may harm long-term share value by entrenching Management. They also unfairly deny certain shares their inherent voting rights.
E. | Non-Financial Effects of Takeover Bids |
Policy is to vote against shareholder proposals to require consideration of non-financial effects of merger or acquisition proposals.
Rationale : Non-financial effects may often be subjective and are secondary to AMs stated purpose of acting in its clients best economic interest.
VI. | Mergers & Acquisitions |
Evaluation of mergers, acquisitions and other special corporate transactions ( i.e. , takeovers, spin-offs, sales of assets, reorganizations, restructurings, and recapitalizations) are performed on a case-by-case basis, including consideration of ISS s analysis and recommendations where applicable, subject to review by the GPVSC . AM policy is to review and evaluate the merits and drawbacks of the proposed transaction, balancing various and sometimes countervailing factors including:
Ø | Valuation - Is the value to be received by the target shareholders (or paid by the acquirer) reasonable? While the fairness opinion may provide an initial starting point for assessing valuation reasonableness, emphasis is placed on the offer premium, market reaction and strategic rationale. |
Ø | Market reaction - How has the market responded to the proposed deal? A negative market reaction should cause closer scrutiny of a deal. |
Ø | Strategic rationale - Does the deal make sense strategically? From where is the value derived? Cost and revenue synergies should not be overly aggressive or optimistic, but reasonably achievable. Management should also have a favorable track record of successful integration of historical acquisitions. |
Ø | Negotiations and process - Were the terms of the transaction negotiated at arms-length? Was the process fair and equitable? A fair process helps to ensure the best price for shareholders. Significant negotiation wins can also signify the deal makers competency. The comprehensiveness of the sales process ( e.g. , full auction, partial auction, no auction) can also affect shareholder value. |
Ø | Conflicts of interest - Are insiders benefiting from the transaction disproportionately and inappropriately as compared to non-insider shareholders? As the result of potential conflicts, the directors and officers of the company may be more likely to vote to approve a merger than if they did not hold these interests. Consider whether these interests may have influenced these directors and officers to support or recommend the merger. The CIC figure presented in the ISS Transaction Summary section of this report is an aggregate figure that can in certain cases be a misleading indicator of the true value transfer from shareholders to insiders. Where such figure appears to be excessive, analyze the underlying assumptions to determine whether a potential conflict exists. |
Ø | Governance - Will the combined company have a better or worse governance profile than the current governance profiles of the respective parties to the transaction? If the governance profile is to change for the worse, the burden is on the company to prove that other issues (such as valuation) outweigh any deterioration in governance. |
Additional resources including portfolio management and research analysts may be considered as set forth in AMs policies and procedures.
VII. | Environmental, Social, and Governance Issues |
Environmental, social, and governance issues (ESG) are becoming increasingly important to corporate success. We incorporate ESG considerations into both our investment decisions and our proxy voting decisions particularly if the financial performance of the company could be impacted. Companies or states that seriously contravene internationally accepted ethical principles will be subject to heightened scrutiny.
A. | Principles for Responsible Investment |
AM policy is to actively engage with companies on ESG issues and participate in ESG initiatives. In this context, AM: (a) votes for increased disclosure on ESG issues; (b) is willing to participate in the development of policy, regulation, and standard setting (such as
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promoting and protecting shareholder rights); (c) could support shareholder initiatives and also file shareholder resolutions with long term ESG considerations and improved ESG disclosure, when applicable; (d) could support standardized ESG reporting and issues to be integrated within annual financial reports; and (e) on a case-by-case basis, will generally follow Managements recommended vote on other matters related to ESG issues.
Rationale : ESG issues can affect the performance of investment portfolios (to varying degrees across companies, sectors, regions, asset classes, and through time).
B. | ESG Issues |
AM policy is to vote in line with the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) recommendation on Environmental matters contained in the CERES Principles and the recommendations on social and sustainability issues not specifically addressed elsewhere in these Guidelines. AM will rely on ISS to identify shareholder proposals addressing CERES Principles and proxies will be voted in accordance with ISS predetermined voting guidelines on CERES Principles. AM policy is to generally vote for social and environmental shareholder proposals that promote good corporate citizens while enhancing long-term shareholder and stakeholder value. AM policy is to vote for disclosure reports that seek additional information particularly when it appears companies have not adequately addressed shareholders social, workforce, and environmental concerns. In determining vote recommendations on shareholder social, workforce, and environmental proposals, AM may defer to ISS analysis and recommendation based on consideration of the following factors:
Ø | Whether the proposal itself is well framed and reasonable; |
Ø | Whether adoption of the proposal would have either a positive or negative impact on the companys short-term or long-term share value; |
Ø | Whether the companys analysis and voting recommendation to shareholders is persuasive; |
Ø | The degree to which the companys stated position on the issues could affect its reputation or sales, or leave it vulnerable to boycott or selective purchasing; |
Ø | Whether the subject of the proposal is best left to the discretion of the Board; |
Ø | Whether the issues presented in the proposal are best dealt with through legislation, government regulation, or company-specific action; |
Ø | The companys approach compared with its peers or any industry standard practices for addressing the issue(s) raised by the proposal; |
Ø | Whether the company has already responded in an appropriate or sufficient manner to the issue(s) raised in the proposal; |
Ø | If the proposal requests increased disclosure or greater transparency, whether or not sufficient information is publically available to shareholders and whether it would be unduly burdensome for the company to compile and avail the requested information to shareholders in a more comprehensive or amalgamated fashion; or |
Ø | Whether implementation of the proposal would achieve the objectives sought in the proposal. |
In general, AM policy supports proposals that request the company to furnish information helpful to shareholders in evaluating the companys operations, based on ISS analysis and recommendation. In order to be able to intelligently monitor their investments shareholders often need information best provided by the company in which they have invested. Requests to report such information will merit support. Requests to establish special committees of the Board to address broad corporate policy and provide forums for ongoing dialogue on issues including, but not limited to shareholder relations, the environment, human rights, occupational health and safety, and executive compensation, will generally be supported, particularly when they appear to offer a potentially effective method for enhancing shareholder value. AM policy is to closely evaluate proposals that ask the company to cease certain actions that the proponent believes are harmful to society or some segment of society with special attention to the companys legal and ethical obligations, its ability to remain profitable, and potential negative publicity if the company fails to honor the request. AM policy supports shareholder proposals that improve the companys public image, and reduce exposure to liabilities.
Any matter that is to be voted on, consented to or approved by the voting members, may take place in person, telephonically, or via other electronic means. In addition, voting members may act in writing, including without limitation, via e-mail.
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Rationale : AM supports the CERES Principles and as such generally votes proxies in line with the CERES recommendation.
C. | Labor and Human Rights |
AM policy is to vote against adopting global codes of conduct or workplace standards exceeding those mandated by law.
Rationale : Additional requirements beyond those mandated by law are deemed unnecessary and potentially burdensome to companies
D. | Diversity and Equality |
1. | AM policy is to vote against shareholder proposals to force equal employment opportunity, affirmative action or Board diversity. |
Rationale : Compliance with State and Federal legislation along with information made available through filings with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provides sufficient assurance that companies act responsibly and make information public.
2. | AM policy is also to vote against proposals to adopt the Mac Bride Principles. The MacBride Principles promote fair employment, specifically regarding religious discrimination. |
Rationale : Compliance with the Fair Employment Act of 1989 makes adoption of the MacBride Principles redundant. Their adoption could potentially lead to charges of reverse discrimination.
E. | Health and Safety |
1. | AM policy is to vote against adopting a pharmaceutical price restraint policy or reporting pricing policy changes. |
Rationale : Pricing is an integral part of business for pharmaceutical companies and should not be dictated by shareholders (particularly pursuant to an arbitrary formula). Disclosing pricing policies may also jeopardize a companys competitive position in the marketplace.
2. | AM policy is to vote against shareholder proposals to control the use or labelling of and reporting on genetically engineered products. |
Rationale : Additional requirements beyond those mandated by law are deemed unnecessary and potentially burdensome to companies.
F. | Government / Military |
1. | AM policy is to vote against shareholder proposals regarding the production or sale of military arms or nuclear or space-based weapons, including proposals seeking to dictate a companys interaction with a particular foreign country or agency. |
Rationale : Generally, Management is in a better position to determine what products or industries a company can and should participate in. Regulation of the production or distribution of military supplies is, or should be, a matter of government policy.
2. | AM policy is to vote against shareholder proposals regarding political contributions and donations. |
Rationale : The Board of Directors and Management, not shareholders, should evaluate and determine the recipients of any contributions made by the company.
3. | AM policy is to vote against shareholder proposals regarding charitable contributions and donations. |
Rationale : The Board of Directors and Management, not shareholders, should evaluate and determine the recipients of any contributions made by the company.
G. | Tobacco |
1. | AM policy is to vote against shareholder proposals requesting additional standards or reporting requirements for tobacco companies as well as against requesting companies to report on the intentional manipulation of nicotine content. |
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Rationale : Where a tobacco companys actions meet the requirements of legal and industry standards, imposing additional burdens may detrimentally affect a companys ability to compete. The disclosure of nicotine content information could affect the companys rights in any pending or future litigation.
2. | Shareholder requests to spin-off or restructure tobacco businesses will be opposed. |
Rationale : These decisions are more appropriately left to the Board and Management and not to shareholder mandate.
VIII. | Miscellaneous Items |
A. | Ratification of Auditors |
AM policy is to vote for: (a) the Management recommended selection of auditors; and (b) proposals to require shareholder approval of auditors.
Rationale : Absent evidence that auditors have not performed their duties adequately, support for Managements nomination is warranted.
B. | Limitation of Non-Audit Services Provided by Independent Auditor |
AM policy is to support proposals limiting non-audit fees to 50% of the aggregate annual fees earned by the firm retained as a companys independent auditor.
Rationale : In the wake of financial reporting problems and alleged audit failures at a number of companies, AM supports the general principle that companies should retain separate firms for audit and consulting services to avoid potential conflicts of interest. However, given the protections afforded by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (which requires Audit Committee pre-approval for non-audit services and prohibits auditors from providing specific types of services), and the fact that some non-audit services are legitimate audit-related services, complete separation of audit and consulting fees may not be warranted. A reasonable limitation is appropriate to help ensure auditor independence and it is reasonable to expect that audit fees exceed non-audit fees.
C. | Audit Firm Rotation |
AM policy is to vote against proposals seeking audit firm rotation.
Rationale : While the Sarbanes-Oxley Act mandates that the lead audit partner be switched every five years, AM believes that rotation of the actual audit firm would be costly and disruptive.
D. | Transaction of Other Business |
AM policy is to vote against transaction of other business proposals.
Rationale : This is a routine item to allow shareholders to raise other issues and discuss them at the meeting. As the nature of these issues may not be disclosed prior to the meeting, we recommend a vote against these proposals. This protects shareholders voting by proxy (and not physically present at a meeting) from having action taken at the meeting that they did not receive proper notification of or sufficient opportunity to consider.
E. | Motions to Adjourn the Meeting |
AM Policy is to vote against proposals to adjourn the meeting.
Rationale : Management may seek authority to adjourn the meeting if a favorable outcome is not secured. Shareholders should already have had enough information to make a decision. Once votes have been cast, there is no justification for Management to continue spending time and money to press shareholders for support.
F. | Bundled Proposals |
AM policy is to vote against bundled proposals if any bundled issue would require a vote against it if proposed individually.
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Rationale : Shareholders should not be forced to take the good with the bad in cases where the proposals could reasonably have been submitted separately.
G. | Change of Company Name |
AM policy is to support Management on proposals to change the company name.
Rationale : This is generally considered a business decision for a company.
H. | Proposals Related to the Annual Meeting |
AM Policy is to vote for Management for proposals related to the conduct of the annual meeting (meeting time, place, etc.)
Rationale : These are considered routine administrative proposals.
I. | Reimbursement of Expenses Incurred from Candidate Nomination |
AM policy is to follow Managements recommended vote on shareholder proposals related to the amending of company bylaws to provide for the reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred in connection with nominating one or more candidates in a contested election of Directors to the corporations Board of Directors.
Rationale : Corporations should not be liable for costs associated with shareholder proposals for Directors.
J. | Investment Company Proxies |
Proxies solicited by investment companies are voted in accordance with the recommendations of an independent third party, currently ISS. However, regarding investment companies for which AM or an affiliate serves as investment adviser or principal underwriter, such proxies are voted in the same proportion as the vote of all other shareholders. Proxies solicited by master funds from feeder funds will be voted in accordance with applicable provisions of Section 12 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (Investment Company Act).
Investment companies, particularly closed-end investment companies, are different from traditional operating companies. These differences may call for differences in voting positions on the same matter. For example, AM could vote for staggered Boards of closed-end investment companies, although AM generally votes against staggered Boards for operating companies. Further, the manner in which AM votes investment company proxies may differ from proposals for which an AM-advised investment company solicits proxies from its shareholders. As reflected in the Guidelines, proxies solicited by closed-end (and open-end) investment companies are voted in accordance with the pre-determined guidelines of an independent third-party.
Subject to participation agreements with certain Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) issuers that have received exemptive orders from the US Securities and Exchange Commission allowing investing Deutsche funds to exceed the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the Investment Company Act, AM will echo vote proxies for ETFs in which Deutsche Bank holds more than 25% of outstanding voting shares globally when required to do so by participation agreements and SEC orders.
Note : With respect to the Central Cash Management Fund (registered under the Investment Company Act), the Fund is not required to engage in echo voting and the investment adviser will use these Guidelines, and may determine, with respect to the Central Cash Management Fund, to vote contrary to the positions in the Guidelines, consistent with the Funds best interest.
K. | International Proxy Voting |
The above guidelines pertain to issuers organized in the United States, Canada, and Germany. Proxies solicited by other issuers are voted in accordance with international guidelines or the recommendation of ISS and in accordance with applicable law and regulation.
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DBX ETF Trust
Statement of Additional Information
Dated December 29, 2017
This combined Statement of Additional Information (SAI) is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectus (the Prospectus) for the below-referenced funds (each a Fund and collectively the Funds) of DBX ETF Trust (the Trust), as such Prospectus may be revised or supplemented from time to time:
Funds | Ticker | Stock Exchange | ||
Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF | IGVT | Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. | ||
Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF | IFIX | Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. | ||
Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF* | IHIY | Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. | ||
Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | HYLB | NYSE Arca, Inc. | ||
Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighed Bond ETF* | EMBQ | Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. |
The Prospectus for the Funds included in this SAI is dated December 29, 2017. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus may be obtained without charge by writing to the Trusts distributor, ALPS Distributors, Inc. (the Distributor), at 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203, calling 1-855-329-3837 (1-855-DBX-ETFS) or visiting www.Xtrackers.com.
* | As of the date of this SAI, Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighed Bond ETF have not begun offering shares. |
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General Description of the Trust and the Funds
The Trust currently consists of 35 operational investment series or portfolios. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on October 7, 2010 and is authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the 1940 Act). The offering of each Funds shares (the Shares) is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act).
On October 2, 2017, the name of each series of the Trust, including each Fund described in this SAI, was changed to replace Deutsche X-trackers with Xtrackers.
The investment objective of each Fund is to provide investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of a specified benchmark index (each, an Underlying Index). Each Fund is managed by DBX Advisors LLC (DBXA or the Adviser).
Each Fund offers and issues Shares at their net asset value (NAV) per Share only in aggregations of a specified number of Shares (Creation Units), generally in exchange for a basket of securities and other instruments included in its Underlying Index (the Deposit Securities), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the Cash Component). Shares of Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF are listed and trade on Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. and shares of Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF are listed and trade on NYSE Arca, Inc. (each, an Exchange). Shares of Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF are expected to be listed and trade on Cboe BZX Exchange, Inc. Shares trade in the secondary market at market prices that may be at, above or below NAV. Shares are redeemable only in Creation Units, and, partially for cash and partially in-kind for securities and other instruments generally included in a Funds Underlying Index. A Creation Unit consists of 50,000 Shares thereof.
The Trust reserves the right to offer a cash option for creations and redemptions of Shares. Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities subject to various conditions, including a requirement to maintain with the Trust a cash deposit, equal to at least 115%, which the Adviser may change from time to time, of the market value of the omitted Deposit Securities. See the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI. Transaction fees for cash creations and redemptions may be higher than the transaction fees associated with in-kind creations and redemptions.
A discussion of exchange listing and trading matters associated with an investment in each Fund is contained in the Shareholder Information section of the Funds Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, that section of the Prospectus.
Shares of each Fund are listed (or will be listed) for trading and will trade throughout the day on the Exchange. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of Shares of any Fund will continue to be met. The Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the Shares of a Fund from listing if (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of Fund Shares, there are fewer than 50 beneficial owners of Shares of the Fund for 30 or more consecutive trading days, (ii) the value of the Underlying Index on which a Fund is based is no longer calculated or available, (iii) the indicative optimized portfolio value (IOPV) of a Fund is no longer calculated or available or (iv) any other event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Exchange, makes further dealings on the Exchange inadvisable. The Exchange will also remove Shares of a Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.
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As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, when you buy or sell Shares through a broker you will incur a brokerage commission determined by that broker.
In order to provide additional information regarding the indicative value of Shares of the Fund, the Exchange or a market data vendor disseminates every 15 seconds through the facilities of the Consolidated Tape Association or other widely disseminated means an updated IOPV for the Fund as calculated by an information provider or market data vendor. The Trust is not involved in or responsible for any aspect of the calculation or dissemination of the IOPVs and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the IOPVs.
An IOPV has a securities component and a cash component. The securities values included in an IOPV are the values of the Deposit Securities for a Fund. While the IOPV reflects the current market value of the Deposit Securities required to be deposited in connection with the purchase of a Creation Unit, it does not necessarily reflect the precise composition of the current portfolio of securities held by a Fund at a particular point in time because the current portfolio of the Fund may include securities that are not a part of the current Deposit Securities. Therefore, a Funds IOPV disseminated during the Exchange trading hours should not be viewed as a real-time update of the Funds NAV, which is calculated only once a day.
The cash component included in an IOPV consists of estimated accrued interest, dividends and other income, less expenses. If applicable, each IOPV also reflects changes in currency exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the applicable currency.
The Trust reserves the right to adjust the Share prices of Funds in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund.
Investment Strategies and Risks
Each Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the performance, before fees and expenses, of its respective Underlying Index.
Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in sovereign bonds and in instruments designed to hedge against the Funds exposure to non-U.S. currencies.
Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in corporate bonds and in instruments designed to hedge against the Funds exposure to non-U.S. currencies.
Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in high yield bonds and in instruments designed to hedge against the Funds exposure to non-U.S. currencies.
Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in U.S. dollar-denominated high yield corporate bonds.
Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF will normally invest at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in U.S. dollar-denominated sovereign bonds issued in emerging market countries.
In addition, each Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets, but typically far more, in instruments that comprise its respective Underlying Index.
Each Fund operates as an index fund and will not be actively managed. Adverse performance of a security in each Funds portfolio may not result in the elimination of the security from a Funds portfolio.
Each Fund engages in representative sampling, which is investing in a sample of securities selected by the Adviser to have a collective investment profile similar to that of the Underlying Index. Securities selected have aggregate investment characteristics (based on market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, earnings valuation and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. Funds that use representative sampling generally do not hold all of the securities that are in the relevant Underlying Index.
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Diversification Status. Each Fund is classified as non-diversified. 1 A non-diversified fund is a fund that is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the percentage of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer. The securities of a particular issuer (or securities of issuers in particular industries) may dominate the underlying index of such a fund and, consequently, the funds investment portfolio. This may adversely affect the funds performance or subject the funds shares to greater price volatility than that experienced by more diversified investment companies.
Each Fund intends to maintain the required level of diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a regulated investment company (RIC) for purposes of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code), and to relieve the Fund of any liability for U.S. federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders, provided that the Fund satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. Compliance with the diversification requirements of the Code may limit the investment flexibility of the Funds and may make it less likely that such Funds will meet their investment objective.
Bonds. A bond is an interest-bearing security issued by a company, governmental unit or, in some cases, a non-U.S. entity. The issuer of a bond has a contractual obligation to pay interest at a stated rate on specific dates and to repay principal (the bonds face value) periodically or on a specified maturity date. An issuer may have the right to redeem or call a bond before maturity, in which case the investor may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower market rates. Most bonds bear interest income at a coupon rate that is fixed for the life of the bond. The value of a fixed rate bond usually rises when market interest rates fall, and falls when market interest rates rise. Accordingly, a fixed rate bonds yield (income as a percent of the bonds current value) may differ from its coupon rate as its value rises or falls. Other types of bonds bear income at an interest rate that is adjusted periodically. Bonds may be senior or subordinated obligations. Senior obligations generally have the first claim on a corporations earnings and assets and, in the event of liquidation, are paid before subordinated obligations. Bonds may be unsecured (backed only by the issuers general creditworthiness) or secured (also backed by specified collateral).
Repurchase Agreements. Each Fund may enter into repurchase agreements. A repurchase agreement is an instrument under which the purchaser (i.e., a Fund) acquires the security and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the security at a mutually agreed upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchasers holding period. Repurchase agreements may be construed to be collateralized loans by the purchaser to the seller secured by the securities transferred to the purchaser. If a repurchase agreement is construed to be a collateralized loan, the underlying securities will not be considered to be owned by each Fund but only to constitute collateral for the sellers obligation to pay the repurchase price, and, in the event of a default by the seller, each Fund may suffer time delays and incur costs or losses in connection with the disposition of the collateral.
In any repurchase transaction, collateral for a repurchase agreement may include cash items, obligations issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities and any other debt security that the Adviser determines at the time the repurchase agreement is entered into: (i) the issuer of which has an exceptionally strong capacity to meet its financial obligations; and (ii) is sufficiently liquid that it can be sold at approximately its carrying value in the ordinary course of business within seven calendar days. Collateral, however, is not limited to the foregoing and may include for example obligations rated below the highest category by NRSROs. Collateral for a repurchase agreement may also include securities that a Fund could not hold directly without the repurchase obligation.
1 | Currently, under the 1940 Act, a non-diversified investment company is a fund that is not diversified, and for a fund to be classified as a diversified investment company, at least 75% of the value of the funds total assets must be represented by cash and cash items (including receivables), government securities, securities of other investment companies, and securities of other issuers, which for the purposes of this calculation are limited in respect of any one issuer to an amount (valued at the time of investment) not greater in value than 5% of the funds total assets and to not more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer. Pursuant to certain SEC staff positions, if a non-diversified funds investments are in fact diversified under the 1940 Act for a period of three years, the fund may be considered diversified and may not be able to convert to a non-diversified fund without the approval of shareholders. |
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Repurchase agreements pose certain risks for a Fund that utilizes them. Such risks are not unique to the Funds but are inherent in repurchase agreements. The Funds seek to minimize such risks but such risks cannot be eliminated. Lower quality collateral and collateral with longer maturities may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality collateral and collateral with shorter maturities. If the repurchase agreement counterparty were to default, lower quality collateral may be more difficult to liquidate than higher quality collateral. Should the counterparty default and the amount of collateral not be sufficient to cover the counterpartys repurchase obligation, a Fund would retain the status of an unsecured creditor of the counterparty (i.e., the position the Fund would normally be in if it were to hold, pursuant to its investment policies, other unsecured debt securities of the defaulting counterparty) with respect to the amount of the shortfall. As an unsecured creditor, a Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction.
Reverse Repurchase Agreements. Each Fund may enter into reverse repurchase agreements, which involve the sale of securities with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment and have the characteristics of borrowing. Generally the effect of such transactions is that the Fund can recover all or most of the cash invested in the portfolio securities involved during the term of the reverse repurchase agreement, while in many cases the Fund is able to keep some of the interest income associated with those securities. Such transactions are advantageous only if the Fund has an opportunity to earn a rate of interest on the cash derived from these transactions that is greater than the interest cost of obtaining the same amount of cash. Opportunities to realize earnings from the use of the proceeds equal to or greater than the interest required to be paid may not always be available and each Fund intends to use the reverse repurchase technique only when the Adviser believes it will be advantageous to the Fund. The use of reverse repurchase agreements may exaggerate any interim increase or decrease in the value of each Funds assets. The Funds exposure to reverse repurchase agreements will be covered by assets having a value equal to or greater than such commitments. Each Fund maintains liquid assets in connection with reverse repurchase agreements. Under the 1940 Act, reverse repurchase agreements are considered borrowings.
Currency Transactions. (Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF only) Each Fund may enter into forward currency contracts designed to offset a Funds exposure to non-U.S. currencies. In addition, the Funds may enter into forward currency and foreign currency futures contracts to facilitate local securities settlements or to protect against currency exposure in connection with distributions to Shareholders. Each Fund invests in forward currency contracts to hedge against changes in the value of the U.S. dollar against specified foreign currencies.
A forward currency contract (forward contract) involves an obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days from the date of the contract agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. These contracts are principally traded in the interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large, commercial banks) and their customers. A forward contract generally has no margin deposit requirement, and no commissions are charged at any stage for trades.
A non-deliverable forward contract (NDF) is a forward contract where there is no physical settlement of two currencies at maturity. NDFs are contracts between parties in which a net settlement amount based on the change in the specified foreign exchange rate is paid by one party to the other. The Funds obligations with respect to each NDF is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of cash or liquid securities at least equal to such amount maintained in an account at the Trusts custodian bank. The risk of loss with respect to NDFs generally is limited to the net amount of payments that a Fund is contractually obligated to make or receive.
A foreign currency futures contract is a contract involving an obligation to deliver or acquire the specified amount of a specific currency, at a specified price and at a specified future time. Futures contracts may be settled on a net cash payment basis rather than by the sale and delivery of the underlying currency.
Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments . Each Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons, including to the extent necessary to help each Fund track its Underlying Index, but will not invest in money market instruments or other short-term investments as part of a temporary defensive strategy to protect against potential bond market declines. Money market instruments are generally short-term investments that may include but are not limited to: (i) Shares of money market funds (including those advised by the Adviser); (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit (CDs), bankers acceptances, fixed-time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks (including non-U.S. branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated, at the date of purchase, Prime-1 by Moodys ® Investors Service, Inc. (Moodys) or A-1 by Standard & Poors ® Financial Services, LLC (S&P), or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by the Adviser; (v) non-convertible corporate debt securities (e.g., bonds and debentures) with remaining maturities at the date of purchase of not more than 397 days and that satisfy the credit quality requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (vi) repurchase agreements; and (vii) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of non-U.S. banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of the Adviser, are of
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comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks which may be purchased by a Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or forward-settled basis. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Bankers acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.
Non-U.S. Securities. Each Fund may purchase bonds of non-U.S. issuers. Investing in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. These include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations, political instability which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries, and potential restrictions on the flow of international capital. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product, rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions.
Restricted Securities/Rule 144A Securities. The Funds may invest in securities offered pursuant to Rule 144A under the 1933 Act (Rule 144A securities), which are restricted securities. They may be less liquid and more difficult to value than other investments because such securities may not be readily marketable in broad public markets. The Funds may not be able to sell a restricted security promptly or at a reasonable price. Although there is a substantial institutional market for Rule 144A securities, it is not possible to predict exactly how the market for Rule 144A securities will develop. A restricted security that was liquid at the time of purchase may subsequently become illiquid and its value may decline as a result. Restricted securities that are deemed illiquid will count towards a Funds 15% limitation on illiquid securities. In addition, transaction costs may be higher for restricted securities than for more liquid securities. The Funds may have to bear the expense of registering Rule 144A securities for resale and the risk of substantial delays in effecting the registration.
Securities of Investment Companies. Each Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds) and real estate investment trusts (REITs) to the extent allowed by law. Pursuant to the 1940 Act, a Funds investment in investment companies is limited to, subject to certain exceptions: (i) 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any one investment company; (ii) 5% of the Funds total assets with respect to any one investment company and (iii) 10% of the Funds total assets with respect to investment companies in the aggregate. To the extent allowed by law or regulation, each Fund may invest its assets in the securities of investment companies that are money market funds, including those advised by the Adviser or otherwise affiliated with the Adviser, in excess of the limits discussed above. Other investment companies in which a Fund invests can be expected to incur fees and expenses for operations, such as investment advisory and administration fees, that would be in addition to those incurred by the Fund.
Illiquid Securities. Each Fund may invest up to an aggregate amount of 15% of its net assets in illiquid securities (calculated at the time of investment). Illiquid securities include securities subject to contractual or other restrictions on resale and other instruments that lack readily available markets.
Futures and Options. Each Fund may enter into futures contracts and options. These futures contracts and options will be used to simulate investment in the respective Underlying Index, facilitate trading or reduce transaction costs. Each Fund will enter into futures contracts and options that are traded on a U.S. or non-U.S. exchange. No Fund will use futures or options for speculative purposes. Each Fund intends to use futures and options in accordance with Rule 4.5 promulgated under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA). The Adviser, on behalf of each Fund, has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term commodity pool operator in accordance with Rule 4.5 so that each Fund is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the CEA.
Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific instrument or index at a specified future time and at a specified price. Each Fund may enter into futures contracts to purchase the value of one or more securities indexes when the Adviser anticipates purchasing the underlying securities and believe prices will rise before the purchase will be made. To the extent required by law, liquid assets committed to futures contracts will be maintained.
A call option gives a holder the right to purchase a specific security at a specified price (exercise price) within a specified period of time. A put option gives a holder the right to sell a specific security at a specified exercise price within a specified period of time. The initial purchaser of a call option pays the writer a premium, which is paid at the time of purchase and is retained by the writer whether or not such option is exercised. Each Fund may purchase put options to hedge its portfolio against the risk of a decline in the market value of securities held and may purchase call options to hedge against an increase in the price of securities it is committed to purchase. Each Fund may write put and call options along with a long position in options to increase its ability to hedge against a change in the market value of the securities it holds or is committed to purchase. Investments in futures contracts and other investments that contain leverage may require each Fund to maintain liquid assets. Generally, each Fund maintains an amount of liquid assets equal to its obligations relative to the position involved, adjusted daily on a marked-to-market basis. With respect to futures contracts that are contractually required to cash-settle, each Fund maintains liquid assets in an amount at least equal to each Funds daily marked-to-market obligation (i.e., each Funds daily net liability, if any), rather than the contracts notional value. By maintaining assets
5
equal to its net obligation under cash-settled futures contracts, the Fund may employ leverage to a greater extent than if each Fund set aside assets equal to the futures contracts full notional value. Each Fund bases its asset maintenance policies on methods permitted by the staff of the SEC and may modify these policies in the future to comply with any changes in the guidance articulated from time to time by the SEC or its staff.
Options on Futures Contracts. An option on a futures contract, as contrasted with the direct investment in such a contract, gives the purchaser the right, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in the underlying futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option. Upon exercise of an option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of the accumulated balance in the writers futures margin account that represents the amount by which the market price of the futures contract exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option on the futures contract. The potential for loss related to the purchase of an option on a futures contract is limited to the premium paid for the option plus transaction costs. Because the value of the option is fixed at the point of sale, there are no daily cash payments by the purchaser to reflect changes in the value of the underlying contract; however, the value of the option changes daily and that change would be reflected in the NAV of each Fund. The potential for loss related to writing call options is unlimited. The potential for loss related to writing put options is limited to the agreed upon price per Share, also known as the strike price, less the premium received from writing the put.
Each Fund may purchase and write put and call options on futures contracts that are traded on an exchange as a hedge against changes in value of its portfolio securities, or in anticipation of the purchase of securities, and may enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate existing positions. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be effected.
Upon entering into a futures contract, a Fund will be required to deposit with the broker an amount of cash or cash equivalents known as initial margin, which is in the nature of a performance bond or good faith deposit on the contract and is returned to each Fund upon termination of the futures contract, assuming all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Subsequent payments, known as variation margin, to and from the broker will be made daily as the price of the index underlying the futures contract fluctuates, making the long and short positions in the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as marking-to-market. At any time prior to the expiration of a futures contract, each Fund may elect to close the position by taking an opposite position, which will operate to terminate a Funds existing position in the contract.
Restrictions on the Use of Futures Contracts and Options on Futures Contracts. Pursuant to a claim for exclusion filed with the National Futures Association (NFA) on behalf of each Fund, the Trust is not deemed to be a commodity pool operator (CPO), under the CEA, and it is not subject to registration or regulation as such under the CEA. The Adviser is not deemed to be a commodity trading advisor with respect to its services as an investment adviser to each Fund. Under CFTC regulations, the Adviser would need to register with the CFTC as CPO if a Fund is unable to comply with certain trading and marketing limitations on its investments in futures and certain other instruments. With respect to investments in swap transactions, commodity futures, commodity options or certain other derivatives used for purposes other than bona fide hedging purposes, the Trust, on behalf of the Fund must meet one of the following tests under the amended regulations in order to claim an exclusion from the definition of a CPO. First, the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish a Funds positions in such investments may not exceed five percent of the liquidation value of the Funds portfolio (after accounting for unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such investments). Alternatively, the aggregate net notional value of such instruments, determined at the time of the most recent position established, may not exceed one hundred percent (100%) of the liquidation value of the Funds portfolio (after accounting for unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions). In addition to meeting one of the foregoing trading limitations, a Fund may not market itself as a commodity pool or otherwise as a vehicle for trading in the commodity futures, commodity options or swaps and derivatives markets. In the event that the Adviser is required to register as a CPO with respect to a Fund, the disclosure and operations of the Fund would need to comply with all applicable CFTC regulations. Compliance with these additional registration and regulatory requirements could increase operational expenses. Other potentially adverse regulatory initiatives could also develop.
Swap Agreements. Over-the-counter (OTC) swap agreements are contracts between parties in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to the other party based on the change in market value or level of a specified rate, index or asset. In return, the other party agrees to make periodic payments to the first party based on the return of a different specified rate, index or asset. Swap agreements will usually be performed on a net basis, with each Fund receiving or paying only the net amount of the two payments. The net amount of the excess, if any, of a Funds obligations over its entitlements with respect to each swap is accrued on a daily basis and an amount of liquid assets having an aggregate value at least equal to the accrued excess will be maintained by each Fund. Cleared swaps are transacted through futures commission merchants (FCMs) that are members of central clearinghouses with the clearinghouse serving as a central counterparty similar to transactions in futures contracts.
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The use of interest-rate and index swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. These transactions generally do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets or principal.
Lending of Portfolio Securities. To generate additional income, a Fund may lend a percentage of its investment securities to approved institutional borrowers who need to borrow securities in order to complete certain transactions, such as covering short sales, avoiding failures to deliver securities or completing arbitrage operations, in exchange for collateral in the form of cash or US government securities. By lending its investment securities, a Fund attempts to increase its net investment income through the receipt of interest on the loan. Any gain or loss in the market price of the securities loaned that might occur during the term of the loan would belong to a Fund. A Fund may lend its investment securities so long as the terms, structure and the aggregate amount of such loans are not inconsistent with the 1940 Act or the rules and regulations or interpretations of the SEC thereunder, which currently require that (a) the borrower pledge and maintain with a Fund collateral consisting of liquid, unencumbered assets having a value at all times not less than 102% of the value of the securities loaned, (b) the borrower add to such collateral whenever the price of the securities loaned rises or the value of non-cash collateral declines (i.e., the borrower marks to the market on a daily basis), (c) the loan be made subject to termination by a Fund at any time, and (d) a Fund receives a reasonable return on the loan (consisting of the return achieved on investment of the cash collateral, less the rebate owed to borrowers, plus distributions on the loaned securities and any increase in their market value). A Fund may pay reasonable fees in connection with loaned securities, pursuant to written contracts, including fees paid to a Funds custodian and fees paid to a securities lending agent, including a securities lending agent that is an affiliate of the Adviser. Voting rights may pass with the loaned securities, but if an event occurs that the Adviser determines to be a material event affecting an investment on loan, the loan must be called and the securities voted. Cash collateral received by a Fund may be invested in a money market fund managed by the Adviser (or one of its affiliates).
A Fund is subject to all investment risks associated with the reinvestment of any cash collateral received, including, but not limited to, interest rate, credit and liquidity risk associated with such investments. To the extent the value or return of a Funds investments of the cash collateral declines below the amount owed to a borrower, a Fund may incur losses that exceed the amount it earned on lending the security. If the borrower defaults on its obligation to return securities lent because of insolvency or other reasons, a Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the securities lent or gaining access to collateral. If a Fund is not able to recover securities lent, a Fund may sell the collateral and purchase a replacement investment in the market, incurring the risk that the value of the replacement security is greater than the value of the collateral. However, loans will be made only to borrowers selected by a Funds delegate after a commercially reasonable review of relevant facts and circumstances, including the creditworthiness of the borrower.
In the case of securities lending transactions, payments in lieu of dividends are not qualified dividend income.
Securities Lending Activities . Pursuant to an agreement between the Fund and BNYM, BNYM is responsible for the administration and management of the Funds securities lending program, including the negotiation of the terms and conditions of any securities loan, ensuring that securities loans are properly coordinated and documented with the Funds custodian, ensuring that loaned securities are daily valued and that the corresponding required cash collateral is delivered by the borrower(s), arranging for the investment of cash collateral and arranging for the return of loaned securities upon the termination of the loan.
The dollar amounts of income and fees and compensation paid to all service providers related to the Fund that participated in securities lending activities during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017 were as follows:
Fund |
Gross
income 1 |
Revenue
Split 2 |
Cash
Collateral
Management Fees 3 |
Administrative
Fees 4 |
Indemnification
Fees 5 |
Rebates to
Borrowers |
Other
Fees |
Total Costs
of the Securities Lending Activities |
Net Income
from the Securities Lending Activities |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
HYLB |
$ | 76,144.07 | $ | 5,323.02 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 0 | $ | 5,323.02 | $ | 70,821.05 |
1 |
Gross income includes income from cash collateral reinvestment. |
2 |
Revenue split represents the share of revenue generated by the securities lending program and paid to BNYM. |
3 |
Cash collateral management fees include fees deducted from a pooled cash collateral reinvestment vehicle that are not included in the revenue split. |
4 |
These administrative fees are not included in the revenue split. |
5 |
These indemnification fees are not included in the revenue split. |
Future Developments. The Board may, in the future, authorize each Fund to invest in securities and investments other than those listed in this SAI and in the Funds Prospectus, provided they are consistent with each Funds investment objective and do not violate any investment restrictions or policies, and do not present material risks other than those listed in this SAI and/or the Funds Prospectus, as those may be amended or supplemented from time to time.
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General Considerations and Risks
A discussion of some of the risks associated with an investment in a Fund is contained in the Prospectus.
An investment in a Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of a Funds portfolio securities may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the financial condition of the issuers of the portfolio securities, the value of stocks in general and other factors that affect the market.
Risk of Fixed Income Securities. An investment in a Fund should also be made with an understanding of the risks inherent in an investment in fixed income securities. An issuer may have the right to redeem or call a bond before maturity, in which case the investor may have to reinvest the proceeds at lower market rates. Most bonds bear interest income at a coupon rate that is fixed for the life of the bond. The value of a fixed rate bond usually rises when market interest rates fall, and falls when market interest rates rise. Accordingly, a fixed rate bonds yield (income as a percent of the bonds current value) may differ from its coupon rate as its value rises or falls. Other types of bonds bear income at an interest rate that is adjusted periodically. Because of their adjustable interest rates, the values of floating-rate or variable-rate bonds generally fluctuate less in response to market interest rate movements than the value of similar fixed rate bonds. The Funds may treat some of these bonds as having a shorter maturity for purposes of calculating the weighted average maturity of its investment portfolio. Generally, prices of higher quality issues tend to fluctuate more with changes in market interest rates than prices of lower quality issues and prices of longer maturity issues tend to fluctuate more than prices of shorter maturity issues. Bonds may be senior or subordinated obligations. Senior obligations generally have the first claim on a corporations earnings and assets and, in the event of liquidation, are paid before subordinated obligations. Bonds may be unsecured (backed only by the issuers general creditworthiness) or secured (also backed by specified collateral).
Borrowing Risk. (Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF and Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF only) The Trust, on behalf of the Funds and certain other funds managed by the Adviser, has entered into a revolving senior unsecured credit facility with The Bank of New York Mellon (BNYM), Bank of Nova Scotia, HSBC, Royal Bank of Canada and State Street Corporation. The Funds may borrow money under this credit facility to the extent necessary for temporary or emergency purposes, including the funding of shareholder redemption requests, trade settlements, and as necessary to distribute to shareholders any income necessary to maintain the Funds status as a RIC. Interest is charged to the Funds, based on its borrowings, at current commercial rates. Each borrowing under the credit facility matures no later than 45 days after the date of borrowing. The Funds also pay a commitment fee equal to its pro rata share of the amount of the credit facility at a rate of 0.125% per annum of the daily amount of the excess, if any, of the lenders commitment over the aggregate outstanding principal balance of the loans made by the lender. The Funds can prepay loans at any time and may at any time terminate, or from time to time reduce, without the payment of a premium or penalty, the commitment under the credit facility subject to compliance with certain conditions.
Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the net asset value of Fund Shares and in the return on the Funds portfolio. Borrowing will cost a Fund interest expense and other fees, which may reduce a Funds return. Each Fund is required to maintain continuous asset coverage with respect to its borrowings and may be required to sell some of its holdings to reduce debt and restore coverage at times when it is not advantageous to do so. There is no assurance that a borrowing strategy will be successful. Upon the expiration of the term of a Funds existing credit arrangement, the lender may not be willing to extend further credit to the Fund or may only be willing to do so at an increased cost to the Fund. If a Fund is not able to extend its credit arrangement, it may be required to liquidate holdings to repay amounts borrowed from the lender. In addition, if a Funds assets increase, there is no assurance that the lender will be willing to make additional loans to the Fund in order to allow it to borrow the amounts desired by the Fund to facilitate redemptions.
Risks of Derivatives. A derivative is a financial contract, the value of which depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset such as a security or an index. A Fund may invest in stock index futures contracts and other derivatives. Compared to conventional securities, derivatives can be more sensitive to changes in interest rates or to sudden fluctuations in market prices and thus the Funds losses may be greater if it invests in derivatives than if it invests only in conventional securities.
Risks of Futures and Options Transactions. There are several risks accompanying the utilization of futures contracts and options on futures contracts. First, a position in futures contracts and options on futures contracts may be closed only on the exchange on which the contract was made (or a linked exchange). While each Fund plans to utilize futures contracts only if an active market exists for such contracts, there is no guarantee that a liquid market will exist for the contract at a specified time. Furthermore, because, by definition, futures contracts project price levels in the future and not current levels of valuation, market circumstances may result in a discrepancy between the price of the stock index future and the movement in the Underlying Index. In the event of adverse price movements, a Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin. In such situations, if a Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. In addition, a Fund may be required to deliver the instruments underlying the futures contracts it has sold.
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The risk of loss in trading futures contracts or uncovered call options in some strategies (e.g., selling uncovered stock index futures contracts) is potentially unlimited. The Funds do not plan to use futures and options contracts in this way. The risk of a futures position may still be large as traditionally measured due to the low margin deposits required. In many cases, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate and substantial loss or gain to the investor relative to the size of a required margin deposit. The Fund, however, intend to utilize futures and options contracts in a manner designed to limit their risk exposure to levels comparable to a direct investment in the types of stocks in which they invest.
Utilization of futures and options on futures by a Fund involves the risk of imperfect or even negative correlation to the Underlying Index if the index underlying the futures contract differs from the Underlying Index. There is also the risk of loss by a Fund of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom a Fund has an open position in the futures contract or option. The purchase of put or call options will be based upon predictions by the Adviser as to anticipated trends, which predictions could prove to be incorrect.
Because the futures market generally imposes less burdensome margin requirements than the securities market, an increased amount of participation by speculators in the futures market could result in price fluctuations. Certain financial futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount by which the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous days settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. It is possible that futures contract prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting each Fund to substantial losses. In the event of adverse price movements, each Fund would be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin.
Risks of Swap Agreements. The risk of loss with respect to swaps generally is limited to the net amount of payments that a Fund is contractually obligated to make. Swap agreements are subject to the risk that the swap counterparty will default on its obligations. If such a default occurs, a Fund will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. However, such remedies may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws which could affect such Funds rights as a creditor (e.g., a Fund may not receive the net amount of payments that it contractually is entitled to receive). Central clearing is expected to decrease counterparty risk and increase liquidity compared to un-cleared swaps because central clearing interposes the central clearinghouse as the counterpart to each participants swap. However, central clearing does not eliminate counterparty risk or illiquidity risk entirely. In addition depending on the size of a fund and other factors, the margin required under the rules of a clearinghouse and by a clearing member FCM may be in excess of the collateral required to be posted by a fund to support its obligations under a similar un-cleared swap. It is expected, however, that regulators will adopt rules imposing certain margin requirements, including minimums, on un-cleared swaps in the near future, which could reduce the distinction.
Tax Risks. As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in Shares of the Fund will be taxed. The tax information in the Prospectus and this SAI is provided as general information. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in Shares of the Fund.
Cyber Security Risk. With the increased use of technology and dependence on computer systems to perform necessary business functions, a Fund and its service providers (including the Funds adviser, administrator, transfer agent, distributor, custodian, financial intermediaries and, if applicable, a sub-adviser) may be exposed to operational and information security risks resulting from cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks include, but are not limited to, infection by computer viruses or other malicious software code, unauthorized access to the service providers digital systems through hacking, physically accessing systems or data storage facilities, or other means for the purpose of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyber-attacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access to service providers digital systems, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on the service providers systems or web-sites that render them unavailable. In addition, authorized persons could inadvertently or intentionally release confidential or proprietary information stored on the service providers systems.
Cyber-attacks have the potential to interfere with the processing of Authorized Participant (AP) transactions and shareholder transactions on the Exchange, impact a Funds ability to calculate its NAV, cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential Fund information, impede trading, cause reputational damage, and subject a Fund or its service providers to regulatory fines, penalties or financial losses, reimbursement or other compensation costs, litigation costs, and/or additional compliance costs. A Fund and its service providers may also incur substantial costs for cyber security risk management in order to prevent future cyber security incidents. A Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result of the costs. Similar types of cyber security risks exist for issuers of securities or other instruments in which a Fund invests. Cyber-attacks could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause a Funds investments therein to lose value.
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None of the Funds experienced portfolio turnover of over 100% during the fiscal period ended August 31, 2017.
Each Fund has delegated proxy voting to the Adviser, with the direction that proxies should be voted consistent with the Funds best economic interests. The Adviser has adopted its own Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures (Policies) and Proxy Voting Guidelines (Guidelines) for this purpose. The Policies address, among other things, conflicts of interest that may arise between the interests of a Fund, and the interests of the Adviser and its affiliates. The Policies and Guidelines are included in Appendix A.
You may obtain information about how each Fund voted proxies related to its portfolio securities during the 12-month period ended June 30 by visiting the SECs website at www.sec.gov or by visiting our website at www.Xtrackers.com (click on proxy voting at the bottom of the page).
Portfolio Holdings Information
The Trust has adopted a policy regarding the disclosure of information about the Trusts portfolio holdings. The Board must approve all material amendments to this policy.
The Funds portfolio holdings are publicly disseminated each day the Funds are open for business through financial reporting and news services, including publicly accessible Internet web sites. In addition, a basket composition file, which includes the security names and share quantities to deliver in exchange for Fund Shares, together with estimates and actual cash components, is publicly disseminated daily prior to the opening of the Exchanges via the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC). The basket represents one Creation Unit of each Fund. The Trust, the Adviser and the Administrator will not disseminate non-public information concerning the Trust.
Construction and Maintenance of the Underlying Indexes
The Barclays Global Aggregate Treasury Ex USD Issuer Diversified Bond Index (USD Hedged), the Barclays Global Aggregate Corporate Ex USD Bond Index (USD Hedged), and the Barclays Pan Euro High Yield Bond Index (USD Hedged) (collectively, the Barclays Indexes) are calculated and maintained by Barclays Risk Analytics and Index Solutions Ltd. (BRAIS or the Index Provider). BRAIS serves as the index administrator and calculation agent for the Barclays Indexes. The Solactive USD High Yield Corporates Total Market Index is calculated and maintained by Solactive AG (Solactive or the Index Provider). Solactive serves as the index administrator and calculation agent for the Solactive USD High Yield Corporates Total Market Index. Markit Group Limited (Markit or the Index Provider and together with BRAIS and Solactive, the Index Providers) sponsors the Markit iBoxx USD Emerging Markets Sovereigns Quality Weighted Total Return Index.
All Barclays Indexes
For U.S. investors, international fixed-income investments include two components of return. The first is the return attributable to security prices and/or income received from such securities in the non-U.S. market or markets in which an investment is made. The second is the return attributable to the value of the applicable non-U.S. currencies relative to the U.S. dollar. By hedging exposure to the fluctuations in the value of the non-U.S. currencies included in the Underlying Index to the U.S. dollar, the Underlying Index seeks to track the performance of the applicable securities that is attributable solely to security prices.
Each Underlying Index hedges the applicable non-U.S. currencies in the Underlying Index to the U.S. dollar by including the impact of selling the applicable non-U.S. currencies forward at the one-month forward rate published by WM/Reuters. With respect to each Underlying Index, the weight of the currency is based on the expected end-of-month market value of the securities quoted in that currency in the Underlying Index, which is calculated based on the combination of the securities market value and yield as of the beginning of the month. The Underlying Index is rebalanced monthly on the last trading day of the month, when the index will reflect the effect of rolling into new 1-month forward contracts based on the newly determined weights of currency to be sold for the next months index calculation. The currency weights are determined as of the last calendar day of the preceding month. This means that no changes in the weights are made during the month to account for changes in the Underlying Index due to price movement of constituent securities.
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Cash flows from bond payments that are received during the month are retained in the Underlying Index until the end of the month and then are reinvested in the component securities of the Underlying Index as part of the rebalancing. Cash does not earn any reinvestment income while it is reflected in the Underlying Index.
With respect to the bond components of the Underlying Index, the Underlying Index is rebalanced on the last calendar day of the month. No changes are made to constituent holdings other than on month end rebalancing dates.
Barclays Global Aggregate Treasury Ex USD Issuer Diversified Bond Index (USD Hedged)
Number of components: approximately 1,117
The Barclays Global Aggregate Treasury Ex USD Issuer Diversified Bond Index (USD Hedged) is designed to track the performance of investment grade sovereign debt publicly issued in the developed and emerging markets and denominated in the issuers own domestic currency (excluding all securities denominated in U.S. dollars) while mitigating exposure to fluctuations between the value of the U.S. dollar and the currencies of the countries included in the Underlying Index.
The universe of bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index includes those bonds that fulfill the following conditions:
|
Bond must be fully taxable, publicly issued in the global and regional markets; |
|
Qualifying securities must have an investment grade rating (based on an average of Moodys, Fitch, Inc. (Fitch) and S&P |
|
Bond must have a fixed-coupon schedule; |
|
Time to maturity must be at least one year as of the rebalancing date, regardless of optionality; |
|
Fixed minimum issue sizes are set for all local currency markets. Qualifying currencies and their respective minimum local currency issue size requirements are: 300 million: Canadian dollars, euro, Swiss francs, Australian dollars; 200 million: British pounds; 35 billion: Japanese yen; 2 billion: Danish krone, Norwegian krone, Polish zloty, South African rand, Israeli new shekel, Hong Kong dollars, Malaysian ringgit, Turkish lira; 2.5 billion: Swedish koruna; 10 billion: Mexican peso, Czech koruna, Thai baht; 20 billion: Russian ruble; 500 million: New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar; 100 billion: Chilean peso; 500 billion: South Korean won; |
|
Original issue zero coupon bonds, bullet bonds (a debt instrument whose entire face value is paid at once on the maturity date), putable bonds (a bond with an embedded put option), sinkable bonds (a bond backed by a fund that sets aside money to ensure principal and interest payments are made by the issuer as promised), amortizing bonds (a bond where the discount amount being amortized becomes part of its interest expense over the life of the bond) and callable bonds qualify for inclusion; and |
|
Debt issued by central governments in non-domestic currencies, inflation-linked bonds, floating-rate issues, private placements, retail bonds, government bonds issued by the state of Russia (sinkable Russian OFZ bonds) prior to 2009, treasury obligations with separately traded principal and interest component parts that are transferable through the federal book-entry system (Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities or STRIPS) and illiquid securities with no available internal or third-party pricing source are excluded from the Underlying Index. |
Underlying Index constituents are capitalization-weighted based on their current amount outstanding multiplied by the market price plus accrued interest. The Underlying Index employs a capping methodology to issuer (country) weights so that (i) no single country exceeds 24% of the Underlying Index weight; (ii) the next four largest countries are cumulatively capped at 25% of the Underlying Index weight; and (iii) the remaining countries are capped such that no single country exceeds 4.5% of the Underlying Index weight.
Barclays Global Aggregate Corporate Ex USD Bond Index (USD Hedged)
Number of components: approximately 3,849
The Barclays Global Aggregate Corporate Ex USD Bond Index (USD Hedged) is designed to track the performance of investment grade corporate debt publicly issued in developed and emerging markets (excluding all securities denominated in U.S. dollars) in the industrial, utility and financial sectors while mitigating exposure to fluctuations between the value of the U.S. dollar and the currencies of the countries included in the Underlying Index.
The universe of bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index includes those bonds that fulfill the following conditions:
|
Bond must be fully taxable, publicly issued in the global and regional markets; |
|
Bond must be issued by an industrial, utility or financial institution; |
|
Qualifying securities must have an investment grade rating (based on an average of Moodys, Fitch and S&P); |
11
|
Expected ratings at issuance may be used to ensure timely index inclusion or to classify split-rated issuers (rated investment grade by at least one credit rating agency, but below investment grade by another credit rating agency) properly; unrated securities may use an issuer rating for index classification purposes, if available. Unrated subordinated securities are included if a subordinated issuer rating is available; |
|
Bond must have a fixed-coupon schedule; callable fixed-to-floating rate bonds are eligible during their fixed-rate term only; bonds with a step-up coupon that changes according to a predetermined schedule are eligible. |
|
Time to maturity must be at least one year as of the rebalancing date, regardless of optionality; |
|
Fixed minimum issue sizes are set for all local currency markets. Qualifying currencies and their respective minimum local currency issue size requirements are: 300 million: Canadian dollars, euro, Swiss francs, Australian dollars; 200 million: British pounds; 35 billion: Japanese yen; 2 billion: Danish krone, Norwegian krone, Polish zloty, South African rand, Hong Kong dollars, Malaysian ringgit; 2.5 billion: Swedish koruna; 10 billion: Czech koruna, Thai baht; 500 million: New Zealand dollar, Singapore dollar; 500 billion: South Korean won; |
|
Original issue zero coupon bonds qualify for inclusion in the Underlying Index, as well as bullet, putable, sinkable/amortizing and callable bonds; bonds issued through underwritten medium term note (MTN) programs; enhanced equipment trust certificates (EETC); certificates of deposit and loan participation notes; |
|
Contingent capital securities (CoCos) including traditional CoCos and contingent write-down securities, with explicit capital ratio or solvency/balance sheet-based triggers; bonds with equity type features (i.e., warrants, convertibles, preferreds, dividend received deduction/qualified dividend income-eligible issues (DRD/QDI-eligible issues)); inflation-linked bonds, floating-rate issues; fixed-rate perpetuals (a debt instrument with a fixed coupon rate and no maturity date); private placements, retail bonds; structured notes, pass-through certificates and securities where reliable pricing is unavailable are excluded from the Underlying Index. |
Underlying Index constituents are capitalization-weighted based on their current amount outstanding multiplied by the market price plus accrued interest.
Barclays Pan Euro High Yield Bond Index (USD Hedged)
Number of components: approximately 628
The Barclays Pan Euro High Yield Bond Index (USD Hedged) is designed to track the performance of publicly issued below investment grade corporate debt denominated in euro, British pound, Danish krone, Norwegian krone, Swedish krona and Swiss franc while mitigating exposure to fluctuations between the value of the U.S. dollar and the currencies included in the Underlying Index. Inclusion in the Underlying Index is based on the currency of the issue and not on the domicile of the issuer. Emerging market debt is not eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index.
The universe of bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index includes those bonds that fulfill the following conditions:
|
Bond must be fully taxable, publicly issued in the global and regional markets; |
|
Bond must be issued by an industrial, utility or financial institution; |
|
Qualifying securities must be rated below investment grade (Ba1/BB+/BB+ or lower) using the middle rating of Moodys, Fitch and S&P; |
|
Expected ratings at issuance may be used to ensure timely index inclusion or to classify split-rated issuers properly; |
|
Bond must have a fixed-coupon schedule; callable fixed-to-floating rate bonds are eligible during their fixed-rate term only; bonds with a step-up coupon that changes according to a predetermined schedule are eligible; |
|
Time to maturity must be at least one year as of the rebalancing date, regardless of optionality; |
|
Fixed minimum issue sizes are set for all local currency markets. Qualifying currencies and their respective minimum local currency issue size requirements are: 50 million: British pound; 100 million: euro, Swiss francs; 500 million: Danish krone, Norwegian krone; 1 billion: Swedish krona; |
|
Original issue zero coupon bonds, bullet, putable, sinkable/amortizing and callable bonds, and pay-in-kind securities (including toggle notes) are included in the Underlying Index; |
|
Callable perpetual securities are included provided they are at least one year from the first call date. Fixed-to-floating rate securities are included provided they are callable within the fixed rate period and are at least one year from the last call prior to the date the bond transitions from a fixed to a floating rate security. |
|
CoCos including traditional CoCos and contingent write-down securities, with explicit capital ratio or solvency/balance sheet-based triggers; bonds with equity type features (i.e., warrants, convertibles, preferreds, DRD/QDI-eligible issues); inflation-linked bonds; private placements, retail bonds; defaulted issues; partial payment-in-kind (PIK) bonds, structured notes, pass-through certificates, unrated securities and securities where reliable pricing is unavailable are excluded from the Underlying Index. |
12
Solactive USD High Yield Corporates Total Market Index
Number of Components: approximately 1,170
The Solactive USD High Yield Corporates Total Market Index is designed to track the performance of a basket of U.S. dollar-denominated high yield liquid corporate bonds.
The universe of bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index are those bonds that fulfill the following conditions:
|
Corporate debt (excluding government debt, quasi-government debt, debt guaranteed or backed by governments, Regulation S securities, municipal bonds, Brady bonds and restructured bonds, private placements except 144A series); |
|
Bonds that are classified as fixed coupon bonds, step-up bonds driven by rating MTNs, callable and putable bonds and 144A securities (excluding zero coupon bonds, floating/variable coupon bonds, convertibles, inflation-linked bonds, perpetual bonds, accrued only bonds, Eurobonds, sinker, step-up bonds not driven by rating or step-up bonds where the coupon schedule is not known at issuance, pay-in-kind bonds); |
|
Covered bonds and notes may not be included in the Underlying Index; |
|
Country of risk of the bond can be defined as developed markets (classified by the Index Provider) to include the following countries as of September 2017: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States; |
|
Time to maturity must be at least one year (or at least 20 months to maturity for bonds newly added to the Underlying Index); |
|
Time to maturity at issuance must be 15 years or less; |
|
Bonds must be U.S. dollar denominated; |
|
Amount outstanding of each bond must be at least $400 million; |
|
Issuer must have at least $1 billion in total principal amount outstanding; and |
|
Must have a composite rating calculated from available ratings among three rating agencies: Moodys, Fitch and S&P. |
All bonds that meet the above requirements are included in the Underlying Index. The Underlying Index is rebalanced on the last business day of each month (the Adjustment Day). The components that will be added to or deleted from the Underlying Index on the Adjustment Day are determined three days prior to the Adjustment Day (the Selection Day). Newly-issued bonds that meet the requirements are generally added; whereas, any Underlying Index components that no longer meet the above requirements on the Selection Day are removed from the Underlying Index on the Adjustment Day.
The composition of the Underlying Index is ordinarily adjusted monthly on the Adjustment Day. On each Adjustment Day each issuer is weighted proportionally according to its market capitalization. The percentage weight of any issuer is capped at 3% on each Selection Day. The excess weight is allocated proportionally to all index components whose percentage weights are not capped. The Underlying Index is reconstituted and rebalanced on a monthly basis.
Markit iBoxx USD Emerging Markets Sovereigns Quality Weighted Total Return Index
Number of Components: approximately 327
The Markit iBoxx USD Emerging Markets Sovereigns Quality Weighted Total Return Index is designed to track the adjusted performance of U.S. dollar-denominated sovereign bonds issued by emerging market countries.
The universe of bonds eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index includes those bonds that fulfill the following conditions:
|
Eligible bonds must be U.S. dollar denominated; |
|
Eligible bonds must be sovereign debt issued by the central government or the central bank; |
|
Eligible bonds include fixed coupon bonds, zero coupon and multi coupon bonds with fixed coupon schedules and sinking fund and capitalizing bonds with a fixed sinking/capitalizing schedule (The following bonds are not eligible: callable and putable bonds); |
|
Restructured debt is eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index; Brady bonds are not; |
|
Eligible bonds must be issued in emerging markets, as defined by the Index Provider, and are subject to eligibility rules including restrictions on countries subject to financial sanctions; |
|
Eligible bonds must have a minimum average rating of B; |
|
Eligible bonds must be internationally tradable; only bonds with international securities identification numbers (ISINs) originating from Japan, the United States or Western Europe are eligible; |
|
Amount outstanding of each bond must be at least $500 million; and |
|
Time to maturity must be at least one year to maturity upon inclusion in the Underlying Index and eighteen months at issuance. |
13
The Underlying Index rules aim to offer a targeted coverage of the U.S. dollar denominated emerging market sovereign bonds universe with adjusted weights, by allocating higher weights to countries with relatively solid fundamentals and reducing weights of countries with relatively weak fundamentals. In evaluating a countrys fundamentals, the Index Provider considers the following factors: (i) gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in U.S. dollars; (ii) GDP growth; (iii) inflation; (iv) national debt in % of GDP; (v) national debt as a percentage of exports; (vi) reserves in % of GDP; (vii) history of default; and (viii) global competitiveness.
The Underlying Index is calculated at the end of each business day and rebalanced on the last calendar day of each month irrespective of holidays and weekends. If the Underlying Index is calculated on a day that is a non-business day, then the consolidated prices from the previous trading day will be carried forward and the Underlying Index will be calculated using those prices and the current accrued interest and coupon payment data.
The Board has adopted as non-fundamental policies the investment objectives of the Funds discussed in this SAI. Therefore, each of these Funds may change its investment objective and its Underlying Index without a Shareholder vote.
Fundamental Policies
The Board has adopted as fundamental policies for each Fund, the investment restrictions numbered 1 through 6 below. The restrictions for each Fund cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of that Funds outstanding voting securities. A vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities is defined in the 1940 Act as the lesser of (a) 67% or more of the voting securities present at a fund meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities are present or represented by proxy, and (b) more than 50% of outstanding voting securities.
Each Fund will not:
1. Concentrate its investments (i.e., invest 25% or more of its total assets in the securities of a particular industry or group of industries), except that a Fund will concentrate to the extent that its underlying index concentrates in the securities of such particular industry or group of industries. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities), repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities, and securities of state or municipal governments and their political sub-divisions are not considered to be issued by members of any industry;
2. Borrow money, except that (i) each Fund may borrow from banks for temporary or emergency (not leveraging) purposes, including the meeting of redemption requests which might otherwise require the untimely disposition of securities, and (ii) each Fund may, to the extent consistent with its investment policies, enter into repurchase agreements, reverse repurchase agreements, forward roll transactions and similar investment strategies and techniques; to the extent that it engages in transactions described in (i) and (ii), each Fund will be limited so that no more than 33 1/3% of the value of its total assets (including the amount borrowed) is derived from such transactions. Any borrowings which come to exceed this amount will be reduced in accordance with applicable law;
3. Issue any senior security, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as amended, and as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time;
4. Make loans, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as interpreted, modified or otherwise permitted by regulatory authority having jurisdiction, from time to time;
5. Purchase or sell real estate unless acquired as a result of ownership of securities or other investments (but this restriction shall not prevent each Fund from investing in securities of companies engaged in the real estate business or securities or other instruments backed by real estate or mortgages), or commodities or commodity contracts (but this restriction shall not prevent each Fund from trading in futures contracts and options on futures contracts, including options on currencies to the extent consistent with each Funds investment objectives and policies); or
6. Engage in the business of underwriting securities issued by other persons, except to the extent that each Fund may technically be deemed to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act, the disposing of portfolio securities.
For purposes of the concentration policy in investment limitation (1), municipal securities with payments of principal or interest backed by the revenue of a specific project are considered to be issued by a member of the industry which includes such specific project.
Senior securities may include any obligation or instrument issued by an investment company evidencing indebtedness. The 1940 Act generally prohibits a fund from issuing senior securities, although it provides allowances for certain borrowings and certain other
14
investments, such as short sales, reverse repurchase agreements, and firm commitment agreements, when such investments are covered or with appropriate earmarking or segregation of assets to cover such obligations.
Under the 1940 Act, an investment company may only make loans if expressly permitted by its investment policies.
Non-Fundamental Policies
In addition to the investment limitations adopted as fundamental as set forth above, each Fund observes the following restrictions, which may be changed by the Board without a Shareholder vote. A Fund will not:
1. Sell securities short, unless the Fund owns or has the right to obtain securities equivalent in-kind and amount to the securities sold short at no added cost, and provided that transactions in options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts or other derivative instruments are not deemed to constitute selling securities short;
2. Purchase securities on margin, except that the Fund may obtain such short-term credits as are necessary for the clearance of transactions; and provided that margin deposits in connection with futures contracts, options on futures contracts or other derivative instruments shall not constitute purchasing securities on margin;
3. Purchase securities of open-end or closed-end investment companies except in compliance with the 1940 Act, although the Fund may not acquire any securities of registered open-end investment companies or registered unit investment trusts in reliance on Sections 12(d)(1)(F) or 12(d)(1)(G) of the 1940 Act;
4. Invest in direct interests in oil, gas or other mineral exploration programs or leases; however, the Fund may invest in the securities of issuers that engage in these activities); and
5. Invest in illiquid securities if, as a result of such investment, more than 15% of the Funds net assets would be invested in illiquid securities.
If any percentage restriction described above is complied with at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in percentage resulting from any change in value or total or net assets will not constitute in a violation of such restriction, except that fundamental limitation (2) will be observed continuously in accordance with applicable law.
Each Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy in accordance with Rule 35d-1 under the 1940 Act to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in debt securities of issuers specified in the applicable Funds name and in instruments designed to hedge against the Funds exposure to non-U.S. currencies.
Each Fund also has adopted a policy to provide its shareholders with at least 60 days prior written notice of any change in such policy. In addition, each Fund will invest at least 80% of its total assets, but typically far more, in instruments that comprise its respective Underlying Index.
Trustees and Officers. The Board has responsibility for the overall management and operations of the Funds, including general supervision of the duties performed by the Adviser and other service providers. Each Trustee serves until his or her successor is duly elected or appointed and qualified. Each officer serves until he or she resigns, is removed, dies, retires or becomes disqualified.
The Trust currently has four Trustees. Three Trustees have no affiliation or business connection with the Adviser or any of its affiliated persons and do not own any stock or other securities issued by the Adviser. These are the non-interested or independent Trustees (the Independent Trustees). The other Trustee (the Interested Trustee) is affiliated with the Adviser.
The Independent Trustees of the Trust, their term of office and length of time served, their principal business occupations during the past five years, the number of portfolios in the Fund Complex (defined below) overseen by each Independent Trustee, and other directorships, if any, held by the Trustee are shown below. The Fund Complex includes all open- and closed-end funds (including all of their portfolios) advised by the Adviser and any funds that have an investment adviser that is an affiliated person of the Adviser. As of the date of this SAI, the Fund Complex consists of the Trusts 35 operational funds, as well as the mutual funds advised by affiliates of the Adviser.
15
Independent Trustees
Name, Year of Birth and Address |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Terms of
Office and Length of Time Served |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of
Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee |
Other Directorships held by Trustee |
|||||
Stephen R. Byers (1953) 345 Park Avenue New York, New York 10154 |
Trustee, Chairman of the Board and Member of the Audit and Nominating Committees; formerly, Lead Independent Trustee |
Trustee since
2011
(Chairman of the Board
|
Independent Director (2011-present); Independent Consultant (2014-present); formerly, Director of Investment Management, the Dreyfus Corporation (2000-2006) and Vice Chairman and Chief Investment Officer (2002-2006). | 35 | The Arbitrage Funds; Sierra Income Corporation; Mutual Fund Directors Forum. | |||||
George O. Elston (1964) 345 Park Avenue New York, New York 10154 |
Trustee, Chairman of the Audit Committee and Member of the Nominating Committee |
Trustee since
2011
(Chairman of the Audit
|
Chief Executive Officer, 2X Oncology, Inc. (2017-present); Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Juniper Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (2014-2016); Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, KBI BioPharma Inc. (2013-2014); Managing Partner, Chatham Street Partners (2010-2013). | 35 | ||||||
J. David Officer (1948) 345 Park Avenue New York, New York 10154 |
Trustee, Chairman of the Nominating Committee and Member of the Audit Committee |
Trustee since
2011
(Chairman of the
|
Independent Director (2010-present); formerly, Vice Chairman, the Dreyfus Corporation (2006-2009); President, The Dreyfus Family of Funds, Inc. (2006-2009). | 35 | Ilex Partners (Asia), LLC; Old Westbury Funds. |
16
Interested Trustee
Name, Year of Birth and Address |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Terms of
Office and Length of Time Served |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
Number of
Fund Complex Overseen by Trustee |
Other Directorships held by Trustee |
|||||
Michael Gilligan (1966) 345 Park Avenue New York, New York 10154 |
Trustee Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer and Controller |
Trustee
since 2016; Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer and Controller since 2010 |
Director in the Finance Division at Deutsche Bank AG (2008-present); Manager, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of the Adviser (2010-present); Chief Financial Officer of Global Passive Asset Management Platform (2012-present). | 35 | The Adviser, DBX Strategic Advisors LLC and DB Commodity Services LLC |
Officers
Name, Year of Birth and Address |
Position(s) Held with Fund |
Terms of
Office and Length of Time Served |
Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years |
|||
Freddi Klassen (1975) 345 Park Avenue New York, New York 10154 |
President and Chief Executive Officer |
Since
2016 |
Director in the Deutsche Asset Management Division at Deutsche Bank AG and Chief Operating Officer in the Americas for the Passive Asset Management Department (2014-present) and Trading and Product Development teams (2016-present); Manager and Chief Operating Officer of the Adviser (2016-present); Global Chief Operating Officer for Equities Technology in the Investment Bank Division at Deutsche Bank AG (2013-2014); Chief Operating Officer for Exchange Traded Funds and Systematic Funds in Europe (2008-2013). | |||
Fiona Bassett (1974) 345 Park Avenue New York, New York 10154 |
Chief Operating Officer |
Since
2014 |
Managing Director in the Deutsche Asset Management Passive Asset Management Group at Deutsche Bank AG and Head of Passive Americas Asset Management Platform (2014-present); Manager and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer of the Adviser (2014-present); Managing Director, COO Global Key Projects and Integration at Deutsche Asset Management (2012-2014); Managing Director at Deutsche Bank AG (2004-2012). | |||
Frank Gecsedi (1967) 60 Wall Street New York, New York 10005 |
Chief Compliance Officer |
Since
2010 |
Director in the Deutsche Asset Management Compliance Department (2016-present), Vice President in the Deutsche Asset Management Compliance Department at Deutsche Bank AG (2013-2016) and Chief Compliance Officer of the Adviser (2010-present); Vice President in Deutsche Banks Global Markets Legal, Risk and Capital Division (2010-2012). | |||
Bryan Richards (1978) 345 Park Avenue New York New York 10154 |
Vice President |
Since
2016 |
Director in the Deutsche Asset Management Division at Deutsche Bank A.G. (2014-present); Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management Department at Deutsche Bank AG (2011-present); and Primary portfolio manager for the PowerShares DB Commodity ETFs (20112015). | |||
Leslie Lowenbraun (1953) 60 Wall Street New York, New York 10005 |
Secretary |
Since
2016 |
Vice President in U.S. Retail Passive Legal of Deutsche Asset Management at Deutsche Bank AG (2014-present) and Chief Legal Officer of the Adviser (2017-present); Counsel at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP (2005-2014). |
17
Board Leadership, Structure and Oversight Responsibilities.
Board Structure. As noted above, the Board is responsible for oversight of the Funds, including oversight of the duties performed by the Adviser for the Funds under the investment advisory agreement (the Investment Advisory Agreement). The Board generally meets in regularly scheduled meetings four times a year and may meet more often as required.
Mr. Byers serves as Chairman of the Board. The Board is comprised of a super-majority (75 percent) of Independent Trustees. The Independent Trustees are advised by independent legal counsel and are represented by such independent legal counsel at Board and committee meetings. The chairmen of the Audit Committee and Nominating Committee (each of which consists solely of Independent Trustees) serve as liaisons between the Adviser and other service providers and the other Independent Trustees. Each such chairman is an Independent Trustee.
The Board regularly reviews its Committee structure and membership and believes that its current structure is appropriate based on the fact that the Independent Trustees constitute a super-majority of the Board, the role of the Committee chairmen (who are Independent Trustees), the assets and number of Funds overseen by the Trustees, as well as the nature of each Funds business as an ETF, which is managed to track the performance of a specified index.
Risk Oversight. The Funds are subject to a number of risks, including operational, investment and compliance risks. The Board, directly and through its Committees, as part of its oversight responsibilities, oversees the services provided by the Adviser and the Trusts other service providers in connection with the management and operations of the Funds, as well as their associated risks. Under the oversight of the Board, the Trust, the Adviser and other service providers have adopted policies, procedures and controls to address these risks. The Board, directly and through its Committees, receives and reviews information from the Adviser, other service providers, the Trusts independent registered public accounting firm and Trust counsel to assist it in its oversight responsibilities. This information includes, but is not limited to, reports regarding the Funds investments, including Fund performance and investment practices, valuation of Fund portfolio securities, and compliance. The Board also reviews, and must approve any proposed changes to, the Funds investment objectives, policies and restrictions, and reviews any areas of non-compliance with the Funds investment policies and restrictions. The Audit Committee monitors the Trusts accounting policies, financial reporting and internal control system and reviews any internal audit reports impacting the Trust. As part of its compliance oversight, the Board reviews the annual compliance report issued by the Trusts Chief Compliance Officer on the policies and procedures of the Trust and its service providers, proposed changes to the policies and procedures and quarterly reports on any material compliance issues that arose during the period.
Experience, Qualifications and Attributes. The Board has concluded, based on each Trustees experience, qualifications and attributes, that each Board member should serve as a Trustee. Following is a brief summary of the information that led to this conclusion.
Mr. Stephen Byers. Mr. Byers gained extensive experience with a variety of financial, accounting, management, regulatory and operational issues facing funds through his more than 30 years of experience on the boards and/or in senior management of such companies as The Arbitrage Funds, Sierra Income Corporation, Mutual Fund Directors Forum, College of William and Mary, Graduate School of Business, Lighthouse Growth Advisors LLC, Founders Asset Management, LLC, The Dreyfus Corporation, Gruntal & Co., LLC, Painewebber, Citibank/Citicorp and American Airlines. Mr. Byers possesses a strong understanding of the regulatory framework under which registered investment companies must operate and can provide management input and investment guidance to the Board.
Mr. George Elston. Through his prior positions on the boards and in senior management of such companies as Juniper Pharmaceuticals, Inc., KBI BioPharma, Inc., Celldex Therapeutics, Inc., Optherion, Inc. and Elusys Therapeutics, Mr. Elston has experience with a variety of financial, management, regulatory and operational issues as well as experience with marketing and distribution. Mr. Elston also has experience as a managing partner of Chatham Partners LLC, as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Juniper Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and as the Chief Executive Officer at 2X Oncology, Inc.
Mr. David Officer. Mr. Officer has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry and related fields, including his positions on the boards and/or in senior management of such companies as Ilex Partners (Asia), LLC, Old Westbury Funds, MAN Long/Short Fund, GLG Investment Series Trust, The Bank of New York Mellon, The Dreyfus Corporation, Laurel Capital Advisors and Bank of New England. In addition to his experience with financial, investment and regulatory matters, Mr. Officer has extensive accounting knowledge through his education and experience as a principal financial officer, principal accounting officer, controller, public accountant or auditor at his previous positions.
18
Mr. Michael Gilligan. In addition to his tenure as Director in the Finance Division at Deutsche Bank AG, Mr. Gilligan serves as the Manager, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of the Adviser and as the Chief Financial Officer of the Global Passive Asset Management Platform. Therefore, Mr. Gilligan has extensive knowledge of the financial and regulatory framework under which investment companies operate, including with respect to exchange-traded funds.
Committees of the Board of Trustees. The Board has two standing committees, the Audit Committee and the Nominating Committee, and has delegated certain responsibilities to those Committees.
Messrs. Byers, Elston and Officer currently serve as members of the Audit Committee. Mr. Elston currently serves as the Chairman of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee has the responsibility, among other things, to: (i) approve the selection, retention, termination and compensation of the Trusts independent registered public accounting firm; (ii) review the scope of the independent registered public accounting firms audit activity; (iii) review the audited financial statements; and (iv) review with such independent registered public accounting firm the adequacy and the effectiveness of the Trusts internal controls. The Audit Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017.
Messrs. Byers, Elston and Officer currently serve as members of the Nominating Committee. Mr. Officer currently serves as the Chairman of the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee has the responsibility, among other things, to identify and recommend individuals for Board membership, and evaluate candidates for Board membership. The Board will consider recommendations for trustees from Shareholders. Nominations from Shareholders should be in writing and sent to the Board, to the attention of the Chairman of the Nominating Committee, as described below under the caption Shareholder Communications to the Board. During the fiscal year ended August 31, 2017, the Nominating Committee did not meet.
Shareholder Communications to the Board. Shareholders may send communications to the Trusts Board by addressing the communications directly to the Board (or individual Board members) and/or otherwise clearly indicating in the salutation that the communication is for the Board (or individual Board members). The shareholder may send the communication to either the Trusts office or directly to such Board members at the address specified for each Trustee. Other shareholder communications received by the Trust not directly addressed and sent to the Board will be reviewed and generally responded to by management. Such communications will be forwarded to the Board at managements discretion based on the matters contained therein.
The table below sets forth the compensation paid to each Trustee during calendar year 2016:
Name of Trustee |
Aggregate Compensation from the Trust |
Pension or Retirement Benefits Accrued As Part of Trust Expenses |
Estimated Annual Benefits Upon Retirement |
Total Compensation From the Fund and Fund Complex |
||||
Stephen R. Byers *(1) | $135,750 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $135,750 | ||||
George O. Elston *(2) | $131,500 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $ 131,500 | ||||
J. David Officer * | $123,000 | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | $ 123,000 | ||||
Michael Gilligan | None | Not Applicable | Not Applicable | None |
1 |
Includes compensation as Independent Chairman of the Board. |
2 |
Includes compensation as Chairman of the Audit Committee. |
* | Includes compensation as a member of the Audit Committee. |
Trustee Ownership of Fund Shares. The following table shows the dollar range of Fund shares beneficially owned by each Trustee as of December 31, 2016.
19
NAME OF TRUSTEE |
DOLLAR RANGE OF
EQUITY
SECURITIES FOR EACH FUND |
AGGREGATE DOLLAR
RANGE OF EQUITY SECURITIES IN ALL FUNDS OVERSEEN BY TRUSTEE IN FAMILY OF INVEST COMPANIES |
||
Stephen R. Byers | None | $50,001-$100,000 | ||
George O. Elston | None | None | ||
J. David Officer | None | None | ||
Michael Gilligan | None | None |
Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities.
As of November 30, 2017, the officers and Trustees, as a group owned beneficially less than 1% of the shares of any of the Funds.
Although the Funds do not have information concerning the beneficial ownership of shares held in the names of Depository Trust Company (DTC) participants, as of November 30, 2017, the name and percentage ownership of each DTC participant that owned of record 5% or more of the outstanding shares of a Fund is set forth in the table below:
Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF
Name and Address |
Percentage Ownership | |||
Folio Investments, Inc. 8180 Greensboro Drive, 8 th Floor McLean, VA 22102 |
70.21 | % | ||
J.P. Morgan Clearing Corp. Corporate Actions Department 14201 Dallas Parkway, 12 th Fl. Dallas, TX 75254 |
10.56 | % | ||
National Financial Services LLC 499 Washington Blvd. Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
8.53 | % |
Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF
Name and Address |
Percentage Ownership | |||
Folio Investments, Inc. 8180 Greensboro Drive, 8 th Floor McLean, VA 22102 |
65.24 | % | ||
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. 4804 Deer Lake Drive Jacksonville, FL 32246 |
11.44 | % | ||
National Financial Services LLC 499 Washington Blvd. Jersey City, NJ 07310 |
8.78 | % |
20
Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF
Name and Address |
Percentage Ownership | |||
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. 2423 E Lincoln Drive Phoenix, AZ 85016-1215 |
42.18 | % | ||
The Bank of New York Mellon 525 William Penn Place Suite 153-0400 Pittsburgh, PA 15259 |
36.74 | % | ||
U.S. Bank N.A. 1555 N Rivercenter Drive Suite 302 Milwaukee, WI 53212 |
8.08 | % |
Investment Advisory, Administrative and Distribution Services
Investment Adviser. DBX Advisors LLC serves as investment adviser to each Fund pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and the Adviser. The Adviser is a Delaware limited liability company and was registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, in August 2010. DBX Advisors LLC was formed in June 2010 and is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Deutsche Bank AG.
Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser, subject to the supervision of the Board and in conformity with the stated investment policies of each Fund, manages and administers the Trust. The Adviser manages the investment and reinvestment of each Funds assets.
For its investment advisory services to the Funds, the Adviser is entitled to receive a unitary management fee from each Fund based on the Funds average daily net assets at an annual rate of:
Fund |
Fee | |||
Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF | 0.25 | % | ||
Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF | 0.30 | % | ||
Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF | 0.40 | % | ||
Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 0.20 | %* | ||
Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF | 0.35 | % |
* | Prior to November 14, 2017, the Adviser received a unitary management fee at an annual rate equal to 0.25% of the Funds average daily net assets. However, prior to that date, a voluntary expense limitation limited the Funds operating expenses at 0.20%. |
Under the Investment Advisory Agreement, the Adviser is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Funds (including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, compensation paid to the Independent Trustees in respect of the Independent Trustees service to the Fund (Independent Trustee Fees), legal, audit and other services) except for the fee payments under the Investment
21
Advisory Agreement, interest expense, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, litigation expenses and other extraordinary expenses.
For each Funds last fiscal period, the management fees paid by the Funds were as follows:
Fund |
2017 Fiscal
Period Fee paid |
|||
IGVT* | $10,398 | |||
IFIX* | $12,738 | |||
HYLB** | $299,608 |
* | The commencement date for the Fund was October 25, 2016. |
** | The commencement date for Fund was December 7, 2016. |
The Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to each Fund continues in effect for two years from its effective date, and thereafter is subject to annual approval by (i) the Board or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the applicable Fund, provided that in either event such continuance also is approved by a majority of the Board who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the applicable Fund, by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.
The Investment Advisory Agreement with respect to each Fund is terminable without penalty, on 60 days notice, by the Board or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the applicable Funds outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act). The Investment Advisory Agreement is also terminable upon 60 days notice by the Adviser and will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
Manager of Managers Structure. The Adviser and the Trust may rely on an exemptive order (the Order) from the SEC that permits the Adviser to enter into investment sub-advisory agreements with sub-advisers without obtaining shareholder approval. The Adviser, subject to the review and approval of the Board, selects sub-advisers for each Fund and supervises, monitors and evaluates the performance of each sub-adviser.
The Order also permits the Adviser, subject to the approval of the Board, to replace sub-advisers and amend investment sub-advisory agreements, including fees, without shareholder approval whenever the Adviser and the Board believe such action will benefit a Fund and its shareholders. The Adviser thus has the ultimate responsibility (subject to the ultimate oversight of the Board) to recommend the hiring and replacement of sub-advisers as well as the discretion to terminate any sub-adviser and reallocate a Funds assets for management among any other sub-adviser(s) and itself. This means that the Adviser is able to reduce the sub-advisory fees and retain a larger portion of the management fee, or increase the sub-advisory fees and retain a smaller portion of the management fee. Pursuant to the Order, the Adviser is not required to disclose its contractual fee arrangements with any sub-adviser. The Adviser compensates each sub-adviser out of its management fee.
Potential Conflicts of Interest . The Adviser is owned by Deutsche Bank AG, a multi-national financial services company. Therefore, the Adviser is affiliated with a variety of entities that provide, and/or engage in commercial banking, insurance, brokerage, investment banking, financial advisory, broker-dealer activities (including sales and trading), hedge funds, real estate and private equity investing, in addition to the provision of investment management services to institutional and individual investors. Since Deutsche Bank AG, its affiliates, directors, officers and employees (the Firm) are engaged in businesses and have interests in addition to managing asset management accounts, such wide ranging activities involve real, potential or apparent conflicts of interest. These interests and activities include potential advisory, transactional and financial activities and other interests in securities and companies that may be directly or indirectly purchased or sold by the Firm for its clients advisory accounts.
The Adviser may take investment positions in securities in which other clients or related persons within the Firm have different investment positions. There may be instances in which the Adviser is purchasing or selling for its client accounts, or pursuing an outcome in the context of a workout or restructuring with respect to, securities in which the Firm is undertaking the same or differing strategy in other businesses or other client accounts. These are considerations of which advisory clients should be aware and which may cause conflicts that could be to the disadvantage of the Advisers advisory clients, including the Fund. The Adviser has instituted business and compliance policies, procedures and disclosures that are designed to identify, monitor and mitigate conflicts of interest and, as appropriate, to report them to a Funds Board.
Portfolio Managers. Set forth below is additional information regarding the individuals identified in the Prospectus as primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds (Portfolio Managers).
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Each Portfolio Manager is responsible for various functions related to portfolio management, including, but not limited to, investing cash inflows, coordinating with members of his or her team to focus on certain asset classes, implementing investment strategy, researching and reviewing investment strategy and overseeing members of his or her portfolio management team with more limited responsibilities.
Mr. Richards is a Director with Deutsche Asset Management and has served as a Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management business since 2011. Prior to his current role, Mr. Richards served as an equity analyst for Fairhaven Capital LLC, a long/short equity fund, and at XShares Advisors, on behalf of an ETF issuer based in New York. At Deutsche Bank, Mr. Richards served as the primary portfolio manager for the PowerShares DB Commodity ETFs until their sale in 2015. He is currently responsible for the DBXA-managed ETFs as well as oversight of DBXA-sub-advised funds. Mr. Richards earned a BS in Finance from Boston College and is a CFA Charterholder.
Mr. Matsui is a Director with Deutsche Asset Management and has served as a Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management business since 2016. Prior to joining the Passive Asset Management business, Mr. Matsui served as a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager for Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (CSIM) where he was responsible for the day-to-day co-management of Schwabs taxable bond funds and the Schwab Fixed-Income ETFs. Before joining CSIM in 2010, Mr. Matsui was an associate Portfolio Manager on the Beta Management team at BNY Mellon and an analyst in the portfolio analytics group at BlackRock Solutions. Mr. Matsui earned an MBA from the University of Hawaii, with an emphasis in Finance and a minor in Japanese. He is a CFA Charterholder and has earned the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) certification.
Mr. Dora is a Vice President with Deutsche Asset Management and has served as a Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management business since 2016. Prior to his current role, Mr. Dora was responsible for trading and market making of European fixed income ETFs, structured funds, index swaps and options within the Fixed Income Derivatives Group in Corporate Banking & Securities, based out of London. Mr. Dora has a BTech and MTech (dual degree) in Industrial Engineering & Management from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.
Mr. Bridgeforth is an Assistant Vice President with Deutsche Asset Management and has served as a Portfolio Manager in the Passive Asset Management business since 2016. Prior to his current role, Mr. Bridgeforth was an Associate Portfolio Manager for Charles Schwab Investment Management, Inc. (CSIM) where he co-managed Schwabs taxable bond funds and the Schwab Fixed-Income ETFs. Prior to his Portfolio Manager role, Mr. Bridgeforth served as an Associate Trading Assistant in fixed income with CSIM. Mr. Bridgeforth earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Arizona and has passed the first level of the CFA program.
Certain Portfolio Manager Information
The tables below show the number of accounts managed by each Portfolio Manager and the total assets in the accounts, as of August 31, 2017, except as otherwise noted, in each of the following categories: registered investment companies, other pooled investment vehicles and other accounts. For each category, the table also shows the number of accounts and the total assets in the accounts with respect to which the advisory fee is based on account performance.
For each portfolio manager listed below, the total number of accounts managed is a reflection of all accounts they oversee or manage.
The following table provides information relating to accounts managed by Mr. Richards:
Registered
Investment Companies |
Other
Pooled
Investment Companies |
Other
Accounts |
||||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed | 36 | 0 | 5 | |||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Fees | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Assets Managed (assets in millions) | $12,293 | $0 | $355 | |||||||||
Assets Managed with Performance-Based Fees | $0 | $0 | $0 |
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The following table provides information relating to accounts managed by Mr. Matsui:
Registered
Investment Companies |
Other
Pooled
Investment Companies |
Other
Accounts |
||||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed | 7 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Fees | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Assets Managed (assets in millions) | $315 | $0 | $169 | |||||||||
Assets Managed with Performance-Based Fees | $0 | $0 | $0 |
The following table provides information relating to accounts managed by Mr. Dora:
Registered
Investment Companies |
Other
Pooled
Investment Companies |
Other
Accounts |
||||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed | 7 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Fees | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Assets Managed (assets in millions) | $315 | $0 | $169 | |||||||||
Assets Managed with Performance-Based Fees | $0 | $0 | $0 |
The following table provides information relating to accounts managed by Mr. Bridgeforth:
Registered
Investment Companies |
Other
Pooled
Investment Companies |
Other
Accounts |
||||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed | 7 | 0 | 2 | |||||||||
Number of Accounts Managed with Performance-Based Fees | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
Assets Managed (assets in millions) | $315 | $0 | $169 | |||||||||
Assets Managed with Performance-Based Fees | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Portfolio Manager Ownership of Fund Shares
The following table lists the dollar range (None, $1,-$10,000, $10,001-$50,000, $50,001-$100,000, $100,001-$500,000, $501,000-$1,000,000, over $1 million) of Fund shares beneficially owned by the primary portfolio manager(s) as of August 31, 2017.
Primary Portfolio Manager |
Fund |
Dollar Range
of Fund Shares Beneficially Owned |
||||||
Bryan Richards |
|
IFIX
IGVT |
|
|
$1-$10,000
$1-$10,000 |
|
||
Brandon Matsui |
|
IFIX
HYLB |
|
|
$1-$10,000
$1-$10,000 |
|
||
Tanju Dora | IFIX | $1-$10,000 | ||||||
Alexander Bridgeworth | | None |
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Portfolio Manager Compensation
The Adviser and its affiliates are part of the Deutsche Bank Group of companies. As employees of a company in the Deutsche Bank Group, portfolio managers are paid on a total compensation basis, which includes fixed pay (base salary) and variable compensation (VC), as follows:
|
Fixed pay is the key and primary element of compensation and reflects the value of the individuals role and function within the organization. It rewards factors that an employee brings to the organization such as skills and experience, while reflecting regional and divisional ( i.e. , Deutsche Asset Management) specifics. Fixed pay levels play a significant role in ensuring competitiveness of the Adviser and its affiliates in the labor market, thus benchmarking provides a valuable input when determining fixed pay levels. |
|
VC is a discretionary compensation element that enables the Adviser and its affiliates to provide additional reward to employees for their performance and behaviors, while reflecting Deutsche Bank Group affordability and the financial situation of Deutsche Bank AG (the Bank) and Deutsche Asset Management, the Banks asset management division. VC aims to: |
|
Recognize that every employee contributes to Deutsche Bank AGs success through the Deutsche Bank Group component of VC (Group Component); |
|
Reflect individual performance through discretionary individual VC (Individual Component); and |
|
Reward outstanding contributions at the junior levels through the discretionary recognition award. |
Employee seniority as well as divisional and regional specifics determine which VC elements are applicable for a given employee and the conditions under which they apply. Both group and individual components may be awarded in shares or share-based instruments and under deferral arrangements.
To evaluate its investment professionals in light of and consistent with the compensation principles set forth above, the Adviser and its affiliates review investment performance for all accounts managed in relation to a Funds Underlying Index. When determining total compensation, the Adviser and its affiliates consider a number of quantitative, qualitative and other factors:
|
Quantitative measures ( e.g. , tracking error, tracking difference and tax efficiency) are utilized to measure performance. |
|
Qualitative measures ( e.g. , adherence to, as well as contributions to, the enhancement of the investment process) are included in the performance review. |
|
Other factors ( e.g. , non-investment related performance, teamwork, adherence to compliance rules, risk management and living the values of the Adviser and its affiliates) are included as part of a discretionary component of the review process, giving management the ability to consider additional markers of performance on a subjective basis. |
Potential Conflicts of Interest
Because the Portfolio Managers manage multiple portfolios for multiple clients, the potential for conflicts of interest exists. The Portfolio Managers may manage other portfolios, such as separately-managed accounts, that have a similar investment style as the Fund. However, the portfolios managed by a Portfolio Manager may not have portfolio compositions identical to those of the Fund managed by the Portfolio
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Manager due, for example, to specific investment limitations or guidelines present in some portfolios or accounts, but not others. The Portfolio Managers may purchase securities for one portfolio and not another portfolio, and the performance of securities purchased for one portfolio may vary from the performance of securities purchased for other portfolios. A Portfolio Manager may place transactions on behalf of other accounts that are directly or indirectly contrary to investment decisions made on behalf of the Fund, or make investment decisions that are similar to those made for the Fund, both of which have the potential to adversely impact the Fund depending on market conditions. For example, a Portfolio Manager may purchase a security in one portfolio while appropriately selling that same security in another portfolio. In addition, some of these portfolios have fee structures that are or have the potential to be higher than the advisory fees paid by the Fund, which can cause potential conflicts in the allocation of investment opportunities between the Fund and the other accounts. However, the compensation structure for Portfolio Managers does not generally provide incentive to favor one account over another because that part of a managers bonus based on performance is not based on the performance of one account to the exclusion of others. There are many other factors considered in determining the Portfolio Managers bonus and there is no formula that is applied to weight the factors listed (see Certain Portfolio Manager Information and Portfolio Manager Compensation). In addition, current trading practices do not allow the Adviser to intentionally favor one portfolio over another as trades are executed as trade orders are received. Portfolios rebalancing dates also generally vary between fund families. Program trades created from the portfolio rebalance are executed at market on close. For additional information regarding potential conflicts of interest faced by the Adviser, see Investment Advisory, Administrative and Distribution Services Potential Conflicts of Interest.
Codes of Ethics. The Trust, the Adviser and the Distributor have adopted Codes of Ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 of the 1940 Act. The Codes of Ethics permit personnel subject to the Codes of Ethics to invest in securities, subject to certain limitations, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. The Codes of Ethics are on public file with, and are available from, the SEC.
Anti-Money Laundering Requirements. The Funds are subject to the USA PATRIOT Act (the Patriot Act). The Patriot Act is intended to prevent the use of the U.S. financial system in furtherance of money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities. Pursuant to requirements under the Patriot Act, a Fund may request information from APs to enable it to form a reasonable belief that it knows the true identity of its APs. This information will be used to verify the identity of APs or, in some cases, the status of financial professionals; it will be used only for compliance with the requirements of the Patriot Act. The Funds reserve the right to reject purchase orders from persons who have not submitted information sufficient to allow the Fund to verify their identity. Each Fund also reserves the right to redeem any amounts in a Fund from persons whose identity it is unable to verify on a timely basis. It is the Funds policy to cooperate fully with appropriate regulators in any investigations conducted with respect to potential money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities.
Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. BNYM serves as administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Funds. BNYMs principal address is 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286. Pursuant to a Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement and a Corporate Services Agreement with the Trust, BNYM provides necessary administrative, tax and accounting and financial reporting services for the maintenance and operations of the Trust and each Fund (the Administrator). In addition, BNYM makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to provide such services. Pursuant to a Custody Agreement with the Trust, BNYM maintains in separate accounts cash, securities and other assets of the Trust and each Fund, keeps all necessary accounts and records and provides other services (the Custodian). BNYM is required, upon the order of the Trust, to deliver securities held by BNYM and to make payments for securities purchased by the Trust for each Fund. Also, pursuant to the Custody Agreement, BNYM is authorized to appoint certain foreign custodians or foreign custody managers for Fund investments outside the United States. Pursuant to a Transfer Agency and Service Agreement with the Trust, BNYM acts as a transfer agent (the Transfer Agent) for each Funds authorized and issued Shares of beneficial interest and as the dividend disbursing agent of the Trust. As compensation for these services, BNYM receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly the Adviser from its management fee.
Distributor. The Distributors principal address is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203. The Distributor has entered into a Distribution Agreement with the Trust pursuant to which it distributes Shares of each Fund. The Distribution Agreement continues for two years from its effective date and is renewable annually. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Fund through the Distributor only in Creation Units, as described in the Prospectus and below in the Creation and Redemption of Creation Units section of this SAI. Shares in less than Creation Units are not distributed by the Distributor. The Distributor will deliver the Prospectus and, upon request, the SAI to APs purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the 1934 Act), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
The Distribution Agreement for each Fund provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least 60 days prior written notice to the other party following (i) the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees, or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the relevant Fund. The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).
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The Distributor may also enter into agreements with securities dealers (Soliciting Dealers) who will solicit purchases of Creation Units of Fund Shares. Such Soliciting Dealers must also be APs (as defined below).
The Adviser may, from time to time and from its own resources, pay, defray or absorb costs relating to distribution, including payments out of its own resources to the Distributor, or to otherwise promote the sale of Shares. The Adviser currently pays the Distributor, from the Advisers own resources, for such purposes.
The Adviser and/or its subsidiaries or affiliates (Xtrackers Entities) may pay certain broker-dealers and other financial intermediaries or solicitors (Intermediaries) for certain marketing or referral activities related to the Fund or other funds advised by the Adviser or its affiliates (Xtrackers Funds) (with such payments being Payments). Any Payments made by Xtrackers Entities will be made from their own assets and not from the assets of the Fund. Although a portion of Xtrackers Entities revenue comes directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the Fund and other Xtrackers Funds, Payments do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, shares of the Fund or other Xtrackers Funds. Xtrackers Entities may make Payments for Intermediaries participating in activities that are designed to make registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors more knowledgeable about the Fund or for other activities, such as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, the support of technology platforms and/or reporting systems (Education Costs) or the referral or introduction of investors to Xtrackers Entities. Xtrackers Entities may also make Payments to Intermediaries for certain printing, publishing and mailing costs associated with the Fund or materials relating to other Xtrackers Funds or exchange-traded funds in general (Publishing Costs). In addition, Xtrackers Entities may make Payments to Intermediaries that make shares of the Fund and certain other Xtrackers Funds available to their clients or for otherwise promoting the Fund and other Xtrackers Funds. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your salesperson or other investment professional may also be significant for your salesperson or other investment professional. Because an Intermediary may make decisions about which investment options or investment adviser it will recommend or make available to its clients or contacts or what services to provide for various products based on Payments it receives or is eligible to receive, Payments create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its clients or contacts and these financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Fund and other Xtrackers Funds or their investment adviser over other investments or to refer a contact to the Xtrackers Entities. The same conflict of interest exists with respect to your salesperson or other investment professional if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm. Ask your salesperson or visit your Intermediarys website for more information.
Xtrackers Entities may determine to make Payments based on any number of metrics. For example, Xtrackers Entities may make Payments at year end or other intervals in a fixed amount, based upon an Intermediarys services at defined levels or an amount based on the Intermediarys net sales of one or more Xtrackers Funds in a year or other period, any of which arrangements may include an agreed upon minimum or maximum payment, or any combination of the foregoing. Any payments made by the Xtrackers Entities to an Intermediary may create the incentive for an Intermediary to encourage customers to buy shares of the Fund or other Xtrackers Funds.
Certain Xtrackers Entities have established a revenue sharing arrangement with Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Schwab). Under this arrangement, Schwab has agreed not to charge its customers any trading commissions when those customers purchase or sell shares of the Funds online. In addition, Schwab will promote the availability of commission-free ETF trading to its customers.
The Adviser assumes general supervision over placing orders on behalf of each Fund for the purchase and sale of portfolio securities. In selecting brokers or dealers for any transaction in portfolio securities, the Advisers policy is to make such selection based on factors deemed relevant, including but not limited to, the breadth of the market in the security, the price of the security, the reasonableness of the commission or mark-up or mark-down, if any, execution capability, settlement capability, back office efficiency and the financial condition of the broker or dealer, both for the specific transaction and on a continuing basis. The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions paid is evaluated by the Adviser based upon its knowledge of available information as to the general level of commissions paid by other institutional investors for comparable services. Brokers may also be selected because of their ability to handle special or difficult executions, such as may be involved in large block trades, less liquid securities, broad distributions, or other circumstances. The Trust has adopted policies and procedures that prohibit the consideration of sales of a Funds Shares as a factor in the selection of a broker or a dealer to execute its portfolio transactions.
Purchases and sales of fixed-income securities and certain over-the-counter securities are effected on a net basis, without the payment of brokerage commissions. Transactions in fixed income and certain over-the-counter securities are generally placed by the Adviser with the principal market makers for these securities unless the Adviser reasonably believes more favorable results are available elsewhere. Transactions with dealers serving as market makers reflect the spread between the bid and asked prices. Purchases
27
of underwritten issues will include an underwriting fee paid to the underwriter. Money market instruments are normally purchased in principal transactions directly from the issuer or from an underwriter or market maker.
To the extent applicable and consistent with Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act, as amended, and interpretations thereunder, the Adviser may cause a Fund to pay a higher commission than otherwise obtainable from other brokers or dealers in return for brokerage or research services and products if the Adviser determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable in relation to the services and products utilized. In addition to agency transactions, the Adviser may receive brokerage or research services and products in connection with certain riskless principal transactions, in accordance with applicable SEC and other regulatory guidelines. In both instances, these services and products may include but are not limited to: economic, industry, or company research reports or investment recommendations; subscriptions to certain financial publications; market data such as stock quotes, last sale prices, trading volumes and similar data; databases and software, including, but not limited to, quantitative analytical software; and products and services that assist in effecting transactions and functions incidental thereto, including services of third-party computer systems directly related to brokerage activities and routing settlement instructions. The Adviser may use brokerage or research services and products furnished by brokers, dealers or service providers in servicing all client accounts, and not all services and products may necessarily be used in connection with the account that paid the commissions or spreads to the broker or dealer.
The Funds purchase and sale orders for securities may be combined with those of other investment companies, clients or accounts that the Adviser manages or advises and for which they have brokerage placement authority. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of the Funds and one or more other accounts managed or advised by the Adviser are considered at or about the same time, transactions in such securities are allocated among the Fund and the other accounts in a manner deemed equitable to all by the Adviser. In some cases, this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security as far as the Funds are concerned. However, in other cases, it is possible that the ability to participate in volume transactions and to negotiate lower transaction costs will be beneficial to the Fund. The Adviser may deal, trade and invest for their own account in the types of securities in which the Funds may invest. The Adviser may, from time to time, effect trades on behalf of and for the account of the Funds with brokers or dealers that are affiliated with the Adviser, in conformity with the 1940 Act and SEC rules and regulations. Under these provisions, any commissions paid to affiliated brokers or dealers must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions charged by other brokers or dealers in comparable transactions. The Funds will not deal with affiliates in principal transactions unless permitted by applicable SEC rule or regulation or by SEC exemptive order.
Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year as well as within a year. High turnover rates may result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses and higher taxes (if you are investing in a taxable account). The overall reasonableness of brokerage commissions is evaluated by the Adviser based upon its knowledge of available information as to the general level of commissions paid by the other institutional investors for comparable services.
Brokerage commissions for the last fiscal periods are shown in the table below:
Fund |
2017 Fiscal Period | |||
Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF* | $ | 0 | ||
Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF* | $ | 0 | ||
Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF** | $ | 0 |
* | The commencement date for the Fund was October 25, 2016. |
** | The commencement date for Fund was December 7, 2016. |
Additional Information Concerning the Trust
Shares. The Trust currently is comprised of 35 operational separate investment series or portfolios called funds. Each series issues Shares of common stock, no par value. The Trust issues Shares of beneficial interest in each Fund with no par value. The Board may designate additional funds.
Each Share issued by a Fund has a pro rata interest in the assets of that Fund. Shares have no preemptive, exchange, subscription or conversion rights and are freely transferable. Each Share is entitled to participate equally in dividends and distributions declared by the Board with respect to the relevant Fund, and in the net distributable assets of such Fund on liquidation. Each Share has one vote with respect to matters upon which the Shareholder is entitled to vote. In any matter submitted to Shareholders for a vote, each Fund shall hold a separate vote, provided that Shareholders of all affected Funds will vote together when: (1) required by the 1940 Act or (2) the Trustees determine that the matter affects the interests of more than one Fund. Under Delaware law, the Trust is not required to hold an annual meeting of Shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. The policy of the Trust is not to hold an annual meeting of
28
Shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. All Shares (regardless of the Fund) have noncumulative voting rights in the election of members of the Board. Under Delaware law, Trustees of the Trust may be removed by vote of the Shareholders.
Following the creation of the initial Creation Unit(s) of Shares of a Fund and immediately prior to the commencement of trading in the Funds Shares, a holder of Shares may be a control person of the Fund, as defined in the 1940 Act. The Fund cannot predict the length of time for which one or more Shareholders may remain a control person of the Fund.
Shareholders may make inquiries by writing to DBX ETF Trust, c/o the Distributor, ALPS Distributors, Inc., 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203, by email by writing to dbxquestions@list.db.com or by telephone by calling 1-855-329-3837 or 1-855-DBX-ETFS (toll free).
Termination of the Trust or a Fund. The Trust or a Fund may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board or the affirmative vote of a supermajority of the holders of the Trust or such Fund entitled to vote on termination. Although the Shares are not automatically redeemable upon the occurrence of any specific event, the Trusts organizational documents provide that the Board will have the unrestricted power to alter the number of Shares in a Creation Unit. In the event of a termination of the Trust or a Fund, the Board, in its sole discretion, could determine to permit the Shares to be redeemable in aggregations smaller than Creation Units or to be individually redeemable. In such circumstance, the Trust may make redemptions in kind, for cash or for a combination of cash or securities.
DTC as Securities Depository for Shares of the Funds. Shares of each Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.
DTC, a limited-purpose trust company, was created to hold securities of its participants (DTC Participants) and to facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives) own DTC. More specifically, DTC is owned by a number of its DTC Participants and by the NYSE, NYSE Amex Equities and FINRA. Access to the DTC system is also available to others such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (Indirect Participants).
Beneficial ownership of Shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in Shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as Beneficial Owners) is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of Shares. The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in definitive form. Such laws may impair the ability of certain investors to acquire beneficial interests in Shares.
Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the Shares of each Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding Shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all Shares of the Trust. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC Participants accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in Shares of each Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of Shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a street name, and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.
The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such Shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants. DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to Shares of the Trust at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and
29
discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.
Creation and Redemption of Creation Units
General. The Trust issues and sells Shares of each Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor, without a sales load, at the Funds NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined herein), of an order in proper form. A Creation Unit for each Fund consists of 50,000 shares.
The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of Shares outstanding of any Fund of the Trust, and to make a corresponding change in the number of Shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per Share price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board.
A Business Day with respect to each Fund is any day on which the Exchange on which the Fund is listed for trading is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the Exchange observes the following holidays, as observed: New Years Day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Fund Deposit. The consideration for purchase of Creation Units of a Fund generally consists of the in-kind deposit of a designated portfolio of securities (i.e., the Deposit Securities), which constitutes an optimized representation of the securities of the relevant Funds Underlying Index, and the Cash Component computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the Fund Deposit, which represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of any Fund.
The Cash Component is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares (per Creation Unit) and the Deposit Amount, which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities, and serves to compensate for any difference between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount. Payment of any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities shall be the sole responsibility of the AP purchasing a Creation Unit.
The Adviser makes available through the NSCC on each Business Day, prior to the opening of business on the Exchange, the list of names and the required number of Shares of each Deposit Security to be included in the current Fund Deposit (based on information at the end of the previous Business Day) for each Fund. Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, in order to effect purchases of Creation Units of Shares of a given Fund until such time as the next-announced Fund Deposit is made available.
The identity and number of Shares of the Deposit Securities pursuant to changes in composition of a Funds portfolio and changes as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by the Adviser with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities constituting the relevant Underlying Index.
The Trust reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of a cash in lieu amount to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security that may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or that may not be eligible for transfer through the systems of DTC of the Clearing Process (discussed below). The Trust also reserves the right to permit or require a cash in lieu amount where the delivery of the Deposit Security by the AP (as described below) would be restricted under applicable securities laws or where the delivery of the Deposit Security to the AP would result in the disposition of the Deposit Security by the AP becoming restricted under applicable securities laws, or in certain other situations. The adjustments described above will reflect changes, known to the Adviser on the date of announcement to be in effect by the time of delivery of the Fund Deposit, in the composition of the subject index being tracked by the relevant Fund, or resulting from stock splits and other corporate actions.
Role of the Authorized Participant. Creation Units may be purchased only by or through a DTC Participant that has entered into an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Distributor (an AP), which agreement has also been accepted by the Transfer Agent. Such AP will agree, pursuant to the terms of such Authorized Participant Agreement and on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that such AP will make available in advance of each purchase of Shares an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component, once the NAV of a Creation Unit is next determined after receipt of the purchase order in proper form, together with the transaction fee described below. The AP may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such AP with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Cash Component. Investors who are not APs must make appropriate arrangements with an AP. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement and that orders to purchase Creation Units may have to be
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placed by the investors broker through an AP. As a result, purchase orders placed through an AP may result in additional charges to such investor. The Trust does not expect the Distributor to enter into an Authorized Participant Agreement with more than a small number of DTC Participants. A list of current APs may be obtained from the Distributor.
Purchase Order. To initiate an order for a Creation Unit, an AP must submit an irrevocable order to purchase Shares of a Fund in accordance with the Authorized Participant Agreement. If accepted by the Distributor, the Transfer Agent will notify the Adviser and the Custodian of such order. If applicable, the Custodian will then provide such information to the appropriate sub-custodian. For each Fund, the Custodian shall cause the applicable sub-custodian to maintain an account into which the AP shall deliver, on behalf of itself or the party on whose behalf it is acting, the applicable securities included in the designated Fund Deposit (or the cash value of all or a part of such securities, in the case of a permitted or required cash purchase or cash in lieu amount), with any appropriate adjustments as advised by the Trust. Deposit Securities located outside the United States must be delivered to an account maintained at the applicable local sub-custodian. Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units through an AP should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the Distributor by the cut-off time on such Business Day.
The AP must also make available on or before the contractual settlement date, by means satisfactory to the Trust, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Trust to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the purchase order, together with the applicable purchase transaction fee. Any excess funds will be returned following settlement of the issue of the Creation Unit. Those placing orders should ascertain the applicable deadline for cash transfers by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effectuating the transfer of the Cash Component. This deadline is likely to be significantly earlier than the closing time of the regular trading session on the Exchange.
Investors should be aware that an AP may require orders for purchases of Shares placed with it to be in the particular form required by the individual AP.
Timing of Submission of Purchase Orders. An AP must submit an irrevocable purchase order before 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time on any Business Day in order to receive that days NAV. In the case of custom orders, the order must be received by the Distributor no later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time on the trade date. With respect to in-kind creations, a custom order may be placed by an AP where cash replaces any Deposit Security which may not be available in sufficient quantity for delivery or which may not be eligible for trading by such AP or the investor for which it is acting or other relevant reason. Orders to create Shares of a Fund that are submitted on the Business Day immediately preceding a holiday or day (other than a weekend) when the markets in the relevant foreign market are closed may not be accepted. The Distributor in its discretion may permit the submission of such orders and requests by or through an AP at any time (including on days on which the Exchange is not open for business) via communication through the facilities of the Transfer Agents proprietary website maintained for this purpose, provided such submission is permissible pursuant to the terms of the applicable Authorized Participant Agreement. Purchase orders and redemption requests, if accepted by the Trust, will be processed based on the NAV next determined after such acceptance in accordance with the Trusts standard cut-off times as provided in the Authorized Participant Agreement and disclosed in this SAI.
Acceptance of Orders for Creation Unit. Subject to the conditions that (i) an irrevocable purchase order has been submitted by the AP (either on its own or another investors behalf) and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to the Trust are in place for payment of the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due, the Trust will accept the order, subject to its right (and the right of the Distributor and the Adviser) to reject any order until acceptance.
Once the Trust has accepted an order, upon next determination of the NAV of the Shares, the Trust will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit, against receipt of payment, at such NAV. The Distributor will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance to the AP that placed the order.
The Trust reserves the absolute right to reject or revoke a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor in respect of any Fund if (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s) upon obtaining the Shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding Shares of any Fund; (iii) the Deposit Securities delivered do not conform to the identity and number of Shares specified by the Adviser, as described above; (iv) acceptance of the Deposit Securities would have certain adverse tax consequences to the Fund; (v) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful; (vi) acceptance of the Fund Deposit would, in the discretion of the Trust or the Adviser, have an adverse effect on the Trust or the rights of beneficial owners; or (vii) circumstances outside the control of the Trust, the Distributor and the Adviser make it impracticable to process purchase orders. The Trust shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit and/or the AP acting on behalf of such purchaser of its rejection of such order. The Trust, the Custodian, the sub-custodian and the Distributor are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Portfolio Deposits nor shall any of them incur any liability for failure to give such notification.
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Issuance of a Creation Unit. Except as provided herein, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Trust of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When (if applicable) the sub-custodian has confirmed to the Custodian that the securities included in the Fund Deposit (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the Distributor and the Adviser shall be notified of such delivery and the Trust will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit. Creation Units typically are issued on a T+2 basis (i.e., two Business Days after trade date).
To the extent contemplated by an APs agreement with the Distributor, the Trust will issue Creation Units to such AP notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Portfolio Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the AP to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such APs delivery and maintenance of collateral having a value at least equal to 115%, which the Adviser may change from time to time, of the value of the missing Deposit Securities in accordance with the Trusts then-effective procedures. The only collateral that is acceptable to the Trust is cash in U.S. dollars or an irrevocable letter of credit in form, and drawn on a bank, that is satisfactory to the Trust. The cash collateral posted by the AP may be invested at the risk of the AP, and income, if any, on invested cash collateral will be paid to that AP. Information concerning the Trusts current procedures for collateralization of missing Deposit Securities is available from the Distributor. The Authorized Participant Agreement will permit the Trust to buy the missing Deposit Securities at any time and will subject the AP to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Trust of purchasing such securities and the cash collateral or the amount that may be drawn under any letter of credit.
In certain cases, APs may create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date and in these instances, the Trust reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis or require a representation from the APs that the creation and redemption transactions are for separate beneficial owners. All questions as to the number of Shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Trust and the Trusts determination shall be final and binding.
Cash Purchase Method. In the case of a cash purchase, the investor must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser. In addition, to offset the Trusts brokerage and other transaction costs associated with using the cash to purchase the requisite Deposit Securities, the investor will be required to pay a fixed purchase transaction fee, plus an additional variable charge for cash purchases, which is expressed as a percentage of the value of the Deposit Securities.
Creation Transaction Fee. A standard creation transaction fee is imposed to offset the transfer and other transaction costs associated with the issuance of Creation Units. The standard creation transaction fee will be the same regardless of the number of Creation Units purchased by a purchaser on the same day. The AP may also be required to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, price movement and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction (including when the Trust permits an AP to substitute cash for some or all of the Deposit Securities). APs will also bear the costs of transferring the Deposit Securities to the Trust. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. Certain fees or costs associated with creation transactions may be waived in certain circumstances.
The following table sets forth each Funds standard creation transaction fee:
Fund |
Standard Creation Transaction Fee |
|||
Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF | $ | 500 | ||
Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF | 500 | |||
Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF | 500 | |||
Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 500 | |||
Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF | 500 |
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Redemption of Creation Units. Shares of a Fund may be redeemed only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form and only on a Business Day. The Trust will not redeem Shares in amounts less than Creation Units. Beneficial owners also may sell Shares in the secondary market but must accumulate enough Shares to constitute a Creation Unit in order to have such Shares redeemed by the Trust. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the public trading market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of Shares to constitute a redeemable Creation Unit.
Redemptions are effected primarily in-kind. In the case of in-kind redemptions, the Adviser makes available through the NSCC, prior to the opening of business on the Exchange on each Business Day, the identity and number of Shares that will be applicable (subject to possible amendment or correction) to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day (Fund Securities). Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Units.
Unless cash redemptions are available or specified for a Fund, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Fund Securities plus cash in an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the Shares being redeemed, as next determined after a receipt of a request in proper form, and the value of the Fund Securities, less the redemption transaction fee described below.
Redemption Transaction Fee. A standard redemption transaction fee is imposed to offset transfer and other transaction costs that may be incurred by the relevant Fund. The standard redemption transaction fee will be the same regardless of the number of Creation Units redeemed by an investor on the same day. The AP may also be required to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, price movement and other costs and expenses related to the execution of trades resulting from such transaction (including when the Trust substitutes cash for some or all of the Fund Securities), up to a maximum of 2% of the amount redeemed (including the standard redemption fee set forth below). The standard redemption transaction fees are set forth below. APs will also bear the costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Trust to their account or on their order. Investors who use the services of a broker or other such intermediary may be charged a fee for such services. Certain fees or costs associated with redemption transactions may be waived in certain circumstances.
The following table sets forth each Funds standard redemption transaction fee:
Fund |
Standard Redemption Transaction Fee |
|||
Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF | $ | 500 | ||
Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF | 500 | |||
Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF | 500 | |||
Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | 500 | |||
Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF | 500 |
The maximum redemption fee, as a percentage of the amount redeemed, is 2%. Redemption requests for Creation Units of any Fund must be submitted by or through an AP. An AP must submit an irrevocable redemption request before 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time on any Business Day in order to receive that days NAV. In the case of custom redemptions, the order must be received no later than 3:00 p.m., Eastern Time. Investors other than through APs are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an AP. The Distributor will provide a list of current APs upon request.
Cash transactions may have to be carried out over several days if the securities market is relatively illiquid and may involve considerable brokerage fees and taxes. These brokerage fees and taxes, which will be higher than if a Fund sold and redeemed its shares principally in-kind, will generally be passed on to purchasers and redeemers of Creation Units in the form of creation and redemption transaction fees. However, the Funds cap the total fees that may be charged in connection with the redemption of Creation Units at 2% of the value of the Creation Units redeemed. To the extent transaction and other costs associated with a redemption exceed that cap, those transaction costs will be borne by a Funds remaining shareholders.
The AP must transmit the request for redemption in the form required by the Trust or the Transfer Agent in accordance with procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be
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placed by the investors broker through an AP who has executed an Authorized Participant Agreement in effect. At any time, there may be only a limited number of broker-dealers that have an Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such AP. Investors making a request to redeem Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an AP and transfer of the Shares to the Trusts Transfer Agent; such investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not APs.
A redemption request is considered to be in proper form if (i) an AP has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Trusts Transfer Agent the Creation Unit being redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the Exchange closing time on any Business Day, (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Trust is received from the AP on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified above and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Participant Agreement are properly followed. If the Transfer Agent does not receive the investors Shares through DTCs facilities by 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, on the Business Day next following the day that the redemption request is received, the redemption request shall be rejected. Investors should be aware that the deadline for such transfers of Shares through the DTC system may be significantly earlier than the close of business on the Exchange. Those making redemption requests should ascertain the deadline applicable to transfers of Shares through the DTC system by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effecting the transfer of the Shares.
Upon receiving a redemption request, the Transfer Agent shall notify the Trust of such redemption request. The tender of an investors Shares for redemption and the distribution of the cash redemption payment in respect of Creation Units redeemed will be made through DTC and the relevant AP to the beneficial owner thereof as recorded on the book-entry system of DTC or the DTC Participant through which such investor holds, as the case may be, or by such other means specified by the AP submitting the redemption request.
A redeeming Beneficial Owner or AP acting on behalf of such Beneficial Owner must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the portfolio securities are customarily traded, to which account such portfolio securities will be delivered.
If neither the redeeming Beneficial Owner nor the AP acting on behalf of such redeeming Beneficial Owner has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of Fund Securities in the applicable non-U.S. jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, the Trust may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such Shares in cash, and the redeeming Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In such case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the NAV of its Shares based on the NAV of Shares of the relevant Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional variable charge for cash redemptions specified above, to offset the Trusts brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of portfolio securities of the Fund). Redemptions of Shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws and each Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Fund could not lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or could not do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws.
In the case of cash redemptions, proceeds will be paid to the AP redeeming Shares on behalf of the redeeming investor as soon as practicable after the date of redemption (within seven calendar days thereafter).
The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to any Fund (i) for any period during which the NYSE is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings), (ii) for any period during which trading on the NYSE is suspended or restricted, (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the Shares of the Funds portfolio securities or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable or (iv) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.
An AP submitting a redemption request is deemed to represent to the Trust that it is in compliance with the requirements set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. The Trust reserves the right to verify this representation at its discretion, but will typically require verification with respect to a redemption request from a Fund in connection with higher levels of redemption activity and/or short interest in the Fund. If the AP, upon receipt of a verification request, does not provide sufficient verification of its representations as
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determined by the Trust, the redemption request will not be considered to have been received in proper form and may be rejected by the Trust.
Taxation on Creation and Redemptions of Creation Units. An AP generally will recognize either gain or loss upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units. This gain or loss is calculated by taking the market value of the Creation Units purchased over the APs aggregate basis in the Deposit Securities exchanged therefor. However, the Internal Revenue Service (the IRS) may apply the wash sales rules to determine that any loss realized upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units is not currently deductible. APs should consult their own tax advisors.
Current federal tax laws dictate that capital gain or loss realized from the redemption of Creation Units will generally create long-term capital gain or loss if the AP holds the Creation Units for more than one year, or short-term capital gain or loss if the Creation Units were held for one year or less.
Regulated Investment Company Qualifications. Each Fund intends to qualify for treatment as a separate RIC under Subchapter M of the Code. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, each Fund must annually distribute at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains) and meet several other requirements. Among such other requirements are the following: (i) at least 90% of each Funds annual gross income must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or non-U.S. currencies, other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and net income derived from interests in qualified publicly-traded partnerships (i.e., partnerships that are traded on an established securities market or tradable on a secondary market, other than partnerships that derive 90% of their income from interest, dividends, capital gains and other traditionally permitted mutual fund income); and (ii) at the close of each quarter of each Funds taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of each Funds total assets must be represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with such other securities limited for purposes of this calculation in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Funds assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of each Funds total assets may be invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, or two or more issuers of which 20% or more of the voting stock is held by the Fund and that are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly-traded partnerships. The Treasury Department is authorized to promulgate regulations under which gains from foreign currencies (and options, futures, and forward contracts on foreign currency) would constitute qualifying income for purposes of the test described in (i) above only if such gains are directly related to investing in securities. To date, such regulations have not been issued.
Although in general the passive loss rules of the Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a RIC with respect to items attributable to an interest in a qualified publicly-traded partnership. A Funds investments in partnerships, including in qualified publicly-traded partnerships, may result in a Fund being subject to state, local, or non-U.S. income, franchise or withholding tax liabilities.
Taxation of Regulated Investment Companies. As a RIC, a Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its taxable investment income and capital gains that it distributes to its Shareholders, provided that it satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. To satisfy the minimum distribution requirement, a Fund must distribute to its Shareholders an amount at least equal to the sum of (i) 90% of its investment company taxable income (i.e., taxable income other than its net realized long-term capital gain over its net realized short-term capital loss), plus or minus certain adjustments, and (ii) 90% of its net tax-exempt income for the taxable year. A Fund will be subject to income tax at regular corporation rates on any taxable income or gains that it does not distribute to its Shareholders. If a Fund fails to qualify for any taxable year as a RIC or fails to meet the distribution requirement, all of its taxable income will be subject to tax at regular corporate income tax rates without any deduction for distributions to Shareholders, and such distributions generally will be taxable to Shareholders as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Funds current and accumulated earnings and profits. In such event, distributions to individuals should be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income and distributions to corporate Shareholders generally should be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Although each Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and its capital gains for each taxable year, each Fund will be subject to U.S. federal income taxation to the extent any such income or gains are not distributed. If a Fund fails to qualify as a RIC in any year, it must pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify again as a RIC. If a Fund fails to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, the Fund may be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets (i.e., the excess of the aggregate gains, including items of income, over aggregate losses that would have been realized with respect to such assets if the Fund had been liquidated) if it qualifies as a RIC in a subsequent year.
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Excise Tax. A Fund will be subject to a 4% excise tax on certain undistributed income if it does not generally distribute to its Shareholders in each calendar year an amount at least equal to the sum of (i) 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year (taking into account certain deferrals and elections) plus (ii) 98.2% of its capital gain net income (reduced by certain ordinary losses) for the 12 months ended October 31 of such year. For this purpose, however, any ordinary income or capital gain net income retained by a Fund that is subject to corporate income tax in the taxable year ending within the relevant calendar year will be considered to have been distributed. In addition, the minimum amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any under-distribution or over-distribution, as the case may be, from the previous year. Each Fund intends to declare and distribute dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of this 4% excise tax.
Net Capital Loss Carryforwards. Net capital loss carryforwards may be applied against any net realized capital gains in each succeeding year.
Taxation of U.S. Shareholders. Dividends and other distributions by a Fund are generally treated under the Code as received by the Shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, any dividend or distribution declared by a Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to Shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month shall be deemed to have been received by each Shareholder on December 31 of such calendar year and to have been paid by the Fund not later than such December 31, provided such dividend is actually paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year.
Each Fund intends to distribute annually to its Shareholders substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized long-term capital gains in excess of net realized short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers). However, if a Fund retains for investment an amount equal to all or a portion of its net long-term capital gains in excess of its net short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers), it will be subject to a corporate tax (currently at a maximum rate of 35%) on the amount retained. In that event, the Fund may designate such retained amounts as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its Shareholders who (a) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gains, their proportionate Shares of the undistributed amount, (b) will be entitled to credit their proportionate Shares of the 35% tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent their credits exceed their liabilities, if any, and (c) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in their Shares by an amount equal to 65% of the amount of undistributed capital gains included in the Shareholders income. Organizations or persons not subject to U.S. federal income tax on such capital gains will be entitled to a refund of their pro rata Share of such taxes paid by the Fund upon filing appropriate returns or claims for refund with the IRS.
Distributions of net realized long-term capital gains, if any, that a Fund reports as capital gains dividends are taxable as long-term capital gains, whether paid in cash or in Shares and regardless of how long a Shareholder has held Shares of the Fund. All other dividends of a Fund (including dividends from short-term capital gains) from its current and accumulated earnings and profits (regular dividends) are generally subject to tax as ordinary income, subject to the discussion of qualified dividend income below.
If an individual receives a regular dividend qualifying for the long-term capital gains rates and such dividend constitutes an extraordinary dividend, and the individual subsequently recognizes a loss on the sale or exchange of stock in respect of which the extraordinary dividend was paid, then the loss will be long-term capital loss to the extent of such extraordinary dividend. An extraordinary dividend on common stock for this purpose is generally a dividend (i) in an amount greater than or equal to 10% of the taxpayers tax basis (or trading value) in a Share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within an 85-day period or (ii) in an amount greater than 20% of the taxpayers tax basis (or trading value) in a Share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within a 365-day period.
Distributions in excess of a Funds current and accumulated earnings and profits will, as to each Shareholder, be treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of a Shareholders basis in Shares of the Fund, and as a capital gain thereafter (if the Shareholder holds Shares of the Fund as capital assets). Shareholders receiving dividends or distributions in the form of additional Shares should generally be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the amount of money that the Shareholders receiving cash dividends or distributions will receive and should generally have a cost basis in the Shares received equal to such amount.
Investors considering buying Shares just prior to a dividend or capital gain distribution should be aware that, although the price of Shares purchased at that time may reflect the amount of the forthcoming distribution, such dividend or distribution may nevertheless be taxable to them. If a Fund is the holder of record of any security on the record date for any dividends payable with respect to such security, such dividends will be included in the Funds gross income not as of the date received but as of the later of (a) the date such security became ex-dividend with respect to such dividends (i.e., the date on which a buyer of the security would not be entitled to receive the declared, but unpaid, dividends); or (b) the date the Fund acquired such security. Accordingly, in order to satisfy its income distribution requirements, a Fund may be required to pay dividends based on anticipated earnings, and Shareholders may receive dividends in an earlier year than would otherwise be the case.
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In certain situations, a Fund may, for a taxable year, defer all or a portion of its capital losses, currency losses and certain other ordinary losses until the next taxable year in computing its investment company taxable income and net capital gain, which will defer the recognition of such realized losses. Such deferrals and other rules regarding gains and losses may affect the tax character of Shareholder distributions.
An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Fund and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Fund Shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such persons modified adjusted gross income (in the case of an individual) or adjusted gross income (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds certain threshold amounts.
Sales of Shares. Upon the sale or exchange of Shares of a Fund, a Shareholder will realize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and the Shareholders basis in Shares of a Fund. A redemption of Shares by a Fund will be treated as a sale for this purpose. Such gain or loss will be treated as capital gain or loss if the Shares are capital assets in the Shareholders hands and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the Shares are held for more than one year and short-term capital gain or loss if the Shares are held for one year or less. Any loss realized on a sale or exchange will be disallowed to the extent the Shares disposed of are replaced, including replacement through the reinvesting of dividends and capital gains distributions in the Fund, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition of the Shares. In such a case, the basis of the Shares acquired will be increased to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss realized by a Shareholder on the sale of a Fund Share held by the Shareholder for six months or less will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions or deemed distributions of long-term capital gains received by the Shareholder with respect to such Share.
If a Shareholder incurs a sales charge in acquiring Shares of a Fund, disposes of those Shares within 90 days and then acquires, prior to February 1 of the following calendar year, shares in a mutual fund for which the otherwise applicable sales charge is reduced by reason of a reinvestment right (e.g., an exchange privilege), the original sales charge will not be taken into account in computing gain/loss on the original Shares to the extent the subsequent sales charge is reduced. Instead, the disregarded portion of the original sales charge will be added to the tax basis of the newly acquired Shares. Furthermore, the same rule also applies to a disposition of the newly acquired Shares made within 90 days of the second acquisition. This provision prevents Shareholders from immediately deducting the sales charge by shifting their investments within a family of mutual funds.
Legislation passed by Congress requires reporting of adjusted cost basis information for covered securities, which generally include shares of a RIC acquired after January 1, 2012, to the Internal Revenue Service and to taxpayers. Shareholders should contact their financial intermediaries with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for their accounts.
Back-Up Withholding. In certain cases, withholding will be required at the applicable withholding rate (currently 28%), from any distributions paid to a Shareholder who: (i) has failed to provide a correct taxpayer identification number; (ii) is subject to back-up withholding by the IRS; (iii) has failed to certify that such Shareholder is not subject to back-up withholding; or (iv) has not certified that such Shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). Back-up withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a Shareholders U.S. federal income tax liability.
Sections 351 and 362. The Trust, on behalf of each Fund, has the right to reject an order for a purchase of Shares of the Fund if the purchaser (or group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the Shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding Shares of a given Fund and if, pursuant to Sections 351 and 362 of the Code, that Fund would have a basis in the securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. If a Funds basis in such securities on the date of deposit was less than market value on such date, the Fund, upon disposition of the securities, would recognize more taxable gain or less taxable loss than if its basis in the securities had been equal to market value. It is not anticipated that the Trust will exercise the right of rejection except in a case where the Trust determines that accepting the order could result in material adverse tax consequences to a Fund or its Shareholders. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial Share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.
Taxation of Certain Derivatives. A Funds transactions in zero coupon securities, non-U.S. currencies, forward contracts, options and futures contracts (including options, futures contracts and forward contracts on non-U.S. currencies), to the extent permitted, will be subject to special provisions of the Code (including provisions relating to hedging transactions and straddles) that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Fund (i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and defer Fund losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to Shareholders. These provisions also (a) will require a Fund to mark-to-market certain types of the positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out at the end of each year) and (b) may cause a Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to pay dividends or make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for avoiding income and excise taxes. Each Fund will monitor its transactions, will make the appropriate tax elections and will make the appropriate entries in its books and records when it acquires any zero coupon security, non-U.S. currency, forward contract, option, futures contract or hedged investment in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and prevent disqualification of the Fund as a RIC.
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A Funds investment in so-called Section 1256 contracts, such as regulated futures contracts, most non-U.S. currency forward contracts traded in the interbank market and options on most security indexes, are subject to special tax rules. All Section 1256 contracts held by a Fund at the end of its taxable year are required to be marked to their market value, and any unrealized gain or loss on those positions will be included in the Funds income as if each position had been sold for its fair market value at the end of the taxable year. The resulting gain or loss will be combined with any gain or loss realized by the Fund from positions in Section 1256 contracts closed during the taxable year. Provided such positions were held as capital assets and were not part of a hedging transaction nor part of a straddle, 60% of the resulting net gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and 40% of such net gain or loss will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss, regardless of the period of time the positions were actually held by the Fund.
As a result of entering into swap contracts, a Fund may make or receive periodic net payments. A Fund may also make or receive a payment when a swap is terminated prior to maturity through an assignment of the swap or other closing transaction. Periodic net payments will generally constitute ordinary income or deductions, while termination of a swap will generally result in capital gain or loss (which will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund has been a party to the swap for more than one year). With respect to certain types of swaps, a Fund may be required to currently recognize income or loss with respect to future payments on such swaps or may elect under certain circumstances to mark such swaps to market annually for tax purposes as ordinary income or loss. The tax treatment of many types of credit default swaps is uncertain.
Qualified Dividend Income. Distributions by a Fund of investment company taxable income (including any short-term capital gains), whether received in cash or Shares, will be taxable either as ordinary income or as qualified dividend income, eligible for the reduced maximum rate to individuals of either 15% or 20% (depending on whether the individuals income exceeds certain threshold amounts) to the extent the Fund receives qualified dividend income on the securities it holds and the Fund designates the distribution as qualified dividend income. Distributions by a Fund of its net short-term capital gains will be taxable as ordinary income. Capital gain distributions consisting of a Funds net capital gains will be taxable as long-term capital gains. Qualified dividend income is, in general, dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations (but generally not from U.S. REITs) and certain non-U.S. corporations (e.g., non-U.S. corporations that are not passive foreign investment companies and which are incorporated in a possession of the U.S. or in certain countries with a comprehensive tax treaty with the U.S., or the stock of which is readily tradable on an established securities market in the U.S.). Under current IRS guidance, the United States has appropriate comprehensive income tax treaties with the following countries: Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China (but not with Hong Kong, which is treated as a separate jurisdiction for U.S. tax purposes), Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela.
A dividend from a Fund will not be treated as qualified dividend income to the extent that (i) the Shareholder has not held the Shares on which the dividend was paid for 61 days during the 121-day period that begins on the date that is 60 days before the date on which the Shares become ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or the Fund fails to satisfy those holding period requirements with respect to the securities it holds that paid the dividends distributed to the Shareholder (or, in the case of certain preferred stocks, the holding requirement of 91 days during the 181-day period beginning on the date that is 90 days before the date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend); (ii) the Fund or the Shareholder is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to substantially similar or related property; or (iii) the Shareholder elects to treat such dividend as investment income under Section 163(d)(4)(B) of the Code. Dividends received by a Fund from a REIT or another RIC may be treated as qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are attributable to qualified dividend income received by such REIT or other RIC. Given its investment strategies, the Fund does not expect dividends that are paid to its individual Shareholders to be eligible, in the hands of such Shareholders, for treatment of qualified dividend income.
If you lend your Fund Shares pursuant to securities lending arrangements you may lose the ability to use non-U.S. tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends (paid while the Shares are held by the borrower) as qualified dividends. Consult your financial intermediary or tax adviser. If you enter into a short sale with respect to Shares of the Fund, substitute payments made to the lender of such Shares may not be deductible. Consult your financial intermediary or tax adviser.
Corporate Dividends Received Deduction. Each Fund does not expect dividends that are paid to its corporate Shareholders to be eligible, in the hands of such Shareholders, for the corporate dividends received deduction.
Non-U.S. Investments. Under Section 988 of the Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the time a Fund accrues income or receivables or expenses or other liabilities denominated in a non-U.S. currency and the time the Fund actually collects such income or pays such liabilities are generally treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. In general, gains (and losses) realized on debt instruments will be treated as Section 988 gain (or loss) to the extent attributable to changes in exchange rates between
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the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which the instruments are denominated. Similarly, gain or losses on non-U.S. currency, non-U.S. currency forward contracts and certain non-U.S. currency options or futures contracts denominated in non-U.S currency, to the extent attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the acquisition and disposition dates, are also treated as ordinary income or loss unless the Fund were to elect otherwise.
Income received by the Funds from sources within foreign countries (including, for example, interest and dividends on securities of non-U.S. issuers) may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax treaties between such countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. Foreign taxes paid by the Funds will reduce the return from the Funds investments.
Each Fund may be subject to non-U.S. income taxes withheld at the source. Each Fund, if more than 50% of the value of its total assets at the close of its taxable year consists of securities of foreign corporations, may elect to pass through to its investors the amount of non-U.S. income taxes paid by the Fund provided that both the Fund and the investor satisfy certain holding period requirements, with the result that each investor at the time of deemed distribution will (i) include in gross income, even though not actually received, the investors pro rata share of the Funds non-U.S. income taxes, and (ii) either deduct (in calculating U.S. taxable income) or credit (in calculating U.S. federal income tax) the investors pro rata share of the Funds non-U.S. income taxes. A non-U.S. person invested in the Fund in a year that the Fund elects to pass through its non-U.S. taxes may be treated as receiving additional dividend income subject to U.S. withholding tax. A non-U.S. tax credit may not exceed the investors U.S. federal income tax otherwise payable with respect to the investors non-U.S. source income. For this purpose, Shareholders must treat as non-U.S. source gross income (i) their proportionate Shares of non-U.S. taxes paid by the Fund and (ii) the portion of any dividend paid by the Fund that represents income derived from non-U.S. sources; the Funds gain from the sale of securities will generally be treated as U.S.-source income. Certain limitations will be imposed to the extent to which the non-U.S. tax credit may be claimed.
Certain Debt Instruments. Some of the debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by a Fund may be treated as debt securities that are issued originally at a discount. Generally, the amount of the original issue discount (OID) is treated as interest income and is included in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. A portion of the OID includable in income with respect to certain high-yield corporate debt securities may be treated as a dividend for federal income tax purposes.
Some of the debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of more than one year from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by a Fund in the secondary market may be treated as having market discount. Generally, any gain recognized on the disposition of, and any partial payment of principal on, a debt security having market discount is treated as ordinary income to the extent the gain, or principal payment, does not exceed the accrued market discount on such debt security. Market discount generally accrues in equal daily installments. The Funds may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having market discount, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.
Some debt securities (with a fixed maturity date of one year or less from the date of issuance) that may be acquired by a Fund may be treated as having acquisition discount, or OID in the case of certain types of debt securities. Generally, the Fund will be required to include the acquisition discount, or OID, in income over the term of the debt security, even though payment of that amount is not received until a later time, usually when the debt security matures. The Funds may make one or more of the elections applicable to debt securities having acquisition discount, or OID, which could affect the character and timing of recognition of income.
The Funds generally will be required to distribute dividends to shareholders representing discount on debt securities that is currently includable in income, even though cash representing such income may not have been received by the Fund. Cash to pay such dividends may be obtained from sales proceeds of securities held by the Fund.
A Fund may invest a portion of its net assets in below investment grade instruments. Investments in these types of instruments may present special tax issues for the Fund. U.S. federal income tax rules are not entirely clear about issues such as when the Fund may cease to accrue interest, OID or market discount, when and to what extent deductions may be taken for bad debts or worthless instruments, how payments received on obligations in default should be allocated between principal and income and whether exchanges of debt obligations in a bankruptcy or workout context are taxable. These and other issues will be addressed by the Funds to the extent necessary in order to seek to ensure that they distribute sufficient income that they do not become subject to U.S. federal income or excise tax.
Reporting. If a Shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to a Funds Shares of $2 million or more for an individual Shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate Shareholder, the Shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on Form 8886. Direct Shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases exempted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, Shareholders of a RIC are not exempted. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayers treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.
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Other Taxes. Dividends, distributions and redemption proceeds may also be subject to additional state, local and non-U.S. taxes depending on each Shareholders particular situation.
Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders. Dividends paid by a Fund to non-U.S. Shareholders are generally subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate or a reduced rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty to the extent derived from investment income and short-term capital gains. Non-U.S. investors considering buying Shares just prior to a distribution should be aware that, although the price of Shares purchased at that time may reflect the amount of the forthcoming distribution, such distribution may nevertheless be subject to U.S. withholding tax. In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S. Shareholder will be required to provide an applicable IRS Form W-8 certifying its entitlement to benefits under a treaty. The withholding tax does not apply to regular dividends paid to a non-U.S. Shareholder who provides a Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. Shareholders conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the non-U.S. Shareholder were a U.S. Shareholder. A non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to additional branch profits tax imposed at a rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate). A non-U.S. Shareholder who fails to provide an applicable IRS Form W-8 or other applicable form may be subject to back-up withholding at the appropriate rate.
In general, U.S. federal withholding tax will not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. Shareholder in respect of any distributions of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital losses, or upon the sale or other disposition of Shares of a Fund.
Under an exemption recently made permanent by Congress, properly designated dividends received by a nonresident alien or foreign entity are generally exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax when they (a) are paid in respect of a Funds qualified net interest income (generally, a Funds U.S. source interest income, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income), or (b) are paid in connection with a Funds qualified short-term capital gains (generally, the excess of a Funds net short-term capital gain over the Funds long-term capital loss for such taxable year). However, depending on the circumstances, a Fund may designate all, some or none of the Funds potentially eligible dividends as such qualified net interest income or as qualified short-term capital gains, and a portion of the Funds distributions (e.g. interest from non U.S. sources or any foreign currency gains) would be ineligible for this potential exemption from withholding.
Shares of a Fund held by a non-U.S. Shareholder at death will be considered situated within the United States and generally will be subject to the U.S. estate tax.
Withholding of U.S. tax (at a 30% rate) is required with respect to payments of taxable dividends and (effective January 1, 2019) redemption proceeds and certain capital gain dividends made to certain non-U.S. entities that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive new reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. Shareholders may be requested to provide additional information to enable the applicable withholding agent to determine whether withholding is required.
The foregoing discussion is a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations only and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of Shares should consult their own tax advisers as to the tax consequences of investing in such Shares, including under state, local and non-U.S tax laws. Finally, the foregoing discussion is based on applicable provisions of the Code, regulations, judicial authority and administrative interpretations in effect on the date of this SAI. Changes in applicable authority could materially affect the conclusions discussed above, and such changes often occur.
Counsel. Dechert LLP, located at 1095 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10036, is counsel to the Trust.
Independent Trustee Legal Counsel. K&L Gates LLP, located at 1601 K Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006, is counsel to the Independent Trustees.
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. Ernst & Young LLP, located at 5 Times Square, New York, New York 10036, serves as the Trusts independent registered public accounting firm, audits the Funds financial statements, and may perform other services.
The audited financial statements included in the Annual Report to shareholders as of August 31, 2017, including the financial highlights, accompanying notes and report appearing therein of Ernst & Young LLP, the Trusts independent registered public accounting firm, are incorporated by reference into this SAI. You may request a copy of the Trusts Annual Report at no charge by calling 1-855-329-3837 (1-855-DBX-ETFS) during normal business hours.
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PROXY VOTING POLICY AND GUIDELINES
1. | Introduction |
Deutsche Asset Management (AM) has adopted and implemented the following Policies and Guidelines, which it believes are reasonably designed to ensure that proxies are voted in the best economic interest of clients and in accordance with its fiduciary duties and local regulation. This Proxy Voting Policy and Guidelines Deutsche AM (Policy and Guidelines) shall apply to all accounts managed by US domiciled advisers and to all US client accounts managed by non-US regional offices. Non-US regional offices are required to maintain procedures and to vote proxies as may be required by law on behalf of their non-US clients. In addition, AMs proxy policies reflect the fiduciary standards and responsibilities for ERISA accounts.
The attached guidelines represent a set of global recommendations that were determined by the Global Proxy Voting Sub-Committee (the GPVSC). These guidelines were developed to provide AM with a comprehensive list of recommendations that represent how AM will generally vote proxies for its clients. The recommendations derived from the application of these guidelines are not intended to influence the various AM legal entities either directly or indirectly by parent or affiliated companies. In addition, the organizational structures and documents of the various AM legal entities allows, where necessary or appropriate, the execution by individual AM subsidiaries of the proxy voting rights independently of any DB parent or affiliated company. This applies in particular to non US fund management companies. The individuals that make proxy voting decisions are also free to act independently, subject to the normal and customary supervision by the Management/Boards of these AM legal entities.
2. | AMs Proxy Voting Responsibilities |
Proxy votes are the property of AMs advisory clients. 1 As such, AMs authority and responsibility to vote such proxies depend upon its contractual relationships with its clients or other delegated authority. AM has delegated responsibility for effecting its advisory clients proxy votes to Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), an independent third-party proxy voting specialist. ISS votes AMs advisory clients proxies in accordance with AMs proxy guidelines or AMs specific instructions. Where a client has given specific instructions as to how a proxy should be voted, AM will notify ISS to carry out those instructions. Where no specific instruction exists, AM will follow the procedures in voting the proxies set forth in this document. Certain Taft-Hartley clients may direct AM to have ISS vote their proxies in accordance with Taft-Hartley Voting Guidelines.
Clients may in certain instances contract with their custodial agent and notify AM that they wish to engage in securities lending transactions. In such cases, it is the responsibility of the custodian to deduct the number of shares that are on loan so that they do not get voted twice. To the extent a security is out on loan and AM determines that a proxy vote (or other shareholder action) is materially important to the clients account, AM may request that the agent recall the security prior to the record date to allow AM to vote the securities.
3. | Policies |
3.1. | Proxy Voting Activities are Conducted in the Best Economic Interest of Clients |
AM has adopted the following Policies and Guidelines to ensure that proxies are voted in accordance with the best economic interest of its clients, as determined by AM in good faith after appropriate review.
1 For purposes of this document, clients refers to persons or entities: (i) for which AM serves as investment adviser or sub-adviser; (ii) for which AM votes proxies; and (iii) that have an economic or beneficial ownership interest in the portfolio securities of issuers soliciting such proxies.
3.2. | The Global Proxy Voting Sub-Committee |
The GPVSC is an internal working group established by the applicable AMs Investment Risk Oversight Committee pursuant to a written charter. The GPVSC is responsible for overseeing AMs proxy voting activities, including:
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Adopting, monitoring and updating guidelines, attached as Attachment A (the Guidelines), that provide how AM will generally vote proxies pertaining to a comprehensive list of common proxy voting matters; |
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Voting proxies where: (i) the issues are not covered by specific client instruction or the Guidelines; (ii) the Guidelines specify that the issues are to be determined on a case-by-case basis; or (iii) where an exception to the Guidelines may be in the best economic interest of AMs clients; and |
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Monitoring Proxy Vendor Oversights proxy voting activities (see below). |
AMs Proxy Vendor Oversight, a function of AMs Operations Group, is responsible for coordinating with ISS to administer AMs proxy voting process and for voting proxies in accordance with any specific client instructions or, if there are none, the Guidelines, and overseeing ISS proxy responsibilities in this regard.
3.3. | Availability of Proxy Voting Policies and Proxy Voting Record |
Copies of this Policy, as it may be updated from time to time, are made available to clients as required by law and otherwise at AMs discretion. Clients may also obtain information on how their proxies were voted by AM as required by law and otherwise at AMs discretion. Note, however, that AM must not selectively disclose its investment company clients proxy voting records. Proxy Vendor Oversight will make proxy voting reports available to advisory clients upon request. The investment companies proxy voting records will be disclosed to shareholders by means of publicly-available annual filings of each companys proxy voting record for the 12-month periods ending June 30 (see Section 5 below), if so required by relevant law.
4. | Procedures |
The key aspects of AMs proxy voting process are delineated below.
4.1. | The GPVSCs Proxy Voting Guidelines |
The Guidelines set forth the GPVSCs standard voting positions on a comprehensive list of common proxy voting matters. The GPVSC has developed and continues to update the Guidelines based on consideration of current corporate governance principles, industry standards, client feedback, and the impact of the matter on issuers and the value of the investments.
The GPVSC will review the Guidelines as necessary to support the best economic interests of AMs clients and, in any event, at least annually. The GPVSC will make changes to the Guidelines, whether as a result of the annual review or otherwise, taking solely into account the best economic interests of clients. Before changing the Guidelines, the GPVSC will thoroughly review and evaluate the proposed change and the reasons therefore, and the GPVSC Chair will ask GPVSC members whether anyone outside of the AM organization (but within Deutsche Bank and its affiliates) or any entity that identifies itself as an AM advisory client has requested or attempted to influence the proposed change and whether any member has a conflict of interest with respect to the proposed change. If any such matter is reported to the GPVSC Chair, the Chair will promptly notify the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee (see Section 4.4) and will defer the approval, if possible. Lastly, the GPVSC will fully document its rationale for approving any change to the Guidelines.
The Guidelines may reflect a voting position that differs from the actual practices of the public company(ies) within the Deutsche Bank organization or of the investment companies for which AM or an affiliate serves as investment adviser or sponsor. Investment companies, particularly closed-end investment companies, are different from traditional operating companies. These differences may call for differences in voting positions on the same matter. Further, the manner in which AM votes investment company proxies may differ from proposals for which an AM-advised or sponsored investment company solicits proxies from its shareholders. As reflected in the Guidelines, proxies solicited by closed-end (and open-end) investment companies are generally voted in accordance with the pre-determined guidelines of ISS.
Funds (Underlying Funds) in which Topiary Fund Management Fund of Funds (each, a Fund) invest may from time to time seek to revise their investment terms (i.e. liquidity, fees, etc.) or investment structure. In such event, the Underlying Funds may require approval/consent from its investors to effect the relevant changes. Topiary Fund Management has adopted Proxy Voting Procedures which outline the process for these approvals.
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4.2. | Specific Proxy Voting Decisions Made by the GPVSC |
Proxy Vendor Oversight will refer to the GPVSC all proxy proposals: (i) that are not covered by specific client instructions or the Guidelines; or (ii) that, according to the Guidelines, should be evaluated and voted on a case-by-case basis.
Additionally, if Proxy Vendor Oversight, the GPVSC Chair or any member of the GPVSC, a Portfolio Manager, a Research Analyst or a sub-adviser believes that voting a particular proxy in accordance with the Guidelines may not be in the best economic interests of clients, that individual may bring the matter to the attention of the GPVSC Chair and/or Proxy Vendor Oversight. 2
If Proxy Vendor Oversight refers a proxy proposal to the GPVSC or the GPVSC determines that voting a particular proxy in accordance with the Guidelines is not in the best economic interests of clients, the GPVSC will evaluate and vote the proxy, subject to the procedures below regarding conflicts.
The GPVSC endeavors to hold meetings to decide how to vote particular proxies sufficiently before the voting deadline so that the procedures below regarding conflicts can be completed before the GPVSCs voting determination.
4.3. | Certain Proxy Votes May Not Be Cast |
In some cases, the GPVSC may determine that it is in the best economic interests of its clients not to vote certain proxies, or that it may not be feasible to vote certain proxies. If the conditions below are met with regard to a proxy proposal, AM will abstain from voting:
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Neither the Guidelines nor specific client instructions cover an issue; |
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ISS does not make a recommendation on the issue; and |
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The GPVSC cannot convene on the proxy proposal at issue to make a determination as to what would be in the clients best interest. (This could happen, for example, if the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee found that there was a material conflict or if despite all best efforts being made, the GPVSC quorum requirement could not be met). |
In addition, it is AMs policy not to vote proxies of issuers subject to laws of those jurisdictions that impose restrictions upon selling shares after proxies are voted, in order to preserve liquidity. In other cases, it may not be possible to vote certain proxies, despite good faith efforts to do so. For example, some jurisdictions do not provide adequate notice to shareholders so that proxies may be voted on a timely basis. Voting rights on securities that have been loaned to third-parties transfer to those third-parties, with loan termination often being the only way to attempt to vote proxies on the loaned securities. Lastly, the GPVSC may determine that the costs to the client(s) associated with voting a particular proxy or group of proxies outweighs the economic benefits expected from voting the proxy or group of proxies.
2 Proxy Vendor Oversight generally monitors upcoming proxy solicitations for heightened attention from the press or the industry and for novel or unusual proposals or circumstances, which may prompt Proxy Vendor Oversight to bring the solicitation to the attention of the GPVSC Chair. AM Portfolio Managers, AM Research Analysts and sub-advisers also may bring a particular proxy vote to the attention of the GPVSC Chair, as a result of their ongoing monitoring of portfolio securities held by advisory clients and/or their review of the periodic proxy voting record reports that the GPVSC Chair distributes to AM portfolio managers and AM research analysts.
Proxy Vendor Oversight will coordinate with the GPVSC Chair regarding any specific proxies and any categories of proxies that will not or cannot be voted. The reasons for not voting any proxy shall be documented.
4.4. | Conflict of Interest Procedures |
4.4.1. | Procedures to Address Conflicts of Interest and Improper Influence |
Overriding Principle . In the limited circumstances where the GPVSC votes proxies, 3 the GPVSC will vote those proxies in accordance with what it, in good faith, determines to be the best economic interests of AMs clients. 4
Independence of the GPVSC . As a matter of Compliance policy, the GPVSC and Proxy Vendor Oversight are structured to be independent from other parts of Deutsche Bank. Members of the GPVSC and the employee responsible for Proxy Vendor Oversight are employees of AM. As such, they may not be subject to the supervision or control of any employees of Deutsche Bank Corporate and Investment Banking division (CIB). Their compensation cannot be based upon their contribution to any business activity outside of AM without prior approval of Legal and Compliance. They can have no contact with employees of Deutsche Bank outside of the Private Client and Asset Management division (PCAM) regarding specific clients, business matters, or initiatives without the prior approval
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of Legal and Compliance. They furthermore may not discuss proxy votes with any person outside of AM (and within AM only on a need to know basis).
Conflict Review Procedures . The Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee within AM monitors for potential material conflicts of interest in connection with proxy proposals that are to be evaluated by the GPVSC. Promptly upon a determination that a proxy vote shall be presented to the GPVSC, the GPVSC Chair shall notify the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee. The Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee shall promptly collect and review any information deemed reasonably appropriate to evaluate, in its reasonable judgment, if AM or any person participating in the proxy voting process has, or has the appearance of, a material conflict of interest. For the purposes of this policy, a conflict of interest shall be considered material to the extent that a reasonable person could expect the conflict to influence, or appear to influence, the GPVSCs decision on the particular vote at issue. GPVSC should provide the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee a reasonable amount of time (no less than 24 hours) to perform all necessary and appropriate reviews. To the extent that a conflicts review cannot be sufficiently completed by the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee the proxies will be voted in accordance with the standard Guidelines.
The information considered by the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee may include without limitation information regarding: (i) AM client relationships; (ii) any relevant personal conflict known by the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee or brought to the attention of that sub-committee; and (iii) any communications with members of the GPVSC (or anyone participating or providing information to the GPVSC) and any person outside of the AM organization (but within Deutsche Bank and its affiliates) or any entity that identifies itself as an AM advisory client regarding the vote at issue. In the context of any determination, the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee may consult with and shall be entitled to rely upon all applicable outside experts, including legal counsel.
Upon completion of the investigation, the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee will document its findings and conclusions. If the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee determines that: (i) AM has a material conflict of interest that would prevent it from deciding how to vote the proxies concerned without further client consent; or (ii) certain individuals should be recused from participating in the proxy vote at issue, the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee will so inform the GPVSC Chair.
3 As mentioned above, the GPVSC votes proxies where: (i) neither a specific client instruction nor a Guideline directs how the proxy should be voted; (ii) the Guidelines specify that an issue is to be determined on a case-by-case basis; or (iii) voting in accordance with the Guidelines may not be in the best economic interests of clients.
4 Proxy Vendor Oversight, who serves as the non-voting secretary of the GPVSC, may receive routine calls from proxy solicitors and other parties interested in a particular proxy vote. Any contact that attempts to exert improper pressure or influence shall be reported to the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee.
If notified that AM has a material conflict of interest as described above, the GPVSC chair will obtain instructions as to how the proxies should be voted either from: (i) if time permits, the affected clients; or (ii) in accordance with the standard Guidelines. If notified that certain individuals should be recused from the proxy vote at issue, the GPVSC Chair shall do so in accordance with the procedures set forth below.
Note : Any AM employee who becomes aware of a potential, material conflict of interest in respect of any proxy vote to be made on behalf of clients shall notify Compliance. Compliance shall call a meeting of the Conflict Review Committee to evaluate such conflict and determine a recommended course of action.
Procedures to be followed by the GPVSC. At the beginning of any discussion regarding how to vote any proxy, the GPVSC Chair (or his or her delegate) will inquire as to whether any GPVSC member (whether voting or ex officio) or any person participating in the proxy voting process has a personal conflict of interest or has actual knowledge of an actual or apparent conflict that has not been reported to the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee.
The GPVSC Chair also will inquire of these same parties whether they have actual knowledge regarding whether any Director, officer, or employee outside of the AM organization (but within Deutsche Bank and its affiliates) or any entity that identifies itself as an AM advisory client, has: (i) requested that AM, Proxy Vendor Oversight (or any member thereof), or a GPVSC member vote a particular proxy in a certain manner; (ii) attempted to influence AM, Proxy Vendor Oversight (or any member thereof), a GPVSC member or any other person in connection with proxy voting activities; or (iii) otherwise communicated with a GPVSC member, or any other person participating or providing information to the GPVSC regarding the particular proxy vote at issue and which incident has not yet been reported to the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee.
If any such incidents are reported to the GPVSC Chair, the Chair will promptly notify the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee and, if possible, will delay the vote until the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee can complete the
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conflicts report. If a delay is not possible, the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee will instruct the GPVSC: (i) whether anyone should be recused from the proxy voting process; or (ii) whether AM should vote the proxy in accordance with the standard guidelines, seek instructions as to how to vote the proxy at issue from ISS or, if time permits, the affected clients. These inquiries and discussions will be properly reflected in the GPVSCs minutes.
Duty to Report . Any AM employee, including any GPVSC member (whether voting or ex officio), that is aware of any actual or apparent conflict of interest relevant to, or any attempt by any person outside of the AM organization (but within Deutsche Bank and its affiliates) or any entity that identifies itself as an AM advisory client to influence how AM votes its proxies has a duty to disclose the existence of the situation to the GPVSC Chair (or his or her designee) and the details of the matter to the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee. In the case of any person participating in the deliberations on a specific vote, such disclosure should be made before engaging in any activities or participating in any discussion pertaining to that vote.
Recusal of Members . The GPVSC will recuse from participating in a specific proxy vote any GPVSC members (whether voting or ex officio) and/or any other person who: (i) are personally involved in a material conflict of interest; or (ii) who, as determined by the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee, have actual knowledge of a circumstance or fact that could affect their independent judgment, in respect of such vote. The GPVSC will also exclude from consideration the views of any person (whether requested or volunteered) if the GPVSC or any member thereof knows, or if the Conflicts of Interest Management Sub-Committee has determined, that such other person has a material conflict of interest with respect to the particular proxy or has attempted to influence the vote in any manner prohibited by these policies.
If, after excluding all relevant GPVSC voting members pursuant to the paragraph above, there are three or more GPVSC voting members remaining, those remaining GPVSC members will determine how to vote the proxy in accordance with these Policies and Guidelines. If there are fewer than three GPVSC voting members remaining, the GPVSC Chair will vote the proxy in accordance with the standard Guidelines or will obtain instructions as to how to have the proxy voted from, if time permits, the affected clients and otherwise from ISS.
4.4.2. | Investment Companies and Affiliated Public Companies |
Investment Companies . As reflected in the Guidelines, all proxies solicited by open-end and closed-end investment companies are voted in accordance with the pre-determined guidelines of ISS, unless the investment company client directs AM to vote differently on a specific proxy or specific categories of proxies. However, regarding investment companies for which AM or an affiliate serves as investment adviser or principal underwriter, such proxies are voted in the same proportion as the vote of all other shareholders (i.e., mirror or echo voting). Master Fund proxies solicited from feeder Funds are voted in accordance with applicable provisions of Section 12 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (Investment Company Act).
Subject to participation agreements with certain Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) issuers that have received exemptive orders from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) allowing investing Deutsche funds to exceed the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the Investment Company Act, AM will echo vote proxies for ETFs in which Deutsche Bank holds more than 25% of outstanding voting shares globally when required to do so by participation agreements and SEC orders.
Affiliated Public Companies . For proxies solicited by non-investment company issuers of or within the Deutsche Bank organization (e.g., Deutsche Bank itself), these proxies will be voted in the same proportion as the vote of other shareholders (i.e., mirror or echo voting).
Note: With respect to the Central Cash Management Fund (registered under the Investment Company Act), the Fund is not required to engage in echo voting and the investment adviser will use these Guidelines and may determine, with respect to the Central Cash Management Fund, to vote contrary to the positions in the Guidelines, consistent with the Funds best interest.
4.4.3. | Other Procedures that Limit Conflicts of Interest |
AM and other entities in the Deutsche Bank organization have adopted a number of policies, procedures, and internal controls that are designed to avoid various conflicts of interest, including those that may arise in connection with proxy voting, including but not limited to:
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Code of Business Conduct and Ethics DB Group; |
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Conflicts of Interest Policy DB Group; |
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Information Sharing Procedures AWM, GTB & CB&S; |
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Code of Ethics AWM; and |
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Code of Professional Conduct US. |
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The GPVSC expects that these policies, procedures, and internal controls will greatly reduce the chance that the GPVSC (or its members) would be involved in, aware of, or influenced by an actual or apparent conflict of interest.
All impacted business units are required to adopt, implement, and maintain procedures to ensure compliance with these Policies and Guidelines. At a minimum, such procedures must: (i) assign roles and responsibilities for carrying out the procedures, including responsibility for periodically updating he procedures; (ii) identify clear escalation paths for identified breaches of the procedures; and (iii) for non-dedicated procedures (i.e., desk manuals), contain a legend or table mapping the procedures to this Section (e.g., cross-referencing Section or page numbers).
5. | Recordkeeping |
At a minimum, the following records must be properly maintained and readily accessible in order to evidence compliance with this Policy.
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AM will maintain a record of each proxy vote cast by AM that includes among other things, company name, meeting date, proposals presented, vote cast, and shares voted. |
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Proxy Vendor Oversight maintains records for each of the proxy ballots it votes. Specifically, the records include, but are not limited to: |
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The proxy statement (and any additional solicitation materials) and relevant portions of annual statements; |
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Any additional information considered in the voting process that may be obtained from an issuing company, its agents, or proxy research firms; |
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Analyst worksheets created for stock option plan and share increase analyses; and |
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Proxy Edge print-screen of actual vote election. |
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AM will: (i) retain this Policy and the Guidelines; (ii) will maintain records of client requests for proxy voting information; and (iii) will retain any documents Proxy Vendor Oversight or the GPVSC prepared that were material to making a voting decision or that memorialized the basis for a proxy voting decision. |
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The GPVSC also will create and maintain appropriate records documenting its compliance with this Policy, including records of its deliberations and decisions regarding conflicts of interest and their resolution. |
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With respect to AMs investment company clients, ISS will create and maintain records of each companys proxy voting record for the 12-month periods ending June 30. AM will compile the following information for each matter relating to a portfolio security considered at any shareholder meeting held during the period covered by the report (and with respect to which the company was entitled to vote): |
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The name of the issuer of the portfolio security; |
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The exchange ticker symbol of the portfolio security (if symbol is available through reasonably practicable means); |
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The Council on Uniform Securities Identification Procedures (CUSIP) number for the portfolio security (if the number is available through reasonably practicable means); |
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The shareholder meeting date; |
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A brief identification of the matter voted on; |
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Whether the matter was proposed by the issuer or by a security holder; |
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Whether the company cast its vote on the matter; |
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How the company cast its vote (e.g., for or against proposal, or abstain; for or withhold regarding election of Directors); and |
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Whether the company cast its vote for or against Management. |
Note : This list is intended to provide guidance only in terms of the records that must be maintained in accordance with this policy. In addition, please note that records must be maintained in accordance with the Archiving and Record Retention Policy Deutsche Bank Group and applicable policies and procedures thereunder.
With respect to electronically stored records, properly maintained is defined as complete, authentic (unalterable), usable and backed-up. At a minimum, records should be retained for a period of not less than six years (or longer, if necessary to comply with applicable regulatory requirements), the first three years in an appropriate AM office.
6. | The GPVSCs Oversight Role |
In addition to adopting the Guidelines and making proxy voting decisions on matters referred to it as set forth above, the GPVSC monitors the proxy voting process by reviewing summary proxy information presented by ISS. The GPVSC uses this review process to determine, among other things, whether any changes should be made to the Guidelines. This review will take place at least quarterly and is documented in the GPVSCs minutes.
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Attachment A Global Proxy Voting Guidelines
Deutsche Asset Management
Global Proxy Voting Guidelines
As Amended July 2016
[GRAPHIC OMITTED]
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These Guidelines may reflect a voting position that differs from the actual practices of the public company(ies) within the Deutsche Bank organization or of the investment companies for which AM or an affiliate serves as investment adviser or sponsor.
Note : Because of the unique structure and regulatory scheme applicable to closed-end investment companies, the voting guidelines (particularly those related to governance issues) generally will be inapplicable to holdings of closed-end investment companies. As a result, determinations on the appropriate voting recommendation for closed-end investment company shares will be made on a case-by-case basis.
I. | Board of Directors and Executives |
A. | Election of Directors |
Routine : AM Policy is to vote for the uncontested election of Directors. Votes for a Director in an uncontested election will be withheld in cases where a Director has shown an inability to perform his/her duties in the best interests of the shareholders.
Proxy contest : In a proxy contest involving election of Directors, a case-by-case voting decision will be made based upon analysis of the issues involved and the merits of the incumbent and dissident slates of Directors. AM will incorporate the decisions of a third party proxy research vendor, currently Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), subject to review by the Global Proxy Voting Sub-Committee (GPVSC) as set forth in the AMs Proxy Voting Policy and Guidelines. AM will incorporate where applicable the recommendation of ISS based on ISS consideration of the following factors:
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Long-term financial performance of the company relative to its industry; |
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Managements track record; |
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Background to the contested election; |
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Nominee qualifications and any compensatory arrangements; |
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Strategic plan of dissident slate and quality of the critique against management; |
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Likelihood that the proposed goals and objectives can be achieved (both slates); and |
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Stock ownership positions. |
In the case of candidates nominated pursuant to proxy access, AM policy is to vote case-by-case considering any applicable factors listed above, including additional factors and any recommendations of a third party proxy research vendor, currently ISS, which may be relevant, including those that are specific to the company, to the nominee(s) and/or to the nature of the election (such as whether or not there are more candidates than Board seats).
Rationale : The large majority of corporate Directors fulfill their fiduciary obligation and in most cases support for Managements nominees is warranted. As the issues relevant to a contested election differ in each instance, those cases must be addressed as they arise.
B. | Classified Boards of Directors |
AM policy is to vote against proposals to classify the Board and for proposals to repeal classified Boards and elect Directors annually.
Rationale : Directors should be held accountable on an annual basis. By entrenching the incumbent Board, a classified Board may be used as an anti-takeover device to the detriment of the shareholders in a hostile take-over situation.
C. | Board and Committee Independence |
AM policy is to vote:
1. | For proposals that require that a certain percentage (majority up to 66 2/3%) of members of a Board of Directors be comprised of independent or unaffiliated Directors. |
2. | For proposals that require all members of a companys compensation, audit, nominating, or other similar committees be comprised of independent or unaffiliated Directors. |
3. | Against shareholder proposals to require the addition of special interest, or constituency, representatives to Boards of Directors. |
4. | For separation of the Chairman and CEO positions. |
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5. | Against proposals that require a company to appoint a Chairman who is an independent Director. |
Rationale : Board independence is a cornerstone of effective governance and accountability. A Board that is sufficiently independent from Management assures that shareholders interests are adequately represented. However, the Chairman of the Board must have sufficient involvement in and experience with the operations of the company to perform the functions required of that position and lead the company.
No Director qualifies as independent unless the Board of Directors affirmatively determines that the Director has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, shareholder, or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company).
Whether a Director is in fact not independent will depend on the laws and regulations of the primary market for the security and the exchanges, if any, on which the security trades.
D. | Liability and Indemnification of Directors |
AM policy is to vote for Management proposals to limit Directors liability and to broaden the indemnification of Directors, unless broader indemnification or limitations on Directors liability would affect shareholders interests in pending litigation.
Rationale : While shareholders want Directors and officers to be responsible for their actions, it is not in the best interests of the shareholders for them to be too risk averse. If the risk of personal liability is too great, companies may not be able to find capable Directors willing to serve. We support expanding coverage only for actions taken in good faith and not for serious violations of fiduciary obligation or negligence.
E. | Qualification of Directors |
AM policy is to follow Managements recommended vote on either Management or shareholder proposals that set retirement ages for Directors or require specific levels of stock ownership by Directors.
Rationale : As a general rule, the Board of Directors, and not the shareholders, is most qualified to establish qualification policies.
F. | Removal of Directors and Filling of Vacancies |
AM policy is to vote against proposals that include provisions that Directors may be removed only for cause or proposals that include provisions that only continuing Directors may fill Board vacancies.
Rationale: Differing state statutes permit removal of Directors with or without cause. Removal of Directors for cause usually requires proof of self-dealing, fraud, or misappropriation of corporate assets, limiting shareholders ability to remove Directors except under extreme circumstances. Removal without cause requires no such showing.
Allowing only incumbent Directors to fill vacancies can serve as an anti-takeover device, precluding shareholders from filling the Board until the next regular election.
G. | Proposals to Fix the Size of the Board |
AM policy is to vote:
1. | For proposals to fix the size of the Board unless: (a) no specific reason for the proposed change is given; or (b) the proposal is part of a package of takeover defenses. |
2. | Against proposals allowing Management to fix the size of the Board without shareholder approval. |
Rationale : Absent danger of anti-takeover use, companies should be granted a reasonable amount of flexibility in fixing the size of its Board.
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H. | Proposals to Restrict Chief Executive Officers Service on Multiple Boards |
AM policy is to vote for proposals to restrict a Chief Executive Officer from serving on more than three outside Boards of Directors.
Rationale : Chief Executive Officer must have sufficient time to ensure that shareholders interests are represented adequately.
Note : A Directors service on multiple closed-end fund Boards within a fund complex are treated as service on a single Board for the purpose of the proxy voting guidelines.
I. | Proposals to Restrict Supervisory Board Members Service on Multiple Boards |
AM policy is to vote for proposals to restrict a Supervisory Board Member from serving on more than five Supervisory Boards.
Rationale : We consider a strong, independent, and knowledgeable Supervisory Board as important counter-balance to executive Management to ensure that the interests of shareholders are fully reflected by the company.
Full information should be disclosed in the annual reports and accounts to allow all shareholders to judge the success of the Supervisory Board controlling their company.
Supervisory Board Members must have sufficient time to ensure that shareholders interests are represented adequately.
Note : A Directors service on multiple closed-end fund Boards within a fund complex are treated as service on a single Board for the purpose of the proxy voting guidelines
J. | Proposals to Establish Audit Committees |
AM policy is to vote for proposals that require the establishment of Audit Committees.
Rationale : The Audit Committee should deal with accounting and risk management related questions, verifies the independence of the auditor with due regard to possible conflicts of interest. It also should determine the procedure of the audit process.
II. | Capital Structure |
A. | Authorization of Additional Shares |
AM policy is to vote for proposals to increase the authorization of existing classes of stock that do not exceed a 3:1 ratio of shares authorized to shares outstanding for a large cap company and do not exceed a 4:1 ratio of shares authorized to shares outstanding for a small-midcap company (companies having a market capitalization under one billion US dollars).
Rationale : While companies need an adequate number of shares in order to carry on business, increases requested for general financial flexibility must be limited to protect shareholders from their potential use as an anti-takeover device. Requested increases for specifically designated, reasonable business purposes (stock split, merger, etc.) will be considered in light of those purposes and the number of shares required.
B. | Authorization of Blank Check Preferred Stock |
AM policy is to vote:
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Against proposals to create blank check preferred stock or to increase the number of authorized shares of blank check preferred stock unless the company expressly states that the stock will not be used for anti-takeover purposes and will not be issued without shareholder approval. |
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For proposals mandating shareholder approval of blank check stock placement. |
Rationale : Shareholders should be permitted to monitor the issuance of classes of preferred stock in which the Board of Directors is given unfettered discretion to set voting, dividend, conversion, and other rights for the shares issued.
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C. | Stock Splits/Reverse Stock Splits |
AM policy is to vote for stock splits if a legitimate business purpose is set forth and the split is in the shareholders best interests. A vote is cast for a reverse stock split only if the number of shares authorized is reduced in the same proportion as the reverse split or if the effective increase in authorized shares (relative to outstanding shares) complies with the proxy guidelines for common stock increases.
Rationale : Generally, stock splits do not detrimentally affect shareholders. Reverse stock splits, however, may have the same result as an increase in authorized shares and should be analyzed accordingly.
D. | Dual Class / Supervoting Stock |
AM policy is to vote against proposals to create or authorize additional shares of super-voting stock or stock with unequal voting rights.
Rationale : The one share, one vote principal ensures that no shareholder maintains a voting interest exceeding their equity interest in the company.
E. | Large Block Issuance |
AM policy is to address large block issuances of stock on a case-by-case basis based on the nature of the issuance and incorporating the recommendation of ISS as stated below subject to review by the GPVSC as set forth in AMs Proxy Voting Policy and Guidelines:
For general Issuances, in general AM policy is to:
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Vote for issuance authorities with pre-emptive rights to a maximum of 100 percent over currently issued capital and as long as the share issuance authorities periods are clearly disclosed (or implied by the application of a legal maximum duration) and in line with market-specific practices and/or recommended guidelines (e.g. issuance periods limited to 18 months for the Netherlands); and |
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Vote for issuance authorities without pre-emptive rights to a maximum of 20 percent (or a lower limit if local market best practice recommendations provide) of currently issued capital as long as the share issuance authorities periods are clearly disclosed (or implied by the application of a legal maximum duration) and in line with market-specific practices and/or recommended guidelines (e.g. issuance periods limited to 18 months for the Netherlands). |
For French companies, AM policy is to:
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Vote for general issuance requests with pre-emptive rights, or without pre-emptive rights but with a binding priority right, for a maximum of 50 percent over currently issued capital; and |
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Generally vote for general authorities to issue shares without pre-emptive rights up to a maximum of 10 percent of share capital. When companies are listed on a regulated market, the maximum discount on share issuance price proposed in the resolution must, in addition, comply with the legal discount (i.e., a maximum of 5 percent discount to the share listing price) for a vote for to be warranted. |
For specific issuances, in general AM policy is to:
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Vote on a case-by-case basis on all requests, with or without pre-emptive rights, incorporating where applicable the recommendation of ISS. |
Additionally, AM supports proposals requiring shareholder approval of large block issuances.
Rationale : Stock issuances must be reviewed in light of the business circumstances leading to the request and the potential impact on shareholder value.
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F. | Recapitalization into a Single Class of Stock |
AM policy is to vote for recapitalization plans to provide for a single class of common stock, provided the terms are fair, with no class of stock being unduly disadvantaged.
Rationale : Consolidation of multiple classes of stock is a business decision that may be left to the Board and/or Management if there is no adverse effect on shareholders.
G. | Share Repurchases |
AM policy is to vote for share repurchase plans provided all shareholders are able to participate on equal terms.
Rationale : Buybacks are generally considered beneficial to shareholders because they tend to increase returns to the remaining shareholders.
H. | Reductions in Par Value |
AM policy is to vote for proposals to reduce par value, provided a legitimate business purpose is stated (e.g., the reduction of corporate tax responsibility.)
Rationale : Usually, adjustments to par value are a routine financial decision with no substantial impact on shareholders.
III. | Corporate Governance Issues |
A. | Confidential Voting |
AM policy is to vote for proposals to provide for confidential voting and independent tabulation of voting results and to vote against proposals to repeal such provisions.
Rationale : Confidential voting protects the privacy rights of all shareholders. This is particularly important for employee-shareholders or shareholders with business or other affiliations with the company, who may be vulnerable to coercion or retaliation when opposing Management. Confidential voting does not interfere with the ability of corporations to communicate with all shareholders, nor does it prohibit shareholders from making their views known directly to Management.
B. | Cumulative Voting |
AM policy is to vote against shareholder proposals requesting cumulative voting and for Management proposals to eliminate it. The protections afforded shareholders by cumulative voting are not necessary when a company has a history of good performance and does not have a concentrated ownership interest. Accordingly, a vote is cast against cumulative voting and for proposals to eliminate it if:
a) |
The company has a five year return on investment greater than the relevant industry index; |
b) |
All Directors and executive officers as a group beneficially own less than 10% of the outstanding stock; and |
c) |
No shareholder (or voting block) beneficially owns 15% or more of the company. |
Thus, failure of any one of the three criteria results in a vote for cumulative voting in accordance with the general policy.
Rationale : Cumulative voting is a tool that should be used to ensure that holders of a significant number of shares may have Board representation; however, the presence of other safeguards may make their use unnecessary.
C. | Supermajority Voting Requirements |
AM policy is to vote against Management proposals to require a supermajority vote to amend the charter or bylaws and to vote for shareholder proposals to modify or rescind existing supermajority requirements.
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*Exception made when company holds a controlling position and seeks to lower threshold to maintain control and/or make changes to corporate by-laws.
Rationale : Supermajority voting provisions violate the democratic principle that a simple majority should carry the vote. Setting supermajority requirements may make it difficult or impossible for shareholders to remove egregious by-law or charter provisions. Occasionally, a company with a significant insider held position might attempt to lower a supermajority threshold to make it easier for Management to approve provisions that may be detrimental to shareholders. In that case, it may not be in the shareholders interests to lower the supermajority provision.
D. | Shareholder Right to Vote |
AM policy is to vote against proposals that restrict the right of shareholders to call special meetings, amend the bylaws, or act by written consent. AM policy is to vote for proposals that remove such restrictions.
Rationale : Any reasonable means whereby shareholders can make their views known to Management or affect the governance process should be supported.
IV. | Compensation |
Annual Incentive Plans or Bonus Plans are often submitted to shareholders for approval. These plans typically award cash to executives based on company performance. Deutsche Bank believes that the responsibility for executive compensation decisions rest with the Board of Directors and/or the compensation committee, and its policy is not to second-guess the Boards award of cash compensation amounts to executives unless a particular award or series of awards is deemed excessive. If stock options are awarded as part of these bonus or incentive plans, the provisions must meet Deutsche Banks criteria regarding stock option plans or similar stock-based incentive compensation schemes, as set forth below.
A. | Establishment of a Remuneration Committee |
AM policy is to vote for proposals that require the establishment of a Remuneration Committee.
Rationale : Corporations should disclose in each annual report or proxy statement their policies on remuneration. Essential details regarding executive remuneration including share options, long-term incentive plans and bonuses, should be disclosed in the annual report, so that investors can judge whether corporate pay policies and practices meet the standard.
The Remuneration Committee shall not comprise any Board members and should be sensitive to the wider scene on executive pay. It should ensure that performance-based elements of executive pay are designed to align the interests of shareholders.
B. | Executive and Director Stock Option Plans |
AM policy is to vote for stock option plans that meet the following criteria:
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The resulting dilution of existing shares is less than: (a) 15% of outstanding shares for large capital corporations; or (b) 20%of outstanding shares for small-mid capital companies (companies having a market capitalization under one billion US dollars). |
2. |
The transfer of equity resulting from granting options at less than fair market value (FMV) is no greater than 3% of the over-all market capitalization of large capital corporations or 5% of market cap for small-mid capital companies. |
3. |
The plan does not contain express repricing provisions and, in the absence of an express statement that options will not be repriced, the company does not have a history of repricing options. |
4. |
The plan does not grant options on super-voting stock. |
AM will support performance-based option proposals as long as: (a) they do not mandate that all options granted by the company must be performance based; and (b) only certain high-level executives are subject to receive the performance based options.
AM will support proposals to eliminate the payment of outside Director pensions.
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Rationale : Determining the cost to the company and to shareholders of stock-based incentive plans raises significant issues not encountered with cash-based compensation plans. These include the potential dilution of existing shareholders voting power, the transfer of equity out of the company resulting from the grant and execution of options at less than FMV and the authority to reprice or replace underwater options. Our stock option plan analysis model seeks to allow reasonable levels of flexibility for a company yet still protect shareholders from the negative impact of excessive stock compensation. Acknowledging that small mid-capital corporations often rely more heavily on stock option plans as their main source of executive compensation and may not be able to compete with their large capital competitors with cash compensation, we provide slightly more flexibility for those companies.
C. | Employee Stock Option / Purchase Plans |
AM policy is to vote for employee stock purchase plans (ESPPs) when the plan complies with Internal Revenue Code Section 423, allowing non-Management employees to purchase stock at 85% of FMV.
AM policy is to vote for employee stock option plans (ESOPs) provided they meet the standards for stock option plans in general. However, when computing dilution and transfer of equity, ESOPs are considered independently from executive and Director option plans.
Rationale : ESOPs and ESPPs encourage rank-and-file employees to acquire an ownership stake in the companies they work for and have been shown to promote employee loyalty and improve productivity.
D. | Golden Parachutes |
AM policy is to vote for proposals to require shareholder approval of golden parachutes and for proposals that would limit golden parachutes to no more than three times base compensation. AM policy is to vote against more restrictive shareholder proposals to limit golden parachutes.
Rationale : In setting a reasonable limitation, AM considers that an effective parachute should be less attractive than continued employment and that the IRS has opined that amounts greater than three times annual salary, are excessive.
E. | Proposals to Limit Benefits or Executive Compensation |
AM policy is to vote against:
1. |
Proposals to limit benefits, pensions or compensation; and |
2. |
Proposals that request or require disclosure of executive compensation greater than the disclosure required by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulations. |
Rationale : Levels of compensation and benefits are generally considered to be day-to-day operations of the company, and are best left unrestricted by arbitrary limitations proposed by shareholders.
F. | Option Expensing |
AM policy is to support proposals requesting companies to expense stock options.
Rationale : Although companies can choose to expense options voluntarily, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) does not yet require it, instead allowing companies to disclose the theoretical value of options as a footnote. Because the expensing of stock options lowers earnings, most companies elect not to do so. Given the fact that options have become an integral component of compensation and their exercise results in a transfer of shareholder value, AM agrees that their value should not be ignored and treated as no cost compensation. The expensing of stock options would promote more modest and appropriate use of stock options in executive compensation plans and present a more accurate picture of company operational earnings.
G. | Management Board Election and Motion |
AM policy is to vote against:
1. |
The election of Board members with positions on either Remuneration or Audit Committees; |
2. |
The election of Supervisory Board members with too many Supervisory Board mandates; and |
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3. |
Automatic election of former Board members into the Supervisory Board. |
Rationale : Management as an entity, and each of its members, are responsible for all actions of the company, and are subject to applicable laws and regulations accountable to the shareholders as a whole for their actions.
Sufficient information should be disclosed in the annual company report and account to allow shareholders to judge the success of the company.
H. | Remuneration (Variable Pay) |
Executive remuneration for Management Board
AM policy is to vote for Management Board remuneration that is transparent and linked to results.
Rationale : Executive compensation should motivate Management and align the interests of Management with the shareholders. The focus should be on criteria that prevent excessive remuneration; but enable the company to hire and retain first-class professionals.
Shareholder interests are normally best served when Management is remunerated to optimize long-term returns. Criteria should include suitable measurements like return on capital employed or economic value added.
Interests should generally also be correctly aligned when Management own shares in the company even more so if these shares represent a substantial portion of their own wealth.
Its disclosure shall differentiate between fixed pay, variable (performance related) pay, and long-term incentives, including stock option plans with valuation ranges as well as pension and any other significant arrangements.
Executive remuneration for Supervisory Board
AM policy is to vote for remuneration for Supervisory Board that is at least 50% in fixed form.
Rationale : It would normally be preferable if performance linked compensation were not based on dividend payments, but linked to suitable result based parameters. Consulting and procurement services should also be published in the company report.
I. | Long-Term Incentive Plans |
AM policy is to vote for long-term incentive plans for members of a Management Board that reward for above average company performance.
Rationale : Incentive plans will normally be supported if they:
1. |
Directly align the interests of members of Management Boards with those of shareholders; |
2. |
Establish challenging performance criteria to reward only above average performance; |
3. |
Measure performance by total shareholder return in relation to the market or a range of comparable companies; |
4. |
Are long-term in nature and encourage long-term ownership of the shares once exercised through minimum holding periods; and |
5. |
Do not allow a repricing of the exercise price in stock option plans. |
J. | Shareholder Proposals Concerning Pay for Superior Performance |
AM policy is to vote on a case-by-case basis on shareholder proposals that request the Board establish a pay-for-superior performance standard in the companys executive compensation plan for senior executives, incorporating where applicable the recommendations of ISS, subject to review by the GPVSC as set forth in AMs Proxy Voting Policy and Guidelines, based on ISS consideration of the following factors:
➣ |
What aspects of the companys annual and long-term equity incentive programs are performance driven? |
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Ø |
If the annual and long-term equity incentive programs are performance driven, are the performance criteria and hurdle rates disclosed to shareholders or are they benchmarked against a disclosed peer group? |
Ø |
Can shareholders assess the correlation between pay and performance based on the current disclosure? |
Ø |
What type of industry and stage of business cycle does the company belong to? |
These proposals generally include the following principles:
Ø |
Set compensation targets for the plans annual and long-term incentive pay components at or below the peer group median; |
Ø |
Deliver a majority of the plans target long-term compensation through performance-vested, not simply time-vested, equity awards; |
Ø |
Provide the strategic rationale and relative weightings of the financial and non-financial performance metrics or criteria used in the annual and performance-vested long-term incentive components of the plan; |
Ø |
Establish performance targets for each plan financial metric relative to the performance of the companys peer companies; and |
Ø |
Limit payment under the annual and performance-vested long-term incentive components of the plan to when the companys performance on its selected financial performance metrics exceeds peer group median performance. |
Rationale : While AM agrees that compensation issues are better left to the discretion of Management, there remains the need to monitor for excessive compensation practices on a case-by-case basis. If, after a review of the ISS metrics, AM is comfortable with ISSs applying this calculation and will vote according to their recommendation.
K. |
Executive Compensation Advisory |
AM policy is to follow Managements recommended vote on shareholder proposals to propose an advisory resolution seeking to ratify the compensation of the companys named executive officers (NEOs) on an annual basis.
Rationale : AM believes that controls exist within senior Management and corporate compensation committees, ensuring fair compensation to executives. This might allow shareholders to require approval for all levels of Managements compensation.
L. |
Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation |
AM policy is to vote on a case-by-case basis on ballot items related to executive pay and practices, as well as certain aspects of outside director compensation, including recommendations by ISS where applicable, subject to review by the GPVSC as set forth in AMs Proxy Voting Policy and Guidelines.
AM policy is to vote against Advisory Votes on Executive Compensation (Management Say-on-Pay -- MSOP) if:
Ø |
There is a significant misalignment between CEO pay and company performance (pay for performance); |
Ø |
The company maintains significant problematic pay practices; or |
Ø |
The Board exhibits a significant level of poor communication and responsiveness to shareholders. |
PRIMARY EVALUATION FACTORS FOR EXECUTIVE PAY
Pay-For-Performance Evaluation
AM will consider the pay-for-performance analysis conducted annually by an independent third party, currently ISS, to identify strong or satisfactory alignment between pay and performance over a sustained period. With respect to companies in the Russell 3000 or Russell 3000E Indices, AM considers the following based on ISS analysis:
1. |
Peer Group Alignment: |
Ø |
The degree of alignment between the companys annualized TSR rank and the CEOs annualized total pay rank within a peer group, each measured over a three-year period. |
Ø |
The multiple of the CEOs total pay relative to the peer group median. |
2. |
Absolute Alignment the absolute alignment between the trend in CEO pay and company TSR over the prior five fiscal years i.e., the difference between the trend in annual pay changes and the trend in annualized TSR during the period. |
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If the above analysis demonstrates significant unsatisfactory long-term pay-for-performance alignment or, in the case of companies outside the Russell indices, misaligned pay and performance are otherwise suggested, AM may consider any of the following qualitative factors as relevant to evaluating how various pay elements may work to encourage or to undermine long-term value creation and alignment with shareholder interests:
Ø |
The ratio of performance- to time-based equity awards; |
Ø |
The overall ratio of performance-based compensation; |
Ø |
The completeness of disclosure and rigor of performance goals; |
Ø |
The companys peer group benchmarking practices; |
Ø |
Actual results of financial/operational metrics, such as growth in revenue, profit, cash flow, etc., both absolute and relative to peers; |
Ø |
Special circumstances related to, for example, a new CEO in the prior FY or anomalous equity grant practices (e.g., bi-annual awards); |
Ø |
Realizable pay compared to grant pay; and |
Ø |
Any other factors deemed relevant. |
Problematic Pay Practices
AMs policy is to defer to ISS recommendation regarding executive compensation practices that contravene the global pay principles considered by ISS in evaluating executive pay and practices, including:
Ø |
Problematic practices related to non-performance-based compensation elements; |
Ø |
Incentives that may motivate excessive risk-taking; and |
Ø |
Options Backdating. |
Problematic Pay Practices Related to Non-Performance-Based Compensation Elements
AMs policy is, in general, to evaluate pay elements that are not directly based on performance on a case-by-case considering the context of a companys overall pay program and demonstrated pay-for-performance philosophy. AM will defer to ISS analysis of specific pay practices that have been identified as potentially problematic and may lead to negative recommendations if they are deemed to be inappropriate or unjustified relative to executive pay best practices. The list below highlights the problematic practices that carry significant weight in AMs overall consideration and may result in adverse vote recommendations:
Ø |
Repricing or replacing of underwater stock options/SARS without prior shareholder approval (including cash buyouts and voluntary surrender of underwater options); |
Ø |
Excessive perquisites or tax gross-ups, including any gross-up related to a secular trust or restricted stock vesting; |
Ø |
New or extended agreements that provide for: |
● | CIC payments exceeding 3 times base salary and average/target/most recent bonus; |
● | CIC severance payments without involuntary job loss or substantial diminution of duties (single or modified single triggers); |
● | CIC payments with excise tax gross-ups (including modified gross-ups); and |
Ø |
Insufficient executive compensation disclosure by externally- managed issuers (EMIs) such that a reasonable assessment of pay programs and practices applicable to the EMIs executives is not possible. |
Incentives that may Motivate Excessive Risk-Taking
Ø |
Multi-year guaranteed bonuses; |
Ø |
A single or common performance metric used for short- and long-term plans; |
Ø |
Lucrative severance packages; |
Ø |
High pay opportunities relative to industry peers; |
Ø |
Disproportionate supplemental pensions; or |
Ø |
Mega annual equity grants that provide unlimited upside with no downside risk. |
Factors that potentially mitigate the impact of risky incentives include rigorous claw-back provisions and robust stock ownership/holding guidelines.
OPTIONS BACKDATING
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AMs policy is to examine the following factors case-by-case to allow for distinctions to be made between sloppy plan administration versus deliberate action or fraud:
Ø |
Reason and motive for the options backdating issue, such as inadvertent vs. deliberate grant date changes; |
Ø |
Duration of options backdating; |
Ø |
Size of restatement due to options backdating; |
Ø |
Corrective actions taken by the Board or compensation committee, such as canceling or re-pricing backdated options, the recouping of option gains on backdated grants; and |
Ø |
Adoption of a grant policy that prohibits backdating, and creates a fixed grant schedule or window period for equity grants in the future. |
AM may rely on ISSs analysis of the foregoing and may defer to ISSs recommendation subject to review by the GPVSC.
Rationale : While AM agrees that compensation issues are better left to the discretion of Management, there remains a need to take action on this nonbinding proposal if excessive compensation practices exist.
M. | Frequency of Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation |
AM policy is to vote for annual advisory votes on compensation, which provide the most consistent and clear communication channel for shareholder concerns about companies executive pay programs.
Rationale : AM believes that annual advisory vote gives shareholders the opportunity to express any compensation concerns to the Executive Compensation proposal which is an advisory voting.
V. | Anti-Takeover Related Issues |
A. | Shareholder Rights Plans (Poison Pills) |
AM policy is to vote for proposals to require shareholder ratification of poison pills or that request Boards to redeem poison pills, and to vote against the adoption of poison pills if they are submitted for shareholder ratification.
Rationale : Poison pills are the most prevalent form of corporate takeover defenses and can be (and usually are) adopted without shareholder review or consent. The potential cost of poison pills to shareholders during an attempted takeover outweighs the benefits.
B. | Reincorporation |
AM policy is to examine reincorporation proposals on a case-by-case basis. The voting decision is based on:
1. |
Differences in state law between the existing state of incorporation and the proposed state of incorporation; and |
2. |
Differences between the existing and the proposed charter / bylaws / articles of incorporation and their effect on shareholder rights. |
If changes resulting from the proposed reincorporation violate the corporate governance principles set forth in these guidelines, the reincorporation will be deemed contrary to shareholders interests and a vote cast against.
Rationale : Reincorporations can be properly analyzed only by looking at the advantages and disadvantages to their shareholders. Care must be taken that anti-takeover protection is not the sole or primary result of a proposed change.
C. | Fair-Price Proposals |
AM policy is to vote for Management fair-price proposals, provided that:
1. |
The proposal applies only to two-tier offers; |
2. |
The proposal sets an objective fair-price test based on the highest price that the acquirer has paid for a companys shares; |
3. |
The supermajority requirement for bids that fail the fair-price test is no higher than two-thirds of the outstanding shares; and |
4. |
The proposal contains no other anti-takeover provisions or provisions that restrict shareholders rights. |
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A vote is cast for shareholder proposals that would modify or repeal existing fair-price requirements that do not meet these standards.
Rationale : While fair price provisions may be used as anti-takeover devices, if adequate provisions are included, they provide some protection to shareholders who have some say in their application and the ability to reject those protections if desired.
D. | Exemption from State Takeover Laws |
AM policy is to vote for shareholder proposals to opt out of state takeover laws and to vote against Management proposals requesting to opt out of state takeover laws.
Rationale : Control share statutes, enacted at the state level, may harm long-term share value by entrenching Management. They also unfairly deny certain shares their inherent voting rights.
E. | Non-Financial Effects of Takeover Bids |
Policy is to vote against shareholder proposals to require consideration of non-financial effects of merger or acquisition proposals.
Rationale : Non-financial effects may often be subjective and are secondary to AMs stated purpose of acting in its clients best economic interest.
VI. | Mergers & Acquisitions |
Evaluation of mergers, acquisitions and other special corporate transactions (i.e., takeovers, spin-offs, sales of assets, reorganizations, restructurings and recapitalizations) are performed on a case-by-case basis, including consideration of ISS s analysis and recommendations where applicable, subject to review by the GPVSC . AM policy is to review and evaluate the merits and drawbacks of the proposed transaction, balancing various and sometimes countervailing factors including:
Ø |
Valuation - Is the value to be received by the target shareholders (or paid by the acquirer) reasonable? While the fairness opinion may provide an initial starting point for assessing valuation reasonableness, emphasis is placed on the offer premium, market reaction and strategic rationale. |
Ø |
Market reaction - How has the market responded to the proposed deal? A negative market reaction should cause closer scrutiny of a deal. |
Ø |
Strategic rationale - Does the deal make sense strategically? From where is the value derived? Cost and revenue synergies should not be overly aggressive or optimistic, but reasonably achievable. Management should also have a favorable track record of successful integration of historical acquisitions. |
Ø |
Negotiations and process - Were the terms of the transaction negotiated at arms-length? Was the process fair and equitable? A fair process helps to ensure the best price for shareholders. Significant negotiation wins can also signify the deal makers competency. The comprehensiveness of the sales process (e.g., full auction, partial auction, no auction) can also affect shareholder value. |
Ø |
Conflicts of interest - Are insiders benefiting from the transaction disproportionately and inappropriately as compared to non-insider shareholders? As the result of potential conflicts, the directors and officers of the company may be more likely to vote to approve a merger than if they did not hold these interests. Consider whether these interests may have influenced these directors and officers to support or recommend the merger. The CIC figure presented in the ISS Transaction Summary section of this report is an aggregate figure that can in certain cases be a misleading indicator of the true value transfer from shareholders to insiders. Where such figure appears to be excessive, analyze the underlying assumptions to determine whether a potential conflict exists. |
Ø |
Governance - Will the combined company have a better or worse governance profile than the current governance profiles of the respective parties to the transaction? If the governance profile is to change for the worse, the burden is on the company to prove that other issues (such as valuation) outweigh any deterioration in governance. |
Additional resources including portfolio management and research analysts may be considered as set forth in AMs policies and procedures.
VII. | Environmental, Social, and Governance Issues |
Environmental, social, and governance issues (ESG) are becoming increasingly important to corporate success. We incorporate ESG considerations into both our investment decisions and our proxy voting decisions particularly if the financial performance of
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the company could be impacted. Companies or states that seriously contravene internationally accepted ethical principles will be subject to heightened scrutiny.
A. | Principles for Responsible Investment |
AM policy is to actively engage with companies on ESG issues and participate in ESG initiatives. In this context, AM: (a) votes for increased disclosure on ESG issues; (b) is willing to participate in the development of policy, regulation, and standard setting (such as promoting and protecting shareholder rights); (c) could support shareholder initiatives and also file shareholder resolutions with long term ESG considerations and improved ESG disclosure, when applicable; (d) could support standardized ESG reporting and issues to be integrated within annual financial reports; and (e) on a case-by-case basis, will generally follow Managements recommended vote on other matters related to ESG issues.
Rationale : ESG issues can affect the performance of investment portfolios (to varying degrees across companies, sectors, regions, asset classes, and through time).
B. | ESG Issues |
AM policy is to vote in line with the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) recommendation on Environmental matters contained in the CERES Principles and the recommendations on social and sustainability issues not specifically addressed elsewhere in these Guidelines. AM will rely on ISS to identify shareholder proposals addressing CERES Principles and proxies will be voted in accordance with ISS predetermined voting guidelines on CERES Principles. AM policy is to generally vote for social and environmental shareholder proposals that promote good corporate citizens while enhancing long-term shareholder and stakeholder value. AM policy is to vote for disclosure reports that seek additional information particularly when it appears companies have not adequately addressed shareholders social, workforce, and environmental concerns. In determining vote recommendations on shareholder social, workforce, and environmental proposals, AM may defer to ISS analysis and recommendation based on consideration of the following factors:
Ø |
Whether the proposal itself is well framed and reasonable; |
Ø |
Whether adoption of the proposal would have either a positive or negative impact on the companys short-term or long-term share value; |
Ø |
Whether the companys analysis and voting recommendation to shareholders is persuasive; |
Ø |
The degree to which the companys stated position on the issues could affect its reputation or sales, or leave it vulnerable to boycott or selective purchasing; |
Ø |
Whether the subject of the proposal is best left to the discretion of the Board; |
Ø |
Whether the issues presented in the proposal are best dealt with through legislation, government regulation, or company-specific action; |
Ø |
The companys approach compared with its peers or any industry standard practices for addressing the issue(s) raised by the proposal; |
Ø |
Whether the company has already responded in an appropriate or sufficient manner to the issue(s) raised in the proposal; |
Ø |
If the proposal requests increased disclosure or greater transparency, whether or not sufficient information is publically available to shareholders and whether it would be unduly burdensome for the company to compile and avail the requested information to shareholders in a more comprehensive or amalgamated fashion; or |
Ø |
Whether implementation of the proposal would achieve the objectives sought in the proposal. |
In general, AM policy supports proposals that request the company to furnish information helpful to shareholders in evaluating the companys operations, based on ISS analysis and recommendation. In order to be able to intelligently monitor their investments shareholders often need information best provided by the company in which they have invested. Requests to report such information will merit support. Requests to establish special committees of the Board to address broad corporate policy and provide forums for ongoing dialogue on issues including, but not limited to shareholder relations, the environment, human rights, occupational health and safety, and executive compensation, will generally be supported, particularly when they appear to offer a potentially effective method for enhancing shareholder value. AM policy is to closely evaluate proposals that ask the company to cease certain actions that the proponent believes are harmful to society or some segment of society with special attention to the companys legal and ethical obligations, its ability to remain profitable, and potential negative publicity if the company fails to honor the request. AM policy supports shareholder proposals that improve the companys public image, and reduce exposure to liabilities.
Any matter that is to be voted on, consented to or approved by the voting members, may take place in person, telephonically, or via other electronic means. In addition, voting members may act in writing, including without limitation, via e-mail.
Rationale : AM supports the CERES Principles and as such generally votes proxies in line with the CERES recommendation.
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C. | Labor and Human Rights |
AM policy is to vote against adopting global codes of conduct or workplace standards exceeding those mandated by law.
Rationale : Additional requirements beyond those mandated by law are deemed unnecessary and potentially burdensome to companies
D. | Diversity and Equality |
1. |
AM policy is to vote against shareholder proposals to force equal employment opportunity, affirmative action or Board diversity. |
Rationale : Compliance with State and Federal legislation along with information made available through filings with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provides sufficient assurance that companies act responsibly and make information public.
2. |
AM policy is also to vote against proposals to adopt the Mac Bride Principles. The MacBride Principles promote fair employment, specifically regarding religious discrimination. |
Rationale : Compliance with the Fair Employment Act of 1989 makes adoption of the MacBride Principles redundant. Their adoption could potentially lead to charges of reverse discrimination.
E. | Health and Safety |
1. |
AM policy is to vote against adopting a pharmaceutical price restraint policy or reporting pricing policy changes. |
Rationale : Pricing is an integral part of business for pharmaceutical companies and should not be dictated by shareholders (particularly pursuant to an arbitrary formula). Disclosing pricing policies may also jeopardize a companys competitive position in the marketplace.
2. |
AM policy is to vote against shareholder proposals to control the use or labelling of and reporting on genetically engineered products. |
Rationale : Additional requirements beyond those mandated by law are deemed unnecessary and potentially burdensome to companies.
F. | Government / Military |
1. |
AM policy is to vote against shareholder proposals regarding the production or sale of military arms or nuclear or space-based weapons, including proposals seeking to dictate a companys interaction with a particular foreign country or agency. |
Rationale : Generally, Management is in a better position to determine what products or industries a company can and should participate in. Regulation of the production or distribution of military supplies is, or should be, a matter of government policy.
2. |
AM policy is to vote against shareholder proposals regarding political contributions and donations. |
Rationale : The Board of Directors and Management, not shareholders, should evaluate and determine the recipients of any contributions made by the company.
3. |
AM policy is to vote against shareholder proposals regarding charitable contributions and donations. |
Rationale : The Board of Directors and Management, not shareholders, should evaluate and determine the recipients of any contributions made by the company.
G. | Tobacco |
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1. |
AM policy is to vote against shareholder proposals requesting additional standards or reporting requirements for tobacco companies as well as against requesting companies to report on the intentional manipulation of nicotine content. |
Rationale : Where a tobacco companys actions meet the requirements of legal and industry standards, imposing additional burdens may detrimentally affect a companys ability to compete. The disclosure of nicotine content information could affect the companys rights in any pending or future litigation.
2. |
Shareholder requests to spin-off or restructure tobacco businesses will be opposed. |
Rationale : These decisions are more appropriately left to the Board and Management and not to shareholder mandate.
VIII. | Miscellaneous Items |
A. | Ratification of Auditors |
AM policy is to vote for: (a) the Management recommended selection of auditors; and (b) proposals to require shareholder approval of auditors.
Rationale : Absent evidence that auditors have not performed their duties adequately, support for Managements nomination is warranted.
B. | Limitation of Non-Audit Services Provided by Independent Auditor |
AM policy is to support proposals limiting non-audit fees to 50% of the aggregate annual fees earned by the firm retained as a companys independent auditor.
Rationale : In the wake of financial reporting problems and alleged audit failures at a number of companies, AM supports the general principle that companies should retain separate firms for audit and consulting services to avoid potential conflicts of interest. However, given the protections afforded by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (which requires Audit Committee pre-approval for non-audit services and prohibits auditors from providing specific types of services), and the fact that some non-audit services are legitimate audit-related services, complete separation of audit and consulting fees may not be warranted. A reasonable limitation is appropriate to help ensure auditor independence and it is reasonable to expect that audit fees exceed non-audit fees.
C. | Audit Firm Rotation |
AM policy is to vote against proposals seeking audit firm rotation.
Rationale : While the Sarbanes-Oxley Act mandates that the lead audit partner be switched every five years, AM believes that rotation of the actual audit firm would be costly and disruptive.
D. | Transaction of Other Business |
AM policy is to vote against transaction of other business proposals.
Rationale : This is a routine item to allow shareholders to raise other issues and discuss them at the meeting. As the nature of these issues may not be disclosed prior to the meeting, we recommend a vote against these proposals. This protects shareholders voting by proxy (and not physically present at a meeting) from having action taken at the meeting that they did not receive proper notification of or sufficient opportunity to consider.
E. | Motions to Adjourn the Meeting |
AM Policy is to vote against proposals to adjourn the meeting.
Rationale : Management may seek authority to adjourn the meeting if a favorable outcome is not secured. Shareholders should already have had enough information to make a decision. Once votes have been cast, there is no justification for Management to continue spending time and money to press shareholders for support.
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F. | Bundled Proposals |
AM policy is to vote against bundled proposals if any bundled issue would require a vote against it if proposed individually.
Rationale : Shareholders should not be forced to take the good with the bad in cases where the proposals could reasonably have been submitted separately.
G. | Change of Company Name |
AM policy is to support Management on proposals to change the company name.
Rationale : This is generally considered a business decision for a company.
H. | Proposals Related to the Annual Meeting |
AM Policy is to vote for Management for proposals related to the conduct of the annual meeting (meeting time, place, etc.)
Rationale : These are considered routine administrative proposals.
I. | Reimbursement of Expenses Incurred from Candidate Nomination |
AM policy is to follow Managements recommended vote on shareholder proposals related to the amending of company bylaws to provide for the reimbursement of reasonable expenses incurred in connection with nominating one or more candidates in a contested election of Directors to the corporations Board of Directors.
Rationale : Corporations should not be liable for costs associated with shareholder proposals for Directors.
J. | Investment Company Proxies |
Proxies solicited by investment companies are voted in accordance with the recommendations of an independent third party, currently ISS. However, regarding investment companies for which AM or an affiliate serves as investment adviser or principal underwriter, such proxies are voted in the same proportion as the vote of all other shareholders. Proxies solicited by master funds from feeder funds will be voted in accordance with applicable provisions of Section 12 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (Investment Company Act).
Investment companies, particularly closed-end investment companies, are different from traditional operating companies. These differences may call for differences in voting positions on the same matter. For example, AM could vote for staggered Boards of closed-end investment companies, although AM generally votes against staggered Boards for operating companies. Further, the manner in which AM votes investment company proxies may differ from proposals for which an AM-advised investment company solicits proxies from its shareholders. As reflected in the Guidelines, proxies solicited by closed-end (and open-end) investment companies are voted in accordance with the pre-determined guidelines of an independent third-party.
Subject to participation agreements with certain ETF issuers that have received exemptive orders from the US Securities and Exchange Commission allowing investing Deutsche funds to exceed the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1)(A) and (B) of the Investment Company Act, AM will echo vote proxies for ETFs in which Deutsche Bank holds more than 25% of outstanding voting shares globally when required to do so by participation agreements and SEC orders.
Note : With respect to the Central Cash Management Fund (registered under the Investment Company Act), the Fund is not required to engage in echo voting and the investment adviser will use these Guidelines, and may determine, with respect to the Central Cash Management Fund, to vote contrary to the positions in the Guidelines, consistent with the Funds best interest.
K. | International Proxy Voting |
The above guidelines pertain to issuers organized in the United States, Canada, and Germany. Proxies solicited by other issuers are voted in accordance with international guidelines or the recommendation of ISS and in accordance with applicable law and regulation.
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DBX ETF TRUST (THE REGISTRANT)
PART C OTHER INFORMATION
Item 28. Exhibits.
(a)(1) |
Certificate of Trust of DBX ETF Trust (the Registrant or the Trust) dated October 7, 2010, incorporated by reference to the Trusts Registration Statement, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on October 25, 2010. |
|
(a)(2) |
Agreement and Declaration of Trust, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 1 to the Trusts Registration Statement, filed with the SEC on February 9, 2011. |
|
(b) |
Bylaws of the Trust, dated October 7, 2010, as amended February 25, 2016 and November 14, 2017, filed herewith. |
|
(c) |
Not applicable. |
|
(d)(1) |
Investment Advisory Agreement between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011. |
|
(d)(2) |
Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between DBX Advisors LLC and TDAM USA Inc., incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011. |
|
(d)(3) |
Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement between DBX Advisors LLC and Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc., incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 12, filed with the SEC on May 21, 2013. |
|
(d)(4) |
Form of Investment Advisory Agreement, dated August 15, 2013 between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 23, filed with the SEC on August 29, 2013. |
|
(d)(5) |
Form of Investment Sub-Advisory Agreement, dated August 15, 2013 between DBX Advisors, LLC and Harvest Global Investments Limited, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 23, filed with the SEC on August 29, 2013. |
|
(d)(6) |
Form of Amended Schedules A and B, dated July 25, 2013 to the Investment Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 29, filed with the SEC on September 30, 2013. |
|
(d)(7) |
Form of Amended Schedules A and B, dated November 18, 2013 to the Investment Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 46, filed with the SEC on January 3, 2014. |
1
(d)(8) |
Form of Amended Sub-Advisory Agreement dated August 15, 2013, as amended March 28, 2014, between DBX Advisors, LLC and Harvest Global Investments Limited, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 79, filed with the SEC on April 7, 2014. |
|
(d)(9) |
Form of Amended Schedules A and B, dated November 3, 2014 to the Investment Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 151, filed with the SEC on November 12, 2014. |
|
(d)(10) |
Form of Amended Schedules A and B, dated February 19, 2015 to the Investment Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 203, filed with the SEC on March 13, 2015. |
|
(d)(11) |
Form of Amended Schedule A, dated May 21, 2015 to the Investment Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 267, filed with the SEC on July 17, 2015. |
|
(d)(12) |
Form of Amended Schedule A, dated July 23, 2015 to the Investment Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 279, filed with the SEC on July 31, 2015. |
2
(d)(13) |
Form of Amended Schedule A, dated November 4, 2015 to the Investment Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 315, filed with the SEC on November 6, 2015. |
|
(d)(14) |
Form of Amended Schedule A, dated May 18, 2016 to the Investment Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 347, filed with the SEC on May 20, 2016. |
|
(d)(15) |
Form of Investment Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011, as amended September 21, 2016, between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 367, filed with the SEC on September 23, 2016. |
|
(d)(16) |
Form of Amended Schedule A, dated July 25, 2017 to the Investment Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 381, filed with the SEC on August 16, 2017. |
|
(d)(17) |
Form of Investment Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011, as amended May 24, 2017, between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 386, filed with the SEC on September 27, 2017. |
|
(d)(18) |
Form of Amended Schedule A, dated November 14, 2017 to the Investment Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC, filed herewith. |
|
(e)(1) |
Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc. dated November 1, 2011, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on September 28, 2012. |
|
(e)(2) |
Form of Amendment No. 3, dated August 15, 2013 to the Distribution Agreement dated November 1, 2011 between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc., incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 23, filed with the SEC on August 29, 2013. |
|
(e)(3) |
Form of Revised Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc., incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 131, filed with the SEC on September 26, 2014. |
|
(e)(4) |
Amendment No. 15, dated September 21, 2016, to the Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc., incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 376, filed with the SEC on December 21, 2016. |
|
(e)(5) |
Form of Amendment No. 17, dated July 25, 2017, to the Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc., incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 386, filed with the SEC on September 27, 2017. |
|
(e)(6) |
Form of Amendment No. 18, dated November 14, 2017, to the Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc., filed herewith. |
|
(f) |
Not applicable. |
|
(g)(1) |
Custody Agreement between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011. |
|
(g)(2) |
Foreign Custody Manager Agreement between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011. |
|
(g)(3) |
Foreign Custody Manager Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, as filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011. |
3
(g)(4) |
Form of Annex I, as revised August 15, 2013, to the Foreign Custody Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 23, filed with the SEC on August 29, 2013. |
|
(h)(1) |
Fund Administration and Accounting Agreement between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011. |
|
(h)(2) |
Transfer Agency and Service Agreement between the Registrant and The Bank of New York Mellon, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011. |
|
(h)(3) |
Form of Participation Agreement, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011. |
|
(h)(4) |
Form of Sublicense Agreement between the Registrant and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011. |
|
(h)(5) |
Expense Limitation Agreement, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on September 28, 2012. |
|
(h)(6) |
Expense Limitation Agreement, effective as of September 28, 2012, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on September 28, 2012. |
|
(h)(7) |
Expense Limitation Agreement (with respect to Deutsche X-trackers CSI 300 China A-Shares Hedged Equity ETF and Deutsche X-trackers JPX-Nikkei 400 Hedged Equity ETF), effective as of July 23, 2015, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 296, filed with the SEC on September 4, 2015. |
|
(h)(8) |
Expense Limitation Agreement (with respect to Deutsche X-trackers MSCI All China Equity ETF), effective as of July 23, 2015, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 306, filed with the SEC on September 28, 2015. |
|
(i)(1) |
Opinion of Dechert LLP, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed on May 11, 2011. |
|
(i)(2) |
Opinion and Consent of Counsel, Dechert LLP, filed herewith. |
|
(i)(3) |
Opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to shares of the Deutsche X-trackers Harvest CSI 300 China A-Shares ETF (formerly, db X-trackers Harvest China Fund), incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 23, filed with the SEC on August 29, 2013. |
|
(i)(4) |
Opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to shares of the Deutsche X-trackers Harvest CSI 500 China A-Shares Small Cap ETF (formerly, db X-trackers Harvest China A-Shares Small Cap Fund), incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 79, filed with the SEC on April 7, 2014. |
4
(i)(5) |
Opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, relating to shares of the Deutsche X-trackers MSCI All China Equity ETF (formerly, db X-trackers Harvest MSCI All-China Equity Fund), incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 82, filed with the SEC on April 22, 2014. |
|
(j) |
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, Ernst & Young LLP, filed herewith. |
|
(k) |
Not applicable. |
|
(l) |
Initial Share Purchase Agreement between Registrant and DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011. |
|
(m) |
Not applicable. |
|
(n) |
Not applicable. |
|
(o) |
Not applicable. |
|
(p)(1) |
Code of Ethics of the Registrant, incorporated by reference to Pre-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2011. |
|
(p)(2) |
Code of Ethics of DBX Advisors LLC, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on September 28, 2012. |
|
(p)(3) |
Code of Ethics of Harvest Global Investments Limited, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 23, filed with the SEC on August 29, 2013. |
|
(q)(1) |
Powers of Attorney of Trustees of the Registrant, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 2, filed with the SEC on September 28, 2012. |
|
(q)(2) |
Powers of Attorney of Independent Trustees of the Registrant, incorporated by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 376, filed with the SEC on December 21, 2016. |
Item 29. Persons controlled by or Under Common Control with the Fund.
Not applicable.
Item 30. Indemnification.
(a) Pursuant to Article IX of the Registrants Agreement and Declaration of Trust, the Trust has agreed that no person who is or has been a Trustee, officer, or employee of the Trust shall be subject to any personal liability whatsoever to any person, other than the Trust or its Shareholders, in connection with the affairs of the Trust; and all persons shall look solely to the Trust property or property of a Series for satisfaction of claims of any nature arising in connection with the affairs of the Trust or such Series.
Every note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate, Share or undertaking and every other act or thing whatsoever executed or done by or on behalf of the Trust or the Trustees or any of them in connection with the Trust shall be conclusively deemed to have been executed or done only in or with respect to their or his capacity as Trustees or Trustee and neither such Trustees or Trustee nor the Shareholders shall be personally liable thereon.
All Persons extending credit to, contracting with or having any claim against the Trust or a Series shall look only to the assets of the Trust property or the Trust property of such Series for payment under such credit, contract or claim; and neither the Trustees, nor any of the Trusts officers, employees or agents, whether past, present or future, shall be personally liable therefor.
5
No person who is or has been a Trustee, officer or employee of the Trust shall be liable to the Trust or to any Shareholder for any action or failure to act except for his or her own bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or her duties involved in the conduct of the individuals office, and for nothing else, and shall not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law.
Without limiting the foregoing limitations of liability, a Trustee shall not be responsible for or liable in any event for any neglect or wrongdoing of any officer, employee, investment adviser, sub-adviser, principal underwriter, custodian or other agent of the Trust, nor shall any Trustee be responsible or liable for the act or omission of any other Trustee (or for the failure to compel in any way any former or acting Trustee to redress any breach of trust), except in the case of such Trustees own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.
(b) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, the Registrant has been informed that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is therefore unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in connection with the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding or payment pursuant to any insurance policy) is asserted against the Registrant by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
Item 31. Business and Other Connections of Investment Manager.
With respect to each of DBX Advisors LLC and Deutsche Investment Management Americas Inc. (collectively, the Advisers), the response to this Item will be incorporated by reference to the Advisers Uniform Applications for Investment Adviser Registration (Form ADV) on file with the SEC. Each Advisers Form ADV may be obtained, free of charge, at the SECs website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov.
Item 32. Principal Underwriters.
(a) ALPS Distributors, Inc. acts as the distributor for the Registrant and the following investment companies: 1290 Funds, ALPS Series Trust, The Arbitrage Funds, AQR Funds, Barings Funds Trust, BBH Trust, Brandes Investment Trust, Broadview Funds Trust, Brown Capital Management Mutual Funds, Centre Funds, CION Ares Diversified Credit Fund, Columbia ETF Trust, Columbia ETF Trust I, Columbia ETF Trust II, Cortina Funds, Inc., CRM Mutual Fund Trust, CSOP ETF Trust, Cullen Funds Trust, DBX ETF Trust, Elevation ETF Trust, ETFS Trust, Financial Investors Trust, Firsthand Funds, FS Credit Income Fund, FS Energy Total Return Fund, FS Series Trust, Goehring & Rozencwajg Investment Funds, Goldman Sachs ETF Trust, Griffin Institutional Access Credit Fund, Griffin Institutional Access Real Estate Fund, Hartford Funds Exchange-Traded Trust, Hartford Funds NextShares Trust, Heartland Group, Inc., Henssler Funds, Inc., Holland Series Fund, Inc., Index Funds, IndexIQ Active ETF Trust, Index IQ ETF Trust, IVY NextShares Trust, James Advantage Funds, Janus Detroit Street Trust, Lattice Strategies Trust, Laudus Trust, Litman Gregory Funds Trust, Longleaf Partners Funds Trust, M3Sixty Funds Trust, Mairs & Power Funds Trust, Meridian Fund, Inc., Natixis ETF Trust, Northern Lights Fund Trust (on behalf of the 13D Activist Fund), NorthStar Real Estate Capital Income Fund, NorthStar Real Estate Capital Income Fund-ADV, NorthStar Real Estate Capital Income Fund-T, NorthStar/Townsend Institutional Real Estate Fund, Pax World Series Trust I, Pax World Funds Trust III, Principal Exchange-Traded Funds, Reality Shares ETF Trust, Resource Credit Income Fund, Resource Real Estate Diversified Income Fund, RiverNorth Funds, Sierra Total Return Fund, Smead Funds Trust, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust, SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust, Stadion Investment Trust, Stone Harbor Investment Funds, Stone Ridge Trust, Stone Ridge Trust II, Stone Ridge Trust III, Stone Ridge Trust IV, Stone Ridge Trust V, USCF ETF Trust, USCF Mutual Funds Trust, Wasatch Funds, WesMark Funds, Westcore Trust, and Wilmington Funds.
6
(b) To the best of Registrants knowledge, the directors and executive officers of ALPS Distributors, Inc., are as follows:
Name* | Position with Underwriter | Positions with Fund | ||
Edmund J. Burke |
Director | None | ||
Jeremy O. May |
President, Director | None | ||
Bradley J. Swenson |
Senior Vice President, Chief Operating Officer | None | ||
Robert J. Szydlowski |
Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer | None | ||
Eric T. Parsons |
Vice President, Controller and Assistant Treasurer | None | ||
Randall D. Young** |
Secretary | None | ||
Gregg Wm. Givens** |
Vice President, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary | None | ||
Douglas W. Fleming** |
Assistant Treasurer | None | ||
Steven Price |
Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer | None | ||
Liza Orr |
Vice President, Senior Counsel | None | ||
Jed Stahl |
Vice President, Senior Counsel | None | ||
Josh Eihausen |
Vice President, Associate Senior Counsel | None | ||
Troy A. Duran |
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer | None | ||
James Stegall |
Vice President | None | ||
Gary Ross |
Senior Vice President | None | ||
Kevin Ireland |
Senior Vice President | None | ||
Mark Kiniry |
Senior Vice President | None | ||
Tison Cory |
Vice President, Intermediary Operations | None | ||
Stephen J. Kyllo |
Vice President, Deputy Chief Compliance Officer | None | ||
Hilary Quinn |
Vice President | None | ||
Jennifer Craig |
Assistant Vice President | None |
* Except as otherwise noted, the principal business address for each of the above directors and executive officers is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203.
** The principal business address for Messrs. Young, Givens and Fleming is 333 W. 11 th Street, 5 th Floor, Kansas City, Missouri 64105.
(c) Not applicable.
Item 33. Location of Accounts and Records.
(a) The Registrant maintains accounts, books and other documents required by Section 31(a) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules thereunder (collectively, Records) at its offices at 345 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10154.
(b) DBX Advisors LLC maintains all Records relating to its services as investment adviser to the Registrant at 345 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10154.
(c) Harvest Global Investments Limited maintains all Records relating to its services as sub-adviser to the Registrant at 31/F, One Exchange Square, 8 Connaught Place, Central, Hong Kong.
7
(d) ALPS Distributors, Inc. maintains all Records relating to its services as Distributor of the Registrant at 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203.
(e) The Bank of New York Mellon maintains all Records relating to its services as administrator, transfer agent and custodian of the Registrant at 101 Barclay Street, New York, New York 10286. In addition, BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. maintains all Records relating to its function as regulatory administrator of the Registrant at 201 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02108.
Item 34. Management Services.
There are no management related service contracts not discussed in Part A or Part B.
Item 35. Undertakings.
None.
8
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this Registration Statement under Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment to the Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of New York and state of New York on the 21 st day of December, 2017.
DBX ETF Trust
|
||
By: |
/s/ Freddi Klassen |
|
Freddi Klassen |
||
President and Chief Executive Officer |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities stated and on the dates indicated.
SIGNATURE | CAPACITY | DATE | ||||||
/s/ Stephen R. Byers* |
||||||||
Stephen R. Byers | Trustee and Chairman | December 21, 2017 | ||||||
/s/ George O. Elston* |
||||||||
George O. Elston | Trustee | December 21, 2017 | ||||||
/s/ Michael Gilligan |
||||||||
Michael Gilligan | Trustee, Treasurer, Chief Financial Officer and Controller | December 21, 2017 | ||||||
/s/ Freddi Klassen |
||||||||
Freddi Klassen |
President and Chief Executive Officer |
December 21, 2017 | ||||||
/s/ J. David Officer* |
||||||||
J. David Officer | Trustee | December 21, 2017 | ||||||
*By: |
/s/ Freddi Klassen |
December 21, 2017 | ||||||
Freddi Klassen (attorney-in-fact) |
EXHIBIT INDEX
Ex. Number |
Description |
|
EX-99.B | Bylaws of the Trust, dated October 7, 2010, as amended February 25, 2016 and November 14, 2017. | |
EX-99.D18 | Form of Amended Schedule A, dated November 14, 2017 to the Investment Advisory Agreement, dated January 31, 2011 between the Trust and DBX Advisors LLC. | |
EX-99.E6 | Form of Amendment No. 18, dated November 14, 2017, to the Distribution Agreement between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc. | |
EX-99.I2 | Opinion and Consent of Counsel, Dechert LLP. | |
EX-99.J | Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm, Ernst & Young LLP. |
BY-LAWS
OF
DBX ETF TRUST
Dated: October 7, 2010
Amended: February 25, 2016
Amended: November 14, 2017
ARTICLE 1
DECLARATION OF TRUST AND PRINCIPAL OFFICE
Section 1.1 Declaration of Trust . These By-Laws are adopted pursuant to Section 6.8 of the Declaration of Trust, as from time to time in effect (the Declaration ), of DBX ETF Trust (the Trust ) and shall be subject to the terms of the Declaration. Any capitalized term not otherwise defined herein shall have the same meaning given to such term in the Declaration. In the event of any inconsistency between the terms of these By-Laws and the terms of the Declaration, the terms of the Declaration shall control.
Section 1.2 Principal Office of the Trust . The principal office of the Trust is 345 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10154, or such other place as shall be determined by the Trustees from time to time.
ARTICLE 2
TRUSTEES
Section 2.1 Chair . The Trustees may elect from their own number a Chair to hold office until his or her successor shall have been duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier death, resignation, removal or disqualification. The Chair (or, if the Chair is unable to attend any such meeting, the Chairs designee) shall preside at all meetings of the Trustees and the Shareholders. The Chair shall have such other duties and powers as the Trustees may from time to time determine.
Section 2.2 Regular Meetings . Regular meetings of the Trustees may be held without call or notice at such places (including for these purposes, by means of conference telephone circuit, video conferencing or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other as provided for in the Declaration) as the Trustees may from time to time determine.
Section 2.3 Special Meetings . Special meetings of the Trustees may be held at any time and at any place (including for these purposes, by means of conference telephone circuit, video conferencing or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other as provided for in the Declaration) designated in the call of the meeting when called by the Chair, the President or the Secretary or by two or more Trustees, sufficient notice thereof as described in Section 2.4 below being given to each Trustee by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary or by the person calling the meeting.
Section 2.4 Notice of Special Meetings . It shall be sufficient notice to a Trustee of a special meeting to send notice by overnight mail at least two days or by email or facsimile at least one day before the meeting addressed to the Trustee at his or her usual or last known business or residence address, email address or facsimile number as applicable, or to give notice in person or by telephone one day before the meeting. Notice may be sent on the day of the special meeting by email, facsimile or other electronic
means, or given by telephone or in person, if under the circumstances the party calling the meeting deems more immediate action to be necessary or appropriate. Notice of a special meeting need not be given to any Trustee if a written waiver of notice, executed by him or her before or after the meeting, is filed with the records of the meeting, or to any Trustee who attends the meeting without protesting prior thereto or at its commencement the lack of notice to him or her. Neither notice of a meeting nor a waiver of a notice need specify the purposes of the meeting.
Section 2.5 Quorum and Manner of Acting . At any meeting of the Trustees a majority of the Trustees then in office shall constitute a quorum. Any meeting may be adjourned from time to time by a majority of the votes cast upon the question, whether or not a quorum is present, and the meeting may be held as adjourned without further notice. A meeting at which a quorum is initially present may continue to transact business notwithstanding the withdrawal from the meeting of one or more Trustees if any action taken is approved by at least a majority of the required quorum for that meeting. The Declaration contains further provisions relating to the manner of acting by the Trustees.
Section 2.6 Actions by Consent . If in accordance with the provisions of the Declaration any action is taken by the Trustees by a written consent of fewer than all of the Trustees, prompt notice of any such action shall be furnished to each Trustee who did not execute such written consent, provided that the effectiveness of such action shall not be impaired by any delay or failure to furnish such notice. Any written consents may be executed and delivered by electronic means. The Declaration contains further provisions relating to action by consent of the Trustees.
Section 2.7 Counsel and Experts . The Trustees who are not Interested Persons may, by vote of a majority of such Trustees, at the Trusts expense, hire such employees and retain such counsel, accountants, appraisers or other experts or consultants whose services such Trustees may, in their discretion, determine to be necessary or desirable from time to time, including services to one or more committees established by the Trustees, and may execute any agreements, contracts, instruments or other documents in connection therewith.
ARTICLE 3
COMMITTEES
Section 3.1 Establishment and Authority . The Declaration contains provisions relating to the establishment of committees by the Trustees. Each committee shall have such powers and authority as shall be authorized by the Trustees, and may fix its own rules and procedures, and adopt its own charter, in each case subject to approval by the Trustees. The Trustees may abolish any such committee at any time in their sole discretion. Any committee to which the Trustees delegate any of their powers shall maintain records of its meetings and shall report its actions to the Trustees. The Trustees shall have the power to rescind any action of any committee, but no such rescission shall have retroactive effect. The Trustees shall have the power at any time to fill vacancies in the committees. The Trustees may designate one or more Trustees as alternate members of any committee who may replace any absent member at any meeting of the committee.
Section 3.2 Quorum; Voting . Unless the specific rules and procedures adopted by a committee in accordance with Section 3.1 provide otherwise, a majority of the members of any committee of the Trustees shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, and any action of such a committee may be taken at a meeting by a vote of a majority of the members present (a quorum being present) or evidenced by one or more writings signed by such a majority (which writings may be executed and/or delivered by electronic means). Members of a committee may participate in a meeting of such committee by means of a conference telephone circuit, video conferencing or similar communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time and participation by such means shall constitute presence in person at a meeting.
Section 3.3 Compensation of Members . The chair, if any, and members of any duly appointed committee shall receive such compensation and/or fees and reimbursement for expenses as from time to time may be determined by the Trustees.
ARTICLE 4
OFFICERS
Section 4.1 Enumeration; Qualification . The officers of the Trust shall be a President, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and such other officers as the Trustees from time to time may in their discretion elect, appoint or authorize in accordance with Section 4.2 below. Any officer of the Trust may but need not be a Trustee or a Shareholder. Any two or more offices, except those of President and Vice-President, may be held by the same person.
Section 4.2 Election . The President, the Treasurer and the Secretary shall be elected by the Trustees upon the occurrence of a vacancy in any such office. Other officers, if any, may be elected or appointed by the Trustees at any time, or the Trustees may delegate to the President the power to appoint such other officers as the Trustees shall at any time or from time to time deem advisable. Vacancies in any such other office may be filled at any time. Each officer shall hold office at the pleasure of the Trustees.
Section 4.3 Powers . Subject to the other provisions of these By-Laws, each officer shall have, in addition to the duties and powers herein and in the Declaration set forth, such duties and powers as are commonly incident to the office occupied by him or her as if the Trust were organized as a Delaware corporation and such other duties and powers as the Trustees may from time to time designate.
Section 4.4 President . Unless the Trustees otherwise provide, the President shall be the chief executive officer of the Trust.
Section 4.5 Treasurer . Unless the Trustees provide otherwise, the Treasurer shall be the chief financial and accounting officer of the Trust, and shall, subject to the provisions of the Declaration and to any arrangement made by the Trustees with a custodian, investment adviser or manager, or transfer, shareholder servicing or similar agent, be in charge of the valuable papers, books of account and accounting records of the Trust, and shall have such other duties and powers as may be designated from time to time by the Trustees or by the President.
Section 4.6 Secretary . The Secretary shall record all proceedings of the Shareholders and the Trustees in books to be kept therefor. In the absence of the Secretary from any meeting of the shareholders or Trustees, an Assistant Secretary, or if there be none or if he or she is absent, a temporary Secretary chosen at such meeting shall record the proceedings thereof in the aforesaid books.
Section 4.7 Resignations and Removals . Any officer may resign at any time by written instrument signed by him or her and delivered to the Chair, the President or the Secretary or to a meeting of the Trustees. Such resignation shall be effective upon receipt unless specified to be effective at some other time. The Trustees may by action of a majority of the Trustees then in office, remove any officer with or without cause. Except to the extent expressly provided in a written agreement with the Trust, no officer resigning and no officer removed shall have any right to any compensation for any period following his or her resignation or removal, or any right to damages on account of such removal.
ARTICLE 5
SHAREHOLDERS
Section 5.1 Meetings . There shall be no annual meetings of Shareholders except as required by law. A meeting of the Shareholders of the Trust or of any Series shall be called by the Secretary whenever ordered by (i) a majority of Trustees then in office, (ii) the Chair or (iii) the President. Meetings of the Shareholders of the Trust or of any Series shall also be called by the Secretary upon the order of the Trustees upon the written request of the Shareholders holding not less than one-third of the Outstanding Shares entitled to vote on the matters specified in such written request provided that (1) such request shall state the purposes of such meeting and the matters proposed to be acted on, and (2) the Shareholders requesting such meeting shall have paid to the Trust the reasonably estimated cost of preparing and mailing the notice thereof, which the Secretary shall determine and specify to such Shareholders. If the meeting is a meeting of Shareholders of any one or more Series, but not a meeting of all Shareholders of the Trust, then only a special meeting of Shareholders of such Series need be called and, in such case, only Shareholders of such Series shall be entitled to notice of and to vote at such meeting. The Trustees may determine, or may authorize the officers of the Trust to determine, the date, time and place for any meeting of Shareholders, which place may be within or outside the State of Delaware. Any meeting so called may be postponed or cancelled prior to the meeting, provided that notice of such postponement or cancellation is given to the Shareholders entitled to vote at that meeting, if notice of such meeting had been given to Shareholders.
Section 5.2 Record Dates . For the purpose of determining the Shareholders of the Trust or any Series who are entitled to vote or act at any meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof, or who are entitled to receive payment of any dividend or of any other distribution, the Trustees may from time to time fix a time, or may authorize the officers to fix a time, which shall be not more than 120 days before the date set for any meeting of Shareholders (without regard to any adjournments or postponements thereof) or more than 60 days before the date of payment of any dividend or of any other distribution, as the record date for determining the Shareholders of the Trust or such Series having the right to notice of and to vote at such meeting and any adjournment or postponements thereof or the right to receive such dividend or distribution, and in such case only Shareholders on such record date shall have such right notwithstanding any transfer of shares on the books of the Trust after the record date; or without fixing such record date the Trustees may for any such purposes close the register or transfer books for all or part of such period.
Section 5.3 Notice of Meetings . Notice of all meetings of Shareholders and any postponements thereof, stating the time, place and purposes of the meeting, shall be given by the Secretary or the Trustees in accordance with Section 5.9 hereof at least seven days and not more than 120 days before the date for the meeting set forth in such notice, to each Shareholder of record of the applicable Series on the date set in accordance with Section 5.2 hereof. Any adjourned meeting may be held as adjourned without further notice, even if the date of such adjourned meeting is more than 120 days after the notice of the original meeting or the postponement thereof, was mailed or sent. Where separate meetings are held for Shareholders of one or more individual Series to vote on a matter required to be voted on by Shareholders of the Trust in the aggregate, notice of each such separate meeting shall be provided in the manner described above in this Section.
Section 5.4 Quorum . The holders of thirty-three and one-third percent (33 1/3%) of the Outstanding Shares entitled to vote and present in person or by proxy at the meeting shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Shareholders, except that where pursuant to any provision of law, the Declaration or these By-Laws a vote shall be taken by individual Series, then holders of thirty-three and one-third percent (33 1/3%) of the Outstanding Shares of that Series entitled to vote and present in person
or by proxy shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business by that Series. For the purposes of establishing whether a quorum is present, all Shares present and entitled to vote, including abstentions and broker non-votes, shall be counted.
Section 5.5 Adjournments . Any meeting of Shareholders may, by action of the person presiding thereat, be adjourned without further notice with respect to one or more matters to be considered at such meeting to a designated time and place, if a quorum is not present with respect to such matter; any meeting of Shareholders may, by motion of the person presiding thereat, be adjourned with respect to one or more matters to be considered at such meeting, even if a quorum is present with respect to such matters, to a designated time and place, when such adjournment is approved by the vote of holders of Shares representing a majority of the voting power of the Shares present and entitled to vote with respect to the matter or matters adjourned, and without further notice. Unless a proxy is otherwise limited in this regard, any Shares present and entitled to vote at a meeting that are represented by broker non-votes, may, at the discretion of the proxies named therein, be voted in favor of such an adjournment.
Section 5.6 Proxies . At any meeting of Shareholders, any holder of Shares entitled to vote thereat may vote by proxy, provided that no proxy shall be voted at any meeting unless it shall have been placed on file with the Secretary, or with such other officer or agent of the Trust as the Trustees or officers may direct, for verification prior to the time at which such vote shall be taken. In connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Trustees, a Shareholder may give instructions through telephonic or electronic methods of communication or via the Internet for another person to execute his or her proxy, if in each case such method has been authorized by the Trust by its officers, and pursuant in each case to procedures established or approved by the officers of the Trust or agents employed by the Trust for such purpose as reasonably designed to verify that such instructions have been authorized by such Shareholder; and the placing of a Shareholders name on a proxy pursuant to such instructions shall constitute execution of such proxy by or on behalf of such Shareholder. Proxies may also be submitted via facsimile if such method has been authorized by the Trust by its officers, and pursuant to procedures established or approved by the officers of the Trust or agents employed by the Trust for such purpose. Pursuant to a vote of the Trustees, proxies may be solicited in the name of one or more Trustees and/or one or more of the officers of the Trust. When any Share is held jointly by several persons, any one of them may vote at any meeting in person or by proxy in respect of such Share, but if more than one of them shall be present at such meeting in person or by proxy and such joint owners or their proxies so present disagree as to any vote to be cast, such vote shall not be received in respect of such Share, but shall be counted as present at the meeting for all other purposes. A proxy purporting to be executed by or on behalf of a Shareholder shall be deemed valid unless challenged at or prior to its exercise, and the burden of proving invalidity shall rest on the challenger. If the holder of any such Share is a minor or a person of unsound mind, and subject to guardianship or to the legal control of any other person as regards the charge or management of such Share, such Share may be voted by such guardian or such other person appointed or having such control, and such vote may be given in person or by proxy. Unless otherwise specifically limited by their terms, proxies shall entitle the holder thereof to vote at any postponement or adjournment of a meeting, and no proxy shall be valid after eleven months from its date. A Shareholder who has submitted a proxy may revoke or withdraw the proxy with respect to any matter to be considered at a meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof if such revocation or withdrawal is properly received prior to the vote on that matter, by delivering a duly executed proxy bearing a later date or by attending the meeting or the adjournment or postponement thereof and voting in person on the matter or matters.
Section 5.7 Conduct of Meetings . For any matter to be properly before any meeting of Shareholders, the matter must be either specified in the notice of meeting given by or at the direction of a majority of the Trustees then in office or otherwise brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the Chair or other presiding officer. With the exception of Shareholder proposals submitted in accordance
with the requirements of Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any successor provisions, only matters proposed by the Trustees may be included in the Trusts proxy materials. The Trustees may from time to time in their discretion provide for procedures by which Shareholders may, prior to any meeting at which Trustees are to be elected, submit the names of potential candidates for Trustee, to be considered by the Trustees, or any proper committee thereof. At all meetings of Shareholders, unless voting is conducted by inspectors, all questions relating to the qualification of voters and the validity of proxies and the acceptance or rejection of votes shall be decided by the Chair or other presiding officer.
Section 5.8 Inspectors of Election . In advance of any meeting of Shareholders the Trustees, or at any such meeting the Trustees or the chair or other presiding officer, may appoint Inspectors of Election to act at the meeting or any adjournment thereof. If any person appointed as inspector fails to appear or fails or refuses to act, the Chair or other presiding officer may appoint a person to fill the vacancy. Unless otherwise instructed by the Trustees, or by the Chair or other presiding officer at the meeting, the Inspectors of Election shall determine the number of Shares outstanding, the Shares represented at the meeting, the existence of a quorum, the authenticity, validity and effect of proxies, shall receive votes, ballots or consents, shall hear and determine all challenges and questions in any way arising in connection with the right to vote, shall count and tabulate all votes and consents, determine the results, and do such other acts as may be proper to conduct the election or vote.
Section 5.9 Communications with Shareholders . Any notices, reports, statements or other communications with Shareholders of any kind required under the Declaration, these By-Laws or applicable law may be sent, delivered or made available in any reasonable manner as may be determined by the Trustees if not otherwise prohibited by applicable law, including, without limitation, by email or other electronic means or by posting on a website; and such communications may be sent, delivered or otherwise made available to Shareholders in accordance with householding or other similar rules under which a single copy of such notice or report may be sent to Shareholders who reside at the same address. No communication need be given to any Shareholder who shall have failed to inform the Trust of the Shareholders current address and the Trustees may from time to time adopt, or may authorize the officers or agents of the Trust to adopt, procedures or policies with respect to communications to Shareholders that are returned to the Trust or its agents as undeliverable and similar matters. Any Shareholder may waive receipt of any notice or other communication. Communications shall be deemed to have been given at the time when delivered personally or deposited in the mail or with another carrier or sent by any means of written or electronic communication or, where notice is given by posting on a website or by publication, on the date of posting or publication. An affidavit of the mailing or other means of giving any notice of any meeting of Shareholders shall be filed and maintained with the records of the Trust.
The foregoing provisions shall apply mutatis mutandis to any communications given to a Shareholders counsel under Section 9.8 of the Declaration, provided , however , that communications provided to either a Shareholder or Shareholders counsel under Section 9.8 may not be made by means of posting on a website or by publication.
ARTICLE 6
SHARES AND SHARE CERTIFICATES
Section 6.1 Share Certificates . Unless the issuance of certificates is authorized by the Trustees, Shares shall be held on the books of the Trust by one or more transfer agents appointed in accordance with Section 7.2 of the Declaration (each, a Transfer Agent ) in uncertificated form, and the record holders of such shares shall be treated for all purposes as Shareholders under the Declaration.
The Trustees may at any time authorize the issuance of share certificates for Shares of any Series in such form as the Trustees may prescribe from time to time. Each such certificate shall bear a distinguishing number, shall exhibit the holders name and the number of whole shares owned by such holder, and shall be signed by the President or a Vice President and by the Treasurer or an Assistant Treasurer. Such signatures may be facsimile, printed or engraved if the certificate is signed by the Transfer Agent with respect to such Shares or by a registrar. In case any officer who has signed or whose facsimile signature has been placed on such certificate shall cease to be such officer before such certificate is issued, it may be issued by the Trust with the same effect as if he were such officer at the time of its issue.
Section 6.2 Share Transfers . Transfers of Shares of the Trust shall be made only on the books of the Trust, as maintained by the Transfer Agent with respect to such Shares, by the registered holder thereof, or by his attorney thereunto authorized by power of attorney duly executed and filed with the Transfer Agent for such Shares and upon surrender of any certificate or certificates representing such Shares, if any, properly endorsed and the payment of all taxes thereon. Except as may be otherwise provided by law or these By-Laws, the person in whose name Shares stand on the books of the Trust shall be deemed the owner thereof for all purposes as regards the Trust; provided that properly documented pledges of Shares as collateral security may be accounted for by the Transfer Agent in accordance with its standard procedures with respect thereto.
Section 6.3 Loss of Certificates . The Transfer Agent for any Series, with the approval of any two officers of the Trust, is authorized to issue and countersign replacement certificates for Shares which have been lost, stolen or destroyed upon (i) receipt of an affidavit or affidavits of loss or non receipt and of an indemnity agreement executed by the registered holder or his legal representative and supported by an open penalty surety bond, said agreement and said bond in all cases to be in form and content satisfactory to and approved by the President or the Treasurer, or (ii) receipt of such other documents and assurances as may be approved by the Trustees.
Section 6.4 Regulations . The Trustees may make such additional rules and regulations, not inconsistent with these By-Laws, as they may deem expedient concerning the issue, certification, transfer and registration of Shares.
ARTICLE 7
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 7.1 Books and Records . The books and records of the Trust and any Series thereof, including the share ledger or ledgers, may be kept in or outside the State of Delaware at such office or offices of the Trust and/or its agents as may from time to time be determined by the officers of the Trust.
Section 7.2 Access to Book and Records . The Shareholders shall only have such right to inspect the records, documents, accounts and books of the Trust or any Series thereof as may be granted from time to time by the Trustees in their sole discretion.
Section 7.3 Seal . The Trustees may adopt a seal of the Trust which shall be in such form and shall have such inscription thereon as the Trustees may from time to time prescribe, but unless otherwise required by the Trustees, the seal shall not be necessary to be placed on, and its absence shall not impair the validity of, any document, instrument or other paper executed and delivered by or on behalf of the Trust.
Section 7.4 Execution of Papers . All deeds, leases, contracts, notes and other obligations made by the Trustees shall be signed by the President, any Vice President elected by the Trustees, the Treasurer, the Secretary or any other officer elected by the Trustees, except as the Trustees may generally or in particular cases authorize the execution thereof in some other manner, or as otherwise provided in these By-Laws.
Section 7.5 Severability . The provisions of these By-Laws are severable. If the Trustees determine, with the advice of counsel, that any provision hereof conflicts with the 1940 Act, the regulated investment company or other provisions of the Code or with other applicable laws and regulations, the conflicting provision shall be deemed never to have constituted a part of these By-Laws; provided , however , that such determination shall not affect any of the remaining provisions of these By-Laws or render invalid or improper any action taken or omitted prior to such determination. If any provision hereof shall be held invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall attach only to such provision only in such jurisdiction and shall not affect any other provision of these By-Laws.
Section 7.6 Headings . Headings are placed in these By-Laws for convenience of reference only and in case of any conflict, the text of these By-Laws rather than the headings shall control.
ARTICLE 8
AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS
Section 8.1 General . These By-Laws may be amended, supplemented, amended and restated, or repealed, in whole or in part, by a majority of the Trustees then in office at any meeting of the Trustees, or by one or more writings signed by such a majority.
SCHEDULE A
(as of November 14, 2017)
CURRENCY HEDGED FUNDS |
ANNUAL FEE
AS A PERCENTAGE OF AVERAGE DAILY NET ASSETS* |
REAPPROVAL
DATE |
REAPPROVAL
DAY** |
|||
Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets Hedged Equity ETF |
0.65% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity ETF |
0.35% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers MSCI Brazil Hedged Equity ETF |
0.60% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers MSCI Germany Hedged Equity ETF |
0.45% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers MSCI Japan Hedged Equity ETF |
0.45% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers MSCI Asia Pacific ex Japan Hedged Equity ETF |
0.60% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers MSCI Europe Hedged Equity ETF |
0.45% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers MSCI United Kingdom Hedged Equity ETF |
0.45% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers MSCI South Korea Hedged Equity ETF |
0.58% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers MSCI Mexico Hedged Equity ETF |
0.50% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers MSCI All World ex-US Hedged Equity ETF |
0.40% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers MSCI Eurozone Hedged Equity ETF |
0.45% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers MSCI EAFE High Dividend Yield Hedged Equity ETF |
0.45% | N/A | February 28th |
Xtrackers MSCI Emerging Markets High Dividend Yield Hedged Equity ETF |
0.65% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers MSCI Eurozone High Dividend Yield Hedged Equity ETF |
0.45% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers MSCI All World ex US High Dividend Yield Hedged Equity ETF |
0.45% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers MSCI EAFE Small Cap Hedged Equity ETF |
0.45% | N/A | February 28th | |||
EQUITY FUNDS |
||||||
Xtrackers Japan JPX-Nikkei 400 Equity ETF 1 |
0.15% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers MSCI Latin America Pacific Alliance ETF |
0.55% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF |
0.35% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF |
0.50% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF |
0.19% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF |
0.30% | May 18, 2018 | May 31st | |||
Xtrackers Germany Equity ETF 2 |
0.15% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers Eurozone Equity ETF 3 |
0.15% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers FTSE All World ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF |
0.35% | May 24, 2019 | May 31st | |||
Xtrackers FTSE Developed Europe Comprehensive Factor ETF |
0.30% | May 24, 2019 | May 31st | |||
Xtrackers FTSE Japan Comprehensive Factor ETF |
0.30% | May 24, 2019 | May 31st |
1 On May 24, 2017, the Board approved a reduction in the unitary management fee from 0.40% to 0.15% of the Funds average daily net assets. The change became effective on October 27, 2017.
2 Prior to October 27, 2017, the Funds name was Xtrackers MSCI Italy Hedged Equity ETF. In addition, effective October 27, 2017, the Funds unitary management fee was reduced from 0.45% to 0.15% of the Funds average daily net assets.
3 Prior to October 27, 2017, the Funds name was Xtrackers MSCI Southern Europe Hedged Equity ETF. In addition, effective October 27, 2017, the Funds unitary management fee was reduced from 0.45% to 0.15% of the Funds average daily net assets.
Xtrackers Emerging Markets Bond - Interest Rate Hedged ETF |
0.45% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers High Yield Corporate Bond - Interest Rate Hedged ETF |
0.35% | N/A | February 28th | |||
Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF |
0.25% | September 21, 2018 | September 30th | |||
Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF |
0.30% | September 21, 2018 | September 30th | |||
Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF |
0.40% | September 21, 2018 | September 30th | |||
Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF 4 |
0.20% | September 21, 2018 | September 30th | |||
Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF |
0.35% | September 21, 2018 | September 30th | |||
Xtrackers 0-1 Year Treasury ETF |
0.12% | May 24, 2019 | May 31st | |||
Xtrackers Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond ETF |
0.12% | May 24, 2019 | May 31st | |||
Xtrackers iBoxx USD Corporate Yield Plus ETF |
0.20% | May 24, 2019 | May 31st | |||
Xtrackers High Beta High Yield Bond ETF |
0.35% | May 24, 2019 | May 31st | |||
Xtrackers Short Duration High Yield Bond ETF 5 |
0.20% | May 24, 2019 | May 31st | |||
Xtrackers Low Beta High Yield Bond ETF |
0.25% | July 25, 2019 | July 31st |
* Expressed as a percentage of average daily net assets. Out of each Funds advisory fee, the Adviser will pay all of the expenses of the Fund, except for the fee payments under this Agreement, payments under the Funds 12b-1 plan, if any, brokerage expenses, taxes, interest, litigation expenses and other extraordinary expenses.
** References to February 28 refer to February 29 in the case of a leap year.
4 On November 14, 2017, the Board approved a reduction in the unitary management fee from 0.25% to 0.20% of the Funds average daily net assets. The change became effective on November 14, 2017.
5 On November 14, 2017, the Board approved a reduction in the unitary management fee from 0.25% to 0.20% of the Funds average daily net assets. The change became effective on November 14, 2017.
Amendment No. 18 to Letter Agreement
This Amendment to the Letter Agreement (this Amendment) by and between DBX Advisors LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (Adviser), and ALPS Distributors, Inc., a Colorado corporation, (the Distributor) is dated as of November 14, 2017.
WHEREAS, the Adviser serves as investment adviser to the DBX ETF Trust (the Trust);
WHEREAS, the Adviser and the Distributor entered into a Letter Agreement dated November 1, 2011, as amended from time to time (the Agreement) pursuant to which the Adviser pays the Distributor a fee in connection with the services provided to the Trust and the Adviser as described therein; and
WHEREAS, the Adviser and the Distributor wish to amend the provisions of the Agreement to reflect the addition of six new Funds to be offered under the Trust and name changes to all Funds offered under the Trust, particularly the two repurposed Funds.
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties hereby agree to amend the Agreement as follows:
1. The parties hereto agree to delete the current Exhibit A to the Agreement in its entirety and replace it with a new Exhibit A attached hereto.
2. Except as specifically set forth herein, all other provisions of the Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. Any items not herein defined shall have the meaning ascribed to them in the Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Amendment as of the day and year first above written.
DBX ADVISORS LLC | ALPS DISTRIBUTORS, INC. | |||||||
By: | By: | |||||||
Name: Freddi Klassen | Name: Steven B. Price | |||||||
Title: Manager/Chief Operating Officer | Title: Senior Vice President and | |||||||
Director of Distribution Services | ||||||||
By: | ||||||||
Name: Fiona Bassett | ||||||||
Title: Chief Executive Officer |
EXHIBIT A
LIST OF PORTFOLIOS
Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF |
IFIX | |||
Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF |
IHIY | |||
Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF |
DESC | |||
Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF |
HYLB | |||
Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF |
EMBQ | |||
Xtrackers Managed Downside Volatility US Large Cap ETF |
AMDV | |||
Xtrackers Managed Downside Volatility Developed International ETF |
EFDV | |||
Xtrackers Managed Downside Volatility All World ETF |
AWDV | |||
Xtrackers Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond ETF |
ALLB | |||
Xtrackers iBoxx USD Corporate Yield Plus ETF |
YLDP | |||
Xtrackers Short Duration High Yield Bond ETF |
SHYL | |||
Xtrackers 0-1 Year Treasury ETF |
TBLL | |||
Xtrackers High Beta High Yield Bond ETF |
HYUP | |||
Xtrackers FTSE Developed Europe Comprehensive Factor ETF |
DEEU | |||
Xtrackers FTSE Japan Comprehensive Factor ETF |
DEJP | |||
Xtrackers FTSE All World ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF |
DEAW | |||
Xtrackers Low Beta High Yield Bond ETF |
HYDW | |||
Xtrackers FTSE All World ex US Quality at a Reasonable Price ETF |
||||
Xtrackers Russell 1000 Quality at a Reasonable Price ETF |
||||
Xtrackers MSCI EAFE ESG Leaders Equity ETF |
||||
Xtrackers MSCI USA ESG Leaders Equity ETF |
||||
Xtrackers MSCI All World ESG Leaders Equity ETF |
||||
Xtrackers United Kingdom Equity ETF |
BRIT |
Exhibit (i)(2)
[LETTERHEAD OF DECHERT LLP]
December 21, 2017
DBX ETF Trust
345 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10154
Re: | Opinion of Counsel regarding Post-Effective Amendment No. 397 to the Registration Statement filed on Form N-1A under the Securities Act of 1933 (File Nos. 333-170122; 811-22487) |
Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to DBX ETF Trust (the Trust) in connection with the above-referenced Registration Statement (as amended, the Registration Statement), which relates to the shares of beneficial interest, no par value, of Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers Barclays International High Yield Bond Hedged ETF, Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, Xtrackers iBoxx Emerging Markets Quality Weighted Bond ETF, Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF, Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF, Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF and Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF (the Shares). This opinion is being delivered to you in connection with the Trusts filing of Post-Effective Amendment No. 397 to the Registration Statement (the Amendment) to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 1933 Act), and Amendment No. 399 pursuant to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended. With your permission, all assumptions and statements of reliance herein have been made without any independent investigation or verification on our part except to the extent otherwise expressly stated, and we express no opinion with respect to the subject matter or accuracy of such assumptions or items relied upon. We have reviewed the Trusts Declaration of Trust, as amended (the Declaration), and such other documents and matters as we have deemed necessary to enable us to render this opinion.
Based upon, and subject to, the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Shares to which the Registration Statement relates when issued and sold in accordance with the Trusts Declaration, Designation and By-Laws and for the consideration described in the Registration Statement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, except that, as set forth in the Registration Statement, shareholders of the Trust may under certain circumstances be held personally liable for its obligations.
We have consented to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to us under the heading Miscellaneous InformationCounsel in the Statement of Additional Information forming a part of the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not concede that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the 1933 Act.
Very truly yours, |
/s/ Dechert LLP |
Dechert LLP |
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the references to our firm under the captions Fund Service Providers and Financial Highlights within the Prospectus and Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm and Financial Statements within the Statement of Additional Information and to the use of our reports dated October 26, 2017 relating to the financial statements of Xtrackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF (formerly Deutsche X-trackers FTSE Developed ex US Comprehensive Factor ETF), Xtrackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF (formerly Deutsche X-trackers FTSE Emerging Comprehensive Factor ETF), Xtrackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF (formerly Deutsche X-trackers Russell 1000 Comprehensive Factor ETF), Xtrackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF (formerly Deutsche X-trackers Russell 2000 Comprehensive Factor ETF), Xtrackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF (formerly Deutsche X-trackers Barclays International Corporate Bond Hedged ETF), Xtrackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF (formerly Deutsche X-trackers Barclays International Treasury Bond Hedged ETF), and Xtrackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (formerly Deutsche X-trackers USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF) for the fiscal period ended August 31, 2017, which is incorporated by reference in this Post-Effective Amendment No. 397 to the Registration Statement (Form N-1A No. 333-170122) within DBX ETF Trust.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
New York, New York
December 19, 2017